No More Write

Make Draws.

Got FavIcon working for Arms and Ether so you'll have a lovely little mini Hateball icon when you bookmark Arms and Ether.

Other thoughts:
1. Create more ostentatious Arms & Ether sidebar for the site. Did it!
2. Going to start the process of transferring the site to a properly hosted site. I'm going with Namecheap. Price seemed reasonable. I'll let you know how it goes.

Promise Me Son, Not To Do The Things I Done

Oh, I done @#$%'ed up and ordered a billion bidnit cards with a typo on 'em. (Marvellous is NOT the way you spell marvelous, in case anyone was living under that misconception.) I'm a Gambler, and this time I reckon I lost. And uh, sometimes you've got to fight to be a man. And whatever else Kenny Rogers has said over the years. On the up side, the quality of the printing at vistaprint.com was very high. I was pleased and will order corrected cards from them tonight. In the meantime, I'll just use the above image for my business card. Urgh. I probably forgot to take out all of the "liberal arts suck" and "higher education, my ass," passages in my promotion packet as well. By Yog-Sothoth's bubbles, I'll be back though, bigger and better than before!

As a teacher, I'd have to say this qualifies as a "teachable moment." Here's a more tedious and belabored account over on one of my teaching blogs.

On the plus side, I think I finally got my URL to "stick." So try typing in "http://www.armsandether.com" and let me know if it works. Strike that, actually. I'm going to set up some straight up URL hosting. You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille.

The Sun Rises - Work List Part 1

And the dust is settling after the chaos of getting the first Arms and Ether strip on-line and getting classes rolling again. I'm more or less caught up on sleep, so now to get some kind of a working-groove going. I'd like to do a "hard-launch" for Arms and Ether on February 1. Here's some of what I'll need for such a launch:

1. Strips. At least eight published so it's worth people's time to check it out. I'll also need at least four strips "in the can" in case I take ill or take up serious substance abuse.
2. An email "subscription list" and way to subscribe.
2.5 Some goofy prizes for subscribing to the list.
3. An announcement via email/facebook/etc.
4. More understanding of how Facebook works i/r/t giving clear access to this thing, announcing, etc.
5. Look into My Space for an Arms and Ether page?
6. figure out how to get my URL to stick.
7. figure out how to make a little URL icon thing.
8. Get the web site spiffed up.
8.5 Figure out best way to do the website. . .
9. Finish the damn Miles Inada site.
10. Get the original Arms and Ether comic book up in a better format and integrate it into the new site.
11. Have hard copies of the original Arms and Ether comic available for people to buy. (cheap!)

So that's a big list. Got to do it without becoming a bad human being, ungrateful son, feckless husband, deadbeat dad, useless teacher, a-hole friend, etc. . . Yes we can! And it's not as bad a list as
1. Conquer Russia.
2. Cure self of terminal disease.
3. Re-attach head.
4. etc.

BTW this is one of those practice what I preach kind of posts. I'm having my students use blogs as a way to get their act together, define a creative project, delineate research goals, n' all that.

Softe Launche complete

Okay, she's away. The first Arms and Ether strip is up. Type in armsandether.com and you'll end up there. I still need to figure out how to make that url more grounded in reality instead of just forwarding to my crunky default url. Site is still fugly too. But it's a SOFT LAUNCH okay? It's for me to get the hang of this. Changes will be made over the next month or so. I would appreciate any feedback people have on the site. Don't be gentle. Direct is good. I'll be keeping track of all suggestions as I work towards a HARD LAUNCH (in about a month, I'm guessing.)

Also, got the store up at cafe press. Hence the shirt above. I ordered some of my own stuff to see if the quality at cafepress is at all decent. Fingers crossed.

Softe Launche

Okay, I'm going to soft launch Arms and Ether tonight. Winter break is at an end, and I'll be danged it if I won't have one entire 4-panel comic up online to show for it. I'll make another post ce soir when the first strip is live. I'm thinking when I have 5- 10 strips up, I'll go for a harder launch. Making a bunch of noise about having one strip up is like having a big concert where your band plays one song.

I just got done ordering business cards from vistaprint.com. That's the business card image above. I don't know if vistaprint is any good or not--if they're great or horrible, I'll let the interwebs know. Now that I look at the card design, it'll probably be a disaster--type too small, etc. Sigh.

Also teaching begins tomorrow. Hooray for winter quarter, right?

Wrasslin with Mortality

Watched The Wrestler last night. T'was entertaining. A nice comment on our Immortality Projects a la Ernest Becker and The Denial of Death. You know, the whole "human civilization is ultimately an elaborate, symbolic defense mechanism against the knowledge of our mortality" kind of thing. Julie and Sam are out of town, but I'm feeling too groggy to revel in my bachelor living or fully pursue my own futile immortality projects such as "spiritual practice," "art," "teaching," and "getting off my ass from eating chips and playing Wii to do something useful like cleaning up the damn house."

Crappy Critters In The Snow

Another photographic Breugel hommage. Deep thoughts:
1. Visual energy gettin' channeled into Arms and Ether, hence decrease in drawings here. It's all for a good cause.

