Re-Direction

Hi, Everyone.

It's been over a year since I last updated here, so I think that calls for some much needed refocus and change of direction for this blog.

Before I go into that though, here's a quick recap of some things.

Since the last post, I've finally set up a website outfitted with a selection of my work, as well as all of the comics I have done up to this point. You can check out my site at SamLaggren.com
I also joined tumblr and have been using that as my main art blog. My tumblr can be found here: samoeba.tumblr.com
I finally made it to San Diego Comic Con again. It's been two or three years since I last went so that was pretty nice. I'll do a quick, belated recap on it soon and post the few pictures that I took.

Now, repurposing this blog.

I'm pretty set with using my tumblr as my main art blog, so I think the best thing to do with this blogspot account, instead of closing it down or letting it rot would be to repurpose it. The new plan is to use this as a public container for bits of my writing. I've felt sort of weird about my writing for quite a while now. I had been writing so heavily during university - mainly for research papers - and then, when I completed my time there, my output just dropped. I wasn't writing as much any more and my syntax and my ideas and my confidence have suffered quite a bit because of that. So I think posting bits of writing here is needed. It'll give me the chance to regain that control and possibly build even more upon it.

I'm not looking to make a career out of being a writer, but I am looking to do something with visual storytelling. And while I am focusing more on the visual part, illustrations and comics and such, I feel that one goes hand in hand with the other. Even a little bit of writing and planning happens before making most comics. So, not only will I be working to strengthen my overall writing skill, but I will also be exercising my storytelling abilities and working to find my voice, as well.

For the material that will be posted here, I thought reviews of things (events, movies, music, books, comics, etc.) would be good, especially since I haven't written analytically since university and have actually been itching to do some of that again...For some weird reason. This would also give me a chance to talk about those things, since the people I usually speak with on those topics are now far and away or simply busy. Other material would just be posts of loose chunks of writing. Nothing set in stone about what the format or content will be. I just want to have this as a place where I can organize my writing, but display it in a public way.

I'll still keep this tied to my art efforts though. I thought doing a piece related to the material would make it interesting and a bit more challenging and fun for me.

Anyway, that's the plan.

soaked

It's been a pretty sad season, everyone.

I drew him this past week, was aware of what the theme was for Illustration Friday beforehand, but wasn't consciously drawing this for the theme. It fits though. soaked inside and out.

Makes me think of that Ernest movie where he's standing in the rain crying, singing "gee, I'm glad it's raining, so no one can see me crying." I think that happened in an Ernest movie...been so long since I've watched one.

Also, the texture used in this image was found at Lost and Taken, a marvelous site.

lookin and grinin

Easter's coming.

Which means chocolate is coming...

I should probably start running, too.

cakeparty sugarbuzz

Hey, Everyone. Time to start blogging more regularly again.

Here are some flyers I did for an event that happened at the beginning of the month. It was for a dance club at Mercer College (Tennessee) that was holding a charity benefit meant to help out Peruvians in need of homes. The event was all about Dancing, Deserts and Dating it up with many a fine ladies and dudes, so I tried to convey that best with the flyers showcasing cookiedancing and cakebeats.

The thumbnails.

The promo flyer.

The informational flyer.

And the images sans copy.

The info flyer looked good as a black and white image, but I decided to color it up recently, just to see it colored. I was going for something bright and flavorful, with a sweet pop.

I'm thinking I'll use it for a postcard. Thinking this would look pretty sweet under a blacklight, too.

I'm also posting the lines for the promo flyer, too, just because I thought they looked nice.

feathers in the road

I have a few blank canvases sitting around waiting to be used, particularly two with the wonky dimensions of 12" x 24". Probably not wonky for most, but I'm not used to such dimensions.

I've tried working digitally again in hopes of building up those rusty crusty skills. This is fairly messy but it was just intended to be a study or sketch or whatever. Planning something that could make use of those wonky canvases. I was thinking I could try to do a quick thing like this every other day and then select the best from those to paint up, but we'll see how that goes. Like I said, I'm still pretty rusty and fairly crusty with the digital recently, so it may end up less frequent than every other day, but I'll try.

I still find more comfort with a pencil in my hand when drawing away, which had lead me to think that I'll need to find some way to join up digital and traditional, and produce some sort of perfect marriage between the two.

I am working on other stuff beside this need to improve my digital/art producing skills and make use of my neglected canvases. Still puttering away. I will make a post about what I am doing when I get to a good stopping point in the process.

late autumnal reading

Two posts today! CRAZY.

A bit late since it's probably snowing for most. Maybe it'll remind you of when it wasn't so cold.

Thought I'd try out a textured brush, see how that faired.

Original linework is belowww.