Work Commissions

Much as I want to continue my GN, I have to attend to more pressing matters, that is, work commissions.  Commitments and deadlines have to be met.  This doesn't mean though that I will stop working what I have started of this GN...it's just kept pending while giving priority to the projects entrusted to me by my clients.

Gothic art

THE LIGHT OF LOVE 

Raw Pencils

Copyright: Ramie

A prospective client requested me to produce samples of Gothic Art, similar to Gustave Dore's. It's an honor to imitate Dore's grandiose and unique style.  My attempt admittedly doesn't even come close as posted herein... even if the concept and layout was mine.  I have to freely state though that when I was doing the above image (and another sample at my website, www.artsehub.com), I came to admire Dore's extraordinary talent . Myy only hope at this point, is my client would see my sample otherwise so he will hire my services:)
I will be doing more of these type of images in the near future for posting at the Gothic Gallery at my website, www.artsehub.com.
As to the style for my GN? It's far different than this:)

It makes a lot of difference

Talent and skills freely flows when the artist gives his entire self to his work. Drawing from the heart and not from you mind makes a lot of difference.
In my years of  the industry, I have encountered numerous complaints from writers and principals alike ie, the commissioned artist fizzled out in the middle of the project; the writer who hired the artist is unable to pay what has been agreed; delays in communication and deliverable, etc., etc. Call it ignorance or the offending party is just plainly unprofessional. Any individual engaging in collaboration must totally commit the project he/she wishes to undertake, otherwise, he/she should stay away from a proposed project. There are a lot of rotten tomatoes out there and I wish that as they create their own problems, they're going to learn from their mistakes.
I'm the writer and the artist of my GN. You, my readers and followers are my bosses:D

Mango Trees

When drawing, a lesson from an expert keeps ringing my mind: "Never draw from your mind...use reference materials as much as possible." The much gifted artists though will not agree to this. But, in my case...with the little gift that I have and even with so many years in my trade, I always keep my mind open to new things...most especially those that can help improve my skills.
Recently, I've been going to the mountains to conduct and fetch my wife on her voluntary work at the Center for Abused Children.  The place is nestled quietly at the bottom in one of the lush mountains of Cebu.  Mango trees and bamboo plants abound its backyard. Call it timing...but I treat it as God's providence of giving some good reference materials for my GN.  The opportunity allowed me to take some photos with my mobile phone.
In my story, Barrio Apitong's mountains abounds with  mango trees and bamboos.  Admittedly, I broke the role from the expert when I drew the panels of the first pages with mango trees. So, like a good follower, I have to re-draw some of the panels for more dramatic images of mango trees(the bamboo plants follows).

Correction of title from Major Chronic to AS-Guards

Dear friends, my apologies for the title correction of my June 27 post.  John commissioned the work under Major Chronic.  I was unaware that AS-Guard was completely a different story until he finally published it. Currently, he has commissioned me again to re-work Major Chronic.  It's termed re-work as the illustrations were started by another artist who fizzled out after the 5th page. John didn't provide the reason why.
Having a good relationship with John with the AS-Guard project, I accepted the commission.  The script is already with me.
Meanwhile, I'm forced to lessen my engagement with my GN and take priority for this earning gig.  I will still keep on working my GN during break times from work.

AS-Guard comicbook

The subject was authored by John Hill from Patagonia, Arizona,USA.  I did the pencils of this 21-page comicbook.  Today, John emailed me the link of his FB profile/album carrying all its pages complete with word balloons.  The illustrations were completed last March and after the long wait, I finally got to see and read the full version of the comicbook. I'm proud of John's accomplishment and I'm happy for him. I too am elated as it was a privilege having been a part of his project.
My May 21 Post of this Blog has been updated with the link to the subject's article at my site, www.artsehub.com of the subject comicbook, AS-Guards. Enjoy your visit!
Happy weekend!

Where is Sirum?

Sirum was the main protagonist of Olisi Pares in the 2007 TV Series,"Olisi". His character was half of what  the TV series was all about.
As the three year period quickly passed, finding out that Sirum has his own strong followers, surprised me. They're now swarming me with questions if they will see him again in Book II.
To make things exciting...maybe?

