Blog

     I do not know of a bible verse that can back up what I want to say in my post, but I will say the rummaging thoughts that I have concerning the view on age.

     Allow me to start off with saying that I do respect those who are older in spirit, not just physical appearance. However, I have heard so many of those who have seen many years upon this Earth talk about how they are too old to do something and how the world is not what it used to be.

     It is true, the world is not how it once was, but I do recall the Bible speaking of change and the continuing of Life on Earth. We are told that the best way for us to stay in the continuing is simply to accept change, to trust that God has a way in whatever change we face in our world. For how can we not trust in God and still keep going with change? The moment you refuse change is the moment you admit to no trust in God. In that moment, your soul becomes stuck in the mud and the world will turn its back upon you.

     As for your age, I believe that God does not look at how many years you have spent upon this Earth. He sees your Soul, He sees what you are fully capable of and once you place your full trust in God, in His son The Messiah, He will show you the goodness in change. He will guide you to use what you know to take the change and make it better.

     I don't know how it happens and I never ask why, but God will work His plans through all who trust in Him. I pray that you, my reader, will trust God as you go through whatever change you are facing at whatever "age" you are currently in.

     On a personal note, I do forget how many years I have lived on Earth.

     As for my comic, still on the scripting stage but I am also working on floor plans for the buildings in the Kingdom I start off in and drawing up character sketches. As I script, I keep gaining more characters to sketch, minor or main. I am also working on editing my script while I type it up onto my computer.

     I pray you'll forgive how rough my writing is, there is a reason I do more than just one draft when it comes to my comic. Yay editing! Please check on me on Sunday to see how far I have gotten in my comic. I estimate another month before I can begin sketching panels. Eheheheh......

PLEASE NOTE: This is a copy/paste from a post I made at Webcomics.com; I'm trying to cover more area since fewer artists use 3D models in their artwork and I figured someone here might be familiar with it.

I'm still about a week or so from being able to upgrade from Manga Studio 4 EX to MS 5 EX, and already I'm getting more and more excited as I see potential ways it offers to streamline my drawing and coloring process. But after watching the trailer for MS EX 5 I was blown away by the real-time demonstration of an artist manipulating its 3D tools.

I've never considered 3D models for my artwork before, but a comic like mine (which uses tons of repeatedly used vehicles and robots) could benefit immensely if it were possible to make 3D templates which could then be re-used, rotated and re-sized, and tweaked as necessary. While I have a good visual idea of what each character/vehicle looks like from a given angle, currently I have to draw everything from scratch every time, and some of that stuff is seriously time-consuming. I've learned to cut/paste stuff that I draw from various angles as I go onto "Template Pages" for future use, but a "one size fits all" solution would be awesome.

Everyone here whose work I've seen to date uses traditional 2D illustration, but I wanted to ask for insight from anyone who may be familiar with doing 3D models/templates. Assuming that MS EX 5 is at least comparable to EX 4 with regard to those tools, is creating nice-looking model templates doable (I'm not looking for CAD-level capability as I wouldn't begin to know how to use that anyway; just whether I can make a decent 3D representation of my 2D Terrapin tank or Leopard fighter, for example)? Can I place "skins" of logos, textures, and other details over wireframes?

Lastly (and I admit this is more forward-thinking than is really necessary for where my comic is at for now; I'm just curious), might it be possible somehow to use the 3D models you create with 3D printers? Those are also something I'm unfamiliar with, but I've heard a lot of promising things for their potential in making small items from game pieces to toys one could possibly sell at their site store.

Thanks in advance for any insights you guys can share!

Hey everyone,

Most of you have probably tried at least one version of Smith Micro's Manga Studio series.  I personally own Manga Studio 4 EX and absolutely love it; the tools for drawing are far and above what you get in Photoshop as they're geared specifically for illustration.  With a Bamboo tablet (and especially a Cintiq, which I'm fortunate enough to own) you can draw as naturally as you can on paper with a bit of practice.

