Nothin' Much

Some Posters

My brother-in-law is a member of BYU's student association, and he needed some banners created for a website they're introducing. At first, we were only going to do one banner, which explains the difference in style between the characters in the orange banner and the others (i.e., the orange poster characters are basically bobble heads). The posters aren't meant to be viewed together, so the differences in the height of the type didn't matter. Why do I feel like I have to give excuses about things like that? I dunno.

Studious

You may be wondering (but probably aren't) why my posting has been a bit sporadic of late. The answer is that I'm teaching some classes at a community college, and the semester started today, so I've been gearing up for that. Woo hoo!

I'm teaching Storyboarding, Creative Concepts, and beginning Photoshop. I've created blogs for each of those classes that may or may not have interesting information on them in the days/weeks/months to come. Check them out if you're curious:

• http://wda200.blogspot.com
• http://cgr165.blogspot.com
• http://des225.blogspot.com

There's not much there right now, but there will be, there will be. (Name that film reference. Think little green warrior.)

And this nerd looks cool. I'm only going to be able to post little doodles and sketches for the next while. Lots of work to do on lots of projects.

Retrognathia

Have you ever seen a rabbit with an underbite? Me neither.

Hands And Such

On the left are a few hand studies. The model's poses were all under 5 min. On the right, you see Jane from Tarzan. I took the image from The Tarzan Chronicles, by Howard Green. The images surrounding Jane are my attempts at deconstructing the character and using little changes to alter her appearance entirely.

The Noble Tyrant

I'm working on a new blog that showcases my writing. It's going to be more of a portfolio site, so I won't update it that often, but it might be worth checking out for curiosity's sake. I'll provide the link soon.

These are some short articles I wrote for a graduate editorial style class. The professor asked us to create a newsletter targeting a specific group. The final newsletter (I've only included the articles I wrote--I was the "chief editor" of the group project) received a rejection from The New Yorker. A dubious honor, perhaps, but still.

I enjoyed writing and illustrating these, mostly because I love satire, but also because it allowed me to put my political science degree to good use. And for the record, the North Korean News Agency link will take you to North Korea's official press release, which will explain the illustration a bit better. Sadly, my own humor pales in comparison with the original--and completely serious--press release. Man, North Korea's government is crazy!

Enjoy!

Greetings From the Editor

Welcome to the premiere issue of The Noble Tyrant: News Drawn Quarterly. Receipt of this tastefully written artifact distinguishes you as one of the 21st-century’s most discerning leaders. The Noble Tyrant (TNT) targets you, an aspiring dictator. Since your country is in the midst of abominable trade sanctions and undeserved embargoes (tyrants always have these problems), we smuggled this, your first copy, into a recent edition of The New Yorker. Those UN inspection hypocrites will never suspect a thing. If you feel you have received this newsletter in error and are not, in fact, a zealous defender of the people, please stop reading –> here <– and destroy this communication immediately.†

TNT addresses despots of all persuasions. Whether you are a tight-fisted fascist or a calculating communist, the basic principles of totalitarianism are the same, and our newsletter is for you. In future editions, we’ll provide information on a variety of useful topics, including:

• Safely importing nuclear weapons
• Improving your rapport with the media through enhanced interrogation techniques
• Where to find high-grade radioactive isotopes (for assassination purposes)
• Successfully ignoring the Geneva Code
• And MUCH, MUCH MORE!

We’ll feature interviews with notable dictators, compare power rankings, discuss how to polish your image, and help you establish an enduring cult of personality. In addition, we’ll include horoscopes, dating advice, and challenging word puzzles. Truly, there’s something for everyone here. TNT helps take your regime to the next level. With that in mind, we invite you to peruse this quarter’s deftly executed articles. We’re sure you’ll agree that among newsletters, The Noble Tyrant reigns supreme. And now, to business.

Sincerely,

The Editor
Editor-In-Chief

† Please recycle. Thank you.

Contemporary Brilliance: A Conversation With Robert Mugabe

Editor’s note: Robert Mugabe (1921-present) has served as Zimbabwe’s head of government since 1980. This April, he joined us for a brief interview to talk about his influences and aspirations.

TNT: Thank you, President Mugabe—

Mugabe: My friends call me Bob.

TNT: —Okay, Bob. Thank you so much for allowing us this interview. We know you have a very busy schedule, so this is a delightful opportunity for us.

Mugabe: You’re welcome. This TNT newsletter is going to be a great help to budding leaders out there, so I thought I’d add my stamp of approval.

TNT: Now, Bob, let’s start at the beginning of your career. When did you know you wanted to become a dictator?

Mugabe: It was when I was in prison, getting some of my correspondence degrees from the Universities of London and South Africa. I have seven degrees, you know. I pride myself on my intelligence.

TNT: So, in prison, you realized you wanted to become a dictator?

Mugabe: Precisely. Sitting in my cell one day doing my homework, I realized, “Hey! I don’t have to be a prisoner for the rest of my life! I can start a brutal guerrilla war, take over the ENTIRE COUNTRY, AND RULE MERCILESSLY BY MYSELF! MU-HAH-HAH!” Ahem. Sorry about the sinister laugh. That sometimes happens involuntarily.

TNT: Not a problem.

Mugabe: Anyway, it was really a profound moment for me. It was then I knew I could rule Zimbabwe with an iron hand.

TNT: So, how did you end up taking control?

Mugabe: Well, it was a fairly straightforward process. I took the same steps most totalitarians do. I got control of my political party, took out some key opposition leaders, and seized control of media outlets. Then I triumphed in fair and transparent elections. And then, people kept voting for me for the next 25 years. What can I say? People love me!

TNT: Of course they do. You’re such a powerful and enigmatic man.

Mugabe: I know.

TNT: Some critics have compared you to Adolph Hitler. Do you think that’s an accurate assessment?

Mugabe: I think that’s accurate in some ways. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again—‘Hitler had only one objective: justice for his people, sovereignty for his people, recognition of the independence of his people and their rights over their resources. If that is Hitler, then let me be a Hitler tenfold.’ That said, I’m not aiming for complete world domination right now. I’m old, so I’m just trying to live out the last years of my life in peace while helping the citizens of my dominion.

TNT: You have a prosperous and thriving country to run, so we’ll let you get back to leading your nation wisely. Thank you for your time.

Mugabe: Thank you! It’s been a pleasure.

Quick Hints For Success: Ideas For Your Daily Regime(n)!

1. State Media Rules!
All media outlets should fall under your direct jurisdiction. If people complain, remind them that government-regulated media ensures quality control. If they keep whining, imprison them.

2. You Are The Decider.
Everything good in your country is a result of your wisdom. Everything bad stems back to The United States and ruthless Western imperialism.

