Incognito

This was a challenge accepted.

Didn't win though, but it proved I could still get through with my own stories. This was actually fun since I have so little time  and with a shortage of funds, I pushed hard just to see if I could produce something worth while.

The idea is to stick to my guns and do what I want readers to see. getting this out means I could use some of my old illustrations (what's left of them) and still draw new ones. This is a one-off and mainly to claim them as my own.

Writing was harder.

But  as they say, if you are having fun doing it, it's not work at all.

Gato Loco G.I.G.O. Character Design

Gato Loco

[nondescript]

G.I.G.O. Character Design

Komiks

Paragon G.I.G.O. Character Design

Paragon

[villain]

G.I.G.O. Komiks

Story and illustration by me,

Coming very soon.

Done Inking

Mapolan Dian Masalanta

[Mariang Makiling]

Pen, Brush & Ink

Vellum Board

297mm x 420mm

[29.7cm x 42cm]

Ang Tagailog at si Mapolan Dian Masalanta

Ang Tagailog at si Mapolan Dian Masalanta

Pen, Brush & Ink

Vellum Board

297mm x 420mm

[29.7cm x 42cm]

Ang Pagkagapi ni Dagulang Ba-It at ang Tagailog

Ang Pagkagapi ni Dagulang Ba-It at ang Tagailog

Pen, Brush & Ink

Vellum Board

297mm x 420mm

[29.7cm x 42cm]

In Color

I was never into coloring my work. I mean, I have no faith in coloring my art. Sure I could pencil stuff, I could ink. But when it comes to adding color, I felt like I'm still doing anime in-betweens and I pretty much spent several years avoiding that way of drawing.

Thor-Ta 

But a friend, someone I have worked with at TV5 asked me to collaborate with this project. I am in the middle of writing and illustrating my books, so I needed the extra income so why the hell not right?

I got scared. because back when we were doing simulation drawings for the news, those were really quick penciled drawings and haphazardly colored to fit the motion graphics and those were the days we worked fast, really fast to make the on-air time.

But I like komiks, yes comics spelled with a K, because I love them, the rough and limited colors of every printed serials I read when I was young. 

And I think my inking is getting better all the time, so I agreed.

Paloma

And I just did what I know would fit the way I draw, whcich is very old school, even if I do process them through Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. With Illustrator, I enhance the scanned inked drawing and it comes out like woodcuts. Then layering in Photoshop gives me ampkle space to paint colors.

Also, I do digital doodles in my spare time and lo and behold, they fit right in with this tv show, these backgrounds are also from my stash.

Ahh-Darna

These drawings can be seen at the start of every Madramarama Presents Ahh-Darna on GMA7's Sunday Pinasaya. I rarely watch tv nowadays, because I don't feel the need for it anymore. but this particular segment has Valeen Montenegro in it which I could say is cool, because I loved her when I was with TV5. No She doesn't know me.

Mike does one hell of a job with the motion graphics and editing for the show and I was pleased to see he got the komiks feel right down pat.

I still have several episodes to do before this gig is through. So I'm improving as I go along.

Inking WiP for #LinggoNgWika2015 - Mars Ravelo's Darna

Darna Reimagined created by Mars Ravelo

Okay, inking almost done. Not sure what to do next, though, maybe do some corrections before proceeding to digital coloring, if this kind of illustration will work with color. I veer towards making it look like woodcut or at least old school print.

We'll see what happens on my next post.

WiPs for #LinggoNgWika2015

Mars Ravelo's Darna

A reimagination of Mars Ravelo's Darna, still in pencil phase, hoping to finish inks and color so that this could be a part of the artwork raffle and giveaways for #LinggoNgWika2015 an event by GTMACCon with Kit Perez at the helm, in cooperation with the National Center for Communication and Arts  that will happen on August 1, 2015 at the Fisher Mall 

Cover Art for a Short Story for Dagitab

 And this one for show, since I also write, or aspire to be a writer. If this story get published, the artwork will be the cover.

New Project. Kinda.