Recently Smith Micro announced Manga Studio 5 and EX 5, the latter of which I'm already planning to snap up ASAP (by the way, if you own MS 4 or MS EX 4 you can get a much-reduced "upgrade" price for 5 and EX 5 at their website).  What this version brings to the table is a true game-changer: the ability to color (with full CMYK capability for those who wish to print their work, no less!).  That's right, at full price MS EX 5 retails for $299.99 ($149.99 for the upgrade), which is less than half what Photoshop goes for and yet TONS more efficient for a comic artist's needs (and no, I don't work for these guys; I've just used their software and love it).

Something I may well have missed in Manga Studio 4 EX (since I color in Photoshop) is the addition of Layers in Manga Studio EX 5, which could be a game-changer from a productivity standpoint.  It's not that switching between programs is difficult at all, but once my files are in Photoshop I generally limit myself to coloring whatever I imported (occasionally tweaking a line here or there).  The most important thing I use Layers for in Photoshop is duplicating/multiplying so my colors don't bleed, but I've often thought of other more complex uses.

With MS EX 5 having everything in one place, hypothetically you could use Layers to create a background, color it with a base color, and then create another layer to draw and color foreground/detailed characters and objects. And then yet more Layers in front of/behind that one for any effects you may need (particles, etc.).

It may not sound like much, but I can already see how it would be a huge help to me.  The single biggest reason I stepped away from my comic was the fact that as I was learning more complex uses for Photoshop it was actually slowing me down due to the transition from Manga Studio (which can't be reversed after you color).  This realization has me seriously debating whether to continue with my online novel idea or give the webcomic another go.

Any thoughts from you guys on how much MS EX 5 might help you (or not) from a productivity standpoint?  Anyway, I wanted to share this in case anyone here hasn't yet heard about the release.

Fans of Angel Lite Comics SUPER DAVE the creator and designer be hide Angel Lite Comics. Is headed off to school early so anyway you can support him is cool prayers or donate contact him at angellitcomics@hotmail.com Thanx and God Blesshttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Angel-Lite-Comics/123392724366941

Earlier this year I stepped away from my webcomic "Tomes of Atlantis" because I was discouraged by the struggle to gain readership and the fact that the comics medium, while enabling me to depict my stories visually, was terribly time-consuming and inefficient for ever finishing the arc.  I'd worked for too long and hard to just abandon all of it, but for awhile I confess that I felt adrift and directionless.

Recently however, an idea that I felt was probably crazy but seemed like it would fit my needs much more suitably came to me: doing Tomes of Atlantis as an illustrated online serial saga in novel format.  This will enable me to use both of the talents the Lord gave me yet also get my stories out there much faster and hopefully in a more widely available format.

Much remains to be done, but I've already jumped into the project with both feet; I finally feel reinvigorated and excited about writing again.  While it may no longer quite qualify as a "comic" in the traditional sense, I will be using occasional panels from the original webcomic as illustrations along with plenty of all-new material down the road.

Currently my plan is, Lord willing, to re-launch Tomes of Atlantis in its new format in early 2014.  Until then I have a lot of editing to do and a buffer to build up!

The largest pop-culture entertainment event in the world, COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL: SAN DIEGO 2013 kicks off next week with sellout attendance of more than 125,000.

Your CHRISTIAN COMIC ARTS SOCIETY (CCAS), in partnership with ZONDERVAN, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, will deliver top talent and projects to create impact at the event, and will exhibit throughout the convention in the Small Press area #P08.

Events include:

The Christian Comic Arts Society Mixer
Friday, 7/19/13, 8:30p.m. - 9:30p.m., Room: 26AB
Come join the Christian Comic Arts Society for their annual fellowship mixer, open to all comics, media, and pop-culture fans!   With special industry guests giving personal updates on their upcoming projects, the mixer continues to be the singular Christian event at Comic-Con where fans and creators join together in an informal after-hours time of socializing and networking as we “talk shop” about Christians in the world of comics.

