Keeping up

I've been reading this book lately and I'm really really enjoying it I have to say, I love it in fact!! It's great and full of amazing things throughout history, right now I'm pretty early in this book only up to The Golden Age of Athens, with Pericles and what was happening then of course. But if this book is anything like the other book I read by Will Durant it's bound to be amazing, full of great facts and good writing. One thing I really like about Will Durant is he's not your typical historian, he's more of a historical story teller to me as in he doesn't give you the bullshit dates and facts shit that textbooks in school use to give us you know? He tells it like it's a tale of men, women and drama and comedy and everything. These historical figures jump right off the page!! I love it you know? So I'm continuing my quest to know a lot about as much as I can by reading the "books I got for Christmas" a couple Christmas's ago. I'm not sure where in my life right now this knowledge will help me but it's certainly enjoyable and has made me more intelligent so far, at a quick pace too.


Very recently I watched this film, in fact it was late last night on Netflix. Can I just say, wow? Awesome, bravo Kevin Smith and the gang. I know this movie is super old now but I only just saw it now. As an aspiring comic book creator I loved it. It was a cool insight. But not only that, this was truly a great story and an amazing film. I love the amount of handycam in this film, Kevin Smith is a great filmmaker and I don't care if even he doubts it a bit now. He has a great sense of story and character and honestly also to see all these guys super young and in there basically first couple of films really getting their acting together is inspiring and great for me being an aspiring actor myself. This film to me felt sort of like a foreign art film. It was very artsy, the angles, the lighting, the emotion, and the acting. It had a great feel to it, I loved it. I mean it felt like I was watching one of those foreign films that don't quite have that American film type feel to it you know? It was more innocent and free and experimental, which excited me greatly because that's how I'd like to be as an Actor and Filmmaker. So yeah, Awesome.

Doing Stuff

So very recently I downloaded the new Videopad and Mixpad for my video editing needs and downloaded Mixpad just because I like to mess with music and what not, although I don't play any instruments I just mess with the free downloaded stuff on there. So far so good, I really like how easy and simple Videopad is to use it's so simple and you can download a truly free version so long as you're not using it for any commercial purposes which technically I'm not as I'm just using it for my humble comedy web series "Commercials Extras". So yeah it's easy and fun to use, I suggest downloading it and watching the two short tutorials on it as well, it's simple, proffessional and fast as well.

Currently I'm working on some small mini-teasers for my webseries. I'm also thinking of some other small clips to do as well so that I can showcase mine and the other casts acting capabilities mostly so that if they want to like myself they have practice and maybe audition tapes sort of. So yes, doing stuff and trying to keep very active with all my dreams and what not so that I can hone my skills. Look for more soon!!

Intellectual Cucumbers

In recent cases I'm realizing that I'm going through changes. As is neccessary and sometimes unnoticable until you forget your not doing that thing you always use to do. This happens to be a lot though, so I'm kind of use to the cycles. What I'm talking about pertaining to myself is: I'm going through one of my drawing pits right now, I haven't been drawing as much lately. No pages have been getting done, I still have one panel left on like the first page of my new samples....But things will turn around for me, as with history a period of inactivity is usually in turn the result of a period of strong activity.

In anycase onto what I am keeping myself busy with these times. Recently we had our Stag and Shower parties; they went great! Tons of fun with friends and plenty of gifts! All is great! So while all this has been going on I've been obsessing over this new hero of mine from history, Count de Saint Germain the immortal man. This guyis amazing, he could do so much, he was so damn smart! He could speak fluently, 12 different languages, in which case I'm attempting to learn 10. He knew all these facts about history and the way he talked about them it seemed to his listeners as if he was there; he never denied nor said he was there to them. So I'm finally reading all my history books I got three Christmas' ago...He was so many other things as well; a painter, violinist, pianist, courtesan, alchemist. Awesome right?! So yeah, I'm trying my best to be like him in these aspects, because that's fucking amaing isn't it? I'm blown away by it!!

