As May gets closer

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

Well now now as things begin to settle down a bit for from the move and the ever present taxes being dealt with art knows not when to chime in but always seems to do so as I begin to relax a bit.

As with this evening (April 7 Tuesday evening) not spending time at home, at work or over at my leading lady's place I decided that I would polish off “On Deck with Richard Parker” this evening – along with a glass of stout.

Ah there is nothing like that flavor as you sit back from a piece that had kind of been plaguing me but not nearly as bad the “Prepping Richard Parker” that nearly took three weeks to work on. Though the image is much worthwhile in my opinion it just took way to long to work on. There are shows that I need to be ready for here in the next month or so.

I did get finally get a response to my email about the Linework N.W. show happening here soon here in PDX. But I felt that the main reason that my work wasn't accepted was for two main reasons:

1). There wasn't any sequential art being shown on my website like you would find on most comic illustrators. Now mind you I have been moving away from that field for a while that is no big deal.

2). It (The art work itself) wasn't hip enough for these guys. Again I could be totally wrong about this and I have nothing but the greatest of respect for the way this show went down last year and I am really looking forward to this one but there is a lingering taste in my mouth that is a holdover from the old Stumptown Comics Festival with the click mentality of getting the best placement on the show floor and being really show boaty when your product really is artistically crap and everyone knows it.

I kinda feel that this clique attitude is still running strong here in Portland. It kinda of reminds me of the Anchorman Franchise with competing newsmen.

I am opinionated and won't excuse myself from speaking my mind but UNTIL someone can show me that I am wrong this is what I think of the current independent comic book atmosphere in PDX.

Here is the link if you happen to be in PDX around the 18^th and 19^th of this month Linework N.W.  or check out Facebook for other info here.

 

OTHER UP COMING SHOWS....

CYRPTICON 2015.

Well I kinda felt that this show was gonna be one of the ones I was gonna bow out of this last year after the miserable response I got from sales and the dealings with my other vendors mates. I thought that was it with this show but then I received a email that addressed my concerns and displeasure of the show as it stood. I was to pissed off at the time to really say what I felt at the time but over a period if time I was able to put my words into a best group complaints and how I was not happy about the show but NOW it's on!

I have to plan the products to take this time around and I will be ready to rock the f'ing house!

OTHER SHOWS..

Of course later this year I have a another show again at NWIPA for the Dive In Art Show.  
 

In September. I do really plan on having a major Richard Parker theme going on for this show as time goes on. Hence the poster design that I have currently for the thumbnail.

With this show I plan to have many more prints ready to go as well as selling what I have for t-shirts that I have of the “Gentle Giant”, comics of Corpse Cop and postcards from last years show of "Robot Monster".

 So you can see I will have a very busy time selling products at only two show this year. I am also looking at the Possibility of having a open table show next year during the local Mississippi Show. I am curious about other shows that are taking place this weekend down in Salem at the Cherry City Comic Show but like I have said before I am trying to step away from these in favor of gallery work and commissions.

Other than that I am pretty much done for now and working on other items of interest.

Check out these other sites as well.

 Etsy

Big Cartel 

Storenvy

And of course I still have my comics that I have worked on.  

Indyplanet.

And mind you there is website
and the facebook page 

The Website also has some new stuff added for the comic books featuring Corpse Cop.

 And with that this kid is outta of here I got work to do.

So a few little things...

hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

There was something I forgot to mention from last week's blog - info on the Linework NW show here in PDX.

The word is Black Box Visual Arts and Black Box Comix will not be participating in this event this year. Even though the set up is right I am now getting the feeling that hippisters have more or less taken over the independent

comic market and not letting old school comics show case their telling of stories and characters. If anything these stories that are being portrayed are situational rather than flashy character driven adventure.
This is almost the same feeling I was getting from Stumptown Comic Fest organizers over the last seven years I was attending.

Now as far as I am concerned it is still a great event to attend but it would be better if it represented all of PDX comic creators not just a favored

by jury this is what we would like in because the creators are cool looking avant garde types.
I have over the last couple of months tried to find out why Black Box didn't make the cut. But still no answer to my questions to improve

1) my relationship with the organizers of the show.

2) understanding of the juried show process and what is needed to improve chances of getting in the next year.

3) and whether it is simply because of subject matter OR lack of sequential story telling being shown on the website.

So these are a few things that are bugging me currently about this show.