3. Steal a Nuke
Negotiating is easier when you have WMDs. If you can’t get weapons technology from China (nukeinfo@china.gov), try North Korea. The NK Weapons Office is open M-F 9-5 Korean Standard Time. Contact them at (850) 686-7439. Or email Kim directly at kjong-il@dprk.gov.

North Korea-1, Democracies-0

In a move TNT can only describe as masterful, Kim Jong-Il and his dedicated group of scientists successfully launched a 3-stage rocket into orbit on April 5, 2009. Although international critics derided the launch, calling it “brinkmanship” and “propaganda”, and brazenly insisting the rocket never went into orbit, we know the truth. Our Beloved Leader calls the rocket “a striking demonstration,” noting that North Korea’s “scientists and technicians developed both the multistage carrier rocket and the satellite with their own wisdom and technology 100 percent and accurately put the satellite into orbit at one go” (see Korean News Online for full details). Yet another success from one of the model tyrants of our times. Congratulations, General Secretary.

TNT

This post is now here.

Monsters Blah Blah Blah

Some monster doodles for a book I'm writing. It's coming together nicely. I'll keep you posted.

Alien Attack!

While brainstorming yesterday, I stumbled upon this little fellow. I'm not sure what he's up to, but he seems pretty serious about it.

El Tigre

For all you social media fans out there, I've started feeding my blog posts directly into Facebook and Twitter. I'm hoping it helps bring a few more readers 'round to take a look at my work. Ciao!

Just Some Sketches

Here are a couple of little sketches. Nothing too exciting, but I'm trying to post every weekday, and I'm pretty busy with work stuff right now, so this is what you get. :)

Caught

He'd finally found it!
Now, to get past the natives.

Snozzcumbrous

If you had asked me in 4th grade what my favorite books were, they would probably all have been written by Roald Dahl (or Chris Van Allsburg). The BFG. Matilda. The Witches. Fantastic Mr. Fox. James and the Giant Peach. Dahl was a genius.

It Only Takes a Moment

Here's a semi-autobiographical board taken from my own (and my wife's) experiences. I think I'm cursed to always get the gimp shopping cart.

Incubation

Bus Stop Friends

Okay. This is a rough board.

Et Tu?

I'm not sure what my thing is with Shakespeare lately. Hamlet really got me going, apparently. Or maybe I still can't shake the effects of sophomore English. Anyway, I really like this one. A lot.

At first, I thought the font choice might be too obvious--not subtle enough--but I went with it anyway. How could I not, considering its name? It's a free font, too, which is always nice.

By the way, I've just been wondering how long it normally takes for my blog to load for you guys. Is it annoyingly slow? I think the Twitter thing slows it down. That and the fact that I have like 500 billion posts on my home page. But I want people to be able to scroll down and see my stuff, instead of having to search deep within the archives for it, ya know?

Winding Down

A very rough story sketch.

View From the Cabin

I spent most of last week at my in-laws' cabin. All of the Utah fam came up to celebrate New Year's, and I (of course) brought my sketching stuff. This watercolor is based on a view from one of the cabin's windows.

On Friday, my wife sent me snowshoeing into the woods. (You rock, Janae!) So I 'shoed down to a nearby stream, sat in a snow drift, and painted. Snowshoeing is awesome. The only skill required is ambulation*, and you can literally walk on water. Sadly, although the hike was great, none of my paintings turned out, so you don't get to see them.

Dry your eyes, though. I'll be posting lots of good stuff shortly.

* I only used that word because I didn't want to say "walking" and then "walk on water". It sounded weird. Not that "ambulation" doesn't have its own problems. Like the fact that no one uses it.

Anticipation

For Christmas, I got some Strathmore Bristol Board* and a SWEET watercolor set that kicks all your presents back to either the North Pole or Amazon.com. Here's my first work with the board.

* Super geeks: the board is 500 Series, 4-ply, vellum finish.

Prince of Denmark

This image began merely as a prince peering over a castle wall, but approximately 99.9% of the way through, I realized it could make a cool cover for Hamlet. I used Gill Sans and Bauer Bodoni for the text. I love Bodoni but rarely get the chance to use it, so I thought I'd seize the day.

Prepping

I've been busy doing contract work for the past two weeks. Hence the lack of posting. Sorry if I've thrown off anyone's blogging equilibrium. (Natalie.)

In other news, I learned yesterday that you can embed (not just attach) images in Gmail. BEHOLD! The very steps needed to unlock the hidden image-embedding-code of destiny:

1. Click on 'Settings'.
2. Click on 'Labs' tab.
   
3. Scroll down until you see 'Insert images'.
   
4. Click 'Enable'.
5. Mock all of your friends for not knowing about this feature. (Conversely, mock me for not having known about this feature.)
6. Have a great day!
   

Hope

Gollum

A quick little sketch of one of the saddest characters in literature.

Rapunzel

A little experiment using acrylics, gouache, colored pencil, and a few digital tweaks. I'm trying to decide if I like it.

Owl With Hat

My post titles are getting more and more creative, as you can see.
2.5" x 3.5" watercolor on illustration board.

I Love "A Christmas Carol"

I like this better in real life. As usual, the colors aren't as subtle in the scan.

2.5" x 3.5" ink and watercolor on illustration board.

Illustration Friday - Crunchy

Almost missed this week's theme!

Given that snow is crunchy, it'd be even more crunchy if The Abominable Snow Monster danced in it.

Going Nuts

Another quick storyboard sketch.

Red and Brown Sketches

I brainstorm for an hour every day to keep up reserves of great story ideas. Often, I discover new techniques that I decide to implement later. Sometimes, an idea that wasn't going anywhere from a long-past brainstorming session will suddenly click, and I'll know exactly what I need to do to make the image work. I almost always use pen when brainstorming, because the inability to erase means I have to commit to whatever I put down on paper. I can't go back on the ideas that come. Sometimes it's sloppy, but polish isn't the point. The point is to ensure that I'm not timid in my thinking. I do use pencil to shade, though, as you see here.

These are some images from a recent storm. I like the kid in the chair. And the guy with the bells.

Running Elf

Another page from my Moleskine sketchbook. Just playing with acrylics. I have a love/hate relationship with acrylics. Some day, I'll elaborate.

Octopus Machine

The title reminds me of a rock band name or something: "Ladies and Gentlemen--THE OCTOPUS MACHINE!!!"

Another trading card. Ink, watercolor, and white acrylic on illustration board.

Lounging

Another artist's trading card. 2.5" x 3.5" pen and watercolor.

Stranded

Here's an artist's trading card I made this morning. You can find out more about artist's trading cards here. They're basically 2.5" x. 3.5" works of art. For the art geeks, this one's done on Strathmore Series 500 Illustration Board.

The Barbeshop Quartet + 1

Some thumbnails from my sketchbook. This rapper has serious attitude, and I can see him making it big.

