A Fine Desert Night

Here's a recently inked Maddy Kettle panel. They are having a meal of "moon beans" in the desert having just patched up their hot air balloon. Right now I'm on page 28 and my hope is to get to page 40 before Christmas, when we go to Ottawa. I'm starting to have doubts I'll hit that self imposed deadline, looking ahead at some of the pages I pencilled are waiting for inks they look like 40 or 50 hour inking jobs. However, I have no other commitments until then so I'll do my very best. 


Changing the subject a bit, I was reading a line from Alan Moore about writing, and how he writes by creating a world, which suggests characters, which in turn suggests the stories. I already have a pretty good idea of the world where Maddy Kettle takes place but this made me feel like I could go a lot deeper. And right away, after a few lines, everything started to make more sense.

So I started with an image of a small squirrel in a squirrel sized Victorian spaceship, jalopy and ran with it. 

It starts "The Cloudscape is mostly twilit and sometimes very dark"


With my schedule as it is it'll probably take months to finish a story. I write in a tiny lined notebook I carry with me and fiddle with when I have a moment. 


Also, I wanted to let everyone know that writer and artist Terri Windling appears to be going through a difficult time. She is truly an amazing talent. You can learn more about her here, and how you can help. 

Beans In The Desert

Finished up a book cover yesterday so it's back to Maddy Kettle. Still trying to hit the page 40 mark by Christmas, I'm on page 26 right now so it'll be a bit of a challenge. My mom came up from Halifax yesterday to help out, not with the comic but more like moral support. So now Henry won't be standing on my head while I draw in the evenings.

The prints are selling really well! Thanks so much to everyone who bought one or some original art. I really appreciate it. I've also set up a donations button on the right here. Don't feel compelled but every little bit helps. I'm not making much income while doing this so I'm more or less trying everything I can think of to keep things rolling.

I may cut back on blogging a bit, just to get more work done. I'm thinking every second day through the holidays. 

A Comic For Everyone!

The Storm In The Barn by Matt Phelan is one of the most unique and compelling comics in years. Drawn in a gorgeous and loose pencil line with soft colours evocative of memory and faded photographs is a joy to read and look at. While evoking a deep sense of American, dust bowl history this is still a fictional story, with the feel of folklore.

This is a must have all ages comic.

On Amazon.

Matt Phelan's website

A Peek At Christmas

Here's a little Christmas drawing I'm working on, this isn't the first time Silvio has appeared in a Christmas themed drawing. I started this in the tiny window of time between sending off edits and waiting for responses for a book cover.

I'm really looking forward to Christmas, I just realized I've been working full time without a real break for about three years. And i think it's starting to show. I'm getting a bit cagey and weird. I also realized that with Julie working at school until seven at night and then when she comes home she puts Henry to bed  I'm just not seeing any adults at all, for days it seems. Sigh. 

Prints For Sale!

Just in time for Christmas I've put three new prints in my Etsy store. Each one is 15 dollars plus shipping. I'm doing this in the hopes of making a bit of income through the holidays so I can work on Maddy Kettle with maybe a little less strain. Every purchase is a huge help to me and will help me complete the first book. If you have any questions feel free to email me at eric.orchard@gmail.com

The first 10 orders will receive a free Maddy Kettle minicomic!


Link to my Etsy store.

A Comic For Everyone!

If you love fantasy adventures I can't think of  more perfect book for you than Scott Chantler's award winning comic Tower Of Treasure. Fast moving, a lot of fun and beautifully drawn, this really is one of the best fantasy stories out there, in comic or book or movie form. I think what really makes this book special for me is the combination of humour and fantasy, this aspect is so well done. The story is fairly light, but well written  and the main character Dessa, an acrobatic thief is a wonderful character. This book is a must for your all ages comic book shelf.

Also, a great idea for a Christmas gift! As the season gets closer I'll be posting more books I think would be great for anyone of any age to find under the tree.