Personally I still feel the white marker version of Corpse Cop or the detailed scratchboard story book version of Richard Parker is very independent. But hey what do I know ?

That both Richard Parker and Corpse Cop are true independent illustrated, edited and printed and presented by the creator not by some comic shop flunky who could give a rip except for the latest Green Lantern Tie in.

Sorry nothing wrong with the Lanterns or the tie-ins but like a lot of comic nerds I to am polarized by what's cool and what is not.

But if your organizing a show to represent some of best work you need to showcase all genres. and I know my work is good. I know it isn't the greatest but it definitely deserves recognition.

ONTO THE ADVENTURES OF RICHARD PARKER.....

Day 4

Day 3

Taking to the depths for equalizing pressures Richard Parker is moving to the foreground for art production. This is a big deal for me because I want this artwork done for the September show. There are at least 10 9" x12" Richard Parker pieces and and about 4 11" x14" unrelated pieces as well.

The thing is about this work that some other artist might do- skimp on the quality of the detail. With this work there is as much detail placed on these smaller pieces as there is to larger formats.

So as a buyer your getting the same quality as you would from a larger and pricier piece.

OTHER ART WORK....

Forbidden Planet

Man From Planet X

Mad Scientist - Peter Cushing

You've heard me talk about the idea of post cards in the past especially before last years Crypticon  Show well I am still moving towards that but with a different focus than the Halloween stuff. Something that has a much broader appeal. Now one of the biggest changes people are faced with is change. And that's actually covers quiet a bit of territory both in tech, emotional feeling and visual perception.

Metropolis

    That's when lightning struck!

What's not to love?

What did you just say?
Nolstogia.?

[no-stal-jik nuh‐]

• Examples
• Word Origin

adjective

1.

experiencing or exhibiting nostalgia, a sentimental or wistful yearning for the happiness felt in a former place, time, or situation.

That's it! NOSTALGIC.
She looked at me and her face brighten up. You're right!
Nostalgia Bad Ass! OR Bad Ass Nostalgic or B.A.N.

This is the set up for a casual walk I had this weekend when it hit me like a frying pan to the side of the temple. My girlfriend had said the word "nostalgia " in a passing phrase as a way to describe what I had been doing in my rendering of old classic characters that a lot of younger people wouldn't have any clue to what they were. And this word  accurately described what I was trying to accomplish with my artwork.

Check out these other sites as well.

 Etsy

Big Cartel 

Storenvy

And of course I still have my comics that I have worked on.  

Indyplanet.

And mind you there is website
and the facebook page

 And with that this kid is outta of here I got work to do.

New Tech on it's Way

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

Well hopefully as this month winds down with the ever looming tax issue to be dealt with, moving calming down and a old Apple tower crashing down as well as a old phone that was just not cutting it and making time for real life this has been a busy month.


BUT I can say STAY FOCUSED!

New (or at least new to me is more technical marvels that I have heard about but not yet had the chance to experience. A newer Apple Mac will be arriving to help replace the old and well used tower that I received from Dan DePaolo in helping me move forward with the digital side of things.
Beth Kerschen  had also been helping me out learning things about the postcards and prints side of selling artwork to the masses and getting the work out there to facilitate making money from the work rather having to "cold call" galleries to see if they would be interested in the work or better yet waiting in a bar for someone to come by and commission me to do some work for them.

Though that last one is still fun to do for me and socialize as well when I am out.

Richard Parker is more me than I thought -  in action and happenstance.  Literally diving into a new environment and confronting so many things fear of the unknown and whatnot to ultimately come out on top and the better for it.



A sense of worthiness.



Richard Parker for me now is like what my own story called "Avatar" was like when I was working out the stories for Pandora's Garage volumes 1-5.

,

The personal exploration of the internal and externalizing it in a package for others to see and experience.

After watching several youtube shows on H.P. Lovecraft and how his own imposed separation from society and the loss of both his father and mother to madness it's easy to see how you would write about what you know.

I will say that there are other writers who seem to have no issue writing something great without experiencing the subject that they are writing about.

Warren Ellis is one of those kind of people. But I wouldn't switch places with the gentleman for not being able to sleep.

BUT BESIDES THAT....

I'm getting off topic. There are a number of different things that I have to do this year that I think will benefit me in the long run for this business. Richard Parker is what I think will get me going this year as an artist. Though I had much hope for Corpse Cop the idea of "Izombie" has pretty much stopped that book that from happening.

