The Adventures of Chester K Fingkelbottom

Reblog

2010-04-20T10:07:00.002-04:00

Thanks goes to loish for this one:

(It really happened. -__-)

TAoCKF Merchandise!

2010-04-13T16:56:00.007-04:00

Recently, Chester joined me in promoting the webcomic at the first ever annual SCADCon!
We got a very nice corner table (prime locale) in Artist's Alley and set up a very pink display.Allow me to show you:As you can see, I had plenty of products to offer, including free stickers!
I sold quite a bit, but I still have some left over, so now I'm working on getting a merch page up on my website (www.chesterflamingo.com).
Be on the lookout for that, which will make it easy to order from me. :)

In the meantime, here's what I've got for you wonderful people:

Well, there it is!
As you can see, most of these are made by yours truly with the help of products from Jo-Ann Fabrics and prints from OfficeMax (they's the best!).
All the books are bound using my roommate's sewing machine. Thanks, Susannah! :)
If you want to purchase any of these fine products, please email chesterfbottom@gmail.com!

Love to you all!
<3,
Emily S.

SCADCon and Editor's Day!!

2010-04-03T15:01:00.002-04:00

Sorry for not blogging as much on here.
I've been super-busy with schoolwork, most of which revolving around this: The Adventures of Chester K. Fingkelbottom's new home!
So hopefully you'll forgive me for being quiet. ;)
That means if you want to see more of the webcomic, you'll have to bookmark that site or subscribe to the RSS feed.
You can also leave me nice comments if you want. :P
I have yet another surprise.
Next weekend (April 8-9) is Editor's Day/SCADCon/Career Fair here at SCAD, and for our Self-Promo class, we're required to set up a table at Artist's Alley!
You know what that means?
Chester merchandise!!!
So if you can make it out next Friday to Artist's Alley, look for me at the pink table with the flamingo in a suit (NOT a man in a flamingo suit), and check out some of the things I'll be selling!
Whatever I don't sell at SCADCon, I'll be posting up on the webcomic's new site in the form of a new page: Merchandise!
I'll just have to get my loyal codemonkey Tim to help me set it up. ;P

Anyway, the only thing this blog will be used for now is to post developmental sketches, extra artwork, updates on TAoCKF progress, and maybe some little extra tidbits you won't get from the site or easter eggs.
Heck, maybe I'll just use this as a FAQ!

Thanks for reading, guys!
See you at the new site!

<3,
Emily

Thanks For Your Patience!

2010-01-17T11:31:00.002-05:00

No, I still don't have anything for you today,
but I have a really good reason,
and I promise this time it ACTUALLY is a real excuse.

This week I've been running amuck trying to get my project from the Japan classes done, when, on Wednesday morning, I woke up barfing.
Fun fun.
I was quarantined to my room with a violent intestinal viral infection from Wednesday until Saturday evening, when I finally finished my projects and my friend whisked me away to her house to watch a movie and eat pizza.

That aside, you should now be able to forgive me for not getting the comic done for you guys.
However, now that I'm done with all that and only have two classes this quarter, I can focus more energy on TAoCKF (one of those classes will be composed entirely of work for Chester Fingkelbottom)!

I'd like to thank all of you for following me and encouraging me,
and you'll definitely be rewarded for it!

One of my projects this quarter (for a grade, too!) will be to make a website for TAoCKF, so be wary of the move we'll be making soon (soon being within the next couple months)!
My friend Tim is a web programmer/website designer, and he'll help me code it and get it up and running,
and that's where the comic will be hosted,
leaving this blog for sketches and blurbs related to the comic.
Hopefully the website will bring in more readership as well, so we can open up a merch shop!
Wouldn't that be lovely?

I still want the first piece of merch to be the flamingo hoodie.
*crosses fingers*

Well, that's all for you today!
Enjoy the holiday and the coming week, and keep your eyes peeled for lots of goodies to come!

<3,
Emily

More Bad News

2009-12-27T11:47:00.002-05:00

So...
I know I promised you all two new pages of Chester this week, but another problem has arisen.
My tablet pen is not working, limiting my creative output to... practically nothing.
Once I get a replacement pen, though, I will do my best to make it up to all of you.
Also, I am working on getting a website for Chester, and maybe even some cool merch!
More to come later....

