Inktober Day 1
No prompt save for the Spirit of October.
My sketch probably captured the soul of this better, but that’s how it goes!
Art
Jake Parker – Minimum Viable Story
I’m putting this here so I don’t lose it, but also because Google Keep doesn’t let me embed a video.
This is an approach I’d already come to myself, but Jake makes some amazing points. I’ve been baby-stepping my way up the complexity ladder and getting my “sea legs” under me for a while. I also think that this can be achieved with a longer story if it is broken up into scenes.
Notes
Idea Capture – Spark of an idea. First impressions of what this could be.
Validation – Something presentable: character designs, concept art, something that captures the essence of the idea. Plus brief synopsis.
Development – Start plotting. Nail down conflict and resolution. Story beats. Character arcs. World-building purely based on the needs of the story. Write your story. Some concept art. Designs.
Creation – Start knocking out finished pages. Save some world-building for this step so it remains fresh. Finished story by end of this stage.
Shipping – Get your finished story out there.
Post Mortem – Evaluate how things went. How will you improve for the next one?
Rinse and repeat for bigger, more involved stories.
The Art Monster
I Finished the Art Table!
I’m calling her Rolling Art Monster and she is a thing of beauty! I can’t even begin to guess what she weighs, but she’s a very functional beast. She’s so heavy, the black caster wheels leave a mark on the floor whenever I move it.
After a year, the home office is finally complete: standing desk, Art Monster, all the books, all the supplies which have laid dormant and unused, even the art I’ve bought that hasn’t seen light in years – all in my tiny little office.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Rolling Art Monster
Why is she so big?
I wanted to be able to use these old wood flat files I inherited from my father. I think I remember that he saved them from being discarded from a building downtown many decades ago. Each drawer is one unit and they interlock with each other. All the weight of the stack is supported in each frame and I continued that in stacking it all up. But yeah, she takes up some serious square footage.
Are you going to stain her? Why is she so many shades of wood?
No. I like her the way she is. I did varnish the work surfaces and shelves with several coats of satin polyurethane to make them usable and avoid splinters.
The drawing surface is something I found on Amazon. The angle of the board is adjustable and I worked the base of it into the top so it sits flush with the other surfaces when it is laying flat.
Are you going to put cabinet doors on her?
No, I don’t have the space in my office for them to swing open.
Inktober FAIL (but not really)
Did I FAIL to create 31 drawings in October? Yes.
Am I beating myself up about it? I’m not.
Day 1 – RING 
Day 2 – MINDLESS 
Day 3 – BAIT (and switch) 
Day 4 – FREEZE 
Drawlloween Day 6 – BLACK DOG 
Day 18 – MISFIT 
Day 28 – RIDE 
Elithien’s Mystical Inktober Day 14 – NECROMANCER 
Day 15 – No prompt 
Day 12 – DRAGON 
Elithien’s Mystical Inktober Day 28 – WITCH’S HAT
It’s tough to draw every day and my hat is off to everyone who pulled it off. I learned a lot about just letting go and doing something in my sketchbook for the sake of doing it and had a lot of fun. I definitely got out of my comfort zone, which is what I really wanted to get out of it.
Two Remastered Episodes of Minute Man on HCK
I have posted two colored and remastered pages from my 1999 superhero spoof Minute Man on the Hard Cheap Knock website. You can see them both here.
Episode 2, intended for Issue 7, is being seen for the very first time.
All colors were done on a Samsung Android tablet using the S Pen and Autodesk Sketchbook Pro. I learned a lot about working this way – mostly that I still need Photoshop.
