Welcome!

I just wanted to say welcome dear reader. Even know I do my posting on my website
http://smitheezombiehunter.com
this blog still gets a fair number of visitors. I just wanted you all to be aware that the Mitten Man Issue #2 is underway and you can only see it if you visit my website. Here is the cover for #2

Clicking on the link to take you to Smithee's new hangout. I thank you for visiting this blog.

ENjoy and Survive!

My New Website

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Click the image above to be transported to Smithee's new home.

I've worked hard on that site for the past month to get it up to snuff, and I hope you will like it!

I'll put up all of issue 1 on the site as I have time.

 

This week I have been fervently working on the script for Issue #2 in the ware-wolf story.

I have tried to learn from Issue #1 what I liked and didn't like about it to make number 2 even better. Like I plan to blow away a zombie in the first few pages.

 

Graduation Day!

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I have some great news folks, Big Bad Mitten Man #1 is now in print! Check it out here.
I have also purchased Smithee his very own home at smitheezombiehunter.com and will doing
my posting from there from now on. I'm brand new to this whole professional comic site thing and it is still in process, so it will probably be changing as I go along, but I wanted you all to know what is going on.
My books will be for sale at the Comic Artist Collective booth at Comikazi-Con in San Diego Sept. 15-16th at booths 317,416,417,517(couldn't tell you which one will have mine). Also, I hope to have them at the upcoming Las Vegas Comic Expo Sept 29,30th. I will also have my very booth at the Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival Nov 3rd! That's right, my very own booth! My, how things have progressed over the last 8 months.
So, from now on, please stop by my website for the latest. I plan on starting the second half of the Mitten Man story very soon. I want to make sure the story is up to snuff before I start drawing it.
Thanks for reading!!

Skulls and Paper

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I'm still furiously plugging away at getting Smithee ready for print! Garvin had the idea of making a variant limited edition cover, so I made that. I made the actual How-To-Spin-Yarn instructions that will ONLY be found in the print edition. I figured out how to layout the pages in the correct order for printing. Plus, throw in a couple traumatic (to me) dental appointments involving a double root canal to make for unproductive days recovering, and here we are.

I just happened to pick up a free comic day reprint of the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the quarter drawer and was reading the saga of in the intro of how that came to be and got ramped up all over again to be publishing my little survival tome. In my book, I want not only to appeal to Zombie fans in general, but also to those looking for real life information that could theoretically be used in the event of needing to know this stuff.

 Speaking of real life - and diatomaceous earth - I have a new theory as to why it messed up my dog. In studying bladder stones in dogs, it seems that when the urine PH becomes alkaline, it promotes stones. And wouldn't you know it, that stuff alkalizes the PH of urine. Plus, part of her home-made diet was sweet potatoes -which are high in Oxalate's (stone forming material), not to mention a home-made diet rich in vegetables can also be alkalizing. Little did I know! To compensate, I give her vitamin C and Cranberry pills to tip the balance back towards acidic.

Diatomaceous Earth - what you need to know!

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I thought I would impart an update on my using Diatomaceous Earth. As it turns out, if you google the side effects of using Silica suppliments (Diatomaceous Earth is Silica), you will find side effect warnings all the advocates of Diatomaceous Earth never seem to mention.
Here are some results of my search:
Overdosage, toxicity and cautions for silica
Vital Health Zone
Some of the possible side effects are

Silica can lower your blood sugar levels, which can be particularly dangerous if you have diabetes.

Silica acts as a diuretic, so you shouldn't take it if you take water pills. Combining silica with other diuretics can lead to dehydration and dangerously low levels of potassium.

Taking silica with chromium supplements or herbs that contain chromium, such as brewer's yeast and bilberry, can increase your risk of chromium poisoning.

Long-term use or very high doses of horsetail (or silica) supplements have caused irreversible kidney damage, especially in people with existing kidney or heart disease. People with eodema should also not take silica (or horsetail) supplements.
I bring this up because my dog developed a uriniary tract infection as a result of getting DE. For that reason I wanted to get some of this information out because you generally won't find these cautions when you read about the wonders of DE. I didn't realize what was going on with my dog at first. In retrospect I wished I had heeded the signs sooner. But you know, denial is alot more fun!

