2018 April Sketches
A new addition to A.C. Galaga studios is my monthly sketch post. A little behind but each month I’ll just dump some sketches here just to show what I’ve been working on / practicing. Just a whole lot of practice these days.
The first two are just some sketches from photo reference. As you can see in the second image, I’m trying practice digital painting. The third image is an original digital sketch of one of my O-town characters.
I was also practicing gesture drawing on the tablet by sketching the frames of fighting game characters. Can you guess which characters these are?
I made this image for the Geek Madness on Board Game Geek to show which LCG faction I’m aligned with. This was in my April Sketches folder so thought I’d post it here.
*****
Hope you enjoy the sketches. Please leave some comments below and I’ll be uploading some more when I can soon so come back again soon!
-AC
Makeover… Someday
I has been ages since I’ve updated this site. Well, I’d like to use it again!! Look forward to an A.C. Galaga makeover and more content! In the meantime, please enjoy this time-lapse of some illustrations I made for a textbook.
Long Time No See
It’s been a while! My apologies for not posting more often. Totally one of my goals!!
I have some news coming shortly! Comic conventions, a new comic, possibly a 24hr Comic Challenge, and more!
To tide you over, here’s a nice pic of Squigly from Skullgirls I drew for my buddy John (aka: Johnny Landmine, aka: Magic Sensei). Enjoy!!
New Year and Holidays YAY!!
I said I’d make it my goal to do weekly updates, but that didn’t work too well 😛 Time to get back into the swing of things!
LIFE
Happy holidays all! Hope you everyone had a great time celebrating in your own way! Eddie had a good time. He’s 6 months old and already swimming in a ton of toys.
ART NEWS
Web comic is still in the works but not as developed as I’d like. Oz, Chris, and I met this time last year and made it our goal to have a site up and running with a new web comic from each of us. After a year, we’ve learned a lot, but missed our goal by a long shot, especially me. We all developed our stories a lot, came up with some strong characters and settings, and made a bunch of comic layouts… just no comics yet. I have to say, I think Oz is the farthest along out of any of us, so he’s certainly been the driving force in our group. I am quite thankful for that.
It isn’t an excuse, but having a child this year certainly set me back on some of my creative goals. I’m definitely not giving up on any of them, but I need to redesign my goal plan. Until then, here are a few thumbnail teases of my comic for you to gaze upon quizzingly.
ART NEWS (cont.)
Moar?! Yeah, dug this comic up from my uni days. It’s super old and pretty rushed, but I hope you get a kick out of it none the less.
MEDIA
Two things. The Legend of Korra has finally finished. It’s totally over and I kind of miss it already. That show had some ups and downs but all in all, it really turned into something great. I’m sad it’s over, but glad it happened.
Also, I’m a pretty big Mad Max fan and am super excited for the new movie. An extended trailer came out a few weeks ago and I have to say… YES! I’m in. I can’t wait to see this movie!!
So I noticed that Hugh Keays-Byrne who played Toecutter in the first Mad Max is in the new movie. I know it’s not the same character, but it does make me wonder if there is some sort of relation.
Hugh Keays-Byrne as Toecutter and Immortan Joe
If there is a relation, I hope it’s subtle like all the others in the series. Gyro Captain is a given. I’m not too sure about Blaster, but if they are the same character, that’s awesome.
Bruce Spence as The Gyro Captain and Jedediah the Pilot
Benno and Blaster. Same Guy?!
By the way, did you know that the guy who played the Gyro Captain also played the Trainman in Matrix Revolutions?
Oh, and one more bit of trivia before I move to a new topic. Mad Max 2 was a big inspiration for the designs of ‘Hokuto no Ken’ (Fist of the North Star). Not sure if it was ever stated by the creators, but it’s quite obvious.
Comparing ‘Road Warrior’ to ‘Fist of the North Star’
Know of any other Mad Max connections? Let me know in the comments!
FRIENDS
Before I finish, I’d like to mention that my buddy David Piper over at Sunday ink just recently finished another fantastic stone lantern illustration based on a picture I sent him. Please go check it out as soon and you can!!
