Tuesday, May 24, 2011

more stuff...



Here´s another little piece of my mind. Plus, you have a sketch from HTSWR #7. Here´s TITO wearing something I thought was very clever and then I found via google that the hoodie actually excists. I like mine better though.



I´ll be seeing you around hommies.
Peace.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Montevideo Comics 2011

La edición de éste año de Montevideo comics (MVDC) fue un éxito, por lo menos a nivel personal.


No solo marca el reencuentro con amigos a los que veo poco, sino que además sirvió para hacer vínculos con gente nueva. El 2011vio además un montón de lanzamientos en lo que respecta al mercado local, dando la pauta de que el comic Uruguayo está vivito y coleando. Marcando que la producción no cesa y que los nuevos talentos siguen apareciendo.


También sucedió éste año un evento más que significativo. Se creó la Asociación Uruguaya de Creadores de Historietas (AUCH!) apoyados por el MEC y frente a escribana pública. Fuimos un montón los que estuvimos presentes a la hora de firmar el acta de creación de la misma, formando un grupo de miembros fundadores bastante grande. Estoy MUY orgulloso de formar parte de ésta organización y muy agradecido de que me hayan invitado a formar parte de la misma.

Parece que la convención crece año tras año, llamando la atención de más gente y más medios que la cubren. Mucha gente disfrazada, muchos stands, mucho comic. Así vale la pena darse una vuelta por la capi una vez al año por éste evento.
Ojalá para la edición del año que viene pueda presentar algún trabajo nuevo ya que hace mucho tiempo que no publico en Uruguay. Con la excepción de la página que hice para los amigos del grupo GAS he brillado por mi ausencia en estas últimas dos ediciones, que son las primeras dos que me ven de vuelta por el país.


Es muy lindo lo de poder sentarse a tomar unos mates y hablar de comics con gente como Santullo, Bergara, Peruzzo, Maco, MaGnUs y unos cuantos más que disfrutan de éste sano vicio que son las historietas. Nada como aderezar eso con una VAGON dedicada al gran y mega talentoso Renzo Vayra recién salida del horno y entregada en mano por el artista. Hay fotos de la gente y de las cosas vistas y firmadas en Facebook (por si alguno se quiere dar una vuelta y mirar un rato).

Por una vez en el año puedo decir de forma totalmente honesta (y citando a Ricardo Montaner):

SOY FELIZ!!

More to come…

Saturday, May 7, 2011

My thoughts on Inking.

Well, let´s put it this way, inking its a part of the comic book process as much as lettering it, there are great inkers on the business. I just don´t enjoy doing it.
That being said, once you´re in the ballroom all you can do is dance. It becomes fundamental when you are making black and White comics, but in the overall picture of the industry today it has become sort of an unnecessary trait.


It is true that back in the day it was mandatory in order to get the book to print because of the printing tecniques at the time. It wasn´t posible to reproduce pencil and make it look nice, especially when you consider that the artwork had to be reduced, hence the lines resulted thinner.

Anyway, technology overcame that problem and nowadays we can print straight from the pencils and even tweak them to give them a feel of ink. To me (personally) find inking to be a very taxing matter because it is actually drawing everything twice. It´s not only redundant but very time consuming.

On the other hand, when you face an inked page in your hands it looks just gorgeous. It adds some drama and even gravitas to the line, making it pop out of the page. If you happen to be doing comics in Black and White like I am, then you are in dire need of inking your work. Not only because it makes it look better, but because it helps you to become a more integral artist. So if you haven´t acquainted yourself with the media, you need to get at it, pronto.


Brushes become an obsession, you are constantly looking for the one that suits you better. You buy them in all sizes and shapes. Short bristles, long bristles, synthetic or real hair, flat or sable, you name it, it´s gonna end up in your bunch. When you are not familiar with the whole process it´s good for you to study a bit. Read a book or two, maybe even watch a few videos that you can find online, but above all…PRACTICE!

If you are not sure just make a search of some pencilled artwork on the net and then trace over it using india ink, a brush, a crow quill and/or some technical pens. Choose your poison and get to work.

Here you have a couple of examples I´ve made over time to get fluid when ink needs to be spilled. I chose two of my favorite artists and then traced over their sketches. Maybe if you don´t like the first time you do it you can do it again a couple more times, the thing it´s to become good when it comes to choosing the right line and line weight as it is your decision if you have more tan one posible option to go with.


Sometimes you just click and it flows, others it becomes a pain in your butt. I suggest that if you are trying to become a better inker just practice and then practice some more. You might not like it, but someone has to do it.

One thing I do to keep me interested in the process it´s keeping the page clean. By this I mean just working on a very loose layout when I´m inking my own work, that way I can finish the page on the inking stage. This allow me to keep drawing, even it is with the brush instead of the pencil. If I´m working with someone else then it´s a completelly different ball game. Then I try to keep very tight pencils, leaving room for the inker to choose the thickness of the lines and maybe dropping some shadows.


I don´t know, here I am, rambling about something no one asked me about. Well, I guess that´s the Price for having a voice and something to say. Boy, having a blog sure it´s fun [and it can be educative as well]!!!!
More to come.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Therapy revelations.

In 2010 I started the long and way overdue process of therapy (how very modern of me!) and through this I have come a few discoveries in my life.
This is a section with some of the revelations I’ve made with the help of my psychologist. Some are funny and some are a little more tragic. In any case, they are another unrequested window to my head. Let the healing begin. Enjoy.
The funny thing it's I don't know whether nobody's watching or noboby cares.Take your pick.

#8:The truth its uglier than "Ugly Betty"



Plus, here´s a little something extra that I found browsing the internet. Its from the book LOST AND FOUND by SHAUN TAUN. I really liked that book based on what I was able to see online. If someone feels like giving me the book as a gift, I won´t complain.


´Nuff said, true believers.
May the force be with you.
More to come

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Una historia verdadera.


Todo lo que pasa acá es estrictamente verdad. Salvo lo que es mentira.
Así son las cosas en el Instituto. Such is life, in Uruguay.