PRICES MUST GO UP.

  So much stuff to write and post.

Mister Devon Devereaux

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:
Well the title says the pricing for commissions has to go up.  BUT the question was always been- how much.
After a little jaunt downtown to see my friend Devon at a Saturday/Sunday Market situation and talked to him for a bit and then I happened to be in the neighborhood of Mister Kevin Cross.   Now for about the last 5 to 6 years Kevin has been working as a freelancer in the art field.  He firstly backed up what George and Dan had told earlier in the week.  Devon backed them both up with what is called a "kill fee". 

Mister Kevin Cross

 Definition: a fee paid to a freelance writer (or in this case and illustrator) for material written or illustrated on assignment but not used
I had heard the term used before but believed it be used improperly by other creators.  All (my art buds) of the above mentioned corrected my misunderstanding.
So I am currently out the contractual wording so I have both a physical and a virtual contract between myself and potential clients in the future.  No more just word of mouth virbal contract and a handshake to seal a deal.  

PRODUCTS:
As the one man show slowly begins to take shape other small products also do ass well.  Now newer button versions are going to be made as well as postcards.  Some of my other creator friends have these little babies out with their other merch.  Well its about time that I start doing that as well.
T shirts are another product I want to look into.  I think the marker version would translate better than the scratchboard work.

CC Marker Page 9

CC Marker Page 8

CORPSE COP NEWS:
As soon as the rendering is completed for the one man show I plan on working on Corpse Cop again.  Corrax the Seeker just didn't take but the undead seem to have staying power.
So if I can just be able turn out another book either scratchboard or marker both would be awesome to have out on a table.

COMMISSIONS:
Rat Priest is moving into high gear and should be nearly complete by the end of this week then it's onto the groups logo.  They both have be created separately for the use that might be for t-shirts and other merch for them during the dates that they would be out playing gigs around town.

Of course if I can get one of those t-shirts that would be cool too.  :)

The Masque 16"x20"....

New Stories to be made!  

COMMISSION NEWSFLASH:  Nothing to report as of yet.

So strange I had to snap a shot.

ON TOP OF THAT:

The One Man Show is underway.  I am really excited about this show as things begin to really come together with the scratchboards.  New techniques being added.   Looking good.

Abraxas!

ODDITIES:  None to speak of yet but there is always some thing out there like MONSTERS OF COCK!

I kinda blame my friend George Leon for this but we were having such a hilarious time talking about ideas and that title came up and like so many things BOOM! there it was... Abraxas!  Another anthropomorphic character. I can't help it if like drawing them and I know I am good at it!

The SAVAGE POODLEMOTH MAN:

One of the biggest issues that any creator has is "How do I finish this?"  Now some don't ever complete a ending because during the creative phase things change and for a lot of people they have no "safe guards" or checks and balances like and an editor to keep the creativity vs. audience acceptance of the material.  BUT I THINK I KNOW HOW TO END THIS STORY.
  In keeping with the cheese factor (and flavor, hummm del-ish!) what a better way of dispatching  a monster like this by using a something equally outlandish.  I have already mentioned this in last weeks blog and I think the story will be great and the mini will see the light of day.

ALSO along in the book the intro and at the end of the book is going to a brain of some kind to begin the story as well as end it.  Fun times as well as a poster that is in the works currently.

OTHER NOTE WORTHY THINGS :

f your wanting to look at some of the older blog for Black Box Comix you can check them out here. Black Box Comix Blog.

Or if you're interested in purchasing something that catches your eye  check out here on the Big Cartel web site.  Big Cartel.

And of course is always the backlog of comics here at Indyplanet.

And the kid is out of here!

ONE MAN SHOW ON THE MOVE!

 Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

The time of the year has slowed down for shows but not product.
Right now ia prime time to get things done and ready for up coming events.
Like the One Man Show A.K.A. Scratch of the Dead.  The first these new pieces will a large rendition of "The Masque". 
Major Tom, The Poodlemoth Man, Hellhound and Mermaid will be done size @ 16"X20".  The only thing larger than that is an 18"X24" piece call "Juice Box".  According to some friend in the Underground Comix arena the title says it all.  So if a title is as good as the image I'm batting 1000!

PRODUCTS:
In the work(s) I believe that I will be calling on my friend of mine Rizzo, and see about getting some more buttons made.  The Rat Priest buttons did really well for me at Crypticon so I can only assume that they would be a bigger hit at any of last remaining shows as well as Scratch of the Dead event I have set up later this year.  But knowing my friend, it'll cost me. :).
I think a newer version of everybodies favorite back talking corpse will be featured.