It has been too long sinceI posted anything substantial. Probably because I got sidelined by life itself. But there's always some itch you cannot scratch fully. So, I sat down one day and let the itch take me someplace .

This is a new project. Something that could be the restart of a once shelved storyline I've had for ages. This will be the conduit for everything that could explain the Daluiong Story Arc. This series may or may not make it to Mang Jun Dayo's venture, so I'll just continue in this line of comics until the proper funds could be pooled to actually self-publish the whole caboodle before I die, ha ha ha!

Taking A Step Back

It was a no brainer really. It is the most decent thing I could have done, given the life that I have squandered here on Earth.

When the news finally came in in trickles, I was on the floor with a couple of coleagues, doing graphic duties for the news. The few images we got gave me an enormous feeling of dread and helplessness. All those complaints and grievances I harbor seem to be all too petty and weightless compared to the loss of lives in the wake of Yolanda. And knowing that a friend,  whom we share the apartment with, and doing what a reporter does on site, was incommunicado at the time, the stark reality didn't really hit like a thunderbolt, but like a slow poison eating you up and killing you inch by inch, nerve by nerve.

I have to do something.

I did. But it seemd so mall an effort. Too little. And too late for that matter.

What I'm writing and illustrating with what is supposed to be launched at the Komikon this coming weekend, is a re-imagining of life here, and there was some panels and scenes that I will have to rewrite and redraw given the big similarities with what just happened in the Visayas. I just had to decide it would be very insensitive of me to publish something that is so close to the bone.

I started to write and illustrate my own novels in comics form, dreaming of acknowledgement and acceptance as a comics artist. But that would have to wait. There are more important things to do than think about my delusions of grandeur at this point.

I have done my part, and will continue to do so, with the relief for survivors of Yolanda. You can contribute by getting the information HERE

I urge you to do the same. However small. Anything will be a bigger help than you can imagine.

DAIO Cover WiP

Re-Vision

This came out of that immersion.

Will post the nitty-gritty soon. There is a process I seem to follow for my own style, if there is one.

November is fast approaching, more quicker than you might think. The last quarter of 2013 is important for me as well as my coleagues whi are vying to publish their own brand of komiks [comics], and I for one, am anxious and nervous about it.

If you are following this blog, you might have noticed that my posts have been studies of what I would like my illustration to be. And that is true.

This past weekend, I barricaded myself inside my matchbox apartment, took out my copies of Marshall Law, Wasted, Conan The Barbarian, and various Trident comics titles. And I do have a copy of The Philippine Comic Artists Portfolio, by Pyramid Publishing, plates from greats like Redondo, Malgapo, Infante among others.

Such heavy weights to carry, such beautiful artwork to emulate.

And I have no I dea what my artwork would be like. So I looked at how these artists did their work - the shadows, facial nuances,  composition.

It was total immersion. I even played The Lord of the Rings Audiobook for ambience.

Character Design / Development - Markupo of Night

The Local dragons lineup is almost complete.

Character Design/Development - Bakkunaua of the Seas

Dragons. What do we know about them? I began researching for dragons in our culture, folklore and tales handed down from the stories of old. I was reluctant to illustrate dragons as told by our European brothers, nor follow the Oriental description of dragons.

As with my previous posts, I am reinventing the dragons in my story as somewhat rooted on the animals themselves, but immensely larger and has the intelligence and wit of wizards and wise men.

I[d like them to be oracles, 

keepers of the wisdom of ages, and the sentinels of their domain.

Character Design/Development - Pha-Ett

There were stories of how Paete, Laguna got it's name. Some are really insightful, most veer towards myth and legend. There is one, however that I hold close to my heart, the one where a rampaging bull of a boar was wreaking havoc on the small towns that line the foot of Sierra Madre. Even as a child I often think of that beast a a kind of dragon, hemce the reference to mythical beasts and cryptids.

Ten times bigger than the tallest man, this Dragon Minora is one among the few guardians of the land, more will be shown here as we move along. At this stage, the only things remarkable are the tusks and thick mane, and of course, the long hairy tail.

