Jesse Acosta's Blog

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noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:35:00 +0000

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Return from Emerald City ComiCon 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:57:00 +0000

Finally catching up on the sleep I've missed during the con, but had to jump right back into my Logic class. Final is Monday, it was a little intense to miss a day of school for me, I'm pretty good at showing up every day.

Let's start off with the commissions I sold at Emerald City ComiCon 2010.
Michelangelo Sketch Card
Bumblebee Sketch Card
Raven Sketch Card
Starfire Sketch Card
Gaara Sketch Card
Tara Sketch Card
Robin Sketch Card
Robin Print
Flash Commission
Blue Beetle Sketch Card
Molly(from Runaways) vs Spock Commission
Rogue Sketch Card
Invisible Girl Commission
Robin Sketch Card
Starfire Sketch Card
Cyborg Sketch Card
Larry Commission

Not bad. Typing all that out kind of shocks me how many strangers have received a sketch card from me! It's a pretty cool notion that so many people enjoyed my work. I actually had a few people who thought I worked on Teen Titans. When I explained that I'm merely a fan, they said I should work for Cartoon Network because my work is so on-model That made my day.

Okay, so to counter all the money I made, here's a list of all the stuff I bought:

Francavilla Commission of Zorro (My Holy Grail of ECCC)
Sketch card from Pia Guerra
Sketch card from Mike Norton
Sketch card from Corey Lewis
Sketch card from Scott Kurtz

Tomb of Dracula issue 50 (fighting Silver Surfer)
Thor issue 152
Magnus Robot Fighter #42
Magnus Robot Fighter #14
Werewolf by Night Issue 15 (fighting Dracula)
Thor issue 221 (vs Hercules)
PVP #3
PVP #4
PVP #5

I also bought a bunch of Zorro and Blue Beetle comics for .20 each! Then I had Mike Norton and Francesco Francavilla sign them. Sunday is such a great sales day, the vendors are pushing to sell everything so they don't have to haul as much back home. I actually didn't know Norton was there, or else I would have brought issues from home. But I was able to find three copies of my favorite issue (#26, Spanish language edition), so it worked out. Also, Scott Kurtz gave me his three PVP books because he didn't want to ship it home. When I approached him to draw a character on a sketch card, he was really intrigued by the idea. He hadn't seen them before, so I gave him a pack of Canson sketch cards. He was thrilled, it was the least I could do for getting a free sketch and three free books.

At the con, I just met so many people. It was so great to people that I'm a fan of and tell them how much I appreciate their work. So many people enjoyed my work, and made some new friends. It was great all around. If I ran into you at the con, let me know, I'd love to chat it up!

Oh last note, I was interviewed by Seattle-Geekly! The interview is on Episode 54, check it out. Also add them to your iTunes, they are a really from podcast! I'm an instant fan now!

Now let's see the photos!

Mini Comic Coming Soon! Also, comics ive bought in the last weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:15:00 +0000

Sorry for the lapse in keeping updates. I've been busy with work, school, and life. It is the usually dance I deal with, and it has been hectic. But between all that, I am finishing up on a mini comic that will be ready for Emerald City Comic Con. I'll be there, if you are attending, find me and my Comic Smiths' Guild friends in the Artist Alley!

So, the comic I have underway is called Torero Intergalático, it is all about Bull Fighting in SPACE! Yes, that is correct. It is wild, fun, and everything everybody in the comic world has been longing for. Okay, I kid, but it will be fun to share with enthusiasts at ECCC.

Besides that, I've been doing a lot of comic reading. Right now I am really enjoying Day Tripper, published by Vertigo, created by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon. It is really amazing, and I am really inspired by these two amazing Brazilian artists/comic creators! The story is really great so far. I'll make my stab at what is happening in the comic. I think the end scene in every issue is what could have potentially happened to the main character of the story, and it is trying to convey that life happens everyday and one must make the best of it because you don't know what the future holds. Really great stuff. I heard some people say the writing is off, as though it is their English Second Language coming through in the writing. I didn't notice anything myself, but I know many people who speak English as a second language, so I might be used to it. Also, I read a lot of translations, so that might be another factor. Final statement: Buy this comic, it is currently on issue 3 of 10. Check it out!

