Fun_ThisIsInsane_WIP

Speaking of animals, here's another Work In Progress from my mysterious little series of fan arts.

I sorta exist nocturnally now. I hate (and am horrible at) going to bed, so I only go to bed when I know I am exhausted enough to collapse after a couple chapters. So while I was drawing the other night, a skittering shadow hopped near my leg outta nowhere. It was like 4am, so I thought the tiny specter in my peripheral vision was some kind of baby rat. Turns out it was a random little frog that got in the house and made his way to me somehow. Freaked me out.

They ever morph frogs? No...right?

Reuxben

Fun_DigiDigiDigi

For a detour from the regular work (so close to completing it...), I finished the shading job on my very first digital drawing.

And with that, it's time to party the only way I know how.

Pursuits in creativity.

Or emails.

Reuxben

Fun_Let'sDoIt_WIP

Today's art is based on a property near and dear to my heart, but more on all that later, as this is a work in progress while I finish up a commission I dare say has been my most challenging piece yet. Yale related, to boot. Least I'm gettin' paid, son. Oh wait...

So I never wanted to leave Yale, but my subconscious keeps jabbing me with memories (real or imagined) of the good old days. And then today, I finally got the dreaded bump from "student" to "alumni" classification here. Which reminds me, I likewise have to tweak this site, too...

I guess on the bright side, I'm now listed right next to my old boss and they updated the student section to include one of my old colleagues. Now if they could just do something about out-dated sites clogging up the directory, or at least have some sort of search enabled.

Runteldat,

Reuxben

Fun_Tower

Woke Saturday with my left arm randomly cramped up in agony. I'm right handed, but I use my left to stay balanced while drawing (I often even rest my head on my left hand to get extra steady).

Woke Sunday with the right side of my body aching. Maybe it's from prolonged drawing on the dining table in a dining chair (I don't have a proper desk or chair).

Well, despite the delays on commissions, we should be back to the beat now-ish. In the meantime, here's pastel coloring practice, with no smudge tool. Gonna try cel shades again. Pretty excited. The lines turned out pretty neat...

Reuxben

Fun_Sunkadelic

I was fashion.

Something about this.

[Inspiration: Jinjin Funk Style]

Set the world on fire.

It's the dance.

Reuxben

Fun_ClumsyHeart

 

Good morning, Sports Racers, Knowledge says you cannot win if you do not play, so play to the death.

A warm up drawing that turned into coloring practice. It's the hardest part.

I always trip.

Reuxben

Fun_PostConPost

Got back from Comic-Con. Exhausted. But we're back in the saddle, eight million times wiser after shoving my stupid little drawings in front of paid professionals for the past four days.

By Friday night it was looking grim, Saturday night was just about the nail in the coffin, and I was ready to shout I Told You So to anyone who believed in me, but Sunday, man...Sunday went freakishly smooth and ended my hazing on a ridiculously Hollywood-ending series of high notes. So now I've got a game plan for the first time since do-well-in-high-school-to-get-into-a-good-college.

"You've got a future, and I don't normally say that." -- Steven T. Seagle
See you in the future, then. Even if, well, you know.

Reuxben

Fun_DigiDigi

In case there's no Internet in San Diego, as I strike out to make my fortune at Comic-Con, this is an automated post from the past...Hello future me, are your dreams dashed yet?

This was one of my very first drawings on my tablet.

Reuxben

BRB_TWBWY

I am now off to go get torn to shreds by professionals/editors at Comic-Con. I'm doing this not to get my foot in the industry, but simply because I like the abuse...

In the meantime, something from my sketchbook.

Reuxben

Fun_NewCantry

Papa! Papa! I go now to New Cantry--I go to San Deego. I make beek mahnny!

You will see, Papa! I pay for every think when I bikamm reech! You will not worry! You will see, Papa! I make everythink better, with mahnny! I buy you new hat and pay for operations and for coat for winter. Real mink, Papa! Yes!

I go to San Deego now, Papa. I get reech at Convention of Comic-Con!

You will not worry! Papa!!

Reuxben

Fun_Intro2010

Hello. My name is Reuxben and I despise the word "cartoon."
I pretended to study "literature" at a small college in Connecticut, but I really just drew a ton for the Yale Daily News (where I started Zero Like Me), the Yale Record, and beyond, culminating in a retrospective artbook published through an unprecedented comics grant from my residential college.

I presently take private commissions, having done shirt design for Catalyst Apparel, character design for Alarmed Publishing, promotional art for Dutton Books, and more.

Please click around this site for more art samples, check my portfolio, and please don't hesitate to get in touch for more information.

Thanks for visiting,

Reuxben

Design_TheGathering

Comic Con is coming up.
Are you frightened yet?

Everything is riding on this.
Are you sweating yet?

You need to schmooze like insanity.
Are you hollow yet?

You need to settle on your two-bit card design.
Are you decisive yet?

Reuxben

Fun_Remember

Hey,

remember

that

time

when

you

OD'd?

You ever get that feeling
like everything's gonna be
all right?

Me neither.

