You've Got A Lot of Blogs to Check Out

Hey! So remember that super secret extra special comics project I teased around New Years? Well I'm starting to post it on my tumblr! New pages are going to be going up there every Tuesday and Thursday from now until the far distant future! I'll of course keep updating stuff on this here blog as the project continues to develop, but ya know, you can just start following my tumblr if you wanna see the good stuff as it's coming out. And oh, there is indeed some good stuff a-coming.

Also! While your checking out things on tumblr, why don't you check out my good buddy Nick Patten's new blog too! Nick's one of my favourite dudes, and he tends to pump out some pretty slick looking stuff. Also! You should check out some of the cool stuff my buddy Keith Jones has been putting up on his tumblr lately as well! He's been posting huge chunks of the current book he's working on, and it's looking goddamn beautiful! So yeah, remember to check those out too!

Cardboard Sketches

I've been busy with many things lately, and have had less time to blog than I'd like. And I've realized that there's a lot of drawing that I do that I often don't get around to putting online, and maybe should? So in place of anything of actual substance to report, here are some random doodles done on comic backing boards while at my "day job."

One more on my flickr. The sketches on the latter page here are mostly inspired by a book of paintings by artist Lucian Freud. His portraits are such an amazing mix of the beautiful and the grotesque, it really gets my juices flowing in interesting ways.

I wanted to point out as well a recent series of interviews that the Comics Journal podcast did with some Center for Cartoon Studies alumn. I've been mentioning CCS a lot over the past few blog posts, mainly because I've been putting up comics from that period, but also because going there was a fairly significant experience for me. And I feel like these interviews - particularly the parts with Melissa Mendes, who was in my class, and Joe Lambert, who was part of the community while I was around - paint a fairly accurate picture of what being there was like. So, you know, consider giving it a listen. And consider checking out Joe and Melissa's blogs as well, because both of them just happen to be ridiculously talented people.

Web 2.0

There are some things about the internet that I really like. And there are some things about the internet that I occasionally find strange and slightly overwhelming and oh-god-don't-go-over-there-never-go-over-there! Historically, intense social networking/"microblogging" sites like twitter and tumblr have fallen more into the latter category than the former, for me. I know, I'm so "web 1.0," right? Well this grandpa has finally decided to take a step off his rocker and see what all the fuss is about! I've started a tumblr account, where I'll likely mostly be posting links to songs I'm listening to and quick computer sketches, and a twitter account, where I'll be doing... whatever it is you do on twitter. Feel free to friend me if you have either of those yourself! I'm not entirely used to this sort of stuff, but I'm honestly going to try to give it a shot. Let me know if you have any advice! Heh.

Also, speaking of people and the internet, I've been meaning to post a link to Denis St. John's submission to the Public Domain Superhero Project for Panel to Panel Magazine, which he recently put online. I don't know about you, but it looks pretty frickin' cool to me. I've also been meaning to make another addition to my People You Should Know series...

How cool is Katherine Roy? So cool she farts lush, beautiful drawings without thinking! So cool she recently got accepted for a spring residency at the Vermont Studio Center! She's got strong opinions on 19th century literature, and taught me pretty much everything I know about book binding. Keep an eye on her, because I'm fairly certain she's going to accomplish some pretty huge things before all is said and done. http://caterpillarpublishing.com/

Super Fresh

This here's a quick drawing I did recently as a going away gift for a friend, based off of a ridiculous inside joke. Meet "Super Freshe," the illegitimate mutant daughter of Ed Mirvish whom he named a convenience store after. She is enthusiastic about large pumpkins, and will sell one to you for several hundred dollars.



You may have noticed that I've recently gone through and added tags to all my blog posts, just like the "real bloggers" do. I figure this should make it easier to keep track of re-occurring themes, like my posts on people you should know. Plus it makes me look more tech savvy. Anyway, speaking of the "friends and neighbours" tag...

