It is INKTOBER time again!

I have been so sick, with the Hashimoto's, my vacation in Jamaica with mom, and trying to enjoy my birthday in September, that a longtime tweep had to remind me this blog hasn't been updated since August! So let me do a rundown of what I've been up to:
1. My "Summer to Winter" graphic novel is finally fully-forming. I'm drafting pieces that I later upload to Instagram that gets very positive feedback.
2. I've been chatting and lamenting in private chat with fellow writers.
3. I cosplayed and attended my first convention in a good long while.
4. I'm trying to research whether to host comics or send out to markets.
5. Re-evaluating what I'm doing for 2020.
6. Caught some kind of flu virus that didn't make me feel like I was going to be dead.
7. I completed the second story to my Scifi series! It follows after 'The Human Network', which is still available through Kyanite Publishing, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.com (all links and their details are available on my other blog: The Angry Goblin on WordPress).
8. Another guild member and friend beta-read it and I made changes.
9. I'm also doing Inktober 2019, and I'm actually following the prompts this year! As soon as you finish this post, you can hop over to my Instagram: handdrawnbycarmenjr. Also, you can get a sneak-peek of my graphic novel in progress!

And now that things seemed to have returned to my kind of normal, I'll be blogging again.

Until next time, Dear Readers, be kind to yourselves and unwind.

When Artwork Imitates Writing

Just completed a draft sketch of my feline witch characters and it made the gears start turning again for my story.

I did what is called a 'gesture drawing' and it's when the artist draws a person or people quickly but in a dynamic way.

I started saving my art references not just in Google but as screenshots on my phone so, in case the internet is down, I can have easier access.

Drawing, sketching, drafting calms me but also makes me closer to my characters. Once I have a visual on them, questions occur, personalities start to become real, and I learn new things about them.

If you want to see my work-in-progress, you can hop over to my 'secret account' on Instagram: handdrawnbycarmenjr

And the beat goes on...

I finally uploaded all three documents to a cloud, merged the three (thesis, NaNoWriMo content, & the typing I did before, during & in between), and am doing the laborious process of formatting to an adaptable font so it can cross over to my desktop. All of this possible (so far!) on my Chromebook. I want to download to desktop this weekend. I won't take the chance of the new draft being entirely on a cloud. Must download quickly to its USB.

Another revised sketch

"Slash" & Stacey in each other's arms (c) Carmen Welsh

Here is my story couple. Wanted to give the image a sense of those love scenes from 30s films. I updated my female protagonist's features and her hair. She got a "permanent wave" as they called processed hair then. Like how my male protagonist did not vary much.

In Summer/Fall Chic circa 1932 (REVISED & ORIGINAL SKETCH)

"Summer/Fall chic" by Carmen K. Welsh

I originally posted this on Dec. 21, 2011. (Orig. 5 1/2in x 8 1/2in.)

For those following the blog, there has been a series of pencil sketches (and I apologize, some have been so faint) pulled from the work-in-progress.

When updating, realized I was fresh off reading and reviewing popular1920s/1930s art movements, such as Art Deco.
Art in this period, was highly exaggerated, and with very angular, bold lines.
(Just check out Dagwood Bumstead from the "Blondie"(r) comic strips!)

This kind of caricature was also used often to portray celebrities and politicians in the glossy magazines of the time.

And the update (9in x 12in):

Another character...

Ok, so here's the BIG secret, although, if you're following me on social media, you may have already guessed it: I GOT INTO GRAD SCHOOL! Why is this important? Well, it's in Creative Writing, and since I get to submit drafts, read tons of stories, and rewrite projects I'm currently working on, this degree program is right up my alley!

Now, on with the show...

My male protagonist's father.
Like all else with this story, I am trying to multi-fold each character with a history, and not just for background sake, but with the intent that we are all woven into a fabric, and that each life is part of a tapestry.

"Antonio Di Castellan" by Carmen K. Welsh (c)

Take, for instance, Antonio's story - a native Italian, born ethnically a Gypsy, who later takes his inheritance to travel to the New World. His story is like millions, and this immigrant experience continues, wonderfully, to this day.

The history books gloss over things once a person steps off the boat, the ship, or the plane. Yet, luckily for writers, the story does not end there.

Here, I had creased the paper, to find it quickly in the sketchbook, and looking at the sketch, I now realize it almost resembles an Ellis Island photograph, so I'll keep the crease there.
This is a sketch that I will hopefully revise soon. I also studied Ellis Island pictures so that I could get the sense of what a man, recently from Italy, in the 1890s - 1900s, would wear.

I also added the earring because many Romany men do wear jewelry proudly.

Notes from the sketchbook

The post topic is originally from my notes in sketchbook, but first, a bit of news...

The FIRST DRAFT IS FINISHED! IT'S DONE! FINITOOO!!

Now that I got that off my chest, the long haul to edit the second draft begins...
**********

Stacey and Slash may appear as an ordinary couple, I mean, they're both dogs, right?
However, remember what I am trying to state: they are interracial (one is Black and the other is Italian).