On Amazon 

F Is For Fideal

An evil water spirit of the Highlands. The personification of entangling bog grasses and water weeds.

This will likely be my last Alphabeast until after Christmas when my deadlines should be manageable again.

More amazing Alphabeasts!

Toronto Christmas Train show

The first salvo of Christmas has been launched! We went to the very fun and throughly Christmasy Train show this afternoon out by the airport. I don't think I've heard Henry say "wow" so often in one day before. His favorite is the bottom one, a train stuck in water. He can't stop talking about it. It was pretty cool. The two leveled outhouse was pretty funny. The guy who made it said it was his commentary about capitalism. 

Phone Doodles

I often do work I'm really happy with when my mind is somewhere else. 

The Saturday Post

This week I worked mostly on Maddy Kettle, trying hard to meet my (self imposed) Christmas deadline of inking half the book. Some days I feel on track other days I don't. Right now I have half the book penciled and about 25 pages inked. I also have other work to to besides Maddy, all fun work, which is kind of nice. I get to use other drawing muscles. I finally was able to make an order of prints and I'll post those next week. Also, looking ahead to next year when the first Maddy book is done I'm still seriously considering a Kickstarter campaign to help finance working on that book. Making a graphic novel isn't especially expensive but living can be. 

Broke Down Engine Blues

Another inked panel form Maddy Kettle, here Silvio is playing a blues song. "Got a broke down engine mama, ain't got no drive at all"

I'm starting to feel a bit behind as little things add up to keep me away from drawing. Today it was parent teacher meetings. And Henry will be home with me today, so that's always a challenge. 

Stranded In The Desert

This is a really small drawing in my comic so it's nice to separate it out like this and see if it works by itself. Sometimes drawing characters small can be a challenge, but I think these guys have enough of a recognizable shape that it's readable. I was up before 6 this morning and I don't think I'll be done much before 11. I have a feeling that my days will be like that right up to Christmas when I want to be midway finished the first book at which point my wife will hit me over the head and drag me unconscious to Ottawa. But the break will be good for me. I do intend on working on the outline for the second book while I'm there. But that's not really working. I've had about 5 Maddy Kettle books snap into place for me. I think I'll use a Tintin model and have stand alone stories in most books but sometimes have a 2 parter. The first storyline is completed in book 2. But I also envision and overall story arc, or an ongoing challenge that Maddy has to deal with/ There will be actually a few issues that Maddy will be dealing with consistently, some personal to do with home life and some a little more epic. I'm also thinking I'd like stories to take place in both the magical Cloudscape where the first 2 books largely take place, and various parts of North America.  most of the stories draw on North American folklore so that makes sense to me. 

Harry Sewing A Balloon

A recently inked Maddy Kettle panel, with Harry showing one of his many skills. Silvio is playing banjo in the background. So, I've set a deadline for myself to have the first book half finished by Christmas and the rest finished by Spring. So suddenly I feel like there's not enough hours in the day. Although, the inking is going very, very well. I can actually see a lot of improvement in my inking. There's more control. If I have a major complaint about my inking is that it can get unintentionally sloppy, I'm not aware it looks sloppy until after, but I seem to be getting past (passed?) that. 

E Is For Ellylldan

The Ellylldan is a form of Welsh Will' o the wisp. 

Check out more Alphabeasts here!

What I'm Reading

The Penguin Dictionary of American Folklore. A simply amazing book that leads me down all sorts of unexpected paths. Between this, my fairy tale books and a book on Surrealism I have enough inspiration to make a lot of comics!

On Amazon

Freight Train

It's my birthday and this is what I'm listening to. Elizabeth cotten is one of my favorite performers/composers/amazing people. And in my mind this is on the Maddy Kettle comic book sound track. 

