THE 12 DAYS OF MUERTO: Day 7...Halfway to forever

Day 7: Here we are just past the halfway point of this series, THE 12 DAYS OF MUERTO. Hopefully these looks back to the past have been interesting and entertaining. Maybe even a little motivating, for any creative folks out. Or anyone who's ever wanted to 'do their own thing'.

Indulge me, if you will, a quick little stop at my own midway point. 2007, just a little more than halfway between 1998, when I launched my first comic book, and today. 17 years total. And counting...

In March of '07, the weekend of the 16th thru the 18th, I had a full plate in front of me. I registered as an exhibitor for the comic book convention WizardWorld Los Angeles. I'd have a table for all three days. But also, our official World Premiere for the EL MUERTO film was to take place at the San Diego Latino Film Festival. Held, not surprisingly, some 2 hours south in San Diego!

Also, I was invited to attend the Film Festival earlier in the week, to give a Q&A to a group of students, (alongside some other Latino comics creators) and to participate in the Opening Reception of a group art show organized for several artists, including us cartoonists. So I was actually down in San Diego on Tuesday and Wednesday and drove back up to LA on to attend WizardWorld on Friday.

Here I am at the con with my good friend, and table neighbor, Jason Martin. Jason's a publisher/comic book creator from Portland, OR and we had met a few years back as neighbors at the San Diego Comic Con.

I don't remember it being particularly busy on Friday, but at the end of the day I think I put all my books and merchandise under the table, as Saturday I wasn't going to be at the convention....

So Saturday afternoon it was off to San Diego! It was a great day, with family and friends, and past and present co-workers (this was during the days I was still working as a production artist for a screenprinting company). Producer Larry Rattner, star Tony Plana and myself did interviews with the media and conducted a Q&A after the screening. Here I am surrounded by attendees, friends and family (it's weird when you give autographs to family!):

After the screening, there was a an after party Downtown for the entire Festival. I went there for awhile, but since I had to make the 2 hour drive to get back, I didn't stay there that long. I'm not really a party guy, to be honest. And most of my family and friends headed back to LA after the screening. I hung out at the party with my girlfriend and my cousin, then made the trip back to LA...

And Sunday morning, I was back at WizardWorld LA! Here's me mugging it up at my friend Rafael Navarro's table with a mask he made for his comic book character Sonambulo, a wrestler-turned-private-eye who doesn't sleep (I felt a lot in common with that character that weekend, believe me!!).

It's a fact that no one knows the halfway point of their lives. We can't. We just don't know when we're going to die (in most cases). You can only plan ahead, hope/assume/take for granted that you'll get to 'those goals', and live each day as it comes.

I shared these particular pics here because it interested me to look in my photo library and see where I was was, more or less, at the halfway point between starting my comics career with El Muerto and today. Interesting enough, it was a moment on the comic book convention circuit and the filmmaker festival route. Two sides of the same creative coin, if you will.

I didn't create El Muerto, or any of my other characters, to get a movie made out of it. No harm in doing that if one wants to, of course. But my desire to create something, to share it with the world, to (I'll be honest), leave 'something' behind, that was my motivation. Anything that came from that, professional visibility, new friendships, financial rewards (even on the scale of an 'indy artist'), little bursts of 'fame'.... All that's been wonderful. I appreciate everything that's come my way. Even the headaches and heartbreaks, financial breaking points, the soul searching moments, the inevitable desire to quit the business... It all helps you learn and grow and adapt. Sure as hell teaches you how to survive!

And fuels the desire to create. Creating gives me the ability, or it's at least my preferred weapon of choice, to have an outlet for so much that's in my head. Sure, they're seen by the outside world as comic book stories, sometimes fantastic tales of haunted heroes and heroic monsters, sometimes outrageous tales of humor and silliness. But as long as I'm expressing what I want to, the way I want, then I can claim a lot of little victories here and there.

I don't know what lies beyond January 2016. Oh, I have some plans for my comics, and things I want to do for myself in my life. I know we have a Presidential election coming up.
But none of us really knows if we have a January or a February in our future. Or even our upcoming December. I'm not trying to be alarming here, folks. Just think about people you know who are around with us one day and the next day, they're gone. It's heartbreaking, and we all experience it. So we as individuals have to make sure we do what we desire to do, if we can. Pursue your life, liberty and happiness.

You've got to work real hard at it, and really make the effort and sacrifice to reach it. Blood, sweat and tears. Whoever coined that phrase knew exactly what they were talking about. You have to go out and find what it is you really want to do with your life.

Even when it's staring you right in the face.

 
Tomorrow and for the next few days I'll share with you how I got that movie deal, the experience in making the film, and what type of new adventures the whole ride took me on.

