Ben Templesmith's Blog, page 3

Saturday Baturday 21 Timelapse

Saturday Baturday!

As always, it’s available over at 78SQUID.com

Might be the last one for awhile as I’ve got to concentrate on some other big and as yet undisclosed projects coming up.

Saturday Baturday 21 from Ben Templesmith on Vimeo.

Conan, what is best in life?

I’m getting the hang of these timelapse videos as I do some art. Absolutely loving it. This was a piece I’d started over a year ago and, to stop myself going mad on current jobs decided to take a break and finish.

If you dig it it’s actually up on

More videos to come I think. Increasingly getting into the media side of things with a nifty new camera and editing software.

Conan WIP from Ben Templesmith on Vimeo.

“Brains Etc” Limited Edition Shirt + Print Package

For one week only, ending tuesday, you can get a limited edition T-shirt and print package from from me and 44FLOOD!

The shirts are 4.5 oz. 100% cotton preshrunk jersey knit t-shirts. These 100% cotton t-shirts are extremely soft and have a fashion fit.

Comes with a 8.5×11″ signed, numbered and embossed limited edition print. Once the week is over it’s gone forever!

Domestic Shipping is Included! Available now from the 44FLOOD online store.

CONVENTIONS 2015

Here’s a list of where I know, or hope to be at this coming year. Will update as I know more.

 

 

Shock Pop Con Fort Lauderdale.

Toronto Comic Con.

Emerald City Comic Con.

Tri-State Comic Con West Virginia.

Calgary Comic Expo.

C2E2 Chicago.

Denver Comic Con.

Awesome Con Washington DC.

Memphis Comic Expo.

Heroes Con.

Boston Comic Con.

NYCC.

HP LOVECRAFT’S DAGON is now available for preorder!

If you’ve not yet heard, my next project is one I’ve always wanted to do, adapt HP Lovecraft’s DAGON into comic book form.

The backing you guys gave me, by merely purchasing a book and maybe some prints and a shirt, on my first one, THE SQUIDDER, blew me away and was amazing proof that a creative can go outside established entities that normally bankroll a project and take debatable percentages of the IP a person creates as part of the bargain.

Because of you guys, I could print a modest print run of book I could do exactly the way I wanted, on my terms.

 44FLOOD is just a group of like minded people who aren’t afraid of a bit of the backend work of stuffing envelopes and lugging hundreds of boxes to the post office, feats which allow me to keep doing the real stuff, which is creating.

Kickstarter has changed the game for me, in that now I don’t need to seek outside funding and bargain away some of my rights as a creator. It’s the most empowering thing in the world really. And I much prefer to go straight to the coalface, and sell direct to a consumer first, get that audience feedback, market and push my own product, instead of just seeing a small listing in a large catalog amongst the many, which is a disconnection for me really. There’s a time for that, a secondary market, where the economics of the distribution chain mean a totally different dynamic, levels of risk and ultimately, levels of control. But via online endeavors like Kickstarter and our own marketing, we can make artifacts that don’t require those overheads or sheer numbers. We can make exclusive little things, in the hundreds if need be. Special things direct to you guys. I really recommend having a look at so many new projects going up on Kickstarter, not just mine. You’ll find unique voices and experienced ones finding new freedom to create because you empower them there.

If all goes well, thanks to the generosity of the online community, I’ll be able to adapt DAGON, a short story by HP Lovecraft, that I’ve wanted to do for years and will now have the chance. It’s a smaller project than THE SQUIDDER but equally as challenging. I’ve never adapted someone elses work before. The tentacled horrors of the deep though, are something I’m very familiar with. So I hope you’ll come along for the ride with me. You can find the kickstarter preorder page here.

Throughout the month I’ll be offering some interesting things to help push the book. Some of you may get sick of it, so apologies in advance, but we can’t all have the budgets of Marvel. I won’t promise to break the internet, but I’ll be giving away some rather special things to folks who help get the word out. You help me eat, and pay rent.

So stay tuned.

And thankyou.

Monster Monday Prints!

In conjunction with 44FLOOD’s monster Mondays, we’re doing some special prints available only until the following Monday.

An open edition for one week only, check em out on the Flood store.

The print “Serpens” from MONSTER MONDAYS week 16 is 11×17″ signed and embossed on heavy card stock and will ship flat via USPS First Class.

More stuff is on the way, especially regarding the SQUIDDER COIN you may have seen elsewhere. Just totally swamped in deadlines and strange things I wish I could talk about but can’t til they’re out!

Attack on Titan Painted Prints

I may have just put up another small batch of Attack on Titan painted prints on 78SQUID.com. Since I’m not doing cons much over winter I’ll offer some extra stuff over there.

