SmartyChibi by Jorry Keith

Color #3

Cut Page #6

Concept #3

Color #2

Turnaround #10

Turnaround #9

Turnaround #8

Cut Page #5

Turnaround #7

So here is our turnaround of our main baddie. His color scheme is different in the final version.

Color #1

So for a special treat this Sunday...here is an example of the colored work I did for the Osiris story, before we decided to do it in black and white with a spot color. It's amazing what you learn by doing. I learned that I liked doing color, but that it just takes me way to long to do it. I also learned that I can recolor the same page three hundred and twenty four times and still not be happy with it :). But this is what I had in mind for color...there are three more pages like this; which I will post now and again.

Turnaround #6

Turnaround #5

Cut Page #4

Turnaround #4

Concept #2

Here is another pitch idea Michael and I had, that one day we will probably revisit.

Turnaround #3

Character Design #3

Cut Page #3

What can I say...more fun Michael pages.

Turnaround #2

Well, what can I say. I hope one day, along with her partner in crime, to put her in her own comic.

Character Design #2

Here is another design done for Odin's Special.

Development #2

Here is some development that Michael did for a pitch. He doesn't know it yet, but I'm using this character in another idea; which I will pitch here on this blog in a month or so...for fun. So be on the look out for her to pop up again.

Turnaround #1

Here is a turnaround of a character that appears in our Odin Special One-Shot. Can you guess who it is a parody of? Usually, the way we do designs is that I will write up a brief description like...

Peter “Dusty” Panerson
Peter has been arrested several times for child endangerment, the sell and distribution of Fairy Dust, aggravated assault, and the facilitation of prostitution with mythical creatures. Peter’s style of dress is a mixture of gansta pimp and his traditional look. Tattoo written across his belly, Wendy Forever (in Old English Font) and a tattoo face of Tinkle on his chest over his heart.

Peter’s shadow has long since abandon him and is currently in a rehab center trying to put his life back together again.

...and then send that to Michael along with any reference material I dig up. Michael then comes up with what you see above.

I love this design. If the Odin Special does well, I'd like to bring this character back in his own...on-line adventure, a spin-off of a spin-off.

Cut Page #2

Here is a page that had aspects of it cut out. The remaining elements were used in another page layout. This particular comic is being drawn in Flash. The beauty of doing a comic in Flash is that you can move elements around,reuse elements, as well as change the size of images (without fear of losing resolution); which would be more difficult to do in a traditional way.

Development #1

Here is a nice piece of development that Michael did for the Odin's Special of the Not-So-Dynamic Duo.

Concept #1

This is from a pitch Michael and I did a long time ago, about a female pet hunting "predator". I love the fact that he put a pug in the shot because I have a pug named Pork Chop. Also the fact that black bars were added to the nipples are the best!

Character Design #1

Here is a awesome design from Michael on our parody of the Captain. The stains on the crotch and twisted hook cracked me up.

Cut Page #1

Here is a page from our comic Osiris the Dead, that Michael decided to rework-enjoy!

Banners

Here are a few banners I created...feel free to grab and post them .

Illustration.org's Interview of Me!

Here’s a interview with Shawn Toshikian. He’s the current writer and creator of several series being produced by Stand Alone Comics, a new new comics publisher that looks to put out some great titles this year with great art to match their great writing. Oh and he just happens to be currently the Animation Supervisor on Cartoon Network’s show Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends!Character Design from an Upcoming comic

When did the idea for Stand-Alone Comics come together?

I work at Cartoon Network as the Animation Supervisor on Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, but in early 2007 I realized that I needed something outside of my day job, something of my own, that belonged to just me.

Believe it or not, that originally was going to be a Robeks* franchise. I met with the Robek’s people and was moving to the next level, when the people in my life stepped in, a kind of intervention of sorts. The consensus was, “Are you high! Do you seriously dream of making fruity drinks!?”

Well I wasn’t and I don’t. So if it wasn’t going to be fruit drinks, then of course it had to be comics.

So I called my friend Michael Huang and said, “Dude, you want to start a comic book company with me?”

He said, “Yeah, but I can’t right now, I have too much going on.”

And then I said, “Dude, we’re not getting any younger we need to do this now or never!”

And Michael said, “OK.”

So we started Stand Alone Comics and established the SAC Manifesto; which states…

All stories must have a beginning, middle and end.*

No gimmicks, storytelling first and foremost.*

No late books or unfinished volumes.*

*Note: Robeks makes fruit drinks. And I love fruit drinks.
*Note: No, continuous series. Like my friend Dana says, “Seriously, how many times can the Joker escape from jail before it’s just retarded.”
*Note: You know the rotating death thing.
*Note: Seriously people. You know what the difference between a professional and an amateur is? Deadlines.

What are your immediate plans for Stand-Alone Comics?

