Checking in with the Metaphor

The metaphor has grown to a pretty good size.

It is struggling I think.  A soil/sand mixture is the place where I have planted it and it is
suffering from thirst, possibly got planted later than it should.

There is a lot going on with it though.  The birds like it and it's still alive.

The head is drooping because it grew quickly and is tired.

As it continues to grow in stature and resiliency and proves out well it's promises,
the whole thing will bear forth something new and exciting.

Lots of projects all at once right now.

It's all terribly exciting. 

- J.

My Brain is on Fire

On occasion I will fall into such a work trance that my whole body begins to tingle.

Do you understand that moment, when your fingertips go cold, and your veins begin to feel like fiery goats-heads are pulling on the insides of their passages?

Let's use these moments to surge forth the necessary steps in our project problems, let the manic energy give us strength of physical momentum to carry us along. 

Today will be a very good day.

Today let's say is Pilot Light day.

- J.

Spacy Collaboration

Collaboration is interesting, watching one person's ideas literally become a different person's thoughts and dreams.  Sometimes, what the other sees...

...completely affects yer own processes.

It is from time to time acceptable

to think the same thoughts,

        to view the same 

                   sights,

                          and to

                               consider

                                      the other 

                                             view.

                                                  - J.

A Brief Professionalism

Professionalism can be a difficult thing to pick up on, and to explain to people.

Professionalism is a daily marker of focus and consideration. 

Key to this whole concept is the understanding that other people are unique and powerful too.

Maybe they don't know it.  Perhaps they forgot, or nobody ever told them.

Planning ahead and asking for help is part of it.
Mentoring and considering others with respect.
Confidence and self respect.

Charts too.

I often forget how to do these things but probably other people do too.

My metaphor is growing rapidly.  It is reaching above the fenceline.  Now it will get sunlight twice as long every day.

It is planted in sand and the water just leaks through.  If anyone knows how to nurture one any farther than this, it would be a great time to be my sunflower mentor.

- J.

Figure Drawing

Figure Drawing is good for you.

Every time that I am in a slump, or an artistic valley, or just really not producing work on par with what I SHOULD be doing, it's always a good idea to do Figure Drawing.

While I can't speak for all artists, it is true for me that I no longer actually see arms, or breasts, or noses, but that it all breaks down into shapes.  Distances.

The place I do Figure Drawing at every so often these days is unique in that it's actually clothed models which may be a first for me.  Additionally, the artists are all more mature and the sessions are REALLY long.  It's a good mix of experience in there, a lot of good work is produced.

My goal with this stuff has never been fancy looking finished pieces, but learning and understanding the figure more.  This session actually really gives people time to make a finished piece and that's nice.

Most of my interest in models these days revolves more around getting ideas on how people dress or groom themselves.  Sometimes it's hard to understand what someone might wear or shape their hair like if you are trying to imagine what they are thinking.

How do you imagine a character you are not supposed to understand?  As a writer, it doesn't make sense.

During the Rose City Con last weekend, I stood in Greg Rucka's line of fans to ask him how he writes a character with a deep understanding of who they are, and how to create a character you don't actually understand... not as a writer, but as a person.  How do you know when you are ready to commit to writing that character?

He gave me a solid answer, based on his brief understanding of my situation.  Organic works are okay, he said, and characters can change.  The character in particular whom I thought would be a decent representation of what I had in mind, he let me know, was fully formed before he went into it.

That's helpful.  If I need to spend more time with the gal in mind, I probably should.

Follow your gut instinct.

That's really helpful, and NOT the only lesson I picked up that weekend, though it's the only one I can share with written word (perhaps).

So, I need to write comics with her.  Take it off the pedestal and play with it.  I can roll with that.

There's a preview up on my comics page of another corner of that story, but she's not living in that segment.

She will be.

It's organic.

- J.

Big Meat

Yeah, that's right.

It IS art.

You know what's funniest about these?  I was driving around with my wingman Will and we see this ENORMOUS potato.  Why? 

Who can say?  It doesn't matter.  It was the levity needed during a serious conversation and it was one giant ass spud.

Maybe five minutes later there was a big weiner too.

I don't have the picture of him climbing on the potato but if he reads this and sends it to me then I'll replace my pictures with his.

- J.

Rose City 2012 (4)

"People are Piranha"

That's what someone told me a few months ago.  I was working on a tattoo design for her, and since I was just doing it on a handshake, without any formal agreement, I ended up putting in about 20 designs and not making a cent.

What!  Yeah, I know.  Shame on me.

So at Rose City 2012 I visited my friend S. Mann at her booth and saw that she had produced a RAD wood press litho piece with piranhas.  "Love piranhas."

My first instinct was to go, "oh, too bad it's a piranha, because that has negative connotations for me."

That's right, I'm a tool.  How could I let a former experience which went bad affect me so much?  Oh, well, I got my head straight and snapped that baby up.  Why let ANYTHING cause you to feel so, so upset?

Anyway, I'm glad I got that figured out.  S. Mann creates the self-published comic Eyebot which only gets more interesting as you go.  Something tells me there's a lot more going on here with this story than I could even guess at.  As a fan of post-human technological speculation I'm really intrigued.  You can see S. Mann's work (including gallery paintings) at http://artsymann.com/.

Not personally sure what this whole Face Book thing is, but there's something like that available as well!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SMann/206132482735976

People are not Piranha, not unless you let them be.

I'd like to thank Cori B. too, who has helped me to get a lot of PolitiK and my other comics online.  I LOVE webdesign, but it's a lot of hard, monotonous tedium, and without her help only 3 of my comics would be online.  She's put in a lot of hours of time helping me get stuff put online and duplicating my page designs over and over to help me get that comics site to where it is now.  That was just wearing me down, and since she helped me get that stuff going I was able to move on to my portfolio site and my "meadow" site.

Thank you.

- J.