Tuesday, December 15, 2015

December

So, my last convention went pretty well.  Nice relaxing day at a convention, lots of fun conversations.


Since then I have continued to work on Issue 13; it is penciled, lettered and inking is well underway.  I have also been working on a side project during my downtime at work.  Its been nice that there is downtime at work again.  That will hopefully be ready to do something with near the beginning of the new year.  When I say it is totally different that my other work, you have no idea how different that means.



Friday, December 4, 2015

Slack

I realize I am not writing in this blog as often as I should.  I have been keeping busy with inking issue 13 and sketches for the next convention I am going to.  Which is this Sunday, Dec 6th in Charlotte, NC.  Charlotte Comicon, is always a good day.


I will try to post more often soon.  I promise.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Issue 13 progress

I haven't posted much lately, there hasn't been much in the way of conventions.  I've just been trying to keep working consistently on Issue 13.  The good news (for me at least) is that I have finished penciling the entire issue and the cover.  Next I start inking and lettering.  I hope to have all of that done by the end of the year.


Lately I have had some vacation time and a holiday yesterday.  It really shows me how quickly it would all go if I could do it full time.  Sigh.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Fayetteville... wow.

So the Comicon in Fayetteville was yesterday.  It was a huge crowd of people through the place.  For a while it was hard for people to walk through the aisles.  I heard that the attendance was over 7,000!  For their first show, that is amazing.  It was a smooth operation, congrats to everyone. 


A few weeks ago, I posted that I had my best one day show ever in Winston Salem.  I now have to amend that statement to be, I just had my best one day show ever in Fayetteville.  Always good to break a record, and it feels good that I am progressing.


The pessimist in me keeps trying to remind myself that I will still have bad shows, and its still ok, but trying to enjoy the moment.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Indy Planet

Reminder that all of my comics are available on www.indyplanet.com and some digital copies are FREE.  Check them out and let me know what you think.

trouble

Been having computer issues lately and haven't updated the blog as much as I should.  Also been on vacation, which has been great.  I've been drawing a lot and prepping for my next show.


Saturday, 10/17 in Fayetteville, NC.  That is very close to home for me, only about an hour.  Working at restocking prints and sketches.  Haven't been here before, it's never worked with my schedule.  But it should be fun.  And a great way to finish up my vacation.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Post Con Post

I went to the Winston Salem Comiccon on Sat. Sept 5th, put on by Burke Street Comics.  Normally I do not like to talk money here, but I will write that this was my best 1 day show ever.  It was constantly busy and a lot of people bought a lot of different stuff.  It was a fun and fast paced day.  I took a page from issue 13 to finish penciling, but got next to nothing done on it. 


My next show will be Oct 3rd in Roanoke, VA.  I always have good shows there, and they have a great crowd of fans.  But now, I have a new goal to beat.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Normalcy

So, been going to work... working on some sketch cards for conventions... penciling pages for Intermezzo 13... Kind of a routine.  Haven't made it to many shows lately, the last one I went to in Charlotte was very good.  They extended the hours, but I had to leave early.  I had a four hour drive and real world work the next morning.  Stupid real world.


There was a convention in Raleigh that I didn't go set up for.  It was my birthday so I spent it with my wife Wendy.  We went to the con as actual customers, then went to a few other places, out to eat; just a relaxing day together.  There is nothing I like more than a road trip together.


Coming up on Sept 5th is a con in Winston Salem, my first in about a month (to set up for).  Have a lot of new cards and sketches. 



Monday, August 10, 2015

Busy day

The Charlotte Comicon was a great show. 


I had a great morning; spent the night at my Mom's because she lives an hour from Charlotte.  That morning we had breakfast before I got on the road.  Got there with plenty of time, set up my table in record time and then used the extra time to walk around the convention floor.  Nearly everybody was still setting up, but I got to see stuff and not spend any money.


The show was constantly busy and it went very well for me.  They extended the time of the show until 6pm but I had to leave at the original end time of 4 because I had a long drive ahead.


Overall a great time.  And my next show will be Sept 5th in Winston Salem.

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Charlotte Comicon

I will be in Charlotte this Sunday (Aug 9th).  Looking forward to a good show.  This is one of the biggest one day shows I've seen.  Lots of stuff there, and I have new prints, sketch cards and issue 12!  Woohoo!

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

INTERMEZZO 12 on indyplanet

Intermezzo #12 is now available on indyplanet.com  Check it out and tell your friends (tell your enemies, I don't care).


http://www.indyplanet.com/front/?product=125815



Winston Salem post show

So the Winston Salem show was bad.  No other way to put it.  At least it was bad for me.  Sparse crowd with no interest in what I had.  Oh well, not the first bad show for me, and probably won't be the last.  I'm not down about this one, I had a great time talking with other artists and just hanging out.


My next show is Aug 9th at the Charlotte Comicon.  This is one of the biggest one day conventions you will find.  I always have a good time.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Next Convention

I will be in Winston Salem for Jay and Eddies Comic Book show next Saturday, July 18th.  Plan to have fun and meet up with other area artist to discuss some ideas.  Always a good way to spend the day.




