Sketchkrieg!

Jockey Spy

2012-01-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! 2011 was a busy year for Guerilla Printing. Meeting a lot of creative people and seeing their amazing work. Even though we've been swamped with print orders I still had the time to do some illustration work. Check out this illustration for The Canadian Sportsman. Enjoy!

2011-10-24T05:15:00.000-07:00

A tribute to my childhood.

2011-10-24T05:13:00.001-07:00

My interpretation of Neil Gaiman's Sandman

Horses, shopping and UFOs!!

2011-08-31T18:52:00.000-07:00

Check out this illustration I did for The Canadian Sportsman.  To be honest I'm not exactly sure what the article is about. They just  tell me what to draw & I do it. It's pretty much the process that  goes on when I'm working with them. I don't mind makes my job easier.

MASCOT DESIGN!!!

2011-05-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Here's a mascot design I did for Maximum Sports Nutrition. It was real fun to do.

Their  first idea for the design was to have it as a bulldog (as seen below).  They then changed their minds and decided to have it as a wrestler. So  there ya go! Enjoy!

Babysitting & speech rehearsing

2011-03-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

Finally have time to squeeze in an update! Here's more illustrations from the educational book!

Even More ROM Animal Sketches

2011-02-14T01:02:00.001-08:00

Deal with it!

Jay Leno T-Bonin'!

2011-02-09T20:55:00.001-08:00

Here's and illustration I did for The Canadian Sportsman. The article is about the writer and his friends trip to Hollywood. Even though I'm not a fan of Leno he sure was fun to draw.

I was trying a new technique with this piece. I decided to strictly used the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator. I had fun with this piece.

More ROM Sketches.

2011-02-07T23:36:00.000-08:00

This time it's animals.

Miss the Show? See it Here.

2011-02-05T11:05:00.001-08:00

SketchKrieg write up in the National Post!

2011-02-04T06:56:00.001-08:00

Check it out! Sketchkrieg! has a write up in National Post (Friday, Feb. 4th, 2011). If you have a chance pick it up and most importantly come to the show!! February 4th, 2011, at Xpace ... starts at 7pm.

Paper Trail at XPACE: February 3!

2011-01-26T19:50:00.001-08:00

This is happening in February: the XPACE Cultural Centre exhibits 'Paper Trail,' an art project that takes the Surrealists’ ‘exquisite corpse’ technique and runs it through a pop art meat grinder of comic illustration. Showcasing the work of SketchKrieg!, 'Paper Trail' is a collaborative comic book narrative intended for gallery viewing.

It started like this: one SketchKrieger would create one comic panel -- any size, any format. That panel would be passed along to a second illustrator, who was then instructed to illustrate a new panel within the next four days. That illustrator would pass that new panel (and the original) to a third illustrator, and the cycle would continue. The sequence was illustrated one panel at a time, each illustrator unaware how the previous illustrator intended the story to progress. No plot or outline was devised before committing ink to paper. Everything was intended to be surprising and improvised. And no dialogue was allowed.

The resultant story (currently still in progress) is full of bizarre twists and turns as the paper chain progresses. In-between gutters, genres flip from post-apocalyptic saga to romantic comedy to political thriller. Characters die and are reborn, their motives change as often as the illustration style.

We hope you can join us for the opening night party! Details below:

Paper Trail Opening Night
Friday, February 4th, 2011
7:00 p.m. start
XPACE Cultural Centre, 58 Ossington Ave.
Toronto, ON
Free!
(Show continues through February 5)

The Gladstone's 5th Anniversary Community Partners Party

2011-01-20T20:43:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Happy New Year!! Just wanted to let you know that I will have a couple pieces up at the Gladstone Hotel this Friday, January 21, 2011! Come check it out ... it's going to be a good time ...!

-Tyrone

ROM Drawings

2011-01-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

Our Animation Portfolio Workshop students went to the Royal Ontario Museum and we drew some stuff. While drawing historical items you can't help but imagine the stories behind each them.

Best of 2010!

2011-01-01T07:54:00.000-08:00

I realize that year-end lists are the height of self-absorption, but everyone else is busy making them. Don't I have as valid an opinion as, say, Amazon.com?

But the main reason I'm posting this list: I haven't done as much illustration over the holidays as I was planning and am stuck for a blog post. These lists are relevant — they're all cultural artifacts that, in some way or another, will influence my work — so this is a valid exercise. Also, I want to see if any of the other Sketchkriegers are willing to share their lists.

I've kept it to comic books, movies and songs (in no particular order). I could add other categories, but books are a dangerous territory for me to enter (as a book publicist), television shows are difficult to rate as ongoing entities and few tapestries have made an impact on me this past year.

Comic Books
(Read in 2010, not necessarily released in 2010)

1) Afrodisiac - Brian Maruca & Jim Rugg
Killer concept, and the vintage illustration styles are expertly done. I thought it could stand to amp the satire up a bit, but that's a minor complaint.
2) Daredevil: Born Again - Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli
Never thought I'd put a Frank Miller book on this list, but this was when he was 80s-inner-city gritty before going completely off the deep end. The story also focuses on the great supporting character of Ben Urich, Daily Bugle reporter. And David Mazzucchelli (Batman: Year One) is a fantastic illustrator.
3) Criminal 3: The Dead and the Dying - Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
Everything Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips do is outstanding, but I found this Criminal installment, with three separate narrators and three intersecting stories, particularly affecting.
4) Scott Pilgrim 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour - Bryan Lee O'Malley
The final chapter to one of my favourite comic series of all time did not disappoint. I found the hyper-realistic, super-manga backgrounds a bit jarring, but it was a satisfying finale. And Scott Pilgrim's character arc from beginning to end is really something.
5) Walking Dead 12: Life Among Them - Robert Kirkman & Charlie Adlard
As the television series premiered (and kind of wobbled at the end), I threw myself back into this fine zombie-centric horror series. And while the twelfth volume was certainly not the most intense or disturbing, there was something very unsettling about it all.

6) Cinder & Ashe - Gerry Conway & Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
I picked up this 80s gem on a whim at a convention, remembering the ads in the back of DC comics from that era. It's a streetwise tale about two mercenaries (one a Vietnam vet, one a Vietnamese war orphan) tracking down a killer. I liked it way more than I should.
7) Irredeemable - by Mark Waid & Peter Krause
If you aren't reading this series, you really should be. Ever wondered what would happen if Superman lost it and turned evil? It would probably look a lot like this book. But Irredeemable takes that concept into more and more complex and darker corners with each issue.
8) Tales Designed to Thrizzle - by Michael Kupperman
Totally bizarre, absurd comedy gold. 'Now with too much colour!'

