Below are the most recent 4 friends' journal entries.

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
lilrivkah	12:47a	The Way We See Originally published at Rivkah. You can comment here or there. I’m in the middle of working on a 60-page children’s comic (page twenty of layouts/pencils), but a question popped into my head while I was working on this: Why do I always prefer to work in the vertical? It feels right to me, but why? A lot of people argue that we see the world in horizontal, but I disagree. Take a good look around you. Focus on anything in the room. What do you see? Do you notice the objects on the peripheral (horizontal) of your vision, or do you focus in a line straight up and down, the vertical of your vision? There’s a trick I’ve been doing for years now because of my bike riding where if I’m about to cross a street, I unfocus my eyes slightly, the better to see motion to either sides of me. Because have you ever noticed that when you focus, everything in the peripheral disappears? Not literally, but your brain just doesn’t quite record? Well, at least, that’s how it is for me. So how does this coordinate with comics? There’s been a lot of argument over the years about which is a “better” format: the horizontal or the vertical? Personally, I think both have their strengths and weaknesses, but one of the arguments I’ve heard for horizontal layout (indeed, even for having horizontal computer screens) is the previous supposition that human vision is horizontal, not vertical. So, I call bullsh*t. We FOCUS vertical. But we take in settings and see motion horizontal. Maybe that’s why the two-page spread works for things like establishing setting–where there’s no particular focus, but rather a mood and a theme–but not so much for things like kisses. Plus, PEOPLE are vertical. I find it rather difficult to squish a whole person beneath a narrow ceiling and floor when narrow walls work better instead. Even the human face is vertical. Anyway … just thoughts running through my head while I work. Pretty dang happy with this project right now. I’m going to finish it mid January. That’s not an “I hope”. It’s an “You have no choice, Rivkah, so you better seat your freakin’ ass at your desk and WORK.” So back to work. Tomorrow, I’m going to a Paul Pope exhibit because I’m in freakin’ NEW YORK and because I CAN. And because he’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to comics. Other than Craig Thompson. And my boyfriend, Matt Bernier, whom not many people have heard of yet but they freakin’ WILL. PS: IT SNOWED! (16 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
darkkof	6:44a	Comic Fiesta 2009 and Yon Gumix #5 Will be at Comic Fiesta this weekend at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre selling that book up there. Cover is drawn by jiddo, bottom is a sample page of my comic. Also included are comics and drawings by Hanie and Aimo. See ya there! (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, December 13th, 2009
lilrivkah	12:04p	Paper, Nibs, & Ink I think I’m going to switch from the “Fairfield” (which is apparently Strathmore 300 Series in disguise) 2 ply plate to Strathmore 4 ply plate. The 2 ply actually worked great for brush, but nibs and it do NOT get along. I’m constantly pulling up fibers in the tips of my nibs. The Strathmore 4 ply plate, however, seems to take a real beating from my nib; I can scratch over a wet line with a nib over and over again and its smooth surface persists. It also takes thin, delicate lines well; I can scratch the nib up and still get an even, tiny line as easily as I can drawing the nib down. I’m also still partial to Rising 3 ply plate, even though it doesn’t work with nibs as well and it’s an off-white color. But there’s something about using brush on it that tactilely, is a real pleasure. Also: a quick review on Dr. Ph Martin’s Terra Cotta India ink: I mentioned this ink in my previous post. First, I love the color. It’s a warm, rich, clay color. The red kind of clay you played with in sixth grade pottery class. I know a lot of artists whom prefer Sepia over black ink because of it’s warmth. Personally, I find Sepia still too towards the cool range. Terra Cotta offers a warmth I’d use in whimsical children’s illustration. This ink is opaque straight from the bottle, I have yet to see it bleed, and it hardens tough as a ROCK. It was utterly impervious to my frenetic erasing; even the thinnest of lines stayed intact. Quite possibly the most eraser-resistant ink I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with! There are a few unfortunates to this ink, however. It uses large sediment particles, so it has to be periodically closed and shaken, or stirred, or you’ll start getting runny, translucent ink. It also takes forever to dry (several minutes!). For someone like me who tends to start in the middle of the page and work outwards, this isn’t too difficult to work around; I just have to be careful to avoid resting my hand on any lines. If you are, however, like my boyfriend who makes random lines all across the page with no logic whatsoever :P you would probably have a little more frustrations with this ink. Two Rivkah-ey thumbs-up for Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay Terra Cotta India Ink! ------ Guh. Too bad I can’t tell if this paper is 400 series or 500. The samples I got only marked down the thickness, not the grade, and I can’t remember which I ended up getting. ;_; Going to see if New York Central Art Supply has any Canson bristol papers. I didn’t like them with brush, but I’ve heard good things about how they work with nibs, and that they’re a more consistent company. The Strathmore papers I keep trying are just all over the board. Sometimes the quality is phenomenal, and sometimes it’s just cr*p. (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, December 11th, 2009
