Hey all, well its been quite a while since I updated. Mostly due to a heavy work load and not feeling like I had anything profound to share I guess.

But as it turns out this week, I will be at the Savannah College of Art and Design for their Comics Art Forum! Any chance I get to come back to Savannah is a complete blast. Its always a nolstagic experience for me. I just got in yesterday and we have a panel discussion tonight with the other visiting artists. Then tomorrow and Sat. I will be doing a presentation for the students and portfolio reviews in the afternoon.

Over all it should be a fun weekend, and hopefully I can still be productive with work in my down time. If you're a student or an alumni and you have the chance, you should swing down and participate!

As for work, I've been busy with the penciling duties on my next run of GI Joe 13-17. And I've had the chance to do covers for each of the books. Thats been an interesting step in my career. Getting to do covers on a regular basis is alot of fun, obviously, but also quite challenging. But all together by the end of this month I'll have penciled and inked 20 covers for GI JOE in a little over a year.

So in one of my recent deviations there have been some comments on figure construction and laying out your action poses. Bringing a sense of dynamic action has always been a struggle of mine and something Im continually trying to work on.

brought up a good point about taking photos or even a video of yourself doing the action Im trying to represent. While if this was strictly referenced or light boxed it could infact stiffen my art, but if used as a loose guide for construction, my figures could look more sound.

This also brought up my concern about time.

"This is a really good suggestion. And while Im sure it would improve my art. I simply never think to take the time to do that kind of thing. Its always quicker to try and work it out on the page. And with the amount of projects Im on right now, I never feel like I can take that kind of time for a single pose.

Its a conundrum. Do I take the time to get better, or do I take the time to crank out the work and over the course of time try to apply new techniques and get better.

You run the risk of just doing job after job and not improving, then when work dries up, you haven't improved and adapted your art to remain viable. Or do you run the risk of blowing a deadline to nail that one pose just right page after page. However, by doing so you would in theory nail that pose or one like it the next time and maybe improve on that. Continually challenging your work.


All of that while considering no one reading this book will spend more than 5 seconds reading that panel anyway."

I dont think there is a definant answer, but I do know there are a lot of exercises I could be doing with my art to improve, but I dont devote time to it for fear of missing my deadline. Or because I took on too much work and am always trying to play catch up.

Pipe in and let me know your thoughts on this? Its been on my mind quite a bit.

Okay, well so there is this thing apparently that someone started and should be killed for, where your "friends" tag you and out of obligation to that said "friendship" I must tag others aswell. So now they can look at me with the same annoyance that I revere specifically for that guy who tagged me in the first place.

Good times.

The rules:

RULES
=====
1. Post these rules.
2. Each tagged person must post 8 things about themselves on their journal.
3. At the end, you have to choose and tag 8 people and post their icons on the same journal.
4. Go to their pages and send a message saying you tagged them.
5. No tag-backs!

8 THINGS ABOUT ME
=================
1. I love soccer/football/futball and have since I was a kid. I played in community leagues, HS, and College.

2. I don't have a toe nail on the big toe on my left foot. Its just not there and it will never grow one (TMI!!!!)

3. I went on a mission for my church to Houston, Texas when I was 19.

4. One of my first inspirations for wanting to be an artist can be attributed to the AHA video "Take on Me" where the guy's drawings come to life. Man, I loved the 80's

5. I'm from a very large family. I have 5 brothers and 3 sisters. I'm right in the middle though, #5 in the line up.

6. I come from a family history of artists, my Dad has a degree in architecture, my grandmother is a painter and sculptor and my grandfather built and restored old ornate frames. Creativity was always incouraged in my house.

7. I met my wife in High School and we started dating when I was a Senior. We dated for 4 years and have been married for 9.

8. When I was 4, I was trying to do cartwheels in the living room and hit my head on the coffee table. It knocked me out and I woke up when they were stitching the gash on my head at the hospital. I still have a scar over my left eye. My son just turned 3 and I can assure you we dont let him play near the coffee table.

