David Chelsea's Blog, page 29

Now on Patreon: Are You Being Watched? The 24 Hour Comic, Part One.

It’s the second Thursday of the month again, and time to post some old comics from my archives on Patreon. This time it’s something not so old, the first eight pages of my 24 Hour Comic, Are You Being Watched?

David Chelsea is reading:

Orson Welles’s Last Movie: The Making of The Other Side of the Wind

by Josh Karp

This story was drawn in New York City in March 2013. I borrowed the structure from the old Peter Cook and Dudley Moore movie Bedazzled (itself based on the Faust Legend), but most of the content satirizes current Reality TV shows (all of which me and the family watch). Without giving away TOO many spoilers, Mugg (my interlocutor from the perspective books) falls for a girl who only has eyes for Reality TV (Mandy from the Sandy & Mandy strip which is to appear this fall in Dark Horse Presents):

The remaining pages will appear in coming months, and an expanded and redrawn version will begin serialization on Patreon later this year, most likely next month. Here are some preview panels:

All my comics content on Patreon is absolutely free, but if you like what you see, please $how your $upport!

Now On Patreon: The Last Snow Angel

It’s the first Thursday of the month, and time for more new comics on Patreon. This month is the suspenseful conclusion of the story I began last month, in which Snow Angel visits a comics convention. Not to give too much away, but it wouldn’t be a Snow Angel story if her alter-ego Angel didn’t find an extremely petty crime to fight:

David Chelsea is watching:

American Horror Story: Freak Show

Unfortunately there’s no snow in the convention hall, so Angel and her brother Aidan have to get resourceful (Aidan is dressed as Snow Angel for reasons that will be clear to anyone who has read last month’s installment):

This will be the last Snow Angel story for a while. My plan is to begin running serialized installments of a new graphic novel based on my 24 Hour Comic ARE YOU BEING WATCHED? next month. All my comics content on Patreon is absolutely free, but if you like what you see, please $how your $upport!

This Saturday at Olympia Comics Fest

Attention, Central Washington fans! This Saturday, June 6, 2015, I will be making my first appearance at the Olympia Comics Festival in Olympia, Washington, doing all the usual convention things– signing copies of my books, selling original art, and meeting the most discerning of comics connoisseurs. I like to think of the indie comics crowd as my people, but since the demise of the late, lamented Stumptown Comics Fest, I have only made appearances at very mainstream, cosplay-heavy venues like Wizard World and Emerald City. My sources tell me that Olympia’s festival is very much in the Stumptown spirit, so I am looking forward to this event as a welcome change of pace. And if you have wanted to come and see me, but have been put off by high ticket prices at comics conventions– this event is free!

David Chelsea is reading:H is for Hawk

by Helen Macdonald

Olympia Comics Festival– Saturday, June 6th

Olympia Center (222 Columbia St NW, Olympia, WA)

Time: 1:30 – 6:30 pm

Other exhibitors and guests of honor include Jason Little, Sera Stanton, Roberta Gregory, Mark Campos,Tom Lechner, Farel Dalrymple,Eric Shanower, and the guys from PIZZA GUN.

Secret Stash: Friends, Lovers, And Family On Envelopes

It’s the third Thursday of the month, and time for me to post a selection from My Secret Stash– sketchbook drawings, comics roughs, reference photos, and other marginal stuff– on Patreon.

 

David Chelsea is listening to:

The Whites: A Novel

by Richard Price

This month it’s a selection of decorated envelopes from five decades of correspondence, specifically portraits of those near and dear- friends, lovers and family I’ve known over the years (as opposed to portraits of celebrity strangers, which are a lot more numerous). Who knows, YOU may even be one of them:

Because I found so many envelopes in my archives, I’m posting half of them this month and the rest at some future time.

Membership has its privileges; all Secret Stash material is viewable by Patreon sponsors at the $4.99 level and above.

And while you’re there, check out previous Secret Stashes- NSFW envelopes, Kaleidoscopic collages, and 1970s flyers from Portland’s Storefront Theater, and the free stuff- new comics stories featuring Snow Angel, a sketchbook comic from 1974 featuring Piggola, and all-rhyming comic about yard sales.