Besides that, I also received my tax refund. Most went to bills, and for upcoming trip to Seattle for ECC and prints/comics to sell at the table. But I had some extra to splurge on comics, so here is what I bought:

Umbrella Academy #2: Dallas
Atomic Robo #2
Dynamo 5 #1: Post Nuclear Family
Dynamo 5 #2: Moments of Truth
Black Coat: Call To Arms
White Picket Fences
Gunwitch Outskirts of Doom
Jason and the Argobots #1 Birthquake

I'm pretty stoked! All these I have been longing to read, and now I will have them. I ordered from instocktrades.com I try buying all my trades and ogns from them because they offer a great discounted rate, as well as free shipping on $50 or more purchases. I save a heck of a lot of money. I still hit up my local comic shop for all my single issues though.

Speaking of local comic shop, let me see if I can name everything on my pull list:
Daytripper
Kill Audio
Thor
Zorro
Orc Stain

I think that is it, kind of wimpy, I know! But I'm not a huge fan of the big two right now. I actually just picked up a few issues of Amazing Spider-man, I'll try dipping back into that. Spidey has been an alltime favorite, I'm hoping I like the direction he is going. I might have to try the Marvel Adventure line of stuff too, it sounds fun and light.

Well, that's about it for now. I'll be updating my site soon, with new art and my Torero Intergalático comic. Chau!

24 Hour Comic Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:35:00 +0000

Today at 10a,m I will be participating in 24hr Comic Day. For those that don't know, its an event held all over the world in different locations (Spokane, Washington location is at Merlyns on W Main). Every artist involved will attempt to draw one 24 page comic in 24 hours. Its pretty daunting considering that most comic pages are drawn in an 8 hour period.
I'm packing up my goods tonight. Not only do I need my art supplies and paper, but also references, mp3 player, movies, and also lots of food. It will be fun.

BTW, random story: I went to the store to buy some Jarritos and some freshly made churros. While driving home, a highschool idiot runs out into the middle of the road and I step on the brakes. Jarritos go flying, shatter, and ruin my churros in the process. Next time I'm just running over the kid, we need less idiots and more churros in this world.

Final Note: 24hr Comic Book Challenge! Asi que ya lo saben, la cita es esta 3 de Octubre a las 10 am y no paramos hasta el 4 de Octubre a las 10 am (Merlyns W 19 Main, Spokane). Estan listos para el reto?

Spokane Street Fair!

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:45:00 +0000

Members of the Spokane Comicsmiths' Guild will be at Merlyn's tomorrow (Saturday the 12th) after 3pm as part of the Sustainable September Main Street Fair!

We'll be drawing free sketches for kids between 4-6 and taking sketch commissions for others. There should also be a variety of prints and original artwork for sale as well. If you're a Spokane local, swing by and say Hi, meet the Guild and pick up some art!

In addition to the Guild, Merlyn's will also be host to local members of the 501st Legion from 2-4pm. Get photos of yourself with stormtroopers and more of the Galactic Empire's finest!

The Street Fair will also feature live music, entertainment, sustainability info, kids activities, bike tune-ups, food and fun! In the street - 0 block of West Main, 3-8pm.

The Paradox of Our Age - An Interesting Poem

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:28:00 +0000

I read this over the weekend, and thought I'd share:

The Paradox of Our Age by The 14th Dalai Lama

We have bigger houses but smaller families;

More conveniences, but less time;

We have more degrees, but less sense;

More knowledge, but less judgment;

More experts, but more problems;

More medicines, but less healthiness;

We've been all the way to the moon and back,

but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbour.