 But I think that is as much as I can deliver on anything.

Check out these other sites as well.

 Etsy

Big Cartel 

Storenvy

And of course I still have my comics that I have worked on.  

Indyplanet.

And mind you there is website
and the facebook page

 And with that this kid is outta of here I got work to do.

Richard Parker is getting READY.

Well sports fans Al here with the latest:


As you can see Richard Parker is just about ready to take the plunge here and he doesn't exactly look happy about it either.
So begins the Watery Adventure of Richard Parker.

The Latest from the Box

Hey there sports fans Al here with the latest:

Well at least now the dust has begun to settle now after a move but this doesn't stop the creative process from happening and this is more true than when getting ready for a show or updating tech for these show. Namely a new smart phone.

The droid maxx. Water Proof and long life. These were and are two of the major reasons I decided to go with this guy because of the factors of living here in the Northwest. Rain and making sales. Since over the years the square apt has been at least 1/3rd to ½ of my sales I needed something that can keep up with me.

I've have heard of other vendors saying to each other “Hey man, do you have a charger I can barrow?”

Like so many other people in the field of sell work at shows (along with commissions as well) using tech now has become part of the landscape of making a living for selling artwork.

One of the biggest challenges is the constant updates that need to be addressed is the issue of new apts being uploaded and behaving differently on the new device than what you were already used to.

I am hoping by the time the Crypticon rolls around this year in Federal Way/ Seattle I will have managed to master the machine.

Other than that tech also plagues me as with my main apple computer tower that I have been using to format Corpse Cop with photoshop has gone down along along with with stuff I was working on was is still on desk top so now it's on to see if I can still pull that material from onto one my hard drives. Luckily for me I have been able to save a massive amount of information . Now after years of working and having it's learning a new open source art program GIMP. And though it is pretty damn close to photoshop there are tools that I am having to relearn. So I might still be able to get Corpse Cop off the ground with this new laptop I am currently working on so here is to keeping my fingers crossed.

WHAT'S UP WITH RICHARD PARKER AND THE ADVENTURE?

The script is under re-development currently. And I am retooling the script to fit Richard Parker better to coincide with the images that I have been working on. Of course the art show in September at N.W.I.P.A. is the main focus of art the story and placing all of these images into a booklet along with other images that didn't make into the story for one reason or another to round out the purchase is looking good to me.

NOW ON TOP OF THAT.....

An example of one of the Halloween postcards.

There are some newer images that I am having to think about for postcards. These particular card are a two fold kinda thing. One set I am thinking of doing about 4 different cards for Halloween and then maybe a set of six cards for just general sales for the rest of the year.
 The Halloween cards consist of skulls and dancing skeletons, crows peached on skulls a haunted house and a black cat with some witchy stuff on it.
 I know a lot of my friends would say "well that's already been tried." And that's true, they have. BUT all of these images mentioned have not been done before but not in scratchboard. that's what makes them unique. At least in the searches on the inter webs.

The other cards I am thinking about really focus on the Northwest rather than the Horror stuff I have been working on. Broadening my horizons as they say. One of the biggest issues is still finding that niche that I can really carve out for myself and make a living as a artist. Of course the subject that I am looking to apply to the Northwest cards might not much of a stretch for me.

Sasquatch is going to be a big part for me over the this year. Doing various Northwest kinda of things.

Check out these other sites as well.

 Etsy

Big Cartel 

Storenvy

And of course I still have my comics that I have worked on.  

Indyplanet.

And mind you there is website
and the facebook page

 And with that this kid is outta of here I got work to do.

Move in LOCATION

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!

Hey there sports fans Al here (finally) with the latest;

Life is full of turbulence and chaos and we are oftentimes required to make big changes in life and moving can be a big burden for some. And for me and the box this is even more so.

Artists I found are the biggest collectors of private histories and like any well versed historian the art work that we drag with us is at times almost like the deepest sunken anchor in the ocean. It takes Herculean strength to move. And that has been exactly what has happened for me in the last couple months planning and prepping.

But of course when you are dealing with decades of now almost worthless collections that only your mother would hold onto - what do you do?

PURGE! (and not like the movie either)

But all is not lost though. With the 21st Century there is technology that was available to the average Joe out there. Now though I am still waiting to my jet pack MY older artwork is being scanned in before jettisoning this extra baggage.

The ONLY thing that this move does do for the current work LIKE RICHARD PARKER and Corpse Cop is put things on hold.
But not to worry though things are still in motion with these projects.

