Update for OUTDOOR | INDOOR

Below are some almost finished pages and cover for a parallel narrative infinite canvas comic. This gives you an idea of how the pages relate and some of the narrative devices that I’m using in the comic. The visual style changes from black/white, to color, to isolated flat shapes and back to color again.

The comic is almost finished. (I just couldn’t wait to share.) I’ve been working on this comic in my spare time for the past couple years so I’m not super happy about some of the first few pages. I might be reworking some of them or just individual panels. 

More info belowOUTDOOR/INDOOR is a parallel narrative about the lives of two different cats. The story begins in black/white and moves towards full color when one of the cats leaves the safety of it’s home to explore the forest. The final comic is intended to be an infinite canvas narrative available online, for mobile devices and as an accordion fold book in print. The comic will soon be posted on Kickstarter to fund printing as well as the programming of a infinite canvas Wordpress theme - that will be made available for download free to the public. Sample pages are available on Khodabandeh’s website, MendedArrow.com. The hope is for this project to begin a funding campaign in the winter (2013).

CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE

New work: Guest Speaker, Stephen R Bissette Poster

I was lucky enough to do this poster for VCU's guest speaker, the award winning comic artist/writer, Stephen Bissette!

Guest Speaker, The Award Winning Comic Artist and Writer,
Stephen R. Bissette

FREE and open to the pubic
7PM, Monday Oct 14
at Grace St Theater
934 W Grace Street

Bio
Stephen R. Bissette won many industry awards as cartoonist, writer, editor, and publisher. A pioneer graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon & Graphic Art, he currently teaches at the Center for Cartoon Studies and is renowned for Saga of the Swamp Thing, Taboo (from which From Hell, Lost Girls, and Throat Sprockets came), '1963,' Tyrant, co-creating John Constantine (inspiring the film Constantine), and creating the world's second 24- Hour Comic, invented by Scott McCloud as a challenge for Bissette. He illustrates books and has authored fiction (including the Stoker Award-winning Aliens: Tribes) and non-fiction (co-authoring Comic Book Rebels, The Monster Book: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and solo articles/essays for books and magazines). His papers reside in HUIE Library’s Special Collections, Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He recently contributed the short story “Copper” to The New Dead (St. Martin’s Press, 2010), co-authored The Prince of Stories: The Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman (with Christopher Golden and Hank Wagnert; St. Martin’s Press, 2008), illustrated The Vermont Monster Guide (University Press of New England, 2009), and is currently packaging and co-editing (with Tim Stout) Tales of the Uncanny: A Naut Comics History, Volume 1 and completing the art instructional book S. R. Bissette’s How to Make a Monster (Watson-Guptill/Ten Speed). Visit his weekly blog at http://srbissette.com.

Website/daily blog:
http://www.srbissette.com

archival site:
http://www.comicon.com/bissette

archived 2005-2008 daily blog:
www.srbissette.com/theblog.html

Special Collection at Henderson State University:
http://www.hsu.edu/bissette/

Green Mountain Cinema:
http://www.blackcoatpress.com/greenmountaincinema1.htm

New Work: Circle Takes the Square Poster

Just finished this Circle Takes the Square poster to be screen-printed by Nick Crider. I attempted to simulate the paper texture digitally.

Circle Takes the Square, B Dolan and The Blue LetterThe show is scheduled Nov 5th at Gallery5 200 W Marshall St Richmond, VA. $8 in advance $12 at the door.

New Work: Logos, logos, logos

These are three logos that I have recently worked on. 

The first is for my favorite local bike shop, Bunnyhop Bike Shop, located in Oregon Hill, Richmond, VA. 

The second is for a gallery located in a tattoo shop, Loose Screw Tattoo, in Carytown. The logo uses an image of a robot illustrated by the owner Jesse Smith. There will be some more adjustments made to the illustration of the robot character before it gets sent to production. 

Finally, two versions of Sink Swim Press logo. The left version will be used by the publishing company. It was fun to illustrate this deep sea diver's mask with a hidden pen nib. The version on the right I enjoyed a lot conceptually and wanted to share it even though it isn't the final logo.

Blue Line Grid/Golden Ratio Downloads

I have been inspired to create my own blue line grid based off of the article, Layout Workbook 4, featured in The Comic Journal. Yes, comics use the golden ratio too.

My plan is to use these prints to layout my pencil drawings, followed by inking on Bristol board using a light box. Below are sample images in black & white so that you can see the grid.

I decided to make this available for download. Here are both b/w and 25% cyan versions with gridded out diagrams and a regular grid. The measurements aren't exact, but close enough. Enjoy.

Graduated? Now What? A forum discussion about life after college

Another poster I made as the Comm. Director of VCU's Dept of Comm Arts. This was was a lot of fun. The Dept. Chair, Robert Meganck gave me the point of departure of the Vertigo film poster.

More info about the event below:
Free and open to the public
1PM Wed. Sept, 18th

• 907 Floyd Ave
• Richmond, VA 23220

The Dept. Of Communication Arts hosts a forum discussion about life after college with its Community Advisory Board.

Ryan Bailey
Senior Designer at MeadWestvaco

Erin Hurley-Brown
Art Director for Interactive Practice at CRT/Tanaka


Kelly Redling
Senior Designer at Prophet

Danny Robinson
Senior Vice President and Creative Director at The Martin Agency

Photos from the VSU Exhibition

Photos from the Virginia State University's exhibit of the traveling poster show, "US and China Typographic Poster Exchange 2013." In case you haven't seen the previous posts about it, I am co-currating with Xu Li and below is the mission statement.

The mission of this exhibition is to introduce both culture's respective use of typography while helping us better understand our own use of language and inspire new typographic approaches.