We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever but have less communication.

We have become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are times of fast foods but slow digestion;

Tall men but short character;

Steep profits but shallow relationships.

It's a time when there is much in the window, but nothing in the room.

Sick Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:03:00 +0000

So I've been sick for the last few days. Horrible allergies, then a cold, and now I believe its turned into a sinus infection. I keep drinking juice, gatorade, and hot tea to keep myself hydrated. Its not fun. Yesterday I slept almost the entire time. As soon as I'm done writing this, its back to bed again. I hate sinus pressure!!!

Anyway, I've been unable to draw the last few weeks. Perhaps its due to the oncoming sickness. But I can't draw anything worthwhile, all the poses and gestures look stiff and ridiculous. Right now, I'm just drawing quick gestures in a cheap sketch book, hoping to break this funk.

Well, back to bed. I'll probably take a shower first. Steam is a big help. BTW, I've been reading Arturo Perez-Reverte's Capitan Alatriste. Its quite good! It reminds me of Isabel Allende's Zorro and Alexandre Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo.

Back to the dungeon...

Daily Sketches 7/27/09

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:32:00 +0000

Trying to keep up with my daily sketches, I scanned these in this morning. Random doodles while watching tv:

I have a fairy tale that maybe I'd like to illustrate, its very hard to draw several different looking wizards. I think I may have to dress them in different cultural clothing, maybe make one rotund, another spindly thin, etc.

A robot. I don't like the hand, but the rest is okay. I'm not big on drawing robots, mainly because I'm not good at coming up with gears and mechanism stuff to get it to look robotic.

I'm thinking of drawing a whole bunch during the week, then on the weekend scanning a once a week post with all the daily sketches for the week. It might be easier for me to do than just drawing, scanning, updating the blog, etc.

Daily Sketch

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 02:13:00 +0000

I am alive an well, those of you who are my friends on Myspace, Facebook, and the real world know this. I just don't scan much, I'm working on some stuff and I'd prefer to post the final product.

Here's a sketch though, did last week while watching Avatar The Last Airbender:

It took about 5 tries to actually get a decent sketch of my favorite hero, Zorro. Copic brush pens and Faber-Castell multiliners.

I should be updating soon, I'm working on a couple paintings and a comic, so more artwork is in the works. I'll try to keep my daily sketch more regular as well.

Light at the end of the tunnel

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:55:00 +0000

I just finished my final project for my Anthropology class! Woo hoo! I just turned it in, its a Virtual Museum starring the Codex Borgia as its major exhibit. If you're interested in Aztec Culture, check it out:
http://www.jesseacosta.net/aztec
It was a rush design job, which is why it isn't super fancy at all. But I think it works well enough for delivery purposes.

All I have left now is a final exam for the class, and an impromptu speech in my Communications class. I can see the light, and I'm almost there. I can't wait to get back to my art and projects without having homework and other things piling up on me.

As a side note, I'll be on the radio tomorrow (Monday June 16th) at 10:00am on 92.3fm. I did a project for my Communications course on Immigration, and during the project I had to contact several people to interview. One of these people happened to be Olgalucia, the host of Latitud, the only Spanish speaking radio program in Spokane, WA. Well, she wants me to present what I found out on the air. I'm pretty scared, but excited at the same time.
I'm also planning on doing some flyers, web design, and some other stuff for her program as well as a few other radio programs on KYRS 92.3fm. I'm trying to pick up some volunteer work so I have some interesting stuff to write about when I apply for Eastern Washington University. I only have a couple quarters left at the Falls, and I can transfer over.

Alright, so I'm going to kick back for a few. It feels good to finally finish my exhibit project.

Spokane ComiCon TODAY!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Sat, 30 May 2009 09:16:00 +0000

Everyone needs to head to the Spokane ComiCon at Spokane Falls Community College today and attend. It starts at 10am, and there are prizes for first attendees, costume contests, auctions, all sorts of goodies. I'll be there selling my paintings, comics, sketches, and more.

