Website Updated!

So, a year went by (over a year, honestly) without me paying one bit of attention to my poor old website. It was high time I applied a new coat of paint and got back to semi-regular posts. So here I am, finally joining this decade's web aesthetic and generally cleaning things up. 2018 sees many fun bits of news for me, including a book deal for my next graphic novel, Little Monarchs. It now has a home at Margaret Ferguson Books, an imprint of children's publisher Holiday House. I couldn't be happier, or better supported!

Dear Creature recently saw a French edition release, while The New Deal garnered a nomination for the Oregon Book Award (soon to be determined). Go old books!

Alongside my work on Little Monarchs, this year I'm writing BOOM's Over the Garden Wall graphic novels, with series' storyboard artist Jim Campbell doing a stellar job on art duties. Alongside THAT, I keep extra busy with watercolor covers for The Thrilling Adventure Hour, the odd McMenamins painting, illustrations for TEDx, murals, and a bunch of storyboard/illustration work. I'm sure I'm forgetting something... Oh, yes: Two incredible little girls, ages 6 and not-quite-9-months.

It's a beautiful handful, and somehow the work's all moving forward under deadline (editors, that's for you).

I'll go into more detail on all these projects soon, but for now it just feels good to dust off the site's cobwebs. I almost said website cobwebs, but that's too many webs.

Later!

Siren Serenades Batman, Out Today

 

The latest Batman '66 #6 is out today, and even though it's not digitally super-enhanced and sort of bears the mark of the beast, it does have some of my best work on the series. I hand-painted a few pages where things get really trippy, and writer Jeff Parker really outdid himself in giving me craaaaaaazy fun stuff to draw this time. It's my personal favorite so far.

At Comixology for 99 cents.

Sloth Love

 

Every once in a while, you get to do a commission that satisfies all your geek requirements. This one may be hard to top. It has it all: Romance, awesome creatures, a Dracula cape... A land-squid.

I couldn't ask for more! It's projects like this where I'm keenly aware that it's not everyone who gets an all-expenses-paid trip to the Slothlands. I'm grateful.

Also, here's a link to a hi-res version, in case you want some sloth-love wallpaper.

This weekend, I'll be at Emerald City Comic Con, taking commissions (you can totally commission something like this, and I'll mail it to you) and peddling my wares. I may even see if I can get some prints made of this piece.

See you in Seattle!

Modern Man Painting

Here's a few process shots from my latest painting for Portland's Modern Man Barbershop. This place is one of my favorite businesses in Portland, and they just opened a new location on Hawthorne (where this piece is going up). Over the last few months, I've become a regular, and I'm just really enthusiastic about the whole business and their aesthetic. Shot of whiskey on your way in, fantastic haircuts, shoe shines, straight razor shaves, etc., and a cigar on your way out. It's a wonderful model, and really affordable (important for the likes of me, who typically goes way too long between cuts). One day I asked the owner, Chris, if he'd be interested in commissioning a painting for their space, and happily, he dug the idea.

I'm not sure when this is going up (above the barbershop's fireplace!) , but regardless, you should head down and get yourself a haircut from these people. It's a lot of fun.

The Creep #2 and #3

Oh dear. Better late than never... I've been under a self-imposed writing rock since October, and a lot of things, like having another two issues of The Creep coming out, slipped by. They both have absolutely terrific covers from Ryan Sook and Tonci Zonjic, respectively. Check them out! There's also a hardcover collection of this series set for release next year (April, to be exact), using that lovely cover from Tonci. Looks like you can pre-order it through TFAW.

In addition to writing, I also completed my largest painting yet, for the Hawthorne Modern Man Barbershop here in PDX. I couldn't be more excited about this, as it's one of my favorite businesses in Portland. More on that, and other bits from under the rock, soon.

Sarah's Painting Complete

It's done! I set Sarah's painting aside while I finished my work on The Creep, but I just got a chance to lay down the finishing touches. Since it's going up in the living room, it's going to be hard not to take it down and tweak the things that will inevitably start to bug me.

The final pass over the background was mostly about balancing colors, adding in a little more depth, and covering over the underdrawing. I pretty much decided to wrap things up when Jeff Parker's kid was over for a visit and said, "Why are you still working on that? It looks done."

What can you do? Kid says it's done, it must be done.

Portland Monthly — Ink City Illustration

Just added this Portland Monthly piece to my illustrations and paintings. This was an illustration for their Ink City article, talking about Portland's thriving comics creators scene. Their article already had a superhero bent to it, but they liked my pitch for a Little Nemo in Slumberland riff well enough to roll that idea into their Best of the City article the next month. I'll post some of those pieces soon.

New Painting, Step Four: Fleshing It Out

A lot of progress today on the overall painting (though a lot of that is unseen here). I'm getting close. I expect the next update will be the finished piece. Today's focus was mostly the scene around her— the fruit, the hanging vines in the foreground, etc. I also did a little more work on her skin, though she's looking pretty chiseled right now... I may ratchet that back some. Tomorrow I'm back to work on The Creep, so I'll have to do a little painting here and there in my off time, but hopefully I'll get to post the completed work soon! Stay tuned.

