Halfway there!

First, this!

Danielle Feliciano is one of the most talented, free-thinking illustrators I know. We both graduated from SCAD and I esteem her, and the brush she wields, very highly. Her art has a crystal clear voice, and it's beautifully amplified through its execution. This is different than the past 2 projects I've plugged, which is why I think you should take a minute and watch the video. Support her if you can. This is going to be a brilliant project to follow! Click the image to watch!

So, I hope everyone had a great holiday break. I really wanted this announcement to be a video update, but couldn't make it happen. Maybe next time!

The past couple of months have been quite the trek for me, artistically. The holidays never seem to perpetuate productivity, and these past two months have been no exception. But, with only a couple of days left in 2011, I'm extremely pleased to announce that Dust Bunny has finally hit the half way point! With (roughly) 80 more pages to go, plus a handful of revisions, this story is well on its way to actually being told. I've read this thing more times than I can count, and at the end of the day...I'm really pleased with it. So, here's a snippet from the (in-progress) midway point in the book.

With that being said, I wanted to once again express my gratitude to everyone who has financially backed this project. Because of your support, I have been able to dedicate 5 months (interruption free) to the production of this book. Truth is, I don't know if this story would have ever taken its first breath were it not for you. That's a blessing I still can't get over, folks. So, here's to Dust Bunny's 160+ adoptive parents!

Subsequently, the start of 2012 marks my leap back into the freelance world. In order to keep the book going, I have to keep myself going by taking on work. It's hard to tell how this will affect the book's progression. But I have every confidence in its completion in the beginning months of 2012.

So, thank you all, again! Here's to being half complete! Or...half incomplete, depending on your outlook on life. But really, isn't it all about what's in the glass that counts?

$#!& with a capital $

Frustrating week for the novel, I'm afraid.

This isn't worth a full update. But it's probably a healthier way to handle my frustrations than putting my head through a computer monitor...

Getting my fix...

Growth as an artist is a wonderful feeling.

From time to time, you'll have that 'eureka' moment right in the middle of your process, acknowledging to yourself that you just learned something new - whether it be a coloring technique, or just the way you decide to hold the pencil. But for me, more often than not, I find that my journey is lived in hindsight. I rarely know what I've achieved until I go back and look at where I might have missed the mark the first time. That's what creative development is all about. And it's what this post is all about.

Above is a snippet from page 15 of Dust Bunny. Incidentally, this is also Mite's very first appearance in the book. When I first illustrated this panel, I was happy with it. Excited, even. But as nearly 80 pages have come and gone, I've found myself becoming more and more invested in these characters. Subsequently, I've become more intimate and familiar with how they work, both physically and emotionally. And though the script was done before a single stroke was made, each character has found an individual voice throughout the evolution of this book - void of any script. And it's amazing to watch.

Just in this one panel, so many things have grown from first run to revision: the perspective on the goggles, a cleaner skull structure, better black placement, a tighter pose. Even Mite's "burst" that you'll often see him contained within has become cleaner. He just seems to better encompass my original vision for the character at this point.

As rewarding as this small change is to me, the challenge is to keep myself from going into a complete overhaul with my first 30 pages. This panel was a glaring exception in my mind. And there are a handful more that I plan on revising. But I have to be very selective. Part of the joy of this book is witnessing its inception, its vitae, and ultimately its end. It's the terminal nature of the whole thing that makes it so precious to be a part of. I want the life of this book to be real; imperfect. I want to look at page 1 and then at page 101, and see a clear advancement in my craftsmanship. As it has already proven to be, I want this to be a visual diary of my growth as an artisan. White-out and spilled ink have little to nothing to do with the oversights of story telling, or graphical aesthetics. And as Dust Bunny has gone completely digital at this point, I'm realizing that more and more.

I hope you're all enjoying watching this baby brave the world as much as I'm enjoying holding its hand while it does so. This has been an incredibly satiating experience for me so far, through both the first-run successes, as well as the lip-biting frustrations. I'm eager to see what this child of mine decides to be when it grows up. And I'm glad it has such a great starter family to encourage and nurture it through its growth. You all have been amazing platforms of inspiration throughout this whole process, and I can't thank you enough.

After all, it takes a village...

Bathroom Humor.

I posted the rough image to this panel a while back. But I thought it turned out pretty nice, so here's a little process work for you! In the photo, we have Aiden Flint and Chip Hoffmazor sharing a moment with Potty Mouth: Basement City's most celebrated commodian! And yes, that may very well be a line taken straight out of the book.