Reuxben

Fun_PosterBoy

These were some old posterboards I did for Yale Comics Club's booth at the Freshman Activities Bazaar. I wanted ours to stand out from the mob of posterboards, and I'm happy to say we succeeded: people would swing by and at the very least just glare at our poster from afar before carrying on dismissively. Oh how they would uncomfortably giggle when they realized that I realized that they had no intention of actually coming to our table (I would shake my head disapprovingly once we made eye contact).

Anyway, the above was my first effort at an unconventional poster. This mighta been how I met first total-stranger fan, actually: someone at the bazaar recognized my [first] OriChar, Kelly Ryan from Darling Find, on the poster so she came up to me to tell me she like my comics! Aww!

This was our most recent poster. This time starring Zero Like Me's dynamic duo with a featured spot going to the putrid mr. jack kelly, and guest spots for some other characters and random blown up panels and sketches. The blank bottom parts were to be covered by flyers and stuff like last year's. Drawing at that scale and with sharpies is pretty forgiving, so it's not as intimidating as you might think; it's actually pretty fun. It's just tricky and achey drawing that big on weirdly-shaped cardboard, but imagine if we had a team working on this rather than a soloist.

 

Anyway, another successful poster. I hope they continue experimenting in the ensuing years...

Reuxben

Design_blr.Vulf

This is an ancient char design, from when I was planning my very first narrative comic. I used Darling Find to stall for development time, but the dummy series ended up running the full season, went pretty well, and was my first taste of success. So this guy's story, BLR, ended up being too big for the Herald, so it never did make it to the show.

Currently working on a terrifying, super-traditional drawing, so I've been away from the tablet for a while; I actually had to get re-used to drawing on paper after all the recent tabletting. It feels so archaic to use paper. Layers is the noise...

Reuxben

Fun_Rec.Death

Forgot I had this--it's the recolored/book version of that Death piece I did for the Yale Record.

Do you ever get scared drawing something? I do. I am. Coming soon.

Reuxben

Fun_AlexisOnFire

This is my first real try at cel shading style coloring, starring my second-favorite Harvard rat, Alexis Blight, who seems to have set stuff ablaze in her Crimson-fury.

Fun Facts: Alexis Blight enjoys shopping at J. Crew and repping for Harvard, especially at Yale, and especially in front of Zero Zetsubo (the embodiment of Yale's collective imaginations, hopes, and fears, donchaknow!). Alexis Blight is one of those names you always have to say out in full. Like Cher.

Baa: As a weird hobby, I collect depressing memories, and one of my crown jewels comes from perhaps the most depressing place I've ever been: Harvard University. No joke. Made me just want to etc. etc. etc.

Gotta try cel shades again.

Reuxben

Fun_Strong

More coloring practice, this time off a sketch of a classmate from my least favorite part about my Yale education: Spanglish class.

The pun is based on Tara Strong, the voice of Ben from Ben 10, one of my top favorite animated shows. Also had one of the best theme songs, too. I haven't really been able to get into the spin off series, though.

Haven't slept in over a day as color practice continues. Really happy with how my next one came out...

Reuxben

Fun_Jenny

Introducing...
Individual Jenny!
High school was hard enough
before the ninja zombie robots!!

Coming this Fall 2000 and 10
to a theatre near you.

Reuxben

Fun_OldHabits

Old habits. They die hard.
More jijital jrawing practice, this time with multiple layers, which feels like the way to go; getting the hang of this, kinda.

Now to work on coloring...

Reuxben

Fun_Point

A sketch from today's tablet practice.

I'm trying different methods to help figure out how to draw on it like I do on paper, but I fear I should probably just make a point of focusing on getting coloring down.

Frustrating.

But for now, this is "penciling" on one layer.

...narf.

Reuxben

Fun_ForTheView

This is my first totally digital/tablet-drawn artwork, inspired by the impending adventures at:
clemenrich.tumblr.com
I bumped into both of them at a Stray Balloon show one night, and they're absolutely wonderful. Well, they need funding for their noble adventures, and if you feel inclined to learn more, you can find their pitch here. You might say they're kinda like the real-deal, truer Movement for Beauty and Justice--like, everything that organization should have been, you know? Anyway, they're pursuing something neat and worth checking out.

If you don't want to just give money away, you can always get some of his tunes for your trouble, which he's graciously offering for free now, so maybe that can be your sorta tote-bag free gift thing you get for donating. Like donating to PBS but with more rock and less Lord of the Dance.

Good luck and safe travels,

Reuxben

Fun_ColorKid

After some sage advice and some thankfully saved funds, my tablet, an Intuos4 (m), arrived Thursday, so now I need to get used to using a tablet asap--here's my first tablet coloring.

Now we just need a working scanner and everything'll be jake...

Also, as I always do, I totally forgot Removal's bithday. April 6, 2010, so a little over two months late on that...

Fun Facts: The original drawing debuted in a post that also included a belated birthday note. Freaky coincidence.

Well, happy 3rd, my little turd.

Reuxben

Fun_NewScan

We don't have any money, so I'm testing out the family printer's scanner after the revelation that I don't need to buy a dedicated scanner when our printer/faxer can scan, too.

