Sean Boy

New Tumblr Site!

2011-10-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

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

You can visit it here ---> link

Urk

2011-09-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-18T00:11:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-06-29T22:05:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-03T00:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

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)

2011-03-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-02-01T00:47:00.000-08:00

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.

Upcoming ideas and projects

2010-12-21T00:08:00.000-08:00

We have since finished our big trip to Disney. Nicole has uploaded all the pics on Facebook, and I'm not sure if I want to upload them all here (but maybe a few). The trip was wonderful and it seems like ages ago even though it's only been a week since we got back.

Anyway, I have a bit of a New Year's resolution: I want to start up a web comic (maybe the Zoey & Milly one; not sure) and on the side continue my Wonder Woman revamp story. I think it's turning out great, and once I get enough promotional images, and about 60-ish pages fully made (that's about nine months by industry standards) I'd like to propose it to DC.

This new incarnation of Wonder Woman will have more personality, spunk, and purpose behind her. Here's an image I did last night of her just having a good time.

Holidays and news

2010-11-23T14:43:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not updating since . . . uh, September? Geez. Well, life has been moving along at a pretty slow pace. It doesn't help that we're on our toes about our Disney trip that's in thirteen days. Our holiday plans have suffered because of it, and we won't be seeing family for Thanksgiving, but hopefully we may try to work something out for Christmas. But we will be spending this festive Thursday with our boss; which isn't as bad as it sounds since he can really cook. I'm just looking forward to yams and apple pie. Those are the highlights of my Thanksgiving.

I didn't post on here in a while due to not having almost any artwork to show. But I'm doing a sort of "secret santa" fanart gift and I finished it today. I think I'm safe to give you guys an early preview. (You might also want to be aware that I'm a big Batman nerd)

Insect post No. 1

2010-09-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

I was taught how to draw people for the most part at school. Animals (specifically mammals) were secondary. But attempting to even do gestures of insects is difficult. They are alien to mammalian form. At least six legs for most, segmented bodies, wings, bulging eyes, crowbar-shaped feet, pincers, sleek exoskeletons, etc. They have amazing camouflage and defense mechanisms. They live practically everywhere, and yet we only take notice of them when they're in our house, eating our food, or sucking our blood.

So suffice to say I difficulty pulling off any forms. I didn't know where to start. You'd think it'd be easy. They're divided into three parts -- head, abdomen, thorax. But I don't just want to put shapes together. I want to understand how these insects move and fly. The top left sketch was me trying to see what a leafhopper bug would look like if you gave it more human qualities. The top right is a wasp that has some sort of needle or tube it sticks through wood to lay eggs. And bottom left is the face of a cicada (which are the ugliest things on earth).

Last daily post

2010-09-14T22:22:00.001-07:00

Spent most of the day cleaning and coloring. Here's a pic I'm working on from a photo.

Original photo is here.

Zoey & Milly drawings

2010-09-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Watching Daria inspired to do some Zoey & Milly sketches. Hopefully more come of this.

A new year alive and a new challenge

2010-09-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Today was my wife's 27th birthday today, so we invited a bunch of people and dined at a local seafood restaurant for lunch. So far we've had two different types of cake today. I didn't get much sleep last night, so with two meals with fat slices of cake involved added in, I'm feeling pretty tired. We got a free meal at the restaurant for dinner.

Anyway, my two-week pledge is almost up. I like that I've been making constant updates, and I've noticed the visitations have bumped up since doing this. Now that I've almost fulfilled my challenge, I may not be doing another daily post after this. However, my new challenge is to draw at least five sketches a day. And for no particular reason, I've chosen bugs. So from the 15th to the 21st, I will be making some drawings. They don't have to be posted every day, but they have to be done and posted before midnight on the 21st.

Well, the wife just got the complete series of Daria on DVD, so I'm off to watch some episodes.

Where I was on 9/11

2010-09-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

In September of 2001, I was in 10th grade. When I first heard about the attacks, I was in Geometry class. A teacher poked his head in, and said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. This will probably sound callous now, but my class started to joke about how pilots can't fly these days. It sounds horrible, but the last thing on our mind was that the plane was used as a missile to kill people within the tower -- or that there would be three more of these planes.

After class ended and I walked to Biology, a student ran past me and told my teacher that there were several planes that had attacked buildings, and that it was done by terrorists. My teacher got so riled up, he made a long rant followed by a pro-USA speech. I was just so flabbergasted by all that was going on, and that I didn't have any info on the attacks, that I didn't react much to his message. I just wondered if we would be able to get out of school.

There was a little buzz about it in my next class, English. But again, everyone had little info. It was a terrorist attack. The Pentagon had been hit as well as the WTCs. But that was it. Was this a nationwide thing? Would we be sent home? Were we in danger? Would the terrorists target public schools? I lived in central North Carolina, away from any iconic or important structures, and yet nothing seemed safe now. Are we at war now? The principal got on the intercom at this point and confirmed that there were attacks that had been made on several buildings, but at this time school is still in session. Remain calm. That was it.

It wasn't until my next to last class, World History, that I was able to see what had happened. My teacher had driven from his home and brought a TV in, and we sat quietly, some of us sobbing, as we watched repeated footage of the attacks. I know at some point I had tears in my eyes. What really got to me was an interview from a distraught survivor who had just come down from the tower. He had passed by a man in a wheelchair on the staircase who was calling out for people to carry him, but no one would. The man, now safely away from the ruins, was shattered emotionally. "I can't believe I didn't help him! Why didn't I help him? Oh God, I hope he got out! Oh Jesus!"

When I got home I saw the footage of people jumping out of the towers. That really put me out of it. I had just never seen anything like that before. This wasn't a depressed person bent on suicide. This was someone desperately trying to escape the burning insides of the tower. And it wasn't just one person. Firefighters had reported they kept hearing thumps in the lobby of the bodies hitting the ground. This was all new and horrendous to me. This wasn't the movies. This wasn't in some faraway country you could just forget about. It was home.

I was in a daze for a week or so, determined that this was some sort of nightmare I would wake up from. But I think I snapped out of it after seeing a special report where they interviewed some of the NY firemen. One of the fire chiefs stepped outside with the cameraman and the interviewer, obviously a day or two after the attacks, and pointed down the street.

"Everyday the towers were there. Now there's nuthin'. They're gone."

It was that image-- the image of something you see everyday, take for granted because it had always been there, and now was gone. Gone forever. And it shakes your reality.

After that, I tried to join the ROTC but because of my asthma I wasn't admitted. I'm grateful for that now because of the way things in my life went after high school.

If kids some day down the road find this post, hopefully this video will kind of help show how these attacks took a lot of America by surprise.

Movie Time

2010-09-10T23:25:00.000-07:00

To get the requirement out of the way, I did see something new: I'm about a quarter of the way through Season 3 of Dexter. I really like that show. It's one of the few I go, "Ooh! What's gonna happen next!? Gotta see the next episode!"

To add some meat to this post, I'll add in some of my favorite scenes from my favorite movies (in no particular order).

John Carpenter's The Thing Blood Test scene

I love horror movies. And I don't go looking for the crappy movies that are made pretty much just to show people getting killed in various ways. I LOATHE the slasher flicks. Same formula, different killer. They all have some schtick, but they all love to kill stupid teens. In theory, it sounds hilarious and entertaining. But in practice, it gets old quick. Why? Because it's obvious the writer/director didn't have any new ideas to contribute to the genre, other than how someone can be killed using a paper mache doll.

