For a blog about drawing comics, I sure put up alot of design stuff. The story for AS3 has been going through some major revising and editing. I’d like to think I’m making it better, but probably not. The other final just didn’t feel right so it’s getting there. While that’s being done, there’s no art being drawn.
Instead I’m posting this vector illustration. There’s several more like it that nobody has seen. I’ll post them randomly cuz what good is art if it’s unseen?
It’s for a series I did a few years back that never got off the ground. Maybe I’ll revisit it someday. When Armstrong originally started, I thought I would color it like this and even tried once, but that never felt right either. Probably for the best, but I’m not convinced it was my last attempt at coloring a comic like this.
Here’s a couple fans wearing our old shirts in South Korea! (I was born there y’know) I was never able to post them to our old site, but here they are now!
They were super cool to wear our stuff and run around the country. You two are awesome!
As a designer, I wish I could say clients love my work and want to use anything I do without questioning it.
That’s just not true.
Here’s an unused poster design (with the original photo). The client loved the idea, but thought the final product came across far too creepy. My shattered ego wanted to argue, but they were right. It’s too creepy. I worked late nights in a dark studio on this and half expected her eyes to suddenly be open when I would bring up the file.
We went with a much safer, ‘illustrated’ approach which is also pictured. (For those who are interested, those lines are all vector in illustrator)
Sometimes these things happen leaving me with a great portfolio of things unused. It’s cool cuz it’s sort of like hoarding ammo for me.
I grew up in the NES generation. I had one at 5 years old. I think the Super NES came out when I was in 6th grade, so it stands to reason that K-6, I spent alot of time playing Nintendo. These are the top 5 games that kick me in the teeth with nostalgia that AREN’T the typical Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, Contra, or Castlevania
Star Force – my FIRST NES game (after Super Mario Bros.) I would spend HOURS playing this game. In my mind, I was in the cockpit of that fighter defending whatever it was that needed defending. This game taught me to keep my NES on for DAYS at a time because I couldn’t “save” my place. There was no continue option – you died when you died. I never beat it.
Ducktales – I got hooked on this at a friend’s house. She was the best Ducktales player EVER. Even watching this video makes me miss side scrolling games – playful, cartoony, and pixely.
Battletoads – Sort of a side scrolling, but you could also scroll up and down. My friends all said it was just a Ninja Turtles rip off. BAH! Much fun was had with this game! It felt like an original story and was never meant to be taken seriously – those kinds of games are the best! You had to fight weird rhino things and flying robots – then get shot at from the POV of a gun – then rappel while killing crows – then ride a hover bike in some underground motherbrain level! Also – best graphics ever at the time.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – THIS GAME… was the source of so much frustration. Also – you could switch characters DURING game play! Playing this game also meant that I’d keep my NES on for days cuz there wasn’t a save option. Also hated the water levels.
Super Mario Bros. 3 – This is what I think of when I think of Nintendo. I was introduced to this game through The Wizard (with Fred Savage and Christian Slater and some other people). That movie is where we all learned how to get to the warp zone. There were so many quirks and tricks to this game – getting 99 lives in level 2 – warp whistles – inventory – mini games – raccoon tail flying – big boot stompin’ – swimming under boats – p-wings – and more.
My fortune cookie reminded me of what I need to do.
I know it literally means “boat,” but the message is all in the interpretation, right? The universe wasn’t telling me to “boat” at that moment. It was telling me to “ship.”
Fight the Resistance. It’s good at preventing me from shipping anything.
Our old shirt company released a shirt called “Incog-Neato” (it’s pictured above).
We had plans to release a follow up shirt that was exclusively a girl’s design. I had drawn up some sketches of what a girl’s Incog-Neato shirt would look like.
Ultimately, it was rejected cuz it gave off ‘too much of an alien prostitute’ vibe. Maybe it’s the skirt, high heels, lipstick, strung out empty soul-less eyes, lit cigarette, and waiting on a street that sabotaged the design from the start.
The script for Armstrong pt. 3 is almost finished. Still a few tweaks along with a couple of cuts to do. Is it strange that my favorite part of writing is cutting? I’ll spend forever writing and rewriting, coming up with cool scenes, or creating characters, but in the end, the best part (for me) is when I chop it up and toss most of it away.
Maybe it comes from having way too much on a page and feeling like I got the point across quicker and more clearly afterward. Isn’t de-cluttering an important part of story telling? That’s where I stand with design – does my design need all the junk I put into it? Is my design more powerful if I cut the junk and roll with a single idea?
Also – that’s a picture I’m using for research and reference for a non-Armstrong story we’re working on.
Which is also a way of saying, “Hey, I googled “Saturn” and I call it research.”
My name is David Halvorson, artist and writer of the online graphic novel, Armstrong. Artist of Planet Gigantic. Co-writer of Danger Brigade. Color artist for Deadhorse.
This is the place to find news and updates on projects I’m working on. Exciting, huh?
@Brian_Russell Thanks for saying, but sadly, no. It's something I've been meaning to do. Maybe when the 4th ep. comes out.
RT @egrissom: This is a story I created with @CkConnelly about a pig who works at a slaughterhouse. If you like it please pass it on. ericgrissom.com/post/394765938…
