Eric Orchard

New Webtoon!

2012-02-04T10:25:00.003-05:00

Henry's Horrible Monster

2012-02-02T09:31:00.003-05:00

My wife insists we all have dinner as a family and I'm really glad she does. Otherwise I'd be staring at the computer screen with my eyes glazed over spooning food into my mouth absently. Instead we have great family dinners every night. And one of my favorite parts of family dinner is listening to my three year old tell me about his day and his observations. Last night we got a good one. Henry, unprompted, began describing what lived "under the ground" The are tall and white, with tiny eyes and tiny teeth. And they have no hair. Awesome!So after dinner, I haunched over the computer and sketched out Henry's monster in Photoshop. I need to use more of his ideas!

The Total Situation

2012-02-01T14:50:00.000-05:00

It's finally all up and right here! Read The Situation comic on Tor.com.

My apologies for my uneven posting lately. I've have been crazy busy. Between 2 comic book projects, 2 current commissions and the whole stay at home dad thing, time is at a premium but I'm trying to get on top of it. I think I kind of have the hang of things.......

And thanks so much everyone for making my sale a success! It's no exaggeration to say everyone who bought something from my Etsy store or helped share links to the sale allowed us to buy groceries for about two months and I even squirreled away a bit of money to buy an iPad at some point. Prices are going back up but I'm going to reduce the Goblin Lookout print cost until it's sold out and replace it with 2 new prints. More on that later.

One Day Left In Art Sale

2012-01-29T11:19:00.002-05:00

So far, my current art sale has been a big success. And there are 24 hours left to buy stuff. Here are the deals: half off original art ( the prices listed are the reduced prices), one free print with every sale of original art, buy one print get one free.

Come by my shop and have a look.

Also, if you're interested I'm selling some comics and art books from my collection on eBay.

Saturday Morning Webtoon!

2012-01-28T08:57:00.002-05:00

All new! A fresh batch of Saturday Morning Webtoons! Come on over to see! Bring your kids!

The Situation Begins

2012-01-25T17:16:00.000-05:00

I am incredible proud to announce the launch of the new comic The Situation, written by the illustrious Jeff VanderMeer and drawn by myself. A lot of work and love went into this so I hope you enjoy it.

It's a dark, satirical science fiction story set in a world where things and people can change when you look away and nothing is certain. Wick works for The Company and is willing to go to great lengths to keep his job.

Available only on Tor.com.

Buy One Get One Free

2012-01-24T21:04:00.000-05:00

Only a few days left in my store sale! On top of half off original art and free prints with every purchase of original art I'm also offering two prints for the price of one for the remainder of the sale.

Visit my shop right here.

Six Days Left! Stomp On Over!

2012-01-23T10:20:00.000-05:00

Only six days left on my half price/free print sale on Etsy!

Saturday Morning Webtoons!

2012-01-21T13:35:00.000-05:00

Don't miss todays Webtoons! Mine is here and all the rest can be found through here.

Free Prints With Art Purchase!

2012-01-20T07:13:00.001-05:00

My current sale is a big success! Thanks so much! There are seven days left in the sale and I've decided to give away one free print with every purchase of original art. Due to a snowstorm yesterday none of the original art has shipped yet so I'll be including free prints in all the orders I've received. Here are just a few of the originals up for sale at reduced prices.

Get 'em here.

Prints And Original On Sale! Nine Days Only!

2012-01-18T10:43:00.003-05:00

Starting today I'm having a huge sale at my Etsy shop. I've cut original art prices in half and reduced print prices by a third, all prints are now 10 dollars each plus shipping.

My print sale in November and December really helped us get through those months and I can't express my appreciation enough. At the moment most of my income comes from print and original art sales so every sale counts and means a lot to me. Every sale literally helps my family eat and buys me supplies to keep doing comics.

And now that Maddy is almost done and I'm starting in on The Robot Museum I need to do another push.

I'll keep these items on sale for nine days, there has not been a better time to buy my art.

Check out the sale here.

Or you can contact me directly at eric.orchard@gmail.com

Thank you SO much.

Robot Museum Process Part One

2012-01-17T09:15:00.002-05:00

I thought it'd be fun to to post all my progress on Robot Museum here on my blog, right up to it's publication. Yesterday I posted the main character to get things started and today I'll start with the earliest parts of actually making the story happen.

It was around Christmas time I decided to finish the Robot museum outline I'd had kicking around for a long time and with a lot of work things started to fall into place. All the world building and characters started to build a story on their own. I started by scribbling notes and sketches in my sketchbook. I was travelling when I started so this makes sense, but it's how I always start something.

Once I was back in Toronto I started gathering up all my notes and began the process of actual outlining. I like to have my outlines typed up. I have been using Scrivener for a while, Scrivener is a Mac writing program which is deep and excellent. But I needed something simpler. So I went back to using Word. which is great. But more recently, after having memory lapses and not saving stuff I opted for Google docs and it's wonderful autosave. Not only autosave but I can edit on my mobile. Perfect! Thanks to my friends at the International Komic Krit team for pushing me in that direction.

Speaking of IKK, the next thing I did was get together a team of international cartoonists and writers to help each other edit our work. These people are mercilessly helpful. It's amazing. With my writing I feel I have good ideas and can even manage a good basic structure for my stories but i lack the self awareness to really examine it and see what could make it the best story I can write. I can't say enough good things about a good editor.

so now I'm editing in google Docs on my desktop and my phone. The ability to do this is great.

While working on the outline i also work on thumbnails. In my own process the words and pictures go back and forth from the beginning informing each other. I find this back and forth magical. something new emerges from this process. It's r a lot of work but it's also really exciting.

And that's where I'm at right now, a nearly completed outline and ongoing revisions to both the outline and the thumbnails. I'll update again soon. I'm doing the thumbnailing a little differently this time around and I want to share it.

Keep an eye here tomorrow afternoon! I'll be announcing a special sale at my shop!

Quentin The Transgenic Telekinetic Mechanic

2012-01-16T09:07:00.000-05:00

I finally have a script for Robot Museum I'm thrilled about, thanks to all the creators who joined me in the International Komik Krit team. Since about Christmas I've been reworking the story and things have finally started to fall into place for this book. If you're a long time follower of my blog you'll recognise Quentin and the Museum from the first few days I started posting. It's an idea that's been gathering other ideas for years. And I'm finally ready to stat drawing it.

