Interview on Indie Book Butler

Posted on January 30, 2016 by Max West

Another interview with me is up over on Indie Book Butler so go check it out!

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Self Publisher’s Showcase Interview

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Max West

There’s an interview about me and my work up on Self Publisher’s Showcase so why not check it out?

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More Sunnyville #13 pages done

Posted on November 28, 2015 by Max West

I have three more pages of Sunnyville Stories #13 finished and posted: page 20, page 21 and page 22.

There won’t be much here today.  Besides my comics and more of Von Herling, I’m also working on many planned surprises for my “25 Days of Christmas”.  As a reminder, I will post up one blog post a day each day from December 1st to December 25th (Christmas Day).  I have some different topics that I’ll be posting or discussing.

As a sneak preview, I’ll be sharing previews of some upcoming work, talk about a cool art magazine and even share some trailers!

So stay tuned to the blog for more news, loyal fans!

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Review: Imaginative Realism

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Max West

Today, I’m reviewing the book by James Gurney titled Imaginative Realism: How To Paint What Doesn’t Exist.

Imaginative Realism cover

Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn’t Exist. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Pub, 2009

(Above image courtesy of Dick Blick, famous art supplies store)

James Gurney is a famous illustrator who paints in a realistic manner (a contrast to my own simple story).  He’s the creator of Dinotopia and was the guest of honor at Anthrocon 2010.  I had the honor of meeting him in person at that event!  I sat in on all of his panels where he talked about his work, his technique and his experiences like working with the legendary Frank Frazetta.  That same year, I picked up a copy of this book of his from Strand Books for cheap; it was worth every penny because I consult it regularly.   Continue reading →

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Painting Bon Vivant Part 3

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Max West

After getting the idea, the sketch, the research and color study, it’s now time to paint Rusty as an Edwardian bon vivant!

Sketch on watercolor paper

  1. First, I copied the pencil sketch onto a block of 7 x 10 inch hot press watercolor paper.  Like all my other drawings, I did a rough sketch and cleaned up everything with erasers.

Continue reading →

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Painting Bon Vivant Part 2

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Max West

Picking up from where we left off yesterday, I had my idea and did my sketch.  But it wasn’t enough.  I had to do some more research on Edwardian clothing because all I had to go on was that photo of Bernard Cribbins.

To start my research, I had to search Google Images for straw boaters and Edwardian striped blazers.  Besides Google Images for research, I scoured the web for websites about Edwardian fashion.

I also had to pull out my copy of James Gurney’s renowned book Imaginative Realism (which I will review in the future) for some strategies.  Gurney talks a bit about costumes in one part of the book.  He says that while good costumes can be hard to get, having a real costume (or a good image thereof) can make a huge difference in finished pictures.  It’s obvious that one can tell a costume made up against a costume designed from reference.  This does tie into my own training about researching everything even if you think you know how to draw it.   Continue reading →

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Painting Bon Vivant Part 1

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Max West

It’s been awhile since I’ve painted.  I dug out my tubes of gouache and acrylic paint; it took some more effort to locate my brushes.  Then I needed to decide what to paint.

Bernard Cribbins

While out and about online, I found an image of British actor Bernard Cribbins dressed in clothes from the Edwardian era.  That appealed to me for some reason and I pondered what if Rusty wore an outfit like that.  Since Rusty wouldn’t look too out of place in the retro universe of Sunnyville in that apparel, I decided to paint that.   Continue reading →

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Making the paper and making comics

Posted on November 7, 2015 by Max West

I’ve got some announcements today.

First and foremost, in addition to getting mentioned on Alpha Manga and Root Beer Party, we also made the local newspaper, the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead!  The online article appeared on November 7; the print article should be appearing this Monday on November 9.

Second, I’ve gotten word that one of my vendors, a mail order company, will be opening up a brick-and-mortar around January.  In addition to stocking the Sunnyville (and Von Herling) titles, I’m going to see about providing them with promotional materials like artwork, flyers, posters and so on.  We’ll keep you posted as the story develops.   Continue reading →

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20 Questions on Root Beer Party

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Max West

We made the blog Root Beer Party with both an overview of Sunnyville Stories and where I answer questions about my work.  Go check it out!

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More pages and mailings

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Max West

Work continues on Sunnyville Stories #13.  Right now, some inks are drying.

Speech balloon king on a Sunnyville comics page

Speaking of Sunnyville #13, two new pages are up now on DeviantArt – page 11 and page 12.   Continue reading →

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