Angry Bear Comics

My February First: 2009!

2009-02-03T04:58:00.001-08:00

February First was hourly comic day. People were invited to make comics for each hour they were awake on that day. Below is my humble submission for that event. It was a bit more challenging than I expected. Color would have helped many of these out, but I don't have that kind of time. I hope you enjoy them. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
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(Click on Individual Comics for Larger View!)

Fin!

Hourly Comics

2009-02-01T01:21:00.000-08:00

If, like me, you enjoy watching the nightly news or reading the paper, then you already know that the printed newspaper business is about as hot as a frozen burrito. Unfortunately, this "particular" burrito is unlikely to be warmed up in any kind of microwave no matter how powerful because everyone, it seems, would much rather get their burritos from the internet.

Funny food analogies aside, I can tell you this: I read a lot of blogs. And my interests what they are, most of those blogs are about comics: from traditional Sunday paper comics like Bizarro and Kevin and Kell, to underground comics like Cat and Girl and Hark! A Vagrant. (Admittedly, there can be overlap here. Categories aren't really my thing.) In any case, I follow about 250 blogs, although a small few of them are like this one - - very infrequent about posting. (Ugh. I stink!)

Anyway, this is where feed readers come in. Most every blog has an RSS feed, a fact which is very much like my saying that most cars have cupholders. Both things are equally likely to make you think, "so what?" Okay, point taken.

The nice thing about RSS feeds is what they can be read by "RSS Feed Aggregators." (No, not alligators! Aggregators!) These aggregators allow you track and collect the new posts of your various favorite blogs so that you have a single place to visit and read them all. One such of these aggregators is Bloglines. That is the one I use, but there are a handful of others.

When you have successfully subscribed to a handful of blogs, you will soon see the similarity they have to newspapers. Both give a daily source of information. In this case, the information is from online blogs as opposed to printed on a dead tree and from a wire service.

All of this is a really, really long way of saying, if you read blogs and haven't yet learned how to subscribe to them through RSS feeds, you're missing out. In fact, you could be subscribing to this very blog! (He says, as he hopes against hope! You won't break my heart if you don't. Really, you won't...I'll just have a good cry, and try to think about happier times... Heh, another joke.)

It is from one of the many blogs that read in my aggregator that I found out about Hourly Comics, my next project! If everything goes according to plan, I will be posting an accounting of my entire Februray 1st, in comic form! (Well, posting all of the waking hours of it anyway.) Soon, you will see here the various highlights, such as they are, of my entire day.

I am not sure how this is going to turn out, but needless to say, I hope good. I've neglected my little blog here for too long, and it is time I get the burrito rolling again. I mean ball...the ball rolling, ahem....take two. It is time I get the ball rolling again. (Not burritos. That would be silly.)

Political Ads on My Site

2008-11-03T22:15:00.000-08:00

I have recently discovered that the advertisements that display on the right side and bottom of this blog are now showing ads that advocate for one political viewpoint or another, one ballot issue or another, one candidate or another, etc. Google Adsense manages the content of these ads. I have little or no control over what is shown. I assumed that since this was a comic blog, all of the ads displayed would be related to comics or art. And, for the most part, they have been.

While I encourage everyone to be a good citizen and vote their conscience whenever possible, I am decidedly non-partisan. I do vote as I consider it a duty to do so, but political ads, in my opinion, are inherently divisive. Rather than emphasize our common bonds, they tend to split people into balkanized groups that are often opposed to each other. Politics may have their place, but not on this site.

I will be exploring how to either block or remove these ads altogether, if it comes to that. Let me be very clear: Political Ads are my bottom line. I will not compromise that. I can appreciate people's respective views, but as far as I am concerned, this is MY site and everyone is welcome regardless of their views. I am deeply upset by what Google Adsense has done. Look for changes on this in a week or two.

My Summer Vacation

2008-10-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

(click comic for larger view)

In one of my first design classes this term, the instructor asked us to draw a diagram of our summer vacations. Most students drew bar graphs that indicated that they spent two weeks camping, or they made something like a pie chart showing how much time they spent painting the house. As the above chart indicates, I spent a lot of time sitting on my butt all day. (Actually, I did a little more than sit around, but I didn't want to get into boring details with classmates who are, essentially, a bunch of strangers.) Be sure to click on the image to read the percentages of how much time I spent doing what.

Called in to Work

2008-09-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

(click comic for larger view)

This is my favorite comic of the bunch of three. I should totally be drawing more, but I am not at the moment because I am still trying to figure out what to write about. Anyway, yes, I did sleep until about 2:00 p.m., and yes, later that day I was driving to the big city about an hour and half away. I had never been to that "Ykia" store before and was impressed by its size. The people behind the counter were nice enough, but no, I didn't have the swedish meatballs. I hear they're not so good anyway from people who have more discriminating tastes than I do. I'd eat just about anything at least once or twice, or more if I was especially hungry. I've always imagined that if I was on one of those reality shows where they made you eat something disgusting, I'd win. No one else would even be close.

Island - Illustration Friday

2008-09-17T17:22:00.001-07:00

(click image for larger view)

This is my first entry for the site Illustration Friday, a site that invites artists to create a little something based on a theme chosen by fellow artists. Like it says on their site, there isn't any pressure on outcome or results (other than internal I suppose) and no deadlines or clients to worry about either. I think I first heard about this site from one of the many art blogs I try to keep up on, and then, last year from one of my art instructors offered extra credit to anyone who submitted to them. But as I was swamped with regular classwork, I never got around to submitting. I am not sure why I decided to submit now. Anyhow, I sketched out an idea, scanned it in the computer, and then played around with it in Adobe's Illustrator program. So, here it is.

Doubts

2008-09-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

(click comic for larger view)

Hey, it's the second diary comic that I drew way back when! I only drew three of these, so with the posting of this one, there is only one left. I should draw more of them I know, but my days are so rigorously boring lately that there is nothing really worth drawing. Four panels of me sitting in a chair could be interesting in a "meta" way, but really it's nothing that I have a passion for doing. Maybe one day. Anyway, enjoy!

Welcome Back to Me!

2008-09-16T15:22:00.000-07:00

(click comic for larger view)

Well, if anyone still checks this space anymore, the above is evidence that my year long hiatus from this comic blog was somewhat unplanned. The date, May 21st, proves that I was still thinking, even way back then, of posting something here. All I can say is that spammers, while one of the most unpleasant and irritating components of the Internet, were at least responsible for a small boost to my ego because their comment spam proved that at least someone was looking at this space. Of course, I am going to slap down the spam here soon, so legtimate veiwers may not see it, but trust it was there!

Two major things have changed since the last time I posted on this site. The first is that I now have Photoshop and Illustrator! My days of using G.I.M.P. are over, and when I think about it, I admit that part of me is going to miss it. G.I.M.P. was instrumental in helping me express my creativity when I had even less access to the tools I needed than I do now. G.I.M.P., if I can just say one more time, is a pretty good FREE! alternative to the expensive Adobe Suite I now own. Also, I am doing my best to get a "Visual Communication" degree from my community college. In the olden days, visual communication used to be called Graphic Design. So, while I am not claiming one software is better than the other, I am switching over to Photoshop for most of my raster needs because that is the industry standard, and by God, I need a regular job again.

The second major thing that has changed during this past year is that I am moving a little bit away from the Angry Bear storyline to some degree. I ran out of steam and most of my comics began to sound like my blog--a little whiny and pointless. It has been fun to explore my comic chops, as they say, but I have reached a new level so I think I am going to branch out a bit. Zeb and Dana and the rest will probably still show up every now and again, but I am going to start throwing more stuff out here on the blog. For example, aside from the diary comic project that I am planning on, I have one or two more ideas for other comic projects that might show up here over the course of time.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy whatever happens. If you got really inspired and left a comment that would be great! It'd sure be a change of pace from the spam, which is nice in the absence of other comments, but still a little annoying.

True Life Tales - 5 "The Civil War"

2007-07-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

(Click comic images to see larger size!)

The "today" mentioned in the first panel was actually yesterday. And, while it may not look like it, I spent a lot of time working on it. It's in two sections because I drew it on two sheets of paper. It didn't line up like I thought it would. Ah well, lesson learned. Next time, I should draw everything bigger on a larger sheet of paper. I keep telling myself to do this, but the lack of a proper working space and a short-term memory gets in the way.

There other thing, which I could have done something about, are those annoying black lines on the sides of the panels. I should have erased them when I did the coloring on the computer. Now that they're uploaded, I'm just going to leave them like they are because to re-upload fixed images would count against my storage limits and they're not that horrible (I hope!).

And, guess what? This is the 100th post! It's hard to believe that there are that many posts here, especially since I've had such a hard time posting with any kind of regularity. But, this is it. I actually did go to a civil war re-enactment, and while it was interesting, it was deeply weird not just for the reason I stated above. With any luck, there'll be another post soon!

True Life Tales - 4

2007-06-11T23:29:00.000-07:00

My favorite panel is the last one because it reads well close up and far away. I also should have tried to put myself in this comic somehow because people are more interesting than things, but I did manage to get the kid who took my car for the joyride but it doesn't really count because he is too small.

Anyhow, thinking about things after my last post, I did remember that I wrote down my experiences with my car getting stolen for the first time. More recently, I wrote about my trip to court when I got that one (unfair, of course) speeding ticket. So, those are two great experiences that I may be able farm a comic script out of somehow. Of course, more overall drawing practice is also in order, but I don't think it will come in the next few days because I am finishing up finals. Maybe another comic this weekend?

True Life Tales - 3

2007-06-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

(click on comic for larger view)

Making comics has not really been my priority during the last few months as I'm sure you can already tell by how often I update. Still, I am committed into keeping this going. The above comic is the result of wanting to do something for myself only and not for school or work. One of the things I have discovered through this comic experiment is that I am having a hard time coming up with ideas to turn into comics. I might be too critical and shooting down ideas before I even try them out. Oh well.

The above really happened to me. I fell down on the street in front of a bus station just three days ago. For some reason, my ankle went out on me and was weak for the rest of the day. The funny thing is that me falling down in public wasn't even the most memorable part of my day. For instance, I later went on a mini-hike nearby some waterfalls in the forest and encountered a man taking his "cat" for a walk on a rope leash! It is not often you see that sort of thing. Dogs, yes. Cats, no. Anyway, after my fall, I did buy a few art supplies that I have already used at work. More comics should be forthcoming as summer break is around the corner and that means more time to draw. I also want to get much better at this comic thing, so I definitely need to keep practicing.