Ok, so here's another great project worth checking out! Jason Bienvenu has just launched the Kickstarter phase of his in-progress mini-series entitled The Kingdom! I highly recommend taking a gander at his video. Very professional, cool story concept, and great artwork! Boom!

Watch it HERE!

Hi, Atus! How are you?

BIG UPDATE!

But first, I actually had someone ask me how the "dirty rabbit" was going this week. An interesting epithet for my lead character...but I think that's screaming to be turned into a club dance.

Do the dirty rabbit. Now slide left.


It's been almost a month since my last solid update, and a lot of great things have been going on - both related and unrelated to Dust Bunny. And since it's been a month, a hefty teaser is definitely in order for you patient patrons. So, please, enjoy the above image - page 64 of the book, showcasing an excerpt where Dust Bunny and Aiden Flint meet for the first time.

My hope is to have the book nearly halfway complete by the end of this month, which is a big part of why I haven't been updating as often. The pages siphon my time. However, I couldn't be happier with the story and how it's developing. Those of you that are receiving a copy of the Dust Bunny script will have the opportunity to flip through it and compare some of the original text to more appropriate alterations that I've made during the process. As well, those of you that purchased the production book will get to see where certain pages have departed from their thumbnails in order to create a better rhythm to the story. All in all, it's been really satisfying to see this project take on a life of its own.


Unrelated to Dust Bunny (but still slingin' mad flava - pun always intended), Jason Sheedy and I put together an entry for the Crash the Superbowl Doritos commercial contest. It was one day of shooting, and our commercial was just posted yesterday. You can view our entry here.


And finally,my good friend and fellow artist Derik Diaz has started work on his second graphic novel, entitled Air-Heart: Mirror's Edge. This is an episodic continuation of his first novel, Air-Heart: Taking Flight (which you can purchase here). He recently launched his Kickstarter campaign for Mirror's Edge, and is working on gathering up support for his book, while simultaneously putting the pages together.

If you would, please take a couple of minutes and check out his Kickstarter video here!

Do the dirty rabbit. Now slide right.

Dust Bunny Vlog #3

Well, the last couple weeks have been huge leaps and bounds in the world of Dust Bunny.

The pages are looking great (as great as I can make them), and with one third of the book's art now complete, here's a celebratory video blog update recapping some of the exciting opportunities I've had in correlation with the book's progress!

Also, I talk to a goose.

Enjoy!

All Work and No Play. Sort of.

Amazing supporters!

I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Dust Bunny pages have been my life ever since Kickstarter ended, and the end of this week should mark the 1/3 point for the book's completion (art, that is).

I'm averaging about 1-1.5 pages per day. That includes roughs, inks, toning, and texturing each page. It's an incredible undertaking, but I am loving every one of the 600 minutes that it costs me every day to work on this book. I couldn't be happier with how things are turning out. The more I work, the faster I get. I'm seeing clear advances in technique and comfort with the pages, as well. And for me, personally, that's a very exciting thing to witness.

I'm dropping you a little snippet of art here. It's difficult to choose what I disclose in these updates at this point, simply because the book is full of a lot of fun characters and I don't want to spoil any surprises.

But as for now, here's a frightened sponge running by Dust Bunny, and a work in progress of our hero punching a rat. Enjoy!

SEQA Lab Interview.

This past Friday, I had the extreme honor to be interviewed on SEQA Lab - a podcast that covers a myriad of topics in the comics world. It was hosted by John Larison, Becca Hillburn, Rebecca Mehnert, and Lewis Squeezy Jones. They record every Friday from Norris Hall at the Savannah College of Art and Design (in Savannah, GA), and post the shows on Monday.

We chatted about a number of topics surrounding the process of Dust Bunny, as well as the role that Kickstarter has played in the whole endeavor. The videos that I post on here are always entertaining to piece together. But there's something very disarming about a live interview, and I was really pleased with the candid lining that came through during the questions. The whole thing turned out great. Take a listen below!

http://seqalab.com/ (#169)

And stay tuned. I'll be posting another video update soon, covering a couple of really great opportunities that I had to share Dust Bunny with interested (and potential) readers!

Everybody Have Fund Tonight.

Funding successful!

Not only was the goal reached. It was smashed in the face!


