14. SUMMER TIIIIIIME.

 

Exam time cometh and goeth all the same.  After all the hectic hubbub I am left with a sense of calm.  Perhaps TOO calm.  I am now content to simply sit on my couch and nap the summer away.  The trouble with this is that I actually had things I wanted to get done this summer, and now I don’t particularly want to do any of it.  I had several paintings I wanted to make for this webcomic, but after spending several days in front of my painting class’s final assignment…  I’m satisfied to never look at another brush again.  I wanted to build an actual website for this comic as well, but after staring at my final web-design project for several days…  Well, you get the idea.

I’m not too worried.  I’m sure that after one day passes I will find myself in a horrible boredom that only painting, web-designing, and comic-making will cure me.  Until then I should say that I have a lovely collection of “Transmetropolitan” trade paper-backs keeping me company.  If any of you out there are unfamiliar with this title, please go and look it up right away.  It’s written by Warren Ellis and published by Vertigo.  I am currently on book 8.  It is a filthy read, but glorious for it.  Also, a little known fact, Patrick Stewart is actually a big fan of this comic.  He wrote the introduction to one of the trades.

Awesome.

IN OTHER NEWS…
Wanna hear a funny story?  Because I want to tell you one.

About a year or more ago Megan’s car broke down randomly.  It had a fresh oil-change, full coolant, and a full tank of gas.  It simply decided to stall out once we were passing through an inter-section.  On momentum we were able to pull into a side street and park safely.  We had it towed less than 5 blocks to our trusty mechanic whom we (in all honesty) adore.  Why do we adore him?  Well for one we called him and told him the problem and he came to us.  HE came to US.  Once on the scene he called a tow-truck guy that he knew personally and had us towed to his shop.  The tow…  was free.  I checked our bill.  It wasn’t on there.  Turns out there was a strange problem with some computer chippy thingy (why yes, that is a technical term) and it was a quick fix and the car is fine.  Our Mechanic and his sons took care of it and all was well. 

Zoom ahead to last friday.  The thing is stalling out again at red-lights for no apparent reason.  It always cranks back up though.  With exams and Megan’s work schedule being what it is we luckily don’t really need two cars for a while so we decide to take it in to the shop before it becomes a bigger problem.  Once there we tell our Mechanic’s sons (who are now our full-time mechanics since their dad has retired) the problem.  They had been slammed by customers that week and had no room for us on their lot.

“Sounds like that problem you had last time,” they tell us.  ”As long as it’s starting back up okay, it should last until Monday.  Can you bring it then?”

No problem.

We leave and go back about our business.  Saturday rolls around and I drive Megan to work in the morning, run some errands, and get ready to take photos for the comic when the thing… dies.  

No big deal, I think to myself.  I’ll just re-crank it and…  I’ll just re-crank…  Okay, let’s try this again…  One more time to make sure…

I made sure another 5 times.

Luckily I had my folks’ Triple A trial membership card and I had a tow-truck out in record time.  While it was pulling my car into the shop I walked up to my mechanic.

“What seems to be the trouble?” he asked.

“Well, remember that problem that we said could wait until Monday?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Well, we lied.”

We shared a chuckle and he went to the car.  He asked for the keys and I almost handed them over.  First I had to pull my house key off of the ring to make sure I could get to my OTHER car keys.  Unfortunately this over-drove my brain power.  I took my house-key off of the ring and put it in my mechanic’s outstretched hand while I placed the car keys back in my pocket.

He looked at the key in his hand and then looked at me and sighed.  I informed him that “I do that because I’m smart,” and quickly rectified the situation.

He then promptly stuck the keys in the ignition and surprise SURPRISE, the car starts without a problem.

He tells me that sort of thing happens all the time and he’ll take a look at it and call us when he knows something.  I thank him and call my friend, Logan, to beg for a ride and for camera assistance.  Turns out that the dude lives right across the street from the shop.  The conversation went something like this:

“Dude, are you at that All Points place?  Look across the street.  See the dude in his door-way making uncomfortable stares at you?  That’s me.”

I ran across the busy 5-lane street and met up with Logan.  It was there that I realized that I had left my camera in the car.  Logan was a good sport and drove me back to the shop where I ran up to my mechanic and told him I had left something in the car.

“Because you’re smart?” he asked.

“Yeah, because I’m smart.”

Ah yes, another photo-comic.  Are y’all liking these?  Because I really dig ‘em.  Special thanks to my friend Logan (Weapon X) for acting as the most righteous photographer of this comic.  He was a big help in more ways than one and in very short notice.  You will most likely see more of his handy-work here If I can trick him into it.