*Actor Rosalio-Tata Gingoyon played Sirum in the TV Series, "Olisi"
*View Sirum's video in The Making of Olisi Pares videos

The plot thickens

It's both exciting and rewarding to see the story come alive with the graphics. My adrenalin shifts to high gear as I'm brought to the plot's edge in a chapter. But, I need to wake up to reality. My hands needs to work hard to give justice to what I've written.
Until then, I have to continuously draw...

Drawing like crazy

Very busy today accomplishing work that needs to be done. The title of today's post is a common phrase from the icons of the comicbook industry who give pieces of advice to struggling artists, including me, not to stop their passion. They tell us, "Keep drawing, and draw like crazy!" I got the core of the message right away from the first time I heard it. From there, one is able to develop his talent and skills. Progress in style and new methods/applications are attained. Advancement become apparent. That's what I learned.

Winning the battle

I have to admit that producing a GN out of my pocket and time... and worst, without the prospect of earning is a struggle. A commitment was given. It's better late than never as they say. So, I strive to win the battle.

Back to the drawing board

Happy Father's day to all devoted fathers!My email and mobile phone are swarmed with early greetings. Supposedly, it's our day-off today...no cooking, no washing, no ironing of clothes...Ha!
Well, this day brings me back to the drawing board...work continues.

Confidence gained again

To become an expert in a specific medium, the artist needs to engage in it consistently. The medium should become part of the artist's essence for him to control and use its full potential and not the other way around, that is, the medium controlling the artist.
I have not touched my watercolor set for three(3) straight years. Two years before that, I was already utilizing programs for the creation of images. I didn't notice I was parting from one of my expertise, the watercolor medium. Grade school provided the exposure and training for it...which proved to be a lifetime engagement. Oil paints came later when I was in high school and it became an alternate medium in my art pieces depending on the type of subject at hand.
My three-year watercolor rest was awaken when a principal asked me to use the said medium. Admittedly, I was shaken. The pros and cons between the PC programs and the manual application sat in. But, not for long. The familiar smell greeted me when I opened my watercolor set. Dazzling colors flashed before my eyes. I smiled. Confidence was present. My expertise of this medium was just in slumber:)

Work Focus

My progress has been rewarding. For today, I just need to focus on work despite distractions.

Taking a 2-day break from my GN work

Received an email today from a potential principal asking the digital image I submitted be translated into a water color format. They're into the old art style for their upcoming book for children. It took me almost 2 days to do the one digital image I submitted from pencils, inks and colors. I was glad I asked if they liked the digital rendition before making the remaining three images.
Need to fill the gaps of my budget first.

Do Your Work

The subject post, "Do Your Work" is the screen saver of my eldest son. He is also a graphic artist. Samples of his artwork are in this at this ARTSeHUB.com Gallery.
Will busy inking today.

Colored or Black and White?

I'm not fond of B&W(Black and White)work. I prefer the colorful art forms. At this point however, I'm inclined to have this GN published in B&W. There are two reasons why: First, the 125-page Graphic Novel, "Barnone" which I recently illustrated changed my whole outlook about B&W work. Aside from the challenge in its form, I liked the end result. Second, if I'll have this GN colored, it will take me beyond next year perhaps to complete as the coloring stage is an added work.

Shortcuts? No, I still would love to see this work colored...or maybe published it in two versions? One, in B&W and the other, colored. Ha! At this early stage, I still have a lot of time to weigh the pros and cons.

Inking continues

Today, and the rest of the week, I will continue inking the penciled pages. Totally excited of the outcome.

Meeting with Master Chuck Cañete and the legendary, GrandMaster Cacoy Cañete

Yesterday, June 12, 2001, I had a meeting with Master Chuck Cañete and Grandmaster Cacoy Cañete regarding the forthcoming events of the Cacoy Doce Pares World Federation. Chuck was the lead actor of my 2007 TV Series, "Olisi".

Synopsis

Olisi Pares, Book II:
"The Warriors’ Row"

The mission of David's forefathers as Olisi Pares rested heavy on his shoulders while in pursuit of his career move as a young professional in the big city. The power of the pair of Olisis, Pax et Fides(Peace and Faith), has reached its full potential. It brought the much needed relief to the crime-filled city. But, to the reluctant hero, it was trouble…especially when David realized a shortcoming of the power entrusted to him…and only Matilda, his childhood friend from Barrio Apitong carried the answer.
Then, an unexpected adversary came and sought the 7th heir for a challenge to answer a long standing issue that goes back to WWII, during the Japanese occupation in the Philippines.

