Wednesday, March 31, 2010

YDN_zlm.BustACap

Yale life. Thug life. Is there really a difference?

Zero Like Me #95:
Fools March In Pt.2: Bust A Cap
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-First Comic-

Easter Eggs: "Yale" in panel 4. Nyao's costume inspired by Winsor McCay's character Icicle from Little Nemo.

Fun Facts: Today's setting is a house on Whitney Avenue, en route to the elementary school I teach comics at. This comic was originally just a heist, but then this happened, and I realized it fit pretty nicely with the thievery theme.

Also, tune in to YDN comics all week so as to get your ho ho ho on!

Baa: As an opponent of frivolity and waste, I am not actually sure that a prize cap is a bad thing, but I do disagree with any sort of everybody's-equal treatment. If someone's outstanding at something, and they win a prize, it should not be a crime that they get something greater than runners-up. If a cap should exist, I would make it no less than $5k; 1k is kind of insulting in the big picture of grand prizes. Sure, five digits to one person is a bit excessive, but I can see how some people might actually need that money. But whatever, 1k is dinky. If you smoked everyone, you shouldn't be ripped off of presumably hard-earned money AND you most certainly shouldn't get fed a line by Yale.

As the resident not-rich person at Yale, I actually do have a healthy reverence for money. So if my reward is a net of zero, as it just gets swapped out for financial aid that would have been coming my way anyway, that is the insult to the injury--that's getting socks at Christmas--the point is to get something extraordinary, not something that was due you anyway.

The 1k cap is a rip off if your prize would have been even a cent greater. Yeah it's nice to get free stuff, but let's be honest, you just won a vacuum cleaner on the Price is Right when you could see the House/Car/Vacation package five steps away. You're this guy if he got paid in McDonalds coupons.

Reuxben

Monday, March 29, 2010

YDN_zlm.Booty

Zero Like Me #94:
Fools March In Pt.1: Booty
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-

Easter Eggs: "Yale" in panel 1. Iron Giant and Magic card in panel 4.

Fun Facts: TUNE IN TO YDN COMICS ALL THIS WEEK!

Baa: I'm writing this at 4:23am Monday--just got back from my 8pm Sunday night heeling at the YDN. And in one night the YDN butchered anything the Herald has ever done as far as team building. Funnily, earlier Sunday at the Herald eboard meeting they used the word "cliquish" to sheepishly describe themselves as everyone bashfully chuckled in agreement, and, well, this night at the YDN sort of made everything really click.

After all these years, the Herald really does feel kinda like a certain group of people doing their own certain thing, but the YDN feels a bit more...I don't want to say "open," but less like a core clique, you know? Like, the Herald is what it would be like if Scene ran the YDN. That sounds idiotic I'm sure, because the two papers are basically the same thing with different skin, right? I dunno, I see the good and the bad about both set ups--vibes, let's say--depending on where you are in the arrangement or what you want out of it, but for my taste, I've never liked the feeling of "the cool kids"--that group that just outnumbers and outvotes anyone outside of the group--I've had to deal with that sort of set up since elementary school, so if I ever perceive hints of it, I get really disenchanted about whatever I'm lumped into with them. That's kinda the vibe I get from the Herald, not that I feel antagonistic about the paper, I just feel a resistance to get jazzed up about it because I sense that (negative-flavored) exclusive feeling. The Record is a good model of a happy medium (with positive-flavored exclusion)--it feels cliquish, but they put serious effort into making the clique be everyone at the Record, not just the gang running it. Am I making any sense? I don't have anything against the Herald, but it does indeed feel cliquish and Sunday's meeting clarified that, like finally hearing a song you've had stuck in your head after having forgotten the words. So I'm not bashing the Herald or anything, I'm just feeling reflective, as seniors should.

So take it from someone who swings both ways, the YDN is like me-and-my-team-are-doing-something-neat, but the Herald's more me-and-my-friends-are-doing-something-neat. For team building, the Herald just shoves booze in your face--I don't drink, so perhaps if I did I'd feel more gung-ho about more than just the comics section? Then again, if I drank, I'd prolly stop drawing cuz you get chummy when you drink, and that's not how you do comics. So...yeah. I have a new respect for the YDN people: I could not pretend to give a poop long enough every day about so many things I would find not poop-giveable. And yet they do. Troopers, dude. Pooper troopers.