El Muerto and all related characters are ™ & © Javier Hernandez 1998-2015 

My 8 week stint at El Roble Intermediate school

A few weeks ago, I wrapped up an 8-week assignment at El Roble Intermediate School in Claremont, CA. I was co-teaching the class with art instructor Wendy Kubiak. This was for the ARTOON program produced by the Claremont Museum of Art. CMA member Lori Lamas, who runs the ARTOON program, actually had me come in one day last year as a guest speaker for the program, and this time around she asked me to co-teach the full 8 week program.

The program, which ran after school on Tuesdays, featured over 30 students who were instructed to create a one page story. They were told to think of that page as part of a longer comic or graphic novel of their own design.

Wendy Kubiak outlined the parameters of the project to the class, and I provided some initial storytelling demonstrations in how to lay out a page, moving the narrative from panel to panel, and basically provide guidance throughout the creation of the page.

We also had a guest artist visit the class, Jules Rivera, a cartoonist whose work includes VALKYRIE SQUADRON and MISFORTUNE HIGH (currently being run as a Kickstarter for Book 2). Jules provided the students with entertaining and informative tutorials on character design and coloring with markers. 

I really enjoyed working with this group, as it's always inspiring to see young creative minds at work. Whenever there were any questions about drawing or storytelling, I'd offer suggestions, and it's always great when you know you've helped someone solve a problem. But really, just seeing the types of stories they're telling, and their process in creating that story, that's a real learning experience.

One thing that's always interesting to me is while I walk around the class and look at their stories, I get an inkling on which of the students are heavily into manga and anime (Japanese comics and animation) and which ones are superhero comic fans. Video games and movies are also big influences, and sometimes the students will create stories based on themselves and their passions:

She's got her music, drink and snacks messily strewn about her table while working... Pretty much the way I make comics, too!

ARTOON Director Lori Lamas checking in the assignments. 

With the completion of the course, the last step was for Lori to take all the original art and have put them together in a digital file, where they'll printed and mounted onto a large 8' x 24' display piece. That will be on view outdoors at the Packing House in Claremont, CA. 

The unveiling for the piece will happen this week, on Friday, March 21. The ceremony, which will be attended by the students and their families, takes place at 5:30pm. Regrettably, due to a business trip up North, I won't be able to attend. But if you're available, please stop by and support the hard work by the students.

A great moment: This was the last day, class had already ended about 5 minutes previously, and these boys jumped in to help their classmate finish his piece. That's the collaborative spirit of art...and friendship!

My thanks to the Claremont Museum of Art, Lori Lamas and Wendy Kubiak for the opportunity to be a part of this excellent program. And to all the students for their creative energy and great comics!

Coming soon: CREATION JUNCTURE

Today is day three of the New Year. January 3rd, 2014.

Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you and me with "new year's resolutions"! What I am going to share with you is a little peek at one of things I'm doing this year (not planning, but 'doing'....)

I use this blog to write about my latest projects, or to talk about an event I had attended over a previous weekend. I've also used it to talk about a favorite comic book creator, or a filmmaker I admire. I've shared behind-the-scenes process on current works, and have shown you new artwork for upcoming projects. A way to keep folks up to date with my work, and talk about things I love.

And I'll continue to do that, but I'm also going to write a new series of posts focused on the idea of creating. Making comics, as that's my foremost creative outlet, but also talking about art in general. The creative decisions in undertaking a new project, and also taking some in-depth looks at other works from other people. Things that inspired me in the past, whether it was over 35 years ago, or last week. Also, people working today who spark some creative fires in me. Old stuff and new stuff. My stuff and their stuff.

In the past, I've meant to share some insights on my own choices in telling stories. Creating my characters, choosing what type of story I want to tell, designing the covers for my books. Why self-publishing? Why do conventions? Why make comics?

Me and Michael Aushenker at the 2011 Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco.

This series isn't meant to be a "how-to-make-comics" course. I've been teaching comics workshops for 10 years now. I love it. Working with kids, guiding them in creating their own comics is totally rewarding. But I don't teach them how to do it 'my way'. I provide them some general principals, then get out of their way as they craft their stories.

This will be more of a "how-I-create-my-comics" series. Everyone has their method on how they create their art, so I can only show you what I do. My hope is that the information posted here will be interesting to read, as I know that whenever I hear a writer, cartoonist, musician or filmmaker discuss their work I always learn something that I can either relate to artistically, or at least find some inspirational insights into the process of creation.

In addition to sharing my own work and process, I want to devote some time to discussing specific works, and share with you what I got out of them and how that shaped my own view on telling stories. There are specific creators I want to spotlight, particular comics and movies that I can point to and say "Oh, that's a favorite of mine and a big influence because....". 

