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I'm psyched. Having almost gotten rid of this damn headcold that ruined my long-weekend, I still managed to keep working on DIGESTED.03 and stay on a roll.

In only 3 days I've thumbed, pencilled, layed out, and inked two pages on my lunch breaks and spare hour-or-two after work. Telling you this on my blog isn't me bignoting myself, but rather me telling the devil on my shoulder to get lost. I figure if I say & show it here, and don't follow through, I'll embarass myself.

Again, every little mind game I play that serves in getting the work done is absolutely worth it.


I've started to try and keep the finished pages in some sort of file system by using a simple 'avery' sticker, so that I can archive them after the chapter is done. Right now the pages of previous issues are all over the place and in pieces.


While I try and ink the page to the best of my abilities, I don't care about it being a perfect 'work of art' that I'll sell some day. Who cares. I always say that 'the page you read in the book is the final page'.

Anyway, I don't worry about imperfections during inking. I fix all the 'daggy bits' on the computer after I've scanned it in.


... and here's a low-resolution of the finished page before i polish all the rough edges off on the computer. Now, now this is all you're getting for now... I still want you to buy the actual book you know. - :)


Oh, and I finally got to try out my new refillable brush pen. I can't really ink with a brush well. I'm a nib man myself, but I do use one (ever so carefully) when I need a really thick line. But the baby in the photo above (although crappy for proper detailed work) is perfect for filling in all the black areas. It was only $10 and even came with 2 spare brush heads! It's a no-name asian brand... but it's the tits!

-Bobby.N

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And the final page - though I'm tussling between two mindsets...

In the page above, I like how the text boxes stand out slightly with the grey around them (better reading), but the artwork tends to suffer as a result.

... whereas limiting the greys makes the readability suffer.

But I'll leave this problem for now... as I've found it's best to get straight onto the next page (not waste time) and come back at a later date with fresh eyes.

-Bobby.N

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The inked page.

-Bobby.N

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Next I scan in the sketches that I think worked (from the previous 'free sketching' phase), and lay them out (in low resolution) on the computer scaled up to as big as I can go on an A4 sheet of paper. I use this same template for all pages done to this particular four-panel 'grid' layout. This way, the final pages (in the book format) have the same line weight throughout.

I use this basic page as the underlay... which means I tape this under my final drawing card and begind lightly tracing it in blue pencil on my lightbox. After this I switch off the lightbox and tighten up the pencil more. Note that I pay attention to not only the images, but also the words. That's actually the thing that your pictures should work around.... so the final page sits comfortably together and reads easily. It is a story, remember.

Now the page is ready for inking.

-Bobby.N

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Then when I've figured out which thumbnailed panels work best, I begin sketching them in more detail with blue pencil in my sketchbook. Just creative free sketching. No pressure... just fun.


-Bobby.N

• -

I wasn't sure I was even up to going into the 9-5 day job today as I have a sandpaper sore throat, an aweful headcold and my voice sounds like Barry White's (which isn't a bad thing).

As Kris Kristofferson so eloquently put it in the movie BLADE-2... I feel "like hammered shit."

But I've gotten into a routine lately where I start feeling 'antsy' if I don't work on my books each day. Even if it's for half an hour. So, at lunchtime I went down to the local library and thumbnailed some sequences for the next issue with a blue pencil in one hand and a tissue in the other. I figure if I can kick my ass into getting work done in this condition, then I have no excuse when I'm feeling 100%... Oh, the mindgames of a delusional comic book author. They'll be fitting me for a white straight-jacket any day now.

I really enjoy thumbnailing. Throwing up different camera angles in my head and seeing what kinds of interesting framed shots I can get to communicate what's going on.

I tend to outline the best ones in black marker (as you can see above).

-Bobby.N

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Review 1.
From the West Australian newspaper:

"A beautiful example of the cartoonist’s art where a picture really does speak a thousand words."

Read the whole review here.

Review 2.
From Tom Spugeon's The Comics Reporter:

"Bobby.N draws like several recognizable alternative cartoonists: his house would not out look out of place on a street where Richard Tommaso, Mike Dawson, Dave Sim, Joe Sacco and especially Dave Cooper had their homes. Like some of the best second generation alt-comics work in the U.S., the serial "Oxygen" processes its science fiction through an autobiographical comics template: spying on the neighbors, remembering strange moments from the past, dreamscapes. A lot will depend on the reveal, if the story holds our interest when more of its cards are on the table."

Read the whole review here.

Review 3.
From Kris Bather's Comic Book Jesus:

"...His work as a graphic designer shines through every page, making the most of the limited page space with superb pacing, great characterisation with few lines and a mastery of black and white art."

