Author: pj

Double time

Posted on 26th June 2024 by pj

Hello chums, I’m going to recap a thing I’ve touched on here before, the idea of the two things plan.

Prior to covid I started this new process where I would chop my day up into doing two things. I mean not small things, not like take-a-bin-out, but things I consider cognitively hard; two pages of inks, two pages of pencils, two chunks of layouts (a chunk being roughly 12 pages, so two chunks is layouts for an entire issue).

Of course, it’s a tiny amount of things, but if you can do it consistently, literally every day of the week, every week of the year, you’ll end up – if the two things are pencils/inks of a page – drawing 365 pages of comics. Obviously, it’ll not always work out like that, so I try and aim for 25 pages per month. You’ll need down days of course, and sometimes one of the things will be pay the tax man (because man, that is a cognitive load just filling that form in and hitting send on the tax)

The reason for doing this is because I can be over productive sometimes, and find, even as I draw three, four, five pages (of pencils or inks) in a day that I end the day frustrated that I haven’t done enough. That somehow, drawing twice as much as an average artist just isn’t going to cut it. So I have to set myself a hard limit.

Once I hit those two things, fair enough if I’ve time I can start doing other stuff. And, again, prior to covid, I managed to find the time to write, blog and draw for fun (my sketch books can be pretty shallow things because I save my drawing for work)

Anyway, along comes covid and all plans hit the fans and suddenly I’m trying to do as much work as is humanly possible. An entirely unsustainable thing. Part of the problem with being fast is you miss a day or two (because the world gets in your way) and suddenly you go from being on time to 8 pages behind.

Now, this week, owing to the fact that my wife and youngest son are heading off to Disneyland Paris, I was looking forward to getting caught up on a serious amount of work. I’d be staying at home. BUT disaster struck and my wife came down with vertigo, necessitating a change of plans on my part – so now I’m also heading to Paris to ride the many many rides my son assures me he wants to go on.

So I needed to rethink my work and so I decided, counter intuitively it was no use just ploughing through it and trying to hurry it up and see where I landed, I needed to break it down day by day. Initially I figured I could chop it up in to two pages a day, and somewhere in that time draw the extra left over two pages (so some days would be a three pager) and that started well, until I discovered that I’d accidentally calculated the time left as one day longer because I forgot there wasn’t a 31st of June. Recalibrated, it turned out ok, because I’d started and already done three pages a day for most of it. But doing so really made me sit down and start thinking; two is the way to go.

The past year I’ve really sort of relaxed the reigns when it comes to knowing what work I’m doing, nothing has had deadlines which has meant I’ve just been doing work as and when I can. Didn’t work today? doesn’t matter. No deadlines.

But, of course, it does matter, because no one is paying me for my days off.

So, work scheduled up to the 30th the on hols for a a week, where, of course, I will be working. Nothing too hard though. Probably two pages of very very rough pencils per day…

June 2025 Catchup

Posted on 15th June 2024 by pj

Alrighty then, let’s bring you all up to speed.

Went to Enniskillen – a fun show that’s usually got a couple of fantastic guests (and the usual hangers on, like me) Alan Davis, Mike McMahon and Cam Kennedy were all there, and in great form. Picked up a Dredd sketch off Mike, a page from Alan Davis and a Cam Kennedy sketch book (I wish I had the budget to buy one of Cam’s extraordinary colour pages he had with him, just amazingly beautiful stuff). Getting an Alan Davis page is a bit of a thrill, as I’ve been a huge fan of his since I was a kid – from Harry 20 on the Highrock onwards.

I’ve been rearranging my studio to make room for a modest drawing desk so I can do some pen and ink stuff once again (because I do miss paper)

A couple of weeks ago, I decided I’d quite like to do a ‘zine. If for no other reason than I want to pour a little bit of energy into a pointless endeavour. It’s called VHS, and the aim is to take one film and make a ‘zine around it, as if I just saw it for the first time and it fired up my imagination just like it would’ve done when I was 12 years old. Partly it’s just an excuse to draw something without worrying about whether it’s any good, and partly because something I quite miss from childhood is that run up to seeing an exciting movie and being obsessed with it for ages. The excitement of seeing, for example, Clash of the Titans, the summer waiting for it and then it coming out (in the same year as Indiana Jones, but it’s Clash I remember because I was obsessed with Harryhousen movies) and then thinking about nothing but it for months until a different movie came out. Now, I find myself seeing a trailer and thinking “oh yeah, I’d quite like to see that” and then blinking and it’s 15 years later and the movie has long been on streaming platforms and I just can’t find the time to watch ‘em.

