The process and the unveiling of "The Pope Says No" comic strip

 I had to create a cheeky comic strip in illustrator with an unexpected ending for my digital illustration class. Here are the steps I took (just in case you wondering why I have no life) and the final product.

1. The Google "Sketch Up" version, better known as the part that drives me crazy.

2. The picture version, where I figured out props and staging. This is where things got tricky. Condoms are easy to find, but they don't exactly sell the Pope at Wal-Mart.

3. And the end result. TA -DAA! The actual strip, which looks much different than the preliminary stages.

Teaser

I've been working on a brand new series of monoprints (i.e. prints that can only be printed once, no multiples) and I thought you might want to see a little teaser:

The color you see is residual ink on top of the plate, and the design/outline you see is the paper underneath the plate, that serves as my template or guide. The plate is what's run through the press, with paper on top. The pressure from the press transfers the ink onto the paper, and that's how prints are "born". That's an extremely simplified explanation of the printmaking process, but I hope you understand the idea. (Maybe a tutorial is in order soon, no?)

I hope to have some prints to show for by this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled.

Eye Exam

Here's an eye project we're working on in my illustration class, using different techniques in Illustrator ( the last one is just a photo of my eye though, don't get too excited).

Just a Printer's Devil

Here are some recent pieces that I've been working on. (The lighting may look a little funky, and I apologize for that, most of these were taken when the pieces were being exhibited). So here goes nothing:

My first reductive woodblock print, using my favorite technique: the split fountain a.k.a., the rainbow roll.



Here is my most recent lino block print. It's 8 x 10, employing both reductive and multi-block plates.

Believe it or not, this baby is only 2 x 2 inches. It was made for and exhibited in a print show that featured only 2x2 or smaller prints.

To change things up a bit, here is a scratchboard piece I just exhibited. And you thought I was just a printmaker!

The half dome print. It's a multi block print, about 4 x 4 inches big. I'm not quite happy with it yet though.

And that's what I've been up to. What about you?



Breaking News

If you're willing and able, you might want to try that ascent of El Cap' you've been dreaming about. Why? Because according to Geologist Henry Kaiser  "We are on a collision course to a world without rocks."
"Think about it," Kaiser told the Onion Newspaper, "When was the last time you even saw a boulder?" If you'd like to contemplate whether or not you should head on out to Joshua Tree this weekend, or how skipping rocks with your Pa at the lake may have negatively impacted Earth, you can read the rest of the article here.

My first post...

Hello world!