Category Archives: Blurb

Time to Shine

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Ah… Fall. My favourite season. Cooler weather and rain, warm blankets and drawing late into the evening without sweating. When I was younger I’d always say Winter was my favourite season because of the snow, and snowboarding. And was always flabbergasted when my parents claimed they didn’t like Winter. But as an adult I get it. Its cold. There’s snow. It’s a pain to drive or walk around. “Snow belongs on the mountains” and now I agree.

So yeah, Fall. And back to drawing after a summer off.

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What I’m Drawing

I’m still playing a lot of Death Stranding, so I decided to draw Fragile. Work in progress as I have to finish her funky umbrella, and then ink. Not sure when I’ll get around to finishing this one.

Dusted off Photoshop with this one. I typically don’t sketch in PS as I leave that for colour. But I wanted to test out the brushes and I’m honestly happy with the results.

Crush, daughter of Lobo. Also a work in progress that I intend to ink tonight.

Back into Clip Studio for this one to test my brushes. New computer and all. Gotta get my settings setup still. It’s a process.

That also brings me to Drawtober or Inktober, or whatever you want to call it. October’s full month long drawing event. I have my own prompt list tentatively completed with some alternates as back-ups in case I change my mind. It’s mostly video game characters or comic characters, obviously.

So that means I probably won’t be playing much games as I try and draw every day. Hopefully I’ll have time for a weekly update here.

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What I’m Playing

Still playing Death Stranding, but I did take a brief 3 day break to start and finish A Plague Tale: Innocence, as the game was leaving Game Pass ahead of the sequel’s release. A good stealth / puzzle type game with lots of rats. Gorgeous visuals too. Excited for the sequel.

Death Stranding I finished Chapter 4 and Chapter 5. Chapter 4 was the WWI time jump sequence that was pretty crazy. And chapter 5 is Mama’s heartbreaking story. Seems like there’s a lot of heartbreaking stories so far, with Mama an.d Fragile. Still loving the game and hope to get in some time over the next month

Here’s some more photos and the rest added to the gallery: Photo Mode: Death Stranding

I think that’s it? Just a quick update this week.

iRogan

Everyday Delivery

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Everyday I’m deliverin’ …

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What I’m Playing

I’m playing a lot of Death Stranding. The past few days not as much as I’ve had other things on my plate (I’ll pick it up again tonight), but the game released into Xbox PC Game Pass Aug 23, I started playing Aug 28th, and between Aug 28 and Sept 6 I’ve put in over 20 hours. And I am loving it. I am a little concerned that I’m still only on Chapter 3 of 14 after 20 hours, but we’ll see where it goes.

I love the mechanics and gameplay, and the story is just the weird style that only Hideo Kojima can deliver. Looks and plays really well on my new PC too. And it has a photo mode!!

A few below, but here’s the link to the gallery I’ve created. 57 photos and counting:

Photo Mode: Death Stranding

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What I’m Drawing

Not really a lot lately as I’ve been busy with Death Stranding. But I did need to try out the software and monitor to make sure everything worked after switching over to the new PC, so I worked a bit on my Batwomen:

Sketch/Ink done, with flat colours.

But other than that, with my lack of time I’ve also felt a creative drought. Possibly just burnt out from life in general. I do have some new ideas cooking though.

Also recently was the #faceyourart2022 annual challenge that popped up, so I put together the faces of all my drawings this year. A few are missing from the May Sketch A Day as I wanted the clean 3×3 squares. Overall I am happy with my production so far this year. Its only September now so I still have a few months, and as the weather cools down I find I produce more.

  • Picture 1:
  • Psylocke, X-23, Storm
  • Kate Bishop, Rogue, Domino
  • DareDevil, Harley, Electra
  • Picture 2:
  • The Riddler, Ghost Rider Spider-Gwen, Hana Solo
  • Raven, Mystique, Baby Doll
  • Lady Deadpool, Spider-Man, Punchline

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What I’m Reading

I’ve been thinking lately about this section and I wanted to have a more focused view on what I’m consuming, instead of the weekly comic book day pull box, as after a month, that list just repeats itself. Maybe I’ll highlight new titles I’m getting or one-off graphic novels or something. This week I will highlight a few things:

Ping Pong Vol 1 and 2. A very popular sports manga about Ping Pong. I still am a regular listener of the Mangasplaining podcast, but don’t pick up nearly as many books as I did when it first started. But the occasional ones that pique my interest I will grab.

I purchased a few Frank Cho art books. Amazing stuff. 20+ career.

And late last year I backed a kickstarter project for Top Cow’s Cyber Force complete collection which hasn’t been in print in any form since 1994. Finally arrived 🙂

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That’s all for now I think. I will get back to more Death Stranding, and I have some ideas brewing for some more art.

Take care.

iRogan

Don’t Blame it on the Sunshine

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Back from vacation. Back to work. I believe I can see the future, as I repeat the same routine.