Quentin is a transgenic (a sort of clone made from the genetic material of different creatures) who was created specifically for the task of maintaining robots. In the case of this story, vintage robots. The story begins when the Museums owner dies leaving the Museum to the hapless Quentin in his will.

At the moment I'm thumbnailing it, and for the first time creating a book specifically for digital readers. Although I'm keeping in mind print as well. Over at Komik Krits there is a ton of lively discussion about the future of comics and the best way to approach selling them. This is turning out to be a real adventure. I hope you'll all join me on this and support it when it comes out. I'm hoping for a Summer release. Get your tablets ready!

I'll post more soon.

In other news I'm going to have a print sale soon, so keep an eye on this space.

Also, the Saturday Morning Webtoons launch was a huge success! Have a look at what we're doing if you haven't already.

Saturday Morning Webtoons

2012-01-14T08:29:00.001-05:00

I'm very proud to be a part of this new weekly webcomic, even a small part. A group of amazingly talented people; J Torres, Andi Watson, Stephanie Buscema, Agnes Garbowska, Jack Briglio, Tracie Mauk, J Bone and Alex Szewczuk and myself are bringing you a weekly all ages compliation of funny comics.

Please visit the site here. And my comic here.

And you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook as well.

Have a happy Saturday!

Digital Inks, Vintage Robots And Crowd Sourced Editing

2012-01-11T08:43:00.001-05:00

As is often the case with me an idea soon takes a funny twist and I'm off and running before I know what's going on.

As Maddy Kettle nears completion I decided to pick up another story that I really want to tell, The Robot Museum. And, encouraged by amazing articles about self publishing, digital publishing and the artist entrepreneur such as this one, this one and this one I decided this route might be the most interesting. It really seem that this is the year of the creator, maybe the beginning of the age of the creator.

My one worry is editing, my work is always improved by strong editing. so, no sooner did I put the question out there I was able to find an amazing team of cartoonists and editors who are willing to work together to edit each others work! I'm really excited about this idea. I'll report more on it later.

Finally, just a note on Robot Museum, I may have mentioned this before but I'm going to do this book in pencil and push it all digitally. Above is an example of one of earliest attempts at working this way, owning a Cintiq really opened this up for me, presenting new ways of working that hadn't occurred to me before.

More soon!

Thimble Rock

2012-01-09T11:22:00.001-05:00

A full page spread from Maddy Kettle, which I'm back penciling. I've pretty much mapped out the first story for Robot Museum too, so 2012 has already started off as a sprint. My idea for Robot Museum right now is self publish as a digital only book, for now. As things start rolling and I'm working on the book, the funding and publishing plans I'll post more and more to let everyone in on the process. More soon!

Some iPod Bots

2012-01-07T10:33:00.001-05:00

After a bit of a hiatus I've started posted iPod sketches again. Such a fun, versatile tool for sketching. And as I'm writing The Robot Museum again right now it's pretty useful as well. I can use some of these designs i the comic. And when I'm out and see something that has a striking shape I can easily take out my iPod, open Brushes or Sketchbook Mobile and turn it into a robot.

A Bat Leading The Way

2012-01-05T12:03:00.000-05:00

A panel from Maddy Kettle which I am now returning to after about 2 weeks of working on The Robot Museum. I managed to get a lot of stuff finished for Robot Museum and I'm really, really happy with were it's heading. I love the story and the tone and the characters but it still needs lots of work and polishing. As for Maddy, I'm working on the next lot of pencils which pages 41 to 61, I'll posting more updates soon.

Airship Pilot's Son

2012-01-04T09:49:00.003-05:00

I have an old pair of Russian goggles that my son has become obsessed with. I think they go well with those pyjamas. Just finished reading an amazing book, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I could not put it down for 2 days. If you like science fiction, role playing games, video games and the Eighties you should check it out. I'm taking another day or two Robot Museum pretty soon.

Start The Year With A Robot!

2012-01-02T12:40:00.000-05:00

Happy new year everyone! I hope the holidays were great for everyone and I hope this year is a wonderful one for you. Here's a drawing I did last year for a charity auction to help Japan recover fro the devastating earthquake. Here's hoping for a better year in that regard. I'd love to see more peace, prosperity and compassion this year. Things we could always use more of.

I'm posting this too because I've started scripting the Robot Museum book again. I started scripting it as an illustrated book but it came out as a comic, I think it's a process that's becoming second nature to me, I just find it's an easier route for me to write tat way rather than in prose. After working on and off on the Robot Museum the story finally came together over the holidays. So, I'm taking this week to fine tune it and start thumb-nailing before tackling the second half of Maddy Kettle. I'm still not sure how or where to publish Robot museum, there are so many options these days it's hard to know what's best. I'm also thinking I'll do it in pencil and digital, which is a medium I find I do a lot of my strongest work in. All I need to do is find the right paper....

In The Bat Cave

2011-12-30T10:48:00.002-05:00

Here the adventurers find themselves in a strange cave in Arizona. Right now I'm working on page 39 of Maddy Kettle and I think I'll be able to finish page 40 by tomorrow. So, things are moving right along. A couple of big life changes coming up, As I mentioned yesterday we'll be moving in the Spring. We're already apartment hunting for a place downtown. Also, I'll become a stay at home dad. At least until H starts school. We figure it's the best way I continue these projects.

Back From Christmas Town

2011-12-29T10:35:00.001-05:00

We got back from our Christmas holiday last night and it was one of my bestest Christmases ever. It was great to be with family and just relax. I managed to read three books and watch two movies, play video games and start scripting a new story. And I didn't feel stressed or tired the whole time. I need to take more breaks, they're so productive for me! Above Henry is trying to catch a remote control helicopter, which is an example of the kind of activities we took part in. I also got to try astronaut ice-cream for the first time, which tastes exactly like ice-cream except it's room temperature and it's crumbly and dry. Very weird. We also discussed future plans and it seems we're moving in the Spring. Another incentive to get the first Maddy book finished. Right now I'm back to work, inking page 38 of Maddy Kettle while Julie and Henry get caught up on sleep. After I get to page 40 I need to pencil another 20 pages and start the process over again. I didn't make it to page 40 by Christmas so let's see if I can make it there before new years day.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T08:06:00.002-05:00

Jingle Bats

2011-12-23T12:11:00.001-05:00

I'm about three quarters finished inking Maddy Kettle page 37 right now and when I'm done I'm doing some last minute tweaks to a science fiction webcomic for Tor. I could probably push on to page 38 of Maddy but I think I'll leave it there and start my Holiday. My plan was to finish up to page 40 but 37 is fine. After I'm done page 40 when I return from Ottawa I start penciling the next 20 pages. I've settled into 20 page batches which seems to work really well. In Ottawa I'll be writing my science fiction story Robot Museum and reading lots of science fiction. And of course relaxing.

