Sketches for letches
Working out some stuff in preparation for a larger drawing. For the purposes of what I was working on, it wasn't necessary to struggle with drawing her feet, which is why her legs end in tubes.
Proudly presenting pussycats
Yes, I am the proud adoptive parent of a beautiful Jenday Conure by the name of Baretta, thanks to my bestest friend weeblondhooker, who signed the adoption papers and paid the fee in my name. He's a resident of
The Central Virgina Parrot Sanctuary, where he hangs out in a cage-free environment (Sweet!) He likes chewing on buttons, looking at his reflection in mirrors, recreating scenes from the musical 'Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," and shrieking at the top of his tiny lungs. And here he is!
Thanks,weeblondhooker!
After a long, arduous search across five continents, the latest incarnation of Stuart Stratu, editor of the infamous Australian comix zine SICK PUPPY, has been discovered!His twisted spirit is currently inhabiting the body of one Maxwell Black. And like any self-respecting avatar of an eldritch spirit force should, he's got his own LJ page: blackguard23
So go, unworthy minions, and friend him! And there behold the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy: a new zine, with the name BLACKGUARD, currently accepting submissions for the first issue. Theme: Religious crazies! Go to blackguard23 for full details.
Good to have you back, Maxwell/Stuart!!!!!
I had originally planned to include a dark-and-dank-forest background for this drawing, but after inking the main characters I preferred it the way it is. The lack of a background gives it more of an illuminated manuscript feeling (or am I deluding myself?) that I find more compatible with my stoic expression as I kill the demon and ruin everyone's fun. This was obviously inspired by all the myriad representations of St. George slaying the dragon; I love how in so many paintings depicting this scene, old Georgie has such a bored, ho-hum look on his face. I suppose it's meant to convey a state of beatitude, but it often comes across as if he's debating whether to have Mexican or Chinese for dinner. There was also originally supposed to be a caption reading "Saint Hugo Defeats the Time-Traveling Disco Demon," but I decided to leave it out.
For those playing along at home who are wondering whether I've resolved my endless internal debate over whether to devote my time to illustrations or to comics, I'm reporting that I've spent most of my time in the past week or so completing the pencils for a couple of comics that I hope to ink soon. I'm also working on writing/laying out a couple more stories. So, for the time being, I guess that means I've decided in favor of comics, but circumstances kind of made the decision for me because in the past month I've gotten a lot of requests for comics from people, and I want to take part. So, comics it is, then. (But they still take too fucking long!!!!)
I was going to whine about learning Photoshop and how I just want someone to do it for me, but I'll save that for another post. This one already violates my keep-it-brief policy. It's so fucking hot that I can barely form a coherent thought (hence all the long convoluted sentences), so perhaps it's best that I sign off now.
We have a winner in last week's cartoon caption contest. It's none other than
subweird ! He'll be receiving a prize package so fucking amazing that it will fulfill not only all his dreams, but also those of his forefathers. I shit you not! and here's the winning caption
Every year for, the past 10 years or so, I’ve done a birthday drawing for my friend Frau Krull, who now lives in Berlin. Her birthday is near the end of October, which usually means she starts asking (pestering) me to send her a drawing around August or so. And I really owe a lot to her for it. From about 2004 to 2007, I had pretty much stopped drawing and didn’t think I’d ever really get back to it. Frau Krull wouldn’t take “no” for an answer, however; she wanted her birthday drawing! For those years, her birthday cards would be one of the few things I’d draw. And each time, afterwards, I’d think, “You know, that was kind of nice. Maybe I should go back to drawing.” She kept me connected with drawing, and even though she lives all the way in Germany now, she’s still a tremendous source of support to me, as she has been for the past 10 years (and believe me, I really SUCKED hard 10 years ago!) She’s always not only encouraged me to draw, but to keep it sick and dirty too, and for that I’m grateful.
So, here’s a few of Frau Krull’s birthday cards from previous years. I hope I have the chance to draw many more.
The inside reads “And in your case, they’re right!” Awwwwww!
A self-portrait as a little bird
This only works if you speak Italian and know who Dylan Dog is. He’s a famous Italian comics character (Frau Krull is originally from Italy). And yes, Groucho Marx is his sidekick, and he plays the clarinet. (And no, Frau Krull is not a Nazi; the swastika on her shirt refers to a private joke. I know, one shouldn’t joke about such things, but look who you’re dealing with.)
This one’s pretty much a collection of private jokes, but I like the inking.
7 or 8 years ago I tried my hand at doing single-page gag cartoons in the hopes of selling them to HUSTLER (ideally) or other porno mags. I was met with naught but rejection and quickly bagged the idea, but I've dug out a bunch of them to post here. The cartoon below never got inked and submitted. I had a caption in mind for it, but it got separated from the sketch and for the life of me I cannot remember what it was. So, in the spirit of THE NEW YORKER's cartoon caption contest, I invite you to make up a caption for the cartoon below. And no, I really don't think you have anything better to do. So, have at it. The best caption will win some kind of prize. Yipee!
I had plans to do a series of these HUGO'S HANG-UPS comics detailing my various obsessions and neuroses, but now I don't know if I'll go ahead with it. Not just because I'm not crazy about this particular idea, but because, in a larger sense, I'm really struggling with whether or not I should do comics at all or just stick to drawings/illustrations. On the one hand, I love comics and I have a whole bunch of ideas for stories that I'd like to develop. I also wonder if there's really any point to doing the drawings I do; they get repetitive, and there's little chance to really delve into anything funny or interesting beyond the surface level. The whole focus is on the drawing,on the craft, which I'm afraid gets a bit stale for the viewer. Like I said, I have a whole bunch of ideas and storylines sketched out....it's just that comics take so fucking long!!! And I really don't know if it's worth doing all that work. By the time I get to inking a story, I'm so fucking sick of it and anything that seemed funny or compelling to me has long since drained away. (To say nothing of doing all the lettering! Ugh!)There's also the fact that, in order to draw the same character over and over, I have to simplify my drawings to such a degree that it really becomes a bit boring for me. This is probably an issue that a lot of comic artists struggle with, but I'd like to be good enough to draw really detailed and interesting subjects in every panel; thing is, I don't see myself getting this good anytime soon. So, that's the whole issue....I really can't decide. In any event, here's this comic, for what it's worth. While the original artwork is admittedly pretty crappy , keep in mind that this is a scan of a copy.
A new comic by my nephew. This was supposed to be a collaboration, but I ended up only writing the words "Tree Monster" in the title.
I'm trying to get my nephew into drawing more and making comics, but, unfortunately, he'd rather play baseball. I think I may need to find a nerdier nephew. As it is, there's a danger of my forcing him to do things he doesn't want to do, like every other stupid adult. See, this is one reason why I don't want kids--screwing them up and getting them to hate you just seems inevitable!
I did take him to see WALL-E yesterday, which I really enjoyed. Actually, I would have been happy if the whole movie were nothing but the title character tooling around the post-apocalyptic Earth. The desolation and decay were really beautifully done.
This one's from 7 or 8 years ago.
Practice safety with fireworks this Independence Day weekend, kids, especially if you're an artist! I don't want anybody losing fingers now. You'll have to learn how to draw with your other hand, which will of course fuck up your brain wiring, or with the pen in your mouth, which causes a lot of unsightly drooling. Be good and just watch the fireworks on the television, ok?