FLOG! Entries for Adam Grano

Photoshop is evil (case #10957)

grano

Even us comic/video game nerds and nerdettes are not free from Photoshop's nipping and tucking. Apparently, "words" were no longer enough -- pictures are now worth 1,000 venomous lies.

Cosplay before-and-after [photographymaniacs.com]

"Just buy this book."

grano

"★★★★★"

I promise I didn't write the review above. I do, however, agree with it.

Greenwood art walk tomorrow night!

grano

Many Seattle artists (including three Fantagraphics employees -- Jacob, Jenny, and myself) joined forces to create a series of illustrations for 826 Seattle and the Greenwood art walk. There is a piece depicting each of the planets in our solar system (plus Earth's moon) and they all have been made into postcards which can be purchased here: http://www.greenwoodspacetravelsupply.com/catalog/011197.html
Also, if you are in the area and have the time, please come out to the Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co. this Friday evening for the opening reception and to see original art and prints from the project (for sale CHEAP). The weather is forecasted to be completely perfect for an evening walk in Greenwood.
http://www.greenwoodspacetravelsupply.com/

An open letter to Terry Nantier of NBM:

grano

Dear Terry,

We have never met in person, but, if I can base anything on the books you publish, you are a decent fellow, and, in the wee hours of my 9-month anniversary with my lovely girlfriend, I'd like to make a public appeal to you to allow me to design NBM's upcoming SMURFS books. If I'm too late with this appeal, then ... bummer, but I just heard about your project yesterday (at which time, I made a pseudo-public appeal to you on the COMICS COMICS blog. If it helps, I would happily work for a pittance -- this is the comics industry after all.

I hope this doesn't seem like a crude way to propose this idea to you, and I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes (especially the designers at NBM). This is simply the most public forum I have available to me, and I think some people might support me on this. If I'm wrong, I will back away respectfully and look forward to the book nonetheless.

I just kinda love the Smurfs.

That feels strange to say, but I really do have a soft spot for the little blue halflings. I grew up on them. Here's proof:

"According to the USA Network's "Cartoon Express," Smurfs are four apples tall. This is FALSE assuming Gargamel is of the average human height (+/- 4"). Maybe four CRABapples tall. But not four red delicious-es."

That is NOT from the Smurfs Wikipedia page. That is from a a dusty corner of my brain. I would treat this project with respect, like Seth did with Peanuts, or Jacob Covey would with a TMNT book (attn: Nickelodeon -- get on that one).

All best,

Adam

P.S. If being pitiful will help: I broke a rib two weeks ago and I'm still two-to-four weeks from being healed. Ouch!

P.P.S. Also, the prospect of this is making my nine-month anniversary with my girlfriend even better.

Photo at the top taken by me. Larger version HERE.

Sneak Peek: A DRUNKEN DREAM

grano

Above is the cover to the ARC version of A DRUNKEN DREAM. See it larger here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adamgrano/4557576366/

I implore everyone, regardless of your feelings about manga (attn: JACOB), to look through A DRUNKEN DREAM when it's released. Moto Hagio's line is confident and graceful. The material is gorgeous and I'm trying to do it justice (but even if I botch the design, it's going to be a great book).

And we should all applaud Matt Thorn and Dirk Deppey for first exposing us (or me anyway, if I missed the bus earlier) to Moto Hagio's work way back in TCJ #269.

-a

Flickr-graphics Books

grano

I'm something like 6 years late to the party, but Flickr is home to a very lively (and surprisingly artistically-inclined) community. It also seems to be an oasis of civility on the internet. But what you, gentle Flog-reader, may not know is that you can use Flickr to keep up with many of the people who make your favorite comic-books happen: Eric Reynolds, Associate Publisher Mike Baehr, Marketing Jason T. Miles, Sales
Tony Remple, Production Manager
Jacob Covey, Graphic Design Adam Grano, Graphic Design With a little digging, you'll find a large selection of Fanta-related photos at the links above (and even the non-Fanta stuff is worth looking at, if you can believe it). Above photo by me.

