Textcast: Chock Full O’ News

It’s Tuesday and I have some news for ya!

Lets break it down Jericho style…

1. I am now just about at the halfway point of the book which means I am close to done! I worked some more tonight and here is a sneak preview of some shots of Nat from the page I was working on…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ^^Nat saying “Dont hate me but…”  ^^

Then I went to the bottom panel on the page since I was in Nat mode I did her last appearance in this issue with this shot of her looking back…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SO that page is almost done and then it’s on to the next!

2. Speaking of next I am investing in a new Desktop Computer this weekend to be the new host of all things Synergy. The Synergy Hub will hold website content, artwork, and all the software I need to work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The Synergy Hub is an HP Pavillion S5713 with a 500GB HDD and 3GB System memory with a Lightscribe CD burner and a NVIDIA Geforce 6150 Graphics Card and an 18inch Flat Screen Monitor. Did I also mention it also does dishes?

 Can’t wait to get this puppy and switch everything on my dinky personal Toshiba Laptop onto this sexy beast.

 3. So once the stuff is all converted over to the Hub and hooked and all, I am planning something I am pretty excited about…

 The Synformers PODCAST!

 Thats right, me and my friends will be doing a webshow covering all things Synergy as well as Comics, Movies, Games, UFC, Wrestling, and all things geek related!  Basically it is going to cover everything I am into and most of my friends are into the same things so it should be a great experiment!

 

I will keep you guys posted on more details lets just say I am hoping to hold the first show in around 2 weeks SO STAY TUNED!

 

4. Flick of the Week! This week brings you an awesome parody of Starfox called STANFOX 64 if you like Starfox you’ll love it!

Ok I am done for now!

 

ADIOS peeps!

 

~John

Textcast: Denim Chicken Edition

I got tired of writing a new phrase for an UPDATE so I went with Denim Chicken edition…to find out what that means go you should start watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

  

ANYWAY

 

So this week I have finished another Page which means 10 pages are done! Of course I still have 12 left and a cover to do but hey it’s progress!

 

I am kind of bummed this week because I realised Wizardworld Philly and well convention season in general is here again and yet again it’s another season where I dont have a table. I could get one for Philly but I wont have the book done and I really want to wait to get a table at a big con until I have the book to promote/sell. I still remember last year telling everyone “Oh yeah I will be here with my book next year…” And of course I am not going to be there. I will be depressed walking around this year and wonder what could have happened if I had my book done and on display there.

 

 

I guess it’s my fault for doing so much sidework and so many other conventions instead of just cutting it all out and focusing on my book. I did a lot of Art Shows this past year which was awesome as it let me spread my name and make some new connections and I did Free Comic Book Day (which I may do again this year…) which was even better.

 

 

I am hoping that my book is done by September so I can at least hit the tail end of Convention Season which is Baltimore and New York (although the Price for a table in NY is RICOCKULOUS it may be worth it with all the national exposure) I am also planning a ful on Adventure for July 2012 and hitting San Diego Comic-Con!  Who’s comin’ with me??

 

 

I cant even answer why the book isnt done yet I want it out so bad at this point I want to get it done and inked by July, that is my deadline and I am putting it out there now so you guys can hold me to it…

 

 

IF THE BOOK ISN’T DONE BY THE END OF JULY YOU CAN KICK ME IN THE JUNK.

 

 

There, Now I have a deadline and I am not doing anymore sidework that I wasnt asked to do already SO DONT ASK!

 

 

My book is my number one focus right now and I am not doing anything art related until it’s done.

 

 

I will hit the halfway point hopefully by the end of this weekend which leaves me with 4 months (including July) to finish this and send it to my inker (once my inker has it I am out of the July deadline thing then its all on him!)

 

 

If I didnt work a full-time job I would probably have 12 issues done at this point!

 

 

Anyway this was a full on ramble for that I am sorry and I reward you with this weeks Flick of the Week which is an awesome rap for one of my favorite films ALIENS…its comedic and silly and awesome and it sounds like Ali G rapping which in itself is pretty cool.

 

 

 So thats it for this week I was going to put some more but meh I am bummed and busy working on the book so I dont have my junk kicked in.

 

ADIOS

~John

Textcast: Dorkboard Edition

Hola,

 

I set up a corkboard in the office this week FINALLY!

