Repo Vep process video
A glimpse inside the sausage factory
I do most of my illustrations on an iPad these days, using an Apple Pencil and an app called Procreate. It has a lot of features similar to Photoshop, but it’s customized for tablets, and I really have no complaints.
One feature that I constantly forget about is that you can export a file’s full history as a video to demonstrate your process. I gave it a try with the illustration I made for this week’s essay, and I thought you might be interested in seeing how it all came together:
As you can see, I’m not ashamed to do tracing to capture things that I have trouble drawing accurately, like the underside of an automobile or the face of an actual human being. When I can let my imagination take over, like in the figure of Maggie Cheung, I’m much more comfortable stumbling through until I can work something out. And usually, I’ll sketch out a composition and then go back and tighten it up, which is what you see playing out here.
Anyway, if this is of interest, I can certainly share more of this kind of thing here - just let me know!
In the meantime…
BOOKS THIS WEEK
I finished:
Birnam Wood, by Eleanor Catton: This novel of activists and billionaires started out as a leftist comedy of manners before thickening into an apocalyptic tragedy. I think it would have been much better as a sleeker thriller than the 400-page literary indulgence, but the characters are very well-drawn, and the ending was a disturbing gut-punch.
Several Short Sentences about Writing, by Verlyn Klinkenborg: I’ve been dipping into this one for months and finally made it across the finish line. It’s a haughty, opinionated guide to writing, and it wasn’t bad! He invites you to take or leave his advice, and I plan to do so in equal measure.
Exteriors, by Annie Ernaux: This slim volume by the 2022 Nobel Prize winner can be read in one sitting, and it shows. It’s a disparate collection of observations of life in a Parisian suburb through the ‘80s and early ‘90s. Some of the brief paragraphs are resonant, but overall I don’t think it was the most substantial introduction to this major writer.
Head Lopper, Volume 1, by Andrew Maclean: Boilerplate sword-and-sorcery with very wonderful artwork that evokes a more cartoony Mike Mignola. My favorite part is that the titular hero’s sidekick is the decapitated head of a garrulous witch that he hates.
Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: The master of horror manga wrote a series of comics about welcoming his wife’s cats into his home, but he paired the slice-of-life content with his eldritch, uncanny storytelling style. Genuinely hilarious!
BOOKS STARTED THIS WEEK:
How to Write a Sentence, by Stanley Fish: I guess I’m interested in reading more about writing these days.
MOVIES WATCHED
My Winnipeg: I hadn’t watched a Guy Maddin film for a while, and this one was wonderful. I loved seeing this arch stylist work in a semi-documentary mode - the contortions he made to combine his surrealist urges with genuine sentiment for his peculiar hometown made for fascinating viewing.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem: Very enjoyable, brought me back to why I loved the turtles as an early teen. The art direction is refreshingly ragged and weird, and there were plenty of good jokes and fun action sequences. Most importantly, Dash absolutely adored it - any movie that he cares enough to love is okay with me.
We’re out of town for a few days, so we’ll see you next week!