SQUEEEE !!

Yeah, you know that sound...  It's the high-pitched noise any given gamer makes upon discovering that a sequel to his/her favorite first-person shoot-em-up is in the works -or- any given tween breaks your eardrums with upon discovering that a new movie in the Twilight saga is being vomited upon the world.

SQUEEEE!!

When I make it however, it's because one of my all-time favorite horror / adult comic artists has finally stepped into the information age and started an official blog.  Most of you have probably never heard of Tim Vigil, but if you are fan of the Faust series (Love of the Damned, Book of M, Singha's Talons), Gunfighters in Hell (and it's follow-up Sinbuck), or the art book series Dark Utopia then you'll know exactly who I'm talking about.

According to the blog's first post:

"This is a blog that will showcase the work of Comic Artist Tim Vigil. A few of us, myself [Frank Forte], Joe Vigil, Jeff Vigil, Glen Hammond and occasionally Tim himself, will be uploading images new and old, showcasing con sketches, covers and influences, like Joseph Clement Coll, Franklin Booth, Bernie Wrightson and more."

 SQUEEEE!!

We Are Not Amused

As some of you may know by now I've been having a little trouble on Paheal by of an individual who decided to edit my work.  Now, this isn't the first time I've seen my work edited (or defiled), but this is the first time someone has deliberately removed my signature.  In their defense, this individual did state that they "just farted around" with the image and wasn't trying to commit some sort of 'art theft'....in the usual "take it and claim it as your own" sort of way.

Had this individual simply done some of the usual editing / manipulation while leaving the signature in place I probably wouldn't have raised an eyebrow and, more that likely, would have gone so far as to compliment them for their effort.  In this instance however, we are not amused.

Somehow or another word got around to the original artist.  He in turn voiced his disdain and suggested that the individual re-edit the image.  Naturally the individual pleaded their innocence, but....too late...I had already voiced my opinion to the 'powers that be' and requested the image be removed.

Gawker

Helga Pataki....the way she should have been drawn.

Original Sketch by GaraBatoz

Inks and Colors by Phillipthe2

Backgrounds

If you've been following my work for any length of time you already know that I absolutely hate doing backgrounds.  Now, that isn't to say that I can't do them....I simply prefer an unadorned blank canvas that makes you focus on the subject at hand.  My artistic philosophy has always been "less is more"....it's always more interesting to let your imagination fill in the blanks.  An ornate and/or complicated background, at least in my opinion, is like being spoon-fed visual imagery by a fat rotund British nanny.  I dunno about you, but I prefer to feed myself, thank you very much.

Occasionally however, I'll get a wild hair and feel the need to do something a little more dramatic.  Now, if you are like me you can visualize depth, field-of-view, and perception in your head, but transferring said visualization to paper is where the train leaves the station and promptly derails.  One way of overcoming said derailment is to use an actual photograph.

Some will take a photo (or two), blur it a bit, slap on the foreground image, and call it good.  It works, but it's kinda lazy...and distracting.  Me, I prefer a slightly different method....take an actual photo and color over it while leaving out most of the finer details.  Is it cheating?  Is it tracing?  Sure it is, but if you ever see one of my drawn-from-scratch backgrounds and marveled at my kindergarten-like abilities....yeah, a little cheatin' is acceptable from time to time.

Monsignor Jobs

 This blurb came in second in the poll results, but every time I see Steve Jobs in front of an audience he's either trying to dress down like your average Joe Six-Pack....jeans, denim-ish shirt, tennis shoes....or like a Catholic priest.  The winner, the "step into my office" quote from There's Something About Marry, was funny and all....but it just didn't work.

...and once again, my apologies to Pat Kassab.