Anyway, I got a comic out of the heeling experience, so I hope I can run it next week (hopes are not high it will survive the pitch...haha). Also, I am apparently an excellent hat maker. Take that, MacGyver.

Ok, tune in to YDN comics everyday this week!

Final art coming soon...

Reuxben

Friday, March 26, 2010

Herald_zlm.Etiquettes

[Update: Final art]

Smoke 'em if you got 'em. But preferably don't.

Zero Like Me #93:
Zero Romance #18:
Etiquettes
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-

Easter Eggs: Romance 18 in panel 1. "Howell" and "TSGA" also in panel 1.

Fun Facts: Today's setting is the bus stop I use to get to the school I volunteer at. I inadvertently wrote this comic in an email with the lead singer of the Sandy Gill Affair, while doing research for this comic.

Baa: Rock music is the best, and rap is only good if you're either joking around or...this.

Yeah. Although I really enjoyed the "Art of Freestyle" documentary at the Whitney Humanities Center. And speaking of cool rap documentaries, you cannot go wrong wiff diss, son.

Start conversations with strangers.

Final art coming soon.

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.GreenPees

Make it rain.

[Update: Final art at top]

Zero Like Me #92:
Green Pees
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-

Super busy...today decides my fate basically. I hope for this or at least this.

Easter Eggs: "Yale" in panel 1, my lousyish camera in panel 4.

Fun Facts: I started volunteering at a local elementary school, and spotted amazing houses like this one en route. Also, I was horrified to see drunks peeing on the YDN last year, but now it's kinda amusing.

Baa: This is basically the story I told at my Fireside Chat Freshman Year at Zinc....My dad forced me to play baseball when I was little, and I always had to go to the bathroom after I was all cupped up and everything, so I peed on myself trying to run to the bathroom, but not before wiggling my butt a lot, trying to hold it in at the plate.

Reuxben

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

YDN_sls.ModernMinstrels

 
Head over to Compton wearing nothing but a Confederate flag and a smile, it's Sick Little Suicide #18, "Modern Minstrels," in which I talk about old new news.

It's like a dream come true for Yalies who hate blacks, women, and black women--we finally get to cut loose and chant along to art, right in the face of female and/or black members of the Yale student body! Sweet!

Easter Eggs: The Herald, Volume, and Scene, the bastions of hipsterdom at Yale...also "yuck" in the paper and "Rifle" on the other paper...just for kicks. Hipster overload!

Fun Facts: I heard my first white guy N-bomb a black guy this year. It was actually kinda intense. Apparently the black guy's cool with it--it's like his nickname or something.

Baa: I saw a play last month called "Race" for Culture Draw where a white guy dropped N-bombs in front of his black college friend and he was cool with it, but then decades later the black friend volunteers all this dooming evidence on his old friend when the white guy is on trial for outrage against a black woman. Zing!

Also, why on Earth are these idiots relevant, in demand, and contracted? I hate you hipsters. I also hate the YCC. That is all.

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.RunningOnMGMT

Just cuz you don't like it doesn't mean it's not quality entertainment, jerk.

Zero Like Me #91:
Running On MGMT
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-First Comic-

Easter Eggs: "Yale" spelled in the rain across all four panels.

Fun Facts: If you ever want to tick off the Herald, just insult or reject their musical tastes! Did you know it's illegal to play music in the Herald office that's from a living artist unless it's an act that does not deserve to be living, or it's an act that's only nominally classified as living since they are geezers whose prime was no less than four decades ago? It's true!

Baa: Seriously, what the crack is up with Spring Fling? More rap heavy stupidity, and the rock is of the unbearable hipster variety. I've been wondering why MGMT reeks of hipster, and I figured out what that means--basically it's an acquired taste that is more grating than enjoyable, at least until you learn to enjoy the searing pain (and not the good kind). Although RADWIMPS is clearly not going to happen, I would think Motion City would be plausible--they played Toad's last year and although they just got signed to major label Columbia Records, they did just play a janky college gig the other day, so they're clearly still accessible.

