escapingbabylon.com

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Untitled-59, originally uploaded by toad1981.

So, what do I do when I’m not happy with a sketch? I use it to practice something else. So since the line drawing did not come out well for the guy on the right, I decided to practice rendering with my mechanical pencil. I think it came out ok.

The page on the left is a thumbnail of an idea for the graphic novel I’m scripting for NaNoWriMo.

Let’s see, I’m not feeling particularly prosaic today, so you lucky folk get the list update.

1. My provisional placement may have just changed. It’s interesting, because I was just getting used to the idea of being at St. Olaf. Still, I’m excited about the new school (still being vague as I still haven’t found out IV’s blogging policy), I’ve met the students there in the past, and it’s closer to where I live. The latter helps as a current crisis threatens to move my car-related dreams further down the road.
2. At Macalester, where I currently volunteer, I’m helping to recruit for the black student conference in Atlanta. Please pray that we can figure out a lot of the logistics and details, and that things fall into place so that Macalester can have a good delegation going, and coming back to share ministry with the campus.

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Untitled-58, originally uploaded by toad1981.

So this is some more work with the chisel tip pen. It’s an interesting tool, when it works, it works really well, (see guy on right) and when it doesn’t (see guy on top left) it really doesn’t.

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Untitled-57, originally uploaded by toad1981.

This other guy is Ike, and he’s the main character in my graphic novel. I still need to work on his design and character in general. He’s being a little too close to myself in personality. I don’t want this to be an insertion.

That’s mostly the impulse driving this design. Since I don’t have very prominent cheekbones, or in general a prominent facial structure, I decided to make him “harder”. Feedback would be useful with this guy.

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Untitled-56, originally uploaded by toad1981.

I’m giving you two for the price of one today.

The large sketch is a design for one of the characters in the graphic novel I’m going to try to script this month in parallel to National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). This guy’s name is Bobby. You’ll probably hear and see more of him

There should really be a book on that. Let me tell you what I mean. Year one of any new venture is usually pretty interesting. Every day you forge new ground. You face new challenges, you learn, and you figure out ways of dealing with the things that attack you. The joy of discovery, and of problem solving makes Year one a heady experience. It definitely was one for me in both my small group and at family night with the 3rd and 4th graders. So I head into year 2 with confidence that I know the lay of the land.

Except that things are never quite the same as they were in year one, and sometimes the differences are subtle enough that you miss them until they smack you in the face. Other times you are aware of the differences, but it’s hard to put a finger on them. And yet with all of that, you don’t have as much of the sense of forging a new path. On the bad days, it just feels like the old path has gotten harder. But you want it to be just as it was last time.

However, I believe that year two is an opportunity for real growth. It’s a time where you can separate truth from luck. It’s the time when ministry can become a living, breathing thing instead of a problem to solve, or something to occupy your mind. It can become something you live. With that in mind, I ask you all to pray for my year two. Pray that I never become so complacent in the knowledge gained from year one that I shortchange this year. Pray that God maintains the fire and motivation that drove me during year one. Pray that the mistakes I make this year are mistakes that I can learn from and then create an even better year three.

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Every Artist Has a Wolverine in him, originally uploaded by toad1981.

So the big news on this page is that I bought my self a chisel tipped pen, and did that image of the X-Men’s Wolverine (no, not Hugh Jackman). I gave him more signs of age than I think is usual, but I think it came out well. On the right we have a design for the graphic novel that I am going to attempt to script in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Up top on the left is a guy on the bus. He had cool hair that I totally did not capture in the sketch

Anyway, the technical news, I’m switching my images to flickr on a trial basis, because blogger is being slightly idiotic about uploading photos.

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

And I’ve realized that I haven’t updated this in a while. So I’m back in town, and have been at my regular job for 2 weeks (or so). It’s really wierd to still be in the regular job when my mind is very much ahead to the IVCF deal. There was a lot of ministry this week. On Tuesday, I was leading a small group for international students. It went well. We got through about half of what I had planned to get through for that session, but it was good conversation, and I try to run the small group in more of a people-oriented rather than task oriented fashion which I realize is part of my cultural bias.

A good friend of mine, (Matthew for those who know) is taking part in the International Student small group. Matthew is a white American. I think it’s been good for him to be there. Firstly it prevents the International Small group from being an us vs them situation, with the Americans being the them. Plus it’s also bringing forward some cultural differences to light in a space where we can talk about them.

Oh and good news! I’ve got my first non-family supporter. He sort of just volunteered (And I’m hugely grateful for him doing so) I still have to get started on real fundraising though (and make sure that IV get’s my transcript from college). I feel like I’m ready to get this show on the road. Keep me in your prayers y’all.

Hey guys,

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted, but my long hiatus is over and you will begin seeing more sketches from me. Part of the problem was that I was biking to work and not riding the bus as much, so I wasn’t getting all of the interesting people you get on buses. But now winter’s coming, so no more bicycle.

Anyway, what we have above are some possible tattoo designs on the right. They are all of a religious nature, seeing that at the moment my faith is probably the most important thing to me right now, and the only thing that I would think of getting tattooed. On the left is a sketch of a baby’s pram that I saw at the airport. I’m not completely happy with it, but then it’s just the beginning of my sketches. See you in a couple of days.