Blog for 7-14-2020

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Hey, there sports fans Al here with the latest: In the last few years, I kinda stepped away from doing blogs because as I have said so many times that real life gets in the way of creativity. Well, these days as if that weren’t the case the world is caught in the grips of a virus that people understand little of and heed even less. Rioting and police brutality ringing in the news every day seems now to be the norm. I for one feel that I can create something entertaining and most of all - fun. The artwork has always been an immediate reaction kind of alchemy. Science Fiction I love and it rings of a future that hasn’t been realized yet. Of course, some of the things that I render do from time to time dip into the dark parts of imagination. Richard Parker and his watery adventure are like that. But after working for years on one project and finishing off an illustrative project like Last Monster on EARTH! Sometimes something different needs to be unleashed. And in a way that comes in the form of Corpse Cop #4 Death Walks the Stars”. It ties up loose ends with other comic book characters that I had worked on for the last 2 Decades with a bookend book that brings most of them altogether. I’ve been compiling several thumbnail storyboards for a finish to Corpse Cop. There are other art projects that I have lined up that still need to be plotted out but the first thing is first to finish Richard Parker and Last Monster on EARTH! But a storyteller sometimes needs a little break from what he is working just to be fresh when he comes back. And with that, I am outta here.

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A Daily Illustration

A Daily Illustration

A Daily Illustration with a little digital manipulation. Getting back into the swing of things. Major Tom is back at it again. Floating in space in a most peculiar way. A day illustration was done. 5”x7” scratchboard.#scratchboard #spacemonkeys #pdxart #visualartist

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Blog for July

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Blog for July

After a long break again and real life constantly throwing you a curve you gotta wonder what the “F!”
But for me the artist inside is loving the fact that I have been able to work on many old projects and finish finally the last couple panels of the Richard Parker saga. I swear to God that has been conspiring against (at first glance) me but as I have had the time to look back and re examine what has come before and maybe this was all the way things were supposed to happen.
With the free time of being furloughed but money still coming in art has jumped to the forefront to be completed. In this case a comic book graphic novel that had placed Richard Parker on hold is nearing completion and being prepped to be “handed off” to my editor leaving me free for time to re focus on Richard Parker. This makes me very excited! In a way we’re Richard Parker stated will be finished in the same household. That to me is great and a great accomplishment. The story and art of “Last Monster on EARTH!” was drawn and completed in the same household before I had move again so having Parker finished will be fantastic! Of course I will reference back to the earlier work to bring myself mentally up speed with where my head is at with the story. Once completed with that then it is back to comic book layouts and transfers for the the bookend series for Corpse Cop. Another project that started out as scratchboard and will finish with scratchboard.
AS A SIDE NOTE: the state of the comic book industry has taken some serious hits over the last couple months with the shut down over everything. Unfortunately at times like like in times of war, art and entertainment has always taken a backseat to the world at large. But as the major giants in that industry (that also spurred one of the greatest franchises in cinema history) find themselves scrambling for ways to infuse they books with personal politics and ostracizing other for having differing viewpoints, individuals with creativity have a prime objective in making their work known. This is the best time to strike with new ideas and styles of artwork that have not been seen by the mainstream public. Art should of all things be fun. And that to me is what completely lacking in books being produced currently.
I have a plan and where I want to go with that.
END OF SIDE NOTE.

So there you have it a new path is being forged and

Plotted. So watch here as new worlds unfold!
And I am outta here!

Been off the radar for a while

Been off the radar for a while

Before and After pages continue. In this case "Last Monster on EARTH!" pages 190-191. As I was inking and looking at the conflict I realized that the character of Ro-man just wasn't working. So before doing any digital inking I whipped up a brand new figure and worked in making it more dynamic. If it doesn’t hold your attention you’re not going to read it!

characters have to have a visual weight! The second inked image I think came out great.

