I've been teasing out bits and pieces of information about a new comic project I've been ramping up on and it's time to spill the beans . . .

A couple of months ago Josh Howard, creator of Dead@17 (Image Comics) asked me if I'd like to collaborate on a comic project and I said "yes". Josh created and is writing the 4-issue mini-series. I'll be handling the art chores and doing the lettering as well.

The series is titled Starship Kansas.

I probably would have agreed to work on something with Josh even if I'd been lukewarm on the concept, but when he pitched me the idea I couldn't believe my luck. I loved the idea immediately. The premise of this series is right up my alley in every way and I can't wait for people to read it.

I intend to keep people up to date on the progress of the comic here, on Twitter/Facebook and I even plan to work on certain pages/panels on my Ustream artcast.

I just finished the page roughs and lettering last night on the first issue. Issue #1 will clock in at 29 pages:



I'm hoping to finish the first issue in two months. Since I'm drawing and coloring the book (with digitally painted backgrounds like my digital commissions), it will probably take that long to do so.

I'd like to thank Josh for asking me to work on this project. It's been a fun collaboration so far and I can't wait to start working on pages. I'd also like to thank my pal and coloring assistant George for signing on for another project. Every comic artist should have a flatter like George.

Stay tuned for more info!

Now, back to work . . .



-Otis

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Go here to order comics and prints from me: [link]

I have two prints available, featuring these two images:



Thanks!

-Otis

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I am currently offering the following options for ordering commissions and original artwork from me:

• Big Fat Digital Commissions: A single character, digitally-colored 7.5"x14" piece for $150 (You will receive both the original line art and a high-resolution digital file of the final colored piece). The piece can include text upon request. Add $25 for each additional character.

I will never use Digital Commission images as prints/posters to be sold or in any other way distribute the high resolution files for reproduction. Only the buyer of the Digital Commission and myself will ever have access or permission to print or make copies of the final image. This policy serves to make ownership of a Digital Commission unique to the buyer in the same way that a traditional ink & marker drawing would be. I will only use low-res versions of the final images for online promotion to encourage further sales and as samples in my general art portfolio.

Here are my most recent Big Fat Digital Commissions:



• Big Tall Digital Commissions: New! A single character, digitally-colored 11"x17" piece for $150 (You will receive both the original line art and a high-resolution digital file of the final colored piece). The piece can include text upon request. Add $25 for each additional character. This format is ideal for poster or comic book cover style images.

Here are my most recent Big Tall Digital Commissions:



• Standard Sized Digital Commissions: New! A single character, digitally-colored 8.5"x11" (tall) piece for $75 (You will receive both the original line art and a high-resolution digital file of the final colored piece). These commissions will feature single characters with an abstract/color background. No scenes and no text. Samples coming soon!

• 9"x12" Pen & Marker Commissions: An original, full-color piece of artwork featuring one character drawn on 9"x12" Bristol with Micron pens and Prismacolor markers (and sometimes watercolor) for $100. Add $25 for each additional character. Here are a couple of my most recent Pen & Marker Commissions:



Note: For both traditional and digital commissions, I will be working on 3 commissions per week. I will be taking one month's worth of orders at a time and placing subsequent requests on a waiting list. This means that you will only be charged when I am ready to put you on my schedule and no one will have to wait more than one month for an order to be completed. I will complete each order live on my artcast so that the buyer can see some of their commission being created.

• Big Fat Sketch Cards: These wide-format cards are available through special sales that I announce through my website. The next sale starts on May 8th, 2010.

• 7-7-Sunday Commissions Drawn Live: Every Sunday night at 9PM EST I offer these commissions for purchase via my artcast. Go HERE for more information! Go HERE to view the 7-7-Sunday gallery!

I only accept PayPal payments.

If you have a commission request (or any questions) please send me an email at otis@otisframpton.com and write "Commission Request/Question" in the subject line. Thanks!

-Otis

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I now offer free downloads of digital/mobile versions of Escape From Planet Nowhere for viewing on the iPad! There are two different versions:

    * A ZIP archive containing the files necessary for reading Escape From Planet Nowhere via the ComicZeal app (my favorite iPad app for reading comics).
    * A PDF for viewing in iPad apps such as Goodreader (my favorite iPad app for reading PDFs).

Go here to download the files! [link]

I will be updating the two files every time I post a new page (or pages), so be sure to download and update as needed.

I am an advocate of reading comics on the iPad and I feel that these are currently the best way to read them on Apple’s device. In fact, I’d rather have people read my comic on the iPad than read it on a computer screen.

I tried an ePub version of Escape From Planet Nowhere but was not happy with the results. I don’t think we’ve scratched the surface of what is capable with regard to reading comics on iPad and I look forward to the day that a better app becomes available for taking advantage of the device’s capabilities. It’s time to stop thinking like we’re in the print world and start thinking like multi-media content creators.

-Otis