Into The night update

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OK, I' still working on the print version of the Ware-Wolf story. In the Meantime, I'm trying out new drawing techniques. I did this one in pen and Ink, and reversed it for an even cooler look.

Being Smithee, I love learning about new and interesting survival stuff. This week I learned about

DIATOMACEOUS EARTH.

It is a white powder that is actually microscopic marine fossils. My dog is having what could be worm related symptoms, and I wanted a non-pesticide solution that wouldn't hurt my dog if I'm wrong. So I came upon this stuff. It is also supposed to kill bugs, another thing I'm testing out. I got some yesterday and me and the dog are guinea pigs. Yes, I took some too. For humans, it is supposed to be de-detoxifying. I took a tablespoon in a smoothie before bed. I woke up with a dry throat, but that went away. Also, a slightly sick overall body feeling, which was also temporary. If you read the link above it talks about the body reacting to the detoxification effects. I think is what it was. Today I took some and I feel fine. I can tell you it also make nice solid stools.Ewww! Hey - you asked!

I have read it is also used in water filters because of it's highly porous nature and ability to absorb bacteria and pollutants.

The only precautions I read of is don't breath the dust and don't let it sit on your skin too long since also has the ability to absorb moisture. I have laid some down for the bugs, and I am starting to see dead bugs near by.They say it takes 24-72 hours for it to totally do it's number on bugs. I also hear legends of the stuff being something snakes won't cross over, and they guy at the hardware store said he put some in his garden, and hasn't had bugs since. Please note there are different grades of the stuff. NEVER use the common hardware store variety for consumption. It's cooked and has become bad for you. Plus, there are other varietys you'll find at the hardware store that contain 28% OTHER ingrediants. Nope, I wouldn't use that either! The real deal is 100% DE. and is safe for human and animal consumption.

Oh, by the way I unintentionally repeated this post on Plutonium. I quess readers of both blogs will get informed, eh?

Into the night- end issue #1

 

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Wow, bitter-sweet moment here. The last page/panel of Big Bad Mitten Man issue #1. Now I've really got my work cut out for me laying the issue out in book form so you can have a physical print of it in your own grubby survivalist hands! I'll have to add the educational part - how to actually spin yarn, plus some how some way I gotta get a zombie in there (not a problem in issue#2!). Getting a new laptop helped. It can handle the bigger files just fine without the freezing up and ruining prints. I have to have the book done by the comicon at the library in October, and in time for KamaKazicon so I can be represented when the comic collective booth is there. But, this is a milestone here! I've been posting issue #1 for what, 6 mnths or more?
I hope it has given you all time to get to like Smithee and Billy, and their character driven drama. I really appreciate everyone who has come along for the ride, and the MLAA folks for supporting me and giving me encouragement and exposure. Having folks believe in you helps sooooooooooooo much!
I'll keep you posted on the book's progress.
Enjoy and Survive!

That Special Ingrediant!

 

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Well, Billy goes ballistic. Being an ex-mercenary, you just don't lock those kind of people in a cage and expect them to be quiet about it! But Smithee has a plan. A Special Ingredient in his Home-Brew soda. Smithee is quiet, but he does what has to be done.

This very well be the concluding panel in Issue #1 of the ware-wolf story. I am going to think about it.

Now I gotta focus on getting Issue #1 to print. I tell ya what, a year ago I woulda never thought I would be dealing with comic convention deadlines, or ever dream of tabling at a comic convention. There is one principle I am beginning to see in doing comics, and that is persistence. Not giving up even though your not as good as you want to be. Just having the guts to put yourself out there in itself more of an accomplishment than you would think.
On a personal note, got a toothache, darn it! I hate going to doctors.

Billy's in the dog house now!

