Salvage Teams

Any How Town is a busy place, full of resilient people, pictured here are one of the many freelance salvage teams who are clearing out the harbour and surrounding waters of all the destroyed ships that were sunk during the Last Good War. If you're wondering, "Is that a boar ?" Yes, it is. Only this team, lead by Palmer Caldeno (top left) and his right hand man Atwood Pinkola have a boar in their employ and also the massive Red Aucassin has joined his crew. To find out just what that story is, stay tuned. It may be the first of the Any How Town illustrated comics that I hope to do.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Big Suits!

Like I said either on this blog or over on fb, there's no point in building just one, you may as well make two, so here is another Big Suit/ Exo Ripley/ Steam Jack thing. I still have to figure out the hands, I'm thinking that I'll buy a larger figure at the Dollar Store and give each of these guys one of his hands, for the other mitt, I did go to a Toys R Us to do some pricing and they have these Jurassic Park figures that come with "grabbers" for grabbing Dinosaurs or whatever so I may buy those and attach them, currently they are out of my price range, please remember that spending over TWO dollars on anything to build these things defeats Rule #1 of Any How Town which is ,

1) Nothing Over Two Dollars.

I'm thinking of finally assembling a nice sized street scene and doing some sketches/ story boards and showing that process here. I think that would be cool, but first I have to make a wee bit of scratch and go antiquing with my long neglected girlfriend.

later nerds,

A.Shay Hahn

madcrafshoppe@live.com

Big Ol' Hogs and a shop to fix them in

There's lots of different ways around Any How Town, horses, boar, dogs, trucks, cars, jeeps and all kinds of bicycles, but the favourite has got to the be the Hog, and Hogs need repairs, and a rooftop pigeon coop to meditate at when your hog just ain't gettin' fixed quick enough.

I have a bunch of buildings on the go and it's nice to count this one as "almost finished.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

All Kinds of Vehicles and cool schtuff.

Boneyard Dogs, and then there were three

So here we have three Boneyard Dogs, I've been looking at some modder sites (people who cut up toys and make new toys out of them) and I'm (once again) kind of on my own, people tend to reproduce figures that already exist, mostly superheroes, so I'm kind of unique doing my own creations. They also tell you what bits come from where, if it's interesting I'll do this in the future.

When it comes to this shot, the dogs themselves are from a dollar store in the East End, that figure is a G.I Joe Baroness, who I have yet to alter, but will to probably make her Mother High Dispaten (see character profiles below) the dinos are these great $2.00 Dollarama kits that I have been cutting up and mixing and matching to fit onto the dogs. The newest one, which is on the right has a skull piece that was hot glued together out of two different sets to give it a different head piece, if they were all triceratops it would be dull, I have one more of these to finish and will then be moving on.

I am really going a little crazy getting everything started for my annual Christmas show of paintings at the Press Club (see madcraftshoppe links) when I'd really just rather be drawing these short comic chapters for Any How Town. I should also clarify, I think "online comic" should be changed, the comic will not be posted on this site, I will have it properly printed but here is where character info, models, sketches and thoughts will be compiled for you to enjoy the creation of 'Any How Town" to it's fullest.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Boneyard Dog

The advantage of building everything from kits/toys from the dollar store is that if you feel a model works if you want to produce more, it doesn't cost a heck of alot. This Boneyard Dog will soon have a pack to run with, the concept just turned out so well. The "zombie" figure beside him is actually one of the "Aucassin" family (see Any How Town the boy band entry) but just repurposed here for the sake of the photo.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Bounty Rhino

This is the Bounty Rhino, current thoughts are that it belongs to Stenhouse Newhouse (see Character profiles) who uses him to carry captured Gargans into The Mallory State or to the Any How Town Sheriff's Dept. (see. Deputy Blackfish). I'm really glad it's Hallowe'en so I can buy piles of skulls to add to these guys.

A.S.Hahn

Holy Cow and Pig Copter

Here are two more folks that move about "Any How Town" if I ever get a chance to draw this thing and get it going, any support, financial or otherwise would be greatly appreciated. The top image is a gig poster that I did for "Milk Run" (see, the mad craft shoppe label :Pub Life Sketches) that kind of stayed in my head.

"I have recently lowered the prices on the work at the Press Club, I am trying to raise some money to take a month away from painting to work on my graphic novel "Any How Town" (see Links section of this blog).

