Question to Chordsy Posted by Dr. Robotnik Have you been getting treated differently by the Sonic fandom since you turned pro? Other than the fact that everything directed to you on the MB is now a work related question. ------ Posted by Chordsy Well, somewhat I guess.. I've been getting alot more requests, but have had to turn down every one of them due to the simple fact that they're all fan-characters, and I have to play by the rules of the Archie copyright laws. So my workload hasn't really increased.. My website is still doing about 50 unique hits a day, which is pretty good, so I dunno if the new domain name helped at all.. Old friends I hadn't seen in a long time are contacting me again. This is a good thing, because so far, they just want to be in touch, and aren't expecting anything from me. ^_^ I signed a copy of Sonic #101 for Artie so far.. People have asked me to do more, and I'm waiting for them. Now that I have a mailbox to call my own, it should be easier to send them back out as well. Most folks I used to know before 101 came out still talk to me like I'm just another Sonic fan, which is great because I'm not into that whole "worship me!" thing. ;) And in many cases, I'm still humbled by the artistic works of alot of the fandom. I still visit Jeff's, Rose's, and Raf's sites (among many others) in awe of what they can do. Axer and I used to play ICQ tag alot way back when, and Bara did one or two unofficial art trades with me, back in the day--and that's how it still is. Alot of these big-name fan artists pay a silent homage to each other. We're not super close, but we have a respect to everyone else who's wowing the crowds and turning out quality artwork. I'm glad I can still be a part of that. :) -Chordsy ------ Posted by !! :I still visit Jeff's, Rose's, and : Raf's sites (among many others) in awe of what they can do. Could you give me the URL's for these pages as well as your own if you aren't in the middle of something. By the way, I finally got my copy of Sonic #101 this weekend. Your work was smashing. I liked the way you drew the characters to fit the words they were saying and the personality they supposedly have instead of just propping them on the panel and having them say something via word balloon. I also liked the way you drew Dimitri. His design has been a pain to see up until your drawing. The other artists either drew him in full detail like a cross among a network server and a refrigerator and a schematic or like a modified, simplified swatbot. I liked the way you simplified him without losing the details that make him Dimitri. ------ Posted by Chordsy Kudos, !! for the compliments :) Barachan's Cyber Garden: http://barachan.meirse.nu/ Axer Industries: http://www.axerindustries.com/ The Raf 2k1: http://raf2k1.tripod.com/ My site: http://www.dawnbest.com/ -Chordsy ----------- OH CHORDSY CHORDSY CHORDSY !!!!!!!! Posted by WB YOU DRAW SO FABULOUSLY I LOVE YOUR ARTWORK MARRY ME SIGN MY SKETCHBOOK I WANT TO BE YOUR LOVE SLAVE IVE NEVER MET ANYONE WHO DRAWS MORE FABULOUS IN MY LIFE I LOVE YOUR ARTWORK ITS JUST BEATIFUL I TORE OUT ALL THE SONIC 101 PAGES AND FRAMED THEM AND PUT THEM ON MY WALL I LIGHT INCENSE TO PAGE 5 EVERY NIGHT LET ME BE YOUR GROUPIE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **shoves a donut into Chordsy's mouth, begins bowing uncontrollably, and is drug off by men in white coats*** Heeheehee ^_____^ --- O.o Posted by Chordsy Let this be a lesson to you kids.. No matter what your friends tell you, it's not cool to drink a bottle of Murphy's Oil Soap, go down Niagara Falls in a barrel and then repeatedly smack your head against a Frigidaire. If you ever are let out of your cage again, Dubs, call me about that love slave thing.. I just might have an opening. ^-^ -Chordsy --- Posted by WB The frigidaire isnt really that bad. Its the oil soap you have to get used to. That stuff tastes like castor oil!! :D : If you ever are let out of your cage again, Dubs, call me : about that love slave thing.. I just might have an opening. : ^-^ WHOOHOO! I'm coming up in the world! ^__^ ------ Posted by Bune o.o : **shoves a donut into Chordsy's mouth, begins bowing uncontrollably, and is drug off by men in white coats*** : : Heeheehee ^_____^ *wonders what's in Dub's tea again* o.o --- Posted by !B : *wonders what's in Dub's tea again* o.o Vinegar! :D -------------- -------------- Questions for Chordsy Posted by Alex Tibbetts Hi Chordsy,I just have a few questions for you if you don't mind... 1.How many pages can an average comic book artist draw in a day? 2.How long do you plan to stay at Archie and draw for the Sonic comic? 3.I see that your style of drawing has a little Manny Galan and Spaz mixed together. What inspired you to draw in this style? 4.I don't know if you can tell me this or not,but will there be another mini-series in the future? 