The other point, I think, is to be able to sit in the world of the movie a bit longer than just the couple of hours it takes to watch it. To explore the language and design work of a film, and just play with whatever ideas it inspires.

Anyway, noble goals. Part of me wishes I had the time/patience to do it, and part of me thinks “nope, this is going no where”
But I throw the idea out to you, gentle reader – I think it’s a really good way to think about watching a film, and pulling all the deliciousness of it out from the celluloid and into the grey cells.

Finally, my webserver has given me notice of eviction (well, they’re closing and told me I need to find a new host). Maybe time to rethink how online I want my presence. I’ve been paying for websites for two decades and I know over that time I’ve had a number of people who’ve enjoyed my nonsense, but I’m feeling more and more like the old timer who decides to withdraw from the city and live in the woods with a bear.

Look, to reassure you, I will be finding a new home. I’m just not sure if I should start from blank or not.

Lawless 10

Posted on 27th May 2024 by pj

Was at Lawless this weekend, despite going for 10 years (TEN! I no longer understand time) this was my first year. And honestly it was a hoot.

The hotel for the show was the same hotel used by one of the early 00s Bristol conventions, I used to go to, and I was suddenly transported back 20 years to 2004 and looking at old photos of the last show I’d been there at (I think I’ve been to subsequent bristol shows, but not that particular hotel)

There was a weird element of Sapphire and Steel as my brain flashed back twenty years to many of the same people and then back to the present, like I’d stayed at the some hotel convention in 2004 went to the bar turned round and everyone was suddenly twenty years older except me (obviously)

When I did turn up in 2004, I was determined to take photos (because I’d been going to those shows for a few years and generally didn’t bother) and so photos I took, and mostly my memories were of Stu – Stewart Crofts-Perkins, WR Logan, who was my first contact in Dredd fandom way back in the nineties (and who we lost in 2016)- here’s a post from 2019 (with photos from the 2004 Bristol con) when I decided I should go to more cons, oh what a poor idiot, had no idea a pandemic was coming…

Anyway, Friday was a weirdly mixed emotional night, on the plus side it was great to see some people I haven’t seen in over a decade (Robbie Morrison among them) but you couldn’t help but think of the people gone.

Still, the show itself was great fun, it is 2000ad specific. (And as I am prone to telling people at other comic shows, sure no-one knows me here, but for a certain kind of middle aged man, I’m like catnip). Found myself drawing lots of Chimpskys (the hyper intelligent Bonobo from 2000ad I co-created with Kenneth Neiman) and talking to Brian Bolland about drawing monkeys (albeit briefly).

Had to head home early on Sunday, rushed off early only to find myself waiting on an plane for hours longer than I should have done as it was running very late.

Thanks to Rob Williams, and Sam for hosting me.

A reset

Posted on 16th May 2024 by pj

Feel like a reset is in order. I’ve been spending so long in the moment, by which I mean neither keeping track of the work I’ve done nor scheduling it in any meaningful way, simply trying to draw as much as I can when I can. This has lead, I think to burnout (if not total burnout at least early symptoms). No past, no future, only constant never ending present.

Sometimes the work will stop, every line feels wrong or you find yourself battling with the idea of drawing itself.

Iv’e taken a couple of steps. Step one, restart with the pomodoros, this is usually enough to stop my brain thinking I’ve spent hours on half a panel when in fact it’s only been five minutes.

Secondly, I’ve restarted noting what work I’ve done in a diary. I always fall off that, but I need to try not to.

And thirdly, I’ve decided to try and reset back to do doing TWO things per day. Two pages of pencils or two pages of inks. If I can do that without pause it’ll still represent 30 pages (or so) per month. Way ahead of what I need to do.

That’s largely a nominal goal, if I do more, brill. If I do less, that’s fine. But once I hit my goal I’m allowing myself to relax and not worry about any more work for the day. That’s where I’ve really been punishing myself, do more, do more, do more and you never did enough.