Next Monday there will be another hand-drawn strip.  In fact, with all the painting I’ve been doing, I may even ink parts of it with a brush for a change.  We’ll see how that turns out.  In the mean time, loyal readers and fellow Desperadoes, take care of yourselves.

{({OuT})}

Gabriel Dunston
-PookeyG-

13. ONE. MORE. WEEK.

It’s exam time folks.  You know what that means.  Late nights.  Long hours.  That smell.  I think the smell is called fear.  This exam time is a little different for me though.  This one includes printing all of my projects and mounting them on mat-board.  I’ll be submitting this heavy clump of material for judgement where 3 professors decide whether or not I am worth their time.  I know I am, and 2 out of the three of them are equally aware of this fact as well so I’m not worried… but I am.  I guess I just don’t want to count my chickens.  On the plus side, summer is fast approaching.  As I write this I am nearly out of the woods.  After Tuesday of this coming week, I will be more than half done with all work for the semester, and there will be a long summer ahead.  Stress, though there may be, life is good.

It’s short, what can I say?  This week has been rough.  I have gone cross-eyed after staring at nothing but black mats and X-acto blades for days.  That and I painted 5 individual paintings, which was actually cool.  All told, I pulled 2 all-nighters this weekend.  

The strip has a noticeable gray-scale of sorts and some rudimentary shading.  I would have done more and gone for the gusto in terms of polish and craft (especially considering it’s so small), but time is short and I need sleep.  I hope you like the experiment though.

That’s all for this week, next week I’ll try and inundate you all with some excess material to make up for this week’s lack.

until then…

_OuT_

Gabriel Dunston
-PookeyG-

ADVISE THIS.

The comic is true.  That conversation happened.  She will not be my advisor much longer.  I found out recently that my Design professor (the bald-headed guy from a few strips back) is also an advisor.  He remembers my name.  And after only one semester too.

The conversation that is missing above went as follows (paraphrasing):

Her: How many credit hours are you taking now?
Me: 18. (The maximum)
Her: Why are you doing THAT?
Me: So I can get out of here in a year.
Her: I got news for you.  You’re gonna be here 2 more years.
Me: Not if I keep taking the maximum hours.  One summer, one fall, one spring and I’m done.
Her: But the classes aren’t scheduled that way.  The way they are offered, it doesn’t matter how many hours you take.  You still have 4 semesters left.  And none of the design classes you need are offered in the summer.

Me:…

Her: So like I said…

Me: Two. More. Years…

Her fault or not, I could have slugged her. 

This strip was a fair amount easier to draw than some of my other strips lately.  It was particularly easier to ink.  I enjoyed it and felt like it was sort of a break.  I think this is mostly because there are only two human characters, and one of them I almost completely invented visually.  The only thing true to life in her character is the way she dresses.  

IN OTHER NEWS
I made a charming discovery lately.  There is a small cadre of delightful folk here in NC that have formed a very loose webcomics collective.  They are called the North Carolina Web Comics Coffee Clatch (NCWCCC).  I met with some members briefly this passed Sunday and they seem like nice folk.  It is composed of mostly comic writers and a few artists (as far as I could tell), but between them there was a pile of knowledge about the craft.  One of the founding members of the Clatch does a comic that has been running for 10 years. It is called Clan of the Cats.  Upon first inspection the art looks nice, but I haven’t read it a whole lot yet (I JUST discovered it), but I’ll be giving it a look.  In the mean-time, you can all check out other members on the site at www.ncwccc.com.

That’s all I got for this week.
If I remember more I’ll let y’all know here.

Until then Share and Enjoy! 

Gabriel Dunston
-PookeyG-

11. THE SEASON BEGINS

They’re not all bad kids.  I should really start by saying that.  And I don’t honestly expect them to play that first exercise (it’s “Cheezy-Poofs” by the Santa Clara Vanguard).  But it is frustrating that almost every kid that comes out to the audition doesn’t know a lick of music and has never touched sticks before.  Especially since this is true for some seniors that audition as well.  What makes the process more infuriating is that most of these kids’ only experience with drumline music came from the movie.  Once they realize that stick-tricks aren’t something we do often, and reading music is…  The herd starts to thin considerably.  What started as 25 wanes to 5 or 6 pretty quick.  Especially once the Band Director and I weed-out the kids we know have a talent for disruption.