New Painting, Step Three: Major Colors

I did get a couple hours to work on the painting yesterday. Not a lot, but enough to get started on the dress and the lounge upholstery. The definite highlight was getting to work again with baby Dorothy in tow. She went in the moby wrap and we bounced around to a record as I worked at the easel. It was a charmed life moment. A later afternoon session saw her a lot more grabby, so it didn't last long. No cadmium red for baby.

Right now I'm just blocking in the main areas of color. Some of this will have to be balanced as I progress. I'm feeling like things are getting a little too saturated vs. the skin tone (which almost always happens for me), so I'll probably go over the lounge with a transparent layer of ochre. I'll save that step for later on though, once more colors are blocked in.

More later on!

New Painting, Step Two: Start It Up

Day the second. Time to bring the PAINTING.

So, Sarah made it clear that she's after full color. Sorry, Leonardo. I like the unfinished look of that one thing (and your fabulous blue mask and katanas), but we'll keep your influence a little further away. She also reminded me that she wanted a feeling of 'abundance', with fruit, flowers, etc., as utilized to good effect by Mucha. Fair enough. She pays me in love, she gets what she likes (I like it too)!

Here's one of the images she responded to, particularly its color. She digs the turquoise, so I'll be incorporating that later on.

First off, some sketches. I usually vary from painting layouts pretty significantly as I work, but I did find a pose that I liked, and ran with it. Exhibit A.

I also scribbled this face. Vampy McVamperson, Exhibit B.

These images are taken with my cell phone for simplicity's sake, so ... forgive. Next up, I started drawing on that freshly gessoed masonite with my trusty red Derwent pencils. These are nice because they avoid the problems of dead-cold graphite showing through thin layers of paint. Everything gets covered over eventually, but it's nice to have a warmer feel to the lines while I'm balancing colors later on. I pretty much always get better results when painting from these. Maybe it's just psychological, but I'll take it. Exhibit C.

After I got the drawing where I wanted it (a lot of trips to the mirror to check it with the other side of my brain), I laid down a sealing layer of ochre acrylic, matte medium, and flow release (mixed together), let that dry well, and started in on blocking out flesh tones. Ghostly Exhibit D.

Then it's off to the races, laying down more colors and color variations to really carve out her features and frame them with SUPER-NOUVEAU-HAIR. Which brings us to the last image, Exhibit E. The flesh tones aren't completely done, but they're getting there.

Once again, my cell camera's bringing me down, but maybe that will help with the big reveal at the end (using a better camera). I hope to make some more progress on this tomorrow, and if so, I'll surely post an update.

Thanks for reading!

New Painting, Step One: Research

I'm in the rare position of having a couple days to dedicate to a painting for my wife, Sarah. She often uses the "cobbler's children have no shoes" line in reference to how little art she has from me. It's been a couple years now, and I'm overdue to put on the good-husband-artist hat and whip something up. I purchased my masonite board this morning, and have a second coat of gesso drying as we speak. I'd show you, but it's just white.

Instead, let's take a look at possible subject matter/reference/points of inspiration.

Sarah wants something in the vein of a Mucha woman with long, flowing hair. That's (I think) all the direction I have so far. I like Mucha. Who doesn't? You may see him everywhere, but he's got a lot of appeal. I have to say, I do gravitate towards his drawings more than his highly decorative finished illustrations. I'd like to keep some part of my painting gestural and loose, so I'll be looking further afield for some of my cues, but Mucha's a starting point.

I thought of asking Sarah to model for the piece, but what's weirder? Having your wife's exact likeness, multiple feet across, hanging around your living room and all done up in a sensuous, Art Nouveau sump'n-sump'n, OR, pasting some other lady's face over all that? I'll have to do some research on that point. See what the patron wants to do.

I do know that I want to do something in a landscape format, in an asymmetrical composition. Something along the lines of this Ava Gardner shot. In fact, Ava Gardner wouldn't be a bad choice for this piece (or anything, really).

John William Waterhouse is another example of an artist I could reference in the same spiritual vein, but I'd like to bring in some element of pop art, or just something to loosen it up a little bit. Just a dash so it doesn't get precious.

The other thought I have is to not make it a finished painting at all, but to leave a lot of it in the sketchy construction phase, with deep sepia tones, reds, and chocolatey browns making up the major palette. Like this unfinished piece from you know who. Maybe a little more color, a little more finish in select areas.

Tomorrow I'll have some of the questions nailed down, but this is a start. I'll keep you posted as I head into the mockup and actual drawing.

Painting Time

Just finished this commissioned painting yesterday. 36x24 inches, acrylic on a wooden board. It was a breath of fresh air after an intense stretch of comics pages. I just hope it doesn't look like Thomas Kinkade.

Here's some process photos:

Digital mockup.

Sepia drawing with a layer of ochre acrylic.

Doro assists as I lay down colors.

Detail from finished piece.