[Project 2: Waking Hours]

*Disclaimer: These diary pages include some filthy language my mother would be ashamed of. *

[Tuesday 3/9/10]

This is the first of the daily recordings, I had a piece of graph paper in my pocket at work. I wanted to record at least one day at the restaurant--my manager was very cool about pretending not to notice me scribbling. I chose an elongated format in an attempt to better describe the passage of time--I'm using a calendar format in an artist book class I'm currently taking and thought it might be interesting to translate that to some illustration work. The figures are really REALLY simple, but I think the body language is still effective even though the mark making is pretty conservative.

[Saturday 3/13/10]

I decided to approach the second recording attempt differently: It's less about the passage of time and more of a montage-- trying to create a cohesive final composition that describes the overall vibe of the day. This series of drawings was completed over a whole day of doing homework in the studio and housework, thus they are a little more complicated than the previous effort. {Page 1 left to right: 11:00AM, 11:15AM, 12:00PM, 1:00PM, 2:PM, 2:30PM, 3:00PM Page 2 left to right: 4:00PM, 5:00PM, 6:00PM, 7:00 PM, 8:00 PM, 9:00PM}

[Saturday 3/20/10]

This recording attempts to combine both the passage of time and the usage of multiple "camera angles". I wanted to experiment with different viewing points as well as incorporate inanimate objects and pieces of the environment instead of simply translating conversations. This particular recording describes my day trip to Salem, MA starting with a 4 AM flight out of Milwaukee. {Left to right: 4:30 AM, 5:00 AM, 6:00 AM, 7:00 AM, 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 1:00PM, 1:45PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00PM, 7:00 PM, 8:00PM.}

[Tuesday 3/23/10]

For the final recording, I tried to focus on integrating the text as part of the composition instead of using it as a descriptor, as well as including multiple camera angles and scenery (graffiti, architecture, elevator interiors, etc.) to better describe the story and mood. This is my personal favorite of the group--an account of my partner Alex's an my day trip to New York to see the Tim Burton exhibition at MoMA--I feel like the ideas I was playing with start to coalesce a bit. It deluged the entire time we were there which allowed for coffee shop and sub-way-ride-downtime to capture images in the moment. {Top page clockwise: 11:00 AM, 12:00PM, 2:00PM, 3:00PM, 4:00 PM, 5:30 PM. Bottom page clockwise: 6:30 PM, 8:00PM, 9:00PM, 10:00PM, 10:30PM.}

[Project 2: What?]

So we're supposed to make fifteen sketches a day outlining our doings--uh, if I didn't work 9 hours a day 6 days a week and had no other classes this might be fun. Slash that, not fun, POSSIBLE. Hope everyone is looking forward to 60 stick illustrations of a cranky b**** flipping burgers. I know I know, all sorts of fabulous illustrators and successful comic artists keep visual diaries, and that if I were a good artist I would too-- but I highly doubt these people have the time or the energy to record every minute detail of their waking hours in ink. Even if they did, I don't think I'd care to read it.

I know your day sucked.
Mine did too.

Sigh.

Who knows... maybe it'll be like American Splendor. I'll do it. I'm not going to like it. But I'll do it...

Best of luck guys!

[3-7-10] Good News

[3-6-10] Brunch

[3-5-10] Reverend Horton Heat Show

[Thoughts on Comics]

"Comics are a unique art form, not a genre..." I'd never considered that--that each comic functions on it's own in a different way, that the reader must exert effort to interpret the message, to fill in the gaps. I would often think of graphic novels as illustrated movies, but that's untrue. The illustrator must imply the passage of time, depend on static imagery to communicate a gambit of emotions. If comics were like movies, all comics would be flip books...

minimalism. I get sucked into the trap of more is more. I'd forgotten about how effective and sophisticated Charles Schulz' work actually was: he talked about death and loss and joy--HEAVY PROFOUND STUFF with a simple bald kid and couple of scribbly lines. The lines that are presented are purposeful, the use of gesture is strong and the raw material of the story is deceptively compelling and truthful.

[3-4-10] Blonde on Blonde

[3-3-10] Studio Instruction

[3-2-10] Phone Call

[3-1-10] Lunch Break

Preservation