Motion City is probably my favorite band right now, since MCR has been in hiding for so long. If you don't know how they rock, this, this, this, and this are wonderful studio and live introductions.

The third panel kinda sums the problem I have with more than just Yalies, but my entire generation. When did everyone stop stepping back and examining what they're doing/supporting/etc.? I was in New York yesterday and during the car ride, everyone was bopping and singing along to some of the most awful, hollow music I've ever heard--yeah, mostly rap, but there was also that USA song by that ridiculous hillbilly girl. My gosh, I felt like I was back in the Herald office, except this time I was wedged between a car window and a dancing human being.

I wanna do a comic on my hatred of hipsters. I wouldn't have a problem with them if they didn't rule/ruin everything.

Reuxben

Monday, March 22, 2010

YDN_zlm.Waffles

What kind of loser-freak nerd actually camps out to be the very first person to swipe at Commons after every break ends?!!

Zero Like Me #90:
Waffles
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-

Easter Eggs: "Yale" in panel 1, Yakitate!! Japan reference in panel 2.

Fun Facts: Today's setting is my favorite hangout: Commons. Also, my laptop's screen's dead it seems, so this is my very first post done completely on a cluster computer (a disgusting Mac, of all things) which is embarrassing not only because I am so militantly anti-Mac, yet must be seen in public using one) but also because I feel like an idiot having a "blog" (I call it a website so I don't feel too grimy about it)

Baa: Break was kind of ridiculous. I started drawing on this site called Fiverr.com, became a featured artist, got a commission from the CEO, met one of my hero's bandmate, and also got swamped with gigs!

If you are visiting from Fiverr, please read this information about ordering. I will not be able to get to you for several weeks or longer, so please try not to ask for time-sensitive projects unless you commission me as a freelance artist, which is to say, not as a Fiverr artist.

Other neat things...I got an article in the YDN...kinda. Aren't you proud of me, Mom? Am I a legitimate part of the newspaper in your eyes now?

Probably the biggest Neat News from break, I started volunteering with the Yale Splatter Program to teach 5th graders how to comics! Last Friday I even brought in a making-of demo and blew their minds...Haha! They're so nice! They have no idea what social anxiety is yet (I feel like Jhonen Vazquez when Nickelodeon approved Invader Zim)! And it's so bizarre for me: my whole perception of kids has been shaped by comics and animation about young people going on amazing adventures, but now that I'm actually back amongst the younglings, I keep cracking up at how hilarious it would be if say Ash were like a real 10 year old. Each episode would take like 4 hours, it'd all be dialogue, and every question would end up being a very, very long declarative sentence. They rock--don't get me wrong!--but they're hilarious like that.

Reuxben

Friday, March 19, 2010

Fiverr_AttractiveToday

A super special double Fiverr job to close my first Fiverr marathon.

I am quite booked up with gigs and I have to go back to school now, so I will not be able to keep the same production pace as before so I have suspended my gig, but again, if you are willing to wait patiently, I would be happy to draw for you: just send me a note over Fiverr with "ARCHIVE [x]" in the subject heading where "[x]" is your Fiverr name. This will allow me to archive and track your order over a longer period of time, and I will get back to you as soon as possible (I will send a confirmation that you are on my list, but please forgive me if I am not as prompt as usual). Click here for more information on ordering!

Thanks for your patience and support.

As always, this is what I listen to after every gig! And with that, you now know what the past few days were like!

Reuxben

Fiverr_Mo

A drawing for Fiverr.

I'm totally booked on gigs!
If you would still like a drawing, please understand there will be a long wait time.

To reserve a spot on my wait list, please send me a message over Fiverr with "ARCHIVE ___" in the subject heading and fill in the blank with your Fiverr name (and please include details on your picture in the message part of the note). This way I will know to keep your letter UNREAD so I can archive it and get back to you when my schedule frees up. I will reply with a confirmation that you're on my list, but please accept my apologies if I do not respond as promptly as usual--I am a full-time student before a Fiverr artist [update: now a busy graduate].

