Fun_CollectHungry

Here's another batch of Inktobers for MTGinktober. This one is Vraska, who they say collects victims as statues, so I thought this a good fit for the Jake-Parker-endorsed "collect" theme, rather than something a little more on-the-nose.

So this is sort of her eagerly adding to her collection with one sap frozen mid-charge while the other chump is blocked mid-morph.

Easter Eggs: The guy crying is a ref to Killing Glare.

This one was fun because it just had room for subtle background elements like the mushrooms and vines, plus inking Vraska's outfit was also an exciting mix of improv and planning.

This is a riff on a funny outtake from a past Magic event, where Ben Stark and Tom Martell were on coverage. Ben S. thought he was off-camera so he went in for some Chipotle, but Tom swiftly indicated that they were still live!

The day's theme was "hungry," by the way. I did think about doing something with like Garruk or Domri going Luffy on some meat or something, but that felt too "easy," so although the final piece might be a little too inside, I'm happy I went with the final direction.

I find researching pieces to be pretty fun, and this one involved some nice sleuthing to put together the references. I abandoned an initial draft based strictly on the GIF linked above because it was just too grainy to get any clear detail, so I just winged it a little and moved the camera angle. I finished Tom in that one before realizing that version was going nowhere and besides, using such poor reference is agony.

Reuxben

AV_wkst.MexiCant

I designed a worksheet for the jKids to practice Can and Can't on, where I'd have a drawing of some stooge and then ask if he can or can't do something, and they'd write their answers below the corresponding doodle (the style was inspired by the great JJ).
Example: I [_____] often have horrific self-confidence issues.

Take your time. Spelling counts.

Reuxben

AV_SlimAndShady

Against my will, this monstrosity haunts an elementary school somewhere deep in the outskirts of rural Japan.

It's not even accurate--the artist totally got my crippling insecurity wrong. But my lazy eye is dead on, though. Idiot.

Also, where my extra chins at?!

Reuxben

AV_TheThoseGuys

Some character design that went absolutely nowhere, natch.

Reuxben

Fun_YaleDailyChews

Aight, homies, here da dill. Next semester I'm going to draw comics for the Yale Daily News every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I will no longer contribute regularly to the Herald. And just to spite those groans of indifference, I'm putting a gun to jack kelly's head if he so much as reaches for anything resembling a post-it note. Et tu, Gerardo? I feel like we just met...

It was all a difficult, heartbreaking decision. I've been with the Herald since Freshman Year, it's hands down the best place for comics, and they're even improving comics' treatment next semester to boot. The reality is that simply not enough people read the Herald for it to be worthwhile. I'm basically dumping my Yale experience down the toilet in the meager hope that I can get good enough at this all to draw for a living. The Herald has been a great training ground, but the readership just isn't there, and I need feedback in order to figure out how I'm doing and what works.

The YDN, assuming it gets its ridiculously inadequate online comics-hosting act together (at least to the serviceable standing it was last board), is much more reliable for feedback. But with the Herald, I'd maybe get an occasional IRL comment, which was nice and everything, but from my editors, I would literally get feedback on things as trivial as how cleverly I hid my signature in the week's comic! There's at least the scent that the YDN actually takes comics considerably more seriously, despite being such a comics-unfriendly environment.

But anyway, I can't bring myself to completely abandon the Herald, as that would feel not only disloyal, but also artistically unwise, so I will submit a comic now and then, but perhaps this semi-retirement will allow me to have some time to actually experience Yale in my upcoming final semester. Among many other taxes, Herald Comics has taken a physical strain on me too, so I am hoping this all adds up to more time for other projects (if not more time for Removal standard comics in print (spot the difference) as well as a less physically-demanding schedule.

So Friday's especially important and controversial since it's not only my old Herald day, but it's also the day I suspect is the slowest at the YDN, despite expert advice indicating otherwise. I hope they know what they're talking about. And I hope you stop by on Fridays. I so enjoy our time together.

Oh...and the top drawing is a group photo I took of me and my "new" editors. Don't we look succulent? I often wonder, if I were to meet myself, would I befriend me? I would probably seem weird and foreign, so no. However, I have actually tasted myself, and I've discovered that I'm disgusting. The others have much tastier names. They serve me up in Commons sometimes, though, if you'd ever like a piece of me.

Also, this is post 400,

Reuxben

YDN_zlm.Fellas

What exactly do you do at a gun show, besides trying to one-up each other in the semi-unspoken I'm-totally-not-into-murder-I-just-love-killing-animals contest?

