Road Outrage
Have you noticed how many four-wheel drives and SUV’s there are on the road this days? I ride a bicycle for commuting whenever possible. It’s… Read More »Road Outrage
ObjectiF4
After writing the article ‘Should you watch the Fantastic Four’ I was left with some broad conclusions and more questions, having externalized the issues drove… Read More »ObjectiF4
Should you watch Fantastic Four
I’ll start off by saying, if you saw the recent Fast and the Furious movies and thought they were enjoyable romps of rollicking action adventure,… Read More »Should you watch Fantastic Four
Student First
In the last year and a half, I’ve been doing a fair amount of teaching, and I find it equal parts nerve-wracking, exhausting, exhilarating. and… Read More »Student First
Sour grapes
I’ve been making comics for years- literally since I was a kid. I’ve never held illusions that my work is cutting-edge or going to change… Read More »Sour grapes
The final countdown
There are not much more than 8 months till I have to wrap up this doctorate. Cue internal alarm and feelings of inadequacy, then tuck… Read More »The final countdown
Keep on learning
Yes- the diary comics continue (there are well over 500 of them now), and I thought some of you might like to read about my… Read More »Keep on learning
The juggler
Time for another (long overdue) recap. It’s been a busy time, with teaching and a bunch of other stuff. I remarked to a friend the… Read More »The juggler
24 Hour Comic Challenge 2015 – Da Rules!
24 Hour Comic Challenge: How does it work, what should I do? A summary in 9 points: Your process during the challenge … Read More »24 Hour Comic Challenge 2015 – Da Rules!
Marshall Weber guest lecture
On Thursday 5th March I was lucky enough to be able to see a talk by Marshall Weber, performance/visual artist and founder of Booklyn and Organik. The room… Read More »Marshall Weber guest lecture
Back to reality
I woke up at 4am this morning and could not get back to sleep. Turning around in my mind were all the things I have… Read More »Back to reality
Steaming into 2015
Its been a productive break from teaching and classes. Here’s whats been happening, in a nutshell. Ashcan X After taking over the reins of… Read More »Steaming into 2015
Cartooning- Week Two
I’m a bit behind on updating this… archiving all my activities takes almost as long as doing them in the first place! This week’s exercises… Read More »Cartooning- Week Two
The Seven Key Steps of Story Structure
I’ve been working through John Truby’s excellent book The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller. Anyone who is interested in scriptwriting, or… Read More »The Seven Key Steps of Story Structure
Quite a Frank chat
I gushed at length in a previous blog entry about my visit in August with Frank Quitely in his Glasgow studio. I have finally finished typing up… Read More »Quite a Frank chat
The First Time
A short comic detailing my first drug experience, way back in 1995. There are a lot of concessions I’ve had to make to squeeze this… Read More »The First Time
The premise of a better story
At the advice of scriptwriting guru Hugh Burton I’ve been reading The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller by John Truby. I’m… Read More »The premise of a better story
Scriptwrestling
Scriptwriting for comics is tricky. The last script I wrote for a comic was Fault Lines, my Honours year final piece. At only 12,000 words it was already… Read More »Scriptwrestling
Three Acts?
I’m currently in the middle of plotting out the story for Chasing Shadows (working title) my final Doctoral output, a sprawling graphic novel that will be… Read More »Three Acts?
Cartooning with Ivan Brunetti
I’ve decided that I’m not busy enough, and so have begun an informal cartooning course, courtesy of master cartoonist Ivan Brunetti. Within a week of starting… Read More »Cartooning with Ivan Brunetti
2014 Closing
So whats been happening? Well, a few things. I recently upgraded my digital creation tools, now running a 22inch HD touch wacom cintiq attached to… Read More »2014 Closing
Progress?
A wise man once said, say yes to everything. So that’s what I’m doing at the moment. Here’s the results. Right now I have a… Read More »Progress?
Quitely, Frankly, Awesome
While recently in Glasgow I took the opportunity to visit master illustrator and visual storyteller Frank Quitely. I’ve loved Frank’s art ever since I first… Read More »Quitely, Frankly, Awesome
The Goon in China Town
I’ve reached a bit of a stalemate in my progress. So far I have made a bulletpoint list of diary entries from my uni days… Read More »The Goon in China Town
24 Hour Comic
My submission for the 24 Hour Comic Challenge 2014, Chasing Shadows plays with two interweaving timelines. A dry run for my final graphic novel and… Read More »24 Hour Comic
24 Hour Comic Jam!
The 24 Hour Comic Challenge is coming up, an event that sees people from all over the world spending a consecutive 24 hours in making a… Read More »24 Hour Comic Jam!
Documentary as a Form of Creative-Led Research Production and Dissemination
Notes on a presentation by Professor Trish Fitzsimmons, Deputy Head of Griffith Film School. Please excuse any errors or omissions. This is not intended for citation… Read More »Documentary as a Form of Creative-Led Research Production and Dissemination
Where to now?
After receiving my feedback from the confirmation assessment and another meeting with Andi on the 29th April I have a rough trajectory to follow. –… Read More »Where to now?
Jodie Mack- Let Your Light Shine
It’s “the Avant Garde, not the Avant Guard.” The lovely and prolific Professor Jodie Mack– animator, filmmaker and artist- came to visit the university, direct from Dartmouth.… Read More »Jodie Mack- Let Your Light Shine
Confirmation done!
On April the 8th I finally got to present my work and findings from the previous year. It took four and a half weeks to… Read More »Confirmation done!