No power interruption yesterday

Work continued despite the threat of a scheduled brownout. Incidentally, the news were true that the power supply improved so, there was no brownout. Hoping it will be the same today. My catching-up of my work is going on smoothly. I should be posting the first pages by next weekend. God willing!

My PC is back!

This is a temporary situation. Some of my files are still being recovered at the shop. Had to order another 1terrabyte external drive to accommodate all the files to be recovered. Completion should be done by Saturday.
My Tech guy was good enough to let me have my PC with all its programs intact while my other drive is still undergoing "surgery".Ha!  A miracle!...my drive C was not reformatted like the previous cases. It's catching-up time for now!

More power outages

More bad days ahead. The power company announced early today that the rotating brownouts will be 2.5hours each day until next week. Ugh! There's no published schedule.  Just have to trust the UPS(Uninterrupted Power Supply)to protect our units. Added to this, the absence of my PC has inflected considerable delay of my work. I'm hoping the Tech guy will be able to finish his job today.

1830 to 2015H brownout 07June 2010

Power outage again. I had good news from my Tech guy today who said all data are intact in the affected drives and most especially the 1 terrabyte disk which is still in good working condition. So, my PC is still in the shop undergoing data recovery. The 250gig drive C will no longer be reusable after "surgery" and needs replacement. Thanks to the power company:(
Today, 07 June 2010 we had almost 2 hours of brownout. Work stopped. On its positive side, I had more time with my two sons. Rod who owns the PC I'm using for my work updates, played his guitar(including Silent Night) while we stayed outside our house at the gate(driveway entrance). The sky was clear and we enjoyed the stars.  We also did "cloud bursting".Ha!...that's from the movie, "The Men Who Starred at Goats". Anyone who'd viewed the film will know what it's about:)
After the brownout, my eldest son, also a Graphic Artist was dismayed to find out that his Photoshop work was corrupted because of the sudden power interruption. He has to rework the lost data(more than an hour work).

Good Signs

The Tech guy expressed big hopes about the recovery of the files from my corrupted disks. GN work continues.

Work continues despite the odds

It seems like all the demons converged here to disrupt my work. Well, they're wrong. My angels are stronger than them. Even if the Tech guy failed to fix my PC, my GN work and Blog continues. The findings of my PC was not good. Drives C & F(1 terrabyte)are damaged. At least D & E are okay. The damage was caused by the frequent power fluctuations and interruptions in our area. Aside from finding funds somewhere at the corner of my empty pocket for the projected expenses of this problem, there's more work to be done on Monday(& probably, the succeeding days) for the Tech guy to reformat the disks and recover the files...the time frame sounded like forever. I'm hoping and praying  that my PC will be in normal working condition the earliest.

My PC

Finally, the Tech guy will check and fix my PC after lunch today. My son has been gladly allowing me to use his unit to avoid disruptions of my daily tasks ie. emails, blog updates, etc. He plays his guitar while I'm using his PC. Thanks, Rod!
Work continues on my GN, inking and script treatment for the first 21 pages.
Oh, I was out early this morning and met one of my lead actors, Actor Gary Cerrojales of the 2007 TV Series, "Olisi".  He's a versatile actor and one of the best in the industry. The meeting was timely for my other on-going project, a full length movie on its pre-production. Gary is in my shortlist of Actors for the project. I will have another Blog of that later.  Links will be provided through this Blog:)
Happy weekend, everyone!

Inking and pencils

Inking of the penciled pages continues. .My PC bogged down. Having problems starting it. Virus? Hope not. So many files at stake. Ohhh:( the pains of the Net. Need for the tech guy to check and fix. Meantime, I'm using the PC of my son to make this new entry.

Olisi Pares Website

The Site is online again after configuration.  Both www.olisipares.com  and www.olisi-pares.com are directed into the 3-year old, reliable, efficient Olisi Pares' Site Portal. Enjoy surfing and please keep coming back for new articles and announcements!

Olisi Pares Book II Concept Art

I have just finished posting the images of the GN's Concept Art at my Portfolio at my website: www.artsehub.com.

Website olisi-pares.com

We're currently re-configuring the Site. Please bear with us. For the meantime, I'm continuing the inking of the pages.  Having fun.  Please keep checking for announcements.

