| Gulliver in the Land of the Lilliputians |
[Apr. 30th, 2008|02:04 pm] |
Some trips are more productive than others, sketch-wise. Our visit to Stephen's relatives in Cambridge gave more time than I expected for sketching, though I'll never forgive myself for leaving my sketchbook home when we went punting!
The Tube and train were made for sketching.
( Look behind the cut for more train people and an imperious portrait of Stephen! )
In other news I finally got my challenge drawing in at ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) whoresofmensa. Check it out, if you get a chance!
More sketches coming soon... |
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| Lady chefs and other matters... |
[Apr. 23rd, 2008|12:23 am] |
This weekend jabberworks, Stephen and I spent Saturday at the Institut Francais, reading French comics and doodling. Sarah and I had a little sketchoff in honor of the lady chef drawing challenge over at whoresofmensa - we grabbed a book called "Elles Sont Chefs", with loads of great pictures of famous lady chefs at work, and started drawing.
I've been spending a lot of time at the library lately, and have a lot more library visits in my future, I bet. Hopefully I'll have some good bus and tube sketches to post soon. Until then, enjoy Gisele...
EDIT: Silly me! It slipped my mind that my ulterior motive in posting today was to alert you all to new Undertow pages now live at Webcomics Nation. It's all 'hotting up', as the English say....anyhow, that'll teach me to try to blog and watch Deadwood at the same time. Foolish! |
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| Logomania part 2! |
[Apr. 17th, 2008|05:52 pm] |
Today I set up my very own Etsy shop - following many other cartoonists' lead, I've decided it's a great little shopfront for selling my comics and original art.
Here's the brand-new logo for my brand-new shop!
I'll be putting some more stuff up soon - I have an idea for a series of collages inspired by the A-Z, the London map book.
And one more logo, for excellent UK comics news site Bugpowder. Hopefully they'll post it soon - it'll be part of a rotation with logos done by Jeremy Dennis, Mardou, and others.
Just one question - why are logos always so long and skinny? :)
In other work, I've been concentrating on writing my Lee Miller story. I think it'll be a somewhat abstract but otherwise recognizable biography. I'm looking forward to drawing it! And I'm coloring an Undertow megapost - that'll go up Monday. Busy busy! |
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| Hey! 4 Eyes - done! |
[Apr. 8th, 2008|10:25 pm] |
It took multiple visits to the College of Optometrists and the British Library, as well as some behind-the-scenes craziness! But my history of people’s antipathy towards their eyeglasses (for Robyn Chapman’s excellent Hey! 4 Eyes zine) is DONE!
It's almost enough to make me feel better about Arsenal getting knocked out of the Champions' League...sigh.
This story was a lot of fun, and turned into a combination of my educational comics style and some more journalistic work, which I'm interested in exploring further.
( Look behind the cut for the first two pages )
Now, on to Whores of Mensa. Yay! Whores 4 focuses on the city of Paris...my story will be about Lee Miller, a writer and photographer who traveled Europe as a war correspondent during World War II. You can read more about Lee and see a fantastic drawing of her by monocat on the Whores of Mensa blog.
And some new Undertow pages for you...the scene is being set for a pretty unpleasant (but inevitable) confrontation.
A la prochaine! |
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| Comix Influx! (or Logomania part I) |
[Apr. 1st, 2008|12:15 pm] |
While I was working away on my educational project, I helped Stephen with a site he's been building, the incredible, the amazing, Comix Influx! Comix Influx works on the model of Wikipedia, letting comics lovers worldwide collaborate on words-only (no scanlation here) translations of their favorite foreign language comics, helping these books reach a wider audience.
In addition to working on some translations - notably of Pauline Martin's excellent La Meilleure du Monde (2001) - I made this logo! Stephen asked for something that would evoke the lettering style of old British comics like the Beano.
Also, new Undertow pages are up now at my Webcomics Nation page. So much going on...I'm still laboring away on my Hey! Four-Eyes story...I'll be posting pages from that soon. And don't forget to check out the drawing challenge going on over at whoresofmensa - this time we're drawing female chefs!
