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Friends, I have decided to take a stab at creating a monthly Christian Comic E-Zine. I have noticed that CCAS frequently has wonderful submissions - from comics and reviews, to interviews and opinion pieces - all of which stay on the main page for a period of a few days (or less...) before disappearing into oblivion. That is not a criticism, of course, of this site; it is simply not the site's purpose to do what an E-zine does do, that being archive and pull together the happenings of the Christian Comic Community. As such, I intend to create a free HTML based e-zine, whose livelihood depends exclusively on submissions and the prayers of all invested. 

I think that one of the most positive and edifying things about previous Christian comic zines (like Megazeen and such) is that they really did help to unify a group of people, give an outlet for individuals interested in Christian comics, and provide a medium, particularly for those new to Christian comics, to get a handle of the genre. It helped to make a community of individuals interested in a particular subject more than just a disjointed group of members working alone. That is my hope in creating a zine. 

But who I am, I hear you saying. What qualifications does this Sven Jacobs/Corey Miller/etc. have? Who does he think he is? In order to encourage you and build your confidence in my abilities, I have uploaded a comic below that I think best showcases the quality of my work:

No doubt you are gasping at the sheer brilliance of the lines and the realism writhing through every stroke. And I suspect it is clear to everyone that the humor above transcends linguistic expression. 

Sure, I can hear you saying, you are a master at the craft, but have you any experience with website design? Please let me relieve you of your concerns:

http://www.sdmcomics.com/showcase.html

As you can see I am an equally accomplished website designer, fully capable to make this e-zine a rousing success!

Anyhow, I will be publishing the first issue at the end of August. If you are interested in submitting movie reviews, comic reviews, tutorials, opinion pieces, comics, interviews, or even and ESPECIALLY news about you or your company's Christian comic updates, then send them my way at svenjacobs3@gmail.com by August 15th. Really, I am for the most part open to any and all submissions related to the topic. I look forward to any input or submissions I receive! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me as well. 

I just returned from volunteering a week as a counselor up at Grace Youth camp up at Mount Palomar (close to San Diego). Awesome!      

     Since this was my fourth summer as a counselor I decided to try something different during the afternoon free time: I took along a portable drawing board, pens and colored pencils. I started sketching out recognizable cartoon characters, and a few of the more iconic super heroes. I never attracted a mob but enjoyed a continual string of conversations with both kids and adults.  Next day I used a game cart and cardboard to assemble a display of some of the work from CCAS, as well as a the CCAS website in large print and the encouragement "Check out the these great christian artists."  I had written in the name of the artist and site below each picture so kids could write them down, and got a lot more interest.   I would definitely try this out at the next youth event I attend.

Is there such a thing as a Christian Comic E-zine that CCAS or some other Christian comics organization does? It just seems strange that everyone seems to like posting tutorials here, and opinion pieces, and reviews, and drawings of their work for all of that work to transition out of the home page and into archive oblivion. I suspect there is such a thing, but outside of Megazeen, which I don't even think was online, I have heard of nothing. The comic world - even the Christian comic world - is fairly new to me...

The winners of the first Gideon Media Arts Conference Comics Writer and Artist contest sponsored by Kingstone Comics have been announced.

The winning artists are: 

Last week we completed our biggest fan & industry outreach of the year at Comic-con International!   We’re already thinking about the upcoming Tucson event.  With a very small team of 10 volunteers in San Diego, CCAS achieved the following:

• Ran 3 Official Con events: a mixer and two professional panels.
• Staffed the CCAS exhibit booth for 5 days.
• Created our first Christians in Comics Map and gave out approximately 4000 copies.
• Distributed approximately 4000 Book of Revelation samplers.
• Had thousands of conversations about Christ in the booth.
• Networked with key comics industry professionals to connect and encourage them.

We literally reached thousands of people and put the CCAS name in front of 135,000+ attendees at the event!  I myself talked with the Co-CEO of Archie Comics (Archie, Betty, Veronica & Jughead!) about getting Christian product distributed through her foundation fighting illiteracy.

Your time, talent and support is VERY SIGNIFICANT in helping us to….

1) Provide Christian products for loving evangelism and Christian values reinforcement.

2) Encourage comics professionals who are Christians working in the industry

3) Draw attention to and celebrate Christian values and themes in comics and entertainment.

4) Maintain our online social community for comics pros and fans.

Your financial support is what keeps us going, and just as encouraging is the thought that you will spread the word about the Christian Comic Arts Society vision and the mission.  We need your help and the help of your network of friends and colleagues in order to reach more people. Tell others about what you are supporting.  Share about CCAS on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.  

CONSIDER A MONTHLY GIFT

It’s quick, easy and secure to set up a monthly contribution to Christian Comic Arts Society through your bank’s online bill payment. Not only convenient for you, it is a TREMENDOUS help for us to have that $10, $25, $50, $100 or any amount coming in each month.  Check your bank’s web site.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me for any reason! 949 528 3360. Thank you again for your support!

