Had some extra free time this weekend as a result of the wet weather. I was inspired to make another dog-centric diversionary rootin’ tootin’ picture post (who knew this was going to be a reoccurring theme?).

You can find my new “Lost Dog Photo Comic” here. I didn’t know what section to put it in so I created a new one titled “Photoshop Fun.”

Happy browsing and stay dry!

Just in time for the holidays, my Random Bonus Ramble webcomic is finished and ready for your digital-package-opening, experimental-navigating pleasure/displeasure. As much as I’d love to go into greater detail about the trying trials and tribulations leading up to this momentous occasion (and, yes, I say that with a hint of sarcasm) I’m unfortunately woefully behind on my sleep/Christmas shopping so I’ll keep this brief:

Happy Holidays and hope you dig the comic!

Random Bonus Ramble Reading Tip- I recommend viewing the webcomic on a touch-screen device if you have one handy (the bigger the better). If you’re on a standard computer hit the F11 key (ie full screen mode) for an easier to read, more engrossing experience.

Slowly but surely making progress on my next experimental Rambles webcomic. I emphasize “experimental” this time because it’s the first comic I’m attempting to illustrate entirely in the computer (as opposed to drawing and inking traditionally with pen and paper).

In order to achieve this goal I dedicated the better part of last week familiarizing myself with new comic illustration software (Manga Studio EX 4) and was able to use the program to digitally pencil the first few panels of the latest comic. I was very impressed with the results but unfortunately I didn’t get much further in the production process before the program started crashing due to memory issues. Convinced that my “memory hog” operating system known as Vista was at least partially to blame I went ahead and upgraded to Windows 7. When that didn’t solve the problem I jumped ship and started to learn ANOTHER illustration program instead (Corel Painter 11).

When attempting to digitally pencil the next set of comic panels in Painter I was initially impressed solely by the fact that the program seemed much more stable than Manga Studio (ie no crashes). After extended use though I found Painter to be lacking the features I’m looking for in an illustration program (it’s focus is on painting and my focus is on pencil and ink). I particularly found the Painter pencil tool to lack a natural look and feel, especially when compared to the one in Manga Studio.

After deciding that the penciling process was taking longer than necessary with undesirable results in Painter I decided to jump ship BACK to the more appealing interface/toolset (and more buggy) Manga Studio EX 4. Determined, once again, to fix the memory crash issue I did some in-depth googling, document file size reducing and extensive computer cleaning/defragging and ultimately, finally (hopefully, fingers crossed) solved the problem. Phew.

Anyway, sorry for the tangent. Like I said before I’m slowly but surely making progress. The first major hurdle (setting up my computer for digital comic illustration) is behind me and I’ve just cleared the second hurdle (finished the digital pencils). Next hurdle: digital inking, which I’ve already had some experience with so I don’t anticipate any major issues (double fingers crossed). Wish me luck and stay tuned for the new webcomic later this month (double fingers and toes crossed).

After crossing paths with bears, moose and porcupine in September you’d think I would have become jaded when it came to wild animal encounters. Little did I know that the single most memorable natural encounter that I’ve ever witnessed was yet to come and would happen a mere two miles from my apartment. For those who didn’t already hear about it on the national news I’m talking about the unusually long and unusually close visit from a group of humpback whales off the shore of Santa Cruz in late October. I was fortunate enough to kayak out on a Friday afternoon a mere half mile beyond the end of the wharf and found myself in the midst of a humpback whale feeding frenzy. You’ll find a few of the pictures I took above. Suffice to say it was an awesome and surreal experience that I won’t soon forget.

That said I want reassure everyone that despite the nature photography kick I’ve been on the past couple posts I will be bringing the focus back to bread and butter comic updates soon. I’m caught up on work deadlines and am finally getting started on the Random Bonus Ramble webcomic that has been filed away in the current project section (see right column) for far too long. Stay tuned for a new webcomic or an update on the status of a new webcomic (I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s the former) in the near future.

Been away from the website update scene for a while in part because of my overly-hectic work schedule (more on that in a future update) and partly because of my 11-day Alaska cruise/expedition with the family! We had a wonderful trip that involved hiking, biking, zip-lining and jet boating in, around and above the last frontier. I’ve uploaded a photo travelogue of our Alaskan adventure which features some of our main destinations (Ketchikan, Skagway, Mendenhall Glacier, Hubbard Glacier and Denali) as well as four new Alaska-themed desktop wallpapers.

Thanks for checking in and keep your fingers crossed that I’ll be able to free up enough time to make an Alaska-themed webcomic soon.

Because my legions of imaginary fans demanded it: it’s time, once again, for another dog-centric diversionary rootin’ tootin’ picture post-o-rama.

First up, an important message for all the irresponsible pet owners who’ve been loitering around my neighborhood lately: YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!

