Walkings ([info]unrendered) wrote,
2007-03-01 00:49:00

March update

It has been a very busy month. I turned 34, and I had a really happy time celebrating with friends. I spent a lot of time this month working on the strip-ending orders for Bruno, and then pre-press of Book #10 (it's been sent to the printer). I have not modified baldwinpage at all, but I am only human.

I've spent the remainder of my time on this and that. Freelance work. Learning about Mind Mapping to help brainstorm. That kind of thing. I stopped posting Little Dee at littledee.net, in order to boost hits at comics.com to increase my chances of syndication.

I didn't get any work done on other longer projects, although I am so very eager to get to one. I was simply crazy-busy getting all this done this month. BUT I did get a short comic done....

I want to try to post some illustrations or a comic or something every month, and this month I finished a 11 page (plus title page) comic titled "Vava." I wished to increase my cartooning vocabulary by studying artists I love, and so this first on that theme, and is inspired by the works of Marc Chagall. The "cat" is named after his second wife.

I actually inted(ed) to add shading, but after a few hours and still no satisfactory results on a tester page, I gave up (for now?).

It is NOT work friendly (it has nudity).

You can read it by clicking HERE or on the picture below (at baldwinpage.com, you'll find it archived in the Waterstreet section.)


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  • 36 comments

[info]_w_o_o_d_

March 1 2007, 09:48:45 UTC 5 years ago

It reminds me of "Hicksville" by Dylan Horrocks, where they find the "lost comic book by Picasso"

(actually I think it was by Picasso and some writer, but I don't remember who)

[info]unrendered

March 1 2007, 16:51:35 UTC 5 years ago

Thanks, Wood! Yeah, the library scene. And in the story he drew it with Lorca, a Spanish poet (and many other things, including martyr).

[info]harena

March 1 2007, 14:44:05 UTC 5 years ago

nicely done. i love the wood-cutting feel of it.

and heh, i'm not sure what i'd do if my Kestra underwent a similar transformation! ;D

[info]unrendered

March 1 2007, 16:55:13 UTC 5 years ago

Thanks. Yeah, i was going with a much more emotive loose feel to my brush than i usually do. The shading I was going to ad was supposed to hold it together a bit, but maybe it's better that it doesn't. :)

And I wish I could remember what inspired the story, I know it was something specific, and that even though I read it recently, was not inspired by Yayoi Ogawa's "Tramps Like Us."

[info]unrendered

March 1 2007, 17:03:25 UTC 5 years ago

Oh wait, I remembered! (I wrote it a couple months ago, which is why it was a bit hazy) It was inspired by the character "Nawat" from Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce.

[info]harena

March 2 2007, 01:37:19 UTC 5 years ago

ok, that looks intriguing, i just might have to pick up a copy of that book... ;)

[info]unrendered

5 years ago

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[info]harena

5 years ago

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[info]quirkybird

March 1 2007, 19:09:09 UTC 5 years ago

I think this might be my all-time favorite among your short pieces, Chris. The story feel is very French art comics - the atmosphere reminds me a little of some of the more dreamlike sequences in Vampire Loves (aka Grand Vampire).

And the ending two panels made me laugh. :)

I like the messy, hand-crafted look of the linework. I think staying b/w was the right way to go.

Any chance you might be selling some of the originals?

[info]angryricecooker

March 1 2007, 19:41:33 UTC 5 years ago

Vampire Loves is one of the things I thought of, too; I think it's the mixture of surrealism and humor.

That's intended as a great compliment to the story, Sfar is one of my favorites.

[info]unrendered

March 1 2007, 22:44:09 UTC 5 years ago

He is one of mine too, taken seriously as a compliment. Thank you. :)

[info]angryricecooker

March 2 2007, 00:52:30 UTC 5 years ago

Now that I think about it, The Rabbi's Cat is kind of the more obvious comparison. The "cats" from both stories have similar personalities as well. I guess there's something a little bit universal in how we would imagine a cat would talk if he or she could.

[info]unrendered

March 1 2007, 22:43:27 UTC 5 years ago

Well, Sfar is always an influence, and he certainly is on some level with this magic realisim. Actually, also, for reference in inking this I looked to the drawing I did for you for Family Man, which I was heavily influence by "Petite Monde De Golem" which is a B&W version of some of the vampire stories, but you know this since you loaned me your copy before I bought my own.

And... um.... there are comics that aren't b&w? :)

As far as the originals, sure, I'll try to post them tonight.

[info]quirkybird

March 1 2007, 23:01:10 UTC 5 years ago

Yeah, I can see that visual heritage (as 'twere). Lovely!

See, I'm a little jealous of folks like you who are so comfortable in black and white. It still makes me nervous as heck.

[info]unrendered

March 1 2007, 23:22:54 UTC 5 years ago

Thanks! Although....

