tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74072750332406216872024-02-19T23:34:47.281+13:00BEN NINGBen Ning, Creative PractitionerBen Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comBlogger642125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-7663025729489415082022-09-15T10:37:00.002+12:002022-09-15T17:24:14.982+12:00Coffee Savings<p>I guess the good news with my new routine of working from my room and doing art on my desk is that I have spent so no money on coffee going to cafes. I remember it was the 9th of September that I set up my table with the drawing box and lights and home-made coffee. Let's do some rough accounts here:</p><p>$12 Table Lamp<br />$95 Drawing Box<br />$17.98 Coffee Plunger and C4 coffee roast <br /><b>$124.98 Total</b></p><p>So let's assume I normally buy 2 coffees a day on any given day – since 9 September it's been 7 days. So about $4.20 per coffee ($8.40 per day for 7 days), <b>I've already saved $58.8 in a week</b>. Though to be fair, currently I am typing this at Ally & Sid and I've just bought a coffee that's worth more than $4.20. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-52928372794785410512022-09-15T09:52:00.005+12:002022-09-15T09:52:55.055+12:00This page was hard (pencil and ink with brush & nib, pen)<p>So this page was difficult. I took about 3 days to finish this one. Mainly because I got sick and had to take out 2 days of it from working on it. And even today on the third day, now that I am not as sick anymore, it was still a drag. Scenes like this that are not as action packed are harder. Two people in a room with a black panther – i mean, that does sound interesting, but not as interesting as a jet plane or gun fights.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcq6H8tXJDT97G7SCWNFS8vcZPOukeSPbs9gZzMtgYFeLS5XKyEKk10pxo9SflkePlFIx7M2tPuHRz0WYGGIYtbp_1ddoY5ps4j5unntjs918EE7raQCZdiE2UKEnLWu7oYexBr0_yJmpWphPj6u1kYjlZvMrxjkzBhPd3Q3Y2rkklhTiK-xQA-8nig/s1068/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcq6H8tXJDT97G7SCWNFS8vcZPOukeSPbs9gZzMtgYFeLS5XKyEKk10pxo9SflkePlFIx7M2tPuHRz0WYGGIYtbp_1ddoY5ps4j5unntjs918EE7raQCZdiE2UKEnLWu7oYexBr0_yJmpWphPj6u1kYjlZvMrxjkzBhPd3Q3Y2rkklhTiK-xQA-8nig/w480-h640/10.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>For this page, I did the pencils and spent one slow boring morning doing that. This is a significant scene even though it is not crazy dramatic. Hence there is a pressure to get it right. I could feel myself getting sick the morning I was doing the pencils. Funny story, I thought I'd try a cold shower this morning. I did so and it felt nice, but I think I had a strain of flu in my body and that evening I went down with a cold. My body just went cold! </p><p>The next morning I sat for less than an hour and started the lines but it went nowhere. I was definitely getting sick. </p><p>So I did the lines on the third morning (or maybe even the fourth morning). I'd been watching a few tutorials on inking on YouTube though my "digital minimalism" policy didn't allow me to, but because I was sick, I allowed myself some luxuries. But the couple of things I learned from Youtube about inking is that "contrast is your best friend when it comes to inking". I knew that but when you look at my comic book this far, there haven't been a lot of contrast. And the other thing I learned from youtube is that when you're inking you can make use of all the different techniques even on one art work. Again, to emphasise contrast. I thought that would be a taboo thing to do – to use multiple techniques on a page – for eg, pigment liners, ink with dry brush, ink with wet brush, ink with nib, shading with pen, shading with hatching, shading with wet brush – all of the above to communicate texture, contrast etc. </p><p>Drawing and writing a comic book is a major process of construction and assembly. It is crazy the amount of layers, technique it involves. And speaking of layers, one thing that does make me a little sad is the layer of pencils that no one will get to see on the final page. There is something very dynamic about pencil scribbles because they are very gestural and full of movement. But when the final inks cover it, eventually the pencils are rubbed out. Anyway, that is the nature of this art. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8vmcNUUjSW5zV1XgBZxAAiMXHiSg32Zge0z4VWhtO5O6VOP9G4hAbVC_8ZlA_wO19jMuvWocxtEggE68PxrijzDoHogDWni8pkSNbL4LJ0fkXIH0haDxFE2R7xLGA4YfOGlqSVz3t7uou7RUqN4kiMJ_A8VdbMxtoU8TLFc2Sglu_-_XUx3U9Tae_mw/s1068/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8vmcNUUjSW5zV1XgBZxAAiMXHiSg32Zge0z4VWhtO5O6VOP9G4hAbVC_8ZlA_wO19jMuvWocxtEggE68PxrijzDoHogDWni8pkSNbL4LJ0fkXIH0haDxFE2R7xLGA4YfOGlqSVz3t7uou7RUqN4kiMJ_A8VdbMxtoU8TLFc2Sglu_-_XUx3U9Tae_mw/w480-h640/11.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>This one's an example of the two things I learned on Youtube. Using brush on Dolly, the panther, makes her look fluid and cat-like, whereas everything else, Calix and the blankets look a little less fluid. They also look like they are of a different make, a different breed, opposing elements. Which is a nice way to communicate.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvhteuxhv7d_88KBDXH_SgPTpLTVyK3LXuq8t41QpdQHO8NzT2u6A9__oi46QP2efBFGIi-qpHgiO34In-17rZB427PxLgYFBmZFZJxKZ3iwtcqYBDcFaUCxdGZa8saYBVkpt9msjX3S1TusOVSZyxpG4ptwqmx88ASnMRIAOMhN5N_2SpzfzjfKeTg/s1068/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvhteuxhv7d_88KBDXH_SgPTpLTVyK3LXuq8t41QpdQHO8NzT2u6A9__oi46QP2efBFGIi-qpHgiO34In-17rZB427PxLgYFBmZFZJxKZ3iwtcqYBDcFaUCxdGZa8saYBVkpt9msjX3S1TusOVSZyxpG4ptwqmx88ASnMRIAOMhN5N_2SpzfzjfKeTg/w480-h640/12.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>I liked how simple those figure drawings are but the rendering of them looks nice. The subtleties of Bri's hips and Calix's downward tilt of his head – I'm happy with them though they are in no way perfect! </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-15367710944694891732022-09-12T16:24:00.001+12:002022-09-12T16:24:04.495+12:00Ink with brush <p>Bought a 0 size brush and a 4 size brush to do lines with ink on the pencils. Again, what I love about inks is the way it sits on the paper. It looks like it is moving. I've also got the ink nibs out of the boxes and are using it for the lines. I am planning on using the pigment liner pens for details but the main gestural shapes are done with brush and the extra lines are done with the G pen. </p><p>What is great about using the G pen and the brush is that because they are hard to use and not too comfortable, I am mindful of the line work I put down. When there is no friction or effort between the mediums, then it's too easy, too smooth. But G pen, though it's really not fun to use it, I enjoy the struggle and the scraping sound it makes. </p><p>The art below is a dream sequence blending between what the person saw in his dream and then reality as he wakes up with Dolly staring him on the face. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnobd2fBRow5nsK6ydABA_tvJXwzx2aNfJDy29U-MiFtFL5sjFdJJMgmLxGWzVVZKJ35qFFZwQFkp9voxZDDiErqovxMxA8igSTdAo1Qm7dSdDKwbJmtZItXnSKRD1N5XpVrMeOAv2YMyjwFQ1aaMeZQZqqgGKVC_GgJ7F0yMbcgpvy3XYfUuKmZvRg/s1068/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsnobd2fBRow5nsK6ydABA_tvJXwzx2aNfJDy29U-MiFtFL5sjFdJJMgmLxGWzVVZKJ35qFFZwQFkp9voxZDDiErqovxMxA8igSTdAo1Qm7dSdDKwbJmtZItXnSKRD1N5XpVrMeOAv2YMyjwFQ1aaMeZQZqqgGKVC_GgJ7F0yMbcgpvy3XYfUuKmZvRg/w480-h640/7.