Acceptance

So in the last 12 hours I've heard how an event and how my brother and I are a joke within the artist / nerd community. Labeled a joke by a community that doesn't know my brother well or me at all. A select few stand above them all handing down judgement on others for the blind to follow.  Even when trying to market myself within the group that we all are apart of (or I thought) I found myself being censored with post removals and overall blocking me promoting myself. 

I thought that "you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain."

I've sat here trying to figure this out and how I'm going to proceed with it. I'm at a crossroad in how I handle this.

I did want to become the villain. I did want to tear their group apart from the inside. They "would be my meteor. My swift and powerful sword and the earth would crack under the weight of their failure. They wanna protect the world but they don't want it to change. How do they expect the community to be saved if it's not allowed to evolve." -Ultron

This unfortunately comes at a cost which is my integrity, my sense of self.

But I don't want to hurt the community. I don't wanna hurt anybody. I don't like bullies. I can't stand back however and let this spread. The larger picture is that this isn't about me. It's about the little guy trying to make something of themselves and trying to be something.  "Once you start running they'll never let you stop. You stand up, you push back, they can't say no forever." - Steve Rogers   We've got to be a better, accepting, and supportive community. Maybe creating that better community means tearing the old one down.

-Pat

September Production Blog

Turning 37 I've decided to make some changes in my life to get me out of the same ol' rut that I've been in. Hopefully one of them will be updating this blog on a regular basis, like once a week.

I decided that with turning 37 I really need to push forward with my business because hey, these stories and art aren't gonna make themselves.

I started off by trying to sell some art prints. That however didn't go well. I was at a local comic shop for 4 hours and sold one print (for anyone wanting to keep track). Those of course looked like these...

Inuyasha

Pikachu

Wolverine w/bone claws

(Watermarked for your viewing pleasure and safety of my property. ;) )

As of yesterday I completely redid another print that didn't turn out so well on sale day so now I have Blastoise.

So that brings you all up to speed with the current status of my art prints.

Currently I have a few other projects in the works. I've been working on launching a website but every url I come up with for my own personal branding has been taking. So that's taking some time which is why I'm coming back here. Enclosed in my website I'll have an online print store as well as my own works, be in my manga Eichi, personal fan fiction work titles, and anime.

Eichi got a little touch the other day. I was working with color in mind, adding color and it was taking quite a bit of time. Since I've decided to go back to only black and white and using those to create tones so it's more of a manga feel than a comic feel. Hopefully by only using blacks and whites I can produce faster (as I have other projects I'm trying to crank out). An untouched mock up of page one looks something like this.....

Some of my projects require a little bit of outsourcing though. Hey, I can't do everything myself. That one project is a little big project called "New Strawn." So here's the deal, it's an anime project. Think Halo meets Cowboy Bebop meets Transformers meets Minority Report meets C.O.P.S.. If you don't know C.O.P.S. then enjoy.




So not to get too off topic, I spent all night looking for talent. I started off looking for my female lead character named Claire. I have a few ideas but they aren't giving me what I'm looking for yet. Matter of fact, the closest I've found as a fit so far says her voice is described as warm and welcoming and I'm looking for stern and cold. Time will tell if she turns up as a fit. Secondly, and I didn't have to look long, I'm pretty sure I found my composer. He's gonna cost some money though. AH, the trials of starting a company. Spend money to hopefully make money. I'm looking to make a series trailer to gauge some interest.


Excesior!!!

Pat!

Masters of the Unvierse vs Thundercats

This is going to be something quick for me to throw up but I want to talk about a fan project I've been sitting on. I know I mentioned this before on this blog but let's talk Masters of the Universe and Thundercats for a few minutes.

I had this idea that stems from childhood that wouldn't it be cool if the Masters of the Universe and the Thundercats were to exist in the same universe and of course were to have met in some form or another. So here I am all grown up and these are still two awesome properties that are making a small niche comeback. So I had a plan to kind of write my own fan based web comic where Mumm-Ra would be looking for a way to finally beat Lion-O and the Thundercats and run across the Power Sword of Eternia. Both could exist in the same universe as both the Eye of Thundera and the Sword of He would both stem from ancient artifacts from across the universe, much like Marve's Infinity Stones.

Fast forward to 2 days ago when I find out that DC, who has been publishing a Masters of the Universe comic book was going to finally publish a Masters of the Universe and Thundercats 6 part comic event. And the premise? Mumm-Ra looks for a way to defeat the Thundercats and finds the Sword of Power. Sound familiar?
So here I am thinking "HEY! That was my idea!" Tomorrow I will begin putting pencil to paper on this "labor of love" as an ode to my childhood. I've seen what DC can do to Masters of the Universe. Personally, I know I can write a better story than what they will produce. So I'm putting this out there. It's gonna be a lot of fun to try and crank this out myself. It's gonna be balls.

