Scandi-Merica #8 - Lights

 

Christmas lights and deep vibrant colors always create a warmth and loving energy to any space during any season, Gulr and Ætta know, but some people just don't get it and prefer to live in a black-and-white world. 

Longest Scandi-Merica strip so far (though there will be short story arcs stretching across a few strips in the future), and I got experimental with the frames here. I ended up drawing the Kiss Army member's legs lower than the first frame's border, and I liked how it stood out so went with it. Same with Ætta's right arm popping just out of the last frame, it's subtle, but I just love how it looks and it feels more expressive. Kind of reminded me of one of Roy Lichtenstein's humorous "Imperfect Painting" series after I finished it.

All art, writing, penciling, inking, and coloring created by me.

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New EP, Swans of Urð, out now!

 

 

 Listen to the full EP now on Youtube and the opening title track on Newgrounds (other songs to follow)

 

My new EP, Swans of Urð! Includes three different versions of the title track, and two versions of a B-side, Spooner Looner. The EP and song's title comes from the Norse stories. Urð is one of the Three Norns who inhabit the world tree Yggdrasil, three women deities involved with destiny/fate (relating to past/present/future or could also be a parallel to maiden/mother/crone) Urð represents past, and there's a well/pool there where two swans swim and where all other swans are descended from.

Swans of Urð's main harmonic melody first came to me back in 2023 while I was watching a beautiful swan couple from out my bedroom window, they frequented the lake throughout the year through both summers and winters. This song's been developing since then, and the first track I recorded this year and while centered around that similar melody, I added a bridge that references Rush's underrated suite The Fountain of Lamneth, which has really been resonating with me lately and the similar theme of water stood out. Included are two older versions of the song I recorded last year which I also love the sound of, these have a completely different bridge, which are softer and beautiful harmonies. Spooner Looner's main riff came to me this year, when I was playing around with the higher strings and then got a cool percussive element by hitting the lowest string muted. The two versions of this song also have different bridges, the second one, which I call Morning Dove Mix. This came to me when I was watching several Morning Doves outside my window and hearing their pretty calls, hence this second version have a lot more harmonics. The title came to me as I was thinking fondly of memories of Spooner, Wisconsin, hence the MST3K sample I put in between the two versions.

The cover art is my drawing of Urð and the two swans, and she's weaving rune shaped constellations and throwing them upwards towards the heavens. I've been really inspired by the Icelandic artwork from 18th century manuscripts of The Prose Edda with my cover artwork lately.

Art History Inspiration: Giacomo Balla - Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash (1912)

 

 

Giacomo Balla

Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash (1912)

In the collection of the Albright Knox Art Gallery

I've always loved not only creating my own art, but also art history, and both have grown in new ways and I've been learning more from the artist's perspective that I have. One of my earliest memories of being exposed to a variety of art was when my mom showed me a big book of art history, A Picture History of Painting, an old book from the late 50's. While being that old it left out several artists that would end up being huge inspirations to me, a painting included that always stuck out to me but I never quite knew why until recently, is this masterpiece of the underrated Italian Futurist movement of the 1910's, Giacomo Balla's Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash.

 

 Often times Futurism is mentioned solely as a footnote in the majority of art history books, but I feel like if you were to ask several artists instead of the academics/critics who write most of the books, the importance of the concepts and techniques that came out of it wouldn't be understated. The futurists were all about finding new ways to capture movement and motion in painting and sculpture, creating a kinetic energy without actually being in motion in the 3D. Many artists started with the Cubist concept, and went from there with how they arranged lines and edges/curves or repeating parts of the image. Giacomo Balla took a completely different approach with this painting, it looks right out of an old cartoon and is always the first thing I think of when I think Futurism. I don't know much about comic books/cartoons from before this was painted, so correct me if it was the other way around, but I feel like Futurism and this painting in particular inspired many techniques most commonly associated with the art of cartoons. The entire background of the painting is made up of speed lines, and both the dog and person walking the dog have speedy cartoon legs, and the same is applied to the leash and the dog's tail. Every time I look at this painting, I can see everything in motion. 

 

Being both a cartoonist and lover of art history, I've been seeing more and more the influence that both the art of cartoons and the art of painting/sculpture has had on each other. From Hergé (creator of Tintin) being inspired by Japanese woodcut artists like Hokusai as well as modern artists from the time, and then Roy Lichtenstein being inspired by Hergé. Many artists are versatile in both, such as German artist Lyonel Feininger who was both a cartoonist and painted in his own unique take on the cubist style.