To close this year I’ll post one more ballpoint pen sketch. I think it turned out pretty good. Gotta keep at it~~
Happy new year! See you in 2015!!!
Alan
Need More Weekly Progress
Well, it’s not monday in Japan anymore so I’ve missed my weekly deadline. I have a (partially) good reason, though~~
ART NEWS
Not much honestly. My project isn’t progressing as quickly as I’d like so there really isn’t much to tell you. But, here are a few more sketches I did throughout the week. One of them is unfinished, but it still looks okay and I might keep it like that (the Nina Hagen one).
By the way, If I collect enough of these, considering on selling the originals at my next convention.
MEDIA
So what has been distracting me this week? Well… You may not know this but I’m a sucker for Saints Row. Had a lot of fun with part 3 and last weekend I finally attempted part 4. Big mistake for people who want to be productive. This is video game crack for me. You get to dress up and customize characters, design your cars, blow crap up, and there’s a pretty cool soundtrack. Sometimes I just enjoy climbing to the tallest building and jumping off.
People may think me crazy when I say that I prefer the Saints Row series to Grand Theft Auto. I dunno, I just enjoy plowing through everything along my way to the next event rather than having the restrictions of real life simulation. Also, I don’t want to take my crazy violent gang stuff so seriously.
NOW, the main reason I didn’t get this blog out on monday was because I binge watched the animated miniseries “Over the Garden Wall.” What an amazing series! Such a charming tale about superstitions and the importance of family. The animation and music seem to call back to the early 20th century.
You can certainly see inspiration pulled from Steamboat Willy, Popeye, Betty Boop, as well as other animations of the time. The music is all in the style of early/pre 20th century folk and ragtime which is absolutely charming. Because of the imprtants of music in this animaiton, you may notice that many of the voice actors are opera and jazz singers. Other voice talents include Elijah Wood, Christopher Lloyd, John Cleese, and Tim Curry.
If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out for free over at Cartoon Networks website. Unfortunately if you live outside of the US you’ll have to find other means of watching it. If you have seen it, what do you think? Leave me some comments below.
FRIENDS
A quick shout out to Jeremy Lambros! Seems to be a fellow gamer and Netrunner enthusiast. Met him at our last meetup and found out he’s also a really tallented artist. Be sure to check out his site here and if you’re in the Osaka area you must certainly stop by his gallery! I’m quite interested in visiting the Christmas Cocoa night 🙂
That’s all for now. Tuesday morning is my ‘get stuff together before work’ day so I must be running. Have more for you next week! All the best!!
AC
Power Rangers Were a Little After My Time…
… so with this project there’s certainly a bit of studying for me to do. I’m currently making my way through the first disc of ‘Gorangers’ and have ‘Jurangers’ up to bat.
As some of you may know, I’m currently working on a “hero” comic series set here in Osaka. It’s kind of a springboard for random satirical jests about culture, pop stuff, and life. Don’t want prattle on too much about it right now, but enjoy a few sketches.
— FRIENDS —
I haven’t participated too much yet, but Kevin Christensen invited me to a Daily Sketch group on Facebook which happens to be run by an old teacher of mine (whom probably forgets who I am by now). Kevin is an old college friend that also helped me out a while back with some text book illustrations. They were awesome and I really appreciated the help, but man, I can’t tell you how bad I feel about that. I thought I could get him a copy of the book, but it wasn’t that simple… and now I feel like I exploited his talents. It’s happened to me in the past and it doesn’t feel good. Kevin, if you read this, thank you and I certainly owe you. Be sure to check out his site!! <– LINK
As for the sketch group, one of these two postcard doodles are based on an image from that group. Hopefully I’ll get more involved with the daily doodle suggestions and keep the ink flowing.
— MEDIA —
So Korra season 4 is coming to a close. If you haven’t been following it, try to hit it up because it gets really good. I’m both excited and sad to see the conclusion of this series. The anticipation is a bit much, so thankfully I have the video game to keep me occupied between episodes.
