Overload, Overlord
Important Milestones and Babylon
The last two months have been a blur. I've been at sea searching for a golden inkwell. Luckily, I have finally come up for a breather. It will be quick. There’s still tons of sea life to examine.
COMICS! COMIX!
My graphic novel has been taking up so much of my time. I have been working on this project since October 2022 and will be steady on it for the rest of 2023. Finally, I have reached a milestone that makes me feel like I am making progress! As of Monday, at 11:15 pm, I have completed the penciling/inking stage. Whew, that was a journey. For you makers out there, you know that this is a huge task. Layouts, story flow, composition, action, quiet moments… it all gets set in stone during this stage and I’m happy to say that it’s all there, minus some erasing and a few corrections.
Now, it’s 100% paint mode. Of the 120 pages, I have a bit over 20 pages painted, so I still have a long way to go.
This is my process for painting:
1. Scan in inked page
2. Bring into Procreate on my IPad, touch up and adjust levels
3. Trim a 9x12 piece of watercolor paper so that it fits in my printer tray
4. Press print! End result is my inked page on 8.5 x 11 watercolor paper
5. PAINT!
Rinse, wash, and repeat for all 120 pages. It’s a long process, and likely very inefficient, but it’s the process that I successfully managed for the first part of this book, so I must trudge along.
Line work is a big part of the project, so I’d say that I’m about 60% of the way there. The last 40% has a ton involved as well; painting, touch up, and a good amount of design work.
Point being, there’s no turning back now. Life underwater is long, strenuous, and beautiful.
What I’m Watching
Babylon was a movie that I missed during last year’s Oscar run and I am so sad that I did not get to see it at the theater. It’s manic, divisive, and insanely subversive. It’s for all of these reasons that I loved this movie. The film takes a typical period piece idea about the transition of silent film and creates a wildly artful journey that’s so unexpected. It will leave your jaw on the floor right up until the final shot. I understand that Babylon will not be for everyone, and honestly, it shouldn’t be. It reminds me of underground comics. Some people hail the scene as revolutionary literature, and others see it as unintelligible dick jokes. Choose your side! And let me hear about it. Babylon deserves more discussion. 10/10 for this guy.
What I’m Reading
With the recent announcement of Fábio Moon’s appearance at Galaxy Con Austin, it has me going back and revisiting some of his older work. Moon is one of my favorite artists of all-time and I’m thrilled that he will be in Austin very soon.
De: Tales is a collection of slice of life short stories by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá that are based on their lives in Brazil. The stories have a surreal undertone as they graze the romantic side of comics while offering a genuine glimpse into the lives of two working artists.
The art and writing duties are split by Moon and Bá and are nothing short of a masterclass in black and white comics. Moon's character work is elegantly cartoonish and there is so much life in his cityscape drawings. I could look at these pages for hours. Check out De: Tales, and if you haven’t read Moon and Bá's other work like Daytripper and How to Talk to Girls at Parties, what the hell are you doing with your life?! Seriously though, both of the afore mentioned books deserve dedicated posts. They are amongst my all-time favorites.
Fábio Moon also has a delightful Substack called:
He includes life updates, beautiful illustrations, and a certain slice of life quality that is entirely unique compared to most newsletters. Check him out!
Upcoming Shows
I have shows coming up soon! Check me out if you’re in the area!
August 19th - 20th: Eastern Rim Con in Baytown, TX at Goose Greek Memorial
August 26th: Author Indie Book Fair in Houston, TX at the Spring Street Studios
September 1st - 3rd: Galaxy Con Austin at the Austin Convention Center
That’s a wrap for now. Be well, my friends…
Thanks for your time,
Nico