Three More Days Of Drawing

2011-12-21T08:56:00.001-05:00

Well, with three more days of drawing before I leave for Christmas I've made it to page 35, which is pretty good. I won't make it to 40 like I had hoped but will at least get to page 36 which is more than fine. I've finally finished a really difficult scene so the next few pages should go easier. I find the day time desert easier to draw than a dark cavern.

Lost!

2011-12-19T11:39:00.000-05:00

Here is the cloud exploring gang lost in a cave in Arizona. I just finished inking page 33 and I expect to get to 35 before we leave for Christmas. Not where I wanted to be but close enough, really. Before I start page 34 I need to fix my studio, I misplaced a piece of art and completely took my studio apart and now there is piles of artwork all over the top floor of the house. It looks very daunting to deal with. I think I need a better system. I also need to send off some final, late Christmas cards. I'm looking forward to the Christmas break. I filled my Kindle with a bunch of science fiction book I've been wanting to read and I bought a new sketchbook to develop a new idea in.

Gearing Up To slow Down

2011-12-16T11:49:00.001-05:00

Just putting the last touches on a Maddy Kettle page before I take the rest of the day to work on business stuff. Which is a lot less fun than drawing or writing. Maddy is still going well and will still be done by Spring but I'm looking ahead to what I should do after Maddy and am revisiting the Robot Museum, see the Mimblebot pictured above. I'm reading a lot of science fiction lately and have a real urge to tell a sci fi story with lots of pictures. I'm thinking something not strictly a comic book though. I'll be off to Ottawa soon and am I'll be bringing just a sketchbook for writing with me. Also a ton of reading material, of course. As the first Maddy book gets closed finished I'll be talking a lot more about this project again.

Into The Cave

2011-12-13T09:17:00.002-05:00

Sorry about the lack of posts! I've been so busy with the comic I barely have time to raise my head. And this is a particularly difficult sequence, Maddy, Harry and Silvio find themselves lost in a dark cave, with strange sounds all around them. So, lots and lots of shading.This page took so long I'm actually running a bit behind my self imposed deadline, instead of getting to page 40 by Christmas I'll probably somewhere between page 35 and 37. Close enough, I think. Overall I'm still on track.

On breaks I've been reading Fantagraphics first Pogo collection, which I simply can't say enough good things about. Run out and get it as soon as you can.

Balloon Down!

2011-12-08T10:54:00.001-05:00

Another panel from Maddy Kettle, this one took a while. I am very, very honoured to be included in this piece from The Idler with a group of incredible artists. I answer a few questions about my influences and projects. And it's by a writer whose work I really, truly love Rosemary Van Deuren, both as a journalist and a novelist.

Now back to working on Maddy, right now they are in a mysterious cave in Arizona and there is a n inexplicable snoring noise coming from the darkness......

Silvio Hanging Out

2011-12-07T10:57:00.001-05:00

Here's a panel of Silvio making an escape. The book is going pretty smooth right now, I still have about 10 pages to finish before Christmas but I'll be happy with seven. I'm a little bit absent from my blog and online life in general, but lots of art is getting made.

Thanks For The Art Emerald!

2011-12-06T07:39:00.001-05:00

I love getting fan art! I'm always surprised when it happens because the book isn't even out yet, but I guess it says something nice about the characters that I do get fan art.

These wonderful drawings of Silvio, a kangaroo rat and Maddy are a collaboration between Emerald and her dad Scotty Ewing. Thanks so much to both of you, this makes me so happy!

A Fine Desert Night

2011-11-29T10:34:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-29T09:33:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-11-28T12:46:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-25T08:43:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-11-23T08:55:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-11-22T09:05:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-21T09:12:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-20T16:15:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-20T10:58:00.001-05:00

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

The Saturday Post

2011-11-19T10:22:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-18T08:17:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-17T09:01:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-16T09:35:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-14T09:36:00.001-05:00

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

Check out more Alphabeasts here!

What I'm Reading

2011-11-13T08:36:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-12T09:22:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-11T08:57:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-11-10T08:53:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-09T09:28:00.000-05:00

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!

2011-11-08T09:04:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-07T10:07:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-06T09:28:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-05T15:51:00.000-04:00

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

2011-11-04T09:05:00.001-04:00

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

2011-11-03T09:08:00.000-04:00

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

2011-11-02T09:29:00.002-04:00

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

2011-11-01T09:20:00.001-04:00

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!

Alphabeasts C Is For Caillagh Ny Groamagh

2011-10-31T09:19:00.002-04:00

Caillagh Ny Groamagh, also known as The Gloomy Old Woman. A type of Banshee from the Isle of Man. She washes ashore every St. Bridget's Day to collect sticks. Also, she stands under waterfalls.

More Alphabeasts.

What I'm Reading

2011-10-30T10:53:00.003-04:00

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Saturday Review

2011-10-29T11:08:00.001-04:00

I kept Henry home from daycare yesterday because he hadn't been feeling great earlier in the week. He ended up being my assistant in my crazy schemes for that day. We listened to a lot of Tom Waits and built machines out of household appliances and stuff we found in the neighbor's shed. It's getting cold here! Did it get cold this fast last year? I would not be surprised if it was snowing when I wake up tomorrow morning.

I have about a weeks worth of drawing and revisions before I can get back to Maddy. Today will mostly be spent on the Cintiq revising a book cover. And right after I need to do revisions for the Tor.com webcomic.

I've started settling on the storyline for the second Maddy Kettle book today. At least in my head, nothing really committed to paper yet. Or nothing that makes sense to sane, rational human beings. I can say it will involve a fleet of rat pirates in the clouds.