2. Low-cal breakthrough in Arms and Ether web design department last night. I might be on to something. Shudder. I get scared when I get that feeling. 'Cause it can often end in tears! (wink!) ;)
ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YIEEEE!!!!!!

3. Maybe this blog will serve as a display for showing the non-Martha Stewartness of my life. Behold our scraggly cat and dog, tarps, tennis rackets, plastic patio furniture, extension cords and Bi-Mart pillows strewn about the back yard. I guess I should take the hammock in about now too. . .

4. But it snowed yesterday. Snowed I tell you!

Friday down in flames

Sometimes you expect big things from a day and it doesn't deliver. I thought this would be a big day to get some Arms and Ether goin.' No such luck. Meetings. Yay. Grumble. I did eat a lot of pizza though. Ugh. For the love of . . . Here's some of what I'm cookin' up.
1) I want to sell shirts and books on the site. I'm looking at cafepress.com, but I think I'll also get the fine young men (Alex Falkenstein and Jess Gleasman) at basement-ink to do a run of higher quality screen print shirts as well.
2) Fontlab with Scanfont is looking good so far. I just need more TIME.
3) Arsenal's playing Wigan at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow. Don't think I'll be up for that one. Darn.

Lettering--sweet god, save me

Here's a stab at hand lettering--compare it with the image in the previous post. I did several versions of the text on bristol with a Hunt 102 nib, and some Micron pens. The version I used here was done with a .05 micron.

I had to make some of the balloons bigger and adjust some of my word spacing once I got it into the computer. Screen readability is much more of an issue with hand lettering. I do think I'm liking it better than the Digital Strip version.

Seeing as it is going to actually be a pain in the @#$% and probably double my production time to hand-letter, I think I'm going to have to make/commission a custom font based on my lettering. Only thing is, I think I'm going to need to hand letter quite a few strips first before I get a decent sample of my lettering to start creating a font with. Sigh.

T-Bag Special

Not that anyone's listening, but I'm going to commit to daily posting again as a "ramp-up" to "launching" the Arms and Ether web strip. Above is a panel from a 4-panel strip. Three issues:

1. Color.
Advantages: It's in color.
Disadvantages: Color is not essential to the story, it takes longer, and it could suck.
Right now, I'm leaning pretty heavily towards color. I think it looks better to indifferent strangers.

2. Periodicity. Daily, Weekly, Monthly, etc
Right now, I'm leaning towards "Quasi-Daily," though we'll see. I'm not going to launch until I've got 10-15 strips "in the can." After the launch, I'll then see how efficiently the reserve fills back up and adjust accordingly. If it doesn't fill back up, I'll just get into model trains or something.

3. Is this "it?"
Of course, it's stupid to predict what something will become. But my XXX fantasy is that this strip will be my primary creative focus--that I can channel my many-splendor'd djinn into this form. The hook is that this inter'web thing is tres flexible. I don't have to stick to the 4-panel structure (though I'm currently enjoying working with those creative limits). I could throw in animation or more elaborate drawing as the mood hits. It's "a whole new world" as the marvelous Disney people have told us.

We'll see. Like I said, model trains might be pretty cool. They are, actually.

God help us all. It's milesinada.com

Yes, I finally got my URL act together. So type milesinada.com, inadaville.com or armsandether.com into your preferred web browser, and you will be magically transported here. The reason for all of this foolishness (and my web silence) is I'm gearing up for an internet invasion and an online Arms and Ether comic strip. Ultimately, those URLs will link to a new Arms and Ether "web site." More to come as things develop. I'm pretty manic depressive about the whole thing right now. It's great! It's horrible! Yes! No! etc. More as the creative cycle sputters on. Oops, time for a critique with "the kids."

Busy (as a morning sunrise)

Been working away this morn getting Legends From Camp to stream on the web. Not sure if this is ultimately a good thing. Watching video on the web really does suck. On the other hand, never getting to see something sucks as well. I want Legends to go out and have a life in the world, but I seem constitutionally incapable of distributing copies of it myself. This way, at least, it can be seen now and then by actual flesh and blood people. Imagine. Prattle. More when I upload it.

On the daily drawing end of things, here's an early stage of a sci-fi character design from my sketch book. I'm going to paint up the skull dude in 40-shoppe. Stay glued to your set for the updates. Yeah, I know, Mars Attacks. Who says 5th generation design can't be fun? These started as concepts for a 2D flash video game I've been designing with my son.

Twas on a Holy Thursday

Their innocent faces clean.
Just finished up our 3D modeling critique. Some good stuff going on. Apparently Julie ordered a pizza, so I'll be heading home for some carbo-loading. Good for my rigorous training regimen. Yes.

And quickly (need food). New ideas for Happiness Hole as a show/installation. Drawings. Lots of drawings. And big prints. Yes. And sculpture too. And animation. Yes. And naked walk/run cycles and yes I said yes I will Yes.