SIGNING at the HarperCollins booth #1029
Saturday at 2:00PM
Join The Book of Revelation artist CHRIS KOELLE and Last Adam: Firstborn artist KAI CARPENTER for a signing.

Spiritual Themes in Comics
Saturday, 7/20/13, 6:00p.m. - 7:00p.m., Room: 4
The center cannot hold!  Major changes are sweeping through the world’s faith communities and popular media reflects these concerns.  What rough beast slouches towards San Diego to be born?  Join the always lively CCAS panel on spiritual themes.

Panelists include:

CHRIS KOELLE                  The Book of Revelation                       http://bit.ly/ZBookOfRevelation
KAI CARPENTER               The Last Adam: Firstborn                   http://bit.ly/ZLastAdam
CHIP BROWN                     HarperCollins Christian Publishers      http://twitter.com/ChipBrown
MIKE SHIELDS                   Team 33 Productions/168 Film Project   http://my168project.com
moderator: BUZZ DIXON     Savage Angels                                   http://www.BuzzDixon.com

The Christian Comics Arts Society General Meeting
Sunday, 7/21/13, 10:00a.m. - 11:00a.m., Room: 28DE
Join fellow Christian fans and creators for a brief devotional period, followed by an in-depth analysis on interpreting the Bible in visual formats.  Open to all who wish to attend.

Panelists:

DOUG TENNAPEL             Tommysaurus Rex, Scholastic             http://www.TenNapel.com
MIKE S. MILLER                 Injustice: Gods Among Us, A Game of Thrones http://MikeSMillerArt.com
KEVIN SORBO                    Hercules, Andromeda, Soul Surfer     http://www.KevinSorbo.net
CHIP BROWN                     HarperCollins Christian Publishers   http://Twitter.com/ChipBrown
Moderator:  BRETT BURNER  Lamp Post                                      http://www.LampPostPubs.com 

CCAS will also distribute a “Passport to Christians In Comics” map of the Comic-Con floor designed to help attendees navigate to, explore, and support industry professionals who pursue excellence of the comics craft in the context of their Christian faith through various adult, family, faith-friendly or faith-based projects.

CCAS and Zondervan, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, will be selling signed copies of The Book of Revelation, a graphic novel currently ranked #1 on Amazon Best Sellers list for Religious Arts and Photography.

CCAS and Zondervan will also be distributing samplers and signed posters for the first installment of the exciting new graphic novel series Last Adam:  Firstborn.  Set to release this fall, Firstborn is a beginning, an origin story, the remarkable starting point for a remarkable life.  This first adventure in The Last Adam graphic novel series illustrates the story of Jesus' birth and early life in terms of a grand and sweeping family saga, powered by acts of sacrifice, villainy and heroism.

HOLLYWOOD JESUS Comics Editor Arnaldo Reyes will provide live coverage for HollywoodJesus.com and the Christian Comic Arts Society throughout Comic-Con via @ChristianComics on Twitter and at Facebook.com/ChristianComicArts.

"Comic-Con is the Super Bowl of Pop-Culture! From comics to movies to TV and even gaming, you can find it all, and since we love Pop-Culture, the goal is to bring everyone a little of everything at HollywoodJesus.com," says Reyes.  If you've got a special angle for HJ's "Pop-Culture from a Spiritual Point of View," connect with Reyes at Comic-Con. From Wonder Woman to Ghost Rider to Gladstone's School for World Conquerors, HollywoodJesus.com covers it all. Hollywood Jesus is part of the FrontGate Christian Web Network.  HJ's latest comic reviews can be found at http://tinyurl.com/HJcomics.

For more information on the Comic-Con International: San Diego, go to: http://www.comic-con.org. 

