Somewhere

When I was a little boy all I knew where simple joys.

Laying out in a field of grass letting all the time go past.

Then I saw a jet’s escape, got me thinking of my fate.

Was I trapped in this here town? Could I ever move around?

Can I ever leave here for there? Ever going somewhere?

Take me to a distant shore,

Places I ain’t seen before.

Let me breathe a foreign sky,

Climb a mountain oh so high.

Walk across them foreign lands,

See the dunes of distant sands.

Will you take me far from here?

I wanna go somewhere.

Places seen trapped in books I've always wanted to have a look.

Pictures dropped on worded page, characters on bright lit stage.

And as I go from town to town, never much for settlin’ down.

Other settings I want to see, other places for me to be.

Can you take me away from here? I wanna go somewhere!

Wanna tread the distant snows

Of other places no one knows.

Beneath the strangest canopy,

See the forest through the trees.

Watch the dance of twinkling lights

Underneath for off starry nights.

I’m gonna leave here for there…

I wanna go somewhere!

Don’t get me wrong, I love my home. I just sometimes get this need to roam.

Have a map or plan? Not sure I care, as long as I end up going anywhere.

I could ride on a roaring train. Or take a flight in a soaring plane.

But I am so small, and I want to see it all. I can’t miss a single thing.

Around the world in eighty days?

I could do it, you’d be amazed.

Round the horn on a great big ship?

Sign me up, I’ll take that trip!

Wash in waters of an exotic lake?

That’s a journey I want to make.

From ancient palace I’m so tall

At the top of its mighty walls

In the markets and in the towns

That’s where I’ll be always found.

Back and forth and back again…

I’ll always go somewhere!

 __________________________________________________________________________________

 As long as I can remember, I've always wanted to go places. And not just to the store, or for a drive, but really, really, another place. The idea of things I've never seen, heard, or even smelled before totally thrill me in a way I just can't really explain. 

Currently, I've only managed to make my way around my own country; visiting a variety of neighborhoods, towns, and cities in various regions of the United States. And, while that's nice, and all, it's nothing like what I expect it will be to see an entirely different set of stars in the night sky, or towering architecture of another history, distant mountain forests with strange wildlife, or even bumping into alien faces in a market bazaar.

Maybe someday...

For the sound of Somewhere I hear marching snare drums, guitars, and maybe even a piccolo or flute. (Sure, there could even be a bag pipe...) This would be a high stepping kind of track that would encompass the feeling of adventure.

Facing Up to It

Just recently, as part of this assignment, I used the Face of the Future site to “change my nationality”. And here is the result; upper left is me, upper right is me as Asian, lower left is me as African-American, and lower right as East Indian.

All the flaws in the program aside, it was actually interesting to see a particular take on me as another race. Right off the bat I can see I’m not too far off from either Asian or Indian. I imagine that my more basic and plain features probably allow for an easier conversion.

The program used is along the lines of Nancy Burson’s  Human Race Machine. Burson had become big on using computers to create composite images, merging together, sometimes, the more common features of various figures of notoriety; usually with some odd, and interesting, affects.  She also took various faces from both genders and created composites just to see what features would become predominate.

“My intention in building The Race Machine was to allow us to move beyond difference and arrive at sameness. When I discovered, while doing research on a project involving genetics, that there is no gene for race, I felt it was one of the most important things to understand about genetics. The DNA of any two humans is 99.97 percent identical. And then The Race Machine became The Human Race Machine. We are all related, all connected, all one.” Nancy Burson

The photographer  Mike Mike  had the same idea, riding the London underground.

"Sitting on the underground train, I was intrigued by the sheer diversity of the place. Somalis, Indians, Americans, Zimbabweans, Scandinavians and a hundred other nationalities vying for their place in the metropolis. I thought ‘what is this place, what is a Londoner?’ A few weeks later I was in Istanbul and looking at the relative uniformity of the population. I realized I was looking at the future of London. A thousand years ago Istanbul was the capital of the remnants of the Roman Empire--home to an astonishing variety of peoples from Greece, Rome, central Asia, Arabia and the Russia. Yet now this diversity had coalesced around a mean--almost everyone dark haired, brown-eyed and olive-skinned. And I thought if one could merge all the people in a place like London one would be looking at the future of that place--one would have some notion of what a Londoner is or will become.” Mike Mike

Mike Mike then began his “Face of Tomorrow” project; a book in which he composites faces – male and female, from a particular city, in the idea of discovering what, someday, those residents may, in fact, blend into; much the way he noted the change in his native Istanbul.

