Ultraist Studios Blog Journal » Reference

The Day Job…

M Kitchen — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:53:57 +0000

Not much time for comic making these days.
Been busy doing the work that pays the bills around here.
Check out some of the stuff I’ve done over the years!

This is a Test

M Kitchen — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:27:50 +0000

Testing out some new hardware… could a Kitchen Bros. Comic Book Video Blog be in our near future?

CerebusTV: Indie Comics Magazine

M Kitchen — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:45:05 +0000

Press Release from Cerebus TV:

CerebusTV this Friday at 10pm ET / 7pm PT: A quick look at Xeric award winning cartoonist Gary Scott Beatty’s innovative 64-page INDIE COMICS MAGAZINE — where each contributor buys space and then shares equally in all revenues from sales through Diamond Comic Distributors. A great lead-in to “The Case of the Anunnaki Artifact”, Mike Kitchen’s contribution to INDIE COMICS MAGAZINE No. 2 with voice-over by the Kitchen Family Players voicing their own characters — Mike Kitchen as SPY GUY, Erika Kitchen as Erica Korczak, Anika Kitchen as Katie Whips, Raina Kitchen as Two Gun Tiny, Erikson Kitchen as Super Shooter and special guest Dave Sim as both Dr. Golem and the Aliens. Taped last December 20. CEREBUS TV editor Dave Fisher– who will be getting a lump of coal in his stocking this Christmas — sincerely apologies for switching the names of Anika and Raina’s characters in the credits.

To watch this episode, click on over to CerebusTV.com and chose your streaming video to view via your internet browser.

Alternately, I’ve had the most success with the streaming video by using VLC Player and opening the file http://cerebustv.com/asx/stream640.asx

The show begins this Friday at 10:00 pm and will be streaming live on a cycle until next Friday at 10:00 pm.

Don’t miss it!

ALSO: CEREBUS TV SPECIAL!
While the episode is airing, you can get INDIE COMICS MAGAZINE #2 signed by all the contributing Kitchen Family Members for the cover price of $6.49 (plus shipping). I’ll take it one step further and number them as the CerebusTV Edition. They’re now available for purchase in the Ultraist Studios Store.

MANTRA 63

M Kitchen — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 03:45:00 +0000

Stephen Bissette quote:

“Neil EARNED where he is, and did so (he told me, and has told others) by never deviating from the path that led to WRITING FULL TIME. Luck and breaks have a lot to do with it, but Neil worked the markets, conventions, and opportunities, and reaped the whirlwind (in a good way), making many sacrifices along the way.” *

Also, Neil Gaiman on piracy:

Merry Christmas from Ultraist Studios

M Kitchen — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 14:58:43 +0000

SPY GUY #2 Page 15 Photo Reference

M Kitchen — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:36:50 +0000

On Page 15 of SPY GUY #2 I had a very clear image in my head of what is supposed to be happening. Though try as I might, I hadn’t been able to get the image on to the paper. It’s a slightly skewed perspective of Spy Guy shooting stuff up with his Uzi. My 11 x 17 roughs were scribbled out back in August, but this panel wasn’t quite working Something about the pose was wonky. Yesterday I grabbed some reference images off the net and attempted to figure out the pose by drawing different thumbnails, but sketch after sketch the pose still wasn’t working, as you can see from the drawings below.

Well, when this happens, it’s time to pull out the camera and act out the exact action for photo reference. And this morning, that’s exactly what I did.

The final frame I decided on was screen captured and flipped (as Spy Guy is ambidextrious with a gun, and I’m not).

Spy Guy is a funny character in that his proportions make certain poses difficult to capture, but I’m pretty sure this one will work for the story I’m telling. You can let me know how successful I was once the page is finally completed.

The Last Signing, Glamourpuss Event, Word On The Street Halifax pt.2

M Kitchen — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:14:31 +0000

Here’s part 2 (of 3).

And a picture of Dave Sim falling asleep while shaking my hand.

The Last Signing, Glamourpuss Event, Word On The Street Halifax pt.1

M Kitchen — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 17:53:00 +0000

Hi folks! Below you’ll find part 1 (of 3) of a video documentary from the comic book pilgrimage to Halifax Nova Scotia.

Also below are some pictures by Stoo Metz and links.

The Kitchenettes meet Dave Sim.

The Bride of Ultraist meets Dave Sim.

Dave Sim and Darwyn Cooke chat (as I lurk in the background).

Calum Johnston Facebook Photos

Cerebus Fangirl Flickr Photos

Stay tuned for pt.2 – HERE!

TED – Chris Anderson

M Kitchen — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 13:12:33 +0000

A video relevant to our discussion on giving things away on the internet.

JAVILAND Episode 39 Interview

M Kitchen — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 20:24:35 +0000

Last night Javier Hernandez (creator of EL MUERTO, MAN-SWAMP and WEAPON TEX-MEX) invited me on his JAVILAND podcast to discuss my Thoughts on Digital Comics and File Sharing post I wrote back on September 5th. We chatted for an hour and a half and you can listen to it all here:

One point I should have made more clear regarding the hypothetical t-shirt bootleg situation is that if someone were to make unauthorized Spy Guy merchandise, one positive way to look at the situation is that this bootlegger is testing the market for me. If they are able to successfully sell unauthorized merchandise, just think of how successful I could be marketing AUTHORIZED merchandise to that same market! It’s the law of supply and demand. If people want something, they’re going to find a way to get it. So why not market to that audience, give it to them and profit? And don’t forget, as owner of the copyright and trademark, I have the legal high ground if I were ever decide to exercise my power and go after them.

Another point I just thought of regarding digital comics: Resolution. We’ve all heard stories about artists who create their comic for the internet and save the files in a low resolution that makes printing them at high quality impossible. That’s something to think about when offering an online version of your work. It helps to deter counterfeit editions being mass produced. And because you hold the original high resolution version, that allows you to control the high quality reproduction in the physical world.

The last point is to make sure that you always offer a way for the reader (in cyberspace or meatspace) to link back to you so that your current work is always acting as an advertisement for your future work.

Hey! Here is a photo of Javier Hernandez with the Kitchen Brothers from WonderCon 2010!