Yet another hobby

(Image from some ''Art Terminology'' website at http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/G.html)

Back in the day, I used to make up super heroes (and villains) for fun: design their costumes, work out all their gear (including actual working schematics), figure out their backstory, and all that. Then, about the time I turned my creative energies to music, I stopped.

But, I still have all my three-ring binders of my notes and sketches -- for what it's worth. I had some pretty good stuff in there.

If I had better drawing skills -- or actually enjoyed the process enough to draw just for the fun of it, and get better through sheer practice -- I might have ended up working for Marvel or DC. Or, starting my own indie comic line. But, I'm just a shade under mediocre when it comes to drawing: I can get the point across, but it's not at all pretty.


But recently, two forces have converged to inspire me to add another hobby to my WIFMD (When I Finish My Dissertation) "To Do" list. Because, you know -- I don't have enough hobbies and interests.


First, for some reason -- possibly Slag-related, but I'm not sure -- on August 18th while running some errands with The Lady, I came up with three or four ideas for superhero spoofs or parodies. Clearly Tick-inspired (or, Mystery Men/Flaming Carrot?). As will most of my wacky thoughts, I jotted them down on a scrap of paper, so as to not lose them.

And, nearly every day since then, I've added another bad pun, weak parody, or one-joke concept to my list of super-heroes and super-villians. I currently have eleven -- including two I thought of a few months ago.


Second, I continue to be inspired by Old Roommate's online comic strip ''Crittertude'' -- which I could've sworn was in my List o' Links off to the right -- but, clearly not (need to fix that!). Not just the quality of the strips, but also the actual doing of it.


So: WIFMD, I shall endeavour to do an online super-hero comic strip -- kinda spoofy, but with a straight face. I'll do something similar to gesture drawings (had to track this term down via Wikipedia; did these back in H.S. art class...) -- just sketching it in, not worrying about perfection as long as I make my visual point. (See image at the top of this post.)

I figure that if I keep at it, my drawings will get better. If I get bored, or run out of ideas -- that's fine, too. :)


Example of one of my (minor) characters tomorrow...


--GG