And how can we not talk about Star Wars VII?! I think there are plenty of people bitching about the things they saw, and just as many spasming over it with excitement. Well, it certainly made my day. I was on the train early in the morning headed to work, dreading my incredibly busy schedule, when I saw it was available… I feel sorry for all the bland commuters surrounding me who couldn’t share the exciting experience. The teaser made my day! My busy schedule meant nothing to me now because I was super charged, fueled by the power of Star Wars. I think my friend Ed put it best, “JUST SHOW ME VERTIGO INDUCING SHOTS OF THE MILLENNIUM FALCON AND FRICKIN LASER BEAMS!”
I’d like to thank the internet for all the awesome absurdity to come, including the “George Lucas Special Edition” trailer and “Light Saber Escalation.”
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading and hope to have some more art to share with you soon!
A.C.
EDIT: Had the wrong Star Wars trailer. Fixed now ^_^;
Who What When Where??
Long time no see!! Let me tell you what’s been up 🙂
ART STUFF
Lost Treasure of Grimstone is almost finished. It had to be put on the back burner for a while for various reasons. Due to being very busy I only work on it when I can. First printing will be released in Japanese at Kansai Comitia 46 (2015/5/17). Be sure to save the date 😀 English version will soon follow for all you awesome international folk!
I’m also working on an ongoing web comic. Also because of the “busy” factor I still have a lot of work to do on in so stay tuned for future updates. Made a bet with my buddies Oz and Chris so there should be at least one strip finished by the end of December.
Other Projects: Always a boat load going on and some projects take priority over others. My most recent 5-Track challenge is still in the inking stage. It’s a monster due to the focus on experimental technique (mix of ball pen, crow-quill, brush, ink wash, etc… ) so not sure when that will be done. In a world where I wasn’t so ADD, I might release it as a short with ‘Lost Treasure’. Maybe for the English version (probably next October).
Oh yeah, check out this cool cup I made Rie for her birthday 🙂
LIFE
By the way, I have a son now! Edward Alan Castree was born last June and he’s been a pretty awesome kid so far. Keeps me busy though. Finally getting back into the swing of things (sort of). He’s rolling over and making a bunch of crazy squeals and coos as babies do. Can’t wait till he grows up a little more and we can start drawing pictures and playing games together.
STORE
Stickers are sold out but get some monster pins! Coming soon to the A.C. Galaga Store!!
MEDIA
I talk about being busy (and I am) but I still find plenty of time to waste. Still obsessed with Android: Netrunner and am always looking to get some matches in. Give me a holler if you want to play online or if you live in Kansai, visit my Kansai A:NR Facebook page!!
If you haven’t been watching Gravity Falls be sure to check it out. It’s super cute, pretty funny, and really smart.
Also, got a babysitter (the wonderful Thapelo – thank you so much!!) and Rie and I got to go to the movie theater for the first time in a long time. Be sure to check out my ‘Boyhood’ thoughts over at Leterboxd.
FRIENDS
Quick shout out to David Piper over at Sunday Ink for being awesome! Be sure to go check his latest lantern illustrations. They’re pretty amazing!
SITE NEWS
First off, this post is a big one. It’s been a while since I’ve last updated this site and I want to keep it a habit. That’s why I’ve made it a mission to post regularly ever Monday. Since it will be every week, the posts probably won’t always be this long (bite sized is better) so I’m working on come general formatting ideas.
There will also be an entire site redesign so get excited!!
Thanks again for reading and hope to give you some more cool comics soon!
-AC
NEWS: Kansai Comitia 44
Need to update this site a little more. Lots happening by the way. Most importantly, I’ll be selling my comics along with a new one at Kansai Comitia 44 on May 18th from 11-3:30. If you happen to be in Osaka, come on out and buy some comics! I’ll be at table B-14.
I’ll be selling the same stuff I sold in Tokyo. To make a long story short, I’m going to have a son any day now and really haven’t been able to finish my products for the convention. You can still pick up “Rie Kills a Ghost” and “Tangents of Insanity” at their convention prices, as well as a few other goodies.