On a side note, I've also subtly worked on a couple "trading cards" with no real direction but just pokemon. I'm expanding on those too to now include other video game characters from such games as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat so I hope to be posting those up soon.

-Pat

Pencils down

As a few knew, and even few saw, I was working to be accepted into the DC Comics Workshop in November which is the first step into acquiring a job with DC Comics. The workshop was open to all, amateur artists and professionals alike. Upon acceptance one would work alongside DC personnel among the likes of Andy Kubert and Jim Lee in Burbank, CA. This was an opportunity that would be a dream come true.

I failed. The deadline is tonight at midnight but I already know where I stand because I did not
complete the works needed to submit.  The submission asked for 5 pages and three had to be sequential artwork. DC even provided scripts to use for the sequential art. I did not complete them, therefore my submission would not be accepted. At the time of me writing this there would be no time to finish my submission therefore I fail be default.

I failed however I was not defeated. I failed but I failed forward. I say that because I learned something along the way. I learned about my time. My time was one of my most valuable resources. I learned who had respect for my time and my desire but I also learned who had some of the least. I can't point fingers at anyone and I can't blame anyone because the one who was always in control was me. I allowed myself to be derailed. I decided to sleep all day because I had a headache. I didn't turn my cell phone off. I have no one to blame but myself.

I'm reminded of the quote by David McCollough Jr, "Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.”

I realized I enjoyed the process. Let me take this time to be honest for a minute. I tried to acquire a job in the comics industry when I haven't drawn much of anything in more than a year. Everything I did was a learning experience. Every step I took was new, be it setting up a comic page based on a script down to the needing to learn the characters. I'm not gonna lie, I don't read DC Comics, I didn't grow up reading DC comics. I don't really know the characters. Everything was a challenge and I had to work for it but I loved every minute of it.

During my time working I was grinding and I was grinding hard. I applied a lot of pressure to myself and I hated the person I was becoming. I was closed off and angry all the time. I wasn't easy to get along with. I was cynical and petty. I loathed every single day but it was worth it. We can't change and mold ourselves into what we want to be without pressure and chipping away at our old selves.

I'm free now. I'm free from working on a script from characters I care nothing and know nothing about. I'm free to work on my own art that inspires me, works and characters that I love. I passed up on two pieces that I wanted to work on at the time and now I am free to do so.

I have two things to close with.
One, my original script for this submission was gold. I filled up the dialog with words just to establish tone for the characters. It was crudely drawn because it was done really fast. I personally feel I would have had a lot more fun with it. That being said, I'll share it here.

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Secondly, this isn't my end in dabbling with that professional world of comics. I jumped. I had to. But now I know where I am, where my strengths are, and where they aren't. Next time will be different. I promise you this is not the end. "You don't have to be great to get started but you have to get started to be great" I have my own works to work on and I still have a future to strive for in comics and I will be relentless.

"Every Accomplishment...."

"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try." - Gail Devers

Good morning folks.
So today I'm glad to tell you about a few things I've got in the works.

Recently I was asked to work on an comic for an online/print magazine called Nerdy Male to provide some kind of comic content. What does that entail exactly? Well, I'm going to create a story but I'm not sure if it will be all created by me or offer some kind of fan related stories. This gives me one of two opportunities.

One, provide a story about characters that you may already be familiar with. It saves me really from the majority of the writing because we are already far too familiar with these characters. In my head that will offer me an opportunity to offer stories based on either TMNT, MOTU, Thundercats, or Dino Riders. These are properties that I grew up with and would love to offer my own interpretation of.

Option number two allows me to offer something completely new. With this comes two offers which I will lay out for you. Atlantis. This story will tell the tale of Atlantis  and it's fall. This story will be completely mythical hopefully be a lot of fun. Secondly is an unnamed story involving mecha. Originally planed for a youtube animated series this one will come to you via print first. It will include a strong female lead. Think Transformers meets Mobile Suit Gundam. If you don't know what Gundam is then you may be familiar with Pacific Rim, aka giant robots.

While these may be on the back burner for the next couple of weeks currently I am working on not only an opportunity but also a dream.




My opportunity, I am working on a submission for the SDCC souvenir book. I have tried to update a current picture however I feel that it will not have the same semblance to me as the original I've done years ago. So I will complete my original digitally and submit for the SDCC souvenir book. If accepted I will offer it as a high quality print.





My dream comes to me from DC Comics. DC is currently offering a talent developmental workshop. I am submitting a 5 page portfolio. If picked I will begin a workshop in November and upon completion of the workshop, if I can make it though, may be offered a job with DC Comics. So here I am throwing all caution to the wind and pouring myself into this project. This will take up my time for the next several days doing the best work that I can do.