So, now what? Well, from here on out, my number one priority is comic book pages. I'll be keeping you all updated on the progress of the book throughout the rest of the year (via Facebook, Twitter, this blog, and Kickstarter), so keep checking back.

But for now, enjoy this little thank you vlog that I cut together with help from Jason Sheedy and Joshua David Matthews.

One Day Left!

Well, this is it everyone!

With one day left, Dust Bunny is going out with a bang! Interest for the comic is continuing to pour in (even since this morning), and I'm simply floored. At the beginning of next week I'll be posting the new video blog, which will answer a few questions regarding what's in store for Dust Bunny throughout the remainder of 2011.

I can't say thank you enough to everyone! Your support for this book has been incredible, and I can hardly wait to make this graphic novel my full-time gig.

And there's still one more sunny day to tell your friends!

Two Days Left!

Two days to go!

It's been an amazing past 48 hours, actually. Thanks to all the incredible support, Dust Bunny's Kickstarter goal has more than tripled since Tuesday!

I'm currently piecing the second vlog update together, and will have it up sometime next week. So keep stopping by.

I'll do my best to make it great!

3 Days!

These promos have been fun to put together. They take practically no time and, surprisingly, have yielded results every time I've put one together. And you all have been great sports, allowing me to have fun with this whole promotional thing. I appreciate it.

Aside from the non-contextual speech bubbles, almost all of them have been actual art from the Dust Bunny book. So, it's sort of like a sneak preview. Right? Right...?

Advertising isn't so bad.

4 Days Left!

Only 4 more days to reserve your copy! Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Home stretch.

Only 5 days left!

I'll be posting another vlog update soon, so be on the look out!

And again, thanks to all my current supporters! You guys are awesome!

Rev it up!

Two updates in a week!

So, I thought it would be interesting to show off one full page of the book. I won't be doing this very often, but I was particularly happy with how this one turned out, and you all have been extremely supportive of this project. So, I was happy to do this.

Plus, it's finally in the 70s here in Savannah. And that just encourages the love.

Dust Bunny interview at icgeeks.com!

This week, I had the privilege of exchanging words with Noel Burns over at icgeeks.com regarding the production of Dust Bunny. He inquired about my process, Kickstarter's effect on the project as a whole, and a few other insightful questions regarding the book.

If you haven't checked out icgeeks, do it! Noel's got a wonderful concept with a lot of heart. He's made it a mission to find purposeful, independent comic projects (via Kickstarter), and not only support them, but showcase them on his website in order to create more buzz for the creators of said projects. Dust Bunny had the honor of being second on the list! Thanks, Noel!

So, with a little under two weeks left, Dust Bunny's Kickstarter phase is finally coming to a close. This has been an exciting time for the development of the book, and I'm extremely humbled by how much you all have supported it. I can't wait to finally commit to this project full-time!

If you haven't secured your copy of the book, make it happen! And as always, tell your friends!

Whip It Good.

After a week long hiatus from working on Dust Bunny pages (and wrapping up some freelance loose ends), I'm finally back on track. And with that, I thought it might be fun to give you amazing followers a little visual spoiler.

What you're looking at here is the introduction shot of Dust Bunny's ride, the Dirt Demon - a modified 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Seville merged with a handheld vacuum cleaner. The rabbit has swagger.

I also found some old Dust Bunny art from about 4 or 5 years ago. The character of Dust Bunny was born from a class assignment I had in college, and the two full comic pages I produced for that class included most of the characters in the current story. I think I may post those at some point in the future.

Anyway, here's a shot of the old Dirt Demon. Oh, how far we've come.

Dust Bunny Vlog 1

Woo! Dust Bunny's first video blog!

This vlog highlights some of the challenges I've come across since getting deeper into the creation of, not just the book, but everything that surrounds the book as well.

Enjoy!

Back Track to The Future.

I think the coolest, and simultaneously most frustrating development for the story right now is that yesterday, I pieced together one of the most important thematic variables of the book. Up until now, I had reluctantly settled on how to handle this particular story element. It wasn't something I wanted to settle on, but I needed to get cranking on pages, and time was ticking. Then yesterday the solution hit me, and I now face the challenge of working my new development into the pages that I've already completed. I think it'll be fairly easy to do. And I'm careful to not complain about such things. I mean, if those are my biggest problems in life, then I think I'll be ok (note: those are not my biggest problems in life).