I finally got a sequence of twenty pages inked-colored-scripted.  I've read it over and over and think "Hey, that's a workable story, worthy of its own little website."   So, I went to Copyright offices online registration site and, one hour and $35 later, filed an application to copyright my story and its main characters.

  Then I got online to shop for websites and...Wordpress looked good.   I was particularly attracted by the wide range of comics that are publishing(Dr McNinja, Squid Row...) with Wordpress,  and the repeated phases "simple to use" and  "hard to screw up." 

   I girded myself for hardship, told my fan base (Wife and sons, I love you guys!) that it could take as long as a week to have a working website. Four days later...it looks like it will take way more time and outside intervention to build the website abalonofcalifornia.com  . 

As of this writing Wordpress and Comicpress are pretty seamlessly integrated, so seamlessly in fact that it took a while to believe that I had them both.  Paying for the site was pretty painless: $1.89/month for a minimum of 24months, but the smooth process at Wordpress $checkout quickly convinced me that more security and functionality was highly recommended; still I managed to "get out the door" for about $68. Nice.

   I have been using Web comic sites as a reader for years, so I had a pretty good idea what features I wanted in a site.  But I had no experience in site design, not even the minuscule amount needed to understand the Wordpress directions.  Edit buttons were in weird places or, in the case of Media edit, the button was hidden until you passed the mouse across it; WTH!  There is no instruction about the requisite size for media posts, none!  So I wasted half a day repeatedly posting comic pages that were the wrong size, and couldn't be edited once I got them posted. There are several tutorial websites for comic press online, but the most of the advice is dated(ie over two years old) or presumes you know enough to "make a few changes in code" and can thereby easily fix your problems.

  Wordpress lays out some ready made applications as plugins and, to their credit, the plugins are so simple to upload that even I can do it without trashing the functionality of the rest of my site.  However, as I have demonstrated, the site building instructions are somewhat incomplete and not idiot proof.

I'll take any advice on dealing with Wordpress/Comicpress, or what you consider to be vital parts of a good comic website. Give me a shout out.

hello every one,you can hire me for story board,my price list is 30$ perpage,i get your job deliver before pay,,,,michael4art2007@yahoo.com

Hi guys

I am now going though the draft contract sent to me ACK Media in India for the publication of my comic in one of their magazines for kids. 

There is just one thing I am uncertain about. It is the following condition:

“Further, the first right of refusal for marketing and distributing the work in non-Asia territories (all kinds of media) shall lie with the Company. In such circumstances wherein, the Company exercises its Right to First Refusal, You will engage the Company as a representative to deal with the third party publishers/marketers/distributors. The Revenue in such case would be shared 50-50% between the Company and You. It is further agreed upon that appropriate credits shall be provided to the Company and www.bwmag.in would be mentioned in the credits prominently in all the media where the content is used.”

My understanding of “first right of refusal” was that, if I find another party interested in publishing my work (outside of Asia), I should first get back to ACK Media so they can see if they can match the offer. If not, then I am free to publish.

But now there is this 50-50 share between me and them if I publish someplace else too. Does this sound good?

Have you checked out the web comic The UNITED? it's an exciting, action adventure bringing together 12 Christian comic creators characters(say that ten times fast). New pages are posted herehttp://weaponpress.com/AUP43completed.html. And you can check out the trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYSsoAvo4co

To all the Fathers out there, you guys are amazing, have a blessed day!! Miss u Dad and a special thanx to all my spiritual fathers Pastor Dwayne Speers and Pastor Eric Brockhoff thanx guys much love

I am doing lots of work right now and through the week I am working at my regular job and my comic drawing jobs so if you email me or message me I will get back to you or I will blog it on the weekends also if you would like to Skype and ask questions let me know and we can set something up once again that would be on the weekends. I am doing this because I believe when you are blessed with an open door you hold the door open and bless someone else.