In some ways, these are take offs from the very early works of the British scientist Francis Galton (1822 – 1911). Galton, the cousin of famed Charles Darwin, was the first to coin the term “eugenics”; the philosophy which advocates the improvement of human hereditary traits through various forms of intervention. The original idea behind it was to create a healthier, intelligent people, while managing resources and ending suffering.

Of course, those students of history know how it ended up being used in the days leading up to, and through, World War 2.

Through Record of Family Faculties and The Life History Album, Galton used baby pictures – including the then fad of postmortem photos – and exacting records of family history, going back as far as great grandparents, covering some seventeen points about each relative. These pages were also expandable; being able to add to as subjects grew and matured.

All of these projects were focused on one major thing; the role of cross genetic breeding of the human species moving forward to its inevitable conclusion; homogenization… whether that idea was seen as good, or bad.

While my own composites don’t actual show any homogenization, as much as an ethic conversion, they are pause for thought. If someone were conversing with me, say over chat, or correspondence, and only had one of the altered versions to go on as what I may look like, what would they expect to read? What kind of “voice” would they give my text? What kinds of things would they expect me to say, or refer to, culturally? 

And, how would they react if I didn’t?

In TV and film, we come up against stereotypes all the time. Asians are super nerdy and smart, for example. Or, Indians run convenient stores; though that image has been changing with the mass migration into the United States, and India’s emergence in the tech industry, as well as the outsourcing business trends that begun early in the twenty first century. And then, of course, we have all the cultural stigmatisms that surround what it is to be black in American society, today. 

Hero or thug?

As part of my own work as a Graphic Novelist, I often draw on particular stereotypical features that are common with the ideas of character. Thuggish brutes with barrel chests and lumbering shoulders, or heroic folks with cut features and chiseled, or angled faces. And often, when dealing with a particular ethnicity, illustrating someone requires pulling from a list of basic, common features.

In doing so, I often try to keep in mind how these can both endure a character, as well as create a possibly negative feeling about the character; as has been such the case in the long history of caricature  art and cartooning.  Combating this, I suppose, is just a matter of keeping in mind that besides the face there’s a lot that goes into making a person; keeping in mind family history, personal interests, and education and experience when dealing with different faces.

The face, for the most part, is really a façade. It may show us something of our physical lineage and history, but rarely can it go any deeper to who we are as people, and what forces may have shaped us as individuals. And, as we move forward as a global species, the color and structure of that mask will blend and change, as we inter mingle.

I wonder what notion the faces of tomorrow will carry with them, as they go about the world, neighborhoods, and cities…

Let it Rain

image courtesy New Tipper

See it rollin' from where I stand, grows cold and dark across the land.

All around the air damp and heavy, chillin' to the bone every part of me.

Thick clouds fill the valley where they come, pour across the sky, smother the sun.

Some days it grows cold and rain might fall. Following thunder, come wash it all.

From way up high it'll be fallin' down, with a frigid sting strikin' the ground.

The wind whips a kiss upon my cheek; the awkward “hi” of old lovers meet.

Crisp embrace press hard against me. Brush my face, hair waving free.

A deep inhale I look up to the sky, Loose my gaze in gray, as clouds start to cry.

Some days go dark, and the rain surely fall. Rollin' off the thunder to drown it all.

From way up high, it keeps pourin' down. Comin' in a rush, wash away the ground.

The winds they come, and they will go. Sometimes bring the storms when they blow.

Seas will rage crash upon the shores. Rattle scrape windows, howling at your door.

In a lighting flash, dash away your dreams Wash away your hopes, ways and means.

One simple quip; will you explain; Please tell me why it must rain?

And then comes dawn when dark will relent. Clouds falling back their rage all now spent.

Peering from night's shelter blue fills my eyes. It's another new day; perfect fathomless skies!

I look and find it's lush everywhere Green and in bloom where once bare.

Under weather a torrent's all you know. But like a rough ocean tide to polish a stone

when storms rush in bringing their strife, After the dark, they can also bring life!

Why is it sometimes we don't see What rain also brings, what it feeds?

image courtesy Tempest Gallery

Some days grow dark and rain might fall. A burst of new life brought to us all.

Askin' still to let it pour down Feed this cracked and thirsty dry ground.