Come by and say hi!!!

For more info: http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

Spokane ComiCon, Free Comic Day, More Work, Sketchbook!

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:54:00 +0000

I'm compiling some entries from my deviantArt page here, so here goes:

Everything is going to plan for the Spokane ComiCon. I have 100 (yes that's right, 100) sketchbooks made up for the event. Here's the cover:

I'm expecting to have a lot of extras, I know I'll be handing them out to friends and family, as well as selling extras here and there. I'll also have Solar Flares 24Hour comic available as well, both in Spanish and English. If anyone wants either book after May 30th, you can email me or post here. I'll let you know the details.

I'm planning on having a couple portfolios of my art on display, some 6"x6" sketches on display to entice people to buy $5.00 small sketches. I'm also thinking of doing a $5.00 deal for a book and a sketch inside the book. I'll also have a mini easel on the table displaying some smaller paintings, and a big easel behind displaying my big pieces. I'll be rotating pieces throughout the day.

I'm also going to sift through my work to see if there are any pages worth making prints of.
I hope to see lots of people, stop by and say hi!

During Free Comic Book Day, our group ran into some issues with references when drawing sketches for the kids. Fortunately we were in a gaming/comic shop, so there were some references to be found. But in light of this, I decided to run out to the store and pic up a 2gb microSD card for my phone. Its soul purpose is to be filled with reference images of super heroes, video game characters, manga, movies, tv, whatever. With this, I can thumb through and have references on demand!

But here's the tricky part, what are some of the most beloved characters that I should put on the card?

If you have the time, give me a top ten of your favorite all time characters. With a decent list, I have a direction for character choices. Thanks!

Lastly, I wanted to share a colored piece I just finished (or think I finished, I'm debating on some minor things):

I'm thinking of maybe turning the mountain lineart into color just to give a depth feeling. I'm also thinking of changing the lineart of the etching on the rock into a darker grey instead of the black lines to make it less prominent. Lastly, thinking of changing some of the detail lineart on the tree into a darker brown for a similar reason as the rock. If you have any opinions, let me know!

Free Comic Book Day - Free Sketches for Kiddies

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Mon, 04 May 2009 01:03:00 +0000

So this year we set up a table at the local shop Merlyns for Free Comic Book Day, and made free sketches for the kiddies! We were there from 11 - 2 I believe. It was so much fun. It really pushed me outside the box to draw stuff I'm not used to drawing. I was actually in shock because all the kids either wanted Star Wars or Halo (Master Chief) sketches. Only a couple comic book characters!

I made a list of all that I drew for the event,

Darth Maul, Darth Vader, Master Chief, Yoda, Bobba Fett, Clone Trooper, Mario, Wolverine, Flash, and Harley Quinn. I may have been missing one or two from this list, we all did a couple repeat characters. Master Chief, Bobba(or Janga) Fett, and Yoda were real popular. The guys in suits look a lot alike as well, its was getting tedious. At one point I couldnt remember who I was drawing for a minute! It was a clone trooper, I had to look at the helmet!

My favorite one was probably Mario because the girl was interested in my art supplies, its really cool that others are interested in drawing too. I also drew Mario from memory, which was scary! I know what he looks like, but it would have been nice for a reference just in case.

Here are some of the other fellow artists who made FCBD at Merlyns a success with free kids sketches:

One of my sketches from the event:

Origami Ninja Stars, Free Sketches for the kiddies, Comic Convention, MORE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:09:00 +0000

I haven't been posting very frequently, I've been busy with school, work, and trying to get enough art ready for the Comic Convention. I'll be selling a sketchbook of work there. Its May 30th, at Spokane Falls Community College. For more information on the Spokane ComiCon, head here: http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

This Saturday, I will be at Merlyn's (19 W Main, Spokane, WA, 99201, 509-624-0957 ) from 11 - 3pm or so, drawing sketches for the children for Free Comic Book Day. For more info about Merlyn's, head here: http://www.merlyns.biz/ For more info on Free Comic Book Day, head here: http://www.freecomicbookday.com/

Last bit of news, In my Communications course at the college, I have to instruct the class on how to do something. I choose origami shurikens, about the only origami I still remember from Elementary school. I used to make these all day long in class, then during recess I would chuck them at kids.