 

Do you like Futurism, if so, what artists/artworks? Do you like this painting? Have you noticed the similarities between Futurist and Cartoonist techniques/styles?

Scandi-Merica #7 - Skiing

 

Jarpr and Brúnn are enjoying a beautiful snowy day skiing on the mountains, when they approach a questionable sign.

The punchline for this strip is very specific, and pretty much only classic Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans will get the joke, but that's okay. It's been a huge inspiration to me in many ways, between their unique comedy with many references to art history and layered jokes that get funnier with each viewing, the using of the dark of shit movies to create light, and their independence and staying true to their (he)arts, not settling for attempts at network intrusions back in the 80's/90's and eventually going fully independent via Rifftrax. This joke comes from the short Snow Thrills, and is the only place where I've ever heard Skiing pronounced as "shi-ing", which they riff on, and that bizarre quote felt perfect to reference in a Scandi-Merica strip with the winter and ski theme.

I really love how the coloring and the contrast between colors came out with this strip, I'm enjoying the combination of my comic art with fauvist color usage.

All art, writing, penciling, inking, and coloring created by me.

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New single, Nu Metal on the 222

 New single, Nu Metal on the 222!

It's 2/22! Perfect timing for a song that just so happens to be 2:22 (though Newgrounds and Youtube rounded it to 2:23). While being a solo bass song, this song has a pretty percussive quality to it. I've learned more about mixing distortion, and it's a short but sweet jumpdafukup banger with plenty of palm muting and bends. I've been a big fan of the nu metal revival that's been happening this decade (though nu metal never left in the amazing and overlooked Russian metal scene, like Psiheya, 5diez, Falsegiver, and The Korea), as it's such a unique and experimental style. Fieldy from Korn has always been a huge inspiration to me as a bassist, and other bands like Powerman 5000, Limp Bizkit, The Mad Capsule Markets, and Guano Apes I love as well.

If I remember correctly, I played this on my 4-string

Recorded in Audacity and mixed in Ocenaudio

Listen on Youtube or Newgrounds

Scandi-Merica #6 - Cow

 

Ætta is giving some fresh water to her and her husband Gulr's pet cow Auðumbla,  but an ignorant passerby from the town outside doesn't understand and throws an insult. 

First comic strip of the new year! This was my first time drawing a cow, and I'm really happy with how it turned out! I like the combination of detail and simplicity, and fits in well with the human characters. You may notice some blotchy spots on their Stave house, I tried to add some more color digitally because for some reason the printer wasn't wanting to scan the color of the wood properly. I started work on this sometime around Govatsa Dwadashi last year, a Hindu holiday that marks the start of Diwali and honors the beautiful animal that is the cow. The cow is a sacred animal in many cultures, including Scandinavia. Ætta and Gulr's cow in the strip is named after the primordial cow that licks the salt to reveal the giant Búri that would be the grandfather of Oðinn, which can be read in a story from The Prose Edda.

Just like cows and others, we are all animals and all should have the same freedoms. Animals are innocent and the way people treat other animals is often a clue to how they treat other people. I practice Ahimsa, do no harm to yourself, other people, or other animals. There's a reason in almost all ancient cultures animals are respected and associated with different divinities. One of the main inspirations for me creating this strip was my anger I was feeling at the judgements that often get thrown towards those who refuse to eat the flesh of an animal, which is especially prevelent in American society.

All art, writing, penciling, inking, and coloring created by me.

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New single, Phasing, out now!

 

Last month I released my first distortion heavy metal song, the grunge Space Valkyrie, but it wasn't the first grunge song I recorded! Earlier last year I got an MXR Phase 90 pedal, phaser pedals are something I had wanted to play around with for a while, being used in such classics like Van Halen's Fair Warning album and Incubus' Morning View album (one of my all time favorite albums btw). After recording a few jams with it, this song and this single's B-side Sailing Across the Orknies were the first songs to form from my experiments. I gave the song the appropriate title of Phasing, not only for the obvious reason, but it resonated with all the bends in the song and mood of each riff section. The B-side Sailing Across the Orknies is in my signature harmonic rock style, but with the addition of the phase pedal. The string bends give it that grunge edge, though with a classic metal gallop to evoke the sailing and exploring then unknown seas.

When thinking of a cover, the idea of a viking longship in different phases of being built came to me. The phaser pedal can give a bit of a watery sound, and that sound element came into my playing as well, with it evoking the imagery of sailing across the sea in a longship.

Listen now on Youtube or Newgrounds!