Oh, please, let it rain...

___________________________________________________________________________________

I'm pretty sure the metaphor reads well enough here, right? 

One of the more interesting things about our lives is, much like how a storm can bring upheaval, the troubles can sometimes bring new directions and opportunity in how it gets resolved; or what it may even bring down.Sometimes, though, it can be really tough to see that when you're going through it. But, once we get through the tough times - weather the storms - we're greeted by something new, clean, and full of potential, again.

To tell truth, here, I'm not sure what kind of sound this piece has. It could be ballad rock, or some sort of soft metal. Or, it could even be jazz. However, when I first wrote this piece, I envisioned it in a grassy, parched valley from the vantage point of a run down farm shack. So, maybe something with a bit of a country flavor? Folk rock?

A week in review...

Hello, and welcome to what I'm hoping will be a the first installment of the IronChuck week in review.

Through the week, on both my Facebook and Twitter feeds, I post up a lot of random pictures, links, and stuff. So, here, I thought it'd be a great way to put them all into a single, easy to find, place.

Well, that, and generate some more traffic, while I work on getting some actual content for the Office. Long time readers may actually find this very reminiscent of the old "IronChuck Presents" days; especially those from the old SFGoth list.

At any rate, here's what went down along the rails the week of February 3rd...

Though the Super Bowl didn't quite go how all my friends had hoped, I did enjoy myself a new, very different, kind of shot. Man, was it tasty; even if it could have nearly killed me.

NTA Comics updated with a new episode of Stuff; commiserating the traditional Valentine's Day comic just a bit early, this year. Consolation by Roger Niner leads, in a round about way, to a small bit of eighties nostalgia.

Dangermouse hit a milestone on the Monday am commute.

Speaking of commutes, the Bay Area tied for the 2nd worst in the nation. I think if everyone was excited about trains like Madeline, maybe that could change.

Roger Niner once again popped up with the trailer to a new documentary piece called Moonbug. I am so going to see this.

Every eighties nerd will rejoice that there is a site that catalogs all the old Transformers tech specs!

Austin Madison of Pixar Studios recaps, in his special way, the 2012-2013 NFL season. Meanwhile Calvin and Hobbes have a stroll in the real world.

Marko Manev introduced us to super hero noir! And a random mom gave me a great idea on how to redo the floors, here at Grand Central's Conductor's Office.

We see what happens when two powerful Eighties iconic entertainment franchises get MASHED UP.

Kaycie D. takes a characteristic look at the elements.

I... I got nuthin'.

  DC Comics announced it was going to get political. And we cringed...

Pencilmation Cartoons released its latest hit, Applecalypse. And DJ Schmolli gave us The Policy of Purtataa.

And finally, I've taken to photography.

These are from a gallery I call "A Camera called Heartbreak". Over the coming months I'll be working on developing my photographer's eye as I expand my love of art, media, and design into yet another realm.

And that's some of the things going on in and around the life and times of IronChuck

for the past seven days, or so...

Car on Mars

All I wanted was your attention. All I needed was your touch.

I can’t help but think of those times, and how they meant oh so much.

And then there was your smile, all inviting and so warm,

With eyes so deep and penetrating. Kept me sheltered in my storm.

I sit here keeping company with my thoughts. It’s a kind of noisy place.

There’s tears, pain, and confusion. There’s this big empty space.

And I’m giving myself such a hard time. Knockin’ ‘round my old heart.

Wishing that I could take it all back. Coming to a stop before I even start.

So here I am a little lost. Feeing like some distant astronaut.

Crossing barren wastelands; it’s a god forsaken spot.

All alone on this mission, out alone so very far.

Crawling over this dry, broken land. Like driving cars on Mars.

There’d be times we got to talking. We could say most anything.

And always there’d be laughter; chimin’ out with a ring.

I’m missing most of those, now. There’s a lacking in my smile.

‘Cause it’s all just idle chit chat, now. Only you were worth the while.

We were never want for doing; always someplace we could have to be.

And it was always an adventure, whenever you were there with me.

The future filled up with tomorrows and all the thing we’d get to done.

Then be’d coming up with more to do, as we watched the setting of the sun.

Ten minute delay, when I have to talk. That’s an eternity for a lonely astronaut.

Mission Control do you read me, from out here on this lonely hunk of rock?

Where it’s cold and dry and empty. Nowhere even near were you are.