Henry is jumping on my back as I type this yelling "Daddy!! Daddy!! I'm in your chair!!" so I think I'll sign off. I need to get my day started properly. His grandmother is coming by to take him away for a while. No, that wasn't a sigh of relief you just heard.

Vampire Bats!

2011-10-28T09:04:00.001-04:00

A scene in pencils from Maddy Kettle. I think there's about eighty bats here. It should take forever to ink but it'll be worth it. I've been looking forward to drawing this scene.

Working on a book cover today, I have about a week of non Maddy related work ahead of me. Which is fine, I like to be able to switch between projects.

A Dangling Raccoon

2011-10-27T09:51:00.002-04:00

I woke up this morning and my left eye was a little bit better. Every day I'm seeing some improvement. Which is a huge relief. I can now read with my left eye, which I couldn't a few days ago. I'm still going to take it easy today, though, so I don't over extend myself.

Above are some pencils from Maddy Kettle. Silvio making an escape from a downed hot air balloon. In the comments for yesterday's post Gabe Gill said that Harry reminded him of an American Totoro. Which is amazing that anyone gets that! I've thought that way about Harry and Silvio all along but never really expressed it. They are sort of like animal spirits, but in a very North American vein. Something else that just occurred to me is how influenced the story is by G K Chesterton, in the way the mystery unfolds and nothing is what it quite seems to the hero. I didn't realize what an impact his work had on me until I stood back and had a good look at the shape of the story. I love these surprises.

Don't Let The Bear Drive The Balloon!

2011-10-26T09:28:00.000-04:00

Well, after a very long sleep last night my eye is a bit better but still not perfect. There's not much I can do about it right now, but I think I'll take it easy today. I just got a list of revisions back on a book cover so I need to get to that as soon as possible. I have an appointment with the ophthalmologist tomorrow.

Above are some pencils for a Maddy Kettle page. There's quite a bit of story that happens before you meet Harry and Silvio but I'm finally there and am loving drawing them again. It's actually been a while since I drew them in a comic! My initial strategy was to pencil five pages and then ink them but I find I'm losing the thread that way, so I'm penciling twenty pages and then inking them. So far it seems to be working really well. It also is giving me a greater sense of progress and that kind of thing can be really important.

Alphabeasts B is for Barguest

2011-10-25T09:21:00.000-04:00

"A kind of bogy or bogey beast.....regarded as a death portent....At the death of any notable person it would appear, howling and baying....It haunts a piece of wasteland between Wreghorn and Headingly Hill near Leeds"

More Alphabeasts here.

A Comic For Everyone!

2011-10-24T09:20:00.001-04:00

Polo And The Magic Flute By Regis Faller

Polo is a series of silent comics by Regis Faller, a magical and warm series of adventures of Polo, a curious and adventurous dog. The world of Polo is calm and reassuring. There is also something philosophical about Polo, there is a depth to the ideas that are explored. But this never makes Polo hard to relate to, it is a world one can visit and feel very much at home. These adventures are familiar, they are much like the journeys we all take in our imaginations.

In Polo And The Magic Flute, Polo sets off across the ocean in a little boat where he finds himself in a Japanese type land where a friendly monk gives him a magic flute. The story is surprisingly rich for a wordless comic and holds up to repeated readings.

The art is some of the most charming in comics, both masterful and a little informal. The colouring more or less flat and very attractive.

On amazon.

What I'm Reading

2011-10-23T11:35:00.001-04:00

After finishing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer I ended up reading The Wizard of Oz, both The Great American Novel and both books I wasn't sure I'd read all the way through before or if I was just familiar with them from other sources. With Oz I realized I really hadn't read the original all the way through, there are a number of amazing sequences I was not at all familier with. so glad I read this. I'm planning on reading the whole Baum series now. I've read the odd Oz book here and there but I have the complete series of books on my Kindle so it'll be easy to keep track of where I am.

My Saturday Post

2011-10-22T11:13:00.002-04:00

Henry playing with a new remote control robot, which I might be playing with more than him. There's not a lot to say about this week that I haven't already said, about my eye or Henry's birthday. a surprisingly satisfying week considering I woke up blind in one eye. I'm just about to finish off another lot of Maddy Kettle pencils. That's all going really well. Finally finished The Adventures of Tom Sawyer yesterday, which is brilliant, of course. I also finished the first Wizard of Oz book, which I love and will talk about tomorrow. This weekend I think I'll get a bit further in the 10 or so books I've been reading on and off over the past year. Some Hemingway, some poetry books, a Joan Aiken book. I'll likely have to take a big break for hunting and gathering today, I mean groceries. That's dangerous for me, wherever I go I seem to find a book to buy.

Maddy And Ralph

2011-10-21T09:29:00.000-04:00

A photo from a Maddy page, which I'm working on despite the bad eye. I actually seem to have not missed a beat. My vision is a lot better and I can't stand doing nothing all day, which is a big surprise to me. I thought I'd love nothing all day. I've been reading a lot as well, making the text on my Kindle HUGE. I just finished The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and now I'm back reading the Oz books. Both free editions. I tend to treat my Kindle a bit like a library and not so much as a bookstore. I want to own print editions of my favorite books but it's a great way to read old books for free or see if I like something.

On a more, um, political note.... you might want to check out the Anti-Spec campaign, especially if you work in a creative field. It hi-lights the increasing problem of big companies crowd-sourcing work instead of hiring someone to do it. This means that a company will get hundreds of hours of free work and that the fees designers and illustrators charge will inevitably have to be reduced even more.

Here's a great collection of free children's books on Project Gutenberg.

Henry Is Three!

2011-10-20T09:41:00.003-04:00

Great birthday yesterday!!

Where I complain About My Eye

2011-10-19T09:28:00.000-04:00

Well, there's nothing a like a medical scare to get you moving in the morning. I woke up Monday morning blind in my left eye. I didn't notice at first because I wake up before dawn and it was dark, but as soon as the sun started to come up I realized I could barely see out of my left eye. After washing my glasses repeatedly and administering that ocular cure all Visine, I decided it was definitely my eye and nothing else and it was now appropriate to panic.

