Work scribbles...

Here are a few scribbles I did at work several days ago... I love old comics and would like to eventually develop one revolving around a group of women... very soap opera, very 40s inspired....

ENVIRA RETURNS!!!

Green Tina Logo

Initially I was going to have a logo with Envira but I do a lot of pictures of her so I thought I would use this one.


This is a concept I had in mind while I was working on the first Envira Series. It was going to be the ad for Greeny Bars. (It's more overtly sexual than the one that ended up being used). Which was what I wanted... The media and advertisers will use any means necessary to make sure their precious goods are sold by the pounds... sex is one of the easiest and best ways of doing just that... that's why, no matter what the product (be it a stapler or a boat) they will have half naked women in the ads.


For those of you that haven't read Envira... well, you should read it... but this is one of the Villains from the first series. Green Tina, a fake botoxy bitch that pretends to care about the environment. This ended up being a feminist statement... not only am I against extensive plastic surgery for women... or the idea atleast that women should and need to even have it... that just isn't the case. Women are all different and should be respected just as they are. So she represents a woman who has fallen into the misconception that she has to look this way... a male dominated society implies that women should look this way. What I love is that in the end she uses a man to get what she wants... which kind of makes up for what she is lacking.

The NEW Envira series will premier in Early January :) Monica and I thought that we should wait until after the Holidays so people will have more free time to check it out.

I hope you enjoy... I will have tons more stuff to post SOOOON!!

Whale Milk!!

This was something I made in 2004, it was around the time of the Atkins Diet craze!! (and when the whole Subway/Jared thing started) I thought it would be interesting if obesity was the new fad. If everyone was gaining massive amounts of weight just to "fit in" so to speak.


I actually have an obese Super Heroine that I thought of years ago... can't wait to see her in action!!

(and remember Kids! Please drink Whale Milk responsibly!!)

Successfully writing comic books...

I say 'successfully', because anyone can make a "comic". If you draw a stick figure... add a word (sound effect, dialogue, etc) no matter how subtle... it is sequential art... it tells a story... more so than a painting or drawing alone... not only is it showing you visuals but it is giving you narration in which way to go... the beautiful thing about a comic is that many interpretations can be achieved. Maybe more so than in film... because it is slowed down to the second (if needed)...but more films are being made like comic books and more comic books being made like films these days... there's something beautifulabout that.


Through big budget blockbusters the mainstream consumer has become accustomed to the value of a story being told in comic form. For some reason, people find books with pictures to be a childish thing, adults should not have pictures in their books. They should be "mature" enough to visualize what is being told in the story... but that's not true... not everyone can be stimulated by words alone... or pictures... they like the two together. Which is what comics marry. For those of us that like to read but are very visual... comics really let you be in the moment of the story... as you read a novel and something horrible happens, you might pause. Feel the explosion, the death of your favorite character and so on... you may even feel it as you continue reading... but comics really show it. And successful comics are showing you the most important part of a story... they are showing what you need to see and sometimes censoring in the best way. I have seen dirtier films and comics that censor just right. You get the idea of what is actually going on... and you are seeing the action take place but the really important things are left to your imagination...


I'm realizing that this journey I'm on as a storyteller... a lover of sequential art... is enabling me to develop a better sense of how to fully express my thoughts and opinions in the way I love most.


I really hope to make comics that people enjoy and possibly relate to. I feel like art's main purpose (other than self expression) is to actually effect an audience... no matter how large or small. Even if the piece is to simply make you feel disgust... if it does it is successfully what it was intended to be.

I have so many stories to tell... for now they are locked in my brain, some of the ideas and thoughts slowly seeping out in random and unexpected places. Eventually, before I die I hope to get as many of them onto paper as possible.

If you have ever wanted to write comics or draw them or both, and don't know where to begin...I highly recommend reading Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art". It is one of my favorite books, and was given to me by a friend many years ago (Thanks Mario!!) It talks about sooo many things that are involved in writing a comic that you might not think about at first. It definitely had a huge

impact on how I looked at storytelling and how my comics changed after... Check it out!!!

More No. A Ads

Here is more merchandise we have in the store. I don't own the rights to any of these pictures but I put together these collages for our facebook page. Show us a little love, add us on facebook or twitter and check out number-a.com!!

Thanks xx

Living in Los Angeles...