While this is just a beginning, unfortunately I don't have a lot to show. Hopefully that will change real soon.

So until next time


-Pat

One Inevitable Truth

I had a hard time sleeping this morning. I couldn't sleep. While I sat there in bed I came upon a few finds and one inevitable truth.

So I laid there in bed right, just thinking. We've all been there. We've all been laying in bed, not sure if we are tired or not. I mean our bodies may be but our brains are not. We are constantly thinking and thinking. No matter what weighs on our minds we just can't seem to get it to sleep. Me, it is what it was that brought me to my inevitable truth, but I will get to that later.

So I sat there and I spent time reading Facebook and scrolling through my Instagram. As I scrolled and read I began to get tired. It's as if my will to stay awake was sucked out of me and into social media... and then I laid down and went to sleep. We spend out lives, sharing them on social media just to waste it on social media.

I mean, I couldn't not sleep. Let me repeat that, I COULD NOT SLEEP. I has things to do, tasks at hand. I had blogs to write, drawings I'm sitting on and need to complete, artwork as a whole that I need to finish to provide myself a more satisfied future. I could not sleep because my passion was keeping me awake. I can't explain it outside of I could not sleep and my passion kept me up. Breakthroughs and progress all got swept under the table because I wasted my time on social media.

It was an opportunity wasted and that's when it hit me, my inevitable truth. I cannot waste the opportunity to make any dream I have into a reality because why should I be so ungrateful of any moment I have while someone I love is in a hospital fighting for a chance to become whole again. It's arrogance to believe that I can sit back and waste even a few minutes of my time not seeking a better me.

Many times, very recently, I've been told I have great potential in my art and I've done nothing more than nothing with it at all. That stops today. From the time that this is posted I will be drawing, working on a website, working on a portfolio, and working on a submission piece. I refuse to waste anymore time just sitting around waiting for something better because I'll be honest and truthful with you, there is nothing better. Nothing better than the ability to get up and make something of ourselves.

Right now we are living in a time when we wonder who the best presidential candidate will be to help make our country great again but if you come to the undeniable truth that I've come to you will realize that person is you. Get up. Do something. Strive for a batter tomorrow for you and your family. Don't give up. Be relentless and stop whining because the truth is that there is someone out there who wishes they had that opportunity.

Stop taking it for granted.

-Pat

Moving On to 2016

JESUS CHRIST!!! I mean seriously! I tried to make a website for my brand and holy fucking hell was that not going well. Here, let me show you.

NOPE! And that was at it's best. My brand's site will have to wait so until then I'll just stick it here, where it's been and was for a while successful, on blogger. There's not many times when I've just been one to just want to pull my hair out but this was definitely one. I couldn't not figure it out for the life of me, be it via asking someone how to do it, video tutorials, or whatever. I give up on it for now. I'll hire someone to do it for me.

I've been asked several times by friends, loved ones, and hell even the news paper (yes, for real) what my 2016 resolutions are. My response has always been that I haven't made any. Well that may not be entirely... accurate. I didn't make resolutions, I made plans, I intend to complete things I started in 2015, and I'm making opportunities to move on.

In 2016 I plan to make it bigger than I have before. I plan to do more blogging, not only personally but professionally on a regular basis. I plan to do more artistically and to provide content that I have a passion for to those who are willing to receive it. I plan to be healthier than I was before. I hope to be in a better place in 2016 because this year I hope to work on me and heal from disappointments, failure, and heartache that I've had in the past couple of years.

I've hardly ever talked about it but as I wrote about before that I deal with depression and it keeps me from taking or giving that little extra something to get where I need to get. There's always that feeling that I'm not good enough or I'll never succeed. I've never talked about it but I do get inspiration from Eric Thomas and Les Brown. Some days that's all that has kept me going. 2016 is the year that I finally defeat what is defeating me and redefine my own life.

So, 2016, I will put out the stories I've been writing. You will see Eichi. You will see "New Strawn." For those of you going to SDCC you WILL see me in their book, I promise you. I will be out there this year. You will see me do things this year that no one has seem me do yet. I am stretching this year as an artist. I will brand myself and get that blog out there and my website. Who knows, by next year you may very well see a whole company from me because that's where I plan to be and that's where I will be.

I spent too many days asking myself in 2015 "If today were my last day, would I be proud of what I was about to do today" and for far too long my answers were no. So this year I vow to enjoy every day that I have left, this year and every year thereafter. I've known failure. It's time to know success. Days will be hard, sacrifices will be made, but I hope in the end I'll come out on top. ...because there is no other place that I can be. This year I take it to a whole new level.

...Oh yeah, and that website. Fuck that. I don't quit. I'll let you know when it's done.

Love you guys. All of you.
-Pat!!!