Support

2007-04-15T23:04:00.000-07:00

(click comic for larger view)
I probably should have worked on my graphic design homework, but instead, I drew this comic. I'm mostly caught up on that homework anyway. But, I am having a block as far as what I want to write about story-wise. In any case, I think that this little beach trip is going to end soon. I am not much of a gag writer, and I don't really want to rehash all of the lame jokes that everyone has seen or heard a million times before. I mean, what about airline food? Am I right? Anyone? Eventually, I will work on a good storyline, probably about the same time when heck freezes over. But, on the plus side, two comics on two mondays in a row is quite the accomplishment. I will try to continue the trend.

Decisions

2007-04-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

(click comic for larger view)

Been awhile since I last posted, hasn't it? I suppose the biggest reason is that I have been busy with art projects in school and so I've already used up my creative energy there. And of course, I've really been needing to take the time to write a script rather than do this thing by the seat of my pants, but I haven't managed to find the time for that. I told myself that I need to write before I draw, and then I didn't do either. I am not sure why or how I found the energy to do the one you see above. In any case, I think it works moderately well as a drawing. I especially like the crab I drew--it looks real graphic, in the graphic design sense. More comics when I find the time. Seeing as how it is still early in the term and all my homework is caught up on, I may do another one soon.

Reflection

2007-03-05T23:01:00.000-08:00

(Click comic for larger view)

Okay, so it has been so long since I have posted a comic here, I missed a step I normally take. I forgot to darken the lines in the GIMP before I started adding in all of the color, and the result, which is completely obvious for anyone to see, is that the comic looks washed out especially when compared to the others. For example, Zeb's outlines, which were done with .05 micron pen instead of a brush pen, look super grey and not black, which they should be instead. I was able, using the lasso tool, to select the text and darken that, but overall, I would have to give this comic a C- in visual execution. I am a bit rusty from lack of practice.

Anyhow, this comic also continues the storyline started from a few posts earlier. I spent a bit more time thinking about the story, but I am still at somewhat of a loss to figure out where I should go from here. I am still working it out in my head. My creative ideas want to head in a completely new direction, but I am stuck in this one : a dead end more or less.

Because school takes most of my creative energy with art assignments and the like, I haven't posted here as much as I originally planned, but I think I will be able to post more often than I have been. I totally missed the months of January and February, but I am fairly certain that I can do much better than that, even with a ton of school work. The proof, of course, will be in the pudding so to speak. As of now, I am planning to have the next comic up in a week or two. I might also redo this one to get it to look more like the others. As always, comments are more than welcome.

True Tales - Finals

2006-12-05T21:27:00.000-08:00

(click comic for larger view)

This comic tells the story. To be honest, I haven't done much blogging at all, let alone had the time to do this comic. This comic took me about three hours to do start to finish; and of course, it is not as developed as I would have liked it to be. About every comic I work on takes at least that long. In fact, the better Angry Bear comics are ones that I work on over a period of a couple of days instead of just one sitting, so they can even have as many as five or so hours put into them.

Still, I felt that the need to get back to drawing for fun. Too often, I spend so much time worry about what I haven't done, rather than actually just doing something. I might have also been plain burnt out. What with my design classes, the reading of all the illustrator blogs I subscribe too, the reading of the illustrator books and literary comics I bought, I filled up on too much and simply ran out of motivation. I am hoping this comic represents a return of the drawing muses and spirits.

True Life Tales

2006-11-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

(click comic for larger view)

I always figured that I would try out new stuff here. So while I am still working on the angry bear storyline, I wanted to experiment with something different. This is the closest I think I'll ever get to self disclosure on the Internet. Depending on how this is received, maybe I'll post more like this in the future in between the regular angry bear storyline.

Yes, I do have (more like am associated with) a cat with a brain issue. She has a mystical attraction to my laptop. Whenever I am using it, she wants to sit on the keyboard. Whenever I am not using it, she likes to sit on the closed lid. I continue to develop my skills a little bit with photoshop (at school) and GIMP (at home). I am thinking about posting a tutorial about how I color my comic with GIMP when I get time, but only if people really want it. (If you do, drop me an e-mail or leave a comment.) That's it for now.

Contemplation

2006-10-30T21:46:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for larger view)

I am getting better using GIMP to color my comic. The biggest discovery was how to use the airbrush tool to touch up the white gaps between the scanned lines and the areas of color. I don't really use layers, although now I think I could because of the courses I have taken in photoshop. But the biggest drawback (no pun intended) is the time it takes to color a comic, something that is fascinating considering how simple the ones I do really are. I've spent an hour and half adding in the color and touching up all the spaces. But I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it.

I'll try to keep up a weekly schedule a little better than I have been lately. Homework isn't quite enough to keep my skills as sharp as I want them, so I need to practice more drawing anyway.

The Beach

2006-10-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

(click comic for larger view)

So it's a couple of days late, but I'm doing my best to divide up my time between schoolwork and my job. I'm trying strike the right balance, but it's not always easy. I think I've got the drawing part fairly polished for what I have time to actually do. There's always room for improvement of course, but I've pretty much reached my vision for how I want the comic to look. I've been told that with practice, one normally gets better, so I am looking forward to that. However, I think the next major improvement in store for this comic is not with the the art but the storyline. I'm going to experiment with that in the future.

Thanks to ongoing classes, I've figured out how to add to a selection and use the gradient tool. I know: big frickin' deal, right? Still, it was fun to use those new tools when I was coloring this one. I'll be sketching out the next one in a few days and trying to get back on track more. We'll see what happens. Anyway, See you soon.

Beachward Bound

2006-10-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

(Click on image to view larger Comic)

It has been decided! We're going to the beach for the next several comics. Apologies all around for not having it up sooner, but scanner and computer problems, combined with a bunch of design classes, has made it hard to find the time or energy to draw a new one. Actually, consider this single panel comic as a placeholder since I already have the next one inked. I still need to work on how to move the storyline ahead, but I suppose that will come with practice. The story needs work as much as the drawing skills. Oh well. Until next time.

Scanner

2006-10-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Aside from my recent problems getting something sketched, I discovered that an interrupted download of a free firewall, which I unwittingly tried to install, corrupted some of my computer files. Consequently, my scanner wouldn't work properly. I've tried to fix it in my limited fashion, but ultimately, what I had to do was uninstall a few programs and reinstall them. It also reinforced the idea, for me, that I need to backup my files. Eventually, I think I should invest in an external hard drive, but for the time being, I will be backing up important files (like these comics)on CD's. Comic will be forth-coming soon. I promise.

If I haven't mentioned it before, I've also enrolled in a Graphics Design program at my local college. That means that I am now getting training in Photoshop software and gaining other skills which should greatly improve my efforts here on the comic. I am excited to learn these techniques and push my skills. I don't right now have the money for a copy of the Photoshop software, but the theoretically underpinning I am learning about it also helps me with GIMP.

Update Postponed

2006-09-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, Okay...I know. I said that I would have something posted last week, but things sort of got messed up personally, so now it looks like it might be a little while longer before I get the new comic posted. I am going to try and have something new posted Sunday or Monday. This is not to say that I promise I WILL have something by then, but I am certainly going to try. Lately, I've been reading a lot of comics, mostly only the kind I like which happen to be the autobiographical genre ala Crumb, Pekar, or Spiegleman. But, once again, this is not to say that I am reading those authors specifically, but authors like them. And no, they're not all male authors either.

One exception to the autobiographical genre in my comic reading pile is the FRANKA comic I ordered from Germany. It took about a month and a half to arrive. It's all in German, even though it was originally written in Dutch, but I really admire the guy's (Kuijpers) visual attention to detail. So, even though I couldn't understand more than a couple of words in German, I "read" the comic fairly well. The pictures really tell the story, something that I think is quite an accomplishment. In any event, although I am not drawing the angry bear cartoon lately, I have been practicing my sketching and developing my visual vocabulary by reading good comics. Until next time.

Vote!

2006-09-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

Be sure to VOTE on the story direction in the side panel. I am planning on updating the comic on Monday or Tuesday, so the polls, as they are, will be closed by Sunday around 7 or 8 pm USA Pacific Time. I continue to experiment with a choose-the-storyline type of direction here. Right now there is a tie, so if you have a preference, vote early (and yes, you can vote as often as you like or able.) Until then.

Places to Go

2006-08-23T23:23:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Places to Go

Not too much to say about this comic. I am still stuck for good story ideas, but I figure I will press on with what I have got started here. I sketched this one out in the non-photo blue pencil, then inked the letters, then used a copic brush pen for all of the outlines. After that, I scanned it into the computer and colored it with GIMP.

I must say that my drawing skills have improved somewhat since I first started doing this, but there's always room for improvement. I've not been drawing everyday like I had initially planned on, but I am still trying to keep in practice. The thing is: when I am drawing straight from my imagination, it looks like this comic. The motorcycle, for example, is admittedly crude. Now, if I had a reference picture to look at, I could do much, much better. But drawing things from reference takes time; time I am not sure I really have. Also, I am hoping that drawing it entirely from imagination is exercising some kind of art muscle that will help me in the long run. Right now, I am applying to a graphic design program, so if I get in, I may be able to improve the quality the comic even more eventually. Anyway, I hope you like it.

(Help me out with the storyline by voting in the Poll in the sidebar!)

Motorcycle Scouts

2006-08-16T00:31:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Motorcycle Scouts

Congratulations are in order since this is my 50th comic here. I think I've improved, but I could still put a lot more work in developing the story and being more consistent with the drawing. Oh well. These things may come with time. The coloring takes along time to do, and the reason seems to be filling in the little white spaces I tend to get between my line art and the color when I use the bucket tool. This might only make sense to you if you use a graphical manipulation program like photoshop or GIMP.

Sorry for the lateness of the comic. I've been blocked on this story, so I haven't figured out how to get much further. I need to find some inspiration from somewhere. And of course, I still need to practice drawing. I haven't much felt like drawing either, but that's one thing I think I can overcome and force myself to do anyway. It's like developing muscle: you have to exercise regularly to make any progress. Until next time.

