New Tumblr Site!

Not much to say other than I set up a tumblr for some of my artwork.

You can visit it here ---> link

Urk

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Work's been nuts and money's tight. I did have a brief reprieve while visiting my in-laws in Syracuse. Though I have discovered I have a low threshold for state fairs; I went to the NY one and by 6pm I was ready. To. Go. Apparently, I can't ride some of the big fair rides either. After about four rides, I was doubled-over and pale. How did I get so old so quick?

The more I look around for jobs and art commissions, the more I am liking the idea of a webcomic. It's my art, my writing, my way, independent schedule. It's just a matter of coming up with something every few days that's worth visiting the site for. Can't decide if I want to do a continuing story with mainstay characters (like most comics; X-Men, Garfield, The Boondocks, Penny Arcade) or non sequitur vignettes (like Far Side or Hark, A Vagrant).

Here's some recent stuff for you. Got a possible project on my hands. Going to find out today or sometime this week if this is a sure thing.

She- Hulk
Poison Ivy redesign

That's all I Got

New art, but I also want to say that I got my first superhero comic commission coming up soon. I hope I can get it all done by the end of 2011!

Scary story time and more Wonder Woman!

For the first time in a long time, I felt like writing, so I looked up some journal prompts to get me going.

There actually hasn't been many that I can think of, aside from being in a car accident.

However, one particular moment stands out in my mind.

My friends Pat and Jamie, Jamie's girlfriend (also named Jamey) and I went to spend a day out at Paramount Carowinds. We stayed until the very last minute at the park going on rides, completely wet from the water slide we just got off. I live about two to three hours away from the park, and we didn't end up driving back until about 11:30 at night.

Only Jamie had a driver's license at the time, but he was too tired to drive, so I took over for a while. At some point on the road, headlights came screaming behind me. A van was on my ass for a good minute or so, despite me in the right lane and no one else on the road. Also, remember I was essentially driving with only a limited permit so I was making sure I went the speed limit. The lights behind us would jump periodically, a sign that he was braking suddenly to avoid smashing into me. We didn't know what to do. There was nowhere to pull over.

By the time we considered slowing down and hoping the guy would pass us, the van suddenly swooped around us and sped off. The taillights were almost out of sight when they suddenly brightened and pulled over to the side of the road.

At this point, everyone got apprehensive. Pat and Jamie were much bigger than me, and I could tell they were scared. We were starting to run low on gas. With no idea when the next exit with a station would come up, we held our breath passing the van.

A few seconds after passing him, the van gets right back on the road. He is now not tailgating me, but he's within sight. We're all freaking out in the car now. Should we pull over? Should we call the cops? Maybe we can't because I wasn't supposed to be driving? No one's sure. But we're all getting images of news reports the next morning of an abandoned car found on the side of the road and four teens missing.

Luckily, we spot a sign for a rest stop that's a few miles down. And when we reach it, we can tell there are a few cars there as well. We pull in. So does he. There are three cars parked between us. The rest stop is well lit and there are some families lazily brushing up to vending machines, walking their dogs, etc. All of us have to go to the bathroom really bad now, so we decide to go in pairs. Whoever is in the van doesn't get out the whole time. Now all of us have empty bladders but are terrified. Will he follow us again? We spot some cars leaving the rest spot, and we decide that's our cue. We follow them out. The van stays parked. We get home safely.


And now for something completely different!

Some more stuff

Well, life is full of ups and downs. This month has been an example. Things at work have been much like a rollercoaster, and same here. Nicole's grandmother died, our car was rear-ended, Nicole did not get the baking job (no one's really sure why), and one of our rats has a tumor. On the other hand, I have been actively drawing more and pushing my stuff out. I have to admit, when things go bad at work, I tend to produce more art. I guess it is a healing medium for me after all.

My sister's graduating from high school next week, so I'm looking forward to spending the weekend back home! We're also still planning a week-long trip in Syracuse in late summer. And I'm really pushing for spending Christmas in Ohio with my family. I've been pushing my work a bit more, and thinking about starting a project with some former SCADites.

That said, here's some stuff (some of it was requested by others).

Diana in a bikini just dancing to music. Tried out a new color method, and I like how it came out.
This is actually quite a few months ago, but I still really like the personality that came out of this little sketch. So I scanned it, put in some shading, and slapped it on here.

