June 2024 Diary Comics
Comics are widely studied by academics in the humanities. Discourse around metaphors and messaging found in the superhero genre is abundant, while comic narratives on… Read More »June 2024 Diary Comics
drawing
May 2024 Diary Comics
Art can easily be dismissed out of hand, misdiagnosed as simply a leisure activity, or compartmentalised as a skill of production, thus reducing the broader… Read More »May 2024 Diary Comics
February 2024 Diary Comics
In the second month of daily diary comic making in 2024, I already felt the stress of invalidation from posting on social media. The diary… Read More »February 2024 Diary Comics
Free comics catchup- Part 3
Autumn Winds This comic was inspired by a moment where my new life was starting to become settled. That is to say, it was no… Read More »Free comics catchup- Part 3
Illustrating alternative energy solutions
In 2022 I had the opportunity to delve into the intricacies of three pivotal technologies: microgrids, hydrogen power, and advanced electricity networks. Through a series… Read More »Illustrating alternative energy solutions
Behind the myth of ‘I can’t draw’
After writing and researching the paper ‘Graphic Storytelling: Teaching Experience and Utility’ (now published and available to read here- https://www.closure.uni-kiel.de/closure8/fisher), I wanted to share it… Read More »Behind the myth of ‘I can’t draw’
Graphic Storytelling: Teaching Experience and Utility
I’m a keen drawer- always have been. For different reasons, it’s an ideal pastime for me. I’m a little bit obsessive-compulsive and can tend towards… Read More »Graphic Storytelling: Teaching Experience and Utility
Automatic Drawing- getting started
Let me show you how to get started with an automatic drawing using my patent-pending ‘snake’ technique. I’ll show how you can gradually add variety… Read More »Automatic Drawing- getting started
Mimicking the Masters- Kevin Maguire
In this activity I’ve taken a drawing by comic artist legend Kevin Maguire (below) and attempted to redraw it, adding light and tonality. Pretty neat… Read More »Mimicking the Masters- Kevin Maguire
iPad Pro- Experiments and Play
Some months ago I caved to my tech tendencies (even more difficult to resist where they Venn with my penchant for drawing) and bought a… Read More »iPad Pro- Experiments and Play
Journey to the West (2011)
Created by Anthony Cheung and myself, based on the Chinese Fable
Monkey King
I grew up enamoured with Monkey Magic. Something about the liveliness of the show, the kooky characters, the music, the absurdity of it, as well… Read More »Monkey King
Creative Pipeline Diagram
In my ‘day job’ I recently worked with some brilliant people on a trans-disciplinary assignment task. The idea was that students from Creative Writing came… Read More »Creative Pipeline Diagram
Entwined: Aztec Romance Superhero Comic Complete
I started on character designs for Entwined: A Recurrent Romance as an Inktober project in 2017. It’s about Superheroes and Aztec Gods, and in parallel… Read More »Entwined: Aztec Romance Superhero Comic Complete
Entwined- White Mamba!
White Mamba is one of the protagonists of Entwined: A Recurrent Romance (see HERE for a recap on what that is!). He is Alejandro Vargas,… Read More »Entwined- White Mamba!
Alarming Diary Comic
I haven’t made many diary comics since I drew a moonlit bushwalk for New Year’s Eve, 2015 but I still make the occasional one here and… Read More »Alarming Diary Comic
Entwined-Xolotl
The second Aztec god in the Entwined roster that I gave a design overhaul is Death/Lightning, the deity formerly known as Xolotl. Dr Mike describes him as… Read More »Entwined-Xolotl
Entwined- Tezcatlipoca
The first of the character designs for Entwined is the Smoking Mirror, Tezcatlipoca, god of jaguars, sorcery, beauty, strife, and obsidian. Mike’s original character design pictured her… Read More »Entwined- Tezcatlipoca
Digital life drawing
Just getting back to life drawing after a bit of a hiatus, and within the context of in-class demonstration. So everyone in the class can… Read More »Digital life drawing
Queen Sparkle (part 3)
Drawing is equal parts experimentation, exploration, design, and play. It’s also about the willingness to stay with it. To keep going. In the last two posts, I… Read More »Queen Sparkle (part 3)
Queen Sparkle (part 2)
After settling on a rough layout, the drawing phase began. I used reference of an eagle so it wouldn’t come out looking like a turkey… Read More »Queen Sparkle (part 2)
Kim Jung Gi
Watching Kim Jung Gi’s live drawing demonstrations gave me permission to draw in my sketchbook directly with ink pen. No planning, straight-ahead drawing, allowing the theme and… Read More »Kim Jung Gi
Equilibrium
Drawing a page on the Cintiq again after a few weeks away. Focusing on attitude and body language. And a timelapse of the process, if you’re… Read More »Equilibrium
Hand to eye
When watching television or movie, even the most mediocre of offerings, the enthusiastic artist, I’ve found, can keep the pen moving and the hand to… Read More »Hand to eye
10,000 hours
There’s an adage that 10,000 hours of practice is what’s required to become a master. While that is more of an incentive for persistence than… Read More »10,000 hours
The Lonely Cartoonist
Douglas Wolk in his book Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels work, “whereas the great majority of mainstream comics are made by teams of writers and artists,… Read More »The Lonely Cartoonist
The hump
I’m at the stage of the graphic novel that I’m referring to as the hump. The big, horrible, hump. I’ve turned 15679 of a total… Read More »The hump
Static momentum
Scott Bukatman, in his essay Sculpture, Stasis and Hellboy found within Critical Inquiry, Comics and Media (Chute & Jagoda 2014), ponders on the ideas of connection,… Read More »Static momentum
The red pill
More drawing like a madman, recording and adding commentary. This one goes for six minutes. My voice is like warm butter. Enjoy.
Half target
Day one of my ten page a day goal is off to an uninspired start. Five pages, though pretty good, is only half the target.… Read More »Half target