It's My Nature

I think as artists it's really important to keep experimenting. Experiment with what works for you, what doesn't. Experiment with techniques, writing, painting, your life, whatever. Just keep trying new, weird, scary, exciting things. Find what makes the game fun for you. Try as many things as you can at least once. Keep growing.
That being said I am currently trying some new art software since my adobe software is a no go right now. Trying out, Art Rage, Painter 12 and The Gimpy. We shall see what happens.
Also working on a new watercolor series to be paired with some of my poetry. The focus of the series is "pain".
Finally as well getting back to my graphic novel, 'Nine Gates' as well. Writing and penciling and random illustrations.

So trying to get a nice swing going.

Instagram: ek1m_ekru8
Pinterest: artvandelay19
Facebook Page: Mike D. Burke

Finding the time

Lately I've been finding a better way to use my time wisely. Since my mind is always so concentrated on so many different projects at a time it helps me now that I carry around this little grey notebook. I've been able to draw, write and read more efficiently. It's like finally my brain always has a place to put the ideas that flee across it in the passing hours. Because usually my mind is bouncing so much between all the thinks I want to do I often lose track of what it was I was thinking at from one moment to the next. 

I've been able to write down the scenes I'm thinking about for my novel every time I think of them. In able to sketch out quick ideas for my comic or for my random illustrations. It's great! Try it out. 

Story Structure Notes cont'd

Event- 1. Events are change taking place, are always meaningful and never trivial.
            2. Creates meaningful change in life situation of a character that is expressed and experienced in terms of a VALUE <-- of="" p="" soul="" storytelling.="" the="">            3. Story VALUES are the universal qualities of human experience that may shift from positive to negative, or vice versa, from one moment to the next.
            4.Events are achieved through CONFLICTS. Change is motivated though CONFLICT.

Scene- 1. An action through conflict in more or less continuous time and space that turns the value-charged condition of a character's life on at least one value with a degree of perceptible significance. Ideally, every scene is a STORY EVENT.
           2. If a scene isn't meaningful, cut it.

Beat- 1. An exchange of behavior in action/reaction. Beat by beat these changing behaviors shape the turning of a scene.
          2. Beats are meaningful behavior changes.

More notes to come! Any questions or suggestion shoot me an email!

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 Short-Story to be turned into Webcomic!!

Miss Muffet and the evil that Spider’s do

CHAPTER ONE:

Little Miss Muffet sat upon her tuffet eating some curds and whey while her step-father ran around frantically talking to himself, “Can’t forget these either now can I?” he said as he grabbed some more pieces of parchment. Little Miss Muffet did not want to eat her curds and whey, she wanted French toast with lots of syrup on top, “But step-papa I much despise these curds and whey, why I don’t even know what they are! And why pray tell must I sit upon this tuffet, it’s rough and makes my little booty itch!” She snarled and exclaimed as she tried to get comfy on the tuffet. “Do you think we are rich daughter? You think chairs fall from the sky, I’m trying to cut back some money here. It’s a bad economy you know what with this sudden uprise by that dreadful organization. But my catalogue will put an end to that, once we hand it over to the Queen of our land!”

Little Miss Muffet just sat there with a look of discontent, “If I were ruler of this land, I for sure wouldn’t of just given the kingdom over to the Spider, step-pop, I would have fought.” Dr. Muffet looked over to Miss Muffet as he was packing their bags and smirked, “Oh yes Patience, that is what the Queen did. She said to the Spider, ‘Here you can have the throne, I’m not sitting there. Oh and while you’re at it here’s the kingdom. And if it’s not too much trouble Mr. Spider could you throw myself and the royal family and my guards in the dungeon for all eternity, thanks you’re a peach!’ Is that what you think happened?” Little Miss Muffet thought about if for a second, “Well how else could this have happened?” Dr. Muffet rubs his head as he grabs a few more papers from his desk by the sink in their small apartment that doubled as an Alchemists laboratory.

“None the less I simply despise these curds and whey you make me eat all the time. I mean come on man, feed me some sweets every once in a while!” While Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet complaining about her curds and whey, along came a Spider who sat down besider her, “’Ello Miss Muffet, not enjoying your meal eh? Well t’at’s just too bad ain’t it? Can’t all be happy now can we? Where’s your step-pa, that catalogue he’s completing is of quite the major interest to me boss.” and this Spider scared Miss Muffet away. She jumped out of her chair and yelled for her step-father, Dr. Muffet, “Help! Help, I dare say step-pop! There’s a Spider agent in here, and he’s after your work! We must flee at once!” But it was too late, for in the other room Dr. Muffet was already being taken away by two other Spider agents. They dragged him strangling and yelling into the kitchen where Miss Muffet gasped in horror at the situation, “I gasp at horror at this un-sightful and seemingly inconvenient situation!”

The spider agent looked to Miss Muffet, he was a tall, freakishly skinny looking man who wore a long black trench-coat (don’t they always) a giant top hat and goggles which had many ocular seeing devices on them, his smile was full of sharp, nasty teeth. He snarled toward Miss Muffet, “An now love, tis your turn to be bonded up in chains an the like.” As the agents walked menacingly toward Miss Muffet, Dr. Muffet broke free for but a moment, “Noooooooo!” he yelled as he pushed Miss Muffet down to the ground, “Unsafe!” a hole portal opened up in the ground and sucked Miss Muffet in.

The last she saw of her step-pa was him smiling at her safety, the Spider agent tried to reach after her but the portal closed quickly. Miss Muffet was falling fast toward a bright light, her journey was just beginning.

Sometimes ya just....yeah?

I tell ya what folks, being self-employed is tough, tought when you have zero customers which means zero profit. Thus is what I am suffering from, I still work diligently at my comic "Masters of Fiction!" everyday now but ya know, it doesn't pay the bills yet. I'm looking for Illustration work or Writing work and it's really tough to find here in Utica, "The city, trying to be a city.." that's my quote, yup.

But you know what I mean if you live here, there's no real market for creative people here that I can find (if there is and I'm missing it, please someone give me a call) except for stuff that I just really don't have much interest in. Teaching art is great and noble and everything but I'm just not into it, I want to create things for clients and myself and make my dues that way.

I'm going to dabble in advertising and marketing for places maybe a little bit, I'm trying to anyways. Oh and I've found some great books for you guys to read most def for Illustrators and Writers; there's Everything you need to know to be a Freelance Illustrator and Guerrilla Marketing both available at Barnes and Noble, the first is in the Art section and the second is in Writing Reference.Also a really great series I just got into is Victorian Undead it basically is a Sherlock Holomes versus book the series is Sherlock Holmes continued adventures with Dr. Watson and pits them against all sorts of supernatural threats!! It's awesome and amazing writing, the art is amazing to the twentieth level man, check it out!! And a really great graphic novel I just read is I Kill Giants it's funny and sad and has great heart to it! It's an amazing read!!

Well until next time amigos, I'm off to draw more and create and what not, and figure out how to get paid for it all....