I've scripted and thumbnailed three short stories and I would love a chance to get to finally draw them. I thought I would have the time/savings at the end of The Cameron House show to do this project, but there were some delays that made that impossible. So if you have always wanted a framed piece of my work but found it too expensive, you can buy work at the Press Club. I am not lowering the prices because I think the work is bad, I am offering a savings to you to help me complete a project that I've been developing for over a year and a half. You can purchase the work directly from the staff at the Press Club."

-from "the madcraft shoppe" blog
all the best, hope to hear from you
A.Shay Hahn
madcraftshoppe@live.com

Grave Robbin' Voodoo Dog!

Currently laid up ill and working on small things from my bed, like this awesome little guy who is part of a larger Hallowe'en themed piece.

gotta go vomit,

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Dioaramas currently in Progress

Top, Haunted Cottage, Warehouse side wall, Fire Truck, Graveyard Shift (the mouse house),

Gator Rides Fifty Cents

This is just the tip of the iceberg for the dioaramas that I'm building of Any How Town, as they are completed you'll be able to see sections of the town come together. Time consuming and a little crazy, but exciting nonetheless.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

SCHUTZHUND!

The Amazing Mr.Boots and a long absence

I've begun building Any How Town - more to come, have glue on my fingers.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

The Future of Clan Lampo, the political climate of Any How Town

Resolu Lampo is one of the youngest members of Clan Lampo, but is fiercely dedicated to their cause in AHT, he is often found delivering loud speeches in the town square. Incredibly intelligent for his age he is definitely a person to watch. Resolu is not happy that his Uncle (--Don't have my notes in front of me-) Lampo, lost the last town election to The Phipps Double (see entry, coming soon) and has sworn to do anything to restore the honour of the Clan.

The First Good War, Heroes (Cont'd)

Handelin Games of Birthplace Mighty and Secure - Handelin is the most decorated hero of the First Good War, a living legend, unfortunately the brutality of the events of the F.G.W led him to seek solace in the Osolin Sugar Monastery, and he hasn't been down to AHT since, but occasionally was consulted for advice during the LGW (Last Good War), his answers were cryptic at best.

Cold Offering- is the oldest member of the Green Points Tribe, another hero of the LGW, responsible for fending off Gardan raiders along the coast, unfortunately he often didn't descriminate against the who were attacked, so guard patrols were also attacked by Green Points Natives, they were just protecting themselves. He wears his hair in the style of Handelin Games as Handelin is the only "white" man, that Cold Offering respects.

Inforina Skane- Inforina was a chemist during the FGW responsible for the creation of "The Zieglar Fluid" an elixir that helped soldiers regain their strength and heal faster than normal, unfortunately her long term exposure to the chemicals that created the fluid have destroyed her lungs leaving her incapicitated and kept alive by strange devices of her own making. She really is a kindly old woman, but children rarely walk across her doorstep due to her appearance and the sound of the pumps and gears that keep her breathing.

Ketchum Contagious- Not much is remembered about Ketchum, even his identity is a mystery, he walks through Any How Town in his shroud and keeps to the dark corners behind the buildings. He claims that he was a soldier in the FGW, but records from back then have failed to identify him and he is never seen without his "fort". His name was given to him by the citizens of AHT and he happily will answer to it - and then run away.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com



Been a long time, you're looking good.

At top: "Lucien Dentatus" the manager of the Orrow Water Bottling Plant, one of the slickest operators in town Lucien fiercely protects the interests of Orrow and most importantly, his own interests, he's got dirt on everyone in town. Also at top is the first sketch when I was trying to design helmets for the Gardan Infantry but quickly abandoned the idea, I was at the Done Right Inn and realized I needed a gas mask reference to successfully create the head gear.

Second Page First Sketch of "Remover Jacobs" who looks entirely too healthy for what I had in mind for the character. Jadis Adee, local celebrity novelist is also pictured and Sebastien Lampo of the Clan Lampo

Last Page Here are some of the folks who spend most of their time at "The Monday Hatred", Merriman Harrigan has his own character "card" here at the site, Hasher Hatstand, former sniper and cardsharp is always present, playing cards and Rettling "Midnight" Headon, occasionally acts as a doorman for the busier nights.

