Slow, Steady and clearly not blogging.

I check my last blog post, which was done at the beginning of the new year. In that time I have been slowly and steadily working on things in all areas of my life. I've done a lot of cleaning and organizing, changed a couple of things and finally got around to doing some things I've meant too for possibly years.

That being said, this has not been an easy winter. The weather has sucked and made it difficult to get things done. As we all know for awhile it felt like there was a snowstorm every week. There was a brief period there of little activity, but as I write this, I look outside and see another fresh coating of snow. The weather lulled us into a false sense of security.

Pronto comics is going well. More and more people are getting involved and we are consistently expanding. It is a good feeling, a feeling of accomplishment. My own projects though still remain on the back burner. I have realized something about myself though, that no matter what the situation of my life may be, I can't seem to do just one thing.

I look at the jobs that I work, and right now can't think of not being involved in these things, as I find them important to my life and enjoy them. In essence I am a work-a-holic and i am not sure if this good or bad.

A new year, a new, I don't know.

I don't really like to make resolutions, mostly because I am outstanding already (hears crickets). That was a joke folks.

However there is something about the idea of a new year, newness in general that makes a person want to take some kind of action. Psychologically, I guess it is a convenient transition point. A clear date in which the past is the past and there is the possibility for a clean slate. Truth be told of course, that could be any day, but socially we pick the beginning of January.

It is to this end that I find myself, reorganizing, cleaning and clearing out old things. A shedding of the past, if you will. It creates almost a visceral feeling, like a lifting of weight.

It is a motif in literature and mythology that the hero's physical surroundings is a manifestation of his mental condition. I believe this to be true in life as well. A chaotic and cluttered workspace or living space is the product of a mind in a similar state.

So as I've been cleaning I feel the mental cobwebs clearing out and ideas are coming to my mind. Ideas for Pronto Comics, my website, my schedule, new illustrations, and several other ideas. Hopefully i will be able to get all of them done this year.

Recovered

My schedule finally caught up with me, as I got knocked on my ass by a case of the flu. It came on suddenly and I didn't think much of it, just a head cold. So when I was asked to cover at NCC, knowing I had to be at Dowling by 3 as well, I said sure. I've done a long day like that many times now. By the end of the day though, I was pretty shot.

When I finally got to bed I had chills, body aches and shivers, but I still got up and opened the gym at 5:30. now one of the few up shots of working at a gym is the array of people that you meet, that includes doctors and nurses. I described by symptoms to a nurse and she told me it was the flu. As soon as I could I promptly got myself right back into bed, and stayed there the remainder of the day.

However, not to be a complete slacker I brought the lap top to bed and did some Pronto work, emailing and some other computer stuff. Also I've been able to get to do some inking, which has been fun. This group of stories have been more on the technical side, which reminds me of my patent days and makes me grateful for that training.  

For the most part though if I wasn't at work I took it easy, and slept as much as I could. Today, I finally feel back to normal.

Thankful

I had a good Thanksgiving and I hope you did too.

I spent a good part of it firing the wood kiln at Adelphi. The firing went very well. The combo of dry wood and thickened walls turned the kiln into an efficient jet engine. We achieved high temperatures quickly and used much less wood then we thought we would.

The real exciting part will be Sunday, when we unload the kiln and actually see the results. Considering the success of the firing process, we are hoping that the work will be equally amazing.

Aside from that Pronto Comics is now a publisher on Drivethru.com. It is a comic site that allows creators to sell the comics via pdf files. Its my hope that many of the creators will use this tool and start making some money off their creations and build an audience. Whenever I think of publishing or looking for publishers, m y mind immediately goes back to a graphic novel symposium I attended about 3 years ago. An editor at a publishing company made it very adamant that what they look for is...SALES!

Basically editors and companies want sure things and are not in the business of taking risks. Thus they want to know that there is an audience for the product they are putting out. To that end, I felt it is important for the creators to get their product out there to be sold.

Wood Fire

This week Adelphi will be doing a wood firing, something I have been looking forward too for some time. I've been quietly making a discreet amount of work at Dowling in order to get ready for it. Not a huge amount of stuff, but enough that it will be worth doing.

One thing that I am curious about is this Jack Troy porcelain I got to work a little with. Recently at Dowling we had a guest artist who works with porcelain and she needed some pre-made bowls to demonstrate her carving technique. So I made some bowls/cups that didn't get used and figured since it was a wood fire porcelain, to see how it does in the wood fire.