9) Turf - Jonathan Ross & Tommy Lee Edwards
I'd pick up any book illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards, but this series, which mashes up vampires, 1930s gangsters and aliens into one world, is really out-there. In a good way.
10) The Hipless Boy - by Sully
A great slice-of-life graphic novel about a young man living in the Mile-End area of Montreal, finding love, dealing with fellow artists and way more. Funny, touching and unusual vignettes of life, published by great Canadian indie press, Conundrum.

Movies
(Watched in 2010, mostly released in 2010)

1) Marwencol - Jeff Malmberg (dir)
Captivating documentary about a man who copes with a horrible trauma by creating the fictional WWII-era town of Marwencol in his backyard, populating it with dolls (many of whom resemble people in his daily life) and photographing their adventures.
2) Tron: Legacy - Joseph Kosinski (dir)
Say what you will, but with those visuals and that music, the movie could dispensed with a story altogether and I would have enjoyed it immensely. One of the only action blockbusters that delivered in 2010.
3) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - Edgar Wright (dir)
Despite having a completely different second half than the books, this was an incredibly faithful adaptation, and probably more of an achievement in advancing film language than Avatar. Really like no other movie I've seen in capturing the comic book feel. And hilarious, too.
4) Inception - Christopher Nolan (dir)
The zero-gravity Joshua Gordon-Levitt fight ensured this movie's inclusion.

5) Rubber - Quentin Dupieux (dir)
I saw this at this year's After Dark Film Festival. A car tire gains sentience, gains the ability to destroy things with its mind, goes on rampage. All with a Greek chorus of onlookers watching and commenting on the action from a safe distance. But it's actually way better and smarter than that synopsis makes it sound.
6) The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman - Wuershan (dir)
A film from mainland China I saw during the Toronto International Film Festival; my favourite of the fest. The story follows a knife through three generations (in the possession of a butcher, chef and swordsman, naturally), and is one of the more inventive and funny movies I've seen in a long time.

7) Streets of Fire - Walter Hill (dir)
Okay, this movie came out in 1984, but I'd never heard of it before this past year. It's as if someone took a Meat Loaf song and turned it into a feature film. Amazing songs, bizarre fictional setting, sledgehammer fight. What more do you need?
8) Black Swan - Darren Aronofsky (dir)
Showgirls for the art-house crowd. I'm happy that Darren Aronofsky is back in the freak-out operatic mode of his pre-Wrestler films.
9) Four Lions - Christopher Morris (dir)
This movie does the seemingly impossible: makes a genuinely funny movie about four Islamic terrorists. It's entirely believable, but entirely humourous, too. Cringe-worthy laughs all around!
10) The Social Network - David Fincher (dir)
This movie was crowd-pleasingly good. I loved the Winklevoss twins (they get all the best lines), the despicable protagonist, the Trent Reznor score. It's a solid movie.

Songs
(All released in 2010)

1) Die Antwoord - Evil Boy
They're a troubling group to like, but I really love Die Antwood.
2) The Like - Why When Love Is Gone?
The Like is so incredible now that they've turned mod. And this Isley Brothers cover is the best song on their new album.

3) Daft Punk - Tron: Legacy Soundtrack
How can you pick one song? So epic!
4) Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
The Suburbs is a phenomenal album, but I like it best when the Arcade Fire gets all dance-tronic. Like with this song.
5) Sex Bob-omb - We Are Sex Bob-Omb
Second entry where the soundtrack and movie both made the lists. Coincidence?
6) Yeasayer - Ampling Alp
I saw the video late one night on 'The Wedge' (apparently that still exists) and was entranced. Bought the album the next day.
7) Diddy Dirty Money (feat. Skylar Grey) - Coming Home
Guilty pleasure. I can't tell you why I like this song so much. I hate every other Diddy/Daddy/Combs joint. Why can't I resist this one? Why does Diddy dress like Wesley Snipes in Blade?

8) Los Campesinos! - A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State
My favourite new song by one of my favourite bands. Is it possible to be both twee and punk? And with such clever lyrics? It upsets me in a way.
9) Crystal Castles - Baptism
Good album. Good song.
10) Janelle Monae (feat. Big Boi) - Tightrope
It's been a bit tainted since becoming the official advertising jingle for some new car model, but it's super. I'm surprised it didn't go much of anywhere. Y'know. Before the car commercials.

Okay. I want to see your favourites! I need to discover new music, movies and comics!

Wolverine Sketch

2010-12-26T14:59:00.000-08:00

Step by step.

Day by day.

Silent Night...YO JOE!

2010-12-24T07:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a holiday special Canuckleheads comic I did for the Joe Canuck newsletter.
Silent Night

Have yourself a Merry Christmas!

The World of Comic Strips

2010-12-20T21:13:00.000-08:00

I recently was (very kindly) given the Doonesbury 40-year retrospective book, which was an amazing surprise. I used to follow Doonesbury pretty ferociously when I was a kid, back when I followed comic strips. I used to save the comic sections of the paper in a banker's box, and re-read the Doonesbury strips pretty regularly, trying to keep track of the ever-expanding cast. I don't think, at that point, I realized it was a liberal satire of conservative America. I just liked the drawings, mostly. Really dug how Garry Trudeau drew eyes.

But his recent interview with Stephen Colbert made me really excited about this retrospective book. He's been doing the daily strip for 40 years! I get bored of my comic work after an issue or two. And I remember how much a struggle it was to do weekly strips of the time-traveling comic adventures of Mort 'n' Newton for my student paper, Imprint, when I was in university. Forty years of daily comic strips is immense!

The book is pretty immense, too, at about 10 lbs! I had a hard time carrying it home. And it's structured interestingly, too, set up by character, rather than chronologically. The coolest part is a big fold-out in the centre that tracks all the characters, their relationships, their histories. It's crazy!

I'm looking forward to delving into the monster book and re-reading some Doonesbury. And now I'll probably understand more of the politics. Anyone else read Doonesbury? Or anyone read comic strips? I used to love them, but haven't read them for years. Any recommendations?

Doonesbury has a good website, too.

