how will they see him?

he's only 3, & i'm already afraid of what the world might do to him.

how will the world see him when he turns into a skinny 12 yr old?

  will they know he enjoys the hell out of breakfast foods? especially bacon.

or when he turns 17 & is on the cusp manhood... 

 

will they see he likes batman & street fighter x tekken? 

or when he turns 21 & is ready to forge his own path...  

will they see him as potential to change the world & help others?

or as a threat?

allergies & bracelets

for most of my life, say about 25+ yrs, i've lived in the same city. every spring & fall the trees explode w/ pollen & send out their tiny yellow dust into the air to coat the cars & make people miserable w/ allergies.  i was among the few who could walk around boasting i wasn't allergic to ANYTHING.  my lil sis can't wear anything other than gold or else her skin breaks out, & she & my father get the itchy/watery eyes & runny/stuffy noses during allergy season(s).  but no, not me.  i was unscathed...

...until now.

what is it about having a baby that throws your entire body out of whack?  it's like after i had the boy, my hips pop like some1 banged a baseball bat against a tree.  my rosacea turned full blown to where i have to take Rx to keep my face under control & normal looking.  & now the allergies.  my faithful body, after 25+ yrs of fighting the good fight against foreign invaders just decided to give up.  it just laid down & said, "nope, no more, janet.  you're gonna have to suffer like every1 else."

:(

so i had to visit the doc to get a sinus cocktail shot & MORE Rx to just function normally w/out my nose running/sneezing or my head feeling like it's in a fishbowl.  sucks.  very.  much.

pth.  ok, i'm done ranting about that.  now onto other things!  like bracelets!  <~~nice segue, yes?

so to get to know me further, because i know you wanna stalk me (*shifty eyes*), i'll give you a rundown of some of the things i do (or would rather do) when i have the time:

• draw!!!
• vector art!!!
• work on comic book stuff!!!
• write
• scrapbook
• sleep
• take pix
• make jewelry

& the last is what i've really been getting into this past yr.  even though i don't wear a lot of jewelry, i like making jewelry.  specifically jewelry that have themes to them.  take a gander...

"her majesty"- SOLD!

"her majesty" (detail) - SOLD!

"string of black" - SOLD!

"string of black" (detail) -SOLD!

"gathering of crucifixes" - $12

"gathering of crucifixes" (detail) -$12

"all you need is love" silvertone charm bracelet - $15.00

"all you need is love" (detail) - $12

"ooh lala! - SOLD!

"ooh la la!" (detail) - SOLD!

"spring green" - $15

"spring green" (detail) - $15

go, power rangers go go gooooo!!!

i don't know what i'm gonna do w/ myself this weekend.  the hubby will be in lexington, ky for a comic book & toy convention...& because of my non-art related job, i'll be here.  working.  do non-art related stuff.  :(  i'll just have to keep my mind off his absence by working hard & sleeping away the pain.  *siiiiiigh*  well, if you read this & will be attending the con, drop by the MAW Production's booth & pick up a few Jetta books, some Muley prints, & maybe even a green power ranger print.

& tell Martheus his wife says, "I MISS YOUUUUUU!!!"

go go, power rangers!  green ranger print by martheus wade.  i laid down flats.  :)

it's NOT tracing!!!

got to post a "how to" of sorts on the fine art of inking on MAW Production's blog.  here's my imput...

Inking for Comics with Janet "saltygirl" Stone Wade

How did you get started inking?

It was in the pre-nup. Martheus said he wouldn’t marry me unless I SWORE my allegiance to MAW Productions and to ink the Jetta books.

My first foray into inking was clumsy. I used one sized nib (if you can call it a nib) on everything: a fine point sharpie. And when Martheus said I could use whiteout if I need to, I took that as “Sure, you can ink this page blindfolded if you want. Whatever. No need to stay in lines! Here’s a bucket of whiteout. Use it with abandon!” Looking back, I think he had a mini-stroke when I gave him his pages back and he saw how I mutilated it with sharpie and whiteout. I’m really surprised he wanted me to continue inking his stuff.

*ahem*

I’ve gotten a lot better since then.

What do you feel your inking brings to the artwork?

Hopefully, it makes already awesome pencils POP! I mean, I love raw, rough pencil sketches. It’s almost like seeing the artist’s thought process in those. But laying inks down solidifies that thought. It’s the point of no return, no looking back, no more erasing nor editing.

How do you feel about digital vs. traditional inking?
I personally like traditional inking. It’s always a challenge to bring out the best in pencils when you lay inks onto paper. And it’s also a challenge to not mess up hahaha!


