Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category

Apparently, there was a (now infamous) Zuda panel at SDCC where the topic of Webcomic Artist vs. Business Person came up. There are two large camps to this debate:

• Those that feel that they shouldn’t have to be both artist and business person
• Those that feel that if those rolls are separated, than the business people will take everything and leave the artists with nothing.

Both camps raise valid points, but I have my own opinion which is, If you want to hand over all your hard work, profit, and rights over to business people (who are not you), then you need to ask yourself why you’re doing this. Is the work so important that you don’t care who makes the money? Or are you just complaining because all of a sudden it just got “hard” and is now feeling like “work?”

If it’s the former then you are a rare breed, but I’m betting you’re the latter, so grow up and join the fucking club! All that discomfort you feel? You’re going to feel that ANYWAY. So why not be in charge? Is your precious artistic inspiration and talent so weak it cannot withstand the rigors of business ownership? I’m betting it can withstand it. But I’m betting you don’t believe it can.

Now I know that people like Scott Kurtz are seeing the value of separating the business and the art, but he still champions the owner owned comic. Understand though, his problems are different from yours. His are the problems of success, so he needs to come at this from the view of a successful person. That doesn’t apply to the rest of us. Not yet anyway.

But I WANT those problems to be my own. I WANT the problems of success. They are exciting to me. Maybe when I’m old and tired, I’ll want to sell everything off, sign over the rights to my work for a big check, move to the woods and live deliberately. That’s actually part of “My Master Plan.” But I will never get to do that if I don’t suck it up and do the work.

So suck it up and do the work, because if you don’t, you don’t deserve success. And that’s the way I see it.

By the way, I’m writing this as much for me as for you. Cause often I don’t wanna work either. It is hard, and frustrating, but nothing worth doing isn’t. So the next time I complain, remind me of what I just told you: You can do this, so suck it up and do it!

All thorughout my college career at The Acedamy of Art I used goauche. When I left I swore I’d never use it again. Now I use it constantly. The good things about it are that the paint can always be reconstituted with water. Another good thing is that it dries matte so it reproduces on a scanner very effectively. Finally, because it’s opaque, you can avoid the muddied colors that you will often get with normal watercolors.

However, there are some things that people say about using goauche that drive me crazy. Among my favorites is the idea that you have to use distilled water, because normal tap water won’t do at all.

Unless you get your water from a well, and not a municipal source (ie, running “tap” water) there’s no reason to do this. None. Nada. Do not bother, you’re wasting time and money. You live in a town with pipes? That’s good enough. Another thing is the idea of using Ox Gall…which is suppossed to do…something. Some people swear by it, but I’ve never noticed a difference between painting that used it and those that don’t. Avoid it, it’s complete snake oil. All you need is clean water.

Finally…people talk about painting surfaces: clayboards, watercolor papers, and special gessoes. STOP THAT! I am going to introduce you to the ONE type of surface you’ll EVER need. Strathmore series 500 bristol paper. This stuff is available in any art supply shop worth spit. No need to gesso it, paint right on the fucker! The paper can withstand huge amounts of punishment and if you tape it down to a rigid surface (say, your artschool binder board or one of those cheap wooden drawing boards) it will dry flat everytime.

Finally, I should address brushes. I’ve been asked many times what kind of brush I use. My stock answer is “The ones that work.” Now, that’s slightly disingenuous of me to say, but it illustrates a point. The type of brushes you use don’t really matter, you’re going to accumulate a huge collection of brushes, just to find the 3-4 brushes you use constantly. The rest will pretty much sit in that old coffee mug you put them all in. Brand will not matter because you will give them names like: Betty, Samantha, Bobby, and “The Tickler.”

Now honestly, I prefer the Winsor Newton sieres 7 sable. But if you don’t know anything alse about that brush, avoid it. You are not man enough to handle such a brush. If you are a girl, you are not woman enough. It’s like the hot love object you have in high school. Unless you’ve already wet your hairs with someone else, you’ve got no chance. Any attempt will be clumbsy, and you’ll just bend it the wrong way. It will be painful…horendously painful.

So what you’ll need:

• Tap Water
• Strathmore sieres 500 bristol paper
• 1.5″ or 2″ Drafting Tape (don’t use your expensive artist tape, idiot!)
• Rigid, flat surface (like your giant clipboard)
• Brushes that work

Now I get the feeling there’s something else… OH YES!

• Hairdryer

Laugh all you want, but sooner or later you’re going to be staring at a surface thinking “Dry you fucker!” A hairdryer solves that. Just make sure it doesn’t spark and you’ll be fine.