Old Journal/Sketchbook Entries

2010-12-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

I recently turned 30 and I decided to look through some old sketchbooks and journals of mine to see how far I have come. So many memories come floating back. Some of these entries were pretty entertaining so I thought I'd share a few of them with you.

An entry made around my "clubbing" phase during Illustration year 1:

In college/university, I became well acquainted with the notion of sleep loss:

One time I dressed up as a woman.

Back in grade 9 I used to give girls notes with a secret code. I also used that code to write a secret journal entitled "Do Not Read." Only certain people were allowed to read the secret decoder wheel that I made in ceramics class.

I translated a few of these entries and it turns out my head was in a strange goth phase. A potent combination of listening to too much Marilyn Manson and not getting laid.

An entry I made when my friend Stan got hit by a car. Dark times come swirling back.

A few more "emo-ish" entries.

I kept a newspaper article when I was in my grade 8 poo poo humor phase. I thought it was funny at the time. Now that I read it and think about how sick and screwed up this guys was.

Some notions I sometimes subscribe to, even today.

In Art Fundamentals I made some friends that I still hold dear today. We used to make our own fun when everything got too expensive.

Some strange dream-based character design.

I think I drew this when I was intoxicated. I am not sure.

I was, and still am, hypnotized by Christopher. Some things never change. The wheel is turnable.

The adventure continues for the Canuckleheads!

2010-12-15T14:40:00.000-08:00

Last summer I got to work on the exclusive comic for the Canadian GI Joe Convention. You can find copies sold here at a special holiday price, or at the Silver Snail in Toronto. It's a pretty fun project considering the fact that I've been a fan of the GI Joe brand since I was three and a half years old. I'm still busy working on comic shorts to the Canadian GI Joe series for the Joe Canuck newsletter. The new editions will later be collected into another comic exclusive for the 2011 CanJoeCon.

Here's the further adventures of the Canuckleheads featured at the end of every Joe Canuck newsletter:

Slaughter makes a cameo in...Exclusive Training

Spot all the other cameos in ...Uninvited Guests

Zombies!!!...The Osiris Egg - Part I
The Osiris Egg - Part II

For those wondering what's happening with AWOL'd, stay tuned for updates....

Sweet Caroline!

2010-12-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

Sweet Caroline, it's been a long time since we've updated this blog. But the SketchKrieg crew and I are getting back into the swing of things, and we'll be updating it more and more often in the coming weeks and months. Also, exclaiming 'Sweet Caroline!' gave me an excuse to post this sweet sketch of Neil Diamond, the Jewish Elvis himself:

The remainder of my post is tied to my forthcoming young adult book, The Dead Kid Detective Agency. It's set to hit bookstores in Fall 2011 (I'm still mid-edit). The book is primarily text, but I've been working on some spot illustrations for here and there. I'll post some of those later, but first, some character designs for all the dead kids.

There's Cyril, the dead United-Empire-Loyalist kid:

Tabetha, the dead former-slave kid who came to Canada via the underground railroad:

Morna, the dead, recent-Scottish-immigrant kid (circa 1910):

Kirby, the dead quintuplet:

And Derek, the dead, almost-modern-age First Nations kid:

There's also, of course, our living protagonist, October Schwartz:

Any suggestions? It's not too late to change things up a bit. I feel like Derek may need something more distinct to his design. He looks very generic to me at the moment, even with a severed head.

Facebook!

2010-04-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

We haven't been active on the blogger...because we've switched to Facebook! Keep updated about our latest works and upcoming shows on the Sketchkrieg fan page!

www.facebook.com/sketchkrieg

More male erotica than you can handle!

2010-02-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

I think I may have found my true calling. I can't decide if I should have included more in the way of background, or just kept them sort of floating in space (as they are now). But I'm pretty happy with how these ones turned out.

This 'n That ...

2010-01-18T17:45:00.000-08:00

Hey ... Happy New Year! Here are some illustrations that got published during the tail end of last year. What's different about these, is that they are all completely digital. I've been moving myself away from paper and doing everything lately on the computer. It just saves me time. So check 'em out.

These four were for "French Homework" a textbook by Scholastic.

And this one was for The Canadian Sportsman. The article was about how horses that harness race have to retire after a couple of years.

Also remember to check out my webcomic "Corporate Life" with writer Apollo. A new strip is released every Wednesday, check it out: http://ninjacat.ca/Corporate_Life.html

CanAgitprop!

2010-01-11T17:14:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I've tried my hand at anything overtly political, but with the recent proroguing of Parliament (the second time in as many years), I really felt the need to make an illustration encapsulating (most) Canadians' disappointment with the guy at the top. Something really simple and easy ... that would make a good T-shirt or whatever.

Obviously, this explicitly references Shepard Fairey's iconic Obama illustration. And after I whipped it up this weekend, I realized someone had beaten me to the punch: Darrin White made this 'Nope' poster over a year ago.

While I think White's illustration is great (and probably a better representation of the Prime Minister than my drawing), I think my one's a bit harsher (and more T-shirt-worthy). And I like that I stuck to the colours of the Canadian flag.

Supervillains get me hot

2010-01-06T19:28:00.000-08:00

Another project I've been working while taking a brief Quarter-Life Crisis hiatus is supervillain erotica. That's right. You heard me.

I'm working with poet Natalie Zina Walschots, who is composing a collection of poems – romantic/erotic odes to various comic book supervillains. As with Elyse Friedman's project, I offered to do some sample illustrations to include with her manuscript submission. Some of the results are below.

I'm not sure how I feel about the results. The finished illustrations look more comical than actually sexy. But maybe that's what I wanted? It's hard to say. The Darkseid one isn't even sexy. More creepy. (Clearly I need to do more research in the world of male erotica.)

The Laws of Motion

2010-01-06T18:46:00.000-08:00

I've been taking a break from working on the second book of Quarter-Life Crisis to work on a couple other projects. One of those projects is collaborating with author Elyse Friedman on a graphic novel project called The Laws of Motion.

Friedman wrote a screenplay called 'The Laws of Motion,' and it did get made into a film (starring Matthew Perry, even!) with a different title. But the final project deviates pretty widely from the original script. She got in touch with me about working on making the screenplay into a graphic novel. So I did thirteen sample pages that Elyse will be submitting with the script to publishers.

