Credits (where credits are due)
Line Art
Arc I
- Typing paper
- Staedtler(R) Mars-780 mechanical pencil
- Staedtler(R) Mars non-photo blue leads
- Canson (R) Vidalon Vellum, 55lb
- Sanford(R) Design Higgins waterproof drawing ink, Black India 4415
- Princeton Art & Brush Co. round synthetic brushes, sizes 10/0, 2/0, 0, 1, 2
- Strips 23-48 make partial use of Pentel's Penstix sizes .3mm and .7mm
- Strips 48+ are pencil-lined, predominantly with Lyra ArtDesign 2B pencils. I find them to be the absolute perfect balance of wax and graphite for my needs, they make a smooth line that smudges much less than most 2B pencils.
- Staedtler(R) Mars-780 mechanical pencil
- Staedtler(R) Mars non-photo blue leads
- Lyra(R) ArtDesign 2B pencils
- BlueLine Pro(R) Comic Book Art Board, Traditional Format. Find them at http://www.bluelinepro.com
Scanning
- HP Precision LTX ScanJet 4300 (arc 1)
- Mustek ScanExpress A3 -- a truly EXCELLENT piece of equipment
if you can get it.that has become popular and available, yay! - Corel PhotoHouse 5
Computer Colour
- The GIMP 1.2.4 (available for free at www.gimp.org)
I cannot say enough good things about this older version of GIMP. It is fast, clean, agile, and as long as you learn its foibles, a beautiful program. There are issues with certain file formats depending on your configuration. Its tablet support is best on the Wacom tablet, which I started using on the highlights of strip 13, and so far swear by. It doesn't waste valuable processing on idiotic things like drop shadows for its tools, and the keystroke commands allow me to work at lightning speed by comparison to other drawing programs I've used. If anybody updates this version of gimp to run better on modern computers, (with obvious exceptions) they will become my personal hero. - Strips 14+ are partially coloured with the Wacom Graphire 2 4"x5" tablet.
- Strips 18+ are flat-coloured (pre-shading) by the Blue Zombie
Creative Inspiration
- Viggo Mortensen, whose portrayal of the character Lucifer in The Prophecy finally crystalized the amorphous internal picture I had of the First Son. If I ever got the chance to do a movie of this world I would throw myself at his feet and beg him to take up the role.
- Eric Stoltz, whose portrayal of an angel felt so familiar that it made me watch that movie, which I had originally dismissed entirely.
- Gregory Widen, who wrote a trilogy of movies (originally titled "God's Army") that made me so aghast about the similarities to my own work that I dropped what I was writing (these were going to be books) for years worrying about looking like I'd ripped him off. This gave me long enough to work out many flaws in my particular story construction that are too embarassing to mention. Also gave me time to figure that I should stop beating my head on a wall trying to overcome lexical problems that are simply part of my brain structure, which is why I've pretty well given up on long-form writing except as a side hobby. As for Prophecy vs Malakhim: Some of the superficial similarities were the weirdest, such as the black nails, which for me just have sentimental value from school years, but we differ starkly on many points of view on the legends and characters themselves. Still, his movies were amazing and struck a very deep chord with me, especially visually.
- Peter S. Beagle, whose modern fairy tales, especially the famous one, captured the essence of what it's like to be trapped in your dreams and trapped in time. Read beyond the unicorns, you might not love it all but it's worth the look.
- Countless musicians that stirred the blood and riled up the imagination.
- RIAA Radar (http://www.riaaradar.com/) which helps me find cruelty-free music. What I feel are myriad abuses of musicians and music fans at the hands of RIAA have made me heartbroken about music. I believe in copyright and I believe RIAA abuses the concept for their own unspeakably vicious ends. This is a personal belief and as such should not be treated as fact. Find out more on your own, and I feel you will also support cruelty-free music when you're done.
- David Eyk, who I always thought I'd added to this credit page, and should have a long time ago. He's the best Christian I've ever encountered, and it generally takes a lot for me to get over the distrust built of past experiences. But beyond that, he's one of the best men I've ever known.
- C.H., the first "angel" I've ever met who's never disappointed me.
- Nancy Ahia, for whom there should have been better angels.
- George Leras, photographer extraordinaire, who first prompted me to really bend my mind around my own assumptions. I hope I've created better ones.
Practical Inspiration
- Syl, who kicks my ass when I want to give up, and regularly demands T-shirts.
- A. Sie, who has totally shocked me with her level of support.
- Christy, who deserves a room full of giant teddy bears for being the best and purest example of a human being I've seen struggling in a world stacked hard against a tender spirit. (And I'd like to add, FUCK YOU, idiotic people who have nothing better to do than try to convince someone they're a loser for stepping outside your little chalk lines and having unfashionable tenderness).
- Dr. Steph, of whom I am fairly terrified, who was extremely nice to my overenthusiastic blue zombie and whose advice was responsible for the first wave of strangers to hit our little page.
- Jaaaaaaaason, who made me feel like I could draw again when I felt used up and ruined. I hope you're out there somewhere, still drawing, and believing in yourself too.
- Chris from Borderwalker, who made me pay attention to my line weight. I'm still struggling with it.
- N. M.-E., who taught me to swear in a prolific and sometimes creative manner, and more importantly, gave me the strength to accept the unacceptable. This is for you, wherever you are and however you are reborn. If you find yourself in a new skin, and remember why La Marseillaise cracks us up, look me up and let me get to know the new you. The first pack of Luckies is on me.
- Tim, who was the first actual stranger to leave us a comment. w00t!
- All the folks who helped me deal with stalker issues, which I should be used to by now, but am not. Mostly because I still don't believe I'm all that fascinating, and have a hard time understanding why anyone wastes their time following me around.
- Vincent D'Onofrio, who puts unbelievable dedication into a character. I watched a lot of Criminal Intent reruns while laid up with heart failure, and he has never disappointed me. Syl showed me what he's said out of character, though, and that's what really made me feel so much less alone. I wish our paths had crossed.
- Mandy Patinkin, who hung on to his humanity. The best words I can use to express my admiration are: Thank you.
- Matthew Gray Gubler, a delightful spirit out there in the world making sure our top-hats are humanely mined and properly refined. A sustainable alternative to blood baseball-caps, for certain. In all seriousness though, it's just delightful to know some people exist in the world, and he is one of those people.
- Haley, who I hope grew into a strong and independant young woman. It was never my intention to reject you. I will always have a special place in my heart for you, and I still believe in you. I hope you're still sketching. Look me up any time.
