Who Watches the Writer?

One day last week I sat down to write and I found this exquisite little guardian watching over my work. This perfect little Zita the Spacegirl peg doll was made by a friend and, as little surprise gifts often do, it appeared at just the perfect moment.

Now this tiny guardian sits on my desk to remind me that however much action and world-building I include in this third volume, the heart of a story is it’s characters.

Less is More but More is Also More

Blog updates might become spotty these next few weeks. I’ve been writing writing writing, growing and developing the story for Zita 3 (and a couple other stories, truth be told). It’s coming along and I’m very much enjoying the process this time around. For this third graphic novel I find myself working with a little more confidence. That's a big deal for me. But at this intense stage it probably means fewer robot comics. Fewer, but not none.

In the meantime, and for today, here are a few odds and ends from my current sketchbook:

Robot Comic #11

(newspaper format here.)

This one's dedicated to Anna, who loves her garden and thought it would be cool to see the robot watching a parade of vegetables.

I've been pouring my creativity into a variety of projects lately, and thinking more about the ebb and flow of good ideas. It's always interesting to me to get a peek into the minds and processes of other artists and storytellers, particularly those I admire. I make no secret of the fact that I'm a fan of Joss Whedon, and I really enjoyed reading this Q&A with him (from the SXSW music and film festival in Austin).

Another author/creative person who's process I got to peek into lately is Cory Doctorow, thanks to a little book I found at the library (all hail the new book shelf). It's called The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, Plus..., and it contains an interview and a fascinating look into his views on copyright and Digital Rights Management. I'd recommend this slim volume for anyone even tangentially interested in how information is passed around.

Robot Comic #10

Hey guess what guys? It looks like spring is here in my neck o’ the woods. And nothing says “spring” like ROBOT COMICS:

(newspaper format here.)

You might notice some smearing in the first panel, particularly around the word “ping.” One of the things I’ve been trying to do with this little comics series is to "keep it real" by using as little photoshop as possible. In this age of photoshop and other digital drawing tools it’s very easy to make corrections, but there’s also a temptation to become a sloppy artist. If one panel turns out poorly you just think “I’ll fix it in photoshop.” I do this all the time. I’ve even found myself, while drawing in ink, making a stray line and thinking "undo." There's no undo command in real life.

So the comics in this series appear as scanned. I only use Photoshop to cut out and line up the panels vertically for blog posting.

One a more melancholy note, this weekend saw the passing of comics master Jean Giraud (Mobius). I admit that I’ve been only peripherally aware of his work, but even the little I’ve seen has cemented him in my mind as one of those artists that can transport you instantly to far flung worlds that are distant, alien and yet familiar and complete.

Here is a little write up by First Second’s Mark Siegel, and a short video where you can watch him draw.

Drawings on the Tablecloth

Few people take as serious a view of life as one-year-olds.

I’m back from a two week long visit with my wonderful family in Indiana. In spite of the fact that we all got the flu, it was still a golden time. I caught up with old dear friends and discovered a great new activity: drawing on restaurant tablecloths! The paper ones, of course.

My best childhood friend, Denver, has a weekly gathering of friends and fun people at a downtown bistro. When multiple conversations are happening at once, pulling out the old micron pens seems only natural. Drawing comics and snippets of conversations is fun enough (I could do it all day) but drawing on such an obviously disposable surface makes it easy to keep the drawings quick and loose and lively. (a nice beer helps too).

Here’s a sort of recreation of a picture of Denver and me:

Of course if you want to see a real master sketching comics in a bistro, check out this little trailer for the documentary about Joann Sfar.