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86IK2ZpO6G8dPmtXQ5KlmkyjdHMZKuCZeqBlVLphr0V8YSCeY0_KpOToqT5fGM55QWrxIEMRV23mj8oRTpWVRZ5HaQQda1rVQ62OkFfqmyvzkY0aqtgdswY-n9YFtBRf5Yks0TG-gmgJd9gTdye28xCzCrvsiPrq3cEPTzhVs4GVBVPQdheb_dyhZwg/s1068/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg86IK2ZpO6G8dPmtXQ5KlmkyjdHMZKuCZeqBlVLphr0V8YSCeY0_KpOToqT5fGM55QWrxIEMRV23mj8oRTpWVRZ5HaQQda1rVQ62OkFfqmyvzkY0aqtgdswY-n9YFtBRf5Yks0TG-gmgJd9gTdye28xCzCrvsiPrq3cEPTzhVs4GVBVPQdheb_dyhZwg/w480-h640/6.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pMo2QzQd1jOnOBQTTUMrtRM87I3lgjbwe75b8SPJBEH9ufYlxPSesbN8pdYwModsHzPaqLie3hdn0eDbC3nJElxLbCRHa7z8BbqEhnSd3icDwDG1w3AX2lP3pOlS-BO6XLhqdr96tnDNX4APXwxaqICbfgH53tXxzGkdbN3CRIuHQw0gxAkVIYRbYw/s882/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pMo2QzQd1jOnOBQTTUMrtRM87I3lgjbwe75b8SPJBEH9ufYlxPSesbN8pdYwModsHzPaqLie3hdn0eDbC3nJElxLbCRHa7z8BbqEhnSd3icDwDG1w3AX2lP3pOlS-BO6XLhqdr96tnDNX4APXwxaqICbfgH53tXxzGkdbN3CRIuHQw0gxAkVIYRbYw/w580-h640/5.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVeuf1CaoDH6_x5uRBJxlRTaUZln7TPGPARKOVosLURb9oPbF_Kx1r5z9ncMHgWxhXkHmimH_NFhOL9eR4EWWdKJAfI8a2h-xfoUBBlCh8-9Q2-XqLJIv-lcWXSANirucLvhrtmLNjxPX6m0naPXYOIpLQnOE0_2-FRZlEcbujkbuhxgYzxJ9AUS9PQ/s1068/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVeuf1CaoDH6_x5uRBJxlRTaUZln7TPGPARKOVosLURb9oPbF_Kx1r5z9ncMHgWxhXkHmimH_NFhOL9eR4EWWdKJAfI8a2h-xfoUBBlCh8-9Q2-XqLJIv-lcWXSANirucLvhrtmLNjxPX6m0naPXYOIpLQnOE0_2-FRZlEcbujkbuhxgYzxJ9AUS9PQ/w480-h640/4.jpg" width="480" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuVeuf1CaoDH6_x5uRBJxlRTaUZln7TPGPARKOVosLURb9oPbF_Kx1r5z9ncMHgWxhXkHmimH_NFhOL9eR4EWWdKJAfI8a2h-xfoUBBlCh8-9Q2-XqLJIv-lcWXSANirucLvhrtmLNjxPX6m0naPXYOIpLQnOE0_2-FRZlEcbujkbuhxgYzxJ9AUS9PQ/s1068/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClQFVuDdB02hvx4H3jQ4i3SHiKjF3KxATZoOupkdhZSzxxAheYRiEMdmJpBbCJ4j121HD5zImFMqGXOY5Ykj8qbR9sCMHCri51qjnW4Fpvg4tgRaaA_biW6mFyX8unSPhsn-P1Q9IuK5ZqPWVgweNKcXt3qk0FR8MrVCZXG91ct33Zm3gfPuoyBM_7g/s1068/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClQFVuDdB02hvx4H3jQ4i3SHiKjF3KxATZoOupkdhZSzxxAheYRiEMdmJpBbCJ4j121HD5zImFMqGXOY5Ykj8qbR9sCMHCri51qjnW4Fpvg4tgRaaA_biW6mFyX8unSPhsn-P1Q9IuK5ZqPWVgweNKcXt3qk0FR8MrVCZXG91ct33Zm3gfPuoyBM_7g/w480-h640/3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>La'ei and Hamish, done fully with brush and ink on top of the pencils. I will spend some more time fine-tuning it with pigment liners for the details. I didn't like how the paper took the diluted inks on the tyre. It ended up looking quite blotched up. But oh well. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFPYqa7d_h9lXciFJInlf8jBK_yAzbc7xug8-e_ZCe7VRoy2-GelJnWBUldBlU5wCFpbTIqNQcBG0QKnfVrv4rm9QHbIns20iXBmDQhEQ63_IOnbeQwMNWHkFEZBpOilNzx8ekG73rym2f5s-nHMd98dG9mdWWiLChzfqJSTGiC2zTNI7_A98e-0zJA/s1068/2%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFPYqa7d_h9lXciFJInlf8jBK_yAzbc7xug8-e_ZCe7VRoy2-GelJnWBUldBlU5wCFpbTIqNQcBG0QKnfVrv4rm9QHbIns20iXBmDQhEQ63_IOnbeQwMNWHkFEZBpOilNzx8ekG73rym2f5s-nHMd98dG9mdWWiLChzfqJSTGiC2zTNI7_A98e-0zJA/w480-h640/2%20copy.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-9046164467867073302022-09-12T16:13:00.006+12:002022-09-12T16:13:59.855+12:00Ideas clicking into place<p>As I was driving around town, listening to a podcast and picking up some flowers for M, this incident dawned on me.</p><p>I had been putting the ending of <i>Deep Black</i> together down on paper and planning the rest of the pages and was stuck on how the episode should end. There were a few elements that needed to come together – and they are currently things that I don't want to give away so I won't mention the specifics.</p><p>But for a few days I weighed ideas and potential options. None gelled well. </p><p>Then one day as I was waking up, in that state between sleep and wake, the idea rang clear – <i>that </i>is how to end it. I knew that was it. I quickly got out of bed and got coffee and wrote that idea down. That idea is how the end of Deep Black will finish. Not literally the last few pages, but part of the element of its closure was from that moment of clarity I experienced as I was half asleep. As though the pieces came together and clicked into place by itself. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-44872489350276545602022-09-10T09:54:00.007+12:002022-09-10T09:54:52.473+12:00"The Beast"<p>Saturday, 10 Sept, 9:48am – Home</p><p>Spent this morning drawing this between conversations with Sirei and Vime about other life-matters. So it was to be expected that I could not expend all my energy on this drawing project as the convo was quite a serious engaging matter. Yet I am glad to come out with this simple drawing that is a study of Land Cruiser. It is not perfect by any measure, and the technicality is not great, but it gives me all the information that I need about this truck – which though I have drawn this a couple times on the second episode, I hadn't finalised on the references and details to go on it. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9cr9vi7o_fvPAoUTc7iumh16Yj_KiDyhADbqudKRjHwL1UBjPGKB6WH5hUYXFw0o8hGHth_9o5znTBpjda4IlfIvHERlBpPxbYdRV3nI142_BhAOQoQK3UexgE1SMRq_fEcIDLPtBHZAVQ-LDfTtbwXlLeB4ngzpDsiwdeGZyou-bhf-Ws9tpnORTQ/s4032/Beast%20copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9cr9vi7o_fvPAoUTc7iumh16Yj_KiDyhADbqudKRjHwL1UBjPGKB6WH5hUYXFw0o8hGHth_9o5znTBpjda4IlfIvHERlBpPxbYdRV3nI142_BhAOQoQK3UexgE1SMRq_fEcIDLPtBHZAVQ-LDfTtbwXlLeB4ngzpDsiwdeGZyou-bhf-Ws9tpnORTQ/w480-h640/Beast%20copy.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Here is it: Bri's truck "The Beast", a diesel powered Toyota Land Cruiser.<p></p><p>This truck is is illegal to drive around town in Cathedral City because it doesn't comply with the carbon zero policy. Traffic is regulated and you are <i>highly</i> <i>recommended</i> to operate your car in a self-driving mode so that your car is synced to the traffic flow which is synced to the Globe so that all the cars that are on the city streets at any time are not just controlled but efficiently trafficked. This <i>recommendation</i> becomes <i>mandatory</i> during peak hours 7am-9am, 12pm-1pm, and 4pm-6pm. </p><p>Bri uses this beast off-road in the Port Hills, Canterbury highlands and Mackenzie Country. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65boBwLCtvP5s2kqVA-Cqfk1Nqv5vsxfdCuPKIEXZMm2s9aeIM-NSSOLJnEUeP8RMjblYt7X35pgptg7xXn7AOBK6A2kmvIixPyM3obFXwBko4kG2nYVanGQwP6nKvW2frYnimppGfSCTm7nsYbwGwgtxYXJH6VzkerWg867m_OfSimE0EFfZlA2UgQ/s4032/Beast%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65boBwLCtvP5s2kqVA-Cqfk1Nqv5vsxfdCuPKIEXZMm2s9aeIM-NSSOLJnEUeP8RMjblYt7X35pgptg7xXn7AOBK6A2kmvIixPyM3obFXwBko4kG2nYVanGQwP6nKvW2frYnimppGfSCTm7nsYbwGwgtxYXJH6VzkerWg867m_OfSimE0EFfZlA2UgQ/w480-h640/Beast%202.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-84477363626879699032022-09-09T09:35:00.004+12:002022-09-09T09:50:26.175+12:00Room setup this morning<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Today's setup in my room, my drawing box, stand and the table lamp I got yesterday on my study desk in my room. Made myself a cup of coffee (see the green coffee cup on the left of the desk) by around 6:30am and by 9am I had had two rounds of the plunger coffee.