lilrivkah	1:32p	Coffee Lover Seeks Good Bean Been having a difficult time finding good coffee to home brew in New York. I was in Manhattan yesterday running errands and happened to drop by Puerto Rico Importing Co. and picked up several varieties of beans, but so far I’ve been disappointed by their mix. Their beans, though having unique flavors I haven’t stumbled across before, have the savor of having sat out for too long. It’s that sort of burnt cigarette ash taste that I find so unpleasant in every single preground coffee I’ve ever tried. Except these were whole beans I bought and ground at home, so they shouldn’t have tasted this way. So far: Ethiopian: Incredibly bitter flavor that is greatly mellowed by sugar and cream. Actually, this coffee is almost sour tasting, and after a few sips it started to grow on me simply for being different. But it also has the unpleasant aftertaste of ash. Not a coffee I would drink more than half a cup in a day. Also very oily with little crema. I usually like the coffee oils, but in this case, it just prolonged the sourness of the coffee afterwards. However, if you like your coffees to punch you in the face and leave a puckered lip afterwards, this is a perfect blend. Puerto Rico Importer’s House Blend: A sweeter, almost floral but still somewhat ashey tasting coffee. The flavor doesn’t change much with sugar and cream, so adding them does little for its taste. It did however make an excellent crema when I brewed it (always french press) and made a nice, rich coffee with very little oil. This is a coffee made for people who’ve had their taste buds killed by French roasts their whole life and don’t know that better exists. Flavorful, but burnt to hell. Brazil Santos: Best one so far. Light and sweet but not overly slow. Slightly bitter without the ashy taste I’ve been getting in the other blends. Should improve with a peculator instead of a French Press, I hope. Guatemalan Mandheling: Haven’t tried yet, but it’s a light roast, and I like light roasts. They’re usually more acidic but less ashy tasting. My favorite coffee ever, however, is still the Lola Savannah Peruvian Fair Trade. Quite possibly the most delicious cup of coffee I’ve ever had, it’s spoiled by cream and sugar. If I can’t find comparable, I’m just gonna have to have it shipped. I need my coffee, dangit! Yesterday, I also dropped by New York Central Art Supply and bought a paint palette for the Dr. Ph. Martin’s Concentrated Watercolors I’ve been experimenting with, more pencil leads for my lead holder (so I don’t have pencil shavings all over my floor anymore), and several shades of Dr. Ph. Martin’s India Inks. I needed some vibrant inks that are also waterproof, and I’ve had good experiences so far with Ph Martin products and already have the teal india ink, so I thought I’d give it a go. Slightly inconvenient but not unexpected so far is that the degree of opacity varies drastically from color to color. My favorite so far is the Terra Cotta; it’s a gorgeous red-brown that’s beautifully matte and opaque straight from the bottle. I’ve been using my nibs again, and it works beautifully. I’m actually beginning to prefer this color for inking with a nib line over black. It’s gorgeous. I also bought yellow, grass green, violet, sepia, and red. The sepia is also opaque straight out of the bottle, but it’s practically black. the other colors will require letting them evaporate to get more consistent, denser color, but they’re still beautiful vibrant colors, and I’m looking forward to experimenting and seeing if they’ll actually mix as well. There’s a few colors I would like to tone down. I wish I could show the larger illustration I’m working on, but it’s a secret right now, so I’m taking photos and will hopefully show the process later. I’ve never worked with real watercolors before, but the effects I’m going for are simple. Mostly, though, I’m enjoying experimenting. I’ve been influenced by Eleanor Davis lately and her ability to draw so much expression and to exaggerate. I’ve focused too much on realism in my art in the past, and I’d like to move away from that and focus more on expression. Knowing the body and how it works is important, but I’ve realized the more I confine myself to the rules, the stiffer my people become. The sole premise I started with in this illustration was this: I have to draw an expression and body language, but the character can’t have any bones. We’ll see how it turns out. -_-; I’m embarrassed as it is to show it to anybody. Grr. However, I did just finish inking these two other experimental illustrations. They’re inked with a nib using the terra cotta ink. I seriously <3 this ink! Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have time to experiment with watercoloring them. I’ve only used nib maybe two or three times before (thought I have all the supplies, I just wasn’t comfortable with the results), but that was at least three or four years ago, so I’m pretty happy with how these turned out. I’ve no wacom at the moment, so they haven’t been cleaned up yet, unfortunately. And since I’ll be laying down watercolor, I can’t just white out the line or it’ll bleed into the watercolors (being not waterproof). First, the fat lady sings. I’ve been having a weird obsession with drawing fat, happy people lately: Second, a little magician girl: Mornings are made of the “Jane’s S.O.S” rewrite and evenings consumed with art. It’s a good work flow for me. :) Saturday, however, I’ll be going out and applying for a part-time job with the U.S. census. It’s mostly weekends and evenings, and that’s perfect to me. I would like to get actual illustration work, but I’m building my portfolio now and diversifying so that I’m not limited to just a few styles. And I recognize the amount of time it takes to get that kind of work: it takes word of mouth and a lot of experience. I’ll get there eventually. :) Back to work! (17 Comments |Comment on this)