A new game for everyone:

grano

EMOTI-COMICS (in the comments)!!

Above is my first entry. It's a relationship comic in the vein of Blankets.

Oh what a job this is.

grano

Even though I'm gluten-free and can't eat these, they warm my heart.

[A no-prize to anyone who can name where the title of this post comes from. No fair googling!]

We're halfway through the week... have a good Lil Wayne-sday!!

grano

From "Talkin' About it":

"These *****s is ducks, and you can call me Scrooge 'cause I'm swimmin' in bucks. B****!"

Visit scenic PROFANITY HILL

grano

If you haven't already (or even if you have), please check out PROFANITY HILL (again). It a great new Seattle-centric zine distro/community spearheaded by Fantagraphics' own Jason T. Miles (censored above). Support the new underground!

DISTRICT 9

grano

District 9 is the best socially conscious sci-fi story I've experienced since Ender's Game. I don't know if it was animatronics or computer-graphics or a combination of the two, but Christopher Johnson has my vote for actor of the year. Look at those eyes -- they will melt your cold, cold heart. (Sharlto Copley as Wikus is a close second for actor of the year.) To avoid potential spoilers I won't go into too much detail here just PLEASE SEE THIS MOVIE.

And it doesn't hurt that the graphic design within the movie is gorgeous as well. Here's some of the signage used in the film:

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot??

grano

Pedro Almod�-Marvel

grano

I spotted a comics-related cameo while watching Pedro Almodóvar's hilarious Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown last night. Look! It's Bucky's friend! Captain America!

Please also note the Almodóvar-esque photograph. Snort!

Captain [t]Easy

grano

A whole new world

grano

This is gorgeous.

I showed it to Jason Miles and he said, "This guy's his own Fort Thunder."

I am inclined to agree, but mostly I just want a giant poster of the thing.

you may as well hold your breath because you're going to have this SOON:

grano

Above is a preview of what will be in your COMPLETE UNLOVABLE box-set (minus the ghost-hand). Coming SOON!

TGI Fri-DRE

grano

It's almost the weekend, friends. Here's a sampling of the brilliant lyricism in Dr. Dre's "The Watcher" from his album 2001:

"Things just ain't the same for gangstas.
Times is changing, young n****s is aging,
Becoming OG's in the game and changing,
To make way for these new names and faces, but
The strangest things can happen from rappin, when
N****s get wrapped up in image and actin,
N****s get capped up and wrapped in plastic,
Zipped up in bags, when it happens, that's it."

Video Game Zoology

grano

I'm a secret life-long video game junkie* and found this feature at the Cracked website very entertaining. The twisted naïveté of the drawings is a perfect fit for the subject matter. I wish this is what I AM 8-BIT had been.

How Five 8-Bit Characters Would Really Look

*If anyone wants to get wrecked by my akimbo .44 magnums in MW2, post your 360 gamertag in the comments and I'll add you, hooah.

EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS:

I drew Q-bert on my big board way back in 2008 when I was working on Bill Schelly's excellent Joe Kubert bio Man of Rock. Homophones, har har.

PSA: iPhone art is not that cool

grano

You want to make art with a medium that restricts your ability to make said art? Try an Etch-A-Sketch instead of glorified finger-painting. Knock yourself out with an iPhone for studies and sketches -- just please don't present it to me as finished art.* Thanks!

* Exceptions may apply, but I haven't seen any yet.

(Spider-man by Keith Drake from Wanderline.com.)

SWIPE FILE

grano

Making poor Lucy cry... Hägar, you truly are horrible. (I guess Dick Tracy is no longer the only one getting coal in his stocking this year from cartoonist/The Complete Peanuts designer Seth.)

And in the cosmic coincidence department: This first volume of Hägar covers the 1973 - 1974 strips, which just happen to be the same years covered in our most recently released collection of The Complete Peanuts. Make of that what you will.