Publication Plan

For now the contents of “Olisi Pares, The Comicbook Series” at www.olisi-pares.com, are the selected comicbook pages used during the production of the 2007 TV Series, "Olisi". The publication of the initial inked pages of my GN Sequel will be online at the same Section. Please keep checking for announcements.

Terminologies

The circumstance that Olisi Pares' story originated from Cebu, Philippines, necessitated the use of some Cebuano(Cebu dialect) words. From time to time, I will be posting some of these words with their English translations/meaning. Its compilation will be included in the published GN. Here's the first bunch:

Olisi - The fighting stick, average 28" long, made from the hardest part of the rattan vine. "Olisi" is the original Cebuano word that describes the fighting stick.  The Tribal Chief, Lapulapu in the island of Mactan, Cebu has been using the said description which dates back before the coming of the Spaniards to the Philippines by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. The Filipinos in Luzon, the Tagalog Region, later called it, "Arnis". Its international description, "Kali", were adapted by some of the stick fighting art practitioners in today's modern times.

Pares - The Spanish word meaning, Pair. The same word has become part of the Cebuano dialect with the same meaning.

Eskrima - From Wikipedia: Eskrima or escrima refers to a class of Filipino martial arts that emphasize weapon-based fighting with the stick, staff or knife. Alternative terms which have entered into common usage include kali and arnis. Eskrima and arnis are the most common among the many names often used in the Philippines today to refer to these arts.
The teaching of the basic skills in Eskrima are traditionally simplified. With limited time to teach intricate moves, only techniques that were proven effective in battle and could easily be taught en masse were used. This allowed villagers, generally not professional soldiers, a measure of protection against other villages, as well as foreign invaders. This philosophy of simplicity is still used today and is the underlying base of Eskrima. Because of this approach, Eskrima and the Filipino martial arts in general are often mistakenly considered to be "simple". However, this refers only to its systematization, not effectiveness. To the contrary, beyond the basic skills lies a very complex structure and a refined skillset that takes years to master.

Eskrimador - the practitioner of Eskrima.

Barrio - Portions from Wikipedia: used to denote a subdivision of a municipio (or municipality); the barrios are further subdivided into sectors. In the Philippines, the term may also simply refer to a rural village and is spelled in Filipino as baryo.

Apitong - From Wikipedia: Dipterocarpus grandiflorus is a common medium hardwood tree in South-East Asia and India. Its wood is used to produce good quality charcoal, paper pulp, and timber sold under the Keruing designation. Its gum is used locally as a waterproofing varnish. The tree itself is very useful for nitrogen fixing, erosion control, soil improvement, and watershed regulation.

Splash Page Pencil Sketch

Pages 4 & 5 Splash page pencil sketch.

Pencils Sketch, Takeshi panels page3

A peek into one of the brutal scenes in the panels of the Opening Sequence depicting the true horrors of WWII in the Pacific.  This is one of the reason why the Sequel couldn't be aired on the same TV Network with a general audience rating.

My friends, thanks for following.

Page1 Pencil Sketch

Layout of Page1 Opening Sequence.  

This page has been finalized. Inking is underway with the subsequent pages.

The Ninja Shinden's unique weapon

Aside from his favorite pair of samurai, The Ninja Shinden has this distinctive weapon. Concept design by my son, Blackeraser. 

For more on Blackeraser, please visit:  
Olisi Pares, The Animated Series

Olisi Pares' Nemesis

Concept Art of Olisi Pares' nemesis, The Ninja Shinden. More concept art of this character later.

My friends, thanks for following.

The New Olisi Pares Suit

Concept art in pencils for Olisi Pares' new look.
For Olisi Pares' past adventure, please visit:  Olisi Pares

2nd Part of the Opening Sequence

Where are the GI’s? The Americans left us to fight their war. General McArthur promised he’d return. But, when?

We heard the Japanese officers at the neighboring barrios were kind. This was opposite to the one assigned at our Barrio. Captain Takeshi was brutal. Even his soldiers feared him. We were told his name means a fierce warrior. His god was his samurai.

Barrio Apitong…it’s where the greatest Eskrimadors of the whole country lived. I’m the 5th heir to the task handed down from generation to generation from my great-great Grandfather, the first Olisi Pares, GrandMaster Gorio. The heirs have sworn to help and protect the oppressed. That vow has never been broken.

