Roberto Macedo Alves

Colleen Doran sent me a link to a comicbookresources.com forum thread, where they are talking about a new project, Grim Furry Tales.

Apparently, this will be something fun, and there are several talented artists interested in participate.

The Concept:

Every fairy tale is colored by those who read it. The writer just provides the tools to create it.

The How:

I provide a list of short stories for the artist to choose from. The artist then reads the story and draws what comes to mind from it based in the GFT setting.

The Purpose:

Website content and possible publishing in various formats.

Questions

Q: What is GFT?

A: GFT stands for Grim Furry Tales, it is a play on Grimm Fairy Tales of course.

Q: Wasn’t there a Grim Furry Tales before?

A: Not exactly, there was a Grimm’s Furry Tails which was a spin off from Mother Goose and Grimm created by Mike Peters. GFT is in no way related to the works of Mike Peters.

Q: Well then what is GFT about?

A: GFT is about a boy named Thomas who inherits a book that reveals the stories of a girl named Laurel and her brother Ronnie as they unfold. It follows her as she discovers a chest locked away in her attic containing a very old secret. This secret being the Avatars of Dreaming, which happen to look like animated stuffed animals. She quickly becomes friends with them having many adventures all the while Thomas wishes he could do more then read about it.

Q: What is the age group focus?

A: I am looking at 12 and up.

Q: What is your inspiration?

A: Most of it comes from classic fairy tales. I don’t mean the Disney version where the little mermaid marries the prince. I am talking about the one where the mermaid is forced to choose between killing the prince or letting herself die. Or one where the evil step sisters’ eyes are pecked out by crows. This is where I got my inspiration, the true classics.

Q: So this is Gothic?

A: I really don’t care for the way the word is used these days, but if you mean in the older sense, yes.

Q: If you publish when will it happen?

A: Megacon 2009 is the hopeful date depending on how fast we can bring this all together.

Q: How long will the story be?

A: Around 300 to 3000 words.

Q: Will the stories come together or are they standalone?

A: Each one is a standalone piece with reoccurring characters. Some stories are directly influence by a few old style fairy tales, others are completely original pieces.

This was my initial sample – to see if they approved my participation on the Project:

And if you are interested, you can also participate. Just join the comicbookresources.com forums, and tell the organizers you are interested in being part of this project! It really sounds fun!

Well… this weekend I continued my studying of Michelangelo, while feeling the stinging pain from the stitches.

As I am not in a talkative mood today (or a typative mood, for that matter), here is a sketchbook dump of all my watercolored Michelangelo stuff. Still based on the same sketches I talked about here and here.

And for something completely different, here are the results of a Personality Test, from a link Colleen Doran recommended, and it gave me curious, yet predictable results: 90% Anti-authority, 83% Sexuality, 90% Artistic and 90% need to dominate. Curious.

Ocasionally, I like to grab my old issues and reread them. And there is something strange about that. Each comic is special in its own way. For each comic on my collection, I remember when it was bought, what was I doing when I bought it. Each comic is treasured and very special, and ocasionally is fun to talk about that.

So, as the memories of the Colleen Doran visit to Funchal are still fresh, I decided to start this with The Amazing Spider-Man 326, the comic where I first saw Colleen’s artwork.

Actually, it was the brazilian translation: O Homem-Aranha 122. It was the beginning of the Acts of Vengeance crossover. I remember distinctly reading it on the subway (Metro) while going to the Amoreiras Shopping Center. And the the detailed artwork, and the realistic way everyone was dressed. And the strange empty green wall between Mary Jane and the yellow caption.

Only years later, when I got a back issue of the original issue (I talked about that here), I discovered that most of the text was cut for the portuguese version, as it can be seen on these scans. Much information cut on the portuguese version? Even half of the music notes are gone!

I really liked that issue. Colleen drew the prettiest Mary Jane I’ve ever seen! Even prettier than the John Romita version, so sweet and pretty. “This lady should be the regular artist on Spider-Man”, I said to myself. The action scenes were great, there were lots of backgrounds and solid storytelling. All the locations (streets, cars, houses) were very believable, and everyone was dressing in a very fashionable way, very realistic, not just with generic “pants and shirt” or whatever. And there were some memorable bits of storytelling, like these priceless 4 panels with Peter Parker. His body language and expression changing from bored to shocked with that slight delay when he sees the Bugle Building floating is really something memorable.

It was something really different, even without knowing much about storytelling (I guess I should be 17 or 18 when I first read the issue) I really thought it was a solid work. And hoped she ended as the regular artist.

I spent hours reading that story, noticeing all the tiny details, the candles, the curtains, the clothing, the very nice non-agressive expression of everyone. That’s why Erik Larsen work on the next

issue, was a little bit of a shock. Where were the detailed backgrounds? And the depth? The perspective?

All those aggressive lines and angles all over… and worse of all, I really really hated the way he drew Mary Jane, like an inflatable sex doll that got dressed like something out of “Taxi Driver“.

I missed the believable apartment the Parkers were living, and the realistic clothes everyone was dressing. I hated that pointy chin on Mary Jane and those boots, how did she put those on? Or the different eyebrow sizes on Peter. Not that I don’t like Erik Larsen’s art – it was just the initial shock!

Some issues later, I got used to it, but I always imagined “what if“…

In the following years, I continued buying the comics Colleen drew (Valor, Silver Surfer, Sandman, A Distant Soil…) and I even have some pages of her original art in my collection. This year, I had the privilege of having her as our guest for our Book Fair, and we could spend hours talking (most of the time until 2 AM) and she taught me a LOT about drawing and comics and storytelling, really inspring me to try to do something else beyond the usual watercolor panels for some Art Exhibits. We had such a wonderful time, lots of witty conversation, nice, intelligent jokes – and I am glad to know Colleen now has a copy of the portuguese translation too!

