This is becoming a pretty big failure. I like this character a little more, but over all, I’m not liking the project. Maybe it’s the weather. I’ll shelve it for a while. Frustrating as hell. Late edit. I’m done. At least she’s smiling.
Author Archives: davidstong
trial spreads
I’ve been plotting this out and knocking around the beginning for a few weeks. I really need a sense of how it’s going to look when we got into the thing, so I worked up two spreads from the middle as a trial. Maybe I’ll work out in both directions? I’m not sure about any …
new addition
A grandchild. Early stages. I’m excited.
Obviously they aren’t
I get into State College very rarely anymore, but when I do I like to pair what ever it is I’m doing in town with something interesting on Penn State’s University Park campus. During my last visit I walked to Pattee, caught Chris Ware and a display in Special Collections, and noted a large number …
Year one
Holidays are a great time for reflection. This holiday happens to be on, or very nearly on, the celebratory occasion of me wrapping up my first year of being employed by me—so my reflection has a harder edged, more assessing sort of purpose. As the boss, I need to see more effort from my staff. …
Coloring style
After I rendered the drawing of Bellefonte as a coloring book page, I tried coloring it myself with flat tones just as an experiment. I thought it worked well and I liked the effect. As I work on the Millheim Mouse cartoons, I save versions of each of them as coloring book pages, too. Since …
An explanation of the mouse images
On the simplest level my intent is to tell a story with colorfully rendered, very finished pictures. I have a story and characters in my mind, but no writing talent or skill, nor any desire to write the story. I do have very strong visuals in my head and a clear understanding of what happens …
Mouse in Millheim 08
I’ll probably noodle a bit with this yet before I save a final TIFF. I’m not sure about parts of it and seeing it here will help tease any problems out.
Fifth great grandfather
The photo is the face of the tombstone over my fifth great grandfather’s grave. It’s at the cemetery of the Wentz UCC church in Montgomery County, PA. From it I learned that the Stong from whom our family eventually flowered spelled Pillip with two “Ls” and he passed away on November 22, 1813. That’s 200 …
Balloons of Bellefonte for coloring
I caught a post that shared an open call for coloring book drawings. A print magazine had requested the submission of black and white drawings for a coloring book, sized for 81/2” X 11″ reproduction. I figured it would be a way to get a sense of whether or not this balloon idea is really …