Also since I had a lot of scrap porcelain and couldn't throw it into the recycle slop, I decided to make a slip out of it. I added extra silica and wood wash to it as well. I glaze fired it first to see if there would be any effect, but nothing. So lets see what the wood fire will do.

Anyway I am exciting and looking forward to it.

Holy Sh*T 200th Post

Well I would like to thank God...



Yeah, OK, anyway back to reality.

So I was hoping that this month would be a little calmer then last, and so far its been a fifty/fifty mix. The first week of November was quiet and I was able to get a couple things I wanted to do done. Last week however, not so much. There were some unscheduled changes, unexpected sub-dates as well as some other surprise events that popped up. This week however, has been calm and I've been able to get a good amount done so far.

There has been a lot of emailing and discussing on the Pronto front. Also a good amount  of editing has been going on as well. A lot of pitches and scripts have been read, some really good ideas out there. One really big thing, is that I've made some serious headway in cleaning my office/studio. Boring as this may sound, it really is very important. As anyone out there has ever had to write a paper and needed to clean their dorm room first knows, there is something cleansing about working in an organized space.

Mythologicaly/metaphorically speaking they say that your physical environment represents your mental environment. I believe this to be true. While everything  was going on and things we so busy, I was just jumping from one thing to the next, not much time to focus my thoughts. I had to just keep moving, and the space around me reflected that. Now, I have a little more time to think, plan and organize my mind has cleared up significantly, which is good cause the holiday season is coming and that a roller coaster in of itself.

Busiest...Month...Ever

You may have noticed I haven't been writing much, (ok who am I kidding, no one reads this thing) there is a reason for that...I've been so goddamn busy I don't know if I am coming or going.

The last post I made I believe was the day after the Comic Con. Of which the bilk of the 1st half of the month was devoted, in addition to the meet and greet meeting that Pronto had several days after. All in all it was a successful turnout. With many people interested in what Pronto was doing and had to offer them.

The week after that was devoted to preparing for a showcase at The Ballroom, which went well.

Now this week, I have been subbing at NCC, on top of working my regular hours and when said and done will have worked 68 hours this week.

The upshot, I should make a nice penny.

The down, I am tired as hell and haven't gotten much Pronto/my work done.

Its all a trade off, but hey I'll be getting a paycheck. So I'm going to call it a win and go home.

Quiet time

So the past month has been a bit of a world wind. If you are one of the no people who reads this thing, you might have noticed the lack of posting. I suppose there were several issues for the insanity: Getting back to work (adjusting my schedule), doing a lot of subbing at NCC during the day and most of all preparing for the big NY ComicCon, which just happened.

Pronto has been preparing for this for several months, printing up fliers, postcards, t-shirts, and most of all comics. I took 3 days off from my other jobs, but it wasn't a breeze in the park. It was hard work for 3 days, a lot of standing, talking, shaking hands and meeting people. In the course of the con, I went to numerous panels, planted post cards repeatedly in rooms and on tables, took a lot of cards and contact information and put comics in the hands of a lot of people. I was even able to do 3 podcast interviews for Pronto. So it was a lot of work, which hopefully, will pay off.

Other things that I have been doing are researching, working at all my other jobs and making some pottery. A couple of months ago I decided to go to the library and look up books on inking, freelance illustration, and marketing. I felt I needed to get more serious about my career and how I approach it. Also I wanted to learn more about inking and the craft that goes with it. I took out several books on comics and noir style of art, as well as general pen and ink illustration. Finally, I've been trying to take out one hour of every shift at Dowling to work on the wheel. I want to focus on making some production pottery to eventually sell online. I did some research into websites that sell crafts and artwork.

So as always I have my multiple irons in the fire...

Back to normail-ish

And so Labor Day has come and gone and summer is unofficially, officially over. This week begins my new work schedule. Today I'll be heading to Dowling to start replenishing glazes and slips and I am sure numerous other things.

Last Thursday we had a Pronto meeting at Pearl Studios, which was successful. A lot was accomplished and we should be coming into the convention season with guns blazing.

For my own work I've begun to update and rework my website, as well as researching marketing again. I am finding that if I make a detailed list everyday of what I need to accomplish it makes it easier for me to stay mentally organized and not get overwhelmed.

One of the reasons, I think, I was not as successful over the summer at accomplishing my goals, was that I wrote large ambiguous goals, like "work on website." Now that is a goal I've wanted to get to all summer long, but thinking about what it entails would often cause "paralysis by analysis." However, by writing down that goal and then writing down everything else that needs to be done:n updating my resume, adding/removing art, looking over the copy helps me realize what needs to done and allows me to focus and attack the project.