I can always tell the kids new to drum line because they are always the first to grab the first snare drum that they see (not tenors, not bass, not cymbals, and not mallets.  ALWAYS snare drum) regardless as to whether or not the thing works or is sturdy.  They then proceed to hit the thing with whatever wood they got their hands on (usually “borrowed” from a regular percussion kid).  So far, I expect and am ready for all of this.  My returning kids are also expecting and ready.  I give them a nice pep-talk before-hand to let them know that I am allowing this behavior on purpose.  I watch for the kids who asked me what drum they should pick up first, and then continue to watch them as an unapologetic jerk beats them to it.  Then I watch them as they swallow their anger and decide it’s not worth getting upset over, and then ask me for further instructions.  These kids, are my golden children.  They will ALWAYS make the line.  I’ll pay their way into Band myself if I have to.

The type that usually beats the other kids to the snare drums usually put them on.  They wear the harness with undeserved pride at first, but it wears off quickly when they realize: “aww crap, this thing gets HEAVY.”  What’s cute is that they realize this at about the same moment that I bring out drum-stands for the kids that asked my instructions and waited patiently.  Sweet passive aggressive revenge!

Teaching exercises is a breeze now, because I have some that are written with the never-read-music-before kid in mind.  The moments BETWEEN exercises, though, are death because the inexperienced player is unaware that this between-time is reserved for my notes.  The assumption that is often made is that it is free-time for talking and “pecking” (playing something random and different from everyone else).  During the audition-process I am very cool to this.  I expect it, and really, it’s okay.  They don’t know to be quiet between exercises right-away, but this past audition day…  Well…  

Allow me to paint the picture for you:
The exercise is [supposedly] over and I hear the expected clatter of missed notes from the kids who forgot to count (honest mistakes).  So far I’m good.  

“Count y’all.  Remember to count.  Starting and stopping together is the MOST important skill we can learn as an ensemble.  Otherwise that was good.  Lindsay, you need to choke-up on your sticks a bit…”

I start handing out some short notes to individuals to gauge how well they adjust, but my ears are caught.  In my right ear, a tenor player is trying to understand the cadre of drums on his harness.  He does so with drum-set sticks he’s “borrowing” from a freshman who I can tell gets picked on for being something of a nerd.  He is neither quiet nor discreet about it.   In my left ear, I hear a hopeful snare drummer explaining something to the kid next to him.  My faulty ears don’t catch a whole lot of the conversation, but I (as discreetly as I can) manage to catch the words: “look at… …When I play… …lame.”

At that point I figured it was a good time to have the “don’t peck and don’t talk” talk with the kids.

“Hey, y’all…  When the whole line isn’t playing, neither should you.  Playing out of place is called ‘pecking’ and ‘pecking’ it really ruins the point of what we’re trying to do here.  It also makes life a little more difficult for me to give y’all notes…”

As I say all of this, that same kid is still in my left ear.  I don’t know anything he’s saying at all, but even kindergardeners know…

“…and when you are talking when I’m talking,” I say aiming myself at the chatter-box to me left.  ”…that’s called: ‘being rude’.”

Without skipping a beat the kid stops talking, looks my way, raises his hand and says: “What’d you say?”

My drum captain sighed loudly, but kept his trap shut (bless him) and the rest of the line got real awkward real quick.  I gave the kid a good unamused stare, but said nothing.  I could tell he wasn’t used to being unamusing because he had no idea what to do.  He made a half smile a few times, but when I didn’t change my expression, he lost HIS patience. (Oh irony.)

“So, you just not gonna answer my question?” he asked.

“Are you SERIOUS?” I asked.  I let him know I was annoyed.

“Nevermind,” he said trying to be annoyed as well.

“Seriously?”  He was annoyed with me?

“Nevermind,” he said again.  ”I don’t want to be rude.”

My drum-captain sighed again.

I never learned the kid’s name, but I didn’t need to.  There was no way he was making on to my line
Part of me thinks that I made a mistake with him.  I should have thrown him out right then and there and made a good show of it.  Set a strong tone from the get-go, but the rest of me doesn’t want the kind of kid around that only stays inline to avoid  such [staged] wrath.

The good news is I had a bunch of pretty good kids that made it out.  A refreshing counter-point to the nameless jerks that I’ll never see again.  At the end of auditions I got pretty much the exact line that the Band Director, my Drum Captain, and I wanted all along.  They are attentive, quiet (so far), and they don’t complain.  We”ll see how ambitious they are when it comes to the music.

It’s only 6 panels, but this strip was 3 freakin’ pages.  I was amazed at how hard I had to bust my hump to get this thing done.  Especially considering how minimal the detail was compared to a few other strips I’ve done.  In my own defense, however, it had been a good week and a half since I had put pencil to paper for a comic.  Maybe I just needed to get my rhythm back.