In other news, I’ve been regularly walking with my pal Jim Lavery most days for the past few months and then a couple of weeks ago we started couch to 5k together. He’s a lot fitter than me, but I’m now fitter than I was a few weeks ago. Oddly, now we run Mon/Wed/Fri I find myself not going for walks on the days between and that’s not so good. Will try and correct for that.

I dunno if I can guarantee I’ll blog more, I feel like I’ve spent the last twenty years alternating between promising I’ll blog more and apologising for blogging less.

I’ve been off twitter for a while, and there’s a big part of me feeling sort of done with all social media, and actually a lot of online stuff. Thinking more and more about retirement, it’s a good decade plus off, but I never remember it preoccupying my thoughts any where near as much. True to most comic artists, my retirement will likely look less like someone not working and more like someone who will inevitably die at the drawing board. But then, maybe I can keep getting better and better at drawing and – like Hokasai said “When I am 80 you will see real progress”.

The PaperClip Problem

Posted on 29th April 2024 by pj

The paperclip problem, except none of the paperclips can actually be used to hold paper together, and only sort of look like a paperclip from a distance and people are telling you how brilliant the paperclips will be eventually even though they never seem to get any better.

Source: PJ Holden.

I’m quoting myself, which is TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE form. But I’m largely doing it to see if I can get “Press This” working again, a feature I used for years on word press that seemed to have slowly disappeared. It allows me to blog on whatever website I’m looking at, straight in to my blog.

Anyway if this works, maybe I’ll tempt me into more reliable blogging.

Dublin City Comic Con

Posted on 10th March 2024 by pj

Was at Dublin City Comic Con this weekend, well, the Saturday (the Sunday was mother’s day and ended up staying home for that)

Was good to be at a con again, I suspect it’ll take me to go to a few to find my feet at the things again, covid having done a number on everything really. Met some new friends (hello Alan and Ellie) and to my suprise and delight, actual fans. (Not as suprising to me as it was to my son who was also there)

Anyway, did some portfolio reviews and gave some advice, so, to the best of my recall, here is some of that self same advice:

If you want a career in comics, make sure you have three months worth of living expenses in the bank at ALL times. Any less than that and you’re in trouble. Here’s why – if you’re looking for work, it could take month. If you get the work, could take a month to do it. Once you finish and invoice for it, could take a month to pay – simple. Three months. Though, to be perfectly honest, if you can, you owe it to yourself to bank six months at all times, this industry is HARD.

If you’re a writer with a submissions package, figure out what your end game is, I think some people see the submission’s package as some sort of “if I built it they will come” but it really helps to know what your goal is. A graphic novel with a publisher? Pitching short stories? Self publishing?

And honestly, in many many cases all you really need is a single page synopisis of the complete story (including any exciting twists and turns and plot twists it may contain – you want the reader to know it’s got twists, but you want the publisher to know what those twists are) and maybe six pages of written story comics. If you’re pitching to a publisher, some will also want six pages of the story drawn, but it will depend and you may find yourself with an accepted pitch where they love the story but want a different artist (surprise! this has happened to me more than once)

Some lettering no/nos – if you’re lettering yourself good lettering will rescue a comic and bad lettering will destroy it, if you’ve a budget pay a letterer and if you don’t then try and learn how to do it right – plenty of good resources (I’d avoid names like CLINT and words like FLICK – and the unfortunate sound effect UNTSS UNTSS UNTSS which went behind a moon and read like an entirely different word! make it UNZZZ UNZZZ UNZZZ)

If you’re starting out and you’ve a partner who has no real interest in comics but wants to support you, draw a comic and show them and ask them to describe what’s happening in the unlettered comic (and don’t give them any hints) where they get it right, you did a good job! well done! where they get lost it’s confusing and you need to fix that!

Black placement on a page – try and use blacks to help tell the story and direct the reader’s eye – sure, it’s important to get light sources right, but also you can make up light sources! comics are super flexible that way!

Establishing shots are important, in a scene where two characters interact you’ll need to show the reader at least ONE panel where we see them both together, without that it’s hard to know if we’re cutting between scenes or if there’s any connections between them at all.