Our current game plan is to put out several mini-series in the next year. Currently, we are in the production side of things with three mini-series at several stages. If the mini-series are successful enough, fingers crossed, we will continue to put out more series each year, but at a comfortable pace. My goal is not to line shelves with filler books, but to put out stories and series, because we are hungry* to tell their stories.

*Note: The word hungry was inspired by Duran Duran’s, “hungry like the wolf.”

What are your responsibilities at Stand-Alone besides being one of the creators?

My responsibilities as Stand Alone’s Creative Director* involves corresponding, organizing, and managing the company as a whole. I deal with the artists from the non-art side of things. Since we are such a tiny company at this point, it doesn’t take up too much of my time; which is good, because it gives me time to work on ideas and stories we want to produce.

*Note: The title, Creative Director, I gave to myself because Supreme Commander sounded too stupid.

What do you do to inspire yourself to work?

I get inspiration from the people around me. My director on Fosters, Eric Pringle, is doing an animated on-line cartoon strip called Prophet Buddy*. Every day, he works on it, not because someone pays him, but because it is something he loves to do. Anyone who does anything simply for the “love of it,” is amazingly inspirational!

*Note: Check out www.prophetbuddy.com

How do you trick yourself into working when you don’t feel like it?

HAHAHA…yeah, sometimes you do have to trick yourself into getting what you need to have done, done; especially if you have a regular 9 to 5 job. I found that trying to work on your own endeavors after a long day at your job can be a bit difficult and taxing on your relationships. It’s important to maintain a balance between all the different aspects of your life. The way I balance those responsibilities out is that I usually get up VERY early, around 5 am and spend several hours working on what I need to get done. Also if I need to work over the weekend it usually will involve a Faustian deal with my girlfriend*. I get the weekend to work and she gets whatever she wants* at a later date. It helps immensely having the understanding and support of your loved ones backing you in your dream. In fact, it’s almost impossible if you don’t.

As for tackling overwhelming enormity of a job, what I do is break what I need to get done into smaller tasks with short term deadlines. With each small term goal being reached it gives me the feeling of accomplishment and encourages me to continue on to the next goal. And before you know it, whatever goal you had that seemed daunting before, is done.

*Note: Tracey is 8 months pregnant and we’re about to have our first kid, now that’s an adventure!
*Note: It usually involves some kind of ice cream thing.

What are the benefits of having your own comic book studio? Drawbacks?

The benefits are that you have no one above you telling you “how” things should be done. You succeed and fail by your own hand. The drawbacks are exactly the same.

This is a bit off topic but here is something to ponder. If you won 100 million dollars would you still be doing what you’re doing now? For me, I’d still make comics. The only difference is that I would make books with creators* just for the beauty of it!

*Note: Can you imagine having enough money to work with any creator that comes to mind. DAMN, that would ROCK!

What are you looking forward to the most?

Seeing the books I was part of on the shelves of a comic shop. When that happens I’ll be smiling for a week. As you can tell I have VERY lofty goals*.

*Note: I do have one VERY big goal. And that is to one day build and own a Batcave. How unbelievably cool would that be, come on fucking admit it!

What gets your creativity going?

My creativity comes from a lot of different avenues. From a creative stand point it can involve reading a really good book* or a comic book*. Reading material that is a cut above the rest is usually enough to get my creative juices flowing. I get a lot of ideas when I’m walking my dog, Pork Chop*. It is usually early in the morning and quiet. There are no distractions* and my brain gets to wonder away.

*Noted favorite authors: Orson Scott Card, Robin Hobbs, and Tom Sharpe
*Noted favorite comic book writers and series: Warren Ellis’s Black Summer and Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman.
*Note: Pork Chop is a pug we got from a rescue group. I love that little guy.
*Note: One distraction is picking up dog shit, but it’s the LAW! SO DO IT!

What inspires you?

Hum, beyond the normal things. I would have to say that I want to leave this world with something other then my ashes and memories.*

*Note: How Goth of me.

Why did you decide to become an artist and a writer?

I once read somewhere by someone that every artist is born the moment our mother gives us a kiss and tells us what a pretty picture we drew and for the rest of our lives we, as artists, are always looking for the proverbial pat on the head.

I have always drawn, but I never took any classes, not in grade school, junior or high school. Originally I went to college as a Psychology major with a minor in Philosophy. But after a couple years of being in the head and mind game, for whatever reason; which is ironic, I decided I wanted to do art professionally. So I changed majors and went to art school.

It’s funny to think about it now but I became an artist because my mom stuck a picture on the refrigerator and I became a writer to impress a girl in the hopes she would bestow her favors.*

*Note: This last paragraph sounds so stupid but I like it anyway, so there!

Any advice to aspiring artists, comic book writers, aspiring web comic producers?

Always ask yourself, “Why the hell not.” And if the answer that comes back doesn’t involve you going to jail, then go for it.