I'm often asked by friends to either resume my old Do-It-Yourself comics podcast JAVILAND or start a new one. I appreciate the thought behind each suggestion, but for the last several years my motivation for doing a new show just isn't there. Besides, with the visual nature of art, I'd want to be able to share images with viewers. So I figure these blog posts will fit the bill.

I can't tell you right now how many posts in total I'll do. I'm planning on doing these at least for the duration of 2014. I'm not sure how often I'll post either. I could say once a month, but I might want to do shorter posts at any given moment. So let's keep this loose and impulsive, which is kind of how I often create anyway. There will be lots and lots of visual, but also links to websites and videos (the problem with Youtube is that at any given moment, any video can be pulled down for whatever reason. Hopefully this won't be the case with the ones I pick).

These post will be, for a large part, self-indulgent. I mean, they're meant to highlight things that I love, and how I relate to them as a viewer and creator, but hopefully every post will at least be readable to anyone tuning in.
 
As I mentioned, I'll be highlighting current, working artists in addition to those who may no longer be around. I'm thinking perhaps that some short interviews with a few subjects might be interesting to include. We'll see. There's no shortage of folks today whose work I admire. 

 Satan's Soldier © Tom Scioli

My most fertile era of inspiration comes from the 1970s and 80s, no question. It's the era I grew up in, and the one that's had the most long-lasting influence on me. But like I mentioned, things around me, today, continue to inspire, so expect anything and everything to show up here.

As far as a name for this series? Let's call it CREATION JUNCTURE.

Cartoonist Steve Ditko (co-creator of Spider-Man), a living legend in the world of comics, has a quote that's a favorite of mine:

"A creation is actually a re-creation. A rearrangement of existing materials in a new, different, original, novel way."

Everything I've ever created had a life even before it materialized in my mind. It's true for any creator. A movie they saw, a song they heard, a play they watched. A memory of attending a wedding, or a funeral. A first date, or their last break-up. A vacation they took, or a trip they would like to one day experience.
 
I'm sitting at my drawing table, or in front of the computer, or driving along the highway, and I'm  thinking of a new comic I want to create, or some other work of art I want to produce. In that moment, I'm at the crossroads. I'm fueled by ideas I received from other creative works, or by an experience as a living, breathing human being. And I want to channel those ideas into an expression, that usually finds itself manifested as a printed book, or some other work of art.

It's the point where inspiration and expression collide, intermingle, reassemble and continue forward.

CREATION JUNCTURE.

Please come back and visit...

2 free Comic Book Workshops at local libraries

I'll be conducting a couple of Comics Workshops at two libraries in the area for the next two days.

On Thursday, July 12, I'll be in Santa Monica at the Ocean Park Branch from 2:30-3:15pm. The workshop is free to attend, but call the library to check if you need a reservation. For kids 6-14. Here's the post from their website.


And on Friday, July 13, I'll be at the Los Alamitos/Rossmoor Branch Library in Los Alamitos. The workshop runs from 3:30-4:30 pm, and it's for kids 6-14. Again, this one is free as well, but I know that you do need to reserve a spot. Information for doing so is on this page of their website.

THE COMA micro-documentary plus art by me and Jim Lujan

Today's Coma color art, done as a warm-up drawing for the long, productive day ahead:

 

When I first created the Coma, I didn't actually have his name figured out (his "secret identity"). I knew what he looked like, but his name I just let percolate in my head while I worked on the comic. About halfway through the story, I settled on a name I liked, Damian Arkadian. I had told a friend that I was originally torn between 'David' and 'Damian', and he voted for 'Damian' and, well, here we are. For a variety of reasons, I wanted to give the character a Greek/Roma background. I'll share more on that later, but speaking of that friend of mine.....

Jim Lujan, the creator of numerous animated films via his Ghettomation brand, was kind enough to create this short film about my creation of the Coma......

Jim shot the footage and put together the whole package in an evening, all together he probably spent about an hour or so working on it! The guy's amazingly talented and intuitive with his art. And better than that, he's a great friend. Also, he gives art away like it was peanuts. I asked him if he could do his own Coma doodle on a sheet of 5.5" x 5.5" Bristol paper I use. Here's the spiffy piece he came up with:

Check out Jim's music video he created for MOONWALK, a new song by the band KOUNTERCLOCKWISE!

Weapon Tex-Mex vs El Muerto: Inking the Pages

Quick update: My new comic book, WEAPON TEX-MEX Vs. EL MUERTO:THE BATTLE OF SANTA MUERTE!! has been sent to the printers! Everything is on schedule for the initial batch of books to arrive in time to debut at the first-ever LATINO COMICS EXPO at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco on May 7 & 8! 

