Salgood Sam's Blog, page 10
August 12, 2013
Project updates: Dream Life and Dracula
Crosspost from Kickstarter and FB.
Hey folks, before I start, go check out Graveyard of Empires, Mark’s newest book! You can download it on Comixolagy or pick it up at better comic shops and books stores. Here’s a youtube interview with him about the book.
So on to Dracula.
Thought it was time we shared a public update.
Work on Dracula son of the dragon is well underway, I’m penciling away and every 4 pages I’ve been finishing one page to work out the specific style guide for the tones and colours. I’ll probably tweak things as I go but it’s coming together pretty good so far I think.
Mark was surprised with the pallet, he expected fewer colours. It’s more broad than the pilot for sure, but still very limited and plan to keep it that way. Next one I do like this will be something more neutral I think. We’ve got action and moody down here I think. Picked two showy splash pages to ink first and color, so as to have something to show off. This is the first shot of Vlad Tepes in the story, and the other is of Hunyadi being unseated by Vlad’s father Dracul in a jousting match in Nuremberg. Like our facebook page to keep up with things on Dracula.
Dream Life!
Here’s the whole book in InDesign. The pages with the yellow tint are roughs for a scene i’m trying to make up my mind about adding. Did the thumbs weeks ago, scripted it tonight, think i have to do it. It feels needed.
Got to get the rest of the lettering done too, about 20 pages worth i think to go over, but some of that is silent or has minimal text. But knowing that got to watch i don’t put it off to long too. Doing some of it tonight next.
6 more to do washes on too i think. Boy this book has been a crap ton of work. Close though. Nice to look it all over like this in ID. End is within reach!
Track the progress for the final stretch here on Facebook.
The blank pages in the back are for the extras the backers are getting in their special editions, there will be 20 pages of them! Ok. Back to work for me,
Cheers!
max
August 5, 2013
DYNAMIC DRAWING | Oct 5th to Dec 7th
Hey so i’m excited to announce i’m teaching a drawing class this fall, 10 classes at Syn Studio in Montreal, emphasising the physicality of drawing from technique to capturing motion and energy in your art.
Some unconventional aspects will be moving live models, field trips to events, and even a free 1hr T’ai chi class [included in base cost] to help you get into thinking about how your body and joints work both for tool use and relating to bodies in motion. Followed by an hour of drawing the T’ai chi instructor!
I’m hoping it proves to be a fun and engaging class! I’m happy to hear we already have a few students signed up, there’s still spots for open so consider joining us for it!
~
Dynamique Drawing
First class is Saturday the 5th of October 4:30 to 7:30pm.
Class dates are all at the same time.
Oct 5, 12, 19, 26
Sept 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Dec 7th, final class.
Year end party & exhibit TBA
Early Registration price is $410.
Regular registration rate is $470.
*Early Registration Deadline: August 7th at 11:59 P.M.
July 19, 2013
Doodle Clips, a new service i’m offering…
The RSA animates helped to popularize this style of presentation, I’ve just started experimenting with the approach and enjoy it quite a bit.
It’s ideal for communicating ideas clearly for just about any client, and viewers seem to enjoy watching cartoon art drawn on camera even just for its own sake!
I can provide full services from development of the script to final posting and hosting on Youtube or other video sites.
Contact me about rates for your next viral video project.
Music is “Instrumental“, by Sinphonic from Man Vs Himself [1997]
Used with thanks to the talented George Westerholm and co.
July 5, 2013
Revolver One on ComiXology – now just ¢99 an issue!
99 cents!
That’s the magic number right? 
less than buck now gets you my critically acclaimed 1st issue of RevolveЯ Quarterly on ComiXology submit! I’ve matched that price for the copies you can purchase from me directly here on this site.
Been debating how to handle the series now that it’s on Comixology. I’d like to lower any barriers with price point, but it does not make a lot of sense to sell 52+ pages for 99 cents. So i’m going to switch to a page count with Vol 2 on, more in line with it rather than try to sell the issues for more.
Starting with Vol 2 Revolver will be 28 pages. Vol 1 is still the same, but from now on the rest will be that.
A bonus is this makes getting it out more regularly a lot easier too. I had planned to have a larger version of Vol 2 out awhile ago now, but this first serious venture into self publishing has been challenging. Resistance/reluctance from retailers for independent books is strong!