Nowadays, many interracial, inter-religious, as well as intercultural couples, are considered very common and everyday to many folks.

However, such pairings were highly unusual in the 1930s, and even quite dangerous for the pair involved!
There was once what were called 'Miscegenation Laws'.

State officials, as well as other authority figures, had taken it upon themselves to keep, not only their own race, 'pure', but made it unlawful for other types of interracial couplings: this meant NO Asian/Black, NO Black/Native American, NO Native American/Asian.

NO ONE, under penalty of law, could marry OUTSIDE their race.
Even if couples were legally married elsewhere, in certain states, such marriages were considered illegal.
Furthermore, children born in such unions were considered (I HATE this term when applied to people) 'illegitimate'!

During both of the characters' development, not only has each had to fight against society's ideas about who can develop a relationship with whom, but oftentimes, the person has had to fight cultural standards, expectations, and identities.

With Slash, he struggles with his ethnic group's ideas of masculinity as well as how he must behave.
This is both within the gang subculture he has spent much of his adult life, but also the broader, wider culture he originates from.

With Stacey, she struggles with her working life, and with a society that has historically hampered, impeded, and hemmed in Blacks.
Throughout the story, she is underestimated, ridiculed, and misrepresented, by a society's need to separate the black individual from the post-modern world.

"I'm SO sorry!"

"I'm SO sorry!" 1st draft

"I'm SO sorry!" final draft

Here are two renderings of the same scene. The chapter this scene originates has already been drafted. 

Here, Stacey Hankin is looking for her friend, 'Slash', who, after being left for dead, the young woman found help for him. 

When he's mostly recovered, he disappears, leaving his forwarding address with their mutual new friend.

Stacey goes looking for him, and finds him recovering in his family house.

However, when she is led to him, he's sleeping and wakes up shirtless. Stacey is embarrassed enough to quickly turn away, much to Gina Castellano's amusement.

Did more research in order to render the clothing on both women. Also, by Stacey's dress, it changes the day the scene originally took place. Now, I may make changes not only to the next draft, but also within the story. *Sigh* The life of a writer/artist.

What ideas make a story? Part 2

I'm reworking a short story within my cat epic fantasy milieu, so I'm excited by a lot of renewed interest in the Middle East and its past and present! *that's why I immensely enjoyed that documentary "Islamic Art: Mirror to an Invisible World" (2011)* 

Whatever misconceptions you have about the Middle East, drop them! If you love hearing about Middle Eastern cultures and how they have affected every level of modern society, watch this documentary! You don't have to be an art grad as I to appreciate BEAUTY and HISTORY.

Now, about the story..

**Please find and watch this documentary**

What ideas make a story?

I mentioned in last post about an awesome (most documentaries are!) documentary I recently viewed and a wonderful article about how a short story is borne in "bits and pieces".
*Check last post for documentary title and magazine issue/page*

"The Contract" (my childhood fascination with royal lines, and my distaste towards politics)

"I Guard the Gate" (my love for Ancient Egypt, angels and dimensional portals)

"White Ministrant" (my interest in Middle Eastern culture, modern and ancient. Also, my first foray into writing a creature-feature)

"Firefly Crown" (a continuation from "The Contract" story arc, or, far into the storylines' future as well as my first post love scene. I also feel this is a "Masterpiece Theatre" - Alistair Cooke hosting, but with cats)
Onto the next post..

Cat fantasy epic..part 2

I just finished a documentary on Islamic art called: "Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World" (2012).
It reflected Islamic art through the following countries: Egypt, Israel, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Iran, Spain, Mali and India.
I am also re-reading an article in The Writer Magazine called: "Making short stories from bits and pieces" by award-winning author, Linda McCullough Moore. (The Writer/August 2012/pg 28-29)

Why am I fascinated by ancient art that continues to beguile scholars and the world?

Why am I reading an article on the technique that got me published over the years in the first place?

There is an agreement I made with myself: when drafting a piece, I need to know what kind of information I will reach for to electrify my writing.

I can't remember exact influences and inspirations in that moment and time, but I try to give a snap statement to encapsulate what space the story means.
Here is a list of my published stories and what I state within parentheses.

"Su Ling" (after a Tang Dynasty short story and that particular form)

"The Merchant's Daughter" (social commentary and I wanted to write from a vendor's point of view)
Onto the next post...

Reworking cat epic fantasy...

Finally, a patchwork of short stories that I've wanted to use since I drafted them in 2004, I'm FINALLY working on.
What could stand on its own, I gave each a single document.
What was patchy and could be grouped together (i.e. Excerpts, scraps of dialogue, brief scenes and exposition), I gathered into a single doc.
I realized some of those created an original idea I could draft. Now it's about eight pages I can work with!

'Slash' with little girl

"Slash with little girl" (c)

This is a darling picture, but without giving away the plot, I can tell you I outlined the above scene.