Samus from my attempt to draw some video game girls as sexy and cool and battle-worn and all that. (this piece is older than the above ones)

A bit of bad news

Things aren't going well for my wife's mother's side of the family. A lot of health issues have hit the family clan all at once, and it doesn't look good. So please keep them in your prayers.

Not much to report aside from a minor fender-bender to our car that scratched up some paint. Things are going a little better at work so I don't have much to complain or report on. As promised, a new art is posted is posted below. Any of you suckas like playing Smash Bros.? My best friend was a killer with Sheik, and I did a bit of a fanart to that character.

Not much else is going on. Just a parting word: Talk to your family relatives. You only have them for so long.

State of Anxiety

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. There have been changes in management at work in the past month, and so things are getting a little . . . hectic right now.

A few good things:

Nicole is taking some trial shifts at a wonderful bakery where she'll hopefully be hired full time at.

Our friends Bear and Amy got married (and we helped!)

More people we know are with child now.

Zoey, one of our rats, had a tumor but we did have that removed at a much lower price than expected.

I made at least one new art -- Red Sonja (apparently they're making a movie starring Rose McGowan to play the She-Devil With a Sword)
Edit: See what happens with a little contrast bump?
Sorry my Disney post has been all delayed. I have something like four pages just on our second day and it's not even finished yet.

Don't know where things are headed right now. They could be better, but they could be much, much worse. Only time will tell I suppose.

Disney World Chronicles (part 1)

After eight months of putting $50 in a Disney lunch box per week, my wife and I were finally ready for the big trip. Nicole had been planning this trip since we started saving, and had been planning it even sooner in her head. We would be going to Disney World for six days, and after spending a single day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Islands of Adventure, we would regrettably pack our things and return home.

We started saving in April and by the end of summer we had our hotel reserved, tickets bought, dinner reservations, and a timed schedule of when to go on rides. This was Disney World after all, not some theme park joke like Knott's Berry Farm. Disney wasn't just a theme park; it was an experience. If a person did not heed to the strict ride plans given out by The Unofficial Guide to Disney World, they were to expect an additional two hours of waiting to their day. You don't mess around with the crowds there. Took too long to eat your cornbread at Liberty Tree Tavern? Congratulations, the line at Thunder Mountain Railroad is now three hours long.

It was with this in mind that Nikki had planned everything to the minute. I'm sure somewhere in a folder somewhere inside her Disney World notebook there was a pee schedule.

Our trip was to be right in the middle of the two biggest American traveling holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. According to some data analysts that live inside Splash Mountain and have subsequently gone insane from listening to "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" nonstop, this was the time of the year that saw the smallest crowds in Disney. In theory, as this was in Florida, the weather would hover around the upper sixties to lower seventies. You can't plan a more perfect vacation which is why the weather suddenly decided to invade the American east coast with a cold snap. Our vacation was spent with many layers of socks, hoodies, sweaters, Mickey Mouse long johns, and a Goofy crotch heater (not really, but I'm waiting for Disney to make one).

Monday morning we woke at eight in the morning which is an ungodly hour for me because I like waking up when most people take their lunch breaks (the perks of working evening shifts). Nicole is racing through the house, packing away sweaters and blankets. It was very fun to watch her do this. By 9am, we were set. Suitcases in the car, bags of snacks and food in the backseat, and the very important notebook with schedules, reservation confirmation print-outs, maps, and guides on how to exit a moving vehicle in case of a Godzilla attack in my lap. We were ready. Or almost. Nicole put in the mix Disney mp3 CD she made. It had over 100 songs on it.

Five hours to go.

Okay, I'm acting like the grumpy husband who doesn't want to be seen passing cars with his wife bouncing up and down in the driver's seat, singing "Nobody has a swell cleft in his chin like Gaston!," but the truth is I actually like it. I probably did sing along with some of the songs. And the closer we got to Orlando, "Disney hyperventilating" occurs, and you can only cure it with more singing. This is a scientific fact.

In Lake Buena Vista, where our hotel is, is some of the most gaudy stores and restaurants in existence. There were second-hand Disney retail stores with giant sculpted wizards and mermaids hanging out of the roof. There was a Cici's Pizza with a waterfall. It was like walking into a daycare center for giants. Nothing was subtle. I think about that crying Indian commercial, and maybe he was lamenting less about litter and more about golf stores that emphasize the fact that they sell golf equipment by erecting a golf ball the size of a small house onto the front of its facade. Luckily, our hotel was not flashy and conveniently shared the parking lot with a Chinese take-out place.

