headed out to the show today, some last minute prep here then I’m off to sign some books and network and what not for a few days. Strangely enough, I’m thinking 3 or 4 days of sleeping in and not doing ANYTHING are actually more attractive right now. But I’m sure that will change once I get going and start doing things out there.

I’ve got 2 scheduled signings on Saturday at the show, Hero by Night signing is at noon with creator and buddy DJ Coffman, and then the KISS 4K signing is at 1pm right afterwards with artist Tone Rodriguez and fellow colorist Nei Ruffino. Also I guess I’ll be part of some digital draw off, painting competition that Wacom is setting up there over the weekend. I guess they are setting up 5-7 Cintiqs for display in our booth, and we’ll be challenging competitors in some form of public humiliation and ridicule Actually, it sounds like fun. It’ll be nice to play around on a Cintiq and have what I’m doing NOT have to see print or meet a deadline for once. Should be a good time for all.

Need to get cracking here, shooting a commercial today as soon as the plane gets there, and I need to double check what I’m wearing because as the assistant director pointed out to me on the phone last night at 12:30 am (which granted was only 9:30 his time) I can’t wear white. So I’ve had to ditch the shepherd robes and go with something a bit more updated. I think I’ll manage. Better make sure my iPod is loaded up and ready to go, that my phone is charged, and that I’ve got enough to keep me busy on a 4.5 hour plane ride today.

Wheeee! Picture from the show to come next week when I get to it.

so yesterday I had a REAL sore back, still sore today, but I realized it was likely a combination of having slept on it wrong the previous night, and also the height at which I was working with my new Cintiq. So after getting some things done, I HAD to rearrange my entire studio so I could work on the Cintiq in a more comfortable way. Pretty much 90% of my work day is spent coloring or painting digitally now, and I would be in for some serious health problems if I hadn’t gotten this Cintiq and been able to get it set up so that it’s as close as possible to working traditionally. Having it on my drawing table is a great idea of my wife’s, and I have to say, so far so good. It’s like I’m working on a regular piece of paper almost it’s so comfortable. Also, finally got around to stealing my buddy DJ’s idea of wallpapering his wall with artwork. Mine is mostly fantasy oil paintings and LOTS of color too. So without further ado, here’s an impromptu studio tour.

First up the Nap Room (or movie room, depending on the time of day) The couch for power naps and thinking, and the chair for sketching and writing and stuff.

The entryway to the studio,

Computer area, complete with notepad for writing down ideas and stuff of course, art ref books, graphic novels, and my Imagine FX magazines.

The new Cintiq setup, much more comfortable, the beginning of the wall of art as wallpaper, some traditional tools, a Pantone flip book for color scheming, various supplies, comics and books, and of course my Cintiq.

Talking to Bob a few weeks ago about our mutual obsession with Batman, so these pics are for him. I had to split up the mini-shrine when I rearranged things, so first, the batman shelf, limited edition metal sculpture, 42 of 1200, various action figures, including the limited edition Rise of Sin Ztu videogame Batman (or however you spell that name),

Limited edition, gold trimmed collector plates, my 3 legged lucky frog, picture of my beautiful wife, my son dressed up as Batman for Halloween when he was 2, etc……

Hero By Night hardcover trade, limited edition with silver foil flames instead of blue, signed by CEO of Platinum Studios Scott Rosenberg (thanks for mailing that out to me Scott ) Displayed in a wonderful silver framed shadow box with glass case my wife got me for Xmas (thanks honey)

The ever growing wall of HBN comics. From right to left, the original HBN mini-series, including all issue 1 variants, issue 1 of the new ongoing series (soon to be joined by issue 2 once Fed Ex comes today or tomorrow), a Tiki-God clock which I refuse to set at the proper time of day, because I really could care less about what time it is and I doubt those Tiki-Gods care either, a few toys and HBN trades.

hope you enjoyed this short little visual tour. I’m off to get more coffee and get to coloring now!

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Now playing: Pete Yorn - On Your Side
via FoxyTunes

For the first time in 8 years, I was upset that I owned a Mac yesterday. After talking with Apple support on the phone, talking with the people at Wacom, chatting online with an Apple tech, I was assured my iMac G5, albeit an “OLD” mac, purchases a whopping 2 1/2 years ago, would work with the new Cintiq I was getting. Well it DOES work, but only after I purchase a $19 MINI-VGA to VGA adapter cord to make it work. Now, this in itself is fine I guess. However I wanted to just plug it in and have it work yesterday, and I could have if I had owned a PC. So not having the cord, and not having anyone TELL me I needed said adapter cord, I made a trip to the Apple store (thankfully one opened in the last year within 20 miles) Rush hour traffic time of day mind you, 45 minutes later I walk in, and after waiting to get some help I was informed they had just sold their LAST one a half hour previous. So yeah, I was frustrated. Went to Best Buy, where I purchased the only thing that LOOKED like what I needed, that they didn’t have at the Apple store, only to get home and learn THAT didn’t work. 3 hours of my night gone, STILL no cord, I had to order what I needed online (which if someone at Apple or Wacom would have told me in the previous weeks I’ve spent looking into this whole situation I would have bought when I got the Cintiq so it would have been here at the same time) I was also reminded harshly of how fast technology advances, and how something bought just over 2 years ago, is already outdated in some ways as everything has moved to digital video on newer models of the same computer in that time frame.

