Polly Farmer was a footy player … in Australia. I recently finished inking a page in the Long Weekend with some footy on it … it was AWESOME FUN!! I’ve got one guy taking a mark over the back of a pack! Not quite a speccy, but he’s got a huge grin on his mug as he does it. You’ll all see it in a bit.
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Polly Farmer
19 NovOld people
16 Nov
Here’s a couple of sketches I did whilst researching what I wanted to do with the Long Weekend. The old bloke was from a photo in an old anthropology book … I actually didn’t record which one, so I’ve forgotten, possibly a photo of Spencer’s … or Herbert’s … not sure now. The second one was a contemporary photo that was in the Age newspaper after the intervention occurred, again I didn’t record the photo’s information. I really liked trying to draw the shadows on the faces of dark skinned peoples in the starkly contrasting light of the desert, quite a challenge that I’d never tried before. I was concerned at the time that the challenge would be to still retain the humanity of the characters despite there eyes not being visible … I didn’t want them to seem like cartoony zombies just because there eyes were obscured, I still find that a challenge even though I’ve had a lot more practice now.
Pages 28-32 – Dog & Inanna
15 Nov
Previous pages
1-4, 5-7, 8-9, 10-13, 14-17, 18-22, 23-27
SO MANY QUESTIONS!!
Who the f*&% was that crazy maze-face guy???
Why’d the Long Weekend suddenly slip back a few millenium?
Where the HELL is this going?????
What the hell is Inanna doing in a place like HELL?
The answers to all that and more – in the NEXT PAGES (just wait a couple of weeks while I put some ink on them … be patient PLEASE!!)
Can someone tell Nick from Alice that that’s his car I’ve drawn in there – Emily! (changed the roof rack a little), my little homage to all the adventures that Emily and I had together … before Nick bought her off me.
If people are interested in Inanna (she’s the god of war and sex … so I think that just about covers everyone) and want to check her history out a bit more I suggest you look up Diane Wolkstein. Inanna is also referred to as Ishtar, and is somewhat of an analogue of other gods from different cultures such as Diana/Artemis, Demeter, Venus/ Aphrodite, perhaps Shiva from Hindu mythology etc.
Some pics of Alice … for inspiration’s sake
12 Nov
Well, here’s a couple of photos that I took of Alice in one of my many trips back there … the other one, the first one, is a photo of me in front of that impressive painting in Melbourne – at the NGV … it’s one of my favourite paintings of all time – it’s called Anewrlarr anganenty (big yam dreaming) and it’s by Emily Kam Kngwarray whose language group is Anmatyerr. I like standing in front of that huge canvas when I get the opportunity.
At the bottom is a sketch I did in Alice, based on a photo I took whilst walking around town collecting images for The Long Weekend.
Pages 23-27
7 Nov
Previous pages
1-4
5-7
8-9
10-13
14-17
18-22
more pages in a week or so
Next pages – 28-32
These pages were amongst the first that I did, hence they have a slightly different look about them, but I’m fond of this section because it plays out like a slightly surreal joke (as will be evidenced by the next pages that I stick up which will complete this section). In the essay this part was called “Dog“.
Unfortunately for the format of this blog the impact of the ‘reveal’ (comic-term) is a little nullified. In printed book format the turning of the page from the two cluttered 9-panel pages over to the page of Gilgamesh and Enkidu (the King of Iraq and his slightly animalistic super-dude mate who reminds me no-end of Hanuman) should be a major turning point in the history of surrealism … but alas I think it is a little lost here. Oh well, we’ll see when we get around to printing a copy or two.
More comics from the mongrel-town will be forthcoming in a few weeks … ooo can’t wait.
Pages 18-22
1 Nov
Previous pages
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-7
Pages 8-9
Pages 10-13
Pages 14-17
Next pages – Pages 23-27
Phew, finished all those pages. Must say that long-term comic-making is completely time consuming for those who don’t know what they’re in for (I’m one of them … but now I’ve gone too far to stop … have probably completed about 50 pages in the last 5 months, another 60-70 to go depending on what I end up doing with the ending (which is still a little amorphous … the only part that remains unclear). I may go on to do a process blog next for those interested in the idea of adapting an essay (prose) into comics … particularly one that was contained in an academic collection, I’m not sure how many other comics are out there like this one … I suspect that there might be more than just me.