Well Orbis Mortalis Issue 1 is well on its way and should be released in July. Cover Art is finished and Page 1 and 2 are done. I am also super excited to share this: http://mortalcoilproductions.com/blog.html

There is a video on the first post of my blog. God totally blessed me with the Awesome privilege to do some art for Skillets new stage show this year. Featured in this video is the song Hero. I got to create some sketchy comic art for the main verses and chorus of the song. I also got to create a small comic for the song Monster. Hopefully Ill be able to share that video as well. Anyway here is the cover art for issue 1. ENJOY

This Steam-punk style western features "The Chosen" a group of Christian Cowboys who are wanted men in a land where Christianity is outlawed. There mission is to spread the gospel of Christ to the lost land called Westerland. I pretty much have the story i just need an artist anyone who is interested please contact me via E-mail mar2262007@maricopa.edu

http://mortalcoilproductions.com

Hope you can get a small chuckle. Comments/Critique more than welcome.

-Mike

I made this little blog post when I was drawing a comic about a surreal world where people wash with poop, eat it as a topping on pizza, and swim in it for recreation. My initial desire was to create an allegorical series that shows how shallow and superficial our philanthropy and affections are. Given that I am a horribly lazy individual, I never brought that series out to fruition (perhaps someday!), but nevertheless thought that this preface to it would be of some passing interest and edification to someone here wondering about the doctrine of regeneration:

===================================================================

The dung beetle is a special breed of beetle, an amazing creature that feasts on feces like fillet mignon. What many people do not know about dung beetles - if they should condescend to know anything about these creatures at all - is that even the different types of dung beetle have different ways that they showcase their scatological love. Some graft themselves to dung, sucking everything they need in life from it like a tick. While others roll the refuse into a ball and bury it like some pirate's treasure. Still others find themselves so ingratiated by dung that they opt to live in it like a celebrity in his mansion. Whatever type of dung beetle it is though, their entire way of life centers on dung. And there is something strange and almost exhilarating about an animal that's whole life involves lifting up what others have laid to waste. Their very nature is focused on everything we would have flushed away.

Despite the reservations we might have rolling around refuse balls or sucking up nutrients from the droppings of animals ourselves, the dung beetle thinks nothing of it.  He goes on his work as casually as we might shop for purses or watch television while choking down Cheetos. While his very being impels him to the poop, most of us find his actions and affections revolting. And it is this relative sense of perspective that leads me wondering how we must be viewed according to the sight and standards of Heaven. If there is indeed a perfect God who wraps Himself in light and holiness, I suspect there would be very little within us He wouldn't be disgusted by and even less in us worth praising. We are, in our own way, bumbling around with our own balls of waste, infatuated by the smells and textures of things that would leave better beings hurling and heaving. I suspect we have underestimated how far we've fallen, and so miscalculated how much we have missed the mark - not only within our lifetime, but daily. Nevertheless, many individuals suppose that they can naturally love more than the excrement - so to speak - that they have been accustomed to love. They suppose that the dung beetle could with enough effort come to enjoy a nice steak paired with an aged wine. But it is not within the dung beetle's nature to love more than the dung, anymore than it is in our nature to love more than the World has to offer. In both instances, the higher things are not only abandoned carelessly; they're rejected outright.

In order for the dung beetle to enjoy steak and wine, his very nature must change. And for the last two thousand years, it has been the Christian church maintaining the same about humanity and its love for God. For a man to love the higher things, to love God and the holiness attributed to Him, the man's nature must also change. Unfortunately, a great number of Christian men and women today believe that for an individual to become a Christian, he or she must merely testify his or her allegiance to Christ and try to live an upstanding life. But this is not enough! It has never been. A dung beetle that pretends to hate dung is still a dung beetle. And a man that reforms his outer actions is no better off than when he started. Because the real problem is within. And it is a problem that Jesus maintains can only solved by being born again. Now, to be born again is not merely to make a choice to accept Christ into your heart, perhaps after some theological debate or emotional altar call. It is not a mere position you hold, like whether to vote Republican or Democrat. To be born again is to have your very nature miraculously altered, to have your direction and drive reoriented, to have everything you loved and everything you hated flipped about and addled like eggs. It is to become something new - like a dung beetle that has morphed into a fruit fly. Or a zombie who suddenly prefers broccoli to brains. To misunderstand this is to misunderstand a principal fact about the Gospel. Many who claim to have been saved by Christ have not been saved, because they have not been changed internally, which is the only way an individual can come to love and follow Him.

