Three Unrelated Items
All right, they all feature facial hair of some variety, so they’re not completely unrelated, but mostly. I finished a two-page Phil Bunyan story to submit to my school’s upcoming comics anthology, but I drew it big, so I can’t scan it properly until I go to school on Wednesday. Until then, here’s a teaser panel. I have a big comic to do for the upcoming RCC anthology too, and a lot of Baby Otto almost ready to roll out, but if I can find the time before March 1st, the deadline to submit, I have another two-page story starring Phil that I want to go along with this finished one. If not, I’ll do it eventually.
My current assignment in my Illustration class is called “New Markets.” The idea being that we go beyond print illustration and come up with a brand or a character that can be used everywhere. While sketching ideas, I realized that one of the most well-responded to (and fun to create) things I’ve ever posted here were my series of tiny paintings of robots with various styles of facial hair, and I knew I had my characters. They can be toys, used as apparel designs, watches, buttons, etc. I came up with four initial bots, each with unique hair, as well as a special edition fifth bot.
Taking things too far, as I usually do, I figured I might as well just come up with a name for the whole set, get myself a domain name, and build up a site for these guys. I came up with a list of names away from a computer, so I couldn’t check whether they had been taken or not, but as it turns out, the most straightforward, easy to remember name that i thought of, still totally available! I haven’t been this happy since I found out www.asslesschaps.com was still floating free (used to be mine, seriously, but no longer). I am now the proud owner of www.beardbots.com! (There’s just a blank page there right now, but I’ll let you know as things get further along.) Feel the furry excitement.
And here’s a quick ballpoint pen self-portrait, drawn from a mirror wall in a cafe as I was drinking coffee and waiting for my breakfast (biscuits and gravy) to arrive; looking as much like a young, homeless, genius as I can.