Sorry guys, making the Tumblr switch + comics

Sadly it has finally happened, blogspot has felt like a ghost town for the past year and even though I am not a huge fan of the interface, I am making the Tumblr switch. You can find me here at: http://kirkmanbrandon.tumblr.com/
Also I decided to post the first 7 pages of the comic I've been working on. I figured I wanted to have something up since CAKE is this week. Please tell me what you think, I've been putting a lot of time into it:

I might still update this blog with a few post here and there but I think for the most part I'll be using my Tumblr now for sketch and quick updates, slowly switching over to it completely if I start enjoying it a bit more.

And Alas, I leave you with what I am listening to (possibly for the last time):

Bernard Kornblum from The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

For the second week I have decided to illustrate Bernard Kornblum for Alphabooks from a personal favorite, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. The book is a fictional time piece retelling of the golden age of comics and the two men who helped forged it. In the earlier chapters Bernard Kornblum helps tutor Josef Kavalier in the ways of magic tricks and escape arts until Josef has to escape himself from Prague during it's Nazi occupancy. The character is intensely interesting and a great father like figure to Josef. He is also reminiscent of a much older and more bearded Harry Houdini.

Cool book, you should read it.

Starting Alphabooks with a little Cloud Atlas

So in the wake of Alphabeasts, Andrew Neal has started a new alphabetical illustration project called Alphabooks (http://alphabooks.tumblr.com/). It's the same concept as before, going through the alphabet and illustrating each letter to a theme, this time it happens to be characters from books and stories. Seeing as how Alphabeasts kept me on the ball for illustrating weekly, I was more than excited to jump on this project.

To start off I went with Adam Ewing, the first character of six from the novel "The Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell. They are all interlinked in a very interesting way and essentially Adam Ewing is the building block of the thread. He's an American Notary on a trip to the Chatham islands in the 1850's who befriends a sociopath by the name of Dr. Henry Goose. READ THE BOOK, IT'S THE BEST.

Oblivion

Been a week since I got back from Austin and man, am I slumming around. I drew quite a bit while out there but I've been in a funk I need to get out of. It's hard to keep drawing when you're your own cheerleader and not a good one at that. Anyways, DOODLES DOODLES DOODLES:

Also expect this drawing to get colored and made into a series of illustrations called "Goblin Nouveau"

I finished coloring that one illustration I was doing for a friend, just need to print the sucker up now. I really like how it turned out but I need to get producing more than a few illustrations a month, a few a week would be nice if I can make that drive.

It's been a bit since I posted what I am listening to so here is some Grimes. You will like Grimes or you will really like Grimes, THANK YOU

I Can Do That opening tomorrow

I am pretty excited for this show I am going to be in, I could spend a few lines trying to describe it but the Chicagoist has an excellent write up on it including my own piece ANTI- being the header to it. I am quite happy about that fact.
http://chicagoist.com/2012/04/05/new_exhibit_i_can_do_that_lets_you.php
Hopefully it's a huge turn out and everyone participates in a little art procreation.

Also I forgot to upload my finished illustration of Jesse Pinkman so here you go:

As well as some fun doodles:

Z is for Zmeu

For the last letter of Alphabeasts we're going all out Zmeu

The Zmeu was a good choice for the last Alphabeasts because damn, it's described as being everything big and bad. He's a beast from Romanian mythology, usually looking to be hunted down by some lucky knight-errant when he's not off stealing maidens to do what ever a Zmeu does with maidens. A Zmeu can be anything from a dragon to Balaur and is always described as being a fantastical giant of differing origins. Since it seems he's a shape-shifting giant of sorts, I decided to go the bizarre route for what his true form would look like. Also decided to make it extra flavorful for colors again this week since I really enjoyed the design and vibrancy of the Xiuhcoatl.

Y is for Yali

My Alphabeasts for this week: Yali

Going back to the mythological monsters of Hinduism this week with the Yali. They're one of the those interesting miss match creatures that seemed to be made up of a million parts. The body of a lion, the nose of an elephant, the stance of a human and a head that's part dog and part reptile. I did my best to work this all in but I don't know if I enjoy the finished results as much as other creatures I've rendered, still better than having nothing for this week. Don't worry, Z is already done and pretty fantastic. Maybe I should start getting around to finishing A through L.

Also here's a few more of those Game of Throne quick sketches:



and hey, it's been a while since I posted any music! Here is that:

Daniel Rossen's new EP is just so full of beauty and amazing song construction it's going to ruin the next few songs I listen to that are not this.