You just don't see tension in horror movies nowadays that you do in this scene here. In this scene, Kurt Russel's character Mac has discovered that the alien not only disguises itself as other beings, but it can separate yet act as a singular being. This prompts his forced blood test.

Coraline - Clip Bug Room
Uploaded by ohmygore. - Check out other Film & TV videos.

I couldn't find any of my favorite scenes from Coraline (one of my favorite movies in recent years), but this clip at least represents the color and style of the movie very well. Word of warning: it's not really a kid's film. It looks innocent at first, but there were scenes that freaked me out. And I watched The Exorcist unfazed.

Again, wasn't able to find any of my favorite scenes from this gem, but nobody doesn't like Die Hard. Even my wife, who usually just rolls her eyes over steroid-pumped heroes mowing down badguys with their giant guns, loves this movie. All the characters are involved in the plot instead of just being there to make a joke or look good. The whole Die Hard series is great, but the first one shot Bruce Willis from rom/coms into action hero stardom.

Movie Videos & Movie Scenes at MOVIECLIPS.com

This was my favorite movie in middle school. It's not my favorite anymore, but it has great action scenes. It also has one of the best rallying speeches in film history- and that's saying something. I would vote for Bill Pullman as President.

Another great frightening scene with tension. Unfortunately, the added music drowns out some of the sound, but you can gather that Jake Gyllenhaal's character does NOT want to be there. He's invited to the man's basement RIGHT after discovering that his #1 suspect for the Zodiac killer is this guy. While inside, he hears movement upstairs, previously thinking they were alone.

Dinosaurs and scary movies

2010-09-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur Puppets

When I was young, my parents were pretty strict on what I could watch. I wasn't allowed to see the evening news until I started grade school. So it was a very long time (at least when compared to most kids) before I saw any kind of movie that was remotely violent.

My friend Phillip had gotten the movie Jurassic Park on tape and, probably knowing the scariest movie I had seen was Ernest Scared Stupid, put it in the VCR, saying something along the lines that it was an awesome movie.

Now don't get me wrong. Jurassic Park is an awesome movie.

I don't know how I got through the first scene, but I do remember the part where the T-Rex tries to eat the kids in the jeep. Phillip's mom spots me trying to claw my way backwards inside her armchair, eyes wide open, and decides that the movie was too much for me.

Phillip protested and said that I didn't mind. Did I?

No words came out. Just a slow shake of the head. "No? What? I don't care. Oh my God. That dinosaur was going to eat those kids. They were screaming. I will never curse dinosaurs again."

Now, of course, I'm the one watching the movies with the jump scenes and my wife is repeatedly asking me, through a wad of fingers, when the next scary part was going to come up. And my sister blows through scary movies like nothing. It took me years to build up an immunity. But while I was watching "The Mummy" for the first time in our living room at age 13, she was six.

CAVES

2010-09-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

Man, I love caves. Not that I want to do the hardcore spelunking. I'm a bit claustrophobic. Heck, when my wife and I went with a friend to the Atlanta Aquarium, there was a section in the penguin area where you could crawl in and stand up in this glass tube in the middle of the exhibit. You could be in the midst of penguins! Well, the tunnel happened to be full of loud kids and their loud parents speaking over their kids, so it ended up being this hot, dark, enclosed space full of writhing tiny bodies and screaming. There was also a line inside the tunnel (which was about 3' tall) to get to the glass tube. Needless to say, the penguins weren't worth it.

And I'm terrified of the cave exploring that requires you squeezing your body between rocks and spending a few days in an area with no sunlight and sudden drops into the abyss. I'm perfectly okay with the guided tours in caves with the nicknames for all the stalactites and such.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1310129/British-explorers-map-cave-network-underneath-Borneo-jungle.html

Deer Cave in Borneo has been shown on one of my favorite documentaries, Planet Earth. In fact, the whole cave episode is my favorite. You have a cave full of bat dung and covered with cockroaches, one full of a river of sulfuric acid, and another that has giant gypsum crystals you can walk on.

When we visited my in-laws in Alabama, it was suggested we go see the DeSoto Caverns. I was excited about it, as it also had some fun activities you could do - like panning for minerals! I hadn't done that since I was 10! Not only that, but the caverns had a laser light show! Neato!

When we got there, we found out the laser light show was about how the creation of the cave was made. I was a little disappointed it wasn't going to be a recreation of the Tron story or something, but I wanted to check it out anyway. We get inside, and they turn off the lights. Pitch black. I start getting excited. I'm expecting the narrator to start talking about rivers of molten lava barreling through crust, and iron and oxygen mixing and blowing up or some sort of epic science like that. Instead, it was a direct reading from Genesis chapter 1. The narrator would say, "And God said, 'Let the land and waters teem with life, and give the sky the birds in the air," and behind me would be this squawking speaker that would etch out animal noises.
"Let the land -"
"CRAW! CRAW! CRAW!"
"with life and-"
"RRRROOOOOOAAAARRR!"
"water-"
"MOOOOOOOO!"

They also had toilet racers.

Yes, this is real.

It's as exciting as it looks.

"Dangerous" USA

2010-09-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

I don't want to get too political on a blog where potential employers can check out, but I just finished reading World's Most Dangerous Places. It's a little outdated now (published in 2003 -- a surprising amount of things have happened in seven years that just doesn't reach the news), but gives a pretty honest look at the going-ons of the world without getting too political or preachy. It's mostly, "Well, there's a lot of this going on there and this awful crap going on here; but, you know, what can you do?"

It has the USA on there, and statistically (at least when compared to some western European countries) the streets of your typical average US city sound like a haven for bad things waiting to prey on unsuspecting visitors. But, of course, when living in the nation itself, you know better. It's probably not smart to dress very fancy and walk around by yourself at night in isolated areas of Detroit or New Orleans. Heck, I'd advise against traveling by yourself after sundown anywhere close to downtown Savannah. Lord knows I was just asking to get mugged, being a stupid freshman with all my "HEY! I'M NEW IN TOWN!" gear and checking out the city park at 2AM.

For the most part, however, almost anywhere in America can provide a good time or a good story. Stay aware and use common sense, but be adventurous too. I've just started to like Hilton Head after a year of living here, and that's because I've started to explore the island on my own and avoid the usual places that draw crowds in.

Anyway, I didn't really have a point to this post. I just wanted to fill my quota for today. But I'm glad you all are stopping in (my statcounter has been climbing up quick since I started this post-every-day challenge to myself). Thanks again, and I'll be back tomorrow.

Quick comic because nothing happened today

2010-09-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Past 11 PM, my art skills become depreciated, and everything with a poop joke is humorous to me. This is a fact.

Hugs from a fan

2010-09-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got an unusual request at the restaurant. One of the servers told me a girl at her table wanted to get a picture with me. Flattered, I crossed over to the dining room where I discovered a seven-year-old girl who looked at me like I was a superstar. I never seen her before, but apparently she was infatuated with me. Not only did she want a picture with me (which her mother took), but before she left she hugged me.

It was quite a nice day.

Weird Science

2010-09-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

Create solid ball water
Uploaded by SupraPitchu. - Sitcom, sketch, and standup comedy videos.

This is the kind of science I wish we did in school. I loved science as a kid, but my science classes pretty much took any kind of interesting aspects of it, hid it from view, and the only thing I remember from science class is that chlorine in gas form is not something that you want to inhale. Chemistry was probably my least favorite class in grade school, and unfortunately it was due to the teacher, not the subject material. Other chemistry teachers were having fun experiments in their classes (in one, they somehow turned a gas into a pillar of carbon). So while I didn't have the greatest experience in science, I haven't given up on it yet. I hope that when I have a kid, I can teach them some elementary physics and/or chemicals in an interesting way. I really can't wait for one of them to participate in a science fair.

