Parking Lot

Bonework

 

Here is the final page! I took the cut out of the bones (shown in earlier posts) and glued them onto the page with the previously drawn bones. The end result is as much collage as it is drawing.
The problem I had with the original page was that there was too much black on the right. It felt like this should really be at the top. There was also a fair amount of uniformity in the design of the original bone mass. I wanted to break that up a little bit.

The reason I'm showing you this process is because there are quite a few pages within my comic that have been constructed in this manner. I'll take one that totally failed and cut it up. Then, I'll take those pieces and construct a new page out of it. Or perhaps, I'll augment a previously existing page, such as this. Occasionally, I'll create a collage out of the pieces, then compose a drawing based off of it. So, it looks like a collage, but really isn't.

So there you are!

Bonemeal 2

The next step is to take this page of previously drawn bones out of hiding. Overall, I'm happy with the page, but there is something missing...

Bonemeal

After having added details, the bones are now finished.

Elucidation of the Negative

The edge of the negative space...

Hey folks, sorry it took so long to get back here. Had to take a break from the comic. Now, back to work! So here we have the negative spaces cut out of the bone mass. The edge that has been cut now must be colored black  (it's kind of hard to see here). If this image was placed on a flat surface, the white lines from the cut may be visible in a reproduction. If the edge is colored, then it is camouflaged. I use the sides of one of my old brushes to paint the black in. You have to be careful not to get any ink on the drawing itself---so I usually paint it in from the back side of the drawing.

The next step was to cut out the negative spaces in this mass of bones. What a pain!

Fire Bride

Enter the Worm

Hey folks! I've been busy working  on my graphic novel. I've still got a ways to go before it will get finished. And once it does? Who knows if I'll even have enough money to get it published.
Happy New Whatever!
Chew

Tauromancer

Roman Holiday

2011 Oktober Fluke Report

OKTOBERFLUKE WAS ... well, to be honest it wasn't awesome. It was okay. Here's the good, the bad and the ugly:

The Good: We tabled next to Patrick and Robert (The Fluke Organizers) and had some very interesting conversations about children, music, racism, Spiderman and mutants. Later, I saw the cover that Patrick drew for Athens' Flagpole Magazine. It looked really good. Kudos.

The Poptober Fair venue in Athens' Civic Center was a huge space. Chew and I created a new table display, and I have to admit, our table looked pretty good. Before we left Athens, we had pizza and beer at Little Italy – the slices are thick, huge, cheesy and cheap. My kind of place. 

The Bad:  I have to admit that I have, until now, always taken Patrick and Robert's efforts to promote Fluke for granted – the Flagpole coverage, the posters and flyers everywhere, a venue in the heart of downtown Athens, cheap admission for the general public, their social network updates ... the list goes on and on. It's no wonder that attendance for Fluke has grown every year. Unfortunately, the folks who organized the Poptober Fair did not do the same ... 

The venue was in the basement level of the Civic Center. There was no access to this venue except for a side street, half of which was closed for construction and the other half was used periodically for fund-raising marathons. There were no signs. No posters. No advertisement. No ads or coverage in Flagpole. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. If you didn't already know about this fair, you weren't going to stumble across it. And if you did go, you had to pay $5 at the front door. The attendance was poor. I don't think anybody did well (except the vintage record swap guys).

Oktoberfluke was Fluke's ugly little step-sister. And that's okay. They can't all be winners. I am not placing any of this at Patrick or Robert's feet. I just never realized how much they did to make Fluke successful. Thanks guys.

The Ugly: Headaches, nausea, no sleep, and the loooong dark drive back home.

And Finally: I am really looking forward to Fluke 2012. She's pretty. She's tall. And best of all, she puts out. A lot.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by, bought books, or said hello. We'll see you again next year!

Chew, feel free to add your two cents when you get a chance.

Optimistically and understandingly yours,

Jeff Tuffenstuff

Duhh!

Don't be shy. We don't bite (hard). Stand around, chat, get to know us, buy our stuff, bring your friends, talk shop, or whatever! We look forward to seeing you ... 

It's Fantastic!

It's the first collaboration between Jeff Tuffenstuff and Chew! It's Flex Fantastic ... a hero's journey through murky, nebulous and watery folds to find his sidekick, Klepto the flying-wonder-dog! This is the one that started it all. Buy it and finally read what everyone is hardly talking about ... Oh Vey!

'Tis the Season ...

It's the Hairball Christmas Special and the holidays are just around the corner ... so, buy someone this book already! It's perfect stocking stuffer for someone geek-chic and weird. Because you care. You really, really care ...

Oh No He Diddin' ...

Oh yes he did! Now if this depiction of hillbillies is too close to home ... well, then you probably shouldn't pick up Chew's Hillbilly Chic. It's grody. It's grimy. It's got a headless chicken. And lots and lots of Hillbillies. Did I mention the headless chicken?

Total Carnage ...

Yes, we have the entire comic featured in our comics section of this blog, but it's not really the same as owning it. The feel of smooth paper in you hands, the smell of ink, the shiny metallic staples gingerly impaling the book's spine ... uhm, too far? Besides, don't you want to own the book that will have a sequel so huge it's taken us over a year and a half to plot the stupid thing? Of course you do.

Dunn Dun Dunn ...

This one is one of my favorites. This issue of Hairball is devoted to Oink's grade school crush. Chew has knocked this one out of the park. And it's kid friendly to boot. Buy it for a kid. Buy it for your kids. Buy it for yourself. JUST BUY IT! (Okay, I admit, it's not exactly subtle advertising, but c'mon ... the book is really that good)

Curse of Cupcakes ...

Yes, of course you should buy Chew's latest foray into the critically acclaimed Hairball series (who's the critic? Me!). A fuzzy, spoiled creamy cheese frosting curse on you for taking so long to pick up a copy (special solicitor's note: all hexes are removable upon purchase at the Globster Press table).

The Daddy of all Sequels ...

The epic collaboration between Chew and Jeff that reached a climax so chilling, so powerful ... well, okay. Maybe it's not that chilling. In fact, our hero Flex Fantastic isn't even in half of the book. But a city gets destroyed, a goddess is reborn and we introduce S.M.A.C.K.: the sorriest and worst bunch of super powered men ever assembled. Oh, plus there's a special cameo from an old friend. And our fan-favorite ... Klepto the dog. Ruff' said.