Inspiring People of Incredible Talent

Okay, so you've probably been thinking, "I like Sam, but which illustrators does Sam like?"

In no particular order (well, actually, in the order I thought of them), I present a few of my faves (subject to change at any time). Although these artists work in a variety of fields (some in children's books, some in editorial art, comics, or film), they're the ones I most often go back to when I need a little inspiration. You'll probably see hints here and there of their influence on me. (Yes, that was a strangely-worded sentence.) Behold!

1. Chris Van Allsburg. The Polar Express. The Wreck of the Zephyr. The Widow's Broom. Allsburg, you're a PHANTOM!
   
2. Lane Smith. Stinky Cheese! Many people find Lane's illustrations overly quirky. I find them absolutely hilarious. His most recent book, Hyacinth, the Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated, written by Florence Parry Heide, is superlative.
   
3. Lou Romano. Lou is pretty much awesome. Voice of Linguine (Ratatouille), brother to Ray (I think), and an amazing production designer, too. I look at his stuff as much as anyone's. Here's what he did on Up.
   
4. Carter Goodrich. Look at his Ratatouille pencil work. He doesn't have an online presence, but a Google search will show you some of his stuff.
   
5. Shaun Tan. This guy's work is a little too odd for my tastes, but he's really good and is basically a pioneer in graphic novelling (spell checker is telling me that's not a word). If you're interested in reading a book like no one's ever done before, check out The Arrival.
   
6. Arnold Lobel. Frog and Toad Are Friends! I love Lobel's art. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
   
7. Mo Willems. Funny, funky, and good. Leonardo, The Terrible Monster is his best book. Many would disagree.
   
8. Norman "The Rock" well. I can't say I ever really want to emulate him (although when I was a kid, all I drew were Rockwell paintings), but Norm sure had a way with caricature.
   
9. Peter de Séve. An amazing sense of line. And color. And design. And everything.
   
10. Hayao Miyazaki. Yup.
    
11. Nicolas Marlet. The guy doesn't really have an online presence. But he basically designed all of the characters for Kung Fu Panda. The guy's a genius.
    
12. Mary GrandPré. Her sense of color is impeccable. And she illustrated Harry Potter. She will never go hungry. Unless Harry Potter 8: Revenge of Darth Maul comes out before she dies. In that case, she'll lose it all.
    
13. Mary Blair. Color, color, color!
    
14. Charles Schulz. Peanuts. You try drawing something brilliantly funny every day for 50 years!
    
15. Bill Watterson. Calvin and Hobbes. 'Nuff said.
    
16. Richard Thompson. Great artist, very funny comic strip: Cul de Sac.
    
17. Glen Keane. Is ridiculously good at drawing. When I look at his stuff, I want to take my ball and go home.
    
18. N.C. Wyeth. Love the light in his paintings. And the jumping Indian one rocks. It'll take you a while to find it. I couldn't even find it. But trust me.
    
19. Leonardo da Vinci. This guy could draw. He also had a ridiculously cool beard. And I think my nose will look like his when I'm 90.
    
20. Emma Thompson. Okay, so she's not an illustrator. But she is a really good actress! My wife's favorite, in fact. Remember the crying scene in Sense and Sensibility? For that, she gets a spot on the list anyway.
    

Christmas Nativity Poster

Created this a few days ago for a church Christmas party flyer.

Every Morning...

I kid you not--this is exactly what happens to me every time I go running.

Illustration Friday - Entangled

Working on a project for my wife's uncle, I discovered a technique I really liked; so I thought I'd try using it again. The design here needs some tweaking (I think all the letters should be off kilter, for example), but I still really like it.

Stanley Elf: Grunt Laborer

Some thumbnails for a storyboard. I sketch the image entirely with a pen (pencil is for sissies) and then shade quickly with pencil (oh, wait). Each thumbnail is about 1.5" wide.

Some Stuff That Got Published

Here are some images I completed in July for the December issue of The Friend, a children's religious publication. The art director for The Friend usually sketches out what he wants, so I didn't get much leeway in how to represent things, but I hope I added enough of the "Sam Ricks Gumbi arms/legs" touch to make these interesting. You can download a digital version of the publication if you want to see what the images look like in the layout.

And I'm back from vacation. Yay!

Sketches

Every Friday, I go to BYU to attend open figure drawing sessions. Then I spend a few hours drawing people on campus. Here are a few scribbles from those adventures.

A Strange Glow

Another watercolor. I'm trying to be more loose with my pen and brush, but I probably overworked this one.

Unbalanced

Yet another reason hippopotamuses are dangerous.

This image is huge. Sorry, but you just couldn't see what was going on any other way.

Couldn't Help It...

Ride 'em cowboy!

I know, I know--writing twice in one day puts undue stress on faithful blog followers. How can one possibly keep up if bloggers keep posting all the time?! But I was having fun with these story thumbnails and really wanted to show them off. Besides, it's not like my posts are laboriously long, right?

So basically, I reserve the right to post as many times a day as I like. As long as you don't all boycott me.

A Twist

I love these guys! (Well, one's a girl.) Used an orange Prismacolor Col-Erase pencil to sketch the characters in, then inked it and painted it with watercolor.

I watched a pretty interesting movie last night. The City of Ember. It had its flaws, but the production design was superb. Tim Robbins and Bill Murray were in it, which was another huge surprise. Where was I when this came out? Apparently it flopped because it wasn't promoted very much.

In other news, the book on which the movie is based has a really awesome cover design. Will I read the books? Probably. After I finish the 10 other ones I'm reading right now.

Why do I read books by the dozen, rather than one at a time?

Lessons Learned While Doing Dishes

I have my watercolors back! Finally got our stuff shipped out from MD. Yippee!

I'm trying to push the sketchy/messy look a little bit. More of that to come.

Houses in Trees, Mouse in Rain

Did these sketches a while ago but thought I'd color them tonight.

Stimulating Dinner Conversation

Ebenezer

In no way is this post meant to coincide with a certain film released last week. But yesterday I drew some shapes that reminded me of Scrooge. The rest is history.

Tomorrow...

...UP comes out!

Just messing around with putting digital paint directly underneath a quick pencil sketch.

Musician

Just a quick doodle I did before dinner.

Cliff, Rescue Dog

Caption It Strikes Back!

Write your own caption. There are no bad answers. Usually.

One Of Those Days

Know what I mean?

Super Roach

A quick story. I think I've seen WALL-E too many times.

Yeah, I know the radioactive symbol is wrong. But I wasn't near a computer to check the symbol when I drew this. You still get the point.

New Markers and Gestures

Okay, lots to catch up on, not much time. (Read this post as if you were out of breath and typing at 600 wpm.) I've been doing quick (1-2 minute) gesture studies with Faber-Castell markers and some felt pens. I try to get the feel of what the person's doing, without thinking too much about making things look pretty. I'm also getting over the awkwardness of drawing people in public places. Oh, and I'm doing some anatomy study. Putting in a lot of extra hours drawing. Getting better. I hope. Happy Halloween. Whew!

