(Archive from May 30 2016 08:51PM)
It's been a hectic couple of months which has stopped me from getting round to writing my monthly blog from working on concept art for film pitches, comics, book covers, poster art as well as tweaking and releasing my new graphic novel '1400'.
Truly in art and life, it is how hard you work that will give you the rewards you deserve. It was an honour working on the artwork poster for the radio drama 'Innocent Lost in 1984'. I was working with some different angles but I decided to go with a low angle so that the viewer was in amongst the crowd. The Darbar Sahib is placed off centre so that your eye gets dragged across the page rather than the static straight down the middle viewpoint.
My new graphic novel '1400' was released on May 27th, it's been a long road since it's conception in late 2014 with the story and art full of symbolism and hidden narratives. I put a lot of thought and effort to make sure what I created was sensitive enough when dealing with the subject matter whilst still being hard hitting and engaging. Whilst the artwork was completed a while ago there were still quite a few things needing to be readjusted in terms of margins with the printers, front and back cover too.
Already there has been strong support from many organisations and survivors of abuse. There are also several schools looking at this for possible use so things are looking positive. I created '1400' with the view it could help and make a difference and it seems to be on the right path to doing that so I am pleased with how it is moving along. There is also a book launch being put in place which should be cool, most likely it will be in London. I have found promotion takes up a lot of my time (I really need a PA for this!) and it importantly takes time away from drawing which I haven't been happy about at all.
One thing that has come up is that people have labelled me a 'writer' which is odd for me because I see myself as an artist, not a writer in the traditional sense. I do not script my stories with words but actually I sketch the story out and the words blossom from the initial visuals. However when I look at it, I have not only illustrated two graphic novels but I have also penned two graphic novels too.
I have quite a few interesting projects in the pipeline as I knuckle away trying to break into the comic book industry. I have sacrificed quite a lot this year in pursuit of bettering myself and getting to where I wish to be in my life. I think I realised I need to let go of a lot of things, people included, and just focus on where I need to go and be. Life is very short and there is little point in putting energy into avenues which take you away from where you want to go. Let's see how it all falls into place on the road ahead.
Thanks for your support.