Motorcycle

2006-07-30T23:43:00.000-07:00

(Click comic for larger view)
Motorcycle

Well, now that I see the comic posted online, it is clear that the red on the motorcycle doesn't work. Chalk that up to another lesson learned. Perhaps, instead of saving these as JPEGs, I should be saving them as GIFs. Apparently, GIFs are a lossless format, which I think means you wouldn't be seeing that fuzz on the gasoline tank of the cycle.

Anyhow, I could have done something else with this comic, but between writing stuff at work and vegging out playing video games (Gallop Racer 2003), I haven't had the time nor the energy to do it. It would have been more interesting to have a couple of panels here instead of the single one, but I guess I will save that for next week.

R.V.

2006-07-24T00:20:00.000-07:00

(Click comic for larger view)
R.V.

Boy, am I tired. I should have worked on this a little earlier so I wouldn't have been up so late, but I did want to get the comic out on time. I am going to work harder at getting something posted every monday. I think I've got about three in a row here. I've gotten a little better at coloring and character construction, but I am still going to keep practicing. As for the joke of the comic, Easy Rider is one of those movies that I watched in my early twenties during the hey-day of the local video stores. It is "the" classic road movie in my opinion. And, of course, you know...motorcycles.

Bonus Art!

2006-07-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

(Click Art for Larger View)

Zeb and Dana

Somewhat of bonus here. I've been reading several graphic novels, animation design books, and comic tutorials. The end result of all this reading is this little example from my sketchbook. I should have spent a few more minutes working on a background, but on the plus side, I think I am getting more consistent with my character design. What do you think?

I've also figured out how to remove the white little jaggies that sometimes appeared in between my color in GIMP and my scanned-in line art. That is a major, major plus. Stylistically, I've decided that shading is not something I want to explore too much with Angry Bear comics; maybe, I would with something else, but for this comic, I prefer the cartoony look.

Decisions

2006-07-17T01:13:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)

Decisions

I've figured out how to color my comics a little better with the GIMP program. I can get right on top of the black linework with my colors, so you should see the little white areas between colors are gone. I think that overall the comic looks a little more polished, don't you? However, one of the things that I goofed on was the penciling. I pressed a little too hard with the non-photo blue pencil while I was initially drawing the scene. And some of the blue managed to get by the scanner because it was so dark. I tried to blast out as much of the blue as possible, but it is still there, even if you can't see it in the final image.

As for Zeb and his losing his purpose, I have been trying to think of a way to pull the storylines into a tighter focus. While I have been personally going through some tough times, Zeb is definitely not me. I just needed something to try and get the comic moving in a more interesting direction, and this was what I came up with. As always, comments are more than welcome.

On Purpose

2006-07-10T00:26:00.000-07:00

(Click comic for larger view.)
Purpose

As my many readers know, (nearly all four of you!), I missed posting something last Monday. I've been a little at a loss about what direction I should take Zeb and crew next. Writing gags is not something I am really all that good at. Therefore, this comic is the inauguration of a new story arc. Maybe I will be better at story arcs than single comic gags. I haven't gotten this arc all figured out yet, but I've got couple of ideas about where I could go. I am also thinking about posting a new comic based on something entirely different, something entirely fictional. I wrote an episode of it on Friday. Maybe I will post that when I get further along with it. As always, feel free to leave any comment (anonymously if you wish) or feedback.

June 29th Sketch

2006-06-29T01:10:00.000-07:00

I finally finished unpacking everything that I needed to unpack. Therefore, I figured that I would get back to doing some artwork. My supplies and references are back where I can get to them and not tucked away in some box somewhere. As for this picture, I drew it in non-photo blue pencil, inked it with a small size copic brush pen, and colored it with GIMP. The coloring took the longest to do, but it was the pretty fun. I wanted to do something different with color than I normally do. Once again, I attempted to figure out how to do the coloring technique by splitting the coloring layer away from the ink work layer, but I couldn't figure it out. Anyway, now the scanner is unpacked and available for use again, I will try to post on a more usual schedule. Comments of any kind are more than welcome!

Funk Classics of the 70's

2006-06-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

(click comic for larger view)

Whew, all of the things I own are now one and half hours north of where they used to be, which is a long way of saying I moved. I drew this comic early last week shortly before I packed the scanner away. I wonder if anyone gets the essential "joke" of this particular comic. There were a couple of other ways I thought about doing, but I wanted to limit myself to four panels for readability, and therefore I had to pack as much information as I could into a small space. The result of my problem solving is what you see above. As always, comments are more than welcome.

A Hand

2006-06-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

This will count as the official update for this week because I am in the process of moving. I need to spend the next four days packing straight. There is an off-chance that I might post something later this week, and of course I will be sketching, but realistically, this might be it until next Monday or Tuesday.

This was a study of a hand that I did a few days ago. I tried to manipulate the image in a lot of different ways with the GIMP program, and somehow, I managed to delete the interior of the black lined ink pens to create this weird double line effect. Actually, I think it looks pretty cool, but I am not sure I would be able to repeat it if I tried. Until next time.

Technology Gap

2006-06-14T00:22:00.000-07:00

(click comic for larger view)

As you can see, I experimented again with this comic. I had a lot of fun doing all of the computer stuff. And there was a lot of computer stuff to do this time, maybe even too much. Of course, the coloring was all done on computer. But, there was more digital manipulation left to do. For example, each panel was drawn on separate sketch book pages at about eight inches square. After scanning them into the computer, I scaled them down to size, drew the large black borders, and stitched them together in a single comic. (All of this, by the way, was done with GIMP.) I also used the ames guide to do the lettering, which was both a little frustrating because it kept slipping off the ruler, but also fun to use.

I regret not planning out the background when I doing the initial sketch, but oh well. I think I did pretty good on the character construction. Overall, I've been sketching a lot, practicing when I am not busy packing up for my upcoming move. I've got some of these sketches uploaded into the computer, but they're nothing special. I may or may not post them later.

EDIT: If I am going to use this format again, I am going to have to use the largest setting on the ames guide. It looks like the eight setting isn't going to show up in the initial blog post. Therefore, please click the comic to see it in its proper size. Any feedback is more than welcome, and I do mean "any!"

Two Figures

2006-06-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

Today's project was to draw two figures: male and female. This was a challenge insofar as I tend to draw people from the neck up. My proportions for the whole body are a little off, so I need to practice. I need to practice on another thing too, drawing hands and feet. The final challenge for this particular sketch was to draw something within an indoor setting and not just floating in space.

I've discovered (duh!) that it is one thing to draw things like hands and feet while you are looking at a reference. It is quite another thing to rely solely on your imagination to draw things like hands and feet when you're not looking right at it. I guess the ability to draw on my imagination in a cartoon style is the art muscle I am working on right now. I've been thinking how I would really like to take more figure drawing classes. I am sure that would help me out in this regard.

As for the technical aspects of this drawing, I used a .08 micron pen, a medium (BM) and a small brush (BS) pen. I think for a consistent style I need to either become more steady when inking, or just use a single size pen. I colored the whole thing in GIMP again. The neon color schemes I tend to favor are easy to achieve with GIMP, but I wonder if Adobe Photoshop would help me vary my colors more and get a little more complex. Anyhow, it's fun to play around with. If you have a moment, tell me what you think.

Cooking

2006-06-05T00:36:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)

Cooking

I hate to cook, but I try to give it my best shot every time I have to do it. This comic is more auto-biographical than I care to admit. While I don't usually set food on fire, I have been known to burn things that are rather hard to burn sometimes: spaghetti, ice cream, water, etc. Okay, so I exaggerate, but only slightly.

I put a lot of work into this comic tonight. I drew the borders with a ruler. I used an Ames Guide to do the lettering, a handy little tool that was only $2.50. (I still need a cheapo T-square.) And, I also put in the blacks before coloring the comic on the computer. You can tell there is a visual difference to this comic as a result of all of these changes, but I wonder if it was worth it. I am not sure how I feel about them yet. One thing that hasn't changed: I need to continue to practice, practice, practice. The positive thing is that I seem to be learning something new about the whole process just about every day.

Some Guy

2006-06-02T01:48:00.000-07:00

(click comic for larger view)

Some Guy

Last night, I went to see the movie Art School Confidential. Overall, I liked the movie, but I thought the ending was a little weird. It was a left turn that was sort of unneccessary. The end seemed like it didn't fit the beginning which was really pretty funny. Back in my undergrad days, I thought I would minor in Art, so I took the required art classes in college and had a chance to see the typical art school characters. And to be honest, I was one. But, unlike the movie seems to suggest, I really did get something out of art classes, and I don't think artistry is something you either have or don't. I do think one can learn art like any other skill: cooking, languages, auto repair, etc.

Today's sketch was okay, loosely based on someone I saw on television (can anyone guess who?), but I think I don't like the shape of the nose. It's hard to draw someone from television because even when your subjects are sitting still, they're constantly moving. So, you have little time other than to get the feel of the drawing, and then for the elements that you miss, you fill in as best you can. I couldn't really see this person's nose, so therefore--blah. But, oh well. Better luck in the future, right?

Daily Sketching

2006-05-31T10:35:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)

Sketch a Day!

I am trying to be more serious about my art and illustration skills. And, to that end, I have decided that I am going to try and sketch something out each day. I am hoping to achieve a more polished, graphic novel sort of look with my images. But, this does not mean I'm going to post something every day. I am afraid I don't have time for that, but I do hope to be able to post more than just once a week.

The above image is one of these sketches. I sketched out the rough in non-photo blue pencil, and then I went back over it with a copic brush multiliner pen. I have used the faber-castell pen previously, but I am really liking how things turn out with the copic. It seems more smooth and easier to achieve a variety of line thickness. I guess all of the art stores stock up on the copic for the manga comics crowd. I haven't tried the color copic pens, but I might continue to experiment with materials. As for my other tools, such as GIMP, I really need how to learn how to color with layers and whatnot. I think that would really take my digital art to the next level. Even though I tried to figure it out with the above image, I couldn't work it out this time.

As for the image itself, I really like how the eye on the right turned out. The eyes need to be lined up more and sized similarly. I'm not too happy with the jaw line either. Despite all of that, I think this is one of my better images in the comic style. Here's hoping for more progress with my sketches.

Edit: Well, I colored my comic as best I could, but only with fuzzy and lasso select and not with layers. I'll experiment more in the future, but if you got a chance, tell me which you like better: color or B/W?

