Gabe Sketch

Pencil sketch and text with a bit of photoshop colour - I'm going to try the tea staining thing again but thought I'd better scan it first in case it didn't work - the symbol behind him is a based on the Sigil of Ameth used in Enochian magic (shape-wise that is - the "lettering" is just my made-up symbols - just like John Dee).

Trading cards

I hadn't heard of art trading cards before but they sounded like a fun idea - I drew these while I was watching television - they are trading card size naturlich.The last one was based on a character in "Misfits" which I was watching at the time.

Arachnophobia

Erasable pen drawings

Octopus

Ink and coloured pencil -  I felt like I was doing a colouring in book picture because I drew the inkline first.

Old pages

Was actually productive this week, but I think my computer is soon to shuffle off this mortal coil judging by the noises its making

Anywhoo...
Pretend old book pages - made by printing out text, staining the pages with tea, pressing them with phone books so they are smooth, lightboxing my sketches onto the page,  then inking them and highlighting with colour pencil - I had scanned in and printed a very light version of my sketch on the text page so I could ink it directly, but it faded to nothing when I stained it. Next time I'll pencil over it before staining, which eliminates the light box portion of the procedure - I'm also wondering how colour-fast the inkjet ink is - I'd imagine photocopying or laser jet might be a bit more durable. However quite fun for a first try.

The staining procedure is basically this one over at Propnomicon- and I used this  Lorum Ipsum generator to generate paragraphs of Latin text as well - the paper feels a bit crispy and old too after you soak it in tea which gives it a nice tactile feel.

Sugar Skull

Wanted to do a pic for Halloween but ended up having to do other stuff on the day - so heres a sugar skull doodle for Día de los Muertos

Roof

Just got my roof replaced today which was a surprise because I thought they were coming tomorrow - so I was a bit dazed and confused when I heard the thumping on my roof this morning - I had been worried about the cats being traumatised by all the loud noises - but here is a picture of Giles when they were hammering on the roof directly above him.

Sketchbook

Minerva - another sketchbook page - really, I just wanted to draw an owl.

 The Actuary - character I had drawn a while back - an extremely messy pencil and ink drawing.

Giles - pencil sketch

Sketch of Giles based on a previous photo - colour pencil in a sketchbook

Angel - inked version

Inked version of the angel sketch I did a while back - again done in a sketchbook - the reason it is more elaborate than before is because I smudged it and had to do a "cover-up"

Sketch

A sketch done for Drawing Jam #6 over at Redbubble.

Pencil and coloured pencil in a sketchbook that I finally broke open.

The best thing about the new couch is that it has really wide cushions as backrests - so no more perching on the back of the couch, you can really stretch out and relax

(PS that isn't the colour of the couch, its the ugly but comfortable couch cover)

Cats

 A couple of cat pics taken in the time honoured tradition of sticking the camera in your cats face and taking random snaps.

 Giles is not LOLing

Gile's "throne" - the bribe he got for not scratching the new couch.

Comics Alliance for the Win

When Fred Phelps group picketed Comic-Con (!) the cosplayers and geeks staged the best comeback ever. (I was going to do a search to see why they were picketing Comic-Con but then I decided it probably still wouldn't make sense, even if I know the reason)

via Gods Playing Poker where I was watching this -



I am horrified, outraged and aroused...

Max - Gameplan

The rough layout of this had been languishing in one of my folders for a few years, and the pencils weren't too bad so I inked it - the inking is a bit quick and nasty, but then I realised how much typesetting it needed so stole some magazine covers from the internets (probably replace them later when I can be bothered)- I thought I had made up "Kabbalah for Dummies" but apparently not. (Click to make larger)

Peroidic Tables

A collection of  of arty peroidic tables is pretty much the nerdiest thing I've seen this week. I particularly like the duvet cover but they missed my favourite "Peroidic table of the Rejected Elements" (by Michael Gerber and Jonathan Schwarz)

via Crooked Brains

Rose

Found an old "Rose and Jane" story idea scrawled in tiny doodles on a piece of paper - I'd forgotten about it, but it made me laugh when i read it (I know it's lame to laugh at your own jokes, but it's better than groaning at them) - this was the only panel I'd worked on...should go back and finish some of these stories up one day.

Hallelujah - Inks

Couldn't be arsed doing colours at the moment, so there are more spot blacks than usual (and Steve Yeowell clouds - I keep drawing clouds like that after I got "Red Seas"). Click to make larger

Judge Minty Fan Film Teaser Trailer

Considering this is being done for no budget, parts of this fan based film look quite good. It doesn't focus on Dredd, rather a minor Judge character who has taken the long walk to the Cursed Earth.
via Judge Minty Blog

And there are still rumours of an official Dredd movie being made.

