The above picture is a quickie sketch from my sketchbook, featuring the characters from Zita the Spacegirl.
I normally don't do book reviews and the like on this blog... but Zita was the first graphic novel/comic book I've ever read, and I think it deserves special attention! :)
(I know, I know. I'm 16 and just now reading my first graphic novel?! Blame it on being a bookworm in a very bookwormish family-- and having no idea where comic books are in the library.)
We get many Catholic publications, and Ben Hatke's art kept popping up. Then I disovered that he illustrated a book for his neighbor-- who just so happens to be one of my all-time favorite authors, Regina Doman. I really liked his cheerful style, so I Googled him and for the past year have been following his blog.
Oh yeah, when I heard that he is a fellow unicyclist... there was no way I was not following his blog. (He also does other crazy things like fire-breathing and juggling, which I totally need to learn).
On his blog, Mr. Hatke called this picture "Stargazing." Funny side note: I cracked up laughing because at our Taekwando classes, Stargazing is what you get to do if your team wins a game (like Form races). The winners get to lay and "look at the stars" while the losers have to do push up and all sorts of other creative tortures. |
Back to Zita...
It's a sweet little story, if slightly cliche in a lovable sense of the word (yes, Zita gets sucked into a portal and is stuck on a planet that is about to be hit by an asteroid, and all the while she is on a mission to save her friend from aliens). However, the characters are very memorable. Aside from spunky Zita, my favorite character has got to be Mouse.
He "talks" by shooting little peices of paper out of a small device around his neck.
Side note: Zita is based off of Mr. Hatke's little girl. Isn't that sweet?
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Ben Hatke's work has always been inspirational for me. I love it when we get new books or publications (like "Once Upon a Time Saints" or "Gilbert Magazine"), and I recognize his art! He's got a great style. I'm going off on a tangent now, but I really, really want to know his secret to drawing such a specific style, so that I can automatically reconize something as his art.
I can never seem to get a specific style. :P I'm like a chameleon artist.
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| Latest page from my sketchbook, lots of random sketches in pen |
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Well, that's all for now, peeps! Thanks for being patient while our computer is non-functioning. Art, jewelry, crafts, tutorials, and photography will be coming... someday soon. :)