Henry was still asleep and he had to be brought to daycare in some way. Luckily my father in law was around. Unfortunately there's no car-seat in his car. Which means I had to weave my way 10 blocks pushing a stroller. Which gave me plenty of time for panicky consideration. I was even making plans on how to finish my books with one eye. Ugh. So, my father in law met me at the day-care and drove me to emergency. I happened to be reading tom Sawyer that day, which is a fantastic book to have on hand to distract yourself from any terrors. It was the graveyard scene, if you know the book, which is an amazing scene. Spooky and funny and thrilling. I must have looked funny sitting there with a book about two inches from my face with one eye squeezed shut.

Through some amazing fate related thing there happened to be an ophthalmologist on hand to give my eye a thorough look. This all happened in the surgery department so I was expecting that any moment i would be on a gurney and wheeled frantically through the hospital in order to have my eye extracted before it exploded like an appendix.

The very practical Dr Smith (really!) explained to me that I had an ulcer over my eye as a result of an infection and it would clear up after a few days if I'd just put some drops in it.

Dr Smith, it seems, knows what he's talking about, as I lay here watching an Orsen Welles movie on TCM my vision is finally clearing up, instead of foggy Plexiglas it's more like rain on my glasses.

This was a couple of days ago, and things are getting better. Still not great but better. What's pretty amazing is I feel like I've barely missed a step. Who knew I could draw with one eye?

Alphabeasts: A

2011-10-18T09:29:00.000-04:00

See more Alphabeasts by amazing artists.

Comics For Everyone!

2011-10-17T12:01:00.002-04:00

Owly is one of the best all ages comics to come along in ages. First published in 2004 Owly is Andy Runton’s wonderful series about a gentle, loveable Owl and his little forest world. To me, Owly is the perfect example of what amazing all ages comics can be; it’s use of visual language, the world building, the gorgeous art, the warmth and tenderness. The first thing one notices about Owly, after the art, is the fact that it’s virtually wordless. The story moves along entirely with pictures. Speech balloons contain images rather than words. I find this makes the world even more immersive. To quote Andy Runton’s website “It may seem that a student could read a wordless comic quickly (and without much effort). One soon realizes, however, that he or she must apply further evaluation and observation skills to be able to follow the story line” So much of the story relies on facial expressions and actions. Which isn’t to say it’s hard to read. In fact every page is a joy.

One of Mr. Runton’s greatest strengths is his capacity to create wonderfully simple characters. It’s not exactly minimalist, but everything is very simple. It’s also very rich art. The natural world is portrayed with loving detail. It's a friendly world, even the dense black shadows are friendly.

The stories are about Owly, and his kindness toward other creatures. He is always trying to do the right thing. The stories are hopeful and uplifting, Owly’s tenderness balance it out with a note of sadness.

A definite must have for your all ages shelf. It goes well beside Winnie The Pooh and Beatrix Potter.

there are several ways to purchase and read Owly, there is both hard and softcover editions which are the perfect size for young people. There is also a Kindle edition.

What I'm Reading

2011-10-16T10:30:00.001-04:00

Floating Worlds: The Letters of Edward Gorey and Peter F. Neumeyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

A Saturday In Autumn

2011-10-15T14:17:00.003-04:00

Well, I quite enjoyed my all business day yesterday. When you're drawing all day all the time there's a certain pleasure in mundane tasks like preparing mail and writing blog posts and doing the dishes. It reminded me how much I love small domestic tasks. Today has been kind of awful so far. Went to the doctors because my eye has been a bit funny and she freezes it and dyes it yellow. It's still yellow. The computer is respondent in glorious medicinal yellow hues. After the dying the doctor left me lying flat for about half an hour by myself. Of course it felt like much longer, long enough for my anxiety to create all sorts of horrifying futures for my poor eye. It turns out to be a small scratch on my cornea, which apparently isn't the worst thing in the world. I'm currently casting about my list of favorite bodily related anxieties to appease my hypochondria. So, it's about 2 PM and I have yet to start working in earnest. Let's see if I can salvage the day.

I'm All Business

2011-10-14T09:30:00.002-04:00

Here's a little peak at something I'm doing with J Torres. It's a tiny side project that is extremely silly and a huge relief after working hard on other projects.

So, today I'm going to do very little drawing and try and get a bunch of business stuff out of the way. I find if I don't devote a full day to this stuff, no matter how minor, it has a tendency to be put off indefinitely. It'll feel great to get this stuff off my list. Sometimes I wish someone else would do this stuff for me. OK, I feel that way all the time.

I picked up Twain's Tom Sawyer for a bus ride yesterday. Such a wonderful book. It's one of those books I've either read half a dozen times or never finished. I won't know until the end. I find Alice in Wonderland and The Vampyr like that as well. I read The Vampyr by John Polidori last week and only realized at the last line that I had read it years ago.

I should get back to full days of drawing soon. Yesterday was another non working day (I tend to only think of drawing as working) , I traipsed from one end of Toronto to the other looking for Henry's requested birthday present; a "Batman" Shockingly, silver Snail had nothing. I ended up at a Toy's R Us and got this:

Which I think might be the very best Batman toy I've ever seen. Probably because this is pretty close to how I'd draw him.

Half A Day

2011-10-13T09:34:00.001-04:00

Here's one of the simpler panels from Maddy Kettle. There are scenes that take place in the desert during the day that are so easy to draw I worry about. But still, I like how visually the story breaths, sometimes dense and frantic and sometimes sparse and quiet.

Taking a half day today, I'm going downtown to buy a present for Henry's third birthday. the only instruction he gave me is "Batman" which I think I can manage.

I started reading Floating Worlds yesterday, a collection of correspondence and art from Edward Gorey. If you're a Gorey fan this is a must have, maybe the best book on him. It's published by Pomegranate and as usual with their books it's beautiful.

Some links of interest:

The Association of Library Services to children ( ALSC) has published a great, comprehensive list of graphic novels for all ages. Very much worth checking out. I'll be using this as a resource for my Monday Comics For Everyone! posts.

also, from the Dark Horse blog, a very interesting initiative to get comics to kids. Looking forward to hearing more about this.

A great New Yorker article on Norton Juster's Phantom Tollbooth.

Some amazing slippers.

And viviane Schwartz drew an awesome cat.