Also as recently as yesterday I discovered this amazing dude and author Tim Ferris and his book "The 4-Hour Body". I haven't read it yet but I looked at the contents and examples and read some stuff on the website, this shit is amazing too!! He describes all these ways to change your body physically with minimalistic efforts! He went through 10 years of experimenting on himself (a human gunieu pig) to prove or dissprove all these amazing facets; fat loss, stenght gain, muscle gain, sleeping less to gain more productivity and so much more! I'm going to buy this book I think, at Target of course, dicount and all that haha. But yeah, so I've got Count de Saint Germain for my insperation to increase my menatal capacity and now I've got Tim Ferris's book to better myself physically!! Maybe this will help me become something like Nietchie's Uberman (Superhuman)? Who know?! I just want to be as friggin amazing as possible!! Think about it, if I create myself more amazing think of the benefits of those around me and think of the benefits of my children eventually! This is the type of thinking that moves forth the human race closer to that which we idealize. So I mean if this doesn't inpire someone, whatever. Because I'm going to make sure that myself and the people I know move forward!

Ways to save that beautiful GREEN CAKE

Looking for a little extra ways to save some cash my friends and fellow humans (and non-humans as well, I know that there are a few Vampires and occassionally some Angels who read my humble blog)? Well I've got a nice list here for you to try out, I myself am trying out a few of these, becasue like, why not? Right?! I have compiled this list of ideas from about 5 different articles I've read online, so have at you I say!!

1. Collect Cans (Recylce you fools! Or give them to me!)

2. Take a part time job (Yeah you lazy bunch of homeless monkeys! Including myself.)

3. Walk dogs or pet sit (I've tried but no one seems to trust me...or something?)

4. Have a yard sale (Yeah mom! Let me have a yard sale at your house! I'm not allowed here, where I dwell...)

5. Clip Coupons (This I have begun doing, I am now, crazy coupon guy!)

6. Do online surveys (Make sure the sites are ligit though! Once I got talked into taking a lama as payment...I rent him out to zoos)

7. Pawn Stuff (I do this all the time...sometimes on stuff I still want to keep...sometimes.)

8. Donate Plasma (I have not a clue what this means...)

9. Collect and Sell Ink Cartridges (Drop 'em off at Staples for cash!)

10. Wash/Detail Cars (You can do this for cash? My pop made me do it for free...shifty father.)

11. Sell stuff at a consignment shop (My mother does this all the time...all the time!)

12. Cash out rewards points (Subway card here I come!)

13. Become a mystery shopper (Shopping is fun. Shopping while getting paid to do so is better.)

14. Open a bank account (Some banks give out free cash to open a special account. Hell, open a couple accounts!)

15. Ask for a raise (Hell, who knows? They might give it to you!)

16. Deliver Newspapers (Tried this once with a Mr. T. Cobb...I lost a bunch. Old ladies were angry...just saying.)

Any questions, comments or concerns hit up the comments! All we can do is try right?!

Sometimes I think WHY?

Sometimes I think why? Why have talents at all? Why be able to do any of the things my talents allow me to be able to? It doesn't pay to be an artist, at least it doesn't for me right now....It really sucks badly actually and sometimes seems stupid. Although I know that if I wasn't able to draw, write or act I would be one really, really depressed person as I found out months ago when I fractured my hand. I could hardly hold a pencil or type on the computer and it drove me crazy. But still, I get so jealous of all my heroes out there making it everyday in the profession I so desperatley want to be a part of. How did they do it? Hard work and persistance, I guess and maybe being in the right place or knowing the right people? Well I've got to get me some of that, you know? The hard work I've got and will continue to do so, it's the knowing the right people part maybe? I mean, I know the method of the how to go about getting a job in comics or being an author and I've recently figured out the correct ways to go about getting an acting gig. ;P Sucks, because sometimes I feel like I meet other artists or authors and I feel like yeah they have great advice for me and everything but like I feel like they don't want to help me. Or maybe they can't because they're just trying to make it or whatever...who knows?