Rube Goldberg

2010-09-03T00:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a sucker for those Rube Goldberg-style contraptions. Remember that part in The Goonies where they have this whole process set up to open a 5' tall gate door? Well, this music video was pretty amazing, and judging by the paint stains on their suits, they had to do several takes, which means they had to set everything back up again. Amazing. I think this outdoes their treadmill dance video. I never attempted anything like it, but I do remember making little dioramas in shoeboxes.

Nicole's birthday is a little over a week, and I'm still trying to think of an idea to surprise her with. She, unfortunately, is an over-planner, and has kind of already planned out what we're doing for her birthday, so I have to come up with something she hasn't thought of yet. Any ideas?

An epiphany of sorts

2010-09-02T00:25:00.000-07:00

Today I was cut from work early (we've been slow at the restaurant since school started), so I decided to spend the hour or two waiting for my wife to get off work by reading somewhere. Usually I browse at Barnes & Noble for a few hours, but lately I've been feeling guilty shuffling up and down their corridors of books, only there to kill time.

The past few days I've been able to get out of work early enough that I can sit on the beach (it's about five minutes from work) and read until sundown. If I get tired of reading, I can put the book down and cloudwatch. Today, however, I wanted to read somewhere new. I drove to Shelter Cove (where Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort is located) and sat on the grassy embankment of the inlet there. It was very quiet, and I was able to park in a remote lot (it said "Executive Parking" but I figured it was okay as there was no one there).
I've been living near and working on Hilton Head Island for over a year now. And until this week, I never really appreciated the island. Most people probably consider if you live on or close to an island, the beach is just part of your day. And for at least some of my coworkers, that's true. But not for me. I live only 15-20 minutes from a public beach, and yet in a year I've visited it less than ten times. The beach itself is not on my way to work. I have to dress up nicely for work and I live half an hour away, so I don't go to the beach prior to my shift. And I don't go afterwards because by that point it's too dark. And I don't go on my days off because, well, I drive to the island six days a week, and the last thing I want to do on my day off is drive back to it. But I've been able to appreciate Hilton Head this last week. I was able to watch the sun set and listen to the tide rush to the shore. To see the waves of sand glide along the beach in the wind. To witness the seagulls scan the shore for food from tourists. And, funny enough, it finally occurred to me how lucky I was. How lucky that I'm able to walk barefoot in my work clothes in the sand and witness beauty. How often does one get to do that? I live in an extraordinary time in an extraordinary place, and I thank God that I can do that every day.

The above paragraph sounds a little hokey when read aloud to myself, but I really did feel that way, and maybe you all can get something out of it. I spent a whole year paying attention to only what's along the way to work: gas stations, chain restaurants, a failing mall, annoying tourist shops. But when I went off the beaten path, took a wrong turn, and decided "What the hey? I'll check this place out," I discovered why people choose to live here.

Now do I want to live in Hilton Head for the rest of my life? No. I want to be in a college town. I want to be around arts and the liberal sciences. I want to walk in coffee shops with people talking about the latest music or debating philosophy. I want to go to shows in dank studios, and be able to choose between having a paella or Chicago-style pizza (instead of burgers or subs). My place is not here in HH, but now I get it. I understand why people choose to live here.

Drawing I did of this creepy girl you meet in Ocarina of Time. She's not as weird looking in the game as she is here, but I still remember her freaking me out. If you want to see what I'm talking about, check out the video here at 2:46.

New post, every day. For Two Weeks.

2010-09-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I spent the last hour writing up a new post, but for some reason Gmail had logged me out at some point, so my whole post was lost. So instead of typing it all up again, I'm going to give you the short version.

- I realize my blog is lacking in content and so I will be posting once a day for the next two weeks about a new experience; a new song, a new movie, something I learned, etc. It has to be unknown to me prior to the day I post about it.

- Today I saw Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World in Savannah

- My critique: A fun movie. Awesome battle scenes. Memorable lines. Still a little dizzy from all the quick cutting that is frequent in Edgar Wright movies, but that could just be a personal thing. Could've been a little bit more condensed. Enjoyed for the most part, but felt like they Hollywooded the ending, and went with the obvious. I heard it ends differently in the graphic novel, but have to say I enjoyed the movie a lot more than the comic. Michael Cera seems to be one of those actors you love or hate, but I'm drifting into the grey zone. Almost all the ex-boyfriends were hilarious.

- It's three in the morning, and I'm still up. Curse you Crush Grape soda!

Also, I'm still posting art today, but it's . . . how shall I say -- risqué? So if you're viewing this at work or are just checking to see what your grandson learned in art school, be warned. There is a butt in the link.

Wonder Woman just chilling

. . .

2010-08-28T00:08:00.000-07:00

Nothing to say, except to drop off some Wonder Woman sketches.

. . . and a bored Zoey and Milly.

Wonder Woman and Disney

2010-07-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

The Disney trip is only months away! We're somewhere in the 40-50% range in saving up for the trip! And we're purchasing our tickets this month. If I had more time off, I'd go see Inception, but alas, I had the opportunity to hang out with one of my co-workers and his family to see Despicable Me.

My parents visited last week, and so we were treated to dinner, and in return we took them to this amazing place that serves fresh, custom doughnuts on the island.
Aside from all this, not much to report. We're losing one of the hostesses, but training two more. So hopefully me and Nicole will have some free time together soon. Nicole's been superbusy training, doing admin work, pulling longer shifts, etc. to get her vacation pay. I've just been trying to stimulate myself inbetween work, sleep and finding a good time to eat.

I haven't posted for a while because I always to leave new artwork, and I have to be honest; I didn't draw much this month. Finally I popped a good Wonder Woman drawing and had the time to color it. The drawing took maybe 2-3 hrs to draw because I had no reference and kept changing her outfit and hands. Coloring usually takes me 1-3 hrs, depending on my mood. I've found that I really enjoy coloring, and I hope I can learn some better techniques.

Anyway, here ya go.

Disney & things

2010-06-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

Not much to say except we're a quarter of the way to finishing our Disney Fund! Life is good, I'm still waiting for our hospital bill to come, we have a friend visiting this week for a few days. Been doing research on classics and world history. Thinking about maybe doing an ongoing history webcomic or something. Don't know how I could ever top or even get to the level of Kate Beaton.

Here's a Metal Gear Solid fanart for ya guys.

Back from NC

2010-05-18T07:48:00.001-07:00

Man, has it really been a month since I last posted?

Well, the big news is that we spent a week with my parents in NC. We attended a traveling Broadway showing of Wicked, which blew Dad away. Mom and my sister Kelli thought it was too long for their attention spans, so I guess you can't please everyone. Nikki thought the actress playing G(a)linda was better than the one we saw in New York. I visited high school friends, and in the process lost my voice that week. Got to see both "Date Night" and "Kick Ass." Tina Fey and Steve Carrel's movie was cute and definitely had its moments, but I was surprised by how much I liked "Kick Ass." Now I'm going to have to read the trade. Oh, and I did see "Iron Man 2," which of course was awesome, but not as much as the first. It was good to see everyone and eat lots of good food, but now we're back and need money. We're trying to pay off my hospital bills (over $1000 for a doctor to rub on some antiseptic and start stapling away on my head), save on food costs, and *drum roll please* save up for a trip to Disney World! WHOOOOO!! We plan on going the first or second week of December. It'll be between the fall and the Christmas crowds, but still close enough to Christmas as they'll have the lights up. Also, Nikki's excited that they're going to bring back Captain EO. We're also going to spend a day at Islands of Adventure to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Let's see . . . I've been learning some Italian in the meantime, as well as trying to read, understand, and appreciate the literature classics again. Nikki bought a DVD shelf so we can move our movies out of the bookshelf to make room for all the graphic novels we now own. One of the few friends we have left in Savannah is leaving, but we're trying to hang out more with our coworkers.A very androgynous Elphaba with some TF2 characters. Note the drawings on the back side of the sketchbook bleeding through. What can I say? I don't like to waste paper.

