Last post here / moving to the main blog!

Hi everyone.
As you can see I gave my (other) main blog a much needed face-lift. Not a big deal, but enough to make me feel its design and contents are much more complete now.
It does have new features as well, such as direct links to 'Framed Ink' in Amazon, links to reviews and interviews related to the book, etc... (besides of course the usual personal artwork updates).
Being this the situation I'd rather close this one shortly, and focus one hundred per cent on the other, but not before very much appreciating first all your visits and comments since last June 1st.
Guys, thank you again, and I can't wait to meet up with you soon at the other venue!
All the best now.

Marcos

2 more reviews

Two more reviews on the book came up recently on line by Fernando Caire and Daniel Caylor in two fantastic blogs specialized on film and animation: CG Channel, and On Animation. Thank you both!

Academy of Art University lecture (San Francisco)

It was great to be there last Friday 15th from 4:00 pm on (...we went all the way up to 8:00!).
A few weeks ago I got a nice invitation from teachers Daniel Cooney and Chuck Pyle to give a 'Framed Ink' lecture on composition for the pupils of the Center. I had heard of the Academy so many times but never actually been there, so I was certainly not going to miss on the opportunity. Great turnout on such a great theatre on a Friday night. Thank you guys again.
(In the pictures: Daniel, the wild group of pupils that actually stayed until the last minute, and the location).

New reviews

I very recently got two new reviews on the book, from 'Parka' and Charley (Lines and colors). Thank you guys!

LAAFA sessions

Just finished a five sessions course at LAAFA on composition for visual storytellers yesterday based on the book. It was a really cool group of students, some of them already professionals, which were a pleasure to interact with!
I'll be starting another set of (8) sessions on October 9th on the same subject. Hope to see you there!

Email from Carl Potts

Hi everyone. I just received this nice email from Carl Potts who, as you'll see, is now teaching visual storytelling techniques at the State University of New York as well as other academies. He regularly updates his own blog on the subject as well.
Thank you Carl.

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"Hello Marcos,
Just read your book and was suitably impressed!

I occasionally give a presentation on the principles and techniques of sequential visual storytelling for comics and storyboards at SVA, Parsons/The New School and R/GA. In the spring I'll be teaching classes on creating comics at SUNY, Purchase and will highly recommend your book to my students.

I'm very glad that you are educating visual storytellers about maintaining action flow continuity ("Staying on the Same Side of the Line"). This has become a lost concept to many of today's comics and film storytellers. Part of the reason is that many of these creators were raised on music videos created by directors who either didn't care about the "Staying on the Same Side..." concept or were only interested in the energy and visual splash they were making. Some of those directors went on to feature films and continued to ignore action flow continuity.

Now, years of playing in 360 degree video game environments have much of the younger market used to not having a consistent action flow direction. I still feel strongly that, unless there is a specific storytelling reason to violate the "Staying on the Same Side..." concept, visual storytellers should keep the action flow continuity consistent. Your book provides clear examples and reasoning to help me drive that concept home to my students.

In case you're interested, I've written about this and some related subjects on my blog, General Eclectic:

http://generaleclectic123.blogspot.com/2008/08/using-map-orientation.html

http://generaleclectic123.blogspot.com/2008/09/frame-formats-and-visual-storytelling.html

Thanks for producing such a fine book!

Carl Potts"

Shipment on the way -UPDATE-

I just got this email from Amazon. Exciting! (I ordered my own copy of the book so that I would know exactly when people started receiving theirs)

"We have good news -- the order is now being shipped! You should receive a shipping notification shortly, within the next business day, for the following item(s):
"Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers"

Rock 'n roll! :D
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-UPDATE-
As Brian (cromasketch) is mentioning in his comment the shipping of the book to the people who ordered it from Amazon slows down from time to time. I apologize for this fact, which in itself implies good news as the book is selling fast and they run out of it intermittently, as I see after talking to Amazon last night.
I want to thank you all again for your understanding of the situation. If you guys have the chance, please let me know when you start receiving the copies.
Thanks a lot!

San Diego 2010!

Just back from San Diego Comic-Con last night. It was great, certainly always an occasion to meet up with friends and also to finally put faces to names I heard so many times, or that so far I had only been in touch with through blog or email.
So thanks to everybody who showed up and specially the 'Design Studio Press' guys that put together once again a wonderful stand for everyone to enjoy.
The signing of my book went great, and I'll say that Saturday around early afternoon the supplies of 'Framed Ink' that were available for this festival got sold out already. Right now they are taking orders for August, when the book will be finally released.
It was a pleasure to talk with everyone and share the interest we all Comic Con nuts share on everything related to comics and movies in general!

Photos (left to right, at the top): Tinti Dey - Scott Robertson - Alfie

Great news

I just got a phone call.
After all and thanks to the efforts of DSP and the printer, 'Framed Ink' will be ready and available for sale during the San Diego Comic con. So if you guys are around it will be great to see you there, I'll be at booth #1701 on Saturday 24th between 1pm and 2pm, when I'll have a book signing.
Thanks everyone again.