I’m fairly glad with the way the faces turned out.  I hear that this area is (what can loosely be described as) a strength of mine.  I’m also glad that I gave this comic a suitable background.  I had all the pages penciled with no backgrounds at all to begin with, but it looked… wrong to me.  I wish I was better at inking.  I think I screwed the pooch in a few places, but I’m still learning I guess.  Like I mentioned not long ago, I’ve been re-reading “Bone” by Jeff Smith.  Black and white line-work is the man’s bread and butter and he does wonders.  He does no real amount of cross-hatching though.  He does good line-quality, solid blacks, and textures instead.  I think I’ll try to consciously let that bleed into my own art-work for a bit and see how it fits.  In the end, however, I know I’ll end up using cross-hatching a fair amount, but I worry that if I don’t try to practice without it, I’ll over-do it…  the way I did on the comic at the theatre.  We’ll see where that goes.

This comic was the first “fill-in” comic about all the junk that has happened in these passed few weeks.  The actual auditions took place in mid or late March.  I’m thinking next week I’ll fill in some gaps regarding my school situation which has done some changing.  

Was it for the better or was it for the worse?

FIND OUT NEXT MONDAY RIGHT HERE IN…  THE PITT OF DESPAIR!

({(oUt)})

Gabriel Dunston
-PookeyG-

10. PROMISES PROMISES…

Aren’t they cute?  All three of them.  I dig ‘em.  You’ll be seeing more of them in the future.

IN OTHER NEWS
School has begun tightening it’s leash in the final drag of the semester.  I have a lot of news in that department, but I want to save it for a comic.  ”Saving for another comic” pretty much describes all of the news that I have right now.  You’ll be learning more soon I promise.

IN OTHER OTHER NEWS
This update marks my 10th strait week of this comic.  A few months from now when I’m rounding 50 or 100 updates I won’t think this is such a big deal, but I have been waiting for this particular mile-stone for a while.  

Some things are gonna start happening soon.  I’m hoping to start generating some real traffic through this thing.  To the readers that I have now…  Thank you all so much.  I can’t tell you how much you’re reading has really helped me.

This was originally drawn as a present for my dear Mother-in-law.  In the future the original art for this will already be claimed by her.  I’m really proud of the job I did on drawing her as well as my adorable niece and her mom.  I wish I had the original art so I could go back and add shading and texture, but alas.  It’s probably for the best.  It forces me to take my bare line-work into account.

Speaking of line-work and such…  I am rereading the entirety of the Bone saga (by Jeff Smith) for the first time since I first read it back in 2005 or 2006.  I have a whole new set of eyes now on which to gaze at the glory and majesty of Jeff Smith’s wicked-awesome black and white line-work.  The man is incredible and volumes can be written on his abilities in visual smoothness and world-building.  If you’ve never heard of the man or read his stuff please visit here.  He has a new book out called RASL.  Unlike Bone, it is not an all-ages epic saga of over 1,000 pages, but it still looks nice.  I’m waiting on a smaller version of the trade paper-back to come out before I buy it.  Looks good though.

That’s all for this week.
Come back next week where I fill in some gaps as to the hectic mess that has been happening lately.

(((OuT)))

Gabriel Dunston
-PookeyG-

9. CHARLOTTE COMIC-CON 2009 (March)

So yesterday I attended the Charlotte comic convention.  It was nice, but only a “convention” in the fact that it was held where other conventions are usually held.  In truth, it was more like a gathering of friends in costumes in a larger hotel room… but not much larger.  I am in the process of doing a much larger and more in-depth write-up of the event so I’ll try and be brief…

In reference to the first sketch, that was pretty much the only selection of comics.  Marvel, DC, and one or two Image titles.  Not quite the “indie” crowd I was hoping for.  Oh well.

The second sketch is a literal adaptation.  Present at the con was a fair showing of The Carolina Garrison of the 501st Legion: Vader’s Fist.  I beg of you, please go to the websites and enjoy.  Keep in mind, all the costumes you see are hand-made and fully customized.  The pictures are Fairly impressive (when you know it’s a regular Joe under there), but to see these guys in person… AWESOME.

The third sketch is also fairly literal.  In what passed for an artist’s alley, I met one guy that was actually interesting and had art that I was actually interested in.  His name is Clayton Moore, and you can read a little about him at the website of the small publisher that he drew for.  www.jesterpress.com

He was a nice guy and very informative, and his art could slap me in the face with its goodness and force my own art to tears.  Perhaps the most interesting bit that this guy had out was a DVD of a black and white independent movie that he helped make.  It’s called “Come Get Some”.  It’s a horror-comedy zombie movie.  ”I played 14 different zombies in that thing,” he told me.  ”They all die of course.”