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpWpUi9q_1AtjMSuu5XQ65aEBtfiD9quIbbaUIj64jDRKwqBZ3etPB0AknXmqhxU3_Hf_1ResNPDawjuH8rG0NyPWFfogGbWI4z-YNwbHepPMhCiWVkFSHQaenB7s7piuxlSScaeUtLd0vT73-9O8RnVdGLXW4qIqXAXED43JyMmP0QDSgjLrRydIEA/s1068/DB%20BLog%20copy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpWpUi9q_1AtjMSuu5XQ65aEBtfiD9quIbbaUIj64jDRKwqBZ3etPB0AknXmqhxU3_Hf_1ResNPDawjuH8rG0NyPWFfogGbWI4z-YNwbHepPMhCiWVkFSHQaenB7s7piuxlSScaeUtLd0vT73-9O8RnVdGLXW4qIqXAXED43JyMmP0QDSgjLrRydIEA/w480-h640/DB%20BLog%20copy2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was a bit of a struggle to get started but once I got going, it was great. I even ended up finishing two pages today, though my plan is to get one done every morning. Plus, they were quite technical too as they were reference heavy, a lot of F35 drawing (inside and outside), as you can see the picture below. Still not 100% happy with the outcome, with my level of skill with the pens – and on this particular page, I think I overdid the inks on the front of the plane where Calix is being shot out of the cockpit as Bri and him eject from the F35. But overall, I got what I was going for as I wrote in my script that I wanted to attempt a top view of the plane as the two are being ejected out. I had to watch a few youtube videos to get the technicalities right. (By the way, very crazy stuff. Imagine being shot out on your seat, while your plane is going at countless miles per hour hundreds or thousands of meters above the ground beneath you!) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirE2y-lekeQJufIYShY9nS8txANoe2qlAoGWRBbdML4GY-Irtv_AtKq7iLGPIng5jx76-MGKBBJ2cihC03ZM_NdeMldAxwgGnEZ-B_M83RouFQejT3jGDtk7_6bkEne-BEOT-gCyjV4Hzd_WLG2y-nNFWabHSfDZggxA5kI6aPfplw9pAUqaMCfPVKCA/s1068/DB%20BLog%20copy3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirE2y-lekeQJufIYShY9nS8txANoe2qlAoGWRBbdML4GY-Irtv_AtKq7iLGPIng5jx76-MGKBBJ2cihC03ZM_NdeMldAxwgGnEZ-B_M83RouFQejT3jGDtk7_6bkEne-BEOT-gCyjV4Hzd_WLG2y-nNFWabHSfDZggxA5kI6aPfplw9pAUqaMCfPVKCA/w480-h640/DB%20BLog%20copy3.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of the inking at the front of the plane, I think the blackness there has become slightly distracting as I wanted the focus of this piece to be on Bri who is the pilot at the back as she is suspended in the air whereas the other pilot at the front is meant to serve as a background, just to add to the drama and chaos of this moment. This is the joy (or non-joy) of working with real ink pens on real paper. You cannot undo and re-do it again. <i>But wait –– this has just reminded me, I have a white ink corrector!!</i> I need to fix this and practise the art of the correction pen! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here you go. This is slightly better. If need be, I can always work on adjusting the tones on the computer on Clip Studio Pro when I am adding the shades. I think this works better when the front pilot isn't distracting. I also toned down the area where the jet propels the plane forward. Again, that was drawing too much attention with the tone. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigt9fs0p32YYOZoSq4wSvNXDND09mLwHwNDgHKDLeOrh0aVtYbF1EYgDp0hKUGaZCkNTU0_3xZlGQGpyGi005oLrQ1ZT86nLumXOQRj4cUzvmZ5PCM4xUuY-P3TahLiuSTeVyisJuNEZRRrWoXx4QljObjy9GJLa3Se4ysFYZkIMGSfTGVsZ7OOuWgEg/s1068/DB%20BLog%20copy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigt9fs0p32YYOZoSq4wSvNXDND09mLwHwNDgHKDLeOrh0aVtYbF1EYgDp0hKUGaZCkNTU0_3xZlGQGpyGi005oLrQ1ZT86nLumXOQRj4cUzvmZ5PCM4xUuY-P3TahLiuSTeVyisJuNEZRRrWoXx4QljObjy9GJLa3Se4ysFYZkIMGSfTGVsZ7OOuWgEg/w480-h640/DB%20BLog%20copy1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now as I am winding up for the day with this work, I am listening to <i>Casiopea</i> my new favourite band. They always help me wake up and feel grounded in a strange way. Their style of music and the way they play is highly skilled but very real and grounded in real instruments and born out of tension between the hands, the body and the instrument – you can hear the finger picking on the bass, the analog sounds of the keyboards, the shimmer of the cymbals and the thud of the kick drum – again, life-givingly, not byte and computer signals in a digital device using pre-recorded sounds stored in its database at the command of a keypad but played with skill on real tools, together. Thank God for music. Thank God for the <i>liveable </i><i>reality</i>. </div><p></p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-20119938539756700882022-09-08T13:11:00.002+12:002022-09-08T14:39:05.838+12:00Setting up my room for work<p>So as I wrote in my previous blog post, I have allocated 7am to 9am in the morning to work on this book – some days shorter, some days longer. So far I have been going to Unknown Chapter and seated at the table having ordered coffee by 6:30am and that has been good. But I need a space to call my work space. And I am thinking of setting my room up to be that place. </p><p>I bought a cheap $12 table lamp that can shine line on the drawing board. Bought a 16W LED bulb and it now works. </p><p>I had also bought a drawing box, that opens up and can be used as a stand to draw on. About $110 but Mya got me the student discount so I ended up spending about $95 or something like that. The box is a wooden set and contains all my drawing pens, ink pots, nibs, erasers, sharpener, pencils, ruler, sticker tape, paper, notebook, everything that I may need for drawing. Very happy with that simple setup. And the best thing is that it is portable. </p><p><i>Not that I want to be portable. Anymore. </i>I have come to realise the value of places. A space that is dedicated to a craft. My room is not ideal because it is also my bedroom where I sleep but it is the next best thing to a dedicated studio, for now anyway. </p><p>This morning I attempted being portable and brought my drawing box into church, set up a desk in the auditorium and did the drawing. It was not bad. But the whole time I felt like I was intruding, or worse still, that someone would intrude into that space and ask me what I was doing, or have something smart and clever to say about what I was doing – and though there's nothing wrong in that, when you're in a creative space, to feel protected from intrusion and distraction is a very high priority. I got a page done this morning but there was no sense of calm and ease. I remember feeling disjointed. </p><p>I remember thinking it was smart to get as much hours as possible into Deep Blue when I would watch movies and be on my iPad drawing away. Or just sitting in cafes and "chipping away" at it. Though the intentions were commendable, I see how disruptive and unwise that creative experience and process is. There was no respect shown to the symbolism of creating. No love given to the moment. No attention. No focus committed to that struggle, the dance, the tension and friction between intention, the medium and the result that emerged from that. </p><p>So here is hoping that my room becomes a shrine for creativity. Not to a god or any gods of creativity or to any muse – but to Reality, to a devotion to the Artist, to giver of creativity, to a pursuit of meaning and pursuit of excellence – and through it all, a "carrying the cross daily" that I have been called to do. The <i>struggle</i> of creativity is real. But it is God's work and it is what we see God doing from page one of the scriptures, and it is what I see God doing every single day through newborn babies, infinite amounts of books written, people's dreams, our wonderings, mountains, rivers, trees and leaves – it is who God is and who God is inviting me to become. </p><p>And the process of creation can be considered meditation. It really is a form of meditation. Finding oneself. Discovering the image of God in me, the image of God, the creator. Tapping into God the source of life, creativity and worlds. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-65928762415430137472022-09-07T14:47:00.009+12:002022-09-08T14:40:03.688+12:00Deep Black update<p>C4, 7 Sept – 2:11pm</p><p>I have just drafted the script for the second episode "DEEP BLACK". First of all, I have enjoyed the way the titles have come together, DEEP BLUE, DEEP BLACK and finally DEEP RED. </p><p>It feels good to know where the story goes even if it's only till the end of this episode – and more importantly, to see <i>how</i> it gets there. This has turned into a bit of a sprawling story – nowhere as sprawling as I would ideally have them, because I am a sucker for epic scale stories. But this level of expansive story with multiple characters is still very complicated for me and I have to spend the time worthy of it to make sure that the dots are lined up and the story is making sense and that it is coherent. </p><p>Deep Work (funnily enough, also a title of a book starting with "Deep") by Cal Newport has been a life-saver for me with this project. There has not been any other book that I have used as inspiration for writing this novel. I feel a kinship to people like Cal who value depth in work and thinking to achieve something that is thought through and well constructed. I am grateful for this. </p><p>The script for Deep Black is still on its draft stage – but the heavy lifting for me has always been in the coming up of the first draft. Once they are down on paper, the fine-tuning, the cleaning up and sometimes even adding scenes to it is a joy to work on. This is why I feel a sense of relief.</p><p>Drawing the pencil sketches and layout for the visual storytelling has partly been done with the writing – but the actual construction and plotting and building of the drawings will be a major work too. In fact every step in this process feels like a major work. Why do I write these stories? They may not even be great stories. Who even are these characters? Why do I feel a strange sense of responsibility to tell their story? No one would shed a tear if Bri's and Uncle Peters' stories never got told – but here I am pouring my heart and soul into these unimportant characters (unimportant in the grand scheme of things).</p><p>I've been reading Art + Faith by Makoto Fujimura and I find it encouraging that he categorises his art as "slow art". He allows his paint to dry and his material to build in layers and layers of colour, textures, waiting for cooling, drying, blending, binding, and so on. Slow art. Writing this graphic novel has felt like that too. And in between these spaces, he would collect his thoughts and contemplate on his art, on the meaning of what he does, on God, on life, on the meaning of art – and over time has built up not just a collection of art, but thoughts, meanderings, and a philosophy developed over the period of this slow art.</p><p>The temptation will be to compare the abundance or the lack of time one has when you read stories like this. We all have jobs to do, and errands to run – and it does seem like a luxury to have time to work on "slow art". I think that is a fair argument and counter-thought. But yet, I have felt this working on a comic book as one of the best example of something I can truly call "slow art". It really is slow. </p><p>For a second I found myself complaining that I don't have time to work on slow art because I don't have the luxury of a work studio, a full week time of creating a piece of art. But they're just excuses. </p><p>I have been sleeping early and waking up at 6am which is a miracle for me – and then working on this book from 7am to 9am everyday – and doing that atleast 5 days of the week. I have resolved to not do any more than this allotted time. That should be enough time. 10 hours a week. That gives me time to put in work – and then for the rest of the day while I do my "day job" I can be contemplative and think and let ideas develop. I think this is a good start. </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Slow art – comics</b></span></p><p>Last week I made a timeline for my book, and thought I could write the script (draft version of the script) of the rest of the book in a couple of days. It took me four days or even five (more than double the time I thought I would need). And that is only the draft stage. I will need to layout the pages with pencil on paper. Approximated at the pace of 6 pages per day. This will be the stage where things can change and I can still revisit the draft script and re-work some scenes / direction if necessary. And then after that I would have to put down lines / ink on the pencil marks, at the pace of one page per day. You come to a point where you wonder if making timelines is even a good idea to do this. Can we even do it? Can we ever keep the timeline? </p><p>This truly is slow art. But what this affords me though is a lot of moments like this in between the pages, in between the scenes, in between the stages of the creation to sit and gather my thoughts and build a philosophy, a theology, a rationale for what I am doing – for what I feel Life is doing through me, for the ink, pencils, paper, software, materials, devices, tools that I am using and are using me through my skills and lack of it – of what worlds developed formed by my human boundaries of imagination, technical prowess and depth. </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Am I a<i> writer</i> or <i>drawer</i> of the graphic novel?</b></span></p><p>I have often stopped myself to think about whether I am writing or drawing a graphic novel? The answer would be both. But it is not quite both. The story is written, but also drawn, they work together and become one and the other at the service of the story. This is what I like about what I get to do. It is a little undefinable. A little counter-typical. </p><p>Maybe the simple work "creating" is better. A creative practitioner creating a graphic novel. </p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Going analog</b></span></p><p>Also halfway through the book, I decided to go analog with the pencils and ink and have chosen to do the rest of Deep Black on paper. I don't know if that is a smart idea or not. I have often entertained the idea of a comic book done fully digitally as a way to embrace "the future" since I am creating a story set in the future. But that is assuming that the future is fully digital and there is no place for the ink, the paper, pencil scribbles on textured paper, paint blots, all the elements of art and drawing that you can feel with your hand – and I realised that I would hate to live in a planet where art is to be experienced only on the smooth glassy impersonal surface of a device. Paper to me has healing qualities. It reminds me, as I have browsed through many books in my dark times, bright times, that being alive and being transformed into worlds through stories is a tactile experience. Art, especially, has a terrible lack of personality when viewed on a screen. When you cannot touch the lines, the bumps of the paint, the roughness of the paper developed over its lived history, how can you trust the art? </p><p>Forget other people's works, how can I trust my own work when I cannot feel or re-live the story of how the pen or nib scratched on the paper? Sometimes I can smell the ink, the graphite, though I cannot literally smell it, I remember the smell, and that memory of the smell is the same as smelling it. I can then trust it because it is real. </p><p>I still have the original paper and art of Sirion Diaries that I must have started working on when I was age 16 or 17. That to me is worth more than I can imagine. The lines on the paper remind me of who I was – and reminds me to be that person, a true practitioner, a dreamer, a drawer, a doer. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-30158234574123849982022-09-07T14:07:00.004+12:002022-09-08T14:39:26.732+12:00A creative practitioner<p>When it's all said and done, when it comes to summing up who I want to be known by and who I end up becoming over the days of my life, I want to ultimately be known as <i>a creative practitioner</i>. Someone who made things, who created works, who told stories, who gave life to characters, stories, and worlds that did not exist and that no one asked for, and that no one would have missed if I had never made them – and yet, objects, stories, works of meaning, cool-ness, vibe, images that capture your imagination, your heart – that wasn't trying to make the world a better place necessarily, but works that told the story of a human that lived and really lived, and told stories and drew things and people – and not having to explain anything, or apologise for the practice of creating. </p><p>A creative practitioner. </p><p>Leaving behind pages of ink on them, of colour, of words and texts. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-58667159520350282442021-04-17T10:13:00.004+12:002022-09-08T14:39:33.134+12:00Life is STILL a beautiful blessing. <div>31 March the little Scholastic bomb dropped. I wrote this:</div><div><br /><b>Today </b><br /><br /></div><div>Disappointments happen. It’s never easy. I had banked on this working on out and put a lot of my hopes on this working out. <br />I’m just disappointed. I’ll be fine. I’ll shake myself up and push on. I’ll find a way. It’s just today that I am finding hard to put on a straight face. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>End of that Note.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway long story short, it's been tough at the start hearing that Scholastic will have to turn down publishing my book. Today is a few weeks later, 17 April, a Saturday. It was a hard pill to swallow, and being rejected is never fun even if it is coming from people I have never met and people whose opinions I don't really care for. What sucked the most was that I had gotten <i>so</i> excited about the idea and had gotten so happy in my mind, that it was not fun to come down from that high. But I have moved on and the good news is that I haven't stopped drawing. Been doing atleast 10 to 15 hours of drawing Deep Blue. It's a slow gruelling process but it is worth it.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are days and nights when I don't <i>feel it</i>, when I am not in the flow, when I am not enjoying the page I am working on and I don't feel like the page I am creating is not going to be a page that I am proud of. But I figure that I have to push on and carry on. There are too many stories I want to tell, and too many pages left to draw in my short lifetime, that I cannot linger on a page and get too precious about it. The privilege is that for every few pages that are average, there will be a couple that are game changing. </div><div><br /></div><div>Deep Blue Episode is still nowhere near finishing. But it should be on schedule for it to be done by this year. I cannot believe the amount of work it takes. I knew it going in. Yet, it baffles me on a day to day basis. At the same time I cannot wait to reveal it to the world and show my friends and let my audience read it. </div><div><br /></div><div>–</div><div><br /></div><div>Currently 10:13am, having slept only about 6 hours, I am in Ally & Sid with a Long Black ordered. I have a day of work to get through for Majestic. Life is still a beautiful blessing. </div>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-50782102469571700072021-03-27T11:14:00.003+13:002021-03-27T11:14:46.669+13:00Dreaming<p> I know this to be a fact but yet it's hard to not indulge in this line of thinking. The grass is always greener on the other side. But I always wonder what life's like as a writer, having the luxury to be immersed in the written and created world without the errand of work, and the pressure of making a living. That is without a luxury that we can never afford for ourselves this side of eternity (whatever that means, at this point), but I dream. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-27064816906691397592021-03-21T09:27:00.000+13:002021-03-21T09:27:30.136+13:00what we don't need <p> People don't need another source of exhaustion in their lives. They need PEACE. They need a community that heals. Community that feeds them, inspires them. Not another source of responsibility. There is enough of that in life by default. Why do we love pouring in more weight and pain into people's lives? </p><p>They need story-lines that revive them. </p><p>Community that allows them to be whoever they want to be. If they want to be lazy, if they want to be inspiring, if they want write, if they want to show up.</p><p>We don't gotta show up. I hate it all. We are all exhausted. We are all tired of holding our breath and trying to get through the day. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-69525806588643937632021-03-11T23:55:00.003+13:002021-03-11T23:55:54.491+13:00Re-wiring my thoughts<p> No amount of money can compensate for the joy this work gives me.</p><div>Tonight I was not in a good head space. Mya sent me a few verses to help me feel better. </div><div><br /></div><div>Colossians 3:22-25 MSG</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9OzqG5jnAs4iS1XrZz2g_5pO6UAcD7a-XzXwvnmPA00xvB__B6m-nWj7rcp5UXFQIWFwsadrCMYdJOauOiiE4JRyWxUuq5wv-STrg5PZ19hIy5mEhVIJwl4IxfGKyQay6A7S2LaSzKjW/s1800/Screen+Shot+2021-03-11+at+11.51.03+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1494" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9OzqG5jnAs4iS1XrZz2g_5pO6UAcD7a-XzXwvnmPA00xvB__B6m-nWj7rcp5UXFQIWFwsadrCMYdJOauOiiE4JRyWxUuq5wv-STrg5PZ19hIy5mEhVIJwl4IxfGKyQay6A7S2LaSzKjW/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-03-11+at+11.51.03+PM.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Proverbs 22:29 MSG</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2af8TST0ogNcSFKdZMfSqZFaTce3yW4YM_OI3pFoNREWqpVPflzBVZ2sBqbCKL-xrl7wYz0N_7a74TRPxMet4CgrnJbM6XQgQNXRL6iXGzzyLSvZlTtVTQCq2Y7CwyyG1uZZuraYzqt9/s1456/Screen+Shot+2021-03-11+at+11.51.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2af8TST0ogNcSFKdZMfSqZFaTce3yW4YM_OI3pFoNREWqpVPflzBVZ2sBqbCKL-xrl7wYz0N_7a74TRPxMet4CgrnJbM6XQgQNXRL6iXGzzyLSvZlTtVTQCq2Y7CwyyG1uZZuraYzqt9/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-03-11+at+11.51.11+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't need money. I will make money <i>so that</i> I can do this. I dont need to do this to make money, if I can't do that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The joy and fulfilment of writing my story is more than anything that money can buy me. Money just means more anxiety and worry – and worse, greed. I am happy. I am grateful for my gift and talent and skill. I am grateful that I can write and draw a graphic novel – I dont know anyone who can do what I do.