Customers have been enthusiastic, I sold many copies at TCAF this year, readers have been awesome. But It’s very hard to get meaningful numbers of retailers to pick up an independently distributed book – a few amazing shops have but not many. And right now I don’t have the capital to back roll something for Diamond so looking for workable solutions to this.
For now though, sticking with what leeway I’ve made in the digital market – Comixology is coming up on a 100 sales since Vol 1 went up, I’ve sold a couple a week off my own site for a while now, and with my recent Dracula Kickstarter with Mark Sable I now have about 300 subscribed readers for vol 1 through 8!
A decent audience has been seeded. For now I have to focus on building on that and getting the next 7 issues out in a timely fashion.
This is the start of something big I hope, coming soon to Comixology is my next graphic novel Dream Life, and very shortly RevolveЯ Quarterly Vol 2 will come out digital first from my site and Comixology. And with Vol 4 my new series with Mark Sable will make its first appearance, watch for Dracula Son of the Dragon.
Get RevolveЯ Quarterly Vol 1 now, and please rate it on Comixology!
Makes a world of difference when it comes to people finding the book.
May 9, 2013
TCAF 2013
So i’ve been packing and preparing all week, in the morning i’m going for a haircut, and then catching a ride to Toronto for TCAF!I have mixed feelings about the show this year. I’d hoped to have Dream Life ready for a sophomore presentation, but fell short of the mark on the deadline.
It was close but I’m just getting too old to kill myself anymore and I really don’t want to present something compromised for the quality of the art. Additionally really the backers from the Indiegogo drive should get it first so had to adjust my plans for the book. It looks great, just want to make sure it’s right.
On the up side I have less stuff to carry and I do have a book new to the show. 40 copies of Revolver One, along with some prints, and 100 free Monster of Montreal bookmarks. Featuring the cover art for the upcoming Revolver Two.
I’ll be sitting at table 111 at TCAF this coming weekend, it’s a good spot! Thanks Christopher Butcher or whoever did the seating! Right between @drwecka & @joshneufeld. Hopefully new friends!
I’ve set it up so I can live blog for the floor maybe, stay tuned. Follow my Instagram feed to catch the sights. And I tweet more often now thanks to a phone upgrade.
May 1, 2013
Revolver One on ComiXology – all digital editions now just ¢99!
Happy Labour day,Salgood here. I’ve got a deal for ya…
99 cents!
less than buck now gets you my critically acclaimed 1st issue of RevolveЯ Quarterly on ComiXology submit! Regular issue prices will be higher on new issues, but this first one is now going cheap, in hopes of getting you hooked.
Had a chance to see the comixology edition myself, the guided reading has been really well done, cool to see! There are some challenging layouts in this book. But it reads really well on my LG nexus phone.
This is the start of something big i hope, been holdups with the next two issues but they will be coming soon, and with vol 4, Dream Life book two, and Dracula Son of the Dragon start in serialization too! And Dream Life itself will be there as well. Excited…
So I hope you get this one and check it out, and please rate it! Makes a world of difference when it comes to people finding the book.
April 14, 2013
An exclusive print for our Dracula Kickstarter by Nathan Fox!
Fantastic work by Nathan Fox.
Pledge $40 [us] to our kickstarter
and you’ll be able to get this hot diptych
as a silkscreen pair of two colour 11×17 prints!
March 18, 2013
Dracula: The Kickstarter! – YOU DID IT!
Dracula: Son of the Dragon
Part historical fiction, part horror fantasy, a comic book chronicling Vlad the Impaler’s transformation into the vampire Dracula.
An original comics series by Mark Sable (Graveyard of Empires) & Salgood Sam (Sea of Red, Therefore Repent! Dream Life).
UPDATE: WE MADE IT! Thanks to all our backers and everyone who helped make it happen! News and updates coming soon, in the meantime follow us on facebook for the latest.
The Story…
We know the story of the Vlad Tepes, the so-called “historical Dracula”. But how did a 15th century “Impaler” become the world’s most notorious vampire? This first, heavily-researched book in this series will start with Vlad Dracula’s childhood. He’ll learn early, hard lessons in politics and betrayal as a young prince in his native Wallachia and Transylvania as a prisoner of the Ottoman Turks. Then, drawing from hints in Bram Stoker’s novel, we’ll begin to learn how Vlad became introduced the Dark Arts at the infamous Scholomance.
