Penny_ToWhatEnd!

I'm now drawing for The Penny Dreadful, an exciting publication I hope survives. Egotistically, I hope that if I give it some nice art, it'll build an audience, get legit, and survive. Perhaps I might leave the Record for this? I don't know. But it was a lot of fun.

Anyway, this piece is an illustration for a story called "To What End!," which you can read after the issue publishes soon.

Easter Eggs: The man in the moon looking worried, the X-Files logo, Pacman/ghost dust wads, and Darling Find brand kicks.

Fun Facts: I'm practicing wacky perspective after Chamba. I realized last night I would love to draw for a living and must break old habits.

Thanks for visiting, especially those across the Ivies. I've only got Columbia left to complete my Bingo card today.

[UPDATE: Peculiarly, the story never got published, so this art never saw daylight either.]

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Herald_daDooom.df

Last find: Kelly, after foiling the Ruemore and meeting Joe, finally lands an official post as Darling Find Clerk.
Now find 8!

This special comic is for the first annual(?) Yale Herald Comics' April Fools Day Stunt; half of a collaboration with Dan.

How to read: Our two comics form one big comic--his character asks, "Want to buy a fish tank?" then my top frame, then back to his comic, "An arm and a leg," and then finish with mine. They link through the gutter-crossing phone wires, enabled by Chittenden's tinkering.

Easter Eggs: There's a canceled event involving smiling, a graffiti "screw D," a store called Noooo, the Kool-Aid Man's wall-smashing catchphrase, Find 8 on the Jam Tank, and fishy debris.

Fun Facts: I'd prepared a comic with one panel reserved for Fooling, but they convinced me to make a whole new comic, which fits in the story, too.

Many thanks to the entire comics staff for taking part--last time I proposed a stunt, it failed miserably!

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Fun_Mask

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes...
--Paul Laurence Dunbar

I love this poem.

Happy 100th post, 800th visitor, 2nd room draw,

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Fun_DressUpJuno

Over break I saw a magazine picture of the Juno girl and tried to mimic it.

Now to business,

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Fun_Cheapskate

I'm so cheap, I'd rather camp out in Bradley Airport for eleven hours than use CT Limo just so I can save a few dollars by using the discounted Yale bus service.

Geez!

At least we'll be back at Yale soon; only eight more hours to go!

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Fun_UHTSS.df_MO

To close Spring Break posts, here's the MO of a sentimental favorite for me, "UHTSS."

First is the penciled final with posing at left, fight sketches and hangers at top, and D. Kat exits at right.

Of course, at bottom is me trying to figure out how to draw certain underpants; pretty difficult, actually...so penciled "finals" often reveal changes that occurred right before inking, especially in backgrounds.

I've now locked in which lines I'm using and am ready to add blacks and then go back with pencil to hatch in what I think needs grayish color.

The fashion show sequence, especially the middle Katara costume, is a good example of this, where once there was originally white will eventually be some nonblack "color."

This relieving step means we're almost done and that we can finally start "clean up," erasing the pencil to begin adding colors worry-free about pencil undermining ink. There are some patches of spot colors I don't want to forget after clean up, though.

Finally pencil-free, there isn't too much that can go wrong; just lots of sweeping. I tried using real color once, but that went fuzzily wrong when the Herald printers blurred everything up.

Paralyzed by the risk, I only go black and white for now. I dream of using that newfangled Photoshop doohickey to provide colorful online exclusives, but I hate using Macs and don't know much about Photoshop yet.

So until I learn Photoshop, please bear with the panda express as it chugs along.

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Fun_BLR_Preview2

It's not that I've run out of stuff to post...

....it's just that I'm eager to preview what a character from "BLR" might look like. Yeah, that's it!

Well, this is an old scan from the development pages of a character named Emo. BLR, again, was supposed to run in Darling Find's place, before I realized I needed more time to iron out the story.

Crossing fingers for '09,

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Food_Fitness

It's been a while, but here's a food cartoon for the Rudd Center. This one's about a study that shows that fitness can be helpful towards academic achievement.

Easter Eggs: The kid's shirt has arrows, like Aang's tattoos, from Avatar. Speaking of which, there hasn't been a new episode yet this semester. Ridiculous.

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Fun_Neener.df_MO

Even though last time was an MO, it would feel odd having a non-DF Friday. So here's the Making Of Neener.

Recently, I've been scanning pencil finals along with rough drafts and notebook drafts, which should be neat for all. And this pencil final is particularly interesting because the ink final has a different ending.

