During the duration of 2018, I was going through some stuff, and whenever I had something i wanted to express, I illustrated it into my personal sketchbook. I knew that whenever I was illustrating a sketch in my sketchbook, It was something that felt like it belonged to an anthology of some kind because I kept drawing things that were cyberpunk esque. In between animating, scraping pages for other comics that I was working on with collaborators, and then joining the interpreting program at laguardia community college after obtaining my associates in Fine Arts, I felt ...lost. at times I felt lost, impatient, angry, frustrated, etc. But I always went back to that sketchbook.
I remember hesitating to draw in this particular sketchbook for a couple of reasons that I won't] disclose. But my friend Stephanie.J. blessed with me with a sketchbook that became a great device to visual regurgitate ideas that inspired various concepts that I could turn stories out of. WIth that I realized that I could create anything that comes to mind, and that's when it lead to this short comic. Artists, most especially illustrators are magicians/ wizards/ sorcerers. Creating something out of thin air, creating something out of nothing, making a space where something on a two dimensional page will feel more three dimensional and more real than any conversation and voice that they hear on a daily basis.
So I went with that, exploring the various worlds that inhabit the mind of an illustrator such as myself. While I was working on this personal projects Stan Lee passed away. I grew up on a lot of his stuff, reading his X-men,Fantastic Four and most definitely his stuff on Amazing Spider-man with Steve Ditko. I remember that pushed me to go to my sketch book, to take those personal pages and turn it into a comic. After I finished taking one of my finals for intro to field interpreting. I scanned the selected pages and started digitally coloring these pages... I Went for a Bill Sinkevich and David Mack approach when I was drawing this stuff loosely and then i would draw heavily detailed stuff to contrast with it all.
There are various things I'd like to bring to life, but find difficult due to finding other illustrators that have the same enthusiasm, or being bogged down by the natural pace at which human beings draw hahaha. I don't know if this will help people through depression, It definitely won't cure cancer, and most likely won't change the situations that occurs in ones life. But I at least hope that It can inspire action. i hope it inspires my fellow artists to take action to create what they want to create regardless of what they are told. SO i hope this helps you in your journey as it is helping me as I enter 2019. Also, I'd like to wish a birthday shout out to the homie Johnathan Acosta, Happy Birthday man! Dope! You share the same B-Day as Stan lee. I Also want to thank @obey_thelaw /@unbothered_thoughts for being one of my reference models for the muse section of the short comic. Ya'll should check out her writing and poetry. Anywho, See ya soon folks!
Update: 1/10/19 There is a news article https://www.newsweek.com/brain-structure-hidden-architecture-multiverse-dimensions-how-brain-works-624300
that I forgot to add that this project was inspired by. I love work from Grant Morrison (especially his multiverse DC Comics stuff) and Warren Ellis (I'm a fan of Planetary). Read this article about how the human brain is able to see 11 dimensions and create multiverses. Artists and writers do it all the time. During a conversation with my Language in Use Professor (for the ASL interpreting program) Christine Monikowski there was a moment where we talked about the evolution of language, and it eventually lead to a brief conversation about Displacement in language. The concept of Displacement (being able to talk about what ifs, hypotheticals of things that have not, could, or will not ever happen in time) especially in language. Especially when theorized is that its always possible that any one person can conjure up a sentence that has never been uttered before just makes this short for me all the more enjoyable to have made and will continue to make. Anywho, enjoy!