I made a quick visual aid poster to help students while I instruct. Here's the poster:

Little Red, sleeping away

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 23:41:00 +0000

Here is where I was a few days ago with that tree problem:

and here it is today:

I just printed it(non photo blue) onto bristol board, and I'll be inking within the next couple days. Any thoughts before I hit it with the inks?

Robin Comic Page

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:31:00 +0000

Its been a while since I've updated. Last week of school was hectic, work has been keeping me too busy, hanging out with new and old friends, and I've been constantly working on art.

Finally, after a month, I was able to finish this with my friend

He wanted to ink something of mine, so I did a quick mockup page of a Robin story I made up. This is the first collab project I have ever done, it was a lot of fun. It was liberating to give my pencils over to a friend whom I trust. It was also refreshing to see what he did with my pencils!

In other art related news, I'm not sure if I will be able to get my Little Red Riding Hood comic done by the comic convention, but I will definitely have pages to show in my portfolio from it, as well as some pages in my sketchbook that I will be selling. Busy busy busy. I'll probably be working on some paintings very soon. I've been wanting to paint more, but its been a push pull between comics and painting.

Well, I have some more work to get done. If I'm lucky, I'll post within a day, with a page from Little Red Riding Hood.

Evolution of Robin

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:41:00 +0000

So over the last few days, I've done a sketch of Robin (actually a couple), then inked it, and today I colored it... Here we go:

Also, a random sketch at work of Robin:

I used the same method of inking that I did for my Caperucita Roja Inking tutorial I did a while back. First I had my sketch in my sketchbook, I scanned it in, changed it to non photo blue, printed it on bristol board, and inked with a brush and Higgins Black Magic ink.
I did the coloring this morning, during my break between classes.

I think its time to draw another Teen Titan, I have tons of Robin illustrations already ;)

Daily Sketch Return?! and Convention News

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:41:00 +0000

Life's been very busy. I've been handed three class assignments, two of which I did the work over the weekend. I'll be presenting rough drafts for one today for my film class's storyboard project today. I'll also be doing a presentation in my Sociology class.
Beside the school and work rinse and repeat daily grind, I'm also putting myself to a schedule to get things completed and ready for the upcoming Spokane Comic Convention. I guess they were booking like mad this week, glad I decided to lay down my money for a table finally. But that also means no more lolly gagging...
I'm planning on doing a handful of speed paintings, maybe five, for the convention. I'm planning on doing one a week, spending one of my days off each week working on them. I'm also going to try to return to the (semi, kind of, not really) Daily Sketches. I want to do this, so I have more work to pick and choose from when I put together a small inexpensive sketchbook to peddle at the convention. I will have paintings, Solar Flares 24 Hour comic, a sketchbook, and Little Red Riding Hood comic for sale and ready for the convention.

To kick off the Daily Sketch, I did this last night:

I'm thinking that I will do a portrait of each of the Teen Titans from the tv series for paintings at the convention. I saw a few people dressed as Raven and Robin, so I think there is a decent fan base here.