To survive his adolescence, young Prince Vlad believes he must kill in the name to serve the Holy Roman Order of The Dragon. But when the same Church that sanctified these deeds denies him access to Heaven, he’ll realize the only way to escape eternal damnation is the immortality that only the undead can grant.
Our hope is with your help, to use Kickstarter to finance the production of the first 60-page volume of Dracula: Son of the Dragon and publish a set of limited first run editions.
These will range from digital editions to hand bound leather tomes designed to evoke the 15th century printing of Vlad Dracula’s reign.
Part of your contribution will go towards compensating Salgood for his time drawing, toning and hand-lettering the story. The rest of the money we raise will go towards financing the manufacture of the first planed editions for backers, and cover the shipping for the same.
This will include four limited edition print versions of the book available exclusively for backers.
A drive-only black and white trade paperback “ashcan” edition with a generous amounts of support material making it 90 pages in all.
A first run full-color trade paperback edition.
A limited, Leatherette hand bound and letterpress style printed soft cover bound by Soundless Soliloquy.
And, an exclusive leather-bound, hand tooled and bound collector’s copy by No Bar Code Press.
These first editions of Dracula: Son of the Dragon will be self-published by Salgood Sam, using local artisans for the hand-made limited editions, and CreateSpace for the trade-paperbacks. The first print collections will be delivered to packers in May of 2014. A Separate retail edition will also be made available shortly after, sans the extra features that distinguish the special editions for backers.
Digital versions of the story will be serialized quarterly in Salgood’s RevolveЯ Quarterly, starting in mid to late 2013. (All backers over $15 will receive a 6 issues subscription to digital editions of RevolveЯ).
In addition, we’re offering a variety of perks, including original artwork, script consultation from writer (and writing instructor) Mark Sable, even the chance to appear in the book as a character!
Here’s the big ask. We need $14,000 to make this all happen, and humbly ask for your support. Additional goals and plans…
If we are fortunate enough to surpass the first goal, our plan is to offer additional runs of the limited edition print books, and possibly to fund future volumes in this series.
GUEST ARTISTS: Joining us to round out the post card and print offerings, we have several talented friends lending a hand.
In random order for size each one awesome, we have commitments from…
Steven Russell Black
James Romberger
Robbi Rodriguez
Paul Azaceta
Kevin Mellon
Nathan Fox
and more TBA.
Please take a moment to share Dracula: Son of the Dragon with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
We’ve set up a fan page for the project here. Folow us on Twitter: @marksable & @salgood.
Tumbler: marksable.tumblr.com & salgood.tumblr.com
Dracula: The Kickstarter!
Dracula: Son of the Dragon
Part historical fiction, part horror fantasy, a comic book chronicling Vlad the Impaler’s transformation into the vampire Dracula.
An original comics series by Mark Sable (Graveyard of Empires) & Salgood Sam (Sea of Red, Therefore Repent! Dream Life).
Part historical fiction, part horror fantasy, it’s the blood-soaked epic of the real-life Vlad the Impaler’s transformation into the vampire Dracula.
The Story…
We know the story of the Vlad Tepes, the so-called “historical Dracula”. But how did a 15th century “Impaler” become the world’s most notorious vampire? This first, heavily-researched book in this series will start with Vlad Dracula’s childhood. He’ll learn early, hard lessons in politics and betrayal as a young prince in his native Wallachia and Transylvania as a prisoner of the Ottoman Turks. Then, drawing from hints in Bram Stoker’s novel, we’ll begin to learn how Vlad became introduced the Dark Arts at the infamous Scholomance.
To survive his adolescence, young Prince Vlad believes he must kill in the name to serve the Holy Roman Order of The Dragon. But when the same Church that sanctified these deeds denies him access to Heaven, he’ll realize the only way to escape eternal damnation is the immortality that only the undead can grant.
Our hope is with your help, to use Kickstarter to finance the production of the first 60-page volume of Dracula: Son of the Dragon and publish a set of limited first run editions.
These will range from digital editions to hand bound leather tomes designed to evoke the 15th century printing of Vlad Dracula’s reign.