It's back to school time

Yep that's right. I went back to my job at Dowling the other day, and it felt like no time has passed and there was no summer. In its own way, slightly bizarre. I am looking forward to being back in the studio though. I really enjoy my job at Dowling, making clay and glazes, loading and firing kilns and helping the students.

Also there is always the upside of being able to make art there as well. I hope to make some work this year as well. I have plans to work on my throwing, make some new busts and sculptures. It should be fun.

On the Pronto front, I have a meeting tomorrow and I finished another overdue page. That means I only have one more to do. Then there will be new pages to do and new projects, which I am looking forward too.

Caught up...a bit

So I caught up a bit since getting back last week. Now I am preparing to go back to work at Dowling, which I am looking forward too.

Right now I am working on my long neglected page for the Pronto Spectacular. I've penciled it and done some inking, and currently coloring it. I hope to have it done by the end of the day. There is always plenty of Pronto work. I've been emailing like crazy, adjusting files and still have several scripts to read.

However, with all this work, I need to figure out a way not to loose what it is that I want to do. Recently I sat down and wrote down all the tings I would like to do. Also I've spent more time making quick lists of the tasks that need to get done on a daily basis. It reminds of something I read in a cookbook, to make lists to keep yourself organized and if you do it enough you begin to think in lists. Mentally able to check things off quickly and succinctly.

The thing to do now is to organize my mind and realize what goals need to to be achieved in what order. Instead of trying to do everything and getting mad at myself for not getting enough done.

Back to work time

So for the last couple of days I was out of town. While away though, and thanks to the wonders of modern technology I was able to stay on top of my email.

So now I have a lot of emailing, and catching up to do. I have a couple of final pages to work on before I get a whole new set of pages to ink by new artists. I am really looking forward to that.

Also NCC is done until the fall, so I am hoping to use this time to get a lot of things done off of my list. .

First and foremost though I need to do some cleaning and straightening out both on the domestic and professional front.

So I will be busy today.

Wrapping it up

So I finished another inking project, which always feels good. Now its time to finish off the last, long overdue project, the Pronto Spectacular! As of now I have 3 pages I need to work on. 2 need to be inked and 1 that I am pencilling myself.

I also have a final due date for them August 19th. Which is good because it makes me have to focus on them.

Aside from that, I've spent most of the day emailing and working on the Internet. Being the Editor-in-Chief is hell on the inbox, let me tell you.

I've also been very bust subbing this summer, to the point that I've been getting paid from NCC on practically a regular basis...that's always awesome.

What amazes me though is the speed in which this summer has flown by. Before I know it I am already in mid-August and soon, very soon, I will be back to work at Dowling. Who knows though, with the limited time left and the finishing of these project will i get the time to work towards my allusive goals, that have attained almost mythic, Holy Grail-like status.

We shall see...

final stages

I am coming to the end of inking...sort of. I am almost done with these last three pages of this story I am working on. As always I am approaching this systematically. Right now I am taking care of all the little details and anything requiring a straight edge of ellipse guide. 

After that I will do all the figures. I like to use quill and brush when working on the figure, it allows for my varied line weights. Where as for inanimate objects, building and backgrounds I am more apt to use mechanical pens. I got this advice from an inker I met last year at Comic Con, Nelson DeCastro. 

Overall these are the easier pages I have been saving for the end. That way my brain is a little less taxed. 

When these are done there are two more pages that I need to ink for another project, the Pronto Spectacular and then there is the very long overdue page I owe for the Spectacular that I am pencilling. 

On top of this it is time again for another Pronto Monthly Business meeting. So I will be spending a majority of my time tomorrow in the city. I am sure I will be busy, as there is always something that needs to be addressed or my attention is sought on some issue. 

It amazes me how fast the summer has gone, and how little I have gotten done on my list. The time seems to have just passed me by. I have been just as busy, but seemingly have just as little to show for it. 

Who knows...   

...and the inking continues

So as the title suggests I am still inking. My plan of attack is/was simple, take on the toughest pages first. Why is this my plan of attack, I have no idea. However, I am happy to get the toughest stuff done first.

These pages are in need of my full attention and a slow approach. They are filled with numerous details and two of them are splash pages.

Aside from that, all the other craziness of my life...continues.

Mid Inking

So I have finished one project and now I am working on another. I about midway into inking the second project in my back log. It is going well, for the most part. I did some limited pencil corrections and immediately began inking the borders and working on backgrounds.