The Opening Sequence

The Sequence below contains pages 1 and 2...and as mentioned yesterday, 4 and 5 are in one whole spread page(Splash page). I'll be finishing this Splash page today. The perspective of some objects in the panels of these latest pages are a bit tricky.I have to keep a stable balance of the whole environment lest everything goes awry and my readers will be dizzy.Hah!

So, here's the first portion of the Opening Sequence:

Barrio Apitong. Yes, the name brings a refreshing tone to my ears. In my heart, the name is synonymous to paradise. It’s a place perfected by the gentle palms of God’s hand. It’s a farmer’s haven  nestled at the foot of its fertile Bamboo mountains. Mango plantations were abundant.  The trees’ seasonal character shied away with its year-round harvests. The living waters of the river crossing this beautiful place ends at the cove’s white sands and the blue waters of the Barrio’s rich-fishing cove. The children had the best time of their lives.

After the Spaniards, peace seemed perpetual until the Japanese came. Their entry to our Barrio was a nightmare. It was a rude awakening to the horrors of the Second World War. Their presence brought the slaughter of innocent and defenseless people.  Women, old folks, children, babies…it didn’t matter.  The Japanese soldiers were in total disregard of the value of human lives. We were treated like animals.  We never understood why they came and stayed in Barrio Apitong.  We were only farmers. We were peace-loving people. We neither have gold nor treasures. Why didn’t they let us be? Devastation breached my paradise.

The 2nd Part of the Opening Sequence for pages 3 & 4 will be posted tomorrow.

Simultaneously, I'm finalizing the character development needed for the current pages I'm working on.

Friends, thank you for following.

The Making my Graphic Novel, "Olisi Pares"

I just thought of keeping a journal for my journey on another road to success. Hah! I've been illustrating the comicbooks and cartoons of very talented authors ie, Mark Tuit's 125-page graphic novel, "Barnone", John Hill's 21-page action-hero genre comicbook,"AS-Guards", Nudefish/Calvinayre.com's selective comic strips, "Comic Timing".(The links are all in my Portfolio/Gallery at www.artsehub.com).

I have lots of stories to tell and its been in the shelf for years. It's high time to start sharing these for everyone to enjoy. I've chosen to work first on the Sequel of the 2007, TV Series, "Olisi", www.olisi-pares.com. Most of my friends and associates consider the main character, the first Cebuano super-hero. When the TV network requested for a follow-up after its success, I was thrilled. However, I declined to even think of accepting the idea due to the parts of violence and gore in the Sequel. The TV network is a Christian community-operated establishment and as directors and producers, we were obliged to produce shows that are wholesome in nature.

The above however, doesn't mean that the Sequel presents the aspect of going against good morals and practices or sound Christian doctrines. Having produced, "Olisi" which brought a lot of Christian values and teachings(specially on the aspect of the "Spiritual Warfare") in a general audience atmosphere, I discerned that the Sequel, having the necessity to show the horrors of World War II, will be better off shown outside the said TV network as a full-length movie.

So, it's now three(3) years from that successful TV Series and not a solid producer for the movie Sequel in sight. The crew, actors, stuntmen, followers and family members have been asking when they're going to see the Sequel. Everyone has been very excited about it. For the past three(3) years, I have been talking to potential sponsors and producers, cinematographers, actors, stuntmen, etc...in trying to organize the movie Sequel production. But, things have been slippery. There are a few offers of support and interest but not enough to lift the project to bring its realization. For the meantime while I'm shopping for the production needs of the movie project, I've decided to create its GN(graphic novel) and post it on my website, www.artsehub.com. For free? For a fee? Maybe for a Film Producer/Investor's interest? I'll decide on that later. What matters is, I've started doing it.

For the past two weeks, work has been slow on this GN project. I had to take care of my other freelance jobs for personal monthly bills. I've made pages 1 to 3 pencils already and I'm currently on pages 4 and 5(one page spread as Splash page to contain the title). But, alas! I still have to finalize on the character development. I doodled some already but looks like I'm "harassed"(term we used in our Christian community when the other side makes troubles in our daily tasks) and they're nowhere to be found. Well, better work on it again than spend precious time looking around. Just need to extract it from my head...or should I say from my heart:)