Thanks for reading!
-Emily S.

Good and Bad News

2009-12-15T17:07:00.002-05:00

Well, everyone, I'm back from Japan!
It was an awesome trip that I wish could have lasted longer, but I'm glad to be home and with family and friends.
That's the good news.
Bad news is, I got really sick during the last couple days in Japan and I'm kind of a quivering lump of congested flesh right now, so I probably won't be updating TAoCKF this week.
Sorry. :(
But I promise once I get all better, I'll work twice as hard to give you two pages next week!
I'll also be working on my Japan projects (an 8-page comic based on my experience, a sketchbook/journal to distribute, and a themed attraction to pitch to my class when we get back together in the Winter Quarter), so if you guys are interested, let me know and I'll post some of my works up here.
In the meantime, swing by my facebook and look at the many photo albums I've posted showing my day-to-day adventure in Tokyo. :)

See you all soon!

<3,
Emily

Leaving for Japan!

2009-11-26T19:46:00.004-05:00

Well, folks!
Tomorrow I take off around the world for the Land of the Rising Sun, so I'll be on a two-week hiatus.
In the meantime, I figured I'd at least have something for you to enjoy while I'm gone, so I'm posting the edits of the first 6 pages of TAoCKF, as well as a little something extra.
Here you go!

TAoCKF: An Unexpected Engagement page 6!

2009-11-22T13:10:00.001-05:00

TAoCKF: An Unexpected Engagement page 5!

2009-11-15T22:34:00.003-05:00

Here's the next installment of the first chapter of The Adventures of Chester K Fingkelbottom!

Enjoy!

TAoCKF: An Unexpected Engagement full teaser!

2009-11-08T10:58:00.003-05:00

Here it is!
Counting down...

3...

2...
1...

GO!

TAoCKF: An Unexpected Engagement page 3

2009-11-06T17:28:00.002-05:00

I'd like to take this moment to remind you all that, though these characters are relatively based on actual persons, the scenarios and events that take place are entirely fictional, or twisted as I would like them to happen....
Except when they are true.

Enjoy page 3!
One more page to go in the teaser!!!

-EJS

Page 2!

2009-11-04T00:25:00.002-05:00

Page 2 of the teaser comic "An Unexpected Engagement."
Enjoy!

TAoCKF: An Unexpected Engagement page 1

2009-11-02T14:53:00.004-05:00

The first (title) page of Chapter 1, the introduction to the story...
Enjoy!

(Adjustments to pages may be made at a later time.)

More to come soon!

Finished!

2009-11-02T02:16:00.001-05:00

The first 4 pages of the introduction to The Adventures of Chester K Fingkelbottom are finished and pending critique!
I will upload them sometime tomorrow (Monday) after I've gotten sufficient feedback from my peers and professors.
Expect the unexpected!

Love to you all!
-Emily Sampson

Workshop!

2009-10-30T22:20:00.012-04:00

So this is totally unrelated to TAoCKF but it is helpful to understanding my process.
I gave a workshop today on Character Design (taking tips from such great artists as Chris Sasaki and Ben Caldwell), and it went really well, so I decided to share it with y'all!
Enjoy!
Hope you get a lot out of it (if you're not already awesome like Chris Sasaki or Ben Caldwell). :P

p.s. edit- finally fixed the timing problem. hope you enjoy!

p.p.s. Those last slides are my own artwork, and that's why they're not labeled.

p.p.p.s. If you'd like to share this video, I've also got it uploaded on my Youtube account here and it's free for embedding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pw2FhO5e10

Update to Keep You on the Edge of Your Seat

2009-10-29T09:21:00.003-04:00

The first two pages of the four-page The Adventures of Chester K Fingkelbottom teaser comic are drawn and scanned and ready to be lettered. They will be uploaded here sometime this weekend. :D

Colored Sketches for more satisfaction

2009-10-25T01:01:00.005-04:00

While you wait for the first page of the introduction to TAoCKF, I figured I'd toss the two colored sketches I had up here to keep you distracted.

Also, I've included the flier for my workshop on Friday, October 30th.
It's going to be at Norris Hall (SCAD), probably on the first floor at either 1 or 2 pm (need to double check the time), and we'll be discussing how to create unique and distinguishable characters for your stories, as well as how to design based on shapes and types of characters. There will be an exercise too, so bring your drawing materials if you're coming!

