First off - Merry Christmas

My first personal observation - Why can a politician raise millions and millions of dollars just for themselves, so they can think they are better than others.... while a charity that actually helps someone can't seem to raise any money. You would think if we were a little smarter we put our money to more worthwhile causes.

Ok.. I am done ranting....

Lord of the Ring Sketches
I have a few more to do, and since they are more of my break work, I will prob finish them this week or the beginning of next week. Promise

Next- Merry Christmas
here is the hanson family christmas card take a moment and do something for others.

The Bean issue 3

Yup the cover is all done- really jazzed the comic goes to press in two weeks and issue 3 will be done- you can read it here at [link] or here at

Can you believe we are up to 70 pages

Thanks DA for supporting artist.
trav

I'm a sketching your middle earth suggestions-

update new- ok a few more- I am closing the request because i need to get back to the world of the brokenmoon - i will finish though all the request up to this date. This has been a fun experience thank you.

Ok I am in a mood which is good I guess. Now I am a huge fan of tolkiens work and though I have sketched very little from his grand universe.

So here is the deal- You guys get to choose characters from Tolkiens universe and I'll sketch em out and dedicated them to you if you want to buy the original inks that will be $25, but there is no pressure . It can be from any of his works and not just limited to LOTR and the Hobbit. There are a few other books about middle-earth with some fantastic stories. It has to be a character though and can't be a variation.

I think it will give me something else to play with, as I finish up issue 3 of my own world.

Anyways they need to be unique characters from books. They will be drawn though in my style and will be based more off the books than the flicks. So lets have some fun shall we?



update 6 done - 15 penciled and ready to be inked. Also if you want the inks of your work it' $25 for the original inks. Just send me a note and we can work out the details (i'll even throw in a free comic of the bean, i also have not closed the requests- when i get tired i will

update: more are done but it is taking a little longer since i am in the process of laying out the text on issue 3. I will post more as well.

If this goes well I might do more inbetween issues as I do the text.

Thanks again for all the support.
Travis

Come read my story about a dishwasher at and visit my worlds.

I'll post all the suggestions here... and link the sketches and you never know I might get really inspired and do a scene...

Ok lets start the list
1..... LOTR ***inks Sold***
2..... LOTR
3.... LOTR
4.... Hobbit
5.... LOTR
6.... LOTR
7.... Hobbit
8.... Lotr
9.... LOTR ***inks Sold***
10.... LOTR
11. LOTR
12. there is a dark elf from the Silmarillion, was thrown from a tower after he killed his wife, nasty creature? still waiting?
13. The Silmarillion
14. ... LOTR
15. LOTR
16. LOTR
17. LOTR
18. Lotr
19. The Silmarillion
20. Lotr
21. Lotr
22. The Silmarillion
23. The Silmarillion ***inks Sold***
24. LOTR/Hobbit
25. Lotr
26. Lotr
27. Lotr
28. Lotr
29. the Silmarillion

pencils are done on the following
Ancalagon the Black from The Silmarillion
still working on it. I didn't like the first version.
Faramir Lotr

still have to do the pencils and will be adding a few more.

is thinking......
pippin in gondor gear Lotr
a hobbit hole Lotr
Rider of Rohan on horse LOTR
Eowyn LOTR
turgon king of gondolin the Silmarillion

I'll take a few more before i close it up for a bit. One per person and it cannot be one that I have drawn before

update 6 done - 15 penciled and ready to be inked. Also if you want the inks of your work it' $25 for the original inks. Just send me a note and we can work out the details (i'll even throw in a free comic of the bean

throwing in the towel
This is about webcomics

A lot of incredible stories and concepts never make it pass the thought process. Those that do, especially webcomics do not make it pass 100 pages, before the towel is thrown in. Why?

Well part of it is the inability to stick it out. I have come close to throwing in the towel, close to giving up on my story as I have watched things collapse at times. I felt the frustration of being forgotten in the web, or the struggle of trying to find readership and I know I am not alone.

Or...