It's interesting working on someone else's script. I think it exercises different drawing muscles (for lack of a better term) than drawing your own work. Most notably, it doesn't allow you to 'cheat'. Working on my own stuff, I'll plan layouts and scripts in ways that work with my drawing strengths, but I don't have the same luxury when working on someone else's script. Does anyone else feel the same way?

Corporate Life

2009-12-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

So my new web comic series has been launched ... Corporate Life! I collaborated with the egotistical writer named Apollo. Check it out and let me know what you think!

http://ninjacat.ca/Corporate_Life.html

Enjoy!

-Tyrone

Web Illos!

2009-11-18T20:57:00.000-08:00

I've posted these images on my Facebook a while back ... now you can see it in Blog form ...!!
I did these for the Canadian Sportsman website.

Character designs ...

2009-10-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hey ... I know it's been a long time since my last post (a real long time) ... But I've been pretty busy with starting a business, taking care of a baby and doing illustration work ... Now I'm working on a new comic ... I'll give you more details about it soon ... Check it out ...

Kenneth Oppel likes my poster!

2009-10-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

One of the joys about my job at the library is designing giant posters for our bi-monthly author's display. After reading Kenneth Oppel's Airborn and Skybreaker, I wanted to express my love for his books by painting a poster of his work. Kenneth Oppel was at the Mississauga Literary Festival organized by our library staff and got the pleasure to not only meet him but also use the poster I made as a backdrop for his reading. Kenneth had some very kind words to say about my poster on his blog, check it out!

http://kennethoppel.blogspot.com/2009/10/fabulous-poster.html

Gettin' ink

2009-09-29T19:23:00.001-07:00

Hey gang. Not an illustration update, but the first review for Quarter-Life Crisis is in, and it's a good one! My favourite Toronto newsblog, Torontoist, did a story on the book. Writer Stephen Michalowicz gave it a nice review (despite titling the article 'Worst Quarter-Life Crisis Ever'), and included some big images from the book. He also brought up some good points about a few weaknesses that I agree with.

Check it out here: http://torontoist.com/2009/09/quarter-life_crisis.php

Some of you others have read it, and I'd love to hear other weaknesses you notice. So, ideally, I can improve upon them for the second book. Zen already gave me an in-depth phone call that was very helpful, but the more criticism, the more I have to think about, the better.

(I love that one of the commenters noticed the THX 1138 reference.)

The 3 Second Rule

2009-09-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
Just launched this new action/comedy/buddy/hitman webcomic called 3 Second Rule. Arthur Dela Cruz wrote it, I drew it.
I've been heavily inspired by European graphic novels, so I've busted out the 0.3 ink pens which is different because I'm so accustomed to using a brush marker or brush and ink.
The webcomic is updated every Monday, so check it out!

Covered!

2009-09-10T04:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a great blog called "covered". It's different artists with extremely different art styles reinterpretting old comic book covers. Some are very well-known covers and some are obscure. They have everything ranging from Marvel covers to Donald Duck covers to old western comics. A fun project maybe Sketchkreig could try in the future.
http://coveredblog.blogspot.com/

The day before Fan Expo...

2009-08-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

Fan Expo is only hours away and I originally planned to have the first installment of this new webcomic series 3 Second Rule out tonight and ready to promote at the Fan Expo. But I'm still penciling halfway through the first chapter and Arthur's still working on the actually website. I think realistically this thing will launch in two weeks. Just check back on this blog for more updates. For now, here are some thumbnail pages from 3 Second Rule. As you can tell, there will be lots of witty banter and ass-kickin' action.

Make sure to stop by the Sketchkrieg table at Artist Alley. We should be at table A22-23. I'll be selling the new volume of AWOL'd so be sure to grab a copy! I think Evan will have some copies of his new book Quarter Life Crisis, so be sure to grab that as well! See you this weekend!

2009-08-23T18:52:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted something but I hope these will make up for my lack of updates. I'm currently working on a Wizard of Oz illustration and these are a couple of designs that I came up with for the Tinman and the Scarecrow.

The one thing I wanted to avoid the most while designing the characters was to go with a cliche, skinny Scarecrow that's dressed in either a farmer's overalls or rags with rope keeping him together. I also wanted to avoid a funnel-hatted or a medieval knight design for the Tinman. So the influence for the Scarecrow came from the uniforms that the American soldiers wore in the Revolution against Britain and the influence for the Tinman came from old trains. I imagined that some wacko engineer came across an old steam engine train and used its parts to build a robot but since he's an engineer and not a surgeon, the robot has no heart so now it has to ask the Wizard for one.

The full illustration will be available as a print at Fanexpo this friday and will, of course, have dorothy and the lion in it as well.

Road to Fan Expo...part 3

2009-08-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'm currently pencilling this new webcomic project with Arthur called Three Second Rule. It's a buddy-action-comedy about an assassin who gets attached (emotionally?) to his mark. Maybe Arthur (the writer of the project) could fill you in a bit more about the deets. Here are some character concepts I did.

This is Axel, the cool assassin guy who gets shy when it comes to picking up girls. The fourth drawing is the one that will be used in the webcomic.

Shane is Axel's womanizing bud. From reading Arthur's script, I thought of Michael Madsen or the Super Size-Me guy for the look of Shane. Then after some discussion with Arthur, he wanted someone a bit younger in his late-twenties so I thought about a douchebag-you'd-find-at-clubs kind of guy.

Here is a waitress in the story that Axel is fond of, and another assassin in the story.

Time for me to get back to work on the webcomic. Next update I'll show you some thumbnail pages.

Road to Fan Expo ... Part 2

2009-08-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

Like Loo-bot, I've also been chained to my drawing table and computer, finishing up the first book of Quarter-Life Crisis, trying to meet my printing deadline. Since I'm getting it printed where I work, Coach House Books, my deadline is a little later. It's going to be tight, but I think I'm going to make it (knock on wood).

But I'm really excited to have something new and something I'm proud of at the convention this time around. I'm happy with how the book is coming together.

Here's the cover spread for Quarter-Life Crisis. Thoughts? Like or dislike?

Road to Fan Expo...part 1

2009-08-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since our last blog post...but I'm sure we've all been respectively busy. I just recently finished the second volume of AWOL'd and sent it off to Lulu to get it published. Now I can enjoy whatever's left of the summer! Well, sorta... besides getting back into video games, watching Battlestar Galactica vol 4.5 and wrestling dvds, and chilling outside, I'll also be busy working on an exciting new webcomic project with Arthur called "Three Second Rule". In the days leading up to Fan Expo, I'll be posting some works-in-progress of the webcomic and I'm aiming to launch the website with several finished pages ready right before Fan Expo weekend. But for now, here's a preview of AWOL'd volume 2: UNDER COVERS.