Inspiration can be a funny creature. It comes and goes as it pleases. At times, it only leaves a little bit of milk in the metaphorical fridge, and in your irritation, you don't take the final sip on sheer principle. Maybe yesterday I was just too thirsty, and that last gulp was exactly what I needed. I'd be happier if inspiration found a job and started helping pay the bills.

Still with me?

So, today I go back to the beginning of the story and preface everything I've done with 3 additional pages to set up a pretty important piece of Basement City's communication network...or...their "gnatwork." Aren't you curious now?

Speaking of gnatworking, have you buzzed about Dust Bunny with anyone today?

Gut Reactions.

Today's images serve two purposes.

The first is to give you a little taste of how Mite is being handled in the book. When he's not in extreme close-up, he's just a speck, which is fun because I get to play around with how a virtually invisible character affects his surroundings. That's him pummeling a thug with a stomach shot. Thug never had a chance.

The other purpose is to show a little process. While most of this panel stayed the same in the end, I realized that I was unhappy with Dust Bunny's pose during the inking phase, and I wanted to rock something a little more dynamic. Also, the power blast coming from the thug's stomach didn't really encompass a "foomp-ish" feel. So I axed it.

The absolutes of the creative process keep reintroducing themselves throughout this whole adventure. One of the reminders I'm constantly getting is that I don't get it right the first time a lot of times. I don't power through pages. I pencil, I wait, I stare, I get a Pepsi, I ink, I stare, I ink some more, I stare...and it goes on like this through the day until, through some miracle, I'm looking at a finished page by 3am. The whole process is slimy, yet satisfying.

At any rate, everything is moving along nicely. Thank you, again, to all who have supported or backed this project. I'm amazed at how many people are continuing to reserve their own copy of the book! It's just awesome. Keep spreading the love, and I'll be sure to keep the updates comin'!

Foomp, there it is.

Bunny Talks.

Well, I am speech bubble-less.

Only 4 days into the video launch of Dust Bunny, and the goal has not only been met...but exceeded! And people are still continuing to purchase the book. It's really encouraging. Just seeing this kind of awesome support come in has had a direct influence on my own energy while putting the pages together. Knowing that there are people even remotely interested in what I'm doing with this passion project makes constructing this comic even more invigorating. And I am truly humbled.

As a token of my appreciation for all of you who have contributed to the project's success thus far, here's a modified page from the actual novel. I was going to leave you with blank word bubbles, so as to not spoil any of the story. But I thought this was more entertaining.

Please continue to share Dust Bunny with people you know. The comic has gained a lot of steam over the past few weeks, and I'd love to see it continue! It's only because all of you have taken a moment to share the website, video, or "Like" it Facebook, that it's gotten this far. So thank you, again!

Tales from the Script...

After only a couple days of launching the promo video for Dust Bunny, I've received quite the flurry of responses; a lot from people I've never met, and even a couple from international buyers...which is very encouraging. Thank you to all who have pledged, and really shown support for this project.

Getting deeper into the art, I decided to print off a hard copy of the nearly 200-page script, so that I could make a few final tweaks. This is included in one of the rewards for pledging towards the comic, and I thought it would be nice to throw a picture of it up, along with a couple of panels from the first few pages, so that you can see what you'll be receiving...

...which is a worm shooting chlorine out of a tommy gun. If you think you misread the sentence before this one, I'll recap: "...which is a worm shooting chlorine out of a tommy gun."

See, now you can say you've seen that. Bucket list accomplished.

Dust Storm.

This is it, 'Lizbeth! The big one!












After a week of tweaking and fine-tuning this video, it's finally ready for the public eye. And though we are forever locked into a stalemate of power, I must once again thank Joshua David Matthews for his tireless efforts in helping get this thing off the ground.

Since this stage of the project could potentially be one of the most influential, my time and efforts have been siphoned away from actual pages and pumped into developing the promo video, as well as the new website. I'm very happy with how they both turned out. But I'm eager to jump back into the meat and potatoes of what this is all about.

At any rate, enjoy the video. Pass it on to anyone who you think might be interested. Funding is great, but support is crucial. The more readers I can sweep up, the firmer a foundation I feel I have to stand on.

Thanks again, dust fans! Onward we go!

Whisper Words of Wisdom. Edit Me.

This weekend is bringing some really cool developments on the novel's front, and I'll be sharing them all with you very soon.