COMMON CONCERNS (FAQ):
Last updated Jan. 2011.

The intended scope of the "gig" is a "nice, little drawing."

One person (approximately chest and up) or general figure per gig, shades are an additional gig, backgrounds are an additional gig, full bodies are an additional gig. Color is an additional gig per each preceding item. We can combine multiple gigs.

I send files via Fiverr mail as jpegs, unless notified otherwise. I can now snail mail originals via Fiverr shipping. The pictures are roughly the size of my hand and 1.2MB. I must be able to put the image on my site--see my samples.

Please have clear instructions for me when you Fiverr-mail a request. If there is a photo reference, attach it via Fiverr mail as a JPEG, please.

If outside the scope of the gig, or if you do not want to wait as long, I do take official freelance work via gmail.

Thank you for your support and patience!

Reuxben

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Fiverr_CEO

Gosh!

The CEO of Fiverr
commissioned a drawing!

Cool!

This is the first non-Yale CEO I've drawn for!

Reuxben

Fiverr_Sleepy

You are getting
very,
very
sleepy.

When I count the three,
go to Fiverr.

1...

2...

3...

Fiverr!

Reuxben

Fiverr_Norway

Drawing
stuff
for
a
Fiverr!
(while supplies last)

This one goes out
to
Norway!

No way!

Yes way!

Reuxben

Fiverr_MsJ

I
will
draw you
something nice
for a fiver!

Ask me
about colors, too!

But I think
I will have to

reduce production

once school's back
in session...


Until then,

I'm

running

and

running

over

at

Fiverr.com!

Reuxben

Monday, March 15, 2010

Fiverr_Beard

Another
client
from
Fiverr.com!

Where
drawings
are
just
a
fiver.

And I'm
a featured
contributor!

Reuxben


UPDATE:

Here

is

the

colored

version

for

a

FIVERR!

Reuxben

Fiverr_Soldat

I drew and colored this for a client over at Fiverr.com.

It's a cool, handy site where you offer some kind of skill or talent to the Internet that you are willing to do for $5.

And then, if interested, people will contact you and pay you for your talent.

So if interested, I will draw you something for just $5.

Or (of interest to non-Yale visitors, most likely) I can take a picture of something neat and/or unique at Yale for you for just $5.

Only at:

Fiverr.com

Reuxben

Friday, March 12, 2010

Record_BioethicsCover

This is the cover to the Yale Record's Bioethics Issue.

Easter Eggs: My birthday is the machine's serial number and the Record's founding year, 1872, is on the center sticker.

Fun Facts: This setting is based on the Timothy Dwight library's computer cluster because our EIC was TD I guess (beautiful library, btw). It's my first major full color effort.

Baa: I kinda hate TD. It's so ridiculously beautiful, but it seems to be the most legitimately cocky college, despite it being the most marginally "Yale" (before the 13th and 14th arrive, that is). Saying you are living the Yale experience when you live in TD is like saying you're living the American experience when you live in Alaska. Technically true, but come on, who's kidding who? You didn't live on Old Campus, and you are surrounded by bagel shops and coffee huts rather than Yale buildings. At least they're close to Willoughby's. Oh wait, so is JE.

Boola boola.

Reuxben

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Fun_AlexisTheCrew


Alexis
Blight.

Proud
Nigerian.

Proud
New Jerseyan.

Proud
Cantab.

Reluctant
Bulldog.

Reuxben

Record_KangasTran

These are drawings for the Yale Record, the nation's oldest college humor magazine.

So this first piece, from the Women's Issue is captioned:

Cheap
Surrogate
Motherhood.


Easter Eggs: Old Owl soaring in Lion King-inspired background.

Fun Facts: Originally slated for the preceding Biochemical Issue.

This Women's Issue original's caption reads:

The Difficulties of Becoming a Women Novelist.

Easter Eggs: ...I can't remember where I hid the Old Owl reference, but I'm pretty sure it's ee'd as "owl" in text. But Crying Game on parchment.

Fun Facts: This was drawn on the way to the last Culture Draw of my life.