I just felt like ranting for a bit...I know no one really likes to hear complaining but sometimes people like to read it haha! Hopefully things pick up for me, I'm trying desperately to get another job along with my lovely job at Target. I have to have two jobs in order to make it, my fiances job pays a ton but not enough right now, and sometimes to be honest not that much at all...Life hits you like an angry beaver slapping some wood sometimes doesn't it? My wedding is in like two months, August 5th and I am fucking pumped up about that!!!!! It's going to be sick, not to mention I am marrying the woman of my dreams!!! And the honeymoon is going to be off the hook in Florida! I love Florida so much, it represents in my mind really fun times on vacation heh. And we're looking into getting a house soon and what not too. So gotta have money for that as well, things will pick up though right? Maybe I haven't hit bottom yet though probably, doesn't seem that bad really, we're still making it in our way. Oh well, sorry to add more complaining on the internet, not like anyone reads this blog anyway though ;P Love to all peeps!!

Learning things and what not

So yeah, I'm still learning and will continue to do so for the rest of my natural life for the most part. I've been studying hard now all the different pencillers and thier techniques to better myself and really paying attention to what it is I've been seeing you know? Really taking it all in and using that knowledge in my own sketches and drawings. I've been doing one big sketch a day for two days so far and will continue to do so I believe. I've been studying the Marvel Encyclopedia and all the different drawings in it and been picking one character that really strikes me as interesting and usually doing my sketch on them. I'm doing a real focus on line weight becasue that's mostly what I was told to practice on when I went to this passed months Big Apple Comic Con which was this May 2011. They told me that my storytelling was excellent (which they said is the most important part of being a comic book artist) and also that I'm very consistent with my characters from panel to panel (which is also a hard thing to keep up, two points ahead for me) but just to focus on line weight, and then the basics (i.e., proportions, perspective).

So yes that is what I'm doing! They also said to focus on whatever company I want to work for or a company that wouldn't be bad to work for just to get myself in the door. So I'm going to focus on the big two; Marvel and DC of course. I've been going through my more current comics that I've recently purchased to keep myself on the scene and picked out characters that are either popular or always popular and have written a three page story around them for each company. I also included my own original character "Ananami" copyright Mike D. Burke 2011. I'm making it so that he can fit into either universe depending on which one hires me. Here are the characters I've chosen: For Marvel; Dr. Strange, Dormammu, Wolverine and Spider-Woman. For DC; Red Robin, Batgirl and Batman. I've made it so that these stories need no dialogue as I am to focus mainly on the ability to draw a story panel to panel. One thing they also told me to focus on was the way I lead the eyes of the reader on the page, to make sure that the characters are facing the proper ways so as the story has good flow to it. Hopefully this all goes well, I've finished the story for both companies, I'm also going to put in their three pinups/covers also because from all the books I've read they say those are essential for a good portfolio as well. I'm so happy I have this new found focus now!! I'm pumped up and ready to take action, this is what it's all about!!

New shizz going down folks...

Yeah so been busy laugh out loud; in all seriousness not that busy I guess. Pretty much looking for work to do around the lovely towns of Utica and New Hartford with no luck haha but who cares right? Work will come, I will make good money and I will get shizz done!! Beotchessss!!!

Feeling a little crazy today (I had two Arbys beef sandwiches) so excuse me hyperactive writing and general spazzing of the keyboard ya heard?! Been working mad crazy on my graphic novel, making all the pages shine and sparkle and slap in the face amazing because tommorow we are heading to Wizard World Big Apple Comic Con!! Woot! There are about four small companies there as to which I will be having take a gander at my portfolio-ness and hopefull will like what they see a little bit; I'm hoping that one of them offers me some kind of gig, I don't care what it is really!! Anything will do, even if they don't pay me yet....anything's a step in the door!! So yeah that's been going on.

Wedding stuff pretty much done and what not, tuxes and dresses were the last puzzles to the pieces so everything's all good. Super pumped up about that!!!

Also been doing some random art stuff on my computer with PSCS3 which is a blast I must say,random wallpapers, book covers, head shots and stuff always a blast!! Looking forward to doing more stuff like that as well soon. So yeah, wish me luck tommorow, I made copies and staples them together with my business card as well so hopefully they ask for a copy because that means they are at least interested in me. Plus I mean it's NYC right?! Going with the fiancee and some buddies who are just as pumped as we are for this trip!! Until somehting new happens or I decide to write something more once again, this is the end of this post ahahah!!