But how can a man change his nature? How can a "man who is accustomed to evil do good," anymore than an "Ethiopian can change his skin or a lion his spots?" How can the tares become wheat? How can the goats become sheep? How can the rocky ground become fertile? How can the blind see? Or the deaf hear? Or the lame walk? How can a bad tree team with good fruit? A million and one metaphors are presented in Scripture of things that have no capacity in themselves to change. And the truth is that nothing can change, that we will not accept Christ - for there is nothing desirable about Him to us - unless we are transformed by a miraculous work of God. Jesus says as much when many of His early disciples first left Him. These former followers supposed they came to Jesus and that they were ready to serve Him, but as they listened to Christ preach, they began instead to reject Him. And as they abandoned Him in droves, Christ concluded that "No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father" (John 6:65). Their rejection merely illuminated the fact that God had not prepared their hearts to hear Him. For the saved are not changed because they choose God, but because God chooses to change them. And in that change, when He gives His followers a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26), they can finally accept and love the Son who died for them. It is all very much a mystery though - this change. Christ likens it to the wind in that "the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). God's method for initiating this change is beyond us. It is as if we could one day be walking idly along a city sidewalk, minding our own business, and without notice, begin to think thoughts that are not our own or feel an affection for things we've never loved. This change comes from God, and it is only through this change that one can be saved.

Nevertheless, everyday we hear individuals pledge some nominal allegiance to Christ, where no change of heart exists. There are individuals who attend church regularly, and give to charities, and pray every night, who can recite whole pages of the Bible, and who are kind to the worst of us. But no change of heart has occurred. There are men and women who sit sullen and somber in church pews crying out to the Lord, despite having no true desire for Him. They want comfort, or tradition, or the fellowship of good people, status, or proof of their righteousness. But they do not and will not desire Him. They do not hunger for Him. They do not thirst after Him. They do not treasure Him above all things. They may consider themselves Christians, but the actions of those who have been brought to life by God befuddle and betray what they know of themselves. They cannot relate with the figures of men and women that number the pages of the Gospel. What, after all, in the woman made her wash the Lord with her tears and brush His feet with her hair? What in the tax collector provoked him to cry to the Heavens lamenting his own unworthiness and depravity? Who is this man who would sell everything he owns to gain Christ, as if Christ were an invaluable pearl or treasure? Who were these disciples who left their homes, and jobs, and reputations to follow this Man? Who can say why those who are His blessed are the ones who are weeping, and are meek, and are poor in Spirit? How is it that many individuals today who adopt the label of Christian can find that self-deprecation so alien in their own lives? How is it that those same individuals can have so little desire for Him, when it is clear that the pages of Scripture indicate that the saints wanted nothing else? Who can explain this indifference and self-indulgence except that the follower is really no true follower at all, that the insect crawling in a bowl of fresh fruit only has an affinity for the rotten and repugnant?

And what of the reader? Do you thirst after Him like a fine wine? Can you even stomach Him? Do you have any love for Him at all? And if so, how does that love manifest itself? Do you search the Scriptures daily to discover more about this Man who died nailed to a tree? Do you yearn for the fellowship of others who yearn for Him as well? Do you speak to Him and about Him like you would one you adore? That is to say, do you do what everyone does when it comes to people and things they love? Or is your love for Him dry like a crusty lawn sausage left by your neighbor's beagle? Is your so-called love for Him merely superficial and shallow? Does He mean anything to you at all?