2/01/2004
So, as I mentioned, I'm a cartoonist. A typical struggling cartoonist who's had more chances at success than any average creative-type person should have had. Yet nothing ever seems to pan out. Did you know I've had no less than 3 non-mainstream publishers fold up around me? And even more small press ones have bitten the proverbial dust whilst I was in their "employ" over the years.
Needless to say, I've been a bit gunshy about actually getting my work out there.
Thank God for my Things. Nothing says "Get your ass in gear!" like having a family around to constantly ask to see your newest creations. Granted, some see this as "nagging", but creative people are notoriously lazy when left to their own devices. And I'm no exception.
Anyway, before I get too far into a good wallow in self-pity, I thought I'd use this space as a sort of guided tour into the mental workings of of a nutbar -- cartoonist. Y'know, kinda like seeing how I might go from the germ of an idea to the actual infection of a finished story or strip (I'm hoping to get some sort of webstrip going soon, so I figured I'd better add that little quantifier in there).
For example . . .
Last week-end, during a trip to the local grocery store, I ran across an old video (yes, VCR tape; that used to be the cutting edge of home-viewing technology, y'know) of a collection of Roger Rabbit shorts. Now, despite Roger being one my absolute favorite animated characters, I never got around to buying this stupid video, so I practically tripped over myself leaping to the rack in a desperate attempt to be the first person to snag this gem before anyone else. Yeah, like there was a crowd of rabid fans locked in fatal combat for this.
To make a long story short (too late), I bought it, proudly waved the bag like an enemy's conquered flag, placed it gingerly on top of the entertainment center in smug triumph, and immediately got too busy to watch it during the week.
Ever so typical.
In the meantime, I found a toy online that I'd been hunting for for over a year (yes, I also collect toys; that surprises you how?). I just recently managed to land a gig doing toy reviews in the upcoming months, so suddenly my budget for toy collecting has doubled. Granted, twice of not much still ain't much, but it's more than it was.
Oh, yeah, the toy in question? A silly little Plush Cthulu figure. Don't ask me why; there's something innately hysterical about making a cuddly toy out of a fictional bringer of universal death and destruction. And I immediately found myself in a mental struggle not to make this Dark Lord of Ancient Evil into a cartoon character. Not that I knew what to do with him; I just wanted to make a silly picture. Fortunately, I was far too busy with another deadline to worry about it.
Flashforward to yesterday. I actually found a couple of minutes to sit down and watch the Roger Rabbit video. And I haven't laughed so hard at a bunch of cartoons in ages. These are just too stupidly funny for words. Ended up watching this three times in a row.
And after the last viewing, it suddenly struck me:
Why not make Cthulu like Roger Rabbit?
Inside of ten minutes, I ran over a bunch of idiotic scenarios with the missus, nailed his voice, and captured a simple image in my mind.
So now I'm finishing up the first pencil sketch at the end of a semi-productive day.
And that's how a creative mind can work sometimes. Scary, innit?
Doc "P-p-p-p-please" Absurd
Needless to say, I've been a bit gunshy about actually getting my work out there.
Thank God for my Things. Nothing says "Get your ass in gear!" like having a family around to constantly ask to see your newest creations. Granted, some see this as "nagging", but creative people are notoriously lazy when left to their own devices. And I'm no exception.
Anyway, before I get too far into a good wallow in self-pity, I thought I'd use this space as a sort of guided tour into the mental workings of of a nutbar -- cartoonist. Y'know, kinda like seeing how I might go from the germ of an idea to the actual infection of a finished story or strip (I'm hoping to get some sort of webstrip going soon, so I figured I'd better add that little quantifier in there).
For example . . .
Last week-end, during a trip to the local grocery store, I ran across an old video (yes, VCR tape; that used to be the cutting edge of home-viewing technology, y'know) of a collection of Roger Rabbit shorts. Now, despite Roger being one my absolute favorite animated characters, I never got around to buying this stupid video, so I practically tripped over myself leaping to the rack in a desperate attempt to be the first person to snag this gem before anyone else. Yeah, like there was a crowd of rabid fans locked in fatal combat for this.
To make a long story short (too late), I bought it, proudly waved the bag like an enemy's conquered flag, placed it gingerly on top of the entertainment center in smug triumph, and immediately got too busy to watch it during the week.
Ever so typical.
In the meantime, I found a toy online that I'd been hunting for for over a year (yes, I also collect toys; that surprises you how?). I just recently managed to land a gig doing toy reviews in the upcoming months, so suddenly my budget for toy collecting has doubled. Granted, twice of not much still ain't much, but it's more than it was.
Oh, yeah, the toy in question? A silly little Plush Cthulu figure. Don't ask me why; there's something innately hysterical about making a cuddly toy out of a fictional bringer of universal death and destruction. And I immediately found myself in a mental struggle not to make this Dark Lord of Ancient Evil into a cartoon character. Not that I knew what to do with him; I just wanted to make a silly picture. Fortunately, I was far too busy with another deadline to worry about it.
Flashforward to yesterday. I actually found a couple of minutes to sit down and watch the Roger Rabbit video. And I haven't laughed so hard at a bunch of cartoons in ages. These are just too stupidly funny for words. Ended up watching this three times in a row.
And after the last viewing, it suddenly struck me:
Why not make Cthulu like Roger Rabbit?
Inside of ten minutes, I ran over a bunch of idiotic scenarios with the missus, nailed his voice, and captured a simple image in my mind.
So now I'm finishing up the first pencil sketch at the end of a semi-productive day.
And that's how a creative mind can work sometimes. Scary, innit?
Doc "P-p-p-p-please" Absurd