Nick Patten is one of my favorite people. He's an honest dude with an honest moustache who understands the importance of the "Die Hard" movies more than any person I've ever met. He's also another of the editors of the Werewolf! anthology, and is currently offering up his contribution to the third volume in it's entirety over on the Werewolf! blog! I've been laughing my butt off reading the "Horrible Lump Man" comics he's been posting over on his blog recently too. With such a bounty on offer, how can you say no? Answer: you can't. So check out his blog already, ya big jerk! http://unreachablebeasts.blogspot.com/

Monstros and Grills

This is a pin-up I did for Denis St. John's recently released "Monsters and Girls: Amelia" volume 3.



Click the image for a larger version. "Amelia" itself is such a weird mix of horror and humor and sexuality, and I tried to run with that as much as I could while making this. Playing with the sort of "cheesecake" aspect, while trying to keep it somewhat unsettling at the same time. It was actually really fun. And all of this was, of course, inspired by...

Okay, so I am a dude that really enjoys horror movies. Because of this, Denis St. John is one of my favorite cartoonists ever. He understands horror better than most of us probably ever will, with a knack not just for conveying the terrifying and the grotesque, but also for knowing how to make it fun. His comics are ridiculous, expressive, and over the top, and - most importantly - frickin' scary. And especially around this time of year, what more could you ask for? The third volume of his current comic just came out, and the first two are available to purchase through his website. You should give them a look! http://denisstjohn.blogspot.com/

Werewolf!!! Cover

So as promised, here is the cover I did for Werewolf!!! volume three, coming out this weekend at MICE!



This particular cover was one of those fortunate examples of an illustration that more or less came to life fully formed. I knew I wanted to do a more detailed closeup of a werewolf, since the previous two covers had only featured werewolves at a distance or as a silhouette. This time, I wanted the cover to get in your FACE! I liked the idea of having this cover be an interior scene as well, since that was something we hadn't done yet. The whole concept just sort of flowed from there.



As you can see, I didn't change much of the original thumbnail concept once I moved on to pencils. If it works then why change it, right? Even from this stage of the pencils to the final inks, the only real additions were my decision to enlarge the window slightly and the smaller detail work on the walls and floor (though of course, the devil's in the detail ain't he? Or, you know, werewolf, as the case may be.)



And voila, the finished design, as it will appear at MICE (complete with hand painted glow-in-the-dark moon!)



Of course if you aren't going to be in Boston this weekend, keep an eye on the Werewolf blog where we'll be posting info on how and where you can purchase copies of Werewolf!!! once MICE is over. And you know, while you're all busy clicking on links and stuff, you might also want to check out...

Penina is a lovely lady, and has probably been the main driving force in putting the latest issue of Werewolf!!! together. Her story "Cubs" is going to be one of the main features of the book, and it looks beautiful. You don't have to take my word for it though. You can get a sneak peek by looking at the preview pages she currently has posted on her blog: http://peninacomix.wordpress.com/

Hulk, Friend?

So woke up yesterday with this sudden urge to draw Jennifer Connelly as she appears in the 2003 "Hulk" movie. I can't really justify this. Have you seen that movie? It's extremely surreal, Jennifer Connelly's performance especially. She just straight up ignores the ridiculous premise, and horrible dialogue, and incredibly strange and inconsistent tone of the film, and does her best to invest you in Betty and Bruce's messed up relationship and the disturbed and overly-complicated family drama that surrounds it. Leading to scenes like this. She's acting so hard in it, like someone forgot to tell her that it was an Incredible Hulk movie. Watching it, you can't help but be like "Hey Jennifer, take it easy! Honestly, you can give it a rest! It's okay sometimes to just take your paycheck and go home..."



You may have noticed the new banner I recently added to the site. You may also have noticed the extensive links section added to the side. I feel like I'm extremely lucky in that, partially through having attended CCS, but partially also just through luck and life, I happen to be friends with a lot of really awesome cartoonists. And while putting those links together, I decided that for the next little while I want to spend a part of every post I make highlighting some of those people.

First on my list is Laura Terry. She is from Texas, and her website claims she was raised by wolves and/or gypsies! She is also feisty and fiery and dangerous, and has a sense of style and design so finely honed it will cut you! She's currently posting a series of illustrations done during her recent trip to Kenya, which are really something to see. Check them out at her site: http://www.bravesailor.com/