Zeb's Letter

2006-05-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

Zeb's Letter

Recently, I bought a couple of cheap animation books, not because I want to start animating things (although that would be awesome), but because I wanted to pick up a few tips and tricks about construction and whatnot. So far, so good. I think I've figured out how to make Zeb's head more consistent than it has been. I've also been experimenting with body construction. And, I think that the above sketch, demonstrating my efforts at it, is one of my best sketches so far. I think I need to return to character design and figure out how to make the Dana character more consistent, but overall, I would say things are improving. As for the content of the sketch, send me an e-mail or leave a comment! Any feedback would be great! Really--I mean it.

Also, check out the store. The image above is now on a remarkably affordable T-shirt, journal, and magnet! Fun stuff all around. Plus, if you have any requests for a special image on a T-shirt, or want some other product available from cafe press with a particular angry bear comics image, just drop me a line.

Videogames

2006-05-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

(Click comic for larger view)
Videogames

For some reason, I can't get the images to post right, so for the time being, instead of posting by my usual methods, I am using flickr. I tried to post this above comic six times, but each time the bottom two panels would be cut-off halfway. The only difference you might see is that if you click on the image it takes you to my flickr page. (You can see a few of the other photos I have there, but nothing too special.)

As for the process behind this comic, I believe I am learning something new each time I do this. Consistency is definitely something that I have to work on. Also, it seems that I am constantly having Zeb raise his left paw. Weird, but now that I notice it, I can work on trying out new figure positions for him. There's a new poll on the sidebar, and if you have the time, tell me what you think in the comments!

P.S. Gah! I had to resize the comic by hand too, so it looks a little wonky. However, if you click on the image and go to the flickr page, you will see a slightly nicer version. Edit: Posting images is working so, the image is fixed! Hooray!

Filler #2

2006-05-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

(Click comic for larger view)
Filler #2

Okay, so I promised that I would post something way earlier than this, so for that, I apologize. However, I have been doing some behind the scenes work on these little comics so, in a sense, it is getting a little easier to draw them and becoming a little "tighter." I suppose this is where the "experiment in comics" aspect comes in. I have been focusing more on construction in some little throw away sketches.

In that regard, the above is one of those "throw away" sketches. I did it on newsprint which, when I colored it in GIMP, gives it the look of MS Paint and crayon. Oh well. I would love to have a wacom tablet, the Illustrator program, and a bunch of cool artist tools that will have to wait for when I can afford such things. I have a few other sketches in my backlog, but my biggest problem appears to be writing scripts. It would be nice to write comic scripts, something that is appropriately jokey, but I just can't seem to do it. One of these weekends, I may take about an hour to think up something, but right now, I am drawing a blank. (Pun intended.)

Filler Comic

2006-04-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

Filler

Okay, so I have been falling down on the job as far as posting to this little comic blog on Mondays. I missed posting the last time, but fear not, I have been drawing things. Well, mostly I've just been doodling, really. However, even though these doodles are not part of the comic storyline, I will try to post them anyway sometime this week. How have you liked these little sketches? I've not been hearing many comments, so I hope everyone likes them fine. In any event, check back in a few days to see something different (and I promise it won't be more filler like the MSpaint job you see above!)

Portrait of a Woman

2006-03-29T09:40:00.000-08:00

(Click sketch for Larger View)
Portrait of a Woman

Sometimes, you just get the urge to draw something, you know? So, last night, after looking at other people's blogs, especially their figure and anatomy studies, I wanted to sketch out something. I tried to get a quick capture sketch of the news anchor on the television, but I wasn't really satisfied with that, so I decided to look through some of the photos on Flickr and I came up with this portrait of a woman. I like the sketchiness of my attempt, but looking at it, I realize I need to focus on contrast more than I have been. I darkened this up in the scan to get it to look better. Anyway, tell me what you think if you have them time.

Uncle Boring's Tuba Ensemble

2006-03-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Uncle Boring's Tuba Ensemble

Jack Black, on a Nickelodeon promo for the Kid's choice award, joked about how instead of the usual music, there'd be a presentation from "Uncle Boring's Tuba Ensemble." I loved the idea of someone called Uncle Boring, so I decided to draw a little comic (or CD cover) of what I imagined him to look like. I spent more time on this than you would imagine, but suffice it to say that I learned how to do even more with GIMP than from before. There are a couple of things that I would do differently. First, I would change up the background somehow so it wasn't just one flat color. I should have fixed that in the drawing stage because I can't figure out how to do it quickly on the computer. The second thing was something that I COULD have fixed (centering the image), but my eyes were going cross from staring at this for so long, and then the Simpsons came on the television so--you know. Until later!

Two Guys

2006-03-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

(Click image for Larger View)
Two Guys

The guy on the left is a sketch of someone I was watching on television. The one thing that I think I did well on this sketch was that I did it from a moving image; therefore, it was not "make-an-exact-copy" of what I saw. Well, not exactly anyway. The guy on the right is from a photograph I found on the Internet. He seemed like a happy enough guy, even though my sketch may not reflect that. In fact, my sketches really don't reflect much of either original image. My purpose in doing them was to try and build (or keep up) my meager drawing skills. I may do an actual comic later in the week, but I thought I should at least post something on a Monday. This is the second one in a row, so--"hooray, for me!"

Circus Story

2006-03-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Circus Story

Wow! So this is an actual Monday post. I almost don't believe it, but then again, I probably will be back to the usual erratic schedule that I have been usually following lately. Maybe I won't be so erratic in the future, but who knows? The best thing to do to get all of the updates is create a bloglines account and subscribe to this little comic that way. Personally, I like bloglines cause I can read about 70+ blogs on a regular basis, including the really cool drawing and cartooning ones.

Anyway, I tried some new things with this comic. The first is that I sketched out the whole thing in pencil first, and then I redrew it with the non-photo blue pencil and ink brush on another sheet of paper. I also thought I should try and vary the line thicknesses more. So the second thing is I tried to give the lines more weight. These new line thicknesses show up best in the last two panels. What do you think? Do you like the new line thicknesses? Does it matter? Did you eat pancakes for breakfast?

The next thing I will have to do is work on the script side of these little things. I don't really think up the story before I start drawing. Therefore, the stories tend to jump around. I hope this comic helps clear up the vagueness of the previous one. Oh well. In any event, whatever feedback you may have is greatly appreciated. (No Kidding!)

Neighbors

2006-03-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Neighbors

So, here is another update. I know that there has to be a better way to do this. And, actually, I have found a few tutorials on the web, but I don't have the right tools. For example, one of the things that I have to learn how to master is the whole layering thing in Photoshop, but since I don't have Photoshop, I have to learn it for GIMP instead. A wacom tablet might be nice (okay super nice!), as would figuring out how to do the lettering through the computer. Of course, all of this hand created stuff has a certain appeal, but I would like to take my drawings further than I have been. Oh well. I have found that doodling and sketching has been a stress reliever of late, so I may post more frequently, but maybe not as often as once a week. Until next time.

Another Tuesday

2006-01-29T01:58:00.000-08:00

(Click comic for Larger View)
Tuesday Two

I've been drawing a lot lately, but I haven't had much time to post things on the net. And, of course, it takes a little time to color these pictures on the computer. You can see some differences between this picture and the previous one, primarily I spent more time on cleanup. I also decided not to include the arrows like I did last time. Anyway, if you get a moment, tell me what you think.

Tuesday

2006-01-17T22:42:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger Image)
Tuesday

This "comic" reflects the things that occurred during my day today. There was a lot of walking. So much in fact, that I decided that I would take the evening off by drawing this little thing and coloring it cause I was so tired. One of the lessons I learned doing this particular drawing is that I should stick to pen rather than pencil in the finished drawing part cause it shows up on the computer so much better. Of course, I love the way pencil sketches things out with its warmer feel, but there are too many light areas that don't show up well. Basically, the above comic is missing the crucial "pen" step before the coloring on the computer. Oh well, better luck next time, which I am thinking is going to be next week. See you then.

Batgirl Meme

2006-01-13T21:58:00.000-08:00

(Click image for larger view)
Batgirl Art Meme

Okay, so it has been a couple of months since I last posted here, but I figured what could possibly be a better way to kick start things again than by participating in the new batgirl art meme thing that has blazed its way across the web recently. Here is my paltry sketchy attempt, some of the others though are nothing short of awesome. As for the comics, I am not too sure that I will be posting as much as I used to, but I think I will be posting more often than once every two months. I promise (I think.)

Awake

2005-10-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)

Awake

We've reached the end of the dream sequence. As for the future, I hope to explore some new storylines, or even try out new comic ideas, but right now I am not sure which way this will head. I am definitely going to think about it. Drop a comment if you have a suggestion, or just want to say hello.

He's Back

2005-10-04T22:45:00.000-07:00

Sleeping

So it has been a couple of months since the last post. I lost some of my focus, and to be frank, I just haven't had the time to work on this comic. I do have the next one drawn out in my sketchbook, but my brush pen has run dry, so I need to buy a new one before I can post the final installment in this sleeping series. As this is an experiment in comics, I am not to worried about it. I am thinking that part of the problem that I have coming up with ideas for this is that I didn't really think through the initial concept. But, I think I can change that. I also am going to be trying out some entirely new ideas here too (think something along the lines of the monkey comic below). If you haven't gone away during the large hiatus, drop me (or Zeb) an e-mail, and check back soon.

Island

2005-08-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)

Okay, so it has been way too long since I last posted--almost a half of month. Sorry about that. I have been super busy rying to get my life in some kind of order. Consequently, I haven't had much time to devote to drawing these comics. And I think that the lack of regular practice shows a little bit here in the drawing, especially Dana. More practice should take care of that. I'm really pleased with the coloring though. I think I am getting a little better at that. Send me (or Zeb!) an e-mail or comment and we'll try to answer you. I promise. See you next time.

Attack

2005-07-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Attack

The Pirates have finally attacked with all of their swashbuckling glory. Of course, now that I have had some time to think about the storyline more, I realize I should have called these guys the "Pira-rats." Maybe that is too confusing spelled out, but it sounds funny (sort of) when you say it. Oh well, live and learn.

Here is the post that I promised from a couple of days ago. As far as posts go, I am going to consider this post the new one, so if all goes well, the next post will be on Sunday after next. (Cross your fingers.) So, do you have suggestions for a new poll, a comment, request for a store item, or if you just want to drop a line? Heck, you can even send Zeb (The Angry Bear) a letter and he might answer you. You can comment by clicking the number of comments below this box, or you could drop me an e-mail at the address in the sidebar.