Be sure to come by and pick up issue 12 of Intermezzo, the best one yet.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

IndyPlanet

It's been pointed out to me that the link on my Comics page of my website does not take you to where you can order them.  Go to indyplanet.com and search for Intermezzo or Dyslexic Cosmic and they will magically appear for your consumption.


I will see what I can do to restore the link (realistically I will try and find someone that can fix it for me).

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

More posts

Trying to post more, I think it helps me to keep busy.  The more I write about my progress, the more I am motivated to keep making it.


I am scripting and thumbnailing issue 13 of Intermezzo.  Thumbnails are very rough sketches that help with panel layout and the arrangement of figures.  I am about half way done with this, and the whole story is plotted.


I am arranging for spaces in upcoming conventions.  July 18th I will be in Winston Salem for Jay and Eddies Comic Book Show, a smaller one day show that I have always enjoyed.  Aug 9th I will be at the Charlotte Comiccon, I have done at least a dozen of these, and it is a great one.


More to come.

Monday, June 29, 2015

Daily grind

A lot of days that are very much the same as all other days.  But then last week, a man I work with didn't show up to work.  We found out later he passed away during the night.  He was about my age, nice guy.  They let us know in an email, and then the day went on.


That rattled me.  Someone died and we didn't stop working (we answer calls).  It felt like he didn't matter.  Later they raised money to donate in his name, but we never stopped working.  I found that thoroughly depressing.


I just know that I don't want to work there until I die.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Post convention depression

The let down feeling after a convention.  I had an ok show, had better and had worse.  The thing about Heroescon (and any big convention) is that there is so much to see and so many places to buy stuff, the bottom line suffers a bit.  Had some friends with really bad shows, so I feel pretty good that mine was so-so. 
The really good news about the show is that I sold more comics than I usually do.  That was pretty cool.  They don't make much money by themselves, but Intermezzo was why I started this.  It felt nice.


But now I am back to the daily grind... and the real world is depressing.



Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Heroescon

I will be at Heroescon in Charlotte, NC this weekend.  I will be set up at tables 2017 and 2018.  Big Fun!


Wendy will be there with me, she is much more interesting to talk to.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

And its back

After finding that the bulk of the charges for bearbuttcomics.com were automatically, Wendy and I decided to renew the website for a year.  Since the bulk of it was already paid.  We plan to evaluate it through the year and think of what we want to do.


Its down!  Its up!  Its down!  Not my idea of fun.

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Lapse

The www.bearbuttcomics.com domain has lapsed.  After thinking about it for a while we are letting it go.  While it was nice to have, I don't think it is paying off as an investment.  I think I need to look at more modern avenues to get my comics out there, and there are better ways to do that.  Part of me feels like I am somehow "less official" without a website.  I will be trying those things as soon as some young whippersnapper tells me what they are.


GET OFF MY LAWN!

Friday, June 5, 2015

Let's see how this goes

Wendy and her mother are going on a trip this weekend.  I plan to work on sketches and sketch cards for Heroescon.  I wonder how much I will really get done.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Post issue 12 post

I've been working at getting issue 12 done for so long, I am a bit lost what to do with my time.  Heroescon is coming soon.  I need to do some sketches and sketch cards.  I have a print I want to have in time for the show, and some arranging to do with the table space.


But I'm still down about this past weekend.  Knowing something is bound to happen doesn't mean you are ready for it.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Mixed

I have finally sent issue 12 to the printer (Ka-Blam, a great company that I have had great experiences with)!  I have been working at this for a long while.  I should definitely have it for Heroescon in Charlotte on June 19th.  I was looking forward to this for so long that I should be dancing.


But our dog passed away this morning.  We recently found out she had cancer, and things went bad quickly.  We had 2 weeks of relative normalcy with her after that, but today was the end.  She was 13 years old, and the smartest dog I have ever known.  So to be very honest, I have spent most of today with tears filling my eyes and rolling down my cheeks.


After all of that, I sent off issue 12.  Mixed.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Page 24!

I just finished inking Page 24 of issue 12!  Now to the cover.  So Close!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Almost

Last night I finished the inks on page 22.  My goal is to be finished inking issue 12 of Intermezzo, including the cover on Sunday.

Saturday, May 9, 2015

Disappointing convention

Went to a convention in Richmond today; sparse crowd, did not seem at all interested in the artists (so it wasn't just me).  So it was a slow day, didn't make a lot of sales.  Those happen, its been a while since I had one of those days, but I am well familiar with riding them out.


But I finished inking page 20 and began page 21, so I feel like I accomplished something.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Progress and determination

I am making steady progress on inking issue 12 of Intermezzo.  I just completed page 17.  At my current rate and with no problems I will have time to get issue 12 printed by Heroescon (no problems, like that ever happens).

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Deadlines and issue 12.

I am still working I completing issue 12, I am well into inking the issue.  Having it completed and printed by Heroescon is still the goal.

I have a few conventions between now and Heroescon but I am taking a drafting board and pens with me to ink at the show.  That works fine, but at the Winston Salem convention last Saturday, it was so busy I didn't get a lot done.  That's kind of a good problem to have.

