I've posted a new installment of my webcomic MANTA-MAN (click here) and I'm really happy with it--I feel like this is where the comic really starts to gel in terms of style and story. In fact, it introduces one of my favorite characters, who is shamelessly based on one of my dear friends in Michigan. It also kicks off a pretty outrageous storyline that I'm excited to further develop. Anyway, stop reading this and go read MANTA-MAN.
So, I've been trying to come up with some ideas for fun, pop cultural pin-up drawings--initially I had been thinking of obscure superheroes, then videogame characters, and then, this morning, it hit me! DRAG QUEENS.
Last night, the first episode of Rupaul's Drag Race's third season began, and I looooved it. This morning, all I wanted to draw was drag queens. And so I picked my favorite three and ran with it!
There may be more next week. Stay tuned.
Yesterday, I drove up to snowy Lansing, Michigan to attend the Michigan State University Comics Forum. It was a cool little event, featuring some great artists and panels. And despite myself, I had a good time. My great friend Denver Brubaker (of the fantastic webcomic Tales of a Checkered Man) was exhibiting, and I was eager to hide in the corner with him, rather than venture out and meet new folks. But over the course of the afternoon, I summoned the intestinal fortitude to start meandering amid the artists' tables and managed to to strike up conversations with a number of cool, charming, talented folks.
I talked shop with the tremendously talented Nate Powell, talked Godzilla with Tyler and Sara Sowles of Killustration Studios, and had a great time chatting with Brett Pinson, James Barclay, Nate Higley, Joe Foo, and many others. After working for years in almost total creative isolation, it's been daunting to seek out other artists, but throughout the long, blustery drive home, I couldn't help but buzz with excitement and inspiration.
I've been fretting over whether I should try to exhibit at some conventions this year--I feel like it's yet another hurdle to overcome. I'd like to sell some printed copies of Shadow Play, maybe make some Vreeland minicomics, and even collect Manta-Man. Oh, and speaking of that sexy devil, this week's installment of Manta-Man has just been posted, so go check it out!
This week concludes Manta-Man's first bizarre, jumbled story arc. Hopefully it gives you an idea of what to expect from this eccentric little escapade: profane characters, obscene scenarios, and the inevitable humiliation of our titular protagonist. Fun, right?
Sure, the cast is already too big, and I just had to introduce yet another character this week. Well, get used to it! I've approached Manta-Man as a fun opportunity to play around with all my insane little characters and make all the juvenile dick jokes I want. My other comic projects tend to be overly ambitious, obsessively edited, and aimed toward kids. Obviously, Manta-Man is very different: an adult playground for all my strange, sexy, improvisational comic doodles. So what I'm saying is: this is gonna get sloppy, people!
So, enjoy!
http://www.mantamancomics.com/
Also, I've continued work on my new kids' graphic novel The Cardboard Kingdom! So far, it's been a lot of fun switching between Manta-Man and this new project. Here's a peek:
Also, I looked back at my graphic novella Shadow Play for the first time in months and was amazed that I actually still like it! If you haven't yet read it, it's available in its entirety here.
This week’s Manta-Man update features the return of two (or…three?) of my longest-lived (and bizarre) characters, so go check it out!
http://www.mantamancomics.com/
Also, after far too long, I've finally been able to get myself on DeviantArt and will be posting other new artwork there (though most images will probably find their way here, too). Click here to go to my profile page, or find me there as shadcell (get it??).
As 2011 begins, so does my new webcomic Manta-Man! Every Monday, I’ll update with another couple strips, clustered together for coherence and convenience.
Manta-Man is strange, potentially offensive, and occasionally sexy. If that sounds good to you, check in every week and tell your friends, despite your shame at reading such filth.
Go, go! www.mantamancomics.com
So! I guess I've failed in my attempt to blog more this year. But! I've been working on a few new projects! First of all, Shadow Play is finally complete and uploaded in its entirety here. It was a great joy to experiment and play with this strange little comic novella, though posting a single page a day was far too slow a pace for a story like this. In any case, it was a fun side project that opened up new artistic avenues for me, which is as much as I can expect from anything.
I've spent the last few months trying something new in my creative pursuits--I've been switching my focus back and forth between two very different projects, keeping things interesting and not letting myself getting stuck on either one for too long.
First, I've begun work on yet another imaginative graphic novel for kids--it's called The Cardboard Kingdom, and I'm working on a second draft of the first chapters to send out to publishers. I'm excited by it and by the new skills I've learned in working on it, though I've been dreading the prospect of actually trying to sell it, as that's such an uncertain, nerve-wracking process.
So, to alleviate the high-stakes intensity of pitching to mainstream publishers, my secondary project of the last few months has been an irreverent, bawdy new webcomic called Manta-Man! I've resurrected the snarky, raunchy sense of humor that dominated my comics throughout my college years and let it run rampant. It's been a nice change of pace, since all my recent work has been so consistently earnest and such. I've already completed a number of strips, though will hold off on launching the new comic until early in January of 2011--I'm still refining the first few storylines and polishing the new website for it.
Needless to say, it's been a busy year. But I'm excited to finally get both these new projects out into the world soon, even if I'll have to wait until 2011 to do so!
The last 24 hours have been, well... you never know where things will take you. I came home last night after working all day to find my computer totally unresponsive.
There's nothing like a PC catastrophe-- it sent my day veering off into a hell of confusion, cursing, and the cracking of tiny computer bits. Dread sank deep inside me as I desperately encouraged my computer to start, to show some sign of life besides its sad whirring of fans.
I scoured the internet for some help, and after a few hours of scrambling around the computer's innards, I resolved that I was doing much more harm than good. I would, sigh, have to pony up some cash and have a professional repair it.