Update Again

2005-07-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

I know that it has been a long while since I posted a new comic, but I promise you that I have not forgotten the handful of devoted readers here. If all goes well, I will post a new comic soon, probably before the end of the week. I will need to buy a new brush pen, but that should not be a problem.

The reason for the inordinate delay has been the constant (but, thankfully, the slowly shrinking) pile of work that I have before me. There are several more books to read and papers to write, but during the odd moments of downtime (like meal breaks) I will have my sketch book before me. The sketching helps me think about other things too and acts sort of like a release valve on a pressure cooker. If you are so inspired, please leave a comment, suggestion, or otherwise. Until soon, I promise.

Admiral

2005-06-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

(Click comic for larger view)
Admiral

Even though it doesn't say so in the comic, this is yet another part of Zeb's dream sequence. I'm still drawing it by hand and scanning it in the computer, but the coloring is all computer. So how do you like it? Got any suggestions for a storyline? Leave a comment, even if you are an occasional or one-time visitor. Just like those little stickers say in the drive through windows of fast restaurants, "Your feedback is important to me."

Monkey Trauma

2005-06-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Monkey Trauma

This comic is either five days late or two days early. I am going to claim that it is two days early: therefore, the next comic will appear the sunday after next (hopefully). Furthermore, you'll note that this comic does not fit within the regular storyline I have been trying to develop, but I am not too concerned about it. I am planning to get back to the mouse pirates eventually. I just wanted to do something with monkeys because inspiration hit.

Related to monkeys, I admit to being a big fan of modern animation, and in my opinion, some of the best gags about monkeys comes from The Simpsons. One of my favorite gags happens to be when the Simpsons go to see Troy Mclure in the broadway musical "Stop the Planet of the Apes: I want to get off." Troy sings about apes and monkeys from "Chimpan-A to Chimpan-Z." Another favorite gag is when Bart wishes he had a "monkey butler." But recently I've been thinking about another throw away gag, a quick screen shot of one of Homer's favorite shows: "MTC: Monkey Trauma Center." Monkey Trauma Center would definitely be an animated show I would love to see. Someone (other than me) really should make a cartoon or comic about an all monkey hospital.

Anyway, I've always thought that Angry Bear Comics wouldn't just be about one comic, but would be a place where I could try out ideas about other comics here as well. For instance, I've got an idea about a Cat who is...well, I guess I will save that one for now. Let me know if you think that this kind of expansion is something you like or not. See you next time. (And for the love of..., please leave comment.)

Pirates!

2005-05-29T02:34:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Pirates!

First off, welcome to everyone who is visiting from the Keenspace forums. Your feedback is highly appreciated, so if you got a moment leave me a note or something. That goes for anyone else visiting here. I really would welcome any comments that you could make. (Except for spam: I delete those.)

As promised, here is the Sunday update. Zeb is continuing to have a dream on his birthday. You can find the earlier comics in the Archives. Barring any unforseen work related issues, I should be able to have the next one up on time. Also, don't forget to vote in the poll in the sidebar here. Right now, it looks like three names are in contention for the winner.

Still Drawing

2005-05-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Still Drawing

I have to admit that I haven't been as diligent in posting as I had promised earlier. Part of the reason is that I have been putting a little more effort into the planning and sketching of the comics than I did before. Of course, the other part of the reason why things have been slow is that I am still trying to catch up on mountains of work and reading that I still need to do for my job. Oh well, that's life I guess. I think that I am still developing my eye as far as the actual drawing of the comic goes. Now, I need more practice in the actual pen to paper stages. In any event, I hope you are still enjoying this. If you have a moment, give me any feedback you care to either in the comments or through the artist e-mail address found in the sidebar. Hope to see you soon.

Happy Mother's Day

2005-05-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Happy Mother's Day

Okay, so this is not part of the storyline that I have been developing lately, but seeing as how this Sunday is Mother's Day here, I figured I should do a little something. I may try to do a smaller comic during the middle of the week, but for this week, the above comic may be it. Anyway, Happy Mother's Day!

Sailing

2005-05-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Dream Waves

It doesn't look like I put as much time into this as I actually did. I spent more time on the sketching element, a bit more time on the coloring, and the pay-off is not really what I expected. Oh well. I think this proves that I need to keep experimenting with my drawing tools and the overall comics form. Eventually, I will try to get a Wacom Tablet, a computer drawing pad. I've heard that might help, even though it may be difficult to get used to. When I become a millionaire (yeah, right!), I may even buy a copy of Adobe Photoshop and take a couple of classes in it. In a strange way, this comic fits my mood as of late, but I won't explain how. If you have time, leave a comment or send me an e-mail. (For pete's sake, you don't even have to use your real name.)

Setting Sail

2005-04-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Setting Sail

After a long Birthday, complete with a tofu Cake, Zeb gets some needed shut-eye. The above comic is my attempt at a dream sequence. I think that the extra time that I spent in the sketching phases has paid off. I'm still working with trying to make the colors "pop" a bit more, but overall, I think I am improving.

I am realizing that the one way to make the comic better, aside from a few minor technological upgrades, is sketching. The more time I spend on fleshing out my idea in a sketch, the more pay off I will have in the final result. For the story element, as of now, I have no idea how this dream will turn out. Suggestions?

Another Delay

2005-04-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

Television

I have not forgotten about this blog, and I will be putting a new one up as soon as I get a chance. I've sketched it out, but I have yet to ink it or color it. Oh, well. If all goes well, I'll see you back here in a couple of days. In the meantime, feel free to comment or send me an e-mail. And don't forget to vote.

Birthday Cake

2005-04-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Tofu

I have no idea why there is a black line on the right side of the comic today. It didn't show up when I was working on the thing in my photoshop type program. Oh well. I guess it will give today's comic some character. I think that one thing I need to remember when I am drawing these things to be more free and loose in the sketching stage. Once I get the idea for the gag, I have a tendency to lock myself in to how I think it should look. More freedom in the sketching might give the thing more life. In any event, the Adam of this comic should be Dana's brother, and is a direct inspiration from the Buddhist feline in the previous post. Let me know how you like all of this! Until next time.

Buddhist Cats

2005-04-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Sketches

Okay, so it has been awhile since I last posted anything on here, but that it because my personal and student life has been extraordinarily busy lately. However, I did find time to make a new comic that I will post this Sunday for sure. It is all ready to go. Check back then.

In the mean time, because I promised an update in the last post, I figured I would post a couple of early sketches I made on some three by five cards during my lunch breaks while at school. As you can tell, these are very rough drawings and not touched up at all. (I did add a black box to indicate the different cards.) I have a few more of these 3x5 cards that I might post later. The giraffe character shows up in an early strip, but unless I get any good ideas or inspiration, I don't think he'll be returning. I thought he would work as Zeb's boss, but that went nowhere for me. The cat character was more interesting in that a friend found him funny. I remember seeing a Buddha figurine with a cat's head in an import shop. Ever since, I've tended to associate cats with Buddhists--perhaps it is a zen thing.

Tuesday Update

2005-03-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Too Much Work Again!

Okay, things have definitely not gone according to my plans. I truly promise that there will be a real update on the site soon. The poll on the side bar should be changed to reflect the new question, so be sure and vote for your favorite name for the duck character. In that regard, if you have not already seen it in the comments, or noticed it yourself, then it might come as some surprise to know that the duck character has four legs. Unlike Clark Doodlecoop who has two wings and two legs, the duck has four orange bottom appendages. What is up with that? It looked good when I first designed the character, but now I am thinking that a revision is necessary.

But even though there has not been an official update here on the site, I have been working behind the scenes and thinking a lot about comics lately. The first realization is that the camping storyline is going on for far too long than I intended, so I will try to wrap that up soon and move on to something. The other thing is that I need to try and make the characters have more dramatic poses. I have been reading several reference books about comics and, while it may not show up here, I feel it has definitely helped. In any event, I am going to shoot for an actual update on Sunday. But, if luck is with me, there may be a new comic sooner than that. Until then, vote and check back in a couple of days!

Almost Started

2005-03-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Almost Started

As the title suggests, this party is almost started. The above single-panel comic has all of the characters to date, but I am still planning on introducing more as time goes on. I've been doing some reading on comics, which leads me to believe that I should continue to develop my personal style (something that I feel I have been doing well), and try to punch up the visual syle to convey more action (something I could work on).

I've not yet put up the poll to establish the duck character's name. So far, we have: Polly Pufflehead, Polly Puddleduck, Wanda A'lorange, Wanda Bongobrains, and Kelly Krinklebird. I need more suggestions, so put yours in the comments. The poll should be going up next week depending on how things go.

Tune in Next Week

2005-03-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Tune in Next Week

Okay, my Monday posting (this one) is late, but the next one won't be since it is already drawn and colored. Of course, this isn't a real post, but as it didn't take long to make, I figured I would throw it up here on the site. Actually, the picture comes from sketch that I drew several months ago and have just now committed it to ink.

Please suggest new names for the duck character in the previous post for the poll. She, the duck, shows up in the next comic but still does not have a name. I will take your suggestions I get and turn them into a poll question. Don't make me beg! (Please...heh.)

New Character and Future Poll

2005-03-03T23:20:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)

New Character and Future Poll

Here is a character I've been working on for awhile, but I'm still not sure where I want to go with her. For example, I'm not sure what her name is. I've got some ideas for first names: Polly, Wanda, Lucy, Gertrude, Petunia, Suzy, etc. And I've got some ideas for last names: Quackenbush, A l'orange, Pufflehead, etc. But I am not sure if those are really the names I want to use. If you suggest some names, I'll choose the top seven and that will be the new poll question. Also, feel free to leave some comments about how the character looks. Should she look different: like, should she hold a soda or carry a comb?

Aftermath

2005-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)

Aftermath

Continuing the story arc about the camping episode. I figure I will do a couple more of these about the camping birthday and then do something new. The thing about stretching out a storyline over several weeks is that it is hard for me to remember what my orginal ideas for the storyline were.

I am still experimenting with the colors in this one. What do you think about them? I am partially restricted by the program I am using, but I am wondering if you thought the characters should be colored differently. I also tried to make this comic more tall than wide, but that doesn't work too well in this format. The best shape for the image hosting program I am using is a wide square rather than a tall rectangle. Anyhow, if you are so inclined, leave a comment or email me and tell me what you think!