The longer I live in Los Angeles the more I realize why I moved here in the first place... the more connected I get, the more grounded, rooted...

I love this city... I love all the little areas around it... all the life, the possibility... living here helps me stay in the moment, keeps me inspired.

They film movies in California for a reason... it's beautiful here... no wonder artists are inspired and want shots of specific locations... this is where life happens... your most happy and exciting moments, and also the worst, the saddest and most difficult.

I'm working on a comissioned painting for a friend... I am not only thrilled to have a paying gig (Thank you Monica) but I'm excited to be working on a piece about a strong woman... I will post pictures later on when it is finished...

I took the Gold line today to borrow an easil from a friend (Thanks Roxanne!!) The way up was gorgeous... the sun low in the sky bathing everything in just the right amount of sunlight... all the industrial areas, the suburbs, the greenery, the life... you can really get a sense of all the history in this place when you travel around more... so many people move here for different reasons but it's a really beautiful place to be...

Thank you Los Angeles, for being such a beautiful and inspiring city... thank you for shaping me, pushing me, challenging me... and helping me thrive as a person and as an artist. I will never forget this city.


<3

More Envira...

I've been keeping pretty busy lately... it's nice to have several projects to work on... I talked to Monica about her new website launch... so I should have a date for when the ALL NEW Envira comic will be posted... until then here is some more Envira...

I've already sketched out several pages... I'm on part 4... trying to figure out how to end this one... dun dun duuuun. I hope everyone enjoys it... it's fun to work on :) You get to meet some people from her past and start to see a bit more about her life outside of crimefighting...

I'm also starting up on the next episode of the cartoon... I can't wait to post some illustrations from it once we launch the website for that... about 2 years in the works now...

Thank ya! Thank ya! More sooooon!!

Love at first sight

This was inspired by a drawing I saw... it was sort of medical, a man and woman standing next to eachother with their guts intertwined... I took a spin off that and ended up with this. I would love to animate this someday...

A girl and guy are walking towards eachother unaware... they almost bump into one another so they look up. When their eyes meet there is sort of click sound... the world falls away... as they gaze into eachother's eyes... then a red ribbon makes it's way out of each of their hearts and begins to slowly tie into a bow. Love at first sight...

New Banner

I had this idea a while back... Originally it was just going to be 3 or 4 really grotesque women, but then I decided to use the Space Girl I had already kind of sketched out... then I thought about sticking with a Space theme... but didn't like the other characters... so I thought I might as well incorporate different story elements I like... what came out was a sort of Feminist Progression...

The prostitute represents a woman who isn't even aware of the fact she is working for the man. She has no self worth and is selling her whole body, giving everything she has just so she can eventually overdose on drugs and end her tragic life...

Next we have a woman who has been thrown into a zombie infestion. She isn't a violent person normally, but when faced with this grave (pun) situation she chooses to fight til her last breath.

Lastly, we have the Space Lady... although she is your typical 36-26-36, she doesn't let men take advantage of her. She is aware and strong... and is suppose to represent a woman taking power back and doing what she wants and needs.

I'm not thrilled with the sizing... I wanted it much bigger... but it wouldn't fit... so I had to resize/post it a few times...

I might post each individual woman... so you get all the details :)

I hope you enjoy!!

Thanks guys!

Teaserz

Here are a few teasers from some things I'm working on...

NEW ENVIRA SERIES!! WOO WOOO!! (This is the first thing I've really colored in photoshop... and I don't have a tablet yet... but it was fun and relatively easy... ) I figured posting this would make me work on it more... give me a feeling of a deadline... I will post the full teaser poster once I've finished a few of the volumes :) I'm excited to work on it again!! Monica is having a new website launch soon and I thought it would make sense to feature a new Envira series... I've had some time to work on new ideas for it :)

The space girl is going to be in my new header art... I don't like the current one, it was a sort of rushed job... I thought I should incorporate more of my actual drawings... so she will be one of three completely different women in different settings... I hope you guys enjoy this for now... more coming soon....sooon.

Fecal Matters...

I've had a lazy year... I've gotten a break from life... well, I've tried to at least... but I have felt unfulfilled... I have all of these ideas in my head... and need to get them out... onto paper... put out there... in some shape or form... I wanted to print a graphic novel but haven't been able to decide on a theme etc... so... finally I have decided I should at least post some shorts on my blog... what is the point of having this thing if I'm not displaying any of my work...

