Venus De Milo (Self Portrait)

Trying out something different. I had a slightly longer story plotted out but decided not to go on with it. I drew this really fast. The title is from a Miles Davis song.

City Sketches

A couple of sketches I did yesterday during a long walk all over downtown Toronto yesterday. The left one is  a sketch of Casa Loma, a Victorian castle right downtown. On another note, I'm considering getting a part time job so I can concentrate just on my comics. Any thoughts?

Pietro Perugino

" Pietro Perugino (1446–1524), born Pietro Vannucci, was the leading painter of the Umbrian school, who developed some of the qualities that found classic expression in the High Renaissance. Raphael was his most famous pupil. " Wikipedia. 


I can't begin to tell you how much I love the high Renaissance. Look at those eyes! More Pietro here.

Rainy Gallows

This character started with a name: Rainy Gallows and started to grow from there. I think she may be in the second Maddy Kettle book, a villain maybe? I know she was born in a swamp (Louisiana maybe?) and is the queen of the rat pirates...The bottom picture is closer to how she is looking. Can you guess where her name comes from?

Exercise

Something that's fun and interesting to do during a movie is to sketch it out quickly as though it were a comic book. This gives you an idea of the rhythm and composition. It's better done at home and not the theatre.... This is from Dr. Strangelove.

Henry Helps Out

Spider Goblins March

Here are some thumbnails from the first Flying Boat comic. I'm so busy right now with this and other projects ( including being a dad! ) that I'l scaling back my internet/networking time quite a bit. I think it's about time I recognizes that I am working on the jobs of my dreams right now and I don't have to anxiously be racing out to new clients etc. I also need more time to watch films and read comics.

Dance Doodle

I love this drawing I drew.

MMF

Blind Willie Johnson

Magic Boat

The minicomic and the graphic novel deviate quite a bit in how Maddy gets a magic boat. So if you have both you won't be reading the same story over again.

I'm currently on a Jazz kick (entering it's 34th year...) and I've just started listening to Jazz FM 91 on my iPod. Check out their app. It's awesome.

An Old Owl Boat

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! help

Everything's cool! Just working away on comics and other things. Listening to lots of jazz. Above is a panel from first Harry and Silvio comic.

A Day Making Card

I couldn't be more pleased. Neil Gaiman sent along this postcard thanking me for my minicomics. I am a very big fan of his.

Training Sketches

Just back from a cartoonists lunch in Little Italy. Fun day. Also finally picked up one of the new Tardi reprints.  Above ios a sketch and a half from my subway ride today. Below is a song by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck. The whole album, IRM, is amazing and I can't get enough of it.

Bear Eyes

Something from a comic I'm working on. I've added a neat little feed to my blog where I can share my favorite images or articles I stumbled on through my Google Feeder.It's on the right.Thanks to the super talented Tom Brown for touting my work at the Steampunk World's Fair! Also thanks so much to Shane Oakley for sharing so much with me and helping me navigate the freelance world. It's getting to the point where I can't begin to repay you!

Maddy Consults A Cloud Map

Here's a sketch from the Maddy Kettle sketchbook. I'm currently reworking thumbnails and collecting massive amounts of reference images of Arizona, where the story mostly takes place. I'm looking fort names of books, ideas, donations etc. so please contract me if you know of any great wealth of Arizona imagery (other then online, which I have plenty of)My main focus right now is the comic for Tor.com which I think is looking great. I might get Julie to help me with the lettering to speed things up(in exchange I'm helping her mark tests). I'm also waiting to hear from editors at Scholastic and Orca for the go-ahead on other projects. Busy time.

The Great Larry Marder

The biggest thrill at TCAF was getting to hang out with a hero of mine, Larry Marder creator of the comic book Beanworld. I was introduced to Beanworld years ago ( I won't say how many!) by Calum at Strange Adventures in Halifax. This picture makes me break out in a huge grin. I just can't get over the fact Larry Marder's holding my comic. Cool.

The Maddy Kettle sketchbook

Here's the sketchbook I keep all my thumbnail sketches and Maddy Kettle related drawings for the first book.

I've received a lot of helpful career advice lately, thanks everyone!

Night And Day

Working night and day right now. As I stated earlier we are fumbling by on very little income and a ton of work. Although it's looking good that my wife may find work soon ( she's in school right now) I'm working on about five different things right now.

Working Away

Just something I'm working on.

Calling Out Into The Audience

One of the great things about blogging is that you can say stupid things and then have people forget by covering up that stupid thing with more posts. Anyone have any good money advice? Especially people in comics...? I'm having a tough time figuring out how this all works. Should I make money from kids books to do comics? When I do that I don't have enough time to do comics, which is what I want to do. Original art doesn't move very fast. Maybe government grants? I'm coming across a lot of interesting challenging financing the two stories I'm doing now: Maddy Kettle and the Situation.

Above is a panel from a Harry and Silvio minicomic.

Cloud Castle Panel

Here's an older panel......

Frank Frazetta RIP

I'm so sad to hear one of my favorite artists has passed away: Frank Frazetta has died at 82. Read the New York Times article here. This painting by Frazetta was in part an inspiration for the character Maddy Kettle.

Playing With Ghouls

trying out some photoshop colours with a scratchboard drawing.

TCAF Treasures

Just back from TCAF and thought I'd share some treasures with you. Sketches by: Eric Wight 

Chester Brown

Matt Kindt

Seth

Charles Vess

Larry Marder

Stuart Immonen

Eric Kim

TCAF Worlds Best Comic Book Convention

Last week I thought "I'll go to the Toronto comic Arts Festival but I'm sure I'll know everyone there because it'll just be local cartoonists. Boy was I wrong! This is a huge international affair.I got to meet Charles Vess, Paul Pope, Jose Villarubia, Larry Marder, Brett Warnock from Top shelf, Gina Gagliano from First Second as well as a tonne of other amazing creative people. I saw a roundtable discussion on comics with Jim Woodring, Daniel Clowes, James Sturm, Seth and Chester Brown and it was phenomenal. I had a great day and I'll report back tomorrow after day 2. With pictures I hope!

Necropolitan Postcards Number Three

It caused Trudy much inconvenience when she couldn't remember which skull she kept her money in.

( This is my first attempt at using scratchboard, love to know your thoughts. I loved using this medium, it's very, very intuitive.)

Necropolis Polaroid

A great think about working in black and white is the ability to change and rearrange the colours.

Haunted Humber

A building on my bike ride along Lake Ontario that creeps me out.

Werewolf Polaroid

Here's an oldy! Loved doing this piece but remember being really frustrated by the bumpy paper. I find the way it's scanned with the long bottom piece makes it look like a Polaroid Feeling a bit bogged down. Lots of work. Got the blues and a scratchy throat. Trying out my scratchboard today, I'll report back on it later.

Dundering Bike Paths

Here's a photo I took yesterday as i biked from Etobicoke to downtown Toronto. It's an amazingly straight forward and easy ride, cutting along the waterfront pretty much the whole way. It took me about an hour and a half one way. On the way back I ran into a thunderstorm and had my wife rescue me. Please don't judge me..... I am very sore today.

Necropolitan Postcards Numbers One And Two

 

Necropolitan Postcard one: Have You Seen My Foot?

                       Necropolitan Postcard Two: Afraid of losing her head Abigail tied it to her wrist.


(If you're curious the Abigail picture was done in my sketchbook by covering the page in black ink and drawing in white ink.)