If you're wondering where I've been for so long (so sorry) check "the mad craft shoppe" site (see links) I hope to post five more characters this week and then start doing all the thumbnail work for the first story, which has been scripted and has languished since late February in the dedicated "Any How Town" sketchbook.

A.S.Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

                              

Lil bit more news

Sorry I have been away so long from these sketches and notes, but it's for a good reason. I've been working with my good friend Tony Benattar from the Liberty Boot Co. on a show that will be at the Cameron House for the month of April. The Opening Reception is the First of April from 6-9 with entertaiment by Col. Tom and also the Rattlesnake Choir. To see the work click the link to my other blog, "the mad craft shoppe". I'll be back once the show opens, I promise.

A.S.H

madcraftshoppe@live.com

News and Back Story

MARCH 19,2012.

Now I'm almost sure that was what I expected viewers to do, ridiculous.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

 

Once again, why are you doing this ?

MARCH 19th, 2012 update, there seems to be no text here, I guess I just assumed you would click on the image and be entertained by the story of this fella.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

 

Take Two

I thought maybe if I rubbed some crap on it and played with the lines some that it would get better, it did not. Lesson learned, moving on....

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

 

The Families

Creator's Note: Obviously I got up way too early today to start drawing anything, and all of my drafting markers are kaput so after this I'm going back to bed for a quick nap. The original intention here was to illustrate the three major families in AHT, this is what I ended up with - a ridiculous boy band cover. Instead of throwing this out, I decided to post it, although the more I look at it the more it reminds me of that sort of lifeless stuff that had passed for comic art in the early 80's. OK I will have to redo this and post them side by side. I'm embarassed but the drawing stays.


From Left to Right

Stinson - The Stinson family is one of the largest families in AHT (see Denny "Deathshead "Stimson, Wash Stimson, Dolliver Stimson Jr.) primarily known as farmers, there are also many Stinson's that live in AHT proper, it's joked that the reason the Army chose the outskirts of AHT for a base was not it's proximity to the Gardan States across the sea but for the sheer number of Stinson's available to conscript.

Aucassin- The Aucassin are a large clan of fishermen who live on the outskirts of AHT. (See Quatro, Red) Originally from the State of Florenz that borders the Gardan states, the Aucassins left their hostile neighbours to settle here. Few of them speak English, they keep to themselves and rarely mix with anyone from AHT except to sell or trade their catch. The Aucassin's have a reputation for being pirates and scavengers, but this has yet to be proven.

Clan Lampo- Like the Stidson's the Lampo clan is tied the fabric of AHT by sheer numbers .(See:Resolu Lampo, Administer Lampo, Mama Ken, Banyah Butler, Lamar Giraud Lampo) The Lampo clan are known as incredible soldiers, ritually scarring their heads as a rite of passage before going off to fight in THE LAST GOOD WAR. It is rumoured that the Lampo's Elder, Mama Ken, has the power to raise the dead for periods of time, this has never been proven.

(I really wanted to write more here, but I'm whipped.)

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Why Are You Doing This? Part Three

*Third Verse, same as the first.

Drawing: I don't draw as often as I did as a kid, I am primarily known in this city as a painter, muralist etc. but you think, "Don't you have to draw to do that ?" and I say, "No, I sketch, and sketch badly, my sketches look like a drunk girls phone number written with eyeliner on a wet nap." I flesh out concepts just as much as the next guy, but they are rough and ugly sketches that usually end up covered in notes and scribbles, paint and dribbles and the usual rough treatment. I usually only do "solid" sketches when I have a client involved who wants to see process, or if I get an idea when I'm not in my studio. I'm comfortable enough as a painter that once I have a concept for a piece or a series I just get started (but that's another blog: see mad craft shoppe).


So I had to draw and draw often, the character boards were the perfect way to refine my drawing style for AHT in a way that I was comfortable with, it was also a chance to work on line thickness, the most important part of inking and the thing that I have the hardest time with. So expect alot of these character boards until I am comfortable enough to begin drawing the series. "It's like riding a bike..." - which is a load of horsedooky, it's hard.


My approach right now to AHT is to publish a page every week or so of very small story arcs that give you an idea of the place, a little tour is probably the best way to start, so I'm writing little four page stories that will show you the town from a few people's perspectives and give a good chunk of back story.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com



Why are you doing this ? Part Two

*Once again, click to enlarge.