An Old Rat Painting

2011-10-12T10:26:00.001-04:00

Just an old painting today, my rat pirates. I've suddenly found myself doing 5 projects at once so I'm sequestering myself for the afternoon to get stuff sorted and maybe get something finished.

My Arizona

2011-10-11T09:56:00.001-04:00

Part of a panel from Maddy Kettle. A lot of Maddy Kettle takes place in the desert, which is odd because I've never been to the desert. There is a tradition in writing and cartooning of using the sparse and lonely vistas of the desert as part of the story. My desert is drawn from Krazy Kat and Moebius comics, rather than any real experience. There's something about it that makes it a good place to start, it is full of meaning and resonance. It's alive but it's life is hidden. And it's beautiful. Maddy's journey starts in the desert and explores outward, more and more of the world reveals itself to her and she overcomes her fears. In starting in the desert I think there's also an influence by my favorite stories that grow out of desert myth and folklore, Charles DeLint and Midori Snyder have written books about magic and the desert that had a profound impact on me. In a sense it bothers me that I'm telling a story about a place so removed from my own experience. I also want to tell stories about the north, about snow and ocean and other things I know about. And I will, eventually. But this is the story tat wanted to be told first.

On Holiday

2011-10-10T12:16:00.002-04:00

I'm so sorry there's no Comic for Everyone! post today. Between a cold during the week, deadlines and busy Thanksgiving weekend I was just unable to get the post done to my satisfaction. I'll be back with this series next week.

A Very Late Saturday Post

2011-10-08T14:58:00.001-04:00

A very late Saturday post, and really, I don't have much to say. It's been a funny two weeks. The week before last week Henry got sick and I had to look after him as I couldn't send him to daycare and this week I seem to have caught whatever Henry had and stumbled through this week. I think I'm fine now. I've been working on Maddy Kettle mostly, with a bit of work on the Alphabeasts thing. I'm waiting to hear back on edits I made for a book cover and also trying to send stuff off to New York but my computer seems to have other ideas. I think I'd rather be in bed reading.

Above is a picture from my studio. I don't know who moves my toys around at night.

Ruin By Candlelight

2011-10-07T09:07:00.000-04:00

A panel from Maddy Kettle. Working away on it now. I want to get a few more pages done and then I'm off to have some prints made up. There are still some uncorrected mistakes in this drawing, so if you see them~you win!

I'm currently rereading some old all ages books which are favorites of mine. Right now it's Joan Aiken. If you don't know her work you must run out now and find something of hers. I'd love to do posts about these magical books as well. But I'm finding the all ages comic book posts are already a lot of work so I'll have to wait.

I want everyone to check out my friend Gabe's wonderful new comic up at Top shelf 2.0 Can't wait to see more!

Also, run and check out Jess Smiley's new site, Toyceratops! Home to some great looking new toys and games.

And I really liked this little, heartening article on kids books.

And if you're a Hayao Miyazaki fan like me, you'll want to check out this recently translated interview.

Scarier Than I Meant

2011-10-05T09:21:00.000-04:00

I managed to get a cold from my 3 year old (strangely....) and despite dripping nose, grogginess and general irritability I pressed on with work. I think this panel ended up scarier than I meant. I definitely over hatched it. Oh well! I still like it, and it's maybe the scariest scene in the book, so I think it'll do. Initially the Spider Goblins had smaller and narrower eyes and I drew this guy with lantern eyes without even thinking, but I really love it. I like to imagine that when their big heads swivel around they illuminate the clouds a bit.

On another note, cartoonist Ben Towle and friends are at it with another really cool alphabet project. The first time was an animal alphabet and this time it's imaginary beasts. I'm going to try and take part when I can this time. I pilfered my much loved copy of Katherine Briggs' Encyclopedia of Fairies for ideas.

Unbelievably I'm still a bit sick, which may mean infrequent breaks to watch The Muppets Take Manhattan on Netflix. Henson's Storyteller is on there too, if you've never seen it you really must, it's my all time favorite piece of television. The brilliant Dark Crystal is there too.

Lambshead!

2011-10-04T09:12:00.001-04:00

I'm going to gush about being in this book, but I can't help it. Being a part of this collection of stories and art is a dream come true for me. I wish I could tell my 14 year old self I was going to be a book with these giants, but I'd have never believed it. An amazing concept, based around items found in a cabinet of curiosity, one of amazing proportion and scope. If you don't know the term a cabinet of curiosities was a collection of ostensibly items from natural history but often much stranger. They were like a small museum one would have in their house. This unbelievable book contains work by Holly Black, China Mieville, Michael Moorcock, Alan Moore, Garth Nix, Naomi Novik, Cherie Priest, Jan Svankmajer, Mike Mignola and many others. It is also the first time a book I worked on has made it to the amazon best sellers list, which I attribute to the enormous talents of the Vandermeer's, the editors and brains behind this project.

Here's a recent write up in i09.

Below the cover is part of my drawing from the book.

You can buy it here, or in Canada here, or at your local book seller.

I can't say this enough, but thank you so much Jeff and Ann Vandermeer.

A Comic For Everyone!

2011-10-03T09:54:00.001-04:00

A perfect book for anyone who loves mystery, adventure and a well told story. Alison Dare is another favorite of mine and deserves a special place on your all ages comic book shelf.

A little bit of Nancy Drew, a little bit of Indiana Jones and a touch of superheroics but totally original, Alison Dare is a collaboration of two amazing talents writer J Torres and artist J Bone. Alison is a pretty normal kid in a world of adventure and mystery. The stand out thing in these stories is the great sense of humour, as Alison and her friends confront all sorts of situations, from a magical genie in the dessert to dealing with Alison's parents. Torres is a master of the all ages comic, he knows how to make a comic accessible to everyone and still write a rollicking, smart story. The stories fly along at a great pace, adding to the sense of adventure and fun. The books are actually collections of stories of various lengths, which makes for an easy read, great for the reluctant reader. I think these books appeal to both boys and girls, anyone can relate to Alison and her friends and the rollicking adventures will surely appeal to boys.

J Bone's art is perfect for this type of story. Energetic and classical he creates a believable cartoon world here, rich with just enough detail. J's work is reminiscent of animation and mid century illustration. I'm not sure of J's influences but I know he worked in animation and I think what shines in his work is wonderful characters and a kinetic energy.