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And back into the story we go. The last post about the nuclear survival handbook was in keeping with part of my mission for making Smithee - that is to give real world survival information.
Well, folks, I'm getting closer to wrapping up this issue. But as I begin to think about that, a whole new bunch of issues rise up. I figured out the only way to format these comics in a book is in landscape format.Won't that be unique? Also, I have learned alot about comic writing since I began Smithee and see things I want to improve.
Like I want to insert some panels where need be, add a Zombie character in issue 1, a splash page, etc. But, it is emotionally challenging to take those extra steps. I wanted this to be easier. But, I'm just a naive newbie and I have to suck it up and do it right. Growth doesn't always feel good. It's humbling to look at what you have poured so much of yourself into for months and gasp when you now realize "I coulda done it so much better" - had I known.

Nuclear War Survival Skills

 

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I Found this nifty free guide to share with you all. Something Smithee wishes he had! Smithee cares about YOU'RE survival, so he shares this link with you all.

If you're new to my blog,click HERE to go to the start of the Ware-Wolf story.
Enjoy and SURVIVE!

brewmaster

 

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Finally, another Smithee page is done! I drew a couple of the panels this morning. Haven't had much of a chance for cartooning this week since I've been learning alot about comic script writing and doing the second draft of my script. The second draft was a major reformatting into something reasonable and script-like. I'm glad that script-writing involves multiple rounds of drafts. I can see that it takes time to whittle it down to the final mature entity your after. And I'm REALLY glad to have editors looking it over and showing me what I can't see all by myself because doing everything on my own limits how fast I can learn.

Anyway, Billy finally gets his soothing soda brew. I'm thinking Smithee added a 'special' ingredient to calm Billy down. We'll see.

busy hand

 

I have recently take on the tremendous undertaking of writing a 6 page comic script for an ACC anthology and it is consuming ALOT of my time. And Smithee is at the point where I don't have pre-drawn panels to assemble any more. So I have to draw 4 new panels for this week ontop of doing the script! Rather than make you wait another week for Smithee, I thought I would satiate your need for line drawings with a practice piece I did a couple weeks ago.

I tell ya, it is a real steep learning curve going from being used to movie script writing to comic book script writing. It's a different format, and a different way of thinking. You have a limited amount of frames to pack a lot of information and emotion into. Also, learning about how to tell a good story by studying up on script writing is benefiting me in terms of knowing what makes a comic have substance and meaning.

I took on a monster when I took on doing a script like this, and that monster is very time-hungry. But I believe it will be a very meaningful monster when at last it's various body parts are sew together into a living thing.

nutcase brew

 

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I think you know where this is headed. When someone says "trust me", lookout!

Hope Y'all are having a Nice Memorial Day weekend. The weather here is Vegas has been unseasonably cool, but monday we go back to the 90's! Well, this is how I have spent my weekend to some degree, making you this lovely page.

Even though I wrote this story months ago, I'm thinking of inserting A Zombie at the end of this issue. I mean besides the Ware-Wolf. A Zombie who wants to take advantage of - what's going to happen between this issue and the next.

Enjoy & Survive!

Time To Die!!

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Billy can be temperamental, but this time he really might have a screw loose!
In other news, I have thought about it and I'm going to split this ware-wolf story into 2 issues so it can go to print sooner. Plus, I have signed up for a table in artists alley at the upcoming Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival on 11-3-2012,  which is held at the Clark County Library on 1401 E. Flamingo Rd. and I want to be certain to have a book ready since Garvin said he would be there if I had a new book finished. I mean you would want to meet the man who inspires the character of Billy wouldn't you? Garvin Lee is an independent film actor who is actually on IMDB. This will be my first time tabling and I'm both really excited and really intimidated. Though, I actually was behind a table once back in the 90's at a Trek Convention where a buddy was trying to sell Enterprise phones. Never sold one, but I met someone who actually was a Borg and I won the costume contest with my Borg costume. So, we didn't make a dime, but it was a blast!

Smithee page 10 - I ain't crazy!

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Billy is a bit wild-eyed and on edge after his encounter with the ware-wolf, and Smithee is obviously skeptical.