Did some anatomy drawings while watching Blade Runner. One thing led to another.

Did a colored piece of Dead or Alive 2, a very cheesecake-y fighter game I used to own.

I love Mondays

2010-04-13T10:35:00.000-07:00

My wife took out my staples on her own with a special tool. No, it didn't hurt and it took about a minute to do. So yay for saving money! Still dreading the hospital bill, as it hasn't come in the mail yet. Come to think of it, neither has our census form. Hmmm...

Both of us were able to get the last two Mondays off work, so we used our rare time together to go to the Columbia Zoo last week and Charleston to meet Nikki's parents this week as kind of a anniversary collaboration (our anniversaries are just a week apart).

EDIT: I wrote practically five pages of info on our trips, only to find out after hitting "Submit" that I had been logged out and nothing was saved. So here's the short version.

The Columbia Zoo
- Flamingos smell
- Baboons make horrible fathers
- I'd hate to be a toucan living at the zoo (I mean, how many times a day are you going to hear something related to Froot Loops before you go stark-raving mad?)
- I saw a lemur I thought was dead. It looked like this.- I saw a penguin who acted like he was going to take on everyone at the zoo. He was my favorite. He looked like this.- I'd hate to work at the zoo.

Charleston
- Good times with father-in-law
- Great pizza
- Great dinner w/ swordfish

Last weekend had awesome SCAD grad pop over to visit during Editor's Day.

That weekend, I drew these!

Ouch

2010-03-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

Last week, Nikki and I did our taxes at H&R Block. Luckily, our tax returns ended up to be a substantial amount. Enough to cover the car repair payments, with some left over that we could go out and buy a sofa (so we can throw out our broken futon).

Well, yesterday kind of nulled that. I bent down to grab some cleaning supplies from the bathroom sink, and as I stood up (fairly quickly) my head caught the edge of our glass medicine cabinet. I nailed the corner of it on the top right side of my scalp. I thought I had just had a good bump on the head until I discovered my hand holding my head was covered in blood. Thank God Nikki was there because stupid me would have taken a shower, slapped on a bandage, and gone about my day. We called Nikki's father who is a neuroradiologist, and he said I'll need some stitches as the cut was about an inch long and a fairly deep one at that. We get to the hospital and three hours later, I have five shiny staples in my head. I thought they would shave my head, but I guess not (I'm kinda grateful as it would be quite humbling to host at a restaurant with this bald, metallic spot on top of my head).(I'll spare you the pre-stapled cut picture)

My wife was panicked and having a bit of an anxiety attack until she met up with me again in my hospital room. Meanwhile, my biggest worry was money and if the restaurant would hold up with just one hostess on a busy night. Honestly, it could be worse. I briefly shared the room with a man who had barely missed being killed by a slab of marble falling off a truck and into his car. You just never know when something will happen. You can be driving back from a haircut, or in my case, trying to clean the bathroom.

Now here's some sketches for you.

Things might be looking up now :)

2010-03-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

I had the fortune of finding my cousin on linkedin, who works for an architecture firm in Portland, OR. I also grabbed some contacts from fellow SCAD alumni, so now I'm slowly getting the hang of networking. I'm really looking into doing something in the storytelling field, such as storyboarding. I think I'd have more fun collaborating with writers and artists in order to come up with an awesome story than producing concept art. At least not now. I feel my strong suit is storytelling with comedy and horror. I still need to work on my art skills.

Also, a local job position is opening up that I really want and can get. Most likely, I'll be taking a pay cut from less hours at the restaurant, but I'd rather work somewhere related to my field of interest.

Speaking of artwork, got a quickie for ya.

Art dump!

2010-03-12T23:06:00.000-08:00

I called my dad today, and he asked why I hadn't updated recently. I honestly can't say why. I never have experienced an HR rep at a prospective company snapping at me when I called to check up on the application process. By this point, I had already had the interview and was told I would hear back from them in a week. By the next week, I had not heard anything, so I called to check. I got a quick "We'll call you." And that was it.

Luckily, my hours have picked back up at the restaurant. Unfortunately, my wife's hours have picked up as well, and she's being stretched thin by her two jobs (and our one car). So we're making good money this month, but it's an hour commute roundtrip to the restaurant (and it's not uncommon that we have to make at least two trips per day). I guess it helps that our local comic store has been hit with hard times, and so we're not spending half our paychecks on Fables or Batman issues.

My mother is trying out for a mini-triathlon this fall, and considering when it takes place (aside from my birthday) it will be a huge milestone for her because it will have been about a year since she's recovered from breast cancer. I'm very proud of my sister, as she's smart with finding a good guy to date, and starting on new activities she's passionate about, such as musical theater. She also just turned 17, and I believe she now has her driver's license. Before I went to college and moved in with my wife, she hadn't started highschool yet and I think she had just gotten her braces. How the time flies.

In two weeks, my wife and I are off to see a She + Him concert in Savannah (I think we're mostly seeing it so we can possibly meet Zooey). In late April, I'll be up in NC with my folks to see a traveling tour of Wicked, as well as catching up with old friends. It'll be a great week!

Don't want to leave you without some art, so here ya go!One of the contests for our art jam was to combine two characters from the 80s and/or 90s. Took Princess Peach from Mario Bros. and Lara Croft from Tomb Raider.

Cammy is just too fun to not draw.
Marth and Ike from the Fire Emblem series, but you can find both on the latest of the Smash Bros. series. Uh, and this is Jigglypuff as a carnivore.

Vega from the Street Fighter series. I took a cue from John K's animation school, and drew this in the same way I drew Zangief two posts previous to this one. I believe I will color it soon.

Perspective and proportion study with Mario!

A little Star Wars comic I came up with (and perhaps an explanation as to why Anakin chose the Dark Side).
Couldn't resist a little cheesecake.
Toad from the X-Men a la 1960s era. Or at least how I imagine him (without the goofy costume).

First full digital art

2010-02-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone! Not a whole lot to report. I am picking up a second job nearby since my hours at the restaurant have been cut. Been drawing a lot (and I apologize for not posting most of it) and trying my hand at digital penciling. Not exactly as fun as using a pencil, but I now have clean lines to fill in with color, saving a lot of time. For example, I did an age chart for Zoey and Milly. Didn't think these two were going to appear again, but I have fun drawing them, so here they are. My first completely digital drawings.

Zoey is the more child-like of the two. She's a bit ditzy, but has a good heart. She likes to dance in her room and tell poop jokes. Her favorite movie is Princess Bride. After college, she mellows out, meets a great guy named Dave and becomes a mom while working at a software design firm.

Milly is the more independent-minded of the two. After being kicked out of nearby public schools, her parents sent her to a Catholic boarding school for a few years. Although incredibly bright, she often got into trouble for voicing her opinions and vandalizing Wal-Mart. She is highly creative, and after dropping out of college, she spends her days selling homemade appliances, starting a political blog, and hosting study group sessions for the local college.