This was a simple idea... it was verbatim sent to a friend over AIM to be silly... but I liked it and decided I should make a little comic out of it... hope you enjoy!! (please don't sue me "Virgina Slims"... I really couldn't afford that...) oof... more to come soon I hope... ;)

(alternate intros)

"Fun with feces..."

"Now in Fecal vision"....

"No feces were harmed in the making of this shabby comic..."

eh....

direction...

ever heard that song "Direction" by Interpol? I'm listening to it on repeat...

This past year has been so directionless... I finally got my own place, which was a nice start... but I don't feel like i've been as productive as I could have been... I've had tunnel vision for this cartoon and haven't really wanted to pursue anything else... but here I am... another year almost done... and not a lot to show for it... I'm hoping we get some funding soon so I can start working on it full time... I don't know how much more of this I can take...

I think the thing that scares me the most is... will I ever be able to put all of these ideas and stories onto paper?... even a small fraction of them... right now I'm just sitting here... the clock is ticking... and they are bubbling at the surface of my brain... I want to get them out there... but something is holding them all in...

I guess they will come out when they need to... until then I will just scribble ideas onto post-its and keep compiling ideas...

I'm trying to enjoy this phase of my life right now, whatever it is... soon enough things will change and this will all be a memory...

The starving artist is back this week... my food supply is running quite low... 3 more days til pay day... I will either get really creative or some food angel will appear and help me out...

My current edibles are.... Pasta, Not enough sauce to use on all the pasta... salt, pepper, seasoned salt, "Mexican" style frozen vegetables, 3 cans of Tuna, half a loaf of bread, and coffee...

Haha... my money count is: $2.70 (unless you count my pennies... which might be $5 more...) hahaha... oh life...

Soon... I SHALL TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!! ...until then... I'll just keep meaning business...

G'night Ladies and Germs!! (or morning?) eh...

Peek inside my skull...

I love Tumblr ... it's such a brilliant idea. I have been a very visual person my whole life, only lately have I started to love reading... so this is definitely the blog for me!

I mostly just repost stuff that I love, but sometimes will upload music I'm listening to etc...

but to get a deeper look inside my skull check out my tumblr and follow me if you'd like :)

(and check out my archive, it's even better!! like a crazy huge collage of goodies that I love)

<3

Adventures in Daniel Land...

So, recently this homeless man has been coming to the store a lot.... long story short, this one in particular I have caught in a lie, multiple times, and he is aggressive and scares me... but today he got his just rewards. He came in with another story, a similar one, his performance was Oscar worthy. Had he been black he might have given Jamie Foxx a run for his money in the audition room for "The Soloist" but I didn't have a dollar (he probably has millions)...

Anyway, as he left I saw him catch another unsuspecting victim, but this guy wasn't your typical guy walking around. I saw him really listen to the man's story, he placed his hand on the man's shoulder, then pulled him in for a hug. He reached around to his bag and pulled out some cash and then followed the man to where he was pointing. So basically, if I am right about this guy, and he isn't just insane he probably felt guilt, even just for a minute. Here he is trying to string this guy along, and the guy is there for him, concerned and willing to help.

Unfortunately he probably didn't feel guilt, he is probably in his current situation because of his lies.

I think one of the reasons I stay in downtown is for that constant reminder of where I don't want to end up... how exactly do people get to that point? I know it is different for us all, but I feel it keeps me on track...

For people that don't live in a city, reading this I might come across as pompous, selfish, or cruel, or something of that nature... The truth is, I was very naive towards homeless people when I first moved here. I would try to help when I could (and still do when I can if I feel like the person is being creative about it or if I feel like maybe that they actually need it) but eventually you will start to see people's true colors. I really don't mean to judge, and I wouldn't but when I walk home (about a 15 min walk) I get asked for money about 5 times a night. Living in a smaller city, or a town or even a suburb you have the luxury of not taking a stance on homeless people. You can sit back and either say "Awe, that poor man, he really has it rough." and then sigh and go on about your life, or "The homeless disgust me, it's all their fault they are in their current shoes" or not even think about it. On the other hand I have to interact with them on a daily basis. I am forced to make up my mind about them and have a stance.