Daily Sketches - 2/14/09

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 05:51:00 +0000

Wow, I haven't posted any daily sketches in a LONG time... I've been drawing, painting, and doing all sorts of other shenanigans, yet I haven't really had time to share.. so this is a good opportunity to get back to that business again :)

First, a recent acrylic painting:

11" x 14" - Acrylic on Masonite. This was a Valentine's gift for a great friend of mine, I think she loved it, at least I hope so :) Its her favorite character, Harley Quinn, from Batman. This was a lot of fun to do, because I put down the brush and paint for a couple month hiatus because of school and my current work on my Little Red Riding comic. This reinvigorated me to do some painting again, I'm planning on at least some small paintings like this, and maybe a large one or two that will be ready for the Spokane ComiCon on May 30th... BTW, I need to buy a booth for Artist's Alley soon.

The daily sketches from today:

Today at work was slow, real slow... and a real blessing. I spent all my breaks and other free time doodling these. I might do a portrait of Joker similar to the sketch above, as a small 11x14 painting like the Harley one. Also, I want to do a 16x20 painting of Batgirl there. I love the action of her fist fighting, it looks exciting and vivid. I think fans would appreciate them at the con and buy the paintings.

Lastly, I went to a curiosity shop and picked up a bunch of old 50s - 70s comics. They really inspired me for my upcoming Little Red Riding Hood comics and Solar Flares volume 1. The old comics have ridiculously stupid ads inside, and I've decided to mimic them and make my own. Here's one that I put together last night:

It mimics another Growth exercise program that was in the comics, I took a lot of the wording straight from the comic; it was too good to change! Lastly, if you reread it as those "special" enlargement ads we see today, this advertisement is even more hilarious..

So, that's a mighty blog entry, I hope it satisfies my few readers. Its time to get back to drawing.

I LOVE Magnus Robot Fighter

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 03:48:00 +0000

So today I came across an obscure comic while browsing. Its called Magnus Robot Fighter 4000ad, printed by Gold Key Comics. First thing that drew me was the painted covers, very pulp magazine like on the cover. Second, its a Flash Gordon type guy beating up robots! I love it! I have an affinity for '50s era robots too, so this is my thing. Now I have a an urge to find as many of these as possible, Magnus is amazing! I'll definitely be looking out for other issues or collections at comic cons, etc.

If I had the opportunity to get the rights, I so totally would. I just get so giddy with golden age heroes, pulp heroes, and the like. There's a sort of awesome charm to them that is hard to find in today's comics. Is it the art style? The stories? The smell of the old comics? A time I long for yet never experienced? I don't know what draws me to this stuff so much, but it definitely gets me excited to draw something. It also gave me some ideas for a future Solar Flares comic. Perhaps Francisco needs to battle robots at some point!

Scott Pilgrim #5 - A Review

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:56:00 +0000

New book by Bryan Lee O'Malley, in the ongoing trials of Scott Pilgrim released last week

I think I could use my journal entries here to be of more use to people, so I think I'll start doing occasional reviews of the things in my life, namely art related goodies.

So on Friday I went to the Comic Shop to pick up my latest books, plus see if they had received shipment of the new Scott Pilgrim book. They had one copy, it was destiny for me to purchase it!

One of my favorite things about reading comics is finding a relatively new artist, and watch them grow. I believe that #5 is the strongest of Lee's visual storytelling. His line quality gets stronger and cleaner, his panel layouts more interesting, and his toning becomes more dynamic. One sequence in particular really impressed me. There's a moment where Scott and Ramona have a heart to heart, and she starts to disappear into a white flash. It looked really nice, I think it would be fun to play and try to replicate the effect.
One of the things that threw me off in previous books was the similarity in character's looks. One is supposed to happen, Young Neil is supposed to look a lot like Scott. Unfortunately, that can make it difficult for the reader. Second, Ramona changes her hair quite a bit, also making it difficult to follow. Sometimes I also think Ramona and Kim look quite alike as well. This is very difficult for a black and white comic, if it were color, we could notice the changes more dramatically with the different color hair and such. Again though, by volume 5, O'Malley has made these characters much more distinct and easier to differentiate.

