When the announcement was made that Disney had bought Marvel for four BILLION dollars, it was pretty big news. It remains to be seen how franchises from both companies may intermingle with each other, but there have been tons of great artwork and cartoons based on some interesting possibilities. Here’s my entry.
This was tons of fun to draw, as you might imagine. Took me three evenings, as my time is still stretched pretty thin. And I even posted it without my usual shading or highlights, but I think it came out okay. I may update it later with some embellishments, but wanted to get it out there.
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Way back in October (I think), I entered a contest sponsored by Chuck Jones Galleries. You know, Chuck Jones, the creator of Bugs Bunny and genius behind Looney Tunes cartoons, the animated Grinch special and more.
The idea behind the contest was to “show your memories with your favorite Chuck Jones characters”. Meaning, post a photo and say something about Chuck and your favorite character, whether it be Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, etc. Grand prize was $1,000 cash, $5,000 to spend on Chuck Jones art and a trip to a VIP event at the gallery in San Diego.
Brickfish, the site managing the contest, provided a bunch of stock backgrounds and character art for people to mix and match and make their own creations. I saw this as an opportunity to create something original. Thinking about Looney Tunes takes me back to days of getting up on a Saturday morning and sitting in front of cartoons with a bowl of cereal. At least until the crap cartoons came on around noon, anyway.
I created a scene of me and a long-eared friend sitting in front of the tube, watching “What’s Opera, Doc?” as the sun comes up. I have to say I was pretty proud of it. I’d never drawn Bugs before (that I can remember), even if it was from behind.
I posted the art, along with a blurb about what Chuck’s work has meant to me. To my delight, Craig Kausen (Chuck’s grandson, who also runs the gallery) liked my entry and actually retweeted it several times over the length of the contest. He said I was the only one, as far as he knew, that had created a 100% original piece of artwork.
The contest actually ran quite a long time, so the suspense was a killer. It finally ended in early December, and the judging seemed to drag on equally long. Then on December 18th, I got an email from Brickfish that I’d been selected as Runner Up! Of course, I’d have preferred grand prize, but to be second out of over 1,300 entries is nothing to sneeze at either. I still get $250 cash and $2,500 to spend on artwork. I’m hoping I can get at least one good piece worthy of passing down to my daughter.
Not sure when I’ll actually receive the prize, but I’m thinking of using the money to get an Amazon Kindle. Then again, part of me feels I owe it to Chuck to buy something art-related with it. Still debating.
At any rate, big thanks to the gallery and Craig for the opportunity and for helping keep Chuck’s legacy alive. Hopefully someday I can repay the favor.
Thanks, Chuck.
Sketched this in a meeting today. No idea why we were talking about vikings, but there you go.
Some more sketches, trying to work on some recurring characters. The one that’s loosely based on myself, while not fully-cooked, is probably good enough to throw into a strip. Not sure on the other. The portly character I’ve started playing with still looks like a 10-year-old for some reason.
Just a quick update, yes I am very close to posting new strips. I’ve got several strip ideas plotted out and just have to find the time/motivation/courage to sit down and draw them. I’m finding that the confidence that I’d built up with my first 9 strips completely eroded away during my 3 month hiatus, so it’s taking some effort to get back on the horse.
I recently posted a thread to the Webcomics.com forum, in which I asked for pointers/advice on time management and staying motivated. Mostly, the responses were positive, and a couple were pretty helpful. Some folks, however, suggested that if I were truly serious about doing a strip, I’d make time for it no matter what, forsaking everything else in my life. Thanks, but frankly that’s not an option. Especially as I’ll be a new parent within the next month or so.
One thing I’m going to try to do is more sketching on a regular basis. Normally at work, I’ll heat up my lunch and eat it at my desk. And normally I’m still working throughout and “lunch” only lasts as long as it takes to eat. So I’m making a conscious effort to step away from my desk for lunch and try to do some sketching. My first day of trying this was fairly successful (sketches below).
Right now I’m trying to come up with character designs for at least two recurring characters for the strip. There won’t be any real continuity or back-story for them right now; I just need to have a couple stock characters I can draw quickly, in strips where I’m otherwise not drawing celebrities, etc. I’m also trying to experiment with different styles, too. I don’t want to emulate Penny Arcade or PvP too much, although much is to be learned from those guys. I also am absolutely enamored right now with the style of Dan Schoening (aka, Dapper Dan). His style has a very “animated” feel, but is so clean and fun. Hist latest Ghostbusters pieces are mind-blowing.
So anyhoo, big thanks to everyone that’s been so supportive lately. I really am coming back, I swear 
Had something happen yesterday that has me pretty rattled. Thought I’d share and open up to comments.
Update 08.14.09, 3:50pm: Scott started up a Ustream today, and based on his tweet, I assumed he’d be discussing yesterday’s events. He explained what had transpired to the chat room and asked if I was in attendance, which I was. He then explained a little better what his comments were based on, and proceeded to give a more in-depth critique of my strips. And it wasn’t mean or snarky, but overall good comments. And I think he genuinely realized how his original “you’re fucked” statement must have sounded. I even recorded it, if anyone needs proof
So yeah, at this point, I think I’m fairly satisfied, even though there are a lot of people out there now that think I’m a giant, thin-skinned douche. I’m just a guy trying to get better at his art on the side and just wanted some feedback. That’s all.