Reuxben

Monday, March 8, 2010

Fun_LindaLindaLinda

The Tokyo Werewolf recommended this movie and with Spring Break finally comes a chance to see it, so earlier today I went to the Film Center and checked out Linda Linda Linda, a title that evoked a chuckle from the clerk lady.

So this is a drawing of Kei, the cool girl in the band. I loved the scene when they go to StudioQ for the first time to practice and the Ex-Boyfriend helps out and they are still kinda fussy around each other in a charming way.

But I have to agree with the Werewolf that Son (the Whit's Viz-translated version of her name) kinda steals the show. Seeing Son struggle with the language and yet still kinda instinctually communicate was pretty endearing, plus there's the irony of her being the lead vocalist of the band despite being the weakest in the language, which was a cool sort of underdog-becomes-cool thing. The kokuhaku scene where she doesn't quite understand that the boy is confessing his love to her at first and then has to figure out how to gently tell him she's not interested was hilarious, precious, uncomfortable, and wonderful.

The Film Center closes for the rest of break on Wednesday, so I only get two more movie days...

Reuxben

MAY_WeirdRomance

I did some work for MAY.

This story was about weird classes at Yale. I drew it on the train ride to and from the very last Culture Draw of my life.

Easter Eggs: Harley Quinn's costume.

This one was about Yale girls losing Yale guys.

I just get the story ideas in advance to draw off of, not the actual articles, but had I received the full article beforehand there's no way I'd ever associate myself with this unfortunate article.

I thought it was going to be a cutesy sort of anti-romance story, but it's just...ugh. I'm embarrassed.

Reuxben

Friday, March 5, 2010

YDN_zlm.BreakingOut

~17 hours until my thesis is due.

Zero Like Me #89:
Breaking Out
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-

Thesis's about comics but I couldn't care less because
I'D RATHER BE DRAWING COMICS THAN WRITING ABOUT THEM.

 
BREAK IT DOWN!

[Update]
Easter Eggs: Iron Giant and Bull tales.

Fun Facts: Z never goes home for break unless dorms are closed.

Baa: I decided junior year never to leave Yale unless dorms close. I decided Freshman Year never to leave Yale until the very last day dorms are open and always to return the very first day dorms open.

Reuxben

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Herald_zlm.ShirtShow

What kind of idiotic name is "football" for this "sport," anyway?

Zero Like Me #88
Zero Romance #17:
Shirt Show
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-

Easter Eggs: Romance 17 on building, curious Post-It note on wall. Some city elements inspired by the profile photo of The Ivy League, a great band that broke up.

Fun Facts: They were talking about soccer jerseys in my Icons and Material Culture class Tuesday, coincidentally, but this comic was inspired when I saw someone wearing an AIG United outfit on Beinecke Plaza and I just started laughing when I thought of Z's lines.

I often break out laughing based on hypothetical conversations and adventures I have with people I see on the street (before I turn those hypos into comics) so needless to say, I have difficulty remaining serious around certain people.

Baa: I got a little excited about soccer when I caught a couple games on TV during the last Global Glass, but it's just too much Oh! So close! moments with hardly anything actually happening. And there's hardly any drama: you know a team's not making a miraculous comeback at a certain point.

My favorite memory is when this Chilean dude who lived across from me Freshman Year was in our suite one day raving about a game he saw where one team "slaughtered" the other. Unimpressed, I asked, "Really? What was the score?" His spirits dropped in defeat, "1-0." Pwnd.

Soccer sucks. It's all about baseball, what what?

USA! USA! USA!

Reuxben

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

YDN_zlm.RINASFS

Who's cuisine reigns supreme?

Zero Like Me #87:
R.I.N.A.S.F.S.
<- Previous Comic...Next Comic->
-First Comic-

Easter Eggs: x_jk and "Yale" in panel 1.

Fun Facts: Today's setting is just outside of Bass slash "The CCL," where many a smoker takes a toke despite a tiny sign I just discovered while drawing this comic that dice "no fumar." Also, this comic got killed by my old editor last year, actually!

Baa: I don't get how people can sleep at night after they use that slur...how can they not feel horrific after uttering it?

Some nights it gets so bad,

Reuxben