More Monsters

I never get tired of them.

A Dark Night

Pumpkin horror novels are really creepy.

The Sea

A little computer doodle.

The Zoo!

I've been going to the Hogle Zoo recently and sketching. FYI, the cats are always napping around 4 p.m. MDT.

Mouse and Man

Got a new sketchbook a few weeks ago. I've mostly been putting life drawings in it, but here's a quick story doodle. I started out drawing the frames and tried to create a story arc in the space the page provided.

Of Prose and Poes

My talented friend Kristin Royer had this great idea for a series of comics about Edgar Allan Poe. No one knows how Poe died, but Kristin's clever script combines history, rumor, and wit to take a stab at the question. And just in time for the 250th anniversary of Poe's death!

Kristin asked me to draw this one. See all the comics so far at nevermorecomic.com.

Still Alive

For those of you wondering, I am still alive. Better yet, I'm still drawing! More than ever, actually. And I have lots of projects cooking, which is why I haven't written. Fortunately, my blogging sabbatical (or if you like, bloggabbatical) is over. Stay tuned for some fun art.

Fall

To get my creative juices flowing, I've been listening to Varése Sarabande's 30th Anniversary Celebration: A Chronicle of Great Film Music 2003-2008. You can sample some of the tunes here. When I listen to music at work, it's almost always instrumental--and usually soundtracks. I'm a geek like that.

Medieval Moleskine

Today is the first day of fall. Which has nothing to do with The Dark Ages. But I saw some cool etchings in the BYU Library the other day and had to turn them into medieval cartoon madness.

Sketch for "Welcome"

Here's the sketch page the previous drawing came from.

Welcome

Kevin had the right address, but there was definitely something strange happening at 1042 West Chestnut.

Crab Cove

I didn't get a chance to work on a Moleskine piece today, so here's a doodle from a different sketchbook. I wouldn't have posted, but I didn't want to ruin Natasha's morning routine*!

*See comment on yesterday's post.

Mas

Are You Bored Yet?

Here's some more stuff from my sketchbook w/ digital color added. For those of you getting tired of these Moleskine experiments, I'll try and spice things up with something interesting later in the week.

More!

More stuff from my sketchbook, with a little digital coloring to spruce things up. I think I'm digging this style.

More Moleskinery

Thought this was a pretty cool idea--scanning my own hand with the sketchbook. Got the inspiration from a new site: Moleskiners.com. More to come!

From the Moleskine

Caution: Some art geekery follows.

A spread from my pocket sketchbook. I've been drawing frames and coming up with ways to fill them, without any preliminary pencil lines. I've also attempted to make my pen and ink lines more sketchy. I simply take a trusty Pilot V5 and attack the paper. I realize using a V5 isn't exactly the most artsy way of doing things. I should use my sketching pens or my fountain pen. But I don't. My Pilot is cheaper, I like the way it feels, and I don't have to worry about losing it or having it explode in my pocket. (Yes, I've had fountain pens do that to me. Don't ask why I ever thought to put a fountain pen in my pocket.)

Workin' It

Just another day in the studio.

Magnify

Drufus and Thrubb were about to make a startling discovery.

Bernard

Bernard tried to pay attention in class, but all he could think about was the spelling bee.

The Inseparable Duo

"Why couldn't I just have feathers on my helmet like everyone else?"

Bear Kid

"It's what I wear every year to the first day of school."

Quick Line Drawing

Step 6: Work, Work, Work! (Part 7 of 10)

Don’t worry too much about finding a worthy opponent. If you’re good enough and famous enough, a nemesis will find you. While waiting for your opposition to arrive, defend citizens from lower grade criminals. It’s a great way to practice your crime fighting style and gain the respect and adoration of the public. Once you gain a rapport, two things are bound to happen: 1) the public will buy more of your merchandise and 2) meaner people will show up anxious for a tussle.

If your business is lagging, take a look at the crime rates in your area. Are they high enough to sustain a healthy superhero income? If not, try moving to where the action is. Let local law enforcement deal with the small fries, and seek bigger bait yourself. Gotham is taken, but there are hundreds of unclaimed American cities just like it.

Santa

Just another experiment using a scanned pencil sketch and a pastel brush in Photoshop. It was a happy accident, but I discovered that the dissolve option actually makes the brush look even more grainy and "pastel-y".

Wallpaper

I decided to make a digital wallpaper design today. I wanted to experiment with mixing color visually*, and this is the result. Just a sketch from memory, but I like it. At least, I like the colors. And the texture. I'm kind of a texture freak if you hadn't noticed. Download if you wish!

1024 x 768
1280 x 1024
1600 x 1200

* Scott Franson's blog was the inspiration for my doing this. Go Scott!

Gone Fishing

What do you think the caption should say?

Photosheep

What's with me and drawing pictures of creatures taking pictures? Not really sure.

I had finished working on an illustration, and I had a few minutes left to post something on the blog. I thought I'd do something fluffy. (I've been experimenting with the Photoshop brush scattering option. Hence the desire for fluffiness.) Anyway, I remembered those sheep from Wallace and Gromit. Then I thought, "This needs to be the fastest, loosest drawing ever done in Photoshop!" And then it hit me: "PHOTOSHEEP!" And in approximately 3 minutes, a photography-loving ungulate was born.

And yes, sheep are ungulates.
Never thought this blog would be educational, did ya?

The King

I was working on an image for The Friend magazine today and had a little bit of an illustrator's block. So I busted out with this. I'm guessing there's some of my own creative frustration built into this guy. :)

Vincent

Monster #3

I'm back from a little vacation. It usually takes me a few days to get back in the groove, especially when I've hardly drawn at all. (I brought my sketchbook with me, along with the best of intentions, but I didn't make much time for drawing.) I've been backpacking in the Uintas, hanging out in the 'Slow, and having a great time with family and friends. I'll probably post some pictures from our adventures. In the meantime, I present Zorth, the coolest-named monster ever.

Snakes and Rocket Packs

A sure-fire formula for success: animal + rocket pack = awesomeness. Indeed. Can you imagine a gazelle with a rocket pack, or better yet, a koala with a rocket pack? Narwhals with rocket packs?! Yeah. Talk about cool. And nothing makes for more entertainment than a snake with a rocket pack.

This little guy is actually a dragon-snake (complete with flame-retardant scales, which is why the rocket's flame isn't burning his tail off). He's obviously less menacing than he looks, though. For, as we all know, it's very difficult for dragon-snakes to steer when flying.

Yoga Master

His powers were no match for the bow pose.

Discovered

Had anyone seen her take the egg?

Traveling

Bat Sketch

Just messing around.