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I guess this has been a little indulgent post, but I needed to get a few things off my chest and re-wire my thinking so that I don't go to sleep tonight feeling this way. </div><br /><div><br /></div>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-14185331967335727742021-03-11T22:45:00.005+13:002021-03-11T22:45:56.954+13:00Rant<p>It gets harder and harder to believe that <i>nothing is impossible</i>. </p><p>YouTube videos after Youtube videos tell me that you don't get paid anything worth being happy about when you write. Publishing companies are more likely to shut down our proposals than welcome it, or even be nice about it. </p><p>Some nights like this, the ink just isn't flowing and you dislike the scene you're working on. You felt like you were on a brink of a miracle but at the same time others remind me that there is nothing worth pursuing this line and you feel upset that even if your dreams came true, it would still be disappointing. </p><p>What do you feel? What should you feel? Should you soldier on? Or are there days when you can cut yourself some slack? Or must I suck it up and carry on? </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-274224195864292732021-03-10T23:57:00.002+13:002021-03-10T23:57:07.070+13:00A chip on my shoulder<p>Back in 2008, when I was a starry eyed design student and fresh off the boat in New Zealand, excited about new potential and possibilities, I walked into a comic book store in town in Christchurch. It was quite a dark and dingy space and as I browsed around, I picked up a conversation with the guy who was looking after the shop.</p><p>I told him that I was writing a comic book and wondered if I had a chance of making a living writing and drawing comics. I remember him giving me a straightforward no, it won't happen. I would never make enough money by doing just that.</p><p>My journey secretly has been to prove him wrong, that some things are more possible than not. That if that was how I would find a way to make a living, then I would. </p><p>In a sense it has been a chip on my shoulder. I didn't like that this grumpy middle aged man didn't think I had anything in me to shoot me down when at best, I was trying to get some encouragement and motivation to do well and work hard for the things that mattered to me. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-65594207236522936402021-03-09T12:35:00.006+13:002021-03-09T12:39:07.714+13:00K/DA Virtual Girl Group<p>This is everything I want to do with <i>Deep Blue</i>. A virtual alternate reality with cool characters set in a fantasy world!</p><p>K/DA is a virtual pop girl group made up of already established artists living their alter egos. Created by League of Legends, the game. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="317" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hm9uxiQPFBs" width="659" youtube-src-id="Hm9uxiQPFBs"></iframe></div><p>And this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j1RjqonnU7M" width="660" youtube-src-id="j1RjqonnU7M"></iframe></div><p>I am mindblown. </p><p>This is taking one step further from what <i>Gorillaz</i> used to do. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-47626679072180956442021-03-08T23:09:00.008+13:002021-03-08T23:14:37.347+13:00Time, Soul Searching, Genre Fiction Writer<p><b>Time</b></p><p>Habits are formed from what you tell yourself that you are.</p><p>I think that we have enough time to do what we want to do. Eliminating Netflix from my life has given me so much more time to work on Deep Blue.</p><p><b>Soul Searching</b></p><p>Having conversation with Scholastic NZ about the target audience for my book has led me to do some serious soul searching to be honest. Last Tuesday I got quite sick. I stayed up late on the Monday night drawing and inking some lines – (a week later I am still on that same scene, wow! This is a thankless task) – and I think I had strained myself, and so the next day I was unwell. But I think I was also sick because of the conversation I had been having with Scholastic.</p><p>The term genre literature first came to my attention in my emails with Kelly Sheehan who is part of the comics community in New Zealand. He said Earth's End don't do genre fiction – and though that was a throw-away line he used, it struck a sensitive nerve in me. Was I a genre fiction writer? Am I <i>only</i> a genre fiction writer? I didn't want to be genre fiction writer!</p><p>It hurt in a subtle way. It sounded like an insult. Like my work is not good enough, like my work shouldn't be given a platform – though this was in no way what Kelly intended, in fact he has been emailing me the last few weeks encouraging me and giving me tips and thoughts about the comics medium.</p><p>But it hurt because deep inside I hunger for validation. I long for significance. I want my work to be ground breaking, and life changing. I want it to change history and humanity. </p><p>The instant message that my brain cooked up for association with genre literature was "trash". </p><p>I am one of the many "literature" that litter the bookshops, and wholesale markets, dingy shops where no one wants to be seen... Ones that won't go down in history as books that had made any difference. I was <i>merely</i> one of the many. </p><p>It was painful – yes.. </p><p>But it was also very... liberating. </p><p>I realised <i>I didn't have to</i> make a difference. I didn't have to produce work that was ground breaking and life transforming. I didn't have to muster up any paradigm shifts. I COULD JUST DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANTED. </p><p><b>Genre Fiction Writer</b></p><p>And that was it. I am a genre fiction writer. I am young adult fiction writer. I am a comic book artist. I am whatever label they want to call me. It doesn't matter. I am doing what I want to do, and that is what really matters. </p><p>Coming back to Scholastic, if I have a chance to be published with them, I may worry about being a "sell out", trashy young adult (or even worse, kids books) author. But I am starting to not mind now. As long as I can tell stories that I enjoy telling and drawing and writing. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-34783389314309651782021-03-01T14:59:00.004+13:002021-03-01T14:59:46.411+13:00Update – 01 March 2021<div>Had a Zoom meeting with an adviser from Creative NZ today. I have decided to apply for the Arts Grant so that I can get paid for the time and energy I am putting into working on Episode 2 of Deep Blue. </div><div><br /></div><div>What I need to put together so that I can lodge my application by 22 March are:</div><ol><li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sales record - names of people that bought a book, and their number - include Scorpio Sales, IngramSpark, Amazon and GumRoad.</span></li>
<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Explain the process, be as detailed as possible. </span></li>
<li style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Write up budget - paying yourself not less than $25 an hour. Eight hours a week. </span></li>