Bernard Caleo forwarded me something by Kate Fielding with artists Elizabeth Fielding and the wonderful comicer Mandy Ord – called “Their hook find hold deep in our flesh” … it is an interesting combo of historical research, comics, images and collage which gives a beautiful mood to the piece. It was contained in Meanjin and made up a thesis involving a couple more people as well in the larger piece (which I have not seen).
Pages 14-17
19 OctPrevious pages
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-7
Pages 8-9
Pages 10-13
I have taken away page 17 for the time being – there are some matters that need to be dealt with a bit better and in a more culturally sensitive manner with this particular page. Apologies to anyone who has felt offended who has read it so far. I will endeavour to address the issues.
So I’m a little partial to maps … did you pick that up? We have a massive collection at home … bordering on a little obssessive … though I’ve chilled out after moving to Tasmania. I had a LOT of maps of Central Australia because for work I used to drive all over … not a bad job if you can get it. Tiring though.
The little cars driving in towards Alice was a little suggestion from Jen Breach, who’s a comic-writer that I showed this to earlier in the year when I was in Melbourne, Thanks Jen! Jen’s doing a 60 page comic with Andrew Fulton … who is THE BEST comic-maker in the country, hands down … slap-arse! full STOP! … *plop* (he does great fight scenes). And I’m a little excited to see what they’re cooking, but we must be patient.
The 3rd panel of the maps page with Craig holding the pointer at the Dead Centre of Alice Springs is a reference to this bunch of educational comics that Craig had from 1958 which had all these amazing historical accounts of explorers crossing the country. There was one that detailed the construction of the overland telegraph. Here it is – 
isn’t it a corker!!
Pages 10-13
15 OctPrevious pages
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-7
Pages 8-9
I will set up a post in the next week that has all of the pages on one post to make it easier to read in one hit.
This last page is one of my favourites … the concept is why. So often it is too difficult to even conceptualise how one should even THINK about complex matters. To draw a boundary gives you some clarity about how to even begin thinking … the barest of frameworks is often all that is needed so that you can begin. When I first read this article, this simple sentence was all that I needed to begin thinking about what it was that I was trying to even think about. Artistically this boundary is also a symbol for the cultural borderlands that characterise living in places like Alice.
Pages 8 and 9
7 OctHere is a couple more pages, if you’d like to start from the beginning then go here –
Pages 1-4
Pages 5-7
Dark settings actually require a LOT more thought … must say I’d never drawn as much darkness before and learnt a lot from the process of doing this series of pages … a few more to come in this sequence, I’ll put it up in a few weeks. Feel free to comment on the blog, I note that Tom Singer himself wrote on the previous pages, for those who don’t know – he’s the bloke who’s actually mentioned in this comic – he’s the one with the psychological language who edited the book that Craig originally wrote this piece for.
For more Comica-Australiana that’s worth reading I TOTALLY recommend you read Pat Grant’s Blue.
I also just finished plowing through Mandy Ord’s beautiful collection – Sensitive Creatures which was really really really nice to read.
Pages 5-7
24 SepPrevious pages 1-4
Next pages – 8-9
These particular pages here were a little headache for me … all set the tone of the purpose of the narrator, translating this section into something that worked for comics without making it too text heavy (which would make it very different to the opening sequence which is much more emotive) was actually quite a trick. My solution was to create a very contemplative space with very little action, focused moments detailing Craig’s indecision, lack of understanding of how this concept might be applied, how it could be understood … what the hell is it. It’s quite wordy, but I figure, in the end that the entire concept behind this comic is kind of vague and tricky to grapple with anyway, so this kind of introduction needs to be there, despite the fact that it remains a little vague and tricky for both the narrator and the reader all the way to the end.
Joshua Santospirito Art 