The Real Story

Tiger Sketch

Some day, he knew he'd follow in his father's footsteps.

The Piper

Name That Tune

The Caver

As Prof. Calhoun descended, he distinctly heard his stomach rumble. But it wasn't his.

Caption It! Returns

What do you think the caption should say?

Golem

Step 5 - Optional: Find a Sidekick (Part 6 of 10)

The art of sidekicking is fast losing favor among superpeople. Perhaps the egocentricity of this generation means superheroes don’t want much help anymore--they feel confident on their own. Batman even seems to have left Robin to fend for himself. Still, many find sidekicks to be of great assistance. They provide moral support, comic relief, and are unquestionably loyal. (If you ask them to refinish your deck while you’re away, it will get done.) Additionally, if your own powers aren’t quite up to industry standards, a sidekick can provide critical backup in intense combat. Conversely, sidekicks’ thirst for the limelight can be obnoxious, their jokes and catch phrases get old, and they usually want a 30%+ cut of your merchandising revenues.

Lilian, The Fire-Breathing Frog

She'd never fit in. At least, that's what everyone thought.

Monster 2

The Race

Would he make it in time?

Escape!

Cerebra realized that her moment had come.

Monster 1

Step 4: Obtain Insurance (Part 5 of 10)

In the superhero industry, insurance is critical. You never know when your enemy might expose your only weakness and send your gnarled body to the ER. Sustaining sufficient coverage under a secret identity is difficult, however. After all, who’s going to give Plain Jane the kind of insurance a flying woman with super strength and hundreds of diabolical enemies needs? On the other hand, if your insurer knows you’re Wonder Woman, you’ve blown your cover and increased your premium.

We recommend maintaining a good plan through your day job and obtaining separate superperson coverage through SGA. For minor cuts and bruises, use your employer’s plan. For severed limbs, nerve damage, etc., use SGA. More details can be found on our website. Enter your email address and ten-digit supercode for access.

Flight

Nothing could stop Henry now.

Step 3: Brand Yourself (Part 4 of 10)

Once you’ve chosen a name and slogan, it’s time to create a unique brand. Finding the right designer for your logo and uniform takes careful planning, since your hire must agree not to disclose your identity. Furthermore, unless you want the designer to become a target of your arch-nemesis, he or she will not receive credit for creating your brand. All this makes contracting with a good designer difficult. SGA maintains a list of terrific designers who have proven faithful to the SGA credo. Visit our website for more details.

Slogans, Mottos, Catch-Phrases, Jingles
A slogan or catch phrase can boost your popularity and aid in your marketing and merchandising. Slogans may also advance some part of your moral code and are often memorable enough for use in feature films. Most find creating a slogan easy – they simply trademark something they say or that others say about them. Think, “I’m Batman”, “With great power comes great responsibility”, “It’s a bird, it’s a plane”, etc. Be positive and upbeat but strong in your language. “Here I am!” is probably not powerful enough to make villains quiver, but “Bring it, suckas!” might work. Pay some friends to chant your motto as you fight; it often helps the slogan catch on.

Logo
When creating a logo, remember: keep it simple. Your mark should read well from great distances so that civilians, law enforcement, and villains do not mistake you for someone else. Bold, recognizable colors work well.

Your logo should incorporate an icon. An icon without type aids readability, is more memorable to the public, and keeps your uniform from looking like a tawdry sports jersey. Spiderman, The Fantastic 4, Superman – all use icons. You should, too.

Uniform
Your uniform, like everything else in your brand, should reflect your particular super style. Are you a dark and brooding character? Try darker, more muted tones. Are you idealistic and suave? Go for brighter colors. Nothing says you like your uniform.

If you must wear your uniform constantly, make sure your daily attire conceals your supersuit well. Also, if you’re going to be sparring during winter months, plan your uniform accordingly. Some superheroes prefer lycra hoods that protect their ears from the cold, and superladies often switch to ankle-length leggings when chilly weather ensues.

Trick or Treat!

When Phil began wearing his costume to school every day, the teachers knew there was a problem.

Othello

Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate,

Nor set down aught in malice: then must you speak
Of one that loved not wisely but too well.
—Othello 5.2.342–44

Ignacious The Cameraman

"How, you may ask, do I take pictures with only one foot?!? That, my dear friend, shall be our little secret."

The Meeting

Step 2: Choose a Name (Part 3 of 10)

Choosing a supername is not as easy as you might think. Not only must your name match your power, be bold, innovative, and intriguing — it must also be available. If, for example, your superpower deals with bats, good luck obtaining the rights to any of the names you might want — they’re likely taken.

How, then, do you choose from the myriad options available? How does one go about choosing a superhero name? For starters, try: (Your Adjective Here) Man or (Your Adjective Here) Woman. Choose an innovative adjective that describes what your power does. Think outside the box, and use a thesaurus. For example, do your lightning bolts hiss as they charge through the air? Try Sibilation Woman. Is your salivary poison highly acidic? Try Acerbic Man.

While the abovementioned convention works well for some, others find it cliché. Perhaps adding an “o” (masculine) or an “a” (feminine) to the ending of a descriptive word would work better for you: Robusto, Slithera, Freezo, Atomica. Alternatively, use words that evoke strong emotions through onomatopoeia, rhyming, alliteration, and the like: NerveSinge, Blamblaster, LaserPhaser, Gnashwail.

Run your choices past a few superfriends before licensing your name. Batman’s nickname describes him perfectly well – 'The Dark Knight'. It also makes him sound much cooler than did his original idea – The Soaring Rodent. Fortunately, Batman’s friends (with help from a superb brand manager) convinced him to keep his appellations appropriately melancholic, and 'The Dark Knight' prevailed.

Step 1: Hone Superskills (Part 2 of 10)

Your skills no doubt need improving; otherwise, you would already be a famous superperson. Sharpening your abilities is the first place to start when working towards superhero/heroine fame, because without proper training, you will probably die pathetically within the first few bouts with bad guys*.

While practicing your superstrength is important, we also recommend intensive courses in martial arts, meditation, telepathy, and trash talking. Such cross training allows you to perform well even if your superstrength is weakened by evildoers.

* The bad guys always seem to have cooler weapons and better uniforms, but we still win. We think it’s because we train more.

Welcome to Superpeople's Guild of America! (Part 1 of 10)

Dear Recent Inductee,

On behalf of superhumans everywhere, welcome to the Superpeople’s Guild of America! Whether by birth or through happy accident, you have discovered that you hold a superpower. With that power, of course, comes great responsibility. We at the Superpeople’s Guild of America (SGA) are here to help you start a super-identity that will simultaneously make the world a safer place and help your superhero business make it through these tough economic times. To get you started, here are some simple steps you can follow to help your superhero corporate identity sizzle. The order is important here, so please remember not to seek out your sinister arch-nemesis before obtaining an adequate insurance plan.