</ol><div>And a couple more things that she will email with today. </div><div><br /></div><div>Arts Grant (literature category) has success rate of 15%. That is not much, but at the same time I have to believe that have a good chance of putting in an impressive application. I have already invested hours and hours and my own resources and years of heart and soul into this work, and I know it is worth the investment. And I know that it will do something for the comics industry of Christchurch. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is exciting times because I feel like I am at the start of a proper life I had never lived. I have been faithful being a designer and I will still be, as long as I need to be, and I do enjoy that work. Work is work. But at the same time, there are a few things that I <i>feel made for</i>. And writing and comics is one of them. This is a life that I even more so feel authentically proud to own up to. </div><div><br /></div><div>I cannot wait for 11 March which is when I will hear back from the Scholastic team. I am dying of excitement.</div><div><br /></div><div>The other day I walked through the Young Adults fiction section of the bookshop. What I feel about the genre is another post that I will write after this – but I am just getting more and more excited about the thought of being published by a recognised publisher. I feel grateful. </div>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-81623748284483469952021-02-27T11:45:00.003+13:002021-02-27T17:36:44.707+13:00Update - Scholastic, maybe<div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>I’ve been reaching out to publishers and companies around the world with a sample of Deep Blue to see if they’d like to publish it. I got a “no, but it’s good work” from Top Shelf Comics – and what makes me the very excited is that I got a "maybe" from Scholastic.</span><span> </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div>They are about to talk to team about it, as they have been looking for a “fantastic and edgy” graphic novel. We are talking about the same house that published Hunger Games, and do Goosebumps and Harry Potter! This is incredible. I want it very badly. <br /><br /></div><div>I feel grateful that there are so many good people and supportive networks wanting to help me. I feel young again. Like the 20 year old me moving to New Zealand and applying for VISA and getting here surviving by a hairline. Life has been good to me, and all of this is nothing that I deserved, and not even really worked for. <br /><br /></div><div>The only thing I’ve done is not give up on myself and been insane enough to push on, been insane enough to keep going. I have been stupid and foolish, I’ve done exhibitions, I’ve done hand print versions, pushed for it on my social media, believed in it even if there was no recognition. This would feel so good if I cracked this open. <br /><br /></div><div>Funny because ever since I got this email I simply haven’t been able to do any work! </div>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-19655500280068357992021-02-25T09:32:00.000+13:002021-02-25T09:32:08.778+13:00What's the most important thing?<p>I wrote in my notebook for 2021 that these are the things I want to work on:</p><p>- Art / painting</p><p>- Art / drawing</p><p>- Leadership – but in a way that is natural to me, a leadership that grows and develop from what I do and who I am rather than what I put on. </p><p>- Family relationships</p><p>- Generosity – in sharing my work and time and money </p><p>- Influence</p><p>- Fun</p><p>- Adventures</p><p>- Connections</p><p>- Financial wisdom</p><p>- Writing</p><p>- Staying inspired</p><p>I wrote this in the end of January. Over the last few weeks I have been obsessed with living the life of a writer, of telling stories for the love of it. I hate how I am so up and down about it. I swear a few months ago I was obsessed about other things like "leadership and community" and I hate to admit it but I was as obsessed about these other things as I am now. </p><p>They seem to come in circles, in seasons.. A few months later I "move on" to comics, and then to spirituality and then to business and then to painting.. How can I prioritise one thing so I can give my heart and soul to the one thing? </p><p>I guess the anchoring question is "Who are you?"</p><p>Story-telling is my first love and I believe and hope will be my main thing. I have decided this season of writing that no matter how much money I make, I am willing to work hard to be able to fund my writing. That is my payment and reward – to feel fulfilled and alive. </p><p>So what is the most important thing? </p><p>Working on projects that are for the love of art. Like Deep Blue. Like Sirion Diaries. Like many other books I will write. </p><p>What if I worked three days a week and spend another three days on these projects as though I was getting paid to do it – and have one day off. That would be my ultimate dream. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-74050866662067887852021-02-23T16:15:00.001+13:002021-02-23T16:15:38.132+13:00Labels are discouraging but hey, what you gonna do about it?<p>People don't mean to, but they put labels on you and your work. And when someone labels your work as "genre fiction" or "young adult fiction" not because they mean to be discouraging but because your work speaks that language, you feel the sting. You feel the sting because maybe that wasn't what you were going for. Suddenly you are classified alongside all the people and artists that you thought you were better than. Suddenly you realise you are no better than the pulp, fan fiction creators who haven't broken through the realm of what the elitists and gate keepers call "real art".</p><p>But – what is real art? </p><p>To me art is what art feels like. I write and draw the stories because doing it makes me feel alive. I don't do them to make a living, but to add meaning to the life I live. I don't aim to be a genre artist. I don't mean to play by stereotypes. </p><p>I DO IT BECAUSE I FEEL MADE FOR IT.</p><p>If I was to not make a single cent from the work I make, I believe I'd still find time and energy to make it. I would work hard to fund the luxury and the freedom to keep creating. I'd never stop. This is who I am.</p><p>I only get anxious and overthink when I am trying to <i>make it</i> in the eyes of other people. I'm not gonna lie, it would be nice to "make a living" with this specific thing that I enjoy doing. But if I stop myself and remember, I AM making a living with my creativity. I AM making a living problem solving and creating work that I am proud of. </p><p>Overthinking can slow me down in the process of creativity. Overthinking leads me to waste a lot of time (and for me today, one whole afternoon) feeling inadequate and like an imposter.</p><p>Labels are what people put on you – and they have no choice but to do so. My responsibility is to own that corner and be a faithful representative of that category of creativity I inhabit, believing that my presence in that corner of that genre is God-given. </p><p>If I write corny genre fiction meant for young adults, then I must become the greatest writer and storyteller of genre fiction I can be – while enjoying every second of the experience of creation. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-34375460468246379082021-02-22T09:14:00.001+13:002021-02-22T09:14:47.889+13:00Thoughts: writing, a life of authenticity<p>At C4 this morning. What is the most important thing you want to build in this life? A life of authenticity and honesty. A life of creating and building. A life that I'm proud of, of building something I am proud of. </p><p>Is it worth being thrown into discomfort for? Is it worth being thrown into a different arena? </p><p>Is it possible that I have outgrown the arena that I used to be in? Is it possible that there's something new? </p><p><b>Deep Blue and other projects for the future.