Cover to AWOL'd volume 2

2009-06-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

I've finally inked all the pages to AWOL'd volume 2! Now I have to worry about the boring but necessary stage: Post-production...greyscaling, word balloons, book layout designs...
If you observe the subtleness of the characters' eye direction carefully, you may get an idea of what each character will be up to in the second volume. It's like looking at a Soprano promo poster before a new season airs.

The Revolution is now!

2009-06-21T21:40:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post a few penciled pages from the climactic Dance Dance the Revolution scene, as I enter the homestretch. Been listening to a lot more Prince these days. Not sure how it will affect my drawings. Also, I figured out a few final script details that were still causing problems. Good times.

Manga Jams from Teen Anime Club

2009-06-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Most of you guys who know me would know I work for the Mississauga Library, conducting programs and all other fun stuff. One of the things I'm proud of is establishing the MLS* Teen Anime Club (or M-TAC for short) which is a growing after-school program where teens can discuss Otaku culture, play video games, and screen new Anime titles. Manga Jams has become one of our popular activities where one person draws a panel and passes it on to whomever to continue the story.

You can check out some of the Manga Jams from our last meeting here:
http://mlsteenotakuclub.blogspot.com/2009/06/manga-jams-june-12th-edition.html

You can find lots of wackiness in these pages, hahaha!

Reading Comics

2009-06-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

Photo of Alan Moore courtesy of acb.

Question time: has anyone in SketchKrieg! read their comic books live before? And if so, what approach(es) did you take? What worked well? What failed miserably?

I've got a couple of 'reading' opportunities coming up (including the Taddle Creek comic issue launch party on Friday night), and I'm trying to step up my live performance game. Working in book publishing, I've been to my fair share of readings, but whenever I tend a comic book event, it's more likely a discussion of the creation of the work or interview. Straight readings are pretty rare.

That said, I've done comic book 'readings' before, usually paired with a projection of the images. And at this point, I'm probably better at using Powerpoint than I am with a pencil or brush. Not too worried about the readings, but I'd love to hear if anyone else has comic performance experience.

Interview on rgbFilter

2009-06-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

The kind folks from rgbFilter interviewed the SK gang at TCAF. Check it out!

J'Adore les Bande Desinees!

2009-05-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

I just came back from a 9-day vacation in France and one of the things I like to grab when I'm anywhere in Europe is a graphic novel (or bande desinee, in French). The Europeans really know how to draw out a comic! There's lots of commitment and discipline in their penciling, inking, and colouring, which is something I aspire to have someday. Some of comics are still coloured traditionally with gouache and watercolours. Every panel, every drawing is so tight and well-referenced. Every character drawing is loyal to their design and the backgrounds are well-detailed. Overall, so confidently done!

One European comic artist I admire is Italian cartoonist Milo Manara, who has done a lot of erotic comic art. But check out this video and be amazed. No pencils required!

Now I got enough fuel to get back to working on AWOL'd volume 2.

TCAF on Video

2009-05-17T13:18:00.001-07:00

A video made by Vepo Studios and Open Book Toronto about the Toronto Comic Arts Festival. They interviewed me (for some reason), alongside Bryan Lee O'Malley, the Tamakis cousins, Chris Butcher and others.

TCAF 2009

2009-05-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

Thanks for everyone who came by our table.
Thanks to everyone at TCAF and their volunteers who made it special.
Thanks for checking out the picture below.

Postcards from the edge

2009-05-04T20:22:00.001-07:00

Since I failed so hard to get the actual book done in time for TCAF, I decided to make a postcard. It's like 1/120th of the book:

Though I fear I may have made it too hasty. I hope it looks all right.

Poster Girl

2009-05-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

Here's an image I did for my printing company that I recently started up (www.GuerillaPrinting.ca). The image was for a contest that just ended in April. The version we used was the image that's seen above. Check out the original (below) before it got all half toned ...

2009-04-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

These are a couple of digital sketches i did just for fun. These were slightly inspired by the works of Rion Vernon and, although I'm nowhere near his level and these look nothing like his work, Ashley Wood. They can be found in the "Medicine Artwork" book which will be available at TCAF (May 9 and 10).

Also, I am no longer the newbie member of Sketchkreig. I would like to welcome Kieran Casey McCarthy to the fold! The next generation of Sketchkreig begins now (and the inevitable revolution can't be far behind either) so congrats to the new parents of a potentially new illustrator!

I'm still alive ...

2009-04-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

A post to demonstrate that (a) I'm alive, and (b) working on Quarter-Life Crisis as hard as I can. Also to congratulate Tyrone and Alana on the exciting news -- I'm sure we're all disappointed the name 'Logan' was not more carefully considered, but I was so delighted to read the news on Facebook this morning.

So, some images from new sections of Quarter-Life Crisis. A couple pages from a flashback scene, both in original thumbnail (and crudely scripted form) and in penciled form. Then thumbnail sketches and final pencils of a scene of our protagonists staking out a Shoppers Drug Mart in the pouring rain.(I've actually been working a lot on getting a new website up and ready before TCAF.)

Unfortunately, as I get close to finishing pencils on the entire first book, I realize I need to add a couple scenes. Namely, one between Harper and Sonja ... one that involves the robot 1895s. (Otherwise, they only make one appearance in the first book.)

I also want to add a scene hinting at the sinister projects going on at the Rogers Centre, but haven't thought of a good way to do that and maintain the book's perspective. The book is entirely from Harper's perspective. There's not a scene in it that doesn't include him, and he narrates the entire thing. I don't really want to show a scene with the Rogers that he would have no access to ... It's a bit of a stumbling block for me at this point.

These last-minute additions also make me wonder what sort of extras (if any) I should include in the final printed book. Any requests? Sketches? Maps? Pin-ups? A mix-tape listing (a la AWOL'd or Scud before it)? I'm taking suggestions now.

Know your enemy: Comic Sans

2009-04-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

A very insightful article about the font we love to hate: Comic Sans

I found this article from a friend's Facebook page. Did you know that Comic Sans was inspired from the graphic novels Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen? Funny that I don't see the resemblance. But I do cringe knowing it's the one thing in common between porn ads and child daycare brochures *shudder*.