The lesson I’m learning, is that I should indeed just put in the extra man hours on my part, do my OWN research, find what I need, and take care of it myself. No phone calls to support techs at apple, no help from instore support people that have never even HEARD of something like a Wacom Cintiq, and generally just put my faith in myself, because I very rarely let myself down. I’m sounding arrogant, but at the same time, it was ME who figured out what I ended up needing in the long, and along the way 4 other people, employed by the companies I have spent over 4 thousand dollars with, failed me. Yesterday was frustrating. Now I’m just waiting until Thursday when the part I ordered arrives. Until then, it’s just back to basics here, with a nice 2 thousand dollar, 20lb paper weight on my desk, staring at me all day.

So today marks the day my artistic life changes, for the better. My new 20 inch widescreen, Wacom Cintiq will arrive today via UPS. I just checked the tracking number, and it’s says, “OUT FOR DELIVERY” Anxiousness doesn’t really do justice to how I’m feeling right now, so I won’t even both describing the indescribable.

Haven’t mentioned this yet, but everyone has probably noticed by now, the new site layout. Just a basic wordpress template now, but it strongly mirrors the color scheme I was already implementing in my new portfolio site redesign (which may not see completion until MUCH later this year at my current rate of productivity) Earth tones, greens, blues, beiges, burnt umbers, subdued warm colors, all seem to be my favorites. I went with a solid black background over a year ago on my site because it was easy, and a lot of artists use black on their sites because it acts more like a matte around a picture for your art. However, I’ve got plans in the works for a much more scaled down, streamlined, Zen-like portfolio site. Something much more soothing to the senses.

My agenda today, includes: a healthy diet of classical music I think, to help inspire and soothe me since I’ve felt better honestly, finish the last page and a half of colors for the Hero By Night free comic book day offering, go in and fix some colors and make tweaks to at least 3 or 4 pages from issue 1 of Take a Chance, and start getting pages from the Hotshot and Mighty Girl graphic novel cleaned up and shipped out for flatting so I can start jamming later this week on colors for that. My goal for the week is to finish making all the changes to that first issue of TAC, upload high rez files for the letterer to make her changes, and as unlikely as it may sound, cleanup/ink 22 pages of HS&MG and start inking pages from TAC issue 2. I’m banking of course on an INSPIRED effort on my end once I get my Cintiq set up here, completely uninterrupted work time, very little in the way of unexpected family crises, and a juggernautic injection of stamina and good health. I suppose I’ll find out just how much power there is in the whole mind over matter thing fairly soon. I’ll be sure to report on how THAT goes.

haven’t slept good in over a week here.  My mind is just racing with thoughts at night now.  From work to family things to creative things…it’s nuts.  I’ve never had this problem before really either.  I can totally understand why they make sleep aid medicines now

It’s Friday.  Which means that most people are rejoicing at the end of another week.  Not me.  Tomorrow will be an even busier day, and likely a day that I don’t do ANY work, just family stuff.  Sunday I plan on working though a few hours towards the afternoon/evening time.

Aggravated the side of my hip/back/BUTT that bugged me for a few weeks there, again last Saturday.  It was just starting to come around and feel a LOT better.  So last night I did some “self diagnosis” with the aid of some medical sites and some threads on forums where other artists have had similar problems.  So now when I eventually DO end up making it to the doctor, we’re going to talk about RSI (repetitive stress injuries) because it seems that’s pretty much exactly what’s wrong with me.  I’m right handed, so my right arm/wrist/shoulder/neck area gets sore from the same motions everyday, and the opposing tendons and muscles in the lower left side of my body feel the same stress (if not more)  There was even one horror story from a guy who used to work at Industrial Light and Magic, and had this weird sort of CONTORTED tendon thing happen in his forearm and stuff from constricting his drawing motion to a little wacom tablet.  Which brings me to my next point, I’ve been thinking, saving, dreaming, hoping, researching, getting a new Wacom Cintiq for a while now, in part to make me even more productive, but also in LARGE part so that I can start drawing/coloring/painting, normally again, and using my entire arm and stuff and not just little movements from my wrist.  Today isn’t a great day for pain really, last night I stopped working at dinner after a mediocre day because it hurt so much.  Today isn’t as bad as last night, but it’s only 10am too

Also, I’ve been looking around the net for pictures of studios/people or companies that have a Cintiq work environment, so I can get an idea as for the best set up for my studio here.  So if any of you out there reading this own or use a Cintiq, and have pictures of your work environment, give me a shout will ya? :)  Back to the grind.