A. I don't know how comfortable i am with it, or I try to make myself as little comfortable as I can.

B. You do awesome b&w work, which essentially you're workgin in with FM.

[info]quirkybird

5 years ago

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[info]unrendered

5 years ago

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[info]stutefish

March 1 2007, 21:27:05 UTC 5 years ago

That is a lovely, lovely thing, Chris.

[info]unrendered

March 1 2007, 22:44:34 UTC 5 years ago

Thanks L! Thank you-thank you! xo

[info]ndgmtlcd

March 2 2007, 07:31:53 UTC 5 years ago

Very nice. Shows that yes, you could get published in Europe, eventually. Find yourself a good (literary pro) French translator. Somebody who would do much better than:

Vava! (bis et re-bis)

- Me voici! - Tu n'est pas ma Vava. - Pourquoi pas? - C'est évident. - Vava est une chatte. Tu n'es pas une chatte. Donc, tu n'es pas elle. - Que ferais-tu si j'étais ta chère Vava - Je verserais une soucoupe de crème - Alors, fais-le. - Que ferais-tu d'autre si j'étais ta chère Vava? - J'attacherais une plume à un bout de ficelle pour qu'elle puisse s'amuser. - Alors, fais-le. - Mais elle ne s'ennuierait pas avec cet oiseau postiche? - Et elle ne mangerait pas celui dans la cage? - Non, elle ne ferait pas ça. - Elle ne pourrait pas ouvrir la cage. - Elle n'a pas de doigts. Tu as des doigts. Donc, tu n'es pas elle. - Ta chère Vava a des doigts maintenant. - Je vais m'étendre dans mon lit. - Je vais lire et puis je vais fermer la lumière et je vais dormir. - Au matin tu seras partie et Vava sera revenue. - Tu as oublié ta chère Vava de ton coeur. - Tu as oublié qu'elle s'enroulerait sur ton livre. - Ronron Ronron - Et elle s'endormirait.

Yes, it could work.

[info]unrendered

March 2 2007, 16:39:03 UTC 5 years ago

Hey Alain, that's so great. Jeeze, i do hope Europe someday discovers me for my work (although, Little Dee book#1 is being translated and published in Spain). But yes, the BD. Someday.

[info]_w_o_o_d_

March 3 2007, 00:38:48 UTC 5 years ago

I would have said "éteindre la lumière"...

[info]unrendered

March 3 2007, 01:17:50 UTC 5 years ago

But otherwise, good?

[info]_w_o_o_d_

5 years ago

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[info]ndgmtlcd

5 years ago

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[info]_w_o_o_d_

5 years ago

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[info]ndgmtlcd

5 years ago

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[info]_w_o_o_d_

5 years ago

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[info]twirlingdervish

March 2 2007, 23:45:14 UTC 5 years ago

Really lovely. Lovely! I will, hm, if you want that translated into Spanish..though hmm how to capture that particular sensual formality in which they speak. I want to put it in the dated spanish thee-thou, but I´m inexpert at that and it would just be a shortcut. Or seem like they were argentinian.

It´s beautiful. When will the Little Dee book come out?

[info]unrendered

March 3 2007, 00:07:38 UTC 5 years ago

Well, I was thinking of putting up a french version on my website, since I had the translation. Do you speak Spanish fluently? Well, if you want to, sure! But rather than formal, I'd say it's more "simple". The language is very simple child-like statements, which makes them really only FEEL a bit formal.

Either way, thank you. And Annandale, ahhhh... You know, Bard was one of the colleges I got into but didn't go to. but it has a lovely campus, been there couple times.

Dee... well, book#2 will hopefully come out this summer (I don't have quite enough material yet). The Bruno book should be out mid-april.

Anonymous

March 3 2007, 00:41:02 UTC 5 years ago

You´ve been to my college several times and I haven´t seen you? Oh, woah, woe. It is a beautiful campus. I´m in Spain right now, actually, which is why I asked about the Dee book (coming out in Spain?). I´m not a fluent speaker yet, which is why I imagine I wouldn´t do the dialogue justice, poetically (I was going to say poetic justice, but that´s something else, now). I could do a nice simple (ffformal) rendering for you, though.

Also, please come to Bard next year. I´ll buy you campus center coffee.

[info]twirlingdervish

March 3 2007, 00:42:19 UTC 5 years ago

and that was clearly me

, me!

[info]unrendered

5 years ago

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[info]unrendered

5 years ago

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Anonymous

August 28 2007, 03:55:22 UTC 4 years ago

Thank You for site

Thank you for your site. I have found here much useful information.
Good site ! ;)

Anonymous

November 26 2007, 03:07:43 UTC 4 years ago

crazy-busy

So how, exactly, would I say "crazy-busy" in french? Thanks
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