Imagination and Convention

I drew the cover illustration for a philosophy book that just got published by Oxford University Press. I love getting to do this kind of work!

Happy Holidays!

caterpillar dragon

crawling across my drawing table.

Working on work

Made Fair aftermath

Thanks you to everyone who came out and checking out my work at the Made Fair yesterday. It was crazy! It's nice to have such a well put together show that focuses on hand made work here in Missoula.

Made Fair!

I'll be table 104 at the Holiday Made Fair at the Adams Center in Missoula, MT from 11-6 tomorrow. I'll have a limited number of these Extreme Holiday Spirit Gnome Christmas cards for sale.

Upcoming solo show

I've been working away on new pieces for an upcoming solo show at Giant Robot in Los Angeles. It opens on January 31st. I've been having a lot of fun with these.

The Understanding Monster review

I didn't know that Rob Clough at High-Low wrote a review of book one until now. I'm posting a link to it because I think he has some smart insight into the book. Check it out HERE.

The Thought Cloud Factory

Another shot from the show that's up in my studio.

Flipbook kits

There are two versions of the animation flip book (automated and hand crank) that I drew for the Flipbook kit show at Grumpy Bert in Brooklyn, NY. You can find them and all the pieces from the show for sale HERE and you can watch them in action!

Dance Shapes

I have a solo show at Giant Robot in Los Angeles coming up on January 31st. Working away on a bunch of new pieces on wood.

Thanks For Coming!

Thanks you to everyone who came out to my studio (or wanted to come but couldn't) on Friday. It felt encouraging to have so many nice people show up and check everything out.

open studio today!!!

My studio is going to be open to the public today from 3pm-9pm, for the first time ever. It's in The Warehouse Mall at 725 Alder, Suite 8, Missoula, MT.

Winsor McCay tribute!

I got my contributor copy of the gigantic Winsor McCay tribute book, Little Nemo (Dream Another Dream) Published by Locust Moon. Here's my 3 year old checking it out. The book is amazing, beautifully produced and filled with contributions from some of my favorite cartoonists. I feel lucky to be a part of it. You can secure a copy of this huge, monumental book HERE.

Book Two, now available!

I did it! The Understanding Monster, book 2 is finally available on my etsy shop! Every copy comes signed with a little drawing and an extra special cut and fold character (while supplies last). Check it out HERE!

Post It Note art show

 Here's two of the pieces I made for the Post It Note art show that opens on Saturday, December 6th at Giant Robot in Los Angeles.

Skeleton Farm

I got my copy of the Skeleton Farm album I made art for. They did a great job on the production. I love getting to do illustration work like this!

Collaborative Totems

While I was in Seattle for the excellent indie comics festival, Short Run, I got to draw with some of my favorite people. These collaborative totems were made with Stefan Gruber, Andrice Arp, and Sean Christensen right before I had to catch a train to the airport.

Missing in Action

This piece vanished somewhere between Montana and the UK. I've never had original art get lost in the mail before. It feels weird. Where ever this piece ends up, I hope it has a good life.

signing at Shakespeare & Co!

I'll be at Shakespeare & CO in Missoula, MT, this Tuesday the 25th at 7pm Signing copies of The Understanding Monster, books 1&2. Find out more HERE!

First Friday open studio!

I'll be opening the doors to my studio here in Missoula, MT on the first Friday in December.  The walls will be filled from floor to ceiling with art, I'll have books, zines and prints for sale, I'll be doing some live drawing and playing records from albums I've made the art for. This is the first unveiling of my new space and it fulfills my promise to present my work to the public before the end of the year as part of receiving The Artists Innovation Award this past January.

Thank You!

A huge thanks you to everyone who picked up copies of The Understanding Monster book Two at Grumpy Bert, Comic Arts Brooklyn, and Short Run over this past week! Here's an extra special sneak peek at the cover to Book 3!!!

Reviewed at Festival Season

Jason Viola at Festival Season wrote a thoughtful review exploring how Books 1 and 2 of The Understanding Monster build off of each other. It feels like a great privilege whenever someone engages with my work in this way. Thanks, Jason. You can read the review HERE.

The Future!

It's been a crazy awesome couple of weeks and I'm barely keeping up! The Understanding Monster, book two had an official release signing at Grumpy Bert in Brooklyn on the 6th and I joined my publisher, Secret Acres at  Comic Arts Brooklyn on the 8th. Then I was at the Short Run Comics Festival in Seattle on the 15th. I'm thankful and amazed that I got to spend time with so many incredible people. More pictures and news to come!