And, to explain the title of this post, I'm working on a logo design for excellent comics blog Bugpowder. A logo, a drawing challenge entry, a five page comic, and a fully-colored graphic novel - coming right up! |
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| Story of a Suitcase: Sunset Park to Astoria, in Sketches |
[Mar. 10th, 2008|07:49 pm] |
What do you do whilst escorting a heavy suitcase (long story) along almost the entire span of the N train? Sketch, of course.
These guys rode with me from NYU to Midtown, give or take a stop or two...
At one point the gentleman with the bowler whipped out a ukelele, and started (almost inaudibly, which was a pity) picking out a tune. For some reason - I've obviously been away too long - this struck me as quintessentially 'new yorkais'.
( Look behind the cut for two more N train riders! )
I'm still processing my impressions of my travels around the US, sketchy and otherwise...with Hey! 4-Eyes and Whores of Mensa deadlines (not to mention taxes!) approaching, I've barely had a second to think since getting back. But suffice it to say that St. Louis, Atlanta and New York were all enormous fun, and I miss everyone already!
Ooh - one more thing. I just posted two more Undertow pages at Webcomics Nation - go take a look! |
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| Portrait of a Lady Cartoonist |
[Feb. 4th, 2008|05:43 pm] |
Small press maven and comics journalist Matthew Badham has been kind enough to interview me for his new online comix zine, Overspill. We talked about Whores of Mensa, Flux Factory and a lot of other stuff, including my semi-embarrassing Wolverine obsession. Enjoy!
Thanks, Matthew!
Also, for those of you who are following Undertow over at Webcomics Nation, there are four new pages up for your pleasure! Please let me know what you think, if you get a chance!
PS I'm posting this image from the cover of the newest Whores of Mensa partly in celebration of Stephen's suggestion today that we take a trip to Marrakech to visit a friend who works in the French consulate there. Hmmm, wonder if he's serious?! |
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| Turning Points - Final Art |
[Jan. 29th, 2008|02:23 pm] |
Hello....many apologies for my long silence. But I have big news to report - I am finished with my Turning Points project!
You may remember a pencilled version of this page:
Many thanks to Dalton Webb ( daltonnw in these parts) for his expert work on my handwriting font!
( Two more behind the cut! )
Six months from the author's script to 120 pages of final, toned art. Whew!
To celebrate I spent one last weekend with my friend Anna in Paris; she's moving to NYC in March (look out for a very tall, very stylish brunette on the comix and literary scenes!) Champagne, walks on the Seine and the privilege of seeing an old friend's new baby, complete with purple velour rockstar suit...just what I needed!
Next up: stories for Whores of Mensa, Hey, 4-eyes! and Graphic Classics, not to mention a whole stack of Undertow updates to post...better get my skates on, as the English say!
Thanks for looking... |
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| The Guyland |
[Jan. 7th, 2008|10:54 am] |
| [ | music |
| | The Make-Up - Sound Verité | ] |
I have always had a love-hate relationship with the suburb where I grew up, lovely western Long Island*. My parents were both raised in NYC, and I reached adolescence full of regret that they hadn't just...stayed put.
But, absence makes the heart grow fonder - now when I go back I see a walkable, reasonably pleasant place, linked up to two train lines into New York City. We watch English soccer with my parents and hang out at the 1920's cafe on the main street.
In anticipation of seeing my parents again, a feeling the holidays just made stronger, here are a few sketches of Long Island. And just to REALLY bug my father, I'll start with one of him!
( More behind the cut! )
In other news, Undertow Chapter 2 wraps up today on Webcomics Nation. Check it out!