Leeves, GIJoe, and SK bookmarks! Oh my!

2009-04-17T08:19:00.001-07:00

I can finally check a few things off my list! A while ago I had the pleasure of drawing a GIJoe comic for the upcoming Canadian GIJoe Convention. It will be included in their convention exclusive toy box set, but you can view the 7-page comic in this month's Joecanuck newsletter here! It was awesome drawing some of the stuff I grew up with like the Armadillo tank (one of the first GIJoe vehicles I owned) and other vehicles you can find in the scrapyard page. As a GIJoe fan since I was three and a half, I hope to do more work like this in the future.

TCAF is only three weeks away and I won't have AWOL'd volume 2 ready by then (still need to work on 32 more pages). But for any followers waiting, I've prepared a 20-page supplementary comic of Leeves' origins. For those that really know me, the story was inspired by my experience with a certain individual. 'Nuff said! Hahaha...

Also, I've prepared some freebies for those visiting the Sketchkrieg tables at the TCAF, Fan Expo, and Word on the Street this year. Sketchkrieg bookmarks!

Now I need to get back to work on AWOL'd volume 2! It's the last thing I need to do before I can fully enjoy the summer.

Frank Miller is the worst, Part One

2009-04-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a bit of time off from posting my own work to critique some comics I've been reading. I borrowed a friend's copy of All-Star Batman and Robin, and it is shamefully bad. It's almost an art form, how bad it is. Yet I continue reading to see how much worse it can get. It's a train wreck my eyes can't avoid. And the worst part about it is that it sold millions! Way more copies of a comic book than all of us combined will ever sell.

It also further demonstrates my ongoing theory that Frank Miller is one of the worst comic book writers of all time. (At least, within those that are highly regarded.)

I'm not sure what offends me most about the book. Is it the complete wrong characterization of Batman and Robin? (Why bother using the characters if they act nothing like them? Batman laughing maniacally? Beating kids? Mocking Superman?) Wrong characterization of everyone? The pervasive and casual misogyny? (Vicki Vale is just so excited to be on a date with Bruce Wayne! Wonder Woman, since she's a strong woman, obviously has to hate men.)

Not even.

It's the little things:

Horrible attempts to be hip

Did Robin actually say something 'blows chunks'? Um ... thanks, Wayne. I also like how the twelve-year-old's point of reference for 'tough guy voice' is Clint Eastwood.

That Batman does no detective work

He's the world's greatest detective! Do some snooping, take some fingerprints, use the computer, for God's sake. But no ... just relentless beatings.

The immense waste of time

Did I just read an entire issue detailing how Black Canary finally got fed up with the sexual harassment at her job and fought back? An entire issue? Any writer-illustrator team worth their salt could have told that tale in two pages, max. And I think it was the fifth issue and Batman and Robin were still flying around in that stupid car. Is there a story here?

There's just too much to criticize. Did anyone like this?

TCAFing

2009-04-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a looooong while since I've posted, so here I am trying to get the ball rolling again. (with old art, no less!)
As some of you may know, I do a sporadically updated KISSING CHAOS webcomic as part of the Transmission-X crew. They are printing up a newspaper like comic thing for this year's TCAF, and here's what's going to be on my page.

This was originally two episodes from my webcomic... now it's one print page. It was hard to pick two pages (the max we could fit on the broadsheet page we are using for the TX comic), and I thought these two episodes were contained enough to tell a somewhat of a story, and leave the reader wanting more!

ADC

Great font making tool

2009-04-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Font Generator - http://www.yourfonts.com

This is an amazingly simple way to make fonts from your own handwriting. Perfect for the comic artist. All you do is print, fill out the template, scan it in and their online program does the rest. I had a font of my handwriting in less than 10 minutes.

It says they'll be charging a small fee soon, so play with it while it lasts!

- Alana

2009-03-31T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the original pencil drawing of the cover image below.

2009-03-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

This is the cover for my upcoming Medicine artwork book. The conception of this book came about when i realized i didn't have enough time to finish Medicine book 3 by summer of this year. But i still wanted to have something new that was connected to the series to show. At first, i thought of doing a short preview book showcasing some of the first chapter from book 3 but i decided i didn't want any of if to be shown in hard copy until the actual book comes out. Then i thought of doing a small black and white sketch book but decided that i wanted to do something different. So I wanted to show off, in FULL-COLOUR, the talents of my fellow sheridan grads and their interpretations of my characters. As well, i could now have, in print, full-colour images of all the illustrations i did myself of these characters, some of which have never been seen before. On top of all that, I've always wanted to do a flashback story of how some of the characters met each other but never found the right time to do it within the flow of the series, so this artwork book gave me an opportunity to do just that. It will be coming out in early May just in time for TCAF. It will be 50 full-colour pages for 12 Canuck bucks. I really tried to keep the price tag at 10 dollars but colour printing was way more expensive than i had thought. Hope to see everyone at TCAF.

Apocalyptico

2009-03-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

As ever, I persist in my efforts to finish this gargantuan task of making a 120-odd page book of Quarter Life Crisis. (A first volume of an envisioned several.) I think this is the most ambitious project I've attempted to date. And so far, I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out. While overwhelmed, I am encouraged by positive feedback from Stripmalling and the continued interest from friends and other comic bookers (who all want to know when this stupid book is going to be done!) I've posted some newer pencils below.

I'm finding myself struggling with a few things:

1) When I began the book, I was consciously trying to work more simply (and with less detail) than usual. This was both in order to save myself some time and to try to emulate illustration work I'm more drawn to. (I really love simple clean lines with few details, but in my own work, I get caught up in all the little unnecessary lines.)

2) I'm having difficulty making the call between composing things based on look or based on realism. Since it's all set in real Toronto locations, I don't know whether to alter the real look of an intersection or building for the purposes of storytelling or not. I just realized I placed an elevator in an impossible spot in the OCAD building, but I'm keeping it there, because it looks nicer.

3) My drawings are getting bigger! I make thumbnails and sketches at a certain size, but by the final product, all the figures end up much larger. I can't figure out what I'm doing. Anyone else have this problem?

Anyway, I'm toiling away at this at almost every free moment I have. And also listening to this new Metric song obsessively, as I feel it fits the atmosphere of the Quarter Life Crisis book so well.

Digital Scrapbooking

2009-03-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

Hey blogoverse! Long time no type!