</b></p><p>Been listening to a lot of independent writers and what I love about their attitude is their punk can-do independence mentality, their sense of getting on with it, and not complaining that they haven't been picked up by publishers maybe because they aren't good enough or because they haven't build the networks as well as they should have. Whatever the case is, to them writing and being a story teller is as important as the possibility of looking like an imposter. They aim to live a life of independence and authenticity. </p><p>How do I live a life that's abundant and full? By <i>really</i> living and liking yourself living that life. </p><p>I hope that by the end of 2021 I can finish this book "Deep Blue" and can focus on writing other work next year. </p><p>- Town, with Elijah Emory and Niden</p><p>- Non-fiction about creativity </p><p>- Non-fiction about the low-resolution leadership</p><p>What a privilege that we are called to live this life of speaking and writing and that readers would resonate with me and listen to me. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-21917654960874333502021-02-21T01:40:00.001+13:002021-03-01T15:01:18.760+13:0020 February 2021<p>Today was a great day of putting in some work for <i>Deep Blue</i>. </p><p>Got home this evening at 7pm, after doing a car park gig at Majestic for about two hours. It humbles me and reminds me that I can go back to doing 'undignified work' if need be, and if maybe, one day I need to, then I would. I must never be above doing anything at all. Work is a glorious gift. </p><p>So I've been struggling with this scene of Bri helping Calix escape from the Health Services in the city. I tried to write the scenes in script format but I remembered the trick that <i>Mad Max</i> employed in writing the entire movie – because it is such an action packed story, fully visual storytelling experience, they used story boarding instead of written script. I did the same for this action scene. Instead of words explaining the action, I drew them without words. The finished pages will end up having dialogues and words to go with them, but I really am enjoying these sketched up pages, just as they are. They have the rawness and energy to them. </p><p>In a manner reminiscent of Steven Pressfield's language, I pushed through the "resistance" and created some scenes that I am genuinely quite proud of. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZDHSJIBVsYj_sd8ykEIFwzt7UKwxdGxZk-lu2w39BoSA06o0Dj56BPx_iPsz_Bu3ATJqg0s-McG2Du8VWj2ex544M1-pnfnN0aV5Bfk2UgSf-4wPqOPuV7TuOzT8nUb8luwdctPo-dkwW/w284-h400/Untitled_Artwork+5.jpg" width="284" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">They are still in the sketch process. After this I will go in with black line pen and ink it, before I shade them, and format it for lettering. Just one of the 4 steps for every single page.. But the sketch and plotting of the page in this step is the most mentally draining work. After this, it is the fun part of drawing and polishing it up. I really love these pages as they celebrate the comic medium and they are not done in a way that mimics movie shots. They are so specifically comic scenes. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlokv3B2eqlwcQ20xb4cgC4PKv-Gulr1uG-vYXbtfQkIqVqjsoCWGeMeyCAbJ-2CUS9YTn4ZHI2L5sqFHTG9b0FliczDqjtlbX9LfIh_oEJgTPFu1pPbPn3crx1_MqmcTnD18h3aX0V04e/w284-h400/Untitled_Artwork+6.jpg" width="284" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I am in the flow of long working slots like, I love it. I live for it. Like today, I worked on these pages and many more – from about 8pm to 1am. That's about 5 hours of work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And all of that to say, it was not easy to sit down to work on this. I was quite stuck and wondered if I was better off spending the evening watching Netflix. But I forced myself to sit down and push through, even if I have to create mediocre work – atleast I was going to move forward a little bit today.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And there you have it, always some of my best work come out of pushing myself out of laziness. </div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;">Speaking of Steven Pressfield, I also bought his audiobooks on my iBooks. </div></div></div>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-2957288535313592422021-02-13T13:22:00.003+13:002021-02-13T13:22:38.053+13:00What is the answer?<p>Humility. </p><p>Humans create consequences. We can't help it. We can call it "impact", we can call it "legacy", we can call it anything to dress it down. But everything we do on earth creates consequences. We cannot be alive and live on earth without leaving footprints behind. There is no escaping it.</p><p>But when we have humility, when we remind ourselves that we are humans, flawed and wonderful because we are, then we don't claim things that are reserved only for God... then we admit the reality of the dust and chaos we leave behind in our wake and allow other people to correct us when we have wronged others, and wronged ourselves. Then we can admit we can always do better. </p><p>Yes, we must fight the best way that we can to leave a great legacy - but we will also leave a mess behind, and we cannot spend our lives airbrushing our footprints we leave just because we are so insecure of who we are. </p><p>We are humans. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7407275033240621687.post-41539883907237130312021-02-12T11:17:00.000+13:002021-02-12T11:17:12.235+13:00On writing and life as a writer <p>I've always dreamt of being a writer. A solitary voice telling a story. I love other people and am in love with what other people can do – especially if they are better than me at it (which is most often the case). But I also love the purity of a story told by one voice. Salman Rushdie once said that writing is the most powerful because there is one man or a woman in his or her room, writing - and nothing in between this person and the world – and this is becoming more and more so the case as self-publishing becomes a better option by the day. </p><p>I don't care so much for having anything to say. I just want to do justice to the people that live in my imagination. I want to allow the characters and the worlds to have a chance at life. The main theme of my stories have been and may always been the drive for humans to live - to stay alive. The strongest impulse in us that refuses to die. In the same way, I feel the characters that have come to me wanting to become alive and stay alive, and remain alive. As a creator and what a privilege it is to be one, formed in the image of the Creator, I feel a sense of responsibility to the worlds and the people – that, yes, are not real – but are not real yet because I haven't breathed life into them yet. </p><p>I am not playing God, and I dare not play God. But I am fulfilling his responsibility of being in his image, of being a faithful servant of this garden that I inherited – the garden of talents, dreams and stories. </p><p>It is when I am in this state that I feel truly alive. A solitary voice delving deep into the reaches of Imagination and resurfacing to gather the stones into a pile and design it so that others can see and marvel at it too. </p><p>The work I do is not for self-aggrandising. I couldn't think of a more humiliating profession than story telling when it comes to self-promotion. The work I do is holding a mirror up. The work I do is reminding humans of who they are and why they are, and that life is worth fighting for, and maybe even giving up everything in exchange for. </p>Ben Ninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14669004566161454518noreply@blogger.com