Farsong Blog-o-Matic

Fifteen-minute sketchcomics. On notecards.



My group totally owned the presentation. I had about fourteen notecards with points (the powerpoint had only three slides with quotes for me, and I actually referenced it only once, having it show different things than I was explaining). I didn't read the first half of the notecards and ended up tossing the last for or five on the table as I was talking. Apparently, I did so in a manner as if I were disgusted with said notecards.

The speech in the bubbles is actually apropos of nothing.

I should also add that the MacBook is awesome when I can control PowerPoints with its little remote-control.


I need to get a new Molskine notebook. And a new, 8.5" by 11" spiral-bound sketchbook. And some markers or something.

Inland Northwest Multimedia User Group

Attended a presentation about typography this evening, over at the Riverpoint campus in the U–district, invited by a member and classmate. It’s one of those subjects I find fascinating, especially since it’s all around us — and making things look good is as important as making sure they work well.

I’m going to be paying closer attention to web typography now.

Here are the haps, my friends:

Monday:
• Left my cell phone on the bus. Freak out for about ten minutes, then fret for another twenty before meeting the bus on its way back and claiming said phone from the driver.
• Noted that the laptop-end of the AC/DC adapter/power supply was unusually warm, and more kinked than remembered. Also: kind of melty.

Tuesday:
• Noted that the kink in the wire, where it enters the laptop plug, was not just warm, but more hot and melty. Predicted failure the next day.
• Noted that the topcase (keyboard, trackpad, and palmrest) has cracked more. Decide to look into repair, Friday, after presentation for which laptop is needed.

Wednesday:
• Woke up to find that the laptop-side plug was behaving erratically, 12h ahead of schedule at least. Decide to wait until Thursday afternoon to see about replacing it, and steal borrow father's MacBook Pro's power supply if needed. Disconnect laptop and take it with.
• Return with a 30% charge, plug in the laptop, dick around on the internet for a few minutes before noting "OH SHIT IT'S SPARKING AND SMOKING!" Quickly unplug it, grab a MacBook Pro adapter, and inspect the plug. Large holes in the plastic sheath. Welp, looks like it's time to replace it.
• Go find local apple-care place. Get replacement power supply, get topcase ordered, chat about how the topcase replacement will take 30 min tops, and about how it's a pain to open iBooks. Will return Friday to replace the topcase when it comes in. Leave with shiny, new power supply which should not have the design flaws of the Rev b Magsafe power adapters.


Basically, that's as bad as it gets for me + tech. I mention it not because I'm complaining, but because I find life really amusing. If it's software, I can usually fix it.

In six parts; the idea was to do it simply. Even then it took a while, but it was a great exercise, too.



Parts are perhaps a little dark, but it's supposed to be cheesy (perhaps the cheesiest ending evar), but not edgy; edgy comics are annoying and usually somewhat pretentious. I also tried to show it, not tell it. That's kind of the point of comics.

( The rest of the story )

I didn't realise how long it would actually take to draw/ink/scan six-and-a-half-pages of comics.

This would have taken entirely less time if I had a faster scanner and faster hardware to render the pages. However, I like the way that my scanner works, and how it works with SANE. I do, however, need a new Wacom tablet.


It seems that my style has been influenced by:

Bryan Lee O'Malley
Ryan Estrada: ryanestrada
Mark Smith & Paul Maybury
Mitch Clem: rainofbastards
Calvin


I should probably also mention that this is my first all-nighter ever. Never made it all the way through before, and I can't stop now that it's after 5. That's <2 h sleep, and I can't do that.

Two new albums to-day:

Envelopes — Here Comes The Wind
A little bit Architecture in Helsinki, a little bit Firey Furnaces, a little bit Ima Robot, a little bit Broken Social Scene, and a little bit B-52's.

Excellent little Swedish indie-pop band. Each song is different, but they actually fit together as a whole. This is on this year's The List*.


Don't Stop: Recording Tap
Funk/dance/disco/pre-rap beat poetry. Good stuff.


Now, I'm sitting here drawing things, and have been for hours. I'll post the completed comic later, but this week is busy. It's seriously the cheesiest thing I've ever drawn. I just realised a few minutes ago that I need to keep all the micron pens in order, otherwise I'll go insane because I can't find the nib/tip size micron pen I need.

Also, this inking 6 pages of comics business goes slower than I anticipated. I don't think I've actually ever done this many full pages before. Fortunately, I can devote all my time till Thursday on this project as a whole (the comic is a small part of the overall presentation); then it'll be smooth sailing for the most of the semester.

I'm totally strung out on Dr Pepper and sour cream and onion Sun Chips right now. I neglected to get the Nutter Butters, but I think I can survive.

I just realised that this is the first real "24-hour-comic" style thing I've ever done. I need to do more of those.


--
* dragon is too lazy to look up The List (of albums for the year). Click the "music" tag and find it maybe. Last year's is probably towards 31-Dec-2007 or 1-Jan-2008.

I think it was torakiyoshi who has taken an interest in comics with punchlines about hats. This is for you.

"Have a nice day, new scum!"

I've been reading too much Transmetropolitan. Or maybe not enough.

Transients and trefoils.

Crazy hats (and crazier eyes)

Dinner at Tomato Street

More amusing things about twitter.

Frankly, I'm obsessed with it. It helps me not deal with real life problems.

I go to Eastern Washington University. I live at home, having moved back in with parents.

There's a reason for this: money.

( EWU )

Part in a continuing series in signage and typography.

• Hillary is the psycho ex-girlfriend of the Democratic party

Despite all the math counting her out, Hillary Clinton fervently remains in the race to become the Democratic nominee for president in 2008. She has become the Democratic Party's psycho ex-girlfriend, and she's not going away without a restraining order.

• Exfoliate
For the Dr Who fan who needs a good scrubbing

• Gnome + Do = Crazy Delicious
Have I mentioned this one before? It's Quicksilver for Linux. It's really snappy. Adding this made me feel immediately at home on Ubuntu 8.04.

• The Arcade Fire for Obama for President
Wait … aren't the Arcade Fire a Canadian band? Not that it matters: America's business is the world's business.

It has been an ever increasing series of this:


Not bad, just terribly amusing.

This stuff is almost like poetry in its odd grammar and such:

NOTICE:
• Do not keep it in a hot and humid place
• Avoid direct sunshine
• Avoid liquid in
• Do not touch the metal parts
• Prevent in from being heavily squeezed
• Twisting the cable is prohibited
• Be sure not to disassemble the body

Anyway, I'm busy working on things. Drawing a comic about NAFTA for class. Busy all weekend.

Colored.

To prove to myself that I can actually draw things and then color them. Also: that I don't suck at choosing colors. Also: I thought it looked better in color.

Oh, hey, look: it's a sloppy comic, posted here because it's journal-comic stuff:

( it's sloppy; also: wide )

This was what? Two weeks ago, monday? Something like that.

I finally remembered I had a nib-tipped dipping-ink pen thing, and I inked this two weeks after it was drawn.

But I really did freak out. I was writing a paper at the last minute on the bus to University, and it was raining and the bus had a leak right at the articulation (where the back half connects to the front half with the rubber accordion section). Anyway, I freaked out.


I thought this was sloppy and dirty and rushed and confusing and has too many lines. It's here because it's journalcomicsblog stuff.