Pressing Amounts of Work

2005-02-21T21:40:00.000-08:00

Pressing Amounts of Work

First off, this is not the comic that I intended for today. Originally, I wanted to continue the camping story arc, but I haven't had time to fully write the script or do the necessary drawings. The longest element to the whole process the way I have been doing is the inking with the India Ink. Good Grief, that takes forever! The brush pen has been helping out in that regard, so it was a good investment. I think it looks best when I combine it with the computer color as I have done here. In fact, even though this comic did not take as much time as some of my others, it may be among my best looking. I guess I am finding my own best creative process.

You may not have noticed, but this is the third picture in this day's update. Be sure to check out the Character Sketches and Dana's Circle picture below for todays sketch. The common element to all of these pictures is that they were drawn several weeks ago, but not uploaded into the computer until today. The reason for all of this is that I am swamped with work. I have to read several books (about 4) and write 30 "good" pages of academic writing in the next three weeks, and I am already behind. But my sense is that the key to getting all this work done is develop a routine and stick to it. Part of that routine will be this webcomic because I don't to burnout on work too quicly, even though I focusing more intensely on it than I have before.

Special Note: You may not have noticed yet, but I have changed the poll on the left from "which day you want the comic to update" to "which character would you like to see featured more frequently." I have determined to have a posting on the site by Monday. This will give me some time to work on the comic over the weekend. However, if you are a morning person, the best day to check the site for an update may be on Tuesday. I will try to be more diligent and regular about posting. Please vote in the Poll. And if you're feeling more adventurous, send me an E-mail. Zeb might bite, but I swear I don't!

Character Sketches

2005-02-21T21:31:00.000-08:00

Character Sketches

If you can't tell exactly by the style, I drew these pictures awhile ago on 3 x 5 cards with an ink pen. In fact, the Bossy and Clark Doodlecoop pictures are among the first sketches of those characters ever. Bossy has a blouse on that is really more "busy" than I intended, and you'll notice that Clark does not have the glasses I put on him on later. I think I am also going to give up the Angry Bear Homestead idea, but I am too sure. It would be a cliche to have them live in a tree, and seems a little weird to have them live in a cave, but I don't like the house that much either. Something will change over time eventually. There are some pictures that I did not scan of Zeb in shorts that look incredibly goofy, and some pictures of a cat character who happens to be Buddhist. I might post those later. (By the way, I adjusted these pictures on the computer, which is why the outlines of the 3 x 5 cards are not showing up.)

Dana's Circle

2005-02-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

Dana's Circle

Okay, this picture is really big. In fact, it is bigger than I expected. So while I am getting technically better with my Graphic-Photoshop-type-Manipulation tools, I still have a lot to learn. But on the plus side, this size of image will work really well for a T-shirt in the cafe press store. (Remember if you have specific requests for a T-shirt with a particular image on it, just drop me a line.)

My question for you readers is whether or not you think I should replace the image on the sidebar with the image above. I think that eventually, it would work really well to put all of the principal characters in their own circles just like Zeb is in the top sidebar. What do you think, should I switch them. I am leaning towards doing just that.

An Accident

2005-02-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
An Accident

Zeb is yet again surprised by his parents in their R.V., but the Birthday celebration should go on in the next few comics. I have some ideas for some new characters thanks to some feedback from a real close friend. I'll probably be introducing a new character because of it. Remember feedback is greatly appreciated, so if you can spare a moment leave a comment. Blogger has improved their commenting system, so it should be easier to leave an anonymous comment if you prefer. But, if you want, you can also send me an E-mail to the address in the sidebar.

As for the technical aspects of the comic, I used the ink and the quill to do all of the outlining and for the larger areas of black, I used the brush pen. That made things go a bit quicker. I think it looks okay. I fooled around with the image in my photo manipulation software to try and make the blacks look all of the same. The brush pen always looks brown compared the intense black of the India ink. Oh, well. If you have any suggestions about how better to do this, again, let me know. (I will try to change the vote question on the side soon once I get the time and remember how to do it. It may be a couple of weeks and will involve tinkering with the template.)

Behind the Scenes

2005-02-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

Behind the Scenes

Sorry about the week delay in posting, but things have been super busy with work lately, so I have not had much time to work on my comic. I do have one that is about half drawn that I hope to have posted in the next couple of days. I hope you are still having fun reading these. If you have any suggestions for improvement, story-arcs, or just want to say hi, remember, you can post an anonymous comment below, or send an e-mail to the address in the side bar.

As for this posting, this is a picture of the materials that I use to draw the web comic. The top sheet is the actual inked comic in a near finished state. I next upload it through my scanner, make the blacks darker by adjusting the "curves" in my generic photoshop program, and digitally erase any of the stray marks or mistakes that I may have made to the image itself. However, before the inking stage, I write out the script and draw a very rough guide of how I want the comic to appear on the page in a blue, non-photo pencil. This is the sheet in the lower right hand side of the photo. (This special pencil should not show up in the image scan, but I erase the marks anyway, probably because I am not using the pencil right and the marks tend to show.) The pens, the ink well, the pencil sharpener should be self-explanatory. However, I suppose I should point out that the bottom pen is a "brush pen" that is supposed to mimic a what could be called a painter's brush. Instead of the quill and ink, I used the brush pen to draw the comic shown in the previous posting. I am not sure I like it as well, but this might have more to do with my not being comfortable with it or my technique yet. If you have any questions, leave a comment, and I will try to answer in a couple of days or so. Also, look out for the new comic soon.

Getting There

2005-01-24T17:53:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Getting There

Okay, this is not the comic that I had planned for this most recent update. I have another script that I have written out, but because of time pressures, I could not ink it the way I normally do. Therefore, the comic you see above is a "quickie," which I did with a brush pen and a rough sketch in blue pencil rather than the normal quill pen and ink. I'm not sure what to think of this. Other than the fact that the comic was rushed, I am beginning to wonder if there is an advantage to this type of comic over my other method. What do you think? Do you guys have a preference? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your comments. Also, thanks for looking, sorry for being a day late, and see you next week!

Camping Surprise

2005-01-17T16:10:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger Image)
Camping Surprise

Camping is not one of those things one usually does in the winter around here, but heck, this is a comic after all, so why not? I hope to be able to do some more interesting things with the comic in the coming weeks. Of course, that is if I can get most of my work done. I've had to read three large novels over the weekend, and let me tell you, it is not as easy as it sounds.

As for the technical aspects of this comic, I really learned some things here. I've never really been happy with how I have chosen to do Dana's hair. Although it does not show here, I finally figured out how to do her length and style a bit better. Also, I've been working on different head shapes for Zeb to try and move slightly further away from a straight on, pure 2-dimensional view. But, I also learned a few more things that would be tedious to cite them all here. Let's just say: having all of your tools (pen nibs, paper, and pencils) in good shape really is something
special.

UPDATE: (1/18) Tuesday -- Hey there, everyone. I updated the character profiles in the sidebar. I'm not sure that I am all that happy with them, but I really would like to hear from you guys about what you guys think. Do you like them? Are there pictures you think would work better? Do you want any of these images on a T-shirt? Whatever, just let me know. I'm telling you: it would make my day.

UPDATE #2: (1/18) That same day -- While tweaking around on the site, I made a distrubing surprise of my own. I had been spammed in the comments to some old posts with what I shall call "less than family friendly" links to sites with "questionable" content, stuff that is beyond "R-rated." Man, I really hate that stuff. If you see any spam, let me know and I'll take down the comments for that particular post as soon as I catch it. And if your comments disappear too, try not to be too upset. You can always repost them, or you can just let me know so we can figure out a suitable work around.

Another Visit

2005-01-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

Another Visit

As promised, here is the Sunday update. There is not much to say about drawing this one, except that I still feel a need to figure out a better, quicker, way to do this. It was all hand drawn, then inked entirely with with a quill nib. I think I should be using a brush for the large black areas, but then part of me feels that I should figure out how to do this on the computer.

I hope to have the new update next Sunday. Although, like always, I need to do a lot of work. I am also suffering with a bit of a cold, so I don't expect to be able to work on the actual drawing until this saturday. Until then.

Reflection

2005-01-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Reflection

As promised, here is the new comic. Actually, this is one that I had been working on for a couple of weeks off and on, mostly off though. Part of me thinks that the various lines that I used make the comic too busy. Another part of me thinks that I need to go back to the drawing board as far as character design. Still, another part of me thinks that I need to find a quicker and easier way to do this. As this is all hand drawn and hand inked, I wonder if my technique could use much more work.

Regarding the comic itself, I wanted to draw one that "reflected" my somber mood lately. This last month has been tumultuous to say the last, and personally difficult. I have been doing a lot of thinking and introspection, much like Zeb appears to be doing here. If the weather was warm, and I had time enough to go to a lake for several days, that is just what I would do. As it is, this sort-of-autobiographical comic will have to do. See you on Sunday. (Oh, and please leave a comment telling me what you think! I'd love to hear from you.)

Mousepad

2005-01-04T23:30:00.000-08:00

Mousepad

Perhaps you've heard some cliche about the best laid plans, blah, blah, blah. Well, even though I planned on having some kind of update here on the site for the last several weeks, I had some personal issues that came up and needed my immediate attention. As a result, my comic here has fallen by the wayside a little bit, but I can promise you that there are more in the works. I have one inked right now, and it should be on the site tomorrow for sure.

As for this mousepad, a family friend bought it off the cafepress webstore I have set up. I wanted to say thanks for the purchase, but also to all my veiwers I haven't lost yet, I figured you would like to see it. I, myself, have bought a T-shirt and am quite happy with it. Eventually, I post a picture of somebody wearing it. However, if you would like to see a different kind of product in the store, just let me know and I'll see what I can do. (Note: My e-mail is to the right, just convert the stuff in the brackets to their appropriate symbol.) My long term goal will be to sell original signed sketches, but right now, I need to get more comics drawn and posted. And to that end, I'll see you with a new comic here tomorrow.

Too Much Work

2004-12-07T01:49:00.000-08:00

If you don't already know, it is the middle of finals week for me here, and the result is that I cannot post anything new on the site for the next week. I also have a BIG test on Saturday, so the nearest I can have a new comic on the site will be this Sunday. In a weird way, I am both looking forward to the test and dreading it. I will not have much chance to study for it like I want to because I need to get my unfinished papers done.