Miss Francis as a young girl (circa 1923)

"Miss Francis as a young girl" (c)

This is my gangster's secretary, at age 13 or 14, I believe.

Man, I just love that little gem I discovered online: "Children's Fashions 1900-1950".

Miss Francis is about to enter her apartment building. In the scene where this image comes from, she will encounter her future employer.

I am studying Hester Street, an area famous for being predominately Jewish, with immigrants from many Eastern-European countries.

Isabella Spinoli

"Isabella Spinoli" (c) by Carmen K. Welsh

Someone noted that this character reminds them of those "Rosie the Riveter" WWII posters, and it makes sense.
She is no stranger to hard work: as a young child, she labored in the factories during the 'Teens (circa 1913, 1914, and 1915).

Isabella is my gangster's childhood friend. They grew up on the same block. Because of Slash's reputation and lifestyle, she does not keep in touch. However, when the gangster shows up again to do him the favor of checking out his young pal, Stacey Hankin, Isabella feels a new affection for him that he trusted and thought enough about her to such an important task.

"Gina" - Older vs. Younger

Here is my male protagonist's mother, the feisty Mrs. Gina! When I originally drafted her - before this sketch- I envisioned an elderly Italian woman in black with white lace. The more I wrote the story, the more I realized the character was anything but ordinary or typical! Gina is proud of the fact her husband was a Roma/Gypsy, as well as a wolf, and tries to instill that pride in their children.

I also realized that because Gina married her husband at such a young age, she is only middle-age and has grandchildren, so she is quite young for a grandmother!

What I will do is redraw her in the black shirt with lace in a different manner - she will dress this way sometimes when attending Mass or a holy day - and remove the puffed sleeves. She's also a little stouter than what I originally intended for her body type.

In the second sketch is Gina and my gangster when he is several months old! This is the youngest I've drawn him.
The draft is inspired from many Ellis Island photographs I've viewed over the years, as well as what photos I studied from the now extinct gathering place for many immigrants in the late 18th to 19th century.
Before Ellis on the East Coast, it was Castle Garden.
Castle Garden went by the wayside, I believe I read, in the mid-18th century, to make way for Ellis Island to become the gateway to the U.S.
The West Coast had its own whose name now escapes me, but when I remember, I will mention in a future post.

I also altered Gina's hair, making it more lush and thicker. She's a young woman, a mother of 15 years, and many women in the 1870s-1900s wore their hair long, usually piling it on top, or pulling it back in a bun or ponytail or other headdress-type coif. I realized this and added more hair to her younger picture, using a dark wash pencil to represent thickness.

Older, and during the 1920s-1930s, many women wore their hair short, often pixieish, so, I will change the older Gina's hair in a final draft.

"Grace & 'Slash'"

And while we are on the subject of couples, please know that my canine crime boss is very much a lady's man!
Grace and 'Slash' Castellano met at a casino and have been together for 5 years. Of his many girlfriends, she's his favorite.

"'Slash' & Stacey (embrace)"

A coworker's first words to me about this sketch (paraphrased): "Aww..She feels so safe in his arms. He looks so strong, as though he will protect her always."
That statement stuck with me.
When my coworker said that, it gave me new appreciation for this rough sketch.
Oftentimes, artists, we meet people who GET IT. Who GET our art. Who GET our meaning, what we were trying to say in a particular piece.

Since I write other stories besides this WIP, I have my favorites. These two, since I envisioned them in 6th grade Summer School (it seems I thought up a lot of stuff in Summer School!), are one of my favorite couples!

"Child Giovanni & Adult Benniamo"

On the left-side is my male protagonist at 14. This is a crucial time in his life as he is one year after experiencing family tragedy. He's spent time on the streets. He hasn't hit puberty yet. He's not yet 'discovered' by the mob boss who will irrevocably change his life's direction.

On the right-hand is my protagonist's youngest brother as an adult.
He wears, what I learned from research, what's called a Chesterfield coat, a favorite of mine.
This look was iconoclastic of the 1930s/40s.

The brothers are opposites: 'Slash' Castellano is the eldest son, born in Italy, arrived in the U.S. as an infant, and was raised in the States. He is sullen, even as a boy, moody with a ferocious temper. He was lean as a child and later developed an athletic body in his mid-teens.

His youngest brother, affectionately called 'Benny-amo', on the other hand, is slightly pudgy, and though he looks more wolfish, holds a happier outlook.
Benniamo will play a crucial role in the family dynamics as well as prove to be a catalyst for major changes to the Castellano family.

"Meeting Minny"

 

"Meeting Minny"

In the above scene, Stacey makes the rounds with Slash, meeting and eating with the gang boss's 'subordinates'. Minerva aka 'Minny', is the alpha female among the lieutenants' wives and girlfriends, though her own husband is low-ranking in the organization.

Minerva is quite nervy and spunky, and, to prove she submits to no one, especially the gang leader whom she grew up with, she makes a point about how handsome he is by grabbing hold of his face, much to her satisfaction and the embarrassment of everyone else at the table!