Serving,

Scott A. Shuford

Board Member

Christian Comic Arts Society

**Christian Comic Arts Society is recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization.  Federal Tax ID: 26-3783699. All gifts are fully deductable to the extent of the law.  

These are a couple samples of  my character designs art..

Some of these character designs were conceptual drawings for the story of Hansel and Gretel, but set in Nazi occupied France during WWII. In this case Hansel and Gretel were Cybornetic officers and the With was the protagonist. her role was that of a night club entertainer. She was a dancer, singer, magician and illusionist.

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Gretel turnaround

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Gretel Final Color

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The Witch Final Color

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Character Line up

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Penciled Page from a 1990's indy book called Arachnis. Layouts were provided to me, I penciled these in the Image comics style.

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Hi,

For those of you who may be looking for an inker or penciller. Here are some of my samples.
I (unfortunately) do not work for free or for a promise of hypothetical profit share.

I'm doing that now and one is enough....sorry.

I hope someone find my work worthy of their needs and compensatory kindness.

Ron Z

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Digital Inks over John Buscema Hulk

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Inks over John Buscema pencil of Tarzan. ====================================================

Inks over Darryl Banks Green Lantern Page.
Originally Inked by Romeo Tanghal, copy of pencils provided to me to ink by Romeo for my own portfolio.

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Inks over Darryl Banks Green Lantern Page. 
Originally Inked by Romeo Tanghal, copy of pencils provided to me to ink by Romeo for my own portfolio.

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Inks over a pencil page from the comic book "Solar". Also originally inked by Romeo Tanghal, sample provided to me by Romeo for my own inks and portfolio.

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GREETINGS & DOXOLOGY!

First, I'd like to say, it is a pleasure to be connected with so

many like-minded individuals...'truly a blessing, truly a blessing, indeed!

Following this message, I will send out an invitation, pertaining to my current venture, [refer to "Linkedin" profile].

To my fellow artisans...understand your source.

Never "whore" your abilities or gifts...they are granted by

our Father. Honor Him, with the works of your hands.

Remember..."Art is a gift given to us, by God. It is an extention of His ultimate creativity"...'you dig!?!

Respectfully so,

Maurice Isaac Gardner-

I have been seeking to bring my talent out of darkness into light. It has been a fun and challenging process. I have found things that work and things that don't. If you are interested I will be sharing so of those things with you (my fellow CCAS members).

PLEASE UNDERSTAND I AM NO EXPERT NOR AM I CLAIMING TO BE PROFESSIONAL. (I leave that to Buzz Dixon, Lee Jiles, Luis Serrano, Christian Cheek, Bryce Morgan, Dan Lawlis, Justin Martin, Mel Todd, C. Reyes, Eric Jensen and Steve Crespo --- and anyone else whom I may forget). But I digress. 

I hope that if you are reading this you already have a general basis in digital art, that is how to turn on the computer, how to scan your work, how to use a pencil, how to sketch a character, etc. I want to first focus on what software is best for what projects. I have watch hours of tutorial and seen artist using photoshop for everything. Though its plausible to do so, its not time effective or practical.

In the profolio project pieces shown above I used various art software packages. The original artwork, is from a dynamic and awesome artist named Harold Edge (google him and his blog will show his work also he works on my fav web comic dyna girl – www.dynagirlonline.com ) The blue line art will show as a basis of a scanned art piece.

I inked the blue lines breakdowns in Managa Studio (only $40 in most stores). Manga studio, in my opinion is the best tool for digital inking and comic book page creation. The digital inking pens are superior to anything else I have seen out their. They have the ability to flow between vector based and raster based drawing.

I then colored the image in Sketchbook Pro (ave cost  $40 in most online stores). SBP takes some getting used to if you are a Photoshop user. But understand photoshop is for photo editing and retouching. (hence the name). I am finding that Sketchbook’s interface is quicker and easier to use, and the brush tools are tailored to comic artists.

Lastly,  a word on design programs. I think that we as comic artist miss out on the advantages of using these type programs. Freehand, Illustrator, and CorelDraw! (listed in order of superiority) are excellent tools in coming up with and creating logos, insignias, creative text images.

I am interested in your take and your criticisms. Also feel free to critique my art I am a work in progress and need all the help I can get.

things i wish for

no more fighting

no more people hurting animals & other people

to go to a circus one with lots of clowns & get to hug (≧▽≦)

every kid & animal to have a loveing home

to have the toy of the Gokaiger megazord

no more people to ever kill themself ღ

people to take better care of mother earth ✿

no more cars (｡＞0＜｡) they hurt too many people

to live in japan ≧(´▽｀)≦

everyone to feel loved no one should ever feel alone its too sad

to go to disney on halloween & get lots of candy (*^o^*)

no more hurting

people to more careing

to meet Kat Von D & all the friends i made

nickjr to make a Blues Clues movie about the circus & i just really like Blues Clues

no one to ever be hungry

dragons to be real but be nice too

& for no one to ever hurt a clown they too ccuuttee & funny

Hey, guys! Just wanted to let you know that we've posted out newest episode of Strangers and Aliens -- and interview with Paul Asay, writer of Tyndale's GOD ON THE STREETS OF GOTHAM.