#pdxart #visualartist #blackandwhiteillustration #robotmonster #badsciencefiction #comicbooks #indicomics #graphnovel #pdxart #visualartist #art #comics

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A July Statement

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A July Statement

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:
Now as you have noticed that blogging has been excidedantly sporadic over the last year. 
Several factors have added to this least of all as far a blog and a website tied together. Atop that like I have talked about at the other Tales for the Scratchpad at Blogger.com real life gets in the way. No more true of that than changing jobs, moving out and in. All of it. 
But there has been definite image being produced for Black Box Visual Arts. 
There has been some push back from people who want a real cheep illustration. 
With an emphatic "NOPE!" That wasn't going to happen. 
As much as doing commissions for cash helps get things done and out of the way for debt, debasing myself from the years of doing illustration and getting screwed in the process of the work does not set well for me. 
Nor the the experience or this word which come up recently that is becoming one of the words I HATE.

The word is "EXPOSURE".


I think that a lot of people who use that word use it like bait. Now NOT all people use that word for ill but mean it for well intention young artists whom are starting out. BUT for the those practiced individuals who have been around the block a few times selling artwork the term exposure becomes a slap in the face so you can take advantage of a artist's talent that they have honing for years and in some cases decades to be where they are at - to save a buck.
If you want OK art work you pay mediocre, if you want kick ass, you pay high. 
Of course these are not always the norm but generally they are.
So, thank you. I got that off my chest!
There are a couple of images that I wanted to post about The Corpse Cop scratchboard comic book project. It of course like every other art project that I do takes a long time to work on. Just look at the time that "The Watery Adventure of Richard Parker" has been being worked on.
Anyway there you have it and I hope you enjoy it.
And.

I am outta here.

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Two weeks out →

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

It's been a while and  I am still trying to get the hang of this "new" website design. But please bare with me it will be worthwhile. 

I have been working hard to get the NOW IN COLOR (and black and white too!) solo art show up and then turn around and jump into the Richard Parker story line.  

 

 

December Blog and getting close to the end of the year

Hey there Sports Fans Al here with the latest:

Again a long gap between postings but as I have mentioned numerous times over on blogspot.com http://talesfromthescratchpad.blogspot.com/ that REAL LIFE sometimes can really spin you around like a top or better yet like a gyroscope!

After righting myself upright again in looking at getting back on board with these blogs and regular postings.

Hopefully I'm not being over optimistic in this. But from times past I know that if there is still a little bit to go I know I am not far off from achieving what needs to be done.

Art shows have and commissions have consumed me over the last few months pushing Richard Parker's story and Robot Monster's as well.

But as those are getting back too my mind looks forward to something in the Future.

 

Exploration. As in Space Exploration.

.

When I started let my mind wonder about exploration ideas started to run through my unconscious as I scoured the internet for images that were associated with Stanley Kubrick 2001:A Space Odyssey. And what I came up with was rather interesting as I was thinking that Dave Bowman may have eventually devolved never quite becoming the evolved being that was depicted in both 2001 and 2010.

 

There was a line that I had heard a bit on YouTube as I was scouring for info on the TARS robot in Interstellar and had forgotten I had read in Arthur C. Clark’s 3001: The Final Odyssey.

The line is “They didn’t build space ships, they were space ships.”

Just that alone made mind explode and go into overdrive about what I wanted to do for art. It was crazy to think that a single spoken line would spark things back into creative mode after all of the other stuff I was dealing with here and getting things ready for art shows that are going on right now and next year.

The first was the idea of transferring the mind consciousness itself into a virtual immortal body then another idea had hit me a little more closer to this century if mankind were to leave this biosphere and what had allowed mankind to evolve here what would happen to the body over long years in space? Would your physical body undergo some massive genetic change to adapt to space?

Then I thought about a Larry Niven story I had read about the inhabitants of a space exploration had begun to devolve into a more primitive state of existence.

What if the change in Commander Dave Bowman into the Star Child reverted back to a more primitive state physically but allowing the mind to grow because of the physical demands needed to cope in space.

And of course like with all creative minds what if HAL 9000 was mobile? Again I thought of the TARS robot from Interstellar and realized the mixing bowl that is my brain was stirring up a lot f cross overs and I should stop at least to put a image to it.

Ah the mind.

You see this is how my mind works by association.

 

Well without boring you to death I will just finish off this current blog for more later.

 

And I am outta here.

 

New Things Change

SO there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

 

It’s been a dog’s life my friends but rest assured, I’ve been working on many different things and real life got in the way of creativity. And for that I am sorry. Website changes, moving, new 9-5 jobs to deal with have been throwing me a lot of things to deal with but I am getting better about dealing with it.

That and a new computer on top of that.