The original was a close up of a defeated Kelly, but after I sketched what her crash might look like I knew that would make a funnier, more logical ending. So after all that practicing for the close up, I discarded it for the doodled ending.

And the comic's left border reveals my attempt at quality control: coloring checklists. The system's still struggling.

Finally, while lettering an hour or so before the Herald's deadline, I debated over the villain's name and had to write it out a couple of times to be sure that's what I wanted. I had wanted the ID tag to read the Ruemore, but that felt too close to the Rumor.

Well, everything worked out for the most part and we have our final comic, Neener.

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Fun_BadHabit_MO

From last semester, here's the Making Of "Bad Habit." I've been keeping tighter track of the comic-making process more recently, so we can all look forward to more in depth MOs once we get to this semester's stuff.

But about this piece, first we have some pencil skeleton drafts. The sketch on the left started with a more unconventional layout, with the main characters existing outside of the frames, actually interacting with them. But then I decided a more conventional layout would be for the best. Although I did decide to make the guy spit at the end, after a quick sketch.

So this final layout made more sense, and as a result I created one of my more popular comics from last semester.

Sometimes wacky and revolutionary isn't always the best choice. But then again...

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Herald_sciencehill.jk

It's about to get rough around here: jack and I are on Spring Break. While that means 100% more California, it also means no scanner and no "fresh" content for two weeks. So it's off to the ol' art vault starting Wednesday.

But for today, we have some more of jack's anti-14College venting. If you didn't know (?!) Yale's pretty much getting two new colleges, which will undoubtedly change the Yale experience for future Yalies--either by robbing them of what us 12Collegers know so well, or of course, giving someone, who might have been rejected due to space limitations, a seat to experience some kind of Yale.

Happy California,

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Herald_Eeeee.df

Last find: Kelly nervously meets Joe, the Orangutan Books clerk before remembering she's got to return that Guffinium to Mr. James.
Now find 7!

This is a record--I completely finished at 3am! 3am! Caveat: I split up the work over three days since I had a midterm on the Herald's earlier pre-break due date and couldn't afford to binge draw. But I think it was worth it because I got to try some new angles.

Easter Eggs: Find 7 is on Mr. James' radio. The couple in frame one reference Depressed plus something else. Dupin's name is based on the same thing as Orangutan Books.

Fun Facts: The Darling Find indeed faces a corner, but I imagine as an "Elite" shop, its customers actively seek it out.

Happy spring break, Yale. It'll be a slow/quick two weeks.

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Fun_FroshOlympics_Design

This is how it all started. By "it," I mean my defeatist attitude about T-Shirt contests.

Here's my submission to the JE Freshman Olympics T-Shirt contest, drawn on a Yorkside napkin after Phil's A-hoops championship game.

The JE rep said they'd use it, but then a few days before the event, they decided not to. Wha?

I had even made an alternate version for easier scanning. I could understand a cutthroat rejection if this were a professional job, but come on...these people lived a couple of floors above me.

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Herald_interview.jk

With our second jack kelly monday comes a treat at the end--some online exclusives!

Interestingly, jack doesn't cuss even though he easily could have. But I agree with him; why do Yalies do such stupid things? Think whatever you want, just keep it locked up in your privileged little head if you know it's racist. Racism makes even less sense if you're doing it anonymously: what do you gain from people knowing someone hates certain people? It's like being one of a mob yelling "defense" at a basketball game. Really, what's the point?

Just because you can say whatever you want doesn't mean you should. --Glenda Gilmore at the History of Hate Panel
But to be fair, criticism should fly free, just not racism. For instance, say you picked up a copy of the Yale Record's Machine Issue and saw their incomprehensibly unprofessional, outrageously poor execution. Then you might feel inclined to the state the following:

Fair and balanced, jack. Good job.

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Herald_Krzzt.df

Last find: Kelly and the Ruemore trade blows, but the Ruemore gets the last word in just before fleeing.
Now find 6!

I have no idea if this sort of thing even happens to girls. To boys, yes. Yes, it does.

Easter Eggs: Joe's so hip, he's already a
BLR fan. Plus he's carrying Oda and Ono. Also, there are a bunch of references to old Finds to hunt for and speculate about.

Fun Facts: "Joe Thomas" comes from You've Got Mail's Joe Fox, played by Thomas Hanks. When writing Mr. James, I think of Stork from Storm Hawks mixed with Jameson from Spider-Man.