Hope to see you there!

TAoCKF Sketches!

2009-10-24T20:29:00.000-04:00

Hey all!
Figured I'd give you a little teaser by posting the first 10 concept sketches for The Adventures of Chester Fingkelbottom here.

Enjoy!

#1. The sketch (of the soon-to-be female lead, Emma Evans) that defined the style for this comic. It started as just a fun change of pace for me, trying new things out after I got the Claire Wendling art book and ogled her amazing linework and motionful (that should be a word) figures. Then, later...

#2. Shortly after returning home from visiting friends in Indiana for a wedding, and bringing home my new "fiancee," a pink flamingo lawn ornament given to me by my best friend, and promptly named Chester Fingkelbottom, I started creating a story around it. The "fiancee" thing was a joke, of course. All my friends are getting married, and apparently it's my turn next. You can see that I first named him Chester W. Fingkelbottom, but that soon changed to K, for reasons you'll never know.
In this sketch, you'll also see my process for developing a character. (The notes should help you understand my way of thinking.) I particularly like the chibi drawing at the bottom of the sketch, which shows a daily interaction between Chester and Emma, the main characters.

#3. When I returned to Savannah for the next year of Grad School, I had a little get-together at my new apartment with my friends. We always have a Game Night, and every once in a while we'll break out the sketchbooks. That's when I picked up the idea for Chester Fingkelbottom again. You can see I made some changes to the designs for him and Emma. I was also developing their mannerisms and body language. I decided Chester would always walk in an unusual fashion, hiking his feet up almost to his rear with each step. Emma is a little ADD, so she's in constant motion and is easily distracted by things. (Pay no attention to the writing in the upper left-hand corner. We were talking about strange things that night. But if you can figure out the reference, more power to you.)

#4. Another sketch of Emma, trying to get down her body language a little more. I imagine she and Chester had gone to the Zoo and she ran ahead, spinning wildly around to announce that they have goats in the petting zoo.

#5. You have no idea how extremely fun it is to draw Emma in chibi form. As usual, she's running like a wild animal.

#6. An awkward intimate moment between Chester and Emma in the kitchen. Chester was making eggs for Emma when she hopped up on the counter and gave him a little peck on the beak. She probably burned her hand shortly afterward.

#7. Chibi Chester Head. That's all you really need to know. (This will be used in the comic somewhere, but I won't tell you what for.)

#8. They're filming in Savannah. On a ride home I thought I saw Robert Redford, but then I realized I really couldn't remember what he looked like. I'm an idiot when it comes to recognizing/naming famous people.

#9. Some fun sketches after a workshop with Ben Caldwell. These are partially inspired by my recent envy of Meredith McClaren's wonderfully expressive artwork (she's iniquitousfish on here, so go check her out). Emma has a cat named Chubbs (for obvious reasons).

#10. A conceptual sketch of one of the minor characters in the story, Stephan. He's short, tanned, and has curly, thick, beautiful black hair that's always tied back in a ponytail. He often gets mistaken for an Italian.

That's all, folks!
Hope that's enough to whet your palette until I get the comic up!
Let me know what you think!

-Emily Sampson,
creator

Welcome to the Adventure!

2009-10-23T16:33:00.000-04:00

Hi there!
Pretty soon, there will be some exciting updates to this page, I promise.
This will be the home for the new comic strip/fantasy journal comic "The Adventures of Chester K Fingkelbottom."

Synopsis:

Emma Evans returns from summer vacation to host a get-together with all her Grad-School friends, and to introduce them to her new fiancee, Chester K Fingkelbottom.
Not only does it come as a shock that Emma's suddenly returned engaged to someone they've never heard of, but when he walks in the door for the first time they find he's a tall pink anthropomorphic flamingo.
Everyone else is disturbed by this, but Emma doesn't seem to notice that he's... different.
With two of her friends crushing majorly on her, and Chester's "condition" seriously freaking out all her friends, Emma lives her life the way she always does- anything but normally.
Her eccentric and hyperactive personality is juxtaposed by Chester's cool and calm demeanor; the perfect fuel for an adventure.