Solstice Shine

Santa's Workshop

I've been wanting to do kind of a behind the scenes, bonus features, workshop type thingy, so here is a step-by-step progression of my latest comic, based on a recent experience.  You can read the entire story it came from on my Golden Thread Road blog in a post called "Yes Virginia."

Step 1:  I draw my Thumbnail Sketch where I figure out the dialogue and narration on the right hand side of the page. Then on the left I figure out the images that tell the story, and how the words and pictures fit together --

In this case the bottom half of the thumbnail comic felt a bit confined to sketch things out so I spilled onto a second sheet of paper...

Step 2:  I Pencil in rough drawings, based on the thumbnail sketches, onto a good sheet of paper --

  

 

Step 3:  I do initial Inking over the pencils --

Step 4:  Erase the pencil --

Step 5:  Then I Finish by thickening some lines, filling in appropriate spaces with black, and making necessary touch ups (including, in this case, the white lettering that begins this page) -- 

And...

~VOILA!!!

Greenwood Harbinger

Resistance Is Futile

A Reindeer Wades Through It

Must Be Faerieworlds

Let the Sunshine In

Six months ago at Winter Solstice --- THE Winter Solstice -- I was the Sun King for a ritual put on by Gaia's Temple, celebrating the much prophesied end of the Mayan Calendar and the dawn of a new era (insert song 'The Age of Aquarius' here).  It was also the night I met my dear friend Raea Sunshine. 

It hadn't occurred to me til I had dinner with her the other night that I hadn't actually posted this yet because, at the time I'd wanted to give her a copy first before making it public, and then never got around to publishing it here once she had her copy. 

So here it is, and I hope well worth the wait... :)

Dismember-Trek

Just another little tidbit from my current comic project where I decided it was probably a good idea to explain better what Shamanic Dismemberment is before continuing the main story.  It's not the complete explanation but is a nice little stand alone nutshell.  And of course I used Star Trek as my metaphor because... well... Everything comes back to Star Trek, right? ;)

Fred

Part of the reason I haven't been posting much here of late is that I've been working on a longer-term, multi-page comic of one of my more recent Shamanic Journey experiences, which, besides preparing for my debut of vending at Faerieworlds this year, has shouldered out working on my normal, smaller one-pagers.  Still, to prove I am actually producing comics, I thought I'd share a teaser of the first page of the aforementioned project.

...To be continued!

If you're interested, I recount the journey in a post on my other blog, The Golden Thread Road, in an entry titled Where I Am.

And So Begins My Empire

Part of the reason I haven't had time to post much lately is because I've been working on this project. So I am proud to announce the newly released first volume of  Drawing Breath ~ The Comic Journal of Patrick Corrigan.  This is the very beginning of this particular comic, with its fits and starts, when I first realized my own life could be translated into my beloved, and magickal, art form known as cartooning. The first volume begins in the last years of my marriage and reaches into the first couple years of my single-hood, chronicling the whimsy, challenge, and adventure of my daily life, thoughts, and musings.

The most interesting thing to me is to see how my drawing style changes and improves over the years of drawing the book from one cover to the other, and even to compare the last pages of this book to the comics that I'm drawing today and posting in this blog.

You can preview the book below, which also links to my Blurb.com store where this and other of my comics are available for purchase.

Thank you!

DRAWING BREATH by Patrick Corrigan

(From the back cover of my book)

"X" Marks the Spot

So, I guess I haven't been doing so well at posting every week as I'd wanted but such is the life. I am still drawing, but mostly bigger projects than just a single page comic so I haven't had a lot to share, although maybe I'll do a 'behind the scenes' type of thing and post some stuff in progress soon.

Meanwhile, I thought I'd post an older page I drew, just so I post something and because this particular comic has been popping into my mind a lot recently...  

Once and Future

I mentioned I was trying to post atleast one comic a week, but last week other projects, and life stuff, demanded my attention so I have produced no new comic this week.  I thought, therefore, that I would dig through my past comics and post an older one. 

 

Well, I dug a little deeper than I'd originally planned on, and thought I would produce proof that as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a cartoonist.  Only recently have I realized I need to ammend that to 'I've always been a cartoonist.' 

 

If not actually the first, this is one of my very earliest comics ever.  I don't remember exactly how old I was.  All I remember is that the main character, Deadful Junny, was inspired by a dead june bug that was splattered across our bathroom floor...      

 

                                                                                                 

 

 

 

Retro

I've been trying to post a comic at least once a week, but circumstances, coincidentally occurring while Mercury was going retrograde, prevented me being online at the appropriate time.  We apologize for any inconvenience and are now posting two comics for your further enjoyment. Pwaise Hestia!     

       

               

 

Toe-tal Snuggles

 

 

 

Morrigan Rocks

 

Umgawa

Book 'Em

When I first started my Drawing Breath comic, I was drawing it in the pages of a blank book --

 

I got away from that, trying to be "more professional" and drawing my comic on full sheets of paper which then get put into a plastic sleeve and put into a 3-ring binder.  Though the quality of my comic has noticeably increased, I feel like something has been lost.  There was a spontaneity and, seeing as it required less set up, I drew in the blank books more often, giving a window into day-to-day life, rather than the individual sheets of paper which seem to need a significant event or revelation to justify it's being drawn.  It's subtle but, being the good Libran that I am, my desire is to find a balance between the two.  So I will continue to draw the full page comics as I feel inspired, and meanwhile I am picking up my blank book once more with the intention of drawing everyday again.                   

The tricky part is that the last page in my last blank book is 3 or 4 years old and it doesn't feel proper to me to just start the next page like nothing has happened.  This is a new time and a new me and drawing my comics is a sacred ceremony.  As in ritual, I need to close one circle to create the sacred space for a new one.  To that end I drew the following four pages in my book to enable me to close one window and open another...

 

 

 

 

And so the circle is cast in Perfect Love and Perfect Trust.  May bright blessed Brigit and the Spirits of Inspiration and Creativity bless me in my endeavors.  Blessed Be. 

 

***

 

...and in case your curious to read the two pages from the book above...

 

 

Blessed Loved

This is from a chunupa (Native American pipe) ceremony a couple weeks ago when White Buffalo Calf Woman appeared to me.  She held me close to her, so close I could smell the deer leather of her dress, and told me the following...

 

 

Fasten Seat Belts

Imbolc

 

Yesterday was Imbolc, the Celtic holiday of Bridgit.  It is a time, with the coming of Spring, of dedicating one's self to what their direction is for the coming year, and what one wishes to harvest at the opposite side of the wheel of the year with the coming of Autumn.

 

Anyway, once again I dedicated myself to walking my path -- walking my talk and actually living as though I believe what I say I believe -- under the guidance of Artemis, Greek Goddess of the wild.  So, although this page is 4 years old, it felt appropriate to post.

 

 

Oh Buoyant!

It's 3am...

This past week, between fevered naps as I wade through the physical and emotional mire of the flu, I was able to draw the following...