Character Creation:This is the part that I enjoy most, and I realized that the cast was going to be huge, you can't have a town without people, merchants, musicians and of course a criminal element and even more importantly BARS. I spend alot of time in the pubs in Toronto for meetings about paintings, TShirt designs, cooling down after painting in my studio, and especially seeing bands, I wanted AHT to have a strong music scene and a pub life. I also realized that as I created these characters that AHT would be a more interesting place if just about everyone in the town at one point in their lives had served in the military, it's hard to start trouble when everyone is "a hard man". So the first move was to just fill in the background, as I hadn't decided who our main character would be, it made sense to build a strong supporting cast.

As I was drawing in the sketchbook that I dedicated to AHT I realized, I hated drawing in this dang sketchbook, I didn't like the paper, the pens I was using etc. so after doing about twelve pages I realized we had to switch to boards. The best part about working on these small boards was they dictated the size of what I could do, one board per character. I began doing one or two a day at the pub after working at my job or after painting, I needed to switch my mind off of painting and drawing characters became the way to relax.

This may sound strange to you that after a day of creating you relax by creating something else (instead of watching TV or Facebooking or the gym) but it worked for me. It also gave me something to post to get people to visit daily and have a look at who's been added to the roster and what their all about as I started to write the first rough "arc" of AHT, which I've done almost to my satisfaction, and hope to get up here by the end of March, at least the first four pages....

to be cont'd.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Why are you doing this ? Part One.

* Well I guess you'll have to click on this to read it, if you want to know anything about anything in AHT you have to read this page.

I'm going to use these "Sketchbook" pages to let you know why I'm creating AHT and since I woke up at 6 am I may as well do some actual blogging, that's what I can't stand about my life and blogging, it's not enough to draw or paint the pictures, people want some kind of explanation or a funny story or witty observation. So I'm going to tell you, reader, why I'm doing this.


I love comics, I've been reading comics since I was five or six, I think the first things I read were the last couple issues of "Devil Dinosaur", the X-Men annual where they meet Arkon (great art for it's time) and the original Star Wars run with that crazy angular art. I was never a DC fan, mostly Marvel, especially the X-Men, which I got into probably around the Dark Phoenix saga (long time John Byrne fan) and the run of the Avengers around the time of Red Ronin and the Grey Gargoyle. The only DC titles I liked were Warlord, Teen Titans (George Perez!) and The Crisis on Infinite Earths oh and I was nuts for Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth.


I owe comics alot, my vocabulary was huge when I was a kid, my spelling was leaps and bounds ahead of my classmates (point of pride as a kid) it was common ground for my brother and I and my parents loved that I was reading and that it kept me quiet on long car rides to the cottage, no AC, my brother on my left side and a HUGE German Shepherd crammed in the back seat with us.


What I like best about comics is world building, I would create hundreds of characters, I would draw constantly, all my life people were saying, "You should do a comic." "Why don't you do a comic?".


The answer was easy.


I never had a story to tell. I think that as I grew older and the medium of comics became more literary I was able to start to assemble some ideas that I liked, it was the possibilities that I was seeing in the medium, Brian K. Vaughan, Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood and others revealed more to me about world building and the medium, the comics I read as a kid were for kids, the more recent comics (graphic novels) were more for me, as I matured, my ideas matured and we arrived here in Any How Town.


Any How Town has come so quickly to me in the past couple of weeks, two things were the starting point, "the Orrow Water Bottling Plant" and our "missions" in Afghanistan and Iraq. I was reading a blog written by a soldier on his return from Iraq and it was the language the he used that struck a chord, this guy was at least ten years younger than me (I am on the cusp of turning 37) and he was describing a life I could not understand, so immediately I got stuck on the idea of boys coming back from a war. "Orrow Water" was the next idea, a water bottling plant, I'm not sure where this came from, but I knew it would be a primary industry in this world I was creating, so I bought a sketchbook and dedicated an hour or so a day to creating, "Any How Town"

*This should be the last entry you read but since blogs run upside down, you will get to this part last.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

 

More Horoscopes from the mangled minds of Any How Town

(I never know where to write these things) So I'll put one here now, The fella above this awkwardly placed (maybe I'll change the alignment from now on so the image is to the left and text on the right) information is McGiveny Brigg. When Col. Reusille Hulks lowered the age of the draft in the Last Great War to fourteen years old to swell the ranks for the Last Great Charge, he also opened up the gates of Lancehead prison, conscripting all of the prisoners. McGiveny fit both criteria, so he got to be platoon leader. He's as crafty as they come, and if you don't think he's crafty, well, he'll just cut ya.