I tend to create our own dragons differently from the European and the Oriental. And there will be changes, hoprfully for the better, before Pha-Ett appears one one of my Komiks. 

Summer Komikon 2013 - A Tale of Awe

It was an experience that awed me.

I have been in a couple of events but never as an exhibitor nor a participant. This time was different. It was a test of nerves. Because I have been reluctant to take part in an industry I love since I sneaking out as a kid and paying nickels and dimes to read Funny komiks, Aliwan, Pilipino and other titles we followed then.

I came in with these sample titles I have been meaning to put out, and it was John Nano and Conde Amor who opened the rabbit hole.

Si Ching, Si Ana at Si Badong will be a
komiks series for children,
and it will be someting that engages
the child to make up their own stories
 on a "blank" copy.

At 10:30am, John was antsy, feeling a bit peeved that no one seems to notice us. I elbowed him into thinking it's still early. True enough, a few stopped by and looked and perused the pages of Kuatrokanto, which is John's own story and artwork being launched that day. And a pretty young lady accompanied by her boyfriend, whom I noticed was the same girl I took a jeepney ride with going to UP. It's where I had my Komiks Sampler printed. John switched into his ususal charm and gab, and soon enough we had our first buyer!

Chicken Wings is taking flight!

We had breakfast as early as 7:45am, but we weren't prepared for the deluge. It was wave after wave of people passing, stopping, looking asking. Conde had a grand time looking over titles everywhere he could find, and there was a lot. Clark navarro, our new friend who's into cosplay really did have some visitors who are asking about the services.

Sambuig is an old pet project finally
getting written and illustrated.

Meanwhile, even if If I wanted, I was really geeking it out, eyes wide at the known artists just an amrs reach. Earlier, I did buy a Wasted reprint from Gerry Alanguilan, and I was blown away by the man's quiet demeanor and welcoming smile.

The flagship.
Diverse Augmentation Infused Operative
will be published at the next Komikon this
year.

And it was only our brownies, baked and prepared by Akel who took us through a no-break lunchtime, because it was really THAT busy. Even the other guys close to us got a taste of it. The brownies. I mean.

The short stories are now in continuance. Finally.

From hereon in, it was a steady flow of people, and before we know it it was past 5pm, and we really did sell some copies, in fact it was beyond what we expected. Although it could be the brownies, we offered them as free with every purchase, or the free Pussy Trail and Komiks Sampler included in the sale.

It doesn't matter. What we wanted is to let people know we were there. And my titles get it's proper exposure - the komiks reading crowd - and we did have a fun time. Though, I fear John's voice might be a bit hoarse today, he did all the talking. I did most of the shooting.

I was also taken by the sheer dedication and love by artists, writers and readers alike for  Komiks. Maybe thiese are what really convinced me to finally get to writing and illustrating

The Haraya Crew

You can view the rest of the 5th Summer Komikon 2013 HERE

Summer Komikon 2013

John Nano and Conde Amor were kind enough to nudge me into going through with my delusions of grandeur , so I'll be with them at

Summer Komikon 2013

April 13, Saturday

Bayanihan Center, Pasig City

10am to 7pm

On The Shelf

I have to get back to these projects. They have been lying dormant for sometime now. 

Although I have been writing and doing research in between posts while working on some job-related projects too.

I am also pondering a design for my own ink, collecting styles and symbols that would cover the entire breadth of my back.

I keep reminding myself Patience is a virtue with everything I do.

Rediscover: Phantomanok

Phantomanok Sketch A Day 000

Phantomanok is an almost forgotten comics (komiks) series of my childhood. Published on Liwayway Magazine in the early 70s, written by Rodie Marte Metin and illustrated by Arem Cunanan  who, I fervently hope, to get in touch with to pay homage and maybe ask permission to base my character on, even the story.

I meant to do the studies on paper, like I always do. But since I do have this graphics tablet lying around, might as well use it and see what could turn up from scratch.

Gratitudes, for pointing me to the right direction, to Mr.Gerry Alanguilan  and  Mr. Randy Valiente  both distinguished artists whom I badgered for information. Visit their sites and be blown away!