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Still not fully re-activated or re-energized yet. It’s still summer. It’s still hot out. My new computer still sits on the floor, not plugged in or setup in any way. A heavy expensive tripping hazard… Still figuring out what I need to backup off my old computer to transfer over. Photoshop brushes and assets, stuff like that. Everything’s up in the cloud now anyways.

I have been playing some games though, since coming back from vacation. Booted up Darksiders 3 as that had been sitting in my queue for ages. Darksiders: Genesis as well. Also jumped back into Destiny 2.

It’s probably been about a year since I last played Destiny. I’ve probably mentioned it before, but I only play Destiny for the story. So I typically jump back in when there’s an expansion. I don’t have friends to play with so I’m locked out of the raids, and multiplayer never really interested me. So I stick exclusively to the campaigns. When I last played, I was going through Shadowkeep. This past week, I bought Beyond Light and The Witch Queen.

Destiny 2 is a solid game with lots of content. If you want story, its there, if you want more, there’s more. End-game, raids, multiplayer, loot, quests – it has it all. And the visuals are amazing. Especially the area/map/level designs and detail. Sure it can feel repetitive at times as you retread a lot of the planets when going through the campaigns, but that just gives you more time to appreciate the level of detail. As I type this, I’m working my way through Beyond Light, before moving on to the latest expansion. And also coincidentally enough, tomorrow at Gamescon there will new Destiny 2 news.

In co-op, played through the latest new level in Human Fall Flat. And playing through Far Cry 6, and Rider’s Republic for fun.

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In the news, I saw that Death Stranding is coming to Xbox Game Pass PC. Somehow the publishers of the PC port got around Sony and got permission from Kojima Games to add the game to PC Game Pass. Not the new Director’s Cut but the original 2020 PC release. So it still remains a Playstation Console Exclusive, but now on the Xbox PC Platform and has Xbox Achievements. Take that Sony.

I’ve had this game for the PS4 since release, and it’s unopened. I honestly just don’t get around to turning on the PlayStation. I still haven’t played Days Gone or Last of Us II and I feel bad. But with this coming to Game Pass, it gives me a reason to try out my new PC as the game rig it was designed to be, play a game I’ve been waiting to play, and get achievements. Win win win.

Also saw that the Saint’s Row reboot releases tomorrow and the reviews have been pretty meh. I got into the Saints Row series with #2, and didn’t make it very far. I did have a lot of fun with #3, and Saint’s Row III was, in my opinion, the best of the series as it had the perfect blend of gang campaign + crazy weird stuff. After III they just went all-in on the weird and it lost a lot of its appeal. Still fun games in co-op though. But, I can understand why they would want to bring it back to its roots. I’ll have to do more digging, read more reviews and actually watch some gameplay before I decide to invest. I got enough in my queue and not enough time, that I don’t really need any new games right now anyways. (Editor’s note: previous paragraphs about Death Stranding notwithstanding – it’s not a new game 😉 )

That, AND I have 18 levels more to unlock in the Season 1 pass of Fall Guys before next week – so I’m busy.

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I’m definitely starting to get a little antsy, feeling the pull to get back to drawing (has it already been a month?), and excited to try out the new rig. So I think that will be my plan this week.

So many plans…

And I hate plans…

iRogan
G335,910

A Familiar Sound?

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Has it nearly been 2 months already? Time is a fine sand, that slips through my fingers. It’s not even contained in a box, it’s just on the wind. Invisible.

What I’m saying is I don’t know where the time goes. Yesterday is a blur. But I do have two small kids and they keep me very busy, which might explain some of it. I crash at the end of the day. BSOD, and start fresh the next morning.

That’s not to say that I haven’t accomplished anything. I have lots of stuff to share. So much that I will spread it out throughout the week as a multi-day update, instead of overloading one single post.

So I’m thinking:

Monday – What I’m Drawing (May Sketch a Day)
Tuesday – What I’m Drawing Con’t
Wednesday – What I’m Reading
Thursday – What I’m Playing
Friday – What I’m Playing Con’t & Thoughts on the Xbox Showcase

What I’m Drawing

In May, I started a challenge called May Sketch a Day. Trying to draw something every day. I set a rule for myself to try and limit these to 1 hour. Some I went a little bit over. The 1 hour rule was to prevent burnout. As I mentioned above I have two small kids and work a full time day job, which leaves me some time in the evening after bedtimes, but not a lot, and I’m bad with sitting down to draw at 9PM, and then going till 2AM without standing up, and then realize it’s the middle of the week and have to wake up soon. Hence the rule.

I actually made it half way through the month uninterrupted, but then life got in the way. I managed a few more, then more life, and by then the streak was broken and my interest in the challenge faded.

Overall I’m proud of myself. With my art I can get hyper-focused and need everything to be perfect. So part of the goal was to let the drawings go, maybe incomplete, or a bit rough, after the 1hr, and not grind my teeth over it.