With digital inking, I feel a separation between me and the work. I don’t know, might be because it’s on screen and I never actually touch the work. Also, I haven’t had enough practice with the digital inks yet.

What are your tools of the trade?

Sakura, Copics, Microns, Sharpies (I’m not picky) with various nibs for detailed work. Sometimes I get fancy and do it with brushes and india ink for bigger areas. Sometimes, I said. I like how a nib gives me more control over a brush. But I do like how a brush can give such great line variation…hmmm…

Got my tools ready. About to begin...

What is your inking process? This question is step by step.

I just want to say that inking is NOT tracing. Tracing implies following exactly the established pencils without using any of your congnative skills to go over what someone else has already done. When you ink, you enhance the pencils set before you. Jim Lee is an awesome artist, but he would be in big trouble without his inker. Alright, rant over.

This is for traditional inking…

When I get a page, I first take a look at it and evaluate it. Are there large, solid areas of black? Mark those w/ X’s. What’s in the foreground vs. the background? Are there details to pay close attention to? What is important on the page?

Thick outlines and large areas of black established.

Follow up with finer details.

Now to ink. Of course, objects in the background get smaller line work as opposed to things up close. Distance = small, thin lines. Up close = thicker, more bold lines. Sometimes it’s ok to put a halo around an object that’s in the foreground to separate it more from the background. Or maybe you want the foreground object to bleed into the dark background. This all depends on your personal style, too, so you may opt out of the halo thing.

Finer lines for background stuff.

Also, pay attention to curves. On something organic, like hair, a line will taper at the end, so watch the pressure you apply with the pen. If an object has a bow or bend to it, the bend is thicker than the ends. It’s also important to note that an object’s outline will be thicker than the details within, so use a smaller nib when tackling those.


I’m a sucker for people. Maybe I should reword that… If given the option, I’d choose to ink only the characters and leave the inanimate objects and background in pencils. Haha! Who’s lazy? This gal, right here. Nah, but seriously, I like to ink people first, specifically faces, starting with the eyes of a character. Then I work my way out to the body outline, then the details within. Then I tackle the background (ugh!) with the same method: outlines first, details within next. And finally I ink the large solid areas of black which I’ve already marked with X’s. I ink those areas last because I feel I can finally relax after concentrating on a lot of detailed lines.

Then, when all’s done, I take a trusty straight edge and do the panel borders.

Theeeee ennnddd!

a little help?

alrighty.  i've made a custom header w/ the faux-toshop program i have @ work.  i want to put it in the blog but can't seem to find out where to upload it or how to even replace the generic blog header w/ it.

i signed

that post from two weeks ago about a new potential opportunity for me?  yeah, i signed the contract.  i am now an artist for thepspproject.com.

PRESS RELEASE - Jetta: Beginnings digital collection

This May, Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa makes its way to Action Lab Entertainment!!!

Martheus Wade’s Jetta Gets Collected By Action Lab! | Action Lab Comics

She is the only warrior powerful enough to save the world from the wrath of the Knave, a demonic samurai army led by her father, Terminus. Although Shianndrea longs for a normal life away from the weight of her destiny, she is hunted at every turn.

Action Lab Entertainment is proud to present Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa as a digital exclusive comic, available in Nook, iOS, Android, Kobo, Kindle, Graphicly and additional formats in Mid-May.

Created by Martheus Wade and optioned for a motion picture, “Beginnings” will be the first in a series of Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa digital omnibus collections to be released over the next two years. “Beginnings” collects Jetta – Last Chances (first published in 2003) and Jetta – Crucible (first published in 2009) into one 120 page full color graphic novel.

With all new story additions, art and ending commentary, "Beginnings" brings an entirely new reading experience to these exciting books and provides an excellent jumping on point for new readers who have always wanted to check out one of the most popular female characters in independent comics.

Check out Action Lab Comics for more details.

Additional previews to come soon. Get ready for Jetta!

aww HELL yeah!  wooHOO!  sooooo happy i finally get to post this.  :D

frotastic

"frotastic"
method(s): adobe illustrator

finished this just last night.  but guess when i started it?  i think back in 2009.  just this past week i was motivated to finish it.  wow, i swear those pregnancy hormones made me not want to do ANYTHING except eat & sleep.  :/  2yrs should be long enough to get them out of my system, right?

she's a happy, purple, rockin gal, ain't she? lost in dance & music. a star in her own head.

"frotastic" is 3rd in a series of sorts.  she goes along w/ these 2 gals...

"red splash"
method(s):  adobe illustrator

"blond salsa"
method(s): adobe illustrator

           

i don't know what the series is called.  "dancing, splashing ladies" series?  *shrugs*