When I first moved to LA I worked in Hollywood, one day after work (still in the daylight) I got in my car and realized it was ransacked... when I racked my brain as to why my car hadn't been damaged, I remembered I had left the front windows open just a crack to let my car air out in the heat. I thought they would be safe, but someone clever came along and unlocked my door... I had a ton of shit in my car, all junk of course, for some reason I thought my car was my office... and let's just say I had no filing cabinets. So, papers everywhere!!! I immediately grabbed my bag to check my wallet (which was fairly hidden from the windows... my credit cards are still there... hmph... my id...hmph... Matter of fact, I don't really notice anything missing... oh... except for a handful of change. Wow, so, someone broke in for the change. I wasn't upset or offended, just appreciative of the fact that they hadn't damaged my car that I couldn't afford but needed for my commute, and hadn't stolen anything that meant something to me. I felt like, even though they stole from me, they needed it more than I did. They risked being caught, or judged etc... so, I kind of admired them for it.

My thoughts on homeless people are this: I don't know these people, they are strangers, who am I to judge them and decide if they are worthy of my money or time? But bottom line, I can hardly afford to take care of myself... and I have to feed me first. I will help them here and there... but also, I know that they didn't just appear in this role... they are grown individuals who have lived full lives and made choices... something has lead them here... and for whatever reason they either followed blindly, or weren't strong enough to fight whatever got in their way. So, I will make sure I don't follow their path...

Photo Collage

So I haven't been drawing much as of late, but I have had the pleasure of working for Number-A, a clothing boutique in Little Tokyo CA (374 E. 2nd St. Little Tokyo, CA 90012) I do inventory, store merchandising, I dress mannequins and lately have gotten to work on photo collages for the store's Facebook page. I thought I should post some of my favorites since I haven't put many pictures on here in a while. (I do not own the rights to any of these photos, so I hope there is no problem with anything like that or that no one gets offended) I would be surprised if anyone was looking at this at all. haha... without further ado ...here is my latest (underdeveloped) skill on Photoshop *bows* Uh thank you, Uh thank you!

(I just added the text on this one, pretty fancy eh?)

(Hmm... that feller looks familiar...)

(Model: The lovely and talented Alyssa Lobit)

Number-A just celebrated their first anniversary!! I am so excited to see where they go from here... It has been a pleasure working with them thus far. They carry some great lines. If you see anything you like please add us on facebook or twitter... and/or check out their website

Starving Artist: Third Entry

I have met some really amazing people in the last 4 years that have challenged and inspired me. I feel it necessary to take a moment to thank all the friends and family that have supported me in any way. I have been very blessed that so many people have given me places to crash, rides, food, money... If it weren't for all of those people I wouldn't be here right now. Thank you so much!

That being said, a few years ago I stopped really worrying about things like 'where am I going to get my next meal'? etc... it makes me realize that I am on the right path... so, no matter how hard things get, or how down on myself I am I know that everything will work out in the end and that I just have to keep pushing.

I haven't really drawn much of anything lately... maybe it's been sort of a break for me, so when the cartoon starts up again I will be ready to draw a ton. we are almost finished with the first mini episode, but a lot of things are happening in our lives, so we have been busy... one of which is Wiley's wedding :) it's coming up next weekend. Wiley is such a great guy and I'm glad he met Hannah, I haven't met her yet but she seems like an amazing girl.

I'm hoping that soon I will be getting paid to work soley on the cartoon and can leave retail FOREVER!!!

I definitely have found little inspirations in retail these past years... the random encounters with people on a daily basis can lead to character ideas or plots, sometimes better or worse...

I just finished reading "Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" by Haruki Murakami, who was introduced to me by my friend Jay (thanks Jay!!) He is currently my favorite author, and I'd have to say that so far, that is my favorite of his books. I have also read: "The Elephant Vanishes", "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman", "A Wild Sheep Chase", "After Dark", "Kafka on the Shore" and "Sputnik Sweetheart" .... his stories take you to another world, a dream state. It is so amazing, and when they are drawing to an end I get this deep sorrow in the pit of my gut, as if I have to now leave this new world I've become accustomed to... I just ordered "Norwegian Wood" on Amazon (get used books for cheap! Or, if you don't have any money, just get a library card!! FREEEEEE) I wasn't much of a reader until a few years ago... I buy the books I read so I can start working on my little library... when I'm an old man I will have a huge library filled with all the books I've ever read :)

Murakami really inspires me and gets me into a creative dreamy state... as well as some really amazing music. I am so lucky to have those things around me... other artists work to look at. Rejuvinate me and prepare me to bust out some more of my own stuff :)

I don't reall have much to say, just thought I should post something new, to the one reader that might see this :) and I will try to post some new pictures SOON!!