Yard Sale on Patreon

It’s my birthday, and the best present I can imagine is if you skip right on over to my Patreon page and check out the latest comics offering (and if you like what you see, feel free to $how your $upport). Since this is the second Thursday of the month, it’s a story from the archives, YARD SALE.

David Chelsea is listening to:

The Silkworm

by Robert Galbraith

This is an experimental six-hour comic drawn in 2008. My idea was to try and draw a story using the one-page—an-hour method of 24 hour comics, but for a shorter period. I was only able to finish five pages in six hours, possibly because the rhymed dialogue took unusually long to write. I liked the results enough to start a new web comic series, ANAPEST, using entirely rhymed dialogue, as well as several other stories since. My soon-to-be-launched webcomic series, ARE YOU BEING WATCHED?, will include a SHORT rhymed sequence.

Now On Patreon: Snow Angel Goes To The Con

It’s First Thursday, and time for another new comics story on Patreon. You can check it out on my Patreon page here. This month’s selection is SNOW ANGEL GOES TO A COMICS CONVENTION, which premiered at Wizard World as a mimicomic under the title SNOW ANGEL’S COMICS CONVENTION COLORING BOOK (Because this story is on the long side, I have divided it into two parts. Part two will appear in June).

David Chelsea is watching:

Batman: Season 1

I left a copy open at Wizard World for passing attendees to color; some of their color choices were refreshingly bold:

In the panel below, Snow Angel is in her off-duty guise of a little girl named Angel. Her brother Aidan is in costume as Snow Angel, however, for complicated reasons. Not to worry; the real Snow Angel shows up eventually:

There is a controversy swirling through Facebook, if nowhere else, about the role of “cosplayers,” those people who like to attend comics conventions dressed as their favorite comic characters- longtime convention exhibitors resent them for taking up too much space at conventions, crowding the aisles, which makes it difficult for exhibitors to sell, for not spending money themselves, and for being generally ignorant of the history of the medium they celebrate. I couldn’t resist taking a tiny poke at the issue (I thank Terri Nelson of Periscope Studios for the observation that cosplayers don’t carry wallets):

Thank you for your very kind attention. And if you like what you see, please $how your $upport!

Chloe

Here’s my favorite illustration job so far this year, the cover for Montreal singer-songwriter Matthew Azrieli’s EP Chloe. Matthew originally wanted to title it Condoms And Razorblades, after one of the songs, but wiser heads prevailed, and he decided to rename it in honor of his girlfriend Chloe Edelman (for a while Matthew was soliciting title suggestions; mine were Watch The Special Features, Show Me My Reminders, and Naked Ninja Pie Fight).

Matthew Azrieli

David Chelsea is reading:

Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood

by William J. Mann

I was given a photograph of Chloe as reference, and I pretty much copied it exactly. Can’t improve on that face. I used watercolor and a little bit of color pencil on hot press Arches paper.

Matthew and his designer Mike Rzepka got their money’s worth out of the art, which they use on both front and back cover, in the booklet, and in that piece of paper that sits behind the CD:

The music fully justifies the packaging, but if you don’t believe me, check out these online reviews:

Chloe is a great project that offers great music and stories about the journey of life and daily human interactions. It’s a well paced, well produced release that showcases Matthew Azrieli’s depth as a writer and musician, but also his unique perspective on some of life’s most intriguing moments. I believer Matthew Azrieli is well on his way to becoming one of the top indie folk artists, if he sticks with it and maximizes every opportunity to expose this great EP to the world.

Shain Freeman, The Miews

With a unique blend of indie rock and folk nostagia, Matthew Azrieli’s Chloe throws in a joyous piano and an anthemic trumpet to get your ears paying attention to these original tunes.



Chris, Crossradar

Overall, Chloe is a fantastic result. Other tracks include “Baby It’s Hard” and the enjoyable “Where Are You Tonight?”. Azrieli’s unique voice and point-of-view are only a few of the weapons in his arsenal. Fans of acoustic music and strong lyricists will find something they like on this A+ offering.

Melissa Kucirek, Hot Indie News

This EP is available for download here, but you can also buy a physical CD in a jewel case with a booklet, and as I said before, multiple copies of my art on it. By the way, there are vague plans to issue this one as an LP. No pressure, Matthew, but I never had a chance to illustrate a record cover during the first LP era, so it would fulfill a lifelong dream to do one now.

