NOT THE COFFEE, DAMMIT

New drawing, "Why you should always sit at a table, rather than a booth, with a clear view of the door," at Twist:

A TWIST OF NOIR

Sakura micron pens on a sketchpad. I almost painted it, but decided to go with lines and heavy blacks. Still undecided whether I should do greyscale or straight B&W on this kind of image. Black and white, I think, if I can pull it off. There are an infinite variety of effects you can achieve with straight B&W. Not always logical or accurate--often stylized, suggestive, even surreal--but my primary concern is eliciting a reaction, not winning a prize for photo-realism.

I'm reminded of Cornell Woolrich, one of the progenitors of Noir. His stories were often contrived, overwrought, at times nonsensical, but he dragged you into the heart of his existential nightmare and didn't let up until you almost couldn't stand it.

Finishing up a new BBTF today. Have another ready. Keeping an eye out, while I wait for details on an upcoming illustration.

METALHEADS

BLACK BETWEEN THE FRAMES, the monthly crime comic for Pulp Metal Magazine, now has a homepage:

BBTF

I plan to do a few single-panels, then a longer story or two this spring. I'm already at work adapting the short story of a friend.

* * *

Just finished an illustration for a periodical that I have never appeared in, as a writer/editor/anything else. Excited to be part of it.

Next are an illustration for a comic-themed book, new artwork for A Twist of Noir and a wicked little story for Valentine's Day. And I may get disenthralled up and running again soon--I discussed it with a guest editor and contacted a new photographer this morning.

What's on Chiller tonight....

PULPSTER

My monthly crime comic for Pulp Metal Magazine, BLACK BETWEEN THE FRAMES, is up and running. Here's the proposed intro (should be added soon) and a link:

You took a wrong turn and nothing makes sense. Left or right, the streets get darker. You double-back, retrace your steps, only to find the last intersection gone.

Don’t stop.

Don’t even slow down.

Because that noise you heard was something, all right. That blur in the alley more than a shadow.

This is the City of Wellesport. It plans to do more than welcome you. And the slip that brought you in may be the last mistake of your sorry life....

BLACK BETWEEN THE FRAMES

YOU LITTLE PUNK

Only too happy to do something for Paul Brazill's blog. That guy hauling ass across YOU WOULD SAY THAT, WOULDN'T YOU? was inked with Sakura Micron pens, painted in watercolor, scanned, then drained of color and tweaked to make it appear greyscale....

"Hightailer"

Working on some new stuff for A Twist of Noir and considering a few other projects.

Back in Black (and White)

I have a new drawing up at A TWIST OF NOIR today:

Matchstick Man

Tried a method I saw Andrew Loomis use, black pen with inkwash around the figure. The ink, a Speedball acrylic/pigment, was very thin and grey. I had to paint several layers to get it dark enough (also tossed in acrylic paint and Sharpies to see what would happen), then went high-contrast after I scanned it. Lost a touch of the subtlety and detail of the original. I'm trying to figure out the best way to do greyscale crime comics and illustrations. By hand. Colored pencils look good on paper, but don't scan well.

I've transitioned from writing prose to using art as a storytelling medium or combining scripts with illustrations. Although I have been writing straight fiction and poetry all my life, I also used to draw cartoons and have been yearning to get back into comics lately. It's more satifying for me to have more than one thing going at once--I'd rather sing and play music at the same time than just play, etc. You can achieve a more sophisticated effect when combining disciplines (imagine what the right score does for a piece of otherwise silent cinematography). The creative process is different for me, as well, broadier and dreamier than when I exclusively use words. It's a looser focus. Meditative. Time flies by at a startling rate.

If anybody wants an illustration, let me know. I'm open to whatever you have in mind. * pitchbrite@gmail.com *

ALTERED STATES, PART TWO: THE BEGINNING

Have a new piece of flash, "Over the Hill," in Episode #7 of IN BETWEEN ALTERED STATES. I'm pretty sure this is the only brand new short story I've written to completion since July (about 2/3 of the way through another novel at the moment, adapting a short story as a web comic and fooling around with Manga-style portraits). Interesting project. Nice work all around....

Read "Over the Hill"

RIZZ IS....

New story, "Amanda," by Rizzy Rodham, at Paul Brazill's YOU WOULD SAY THAT, WOULDN'T YOU. Went up Halloween night. Based on some poetry I had published in print and online over the past year or so (through Oustider Writers, Shoots and Vines, Full of Crow)....

Read AMANDA

I may just have to hand my keyboard over to her at some point.