So close, yet so far away... just keep pushing ahead....... almost there!!

Cartoon slowly coming along

We finally finished casting the voices :) so that is really exciting!! We got some great voices that fit the characters really well...

I've run into some technical problems... like no internet at home... and then last night I ran out of paper... and it was late so stores were closed... other than that I will be working or too exhausted to draw... but the first short episode will hopefully be finished shortly... I'm hoping to go in tomorrow and finish recording some voiceover stuff!!...

I'm so excited about this project!! I've talked to my family and friends about it... but I can't wait for it to go viral!! I'm hoping we post the first episode in a month or so... We'll see!!

Number-A Boutique

Hey guys, if you are near Little Tokyo or Downtown Los Angeles you should check out the boutique I work at. They have a unique and amazing selection of men's and women's clothing and accessories, Here is a preview of the upcoming webstore!!

Thanks!

374 E. 2nd St. Little Tokyo CA 90012

number-a.com

Sexy ladies for ya...

Everyone is a model these days... like these bodacious babes here...

WERK IT RITA!! WERK IT GURL!! ... Ronelle may be shy, but she's got what it takes!!

The much unanticipated finale!!!!

(read the following in your head or aloud with a cheesy movie preview voice) *ahem*

MONDAY .... JULY 5th!!!... GET READY!!!... FOR A GREEN CAT FIGHT!!! ENVIRA VS. GREEN TINA!! THE FINALE NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT!!! RATED PG-13ish...

I had a lot of fun working on this mini comic, Thank you again Monica for posting this on your blog :) (http://lowimpactbetty.com)

I am taking a break from Envira to work on another project... but I already have some ideas for future Envira goodies... I hope whoever read it (thanks mom) will enjoy how it ends... dun dun duuuuuuuuun....

Don't forget! Monday July 5th.... http://lowimpactbetty.com

Thanks guy(s)/girl(s)!!

CARTOOOOOON!!

So, I got a call from the Creator and the Producer of the cartoon I've been working on... and I should be getting a script really soon... I'm very excited to start working on this project again and I can't wait until the episode is finished and we can post it!!!!! :D I also can't wait for everyone to see it.... it's been year and a half in the making...

STAY TUNED!!

The Starving Artist: Second Entry

It's been a while since my last entry... and luckily I am not currently without food. My good friend Amanda moved to Los Angeles at the end of May and has been kind enough to buy me food... she also gave me an amazing new hair cut (my hair was about 12 inches long... now it is 3-4 inches...) It's crazy how much such a small thing can effect a person... I was getting depressed about life... lack of money, lack of time and energy to work on stuff... the worst of all... lack of money for markers... I hate it when I can't even ink my drawings... But her energy and sense of humor have really inspired me, it's nice to have her around.

R.I.P. Lucious Lady Locks (you will be missed)It took a couple years to grow my hair that long, but I was ready for a change...
The ENVIRA Comic has been a lot of fun to work on... yet again, another fun project that I'm allowed to do whatever I want. I feel really lucky that I have been able to colaborate or work for people that aren't restricting my imagination....I would have inked Part IV already but my last marker dried up... luckily I am getting paid on Monday and will still have a week before it posts so I will have time to ink and color it as well as work on Part V and promo art for both... I have decided how it is going to end... but won't work out the details until I am drawing it. I really like to take an idea and just go with it and see where it takes me... I also enjoy scripting things out sometimes too... both are enjoyable.

I think I work best when I'm working on several projects at a time, I never get bored because there is always something else to do...

I did some more writing today for my first self published comic I am working on... I'm trying to figure out what will be in it...

Other than that I am just trying to enjoy the present... listening to good music, spending time with great people... relaxing...

I will leave you with a little visual feast... If you aren't on tumblr I suggest you get one, it is a really amazing site. I am a very visual person and enjoy posting and reposting pictures more than anything... take a gander at THIS!!!

http://mramorphous.tumblr.com/

GREEN TINA

WHAT ARE GREENY BARS? WHO IS GREEN TINA?? WHY DOES SHE HAVE SUCH A BODACIOUS BOD?? Find out most of these answers in "Envira: Part II" only on www.lowimpactbetty.com Monday June 14th (tomorrow)

Part II starts to develop the story and set us up for what is to come... dun dun dun...