The books are actually collections of stories of various lengths, which makes for an easy read, great for the reluctant reader. I think these books appeal to both boys and girls, anyone can relate to Alison and her friends and the rollicking adventures will surely appeal to boys. I think these books would sit well on a shelf next to Tintin, the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Bone.

There are two Alison Dare books out now, published by Tundra Alison Dare; Little Miss Adventure and Alison Dare; Heart of the Maiden.

I discovered the first book book at a book signing at Strange Adventures comic book store in Halifax about ten years ago. These kinds of events are so important, by meeting the creators I got a great appreciation for this type of story and how much they care about these books. It was a huge inspiration to me and my own work.

I asked J Torres for his thoughts on these books and their continuing appeal, J said "Some of these Alison Dare stories are almost ten years old. I'm happily surprised that they continue to be read and enjoyed, and pick up new readers. But will somebody make a movie for us already? (I'm kidding!) (No, I'm not.)"

Ha!

And I especially love what he had to say about all ages comics "I think we're living in a kind of golden age of younger reader and young adult comic books and graphic novels right now. At least in terms of how much great material is out there, and the support and enthusiasm for those stories keeps growing. Hopefully, we'll look back in ten years time and be able to say, "Yep, that's when we turned a corner and really reached the masses!" "

Help Me Pick Some Prints

2011-10-01T09:57:00.000-04:00

So, I'm just about at the point in Maddy Kettle and other projects where I can take a short break to concentrate on a print sale. I need to do this on and off for the next while until I finish Maddy, but I've had lots of requests in any case.

So, I need your help. What prints should I make? Either from the pictures above or from something you've seen by me you think wold make a great print.

I'll keep this post up over the weekend.

Thanks so much!!

Mandolin

2011-09-30T09:04:00.000-04:00

A panel from an old Maddy Kettle minicomic.

Ink Slinging

2011-09-29T10:01:00.000-04:00

Here's a panel from the first few pages of Maddy Kettle. Today I'm working on revisions to a book cover. Everything's on schedule and coming along really well.

Nursery Rhyme Comics Makes A Very Short List

2011-09-28T09:47:00.003-04:00

"Nursery Rhyme Comics is the kind of kids’ book grown-ups will want to keep reading long after their children have gone to bed." A very nice little review of Nursery Rhyme Comics in the very influential Vey Short List, The Observers look at culture and great things in general.

Above is a panel from my Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater.

Buy it here or at your favorite book store.

Chugging Along

2011-09-27T09:04:00.002-04:00

Here's the first page of Maddy Kettle. I've posted this before but I thought I'd put it up for any new people out there who are just learning about the all ages book I'm working on with Top Shelf. It's a series of comics about a brave girl confronting a scary world and her parents. I expect the first book to be done by Summer.

I'm hoping to start selling prints from my website soon in order to afford to finish doing it. If there's any pieces by me you think will make a nice print please let me know! I'll start posting about a print sale soon and show some ideas I have.

right now I'm just finishing up penciling the next lot pages. My current method is pencil 5 pages ink them and repeat. I was initially doing 10 pages at a time but my pencils were getting too loose by the tenth page so I thought I'd try this way instead. I'm getting faster and working harder as I go, which is great. Everything feels on schedule.

A Comic For Everyone!

2011-09-26T09:10:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd begin this weekly highlighting of excellent all ages comics with the book that I found most inspiring and the one that I feel did the most to show people how amazing all ages comics could be: Jeff Smith's Bone.

Bone was one of the first comics in a very long time to tell a story using comics that had a truly vast appeal. Anyone could potentially enjoy Bone, unlike many books that have an appeal limited to other comic book fans. And it showed that kids still love comics despite there being little for them in the market at that time. And I think Jeff Smith did this almost by accident. Reading interviews with Smith he insists that Bone was not created to target kids. Rather it was his love letter to comics and animation. He just took everything he loved about comics (and other places, of course) and put them in a book. If anything it was written for other people who love Comics.Bone is not only a great comic itself it also highlights the best in comic books through it's influences: Carl Barks, Moebius, Pogo. His influences are a diverse history of comic books and comic strips. For me, it showed that you could have your work display a love of comics without limiting its appeal to just comic book fans. You could find something universal there.

The story is a perfect combination of light slapstick humour and a sprawling dark fantasy story. The contrast makes for a kind of story telling magic.

It follows the adventures of three cousins who come to a medieval valley after being run out if their home town and they find themselves drawn into a conflict in the valley. It's a pretty long series and the story is quite complex so I won't go into too much detail. To give you an idea of the story elements it combines classic cartoon slapstick, Australian indigenous mythology and folklore, European mythology and folklore and a Tolkien influence. It is a nuanced tale of good and evil. The characters are well rounded and compelling. You care about everyone, no matter how silly they are. While Fone Bone is the main character, all the characters, even background characters, come to life. This is a richly populated world with a lot of depth. It's some of the best world building done in comics. This certainly makes for a book that you can return to again and again and always find something new. The same goes for the art.

The art in Bone is beautiful. At once energetic and refined, every panel is appealing and interesting. It's drawn with a brush and the line work is stunning. Smith has wonderful control and an amazing lyricism with his brush stroke. It isn't detailed but has a strongly graphic balance of blacks and whites that pop off the page.
It's hard to compare it to other comic books and is more like Lord Of The Rings or The Hobbit, although we are seeing more comics like Bone, fantasy on a grander scale. If you're starting an all ages comic book collection, I can't think of a better place to begin. But it certainly has joined the ranks of other classic all ages comics like Tintin, Donald Duck and Asterix.

There are a number of different ways to own and read bone. I own Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume which is a brick sized collection of the main series in it's original black and white. I prefer to read it in black and white because I feel it shows off Smith's art the best. However it's also available in colour, which some people find more appealing. Scholastic has put them all out as a series of beautifully coloured editions. The first one is here. There is also a 20th anniversary hardcover edition out, which looks beautiful. It is also available digitally to through ComiXology.

If you want a great start to build an all ages comic collection Bone is a great first book.

What I'm Reading

2011-09-25T09:09:00.001-04:00

Stuff And Nonsense by A.B. Frost One of my favorite illustrators and a very early cartoonist. This book is a must for any fan of illustration or comics. It's amazing.