 

SHOWS:

Now this year has been sorely missing many shows to be a part of because of everything else being so chaotic but I am planning on getting into the BIG 500 this year. There has been a lot speculation that might not be another due to the ever changing landscape of Portland’s art scene.

But I am not worried about that.

Even if there wasn’t another show l would still be turning out work for other places that I have been showing work for the last several years.

So there is that.

 

COMMISSIONS:

This is also something that has been lacking in my world of late but now I have a piece that is nearly completed for a client at my new work place. And of course it is of a nautical nature. A tugboat. Now unlike my other ocean going adventures (like Richard Parker) this is a real tugboat so there is a certain amount realism that needs to be depicted in this image.

But I will have to say that it is looking very good and very close to completion. And that makes me very happy.

 

RICHARD PARKER and his GRAND ADVENTURE.

Of course there will always be Richard Parker. And it continues to grow into a very long and laborious project with fantastic end to the story. The funny thing was friends of mine who were asking about the story and how it was progressing and eventual end gave me some insights into how I was going to end the book.

Lets just use the Hollywood pitch “Jules Vern meets Jacob’s Ladder (the movie)”.

And there you go.

 

There have been a number of new images that have been generated for Parker as in a total of 9 new images and 4 that are being contemplated over. Each new 9”x12” scratchboard continues to become so more complex than the last that I might have to re-render some of the older images to keep everything up to speed visually.

I do know that could be a death knell of a project but I think that when I am done with the work and most if not all the work is completed and scanned in (perhaps with a few tweaks) but when it’s done you’ll understand the effort of putting this together in my part time.

 

And I know the images that keep posting are always all over the board but it is actually there to keep me interested in what I am creating and it keeps it fresh for me at the same time so I don’t become complacent with my own work.

 

I mean seriously for the longest time Parker had no face just a helmet.

 

ANGER BEAST OR THE LAST MONSTER ON EARTH!:

To off set the work with Parker and keep a practiced hand at traditional penciling and inking in comic book vein I’ve settled on the public domain character of Robot Monster to work on. And doing so keeps the art fun to produce.

 

But the hardest thing to keep in mind is making this book and it’s story fun for me to work on. In way I think I can understand how other more famous creators can get bored with their own work and wrote themselves into a corner. At least I have felt that this has happened to a couple good story arcs like Xenozoic Tales, American Flagg!, Dreadstar.

 

And with that I am out here.

 

Been a dogs age...

Hey there sport fans Al here with the latest:

ITS BEEN A DOGS AGE since I have written any blogs and this seemed like the perfect day to write what has been going on with the BOX since last time I posted.

WELL… there have been some new developments when it comes to the website!

That has been the biggest change up for me. I had been so conformable with the Flavors web provider for the last couple of years as well as the price it was costing me per year.

But everything changes and the website was one.

So you see a new format for presentation of work, cost for printing and so on.

I had been lucky enough not to be bothered with shows I wanted to get into or being asked into shows I had not even thought about.

On top of that, commissions had been super slow up till about two weeks ago and within two days I had been hit up for work from three different people. I may even have a forth one coming up for some odd ball kind of work designing the inside of a bill of a baseball cap!

Weird.

Anyway, things are changing even the home life stuff is changing for me. Like moving in with my awesome girlfriend. But all the stress that goes with that.

RICHARD PARKER NEWS!

The Underwater Adventurer that is Richard Parker. And he has as come back with a vengeance! With in a month and half I have turned out another 8 (and counting) new pieces for him. I have no intention of stopping on working on him. I still have a long story to tell but found that there will be great transition for what he experiences with the bends a.k.a. underwater diving decompression.

But unless you are looking for it you won’t know for sure.

It was one way of being able to address why there were mermaids and other creatures of the deep influencing the life of Richard Parker.

All of it should make for a great visual story when it is ready printing.

COMMISSIONS:

As I said there are a number of commissions that are coming up that could be fun to do and I have already started working on one to get going.

 

But that is about it for the kid here, just wanted you to know that I hadn’t completely fallen of the face of the Earth just a lot of things going on all at the same time.

 

Al

Just a new Beginning

Hey there Sports Fans, Al here with the latest:

Well as you can see here is a new website and new blog. 

I am trying to manage this new site the best that I can so please bare with me as I get this up and running.