Our first Disney experience would be a dinner show at the Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue around 8. Seeing as how we arrived at our hotel around 4, we spent our valuable time watching "Ghost Whisperer." It's a show about Jennifer Love-Hewitt crying a lot.

We give ourselves a reasonable hour to get to the show. After all, according to the map, we weren't that far at all from Disney World. But somehow, between seeing the big welcome sign for Disney and Frontierland, we got lost. We ended up at a barrier, then a dead end, until finally we were leaving Disney World. With half an hour to go, we start panicking. We turn around and finally find Frontierland, a giant campground that is reasonably deserted, given the fact that it's almost thirty degrees outside. We parked and boarded a bus that would take us to the revue. On the way, I got really excited about seeing a wild deer in the camp.

Now to interrupt for a second, I must give you readers a little insight on me. I don't like being the center of attention. At least, not usually. If it's my birthday at Hooters, okay, but usually no. So Nicole had wanted to get us a table near the front. I italicize because that's what we intended. Near, but not close. So when we go inside the massive theater patterned with logs, antlers, and red curtains, we are directed to our table that, to my horror, is not close to the stage. It's practically on the stage. I sat down and my toes hit the stage.

"The horror," I thought. "The horror."

When the music started, the cast ran out, greeting tables and such. One of the cast members greeted us and my wife luckily told him it was our anniversary. Our first anniversary! This was cause for a celebration. I felt a spotlight come on and suddenly we're told to dance.

It was a bit like this

Okay, that may have been a bit overdramatic. It probably lasted no more than a minute, but I'm not good at dancing and lots of people watching me doesn't aid my footloose rhythm.

The food was good though. They brought ribs, fried chicken, beans, mashed potatoes out all in buckets. Imagine! A bucket of ribs. And it's for me.

"Well," I thought. "Maybe I won't kill these people with my psycho mind powers. Perhaps I'll give this a shot."

It was a little cold inside and I was worried the show would be corny and bad, like Van Helsing. GeeeeeZUS! But no, it was more like 1966 Batman.



I was called out by a showgirl that I was looking up her skirt, but her crotch was eye level so I hardly see how that was my fault. But it was all in fun. I took away a great quote from the show that I will use when I become a dad. (The quote is "Well, call me butter 'cuz I'm on a roll!" Classic.) There was audience participation, which added to the hilarity. And at the end, they handed out washboards to play on with our spoons.

Mental note: never give kids metal washboards and spoons at the same time.

We left the revue and Frontierland with the metal ringing still in our ears, only to find that we somehow ended up right behind Space Mountain. Maintenance people stared at us. We hoped we would be able to figure out how to get inside Disney World by tomorrow.

Stuff

After watching Beauty & the Beast now that I'm older, I realize how goddang childish all the male characters in this film are. They're all so immature in some way; selfish, brash, and kind of dumb. But the amazing thing is, they're still all likable, even Gaston (until he runs off to the Beast's castle and tries to fight on a roof against a giant bison man in the rain).

With the way things are going at work, I can't really talk about it too much here. But, Nikki and I have been trying to go out on our days off to someplace new. Last week we visited the old Sheldon Church ruins, and this week we hit Charleston. We've visited Charleston several times before (it's where we were married and where Nikki grew up), but it doesn't get old to visit. We're still dreaming about living there. Nicole likes to shop around there, so maybe next time we go, I can find something a little more adventurous to do. The weather's getting nice enough that I might start going to places like Pickney Island again.

My mom has completed her reconstructive surgery after her battle with breast cancer, and my sister will be graduating from high school this June. Man . . . a lot has changed in just a few years.

New WW redesign and life updates!

Yeesh. I usually try to keep my updates within a month! Sorry folks! A lot has happened in a month so I'll be brief.

- The biggest news in our lives right now is that management has changed hands at work, so we'll see how that goes. It's too early to tell whether or not this is a positive thing or not, but I have coworkers poised to jump ship any second, which I think is a bit hasty.

- One of our close friends is pregnant . . . with twins! Not only that, but there's at least six other people we know who are pregnant as well (one is having twins too)!

- Mom has just finished her reconstructive surgery after battling breast cancer. She can't work for two months, which sounds like a blessing and a curse. I'm sure it'll get old quick, as she's not allowed to lift anything over 5 lbs. or walk the dog for a while.

And, as always, I try to provide some new art each post. So here it is: possibly a final redesign of Wonder Woman!
And here's an action pose I sketched out quickly.


Also, one of her eating ice cream and chilling in her living room.