My Facebook Page

ROWRR! Ware-Wolf Attacks

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'Ware-Wolf attacks! ( in full color) I wanted this to be abstract and vague since it is based on Billy's recollection of what happened. I did this in pastel. It was a blast to be so expressive and loose.
Free Comic Day today! Last year I blew over 100$, this year only about $30. I passed up alot I wouldn't have last year. A year's collecting experience will do that. The thing I spent the most on was Death Of Spiderman issues. Also scored a few MacFarland spidey's. Also passed out a few of my Smithee Business cards and talked to some artists. I walked up to the table at Alternate Reality and asked if they were all local artists,( they said yes, except for Rick Tucker who said he used to be from Vegas), then I said "so am I!" Then I introduced myself and gave them my card. Check out my Facebook Page for more.

If only you could spin yarn!

 

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Billy continues his harrowing tale of danger and warm mittens from a scary-hairy guy. Just wait till next week when I'll have a full-color panel of the attack!

Thanks to all you facebookers out there dropping by by the way.

I come from dysfunctional family background and this week I have had some illusion disturbing insights into my life so far. It makes me ponder how much of my past dysfunction  to incorporate into the Plutonium-Dirty Socks comics. Wadda think?

Hey,and while your at it- can anybody tell me how to post a pic on my facebook with a URL link attached to it?

Uncle Smithee

 

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Welcome to page 6. It was fun making the 3 cell spanning word balloons. Smithee tests Billy with a little sarcasm to asses his true state of mind. I woulda made this sooner,but I had a jammed packed weekend of the MLAA artist meeting, then a printmaking workshop. Not much time left over for a Smithee page.

But, here ya go!

it's tax time!

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I mean AXE-TIME in Smithee world. Yep, that time every year where every law-abiding citizen of the new republic must register and pay their axes. This is where citizens are corralled into fenced-in area with supposedly docile and non-threatening zombies to pay their taxes ( I mean axes) quotas and slay zombies for the Government. A public service if you will. Be sure to read the disclaimers in the hastily composed notice for further details. This means I am going to devote this week to taxes (I mean axes) since I tend to procrastinate this civic duty. Taxgirl has proven interseting reading for folks like me. Other artisans might want to take a peek at her site. Interesting tax related info.

Quickly - worked all Saturday to prepare Smithee to go up at the comic collective. I'll let you know when it's up. I made a bad-ass new cover for it!

Happy Axe-Time!

Crying Ware-wolf!

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Billy unfolds his tale of his life and death struggle with a big - hairy -  foul breathed beast that nearly got the best of him while whinning about his role as hunter (which he not-so-secretly enjoys). I think my word ballons are getting better, and I like the wild-eyed look in Billy's eyes. He's kind of a little off since he escaped the ware-wolf and Smithee isn't sure what to make of it yet. Smithee is has an underlying suspicion of everything. I think it comes with not being able to remember his former identity.
This weekend I plan on spiffing up this Smithee tome to be posted on a comic collective website. I don't want to look like too much of a dork beside the more polished (and colored) comics. When you do B&W, you have to work a little harder since everyone is used to colored comics. The cover for this book isn't like a standard comic, it's geared more towards being a zine. I'm thinking of reworking it to be more comic bookish. And I definitely want to redo word balloons before sending it out to it's new venue.  I'll let you know when it's on the new site.

Home Brew Medicine

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Welcome to page 5. Billy get's his wounds cleaned with home-brew alcohol. I re-drew Billy in panel 2. I like how haggered he came out looking.

I have switched ISP providers and now have regular service back - yippie! It is good to post from the comfort of my own home again, let me tell ya!

Incase you didn't notice, I have a new page of survival links reachable under the banner.Today I'm adding the CDC's info about zombie outbreaks I thought you all might be amused by. That's right folks, the CDC jumped on the Zombie bandwagon to utilize the metaphor of Zombies to teach the public about emergency preparedness, like I'm trying to do.

I've been learning about lettering and word balloons and had fun with them in this page. Thanks for reading!

NO more knitting!