So I hope to see you out there none the less. There will be a ton of great artists at the event so come out and get your original doujinshi groof going!
See ya there!!
NEWS: Comitia 106 Report *Long Overdue*
It was a rainy day on Sunday but that didn’t stop a mass of comic fans from collecting at Tokyo Big Site for Comitia 106 (and some other doujin festival it seems).
What is Comitia? What is doujin? Awe snap! Guess I have a little explaining to do.
First off, Doujinshi (nihongo nihongo) is pretty much the Japanese word for “self-published media.” I think where I come from we just call it “indie-whatever.”
Comitia is a big indie-comic market that’s held in major cities around Japan a few times a year. Something like four times in Tokyo, twice in Osaka, etc…
What’s the difference between this and Comiket? Well, both sell doujinshi but Comitia is for selling original works only. No Sasuke Naruto slash stuff, sorry.
Comiket is much bigger I think. I hear there’s a bunch of cosplay too (none at Comitia). The thing I don’t know is if there are original works here or if it’s all fan comics. Readers who’ve been there, help me out with this one.
But the big thing that makes the fall Comitia special is that it’s the host of the Kaigai Manga Festa (International Comic Festival). I’m so excited that comics from other countries have become of interests enough to have an event like this. It’s only the second year they’ve had it, but it’s certainly growing in popularity.
At first thought it would be nice to have a table in the international section. But it was a little more expensive and I… missed the deadline. So instead I signed up for a normal spot.
This was my first time doing anything like this and really didn’t know what to expect. I kinda knew that sales wouldn’t be that great. Seems as if the average seller only sells about 2 books. This was my first time so I’ve yet to even build any credibility.
I think overall I sold about 6 or seven items that day. Mostly my “A.C. Galaga: Tangents of Insanity” collection. I guess it was more appealing because of all the different stories.
My first sale was a young girl who came up and quietly stood in front of my table. I was nervous. “could she really want to buy something?” I thought. Then I noticed that she was even more nervous than I was. She stuttered slightly as she said, “s-sumimasen… ano… h-haloween sutika setto o kudasai.” I replied politely in Japanese, handed her a set of stickers and a pin and thanked her for her purchase. Both our hands shook as we exchanged currency for goods. She thanked me and darted off.
Phew…
So I sold a few comics and had a blast. Hope to have a store online soon so I can sell them to any reader that might be interested.
Well, here’s a pick of some of the loot I came back with. I totally gotta be more careful at the next convention. I want to help support my friends and fellow artists, but my pockets are bleeding now.
Oh yeah, now that it’s getting colder, be sure to warm your hands and belly with a can of hot corn soup from the vending machine. Love that stuff!!
Talk to you again soon!
*** Actually wrote this entry quite a while ago. This and that happened and I never got around to finishing it. Here it is, not quite as polished as I’d like cause I’d love to just get it out of the way. Here’s to 2014 having a ton more posts and comics!! Happy New Year!
NEWS: COMITIA 106 – Q07a
In less than a week I’ll be in Tokyo trying to sell comics at Comitia! It’s pretty exciting!
If you happen to be in Tokyo on October 20th, swing by Big Site between 11 – 4 and come visit my table. I’ll be posted at half a table hocking my wares at Q07a
This is only half the map. As you can see, there’s going to be a lot of people there. Should be a blast! Also, I’m not too far from the 2nd Annual International Manga Festa!! Can’t wait to meet some awesome comic artist again like David Namisato (and to snag his 2nd issue of The Long Kingdom).
I’ll be selling prints of ‘Rie Kills a Ghost’ and ‘ACGalaga’s Tangents of Insanity’ as well as an assortment of stickers. I’m printing 50 of each so help me get rid of them by buying a bunch 😉 If you can’t make the show, I’m sure I’ll have extra copies to sell in the online store after the convention (when ever I figure that thing out).
Hope to see you there!
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