Am I being a bad boy?

I know I know. You hate to be teased. But I can't help myself to having a little fun once in awhile.
So yeah, I think I am being a bad Boy!
:)

Well, work continues on the Timmy pages, but at a snails pace. Other commission work keeps getting in the way. But we are much closer now then when we started. So hopefully I will have more to show in later post's.

More Dino-Boy madness!

Here is a tighter more detailed version of cute little Dino-Boy.
I basically took Tommy's drawing of Dino-Boy and made my version of it. :)

What's in a name.

A few weeks ago I approached Tommy with the idea of forming a Banner together. Keep in mind that Tommy was already using Lightbulb Comics for his Children of Light comic and I was about to begin using Unleashed Comics for my Dog Saint comic. But I felt Tommy and I have so much in common, especially in the matter of Comics and what our goals are, that it only felt right to join forces in one way or the other, apart from Timmy The Killer Robot.

A few years back I can remember when a few of my favorite Artist's banded together to do something similar under the banner of "Legend". Those Artist's were Mike Mignola, Arthur Adams, Dave Gibbons and Frank Miller. I think there were a few more in there. But they came together under the Legend banner with one mind and focus to put out quality comics such as Monkey Man and O'Brian.

Timmy The Killer Robot may be the only comic Tommy and I ever collaborate in. It may just be the first of many. But it just only seems right to join forces under one banner. A banner that puts a seal of approval on our work, as a team, and individuals. I hope to publish Dog Saint under this banner. But first, I hope we get Timmy The Killer Robot going, as the flagship title, under this banner.

Tommy did not give me an immediate reply. He promised he would think about it. That was perfectly fine with me. A few days later I get his email in my inbox. It contained a picture of a very cute and irresistible character that quickly found his place in my heart called Dino-Boy. I instantly knew that was the right character and name for our banner. It spoke in volumes what we are about. Fun, family oriented comics that show our passion for this incredible and awesome genre of comics.

I promised Tommy I would do a more tight rendering of the character to use as a logo. This may change over time, it may not, but here is what I got for the moment.

Dino-Boy! Rraah!

Eric & I were talking about the possibility of having to self-publish, and should we create a label, or imprint for our comic. At first, I thought, "Nah. If we only have one title, why do we need a label?". But i agreed to think about it, and filed it in the back of my head somewhere.

While working yesterday, I was letting my mind wander (good thing I don't operate heavy machinery!), and into my head popped an image of a littke kid dressed in a dinosaur costume, brandishing a homemade cardboard sword. I think I was influenced by the new comic book, Tiny Titans, from DC Comics.

After thinking what a neat little comic I could make with him and his partner, Monkey-Boy, I thought that was it! That's our imprint! Either Eric would love it, or think I had lost it, and try to leave quietly. Turns out he loved it! Good thing, 'cause I was gonna beat him (in a loving Christian way) with his wacom until he agreed to it.

It might seem silly or childish at first glance, but we both felt it embodied what we love about comics. you pick up a fun, great comic and feel like a kid again, running in the backyard, fighting monsters and saving the world while on a Kool-Aid high!

Eric says he'll do a finished version of Dino-Boy for us! I'll treasure it forever! Rraah!

Progress

Well, I am somewhat happy to announce that work on the actual Timmy the Killer Robot pages has finally begun!!!

Whoot!

Tommy and I plan to punch out 6 pages to shop around to potential Publishers. These pages are going to be full color, which only means more night shifts for me :)

But what happens if no one picks it up for publication, you ask?
What, are you nuts?! Did you fall off of bed and knocked your noggin a bit too hard Today?

What a question. The nerves...

(Tommy, we need to talk).

;)

Friends

Eric did these sketches of Timmy and his friends. Well, Nate is his friend, kinda. Nate is the guy you didn't really want to hang around, but couldn't get rid of. Sally is Timmy's dream girl, who he's too shy to talk to in school.

Nate think's he's all that, but he's...a turd. He hits on every girl he sees with corny one-liners, but he's never gotten a date. Timmy and Nate are pretty much each others' only friends.

Sally is a popular, pretty girl. Timmy feels queasy every time he gets near her, and is so nervous, he says something stupid. She secretly thinks he's sweet and likes him!

