Some of these things take a half hour or less. This one took all of a long day. It was worth it to me, and I hope it will be worth your while, though it will not be easy to digest–which is a lot of the point.
n.e.s. #115 of 480
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n.e.s. #114 of 480
On one grid and off another.
n.e.s. #113 of 480
My previous post detailed a text exchange with my friend Russ K while I was working on this piece. I promised a Reveal this post, so here you are, Friends. Who knows–you may be viewing it from the bridge of your Starship. 🙂
The making of “n.e.s. #113 of 480”
Today Russ Kazmierczak, Karaoke Fanboy and creator of Amazing Arizona Comics, texted me while I was working on my latest page. Russ was letting me know that he had finished, and was printing, Volume 2 of the COVID-19 micropoems he’d written, with minor contributions from me.
We bantered awhile (example: I told him about my latest Bad Pun, “Gatored Community,” and talked about how to get it to work), and then I showed Russ my work in progress, in steps as we texted:
GB: Work in progress. Not much drawing left, but a boatload of dialog in word balloons…
RK: Looks great!
GB: Thanks. Good thing it doesn’t have to. 🙂 Gil Kane once discussed the “Little Orphan Annie” strip–said the artist may as well have been drawing lumps of coal. The illustration took a back seat to the word-ballooned story. Somehow that is comforting to me. 🙂
RK: Oh, I’ll hang my hat on that one!
GB: Ha–your drawing is quite serviceable. John Byrne Jr. with a touch of Fred Hembeck. –Only better, he hastened to add…
GB: Now it’s just a race to the punchline. –Oh, and coming UP with a punchline…
I see I left out a parenthesis…
GB: Then “And YOU are captain AND crew.” And then maybe “Where to?” Or “GO BIG or GO HOME–wait, you ARE home…” or “Bon Voyage…”
GB: One thing I like about word balloons is they are composition-balancers.
RK: Absolutely, I wish I used them like that a bit more.
GB: And you can get playful with the tails…
RK: Definitely
GB: And sometimes tilt the words for dynamic angling. That’s rarely done in what I’ve seen. There’s a right-angle anality to almost all lettering…
…so when you throw that off the reader is a bit frissoned without knowing why.
RK: Definitely serves to reveal a disorientation in the speaker…or like you said to GIVE disorientation to the reader…only in comics art!
GB: All done but the cleanup. And..you…were…there… 🙂
RK: Awesome to see and read the process! Thanks for sharing this
GB: That was fun! So, what DOES “n.e.s.” stand for?
RK: Boy…that could be a stumper…Neo Existential Sketch is the first to come to mind
GB: “Existential” IS a word in one of the candidates! Well done! –Hey, is it OK with you if I include this exchange of ours in my blog post?
RK: Ha! Awesome…and of course
GB: Great! Thanks!
RK: No problem!
GB: ETA 8pm. Or nine. Or next week? 🙂
RK: I’ll keep my eyes peeled
GB: Painful!
RK: Ha!
****
Here then, Friends, is how this one particular work (almost) came to be. I say Almost because there was more than Cleanup involved–a whole other stage, in fact. Next post is the Reveal!
n.e.s. #112 of 480
You say “Crazy world, isn’t it?” and your friends readily agree. But unless you and your friends are potters or other ceramics-making folk, you may not know what Crazing is.
n.e.s. #111 of 480
What’s the worst that can happen if you add a flower and a smile to a tree and a sad person?
n.e.s. #110 of 480
Here a character refused to be more than a walk-on, showing a wisdom beyond his “author.”
n.e.s. #109 of 480
A talking, disappearing dog happens by.
n.e.s. #108 of 480
Our ethereal correspondent takes a loving look at Leon.
Sing O Muse
This was a good idea, a tribute to four deserving women with lovely singing voices who also happened to inspire, and thus be Muses. The execution isn’t so hot, but that’s what I get for using the Unforgiving Pen for this one.
Mama Cass Elliot was compared by Graham Nash to Gertrude Stein, that patron of the arts of yesteryear. Joni Mitchell inspired Nash to write “Our House,” one of the loveliest songs ever written in the service of describing the bliss of ordinary life. Linda Ronstadt inspired Jerry Brown, called by some “Governor Moonbeam.” She also showed up in one of Paul Simon’s songs in his classic “Graceland.” And Carole King inspired an entire generation in general, and James Taylor in particular.
Brava, sweet-sounding Ladies. I hope some day to do you better justice.
Sing O Muse
Saintly Mama Cass had donned a muu-muu with some room
Innocence in Joni Mitchell fed her aperçu
Next came Linda Ronstadt with a songbird’s light caress
Go-to gals like Carole King rule airways with finesse
One with Clay, Image and Text 