I was up with Joshua David Matthews last night until around 1am, tweaking everything. He edited the video while I edited the art. And though our friendship is destined to end in a battle to the death, I'm sure he'll agree that watching a collaborative effort such as this one take shape is really rewarding. We're in the post-production stage of everything now, and I think Josh has got it all rendered out and ready to go. I'll be trucking over there later today to see the final vid--

Scratch that. He's on his way over now. Look at that. Real-time updates.

Onto the next page...

Go Green.

Very cool things on the way.

Today I took a break from the art table and stepped into the studio to cap off the production phase of what could possibly be one of the most important developmental steps in my journey with Dust Bunny.

Joshua David Matthews came through for me and put together a tiny, (but awesome) crew in order to help make this next chapter a reality. For me, what's to come not only represents the undeniable commitment being made to this project, but also the passion that drives it forward. To take the process off the paper and submerge it into this medium gives the entire concept a new dimension, and I'm absolutely thrilled about the whole thing.

Over the course of the week, I'll be working with Josh (more like looking over his shoulder and telling him how to do his job) on putting together an edit that transcends "what" this book is, and touches a little bit more on "why" this book is. The hope is to share it with all of you early next week. I appreciate all the support and traffic that you guys bring to this blog. Please continue to talk about it and pass it on to others that you think might be interested. You have a bigger hand in this than you realize. And for me, it makes for an exciting first experience.

As well, a thousand thank yous to Pikey Holdredge, Whitney Hess, and Kyle Watson for taking the time to crew the set today. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

All Work and All Play.

Go with me for a moment, won't you?

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I usually do is go right back to sleep. I have 2 alarms on my phone that go off, without fail, every day at 7:45am and 8am. I've come to the conclusion that they're just a means of making me feel like I lead a normal life (like when Mel Gibson had to keep buying copies of "Catcher in the Rye" in the movie Conspiracy Theory), because I silence both of them and just roll out of bed when I feel like it.

The next thing I do when I wake up is swallow this looming feeling of guilt and laziness. Not because I've done anything wrong, or because I feel like I lack in productivity. I gobble these emotions down because everything that I do as a professional artist is from the comfort of my own home. No office, no assigned parking spaces. Just my apartment, my computer, and maybe my pants. I don't even have to get dressed if I don't want to. And I think there's something to be said for the scantily clad working man who didn't compromise his ethics in order to show up at his job with only one item of clothing on. And while I am, indeed, working from home - paying my bills, providing for myself, and the likes - I just feel guilty that people are out there, in cubicles, wearing ties and button-ups while I sift through my fridge, belting out whatever song is on my iTunes. Have you ever heard a grown man sing along with Taylor Swift? No. And you won't. Because you're not allowed in my house during work hours.

So, the image above is a process piece from page 9. I'm currently inking page 11, and things are going really great. It's invigorating to see how much has been accomplished with this book in only a week and a half. Tomorrow, Josh and I will be meeting up to begin "Phase 2" of this novel's production process. I'm really amped about it, and I'll be posting that update by the end of this week, hopefully. So stay tuned.

On a side note, I recently purchased www.dustbunnycomic.com, and at some point, I'll be putting a site together to accompany this blog. Until then, enjoy the simple teaser image.

A Chip off the old blog.

Today marked the near completion of page 7. A few tweaks here and there, and it'll be solid. With the necessary history lesson (and the more environmentally driven artwork) almost wrapped up in the first 9 pages, I'll be ready to move into more character based work this week. And I'm really pleased with how everything has come together up to this point. I can already see my art improving since page 1. So, it's quite invigorating.

However, as productive as today was, half of my creative time was split between the above image's page and Joshua David Matthews' film Dawn...


It was laborious and meticulous, but we finally found the voice for his film's branding. This is the final poster for his movie. We tested out a number of on-location photo concepts, but in the end (and maybe it's because I'm in graphic novel mode) we went with something a bit more stark and representational. Collectively, I think we're both very pleased with where this ended up. And for me personally, it was a nice opportunity to stretch my legs in other areas of design.

You can also see the theme carried over into the website, as well as the really sharp press kit that we put together for the film. Once again, if you haven't taken the time, go check out the blog for Dawn. And check out the trailer on the main page above. It's good stuff.

Speaking of dawn, it approaches with every waking moment. Time for the bedness.

No news like...well...no news, I guess.