Hopefully, this project will flow easily. I am already enjoying it more, mostly because the e-i-c and editor jobs have been quiet for a couple of days. Speaking of which, because of the recent quiet I've been sending out several emails checking up on things. Granted this might come back to bite me, but I like to know what is going on. All in all though, my main focus now is finishing up these projects and getting them off my to do list.

In other news I've been doing a lot of subbing at NCC this week. That is always good and this week will be Pronto's first social meeting, which I am looking forward too.

Coloring, inkning and moving on

So I have completed one Pronto project. 6 pages inked and colored for the next upcoming space anthology. Now that those projects are done, I can move on to finishing up the other space story I have to ink. Which I am looking forward too.

After that, I have 3 pages for another Pronto project. 2 to ink and one very overdue page that need to be drawn, inked and colored.

Aside from that I am subbing regularly, which is always good in term of money. Also I am working a goo schedule at the gym. However, as I just realized the combination of the 2 jobs will be keeping me quite busy until the following Saturday. Its going to be like the regular semester all over again. So much for having downtime in the summer I suppose.

Its becoming more and more aware to me that I am a work-a-holic. How and why I came to this who knows. I suppose it is a mix of how I was raised and the field I've chosen. It is no secret that my dad always loved his work, and I know I've inherited that same passion. On top of that being in the arts field and out of work/looking for work for so long, I have a very hard time turning down any opportunity to make money. It just goes against my DNA.

As always I am in my constant serach for balance and to reach the big picture ideal. Working freelance as an illustrator/inker, part time tech assistant, writing, and selling my own pottery, sculpture, decorative paintings and merchandise out of my own studio. There is also a personal dream of adding food to the equation. (It always pops up when I watch No Reservations.) I suppose I suffer from having to many interests and passions.

Busy Week

This week just seems filled with things to do both personally and professionaly. Now, I am sure you are asking yourself, "How is that any different then what you've been telling us for over the past year?" Well...um...I really don't know.

I guess its just that it feels "good" busy. I picked up a little extra work at the gym and I am subbing twice this week at NCC, which means some nice paychecks. 

Also though, I am still slow to get things checked off of my personal list of projects, I've been getting things done Pronto wise. I've been coloring those long overdue pages and will be moving on soon to inking the other overdue pages. Then I can finally finish off a couple of other pages on another book. As editor of War, things are starting to come together a little more. 1 story has been accomplished and is currently on prontocomics.com. Finally as E-I-C I am starting a list of things that Pronto badly needs. So that's what I mean by good busy, that I feel like I am getting things done. 

The goal now for the rest of the summer it to get my illustration/comics house in order for the month of July. Then in August to tackle my fine art life. In total I hope to return to Dowling more organized and disciplined then when I left, and with a little luck, a bit wiser. 

Progress

Its slow going, but I do feel like I am getting somethings done. A lot of things have been squared away on the domestic front, which is good. Yard work has been finished, things have been cleaned and the pool has been opened. I only have one more thing I need to accomplish around the house and then the summer will be set.

On the professional organizational front I've typed out and posted my summer list. On it are the weeks of the summer left, my current work schedule, projects I want to finish and the best times to work on things. I hope to get the list done by the end of the summer and plan to do the first half in July and the second half in August. I want it up where I will see it to keep me on point and working.

Finally my mind is coming up with a coloring strategy for some of the pages I have for the space comic. I now have a vision in my mind of the limited palette I want to use for the background and popping out the characters with the colors described by the writer of the characters uniforms.

Last but not least, there is Pronto business, which is a learning experience in of itself. War is coming along slowly and often feels like pulling teeth. I am ready to put forth the new creative guidelines as well, which I've previewed to several key members. There are other things that are being worked out as well.

So as always I am keeping busy.

Checking off the list

So I've been plugging away at a bunch of different things. Right now that consists of getting a bunch of long neglected house projects done. Granted this isn't technically professional, but it is allowing me to clean the cobwebs of mind.

I know it is really just a grand form of cleaning my room before a term paper, but I feel it is quite necessary. I've spent so much time in work mode, just treading water, that it is nice to do something else and take in some oxygen. Also, with all this nice weather, if I don't get it done now, when will I?


Aside from that I am getting a little work done as well, slowly plugging away at it as it were. Also my work schedule seems to have solidified for the summer which is good and a huge relief.

So hopefully by the end of the week/month everything will be squared away and I will be able to devote the rest of the summer to my professional goals again.