We start too many other projects and then nothing gets done because we are trying to do too much (guilty of that).

Or....

we focus way too much on the world building and not enough on the story. A little note (worlds will build themselves).

Or....

you can come up with your own reason....

Yet, for whatever reason, we choose, or a multiple selection of these, it comes down to our inability to see it through, we loose faith in our dream and in doing so tend to kill or squash the creativity that seems to flow in us.

So how do we over come this? How do you keep going?
I am amazed on how some web comics continue. Poor art, lack of story and at times a very cocky attitude. Yet I know they understand one thing and that is the value of work, and pushing ever forward. Some of these strips have over 500+ strips and huge followings. I am very impressed with the work ethic, they dedicate everything they can to their vision. So how can we apply this to ours?

just tell your story.
Don't worry about the world your characters roam in. Let the world develop with the story. If you focus too much on the world, fauna, flora, animals, etc... your story will just be another project on the shelf. Some really incredible tales have been lost because the creator was so obsessed with world building. I have found that letting the world work itself out has really enhanced the story in the long run.

Stick to one project.
Too many times, we have other ideas come into our heads and we think, "wow I need to develop this idea as well." Well, hold on cowboy.... write the idea down, but put it away. If you are committed to an epic, than that is where your focus needs to be. I am not saying to push these ideas out, I am telling you to finish your project before you start another.

"How bad do you want it?"
My favorite quote- how bad do you want to see your story come together and what are you willing to do to make it happen. DO NOT TELL ME HOW BAD YOU WANT IT! SHOW ME! For instance, I must draw 5 to 10 pages a week on the bean. I have deadlines set up for each book and so I make sure that time is given to the project. This means I do not play many video games, I do not watch a lot of tv, I do not go to a lot of parties. I do though focus on my family and other art commitments, but I stay up late at times to finish a page. Which brings me to my next point...

honor you commitments to your fans
Once you start a schedule on updates and publishing- honor that commitment. DO NOT BE LATE. Early is ok but never be late. If you are late, than you run the risk of loosing interest... or changing your format. My biggest mistake years ago was changing the bean's format I had created years ago for the web. Long before comics and books, Bean was a webcomic vibrant and alive. I blew it when I changed the format. What you see now is what the webcomic was and should have been. I have learned my lesson and now I have to recapture all the fans that i had lost. I will not do that again, you see I am showing you how bad I want it.

be patient
Rome was not built in a day, nor will your comic be successful overnight. You got to weather it out and if you are persistent, and do not give up it will work out to your favor. Patience though is a gift that is earned and learned. So be prepared for a lot of long nights.

you can do it
honestly it is how bad do you want it. You can do it if you are willing to put the effort and time into it. It is hard to stay focused, and there are times when one can get really frustrated, yet that is the time you really have to push yourself to make it happen. Stay up that extra hour, put in that extra bit of love and keep that schedule and you will make it happen. Once you get it up then we can chat about marketing it... but lets start with finishing the idea first and seeing where it goes.

Just keep at it and do not throw in the towel-
travis

to see my story visit [link] or you can visit
enjoy

a bummer, I did not know him but I am very greatful for what he did.

This is from the article- I did not write this....
Founder of San Diego Comic-Con dies at 76

SAN DIEGO – Sheldon Dorf, who founded the world famous Comic-Con International comic book convention, has died. He was 76.

A longtime friend, Greg Koudoulian, says the Ocean Beach resident died at a San Diego hospital on Tuesday from kidney failure. He had diabetes and had been hospitalized for about a year.

Dorf, a freelance artist and comic strip letterer, founded Comic-Con in San Diego in 1970 after moving from Detroit.

Today, the convention draws 125,000 fans a year and is a major gathering for comic book fans, artists, writers and movie stars.

Koudoulian says Dorf was friends with comic greats such as Marvel artist Jack Kirby and "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz. He says Dorf was also instrumental in helping budding artists find audiences.

New page update- plus a bunch more if you are following
enjoy-

trav