Nothing crazy. Just thought this turned out really nice (well, the full page...which I'm resisting the urge to post). It's a little snippet that tunes us into the origin of Basement City, as well as some of the conflict that accompanies our antagonist.

"What does it mean, Brett?" I promise, as soon as I finish the remaining 152 pages, I will let you know.

Big updates are on the way in the form of video, so stay with me!

Spoilers are for Cars.

Four pages in 3 days. Not bad.

Why yes, nerd that noticed, the canvases are in RGB. But don't worry, I've already taken care of it. I'm sorry I called you a nerd.

Tomorrow, I'll spend the day going back over these first few pages and detailing things that I missed. But the more I develop, the more excited I get. So I like sharing. And in that, I'll be keeping myself in check so as to not give away too much. I won't be sharing every single page as I finish it. And I saved this image at a small enough size so you can't read the dialogue...


You little Shifty McSneakypants, you.

On the one.

One down, almost. It's got another couple hours to go, I think.

First impressions count for a lot. They often times set the tone for what's to follow. I find it a rare occasion where a film's sequel trumps the original. The apex of the thrill just isn't there on the second round of the roller coaster. And the second helping of delicious collards seldom satisfies you like that first round did.

Well...that last one may not be true. Lawdy ha' mercy. I love a collard.

Either way, it's not an absolute, but generally, it applies - first impressions do matter. This applies to you too, Mr. Clever Catch Phrase T-Shirt Guy, who doesn't like the looks he's getting.

I feel like today's post is a little more fulfilling than the past couple have been. And possibly a bit more interesting. I've discovered that in order to fully embrace the world I want to convey to my readers, I can't just be a comic book artist. I have to be a graphic designer, an architect, an editor...and wear a number of other hats. I actually sat down to illustrate this page yesterday, and realized I hadn't designed the most important structure in the story. So, after 2 days of toiling with it (and a trip to Target - yes, Target) - to gather some reference and/or inspiration on how to handle this complex, I finally concocted something I was satisfied with.

You'll notice very little physical ink on the original. I love perspective, especially linear perspective. I love it too much to leave it to my own judgment (with or without a straight-edge). So, while the bottom character got a nice brush-over, I relied on more precise measures to achieve the layout for the building that I wanted - like, some good ol' Photoschloppin'. And I'm glad I did. This page probably took me twice as long as the others will, simply because of the precision I was seeking. But once again, first impressions count. I do plan on shipping this baby out to publishers. So,they need to see that I have some idea of what I'm doing.

And since I don't have any idea what I'm doing, I need to be able to fake it.

Thumbnailin' it.

You'd think I was claustrophobic from the way I can feel this closing in...

What you're looking at here are two shots of the thumbnails in process (spanning pages 1-133...so far). I'm almost wrapped on the prep work. I anticipate about 30 more thumbs, and I'll be ready to dive into the full pages.

The end of June provided a snafu or two in my work flow - one of the biggest being moving everything I own into a new studio. So, out of necessity, I've pushed my start date back a week. In the end, I think it'll have been worth the patience.

I openly admit to being intimidated and nervous about taking on this book. It's a huge commitment, as I've previously expressed. But I think it's healthy to admit these fears, as long as they don't fuel an excuse train. Excuses are probably the easiest slope to slip down. They're nothing but a gateway drug into full-out apathy. I started into a diatribe of why I can't stand laziness, excuses, and people hiding behind amendments to fuel selfishness...but I deleted it, realizing I'd......my entire point to today's post...

...which was to show some hard evidence that the pre-production process is nearly complete! Having been thrown off by a few of life's unpredictable variables, I want to make sure that I've prepped myself to the best of my ability before launching into the full assault. I'm not aiming for perfection, as even in the production phase, things are always subject to change here and there. I truly just want to make sure that I have everything tight enough to satisfy my audience in the end.

Remember when "Lost" did that? Yeah, me neither.

New Character Page!

Extremely productive day. And it's only 2am.

First off, take a minute and check out the new character page! You can also find it by clicking on the icon to the right of this post. There, you'll find a few basic profiles of some of the main players in Dust Bunny. Some you've seen, if you've been following. But I added 3 new images tonight.


And then there's this.

