Rather than write about something I'm good at I thought I write about something I'm struggling with, and my attempts to resolve it. Writing characters with distinct voices.

Comics are usually conversations between characters. Speech bubbles are the preferred way to tell comic stories, as opposed to large ...

When independent movies became big in the 1990's, there was the sudden realization that a lot of flaws could be forgiven in visuals, acting, and production value when the story being told was original or compelling. They could still be effective and popular…sometimes with massive numbers of people ...

Accents, patterns of speech and the like can be a useful tool in introducing characters. In a film or tv show, a character's accent can immediately reveal the character's nationality or social background. And of course, we've all been conditioned by Hollywood movies to identify the bad ...

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art – write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And ...

Last time, solo heroes, teams of two, and trios were the order of the day. Today let's talk quartets, quintets, sextets, septuplets, octets, and…uh…neuf-tets…?
More possibilities for self-contained drama/comedy/conflict exist with groups of four or five. There are several ways to begin building such a ...

The Grazing Mongrel is a non-sequitur strip comic featuring social commentary based on the absurdity of modern life. It may be a little hit and miss for some: I laughed out loud at a few of the strips, others didn't quite hit the mark and some need you to ...

Jesus is running for president under the republican ticket! What could go wrong? Quite a lot it turns out… His beliefs contrast a little bit with those of the party. Jesus goes off message and cross-country on an iconoclastic road trip with Pope Francis and a kid documenting the whole ...

The demand for electric outlets in my room is high because there is always a tablet, mp3 player, or any random lithium-powered gadget lying around that needs charging. My desktop workstation drains the most energy and there is a tangled sea of snake-like cords lurking under my desk around my ...

I live in a relatively small, suburban city that does not have an apparent central Art's District hub where creative energies flock like major cities. The closest areas for art inspiration are usually the laid back independently-owned tea shops or coffee lounges where local artists hang their art prints ...

Sometime after the events of 9/11, my family signed up for our first printed newspaper subscription to keep up with the world headlines. I was a high school sophomore at the time and in order to take my mind off of the United State's imminent involvement in an ...