This Sunday is Charlotte and next Saturday is Richmond.  Hope to see a lot of people there.

And if you come up to me at a show, act like a secret agent giving the password and say "the platypus flies at midnight" you win a prize.  I mean a prize other than me laughing like an idiot, but you'll get that too.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Conventions, I've had a few

I've been to Winston Salem for JayandEddies convention, had a pretty good day.  Talked to a lot of people (I'm trying not to be a table hermit).  Great experience.

After that was a con in my hometown of Lexington, NC.  It's the second year and a very fun, artist based show.  There are far more artists than dealers, and it was busy with just enough breaks to socialize with other artists (and not be a table hermit, I'm working on it).  I did better than the first year, all you can ask for.

Drawing table bound

I am working hard to complete issue 12 of Intermezzo so I can have it by Heroescon.  For quite some time I have been committing a lot of time to sketches and art prints.  They do well at conventions, and definitely help make ends meet at a show.  But it has taken a lot if time away from the reason I do this; Intermezzo.
It's a paradox.
But 12 is close (not as close as I would like) and I am getting that rush of creative excitement to get it out there.  Wendy (my wife and editor) says it's the best issue since number one;  I would agree, things have kicked into gear.
I've added some combo deals which have increased sales of my comics.  I've been very pleased over the last few shows.

If at all possible issue 12 will be finished in a few weeks.  Don't hold me to that.  Wait... Do hold me to that.  Don't let me have an excuse.  My fans have been asking for issue 12 (you know, all 4 of my fans).

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Busy weekend

On the road a lot this past weekend.  I attended JayandEddies Comic Book show in Winston Salem,NC.  That was a fun show.  Got to spend some time with family beforehand, and then had a good day at the show.  I know a lot of people there, because I have done a bunch of cons in Winston (conventions, not convicts; that sounded dirty but wasn't).

Then on Sunday my wife and I went to Charlotte with 2 friends to see Adam West and Burt Ward.  Mad Monster Party is mostly a horror Con, but they had Batman and Robin there!  So we got to talk to them(quite a bit really, not like the rush job you usually get).  We got autographs and a picture made.  It was fantastic!  Add to that seeing a couple of artists I know and I was thrilled.
Tired, but thrilled.

John Hairston is one of those artists, if you don't know his work, you should check it out.  Matthew Smith was the other, his graphic novel Bee Sting was adapted into a horror movie and played as part of the film festival.  Really impressive.

Busy weekend, but fun.  It was a great time.  Now, back to work (sigh).

Monday, March 23, 2015

March 28th

Jay and Eddie's comic book show is Saturday, March 28th.  They have a good show with a great crowd of people.  Then on Sunday Wendy, a couple of friends and I are going to Charlotte to meet Adam West and Burt Ward.  That makes my inner geek all kinds of happy.


Working through the funk, that's all I can do.  Inked on Issue 12 today before going in to a late shift at work.  That felt nice.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Funk

I'm struggling against myself a lot lately.  I can't get a good balance of trying to balance my time working on prints vs. working on my comics.  A lot of times the prints sell better at conventions, but the comics are why I do this.  I still have Issue 12 of Intermezzo to ink.  That plus some hard times at work are making this a bad time for me.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Snow

So here in NC we got a few ice storms last week and snow last night.  People are losing their minds, like we have been snowed in for months.  It will all be fine, but I am worried about ac ouple of events this weekend.


I planned to go play Heroclix in Greenville Saturday.  That would also give me the chance to pick up comic books at the closest comic book store to my house, Nostalgia Newsstand.  It is about 35 miles away.  Since our local shop closed I don't get comics regularly anymore and it depresses me.  But you do what you have to do.


Sunday is a comic book convention in Raleigh, snow willing.  It is put on by the people who do NCComicon who do a great con.  I only live about 40 miles from the show, so it shouldn't be a problem for me.


Other than that things are good.  I am inking issue 12, currently on page 5.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Issue 12!

Issue 12 is penciled, lettered, and Wendy has edited it so far.  She said it is her favorite issue since the first one.  I think I agree.  I've inked the first page and most of the 2nd. 


I have a con in Raleigh on March 1st.  The Oak City Convention.  It is put on by the guys who do NCComicon so it will be good.


Moving right along.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Plans

Issue 12 progress.  I have 20 pages penciled and lettered, so the issue still has a ways to go but I am pleased with the story and how things look so far.


I am starting to plan my conventions for the year.  My first appearance will be at the VA Comicon on Feb 7th.  The weekend before that I am throwing a birthday party for Wendy (my wife).  After that I will hopefully get out to more shows.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

New Year

I have been working on issue 12 as much as my pinched nerve has allowed.  I have been on the couch for about a month "taking it easy."  Which kinda sucks.  As I got closer to feeling better, but not quite enough to sit at my drawing table, I got a drawing board on my lap and penciled some pages.  I hope you won't be able to tell which ones those were.  "Hey this issue is great.  What the heck happened here?"


I haven't posted either.  Sat.  On a couch.  Watching Batman (60's one, the one good thing I can say).  But I am getting back into the swing of things.  I have gone 2 days without a cane.


So the better I feel, the more I draw.