And it worked.

Emphasis on the past tense.

It no longer works...

Great.

Hopefully this gets resolved soon so I can get drawings out to the people who need them...

Reuxben

Fun_JEe32

My senior year of college, I lived alone in Jonathan Edwards College room E32.

I slept in my own room and on a bed less and less regularly after Spring Break, opting to sleep at a desk in the JE library so I could always be close to JE's desktop publishing computer, its ample workspace, and the scanner.

I listened to Motion City Soundtrack while I drew my life away.

Wouldn't trade it for the world. Would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Yale 2014, don't blink.

Reuxben

Fun_PD.DoggieMojo3

This is the book version of this piece, my final Doggie Mojo installment for the Penny Dreadful.

So I've been in a drawing funk recently. I don't have that same hunger from back when I was in college. Speaking of which, it's so ridiculous to think of myself as an alumnus, you know? To be fair, I felt the same about being called a college student till around late sophomore year; I felt like I was a high schooler who had sneaked in somehow. It sucks now cuz just as soon as you think, Man, I can't wait to get back in the fall for that crisp New Haven autumn, you realize, No, that's it, man.

Watching SNL always reminds me of Yale, because it was one of my first memories (t)here. As a Californian, I was so excited to finally see the show on East Coast time. And I remember watching it in the beautifully cave-like, original JE buttery, and then later in the cold, empty husk called Swing Space, and feeling so unbelievably at home, more than I ever had anywhere else.

Call me psychic, but can I call it or what? Yay.

Reuxben

Design_moz.Maddie

This is Maddie the Hag, my version of the Wicked Witch of the West from my Wizard of Oz redesign project in my Literature for Young People class. She operates as a symbol for waste and general irresponsibility, which was actually kinda fun to think about since I'm usually quite self-conscious about being wasteful and all that.

Easter Eggs: Regina Spektor's hat and hair.

I feel like it's midterms--there's so much to do and it's all sorta due at the same time. I have to figure out what the highest priority is, but it's a really tough call since there's no clear cut distinctions. So I'm sorta paralyzed with what to do and when. Plus my little studio here is awful. I literally found cat pee on some of my stuff the other day because that's how our new cat rolls. Funnily enough he peed on my diploma case thingy.

Reuxben

Design_moz.Kashi

This is my version of the Scarecrow for my redesign project for the Wizard of Oz. His name is Kashi and he is probably my all-around favorite character. The professor liked him the most, too, out of all the other designs.

Kashi is the unwitting brains of the bunch. After years of feeling ashamed of his carnie-roots, he resolves to run away from the circus to join an accounting school. Along the way, he accidentally ends up joining another circus. Eventually Kashi meets our heroes and they convince him to join them on their quest to find the mystical, mythical Mage of Z.

Everybody's looking for something. Sweet dreams,

Reuxben

Fun_PD.DoggieMojo2

This is the book version of this piece, my cover for the Penny Dreadful.

The Penny Dreadful, alas, is likely on its way out of existence. I was with the publication since issue two, and I'm so proud of how far we came, but unfortunately I have a strong feeling it's going to die out by next year. I believe there's two people who could save it, though: him and her. But who knows.

Good news, bad news, GO!
Good News: I'm officially, tangentially a real-deal published author--I noticed this piece got published at McSweeney's! Yes, it's written by our old Record Chairman, but I pitched the original idea way back in the day and I even got to illustrate it. This news is particularly cool because the original ran back when the Record was still heavily rebuilding, but the piece was definitely one of the outstanding ones. And look how far the Record's come, too; it looks set to really thrive now. Absolutely awesome!

Bad News: I received some horrific welcome-back-home news--we're bankrupt! Absolutely awesome.

No pressure to go pro, right?

Reuxben

Design_moz.Onceproud

After three years of trying, I finally got into "Literature for Young People" last semester. For my final project, I re-imagined the Wizard of Oz as a Shonen-y title, the Mage of Z. This is my revision of the Winged Monkey. I see them as a clan of cursed Imps, who with fierce, blind loyalty obey the orders of whoever controls the Golden Cap that enslaves them. This is Onceproud the Felled Tyrant, Fallen King of the Imps. Other designs are here and here.

Easter Eggs: Andre, son, crown.

Fun Facts: Dog feet for loyalty, locks for slavery.

If you ever want to read the actual Wizard of Oz, don't. It's such an incredible let down from everything you imagine it to be, not only because of the implacable hype your imagination builds, but also from the text itself--Baum literally has all the cool stuff dangling right in front of you and then right as you're about to get to it he just moves on. I am not exaggerating--like, there's a scene of an impending battle with a deadly, giant spider, and it's dealt with in literally like one sentence. Another sequence that gets passed over is a series of attacks by waves of forty animals that are dealt with in just a few sentences. Those are just some of the battle-related glossing-overs.

There are many cool things promised in the book that just get completely passed over, like the guy had somewhere to be that night he was writing so he just stopped writing. So out of that frustration reading a so-shoulda-been-cool book, I put together this project, and hope to share some of my designs.

Go-go gadget Animorphs #4,

Reuxben