The following friends can thank this guy for starting this crap.

For those who dont know, and I dont know why many of you would. I went to the Savannah College of Art and Design for Sequential art. I attended their graduate program and graduated with a MFA back in 2004.

I know there are a lot of graduates working in the field and probably many still trying to break into the arts and entertainment industries. I have many fond memories of my time in Savannah, and for the most part have only praise for the school and especially the professors. There are other opinions out there, and to each their own. Its an expensive school to say the least, but I for one, do feel that it was worth it.

I went into the program with a general education in the arts, and I think that definantly helped cut the cost of being there. For anyone thinking of attending, I would suggest going that route. Getting your undergrad at a decent, yet affordable school and learning about every aspect of art as you can. Then find a specialty and then consider SCAD or a comparable art school that you feel best suits what you want to accomplish. For me that was SCAD since they had a Sequential art program and I could get a Master's degree. Which would certainly give me an education, but also allow me the possiblity to teach collegiately down the road.

Still, very much a goal of mine.

I had the opportunity to return to Savannah last week and while there was able to do a seminar for the summer semester students in the sequential dept. It went well, I presented with my friend and co-creator Quinn Johnson. We talked mostly about our project and how to get a creative property off the ground and in production. But I also got to talk about how I went from a student to being able to work in the profession I studied for and enjoy.

It was a cool experience, and we had a great response from the presentation. Even though I was on vacation I still had work to do, and after the seminar I went up to one of the empty classrooms to get a couple of hours of work in before I had to meet people for dinner. It was quite the nostalgic experience being in those rooms. Just 5 years previous to this I was often there before or after class using the space to get class assignments done. And here I was working on pages of Heroes for NBC. Recently wrapping up an issue of Amazing Spiderman, and just back from SDCC where we were promoting a creator owned property.

Im definantly blessed, but it took alot of hard work and certainly help from friends and other industry professionals that took me under their wing. Mike O'Sullivan over at Devil's Due at the time, Rick Ketcham and Randy Green from Tsunami-Studios, Andy Schmidt, Chris Allo, Steve Wacker and Nanci Quesada have all been gracious enough to put trust in me and/or teach me how to become better.

I know a journal like this is ridiculously self-indulgant, and I apologize for coming across that way. However, its also good to keep in mind where you've been and what it's taking to get you where you are. My recent trip to SCAD had abruptly reminded me of all that and I wanted to share.

Considering all those that have helped me along the way, it's a passion of mine to help when and where I can. There are many other artists who I respect and see in the process of establishing that foothold in the industry. Its exciting to see their hunger and that in turn spurs me on to push myself and my art forward.

Anyone out there who attended SCAD or is currently a student there, give a shout out. Im curious how many are here on Deviant Art. I know of quite a few, but there may be some out there in the woodwork that I dont know.

Well, this year I attended more conventions in one year than I had ever attempted before.

While each one was successful, and a ton of fun to be at, it really took its toll there at the end. I still have a 1 day show , the Windy City Con in Chicago Sept 19. and a 2 day show, the VA Comic Con in Richmond Virginia. But for the most part Im done with major conventions that span the whole weekend, or even the whole week.

My sketchbooks did suprisingly well, thanks to all the Joe fans and their avid collector's nature. I do still have a few books left of both the GI JOE sketchbook and My "misc" sketchbook with marvel, DC and creator owned work.

IF you're interested, the books are 48 pages, full color and $20 plus $3 shipping. Just send me a note with your address and we can work out the details.

At both shows I was able to make some outstanding contacts that have already lead to alot more work. Im slated to pencil GI JOE issues 13-17 and the covers until then aswell. At the same time Im working on some more Heroes work for NBC, alongside getting RuneStone done in time for the release in 2010.

Im just trying to play catch up now after all the shows, it can be stressful, but a good problem to have I always say.