Writers: for the love of god, start small! Write one page complete stories, get an artist. “I’d like this to be an eight page miniseries” – ME TOO! But realistically, big names can’t get eight issues of a miniseries out there, it’s a hard market. You’ll have more luck with a graphic novel, and even better luck with short stories. You cut your teeth on short stories, those are the things that build your craft muscles up quick (to mix some metaphors)

Finally, if you’re after advice and that advice takes a long long time, because you’re not really clear about what you’re trying to do and then after 45 minutes say “well, I’m really trying to make a six issue miniseries about an NFT character” do not be surprised if whoever you’re talking to folds their arms, gives you a stern look and tells you they’re not that interested.

oops.

Posted on 15th February 2024 by pj

Slightly big oopsy doo there, I connected the blog to my patreon and did not anticipate 150 blog posts coming across. Yikes. Apologies if you were thinking I’d gone post crazy. Don’t think it’ll happen again (but then I didn’t think it would happen in the first place)

My studio is located facing the outwards at the front of the house, behind me my bedroom and my son’s room. So I heared what I thought was my son come up the stairs when the following took place:

me: “hello Thomas”

Wife: “It’s not thomas, it’s me”

Me: “Oh. I’m heading out at 3 for a walk with Jim”

Wife: “3? that’s earlier than you thought”

me (thinking) “that’s a weird way to respond to that”

me “Yeah. just the usual”

wife “Do you need any money?”

me(thinking) “Why on earth would she offer me money?”

Turns out she was having a conversation with Thomas (also going out at 3) and I couldn’t hear him, but I could hear her.

Speaking of Thomas, owing to the appearance of the Sidemen on netflix (which I keep mispronouncing to sound like spider-men) we’ve resubbed to netflix. So we’re cancelling paramount+.

One in one out for streaming for me from now on. Though even when you do cancel you end up with around a couple of weeks of streaming on credit (easily the best thing apple ever did for subscriptions, and I’m quite sure no company would’ve ever let you do that – have you every tried to cancel an adobe subscription early? madness)

Our tv watching is so diffuse now we’re all watching different things, nobody watches anything together, and honestly, it makes me a little sad. Sitting watching quantum leap with my brothers was one of my fav things growing up as a teen. Or star trek, even. Shared watching was great.

Another fine example of technology doesn’t always make things better.

(Have decided to try and burn through the last series of Star Trek Discovery, which I liked the first series of, and it got more and more weirdly convoluted each series. Star Trek: Brave New Worlds is a banger though)

One of the things that became obviously harder over the pandemic was the need to cook two meals every single day for a family of four. I suppose we could get away with sandwiches at lunch but even then you’re still cooking at least seven meals a week, 31 meals a month and 365 meals a year (and double those numbers of a sandwich isn’t going to cut it). Obviously, It can’t always be spag bol. Though it frequently is.

And I actually enjoy cooking, but it’s time consuming. One great thing about being in the new house (over a year now) is getting the new kitchen complete with dishwasher. It’s only small, and we frequently need to run it twice a day, and god knows what that’s doing to our electric prices, but suddenly a big chunk of the dishwashing burden is removed, and you have more time to cook.

So, to that end I’ve been trying to do one from-scratch side dish every so often with a regular meal, and seeing what new things I can do. At the moment I’ve had a right old go at Hassleback potatoes (almost no hassle at all and so pretty!) and potato dauphinoise, a little more work, and need some basic ingredients, but actually pretty simple and very nice, especially with steak (or chicken … or any big chunky main thing)

Anyway I grabbed both recipes from the bbc here: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/dauphinoise-potatoes (I find about 250 cream and 250 milk with three large potatoes does three/four people comfortably) and https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/hasselback-potatoes (it calls for garlic and rosemary, I just did mine with a bit of butter and again a big ol’ baked potato) and actually if you’re doing a nice dinner, I do recommend doing both kinds of potatoes cus it’s pretty easy and dead impressive…

And despite spending two days traditional paper and ink, I’ve gone back to digital. This constant oscillation between these two states annoys me more than you’ll ever know. I lack the space to give over to both fully, and even traditional is tight for space, but it’s so much more satisfying to draw a GOOD line with ink, and yet I’ve got to face facts, I think my digital inking is better than my pen and ink…