Chris Howard's Blog, page 83

Sea Demon Swimming Lessons

Here’s a sketch of Ephoros the demon from Saltwater Witch, friend of Kassandra’s–in fact he taught her to swim.  I’m sure it looked something like this. About two hours in Art Rage and CS6. This will probably end up the comic somewhere.

Tinsel Tide is available!

TINSEL TIDE – A Short Tale of Boston, Officers of the Underground, and Murder

The day doesn’t begin well for Brim Archer, who follows the world of mathematics and airships, and lives by himself in a lonely house in the middle of the Nahant tidal plain, northeast of Boston. The day begins with the suspicion of murder. There’s no body. Not yet. But the seers from the Underground know where it’s going to end up. Right at the edge of the porch of Mr. Archer’s house. And they’ve sent along a couple sharp fellows to look into it.

Get it at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Tinsel-Tide-ebook/dp/B00DD50MP2

Cover Art for the Pen-Ultimate Anthology

Pick up a pen, fingers on keys everyone. Write a story!

I was thinking about the cover for the Pen-Ultimate anthology and painting ideas while helping my son Christopher with a big school project.  3-4 hours in Art Rage and CS6. Some details to work in, but I think this is pretty much done.  See the pre-dragon version below.

Houston, we have dragons made of stars!

Cover Art for AJ Maguire’s Persona

I spent a few evenings of the last week painting the cover for AJ Maguire’s Persona, a book with a Europe toward the end of World War 2 setting. I really love the way this turned out–the main character surrounded by ruins, looking down at her reflection in rain puddles. More on my site: http://www.saltwaterwitch.com

 

Saltwater Witch Chapter 13 is Complete!

Chapter 13 is complete and up on http://www.SaltwaterWitch.com/ ! Please check it out. I can’t tell you how long I have been waiting to draw the last panel with Kassandra, Jill, and Nicole locking arms and walking down the halls of St. Clement’s–lions and tigers and bears… Sorry if I’ve been ignoring you, or if I owe you something, or if I’ve made promises and didn’t keep them…been drawing and coloring and stuff.

Saltwater Witch Chapter 13 art

More art for Saltwater Witch Chapter 13–page 9. About six hours in Art Rage and CS6. Check out chapters 1-12 here: http://www.SaltwaterWitch.com

My Aristotle Collection

Some of it anyway–175 books, about 2/3s of my collection.  Books by, on, about Aristotle and Aristotelianism, going back to the 1500s. (I recovered the page using Archive.org –from my old Aristotle site, started in 1996). Check it out at the link below, hover on the book spine to see title, click for details.

http://www.saltwaterwitch.com/aristotle/aristotle_books.php

Some art for Salvage, probably the comic

Saltwater Witch End of Chapter 13 (Comic)

I’m working on the last couple pages of chapter 13 for the Saltwater Witch comic, and just wanted to show you what I use for the script.  This is the section I’m sketching panels for right now, the very last pages of chapter 13.  I’ve been working on the screenplay for Saltwater Witch for a while, and I use it as the starting point for the comic.  Here’s an example:

SALTWATER WITCH – CHRIS HOWARD – CHAPTER 13 END…

[Closeup showing KASSANDRA's hand closing the door to Mrs. Lindsey's office, the three items from her file in the other hand.]

SFX (Door latch)

Click

V.O. PRAXINOS

Kassandra? Who are you speaking to?

Do not tell anyone at that school

your real name. Not until you have

secured their loyalty.

KASSANDRA, in an angry whisper,

Shut up, Praxinos.

[Open shot, showing the Clement's school wing at a busy time, students moving purposefully to their classes, carrying books. The hall is lined with lockers, classroom doors.]

Entering the main hall, joining the

students and teachers heading back to class…

KASSANDRA

How did you know I had

something in my file?

JILL

After breakfast we went up to see

if you were done with the laundry.

NICOLE

You weren’t there. The laundry lady

was filling the cart, and she

overheard us talking about you.

KASSANDRA, JILL, NICOLE,

stopping in the middle of the hallway,

KASSANDRA, doubtful,

Mrs. Hipkin told you to get

my bracelet from Mrs. Lindsey?

NICOLE, threatening a couple of students

blundering by them, nudges KASSANDRA back

into the flow of students…

NICOLE

Not exactly. She told us to ask Mrs. Lindsey

if we had any saved items from our deliveries.

She said they keep the valuables

you came into Clement’s with until you’re

old enough to care for them.

JILL

And that we ought to be old enough.

KASSANDRA (thought)

What the hell is going on?

Now Mrs. Hipkin. Who else here

is working for…or against me?

Why would Mrs. Hipkin want

me to wear the bracelet?

So that Fenhals can identify me?

Do they all work for King Tharsaleos?

If not, then who are they spying for?

Rexenor was defeated, practically

wiped off the map by the Olethren,

my father’s in the king’s prison…

KASSANDRA stumbles but keeps walking,

in pain, holding her stomach.

KASSANDRA (thought)

My mother has passed away, into the Wreath…

I’ve been so intent on finding my father and

freeing him that the thought of never again

seeing my mother hit me hard,

threatening to choke off my breath.

Is anyone on my side? Besides Ephoros

and the nutjobs in my head?

NICOLE notices KASSANDRA is not

looking well and stops. KASSANDRA runs into her.

KASSANDRA, blinking, suddenly

aware of her friends…

KASSANDRA

What’s wrong?

The three of them huddle in the hallway,

letting other students flow around them.

JILL squeezes KASSANDRA’s arm affectionately

JILL

We didn’t have much

stored in Lindsey’s files.

KASSANDRA

Nothing?

JILL shakes her head, pain

clear in her expression.

KASSANDRA (thought)

Jill was the sleepover survivor.

Seven years old, she’d gone off

to her best friend’s for a sleepover

and returned the next morning to find

her house a broken pile of smoldering

timbers and roof shingles.

And no one got out alive.

NICOLE in a whisper,

A clip from a newspaper

NICOLE pulls out a folded gray square

from her pocket and stares at it.

NICOLE

My mother and father–Catherine and

Javier Garcia–were journalists.

They died in a car accident in Arizona.

No one knows how I ended up here.

KASSANDRA closing her eyes for a moment,

Oh…

KASSANDRA holds out the

dolphin comb and bonnet

JILL

I can have it?

JILL grabs the embroidered bonnet.

NICOLE picks up the comb

and folds the newspaper around it,

closing her hand over both.

KASSANDRA, a hint of a smile,

I don’t see my name on them.

KASSANDRA hooks her arm through NICOLE’s,

and the three of them walk back to class,

taking almost the entire width of the hallway.

KASSANDRA, her voice stronger,

We’re like sisters, and I’m supposedly

a princess. So aren’t we all?

NICOLE, raising an eyebrow,

Princesses?

JILL, elbowing KASSANDRA half-heartedly,

tears running but smiling mischievously…

Damn right we are.

Check out the first 13 chapters of Saltwater Witch.

 

Fearless

“Fearless”. Another Kassandra sketch, about three hours in Art Rage, CS6. This time she’s wearing her Sea Shepherd shirt, telling her friend, “You are not afraid of the pressure in the darkest depths of the sea. Don’t fear crimes against our world committed on the brightest day.” http://www.SaltwaterWitch.com