Craftsmanship

"Craftsmanship to be artistic in the final sense must be ‘loving’; it must care deeply for the subject matter upon which skill is exercised. A sculptor comes to mind whose busts are marvelously exact. It might be difficult to tell in the presence of a photograph of one of them and of a photograph of the original which was of the person himself. For virtuosity they are remarkable. But one doubts whether the maker of the busts had an experience of his own that he was concerned to have those share who look at his products."

— Art as Experience, John Dewey

Reminds me of Pyle.

From Escape Into Life

Owl Song

Small Small Monster Sale

SOLD

SOLD

sold

SOLD

SOLD

I'm sitting here until they're gone! twenty five American dollars each plus four dollars shipping and you could have one of these tine, no bigger than 3" by 3" monster pot=rtraits on handmade papers drawn and painted with India ink,watercolour and gouache.

Tomorrow; Small, Small Monster PAintings Sale

I'll be selling my little monsters tomorrow for twenty five dollars each plus shipping, so heads up!

A suspicious Glance and A Tiny Accordian Player

I cashed in a bookstore gift certificate yesterday and since Chapters is now selling Moleskines I decided to finally try one of the tiny ones. At top is sketch from my Hand*Book sketchbook. The image is taken from a Taschen book of photographs.

And from the very cool files, my Batman and Robin drawing is posted over at B B Gun. Very cool.

Ancient World Radio

Some more sketchbook work. My current sketchbook is the Hand* Book. This sketchbook caught my eye because of the colour and unusual shape. The white, thick paper is lovely as well.

There's a review of this notebook on this diary writing blog and more information on this notebook blog. I'm finding a lot of great reviews of paper and pen products lately and I'll share them as I find them. Currently my favorite site to read about thoughts on paper and ink is Drawing With a Squirrel. Check it out, I went through it yesterday and made a list of art supplies to try out.

A couple of bits of good news. I sold this picture and I've been commissioned for a book cover. Very cool.

Also, my picture got a very nice write up on on The Ephemerist.

Two bits of good news this week. I sold a drawing and I've been commisioned to do a book cover.

Bluish

Sketch Ghost

A doodle elaborated.

The Blue Sketchbook

Inspired by a project did with Jeff VanderMeer last year I've decided to approach my sketchbooks differently. The way I've approached sketchbooks in the last few years was influenced by a favorite cartoonist Paul Pope who fills a sketchbook a month, he is incredibly productive and that's a plus in the cartooning world. I've learned a lot from this approach. The project with Jeff had me over a year working on a single sketchbook and exploring an idea over and over and following leads at whatever pace I needed to. I found this a more comfortable way to work. I'll give it a go and see what I think. I'll report back in a years time. OK, I'm done over thinking things now.

Also, great news! I sold a picture yesterday!!

How Much Is That Lion In The Window?

For sale: One Lion. I've posted this original on eBay for sale. Bidding starts at eighty dollars cheap. Help me fund my funny paper production and have a lovely original....

Homage To Bill Carman

A sketched homage to the great Bill Carmen.

A Resolution Of Sorts

I'm currently feverishly attempting to finish this months sketchbook so I can move on to the next one. Last year I used cheap, boring sketchbooks. This year I plan on spending lots of money on sketchbooks of odd sizes of varying colours and with thick paper.

Both of these sketches were drawn from photos on the Sartorialist blog.

A sketch To Ward Off The Madness Too Much Computer Work Brings

Simple Sketches

Here some simple ink and Photoshop sketches I did yesterday while I worked on writing and researching. And please check out my favorites on my Flickr account, I've found some real gems.

Future Self Portrait

Laying in bed last night I wanted to show Julie what I want to look like in ten or fifteen years. So I drew this. She said, " Wow, he looks like a real gentleman,"

Also, three more naked drawings:

A

B

C

Nakeds

Here are some nudes I posted to Twitpic. I'm thinking about a naked sketchbook to sell.

Naked 1

Naked 2

Naked 3

Naked 4

Naked 5

Naked 6

Naked 7

Naked 8

Naked 9

Henry Eating Ramen

a quick sketch done during dinner last night. Henry and I shared a bowl of ramen noodles. Touched up in Photoshop.

Spectrum 16

Yesterday I received my complimentary copy of Spectrum 16 and what a thrill. I've been collecting this annual for years and it means to me the best in the field of fantastic art. I'm honoured to share a page with Chris McGrath, Donato Giancola and Ciruelo.

Old Steampunky Thing

The Roving Studio

I had had enough! Too close to the TV and the front door- the studio I've used since moving to Toronto has been a quagmire of distractions. And it's too big. Everyone wants me to take the biggest room in the house but I like a small, quiet space all by myself to draw. Sigh.

Alice, Finished

Finished this illustration last week. So much fun to draw.

Mon Coeur!

I was planning on posting a simple ink sketch of the large lady from my sketchbook but after playing with contrast levels etc. in Photoshop I was pleasantly surprised to see layers of pages beneath that the scanner also picked up. Very cool! A whole different picture.

Sketchbook

Ten Minute Mermaid Comic

Something I don't have time to lavish a lot of attention on.

Alice, Rejected

Here's an earlier composition for the Alice picture.