Eric claims to be working hard on pages, so hopefully we'll have something awesome to show soon!

Moses

I didn't want us to do 2 posts in a day, (that sneaky bugger Eric posted before me) But i work late on Friday, and I get lazy on Saturday. This'll be worth it!

Here’s some designs Eric did for Moses, a character Timmy encounters in the story. I originally designed Moses to help Timmy out at a point in the story, and give him some encouragement. I at first didn't realize what an original and complex character he was becoming. Moses is a homeless Christian former killer robot. How about that!

Moses used to be what Timmy is. They were both designed for destruction. Somehow Moses escaped his creators, and created a life for himself. He found a Bible at a homeless shelter, and read from beginning to end in1 hour. He came to the logical conclusion that there must be a creator (knowing that he himself is a created being), and became a believer in Jesus Christ. He felt that with God, he had everything he needed, and has no material possessions, remaining homeless. And that’s the way he likes it!

At one point in the story, Timmy is hiding form enemies, and Moses finds him shelter. Timmy has discovered he’s a robot, and feels lost. Everything he thought he was is wrong. Moses helps Timmy realize it doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside. What matters is who you are inside.

The Worst Of The Worst

Being an Artist is not easy. Some people think it's a matter of just putting down a line here and there and whammo. You have a completely accurate and professional looking picture. But there is much more to it then that. The other day, I was with my Son in the Arts and Crafts store and we began to talk about my work as a comic book Artist. He was under the impression that drawing for me was something easy. That it did not take as much effort. I began to explain what an Artist, especially a comic book Artist was required to do. Everything from Anatomy to perspective. I began to explain that, unlike an Artist who paints nature scenes or portraits, a Comic Book Artist had to have the ability to draw everything and anything a script called for. That isn't an easy thing to accomplish, say, if you've never drawn guns before and now you are required to do so. Or say, if you never drew a car. And now you have to draw a scene with two or three of them.

He was surprised. Not realizing how much work his Dad was doing when he was sitting in the chair in front of his art table. It can be a frustrating thing. Especially when you have a scene or even a pose that's just kicking you in the bum.

Another thing that makes it tough to do what I do is, well...Me.
I tend to be too critical of my work and often times the work others find to be my best, are the ones where I crtic' myself the most.

But I have found out that this is far from being a weakness, but a strength I posses.
And for that I am thankful to the Lord. It is that second guessing yourself that pushes me to give the best I can of myself. My greatest accomplishment, when a client turns around and thanks me for the incredible work I did for him. That is priceless. Even if I don't like what I was working on, just hearing those words is fulfilling On its own.

A few weeks ago I finished what I thought would be the first completed page of Timmy The Killer Robot. But then it happened. After I emailed it to Tommy, I emailed him again saying I was going to scrap the page and start all over. Tommy had originally wanted a cartoonsih style for the book and that is what I wanted to bring to the table. But after doing so, I thought to myself, how horrible the whole thing looked. It is by far, in my opinion, the worst I have done. Seeing this page and feeling such huge dissatisfaction inspired me to push my art to the next level with the intentions of making it better. And I am glad I spent so much time on this page even though it will never be a part of the comic. Because through it, I pushed myself to give better results.


The dreaded page that started it all. Adelante:

Nate being Nate

Quick sketch I want to share. Just goofing around!

Mad scientists!

Here's some sketches, courtesy of Eric! These guys are Timmy's creators. They worked together several years ago on top-secret robotics projects!

First up is Dr Goodweed, creator of Timmy's A.I. "brain". I had imagined him as a hippied-out, tie-dye wearing guy, like Tommy Chong (no disrespect to Mr. Chong. Loved your movies, man!). Eric gave me this version, which I thought might be his current look. Timmy wants to find out who this guy is, since he's his other "father".


This is Dr. Thompson, who Timmy believes to be his dad. Thompson grew upset with the way his creations were being handled, and stole Timmy away from the project. He finished his work on Timmy in secret, giving him a believably human appearance. He programmed Timmy to believe he's just a normal kid.


*Cue sinister music* Lastly we have Mr. Smith, the funder of the robotics operation. He has plans to decieve his partners and sell the robots for military use, not for saving lives as they planned. After Thompson disappears with Timmy, Smith becomes obesessed with finding them.