· Finally finished

The second issue of Ochre Ellipse is done! It took me long enough! Roughly two years of work, including the long bouts of procrastination and self-doubt which might befall any man. The cover is below.


Yes, I seem to have ripped off The White Album. Inadvertently, I might add—various circumstances of trying to print cheaply led me to this, and I didn't realize the likeness until it was back from the printer.

This issue is a far more formalist work than my first (humanist?) issue, or anything else I've attempted previously. Various cartooning conceits were tried, some more successfully than others. Isometric perspective, for example, was a frustrating beast to grapple with, often leading to less-than-satisfactory compositions and stale page layouts. It did not work on a page of talking heads (and how!)--those are difficult enough to begin with, let alone when the cartoonist has hamstrung himself. But other cartoonists I've talked to were particularly taken with the isometric word balloons, and told me they were stealing the idea (the book is released under Creative Commons, so go nuts, guys).


The page below is sort of my favorite. I originally had an idea also for a short comic (which I still might do) which would be an entire relationship told through "talking" graphic design as shown here. It would start with receipts for romantic dinners, champagne labels, etc., and end with...um, divorce papers? Not sure. Actually, I don't know if I can really improve on products talking to a receipt. (Patting myself on the back here. I'm allowed some small immodesty.)



Of course, I'm not a total pioneer, though. Off the top of my head, I ripped off an issue of Concrete by Paul Chadwick (but moreso, Nude Descending a Staircase); as well as one of my favorite movies, The Taste of Tea. I'm sure I'm guilty of more, besides.

Oh, also! It's $4.00, and should be added to the Family Style catalog this week.