February stuff

2010-02-13T22:07:00.000-08:00

Well, how about that? It's a February miracle! It snowed in Hilton Head! And the snow sticked to the ground! Granted, by the next morning, all evidence of the light dusting of snow that had fallen the night before disappeared. But it was enough to excite us all. I'm not exactly a stranger of snow, having grown up in North Carolina, where it's expected to get some sort of wintery precipitation, albeit as little as an inch. However, snowing here occurs almost as often as a presidential assassination. So you can also understand the paranoia and hype about roads closing and shutting down the bridge so there wouldn't be any road fatalities. Well, unfortunately, I still caught two cars lying in a shallow ditch which goes to prove that us Southerners still don't know how to drive in winter weather.

In art-related news, I've been checking out John Kricfalusi's animation blog (of Ren & Stimpy fame). It was both inspiring and a bit eye-opening to show just how terrible cartoons were in the 70s and 80s and just simply amazing they were back in the 30s-50s (namely Looney Tunes). Of course, I had to watch old episodes of Ren & Stimpy, which still astounds me that that show was able to get away with half of the stuff it did. I was inspired enough to draw some old Street Fighter characters in a more animated style.

Of course, my good friend Kate reminded me after I drew this, that I had violated one of the big "no-nos" of animation: "twinning," which is making any part of the character's pose symmetrical. Note the amateurish mistake made by yours truly on the legs. Ah well. It's a learning process.

Today is Valentine's Day (I'm currently writing this at 1:30 am after finishing cleaning the rat cage), which means for those of us working in the food and beverage industry that we have a long day ahead of us. That also means that my wife and I can't celebrate Valentine's on the 14th, so we went ahead and had a nice dinner at Carrabba's a few days before, and Nikki made a wonderful french toast with cheese and fruit for breakfast the next morning. I made her a card with some familiar figures on the back.
Anyway, not much else to say. We're planning on going to a She + Him concert in Savannah next month, and in April we will be visiting my parents near Durham, NC. There we'll see a tour of Wicked, and who knows what else? I'd like to take a day trip to Asheville, but that may not happen given on how little time we have to spend up there.

Man, I miss money

2010-02-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

I didn't mean to make this a monthly blog. If you reach back into the first entries, I meant to do this as a weekly blog. Such is life I suppose. But I intend on bumping up my posting quota. My good friend Katie is setting up a comic jam of sorts, and I'm working on doing some guest work for my friend Joe.

Aside from that, I've been a bit on the ropes financially. Winter's come and that means reduced hours at my day (or I should say evening) job. To make matters worse, Bear Delahunt, the guy who ran the comic store (and a new friend at that), has left in order to set up somewhere else. So in between him setting up a new shop and my winter hours, there's not a whole lot to do but to keep up the job search.

Don't want to leave any visitors artless, so here's some Street Fighter fanart.

Big shoutout to my family, as well as my in-laws, who visited us this month. I hope we didn't bore you to death or appall you with our lack of furniture. Heh.

Think I about finished the website

2010-01-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

It took me much longer than I had anticipated to finish the website design (this was essentially my first professional commission), but I can now show the background image. I'll post the rest of the people a bit later (it's getting a bit late here, and I haven't downsized some of the images to low-res jpgs yet).
As for personal going-ons, our spike in business has slipped away with the holidays and now I'm once again seeking employment in addition to my day job. However, there is a consolation that makes the sequential art kid inside me jump for joy: a new comic store called Atomic Comics run by a terrific guy (Bear Delahunt) opened up just behind my neighborhood. I can take a 5-10 minute bike ride to get all the comics I need.

Wait. This may be a bad thing . . .

Preview of coming attractions . . .

2009-12-21T13:48:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays everyone!

It's always during the holidays when bad and good fall all at once . . .

2009-12-01T20:38:00.001-08:00

It seems like a lot has happened since I last posted. Two holidays have passed, I've gone to Space Camp and visited my in-laws (who I like a lot, thank you very much).

Now time to put up the lights and pack on the pounds for this month! The best Christmas present we got came early: my mother has successfully defeated breast cancer after a year's worth of therapy and surgery! She's amazing as she's stayed so positive throughout it, and I have to give a big shoutout to neighbors, church members, and friends who helped her pull through this ordeal. I know I'm not the only one who's telling her she should write a book about her battle. I think it'd be very inspirational.

We've hit some rough patches here. Our car keeps coming up with new things to fix (our latest problem has been the headlight assembly), and my computer just got hit by some sort of virus, and of course now the business at the restaurant we work at is slowing down.

But we'll make it. My wife and I are very supportive of each other, and I feel like I can get through just about anything as long as she's with me. Don't mean to go all sappy, but maybe that's just the holiday spirit flowing in me. It's when the times are tough, all you can do is look up and go forward.

Made this for a holiday art exchange. For those not in the know, the characters done in the Flinstone look are from Half Life 2. Fred/Gordon is shouting, "BARNEY! MY REBELS!!"

Hmmm . . .

2009-10-25T17:47:00.001-07:00

I turned another year since the last post: the big two-three. Okay, so it's not that eventful, and my birthday didn't go so well (our car broke down twice, ultimately costing us near $1300 to repair) but I've been working on designing a coworker's webpage.

Looking for work in general as of now, and trying to keep away from my new birthday present -- an awesome Xbox 360 that my wife and our parents chipped in for!

I'm sorry there isn't much else to say here, but not a whole lot has happened in the past month. Thanks for all those (especially Dad) who visit this blog!

Some disappointments come with new opportunities

2009-09-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

Well, it turns out we won't be able to push the book out before SPX. It will still be available to purchase online once the layout is finished. But at least all the artwork is finished. And I'm looking to sell the comic independently, or at the very least, a finished portfolio piece that I can whip up a cover for.

Also, I just survived a harrowing virus that crippled my computer. But thanks to my wife and some awesome computer whizzes, I was able to counteract the virus and now my PC's working better than it has in the past few months.

I don't have much at the moment, but here's a quickie I did for the upcoming Thor movie.

Zoey & Milly Break Out

2009-09-08T12:57:00.001-07:00

Here it is, my Break Anthology submission. Hope you enjoy!

It's almost here . . .

2009-09-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I'm not going to tease you with any new pages of the comic, but rest assured, most of it is done. I don't want to put any more pages up until it has all been inked, scanned, edited, and smacked with dialogue.

I will say this: you will not have to wait longer than a week to see the full 14 pages of "Zoey & Milly Break Out!"

Preview of things to come . . .

2009-08-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

Some inked pages from the anthology I'm working on. The story is called, "Zoey & Milly Break Out." It's about two siblings who break out of house arrest and discover that an action movie is being filmed outside their home! How exciting! Unfortunately, the crazy film makers decided they're going to perform the film's biggest and most dangerous stunt right in Zoey and Milly's house! The girls have to stop the film makers from destroying their house as well as getting back home before their parents find out they've escaped!

This will be just one of many of the exciting submissions for the Break Anthology, due to premiere at the Small Press Expo this September! Be sure to order a copy next month!

New job, daily sketches

2009-07-06T22:16:00.001-07:00

First off! I know the main reason you all visit is to see the art! Well, I'm going to dump a lot here.

Currently, I'm working as a host and a dishwasher at a restaurant here in Hilton Head. Applying for jobs as well! Now that I'm in a job with coworkers my age, me and my wife have been able to hang out with people outside of work! Only took 3 or so years to do! All of our coworkers (Nikki and I work at the same restaurant) are wonderful people and two in particular play at a local bar on Friday nights. We try to frequent when we can to requests songs and have a good time!