I've been busy over here, making my biggest work of art - a baby in my belly! I'm due around May 1st and know the little one will provide a lot of inspiration for my work. Tyrone and I are super excited.

Not only that, I've also been working on getting my Scrapbook design store going. Digital Scrapbooking has a huge following. It's basically like the traditional cut and paste physical scrapping.. but everything is done digitally in photoshop. I make the elements and papers and people purchase my kits to capture their memories. It's fun, and allows me complete creative freedom.

Here are some examples of my kits. To see more visit my store at Scrapbookgraphics.com

Gotta get the work done, son.

2009-03-25T15:31:00.000-07:00

This must be the first blog that won't showcase someone's latest work nor demand critique/praise, but is instead just a standard blog about what's going on. Not that there's been drama in our group (ie. Brian wanting to lay the smackdown on Zen if Zen ever mentions the word "Adam Corolla"), but we've got lives between comic conventions.

Since the start of 2009, I've been working like a thoroughbred on the second volume of AWOL'd, pencilling and inking TWO full chapters. I'm surprised and amazed I was able to pull that off and still balance my full-time job. Unfortunately, the book won't be ready for TCAF in May but a backstory comic to Leeves will be out then.

This whole week, I've been excited to work on a full-colour GIJoe mini-comic for the upcoming Canadian GIJoe Convention. If you want any clues on what the comic is about, I suggest you check out their forum. It's gonna be my best comic to date since I've been honing my drawing skills in the past few months. Straight up, if I was asked to draw this out two years ago, it would have been crap.

So basically, I've been busy working on new stuff to put out on our Sketchkrieg! tables. The same goes with the others. Brian should have a full-colour art book based on the Medicine series ready for TCAF and as well as Evan's new post-apocalyptic 120-page graphic novel Quarter-Life Crisis. I'm sure they're gonna share their progress of their books on the blog (looking at you two).

YO JOE, eh!

2009-03-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some artwork I've done for Hasbro-approved exclusive figures being offered at the upcoming Canadian Joe Con.
On the left is an unknown Cobra dude and the other is Back-Stop, the only Canadian in the GIJoe team.

Marvel tryout book page

2009-03-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is 85% finished pg 2 of 5 from a book given to me years ago. I finally got the courage to pursue it.

NiNja Cat

2009-02-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

Hey! Sorry for the lack of posts, I've just been having computer problems ... and I've been busy with work. I recently did work for Nelvana, and it inspired me to do these these Ninja Cat poses. Enjoy.

sneak peek of AWOL'd vol. 2

2009-01-27T15:19:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a long while since my last post...but rest assured, I've been busy on the new volume of AWOL'd that should be out this summer.
Here are the last panels of you'll find in the first two chapters of the book. Come up with your own conclusions.

Quarter-Life in Progress

2009-01-19T20:52:00.001-08:00

I've been working a lot on the Quarter-Life book, so I thought I'd add some more pages in progress.

Some scenes of the brothers at their OCAD sanctuary.

And a flashback of pre-apocalyptic times, at the Royal Ontario Museum. (The book has a Lost-esque structure with interspersed flashbacks.)

2009-01-14T06:38:00.000-08:00

A little sneak peek at one of the pieces I will be including in my full-colour Medicine artbook coming out in May.

Huh?

2008-12-28T13:43:00.000-08:00

Something about the web?

Its about self discipline.

Issue 3

2008-11-30T22:54:00.001-08:00

Issue #3 preview.

DEAL WITH IT!

COBRAAAAAH!

2008-11-19T21:45:00.000-08:00

I know, I haven't posted on this blog like forever...

This is a commission piece I did that will be used for Joe Canuck and Canadian Joe Convention websites. Apparently, Hasbro allowed us the rights to use CC which is pretty sick!

Rex 'n Stuff

2008-11-03T07:17:00.000-08:00

Here's a pinup that is going to be in the next Rex Libris trade. It's scheduled to be out soon. I really had fun drawing the nazi zombies!

2008-10-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

This is what Medicine would look like if i had done it in the 90's. Wanted so badly to throw in a lens flare or two but i just couldn't find the right place to put it.

Hot Dog Carts & Huggin'

2008-09-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

I've been busy working on a children educational book, so I haven't had a chance to post anything. But now that I'm finished I have the free time. So check out these illos I've done for The Canadian Sportsman. The first one is an article about this guy who hires this crazy woman and she gets her husband to intimidate him because he's late on giving her paycheck.

This one is about this guy who meets up with an old buddy every year at this horse racing event.

Some more stripmalling

2008-09-15T20:56:00.001-07:00

A few final things done for Stripmalling (out this coming spring). The first two are freeze frames following protagonist Jonny's parents and his brother after the events of the novel. (They worship different gods.)

And then, an illustration for an excerpt of the book for Broken Pencil. The excerpt was much more graphic than this image.

The Power of Music Compels You!

2008-09-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

A fun piece I did for zen's A.S.S.

I'm Rich!

2008-08-30T07:25:00.001-07:00

My latest illustration for The Canadian Sportsman. The article was weird and difficult to read because it was written in the style of the 1920's. But the gist of it was about a guy who was lucky and kept winning.

Sketches
For the sketches they wanted the main guy in the middle of a crowd of sad people with no money. So I came up with these sketches.

Linear

AAAYYY!

2008-08-28T16:58:00.001-07:00

Signed and approved by Mr. Winkler himself at the Toronto Fan Expo.
What a nice guy.

Lil' Brother

2008-08-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

Recently, This Magazine asked me to illustrate an article about the new Cory Doctorow book, Little Brother. The writer compared it (unfavourably) to Ferris Bueller's Day Off meets 1984. So I came up with some sketches.

The dude in this second one is supposed to be Michael Chertoff, Director of Homeland Security.

And this final sketch refers to the 'freedom' fought for by the young scamps in the book as more of a 'freedom-to-stay-up-and-party', rather than, say, the right to vote or protection from cruel and unusual punishment.

They liked the awesome dude with sunglasses the best, and he became the final colour illustration:

Convention report?!

2008-08-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I missed FanExpo for the first time in many, many years this past weekend! How was the how for you guys? What did I miss? Fill me in on all the gory details!

ADC

Action Satisfaction Supreme: Issue#3 preview/Sketchbook

2008-08-22T06:16:00.001-07:00

Come and get it!

Nice Trip!

