Gallery Links

I just put together some new portfolio galleries at Carbonmade.com. I like their simple UI design a lot more than the Picassa galleries I've been using for my online portfolios. Check 'em out & let me know what you think.

More Photoshop Phoolery...

I'm just fooling around, burning the midnight oil, and working up some sample design comps for my portfolio. This one's a DVD cover (obviously) for one of my favorite films. The real DVD cover is kind of a tough act to follow, because it re-uses the awesome original movie poster from the 1985 film. No great points for originality, but it looks great. I think my version is pretty cool, but it's hard for me to judge.

I could use some constructive criticism, if you feel like throwing some my way...


This was fun to put together. What do you think about it?

EDIT 05/05/2011: I've just posted a revised version of this cover here if you want to see how this thing has evolved!

Meanwhile...

I'd like to direct you to some interesting writing going over on Jim Shooter's new blog. He is currently posting a series of edited transcriptions from a 1994 seminar he presented on storytelling.

This is a subject I've been thinking about a lot lately, in regards to my own work and a new project that has been percolating in the back of my mind. Jim's thoughts on storytelling are valuable, succinctly stated and well worth reading.

Jim has certainly been a controversial, and often polarizing figure in comics. He was the Editor-in-Chief at Marvel back when I started as a high school intern. In the time that followed, there was a period of legendary, well-publicized bad blood between Jim and his editorial team. Personally, I must say that I have never had any unpleasant interactions with him, and I certainly respect his reverence for creators like my old boss, Archie Goodwin.

In any case, that was long time ago. Today, Jim's contributions to comics are undeniable, and it's interesting to read his thoughts and shared knowlwdge with the perspective of time.

Interview

Sorry that I'm falling behind on my posts here; I have some interesting stuff to write about when I can sit down & do it! Meanwhile, check out this interview that I did for the Design Department at UCLA Extension.

Come back here after and let me know what you think.

Fooling Around with Photoshop...

Using Photoshop strictly for comics work has been driving me batty lately, so I've been trying to "stretch" my photo manipulation skills a bit. I put together this fake movie poster, just for fun.

It's made up of a bunch of photos found on the internet, so the original is pretty low resolution. Below are some of my "raw materials" and quick sketch that I used as a guide...

I think overall it turned out pretty well for my first attempt at something like this. Adding Martin Freeman's face was tricky. Not sure I buy it completely (but I think he's going to be a great Bilbo Baggins!). What do you think? Feedback is always welcome here on this blog! Don't be shy!