 

Yes, phonecases are coming.  Yep, so too some commission slots amongst the deadlines eventually!

 

Attack on Titan Painted Print

THE SQUIDDER: KRAKEN SLIPCASE EDITION

HAIL SQUID! THE SQUIDDER: KRAKEN SLIPCASE EDITION is wrapped and now available!

It’s been an amazing few months of insanity as 44FLOOD put the finishing touches on THE SQUIDDER, finally got the books and shipped out all the Kickstarter backers their fancy director’s cut OGNs. Huge, HUGE thanks to all you guys who played a part in making my crazy little book a big success.

If you missed out on the Kickstarter, never fear. I actually ordered a limited quantity of the KRAKEN SLIPCASE EDITION myself, for cons and for my dedicated online presence, 78SQUID.com. You can still grab the basic hardcover at 44FLOOD or the Slipcase version from me here, as well as sketched and fully painted editions if you’re the fanciest of fancy. There’s well less than 500 left at this point, never to be repeated again in hardcover.

 

And yes, I should get better at updating my main website again. I’m rather active on Instagram and twitterof course with plenty of things brewing for 78SQUID so stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

WORMWOOD TV show & THE SQUIDDER

Haven’t updated in ages, apologies. The main website should probably get a litttttle more attention, it’s just a more involved interface.

I’m knee deep into finishing 44FLOOD’s THE SQUIDDER, my new OGN I’m writing and drawing that’ll be out ASAP ( After an amazingly successful Kickstarter, thanks so much guys! ) as well as popping the question to my lovely lady Ash while down in Australia right now, ( erm, she said yes, by the way, ) so I’m a bit out of touch…but by now I guess the news is out that there’s some plans afoot with WORMWOOD: GENTLEMAN CORPSE for some sort of animated TV show, spearheaded by IDW’s entertainment outfit and the likes of George Lopez and  David M. Stern ( Who’s “UGLY AMERICANS” I really quite dig and bodes well I think. Give it a watch ).

As with all that stuff there’s fluffy press releases but all you really need to know is, I don’t know much. I’ve had  no real discussions on involvement and I honestly don’t know what I *can* do. I have no control over all the big things, so please let me pre-empt all the notions and questions on if  I can cast Tom Cruise or Angelina Jolie and all that stuff. That power is not mine to have. Never will be. I’m just a comic creator, and I love creator owned comics done *my* way, so at the end of the day, so long as the spirit of the book is maintained, ( thumbing your nose at cohesive narrative storytelling in favour of  focussing on concepts like demons with STD’s and sexually overactive transgendered Leprechauns and all the stuff Wormwood usually has going on ,) and so long as it’s not going to end up looking like the Powerpuff girls visually, all will be well and I trust the folks involved to do some interesting things.

I’ll be tackling some *new* WORMWOOD comics after THE SQUIDDER is done, among other things. The only reason, to be honest,  I’m into things things going into other media, to be honest, is to bring more attention to the comics and the source material as that’s how I pay my rent and do my little bit to help nurture the strange little medium we call sequential art through the 21st century.

Oh yeah, and don’t forget THE SQUIDDER OGN is coming! Because who honestly wouldn’t want to try to harness any entertainment industry buzz for their own grassroots creative endeavors? Some new covers for the later IDW floppy issues after the OGN version the loyal fans will get, below. Check out the AMAZING Shane Pierce cover! The rest of the world may see some stuff at Wondercon this weekend. Where I will not be at. 78SQUID will be ramping up some interesting things in the next few months too, once I’m back from Australia.

Oh and real quick, because I get asked a bunch right now, nope, I won’t be at San Diego Comic-con short of a miracle from the Great Squid. Just can’t afford it anymore & it’s lost it’s grassroots appeal in favour of the mega corp products. Look for me at Longbeach Comic-con late this year, I should be there.

Thanks for putting up with my horrible grammatical abilities!

 

THE SQUIDDER goes LIVE & goes big already…

Well, I didn’t honestly expect that. But THE SQUIDDER Kickstarter Launched and made it’s initial goal in just 6 hours. So that’s the printing of the book achieved. Anything else allows lights to stay on, food in my mouth and you know, basically surviving til the book is done if possible. Check out what all the fuss is about here:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/44flood/the-squidder

Just… thank you.

Because of all you guys, a creative with an idea can now publish a book, tell a story and start making his vision happen. Printing costs are now covered! Because of you and your amazing support, THE SQUIDDER is now well and truly alive and. Depending on how the rest of the Kickstart campaign goes, we can roll out all sorts of little extras and interesting things. And yes indeed, we have a few things planned for you for all the support.

The best way to do things is without compromising, without a boss or a corporation diluting a creative vision. And thanks to your amazing response so far, that can now happen.