There's one job in particular I'm hoping to grab that I'm applying for so wish me luck!

Return from NYC

2009-06-10T21:52:00.000-07:00

Back from MoCCA Fest '09 and what a convention it was! It was my second convention, and I by far prefer this one over the NY Comic Con. Not to say the NYC Con was run poorly, but MoCCA seemed a lot more open to emerging artists such as myself. I'm still learning Convention Etiquette 101, so I was friendly to as many people as I could be, but I don't think I quite grasped that people traded minis. It's all so new to me!

Sketches from my "Movie Sketchbook" to come up soon! In the meantime, I have exciting news!

1. I got a job! I basically have the same job as my wife (at the same restuarant). I don't know how we're going to work out transportation, but I have a lot more to worry about! Namely loans and car insurance!

2. Not only am I an official South Carolinian resident now, but both me and my wife are now officially Curé Williams (Curé is my wife's maiden name, and it has an interesting backstory that's only two generations old, so I decided to preserve it!) Both of our last names have meanings that are very dear to us, and it seems a shame that one of us would have to give up one of ours. Luckily, marriage is about compromise so we kept both!

3. I am now part of a wonderful group of recent sequential art grads from SCAD (some are still currently students) that have decided to start up an anthology. We're calling it "Break" on account of the theme. You can view the website here.

Here's my promotional postcard for the anthology.

So big MoCCA shoutout to all the wonderful people I met:
- Brendan Burford (a really nice guy our friend Tea introduced me to)
- John Kerschbaum (just became a new fan of his talented work)
- Doug Bratton (quite possibly the new Gary Larson)
- Box Brown (wonderfully nice guy who also had his comics printed on newsprint. Mmm!)
- Allan Norico (amazing artist straight from NYC)
- Miriam Libicki (superb painting talent)
- Ryan North
- Megan Baehr
- Colin Tedford
- Offshore Comix
- The Bazaarium
- Last, but certainly not least is me and my wife's mutual friend, Tea, who was very generous in letting us stay at her place that weekend. You can check out her website here.

People I am deeply sad I missed:
Kate Beaton (my new favorite webcomic that I discovered after just about everyone else did)
Randall Munroe (great comic for programmers)

If there is anyone I missed who came across this blog or got one of my Movie Sketches, please comment and I'll add a link to your website!

Also: Nikki and I saw Wicked on Broadway! It was amazing! Loved the woman who played Glinda the Good, as well as the voice of the guy who played Elphaba's father.

Edit: Did I mention I got to see freaking Al Jaffee!? Because that made my day.

Not much to say other than . . .

2009-05-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

I'm still job hunting! Luckily, Nikki is now a hostess at a local restaurant.

Also, my friend Jamie's wedding is this weekend! Woohoo! I'll also be back home in NC as well!

Oh, and my good friend Jeff just got engaged! Congrats dude! Here's his blog. He's an amazing computer artist, so check him out!

Finally finished coloring Cammy! Did some tweaks as well. Less than a month till I return to NYC for the MoCCA festival!

Ahh . . . the Married Life!

2009-05-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

Both the wedding and honeymoon are now over, and it's time to pick up the career search again!
Nikki and I had a blast in California! We spent three days at Disneyland, two at Universal, and even took an amazing tour at WB studios! (My favorite part was being an inch away from the Dark Knight suit!)

You can see our wedding photos here: ----> photos

Got to draw some things while looking though.

I think you can tell what movie I was watching while doing these:

Not much to say

2009-03-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

. . . Other than I got less than a month now before the big wedding. Unfortunately, my bride-to-be has been laid off, so we're in a tight spot at the moment. I know we'll find something, but it's scary jumping into the abyss, so to speak. I'll be in a new home with new responsibilities, looking for a new job.

Don't have much to post here other than I colored the MODOK.

I need more RAM for my computer. :(

Actually, scratch that. I need a new computer. lol

It's March already?

2009-03-14T13:13:00.001-07:00

Gosh, so much has happened within two months. I apologize about not posting here more often!

I've been to two conventions in the past month, one in Savannah, one in New York. Met some wonderful people, discovered new job prospects, etc. I'm thankful I was able to make it to these places with someone who has the know-how as to what to do and say there. I basically showed up with my portfolio and business cards and hoped for the best!

We've also ran into a somewhat dire family medical situation, and it's a bit taxing on us all. We'll pull through together, and our friends have never been more supportive! We're truly blessed being within driving distance of some of the most generous and kind people (as well as Duke Medical Center) I know. My sister turns 16 this month, and is scouting colleges for good dance programs. She's very passionate about ballet and musicals, so I hope she finds the right school.

Well, in the art department, things have been sluggish. I have no finished projects to show, but quite a few that I'm working on.

Yeah, that last one threw you off, didn't it?

Left 4 Dead - Boomer

2009-01-25T21:14:00.000-08:00

I've been playing this new game Left 4 Dead by Valve recently. I love all of the stuff they put out, and this is no exception.

Zombies are always fun to draw, and the "special infected" were no exception. Here's the first of many that I hope to finish.

He's obviously the most grotesque of the bunch, throwing up on the survivors, which I suppose contains some sort of pheromones because after the player is drenched in zombie vomit, a huge horde of zombies seem to show up.

My first Star Wars drawing

2008-12-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

Work's partially done. For the time being, I have it painted monochromatically. Hope to have this fully colored sometime soon.

In the meantime, here's Boba Fett:

And here's the final product (for now)

Holidays are Here!

2008-12-18T21:30:00.001-08:00

Only a few more days until my family finally visits my fiancee's . . . with less than five months to go until the wedding. Oh well. It needs to happen later than never. So I'll be off in Birmingham for a few days, but not before I finish off some fanart for a Christmas contest. I'll also be dogsitting this Saturday, so maybe that'll give me some free time to draw . . . or to vegetate in front of the TV and watch the Boomerang channel.

+15 points if you can guess the characters below (Hint: they're from Star Wars)

The Fett man will be added in later digitally, and I may color this (hopefully all before Saturday).

Bwaah!!

2008-12-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

One more day of work left, and then I finally have a weekend!! Woohoo!!!

Though, I probably shouldn't complain. My fiancee Nikki has currently been working 50 hrs this week designing the layout for Hilton Head Monthly. I'm so proud of her!

And I've got some things to look forward to this weekend. 1) Paying off the first bill for my student loans! 2) Buying my plane tickets to the NY Comic Con! 3) Christmas shopping! 4) Going to see my best mate graduate from UNC! My friend Eric had majored in Japanese and he hopes to teach English in Japan. Here's his unupdated blog from his two visits in Japan ---> blog.

As with all my posts, I need to post some new art. Luckily, I've been doodling for some Spider-man pages for my portfolio. The script is for issue #112 of Ultimate Spider-man.
Never drew a Hummer before, and the script called for one, so here's my first attempt! And, uh, mind the glass roof that is customary for all Hummers to have . . . <_<
I can't wait to draw this thing all busted up!

I'm drawing the first six pages of the issue, which introduces Shocker, a throw-away villain from the Spidey series. The villain has these vibro-sound blasters that creates miniature sonic booms. I thought it would be fun to make him more . . . home-made, so I've created his sound guns to be modified hair dryers. And . . . uh, they're also currently invisible.

The Holidays Are Showing Their Ugly Side

2008-12-06T20:16:00.001-08:00

Business is picking up at the workplace! I have to work seven days in a row, all eight-hour shifts, aside from two days that will grant me with nine hour shifts.