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Fun_TripleThreat

Here's a hat trick of the ways you can interact with people at Yale. You can interact with professors you don't know, such as Professor Shivi Sivaramakrishnan from the recent panel on the sociology of hate. I haven't been his student, but if the last panel on hate I went to is any indication, I very well may be (only Professor Kiernan remains from that original group).

Next, you can interact with professors you do have, like Professor Grimstad of Detective Fiction celebrity. We had a class screening of the Maltese Falcon and I sketched him while we all were waiting for the movie to start and listening to his spellbinding pre-movie mini-lecture.

And finally, at Yale you can interact with fellow students you don't know. This is the legendary Benji of the Purple Crayon. He's incredible and commands the best improv group at Yale. Of course, that's not saying much because all the other groups don't match their hype and they charge you money to be underwhelmed. But the Crayon still rocks.

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Herald_tyrants.jk

I slit my wrist today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know.

Actually, it was Friday. And I slipped on some ice and scraped my wrist. The stinging has gone away, but my arm's still sore from the fall and my knee scrape still hurts a little.

Welcome, by the way, to our new, irregular feature, "jack kelly mondays." That brute jack kelly gets his own post now. Imagine that.

The jack kelly archives up till now:
rock sign
luxiam
she said
the game
ur mom
colleges
ALSO: I've added a handy "Shortcuts" bar on the side for easier browsing.

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Herald_Bamf.df

Last find: Kelly, after a brief distraction, initiates the final showdown with the Ruemore.
Now find 5!

My dream is escaping gag-a-weeks for adventure. And now we've got big action with some humor, just like One Piece.

Easter Eggs: Professors Blight and Gilmore joined forces to create an unstoppable legal firm captivating juries with their inhumanly beautiful sonority. And "Bamf" references Nightcrawler.

Fun Facts: After a paper-writing and class-going morning, this comic ate up the rest of my birthday, which has become the most memorably forgettable one.

Although this series started as an improvised placeholder until I have time to fully craft my real series, I am finding this project a really fun diversion.

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Fun_Booooo-irthday

It's hardly Fun, actually.

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Record_RoboRallyPart2

Welcome back to Machine Issue preview week. Here're the rest of how robots kill each other. First up today is death by Robo-drive-by. This one's my personal favorite, I think, since there's a little story going on to noodle around with.

Easter Eggs: The license plate is the Starship Enterprise's serial number.


Next, I present Death by Robo-antiquation. This robot's a little too eager to help out.

Easter Eggs: My signature is hidden in the chart. Also, because I didn't easter egg any owls in this collection, I wrote the word out to compensate. The owl's getting nuked, though.

Finally, we have Death by Robo-Russian-roulette. Yes, this fellow's about to make a mess of himself on account of his poor luck distinguishing empty super soakers from the only one with water in it.

In a related story, listen to "Headfirst for Halos" by My Chemical Romance. The lyrics are a little stark, but terribly catchy.

And if this issue's terrible, just think happy thoughts,

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Record_RoboRallyPart1

Welcome to preview week for my contributions the Machine Issue, brought to you by Yale's very own Yale Record of Yale.

It was slim, uninspiring pickings this time, so I grabbed the only one that seemed at all interesting: "Leading Causes of Robot Death." Or Robocide, as I like to call it.

First up is Robo-curiosity and Robo-battery-failure. One guy is a Dee Dee in a Dexter world and the other is just not good with timely battery changes.

Up next is death by Robo-MIT-enrollment. Poor guy.

Easter Eggs: My two physics teachers, Mrs. Lang and Dr. Irons, are hidden in the textbook and homework, respectively. Dr. Irons is a little more sneakily hidden as 2xFe, or two times iron, making it into the plural--Irons. I also sneaked my name in there.

Alright, the thrilling conclusion on Wednesday. And of course we save the best for last. And as always, I can't promise you'll enjoy the entire issue, but hopefully the art tickles you (appropriately).

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Herald_UHTSS.df

Last find: Kelly, hot on the Ruemore's heels, inches ever closer to the mysterious relic, and a showdown seems inevitable.
Now find 4!

This was really fun to do because it sounded so ridiculous in my head. I loved referencing my favorite cartoons and setting up a joke that will pay off much, much later.

Easter Eggs: D. Kat NY's decor stems from Dan's Squaremen. An actual Squareman's on a frame 3 shirt along with the "4th find." The modeling sequence represents three chronologically-ordered, important cartoons: Pokemon, Avatar, and Ben10, with Kelly modeling the signature female leads' costumes (Misty, Katara, Gwen). The shopkeeper is the YDN "comic" guy.

