The Great Outdoors

I was laid up this past week. As my symptoms subsided, I was greeted by a warm sunny weekend. Taking the opportunity to bask in the rays of the welcome spring-like sun, I watched from a lawn chair as my 3 year old boy tromped through the woods as if he were discovering treasures every 2 feet, and hit everything else with a stick. So I had some time to draw, and I wasn’t willing to give up my basking to hit the PC. So I made a piece in my moleskin. Finished it up at the kitchen table. I don’t know if I’m completely thrilled with it. The forms don’t separate all that well from each other, but it was nice to draw with ink. I’ll figure it out.

Also, the votes for the Thorndyke Photo Contest seem to be winding down. So Tuesday and announce the winner on Wednesday! Get those last minute votes in soon!

Thorndyke Call to Arms!

It’s getting close to the end. The Thorndyke paper-toy submissions end at the end of this month. When we first attempted this contest, Dave laughed at me and said, “Careful, we might only get one entry!” How wrong he was…we got FOUR!!! Pretty dismal. So I am appealing to your childlike desires to steal your mother’s scissors and your older brother’s glue and get crackin’. The four entry’s we do have are pretty hilarious, so be warned…but if you like free stuff, and you’re willing to put a little hard work in, you might find yourself on the receiving end of one of these prizes!! Here’s a link to the original Thorndyke Contest post if you haven’t seen it before. GO FORTH AND CRAFT!

Prizes

1st place receives an original drawing by both Dave and I for your refrigerator.

2nd place receives 2 mini prints from the CreatureBox archives.

3rd place will receive a signed copy of 2009’s sold out Palindrone Robot Supply book from our personal stash.

RustBucket and Rose

I’ve been able to pull off three of the web comics so far for RustBucket and Rose. I kinda just went for it, even though I really should have explored the designs more. That said, after making some adjustments and planning a few more in the future conveniently worked into the story, I’m pretty stoked to be doing the strip on these two characters. Tonight I wanted to do a model sheet for myself, but couldn’t help turning it into this. I think it’ll still work to keep them on model, but I got a fun piece out of it. Now off to sleep!

BTW…Big thanks to Dave for creating the logo for this series! He ain’t cheap, but he’s worth every penny.

Rustbucket & Rose: Episode 3

These are not easy. Frick! Trying to knock a Sunday strip out in the equivalent of a day’s work is nearly impossible. More like 2 days…how did the old school guys pull this stuff off.

Well, Rose has gotten down to business. Stay tuned for more!

Bandits!

I had three things in mind this weekend as I began this post. One: I wanted to draw some hands being expressive. Two: I wanted to do multiple characters in tough poses overlapping as much as I could without making it look like a mosh pit. And three: draw something that represented the severe rub I feel every time we begin to organize our taxes. So to that, I give you a small band of space bandits about to score some spoils!

Rustbucket & Rose: Episode 2

I had some time to stare at the first strip for a while as I planned out the next strip. When I was thinking through the design initially for RustBucket, I knew I wanted to make him relatably humanoid. One for clarity and two for being able to really hit emotions we recognize. So I went for a retro robot, and like what happens to all of us, I ripped off some of my favorite robots and had to return to the drawing board. Fortunately, as much as I hate this, it’s also a great reminder how easy it is to slip up.

I adjusted his chest to have a grill a’la TractorBot, and legs like Submarine. Gave him a coat of paint and overall I think he’s a lot more fun. I won’t say he’s the most innovative thing I have ever thought up, but he works for the character I have in mind, and that’s all I want. Dave and I came up with some new hooks yesterday for him too that should really push him in some cool direction. I’m gonna hit the first panel again this week so it’s consistent. So glad I work digital some days!