No Child Left Behind

What I'm learning from ye blog so far:
1) I work a fair amount. Yay.
2) I work on a lot of different things--art-teachin', USEM-teachin' (bless thee, Thucydides), script-writin', 3D modelin' and animatin', 2D animatin' & drawin', web-site-makin', art-makin', school admin crap, prepping for teaching, 'mersh projects, water heaters and the like. Not to mention being a deadbeat dad and feckless husband. I'm not complaining. It's good livin'.
3) I'm bad at estimating how long it takes to get something done. Hence, the website's not done, the Happiness Hole's languishing, the water heater took 5 days to install, etc.
4) Life feels short--it's rushing by, happening now, and I feel completely clueless about it. Balls.
5) I'm thinking of taking the summer off from teaching for the first time in 10 years. I'd like to catch up on some solitude, some friends, and have fun with Sam.
6) I need to get the Corvair running. This weather is too beautiful.

Glenn Hughes Society

In our 1988 college yearbook, I claimed to be a 4-year member of the Glenn Hughes Society. Here's a picture of Glenn Hughes, the leather enthusiast of the Village People, who unfortunately, died in 2001. The man brought it. What else can you say?

In 1988, I bore no resemblance to Wooly Willy; now, I'm pretty much a dead-ringer (see graphic provided in previous post). Oddly enough, I found this rather Glenn Hughes-like manifestation of Willy whilst performing a search on the "world-wide-web." Would to God that all the Lord's people were Prophets.

Spent 'bout 3 hours diddling with the web site today, so good on me. Kind of lost momentum for a bit there, but back in the saddle. Even got the DMF tests graded. Huzzah.

Sunday Lovin' Had Me a Blast

A beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. Played some basketball in the ol' Bellview gym with a good combo of guys over 40 and kids under 15. Then ran into bearded art stars Matthew Furber and Andrew Farris at the Beanery. Jolly times. Talked video games, comics and Tom of Finland. Now, what to do? Lots of tests to grade, curriculum to develop, web site to make, happiness hole to create/fill, walls to stare at, etc.

Domestic Front: I finally got the water heater installed yesterday with lots of support from Scott, Nick and Galen. Good to have friends that are smarter than you. Nice to do something non school/art related. Also, Julie and I went out to dinner with Scott and Christy on Saturday. Twas much fun. Eatin', drinkin', and talking #$@#!. Get some carbohydrates in me and I'll start prattling on about just about anything I know absolutely nothing about.

Now, I think I'll work on the site. . . though I should be grading tests .

"Dick the Dude" and "Pete the Pirate" are two of Wooly Willy's "magnetic personalities." If you Google "Dick the Dude" you won't find images of Wooly Willy, however.

What am I thrilling to?

Not sure. So much "stuff" to deal with, so not so much deep reflection and splendid studio "process" this week. Yet, life seems pretty good. I'm feeling some hum of creative energy despite feeling kind of trashed, put-upon, and haggard.

Ol' Thucydides is firing up my imagination. Good stuff for a 41-year old man to be taking in. William Blake, however, had no time for the "silly Greek and Latin slaves of the sword." Romanticism, anti-romanticism. Fire it up. Let's see who wins.

Oh yeah, nobody wins, actually, just suffering and death. Damnit!!! I always forget that part. !@#$

And. . . so much for getting the site up last week. Hardy har har.

What is The Happiness Hole?

If you're me, Joe, Evan, or Ty, it's a collaborative project we've been at since 2005. If you're anyone else, here's a late night stab at describing The Happiness Hole. It's rough, but that's the point of this @#$%ing blog, remember?

"Materialism. Pornography. War. Failure." In the near-future, a brilliant but troubled entrepreneurial team of scientists, artists and viral marketers harness quantum physics to create a supremely powerful “Quantum Computer” capable of collecting and processing infinite amounts of minutely detailed information about the whole of humanity. Shortly after boot-up, the “Q-Comp” quantifies the existence of a collective “happiness hole” so vast it portends the collapse of civilization and the inversion of a goodly chunk of time and space. Hilarity and tragedy ensue.

Now is the time

I suppose it's about time to get the site up. I'm going to try and go live tonight. Yikes.

Update: Well, maybe not tonight. I went and played pro-evolution soccer with Sam. I did get some Cheetos and Dr. Pepper, though, so anything's possible.

Update 2: Ah ha ha ha! I can't believe I said I'd finish the site tonight. That's a ^#%$in' laugh riot. I made some changes to the site structure, thus creating much more work that I can't just bust out ce soir. Frig. Since I work all day tomorrow, I'm guessing another week. Brilliant. Agh.

Tis Saturday

11:45 a.m. Sunny. Ducked into my office for a sec to pick up some stuff to read today--then, o'er to Starbucks to get the lady some coffee. I'd love to drop a few hours on the site, but I don't know if that's going to happen today--We've folks in from out of town, and Don Von's 70th birthday. Wow. 70. At least I'll do this here daily drawing. . . Snorky as real-world go-getter?

Also, I'm going to be posting links to my former students' sites soon. They're doing some dynamite, inspiring stuff. Staying in touch with them is a motivator for me gettin' muh junk on the web.