In keeping with the trend I totally only established yesterday, here’s a model comparison for Earl the Archangel from 2003 and today. The most obvious and notable change for Early is the hair: I’m still not sure what that weird block/afro thing he started out with was. The shaggy style was established in the storyline where he joined a boy band (no kiddin’, it happened!), and I really liked it, so I kept it.
My friend and co-comic creator guy, Adam, pointed out that I could find the whole archive of my old comic, Crooked Halo, here. So hey, you can go cruise through the archives and read all 500+ comics.
I’ve been reading through them myself since yesterday, and noticing how my art’s changed in the almost 10 years since the comic began. So today, I used the old look for the main character, Simon, and the revised character model I came up with last summer when I started drawing again (with the intention of picking up Crooked Halo several years later, but I haven’t been particularly happy with my scripts, and I need to get a decent scanner again). It’s interesting to see how the character’s changed over the years. I kinda like the clean simplicity of the original design, but the newer design is definitely stronger.
Today marks the 50th sketch I’ve drawn for the Sketch a Day project. In honor of that, it’s on a larger piece of paper (from one of my sketch pads) instead of an index card. It features my usual avatar, plus two characters from my now-defunct comic strip, Crooked Halo (I don’t currently have access to the archives, or else I’d have linked to them. I keep hoping someday Adam will either grab the dimbulbcomics.com domain name back, or will at least get rid of the redirect that points our Comic Genesis site there. I’d do it, but I’m pretty hopeless with html). The shoulder angel is Earl, the Archangel, possibly the least-effective guardian angel in the history of ever, while the shoulder devil is Tim Tation, the anthropomorphic personification of temptation. They’re a fun couple of characters to write, and if I ever did another comic strip (which, God willing, someday I will), they’re probably the two characters I’d choose to follow around.
I’ve recently begun the process of searching for a new car. This will be the first time I’ve bought a car that didn’t come from a family member and wasn’t already pretty well on in years, so I’m a little anxious about the whole process. Part of me is concerned that I won’t be able to get good financing, while another part (pretty closely related to that first part, maybe cousins to it) is concerned I won’t be any good at negotiating. It has occurred to me that this would all be much easier if I could have a negotiating coach sitting there with me, but I don’t think such people exist (though maybe they should? Hmm…).
Anyway, today’s sketch emerged from that concern. We’ll see how the whole process goes.
Today, the wife and I did some wine tasting. I’m not exactly the lightweight depicted in the comic, though I don’t exactly drink that much or that often, either.
Today is my fifth anniversary with my lovely wife! It’s been a wonderful five years, and I’m kind of amazed she still puts up with me. We’ve gone out to a little bed and breakfast in Luray, Virginia, to celebrate. It’s pretty sweet.
Edit: Sketch orientation fixed!
Sometimes, you just wanna draw two guys goin’ after each other with swords.
I think my favorite activity is reading. More than anything else – more than drawing, more than playing the guitar, more than playing video games – I love reading. Gun to my head, I could probably give up all those other things for the rest of my life as long as I could continue to read.
Last night, I did the first rather strenuous workout I’ve had in…well, let’s just say it’s been quite some time. I went to the fitness center our property has set up and did 8 miles on the stationary bike (in under 30 minutes, I should point out) and then walked for 15 minutes. My knees are, to put it mildly, not happy. At all. That I can walk today is a miracle in and of itself.
Sketches From Memory 