Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Thanks Zeke.

Hi everyone, I'm sorry I have been awol for a while. I have been working on something partly inspired I think by Zeke. I think it was you Zeke who bugged me about posting more sketchbook shots. I got to thinking about how much I love working in my journal and how confident that stuff is compared to much of my other output. It suddenly dawned on me that perhaps the sketchbook for me will be less about preparing to make art as it is the art itself. I am thinking about writing a Xeric foundation grant to self publish a book that reproduces pages from my journals just as they are, flaws and all. It is filled with drawings, comics and such and people I know seem to like looking at them. I am also going to launch a blog that posts pages every few days of new pages that might become a new book. There is a lot going on right now but I promise to post some here soon. If you are on facebook, look for me and link as friends. I just joined to help draw traffic to the new blog . All part of my big picture plan. Well, thanks and hope to show soon. BTW, there are about 43 pics in my photos on Facebook. Some you have seen some you may not. So come and have a look wont you?

2 comments:

zeke said...

This project sounds fantastic Chris, gonna bug you 'til you do it, now i've a license to do so!!!
Part of what I enjoy so much about your sketchbook pages is the voyeristic peek into your life and frustrations.
I do wonder if one of the hardest things to learn as an artist is to accept mistakes. Obviously Gary Panter is the master of this, with a lot of his work it's somehow 'open' you can look at it and see how he's struggled to create it and made mistakes in the process.
You spend years and years learning how to be good at drawing, finally get good at it. People can see what it is you do, admire it briefly and then move on to the next artist. There's gotta be some friction or the work's too darn slick and can't scratch the eyeball.
Ramble, ramble... will shut up now...

Mostyn said...

zeke, thanks for the feedback. I agree. I just felt like my stuff in the sketchbook looked done as it was. why kill it by trying to refine it into something else. PEople do blogs and all kinds of self recording, this is just a more visually interesting version. I always felt like I was all bound up when trying to sit and make a comic on "pro material". My best comics were always forced out when I did no scripting, no planning, just ink to paper stream of consciousness. I got enough good pages now that I could do a 200 page book no problem. Almost like American Elf, read online, then buy the book. I also will continue to draw on paper (to show in local shows or whatever, make zines, draw on clay but the diary is the BIG project right now. Thanks for the feedback. I welcome any and all critiques and suggestions. Hey, go to my facebook page and look at the photos of drawings and pages.