Shame Breeds Hope
So, yeah. There were some missteps in today’s The Rack. I took, let’s say, a less than ideal approach to inking with a brush. I imagined the lines of my heroes being rendered in broad swoops of the arm, landing in perfect swaths of the pitchest blacks.
Then, our man Kevin clued me in to this little pouch of YouTube gold, an inking demo by Chad Cole. I was legitimately surprised, heartened if you will, by seeing such a careful and meticulous approach. I realized the frenzied and breathless jabs of brushery I engaged in last night were deeply flawed.
And so, in a haze of mourning (seriously, this Tim Russert thing is hitting me damned hard), with a new approach in my heart, and the buzz of a mood-lightening and pitch perfect new episode of The Venture Brothers all rattling around, I inked this sketch of a random Kevin Analog thug. Obviously, there’s a lot of backstory and cleverness I’m not yet at liberty to divulge, but enjoy this sketch, inked by brush, as a kind of penance for poor decision making.
Please Pack Your Knives And Go
So, tonight we bid farewell to another delightful season of Top Chef, possibly my favorite in terms of the acumen and affability of, well, at least two of the final chefs. Thanks in part to my newly ignited zeal for drawing (I got my brushes today, and, well, we’re getting there) I decided to spend my viewing time sketching. Which is something I really need to do a lot because holy cow I love every single thing I drew tonight.
First off, was Lisa. To be sure, she was the impetus of this whole endeavor, so captivating and alive in her grumpiness. It took a lot of tweaking but I’m quite happy with how I ultimately captured the nuance of her scowlingness. The whole gang here at Chateau Exclamation Point was so pleased with the results, I was urged to continue on with the rest of the final three.
I was also really happy with this one. Sketching while you’re actually watching people move around and talk really helps you pin down their primary distinguishing characteristics. And, of course, Blahzey-Blaise’s mad scientist toolkit is something that must be captured accurately.
And, finally, my favorite chef of the season hands down, who I charmingly refer to as Chef Yoda, thanks to the affinity she showed to the beloved character in her audition video in the first episode of the season. Note, I drew this before the final verdict was handed down, so at that time it was just wishful thinking.
Sometimes things just…work out.
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Benjamin Birdie
Suddenly kind of aged, Benjamin lives in Queens with his cat. His Master's Degree in Creative Writing has helped him immensely with his primary responsibilities of drawing things.
He can be reached at benjaminbirdie (at) gmail (dot) com.
And do feel free to follow him on Twitter.
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His Comics
Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, this charming comic strip by myself and Kevin Church receives a sparkling new installment. A Comic Strip About A Comic Shop.