*My partner is the same - and his London suburb of origin, Slough, trumps mine with its ambivalence inducement, being the setting for The Office! Hard to compete with that. |
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| Flux Opening Tonight! |
[Dec. 14th, 2007|08:45 pm] |
If you're in New York City tonight, be sure to catch the opening for NYNYNY, the new show at Flux Factory! 70 artists AND proximity to some of the best restaurants in the city (Hemsin, anyone?) - what have you got to lose? Thanks so much to Chen and Jean for all their hard work....I'll be posting pictures soon!
In the meantime, here's a sneak peek of the inks for my book in the Turning Points series from Aladdin, Little Rock Nine. The author is historian Marshall Poe.
Fight scenes - gotta love 'em! I'm going for a Benday-dot thing with the halftone...it looks less psychedelic in a non-.gif format. Really! :) It's a bit surreal to have a font made of your comix lettering (courtesy of daltonnw)...but very cool! Thanks Dalton! |
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| Flux! |
[Nov. 29th, 2007|05:36 pm] |
Here's a quick glimpse of the project I've been working on for the upcoming NY-NY-NY exhibition at Flux Factory.
The concept is that I tell a Lindner family story (a Gavin family story, actually - my great-aunt's maiden name ) - through a series of billboards. The story takes place in Depression-era New York.
( More behind the cut! )
In other news I'm chugging along on Turning Points - I hope to post some inks soon.
ALSO, our internet access blew out over the weekend, so I didn't get to make my usual Undertow post at Webcomics Nation...but it's up now, so if you're following along, take a look! |
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| Portraits from Paris |
[Nov. 19th, 2007|01:34 pm] |
A week ago, a friend of mine asked me to do a portrait of her for her Facebook page. Coincidentally, she's also the person who helped me with the Italian translation in this week's Undertow page.
So, in her honor, here's that portrait, made from sketches she posed for on my recent trip to Paris:
Thanks, Anna!
PS Speaking of sketches, I just made my new sketchbook page live...thanks for all the feedback and encouragement on my drawings over the past year or so! Check it out and let me know what you think: http://www.littlewhitebird.com/sketchbook.htm |
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| More Undertow, Now Online! |
[Nov. 12th, 2007|12:32 pm] |
To celebrate the beginning of a busy week, I've posted four new Undertow pages over at Webcomics Nation!
We're now deep into Chapter 2 - read, and enjoy!
In other news, this week I begin inking and toning my contribution to the Turning Points series of graphic novels, coming out next year from Aladdin/Simon and Schuster. I felt fairly triumphant after finishing the pencils, but this is a new, and considerable challenge. 120 pages in 12 weeks....hmmm, that sounds doable! :)
Meanwhile, I'm working on a piece for the upcoming NYNYNY show at fantastic Queens art lab Flux Factory. Jean Barberis, the curator, and his Flux cohorts have come up with a pretty wild idea: pay tribute to the famous panorama of New York City housed at the Queens Museum with a 3D sculptural evocation of all five boroughs!
I'll be exploring a piece of Lindner family history as a series of billboards. Fun with gouache, straight ahead! If you're in New York City, put the December 14th opening in your calendar...Flux Factory is always worth the trip.
Some portraiture is on the way, but until then - thanks for reading! |
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| Grisaille |
[Nov. 1st, 2007|04:11 pm] |
Normally I use my sketchbook to experiment with color, but this week I played around with some sketches just using grey washes.
( More grey ink behind the cut... )
Also, there are more Undertow pages live at Webcomics Nation! At some point I'll start taking my stated Sunday evening post-date more seriously, but for the moment, this weekend's travel plans mean an early post.
Enjoy!
Ooh! One more thing! Be sure to read the new interview with Vanessa Davis (conducted by the brainy Mardou) over at whoresofmensa I made a new icon to celebrate our first web interview!
And now, au revoir! |
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| Bagatelle a la Betty (And Some News!) |
[Oct. 25th, 2007|08:04 pm] |
First the news....
As of today you can start reading Undertow on Webcomics Nation!
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/ellenlindna/undertow/series.php
I'm excited! A new way to get Undertow out there...and a way for those of you who've read about it here to check it out! The first chapter is up now, with updates every Sunday, hopefully a few pages at a time. Enjoy!