Janvia Magetal is the Engineer of AHT, one of the more settled minds, if there's a project chances are even the men of AHT will let her take charge, a natural gift for numbers and all that stuff. When her hands got blown off fixing some artillery, she just took it in stride and went to work on her next project, building herself a set of hands, actually sets of hands, that she carries in many trunks in her mobile workshop.

Gardan families have strange names, Murder, Maim and Maihem are there equivalents of John, Steve and Mark. Murder walks a fine line in AHT he was a young Gardan who fought on our side in THE LAST GOOD WAR. Folks in AHT still eye him strangely and the Gardan compounds don't want him around. He'd tell you this himself, but Marcelin Gargan and Mother High Dispaten cut out his tongue. He had become Janvia Magetal's loyal assistant.

The monks of Osolin Sugar worship the Circle and the space inside it. The monks keep to themselves at a monastery up in the hills, many soldiers who have come back from either THE LAST GOOD WAR or THE FIRST GOOD WAR end up going there to face their demons, some even stay (see. Handelin Games of Birthplace Mighty and Secure). If pounding sugar cane and stirring boiling pots, trying to draw a perfect circle and red scarves get your buns hummin' the Osolin Sugar Monastery is your destination.

"Socada" first we have to define the word "Socoda" see, in AHT there are LOTS of ghosts I'm talkin' loads of ghosts, there are the ghosts of dead sailors, the ghosts of dead lovers, the ghosts of dead dogs, the ghosts of dead murderers (see Lancehead prison) etc.etc. It's when we get to the ghosts of dead Indians (see Greenpoints) that the word "Socoda" becomes important, the Greenpoints natives use that term to describe their warrior spirits and since there are so many kinds of ghosts in AHT we have adopted the name as well to distinguish our wartime dead from all the other kinds of dead that we have. Socada Rhimas was the first soldier killed in THE FIRST GOOD WAR, most spirits of the wartime dead moved on when the War ended so many short months ago, but he's stayed in AHT, talking with his daughter, Allis, who hasn't told the rest of us why he's still here.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com

Encore avec les "folks"

Stenhouse Newhouse was a soldier in the First Good War, a member of one of the founding families of Any How Town, he was ambushed by a Gardan Raiding Party, beaten and left for dead. He was nursed back to health in the forests of Any How Town by badgers and skunks. He does venture into Any How Town to have a few beers and tell you just what the badgers and skunks think of you, which isn't much apparently.

There are few people I fear in Any How Town, I've seen too much to be afraid anymore, but I am deathly afraid of Mother High Dispaten, the true leader of the Gargan families that live in AHT, she's a bonafide war criminal who walks these streets uncontested. Many of tried to kill or apprehend her and collect the sizable reward on her head, none have succeeded.

Eaglet Rainland loves to come into AHT from the Green Point's forest and ask people questions, she's fascinated with all aspects of life in AHT. She's a bit of a mascot to us, that's a good thing as many of us need someone innocent in our lives.

the Donmark Patient is talking in her sleep.
A.Shay Hahn
madcraftshoppe@live.com

Again with the folks!

Merriman Harrigan is the town Arsonist, he is also the leader of the Volunteer Fire Department in A.H.T. What can I say, the guy loves fire, he's burned about 60 % of his body in various fires, he'd hoped to have burnt more, but apparently he still has lots of time.

NOTE CHANGES: Oliver Sinson is one of the seemingly innumerable Stinsons living around Any How Town. He and Sinawa Eaglet Rainland are pretty much insperable, but whereas Eaglet just asks alot of questions, Oliver just talks and talks nonstop without pause. Some people lock there doors in Any How Town to keep out the "bad" elements, I do it to keep Oliver from getting in.

Allis Rhimas is a waitress at the Monday Hatred and a low level psychic, she can read short phrases in your mind, but she can also project into the mind also, which helps to explain why her shifts are the busiest. She spends alof of her time off talking to the ghostly apparition of her father, Socoda Rhimas, the first man killed in the Last Good War.

Time McGavin, from his notes.

A.Shay Hahn

madcraftshoppe@live.com