Hallelujah - pencils

Pencils for a one page angels strip - the middle panel is based on a Dore print. Laid it out at A4 and drawn at A3 to try and get over eyestrain when inking, which seemed to work.(click to get a bigger version)

RED Trailer

Trailer for RED (based on the comic by Warren Ellis) actually looks pretty good - and it's a pretty amazing cast for a comic book movie. John Malkovich looks like he is playing the character he thought he was in "Burn after Reading".
As Warren Ellis said "if you don’t want to see a film with Helen Mirren with a sniper rifle, I’m not sure I want to know you.."
via WarrenEllisdotcom

The Fear Hole...

The Fear Hole by Jonathan Wojcik, is an animated flash cartoon about three mad scientists, their janitor, and the horrible creatures that emerge from their dimensional vortex. It's all kinds of wrong.

Pencil Sketch

Pencil sketch done whilst half-heartedly watching "Numbers" which seemed to be going on about some spiritual drivel. (Going to Cern would be boring for a scientist apparently). Tinted in Photoshop with a "cutout" filter background. Not a great likeness, but tinting pencil sketches is a lot of fun I've decided, and doesn't take much time.

Nyarlathotep - colour

Colour version of the Nyarlathotep sketch I did some weeks ago

After the Rapture Pet Care...

Oh boy, those heathen pet-sitters have an add now...
Thank you Videogum

Making a Kindle Book

I always like playing around with new technology, so when a friend bought a Kindle e-book reader recently, I investigated the process involved in making a Kindle e-book. For those not in the know a Kindle is one of the new e-book readers that are appearing on the market - this one is put out by the large online book seller Amazon.

Firstly I checked if they took any rights, and it appears that the rights are retained by the author (as it should be) - so you can publish your book on other websites and other platforms as well - according to Amazon's Terms of Service -
"you retain all ownership rights in and to the copyrights and all other rights and interest in and to your Digital Books. We retain all ownership rights in and to the copyrights and all other rights and interests in and to the Program and the Amazon Properties"

It's not actually necessary to own a Kindle to turn your book into their format, or to buy their digital books, as you can download the Kindle application for free for a variety of platforms (eg PC, Mac, Blackberry etc) from the Amazon website -
Kindle Applications

You do however have to create an account to use the Digital Text Platform which is the e-publishing interface - however if you already have an Amazon account you can use that instead of creating a new account.
Digital Text Platform

Once you have logged on you come to the "Bookshelf" page which allows you to enter the book details and upload your book.

By clicking the "Add a New Title" button (at both the top and the bottom of the screen) it allows you to enter your book details such as title, author and information about publishing rights and upload an image that will be used on the product display page (make sure it's a good image and is the correct dimensions, or it may get distorted).

To upload the book you need an HTML file or a word document - there are hints on formatting in the help section - I filled in the details and uploaded a simple word file in about five minutes. Once this is done you can preview your book - a new window appears which simulates how the text will look on a Kindle screen and you can flick through the pages.

 If changes need to be made to the formatting, you can save as a draft and when you have uploaded the tweaked version you can press "Save and Continue" and enter the "Rights and Pricing" information. They offer different options of 30% or 70% royalties based on the list price you have chosen, with different conditions on each of these options.

Once that is done you can click "Save and Publish" and the book will be sent to published status. It take approximately 48 hours after you "make it go live" to get approved, and then it's in the Kindle store. This means it has a product page and the book details are added to the search index and anyone can buy it - when i tried it out I initially made the list price $1 (the minimum) but Amazon adds $2 for a wireless delivery charge making it $3.

If you go back to your "Bookshelf" page all the titles you have uploaded will be there and you can add new books, or by using the "Actions" button you can make changes to your details or "Unpublish" a book.

So very easy to publish - unless you get a lot of buyers you aren't going to make a huge amount of money, but you aren't risking money either and it gives a book an instant worldwide availability.

Written for Book Coasters

The Lurking Fear

A Lovecraft/comic film noir pastiche - the animation is a bit crude (but seeing it's one guy doing it, understandable) but the backgrounds are fantastic

The Lurking Fear Part Two

via Ectoplasmosis

The Bronte Sisters

Oh my, I think this is the best thing I've seen this month...
via The Art of Darkness

The Statement of Randolph Carter

Adaptation of a Lovecraft short story - although the animation isn't particularly polished it works rather well.
via Ectoplasmosis

Say it with Triffids

Sketch I did last year that I had kind of forgotten about (stuff happened while I was drawing it) - just sorted all my various bits of paper into a folder so I can keep track of stuff I'm working on.
The orchid design is based on the 1980 mini-series of "Day of the Triffids" (not the recent mini-series which was horrible, just horrible)

Cyaegha - painted

Colour version of the cyaegha sketch I did a few weeks ago - the mottled effect on the skin was a happy accident when I accidently overlayed a fragment of old text on the picture, instead of putting it underneath.

Scooby Doo - Mystery Incorporated

Warner Bros. Animation's next Scooby-Doo series, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, is set in a haunted town known as Crystal Cove, the series will air on Cartoon Network on Monday, July 12, 2010.