But I have a goal to reach (namely paying off my student loans) and sometimes that means sacrificing time (and a little sanity) to get things done.

In the meantime, I have some sketches here I can drop off.

The good news is I work at a place where I'm not pestered with listening to the same holiday album since October.

Back from SCAD's Comic Forum

2008-11-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

It's kind of late, so I'll be quick. I had an awesome time visiting Norris Hall at SCAD. It's so great to be around fellow artists who are so passionate about the work they do! Below are some sketches I did during my freetime there. My portfolio with John Proctor went really well, and I learned some things about merchandising yourself at conventions. I still hope to go to the NY Con this February, as well as move back down to Savannah.

For those that have watched Spider-Man 3:

Good ol' Voldemort and his lack of dental hygiene.

Off to the Comic Arts Forum!!

2008-11-05T18:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the absence of posts! Here's a pic I did for a book that will hopefully be published at some point.

Tomorrow I leave for Savannah to visit Nikki and to participate the Comic Arts Forum! I'll be going to Mark Schultz's workshop, as well as one tutored by Jennie Breeden. Not only that, but I'll get a portfolio review with John Proctor!

Oh! I forgot! Here's an older drawing I did. First time really getting full use out of the light box . . . I still liked my penciled version best.

Caricatures

2008-10-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

Alan RickmanIan McKellen

I really miss SCAD.

I'm temporarily working at a local company in Hillsborough so I can get enough money to go to the NY Comic Con in February. I'm so excited!

2008-09-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

Team Fortress has to be one of my favorite games to play. While I'm not too great using the Spy, he's got a profile that's fun to draw!

I got to see the first Ben Folds Five concert in ten years, which was great! Not only that, but I took my sister with me, and I think she appreciated it. The concert was held at Memorial Hall on the UNC campus, which had great acoustics.

But I am sooo tired right now. And tomorrow I drive down to South Carolina to visit my fiancee, Nikki! It'll be a long drive, but I'm so excited to see her! I haven't seen her in a month!

Valve Fanart & I leave Savannah for good! :(

2008-08-26T23:26:00.001-07:00

I have less than a week left in Savannah before I leave for good. So many memories at SCAD. More than likely, I'll return to Savannah, but only to visit. I can never be thankful enough for the faculty and fellow classmates that motivated to push myself to work harder.

In other news, I got into the Orange Box again. So here's some fanart of Valve creations.

Antlions
Heavy from Team Fortress 2 looking . . . er, strangely contemplative. And sitting in the dark, apparently.

Elite Combine solider

Soldier class from Team Fortress 2

Barack & Harley Quinn

2008-08-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

I did these sketches last week, so I apologize for not putting these up sooner. I decided to do a caricature on someone famous, so here's ol' Barack Obama.

If you want to get a sense of what I like to draw, here it is: Goofy caricatures of otherwise very serious subjects and dark sketchy drawings.

Below is Harley Quinn, made to be more along the lines of the Dark Knight look. I tried some harlequin suits, but nothing really seemed to work in reality.

As the Joker has self-inflicted scars, I think Harley would be crazy and enough of a Joker obsession to maim her own face for him. I imagine she's an unhinged fangirl, so her "costume" is pretty Spartan. Nothing too out of the ordinary aside from self-made tattoos and homemade T-shirts (this one has "Joker" in a heart with red paint splattered on it). I thought about cutting her right eye open a bit to damage her tear ducts, enough to make it so that she would always appear sad, despite what she was feeling at the moment.

This pose hopefully conveys absolute disbelief. Batman just took her down, and while expecting the Joker to come in and save her, she watches her "lover" flee from the crime scene.
More to come soon (probably fanart) as I've been in the mood to draw, but nothing so far that's decent enough to post here. :P

It's now just me and Mardig in the house. It gets very hot in here since we have to use the A/C sparingly. But it is nice to have an empty house to do brainstorming (I do it out loud).

NY Comic

2008-07-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

Really sorry about not posting. I'd like to lie and say I've been real busy, but . . . ah, it's actually been pretty boring here. My roommates are slowly leaving. Soon it will be me and Mardig alone for a month. It's pretty disheartening that most of the people you grew up around and knew for four years are moving on to successful careers . . . especially when you're stuck in Savannah.

Well, I have been fairly productive. I don't want to overload this post with too much art, but I will post my finished final I did for New York.

This project had to be inspired from our trip to New York. I kept having this image pop up of doing some sort of comic that dealt with a large monster parading around NY. Then I wanted to give it a personality and sympathetic quality. Well, it all meshed up into this. Hope you all like this!

NY Sketchbook

2008-07-15T17:24:00.000-07:00

I promised to finish the NY post, and I resolved to do just that!

Well . . . er, kind of. I seem to have misplaced my flash drive so instead I'll present some sample pages that I did from my New York trip.

I discovered it can be difficult to locate your hotel when it's your first time in a big city and you have no map. In my defense, the 30 30 Hotel was squeezed the middle of 30th and Park while I was aimlessly looking for the other 30th street. I think I passed by the same hat store at least five times.

Sketches of Times Square. I think this is where I first realized the horrible Photoshop job done on the Wanted movie promo poster.

While I was in utter awe of New York City, Times Square was the least impressive to me. Maybe because I had seen it a million times in TV shows and movies, but I think it reminded me of Las Vegas a bit too much. I like the personal touches of the city, and while Times Square is unique in its own right, it's just too tourist-y for me.

I was hoping I'd have a little art nerd entourage like I did my first night in NY when I went with my roommate Matt and a cool girl named Elena. Instead, I ended up alone wandering the streets for a quick dinner. I ended up at this little Indian restaurant. The owner seemed a bit testy, but the food was good. I loved that the TV was tuned in to Indian news. You just don't see that diversity in Savannah.

As mentioned in this journal, I went with my group to Marvel. I was surprised by how small and cluttered their office was. But they seemed to make the best of it. While meeting the editors was the foundation of our trip, I believe the pinnacle of it was meeting the artists. We spent a whole day with Kikuo Johnson and Paolo Rivera. I spent a lot of time watching Paolo paint because he's one of the few comic artists who practice the medium.

Paolo's blog: http://paolorivera.blogspot.com/
R. Kikuo Johnson's website: http://www.seabread.com/

And to explain the drawing below, the Marvel office was compared to a dive bar and DC to a wine bar. The comparisons were just as DC was indeed dolled up quite nicely, and Marvel's office was lacking in design period. (but Marvel's receptionist was a lot more friendlier)

Back from NY, Part 1.

2008-06-25T12:11:00.001-07:00

It's been a little less than a week, and I've finally gotten around to uploading these New York pictures.

New York City was a blast! I'm a small-town hombre and I never thought I'd like big cities. I could only see the large masses of people moving down the sidewalks, cars honking incessantly, and pick-pocketers running off with my wallet.

Such was not the case in NYC. I've never been in such awe of a city before. I was overwhelmed by the large skyscrapers and innumerous glass windows, the smell of fried dough wafting from the street vendors, and the stores crammed as much as possible into one block. I even liked Queens, which apparently is saying something, because it had personality. The first time I walked down into my first dank, dirty subway of New York, I felt right at home. I loved this city already.

To best sum up this trip, I'll provide some photos I took.

This was my hotel room in Hotel 30 30. For being named a

fter its location, it

was incre

dibly difficult to find. It didn't stick out at all, no one knew where it was, and o

nly one of the streets was actually 30th. It was in between Madison and Park Avenues. As you can see, my hotel room was very tiny. Not that I mind, but it's definitely the smallest room I'v

e ever slept in.