And wouldn't you know, the week that I don't have time to post is the same week that I have a lot of new visitors from the The Belfry WebComics Index. Sorry about that guys. Check back on Dec. 12th. In the mean time, check out the comics in the archives (you'll notice there has been a drastic development over time) and leave a comment telling us what you think, or suggestion, or whatever.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2004-11-24T08:24:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Happy Thanksgiving!

Or, rather, it should say Happy American Thanksgiving. Apparently, the Canadians had their Thanksgiving about a month ago, but I don't know if other countries have a similar "Thanksgiving" holiday, or if they do, when they celebrate it. I'm looking forward to eating some good food tomorrow.

As for the comic itself, I like how the lines turned out, but I should have inked in some more blacks for the background. If I had more time, I would have done that or added more color. Drop me a note in the comments, if you have time, letting me know wether or not you like the line quality of this comic as opposed to this one from October, the one titled "A Wet Cat."

Also, even though I never intended this comic to have semi-autobiographical elements in it, it has drifted towards being that way. Dana, Bossy Doodlecoop, and Skratchi all have rough real life counterparts. And in that regard, I should say that my girlfriend, the inspiration for Dana, is an excellent cook. She is not horrified by the "dog biscuit stuffing" punchline here, but by the idea that one gets recipes off of the Internet. While very occasionally she uses the Internet for food inspiration, most of the recipes, which I can attest to from personal experience, are yummy, and have either been handed down to her through her family or have been developed through her excellent sense of taste. Anyhow, enjoy your own Thanksgiving (if you have one) and happy holidays.

Overworked!

2004-11-21T21:10:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)
Overworked!

Like I promised, this is the comic for Sunday night. I tried some different techniques in this one like using a pen brush instead of pen and ink quill. Visually, I tried to continue with the circle inset. It is something that I really like, but there is a lot of white space around the whole image as a whole, and I need to work on that. Essentially, I need to remember that, even though I can experiment with different shaped comics, they're always going to be rectangle.

As for the comic itself, I must confess that it is a little auto-biographical. I would like to call in sick for the rest of the term to miss some of this work, but like a sled dog, the only way through this is to "mush" rather than stop. Probably won't be an new comic this weekend because of school and the holiday, so in case I don't say so before then: Happy Thanksgiving!

Angry Update

2004-11-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, well things are starting to pick up quite a bit around here, and as you may noticed, I did not get a chance to do an official full-cartoon update last weekend. I will try to get one out this Sunday night or so. It looks like that Sunday is currently in the lead as far as sidebar voting goes, but as you may or may not know, it is possible for some people (or everyone?) to vote at least twice. Since I don't have control over the code that is responsible for the poll, and because I really can't do anything about other people's dynamic IP addresses, I don't mind at all about the voting. I'm not expecting anything hugely accurate. Vote as often as you wish for your favorite day! I am thinking that I'll eventually get a new poll out sometime during the winter break or for the first of the year. By then, I figure I will have worked out an acceptable routine for the blog that you readers can truly depend on.

As for the being busy part, I will be even more busy than usual with work here at the University. Graduate work is sometimes a killer, and I have about three papers I need to complete in about as many weeks or less--not to mention, I need to read two other novels during that time and somehow maintain my sanity. I believe I can do it, but I'll have to put on my thinking cap (or fez if you prefer!). See you Sunday.

New Color Logo

2004-11-12T14:28:00.000-08:00

New Color Logo

As you can see, I decided that I should expand the experiment in color into the logo on the sidebar. This circle logo design is one of my favorite images here on the site, and if you go to the store, you can still buy a T-shirt in the original black and white colors. But, what do you think of the colors in general? If possible, I would like your feedback about this color experiment. Do you like the logo in color? What about occasionally having a color comic like the one below? If you have the time, let me know what you think in the comments.

Mr. Doodlecoop's Project

2004-11-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for Larger View)

Mr. Doodlecoop's Project

As promised, this is the special update with ths special treat: colors! Of course, I am still learning how to do this, so things may not look as cool as one would hope, but still, I think it is progress. I will not be able to post every comic in color, and I think that stylisitically, I really do even want to. However, the occasional color comic should be nice.

I am not sure where the current storyline is going, but I am thinking that I should do something with Thanksgiving. It is coming up at the end of the month, and it might be neat to do something with it. Of course, my real life work at school is starting to really pick up so I may not be able to post full comics as regularly as I would want to. However, I assure you that I will post something at least once each week. Keep checking back here for updates! Also, if you have any suggestions, such as what color things should be, or whether or not you even like it, just let me know. I really appreciate any and all comments.

Update Coming Soon!

2004-11-08T13:09:00.000-08:00

Skratchi's Motto

Hey, everyone. Although I do have a comic that is nearly complete, I probably won't be able to get it online until probably tomorrow. However, in exchange for the late posting, I am hoping to have a little surprise! to go along with that new post. I am not going to say what that surprise is. Let it suffice to say I have a new program on my computer that will allow me to do some different things, even cooler things. While, I haven't explored all of the program's capabilities or features, I think I can already do some neat tricks. We'll see.

In any event, the reason why the comic is late is because I am finishing up a major project for my real-life work, which if you don't know already, is as a graduate student at a state university. I needed to do a class presentation on a novel that I had been reading this past couple of weeks. The presentation went great, but I was working on it right up until late last night and did not have time left over for the comic. (Sorry.) In any event, check back tomorrow for the new treat. Also, if you have done so, consider linking to this site. And leave a comment; they are always welcome.

Linking

2004-11-03T15:57:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone. I just wanted to take this time to thank everyone for supporting this blog. I have learned a lot about the comic craft during the short period that this blog has been in operation, and I have some good ideas about continuing into the future. Your feedback has been very helpful and highly valued. I hope that you find the future comics even more enjoyable than the ones that have already been posted. I am still aiming for weekend updates, probably early Monday depending on how the sidebar poll goes. (Which by the way, I want to say: Thanks for voting!)

However, it occurs to me as I surf through the blogosphere every now again just how many brand new bloggers are out there. In that regard, I wanted to post just a little blurb about how to link to this site. Not everyone knows, or feels comfortable with HTML, and therefore they may not know how to create their own links. But from what little I know, it is very simple. (Links to this site are very welcome. I will try to include a link back to your site in return for a link to this one.)

With a view to make it simple for everyone, the HTML code for a link to this site appears below. However, to get this code to work you will need to change the square brackets that look like this [ ] to angle brackets, which look like this < > . (I needed to change their appearance below to get them to show up in this post):

[a href="http://www.angrybearcomics.blogspot.com"]Angry Bear Comics[/a]

If you use blogger as your blogging tool, find an appropriate spot in your template and post this HTML code. Next, save your template and republish it. You should see a text link to this site appearing on your blog depending on where you put the link in your code. For more information about making hyperlinks, or other fun tricks with basic HTML, you can go to this site for more information. Or, of course, you can also search the web. If you do include a link to us here, or put Angry Bear Comics in your blogroll, let me know in the comments by including the URL to your homepage so I can include a link back to you. See you soon with another comic!

Happy Halloween!

2004-10-31T20:33:00.000-08:00

(Click Comic for larger View)
Happy Halloween!

Well, Halloween has almost gone, and we still haven't had any trick-or-treaters, so I guess that means we will have to go find some children to push out kit-kats and milkyway bars on. Probably, we won't have anybody stop by our door at all tonight, not even to TP the trees out front. (The kids really missed out too because the candy wrappers are glow in the dark. Oh well.) I guess that we will have to eat all of he chocolate ourselves, something that I am not opposed to. We also did not do a pumpkin this year like we had planned on, but it saves us from having to watch the thing decompose on our porch.

For some reason, I did not think about doing a Holiday strip until the last minute. Therefore, although I should have posted this Halloween strip up at least a couple of days ago for the most effect, I am doing it now. I'm pretty sure that I will be ahead of the curve for Thanksgiving. Until then, I will be dreaming of pumpkin pies and cranberry sauces. My girlfriend says "winter squash and spiced cider." (She hates pumpkin pie!)

A Wet Cat

2004-10-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for larger view)
A Wet Cat

Sorry to all of those voters who wanted this posting on Friday. As Monday and Friday are the top two current leads in the sidebar poll, it somehow seems fitting to split the difference into the weekend. But I also know that the best way to build up a an audience is to try and develop some posting consistency, therefore I will try to do better.

As for this comic, there were a couple of things I was going for here. First, I wanted to try and update Dana's hairstyle since it seems a little awkward. I've tried to give an indication how it falls over the ear this time rather than behind it. Second, I wanted to try and experiment with a couple of different techniques with incorporating more shades through the "hatching" technique. You can see it in the rug, and in the picture of the ship in the background.

Finally, please feel more than free to leave (constructive) comments about the comic here. Are there things I should try and include? Things I should avoid? Do you know of a better way to draw and post these things? (One thing I have already learned is that the type of pen nib I am using loses it point after about three comics. I will be buying more.) Drop a note--an anonymous one if you want--in the comments. Not only have all of the ones you have already made helpful, but I assure you, I read every one. Thanks. See you next week.

Skratchi's Lament

2004-10-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

(Click comic for larger view)
Skratchi's Lament

Well, crap. After some work on this comic, it turns out that it will not post like I really want it to. Therefore, to properly see this comic in all of its glory, you will need to click on the image and then expand it with the hidden lower right-hand box (but only if you are using internet explorer). There are some instructions in the sidebar here which pretty much say the same thing. If anyone knows a better (and free!) way to do this, or if they know of other browser idiosyncracies, drop me a line in the comments. Otherwise, I am going to continue to fool, like a fool, with the form until I get it right. Ideally, I would like to have a large image appear in the center of the page which no-one has to do anything except look to see it properly.

As you can tell, I went with the "pixie" hairstyle for Skratchi. Thanks for all of your comments. They really helped shape how I see Skratchi as a character. As for the other hairstyles, I discovered that the "mod" version looks too close to a minor character on the PBS Arthur cartoon. Therefore, I decided to play it safe and not use it. What do you think? Is Skratchi what you had in mind? You can drop me another comment below to help shape her character if you wish.

As for things here on the cartoon front behind the scenes, my laptop is experiencing technical difficulties, so next week's comic may also be late. (The AC adapter has a frayed cord which finally blew up in a shower of beautiful orange sparks. I have to wait a couple of weeks for a new one.) I am going to continue to shoot for a Friday update, since that is what the majority of readers seem to want, but it might be better to check back on Monday for the time being as I can catch up more on weekends. Anyhow, thanks for reading and enjoying. Until next time!