As for the story, its kind of sad in this one. It was told well, I loved the art, and it was a fun easy read; but man was it a sad story. I guess I can't say sad = bad, but I guess I've liked the care free happy-go-lucky attitude the book carried previously. This change of pace is good though, I'm hooked, maybe more than ever now, to see what happens in the next volume.

If you have not read the series, please check it out:
http://www.radiomaru.com/ - Website for Artist and Creator Bryan Lee O'Malley
http://www.scottpilgrim.com/ - Official Scott Pilgrim website
http://www.onipress.com/ - Oni Press, Publisher of Scott Pilgrim, and many other great comics

Basic Inking Process Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 07:35:00 +0000

I just posted this tutorial on deviantArt, and now I'm sharing it everywhere else:

STEP ONE:
To start, I draw out small sketches on a page in my sketch book, trying out various ideas. Once I have something I like, I scan it into the computer at a high dpi (600dpi or so), and reprint it at a much larger scale. From there, I can retrace it onto a clean page in my sketchbook and refine the picture, fixing mistakes, and adding details.

STEP TWO:
Now with a better pencil sketch, I scan it into the computer once again, and convert it to a faded cyan (called non-photo blue or non reproductive blue) in Photoshop. To do this, I convert the image mode to Grayscale, then to CMYK. Then I go to Image>Adjust>Channel Mixer. From here, I leave the Cyan Output Channel untouched and move directly to the Magenta Output Channel. I drop the Magenta level from 200% to 0%. Next I move to the Yellow Output Channel, dropping the Yellow level to 0%. Then finally I move to the Black Output Channel, dropping the Black level down to 0%. You should be left with a Cyan image. The next step is to change the layer opacity to 50%, so the Cyan isn’t so intense.From there, I print it onto bristol board. This way, my pencils are left untouched by a possible ink mishap, and my pencil illustration is perfectly replicated onto illustration board without blemishes like heavy erasing or pencil smudges.

STEP THREE:
Here, I begin my inking process. I use Higgins Black Magic Ink, and two Connoisseur brushes http://connoisseurart.com/, one small and one fat. I also use two kinds of Bristol Board. I use Strathmore 300 Series 9”x12” vellum Bristol Board for Illustrations like this, and Canson Fanboy 10”x14.25” Manga Art Boards for manga pages (or Comic Art Boards for comic sized books). I prefer vellum to smooth because it grabs to the pencil pretty well, but its only a personal preference. I also enjoy Canson Fanboy’s Art Boards because they come bluelined with rules for panelling and marking bleed room, safe area, and actual page size.

STEP FOUR:
I decided to scan this at about 80% complete. If you notice, there are a couple inking errors, but I will fix them with acrylic titanium white paint when I am finished. At this point, everything has been done with a brush, but now I am going to use a Micron Pen to ink her fine hair lines, her eyes, and the fringe on the cloak/serape. I have left these specifically because I will be using a french curve for inking the hair lines, and circle templates for the eyes. I am using a pen for the fringe because they are so small, I don’t trust myself completely yet with a brush to get all that line work done without making a fatal mistake so close to the final product.

STEP FIVE:
Finally done with line art. I scanned it in at 1200dpi as bitmap, which removes any of the non photo blue that can still be seen. From here, I’ll convert it to grayscale, and rescale it to 300 dpi at the correct size it will be printed at. With just some minor cleanup of stray spots of black, the image is now ready to be colored!!

STEP SIX:
At this point, I’m sure everyone has a grasp on the actual digital coloring process in Photoshop.

So, this is my Caperucita Roja (Little Red Riding Hood), which I am planning on making a manga sized comic book. If I can work fast enough, the book should be printed in time for the Spokane Comic Convention, May 30th, 2009.