This was my friend Elena at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. It was an overpriced tourist trap, but we definitely had fun. This was an exhibit that talked about a man who was born without a lower torso. Next to his wax model was a photo op set-up where a mirrored box gave the illusion that you had no legs.
This was some sort of Oriental ship made entirely out of jade. (according to the sign)

The skeleton of a six-legged calf.

The skeleton of a wooly mammoth. I mostly took this picture for bone reference.
First photo of Times Square. I actually didn't like Times Square at all. It was way too glitzy and electric for me. Too much "Hey! Notice me! Buy things! You're in Times Square!" Probably my least favorite place in NY.
Inside Chris Duffy's office. He had a lot of upcoming comics posted on his wall. It's nice to know that, even though the magazine was for kids, the art was great and I had to laugh at the jokes.
View from the conference room in Nickelodeon Magazine.
Our professor/chaperone John Lowe talking with Cliff Chiang. I was amazed that Cliff (and the artists we would later visit) had amazingly clean work spaces. It's amazing how much more professional you look when you have a clean workspace.
More from the streets of NY.Inside the DC Comics waiting room. There was a sample of "kryptonite" in the room.
Here's Superman, who stopped by briefly to talk with us SCAD kids.
On the 3rd floor of DC Comics' building, there was good ol' MAD. Here are some of the original covers posted on the wall.

More pics later.

New Movies and New Job

2008-06-09T00:04:00.001-07:00

My summer job at the Catherine-Ward House Inn is great! It's run by people who go out of their way to put the customer first. I have never worked at a place that's so personal with its clients. On my first day, I was paid to go on an Old Savannah Tour to get some town info.

Here's some new tips I heard from our guide, who was really nice and kept promoting his daughter, who is a waitress at Six Pence Pub (an excellent place to dine in Savannah):
1. The tombstones within the Colonial Cemetery cannot be trusted to mark who lies where. During General Sherman's stay in Savannah, some of the Union soldiers set up quarters in the graveyard. At some point, they would get rowdy and drunk (the average age for a soldier was sixteen) and would destroy or misplace gravestones. So to this day no one knows exactly who's buried where, but apparently there are a lot more bodies in the ground than there are tombstones.
2. The Kehoe House was bought by Joe Namath in 1980 and he was planning on turning it into a bachelor pad/disco. Well, knowing the Historical Society of Savannah, and just any of the well-to-do citizens in Savannah, that was not going to fly. I'm guessing they protested enough to disallow him from turning a historic landmark into a disco, but what I thought was neat was the scrolling on the exterior of the house looks like painted wood, but is in fact steel.
3. This isn't really a historical fact as so much it is just plain creepy. The Mulberry Inn on the corner of Bay and Houston St used to be an old horse stable. At some point, it caught fire and killed the horses inside. On certain nights, guests and employees alike have attested to hearing the neighing of frightened horses. Now if that ain't creepy, I don't know what is.

But going back to the job, it's very relaxing as I'm doing a lot of manual labor like gardening. I haven't had much experience in it, but I loved digging through the dirt and finding earthworms and pillbugs. The owners kept coming outside and checking up on me, as it was pretty hot out, but I loved sitting in the garden bed.

I saw a ton of movies this week! Iron Man, Speed Racer, Indiana Jones 4, not to mention the old ones for nostalgia's sake. I also bought Big Trouble in Little China and one of my favorite sci-fi films of all time, John Carpenter's The Thing!

Unfortunately, it's late, and I have no recent drawings to post here, so for now, here's some pics of me and the family, along with my beautiful fiancee, Nikki.

[from top, clockwise: me, Nikki, Kelli (my sister), Lisa (my mom)][from top, clockwise: Kent (my dad), me, Nikki, Kelli]

First Day of Summer!

2008-06-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ah, my first taste of summer! I have to say, it's dangerously relaxing not having to worry about homework or upcoming projects. But that shall not stop me from drawing! Here's a sample from today's sketchpad that I colored.

Graduation was very long and I don't think anyone came out of the Civic Center (where our ceremony was being held) without nodding off at some point. And to make matters worse, they said my name was "Sarah Ross Williams!" D'oh! Oh well. I can do nothing but laugh about it now, knowing that I will forever remember graduation day.

I obtained a summer job at a local bed & breakfast which is quite a nice place and the owner is very sweet and charismatic. And it's the best paying job I've had so far! Still, I'll be looking for a secondary job if I ever want to help my dad purchase a car for me.

I got so many checks from relatives and I can't thank them enough for their support. The money will really help with my NY trip and living in Savannah this summer. I have to check out restaurants and tours in Savannah so I can recommend places for customers. I look at this as an opportunity to start on my pet project, a Savannah sketch journal.

Let's see where this goes!

Finished!

2008-05-29T22:31:00.001-07:00

My last class was actually yesterday, but as of today the school's doors have closed, officially ending the quarter. Rehearsal's tomorrow, and the graduation ceremony starts at 9 AM on Saturday.

What's funny is the main thing I'm looking forward to is not the graduation part, but the graduation meal! It's been a while since I've had a meal paid for me! And at 17 Hundred 90 House no less! Hooray for parents and relatives who like to eat out! Dad wants to take some sort of tour of Savannah later that day, and watch Iron Man with me on Sunday.

I worked on my website for Digital Portfolio class, but it's not quite ready yet, so as for now, this will be my base of operations, so to speak.

And in two weeks, I'll be off to New York to visit the guys heading up some of the major comic companies like Marvel, DC Comics, MAD Magazine, and Nickelodeon Magazine! We're also visiting the studios of Cliff Chiang, Kikuo Johnson (who I had the pleasure of meeting last year), Paolo Rivera (I'm looking forward to meeting this guy!), Michael Kaluta, and Bob Sikoryak (who has an amazing ability to mimic an incredible variety of styles).

I just hope I get my portfolio updated in time. I've never been to New York before, and getting to check out places like Times Square and Central Park should be a good time.

Don't want to leave a post here sans art, so here's some filler while I get some new material punched out.

History Vs. Hollywood and some life sketches

2008-05-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit of a history nut, and any kind of visual representation of the many tools used in history makes me so interested. So I was quite excited to come along this little chart of surgical tools from 1829. I can't imagine having wooden gears as joints and surgical anesthetic being something rudimentary as a flask of whiskey and a wooden bit to prevent biting off my own tongue. But it's fascinating to see what man had in substitute of plastics and benzodiazepines.

And speaking of history, History Vs. Hollywood is a great program. I found this forum full of history buffs passionately and competently discussing the inaccuracies of such films as Gladiator and Braveheart. And luckily, these aren't the kind of people that let these discrepancies ruin the movie for them. We have to take into account that Hollywood has and, in all likelihood, will keep dramatize historical stories for the sake of making it interesting and condensing the plot to fit into 80 min-3 hrs.

I apologize for not posting in a while. It's my final quarter at SCAD, and I've got less than a week left! I'll leave some model sketches here, so as to not deprive anyone reading this of new art.

First Entry!

2008-05-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Good day everyone!

My name is Sean Williams and I am currently in my last quarter at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). I majored in Sequential Arts (a fancy name for comics) and minored in Storyboarding. I plan on working in the movie industry, doing concept illustration, storyboarding, and maquettes.

The sequential field is an excellent way to study the essentials of storytelling in art. We are taught anatomy, perspective, proportions, composition, lighting, etc. as well as having to tell a story both visually and verbally.

I hope those visiting will enjoy my sketches and artwork that I will frequently post in here. Here's a taste of the latest project I've worked on recently. Enjoy!