Neat Announcement : Online Store Open!

2004-10-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

I've been working behind the scenes here a little bit, and I thought that, even though it might be premature, I would set up a little online store where you could purchase some cool stuff featuring Angry Bear Comic characters and logos. As I am a person of very little means, I have set this store up through cafepress, a fairly cool site that allows one design and sell a limited selection of merchandise without having to deal with the pragmatics of producing products, shipping them, or whatnot. Furthermore, this is more for fun than anything else; it is certainly not something that I ever hope to get rich off of. In any event, if you have some time, check it out: http://www.cafepress.com/angrybearcomics.

Finally, thanks to everyone who has posted a comment in the previous entry. It looks like "pixie" may be the hairstyle I'll be going with for Skratchi, unless of course something changes between now and the next couple of days. Please post your comments if you haven't already--heck, post again if you want to. All of the comments have been useful, even insightful, and have helped me shaped my ideas about the future of the comic. Until next time, have fun and enjoy!

Choose a Hairstyle for Skratchi

2004-10-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

(Click Comic for larger view)
Choose a Hairstyle!

Well, it sure has been awhile since the last post, hasn't it? Sorry about that. Work continues to take up a lot of my time, but on the plus side, I am getting caught up on all of it. And that allows me to take a moment to make a new post here on the site. I hope that I will be able to continue with a bit more regularity here, even if it means I wind up posting sketches instead of full comics.

Anyhow, this leads me to the picture above. I want to add a new character to the comic, Skratchi. I don't have a whole lot worked out concerning her character, and I was struggling on her design a bit too. I figured, "What the heck? Why not let the handful of readers here on the site choose how the design goes?" With that in mind, you, the reader, can help me decide which hairstyle Skratchi should have. Each hairstyle has a name next to it, so if you have a moment, leave me a comment (even an anonymous one) and suggest which hairstyle you like the most. Do you like "little house," the most? Or are you a "poodle" fan? I'll use the one I get the most response on so you can see the results in a future comic.

Concerning the sidebar vote on which day to have new comic posted, I will try to start posting with more regularity, and since Friday is currently in the lead, I will try to post on Fridays. However, I am going to leave the vote open, so you can continue to vote for your chosen day, and maybe the schedule will change to reflect your choice. But, even if it is a day or two late, please have a little pity on me. My other life has more than its share of demands. Until then, enjoy and have fun!

Next Week

2004-09-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

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Update Next Week

Wow, it has been awhile since I posted a comic last, but to be frank, I just haven't had much time to draw and ink another of these with all of the work that is on my desk. I really need to drop everything I am doing so I can do work. I have been in situations like this before, so all I need to do is pull a couple of all-nighters, and really focus all of my efforts. The metaphor that comes immediately to mind is this: when the starship Enterprise (NCC - 1701) is under attack, Captain Kirk usually orders Scotty to divert impulse powers to the shields. Essentially, that is what I am doing. So until next week (probably), I offer you this notice. As always, feel free to vote and leave a comment.

Family Photos

2004-09-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

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Family Photos

Finally, here is a new update, which continues the story-line of Bossy Doodlecoop's visit. Let me know in the comments how you think it is going, if you have the time. As far as this post goes, I guess I should let everyone know that I have changed how I am drawing these things once again.

First, I have my own scanner and no longer rely on the one at work. Unfortunately, I am using the scanning software that came with the scanner, which is pretty bare-bones, but eventually I will try to get some high quality imaging/photoshop software to make the comics a better. Second, I am now drawing this comic in actual ink, using a nib and inkwell rather than a regular fountain pen. The thing to notice here is how the type of line has changed. The lines have a personal quality that isn't communicated with the bare clinical lines of the pen. In this regard to line quality, the image in the second panel is my favorite, the one of Zeb. You can see how the line thickens and thins out in some good places. However, you can also see how I need some practice using these materials. I'm still shakey where I shouldn't be, and I may rethink about doing the lettering with the drawing nib.

I feel confident that the next few comics will be even better. For one, I used the wrong kind of paper with this comic, and I already bought some paper that will take an ink line better. The should make the comic look a bit cleaner. Anyway, this is the update for the this week. I don't think that I will have another update for a little while, but I am looking closely at the poll on the left here. It is a tie between Monday and Wednesday. Eventually, I will try to start posting on the day that the majority of you guys want me to, so remember, keep voting. Until next time.

The Visit

2004-09-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

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The Visit

I really should commit to posting these on a certain day. Therefore, if I need to be late, I can then tell you guys when to expect the new comic, rather than let you guess when I'm going to roll it out. I continue to be experimenting with the processing of these comics, and I think that I am really going to try and use an honest to goodness ink and pen set, rather than worry about using the sharpie pens and non-art type pens I use now. I think that the quality and uniqueness of line should really pay off.

And, as promised, this is the introduction of Bossy Doodlecoop. I'm not sure where I plan to take this storyline, but I like how this comic turned out. The last three panels stand out for me especially. Depending on my workload at my real job, I'll try to be regular about posting these thingss, and maybe for the future--the far, far future--I might even create a sketch blog where you can see my ideas in action. (Or more likely, my idea's inaction.) Anyway, as usual, you can tell me what you think in comments, and if haven't voted, make sure you do.

Our New Logo

2004-09-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

Our New Logo

So, as you can see, this is our new Logo for the site. As you may have noticed, the tagline for Angry Bear Comics here was: "1.0 Beta Version of Semi-Weekly Comic. An ongoing experiment in comics." I think now it is time to change it and make it official. While, this is still an ongoing experiment in comics, it is no longer the 1.0 Beta version. I've decided it was time for an upgrade to our new "Rowr 2.0 Alpha" version. What the heck does that mean? Well, to be honest, not much, but as I've established a modicum of consistency, I figured the tagline should reflect that. As always, please feel free to leave a comment telling us what you think.

An Unexpected Phonecall

2004-08-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

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A Phonecall

I'm still learning how to do this. I used a sharpie to fill in the large areas of black, but I think that soon I will try to use actual pen and ink, and maybe I'll even try experimenting with a brush. I am hearing that this is the best way to do these types of things, the best way to create the kind of lines I want, and the best way to give the comic the personal stylistic character it needs. Some of my lines here are not too good. Also, the pen I have been using for lettering doesn't work the way I want. I think the best panel in this strip is the one where Zeb is at a loss for words. I also liked the way Dana turned out in the second panel, even if the inking is a little off.

In any event, this comic is part of a story-line that will fold out over the next couple of weeks. I am hoping to get at least one of these out per week, but if inspiration strikes, and if I get some time for myself away from the demands of work, then I will post more. Don't forget to vote! I want to be able to hear your voice and see what you want. Also, don't be timid about commenting. I'm looking for any kind of feedback that you guys can give. Next Week: Bossy Doodlecoop!

Quest

2004-08-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

(Click on comic for larger view)
Quest

Once again, this is a comic that I had completed earlier, but didn't have time to scan in until recently. I have one more left until I need to, *ahem*, get back to the drawing board. I'm still trying to find my footing with both the drawing aspect and the computer aspect of this comic. It has been both challenging and fun. I am continuing to learn as I go, so things may be a changing more and more as I go on.

As far as the computer aspect goes, one of the things I recently discovered was the differences in browsers. If you want to see the best version of the comic, you should click on the image to see it by itself. However, if you are using Internet Explorer, you should mouse over to the lower right hand portion of the comic to reveal a little box with four blue arrows in each corner. Click on that little box to expand the comic to its original size. The difference in quality should be worth it. If you use Mozilla, like I do, then you should already see the fully expanded version when you first click on the comic. Since I don't have access to other browsers, can anyone give me feedback on how to view the comic with those other programs? (How does it look in Opera or Safari? Is there a way, or a need, to expand the comic?)

Don't forget to vote the day you want to see a new comic. I will leave the poll up for a month or so to allow people to choose. I am thinking that right now, one update per week is all I can do, until I get ahead on comics, and that won't happen until I finish up my other work. Although I haven't finished that work yet, I am really close. That's all for now, and--oh yeah, don't forget to Vote!

Dinner

2004-08-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

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Dinner

As promised, this is the update for the end of the week. I am still working on other projects that need to be completed soon, but I did not want to get too far away from Angry Bear Comics in the mean time. I had completed this strip a couple of weeks ago, but did not have time to upload it until now. Also, this strip was completely hand drawn, and as you can probably tell, I am still experimenting with the form. All of the black that you see was filled in with a fine tip pen--not something I recommend as I ran out of ink. As you can see, this strip was a little too tall, so the bottom edge of the very last panel is cut off. And, the final critique of myself is that the characters are still a little rough; I still need to figure out a good consistent way of drawing them cleanly. Which means, I need to practice a lot more to get them where I want. (I guess the REAL final thing I want to say is this: My heart longs for a scanner, but my wallet remains parched from a general lack of money.)

On another note, I have discovered that Dana the dog is one of my favorite characters here, and she is the most fun to draw. I think that her ability to return to her optimism, even in the face of Zeb's dunderheaded-ness, is my favorite quality of hers. Overall, I think the development of all of the characters will continue as I find their unique voices more. And as mentioned in my update post, I am going to introduce more characters soon to help flesh out the strip a bit better. While a couple of incidental characters have showed up, I think a couple more established characters will help round out the strip more.

Finally, I think that I also need to establish some regularity here as far as updates goes. I am thinking that I should update this site once a week. This will give me some time to doodle out the main ideas and have the strip drawn in a leisurely, non-pressured way--in a way that does not interfere with my other work. In that regard, I want to know: Which day of the week would you like to see a comic update here? If you have a preference, drop an anonymous note in the comments by clicking on comments link and posting your preferred choice. (Please, I wholeheartedly invite you to leave one. Unlike Zeb, I won't bite. I won't even "Grrr.") So--until next time.

Quick Update

2004-08-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

I figured I should let everyone know that I have a couple of comics that are already completed and should be up either by the end of this week or the beginning of next. These two comics were finished before I started a big push to get my other work done. I've tried out a couple of new techniques and I am introducing some new characters (like Clark and Bossy Doodlecoop!). It should be fun, but as I mentioned in the previous post, I am still rather busy finishing other things, so I can't update the comic as much as I've wanted to. However, comments are still open, so if you want to comment anonymously, or have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Hopefully, I'll see you here by the end of the week!