Fun Facts: This comic references many of my drives: the three influential shows, but also what I wish to combat, in the shopkeeper. The UHTSS! sound effect comes from Cheeks.

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Fun_DarlingValentine

Have a darling Valentine's Day!

To: You
From: Kelly

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Fun_Salute2Chito

Some people are bad.

Some people are good.

Some people are something else.

Here's to you, Chittenden.

You:
-Got me used to inking
-Taught me to scan
-Taught me to be Comics Editor
-Suckered me into working on the Record
-Introduced me to the Herald
-Rock the colors

Thanks,

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Herald_Neener.df

Last find: Kelly agrees to chase down the thief and retrieve the mysterious relic for Mr. James. Now find 3!

I am quite sleepy. On the bright side, I got some schadenfreude action today, which I always get when a certain someone blows his money on really stupid, unnecessary things.

Anyway, this has been the most deceptively difficult comic to draw yet, even beating out last week. Even after all the planning, it still takes a while to execute the idea, since on top of the lay out, there's all the backgroundy stuff. While it's sad to hear about ghostwriters flooding Animorphs, or assistants working on One Piece and other manga, it's all making sense to me now. Having help isn't as heartbreaking as it once was. But Schulz did everything himself, so I prefer to follow his model. Granted Peanuts isn't One Piece.

Easter Eggs: Not only do we have stores named after my suitemates from last year, but my signature is apparently a store at the Milpas Mall. Also, the Ruemore's ID pose references Magic: the Gathering's Voidmage Husher.

Fun Facts: Finish time: ~7am. Sometimes it doesn't matter how early you start, it just takes a while.

Quothe the Robert,

But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,

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Food_McD

This is a Food sketch for a cartoon based on this news nugget.

Unfortunately, the assignment got canceled, but its replacement is pretty exciting, too.

More details on the new assignment soon.

Also: I got my 1000th page load earlier today, so that was pretty exciting.

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Fun_OldSchool

This is a doodle inspired by a Record prompt. I passed on the actual assignment, but thought my tangential idea worth sketching.

Ok, big news for me: Last Thursday I sweatily sprinted to the post office to make the deadline for this comics scholarship.

While in line, I frantically sorted through my just-printed, top seven comics from last year, to decide which five entries to mail. Ever indecisive, I asked the kind lady at the post office for her non-me opinion.

After a few minutes studying the prints, she cut:
Horror
TravelCover
And we agreed that my final five should be:
Warfare
Genie
Depressed
BadHabit
ChaChing
She chuckled out loud on most of them and seemed to legitimately enjoy the selected comics. Her favorite, oddly enough, was "Depressed," and she thought "Genie" was cute. And after studying it longer than the others, she easily cut "Horror" as too violent for her tastes.

As LeSean Thomas noted,
"If you not being HATED ON, then you ain't DOIN' S--T." In other words, it's nice I got multiple reactions from her.

In addition to "Lighter Light" news (now collected under "LL"), "Darling Find" seems to be doing well, at least at the Herald Office, although I'm not sure how much that is saying.

I dearly hope I can keep up the momentum.

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Herald_Snatch.df

Last find: Kelly pounces on the first shop that's hiring and quite gruffly asks for a job.
Now find 2!

Even though I knew what I wanted to do in this episode, actually drawing it got pretty perplexing. And to insult my injury, I forgot to color in a couple parts. I really should do these comics over multiple sessions.

Easter Eggs: "Yale" is written in the cracks of the ground under the mysterious thief.

Fun Facts: I consulted One Piece here again because everyone screams in One Piece. Consequently, we have another screaming-guy drawing. Neat! Finish time = ~5am.

And jack kelly--apparently deprived of his usual inks--seems to have switched over to a sharpie for "rock sign."


It's funny because I found a pencil of my favorite brand laying on the street the same week he loses his usual pen brand.

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Fun_GravellerGetsTraded

Gotta catch 'em all.

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Fun_GameShirt07_Design

Hello. This is an unsubmitted design I had for the JE Game 2007 T-Shirt Design Contest.

The front features the JE Master and Mrs. Haller striking violent poses while a vicious snake encircles them.

The back features the Dean and Mrs. Farley. The dean is decapitating John Harvard and Mrs. Farley is riding a kangaroo. The Kangaroo's pup is staring at a little spider on the ground.

I thought of this idea just before the deadline, but didn't think it could win, so I let it go. I couldn't resist drawing it up anyway, though.

It's too bad Master Haller's quitting.

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