Maddy Cover Inks

The inks for the first Maddy Kettle book cover. I'm thinking ahead, I should have the first Maddy book done by Spring and I'd like to jump right into the next one soon after. But that would be financially difficult, so I'm considering doing a Kickstarter campaign to raise enough money to survive while I do the second book. What do you think?

People have been asking about my eye and I'm happy to report it's pretty much all better. There's a small bump on it that is pulling the surface of my eye to one side but it's clearing up and barely noticeable. The ophthalmologist says it will gradually heal over two months but already I'm barely noticing. Thanks so much for asking and for your kind support!

Silvio In Trouble!

Here's an older comic page from Maddy Kettle. I just noticed I've made his eyes bigger in the more recent pages.  Still working on a book cover today, which I expect to be finished by the weekend. I started a Google Plus Maddy Kettle page so you can follow that here. And of course I still have the Maddy Kettle Facebook page here. 

Hall Of Bat Monuments

A scene from Maddy Kettle showing some of the mysterious things you'll find in caves. Especially in the desert. Julie and I are both fighting some sort of cold thatHenry probably brought home from daycare. It seems to be a particularly lazy virus, as the symptoms are pretty mild. I'll just throw a blanket over myself and work all day. I'm working on a book cover today, which is going really well. 

A Comic For Everyone!

Johnny Boo Twinkle Power (this is the second book) by James Kochalka is maybe the most fun comic book to read out loud I've ever come across. The words and the pictures combine to create an irresistibly charming book that is perfect for readers of any age. Drawn with a confident, informal line and with a simple but engaging story it holds up to reading after reading. I've read this book to my three year old over and over again, often multiple times in one evening, and neither of us ever get tired of it. I've been a fan of Kochalka for a long time and I think his very best work is for kids. It's just wonderful.

On Amazon

D Is For Dooiney Marry

A benevolent Dunny. Often a guide for one who is lost. Or who rescues one who slips on the wet rocks on the shore.

Alphabeasts. 

What I'm Reading

The Comics Journal Issue 295, December 2008

I have yet to read an issue of this publication that wasn't totally engrossing and entertaining. Not to mention informative. 

Saturday Review

Henry at Little Island Comics for the launch of J Torres' and Dean Trippe's all ages comic Power Lunch. 

Henry looking for ghosts on Halloween. 

Twelve Minutes To Midnight

I finally can show a book cover I did for Nosey Crow for an amazing book by Christopher Edge called Twelve Minutes To Midnight. I loved doing this cover and am working on the second in the series right now. These are great books, ones I'd love to read even if I wasn't involved. 

Friendly

Something from the minicomic archives. Almost done a huge stack of pencils! But first I have a book cover to do. A little break from comics, I guess. 

Inky, Upside Down

Another panel from Maddy Kettle, this one is the scene where Maddy, Harry and Silvio, having already met in the desert and formed a sort of team, find themselves in an ancient bat cave where they meet Inky the bat. I won't give away any more details, this all happens about midway through the book. I'm starting to get into a real groove work wise, penciling one page after another. I'm a few pages away from having another stack of 20 pages to pencil, which I plan to have done by Christmas. If you've never done something like a graphic novel the way you need to plan ahead over months requires a lot of discipline and fore thought. It's weird to have a goal 2 months in advance and worry about meeting it, but that is a lot of drawings. What a crazy thing to do. I'm feeling pretty fortunate I can do it at all.

Read a great laugh out loud interview with one of my favorite cartoonists Jim Woodring yesterday, you can read it here. It's from 1993 but still relevant. Here's a more contemporary one.

On a side note Henry ate a googley eye yesterday. The nurse says this is perfectly fine. But, boy, what a weird thing to eat. 

A Bear In A Bat Cave

This is one of my favorite drawings of Harry. It captures the sort of weird charm I feel he should have. Both friendly and a bit scary, because he's a bear. Of course, he's the gentlest character in Maddy Kettle.

I've started thinking more and more about the second book. It will be more or less a pirate story and I'm already excited to draw it.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!