Chloe

by Matthew Azrieli

released 17 April 2015

Matthew Azrieli … Vocals and Guitar

Aaron Dolman … Drums, Backing Vocals

Jesse Kirman … Keyboard and Bass

Josh Rzepka … Trumpet

All songs (music and lyrics) written by Matthew Azrieli

Producer – Matthew Azrieli

Engineered and Mixed – Brian Herman

Mastered – Emily Lazar assisted by Chris Allgood @ The Lodge

Cover designed by David Chelsea

Recorded @ Treefort Studios in Brooklyn, New York

blog post about a CD cover for Claudia Russell

blog post about another CD cover for Anny Celsi

Video Hangout, Take 2

How did that first video hangout go last week? Well, it’s a steep learning curve, and there were some technical glitches, but it went well enough that I’m planning on doing another hangout tomorrow at 3pm PDT. More drawing demonstrations, possibly reading some letters, and diverting chat with special guests. Think of it as a cross between a drawing lesson and a podcast. Once more, I will be doing this through Google Hangouts, and sending invitations to people who are interested through Google plus If you’d like to be part of it, get in touch with me through this website and let me know.

You can check out the inaugural hangout on Youtube here

I’ll be archiving future hangouts as well.

David Chelsea is reading:

Girlfiend

by the Pander Brothers

Video Hangouts: The First One’s Free

I’m due to do a video hangout on Patreon tomorrow. This is supposed to be a monthly perk for sponsors at the $4.99 level and above, but I figure I’ll make the first one open to everybody. l will likely do some drawing in PhotoShop and some perspective stuff in Illustrator. My colleague and sometimes assistant Jacob Mercy promises to be along for moral support and color commentary. The time will be at or close to 2 PM PDT. I will be doing this through Google Hangouts, and I I will send invitations to people who are interested through Google plus (one reason this first hangout is free is that I am not sure I have ironed all the kinks out yet…) If you have any special requests (“draw Wolverine!”), get in touch with me through this website and let me know.

Thank you for your very kind attention.

Video Hangout

Thursday April 23rd, 2pm PDT

Place: my computer

Be there or be square.

Secret Stash: NSFW Kaleidoscopes

It’s the third Thursday of the month, and it’s time for me to post a selection from My Secret Stash–sketchbook drawings, comics roughs, reference photos, and other marginal stuff– on Patreon.

 

David Chelsea is listening to:

The Cuckoo’s Calling

by Robert Galbraith

This month, it’s a selection of pieces from one of my side preoccupations, kaleidoscopic designs created in Photoshop. My usual practice is to scour the Internet for images that promise generate interesting patterns when repeated infinitely in kaleidoscopic symmetry. This post tells you a little bit about my interest in these kind of designs, and my method for creating them.

Just occasionally, I like to create these patterns from images with nudity or directly sexual content, because why not?  Totally NSFW, of course, but your boss may have some trouble identifying them as such once I give them kaleidoscopic treatment.

Here are members of the dance troupe Pilobolus in a very chilly group hug. As a kaleidoscopic pattern, they look more like an assembly of mutant frogs:

Appropriately enough, a kaleidoscopic version of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’s painting The Turkish bath looks like a fine pattern for an Oriental rug:

A Diane Arbus photo of a rather square-looking nudist couple morphs into some fine 1960s psychedelia:

I like this screen capture from Paris Hilton’s notorious sex tape, not for its erotic content, but for its fine acid green palette (the result of shooting in night vision). I think the results would have pleased William Morris:

You can see these examples and many more full-sized (and download them as well- I happen to think they make fine desktop monitor images) on my Patreon page. Unfortunately, Patreon does not seem to have the ability to create albums, so I have just posted the images individually. Also in this batch: Egon Schiele, Tonya Harding, Abu Graib, Naked Mole Rats, John & Yoko, Marilyn Chambers and John Holmes, Last Tango In Paris, Nastassia Kinski and a snake, and Scarlett Johansson’s selfie.

Membership has its privileges; all Secret Stash material is viewable by Patreon sponsors at the $4.99 level and above.

And while you’re there, check out last month’s Secret Stash- NSFW envelopes, and 1970s flyers from Portland’s Storefront Theater, and the free content- two new comic stories featuring Snow Angel, and a sketchbook comic from 1974 featuring Piggola.