Congratulations and happy crime-fighting,

Susan Waverly
President, Superpeople’s Guild of America

A frog

Mad Science

"With any luck, it just might work."

Julius

Character Doodles

Computer's still broken. Luckily, my sketchbook's not. And luckily, my in-laws let me use their computer.

The Dead Computer

Well, it's finally happened. My good friend, Powerbook G4, has finally departed this mortal existence. Mostly. There are still very faint signs of life. At least I had time to back up my drive. See, a few days ago, my first Mac (born circa A.D. 2004) decided to slip into a coma. Although it's been in and out for a few days, its hard drive is gone, and the Mac Geniuses say there ain't much I can do.

But I've still been drawing! And hopefully, a new iMac and CS4 Master Collection appear in the not-too-distant future. Until then (and until I have Photoshop back), you're going to have to live with unedited scans from my in-laws' all-in-one printer.

By the way, in case you haven't seen Up and need an expert opinion on it, I thought it was pretty good. I loved the art, especially. Maybe I'll post a review soon. In case I don't, just go see it yourself and tell me what you think!

Rufus

The kite won.

Savannah Montana: Thunder Racer

No one had ever beaten Dylan the Cheetah before. But today, Savannah was wearing her running shoes.

Back from Blogging Vacation!!!

In honor of Maryland, the crab is blue. Although I'm not sure how choice the surfing is in MD. Anyone know?

Dwayne and the Fly

It could have been the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

My "Studio"

Whew! The semester is finally over. And so is my Master's degree! Yay! Here's what my desk looked like earlier this week after putting together my final portfolio (photo taken with my cell phone; excuse the poor quality):


I know you're probably wondering about my job situation. I am too. :)

An Update

For those of you who don't know (which I assume is most of you), I've been working on a "top-secret" portfolio and application process for a while now. Without revealing too much (actually, without revealing almost anything at all), let's just say the intensity of said application process has increased exponentially. Meaning, I'm probably not going to be blogging for a while. I may keep you semi-posted with info from the "top-secret" process (and trust me, when everything's done, I'll spill more of the beans), but I probably won't be posting with good ol' Project 44.5 stories or anything of the sort. And don't worry; I'm not stopping the blog, I'm just going on sabbatical. :)

I did like Alyn's idea of drawing stories based on ideas from readers, so if you have any great ideas, let me know and I'll store them up for when I can blog again. See ya!

Jumper

For everyone else in the arena, the outcome of the tipoff was a foregone conclusion. For Hippendorf Van Schortypanz, it was anything but.

pen and ink, 12:43-1:29

The Prince's New Rug

The old man had warned the prince: "Hasniki's designs are intricate, and his craftsmanship is unsurpassed, but you never know what you're going to get with one of his carpets. Be very, very careful."


pen and ink. 10:39a-11:23.5 (took me until 11:35 to get it posted. Keep in mind that project 44.5 means I have to think of the idea, draw it, write about it, scan it, resize it, and post it all in 44.5 minutes. I failed today. But I'll get faster, just you wait!)

How Thesaurus Got Its Name

Franklin loved language. He loved expressing himself elegantly in new, exciting ways. Every morning, Franklin leaped from his four-post bed and scurried into his father’s study, where mountains of books lined ancient shelves. And every morning, Franklin cracked open the dusty cover of his favorite volume, titled simply: Words.

pastel, 11:14a-11:54p; 12:26p-12:30p.

An Experiment

I've been wondering about my blog. I'm busy with school work, freelance work, and applying for "real" work, so the bloggaliciousness has not been going very well lately. I've posted once a week at best, which doesn't draw much traffic, so I've been wondering what I could do to be a consistent blogger, stay fresh with my drawing skills, and be entertaining at the same time. I think I have the answer.

This blog is going to change a little bit, at least in the near term. Since I'm strapped for time but want to post often, I'm going to start blogging every week day. I've allotted myself 44.5 minutes to take a story idea and run with it. I'll draw pictures and post quick story ideas that accompany them, and I'll do it all within 44.5 minutes. I'll post the starting and ending time for each post I do, mostly to keep myself from spending more time than I should on my blog, but also so you can see how long whatever I've posted took to create. For now, I'm calling this "Project 44.5 " (it's brilliant, I know). If I don't finish what I'm doing in 44.5 minutes, there won't be a post at all that day. I reserve the right to change any of my rules at any point. Look for the first post in about .5 minutes!

Grebit, The Monster Who Wouldn't Take a Bath

Sketched this today while I was waiting for my portfolio to export. I thought it looked cool, so I spent a few minutes throwing a fake cover together. Wouldn't that be awesome if it became a book some day? Then you could say you saw it when the idea first happened!

In other news, stay tuned for a new feature I've written! It doesn't have any drawings, but it's still pretty funny. There'll be a link to it in the sidebar.

Yesss!!!

Friends, my online portfolio is now updated with the stuff I've been working on for the past two months. Let me know what you think!

Sketchbook Stuff

You can always tell how engaging my classes are by the quantity of sketches I pump out during them.  These sketches come from two class periods in the not-so-distant past. It's kind of cool being in a more artistic field, 'cause no one ever smacks you with a ruler for not paying attention. I'm sure it still annoys some of my professors, though.

I feel the need to write something substantial, since all I've done recently is post sketches, mostly without words. Hmm . . . nope, nothing's coming to me. Except that I'm super excited for you all to see my new online portfolio! It should be done in a few days. Be sure to keep your RSS dials tuned to this station! 

Shopping Spree on Skates

Kolo-Kolo Bird

Here's an illustration I did a while back for Rudyard Kipling's The Elephant's Child. I might show you all the illustrations some day.

Thelma

This is Thelma. Despite appearances, she is not a spoon but a monster. She's in sixth grade and is way out of Nigel's league. She wears a side pony. How her purse stays slung over her shoulder is a mystery, since she has no shoulders.

Nigel

This is Nigel. He's a monster. He is in fifth grade. He wears glasses, but only because his mom makes him (and because he'd be blind otherwise). He likes Thelma.

Wascowy Wabbit!

I drew this about 3 years ago. You'll see a bunch of rabbits on this blog and on my website, and they're all from the same project. One day, it'll get published!

Panther

The Met

Last week, my wife and I went to the inauguration (which was awesome; more pics later). The next day, my wife, kids, and I hopped off to New York, where we spent the week with my aunt and uncle. I got the opportunity to sketch all day (thanks Janae) in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I'd never been to the museum, so I spent more time exploring than drawing (the museum is the best I've ever been to. I guess that should be pretty obvious, but still, IT WAS AWESOME!!!).

Here are a few pics and sketches from the experience. I don't have time to label everything, so you'll just have to live with that. I think my favorite image was the Caravaggio painting (last pic shown). It's just a tremendous work. One of these days, I'll take you to go see it, sound good?