Part of your contribution will go towards compensating Salgood for his time drawing, toning and hand-lettering the story. The rest of the money we raise will go towards financing the manufacture of the first planed editions for backers, and cover the shipping for the same.
This will include four limited edition print versions of the book available exclusively for backers.
A drive-only black and white trade paperback “ashcan” edition with a generous amounts of support material making it 90 pages in all.
A first run full-color trade paperback edition.
A limited, Leatherette hand bound and letterpress style printed soft cover bound by Soundless Soliloquy.
And, an exclusive leather-bound, hand tooled and bound collector’s copy by No Bar Code Press.
These first editions of Dracula: Son of the Dragon will be self-published by Salgood Sam, using local artisans for the hand-made limited editions, and CreateSpace for the trade-paperbacks. The first print collections will be delivered to packers in May of 2014. A Separate retail edition will also be made available shortly after, sans the extra features that distinguish the special editions for backers.
Digital versions of the story will be serialized quarterly in Salgood’s RevolveЯ Quarterly, starting in mid to late 2013. (All backers over $15 will receive a 6 issues subscription to digital editions of RevolveЯ).
In addition, we’re offering a variety of perks, including original artwork, script consultation from writer (and writing instructor) Mark Sable, even the chance to appear in the book as a character!
Here’s the big ask. We need $14,000 to make this all happen, and humbly ask for your support. Additional goals and plans…
If we are fortunate enough to surpass the first goal, our plan is to offer additional runs of the limited edition print books, and possibly to fund future volumes in this series.
GUEST ARTISTS: Joining us to round out the post card and print offerings, we have several talented friends lending a hand.
In random order for size each one awesome, we have commitments from…
Steven Russell Black
James Romberger
Robbi Rodriguez
Paul Azaceta
Kevin Mellon
Nathan Fox
and more TBA.
Please take a moment to share Dracula: Son of the Dragon with your friends on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the ‘Like’ & ‘Tweet’ buttons above.
We’ve set up a fan page for the project here. Folow us on Twitter: @marksable & @salgood.
Tumbler: marksable.tumblr.com & salgood.tumblr.com
March 8, 2013
Creative book binding
a kickstarter campaign for an upcoming project!
One of the fun aspects of it for me will be designing the hand made limited editions of the books, working with a couple of local artisan binders, Soundless Soliloquy and No Bar Code Press.
So far the broad strokes of the packaging are roughed out. Dimensions page count and cover materials. But I still have a lot of the details to handle.
I also have to come up with the packaging of Dream Life backers of my indiegogo campaign will get to very soon. That one is a trade paperback but I want to make it something visually fun and special. Pretty much have it done in my head but there are always things that come up in execution.
All this came to mind when some friends posted the following set of playful book designs on FB.
They are each a kind or absurdist literal takes on the stories they wrap. The oldest is a very rare asbestos bound first edition of Stephen King’s Firestarter. Published by Phantasia Press in 1980 it originally sold for $300 each. 25 of 26 copies exist, with one ironically being lost in a fire. Recently one went on the market for $18,000! It’s quite handsome, and probably safe but still i’d probably keep it bagged just to be sure.
Equally playful and clever is this upcoming edition of 1984 from penguin, with a cover design by David Pearson. The title and author’s name are redacted with black foil!
You can still make them out, so the cover is practical as well. Making it function in a commercial context and I suspect will lead browsers even take closer notice in the effort to make out what it says. Not just being an illustration of the subject the story it contains, as a curiosity I think it’s the kind of functional design that scares the money often, but like a whisper entices you to lean in closer for a better look. Congratulations to David for being able to get that one through. It’s the kind of design that you would probably not want on a new book trying to make a mark. But for a classic like 1984, having this version is worth the bragging points probably of getting a new copy.
And the perfect book end to the asbestos bound King book, is this copy of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, with striking paper along its spine and its own match! Kind of asking for it but all the same, witty. From what I can tell this one is just a concept design done by Elizabeth Perez for The Austin Creative Department. But I bet it would sell as a limited run collector’s edition if they took it to market.
All three are fun incarnations of the same kind of design principles. The sort I had planned to apply to the next book. Dracula: son of the dragon.
Thanks to Zack Smith, Vinnie Bartilucci & Hans Curtis for posting these on FB and making me aware of them.