I’ll create a gallery for the drawings below when I find the time. Tomorrow I’ll show some of the other work I working on, plus show off my new drawing tool :D.

Dr. Steven Strange
Han Solo
Ashoka Tano
Boba Fett
Black Widow
Scarlett Witch
Raven
Gambit
Batgirl
Tomb Raider Lara Croft
The Riddler
Let Me Solo Her (Elden Ring)
Baby Doll
Lady Deadpool
Iron Spider
Billy Butcher (The Boys)
She-Hulk
Punchline

Be good.
G330,821
iRogan

Oh My Days

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I took some time off after Easter as a mental break, but also as a cleaning break. Spring Cleaning I guess? But also I haven’t really had any real breaks from work since last summer. So some time off was overdue.

Plus, the boys were about to start up again in daycare / pre-school. The wife ready to go back to work. Easter was already a four-day long weekend, so I tacked on the week after as holidays. Cleaned the house, cleaned the garage. It was cathartic in a way, but ended up not being a relaxing time off at all. But I didn’t turn the computer on a single time, so that was one positive.

Which means I didn’t draw. I actually hadn’t done any drawing since I finished the last Stranger Than Friendship comic. Which tends to happen for some reason. They take a toll on me creatively more than my other art projects. Plus, obviously, the screen break plays a role. Which got me thinking about getting back into physical art again, and not relying solely on the computer. So I’ve bought myself a toy to try out. Deliver me my Huion LED Lightbox!:

I did some research and its one of the better reviewed options available. And it’s portable. Which is good because I don’t have any spare room on my computer desk.

I think I’ll still do my layouts/sketches on the computer, and then print it out and lightbox it for Pencils, Inks, Watercolour, etc. We’ll see how it goes.

I’ve always had this nagging feeling that I wanted to do my wrestling comic traditionally with pencil and ink, and then just scan for colour and the rest. So now I can give that a go.

// What I’m Drawing

I did a quick cartoon drawing that I’ve had in the back of my head for a while, ever since watching the movie Luca:

Luca is a Disney movie about a fish boy who travels to land. When he’s above water he’s in human form, but underwater he’s more of an underwater mermaid boy. Obviously being a Disney property, he’s a very cartoony character design. But, I always thought it would be funny to do a darker, Tim Burton-ish version. More of a sea monster type.

So I drew this up quick last night and I think this will be my jump-back-into-physical-art attempt. I’ll print the sketch, lightbox the pencil onto watercolour paper, and then finish as a watercolour.

I should have a finished product by my next update, and hopefully keep it from my 3yo toddler who enjoys the movie. Wouldn’t want to spoil that for him…

Besides that I have a few projects cooking:

  • X-Ladies group shot: adding Magik and 1970s Mystique to the group, and then colour
  • Angela – colour
  • Harley Quinn
  • Finish Goblin Queen

And a few projects simmering in my head:

  • Let Me Solo Her (Elven Ring community player 😉 )
  • Deadpool
  • Scarlet Witch (hopefully before the movie comes out)
  • Boba Fett

Also I have the next Stranger Than Friendship webcomic idea, revolving around the popular game Wordle. I actually collaborated with a friend on this one. My idea/plot, but he volunteered to do the script.

// What I’m Playing

Knee deep in Halo Infinite. Half way through the campaign on Legendary; having just finished Mission 8 – Pelican Down and the 2 bosses. I’ve also been grinding through the collectibles as well, so it’s slow going. So far the campaign has been a lot of fun, feels like I’m at the part where its starting to really shine, and has an enjoyable story thus far.

Next week Season 2 of the multiplayer kicks off, so I’ll also be playing around in that. Trying out the new maps and modes, and the new Battle Pass.

In co-op, I’ve been playing Sea of Thieves – Pirates of the Caribbean Adventure. And also Grounded. Slowly expanding our base out a bit and exploring/completing objectives/crafting. We recently finished the Jungle Lab and stumbled across a might scary Spider Tunnel:

At home, my wife has volunteered me as the bug killer/catcher, so I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of spiders or bugs in general. But in-game, regardless of the game, I have a few phobias: Being underwater (very stressful / claustrophobic), and real world creatures, that are bigger than me, in-game. Like the Spiders in Grounded. Especially the Wolf Spiders. They’re just mean. Anyways, this spider web nest was creepy as hell and I was not interested in sticking around.

// What I’m Reading

  • Week of April 13th
  • Nocterra #9
  • King Spawn #9
  • Batman/Catwoman #11
  • Batgirls #5
  • Week of April 20th
  • Batman: The Knight #4
  • Blue & Gold #8
  • Catwoman: lonely City #3
  • Hulk #6
  • The Nice House on the Lake #8
  • The Walking Dead Deluxe #37

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I think that wraps up the last few weeks. Stay safe.

G325,501
iRogan