CORPSE COP NEWS:
Speaking of that undead fool a black and white marker version rather than scratchboard.  And though that medium is just AWESOME for that character it does take some time to do a bunch of panels.  AND so when Stumptown Comic Festival was going and some of dead spots when no show going person was stopping by the table I kept myself busy drawing in a newly acquired black sketch book with white markers.  Suddenly Corpse Cop just started to fly off the pages.  When Jason looked over at what I was doing he said "You should do a whole comic like that with Corpse Cop in it."
I liked the idea.
It would be quick and raw.  Which for Jason totally rocks and the inventiveness of a new variation of the comicbook and of this character.  The style of the white marker on black is not that much different than the etching I do with scratchboard.  In fact I now use this as a means to expedite creative ideas that are meant for scratchboard commissions.
So in the near future there maybe a different formated Corpse Cop book out there before the end of the year.

Rat Priest Commission

COMMISSIONS:
The Gilrandree commission is complete and will making his journey to his new home in about one week. 

ON TOP OF THAT....

Rat Priest commission moves into high gear right now.  Not really much more to say other than that but there have been a few changes to the layout of the album.  I still have the logo to contend with but that is a different issue. But it is looking pretty cool right now.  

COMMISSION NEWSFLASH:  IF YA HAVEN'T FIGURED IT OUT YET I DO COMMISSIONS.

It was one the "duh" moments that you have as an artist andn you realize wow I should really say something about this.

In a conversation that I had with my homies George Leon and Dan Depolo contractable agreements came up.  George had mentioned that the work I have been doing has garnered a lot questions. Not just the verbal agreement for half down and half on completion of said project but what to do when a client can't actually come through with the cash?  Now currently this  hasn't come up or as an issue but there will be that time when I may run into that. SO with that thought I think that a third of what paid up front covers the cost of the materials is non refundable and time prepping the work.

It was something that had been on my mind when I hadn't received a message about the Gilrandree commission recently.  But I plan on talking to some other peers about this to get a good consencious of what the best way to deal with this.  Dax and had talked about the raising of prices to reflect the mastery of the medium (everything from size of the piece to be rendered, varnishing and framing to the amount the visual elements and complexity of the project and any special addendums that the client wants added) .

Of course this is a work in progress as with everything else.

THE ONE MAN SHOW:

"Juice Box" 

Here is one of the images that will be rendered in scratchboard and is the major center piece 18"x26" 

ODDITIES:  The SAVAGE POODMOTH MAN!  

"Good Lord!" The Savage Poodlemoth Man

The story continues to keep building but I think I know to end the story for such a creation gone bad.  Lets just say that as a kid there were things you do with bugs and magnifying glasses.  It has to be cheesy because the idea of this creature of science is just a giant slab of the wheel of weird fantasy.  Even the beginning of the book will have introduction of one the many characters that I love to illustrate like the crypt keeper or any of Eerie Warren Magazines of the 70's.  I think that this is what will make the AtoZ Horror titles "Weird Atomic Tales" fun.

If your wanting to look at some of the older blog for Black Box Comix you can check them out here. Black Box Comix Blog.

Or if you're interested in purchasing something that catches your eye  check out here on the  Big Cartel web site.  Big Cartel.

And of course is always the backlog of comics here at Indyplanet.

And the kid is out of here!

THE COMMISSION BUILDS

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

Well it's been a few weeks since the show in Seattle for the Crypticon but the flavor of the show still lingers in my mind.  It was just a fun show to be part of.

Gilrandree Commission 2013

But now things have to move into high gear for cranking out the commissions that I have outstanding currently.
The first is the Commission from the Crypticon for "Gilrandree".  
  I am hoping to have the physical artwork done by this week and curing the varnish the following week.  
Then after that is the commission for Rat Priest.
And here is a updated rough drawing for that image.

Latest version of Rat Priest album cover rough

ON TOP OF THAT:

I have been working on prepping work for the one man show in October.  We're talking large scale here.
And that's about all I have to say since I must conserve my energy for the art.

A POINT OF INTEREST:  

   One of the things that I have wanted to do is do adaptation of the Movie (or a combination of) "Planet of the Vampires" and "Lifeforce".  Both of these movies deal with Sci-fi - which is never far from my mind and horror and vampires of the space variety.  All of these would be along side the graphic novel that I have had to put on hold for the last couple of months like "Dreams of Elysium"  and the comic Corpse Cop. 

FOR OTHER THINGS:

 If your wanting to look at some of the older blogs for Black Box Comix you can check them out here. Black Box Comix Blog.

Or if you're interested in purchasing something that catches your eye  check out here on the Big Cartel web site.  Big Cartel.

And of course is always the backlog of comics here at Indyplanet.

And I am out of here.