Ray Harryhausen Donates Models to Museum

Pioneering special effects guru Ray Harryhausen has donated his models and props to a Media Museum in England to preserve his legacy. Although the effects look slightly jerky now, it shows what painstaking model work and clever editing can do - and I still think they look great - I've loved stop motion since i was a kiddie and saw the Rankin Bass specials.

And speaking of special effects - the state of zombie decay from Frank Darabont's version of "The Walking Dead"

via Propnomicon

Angels - Hallelujah: On Hold

Had forgotten about this strip, so seeing it was practically finished....
(click to view larger - almost more text than Prof Sus, I'm quite proud)

Judge Death

Judge Death pencil sketch (with some uninspired Photoshop colours) for the Judge Death sketch thread at Red Bubble

Lesson Master

Ben Hutchings "The Lesson Master" for the Pulp Faction Sketch Challenge - I guess he is kind of an Angel - an Angel of Lessons!(click to make larger)

OK Go Staring Competition

OK Go are know for making their own music filmclips and staged this staring contest at the Webby Awards.

Angels - Ornamental

Ornamental angel drawing in pencil (colour changed in Photoshop) - stylistical strongly influenced by the works of Harry Clarke.

Angels - Gabe Woodcut

Tried doing a woodcut style pic - nicked stylistic elements from quite a few medieval woodcuts - I drew it in pencil and then cleaned up my erasure lines in photoshop and applied the "stamp" filter which smooths and blackens the lines making it look more "woodcutty".

Angels - Legion

Had fun doing the Lovecraft theme sketches so for the next week and a bit I might try angels theme sketches (guess I'll have to draw Castiel on Thursday, ha, ha). Any requests would be gratefully received as it means I don't have to think too much.

Above is a pencil sketch of Paul Bettany from "Legion" - didn't nail the likeness, and I mucked around with the tats and wings, but liked it enough to give it a quick colour job. "Legion" certainly wouldn't win any Oscars but I thought it had some nice creepy moments and some silly angelic shenanigans, so for a lower budget B movie I enjoyed it.

Babelcolour Rap

Dr Who vs Emimen vs Yakkity Sax - yep, that says it all really.
via Topless robot

Pigeon Impossible

Very cute animation short by Lucas Martell

Shuddering Sunday - Chthonian

Chthonian - the earthquake worms have always been one of my favourites.
.
"Flowing tentacles and pulpy gray-black, elongated sack of a body...no distinguishing features at all other than the reaching, groping tentacles. Or was there—yes—a lump in the upper body of the thing...a container of sorts for the brain, basal ganglia, or whichever diseased organ governed this horror's loathsome life!"
—Brian Lumley, The Burrowers Beneath

Migo, the Fungi from Yuggoth complete with Brain Cases - this sketch needs fixing as the hind ermm... legs of the Migo should be larger and stronger and the brain cylinders are incorrect too. Should have read the description in "The Whisperer in Darkness" before I drew this.

Fiendish Friday - Nyarlathotep

Nyarlathotep for Scott

"And it was then that Nyarlathotep came out of Egypt. Who he was, none could tell, but he was of the old native blood and looked like a Pharaoh. The fellahin knelt when they saw him, yet could not say why. He said he had risen up out of the blackness of twenty-seven centuries, and that he had heard messages from places not on this planet. Into the lands of civilisation came Nyarlathotep, swarthy, slender, and sinister, always buying strange instruments of glass and metal and combining them into instruments yet stranger. He spoke much of the sciences - of electricity and psychology - and gave exhibitions of power which sent his spectators away speechless, yet which swelled his fame to exceeding magnitude."
—H. P. Lovecraft, Nyarlathotep

I kind of like the idea that Nyarlathotep was based on Tesla so I put plenty of electricity into this one.

Chaotic Cthursday - Shub-Niggurath

Shub Niggurath for Louise

I usually do a bit of web search before I draw things just to clarify what they are supposed to look like and sometimes you end up finding gems
Propnomicon is a site dedicate to making Cthulian props (for Live action roleplay I assume) - like the HPL Historical Society some of the props are amazing detailed. It inspired me to give an old book page a go for this illo.
I was too lazy to "age" the paper myself so used a couple of the paper textures available on the net. I was a bit headachy due to moving furniture around most of the day, so the insane scribblings weren't too hard to do.

Writhing Wednesday - The Great Race of Yith

The Great Race of Yith for JB
"The members of the race took over the bodies of a dormant cone shaped beings. These beings were immense rugose cones ten feet high, and with head and other organs attached to foot-thick distensible limbs spreading from the apexes. They spoke by clicking or scraping huge paws or claws attached to the end of two of their four limbs, and walked by the expansion and contraction of a viscous layer attached to their vast, ten-foot base".

Ooooh - creepy puppet Yithian

Tenticular Tuesday - Cthulhu

From the depths of his bath in great R'lyeh
Dread Cthulhu arises.....

A Cthulhu for Nik (drawn yesterday and coloured today).



Cyaegha - Great Old One