This evening I had a fun adventure in the world of live broadcast entertainment. I joined up with UStream.tv, and created my very own show named Joie in the Studio. I ran a test show to figure out how things worked, and it seemed to be a small hit!

Please see more information about the show here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/joie-in-the-studio

Here is a clip from the first episode of Joie in the Studio:

I would like to do more live broadcasts on a regular basis. What are the best times and days to do this? I don’t want to compete with major TV programming. What about an early Wednesday evening time? Tell me your thoughts.

In closing, I also have a new YouTube Account where the clips of my show will be posted. Please visit me!

For those of you who have been eagerly awaiting news on Vinny #1, here is the official word, finally. Of course, about a month ago I posted about the Proof Copy of Vinny that we had received. One of the writers/editors, Josh, had a chance to test it out amongst some professionals in the comic book world. They had lots of helpful feedback of course, which we’re really thankful for.

We’ve got some changes to make to the issues before it can be printed. They’re all changes that are worth it, especially in the art department. Josh had originally wanted a more cartoony look for the book, but we decided to add some depth to the art by adding greyscale “color” to it. And what easier and more fun way for me than to use watercolors?

Thus far it has improved the quality of the art nearly threefold. It doesn’t take long to do, but definitely adds a level of life and depth to it that it lacked so sorely before. I’m very excited to see what it looks like when it’s finished. Of course there are writing and editing changes that Josh and Matt are implementing as well, but as a whole the final quality of the book will be much higher because of it. This does mean that the official release date will be pushed back some, but I feel it’s worth it to wait and release a better product than to rush.

As of right now I am still in the process of painting the pages, and they are being relettered. Josh and Matt are brainstoming about the writing, and there is a possibility of an Issue #0 being released in the near future as well, to really introduce readers to the characters and story before the main series begins.

I thank everyone supporting the project for their patience– it will be well worth the wait, I promise! Please stay tuned for more updates in the near future.

Here’s just a few small things I’ve been working on as of late. I’m also working on Vinny #2, but I thought it’d be fun to share some other side projects I’ve had going on, small as they may be. Breaks up the monotony, ya know?

This a snapshot of the next two Snippets that I’ve been working on. I swear they won’t all be dogs. Really. I promise! They are watercolors with a tad of inks, of course. The bottom one is a Golden Retriever, and the top will be a basset hound.

This is a silly cartoon corgi that I felt like doing the other day. It’s not officially finished, as I’ve still got some painting to do on her ears and tongue. I thought it was cute… but of course it was cute. It’s inspired by something in my life that’s equally as cute:

<3 my pup.

More soon!

Here’s some in-progress shots of me working on the cover to Vinny #1. Thus far it’s done in all watercolor on bristol with small amounts of graphite.

And yes, I’m left-handed.

I know I’ve been really quiet as of late, but that’s because my life has gone into overdrive. I haven’t had anything new to show because I’ve pretty much been exclusively working on Vinny to try to get it done before my deadline.

Vinny Page One © 2009 Joie Brown, Josh Copland, and Matt Garth

I finally got some pencil scans back from my editor (because I sadly don’t have an 11″ x 17″ scanner yet), so I thought I’d share them with you. These are the final pencils for Vinny pages one through three. The pages are straight up graphite with the blue line guides still visible. I did not take them out in Photoshop thinking that they might be interesting to look at. See if you can follow the story without any dialogue!

Vinny Page Two © 2009 Joie Brown, Josh Copland, and Matt Garth

The completely polished and ready-to-send-to-the-printers pages will look very different. They will have lots more black and grey to them (plus lettering), and I’m really excited with how they’re turning out. I’m currently on page 12 of 21, which means I’ve finally passed the halfway mark! And none too soon, either. Working on this comic has been a great trial-by-fire for me in regards to learning more about comic books, time management, and deadlines. Sure it may have helped me into a quarter life crisis, but maybe it will help me out of it as well. I hope.

Vinny Page Three © 2009 Joie Brown, Josh Copland, and Matt Garth

In regards to my Snippets projects and Etsy.com storefront: I’m still trying to work out the kinks and get things set up. I hope to have more information about both of these very soon. Stay tuned, and sorry for the long delay in between posts.