I had bought the damn thing forever ago and had all these thumbnails and rough sketches laying around the office it was driving me bonkers.  Now I can put them all over the new board that is right next to my desk so it’s a big help.

 

In other news I am also still cracking away at the current page and it’s coming along and I am almost halfway done the book! I think I have to throw a party when it is done and man I dont even know how it’s going to feel all  I know is I cant wait for everyone to read it!

 

 I also plan on taking my pages over to kinkos this week and get some scans done so my inker and possible publisher can take a look at what I have so far!

Here is what the page I am on looks like so far…

 

It’s coming along…panel 2 is probably going to get redone his eyes are too big.

 

Also if you look up top you will notice a new button called FLICK OF THE WEEK…here you will see the best Youtube video I have seen all week…yes I have seen the Bully Beatdown and it was pretty effin incredble but I wanted to post something that not many people have seen yet so I went with the Saxman! Go look and laugh!

 

Sometimes I will also post some Art Vids there so whenever there is an update check it out!

 

~John

Textcast: Triple Threat Edition

This weeks edition brings 3 big news stories for you so lets break it down!

 

1. LOOK AT THE TEXTCAST PAGE!
Isn’t it pretty? I got a new theme and added a menu at the top with links, a search bar and MORE! I plan on putting a link up probably next week to a Video of the Week, which will contain random cartoon,comedy,classic movies and of course Art tips (I did learn Photoshop on YouTube afterall…). Let me know how you feel about the new look and what links you would like to see and all that.

 

 

 

2. CROC LESNAR: MONSTER OF MMA.
I have finshed the piece for Bryan G. Brown and his Monsters of MMA series (www.bryangbrown.com) last night! I chose to draw his character Croc Lesnar…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 So I took it and made this…

 

 

 

 

 

 

I gave him a Coors Light can because of this classic moment in UFC…

 

 

 

 

It was a lot of fun drawing one of my favs in UFC all juiced up and evil with spikes and sharp teeth…good call on the Croc, Bryan.

 

 

3. SYNERGY TOYS!
Ok so here’s the story, went to Target the other day walked around and stumbled into these and shrieked with delight…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are RoseArt Color Blanks, basically they are similar to KidRobot/Mighty Muggs toys but BLANK which means CUSTOMING AHOY! I bought the very two pack you see above and started working on two Synergy toys, one in normal colors and one with reverse colors. I started outlining them in pencil and then went over the pencil in the black marker the toys came with. I quickly realized the markers that come with the toys blow and switched to the Prismacolor ones I use on my Art. SO after working on it for a while late Saturday night, here is what we have…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think it turned out pretty good for my first try, although for my next shot I am going to use Acrylic paints. I think paints would look less sloppy and more authentic but I will keep you posted.

 

whew…so thats all three items for you this week oh and I am still working on the current page, I will have updates for you on that next week and that Video of the Week should start next week as well!

 

That’s all folks!

~John

Textcast: The Walk

HOLA!

I have been doing more and more work on the book and I am loving every minute of it!

I finished another page this week and I think it turned out pretty good…I made some changes on it after I took the picture for the site because the arm looked a bit out-of-place…

So first I give you the BEFORE!

 

See how weird Chase looks in the bottom panel…too stiff not a natural pose almost like he is being sworn in…It stunk…so I ousted it…

 

So that is what that page looks like!

These next few pages are Nat and Chase walking to the Storage place where Chase will find some crazy stuff that will set up the entire Synergy saga…as well as some nice convo setting up a will they wont they deal…these pages may be boring with just 2 people walking down the street talking but they are pretty important pages and I hope the message comes across well.

Also if you look at the first image again I have started work on the next page too, I am done messing around THIS IS GETTING DONE!

In other news my good pal Bryan Brown, creator of the incredible autobiographical First Fight (available at bryangbrown.com) has been working his ass off on his next book MONSTERS OF MMA, which is essentially (for all you gamers out there…)Mutant League Football/Hockey meets MMA with such characters as CROC LESNAR and KIMBO SLICED, has asked me to do some Monsters of MMA work for his book!

He told me to pick one of his characters (which all can be found here…http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=620384634&aid=189751) and do a black and white pin-up…So I think I am going to go with CROC LESNAR! I am a fan of his and would love to crack out a super evil, super jacked version of him, so stay tuned for more on that!

In any event I am going back to work on that next page now you guys have a good week!

~John