tiny ghosts and a giant cat

I'm having a nice mellow day working on a new limited edition poster for Secret Acres. Every once in awhile I stop and watch the rain outside. Mortimer's been up to his usual antics, rolling around on my drawing table and trying to get as close as he can to my hand as I work. The tiny ghosts seem drawn to his giant face in the picture above. Conclusion: dynamic personalities attract tiny ghosts.

Sometimes when I'm working, I put my face so close to the page, I end up being surprised by how small I've actually been drawing. It seems pretty big at the time.

It's almost done, I think.

Stumptown aftermath

Sunday at the Stumptown Comics Fest was fun. I talked to so many people that my own voice began to sound alien to me. A girl named Cass showed me her arm. She'd decided to have a drawing from my zine "Imaginary Homework" put on to her arm forever! It is my hope that she will not regret it someday. It was sad to see Barry and Leon of Secret Acres off at the airport after such a great time. Thanks to everyone who spent time at our table and to all the great cartoonists who provided me with inspiring loot.

Stumptown Comics Fest update special

I had a blast with Secret Acres at the Stumptown Comics Fest on Saturday. Now I'm about to have my morning tea and head back for day number two. The Copies of Capacity we're selling at the table are some of the last! We're talking about the second printing while they're in town, but it'll be unavailable for a number of months in the meantime. It's been an inspiring show so far and having Barry and Leon from Secret Acres out here has gotten me charged up to get back to my drawing table and make these new new pages that I can't stop thinking about.

Stumptown Comics fest is this weekend!

I'll be at the Festival all weekend (April 24th and 25th) signing books at the Secret Acres table and talking to whomever happens my way (table 42 to be exact). Come out and say hi if you can! I'll have prints for sale, and Secret Acres will have all kinds of excellent publications to check out. I'll also be taking part in a panel discussion with them from 4 to 4:45 PM on Saturday in the Alaska room. People will ask us things. replies will be made. Find out detailed information at www.stumptowncomics.com

Also, if you're in portland on Friday the 23rd, come out to the Stumptown pre-party at Guapo Comics and Coffee on 6350 SE Foster. There will be a comics reading, awards, things to drink and eat, and cartoonists everywhere. It's also the release party for a number of books that awesome friends of mine have made which I haven't gotten to see yet, and which I cannot wait to have in my hands. I won't be taking part in the comics reading this time but I'll be in the audience eating grapes and holding some kind of beverage.

a pile of toys.

This pile of toys is from a page in my new comic. I don't know when it's going to be done. The scope of the story feels quite beyond me most days. I feel like it's a living thing that I'm trying to document and map but it won't sit still. So I try to sit still instead. When I just sit and work on a single panel, try to make a drawing of a pile of toys just right, or draw the wall paper pattern behind a character, my brain finally relaxes and it suddenly all makes sense. For a moment. I've decided to stop being in a hurry and just enjoy the act of building something inch by inch. When I'm in a hurry, I never find that moment I'm looking for anyways.

Slowing it down

I've been really trying to slow down and just enjoy making comics again. It's been hugely rewarding to be make ends meet by making art, but it can also have a detrimental effect on the passion that drives me to make it. I recently decided to stop selling my work at the Portland Saturday Market, which feels like a scary decision. I've been lugging my work down there and setting up shop for over three years now, and it's been a great experience, but now I feel like I need to retreat and get really focused on my bigger goals as an artist. I want to make books and everything I do that isn't making books, pushes my newest work further into the future.

I'm going to start an etsy site soon where I'll be selling originals, screen prints (like the one above), and whatever else I can come up with to help make my rent each month. I'm planning on attending a lot more comics festivals too. But telling stories with my art is the most challenging and satisfying outlet for me by far, so my long term goal is to someday make a living doing just that. Onwards and upwards!

A day in the life...

High Contrast Review (Print Edition)

My friend Sam Kulla (the same talented fellow that helped me create my website) is co-editing the first issue of what will be an ongoing publication of art, literature, and music with contributors from around the globe (including me). Right now they're fundraising to get the whole thing rolling. You can find out more about the publication and how to help at www.highcontrastreview.com/kickstarter

Heat Vision

According to the Portland Zoo, this is what I would look like to a snake.

Secret Acres Blog!

Secret Acres has launched their blog! http://secretacres.com/blog/ Definitely worth checking out on a regular basis. They're going full force with some excellent new books, out now and coming soon. I'm drawing a new limited edition poster for them at the moment and when they're in Portland for the Stumptown Comics Festival at the end of April, we'll be having our official meeting about my own book that's in the works.

a real liveTea Gnome!

Stefan Gruber (excellent animator, comic artist, and teacher) sent me this photo of a Tea Gnome that his student, Chris Johnson made in is class. It made me feel weird inside (in a good way) to see one of my characters be brought to life like this, and so skillfully too! I've always said that Tea Gnomes are real, and now here is the proof. Thanks for believing, Chris!

back and running

I'm back from an incredible time at ArtFest! Huge thanks to all the folks who took my workshops, hung out and talked with me, and supported my work at vendor night! Thank you Teesha and Tracy Moore for putting on such wonderful and innovative event!

I'm back in my studio working away on several things at once now. Above is a comic page in progress. The next big event for me will be the Stumptown Comics Fest here in Portland, OR!