Image for December 3, 2011 - How These Things Get Done...

I have mentioned on here from time-to-time about a project I am working on to collect my old underground comic from the late 1980s called "Reluctant Sadist". Considering the glacial pace that I have been moving on this project, I should just call it "RELUCTANT" and turn it into a performance art piece. I was going great guns gathering materials and scanning all the art work and contacting folks from the past securing permissions to use their words and images and then I came to the hard part of the project; ACTUALLY WRITING THE DAMN THING. Through the years, I have grown lazy in my creative work habits and throw on top of that distractions like the internets and the sad result is not much to show. Part of my problem too is I haven't been able sustain the effort. Sure, I have been able to achieve little victories here and there, but then I'll have a gap of months with no work and I lose the flavor of the thing. Today, I decided to commit to half an hour a day to the project, even if it's just research or reading, I need to keep my ass in the chair with the materials in front of me for that thirty minutes. Now, that doesn't sound like a lot of time, but you'd be surprised at how much can be accomplished in those thirty minutes. I also find that I often work well beyond that period, as I did today, because the hardest part for me is often just getting started. Here's my work table. I need to spread out. I also have three different notebooks open for other notes because I usually get ideas for other projects; short movies, comix stories, this year's Xmas card, etc; and I make sure to capture them all.  I also took this photo to document how I work, as I enjoy seeing other people's work and studio spaces. What's your workspace look like?

OK HW

Note: This first appeared on my other blog, Weaverwerx on December 3, 2011.

Image for 4-18-11 - peep

I always liked this frame. It's from the fifth issue of my old underground comix, "Reluctant Sadist". I need to get back working on the book project I started that will collect all the issues together and also other work from that time. The "peep" is because I got no excuse. I must get ass in gear.

OK HW

Note: This first appeared on my other blog, Weaverwerx on April 18, 2011.

Image for 2/17/11 - Reluctant Sadist book project

Today, another panel pulled from my old comic "Reluctant Sadist". I am making some solid progress on my book project to collect all that old stuff. Here's a little taste from issue five.

OK HW

Note: This first appeared on my other blog, Weaverwerx February 17, 2011

Image for 2-13-2011 - Progress

I got a fair chunk of writing done yesterday (I know, I'm a day late) on my "Reluctant Sadist" book project. Worked on Chapter eleven that collects underground comix art I did for other publications. I was surprised at how much I did and I wonder if I had stayed with it, where I might be today. I suffer from the jack-of-all-trades curse. I can do a lot of things moderately well; well enough that I could make a mark in any one area. But, as it has gone, I've dabbled. I did devote myself to sculpture for a number of years, but even then I explored different styles and subjects. In the past twenty five years I have gone from comic book style drawing and monster make-up work to sculpture and writing (poetry, non-fiction articles and a feature film screenplay) to painting and acting. I love it all. So, here I am back 'round the horn and writing about the old comix work. Will it lead to my return to that world? Stay tuned to find out...

OK HW

Note: This first appeared on my other blog, Weaverwerx February 13, 2011.

Image for Feb. 7, 2010 - Art from the archive

Another piece of art from the mighty Weaverwerx archive, that I recently scanned for my "Reluctant Sadist" book project. This was a cover I did for the long gone and long missed local magazine "Catharsis". Ah, those were the days.

OK HW

Note: This first appeared on my other blog, Weaverwerx February 7, 2011

The Hard Part Begins...

I have been tracking down folks and publications whom either contributed to my old comix "Reluctant Sadist" (remember the book project I'm working on) or reviewed it to get permission to reprint their work. It's been a fun and enlightening bit of detective work. Everyone has been very supportive and cooperative so far and that has been encouraging me to get more done. My biggest enemy right now is negative inertia. It's too easy to let the job, socializing and household duties eat up all of my time (not to mention the TV and the intertubes). Getting all the material cleared is a huge step. Now the hard bit begins. I have to actually start writing something. To jump start that creaky chunk of grey matter, I have dug out the old journals from that time period and have been reading through them trying to get back to that time and place. Sifting through the petty gripes and endless blathering to find a live wire that reconnect me to the heat. Help me understand why I was doing what I was doing and why I stopped. Examining each issue again is setting off smoke bombs and bottle rockets, flashes of memory and insight and I know once I get the hand moving the words will lay down.

I added a link on the sidebar to the right to Brad Foster's web site Jabberwocky Graphix. Brad contributed a cool one page piece to the fifth issue of RS and has agreed to let me reprint in the book. Thank you Brad.

OK HW

Note: This first appeared on my other blog, Weaverwerx on April 29, 2010