I can’t wait to watch it and tell you all about it.

At the end of the day, the swag Megan and I got was fair and cheap.  We got some color prints of marvel characters, that DVD, and two comics from a guy named Bradd Parton of the comic Gloomy Roomies.  He was the only representative of the webcomics guild there present.  Ironically his set-up was also the most professional looking and well made.

All told, we only spent 2 hours there.  It was a 4 hour drive.  I don’t plan on going back until I’m making money there.

These sketches were fairly rushed.  We got back at supper-time and we both had things to do before I could draw these and get them up.  There are 2 sketches and a full strip that I had mapped out and written, but I hadn’t the time.  However, fear ye not my Desperadoes for they will be drawn and inked and they will make their appearance.  If not here then in print.

IN OTHER NEWS
This passed week was HUGE.  A whole lot happened.  Enough for at least 4 good comics.  I’ll be drawing at least one of them up for next week.  I can’t wait to tell you all about everything, but alas for I must cultivate what little suspense this creates.  

Therefore… Until next Monday.

(((OuT)))

Gabriel Dunston
-PookeyG-

8. RYAN’S BIG DEBUT

Nothing really happened this week.  Nothing at all…

Elsewhere, however…

In the cold state of Massachusetts, a conclave of web-cartoonists are meeting in the first ever webcomics weekend.  The event was originally slated to be a low-key type of thing where a handful of creators would gather and discuss their craft and experiences over what passes for Tea in yankee states.  Pre-registration was opened and filled completely by the end of the second day.  It is now a huge event with the biggest and brightest stars in the medium save for the guys at Penny-Arcade.

It’s a really exciting thing that this is happening.  It is a huge step for community as a whole.  Another in a long line of huge steps that seem to be amassing these days.  Something huge is happening in the world of  comics and art and this first convention dedicated to the growing movement is a testament to that.  However, all of this growing seems to be happening… entirely without me.

It is a stupid way to feel, I know.  Essentially what it all boils down to is me sitting on my couch as I type this and shouting to the gathering in the North “I wanna play too!”  But at the same time I think my feelings of being, somehow, left out go a little bit deeper.  I think that it is a generational thing.  The majority of the folks participating in the convention (the top movers and shakers of the community that I want to move and shake) are all in the generation JUST ahead of mine.  They are plowing new territory and accomplishing new things that they can be immensely proud of.  I, being the little-brother of this community (as well as the little brother of a large family who always wanted to move and shake like they do) want to participate in the vanguard path-finding of the community and do great things too, and I’m sure they’d like to have me along (the way my blood siblings did growing up), but what it all boils down is I’m still too young and too small-time.  In essence I can’t play too.  I’m too little.  Maybe when I’m older…

But the problem is, when I finally get older, all of the roads will be paved for me by these, my older kin in comics.  That is, if they aren’t paved already.

It’s a daunting feeling that I am learning every artist endures.  The feeling that you can do no more greatness because it’s all already been done for you. 

I guess my first task is to conquer that feeling.

 

IN OTHER NEWS
This coming weekend I will be taking my first baby-step into the larger world of comics.  I will be attending my first comic convention ever.  I know how foolish it seems that I have never been to one in all of my comic-reading years, but it is true.  I will be going to the Charlotte Comic-con as a spectator on the 29th.  It is sort-of research before I have enough material to take with me and sell as a “professional” or perhaps a “guest”.  One way or another it looks like a fun time and the small-time quality of this con is equally enticing.

The comic for next week maybe a convention sketch (a-la Penny-Arcade at E3 style) or a combination of sketch as well as a regular comic.

My poor brother-in-law…  I know that he has wanted to be in the strip for a while.  His sister is in it, his wife is in it, his mother is in it, and his daughter is in it, (all in drawn up strips that I haven’t posted here yet), but alas Ryan has yet to make a drawn appearance.  The strip for this week is essentially a funnier joke for him than anyone else (especially considering he gave me the idea for this one).  Little does he know that I have been sitting on a few scripts with him in them.  He has been a part of my back-log of strip ideas for 2 years now.  You’ll see him here eventually, but in the mean-time, not seeing him is a lot funnier to me.

That’s all for this week.  Join me next Monday for convention wrap-up.

(((OuT)))

Gabriel Dunston
-PookeyG-