Read the whole review here.


-Bobby.N

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Brendan Halyday organised a mini-meet just before the first regular one (06-Feb-2010) for all the comic nuts that just couldn't wait that long. It was a small cosy gathering of about 8-10 people.



Colin Wilson giving some drawing tips. People would pay big bucks for what i witnessed.


Brendan (in the middle) brought along a big (heavy) box of graphic novels to sell. Some very nice pick ups. I picked up 2 Jason books ('Why are you doing this' and 'The left bank gang') for $13 bucks a pop.

I thought it was a novel idea. Brendan needed to make some room at home, and we got to pick up some mint condition books. A win-win. So I thought I'd bring a few books along to the next meet too. In fact, I invite others to come and sell the books they don't have room for also.

Great idea Brendan. A good time was had by all.

Come along to the next meetup:

[06.02.10]
Prince Alfred Hotel
191 Grattan St, Carlton, VIC
2pm - 6pm

... have a drink, and rummage through the books that will be on offer.

-Bobby.N

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I've been meaning to give my website some botox for a while, and during the holidays I finally got it done. All updated with a new book, and a few new illustrations.

Visit the new site by clicking here.

Whew... that's one thing off the checklist. Now onto others which involve pen-to-paper. Happy new year, and let's get onto making more good comics in 2010!

-Bobby.N

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Cardigan comics' book launches are THE book launches of the year. If you're a comic publisher, and you're thinking about launching your title... make sure it's as FAR away from the date of a TANGO launch as possible, because these shin-digs are jaw dropping. You don't stand a chance.


Two massive anthologies were launched on the night. THE TANGO COLLECTION published by Allen & Unwin, and TANGO-9 (Love & War) published by Cardigan Comics.

The night was fantastic. Good friends, and great books. The new TANGO-9 was the standout for me. Perfect dimensions & 300+ pages. It was nice and chunky. All the organisers/publishers outdid themselves. Guests couldn't praise the night and books enough... just take a look at some of the pics I took on the night.


Where ever I pointed my camera... it was packed.


Very swish.


In the main gallery area, groups were congregating.


It did heat up, but we were all having too much fun to care.


I see you Jen.


The only creator taller than Bruce & myself... the talented Mr Scmidt.




Mr Caleo giving his eloquent and charged speeches to launch the books.


Just take a look at that crowd!!
Click on the image above to see a larger panorama shot.


A parting gift from the mysterious publisher. A magazine to be launched in the near future. What will be inside... who knows? But I'm waiting with baited breath.

-Bobby.N

• -

What a great day.

I slept until 10.30am. Everything was in relaxed slow-motion. I leisurely made my way out of the house, drove onto the freeway, and headed towards Footscray to visit my favorite art shop (on Buckley St). After picking up a few supplies, I drove toward the city with all the car windows down as the sun warmed my right forearm.

After dicking around some stores, I headed to Minotaur bookshop to see what was new on the comic book shelves. I bought two books. One let down, and one absolute GEM.


The gem was Dave McKean's re-release of PICTURES THAT TICK (book-1). Dave's at the top of my tree as a comic creator and illustrator. The book is wonderful. Even though Dave experiments with different styles... he's always trying to express ideas. That's why he's one of the standouts to me. Skillful and courageous enough to put down on paper exactly what he intends... in a marvelous style. Get it.


The 'dud' book (in my opinion) was Tom Gould's THE GIGANTIC ROBOT. To be fair to Tom though, I wouldn't have felt so duped (let alone bought the book at all), if Minotaur didn't have the rediculous policy of plastic-sealing every book on the shelves. Unless you already know what's inside, it really does become a crap-shoot that ends up killing that childhood joy of discovery. I realize that I can bring books to the counter and have the clerk open them for me to peruse, but when the store is busy, and there's a long queue... you just don't bother.

But from now on, I will. Sorry to all the people I'll be holding up in the line, but that's the last time I waste my money on comics.

On a brighter note... in the store I bumped into comics creators Bruce Mutard, Jason Franks, and Nicholas Hunter (who came down from Sydney). Like me, others tend to duck into the store just before the meetup.

And eventually we made our way down to the last meetup of 2009. It was, again, an awesome turnout.





Jason with his mate... a drink... (of Coke he tells me.)


The writers were on one side of the table, and the illustrators on the other. We threw wads of screwed up paper, and they hurled words of abuse.


Panorama shot courtesy of THE Colin Wilson. See if you can spot 'Waldo'.

Next meetup is on the first Saturday of FEB-2010.
See you all then.

-Bobby.N