Just then, someone called about a Craigslist ad I'd posted weeks ago, trying to unload some old comic trade paperbacks. He ended up coming over, chatting for quite a bit, and buying a huge pile of them. Just as he was leaving, he asked me about my computer trouble, and suggested a good repair place nearby.
I headed there this morning, sure I'd have to spend hundreds to salvage my creative productivity-- I had finally gotten back into the swing of things with preparations for a new webcomic:
Despite my pessimism, the repair guy (Shung at Core Components in Ann Arbor) turned out to be friendly, helpful, and had my computer working in a few hours! And he didn't charge me, even though I insisted.
I can't express what a relief it was to find such a generous, genuinely cool guy to help me through my morass of self-pity and howling at the universe.
Once I got home, my monitor decided to die, promptly after hooking it up to the newly fixed computer. But I'm confident Shung can repair that, too.
In any case, I started work on the top image of this post, which is the sixth and final illustration for a novelist (Manuel Munoz, yet another great character I met through sheer happenstance).
As the drawing was taking shape, my roommate Tina gave me a call--she had checked our old mailbox one last time before handing in the keys to our landlord, and she had found a handwritten letter to me from Craig Thompson.
I had submitted some art to him earlier in the summer, hoping to work with him at an artist-in-residency program. Although that didn't work out, he sent a gracious, encouraging note, and a delightful drawing of Doodleville's protagonist Drew and his beloved character Chunky Rice!
Yet another good thing to come of adverse circumstances, an unexpectedly pleasant surprise!
(I'm only barely managing to restrain myself from posting it here)
Tina dropped off the letter for me at my new place--one of innumerable kindnesses she's shown me in the years I've known her. She'll soon be leaving Michigan, but I gave her this in the hopes that she'll remember me (and my kitties) fondly:
(The first experimenting with watercolors I'd done in years! Expect to see more in the near future!)
Despite the rollercoaster ride of the past day, I feel oddly blessed by the cold, bleak emptiness that is our universe.
It's something, I guess.
So, I've spent the last few weeks busily moving into a new place, dismantling shitty office equipment, going through books, desperately trying to sell stuff on Ebay and Craigslist, catering to my skittish cats, etc.
Although the home I've moved into is delightful, the move has been a stressfest. Despite all the many other reasons, the primary one is that I haven't been able to work on comics. One trait that I probably share with a lot of artists, though which confounds others, is that I base my entire self-worth on creative productivity. Even when I'm on a wonderful vacation with loved ones, within a week, I'm preoccupied with the need to get stuff done.
In any case, most of my moving has been completed, and my office/studio was the first room to be set up. I've finished work on my first new comics in weeks, and I couldn't be more excited. Posted above is a glimpse at that upcoming project--clearly more adult in tone than my other recent work.
Shadow Play is scheduled to keep posting daily into December--I wish I could get my website to upload it faster, but I'm limited to that sluggish pace. Regardless, by then I'll have amassed a significant buffer of cool new comics to upload. There will be monkeys, exotic sea creatures, sexy people, and there will be Foolgirl.
I stumbled across this surprisingly poignant summation of Artist's Alley at the San Diego Comic Con, which just wrapped up this weekend. It addresses the same mix of admiration and horror I've sometimes felt at the few conventions I've attended, either as wandering geekboy or exhibitor. I've spent the last few years toiling away on my books Vreeland and Doodleville, with the goal of selling them to major publishers and becoming wildly rich and famous (and of course, critically beloved). But when neither sold, I stopped work on them, and so years of effort have resulted in two half-finished projects. Although I still love those books and want to return to them at some point, I've decided to:
1) Set aside my ambitions for "the big book deal" and just get my work out there! (most likely through these here internet tubes)
2) Commit to finishing my damned books.
3) Play with fun, shorter pieces.
4) Go to conventions, no matter what.
5) Blog more, because that's what the world needs.
The last few months, I've been experimenting with a number of styles, formats, and stories. Shadow Play is one of the strange little projects that has emerged. It resulted from playing around, seeing what worked, and taking it where it wanted to go.
That's as much as anyone can do, I guess. I think it's turned out pretty well--today's installment is one of my favorites:
So if you see me exhibiting at a convention with a crazy look in my eyes, don't be afraid. Come over and say hi.
I've posted the first scene from my new project Shadow Play. A new page will be uploaded every day over the next few months, so be sure to check in and tell your friends! You can start reading it here.
I've been working on an experimental new project (currently called Shadow Play) and hope to start posting it soon! I've also been making an effort to get more involved in this Web 2.0 business, so I started a Tumblr account (though it mostly just features work already posted here in a prettier layout): http://chadsell.tumblr.com/
Also, you can find me on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/panja57
More soon!
After some thought, I've decided to resurrect an old comic strip of mine dating from my college years: Some Words of Advice From Your Mother. I'll be basing it on stories friends and readers send in about their mothers' nagging, unwanted advice, and any other funny, heartwarming, or poignant experiences they may share. He's a sample drawing of my own dear mother:
(I promise that my mother will only appear in the very first strip and never, ever again. I swear, Mom, I swear!)
Here are two little excerpts from two projects I've been working on. Hopefully, I'll have one posted in its entirety soon!
I've posted an assortment of new illustrations I've done--as you'll see, they pertain to a few different projects that are in the works. Here are three concept pieces from a sci-fi story I've been toying around with:
Here are two concept illustrations utilizing some goofier characters:
These are two moodier pieces:
And finally, here's a sample from a new project I'm particularly excited about!
Over the next few weeks, I'll be relaunching this site to feature my new work and a new focus: how to actually make money when making art. Thus, the name of my new blog will be: The Sellout.