Digital Inking – Digital Illustration - August 4th, 2010

Save Your Quill Tips!

In another life, before the advent of the Wacom Tablet, I used to ink my cartoons and illustrations by hand. For anyone who has been in the cartoon/comic industry, they will know that inking is a full-time job, and it requires almost as much skill as drawing. With no “undo” tool, the nerve wracking flow of permanent ink to paper has shaken many would-be illustrators to their knees, making them give up and return to their figure drawing and pastels. At least it did to me for a short time. But, after you spend a few hundred hours practicing, it actually isn’t that bad!

The big problem with traditional inking is scanning it in, and then touchin[...]

The Twins Have Arrived! - June 26th, 2010

Alexis Taylor & Natalie Grace

Just over forty-two minutes ago I became a father. Having waited for this day since I was 18, I tell you – getting the nurses to pin my feet to the floor was quite an accomplishment on their part. Alexis was 18 inches long, weighing 5 lbs 1 oz and Natalie clocked in at 17.5 inches long, weighing 5 lbs 5 oz. Melissa took it like a champ. Wow. 9 months of double the fun, double the pleasure – knees, feet and head-butts galore. But it’s finally over, and we have two of the most beautiful children in the world. No. Seriously, they are gorgeous. *Sticks Tongue Out* Nanana!

Anyway, gotta get back to the nursery. My girls are under the [...]

Ember of Twilight – Page Launch - May 13th, 2010

Ember’s “Official Page Launch”.

Not really sure why I keep saying “official”. Oh, well. I originally started the concept of Ember of Twilight in late ’08. The story was much shorter, and much less fuzzy and fluffy. Actually, it involved mental insanity. Thankfully (or maybe not?) I decided to go a different route with the storyline and redevelop the characters for a younger, less twisted audience.

Ember’s 1st issue has been in development since January, so as I keep trying to fit it in next to Bluefire I’m sure we can get it done by the end of the year, or around that time period. As I mentioned in an earlier post, a lot of people do[...]

BlueFire – Official Page Launch - April 29th, 2010

BlueFire’s “Official Page Launch”.

BlueFire has been in the works since 2003 and deserves to finally have its place among my many developing works. Naturally, the work is slow due to the length of time it takes for me to build each panel. Ouch… 4 to 5 hours per frame. Yes, most of this is spent in digital inking and adding the Chiaroscuro with my Wacom tablet. The disconnect between hand and screen slows down the process quite a bit.

Anyway, right now I just have the synopsis and a few pages up to view. The plan is to have chapters 1-3 and various development artwork available as well by this time next year. Don’t want to let too much out of the bag, [...]

Happy Birthday, Micah! - April 15th, 2010

Micah Zak Is Now 29!

Yes, I’m not even thirty. Just had a client the other day tell me that she was AMAZED at how young I look – not a day over 22. Needless to say, this is a good thing. I can’t help it if I’ve got a pretty face, I’m sure it can’t hurt business. Anyway, yes, I’m one year away from being 30 and 20 years away from being a grandpa… right?? Hahaha… Okay, perhaps 22 or 24 years. That’s my own made-up goal, since my twin girls aren’t even born.

Today I took a look back on the 15 years it’s been since I started working on the 1st draft of Light of the Protector (now in what must be its 20th revision)[...]

MicahZak.com Official Launch - April 8th, 2010

Okay, So What Is An Official Launch?

Is it different from an unofficial launch? I couldn’t figure it out either, but an “official” launch seems more legitimate than a fake one – lol. Anyway, welcome to MicahZak.com! I’m an Illustrator, Creative Writer, Web Designer and Developer, Computer Tech and Guru, Best-Husband-In-The-World, and soon-to-be father of twin girls!

In one word, I’m weird. While most high schoolers were running track, hooking up, getting jobs, and doing the whole teen-scene — I drew and programmed. Yup. That’s about it. Sure I had troubl[...]