Things

I discovered that I can use acrylics in my sketchbook without warping the paper. I just lay down an initial layer, wait for it to dry, and then anything I paint after that, regardless of how wet it is, won't make the paper buckle. Cool, eh? Some sketchbook stuff and a cutout from an image I'm working on. Getting pretty close to having everything ready for critique.

Sketch Crawl and Smidgens

The Sketch Crawl last Saturday was a lot of fun. I wasn't able to spend the whole day drawing, but I had a great time nonetheless. We spent some time near the Washington Monument in Baltimore and then headed off to the Walters Art Museum. The Walters is absolutely incredible! I want to go back right now! Ever since my LDS mission in Chile, I've been fascinated with South American art, so that's what I drew in the museum -- along with some Byzantine, Egyptian, and Renaissance stuff just for kicks.

And here are a few small insets of the continuing portfolio revamp. This is all digital work. I'm having a lot of fun with how forgiving the computer is. Watercolors and acrylics just don't have the same sort of undo options, you know? Look for the full images soon.

More Stuff

Here's some more stuff. I promise I'll let you see these when I'm all the way done. For now, little pieces will have to do. (Sorry Cara! :)

Grandma

Yet another inset of a sketch from the portfolio revamping process. Thoughts: 1) I really like this lady's wrinkles, 2) you should see who she's playing cards with!

Sloths and Such

Here are a few character sketches from an illustration I'm working on. Some of these are approaching panda-ness, but I really like others. And no, I'm not tired of drawing sloths. Yet.

Happy New Year!

I did this on tracing paper of all things. Just a sketch, but I like it!

Portfolio Progress 2

Another snippet from a larger image I'm working on. This one's done in pencil. I really like the concept here, but you'll have to wait for it!

Portfolio Progress 1

The portfolio sprucing has commenced! I don't want to spoil the surprise, so I'm not going to show entire images until I'm done with everything, but here's an inset from a much larger acrylic illustration I'm working on.

I'm kind of big on texture, so I try to add as much to my work as possible. I scratch, sand, and otherwise maul the painting surface as I go. Lots of fun!

Of Lizards and Fraggles (From the Moleskine)

Drew this last night while watching Prince Caspian. I don't know what's up with this guy's hair, but I'm thinking it's a direct, subconscious result of my childhood infatuation with Fraggle Rock.

Oh, and I just found out that Disney's backing out of the next installment of The Chronicles of Narnia (LA Times article here). Lame! I really hope they reconsider. It would be a shame for the quality of the films to change just because Caspian didn't do as well in theaters. (Plus, I really hate it when the DVD cases for movies in a series don't match each other.) Disney has a good franchise going with Narnia! What are they thinking?!? Grrr.

My Real Dream in Life

People sometimes ask me, "What made you want to become an illustrator?" My answer: the gingerbread architect gig fell through.

My wife and I made this tonight. I think it's pretty good, but all the critics out there are telling me it's not really professional enough and that I should work on refining my style. What do they know?

Yay!

I drew this last night while watching The Santa Clause (a Christmas favorite -- don't diss it). Inspiration: a nativity I saw at my church a few weeks back.

The semester is officially over, and boy am I relieved! I'm also really excited, because I'm going to take the "break" to work on my illustration portfolio. I'll keep you posted with sketches and updates of that process. I'll be posting some new stuff on my website in the coming weeks, too (I hope), so keep reading!

Housekeeping business: For those of you who follow the blog via RSS, sorry about the backposts (I think I may have invented that word). I'll try not to do that again -- just had to finish the posts for a class.

Random question: Why do they make kitchen cabinet shelves so tall you can't get anything out of them without a chair? I'm guessing it's a question of aesthetics. Like high heels.

And you thought Faulkner knew stream of consciousness.

Fine Art

Sometimes, I do fine art, too. (Although I've never made money from it.) I like these two experiments.

My Sketchbooks!

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to help stimulate the flailing economy and buy some sketchbooks. Stock traders of America, you should now feel confident that the average consumer is, indeed, consuming.

I've never purchased a Moleskine book before, so I thought I'd give them a try. Buying a Moleskine book seems to be this rite of passage into a whole new group of "cool" people. It's like buying a Mac or something. So, now I'm officially even cooler than before. Any of you who want to be my friend now based on my taste in sketchbooks, feel free :) I bought two -- a storyboarding book and a regular sketchbook -- and I think I'm in love.

My books are really small and fit in my pants pocket, so I can take them anywhere. The creamy paper is really nice to draw on, and it's pretty thick, so my pen lines don't leak through (although marker does). The little elastic strap that keeps the book closed is nice, too.

I guess my only problem is that whenever I get a nice sketchbook, I always feel a little scared to mess it up. Like my own markings in the thing will desecrate it and make it so much less cool than it was when it was blank. Do you ever feel like that?

More sketches to come from the Moleskines.

Show and Tell, Week 11 - My Collection

Any collection I really have is either packed away in our "don't-touch-until-we-have-a-house-again" closet, or is a collection of artist's materials that I actually use. But, I love collecting books and happened to find this one just in time to show it off in Words and Images class (thanks, Aunt Carol, if you're reading this).

This one's got a copyright from Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1910. I sort of geek out about this stuff, so forgive me, but I love looking at the impressions the press made on this book's paper, seeing how the inks on the cover mis-register and slightly bleed into each other, and I think the pencil illustrations are fabulous!

I think Mr. Stubbs's Brother is a monkey. Some day, maybe I'll crack the cover looking for something other than design inspiration, and I'll let you know.

Show and Tell, Week 11 - Little Ant Design

My wife's aunt, Denise, throws really cool parties. Check out some of her ideas here: Little Ant Design.

334: A Love Story

There are a few things I still want to fix with this, and the reduced frame rate messes up a couple of parts, but I'll fix that when the semester's over. Enjoy!

Kids and Shaving Cream

For everyone in Words and Images -- this is playing with shaving cream! :) My kids volunteered for the photoshoot.

By the way, what do you all think of the whole sideways smiley face thing? :) Is this becoming acceptable writing protocol? I get the feeling like it's becoming a part of speech.

Sketch Crawl 2009

Keep your schedules open for Jan. 10th! Enrico Casarosa started an event called SketchCrawl in 2004, and I'll be participating in it for the first time next year. The idea behind SketchCrawl is basically to take a day-long walk around whatever city you live in, sketch what you see, and then post your stuff to the SketchCrawl forum. So, while Enrico sketches all day in the SF Bay area, I'll be wearing my Eskimo parka and double layers of thermal underwear (okay, really, I don't have either of those things, but I'll probably be wishing I did!) to take a sketching tour around Baltimore! I'm still not that familiar with Baltimore, so this should be a good chance to get some exercise, familiarize myself with some of the cool areas in the city, and get frostbitten/mugged.