Here's the link: Episode 21 -- Interview with Paul Asay

Our recent episodes have included a review of The Amazing Spider-Man, a look back at the Batman movies, and a discussion about fairy tales.

All that's missing is you! We want you to join the conversation, especially considering our next big topic: The Dark Knight Rises! We want to know what you think or thought! So give us a listen and then contact us and we'll use it on the show!

Hello, comic book and game enthusiasts! My name is Roger Cotton, a professional 3D animator and Conservative American patriot in San Diego, California. I periodically write about American politics in my blogs, “A Patriotic American Speaks” (http://patrioticamerican.wordpress.com) and “Anatomy of an Agenda” (http://anatomyofanagenda.wordpress.com).

I am currently developing a 2D physics-based mobile game called, Hometown Heroes. This is a Conservative-oriented game that promotes Conservative American values, and teaches players about the nefarious agenda of members of the Far Left in our country. First and foremost, though, Hometown Heroes is a game. And, I am excited because it is shaping up to be a very fun and compelling one at that!

In this blog, I will be posting updates about HH during the course of its development.

This post will be brief, as I am in the process of having in-game art created for the game prototype. My goal is to develop a playable game level which I will release for free to promote the game. With the prototype, I will create a demonstration video on Kickstarter.com in order to raise funds for the development of the full version of the game.

So, what is Hometown Heroes? In a nutshell, HH is a 2D physics-based puzzle game in which you play a uniquely-empowered super patriot. The super patriot goes through a series of fifteen game levels in order to confront and battle an arch-nemesis. Every collection of fifteen game levels will represent episodes in a “comic book issue.” Each game level represents a different location in Hometown, USA, where a crime is in the process of being committed. The villains who are committing the crimes are the henchmen of the hero’s arch-nemesis.

The object of the game is to eliminate all of the henchmen present in each game level, while keeping damage to City and private property down to a minimum. Also, you must defeat the villains without inadvertently harming any citizens present in the game level. Defeating all of the villains in a level unlocks the next level. Scoring exceptionally well in a given level garners you special achievements and unlocks additional powers for use in subsequent levels.

By the end of the first comic book issue, the player sees the origin of that particular super patriot, who either defeats his or her arch-nemesis, or is defeated.

I have conceived of a team of five Conservative super patriots who band together to combat the forces of Communism that threaten Hometown, USA. These super patriots are: Old Glory, American-Made, Freedom, Silver Eagle, and Blind Justice.

In the next post, I will describe the super patriots and get more into what my plans are for the game.

In the meantime, I NEED a talented comic book artist and/or team to collaborate with me on the development of the comic book for this project. So, if you’re interested in discussing a partnership arrangement, I would definitely be happy to hear from you.

SCRIPTURE

THOUGHTS

TRUE CHARACTER (Part 1)

PRAYER

Here's a simple but important rule in story telling. Never stack panels on the left. Doing that will leave the reader confused on which way to go while reading. Anything that creates confusion is a no-no in storytelling. Always make reading your comic easy to follow and a smoothly flowing narrative. www.ORANGEPEEL3.com

Today was one of those days where things looked like they were going to go right! I planned to side down and draw hands all of the late afternoon. I had the house to myself, so there would be very little disruptions. I finished my chores for the day (I cleaned the back deck a much needed task!). Then went for a short run to the gym and lifted weights and stopped for a take out on the way home. I checked the mail on the way home and just got AutoDesk Pro in the mail! I had my wings, my jazz, my cold beverage, and my new software. I sat down and started drawing. THEN! Right hand cramps and spasms. (a complication due to an old injury). I tried taking my potassium tablets and drinking nearly a gallon of water but no dice! Hand still cramping and I cant hold the pen steady! Needless to say I was mildly upset and even more frustrated! Then the Holy Spirit, posed the question..."Why are you complaining?" I then thought some more. I prayed and gave God thanks for the talent, the software, the ability and strength to workout, the agility to run, the sermon that I listened to while cleaning up and most of all Him speaking to me when I need to be more mature. So I put down the pen, and post the few drawings that I could bang out. I realized that I was drawing for nearly 90 minutes. So I praised God for the 90 minutes. I thought of the people I know who have lost hands, feet, legs, and eyes. They cant do any of the things I did today. God you are awesome! Anyone else have a similar experience?

New for Comic-Con International 2012, CCAS has created a flyer listing the CCAS events on site at the Con, along with a Con floor map listing booths for CCAS friendly pros who are exhibiting on the main floor, in the Small Press area, or in the Artist Alley. 

1. Download your copy to see

2. Google the people/companies you may not be familiar with.  

Download the PDF at http://frontgatemedia.com/ccas/CCASPassportMulipage.pdf.  Note: this is a 17MB PDF file. 

A special thanks to CCAS members Brett Burner (Lamp Post) for the idea, and Holly Knevelbaard for her design time in laying this out!  For more info, click to Christian Comic Arts Society. 

Please pray for this to draw more attention to CCAS and friends.