Zero Like Me #49:
With Beauty and Justice For All Pt.2 - Fellas
<- Previous...Next->
-First-
Easter Eggs: "Yale" in panel 1, an old poster, Bravo is not something I associate with 1988.

Fun Facts: Today's setting is JE E32, fortunately a nobody was home so I just sat there and drew the room.

Baa: I'm scared of death. At my physics teacher's funeral, I overheard someone who was close to her mention that she would never have believed that so many people came to the funeral because she was so self-conscious. I guess the upside is that you're not really around for that literally ultimate popularity contest.

Whenever somebody dies I can't help thinking what's going to happen when I die. It's lose-lose, really: either people show up because they actually care and I lived my life clueless or people show up and lie like they knew me. This is one of the reasons I especially fear dying during my school years; I don't want to put other people in uncomfortable situations. I didn't go to the vigils out of respect for him and her; I would feel insulted and embarrassed if a total stranger showed up. But I pray for them.

Quick Update Re: Comment #3: I mean, you're right, I guess. But then again, because this is a public site, it's a little more complicated and personal than I was and am willing to detail here, but I can only tell you that I can remember how incredulous, depressed, and angry I felt after my physics teacher died, especially when I tried to imagine life just carrying on like nothing after she was gone, so I know how horrific this current climate is for those affected. But as someone completely unconnected from these recent tragedies, I'm at a total loss on how to legitimately respond to them specifically. I mean, what do you want from me? How am I supposed to deal with this? I prayed, I reflected, I cried. I really don't know what to do beyond reflect on what death means to me. --Reuxben 11/6/09

You know, Comment #3, I gave it some thought and realize I was unwittingly out of line and I apologize. Out of consolation, I'll keep my offending text up, plus your comments (unless you want them taken down of course), so that if anyone ever thinks I'm any kind of a good guy, they can refer to these posts and be corrected. Although if you read any of my comics, you'll find I am quite aware of my shortcomings as a human being. -- Reuxben 11/8/09

Reuxben

Fun_EmCeeArrrr

Friday night was My Chemical Romance, with Taking Back Sunday and Drive By, at Madison Square Garden!

These are my intermission/train ride sketches!

It was weird seeing what other fans look like, I've seen so few.

Depressingly, there were tons of mini fangirls, like at the Umbrella signing last Comic-Con.

Is MCR just *Nsync singing about death?

Right, so first up is Kelly emo-fangirled out. The MCR gloves she's wearing were quite popular. The chain was straight up Kingdom Hearts, son.

On the train to New York, threads revealed who was show-bound. Some nutty fashion out there.

But on the train back, these two girls sat across from me and chatted across the aisle with this lady minding her drunk husband, passed out nearby. All MCR fans!

So I started sketching stuff based on the girls' conversation; one girl's learning guitar. The guy's hair is inspired by the dark guy from Billy Talent.

They didn't realize I was riffing off of their conversation, but they enjoyed watching me draw, so I started entertaining for three.

Before the show, the fangirls seated behind me were debating over whether or not to buy these "Dr. Seuss" hats that the cotton candy vendors were shucking.

Intermission sketch between Drive By (meh) and Taking Back Sunday!

A revelation I had after MCR played Dead!. There's a ! in the title.

Pre-show sketch.

Rockers are remarkably punctual!

Drive By started three minutes after the 7:30 curtain.

This was my first real concert, but I was shocked at how late people arrived. If you paid for a ticket, why wouldn't you come for it all?

Train sketch.

I wanted to like Drive By, but they just weren't exciting, save their last song.

They pushed their CD and the other bands' greatness a little too much.

It was like they weren't even going pretend anyone might be excited to see them.

Aang train sketch.

I couldn't think of an expression, so I made him shocked.

Since the girls enjoyed my drawings, I thought I'd surprise them with a drawing to take home. After finishing the following train sketch, I realized I ought to draw one for each.

So I drew up a rough Black Parade drum major from fuzzy memory. They reached their stop before I could finish so in the fray I only ripped out the less impressive drum major for them. So they only got one sketch after all.

Plus ten grown-up points to me for safely navigating my way to Madison Square Garden alone.

Reuxben

Fun_LookBossDaPlane

It's 2008 now, and gosh, 2007 feels like it has just flown by, especially after 61 posts "last" year.

Speaking of flying by, I fly cross-country every vacation and break, and when there's no in-flight TV or a good movie (or turbulence), I draw.

So here are some drawings from my flight to California for Thanksgiving break.

First up is this girl I'd like to meet.

This one is the result of a desire to mimic the styles of Humberto Ramos and Francisco Herrera.

