Search and Research #127

Apparently I'm still working through some "lack of pens" issues in the workplace, so here's another scenario that kinda gets on my nerves. These questions have come up when I only had 1 pen left, and I've had to decide whether or not to lend the pen. I have to admit that I usually don't lend out the pen, under the "My need at the desk is greater than your need at the computer" Act of 2002, but there are times that I wish I could demand unreasonable collateral. But that's why I have this strip!!! Enjoy!

Search and Research #126

As many of you are aware, I like to address current issues in libraries in this strip; often times they are issues that are so current that they don't show up in library literature. Today is no exception...Where are all our pens going??!! Our library has bought literally thousands of pens in the time that I've been here, and we still have to go searching all over the place when we need to write out a call number for somebody! And it's not like we're buying really nice pens either...these are the cheapest writing implement we can find, so I can't imagine that there would be the "new pen" factor at work here among those taking them. Forget about Google books, the lack of pens is the thing that's going to take us down, in my opinion.

Ok, enough of that. I discovered that my faithful gray marker is almost out of ink, so I had to do some computer colors for the service desk today. I hope I'm not letting anyone down by doing that...if it's any consolation, I had to spend a lot of time talking myself into that course of action. I really want to do this strip by hand all the time. Also, Marc refers to a previous incident involving an ink-bomb. That can be seen in strip #33. Enjoy!

Search and Research #125

Well, well, well...look at this. A new strip! Whoa! As many of you faithful readers are aware, my life becomes extremely busy around the start of a new semester, and August and part of September are usually too busy for me to find time to draw strips, and this year was no exception. My July was also unusually busy, so yes...it has been a while. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you all back to Search and Research!

I had mentioned in previous posts that my younger brother Christopher would be doing a guest strip for me, but it turned out that drawing a strip was a bit daunting for him, so I'm still trying to talk him into finishing it, but I'm not sure when that might happen.

Does anybody else get a lot of books coming in with these little sticky tabs in them? I seem to find them on a fairly regular basis, and I'm always surprised that someone would consider that an acceptable condition in which to return a book to a library. I just don't understand that...

Thanks very much to all of you for sticking with this strip! Enjoy!

eli

Search and Research #124

Hey! I did in fact get a strip up before my summer got really crazy. I go through this thought process a lot when I'm at the desk, but they don't all turn out to be professors...let me tell you! Anyway, I'm going to say that it'll be several weeks before I can post another strip, but my brother Christopher has kindly offered to create a guest strip for me while I'm busy, so be on the lookout for that! I hope you are all having a great summer! Enjoy!

- Eli

more sketches...

Sometimes story ideas come to me when I draw the characters in funny ways, such as adding a hat, putting them in a different costume, etc. An example is strip #106 where I drew Marc with long hair, and the picture was very funny to me and sort of spawned this strip. Above is an example of a couple of ways I recently tried drawing Marc, first in a hoodie, and secondly as a secret agent of some kind. The second was also a chance to see what he'd look like with longer sideburns. He certainly looks...different. I'm not sure if I like them longer. Anybody got any other costumes or "looks" they'd like to see on Marc?

It's a little sketchy...

I've been thinking for a while that SCOM needs a technological nemesis. The gnome was a pretty good nemesis, but being magical puts him in a sort of different world than SCOM. A technological nemesis seems to present more options for SCOM to bust out his CIA training (recall that he was programmed by the CIA), and so an evil copier seemed the natural option. Here are my first and second attempts at an evil copier (Second attempt is beneath the body of the message.) Notice that they're similar, but I took the first design and improved the evilness for the second.

In other news, I have so much going on in the next 3-4 weeks that the strip will be irregular at best. It's possible that my brother, Chris, a recent graduate from Savannah College of Art and Design, may do a guest strip or two. Chris is not a librarian, although he's spent time studying in libraries, so that could be interesting. I may have time to squeeze 1 or 2 strips into my schedule before mid-July, but we'll just have to see. Anybody got any crazy copier stories?

- eli

More sketches...

Back a while ago, April of 2007 actually, I introduced the character of Marc's Library Director, seen here. At that time I wasn't really happy with the design or look of her character, so she has never shown up again. I've recently had some ideas for strips involving her, so I decided I needed to update her design. Here is one example that I'm considering. You'll notice that her facial features are similar to the original drawing, but her hair and mode of dress are different. This character is still evolving.

- Eli

Head sketches...

In a lot of ways I like Marc's swoopey hair because it makes him visually distinctive, even in silhouette, but it does present some weird challenges when drawing him from certain angles...particularly from the side. I also have trouble giving him good expressions from the side 'cause the arm of his glasses seems like it always covers up his eyes. I decided that I really did need to figure some of those angles out though, so I did a few little head sketches in preparation for the most recent strip, which I am presenting for your enjoyment today. I'm not sure that any of them really work all that well...this is sort of an ongoing challenge I'm working on solving.

- eli

Sketches...