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Well, here I am again posting from the Apt. complex computer center, but surprise - on a thursday! I don't think will mean another post on this weekend. Depends on if my ISP gets thier act together.
This computer is really limiting what I can do like putting in those handy PREVIOUS links. So, this will have to do.
So, here we get Smithee's reaction to having a gun put to his head. The humor is based on sarcasim, I especially like Billy's last word on the subject. The next pages will be basically chapter 2 - about how Billy ends up in a cage overnight.
Dang, I can't even put tags on this post!

Don't shoot!

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]Don't push Billy's buttons, or your liable to see his dark side. Of course Billy has good reason to be so testy, as we shall see. Everyone has thier limits you know, and Billy certainly had his pushed in the last 24 hours!
And let me introduce Rex - the dog. Rex ended up here to provide a beat between cells and balance things out. Also, Rex has to be in this comic since it is about fur- yarn-making, etc. The duo has to have a source of fur after all, don't they? Believe me, there are worse places to get your fur from...
I'm not posting from the comfort of my own home because my ISP provider is being uncooperative. Perhaps all the Solar Erruptions lately disrupted things? Speaking of which, when I can do this from home again, I'm thinking of putting up some usefull links to survivalist related info like SpaceWeather. For now, posting from the computer center of the Apt complex will have to do. But as in all survival situations, you have to remain calm and utilize what is at hand.

Get ready to rumble

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Welcome to page 2. Spent most of my time making the fence cage. The cage is in the "Cold Room" where perishables are stored. Billy isn't very fond of it, considering recent events, so Smithee decides to tease him a little about it by tossing his new mitten into it. Probably not such a good idea. Billy can be temperamental. The cage is an emergency refuge incase they are cornered by Zombies. Or, to keep Billy from pilfering sodas. Also a safe place for valuables while they are out on a mission. Why doesn't everybody have a chain link cage in the spare bedroom?

Ware-Wolf begins

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And our exciting introduction into the world of Smithee Zombie Hunter begins! Here we catch Billy sneaking a home-brew soda. He kills people (well, hopefully not real people - just Zombies) for a living, so upsetting Smithee's inventory is no big deal. Besides, he has had a harrowing time lately getting that one mitten he is wearing.
I enjoy doing these drawings. With each one my pen & ink style gets better and I learn a little bit more. I use a digital pen to draw with in photoshop and compose it all in CorelDraw. My plan is to update every week, probably on the weekends like today. It all depends on what's going on.
Enjoy & Survive!

Ware-Wolf Introduction

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Welcome to the online preview for my in-progress Smithee Survival Guide #2. The survival skill that is taught in this guide is how to spin your own yarn from dog fur. The plot revolves around Billy's harrowing encounter with a very hairy dude who sells mittens, and turns ware-wolf and attacks him when the sale goes awry.
I redesigned this site to be in the format of the standard webcomic site with a cleaner interface. I find enough people come to my blog that I thought I would make it more about the Smithee story line than my art musings, which will now go into my Plutonium Casserole blog. The old posts will still be here, but now I am focusing more on Smithee. Plus, since I'm doing all this work on Smithee #2, I wanted to share what I'm drawing with you.
I drew several  ware-wolfsbeore arriving at this one this ware-wolf in pencil. And by the way, I spell it ware-wolf on purpose. My ware-wolfs aren't biological creations, but technological. And what better way to talk about fur and yarn spinning while providing some danger and drama?

Blog re-design

I hope you like the cleaner re-design of my blog. I'm gearing up to devote this blog more towards the Smithee story's and putting up the first chapter of the Ware-wolf story here (updated weekly) as a teaser to the printed book. I now have links across the top to access other information that was cluttering up the main page.
The more personal stuff about me will go into the Plutonium Casserole blog - which is what it is there for.
The re-design was prompted after reading another Zombie themed webcomic and realizing what potential there is for Smithee as a webcomic.
I think the smaller top banner is less gaudy and the color theme more dark like a blog/comic about a dark world should be. Plus, it is a great chance to refine by blog design skills.
Enjoy and Survive!

