Hallowe'en again

That time has come again. Grey clouds hang across the welkin and old spirits stir. Again I've let myself be cast into the gulf. Sitting here, finishing my last beer and trying to paint, I'm caught reflecting on recent history and tearing myself apart. I still don't know what the outcome of all this will be. I guess no one ever really does.

I finished this one this morning. It's terrible in ways I hope no one notices. It'll probably be the third to last when the thing is complete. A waiting game that never ends, while the order meets cataclysm outside.

I've finished another except for the ink, which I'll set myself to now. Happy Hallowe'en all. I hope yours has involved more merriment than mine has.

Wherein things fall apart, and things come together

I feel in good spirits, against all expectation and good sense. Short lived, I'm sure, but while it lasts I'm going to make use of it. I've finished two more of these, and progress on more is forthcoming.

A dismal meeting in a filthy backroom, wherein Brother Horse is forced to bargain with unsavory, worm eating characters. The fact that the table looks like it was drawn by a drunken 6 year old will make sense. Or at least I'll excuse it somehow. Shut up.

Brother Badger making a brazen though well calculated accusation. This, I can assure you, will not turn out well for him.

More on the way. In other news, tomorrow is Hallowe'en. I'll be at home, carving a turnip and chain smoking alone. Would that it were otherwise, but the gods have made their position clear on the matter.

Wherein my powers are returned

I have been busy again! Though the three articles I put up last night aren't the best stand-alone things, they did turn out alright. I've been slowly coming to grips with the content of this thing, and I have a broad outline with focused sections.

This one developed the best of the three. Brothers Elk and Bear play chess and plot against each other while establishing some kind of ostensibly quid pro quo political maneuverings. It's place is secure in the story, though condensing the dialog into the space I've allotted for myself will be a challenge. This challenge will be no match for me, because I am a mighty champion. This is something obvious, but I still felt like pointing it out.

This one doesn't stand up individually very well, but it also have a clear place in the narrative. Brother Badger interrupts a bear from his important pounding away at a chunk of meteoric iron to ask him to kill someone. It also prominently features a horse with a human head. As I've stated, in this world all of the actual animals, that is the beasts of the field etc etc have human heads. Why? Because it is awesome, and creeps some people out a little bit.

This one sucks, has no place in the story, was only finished because it was next in my moleskine, and was only uploaded because I like the weird bulldog a little bit. I might use it if I need some filler toward the end, but I also might hurl it dramatically into the tumultuous sea to be wracked against the rocks and devoured by screaming gulls.

I have more now completed but unscanned. I'll fix that this evening, while I recline languorously in a chair and smoke a pipe like a gentleman. I will also swill beer like a scoundrel, but I choose not to talk about that because it makes me seem less classy than I would like people to think I am.

Wherein my abilities are diminished

I haven't painted anything for a couple weeks. That is to say, I have, but with terrible result. I've been drawing steadily, but as of yet none of these things have seen color. The story portion of this thing is still nebulous, but it's taking shape in vague and hopeful ways. The main thing is that my hands keep moving, so as to keep my mind from it's own more dismal ruminating.

The first in a series of simpler scenes, involving animals making various arrangements.

Another of those. I have no idea what that animal in the middle is supposed to be. Adding pen to the thing did nothing to make it any clearer.

Something more dramatic. I feel that writing the dialog for the fox is going to be the most fun I have in this project.

A calm scene in which there will be much in the way of machiavellian scheming. I can't wait to paint this one, and I hope I don't fuck it up, as I have done others.

A scene to follow the stabbing of the walrus, this procession will in turn be followed by a viking funeral rite.

All in all I'm pleased with the way it's taking shape. A few setbacks and the overarching hand of the melancholic ghost have kept progress slow. I mentioned happiness in my last post here I think, but I may have spoken too soon. This kind of happiness can be torturous.

Wherein I have not been so busy

I have not been working at such a frantic clip, but I feel alright with this.  I've been laying out some storyboards for this business, so I feel more directed.  I've got pencil down for some scenes which will fall in order, but trying to maintain each image's individual merit is a little difficult.  Below is the most recently completed panel, which I don't feel stands on it's own the way the others do. 

 Tomorrow, my docket is clear and I intend on getting at least two more completed.  They involve a funerary procession and a viking funeral.  Ink on those tonight, fates willing.  I've got ink on a good 5 others which fall in mostly as-yet uncertain points on the timeline.  I think painting in order might help, but maybe not.   We'll see.  In any case, I'm still excited about this project.

 In other news, my life has taken a turn for the better.  I blame this on one person in particular.  She knows who she is.

Wherein I have been quite busy

After being snagged for a time without any strong impetus or inspiration, the floodgates are loosed and I have set to work again. This time around, I have a vague goal for myself. I am hesitant to set it down solidly at this point, but these 7 things below are the first of many. Maybe 20 total. My hopes here, my eventual aim, is to have some kind of illustrated book. Or a picture book with some words at least. I'm a terrible writer when it comes to story arc and character development and all the everything else that goes into fiction, so I am hoping that the pictures will be able to dazzle people away from this fact. This will, I hope, be a story of machiavellian political struggles within an organization of fancy beasts in a world mostly, but not completely, unlike our own. We will see animals in fine suits maiming eachother, alliances formed and smashed, double cross and climactic beheadings. All the things we know and love. The first 7 are here-

A tragic double cross begins a chain of events that can only lead to mass murder and general unrest. A relatible situation with a guarantee of comedy.

The Grey-Coat Council convenes in secret, but progress is hampered as tempers flare and Brother Fox sets off on another one of his incomprehensible tirades.

Being of a naturally cantankerous disposition, Brother Badger is only too pleased to shove some poor bastard out a window to make a point about who is better at killing whom.

Brother Fox, inveterate swordsfox and smoker of fine tobaccos, relaxes after dispatching two would-be assassins.

Literate as hell. Murderer as fuck.

Brother Mouse, master of the distraction, can definitely get you to be looking at a lantern while he swoops in from the wings and swords you in the vitals.

Trampled to garbage by a fine and upstanding member of the Association. Humiliating, to be sure. Though also inevitable.

I've got sketches for at least 5 more and ideas running around for a good many further than that. I really should work on a story outline, so as to not end up with scenes that have to be hammered in somewhere, painted on a whim because I liked the image. But I've got some ideas on that front s well. Work continues. Updates to follow.