Saturday 19 April 2008

Wot I've bin up ta..

...well, not alot as usual.

I've managed to clear most of my backlog of reading material, with the new recoloured Killing Joke being the last thing I read. Wow, what a gorgeous book! Slightly oversized with Bolland now colouring each glorious page (and removing the yellow circle around Bats' chest emblem) and also featuring another short newly-coloured Batman strip by Bolland, this isn't the most essential Batman story but is probably the most beautiful you'll ever lay eyes on. Gorgeous.


Benn slowly dipping back in to drawing, with a few face drawings (Clark Kent from Smallville attached below--full versions available online at: http://www.comicspace.com/conflictedartist/comics.php?action=gallery&comic_id=20035 ). I'm not yet happy with my results yet so it'll be a while yet. It's been nearly seven months since I had more than a few days off work and I'm generally feeling knackered now so really need time off to recover. I'm hoping to get some art done then but my plans often jump out the window and run away with the fairies with even the slightest distraction.


I'm trying to assess my plans now I have my own space. Time's getting on so is it worth me still pursuing comic art? It's a colossal job to factor in with everything else in life (well, with the amount of work I try to put in anyway!) so, apart from returning to the Jock #2, I'm hoping to get some pages done to show at the comic show this year to see if it's something worth striving for. I still enjoy drawing but sequential stuff takes so long to do, I need a goal at the end of it, be it simply self-publishing or approaching publishers. Giving up on it will be hard but perhaps it's time to take stock and decide it's do or die.


I'll probably try to draw some stuff this afternoon while the light's still good as this morning's been lost too washing, shopping, colouring a pic, etc. If nothing else, I'll have some good tunes to listen to: I'm currently listening to Funplex, the new B-52s CD and loving it. They're one of those bands who always sound the same but there's an energy in their music that lifts it beyond being repetitious like most other bands (for me anyway). Cindy Wilson is also back after two or three albums away from the band and while I prefer Kate Pierson, her return adds another sound to the band's stuff, which seems more rockier than their more whimsical last few releases.


I also need to do the final tinkering for the comics on film book and art gallery things I want to put out, so that's another task for this afternnoon that'll probably cut into drawing time!


There's never hours in the day---except at work, there's too many there...




6 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow, I never realised quite how much of a scary freak Tom Welling is until now. He's about the best likeness of the 3 though.

Drawing comics too much like hard work Nige? ;) I'd say the fact you're one of the fastest artists I know, but have only done pin-ups the last 5 years or so, kind of indicates you've lost that loving feeling of doing it for your own enjoyment. The thing you have to ask yourself is this: say you were offered a monthly gig on Power Pack or something you hate for a low page rate; could you really be arsed? It's not like you're ever gonna stop drawing completely, I just think it'd be a shame if you gave up on something you excel at, namely sequential art.

Rant over, I'm off to campaign for an extra hour to be inserted into each day when no-one's looking...

Nige Lowrey said...

Yeah, the likenesses are pretty off, which means I'm still not firing all on all cylinders yet (I hate drawing by artificiaal light so it was a bit of a race to get them done, which is why they're rushed and a bit crap). Might try a heroes pic...

I do enjoy doing comics but when time is limited because of work and life's general chores, it creates pressure getting the work done. I need time to pencil a few pages at at time then I'm off but I'm constantly interrupted by the most trivial things that derail my attention.

Unknown said...

Like shiny objects? :)

Rol said...

I understand how hard it can be to find the time with work etc. always getting in the way, but it'd be a shame if you gave up on it.

That said, if you lost the enjoyment and began to resent HAVING to draw, that'd be worse still.

Life's a bugger.

dave said...

DUDE!

The B52s are touring, They're playing our place. Wednesday 23rd July. Think they're only playing three or four dates in the country so may be worth having a couple of days off work and kipping over here if you want to see them. Youre more than welcome.

Nige Lowrey said...

Y'know, that's something I may very well consider if I can wiggle the time off work (new computer system's due in June so we will be busy busy then...)