MY TOOLS:
Okay, here’s a run down of the most basic tools that I use. First off, I have a set of Speedball nibs and nib holders, and I’d use that over the Micron pen that I used for the fine lines before. The ink in the Microns pulled up slightly when I did some erasing, and its just not that strong of a pigment compared to the rest of the inked page. Next, I have a wrist rest for a computer mouse. This elevates my hand when inking, keeping me from dragging my palm into fresh ink. Next to that, I have a Gerber baby food jar. I use that for my water. I am currently using Higgins Black Magic for my ink, it looks very dark when I am done inking. I also use a metal lid from an energy drink can to dispense my ink. I can use the dropper in the Higgins Black Magic, and drop a few drops in the lid, and I can visually see how far I am dipping. If you dip too far with your nib, ink can soak into the wood of the brush and start to ruin it. Secondly, I don’t have more than a few drops out at a time, which is better than an unopened bottle of ink that could cause major damage if spilled. Lastly, I have my brushes and Bristol Board, but I’ve already mentioned the product names.

I hope this tutorial gave you a basic understanding of my process, and maybe you learned something that can help you excel with your art.
-Jesse 1/24/2009

Conflicted

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:49:00 +0000

So, today at school today I was given the opportunity to play "crime-fighter"... I was hungry, so I stopped in the campus cafeteria and bought a Starbucks Frapaccino and a breakfast sandwich. I went to the cashier and she rang up my total as $5.16 or so... But as I handed her the cash, she voided one of my items and the total dropped down to $2.00 and some odd change. This was a big red flag to me, as I worked ten years in food service. Five as a waiter in a restaurant, and five in the kitchen and cafeteria at Sacred Heart Medical Center. As I walked away, I kept an eye on the cashier, and she pocketed the extra two dollars from the voided item...
Yeah, so after eating my sandwich, I decided it was the right thing to inform the kitchen manager. I asked for the manager, and told him of the situation. He went ahead and checked the sales records on the computer in the back... I don't know the outcome of the situation, but I felt really conflicted because of it.

On one hand, I really dislike theft. Honesty is a big virtue in my book. It really bothers me to see my cash that is meant to pay for the food, as well as pay for my college experience, end up in the pocket of a cashier. It disgusts me to no end.
But on the other hand, I really feel bad about putting the cashier's job, integrity, and college education in jeopardy. A lot is at stake here, but I have to keep telling myself that I essentially didn't put her in that situation; she did it on her own.

Caperucita Roja

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:23:00 +0000

So, I think I have a final design for Caperucita Roja here. The coat has changed since last time because a standard serape covers a lot of details on the front of her body. I want to add some thinner lines in her hair, and maybe a pattern in her dress, but I haven't come up with one yet.

This has been pretty difficult to work on lately with Winter Quarter going on, but I have really enjoyed my classes so far. I'm taking Intro To Film and Ethnic & Racial Sociology. In Film, we just finished watching Casablanca. I hadn't really watched the film since I was a kid, so I didn't really know how good of a movie it is. I'd definitely recommend it to everyone, there is a lot of great dialogue, comedic wit, interesting characters, and a fun setting (Casablanca, Morocco).

BTW, tomorrow (Sun Jan 18, 3PM) at Merlyns (19 W Main Ave, Spokane, WA 99201) will be another Comic Artist meetup. Its been really nice to get together with other like minded artists, if you're interested, I hope you can make it!

Caperucita Roja -I think this is it-

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Acosta) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:19:00 +0000

If you've been following my blog, I've been working on the character designs for a Little Red Riding Hood comic. FINALLY I think I have come up with the perfect Little Red. I just need to refine it a little bit, and play around with her cloak, and then I think I will have it.

One of my major issues was dealing with that hood... I finally decided to go with a more Link like Cap instead, mainly because the original is called: Le Petit Chaperon Rouge (o en Español, Caperucita Roja) meaning Little Red Cap... Previously with a hood design, it was difficult to attach the hood to the cloak, while still showing her hair and face.

So I'll do a model sheet, showing her at several angles, and moving in certain actions to get her design down. Then I think its time to move onto Abuelita, El Cazador, y El Lobo... ;) I'm very excited for this project!