Line drawing practise

These are some line drawings I did for fun.
In Smithee news, I'm still drawing away panels for Smithee#2. My buddy Garvin Lee is moving this weekend, so  I didn't designate the usual most of the day to draw comics. But he has distractions to take care of and while I wait for when he is ready to actually MOVE, I am killing time by doing some posting.  He lent a crucial hand to me when I moved to this place a couple years ago. I moved out of my old place because it was getting really ghetto, and I had been thru a Dave Ramsey financial peace university course at church an one night I decided I HAD to do something about my life to move forward. Moving to a cheaper place was the goal I arrived at. I got a cheaper place, but old bad habits die hard and I didn't put the extra money away.
I had an unbelievable amount to stuff to move. I was quite embarrassed by how much I had since I had folks helping. Garvin was a hero and helped me thru that ordeal. So, now it is my turn to help him.

Pencil Warrior from the past

This is a pencil drawing I did way back in the 80's. The past has been on my mind. Doing diary comics has cracked open the door to what was. I'm realizing my weird past makes for some great story material. But I am not fond of looking at the past. So much of it brings up alot of emotion. Way back in the 80's I briefly ran my own T-shirt printing business, knowing nothing at all about silk-screening. I began by using stencils cut out from plastic and a piece of sheer curtain material over it. Eventually I moved to screens painted by hand using projections of images from magazines about .25" tall. It was a short-lived en devour, not netting much money, but it was fun to pursue a dream. I eventually wanted to print this design, but stopped doing it before I got that far. Back then, art wasn't a very big part of my life, not like it is now.
Along these lines, I have started a story arc in Plutonium about how I ended up being a computer jockey.
I also started an account with Comicsdomination in order to post plutoniums.

Milk Carton Scratchboard

I have been intrigued by high contrast art for awhile. I've tried printing white etching on black, but the white is never really "white". I even bought some supposedly more opaque white Akua Kolor ink and tried it. It wasn't anymore opaque than their regular white. Geez!
So when I bought a children's book with scratch board art, my cleverness kicked in and I wondered how I could try it without buying anything. So, I took an empty soy milk carton and cut out one of the sides and coated it with sharpie and made my own scratchboard. This is my second scratch board. The milk carton material allows the black to be rubbed/scratched off easily, making tones quite possible.

Smithee number two updates

Here is one of the cells I did with my digital pen directly in the computer. However, my elbow was starting to complain, and now I'm drawing them directly on paper while capturing in on the device to upload. It is turning out to be faster that way, and more fluid. I can do 2-3 cells a day. I might have a roughly 110 cells to do total. So speed and efficiency are supreme.I have 12 cells done so far. Because of the huge amount of work ahead of me, I'm pretty sure I'll stick to B&W.
This cell is about where I'm going into the 'Cold Room' where Billy is sneaking another one of my home-made sodas. In the 'Cold Room' is a chain-link cage we made to keep food safe incase of attack, or have a refuge for ourselves in that event. It is A 'Cold Room' in that is isn't heated, and is vented to the cold air outside for refrigeration purposes.

Ku-pen Drawing of Zombie

This is one of the first drawings I did with my digital pen in order to see what it can do. As you can see, it looks just like a regular pen drawing.

Smithee number two updates

I was at a thrift store yesterday and happened upon a book called "pride and prejudice and zombies". In it were some very nice old style pen and ink illustrations. I have been trying to decide upon the exact style to do my Smithee #2 in. I think I would like to go for the pen and ink style. I did the above picture in that style to get used to it. Are we badass zombie hunters or what?! Doing it in B&W style like this would also make it possible to get them printed thru KaBlam cheaper than if they were color - should I want to go that extreme route. For right now I still want to print them myself. But I questimate there will be around 50 cells or more to cram into a book. That's alot more than Smithee #1.
I went back and bought that book for inspiration.

Fly on a pencil

I just wanted to draw something fun on my birthday this month. Hence, the fly saying happy birthday. It's not cause he was leaving a 'present' on the eraser. Been doing some much serious drawing for my smithee guide and for plutonium, I needed to do something different.