All alone on this vast and empty alien land, driving cars on Mars.

Sometimes rocket get off course, landing where they aren’t meant to be.

Emotion’s an unstable fuel, sometimes, when you fly the galaxy.

Must have had our circuits crossed? Or maybe using other stellar charts?

Did you mean just for an orbit, when you touched down on my heart?

I’d give so much just to have you in my arms again; as a lover, as a friend.

Like the vastness of the universe, I sure hope we don’t have an end.

But there you are on the Launchpad, your gaze turned out into space.

Your helmet tucked under arm, a smile on your face.

And I can hear your final countdown, the painful sting of your good bye.

Your systems up your engines are go; now it’s time for you to fly.

Another world for you to walk in, another far and distant place.

Another destination, across the vast expansive reach of space.

I know that I’m just a dreamer. A wondering tripped out astronaut.

But sometimes what happens is for reasons; a little more often than not.

Maybe our rockets will cross again, somewhere out there in the stars.

And I’ll give up my little rover, no more driving cars on Mars.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The roots of this piece of lyrics come from two very different sources with two very different feelings. The title "Cars on mars" come from my astronomy professor at school, who dropped the phrase while discussing exploration of Mars. Thinking it a fun title, I jotted it down, thinking it'd make a neat little song about something fun or other.

It's content, however, sums up the odd events of a the last couple of months when a close friend and I - probably one of the most wonderful women in my life - got close. And then a bit too close.

In between here and there came this bit of prose. Like the surface of Mars, it's a bit rough and rocky; so there may be some hammering out to do, yet. But I think it gets the message across well enough. Well, at least I hope she knows. It's often fuzzy and akward where close friends might dare to tread, sometimes.

As for what kind of sound this was written for? Well, there wasn't one, really. It can sound a bit folky, or a bit jazz rock like, really; depending on how you hum it. I guess we'll just have to wait and find out when it finally meets instruments...  

Her Happiness

Launched over at Facebook was the small meme Handmade 2013 in the first week of the new year. Essentially, it's just what it is; the promise to make five handmade projects for the first five people to comment on that status update.

It took exactly three minutes for me to have too many. But, first come, first serve. And, lucky for me, first on the list was a very special person to my heart. And so, a couple days ago, I delivered to her the first of my Handmade 2103 projects.

"Her Happiness" by Charlie Irons

This piece - well, the original, anyway - is completely hand drawn and inked by myself. And was it a challenge. It's been quite some time since I had to consider this much planning; as I wouldn't be able to use any of the post production editing and flash I have come to depend on from software - a fear I've already expressed in my comic.

The subject was easy enough; hummingbirds always appear to her when life gets its darkest; bringing her joy and hope. I wanted this image to do the same whenever she saw it, so I drew off of a variety of hummingbird images (You would not believe how many kinds of hummingbirds there are in the world!) and some images she had been showing me. The art nouveau style was a common theme in a lot of those images, not to mention a style we both like.

For me this was both a labor of love, as well as a reconnection to my old ash can comic roots back in the hey day of the indie comic scene from the mid 1980's. That combination really brought a lot of joy to me, in doing this piece, and the urge to maybe do more; expanding my work back into a more art realm.

A liitle look at logos...

So, another quarter has begun at school, and I'm embroiled in one of the busiest, most convoluted classes yet, in my quest for a Graphic Design degree. However, it's been instructional, to say the least. I thought I'd share a little on logo design with you all, so you can get an idea of what kind of over thinking conceptual design goes into all the logos and branding you get bombarded with every time you watch a commercial, or see an ad.

  

Review of logo design

Graphic Design Solutions

4^th edition – chapter 10

Visual identity helps to build a unique presence to a brand in the market place and create a sense of trust in the public. It's a visual and verbal package, including design specifications and use of things like logos, letterhead, business cards, and even websites. Together these form the brand identity.

There are many reasons to start a branding project:

Launching a new company, service, group, or product.

Changing a company name.

Updating a visual identity to new market trends.

Redesigning a brand for a new audience or demographic.

When companies merge.

And, when adopting integrated consistency across a company; global, or otherwise.

A visual identity should be recognizable, memorable, distinctive, sustainable, and flexible.

That is, it should be easy to recognize, include interesting and unusual design properties, be unique among its competitors, remain relevant for years in a market, and be able to grow and adapt to fit various media and possible new directions the brand or service might take.