Saturday Review

2011-09-24T09:37:00.000-04:00

It's been an unusually bumpy week! It started off fine, being very productive but all of the sudden Henry got sick. So I found myself juggling a 3 year old and a new project. But that's just the way it goes. So, this weekend I'm playing catch up.

Thimble Witch Over Head

2011-09-23T09:14:00.001-04:00

This about half a panel pulled from Maddy Kettle. Playing with colour again. This is actually a pretty tiny part of the page but is pretty focal compositionally and I just like it. This is from a photo rather than a scan so it really took on the yellow hues of my lamp. The colouring is done in Photoshop, very quickly.

Henry is still sick. In fact he's even sicker. So, he's all bundled up on the couch near my while I work. It's really hard to work with a sick kid here, he's not especially demanding but you want to make sure he's doing alright. The temptation is to curl up next to him and read a book. I have a pretty big stack I'd like to get to. Especially an enormous collection of American folklore. But I also have a stack of work to do. He's not in a playing mood so hopefully all the Wallace and Gromit videos will keep him happy.

A Sort Of Sick Day

2011-09-22T08:59:00.002-04:00

Henry's home for the second day in a row. He has a bit of a fever and a worrisome cough. But still finds the energy to jump all over me when I'm working. I'm currently switching between projects so my mind is all twisted up. I find there's an adjustment every time I put down one project and pick up another. I get so focused on one thing.

A couple of links:

Great NPR interview with Maurice Sendak!

And a wonderful article by Ward Jenkins on the joys of collecting.

When Art Supplies Turn On You

2011-09-21T08:34:00.001-04:00

I spent most of yesterday covered in white ink up to my elbows wondering why an ink I've used for years is suddenly not working. How does ink stop working? I think it's because I used some new pens in my inking and the white ink refused to cover it. Anyway, I would classify yesterday as a bad drawing day.

I'm also switching projects, which always throws me into a free-fall of confusion. It takes me a bit to adjust to a new project. I'm spending some time doing a book cover. It should be easy but I just need to get passed that weird psychological speedbump that happens every time I switch gears.

To complicate matters Henry is home sick with me. And yesterday he coughed in my face. Three times. Waiting to see what I've caught......

"What I do as best I can is out of a deep respect for children, for how difficult their world is" Maurice Sendak

2011-09-20T09:29:00.002-04:00

Here, I've just lifted a part of a Maddy Kettle panel to once again play with colour in Photoshop. This time using layers. This is probably one of the scarier scenes.

In my post yesterday I put a call out for your favorite kids comics, new or old (I'm still looking for titles if you'd like to comment on yesterdays post!) and the question of what's too scary for kids came up. It's the sort of natural question that bubbles up from this type of conversation as is a completely valid one. I always initially respond to the question in a knee jerk way, kids are tough! They can handle scary stuff!

In fact, when I was a kid, I often found books for kids a lot scarier than stuff made for adults. Maybe I would just miss the nuances in the grown up stories. I probably still do. But kids books speak of a children's world, and the things that are frightening and difficult in that world. Of which there are many things.

In any case, I relented. Of course stories that comfort or teach simple lessons are valid. And if a parent finds something too scary for their kids they are doing nothing wrong by not buying that book for them.

But I still think many of the best kids books have a wildness and an uncertainty that reflects the experiences not just of childhood but of life.

On Twitter yesterday I came across this excellent New York Times interview with Maurice Sendak, who says it far better than I ever could.

"If you look at the work of Tomi Ungerer, it’s passionate, it’s personal, it’s marvelous and it’s cuckoo, and it’s that’s kind of veracity that’s always made for good children’s literature" Maurice Sendak

A Comic For Everyone!

2011-09-19T09:14:00.000-04:00

I think it's time to put more emphasis on all ages comics. In fact, I think the time has never been better for all ages comics. We just need to make sure people know about them.

I grew up in a family that was half English speaking and half French speaking. The French side brought us all these great kids comics like Tintin and Asterix. And the English brought us Carl Bark's Donald Duck and superhero comics. So I was fortunate to grow up with loads of fun comics to read at a time when comics for kids were being produced less and less. In the eighties there was great excitement about exploring adult themes in comics. Many comics that had once been made for all ages were now being made for adults. Which is great. This has lead to an increasingly sophisticated type of story telling in comics and has brought in whole new audiences. But having high quality Tintin and donald Duck as a kid gave me a hunger for great stories and art. It made me fall in love with comics.

But I think we have to shift some of comic book culture back to stuff made for all ages. I realized this on my recent trip to Little Island Comics, seeing the crowds of kids come in excited to see comics they could actually relate to. It was an amazing sight, a real eye opener. And my book shelves are crammed with comics. My son Henry is always pulling down colourful comics to read. Well, look at. But he loves them. And my comic Maddy Kettle isn't even out yet and I already get fan mail from young readers excited about a new book made for people like them. I draw my comics for my own tastes but my tastes tend to be all ages.

So, now I'm kicking off a new Monday tradition where I'll feature a great all ages comic book.

Let's start with suggestions, either here or on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, wherever. You can even email me. What do you think are the best all ages comics? Either being published today or something you or your kids grew up with.Or a comic you heard about and would like to know more about. Let's all support this important part of the industry.

What I'm Reading

2011-09-18T09:32:00.003-04:00

I'm so glad to have discovered the work of Drazen Kozjan through Mike Mignola. He's the exact kind of cartoonist and illustrator I'm always looking for, only better. The Happy Undertaker is a brilliant, ongoing creepy comic that has been available online and is now available in compact, easy to hold minicomic form. It is brilliant. Easily one of the best comics out there.

The Happy Undertaker is a wordless, episodic comic. More like different stories set in the same world of Victorian ghost stories, Italian horror films, Little Golden Books and everything else that's cool.

You can buy it here. Also, I own a print, buy a print! they're brillant too!

Saturday Review

2011-09-17T11:28:00.001-04:00

A trip to the fair with the family. Henry meets a toad.

For some reason, a group of singers in the reptile room. This was pretty amazing.

We went to an art opening in the west end. This Toronto at sunset.

And of course, our trip to Little Island Comics.

Speaking of comics for kids, I'm thinking of starting a Monday kids comic book review. Let me know what you think! I'll be asking for suggestions on Monday.