The Bearded Soy-Milk-Elf Express

dogs

2011-12-02T06:19:00.001-08:00

Putting out our last book of the year in a week or two -- this a page from my contribution to the weird zine/comic/calendar/book/thing. We have a pretty sweet roster to the thing too -- I'm pretty excited for it! If you threw down 25$ or more on the Kickstarter for Motherlover you will be getting this before anybody.

I'm also thinking of ending this blog and starting something new. I miss making marks so am going to try to do more of that in the new year.

MOTHERLOVER: an anthology that needs your support!

2011-10-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

We have a new anthology rolling out just in time for MIX, but we need some support. For 10$ you can pre-order the book via Kickstarter if it looks to be your bag. It might be biased of me to say so, but I think it looks pretty damn cool. Thanks in advance for passing this on!

focus

2011-08-26T06:09:00.000-07:00

I've been away for a spell. I am thinking of making an attempt to make more fiberous posts and to pop them out with more regularity. But, as we all know, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Ahh well. This piece was illustrated for the 99$ Sale at the Soap Factory. I started it in black and white and then coloured it via watered down acrylics. In all likely-hood, I should have just left it alone in black and white as I like that version better.

A couple of months back I was asked again to provide an illustration for Mark Granlund's web series, The Book of Bartholomew. I provided 10 different version of what is essentially the same illustration to Mark. Luckily, he complains very little and picked out one of them for a recent chapter in that series. I really like how he composed my images in the web-book.

Some years back in Duluth, my pal Terell and I created a little character and a basic world for her to inhabit in what we hoped someday we would turn into a comic. I started some basic sketching and doodling a short story in that world for a little anthology. As the story would have exceeded the page limit, I quickly dropped it and started something else, see post below. After talking with Terell a bit more, he and I will be picking it up once again with the usual caveat, when we have time... ha ha!

These sketch / studies are for a project I am doing with Kel. Again, I meant to have these done about a year ago, but, I got loaded up on other projects. After some of the craziness dies down I will be picking this up again. My original plan was to get this and my collaboration with Justin done this year, but it is looking less and less likely. At this point, I'll be happy just to make some more progress on them. Welp, so that is some fat to chew on eh?

Peter Disappeared

2011-05-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

Getting caught up. This is for an anthology Nicholas Straight is editing-- he foolishly asked me to submit something-- and I am glad he did. It feels great to be drawing again. I am super eager to get to NF and C, but I still have a lot of colouring to do + another illustration.

A day late and a dollar short as they say, this little 4 pager is about a week past due. The story is a little something my Maggie concocted. This is our first comic collaboration that got to the finish line. There have been quite a few unfinished works in the interim.

EOTP pages 1-6 redux

2011-03-02T07:31:00.000-08:00

After talking with Nic the other day, I now have a clearer idea of what I am doing concerning the colours of his book. As the title suggests, this is the current state of the first 6 pages. There may be more changes before this book goes to print or web serialization later in the year. I don't think I will be posting any more in-progress work concerning this book here (waiting for the web-serialization as it were). Instead I'll be posting progress on other projects.

As my computer is rather full, and these files are rather large, I would read Death-Day which I just received in the mail while the files would load. Death-Day is pretty damn fantastic. The only problem now is I want to read part 2.

Now I need to get some drawings done.

Fear Sweat

2011-02-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

Updated: whine, whine, whine. Redacted.

2 portraits

2011-02-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

These are two quick portraits I did for some friends. One of them is VERY LATE (like 2 years or something... yikes!). I felt compelled to do them as my wife had some left over paint from a recent commission. It's really nice painting again.

I've got to finish the end papers for Noah Van Sciver's book now. Made some progress today, not enough though. Now I've got to finish writing 3 interviews I promised myself (and the interviewee's) I'd have done last Sunday. It never ends!

Death back cover take 2

2011-01-26T14:01:00.000-08:00

I really have to pick up the pace. How does this look? Done? More time in the oven? Compatible with the front cover? Thoughts?

Try again

2011-01-24T20:34:00.000-08:00

I've had some minor misgivings about the brightness of the colours on the Lovejoy book. I have a tendency to go super garish/bright on the colouring front (a rather strange mix admittedly). After having Justin take a looksy (as well as Meghan), these feelings made me take another stab at making the colours flow a bit better.

I think this works, what say YOU?

Lovejoy cover in progress

2011-01-18T21:52:00.000-08:00

I've been figuring out tax stuff and late late late payments (new at this publishing bizniz and so far, publishing has been limited to folks that I've known for years and years). Anyways, as of tomorrow-- everyone is going to be paid up--yay! Going forward, numbers will be entered right away and everyone will be paid quarterly, and on time.

The tax stuff, is, unfortunately, god-damned costly (close to a thou' before all is said and done AND that is not for the year but this past quarter!). And the next few months are going to be painful (as I will be SUPER BROKE!). Oh well.

