Brian Anderson's Blog, page 28
May 4, 2020
How to Write a Book - Research and Inspiration
Thought Id share a bit about how and where I got ideas for the Conjurers books. First, Ill be talking about my experience and methods and also potential pitfalls. Early on, when writing books and coming up with ideas, I would get swept away in the currents of research. Why? Because its fun and interesting and you can quickly forget that youre supposed to be writing a book.
Now i have a rule for myself that I try my best to stick to. Although one tumbles down a rabbit hole here and there....
May 2, 2020
Free Cartoons - It Followed Me Home
A Kaiju take on the old cliche, He followed me home, can we keep him?. This is one of the comics I wish I had more time to draw a uber-detailed monster. It came out a bit too atmospheric, but I find the contrast in sizes humorous. Might re=draw it sometime in the future.
Speaking of Kaiju, might be time to watch Pacific Rim again. Havent watched the sequel and honestly dont plan too. Also looking for any good Kaiju manga recommendations. Or any manga recommendations. Im reading Witch Hat...
May 1, 2020
If Aliens are real, what's with all the probing?
I have a dozen doodles of aliens looming over a sleeping human. For whatever reason, I find that particular setup funny. And a probe joke seems a little easy. The low hanging fruit. But I liked the idea of suggesting a probing without saying it directly. Also, once I drew the guys eyes open, it made it a lot funnier.
Ive never been into UFOs all that much, besides the X-Files. Have to admit, some of the more recent footage is pretty compelling whether you believe its aliens or not. If you...
April 25, 2020
Writing and Illustrating Middle Grade Fantasy Books
Another peak at The Conjurers book two. Another double page spread. The text will be overlayed in white on the dark, crosshatched top half of the illustration. Its technique I love and try not to overuse. Too much can be annoying to the reader methinks. But it is a fun way to blend the prose with live action shots.
I think this is from chapter nine. Cant tell any details, although it is a big moment in Emmas character art. After all her struggles, it was cool to come upon a scene in which,...
April 24, 2020
Free Funny - Needy Monsters
Beginning to wonder if this was a metaphor for some of my foster dogs. Haven't had any that have wreaked this much destruction, but a few have come close. A lot of these quick toons sprout from common sayings that I catch myself and others repeated consistently. Then my imagination takes it to the extreme, or more accurately, the dark extreme. It's not a technique I consciously farm, but maybe I should.
On that note, I'm going to have more live-streams coming up. Currently getting familiar...
April 22, 2020
Illustrations from "The Conjurers" Book Two
Heres a two page spread from the end of chapter eight. I love ending chapters with a cliffhanger illustration. Its fun to switch from text into a cinematic envisioning of the story. Plus, it keeps pulling readers along into the next chapter.
This drawing features the main setting in book two, Plomboria, the Jimjarian city. You meet several Jimjarians in book one, but its not until the second installment when you get to see more of their culture and a hint of their history. A history that...
April 21, 2020
Ghost Hunters Comic
One one of my personal favorites for several reason. Firstly, I've always wanted to draw a daily strip that takes place in a creepy house. Still haven't come up with that one yet. Secondly, I was a huge fan of the Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi channel.
I was familiar with that team as, at the time, most of my writing an drawing revolved around creepy places in New England. Never cared if parts of the show were rigged or not, I loved all the spots they investigated. Fuel for the...
April 11, 2020
Drawings, Poems and Comics from my Instagram
The rpg storyline continues! Break out your D20! #dungeonsanddragonsmemes #dungeonsandragons #dnd #dungeonsanddragons #dungeonmaster #tabletopgames #rpg #memesdaily #comics #cómics #comicstrip #comicstrips #comicseries #comicsketch #comicstyle #comicsart #marvelcomics #comicsofinstagram #art #drawing #illustration #comicbooks 
Super silly but one of my favorites. #funny #comics #cómics #comicstrip #comicstrips #comicseries #timburton #timburtonstyle #timburtonmovies #timburtonfilms...
March 17, 2020
Free Comics - Dr. Frankenstein's Twitter
Have to catch up posting these cartoons here. You can always catch them on my Instagram if you want to read them as soon as they come out. This one was a bit silly and a nod to my favorite comedy of all time, Young Frankenstein. Thought it would be funny if the good doctor was around today and had a hard time getting views while bringing the dead back to life.
This is another one I might revisit in the future and render with a lot more detail. Thats the only drawback to Primordial Syrup....
January 8, 2020
Free Comics
It’s amazing to stop and think about how many free comics there are online. We’re kind of spoiled. But that goes with the cartooning territory. I’m very fortunate to make a living drawing comics. The weird thing is, is that even before I was making a living drawing comics, or even if I wasn’t, I’d still make comics.
Case in point, this Primordial Syrup thing I’ve been doing. It started the same way all my comics did. I had to do it. Same with “Dog eat Doug”. I had to make it. This is true...