This is a logo I recently did for my sworn enemy, Joshua David Matthews, who just wrapped on his new film "Dawn." It's a patient western about a man coping with an unbearable loss in his life, and his struggle to accept that loss. The description I just gave doesn't do it justice, but I don't want to spoil anything. The film is still in post-production, but the trailer for it should be up soon. And I'm telling you, it looks amazing.

Anyway, Josh has been instrumental in helping with some of the technical elements of Dust Bunny's online launch (some of which you haven't seen yet), so I would encourage you to take a gander at the Dawn Website. You can also "Like" the Dawn Facebook page.

This update had more links than Zelda.

Hot Town. Summer in the City.

I've spent the last 3 days moving into a new apartment.

It's a wonder I've had the energy to do anything creative tonight. The heat is ridiculous right now. Midway through the third day of moving, I realized that I wasn't sweating. My skin was just crying.

Have you ever been in the middle of doing something that required both hands and, without warning, one of your sweat beads just decides to -BOOM- fly maverick and forge a new path right into your eye?

But even before it makes contact with your eye, there's an entire series of split-second events that have to take place. Immediately, there's the realization that you're dealing with rogue sweat, because you can physically feel - on your forehead - where it's jumped out of its preordained lane and started dive bombing towards your eyelid. So you go into this defense mode with what tools you have available. And there in the middle of the second flight of stairs, with your father's 1964 antique dresser hanging in the balance, you begin doing that upward-blow-from-the-lower-lip thing that 14-year old girls do to fix their bangs. And you don't just puff a few breaths out with the half-hearted hope that you can deviate the sweat's warpath. You exhale as if you're trying to start a hurricane in the stairwell. You're blowing so hard, you wouldn't be surprised if you saw your soul fly out of your mouth. But since you're lips seem to be sweating too, you just start spraying your own cheek with spit in hopes that some saliva-shrapnel will counter-attack the sweat bead.

Doesn't matter though. Because you can't get the trajectory of the exhale right. So you launch into Plan B, and start shaking your head back and forth like a child who doesn't want to eat their carrots. And while you're exorcising yourself, the guy helping you move offers up the astute observation, "Sweat in your eye?" But he really doesn't care. He's just enjoying watching you. Absolutely. Lose. Your. Mind.

Plan B is a failure by all rights, so you stop, because the blood rushing to your head is an affirmation that you failed to hydrate properly this morning. So, still gripping the furniture with what strength you have left, you offer up some gut-wrenching groan of helplessness to the heavens as you take it right in the eye...like a chump. And since your dad's dresser was fashioned from a petrified tree that was actually planted in 1864, the option to lay it down and wipe your eye is out of the question...unless you want to watch your entire back literally pop off your body like, "It's been real. But I'm out." So, you end up cyclopsing it all the way to the Uhaul; one eye clamped shut, rocking that stupid facial contortion that resembles a painful half-grin. You look like the Penguin. And your eye is actually dissolving inside the socket. And you really didn't even want this dresser in the first place, but your mom said that "it matches the other furniture" and it just wasn't worth the debate.

So, rounding out the theme of villainous heat, I present to you Aiden Flint - the essential baddy of our story. Yes, he's a match in a business suit.

Sweeping the Public.

So, for my first official update since going public, here's Gumshoe and Jimmy Lint - two officers from the story who play vital roles in the apprehension of our villain. Soon, I will be adding a character page to give everyone some sort of an idea as to who's who in this whole thing.

Jointly, I think a celebration is definitely in order.

Only a couple days after my public commitment on Facebook to make this graphic novel a reality, over 100 people have already been swept into my dustpan of followers. This is truly flattering, and quite a surprise to be honest. Just to know that there's even a remote interest by anyone to see this book happen is a wonderful feeling.

The launch of this project came at the hands of a very nervous, and intimidated artist. Committing myself to something like this is very different than anything I've ever done before. The past month has been spent prepping for when I actually do begin laying down pages for the final product (my aim is to complete page 1 on July 1st). And I think I was reluctant to release an idea into the world that hadn't fully matured in its flavor yet. Right now, everything is very much under construction. The blog isn't finished. The art isn't finished. This sentence isn't fini.

Don't worry! The story is complete. But all of the required strokes to paint that picture are still being cast. All of that to say it's a little scary to present this to everyone, asking for the trust that it will see the light of day.

But it's all so groovy, because I'm jazzed about this whole thing, baby. And I think pairing that with your accountability, support, and encouragement are going to be invaluable factors in the development of this book.

These guys here look pretty jazzed, too.