The image above is the first book we will be publishing this year. The colours are still unfinished, but I am making some headway as I actually worked on it for a spell today and yesterday. I would have gotten much farther today but my face was glued to a book (The Alienist) all of yesterday and this morning. So I did not get enough sleep, operated like a slug, and after putting the original painted art into photoshop, it shut down after hours of work and me not saving it once!

Start again tomorrow. Hope it's a more productive day.

The Nanny is Too Literal

2011-01-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

I just did a write-up on my convoluted process of providing illustrations for Mark Granlunds Book of Bartholomew over at Itchy Keen. I do not think I will be taking on any more commissions for 2011-- I just can't hack it (plus I am already overbooked on my own projects and publishing plans).

Photograph colour test

2010-12-29T10:13:00.000-08:00

Colour test for Photograph, one of 2 stories by Nic. I'm super behind, but that is how it goes. Before I return to doing colour tests on the other shorts for Mother Lover, I am going to take a brief brake to get some paper work in order for 2D Cloud (taxes and some late quarterly payments, etc).

When I come back I'll probably focus on Mother Lover and cover colours for The Death of Elijah Lovejoy for a spell. If you have any thoughts concerning the colours, please share. Thankvous.

Gone Quackers

2010-12-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

I have finally started some basic sketching/character studies for Nearflight a wordless comic novella betwixt myself and Mr. Jskar. It is going to be a very structured affair. I've been at turns nervous, anxious to get this thing rolling. Mostly, I've been neglectful. In the oncoming months I'll be posting my progress here while alternating between this story, colouring Mother Lover, illustrating Consummation, and other odds and ends (like colouring the cover of The Death of Elijah Lovejoy, sketch doodles for fun, and paid illios). Feel free to to add your 2 cents to my progress if your in a giving mood.

Paris Doodles, Doodz

2010-11-09T12:19:00.000-08:00

The plane ride, the plain old long, 7 hours, maybe 9, was over long--expired milk--so tired. We arrived very early, night happened very late and in between I did not sleep a drop, but instead went with my wife, my mother-in-law, and a friend to cafe for a drink. On my 24 hours of wakefulness I did draw doodles of my companions and a stranger. The ones of my wife are too strange and bad that I did not include them.

It's a little sad, I had hoped to get a bucket load of drawings done at Museums, but sadly this is the only one. We did see lots of Museums though, something like 3 a day for a while there. I'll be writing more on that over at Itchy Keen and the 2D Cloud blog over the next week.

I did these two in our small room.

We also stumbled upon a tea party at Shakespeare and Company (a truly magnificent book store!). This too, will be turned into a post at Itchy Keen. I drew 2 of the folks there as well.

Raising MOOLAH for Good Minnesotan 4

2010-06-04T17:52:00.001-07:00

Gah! Good Minnesotan 4 is coming out in time for the Minneapolis Indie Xpo this August 21st... IF it can be fully funded. So, we are asking folks to throw down some cashola for an awesome swan song of a comix anthology. There are some amazing thank you gifts to be had, from $5, $15, and up. Such thank you gifts include, buttons, mini Giclee prints (printed on elephant poop paper), and of course COMIX! Click below for more details.

Thanks for lookin' fellahs!

A Swipe

2010-03-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is the first page of my comic for GMN#4. It is just a short 5 pager gag-style strip. I am using it as a study for the project I am doing with Kel.

GMN#4 backcover

2010-03-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

Just finished colouring this sucker. Nic's work is, as always, top notch. Looking forward to working on Mother Lover.

Foot in Door

2010-03-08T12:20:00.000-08:00

This is the piece I submitted for that thar Foot in the Door show at the MIA. It's a portrait of my friend Laura Kincaid. An oldie but a goodie, it is. I made it about 7 years ago.

Big Gal

2010-02-24T20:06:00.000-08:00

This is a doodle for a story I am working on with Kel. I've got a ton of 'em. Trying to nail the character and style of the book. Colour comes next in figuring out how that works with the style. more soon kel. promise.

ripoff roots

2010-02-09T20:13:00.000-08:00

TOo bad.... looks a little too dave mckean-ey (thanks a lot justin- jerk-face). butt, oh welll. it done. i hope you're happy.

unr

2010-02-03T21:40:00.000-08:00

I think this is done, or I am nearly finished...

Ajumhara

2010-01-27T15:59:00.000-08:00

Today I met with my friends, John O. & Amare Gilo. We will be starting a conversation podcast series in the spring or early summer.

This is a drawing I did of John in Nov. or Dec of last year. The drawing below is of Gilo. I did think while on a break at work.

Lastly, this is a bus doodle. I have been doing these as a way to ease myself back into drawing. I have a habit of derailing myself for decent periods of time. The kid was really cute, he would squint his eyes and make an angry face at me for a good chunk of the drawing, which only elicited big smiles from me.

book marker

2009-12-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

This little silly thing I have been fooling around with for far too long.