5.Last but definitely not least,don't you think Ken should put your picture in his photo album on this web site? It would be cool. As always,thanks Chordsy for bringing some much needed great art to the Sonic comic and for answering my questions. I gotta go. I just got back from a 9-hour shift at a grocery store I work at and have to be in at work tomorrow again at 7 am! Ugh. Oh well,I'm outta here... Until then I remain, Alex Tibbetts/Shadowhog! --- Posted by Chordsy : Hi Chordsy,I just have a few questions for you if you don't mind... Not at all. :9 : 1.How many pages can an average comic book artist draw in a day? A really good comic book artist does about a page a day. That's roughly 8 hours of work put into a single page. I found I can do about one or two, depending on the complexity of the panels and how many there are. With my life, I don't always have 8 hours to myself, but I can usually find the time to put together a quality piece no matter the hours I have to work with. : 2.How long do you plan to stay at Archie and draw for the Sonic comic? Right now, as long as I can. It's really going to help me with the jump between the REAL WORLD and college. :) : 3.I see that your style of drawing has a little Manny Galan and Spaz mixed together. What inspired you to draw in this style? Ask anyone who'e been in the fandom for as long as I have and they'll tell you for the longest time, my only influence was Spaz. While I admired Manny's style, I never intended to use it until I started drawing the first page. My guides for issue 101 were the Girls Rule! Julie-Su story, Mecha Madness, and as many books of the Knuckles mini-series I could get my hands on. If I -reallllly- try, I can get a look for Knuckles that might be nearly identical to what Spaz would do, but that would be time consuming, and Patrick would probably smack me upside the head with a wet trout if he found out I was copying him. ^_^ The stuff I put into 101 I knew I could deliver every time, so I just went with it, and really liked the outcome. :) : 4.I don't know if you can tell me this or not,but will : there be another mini-series in the future? No clue.. I'd love to see the Knuckles series back in print as much as the next guy, tho'. :) : 5.Last but definitely not least,don't you think Ken should put your picture in his photo album on this web site? It : would be cool. He requested it of me, actually. :) The pic I have on my bio page doesn't exactly fit the format of the others in his scrapbook, so I snapped a few more, and now I'm just waiting for the USB cord to show up so I can plug them into my computer and send them to him. ^_^; : As always,thanks Chordsy for bringing some much needed : great art to the Sonic comic and for answering my questions. And thank you for the questions. :) -Chordsy ------------- ------------- 101 review and an VERY important questions for Ken or Chordsy Posted by Emerald Echidna on September 22, 2001 101 was GREAT! :D.....sure Lim still needs to work on his art a little more, but it was really cool :). It was a little confusing at first, however, because I did not know what the heck was going on. At first I thought the Sonic Anime concept was indeed going to be blended into Archie..... but it was when Sally and Knuckles being a couple that made me realize what was going on..... Maybe next time, if realities cross, that a portal-type blast could happen in between each reality so we know what's going on O_o..... AH! and the Knuckles story! DAWN! You ROCK! That was a very wonderful display of art I haven't seen since the comic where Super, Hyper, and Tails kicked Mogul's darier. I notice what makes art so superb......EXPRESSION.... Dull faces that have no expression make things boring. Ya know what I mean? The story was awesome too. :D Dimitri is treating Knux like an uncle should, and I like that ^_^(Heh.....I'm a tad bit of a family person)..... And he's actually being like mentor O_o.....wow... Now for the questions: Lately I have been thinking about this. I thought I had to live in New York to do it, but when I found out I didn't, I think I would like to someday be an penciler for Archie Co :). I understand artists are dropping like flies at this time(As far as I have been told), so I would like to help out. Anything for my favorite childhood comics. I would just like to know every single detail about what to do if I want to work for Archie as an artist. I REALLY want to know! ------ Posted by Chordsy Thanks for the kind words, Emmy, I'm glad you liked it. :) I'm not sure if you submitted a sample when Ken was asking for volunteers or not, but in any event, if the opportunity comes up again, go for it. :) Here's the stuff you probably already know: Draw, and draw every day, and everything. Don't just draw, ink, colour, and write. Use as many varied media as you can get your hands on. Animate (I'm sure this won't be a problem for you specifically). Learn perspective, figure drawing, shading, line drawing, and don't limit it to Sonic & furries. Go to art school or take classes--everyone, no matter how good, can benefit from those. Here's the stuff you might not know: Justin is always on the lookout for possible candidates for Sonic's book--he prefers seasoned veterans, but the talent searches put on by Ken and Karl prove you don't always have to be one, so show off your stuff whenever and wherever you can (make sure you have contact & copyright info somewhere on or around your images). Draw your own comics--make a web comic, do a Sonic fan-comic, comic strips, whole comic books you sell through your webpage, anything like that will get you, in the very least, in the practice of continuing a story through images. Study movies, and note the transition from scene to scene: closeups, wide shots, silhouettes, & dramatic effects. Learn to draw backgrounds as characters, because the background is always one of the most important characters in the whole story. Most importantly, don't get discouraged. Alot of these points still give me trouble, but if you stick with it, and make even the slightest improvement on any one of them, you'll really surprise yourself. :) -Chordsy --------------