I've had a lot of fun working on this mini comic so far... thank you to everyone who has read it... I really appreciate it :)

I finally decided on an ending... I'm currently coloring part 3 and inking part 4... I'm excited to hear what you guys think and see how it looks altogether...

Thanks again :)

SAY NO TO ENVIRA!!!

Starting Monday, June 7th I will be posting a 5 part mini comic on my friend Monica's Blog (http://www.lowimpactbetty.com/) Each Monday there will be a new chapter until the final one on July 5th.

Low Impact Betty is a website that gives helpful hints on what the average consumer can do to reduce, reuse and find alternate methods of doing everyday things. It also documents different products she tries, and challenges you to help your community while also giving you a taste of what is happening in the world and why we should do our part to help the environment.

We started talking about her blog a couple of weeks ago and we thought it would be fun to have a comic on there... we brainstormed a bit and 'Envira' was the outcome...

So, please check it out and let me know what you think ;)

Envira: Part I
Written and Illustrated by: Daniel Iley
www.lowimpactbetty.com

The Starving Artist: First Entry

It just occured to me that the reason my blog isn't being followed is because it isn't that interesting. I don't think that people like to see art as much as understand it...

When I say 'Art' I am simply referring to some sort of visual, audible or tasteable form of self expression. I don't mean that it is "good" or "relevant"... I just care that it is pure.

Truth is what makes 'Art' beautiful. When it strips away the pretension... when it isn't trying, it just is. When we think we are seeing something for the first time, but really a person had an idea so they wrote it down, then they showed it to someone, then they decided to act it out on a camera... and pretend like this recreation was the moment that it really happened. Films, television, music, fashion, architecture... it's all art... it's all artistic expressions... and they have shaped our lives and made us who we are.

It really seems like pretension has taken over the art world today... everyone thinks they are famous or thinks they have to be... it's disgusting... it isn't a tight group any more... it isn't 3 people in a room that are "The artists: the most influential people of their time... that have fully effected the world and will continue to long after they have died" now everyone slips on that title...

the sad part is they slip it on so carelessly... you can't "BECOME" an artist... you just are... or you're not... but it doesn't mean that if you are not an artist, you aren't important. Who would applaud an actor in a stage play if everyone was on stage?... *crickets*

The world works because everyone has their part to play... the art world is in an upheval because everybody thinks they are suddenly a movie star/model/musician etc...

What would happen if a foot model tried to do brain surgery? The person would die... because a foot model has not had the training... but that's just it... you can be trained in a craft... you can be taught the "basics" of drawing.. the rules... the science... and some people are those kinds of artists... they are architects or they work on intricate pieces in some way that need to be measured... on the opposite spectrum I guess there are the people who have to just figure it out on their own... they don't want the book because it will get in the way of their creative freedom... they don't want a group of people to tell them what art is and how to create it... they create on their own... they have ideas... they are pure. They have studied on their own... honed their skills to the best of their ability barely showing anyone... trying to get used to the moment their work is made public and they will be under the microscope from everyone... even people they have never met will judge them, and tell them if their work is good, even though they know nothing about the artist and may never actually get what the artist was intending... it sounds a bit like hell to me...

So... the point after this long ramble is that. Here I am... I consider myself an artist, and I say it in the most humble respects... I feel like if I didn't express myself I would die. I have to write (I have written in journals for 8 years... all hidden away. I don't write publicly anywhere... this is actually the first.) I have to draw (recreating some crazy ideas I have sometimes mixed with wierd things I have seen, put together to create story and try and tell the audience something or just entertain them, or both. I have to surround myself with beautiful colors... etc...

I feel like maybe this is me beginning to show vulnerablitiy publicly... which is really hard for me. I am a very private person. I have a close knit group of people in my life, and other than them I don't think many people know much about me.

Ok, so, now changing the mood from me sounding like a creeper... I just wanted to post this to be really open... I want people to see my stuff and understand where I'm coming from... I just watched "Reality Bites" with two of my friends, Bobby and Roxanne... it was a really epic film that I feel was very under rated... It was done so well... and I feel like I was meant to see it... it spoke to me...