Most visual identities start with a logo. “A logo is a point of entry to the brand.” - Milton Glaser

A logo is the single graphic design application that will be part of every other design application; also called the symbol, mark, brandmark, logotype, or trademark. It should be an immediately recognizable symbol of what the group, brand, or even individual stands for, or provides. It should represent the brand's image and quality.

There are several kinds of logos:

Logotype – the name spelled out in unique typography or lettering.

Lettermark – creating the logo out of a name initials.

Symbol – Can be representable, abstract, or nonobjective.

Character icon – a caricature that gives a “face” to the brand

Combination mark – a blending of words and symbols.

Emblem – like a combination mark, but never separated.

Conceptual design for a logo can often start with a brand brief; a document that spells out the nature of the brand – defining the essence of, direction of, or strategy of the concept, product, service, etc.

A successful designer will be able to condense the essence of that brief into s simple, recognizable point that can be used for years, if not longer, and be able to serve as an integral part of the visual identity of that brand.

A great place to start conceptualizing is with the brand name; which often, itself, can provide clues to how to attack the visualizing process. Often the name can inspire a visual cue, or, itself, become a key component in creating a logo.

In designing a logo, keep in mind it should both separate it from its competitors in its market, and do so with a high degree of impact.

A logo will be used in many applications; such as posters, CDs, packaging, and so forth. Therefor it's very important that it can stand alone as a conceptual piece.

In creating a logo, there are a few forms to consider; Self contained – where all elements of the design are inclosed within a boarder, Breaking the unit – where parts of the design may cross a boarder but still maintain the over all form and design, and Free form – where the logo is, itself, a shape, and isn't contained by an particular boarder, save its own.

In designing a logo, keep in mind that what works for one identity might not exactly work for another. Certain fonts, styles, and shapes convey a different meaning that may compliment, say, an insurance company, but not an amusement park.

There are some fundamental ways to conceive how you could depict shapes and volumes in a logo:

Elemental form – flat lines and tones used to reduce complexity to simple shapes

High contrast – using hard separation of light and shadow to suggest form

Linear – using line in design as a main descriptive shape

Volumetric – using gradation in tone to suggest volume (illusion of 3D)

Texture or Patter – using elements like cross hatching, pantone, or smudging to create form and depth

Along with these techniques, utilizing various line weights and styles can help to depict a whole range of media and materials; such as wood cuts, fabric, cut or torn paper, brush paintings, and so on. Also, logos can come in a variety of shapes; open, closed, silhouettes, etc. Using beveled edges, spirals, and shadows can help imply the illusion of three dimensional form.

Finally, be careful in selecting font types in your creation; avoid bias in choosing your font in favor of something that directly relates more to the over all design and intent of the logo. In choosing a font type, make sure that it is legible and that it's form is not only unique, but also reflects the identity of the brand. It should work well in a range of sizes, as well as in both black and white, and color. Keep a limit to how many type faces you use in a deign; remember that less can be more, in terms of design unity. The type face should be flexible and work within a range of type elements, such as numbers and bullets.

And remember, your font type should compliment your design, not just merely mirror it.

First look and first post of 2013!

Well, now, looks like we've all managed to survive the Mayan apocalypse just fine...

Okay, well, almost all of us, I suppose...

Anyway, if you've been reading the comics over at Neverland Transit Authority - and really, why would you be here if you already weren't - then you know that I've got some pretty hefty plans for 2013. And what better time then now to unviel the first product of those illustrious plans, right here, right now.

So, without further ado, I give you the cover for this year's first print release of Galactic Gun: The Adventures of Justin Bailey in Pocket Full of Posies!

 

Master lay out: read reverse - front is to the right, back on the left

 There's an extensive amount of clean up involved with the old pages. To create, or preserve, continuity I will be having to redraw bits of frames, whole frames, or - in some cases - entire pages. In all likelyhood I will end up redrawing the entire story. if that happens, it'll convert into the 6 inch by 8 inch page format I've been running with since Bookmarks.

Next will come the more interesting phase. While clean up and reworking begins, I'll be shopping around looking for a publishing house. If I can't get anywhere with that, by March, then it looks like NTA Comics will be launching a KickStarter to get the funding it'll take to make this a reality.

Obviously there'll be more news coming, so keep your eyes open, dear readers. And, as always, thank you for your patronage! Your ridership means so much to all of us at Neverland Transit Authority!