I am so happy! Colleen Doran Rules! We all may bow and exult!

For something completely different, I just decided to try some “non-thinking” quicksketches. Trying to forget about structure, let just the lines go (without taking the pencil form the paper at any time) and just look at the shapes and lines and contours. Trying to close my analytical mind – I decided to try this just following a conversation I had with Colleen Doran while she was here in Madeira. Just trying to let the linework more fluid.

Lots of quicksketches done today, from photos, from tv, from live models, from magazines… trying to think in terms of shapes and lines (and not really objects) – just my first step to try different stuff with watercolors.

Here is one quicksketch:

Here is another:

I am writing this lines minutes after leaving Colleen Doran at Funchal Airport, making sure everything is ok so she can return to the USA and back to work.

Now, one more book fair has concluded. But this one was definitely the best EVER. We had two really fantastic guests (and my gratitude to the organizers of the Book Fair and the “Funchal 500 anos” organization will be forever on Display).

The visit of our delightful guests this year, has been one of the most wonderful memories and experiences to me. Ever. This has been really really unforgettable.

Our fist guest was renowned national author  José Carlos Fernandes, and we did a presentation session of his latest book “O que está escrito nas Estrelas” (what is written on the stars) – and he did lots of signings, including one for me that included for the first time, the Constellation of the Rhino:

Our second guest of this book fair was an unforgettable delight. After knowing her work since the early nineties, I finally had the pleasure of meeting personally the wonderful Colleen Doran, who shared her insightful advise with the local comic fans, she was with us for the “12 Hour Comics Day” and did also lots of book signings. The best seller of the fair was actually her series of books “A DISTANT SOIL” (if someone never read it, I strongly suggest they should!) and all the books she signed included lovely sketches. All fan loved her visit, I had the marvelous experience of talking with her for HOURS about everything, from Opera to Comics to Books to Harlan Ellison – and I have to admit that few things are sweeter than having Colleen calling me “my buddy”

Actually, I don’t know if I have words to say how important that visit was, or how wonderful a person Colleen is. I learned a lot, laughed a lot, and now I see what Neil Gaiman meant when he was saying on his blog that she has the most “delicious dirty laugh”. He is absolutely right. I will be forever glad that she accepted our invitation to visit us.

Thank you so much, Colleen! These were really really 10 wonderful days. It was really an honor to be a host to a guest so graceful and nice as you!

And finally, I also received on the mail, the latest Chuck Palahniuk book, signed by the author, with one of the most strange dedications I ever received on a book:

I won’t confirm or deny anything. And certainly I won’t be forgetting this book fair anytime soon!

This year, the city of Funchal celebrates its 500th anniversary! Among the celebrations for this year, comic book art has a special relevance – reaching its climax at the book fair.

This year, we have a very important guest: Colleen Doran, acclaimed comic author, well-known from her work in series like “A DISTANT SOIL” or “SANDMAN” or “AMAZING SPIDER-MAN” or “MUTANT X” or “VALOR” or “BOOK OF LOST SOULS”. She will be here with us not only as a guest for our book fair, but also to participate in a big “art installation project”.

(photo from Wikipedia)

So, this year local comic creators from Funchal (Raffa Botta, João Barradas, Joana Freitas, Dércio Pereira, Martinho Abreu, Nana, Luísa Freitas, Deco, Débora Corte, Roberto Macedo Alves) will be painting a huge art project over metal sheets, painting in comic book form the history of Funchal, the city that is celebrating its 500th Anniversary.

Here is the information (some details are still awaiting confirmation) regarding the visit of Colleen and the Book fair:

May 20th, Tuesday:

• We will begin the “Urban Art project”: We will paint in several metal sheets used to cover construction sites, so, the art will be movable and available all around the city every time a construction is needed, displaying our comic artwork and turning the city into a permanent comic installation. That would be the main idea, more than a mural, but a set of panels, with historical information in comic book form that would circulate among the city every time there is a construction site needing to be covered. Raffa Botta, Roberto Macedo Alves and Colleen Doran are confirmed for that day.
• Drawing workshop at the “Quinta da Ribeira” with Colleen Doran (in the end of the day).

May 21st, Wednesday:

• We will continue the “urban art project”, with some of our most talented local creators. There will be a video coverage to be shown on youtube of the evolution of this project.

May 22nd, Thursday:

• Opening of the Book Fair.
• Autograph session with Colleen Doran.
• Beginning of the “Painting over cloth Cadavre Esqui Comic Experience” with local comic creators.
• Drawing workshop at the “Quinta da Ribeira” with Colleen Doran (in the end of the day).

May 23rd, Friday:

• We will continue the “urban art project”, for the public of the fair.
• Autograph session with Colleen Doran.

May 24th, Saturday:

• Arrival of one of our most important National creators (José Carlos Fernandes).
• Panel about “WORKING METHODS” in comics. How do our admired artists create comics, where do they get their inspiration from, ideas, and all that. Not really something boring or long, but more of an informal chat with the fans.
• Autograph session with Colleen Doran and José Carlos Fernandes.

May 25th, Sunday:

• COSPLAY! For the first time ever here in the island we are organizing a cosplay contest!
• Drawing sessions with our talented Cosplay Girls.

This information may still be updated in the near future, but as soon as I set days and hours, everything will be posted in this blog. Here is the link to follow the latest news: blog.setimadimensao.com