I feel like this post should be subtitled 'reasons to be cheerful'. Even though it's very grey and drizzly here, I'm feeling excited about my various projects. This week I hand in my pencils for Little Rock Nine, the educational graphic novel I'm working on. 120 pages - done! I'm working on a logo for S.'s secret website, soon to be revealed to the world! Arsenal won big in the Champions League (yes, that made me cheerful!) And next weekend, we are going to Paris!
Here's a fairly cheerful self-portrait (to continue what's starting to seem like an unintentional theme in these parts):
I drew this a few weeks ago while working on a drawing challenge for whoresofmensa...Ugly Betty was on in the background, and I felt inspired!
A plus! (That's French for...see ya!) |
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| FOHOJO |
[Oct. 17th, 2007|07:20 pm] |
Things are crazy here! I hand in the last of my pencils for my educational graphic novel Tuesday..I'm helping my partner with some translations (of lovely French comics!)...and I'm having a font made of my comics writing! I find the latter particularly exciting.
In the midst of all this, I recently designed a mix for a friend of mine.
You might recognize the lady on the cover...she's from one of my competition strips. Were they rejected? Who knows, I never heard back. But I hate to waste artwork - I worked hard on those. And my friends Howard and Jonathan (the HOJO of the title) might like it! I'll keep it locked until they get this...wouldn't want to ruin the surprise!
EDIT: They liked it! Yay! |
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| The Ess-a-Bagel Diptych |
[Sep. 26th, 2007|09:06 pm] |
Stephen and I, around the time we got married.
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| Page 60, Here I Come! |
[Sep. 11th, 2007|03:08 pm] |
As I near the pencilling mid-way point for the educational graphic novel I'm working on, I thought I'd post an image to celebrate!
The graphic novel, which focuses on the desegregation of the Arkansas school system, is written by historian Marshall Poe and will be published by Aladdin Books next year. This page shows a student who was part of an early, unsuccessful attempt to integrate Little Rock's Central High School recounting his experiences.
In the interest of meeting my deadlines, I haven't been leaving the house much as of late, which means I'm short on sketchbook time...it's pencil, pencil, pencil all the way to November! That said, I hope to post some subway/bus sketches soon. Until then...see above reference to pencil, pencil, pencil! :) |
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| Comic Strip (Yes, I've Been Listening to Gainsbourg Again) |
[Sep. 2nd, 2007|10:31 pm] |
I have a great respect for what's been done and is being done in alternative newspaper strips - Lynda Barry, Jesse Reklaw, Nicholas Gurewitch (whose new collection I am itching to buy!), and Alison Bechdel all come to mind. Pretty inspiring. I'm not a strip artist, but when I heard about a newspaper competition, I thought I'd give it a try!
Here are some crops of images from my five sample strips, which are a juxtaposition of slightly exaggerated, melodramatic autobio-style writing with wacky imagery drawn from fashion spreads, romance comics, and old annuals of many varieties.
( Look behind the cut for a sample strip! )
And when you get a chance, check out the drawing challenge at whoresofmensa!
It's not complicated: comment, and we assign a 'cool person' for you to draw! We'll be posting entries all through September. |
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| O Peaches, Give Me Strength! |
[Aug. 23rd, 2007|11:51 am] |
A domestic icon for you - Peaches!
At the moment I'm at work on two projects, one of which (a competition entry) I hope to be posting about very soon. The other is my educational graphic novel project, now up and running. The subject matter has changed - it's now about school desegregation in 1950's Arkansas - but the new subject suits me in terms of drawing experience (I drew loads of 50's cars and fashion for Undertow), and it feels good to get started. That's why I've been a bit quiet lately...I've done about a quarter of the pencils and about a third of the roughs, hoping to make a solid start.
In other news, my Xeric application arrived, and will be reviewed in early September! I am excited, no matter what the outcome.
Off to work... |
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