instamagram

I've been trying to post more over here lately, but other posting sites have been stealing me away. Blogging is better for writing and process, but Tumblr and Instagram are better (and more quick) for image posting and connecting to people. You know my tumblr, but I'm not sure I've shared that I'm in Instagram. Look me up! I post sketchbook drawings, and other photos of in-process artwork. (I'm sure I'm guilty of food-pics, cloud-pics, pet-pics, and nature-pics as well.) Hey, I'm also on Vine, which is pretty fun. But I'm not sure how to link to that (look me up: bobjinx).

Pumpkin Carvin' Party 2011

Last night we had our 4th Annual Pumpkin Carving Party—which this year perfectly coincided with my birthday. We had a bunch of friends over to knife into some orange gourds. Here you see us setting them up.

Hit the lights!

I'm really happy with the variety this year from some very talented folks.

Another assembling of the freakish lot. And now for some close-ups...

Pumpkins by Matt Boehm and Ellen Crenshaw.

A beautiful skeleton with a flower in her hair, by Tami Wicinas.

A stoic looking dude, by Dan Brennan.

This crazy character is by Hannah O'Neal. Great teeth!

A friendly feline by Heeby Jeeby's Dan Moynihan.

Two great pumpkins by my wife, Loren Lee, and Liz Chrastil.

And my contribution!

These are the 4 pumpkins that have been selected for this year's aging process. You may remember this evil soul:

Here are his mummified remains, a year later. He's a keeper!

(recall this post from last year: The Story of 3 Pumpkins)

Thanks again to everyone for coming out!

And here are the line-ups from years past (2010, 2009, 2008).

// update: I created a combination image of all 4 years of pumpkins, which you can view over at my tumblr.

Pumpkin Carvin' Party 2010

Last night I hosted the 3rd Annual Pumpkin Carvin' Party at my apartment. We had about a dozen friends over to celebrate. This is what October is all about, folks!


Here a a few pre-candle photos; this grinning bunch includes mine on the left and Taryn's on the right.


Renee carved an adorable pumpkin this year! Nice touch with the ears :)


Tami did some crazy work with negative space. Wait until you see this one lit (below).


And then—lights out!


Here's an overhead.


Ryan carved one of the most intricate grins I've ever seen.


Eric used an electric dremel for a mean looking Jack Skellington.


Jack-o-lanterns by Jesse and Sara. Sinister!


Keith did a great tribute to Mignola. Wild on negative shapes.


Tami's, too. It really comes to life!


Here's mine.


Taryn's eyes look ablaze!


Hannah's just cracks me up :)


And a close-up on Renee's heart.

Here's to another great year!
I still have a couple more pumpkins to carve—we'll probably save them until Halloween (one for me; one for my wife, Loren).

Thanks for coming out everyone! And here are pumpkins from previous years (2008, 2009).

Including a few solo pumpkins of mine (1, 2)

Cartoonists Descend on Ottawa

I apologize for the void that has been this blog as of late (more drawings, comics and animation to come soon). I've had a very busy summer which just culminated with the art show David DeGrand and I co-curated at the Canteen Gallery in Ottawa. The opening was this past Friday night, August 27th.

"Seduction of the Idiots"


Here's the show blurb that David wrote up
(he also designed the poster):

Comics have long been accused of transforming young, impressionable children into savage maniacs incapable of existing as productive members of society. This is of course, completely ridiculous. At worst, comics warp fragile minds into wanting to become cartoonists themselves, which is arguably slightly better than the juvenile delinquent scenario. In any case, comics are here to stay, whether uptight citizens like it or not. The artists on display in “Seduction of the Idiots” are all examples of what can happen when comic and cartoon addiction is not dealt with early enough. Let this art show serve as a warning to parents everywhere; know what your child is watching and reading every second of their lives. The last thing you want is to be the parent of an idiot.

I had the pleasure last week of viewing and hanging a stunning body of artwork by some of my favorite cartoonists, illustrators, and animators. I get to see everyone's work online, but nothing beats seeing the real deal. In order of appearance, the artists in the show included John Martz, myself, Michael DeForge, Chris "Elio" Eliopoulos, David Degrand, Kaz Prapuolenis, J.R. Goldberg, Rebecca Sugar, and Dan Moynihan.

I didn't have the best camera on hand, but I snapped a few photos right before the opening (which can be viewed larger by clicking on them).


(Left to right) John Martz, Bob Flynn, Michael DeForge


Chris "Elio" Eliopoulos, David DeGrand


Kaz, J.R. Goldberg, Rebecca Sugar, Dan Moynihan

...and here's a smattering of close-ups.


















I had a great time at the opening—many thanks to everyone who attended. The show is up until September 12th, so be sure to stop by Canteen on Dalhousie if you happen to be in the area.


A bunch more thank-you's: First, to all the artists who accepted our invitation and took the time to create and prepare artwork for the show. I realize how much time and effort goes into this (having been in other shows), so it's immensely appreciated.

Of course, a big thank you goes out to Inaas Kiryakos, who invited David and I to curate the show in the first place. It was a bit of a mad dash to get everything ready for the opening, so thanks for helping us reach the finish line!

A HUGE thank you to my wife Loren, who was an enormous help designing and hanging everything when we arrived in Ottawa. I definitely couldn't have done it without her. She also snapped this photo of me (yes, this is what I look like).



And last but not least: DAVID! Thank you for all your help, ideas, and inspiration along the way, bud! The two of us definitely plan on doing another show in the future.

I hope to revisit Ottawa, soon!

Related linkage that features artwork from the show:

J.R. Goldberg
Dan Moynihan
John Martz

* UPDATE:

Here's a short interview I did with Diane Bond of Apartment 613 about the show. It's an arts and culture blog which covers events in Ottawa.

See you at MeCAF!

The Maine Comics Arts Festival (MeCAF) is just a few days away, so I'm in a mad rush to get everything ready. If you don't know much about the festival, here's a blurb and a great poster designed by Jeff Lemire and Brian Wood (both are headlining the event).

The Maine Comics Arts Festival returns to Portland this weekend to celebrate the comic book art form. Over 100 comic writers, artists, publishers and cartoonists will be attending the second annual event on May 23 at Ocean Gateway on Portland's waterfront...The festival is not a typical comic book convention in that there are no stores or dealers set up selling books. Instead, the exhibitors are the creative people behind the comics. The artists will have their own work on display and available for sale. The mix of writers and artists covers a wide spectrum and includes many best-selling and award winning comic creators.

So, if you're in the greater New England area, you almost have no excuse but to make the trek to Portland. I'll be sharing a table with the immensely talented Renee Kurilla—so be sure to look for us both!


I'll have the first edition of Heeby Jeeby Comix in supply (30 copies, to be exact), as well as issues 2-6 of ARGH!, the Spanish comic anthology which I'm a contributor to. Tons of those, infact—keep in mind they are super rare imports!

I also printed up a new sketchbook zine which I'm calling "inkbook." I collected a bunch of brushpen inks and printed a 28-page stapled booklet of drawings. You can view most of the original pages over here on Flickr.





Once again...

MeCAF is Sunday, May 23rd from 10am-5pm.

Admission is a mere $5, and best of all—KIDS UNDER 12 GET IN FOR FREE! There's all sorts of fun panels on Saturday at the Portland Public Library (schedule), but remember the main event is on Sunday.

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to collecting up some mighty fine comix!