metafold.:.currency

flight________4 January, 2011

hey, good kids. i’m not sure how many folks i’ve missed telling, but my time in houston–for the moment–is at a close. i left on 13 december, quite possibly never to return. it was an emotional moment–and i’m only being a little sarcastic. after living there on and off for six years, the south (or texas, anyway) has become a second home. it was weird to drive out on the ringroads and arterials and to see the shooting ranges and xxx stores and the gaptoothed lots peeling away like some kind of dermis to the eastern seaboard. this time i drove alone. it sounds like 1700 miles on your own in a car would be a nightmare, but i actually find myself missing it. despite taking what i consider to be the less scenic route through georgia and the carolinas (rather than tennessee and the skyline drive), there were some moments that were irreplaceable. mississippi’s highways at ten pm are almost totally empty and by the time you’re edging into alabama, it’s just you and two lanes hemmed in by the tall, tall trees. getting off the highway into the backcountry of southern virginia was probably the biggest highlight–it’s hilly and still verdant in winter. the perfect place for listening to some reimagined folksongs.

but before i knew it, i was back in new jersey. the sky is its customary white tinged with blue here most of the time. and, after some celebrations with the family, i’m steeped to head out again. this time it’s paris i’m going to. i’m nervous, but also really excited. my french could use a lot of work, but it was coming to me pretty quickly in the classroom–hopefully the city will be even easier. i’ll be there until may. so if you need to get in touch with me, shoot me an email or keep your eyes open for upcoming info on skype-ness. i’ll have my phone there, but it’s still not clear if it’ll work and/or how much i’ll be using it. i’ll still try and update this site every week or two, of course. and until then, here’s a little watercolor work to keep you sated–these went out as gifts to various people but were also technique experiments for upcoming comics.

metabolism, revision one________3 October, 2010

well, i guess the big news is that the first draft of the second graphic novel (metabolism) is finished!  as of right now, there’s a bit of concept art, but it’s mostly just writing.  lots and lots of writing.  currently, it stands at about 30,000 words (and it might need to be as much as twice as long in the final reckoning).  like any first draft, it’s destined to be heavily rewritten and edited, i’m sure. the synopsis, in brief, is this:

a young woman, living in the shadow spectacularly accomplished parents is forced into the role of their caretaker.  in trying to distance herself from their problems of the present, she inadvertently unearths the ghosts of their past.

sounds exciting, right? anyway, if you’re interested in reading it, you should shoot me an email (hellofold at gmail dot com).  in other news, i went to some parties and stuff.  i played soccer (and took some pictures of it).  i’m also working on the design problem for the semester, of course, but i’m not sure it’s gotten to a point that it’s worth sharing my progress. or i’m just too lazy to jump through all the file-format-converting hoops!  hope you’re all fantastic.

there’s another thing than what’s at hand________21 September, 2010

i promised myself i’d be writing graphic novel as of four minutes ago, so please just take a look at a few sketchbook scans and enjoy.  this is what goes in my architecture notebook, apparently.  about 1.5 million blind contour drawings and incomprehensible notes on low-flush toilets.  good times.  i’ll be uploading some model photos in the none-too-distant future.  cheers!

ink on ink: semeurge commission art________14 July, 2010

this was from ages ago, but it’s still kinda cool.  it was a commission for an anonymous, rather generous donor to the ethan-makes-a-comic-book-fund.  which is still very sickly weaksauce.