I'm interested in organizing it into an event with a bigger group of people, 1) so I don't die after accidentally walking into a bad part of town and 2) so other people can freeze along with me. No drawing skills required. Anyone interested?

Oh, and I think I'm going to buy the shirt for it, too. It's organic.

Show and Tell, Week 10 - Unnecessary Process

WikiHow. An enlightening worldwide web destination. A find: How to Stop Hesitating.

Identity Assignment: Formati

These are some images that show the process I went through for a recent typography assignment. The logotype (created for a furniture company) had to be designed from scratch using only shapes we created ourselves. In retrospect, I think I like the green logo best. I don't like the calligraphy one at all, but I do like the blue one. I think the little ornament on the "m" makes it look too much like a face, but I'll fix that some other time.






(Oh, and just in case, the image in the brochure was provided to us in class, so I have no idea where it comes from.)

Show and Tell, Week 9 - Packaging Design

I think this packaging design is pretty good! Fred's simple packaging allows you to see exactly what you're getting. I wish I had shots from other angles, but oh well!

©2008 Fred

Packaging Preview

Here's the route I'm taking for my Words and Images packaging design. I like the retro/Raggedy Ann and Andy/Happy Hocky Family look, so I thought I'd put that into my own work. Final design to arrive on the scene shortly.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Float

Ideas come to me in the oddest ways sometimes.

I was working on my typography assignment for next week (movie titles for the Tom Hanks film, Big), when I realized that the Pantone colors I had chosen looked great together. I liked the vibration the colors created when they were placed next to each other, so I decided to try and use them in a design that didn't have any other purpose but to be fun.

I started with a blue background and just started making shapes. The shapes turned into a turtle. Then I thought, "What would be a good name for a movie about a turtle?" Float. I started moving the type around and then thought, "What floats?" The flotation device was born, and it fit perfectly with the "o".

Suddenly, I had a story . . .

Sketches

Wisdom

Fishy

Caption It Again!

I thought I'd try this little caption game again. What do you think is being said here?

Of Giraffes and Skates . . .

Here's a character from an illustration I'm working on. The finished illustration will be done shortly.


While I was working on the giraffe, I just started messing around and created these two characters. There's a story here, I know it!

Tired. Sketches. Movie.

I stayed up really late on Friday to finish up the rough cut of my movie for Words and Images. I'm still recovering. I guess I just can't pull crazy hours like I used to. Whew!

Anyway, here are some sketches from Typography class. I did them on some 3"x5" cards I was using for storyboarding my movie. I started out sketching my story and ended up drawing these guys. Apparently, there was a glasses theme going on in my head that night.

And right now, there's an "I want to sleep" theme going on. I imagine most of my class feels the same way.

Show and Tell, Week 8 - Favorite Words

For Words and Images, I had to make a list of my favorite words. I can't say I really have a ton of favorite words, but here are some I think sound cool:

• mutiny
• shrivel
• stand
• utopia
• light
• blizzard
• quench
• gnash
• dissonance
• truth
• splint
• traffic
• quoth
• daft
  

What are your favorite words? (I realize this is a backpost and no one will read it, but if you do, feel free to comment away. [I reserve the right to backpost whenever I feel like it. And to use "backpost" as a single word. And to begin my sentences with "And"." And to use brackets within parentheses.])

I'm So Stoked For This Movie!

I couldn't resist. Pixar's newest movie: UP.



Here's a link to the higher quality trailer.

Preview of Coming Attraction

Here's an image from a video I'm working on in my Words and Images class. (For those of you who saw what I was going to do last Saturday, I've completely switched ideas. See you all soon!)

Out of Curiosity . . .

. . . I've always wondered what a post like this would do to my rank in a Google search. Please don't continue reading this. It's just an experiment.

Sam Ricks. Samuel Ricks. Samuel with the last name Ricks. Ricks, Samuel. Did you know that my last name is Ricks? It's almost like Rick but with an "s" at the end. Samuel (Sam for short) Ricks does illustration and graphic design (he is, consequently, poor for short). He also enjoys writing, reading, and voting (when the chance arrives). Samuel (also known as Sam) sometimes attempts to increase his Google search engine ranking by doing strange posts on his (Samuel's) blog. Samuel's blog usually just shows Sam's art, but sometimes Sam bares his soul about important issues. He has, perhaps, done this once. (About now referring to myself in third person about makes me vomit.) Sam Ricks grew up in Winslow, AZ, a small town with lots of dirt (and heart).

Okay (Sam Ricks), you know what? (Sam Ricks) I can't (Sam) take (Ricks) it (Sam Sam) anymore! (Ricks) (Ricks) I'm never (Samuel) (Samuel) writing (Ricks) a blog post like this (Sam Ricks) again. Hand Cramp is the name of Sam's blog. Blogging by Sam. Sam's hand is cramping writing this post about Hand Cramp, the official blog of Sam Ricks.

What do you think it will do to my ranking? Right now, under "Sam Ricks", my website shows up but not my blog. Nothing under "hand cramp", either. We'll see what happens in a couple of weeks.

I love taking search engine optimization into my own hands!

Doodles from Class

Here are a few doodles from my Design/Business Link class and Words and Images. Enjoy!

Show and Tell, Week 7 - Narrative

One of the most exciting books I've read recently is The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick. I don't have time to go into a lot of detail right now, but it's a novel, graphic novel, and film hybrid.

For a slideshow of the opening images, click here. For me, the book was quite a magical experience. And a fast read, too. Its 550 pages took me about a day to finish.

images copyright © 2007, Brian Selznick

Typography

As usual, here's my typography assignment for the week. We could only use the photos Max gave us, had to use the text given, and we had to experiment with using grids. The broken light bulb was okay to use because I made it all out of type.

Show and Tell, Week 6 - Iced Type

Kotama Bouabane's series of photographs made from frozen letters is really (n)ice.

copyright © 2008, Kotama Bouabane

Website redesign

I decided to redesign my website. My old one was clunky and didn't really show off what I was most interested in. The site's definitely under construction, but I'd appreciate any criticism you can give. (The "about" page is completely blank still, just FYI.)

Some Doodles

Here are some doodles from a few days ago. Enjoy!

Creative Epiphany

It struck me recently that every time I try to sit down and write something at a desk, I get this sinking "I really don't want to do this right now" feeling. Something about hunching over a table in an uncomfortable and restrictive chair makes me squirm. And my work ends up reflecting that. It's squirmy and squirmish.

To improve the quality and quantity of my writing, I've decided to give up desk sitting for a while. Instead, I sit down on the ground, lean my back up against my bed, and prop a pillow behind my back to keep the bed frame from boring into my spine. I set my laptop comfortably on --where else?-- my lap and start to type. And miraculously, all of my writing cramps (except the hand cramps, of course) disappear.