I find it tricky to discern between the two, but I enjoy their style so much, I wanted to try to emulate it.

So there you go.

Happy new year (again),

Reuxben

Fun_TimeLapse

Here are some drawings from an Avatary Friday night. I wasn't feeling very good that day.

Here's a shot from a break during my last study session of this past semester, the night before my final final. I wasn't feeling very good that day either.

Here's a Cheeks autograph I managed to obtain during Comic-Con 07 through my sister's resourcefulness. It started out great, but then I wasn't feeling very good that day either.

Reuxben

Fun_TakeOut

There is no more Herald this semester, so until we pick up in January, we're going to have to make do with sketches and other oddities I have laying around.

Up first is a series of doodles I did on a discarded Chinese menu while in a very boring Record meeting. For a humor magazine, the meetings are pretty dull.

So there's a bandit!

No, I don't like Chinese food.

But I do like My Chemical Romance.

So I drew a guy based on Gerard Way's old "look" from Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.

I practiced drawing emotions I was feeling during the meeting, and exploring my own style as well as trying out new styles based on Humberto Ramos and Francisco Herrera. This emotion screams, "Get me Out of Here!!"

"Blah...BLAH!"

"Ok, ok, pay attention, pay attention.

This doesn't concern you at all, but try to be a team player."

"Ugh...zombie."

This is a sketch from the recent Purple Crayon Midnight Madness performance. Really enjoyable, although there were some dull spells and the ending fizzled.

I was thinking of Herrera when I drew this one.

This is a cat-like creature wearing a bowtie.

Of course.

Reuxben

Fun_Beanie?!

It's been two days since I lost my beanie somewhere between SML and CCL and there's a beatiful snow going on right now.

I've had to resort to using this non-ear-covering-albeit-lovely baseball hat.

In conclusion: WHERE'S MY BEANIE?!!

Reuxben

Fun_Snow

It finally snowed today.

It was quite cold.

And dark.

Reuxben

Fun_CatsDogsDoodles

Since I'm now in the Pacific time zone, it's still Monday, and while I thought I woke up at just past one, I in fact woke up at just past 4pm...

So anyway, please enjoy some selections from my sketchbook.

Today's sketches come from another Friday night in the Swing basement. As I was watching TV just so I wouldn't have to go back to my suite, I discovered this great 80s drama about a white basketball coach rallying his all black, ghetto-located bball squad. Every single episode that I've seen has been great. Aside from the rampant fros and incredibly short basketball shorts, the series is timeless. And that ain't no jive, turkey.

So that's where the basketball player at the bottom comes from. Easter egg: 22 is my old basketballing suitemate's number.

Ok, here's a robotic-human hybrid sort of thing. I wanted to draw that tilted belt I came to learn was cool ever since I saw the 90s X-Men cartoon's Rogue rock the accessory every weekday morning before school.

"What Not to Wear" made me want to draw a dress, but it then turned into a ghostly dress. The show's cool because it provides an interesting fashion pool for me to leech off of. Plus Clinton and Stacy can really goof on people in a nice sort of way.

Here's something of a self-portrait. At least it's a more interesting reinterpretation/simplification of me. I forgot to color in the hair (black), though. Meh.

Another idealization of me snuck into yesterday's post, as seen in the guy wearing my favorite wintertime beanie-scarf combo.

Finally, here's a sketch inspired by the really cool cats over at Lackadaisy.

That wasn't an attempt at horriblly dated slang; they actually are cats.

The doodle doesn't make sense, but since when have I made sense...

Ok I'm off to ink the cover of the upcoming Travel Issue for the Yale Record.

Day four of the daily-post challenge begins...tomorrow!

Reuxben

Fun_PurpleCrayonYH

It's Thanksgiving break week and I have just returned to California.

So today's post is a couple of my better sketches from the wait before the Purple Crayon of Yale's Yale-Harvard improv show.

I am happy to unbiasedly report that the Purple Crayon destroyed Harvard with funny. So take that, people who think Harvard's got comedy on lock.

A gang of our finest Purple Crayons invited members from Harvard's Immediate Gratification Players to open for them this past Friday. The Crayons were regularly laugh out loud funny, while the IGP were just chuckle worthy, mostly.

My favorite line from the night:
"I always do." --The surfer-dude Crayon

The only other Purple Crayon performance I've been to was their recruitment show earlier this year and it was pretty funny.

Best line from the recruitment show:
"I'm a woman &#* @&%# it!" --Benji

I can't wait to see their next show, and I'd even pay for a ticket.

Reuxben