I want to document more of what it's like to live as an artist... I don't do a lot of art professionally yet... I don't have time to even do much on my own time... I'm trying to get a better (shitty) job that will allow me more time and money to live so I can work on art... it sucks... I have so many ideas in my head... I write them all out, sketch them... but don't have a ton of time to really put them all together... it is such a slow process... I envy people who work really quickly and can make so much in so little time... I am honestly still working on rewriting a comic series I started working on 7 or so years ago... I can't wait to finally publish it... but it has just taken longer than I'd expected...

I was lucky enough to be inolved in the start of the creation of a cartoon series... right now this idea is dead in the water... we are waiting to get someone to fund the project. I designed all of the characters, which is a dream job!! I love character creation... it is one of my favorite things... we have scripts, music, a teaser... acting from some of us... yet still we aren't working on the episodes... we are all caught up trying to pay the bills doing other things. I feel like this series will be well recieved. Not to say on my part... I think the idea itself is so great... and the scripts are so pure to the idea... I love them... I really want the people I'm working with to get attention from this project because we will all have so much fun working on it... I ultimately want it to be well recieved but no matter what, I have really learned a lot about the whole process... so that is the important part...

Other than that I am working on my own stories... I have several comic book ideas... I'm fleshing them all out... but I am working on multiple things at a time... I really enjoy doing that...

I want to make this Starving Artist section interesting... and I hope that people start to read it... I will try and post pictures that are funny or interesting... of how poor I am and the stupid stuff I go through to try and get work done... I am working on a few little projects that are exciting that I'm hoping will become something regular...

I am drawing pictures, which will soon be posted of a character from the upcoming cartoon, her character, althought memorable, is one of the minor characters... but the creator who made her up years ago, is giving her her own website etc... so I will be posting pictures of Grace soon :)

I am working on a comic book about a Cat with my friend Elyse, it was her idea, and it was really great... we are trying to flesh out the details so we can make it happen...

I was also talking with her sister Monica about stuff and we ended up deciding that we should collaborate... she blogs about the environment and about we can be more green. The thing I love about her and her blog is that she is trying to show us all tips here and there to help out. She isn't being a bitch about it, she is just trying to help... it's not one of those guilt blogs or anything... we are going to make a reacurring character as well as some shorts here and there...

I am doing some stuff on my own... I have some characters from my Junior year in High School that I am fleshing out and mixing with newer characters... I am doing a seperate issue for each character that I want to self print and put in as many stores as I can get it to...

still rewriting and working on the comic series that will take many more years...

as well as other smaller ideas that haven't been fleshed out... or small collaborations that are slowly blossoming...

I am excited to see where the next few years takes me... I'm hoping to have a lot of my work out there that I'm proud of... and just pushing ahead and learning and growing as an artist and as a person...

I am lucky to have the support from all my friends and family... they have truly helped me more than they know.

Anyway... I have been babbling for quite a while now... so... I hope to be posting more of these... as well as more drawings... soon videos... etc. :) I need to draw much more stuff!!

Thanks...

Daniel

Space Babes

I Had a vision of a babely Space couple... here they are :)

Fun with Post Its

I have the tendancy to draw on any blank paper, or hell, any blank spot on paper that is already written on... Post its are very dangerous... I just can't stop... one after the other, scribbles, ideas, notes, lists... So I figured I should post some of the recent ones I had drawn... I was in the mood to draw scary people... enjoy ;)

(I wanted to add the woman thinking 'and I'm wearing a G-string' but I didn't have room :(

Space Helmets

A friend comissioned a painting from me last year, she wanted herself in a space helmet... I don't normally design or draw them so it was a fun challenge... in the process I came up with many different designs... but they didn't have the mod feel she was looking for so I decided to keep some of them for later...

Here is the painting of the friend (I don't paint much) I liked how it turned out, except I wasn't overly excited about the purple.. the blue paint I was using had a lot of green in it and it came out a bit different, but I guess things often turn out a bit different than planned... (this was sometime in 2009) Thanks Kristen :)

(this is the alternate design in B&W, I liked the most... yet... she looks a little too much like Paris Hilton)... haha... not intended...

My scanner didn't pick up the color very well, I even enhanced it and am still not too thrilled with the end result...

Here she is before she was colored... not as Paris Hiltony

Here was the original alternate design... I did this in 2009 when I was working on the painting... but I didn't finish this one and color it until 2010