2008-08-11T07:18:00.001-07:00

Check out this piece I did for the Canadian Sportsman. I finished this one a while back, it's just been difficult to find the time to post it. The article was about this horse trainer who had many quirks. One of the quirks was how he would train the horses to get into the stables by pretending to trip over his laces. I know, weird.

Sketches
In this sketch  I wanted to show a standard portrait of all the horses he trained.In this one, I showed the part in the article when he would do the "trip over his laces" trick. I was going to just send these two sketches...
... but I decided to do one more and i came up with this one. As you can see the editor really liked this one.

Inks
In the sketch there was a border, I decided to take it out. Looks way better without it.

The Calm Before The Storm

2008-08-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

Page 1 of 12 sampler or of A.S.S. issue #3.
Pure Digital.
I'm having troubles with the title. Any suggestions?

Parachute Party

2008-07-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

Check it out, this is the latest illo I did for The Canadian Sportsman. I really like how this one turned out.

Sketches

In the first sketch, the article wasn't too clear that it was harness racing (plus it was dated back in the 1970's) so I just assumed that the rider was riding horseback. But I was wrong.

So I fixed it up. The editor wanted to show the part in the article where the trainers come in and slowed the horse down with a parachute. This sketch is pretty much what the final illo looks like. The editor dug this image.

Inks

There you have it. Enjoy!

Glamour Shots

2008-06-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

More character sketches for Quarter Life Crisis, which I'm feverishly working on.

Our protagonists.

The Rogers.

The 1895s.

The Bay Street Thugs.

The Koreans.

On A Plane

2008-06-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

Here's another illo that happens on a plane. The article is about how the writer dislikes making small talk with people on planes. So she decides to tell lies. It's pretty funny.

Sketches

In the article it mentions that the writer gets air sickness and the passenger beside her just keeps on yapping. The image of her looking ill didn't go over well with editor. They wanted me to concentrate more on the lying aspect.

Linear

So there ya go! I made it looks like she was bragging about herself, in a sense she is. In a lying sort of way.

Inks

How to Draw!

2008-06-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

Hal Niedzviecki, that is.

Broken Pencil asked me to do a two-page spread on how to draw their founding editor and indie culture guy Hal Niedzviecki. Here 'tis!

2008-06-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

this image will be used on the back cover of my next book (coming out very VERY soon).

Cinderella-ella-ella

2008-06-12T09:05:00.001-07:00

I just finished this theatre poster for Theatre by the Bay. It's for their Cinderella play that's for kids. I really have fun doing these posters. Here's my process:

Sketches

They wanted the Fairy Godmother to be a bit smaller, she seemed to be dominating the poster. The wicked step sisters were too scary looking so I had to change them. Also they preferred that Cinderella's hair was up in a bun.

Linear

Before moving onto the inks, they wanted the bottom of Cinderella's dress to have a flower pattern.

Inks

AWOL'd cover volume ONE

2008-06-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a cover design for the nearly complete volume one of AWOL'd.

Stripmalling Cover Draft

2008-05-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

I made up this quick cover mockup for the book Stripmalling. The final will be in colour and have nicer fonts, but this is the basic concept. And the illustrations of all the characters are going to be used as finals (or that's the plan, at least). If you see anything horrible with any of the sketches, let me know so I can fix them before I continue.

This looks like a job for ...

2008-05-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

So, I've been working on my Superman illustration for the Shuster Awards next month. I wanted to go for something that showcased Clark Kent more, since everyone will be drawing the classic Superman in costume. I started out with this rough:

But then I realized I needed to do something vertically oriented (to fit the rest of the Superman illustrations). So I think I recreated the same feeling with this sketch:

And then, the inked, larger final version.

I added just a bit of colour -- his costume underneath the suit is red and yellow and blue and his eyes are blue. But the final is otherwise black and white. But my scanner is really lame and keeps crashing when I try to scan it in colour. What do you think?

Lobster Goodness!

2008-05-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest illustration I did for The Canadian Sportsman. When I was working on this piece I wasn't enjoying it, I don't know why. Maybe because I was busy working on my comic. But I really like how this piece turned out in the end and in print it looks great!
Check out my process:

Sketches

Linear

Inks

artwork for cd cover

2008-05-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

I did this art for an album cover for the band THE BLEND.

Photo/texture collage and CG/digital paint techniques. It's fun to do. Pretty much let them tell me what elements they wanted in the image, then I put my spin on it. not sure if they will be using it or not... hope to find out soon!

Here are a few slightly different versions:

ADC

Robowatermelon

2008-04-30T14:48:00.001-07:00

Another robot for the monthly giveaway. This little guy loooves watermelon. Too bad about the rust!

Close Encounters

2008-04-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

What's going on ...? This is the recent printed illustration I did for The Canadian Sportsman. I had a lot of fun with this piece and again I didn't have to draw any horses! Brilliant!

Here's the first sketch I did:

And the second one:

As you can see they went with the first sketch, check out the inks:

Quarter Life Crisis (more!)

2008-04-27T20:21:00.001-07:00

More sketches, including robot designs, the streetcar the protagonist brothers travel around in, the Bay Street Thugs and more. Suggestions and ideas are heartily welcomed.

Quarter Life Crisis

2008-04-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Some sketches from the new idea I'm working on, Quarter Life Crisis, that post-apocalyptic Toronto sci-fi thing. I think you've seen all these already. The last sketches are of the paramilitary tribe in Toronto.

Failed Catalogue Ideas

2008-04-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

We're working on our fall catalogue at work, and were in a rush to get a cover done. They asked me to try some stuff out, but didn't like either of them. They were to be wraparound covers in two-colour.

They're both kind of rushed (I worked on them while I was in Montreal this weekend for a book launch). In the end, we went with a Michael Cho illustration.

Canadian Joe Meet donation

2008-04-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Canadian Joe Meet is this Saturday with Larry Hama is the guest of honour, along with Hasbro Canada. As part of the door prizes, I've donated this piece of all the exclusive characters from the past Can Joe Meets.

City State

2008-04-16T20:30:00.001-07:00

I just finished my first illustration for Toronto Life. Its the banner for blog on their site, 'City State.'

After sending a bunch of sketches, they selected the one they liked best. Pencil sketches above.

I kept the people separate from the subway wall, so I could easily move them around, if need be.

As it turns out, they did want the 'City State' more centred, so I moved the standing hipster. (They also wanted her magazine to reflect the new cover design of the magazine, even though you can barely see it.)