Sailing ships

Here are a few sketches for to practice drawing ships.

H.P. Lovecraft

These are a few Illustrations from the Cthulhu mythos. H.P. Lovecraft has quickly become one of my favourite guilty pleasures. The first picture is from the novel At the Mountains of Madness. The second is Ol' Squidface himself, Great Cthulhu. And the third is a Mi-go from The Whisperer in Darkness.

Moving on.

August 25th was my last day of work at AKA Cartoon, home of Ed, Edd, n' Eddy. I had been there for nearly 2 and a half years, and I'm extremely proud to have worked on and been a part of that show.

The time I spent there has left it's mark on me personally and on my art, making me a far better and more dedicated artist than ever before. Learning from great cartoonists like Scott Underwood, Big Jim Miller, James 'Wooty' Wooton, Joel Dickie, and of course Danny Antonucci was a privelege for which I am extremely grateful.

Those years were probably the toughest of my working life, but they were also the most inspiring. Danny and his crew restored my faith in what dedicated artists can do, even when the whole animation industry seems to want to destroy independent spirit and crush creativity.
Leaving was a very difficult decision to make.

On my last day I had a beer with Danny. He encouraged me to maintain my integrity, and pursue my own goals in the industry, rather than just become another wrist for hire. I hope I can live up to that.

Vive le Resistance, guys. I may not be an AKA man anymore but I fully intend to keep giving 'em hell.

Check out this blog!!

http://artbrute6.blogspot.com/ This is my old Calgary pal Tom Pajak's media blog. It's mostly film and TV reviews in Tom's inimitable style. He's a really funny guy, as well as being very clever and insightful. I'd like to take the credit for talking him into starting the blog, but heck, if he didn't publish online, I'm sure he'd end up publishing somewhere else. Enjoy...

More Signatures and Sketches

Here are a few more of my favourites from the Con...

Back from San Diego

Well, ComicCon wrapped up a week ago, so I've had a little time to process the whole experience. This was my first year at the Con, and it couldn't have been better. It was wonderful to finally have the chance to absorb some of the atmosphere of the pop-art world which I've been priveleged to be a part of for the last five years. I met so many of the artists I admire and hope to emulate. Sergio Aragones, Kyle Baker, Stan Sakai, Los Bros. Hernandez, Tony Millionaire, Dan Clowes, Mike Mignola, to name a few. My sketchbook was signed by 35 different artists in total, many of whom were kind enough to include a small sketch. I had a nice conversation with Brian Froud about book hunting. William Stout sketched a stegosaurus for my son, Daniel. I chatted with Craig McCracken and his wife Lauren Faust about a lost episode of the Powerpuff Girls that was never aired in the US (it's a Rock Opera!!) All in all it was a thoroughly exhillerating experience. I'm completely invigorated and I can't wait to go back next year.

San Diego Comic Con!

I'm going to the San Deigo Con for the first time ever! I'm really excited about it (note the exclamation point)! I'll be there with a bunch of AKA people and it looks like being a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to meeting some of the fellow artists I admire, and just being a part of the larger community of cartoonists. I'm so glad to finally be doing this.

Computer down!!

We had an energy spike on Saturday that fried my computer, microwave, TV and DVD player. Hopefully I'll get them all fixed soon, but for the meantime, no more posts, no more movies, and no more pizza pops....

STAMOS!!

Good 'ol Scuddworth. I was pretty into Clone High when it was on. I wish they had made a second season.

Old work

Sprites and character sketches for the possibly never-to-be-released GBA game, "Juka and the Monophonic Menace" from Orbital Media Inc. Check out the official website here: http://www.orbitalmedia.com/juka/index.php?track_id=banner_juka

Ed, Edd n' Eddy!!

Couple sketches of the characters I spend my entire working life drawing. The top row of Eddys were used in the storyboard for the episode "No Speak-da Ed." The bottom one I did for my wife when she was councilling at a summer camp last year.

A moldy oldie

I did this as a portfolio piece a couple years back. I guess it turned out okay. Spacechicks!! Rock on!!

Here's to you Myles

On Friday, April 21st at about 8:00p.m. PST, Bombardier Myles Stanley Mansell and three of his fellow Canadian Reservists were killed while serving in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

I first met Myles at Battle School in Shilo, Manitoba in 1998. We ended up in the same regiment when we both returned home to Vancouver Island. I remember him as a genuinely kind and decent person who believed deeply in the best traditions of the Canadian Forces.

I lost touch with Myles after leaving the Reserve when I moved to Calgary in 1999. I wasn't with the Forces for long, but when I think back on that time in my life, Myles' is one of the faces that comes to mind.

Myles and his comrades were killed when their armoured transport was blown over by a roadside bomb. Their loss will undoubtedly open renewed debate over Canada's presence in Afghanistan. I don't know the answer to whether our Country's intervention is justified or not, or if the work we are doing there is having a positive impact. I do know that Myles gave his life doing what he believed was right. He lived to help others.

I'm sure that everyone who knew Myles will remember him as fondly as I do. His loss will be deeply felt.

So here's to you Myles. You were one of the good guys.

Turks

Some assorted Turks for my Amazon project. I really love drawing those costumes. Almost makes up for the bloody boats.

Lupo the Butcher

This here is a t-shirt graphic by none other than my boss--Danny Antonucci. He gave it to me for my birthday the first year I was at AKA cartoon. I think it's a really beautiful drawing even given the rather grisly subject matter.

Samurai madness!!

These drawings are for a story idea I've been toying with for years. As you can see, my drawing style has changed dramatically through the course of it. Maybe I'll get it done one day. If only I had more time...

Batman!!

My all-time favourite superhero. These are from last year. I got it into my head to draw Batman in the roaring twenties. I was fairly happy with the results.

more sketches

Here's a few more sketches for my amazon thing. I really love sailing ships and the whole romance of the sea, but boy are those tall ships a pain to draw!

Random scribblings

Here are a few bits and pieces from the last several months. I'm teaching myself how to ink with a brush, as you can see. And I'm trying to learn how to colour, just for kicks.

Amazon Pirates of the Black Sea!!

Here are some drawings for a comicbook project I will probably never finish. It's about a secret tribe of Amazons that survived into the 19th century. Basically it would be a pretty straightforward adventure story. Pirates, sea battles, oriental intrigue and so-forth. I have a few ideas about the Greek Revolution, early feminists, a hypothetical, matriarchy-based Christian sect... It keeps my brain busy. Hope you like the drawrings.

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