Live drawing with Dan McCloskey

I had a great time being part of Dan McCloskey's Live Drawing project when he was in town a couple of weeks ago. Here's the drawing I did. I'll have to go back and finish it soon. Dan is on the road working on a book project and meeting up with artists along the way. You can see the recording of us drawing together and chatting HERE.

Cubee Craft!

Everyone who picks up The Understanding Monster, book 2 at the official release party at Grumpy Bert on the 6th and at the Comic Arts Brooklyn Festival on the 8th and 9th will get one of these cut and fold Cubee Craft characters, while supplies last! I'll, of course also be drawing something nice in each and every copy as well!

Review at Sequential State

There's a thoughtful and interesting review of The Understanding Monster, Book 2 over at Sequential State. I felt like there was some good insight into what I'm trying to explore and understand about my own subconscious and creativity in these books. It's been hard to talk about this series and convey just how personal and important it is to me. Nice to see that people are getting it in their own way!

Comic Arts Brooklyn Festival

The Understanding Monster, Book Two is officially debuting at The Comic Arts Brooklyn Festival on November 8th and 9th. I'll be at the Secret Acres table all weekend!

Live Drawing

Tomorrow at 3:00pm MST, I'll be doing an hour of spontaneous drawing in my studio with artist, Dan McCloskey, which will be live streaming on his website. You can tune in and even ask us questions and interact. It should be a fun time. I've never done anything quite like this before. You can find out the details HERE!

Affirmation drawing

Pre CAB party

I'm going to be in Brooklyn for the Comic Arts Brooklyn (CAB) Festival! Here's the flyer for the Pre-CAB party co-hosted by my publisher, Secret Acres and some other excellent small presses. My book The Understanding Monster, book 2 is debuting this weekend and I'm super excited to be able to attend!

Cicada Magazine

I just got contributor copies of Cicada Magazine Vol. 17, No. 2 in the mail. I drew a two page Haunted House Navigation comic for it. I love doing work like this

newspaper drawing

I was waiting with a sleeping baby with only the Sunday paper and a ballpoint pen at my disposal. I suppose I could've read the paper, but I was restless to draw. It ended up being a fun drawing exercise.

lost and found

I just found this little hand bound book of drawings I'd forgotten about while I was digging through a stack of art, in search of something else.

Quiet Visitors

I Just put this little piece up for sale on my Etsy Shop.

SpongeBob #37

I got my contributor copies of SpongeBob #37 in the mail. Dave Stewart did an amazing job on the colors. It's the first time my comics have ever been colored by someone who isn't me and it feels pretty crazy to have one of the best in the industry end up doing it. I had a ridiculous amount of fun getting to draw a SpongeBob comic. Hopefully I'll get to do more someday.

Pre-order

You can now pre-order copies of The Understanding Monster, Book 2 from the Secret Acres shop: HERE

woodcuts galore!

I've been in the woodshop preparing a huge batch of new woodcuts to prepare for a show at the Giant Robot gallery in LA in late February. I'm trying to make it my biggest and best art show yet. I've got to get all the cutting done before it gets too cold to work in my garage! Here's a detail from a little piece I did some inks on yesterday.

Best American Comics 2014

So nice to get my copy of Best American Comics 2014 in the mail. It's an honor to have an excerpt from The Understanding Monster, book one included alongside so much incredible work. And it feels like nice timing to have The Understanding Monster, book two coming out in just a few short weeks!

Reading

 My friend Tony Gregori took these photos of me reading one of my new comics at Shakespeare and Co last week in Missoula, MT. I was trying out a new way of presenting comics: holding up big printouts of the panels as I read. I also wore my special hand drawn "reading glasses".  It was fun. My friend Josh Wagner also read from his excellent upcoming novel "Shapes The Sunlight Takes". It was a great afternoon!

animation cells

I jumped into drawing some animation cells for an art show of automated flip books coming up in late November at Grumpy Bert, Brooklyn. I think I'm going to keep at it. I've wanted to do animation for a long time.

Treasury of Mini Comics, Volume Two!

I'm thrilled to have my long out of print Art Zine, Thought Cloud Shrines included in the upcoming Treasury of Mini Comics, Volume Two, published by Fantagraphics. It's going to be out early 2015!