Secondly, (if you’ll allow me to adopt a completely different tone) I made a little digital photo collection of my relative’s vizslas for whom I had the pleasure of petsitting on many occasions over the years. I originally created it to share with family but I figured others might enjoy seeing them as well. Sweet dogs that I’ll always associate with fond memories of exploring the mountains, parks and beaches surrounding Santa Cruz. They will be missed…

While I had a nice break from work earlier in the year allowing me to revamp the site and create some new webcomics I now find myself clocking in massive amounts of overtime to make up for the lost income. Suffice to say there’s not a lot to report on the webcomic production front but I figured I should share a quick update since the last post was over a month ago.

First of all for those of you that are interested in my manga lettering career I just completed work on the five-volume Grand Guignol series pictured above (a title that can best be described as a Victorian-era zombie drama involving mind-control music and giant chain guns). I also continue to work on Saturn Apartments (about futuristic window washers) and Dogs (a John Woo-esque stylistic action romp). In addition I’ve recently taken over the lettering duties for Oresama Teacher (a goofy high school comedy). All and all my dayjob is keeping me very busy at the moment and I feel fortunate that I get to work on such a diverse range of genres to keep things fresh.

Moving on, I’ve also had a chance to make a few minor improvements to the website since my last post. More specifically I reorganized the webcomic section, added bookmarking/sharing links to most of the webcomics, changed the look of the animated shorts section, added a Facebook link to the contact section, removed pop-up windows and added a link to previous posts at the bottom of this blog. The most time-consuming update though is ironically also the least-noticeable: rewriting the HTML code for the entire site so that it conforms with the current standard and, thus, has a greater chance of appearing in search engines (and thus increasing exposure). So far the extra effort seems to be paying off as I just received my first guestbook comment. Woo hoo!

Currently going through a bit of a lull in the webcomic production process as I fix some outdated code on the website. Thought this might be a good opportunity to share a few online comics I’ve enjoyed reading lately. You’ll find the selections organized by length (shortest to longest) so you can pick and choose based on your allotted free time:

JP Coovert’s Adrift is an extremely fun and appealing little webcomic I discovered shortly after my “save a whale, harpoon a poacher” tweet. In addition to being a sucker for anything nautical themed, I also enjoy Coovert’s clear and simple art style which complements his clear and simple message perfectly.

Ryan Andrews’ Nothing is Forgotten is a thoroughly involving stand-alone webcomic that also serves as fitting homage to the work of Hayao Miyazaki. It’s a wordless comic but it certainly doesn’t read like one because the artwork does such a good job of telling the story.

Sarah Oleksyk’s Ivy is a gripping, richly realized “coming of age” story that should strike a chord with anyone that was fortunate enough to survive high school. While I can’t say I can relate to some of the darker situations the main character finds herself in I can certainly relate to the roller coaster of emotions that come with being a teenager (and how said emotions can render one extremely vulnerable to being lead down the wrong path given the right circumstances). I should point out that some of the content may be unsuitable for work and the webcomic is actually the first chapter of a 200 page graphic novel released in February. It’s a comic that can be enjoyed on multiple levels, both on the surface as an involving dramatic narrative and in the smaller details which hint at a much deeper character study. I particularly enjoyed how Sarah manages to mirror the emotional states of her character through the rendering of a telephone cord and her clever use of shadows during a pivotal scene (but you’ll have to buy the book if you want to read that part).

Visited the WonderCon convention in San Francisco over the weekend. I had prepared/printed off around a hundred Random Rambles #2 ashcans the night before with the intent to drop them off at the freebie table (as I’ve done in previous years). Unfortunately the staff there have decided to turn this simple, harmless method of promoting one’s work into a huge hassle. First I talk to the guy manning the freebie booth who tells me I need to go to the press booth on the other side of the convention to get my mini-comic approved. I wait in a long line at the press booth only to find out that the only guy that is qualified for the job of judging the appropriateness of a 5-page mini-comic is on lunch break and to come back later. I come back later, wait in another long line, finally meet the head-honcho of the ashcan approval department, the guy doesn’t even glance at my comic and instead tells me that I’m not important enough to have my material evaluated because I don’t have an exhibitor badge. Well thanks a lot for the massive waste of time fella, why didn’t someone tell me that in the first place?!

Anyway with that whole debacle behind me I took to the exhibition floor, determined that the previous night’s work (and $40 in printing expenses) not be in vain. A couple hours later I had successfully managed to pawn off my entire stack of ashcans to various perusers loitering the indy comics section. I don’t know if my latest promotional stunt was worth the effort, judging from the current state of my website statistics probably not, but I hope, at the very least, I didn’t annoy too many people with my obnoxious, unrehearsed and painfully generic “free comics” hawking.

On the plus side the weather was uncharacteristically spectacular and I ended up spending the majority of the evening outdoors soaking in the spectacular sights and sampling the delectable cuisines from the great city by the bay. Certainly everything didn’t work out the way I wanted it to and I wish I was able to spend more time browsing the convention floor but sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches and make the best of the situation. There’s always next year…