 In the meantime, I'd like to share with you another stage on the process of making the comic. In two previous posts, I talked about my inspiration for the idea and how I started to put the story together. In this third part of the series (collect 'em all!) I'm going to show you the actual inking of the comic book. Because I was working so fast, I didn't document any of the penciled pages, except for a very few panels. Here's one:

And here's one of the thumbnails to a page. 'Thumbnails' is just another word for rough draft, or loose pencils, of an actual comic page. In my case, it's a sheet of cheap, white 8.5" x 11" paper. It's done to layout a page, planning what the final, finished page will look like. Here's where I figure out my pacing for the story, how the individual scenes are visualized for best dramatic effect, tempo, mood, staging, etc.

And here's the inked page, after I penciled it on a sheet of 11" x 14" Strathmore Bristol paper:

If you compare the two, you'll see slight differences. But really the actual sequence of events in the panels is about the same. That's what I mean by establishing my pacing in the thumbnails. When I sketch out the individual panels, I try to pick the best shot for that panel, but when I redraw the page on the larger sheet of paper, that's when I really decide on the best composition for that panel, and making sure I'm satisfied I staged the characters as best I can.


Compare another set, this one where El Muerto and Weapon Tex-Mex first meet:

Here, again, the action is pretty much the same on both pages. One key difference though is that in the final drawing, I decided to shift the angle a bit on the central image. I liked the original version where Tex-Mex and Muerto are literally facing one another as if each of them is looking in a mirror. But tilting the angle in the inked version makes it look like Muerto is sliding downward into Tex-Mex's clutches, heightening the sense of danger. One of my chief priorities as a cartoonist is to always punch up the dramatic
cues in my artwork. If the scene, or even the characters, without any dialogue, can convey an emotional state to the viewers, then I feel the artwork has done it's job. But the visual impact is what I want to get across first, as that will be what the readers first process. This applies to quite, introspective scenes as well as chaotic action scenes. One of my favorite words to positively describe what I like about a comic book story, as a reader of comics, is visceral. If I can produce such a feeling with my art, then I've accomplished one of the things I hoped to.

For me, working on these pages allows me to totally disappear into the world on the page. In the thumbnail stage, I'm really focusing on crafting the actual story, pacing out the events panel by panel, page by page. Choosing the best shot, staging the characters, picking reaction shots from one character to the next. So much to figure out, even the size and shape of the panels. Everything on the comic page has to be given some consideration in how it's serving the telling of the story.


So as I work on the inking, my focus is on delineating the figures, picking textures for fabrics, hair and all the environments, determining shadows. While I wouldn't call that process mechanical,
there's a certain amount of peacefulness I get just working on this stage of the book. And temporarily shutting out the real world, that's where that peaceful sense comes from.

One of my most powerful tools I use when inking pages is..... music.
When working, I'll pick a playlist of music, usually film scores, that help me envision the world I'm creating. Soundtracks like BATMAN RETURNS by Danny Elfman and THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY by Ennio Morricone were very helpful to me in staying in a particular mindset as I worked on my pages. Actually, those films have elements in them that I recalled when making my comic: the macabre mood and gothic nature of one film, and the Southwest grittiness and colorful characters (and their relationships to one another) of the other. It's an interesting well to draw from, but influences come from all sources. 


Here's two examples of the soundtracks from the films that helped me zero in on the mood I was tapping into for my story (if you're reading this blog via Facebook, these Youtube clips won't show up, but if you visit my blog, you'll be able to play them):






As far as physical tools go, the photo below shows you what I use to ink the pages. On of my favorite new tools is the lead holder (the blue instrument). I've usually used Prismacolor non-photo blue pencils for the penciling stage, right before inking. But a friend of mine gave me the lead holder last year, and I like using it with a non-photo blue lead to do my penciling. Can't really explain why I like it better, but perhaps it's because I use less pressure (so the lead doesn't snap), which seems to allow me to get a little looser with my linework.

For brushes, I pretty much always use a '00' Winsor Newton and a #1 for larger areas. I'll be honest, I'm not that picky if it's Sable or synthetic or made from the nose hairs of an albino yak! Just as long as it lays down the ink like I need it to.....


Another favorite new tool is the Pentel Brush Pen, made in Japan, no less. I'm still getting the hang of it, but it does produce some nice long, delicate brush strokes. And I like not having to clean it, unlike a brush.


Okay, next time, I'll be sharing with you my process for coloring the story, in gray tones. Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave comments. Always curious what people are thinking about in response to what I wrote.