Searching inside the book

Hi everyone, since today the 'search inside this book' feature is active in the 'Framed Ink' link at Amazon. There you can see a bit more of what's going on in the interior pages!

Book release announcement

Thank you everyone for being with me on the road to 'Framed Ink' becoming a reality!
My publisher, Design Studio Press regretted to announce today that there will be a slight delay in the books arriving to the U.S.
They are phenomenal in making sure they get only the most exceptional products into your hands, and for that I'll say they had to be patient with the printer while they manufacture a book of the highest quality.
Although DSP unfortunately will not be able to provide a finished copy of the book to you at Comic con 2010, they invite you to look through a preview copy there, and receive 25% off of your purchase of 'Framed Ink' while getting an autographed illustration print from the book from me.
So please visit with me during Comic con 2010 at booth 1701 on Saturday 24th between 1PM and 2PM. Any books purchased at the show will be shipped for free as soon as the books arrive into the States in August.
Sorry about the inconvenience and ...I will see you very soon in San Diego!
Thank you.

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Gracias a todos por compartir el camino hasta el estreno del libro 'Framed Ink'.
Mi editor Design Studio Press me acaba de comunicar que habra un pequeño retraso en la llegada de los ejemplares a los Estados Unidos. DSP son excelentes en presentar al publico solo los productos de la mejor calidad, y en este sentido hay que decir que el trabajo con el impresor ha sido mas largo de lo previsto con tal de conseguir este nivel que siempre requieren.
Aunque desafortunadamente DSP no tendra disponibles para la venta general ejemplares de mi libro en el ComiCon dentro de unas semanas, os invitan a ver de primera mano un ejemplar final de muestra, un descuento del 25% al comprar alli 'Framed Ink', y una lamina de una ilustracion del libro autografiada por mi.
De modo que estare encantado de veros durante el Comi con en el stand 1701 el sabado 24 de Julio entre la 1 y las 2 de la tarde. Los libros comprados alli seran enviados gratis tan pronto como las copias lleguen a los Estados Unidos en agosto.
Sintiendo el contratiempo, espero veros pronto en San Diego!
Gracias.

Some technicalities

The comments some of you left at the other blog about 'Framed Ink' include some interesting technical questions which I already answered there but, since the idea is to compile right here everything related to the book, I'm going to briefly talk about these questions again.
One of them was referring to the sort of pens and brushes I used to do the drawings for the book.
Going just about 3 or 4 years back in time I'll say that, for the 'Sunset on Hollywood' graphic novel I'm currently re publishing in the blog, I used Sharpie markers that would give me the ease, freshness and different qualities of brush stroke I like. The thing was after the drawings were done on paper, I had to scan the material, compose it, re compose it, edit it, etc on Photoshop, and color it with the same program once the process was finished. It felt great and it felt right for the project and for the moment.
Then, when I decided to go ahead and get started with the new book, I realized I wasn't going to have the time to finish it in an acceptable time frame if going at it the same way.
Since by then I had been using Cintiq at the studio for a long time and had finally got into it and understood its possibilities and how to adapt it to my style, I decided that was it. Then all the correcting and editing would be done digitally, meaning much faster and making it easier also when it came to store all the data and 'originals'.

About the book

'Design Studio Press' is going to present my book this coming San Diego ComiCon (end of July), and in bookstores and online at the beginning of September this year (available for pre-order in Amazon now). It's called "FRAMED INK, drawing and composition for visual storytellers", quite a self explanatory title :)

128 pages, 230 black and white illustrations (some posted here today and a few more to follow) as well as many diagrams, with text explaining all the thinking process behind the art, exploring the areas of visual storytelling for both film and graphic novel (with all its similarities -and- differences) using light and many other devices to deliver the effect a shot or sequence require, plus thumbnails on the lighting and dynamics used in each example.

Thanks again to everyone that has generously supported the making of this book, and I hope everyone that gets a copy will have as good a time going through its pages as I did working on it!

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Mi libro 'FRAMED INK, drawing and composition for visual storytellers' (titulo que define bien el contenido :) todo en ingles de momento) se va a presentar a finales de Julio en el ComiCon de San Diego (por 'Design Studio Press'), ha sido un año de mucho trabajo pero al final la criatura echara a andar dentro de poco en librerias, y online a traves de Amazon, en donde ya esta disponible para reservarlo.

128 paginas que contienen 230 ilustraciones en blanco y negro y 166 diagramas, con texto explicando en detalle el proceso de creacion de cada uno de estos ejemplos que analizan como componer imagenes con el proposito de narrar historias.
Se exploran los campos de la narrativa visual para cine y novela grafica (con todas sus similitudes -y- diferencias) usando iluminacion y muchas otras herramientas para transmitir los efectos tanto visuales como psicologicos que la escena o la secuencia requieren, asi como esquemas que sintetizan dicho uso de la iluminacion y lineas de dinamismo en cada uno de estos ejemplos.
El capitulo de novela grafica complementa todo ello hablando de las particularidades propias del campo.

Desde aqui gracias de nuevo a toda la gente que ha mostrado su interes y apoyo a este libro, y espero que los que lo lean se lo pasen tan bien como yo me lo he pasado trabajando en el!

Un saludo.