Well, due to my extended absence, I'm trying to drum up more interest in our blog here by adding content with more frequency, so I'm going to be posting some sketches that I did to sort of get me back into the mood to draw this strip. To start with, it had been a LONG time since I'd drawn Elsie, our stacks manager, so I had to go look at past strips and then I did this sketch. I think it turned out pretty nice, but I didn't go for too much detail, such as her hands. The toughest thing to get right on my characters here are the faces, so when I'm warming up I draw the face first, and then if I'm feeling particularly good I'll draw a body as well.

Ok, that's it for today, but check back tomorrow for a new sketch!!!

Search and Research #123

Hey! We're back online here at the Search and Research Corporate Headquarters, and coming at you with a brand new strip! Thanks for putting up with my extended absence...I felt like I was moving for about 2 straight weeks, and in fact, I was. Phew...I'm glad it's over. It's weird how 3-4 weeks without drawing sort of gets me out of practice, but when I was inking this I just felt like I was swerving all over the place. The word balloons aren't crisp, Marc looks sort of weird, my gray tones aren't as well placed as I'd like...but I don't want to redraw it. :0)

Tell your friends, spread the word, and enjoy!

quick update...

Hey gang, I thought that I'd better fill you all in due to the absence of a new strip for the past two weeks. I was sure I'd have a new one up by now, but it doesn't look like it's going to happen for a little while because...my wife and I are moving! Not far...just a few doors down, but it does mean that there's a lot of packing, sorting, hauling, dismantling, remantling (that's the opposite of dismantling right?) cleaning, sweeping, scrubbing, aching, baking (Hey! I just put it in there for the rhyme, ok!) to be done and I just can't get myself in an artistic mood in the midst of all that. So...I'm shooting for a June debut for a new strip. It's already written, it's just a matter of finding time to draw it. Anyway, I hope every one of you is doing well and gearing up for summer in style. Anyone have big summer plans?

Until next time,

- Eli

Search and Research #122

You know, I wish I could make strips like this all the time. This punchline is based on the ending of an actual conversation I had with my buddy Jason (who is a real life computer programmer) one day, whereupon I immediately wrote it down for future use. I was trying to figure out how to work that line into a strip tonight, and suddenly realized that Boük reminded me of Max Headroom, who at one time had a tv show but who I remember from the ads for New Coke back in the 80's, so that kind of turned into a second joke for people who remember obscure tv characters. Anybody else remember Max Headroom?

Search and Research #121

Delivered, as promised. I love it when these strips write themselves, and this is pretty much a verbatim transcript of an interchange I had with a girl at the desk. I've sometimes seen people at a restaurant say "Surprise me!" to a waiter when they can't decide what they want to eat, but it somehow loses its charm at the service desk. Enjoy!

Quick update....

I just want to send out a quick update here...I was hoping to get a strip up this past Sunday, but between the Easter holiday and a surprise visit from the in-laws tonight I just wasn't able to finish it. Strip #121 is penciled and partially inked so I'll have it up on Tuesday night. Mark your calendars!!!

- Eli

Search and Research #120

...And we're back. Thanks to you all who hung in there, patiently waiting for me to get my head around this concept. As a "thank you" I've created an oversized color strip. This takes up the majority of a 8"x19" piece of matte board that my sister-in-law graciously gave to me. I tried coloring this with markers only, and for the most part it worked. There were some things here and there that I sort of wished I could take back, but the main image that this strip started from, Super Marc punching out a virus, turned out pretty well I think. Enjoy!

A quick update...

As some of you who faithfully follow this strip may be aware, the next strip will be #120, which will be a color strip. These color strips take me longer than usual to do, and this particular one coincides with a trip that my wife and I are preparing for, so it is unlikely that I'll have the strip finished in the next couple of weeks, due to the preparations and then the actual trip. I will do my best to have it up by the end of March.

- Eli

Update 3-10-09 by Jason

Despite our frequent collaboration, Eli and I rarely have the opportunity to get together and hang out (I haven't been able to convince my wife that the 24hr round trip drive from TX to TN would work for a weekend trip). It's been about 3 1/2 years since we went up to Nashville, but now Eli and his wife are coming to East Texas. And (in my best Texan accent) we're lookin' forward to seein' ya'll!

-Jason

Search and Research #119

I recently had to change my password and once again, as always seems to happen, I have a great idea for a password and think "Man I wish someone could appreciate this password other than me." Is it just me?

Search and Research #118

Sorry this is up a little late. I had a bunch of art to do last week and this just didn't make the list. I have to admit that as a person who grew up learning the whole "check-in/check-out" terminology for dealing with library books, I was really thrown when I started working at a library and everything was suddenly "charge/discharge." Personally...I still like "check-in/check-out" better. Enjoy!

Search and Research #117

A little wrap-up to our story arc. Enjoy!

Search and Research #116

I have to admit that I think this is one of my better constructed strips so far. I really liked the way this looked in pencils and I just hoped that I wouldn't mess it up when I inked it. I'm not the greatest inker but even so, I think it turned out pretty good. I liked the sword moving out of the second panel, and into the panel where it finds its final resting place. I had a lot of stuff to try and convey in this strip, and I think it turned out pretty well.

We have one more strip to sort of wrap up the current story arc, and then we will be returning to the world of normal library stuff. Enjoy!