Currently on Corpse Cop Inhuman Torch is being edited by Paula Akin.  Paula had been asked to come on board for a second outing for CC. There are about three more information bundles that she has to get through but by then CC will be ready for press.

RICHARD PARKER is undergoing some serious changes to story not so much the art. R.P. is looking at refocusing on the MAN not the advent of what he has been thrust into.
As a sign to me, the newest Hobbit movie staring Martin Freeman has one major issue with me the movie is called the Hobbit-  shouldn't the movie focus on that main character? Not Thoran Oakensheild or the ever growing evil threat of Sauron upon Middle Earth but the main character that the movie is named after Billbo Baggins?
This was one of the main issues I was confronted with Richard Parker.  There was to much of a jump between the reality of Richard Parker and the fantasy that I was throwing him into.

Focus on the character.

I am currently happy with the look and feel of this and ultimately this will lead into the grand illustrated epic Dreams of Elysium. So this will be a big deal.  This also means a lot of planning and capital to put for the best story I can and the cost of the scratchboard is not cheap.

I can only if art is to support art then the commission's and the gallery work would me move along until that niche is found to be self supporting.

AND SPEAKING OF GALLERY WORK...

As it turns surfing the wave of moving a piece of art will be going into a smallish gallery featuring artwork on the local Northwest Legends of Sasquatch.  The Gentle Giant will be a part of this show.

And that is it for the kid.

So Begins the next year

Hey there

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

SO there is this thing called a new year and we are only into for the fourth day in a row (as write this) and now the question is what kind things are lining up for Black Box Visual Art and Black Box Comix?

Well to answer that question we have to look both comic book shows and art shows.

As the list evolves it will look like that I have at least two comic book shows coming up.

The first will be in March on the 1st. It is a group show that I am going to be a part of called "Sasquatch"a Bigfoot themed group show. (link). I think "Gentle Giant" will do well in this show.

The second show will in April. The 18th and 19th for the Linework N.W. (link)

The third is the Crypticon 2015 the following month. (link)

NOTE: Now there is a lot of questions of why I would go back to a show that I had such a bad time dealing with last year after "the Human Wall of Shame"  and all that (See last years comments here). 

  After months of never hearing anything from the organizers of this show they finally got back in touch with me to make things right

Then there are the art shows that will be coming up in September at N.W.I.P.A.(link). and then later in the year again is BIG 500 (at least that is what I have heard there were going to call this year). (link) 

SO I have to plan like a mother to get these things made and printed and all that goes along with that work.

BUT I AM ALSO keeping an eye on what I am doing and how far I can stretch myself and still keep turning out the best work that I can.

NOW the only issue that I have with the Linework N.W. Show is that I have to wait to find out if my books, website, product fits their criteria for a juried show.

This is the only issue that I have and if they accept you then you better have the money readily available for the table via paypal for the one day that you'll be part of the show.

But being a interdependent makes it hard unless you are so flushed with cash you don't have to worry about that. But with the amount of money that BBVA has earned from the BIG 500 from last year I should be able not to work about that stuff. I should also mention that the last day of the BIG 500 is next Sunday. So if you had your mind set on a piece of work go get it!

SWEET!

SO WHAT KIND OF WORK AM I TALKING ABOUT....

That means Richard Parker has moved back into the Limelight for his Adventure book, "The Watery Adventure of Richard Parker".

 I am excited for the work to be edited by Paula Akin who has been so kind to help me not to trip over myself while writing these crazy ass stories of Underwater Adventure (watch out Sub Mariner and Aquaman).

So with that this comic illustration book will for all intense purposes the templet for the “Dreams of Elysium”. I have been split on several different fronts that have really effected my turn out of the work but I will not be deterred from making my dream a reality.

That also means the Corpse Cop will get printed as well. Even though posting

comic books through a Ka-blam's associated on-line comic store Indyplanet.com http://www.indyplanet.com/front/ has been a selling hell for me printing still goes on and one comic “Arctic Wolf” has been in a holding pattern for nearly a year and “Inhuman Torch” is just around the corner once Paula (again I can't thank her enough for helping me with these).

Aside from that there is also the other websites for the selling giclees and t-shirts.

 Etsy

Big Cartel 

Storenvy

And of course I still have my comics that I have worked on.  

Indyplanet.

And mind you there is website
and the facebook page

 And with that this kid is outta of here I got work to do.