Re-coloured

2009-10-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

Beard Growing Contest will be re-printed, maybe in time for FallCon, maybe not. My hard drive died somewhat recently and I have lost the some files and so I have to re-scan and re-colour the cover of Beard Growing Contest. I think I like it better. If Yearbooks ever goes into re-print, I will have to do something similar for parts of a few pages as I don't have the finished files for everything. I also lost a few hundred music tracks. Technology.

WOW, so it's been a while...

2009-05-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

This is the flyer for our little book launch party at Arise! next month. I may make some changes (as my braighne is not working so well right now...) um, enjoy!

jesusfuck

2009-03-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

this page has taken me three + days. what the fuck is wrong with me? granted, i had 3 8 hour shits, er shifts those same three days. + lots of errands. still. im behind. way behind. not good. back to work.

Again, again.

2009-03-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

I have made some more changes to the colouring (minor ones) and added 2 pages that I have just finished. I will continue to address some issues that both Nic and Justin have brought to my attention as well as whom ever else that cares to comment. In all likely hood, I may do only one further update of the comic on this here blog as I simple do not have the time for more. Thats all for now.

Lets try this again...

2009-03-10T22:50:00.001-07:00

So I am continuing to plug away at colouring this comic. Progress is slow mainly because my process is retarded.

Year Books color test

2009-03-07T14:28:00.001-08:00

This is a color test for Nic Breutzman's comic. If anyone has any thoughts on the colors let me know... Especially if you are Nic...

IKAF

2009-02-27T12:49:00.001-08:00

We are going to start a video podcast series. The first one ought to be out on the internets sometime in March. It will be with Luke Holden, who visited Meghan and I for a few days earlier in the week.

Logo's and other less fun busy work-

2008-12-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

Right now I am working on some logo's for Aitkin Business Energy Park Company (ABEPCO). I don't mind doing it, but I'd really like to take care of a bunch of other legal issues (ie getting married to my little Maggie and getting our little 2D Cloud outfit legit). Plus I'd like to get back to some new comic projects and get started with some other interactive things.

Soon enough. I will try and post something more interesting here soon-ish and re-organize this blog. It's a bit of a mess.

Beard Growing Contest (a mini-comic)

2008-11-26T15:53:00.000-08:00

This is a little mini I made last month. I hope to have mini's form a larger part of my diet in '09.

Beard Growing Contest (mini-comic) Pages 2-6

2008-11-26T15:51:00.001-08:00

Beard Growing Contest (mini-comic) Pages 7-11

2008-11-26T15:45:00.000-08:00

Sex Box page 1 (title page yo)

2008-09-19T12:29:00.002-07:00

Sex Box is a 10 paged short that appears in Good Minnesotan #3. Justin Skarhus is the writer, while I handled the visuals. From this story onward, I think you will see that I am putting more focus on keeping the quality to my art up there. There is just no point, when you are self-publishing to not put out your best, as you may very well be eating everything you put in.

Sex Box pages 2-6

2008-09-19T12:29:00.001-07:00

I came to this art style when trying to both adhere to Justin, the writer's, interest in a more line-art approach, and the advice from Nic Breutzman that I should use a brush vs a pen. The results make me really wish to continue this style of work.

Sex Box pages 7-11

2008-09-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

I done miss Abe...

2008-08-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Oddworld lusting. I wish they would continue to put out those old 2D games. They are beautiful.

pgs 6-9

2008-07-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

This is from a cancelled mini-graphic novel that I was adapting from a short story by Keltron. As you can see, I did not get very far in it. I think both Keltron and myself, just did not have our hearts in it to finish the project.

retention pages 1-5

2008-06-25T12:34:00.001-07:00

more next week.

sexbox study

2008-06-16T17:41:00.001-07:00

i am also working on a short 10-15 pager, i forget which, for gm3 _tit)led "sex box" by skarhouse. it is about a certain harriet avenue house-hold... this is sorta the style i am thinking. i will play around more but and will see what justin has to say.

new project

2008-06-12T15:01:00.001-07:00

ok so i am working on a new project. it is a short story by keltron that i am adapting into a 48 page mini. i will post my progress once a week or so until completion here. ideally i would love to have this done before i go to toronto next month. ill do my damnedest i suppose. adieu.

random grabs

2007-04-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

cookie now w/ text

2007-03-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

misc.

2007-02-04T08:06:00.000-08:00

canceled ego

2007-02-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

crowns, bear rides, abduction

2007-02-03T17:58:00.000-08:00

storm pic

2007-02-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

gustav and me

2007-02-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

true story

2007-02-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

laura kincaid ep concept/raw/art

2007-02-02T08:56:00.000-08:00

oh my bleeding heart

2007-02-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

commontime ep/sleeve artage

2007-02-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

more character design/concept doodles

2007-02-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

part 2

character design, concept art, story board doodles

2007-02-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

part 1