Inkdump

I just realized I'm more than a year in on this sketchbook (first post)



Here's another dump of selects.











I promise to get some color work up. Lately I've been all brush and ink.



And I'd like to fill up this book before the year is out. Almost there!
You can see a bunch more by looking up my sketchbook label.

Back to school

Labor Day used to mean something else entirely.
(where I come from, school normally started a day or two after)

Dan Moynihan has a brand new "back to school" themed comic up on Heeby Jeeby today, so check that out, too.

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.

Heeby Jeeby Week!

Avoid the Future is a remarkable comics blog run by the amazing Martin & Judith, where they serve up reviews and interviews of small press and indie titles on an international scale. They asked Chris, Dan, David and I if we'd be interested in doing a group interview around Heeby Jeeby Comix. We said yes, and the result will be trickling out at a steady ramble this week on their blog—dubbed "Heeby Jeeby Week".

So, be sure to check us out, and read the truly original content Avoid the Future has to offer—a growing collection of thoughtful reviews and engaging interviews.

*Here's the full interview, in three parts:
Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3

Homo habilis

Last weekend I finished coloring (graying, really) a 10-page comic for the upcoming issue of Inbound, an anthology published by the Boston Comics Roundtable. I had a comic in their previous book. The photo above is a snapshot I took when I was about halfway done inking.

I put the final touches on the comic this week, completing a great collaboration with writer (and comic artist) Dan Mazur—also marking the longest comic I've created in awhile. I shared an early sketch in this previous post. Here's the final rendering (page 5).



Inked, with a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen.
(this is my untouched scan)



and my preliminary sketch (before pencils).



Finally, here are some concept "caveman" sketches—more specifically, Homo habilis—the species at the center of this tale. I ended up going a bit more realistic than I normally would; the story warranted it.



I believe the anthology will be printed in the fall—after which I'll share the full comic.

Senses Characters

(click on these guys to see'em bigger)

I have some new character art and designs to share with you! If you follow the blog, you may remember a series of animations I posted about a year ago from a project we developed at FableVision for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science called "Top 10 Traumas on the Trail." If not --> here's a refresher (with plenty of animation to watch). You can currently see that project in a fantastic exhibit at the museum called Expedition Health.

Well, the awesome crew from the museum came back to us with a request for a sequel! (I was of course, ecstatic!... There are few things I love more than combining animation and science). This new series of shorts features the same hiker with a new friend—and this time they're learning about how the makeup of our DNA alters how we perceive various sensations.

I started by revisiting earlier designs of the hiker character, and coming up with a few more. The original, who we call Spikey, is in pink.


We ended up going with (B), but realized we'd need to add ears so they'd be able to, well...hear.

Next, I designed some environments. Below are stills from a few of the opening segments. We start outside at stops along the trail, and then enter into the body to explain the scientific process. These are all painted in ArtRage, which is an app I still highly recommend.





And then it was on to the senses characters. We needed all 5 of them (touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing). I thought it would be most fun to have the characters become the body part that perceives the sense. Here's an early composite sketch.



There's also a bright little character named Poly (short for polymerase, which is an enzyme that reacts with DNA). We think of her as the engineer responsible for reading the blueprint of your genes. Some early sketches of her, below (we went with C):



And last but not least, the Brain.


(like I really needed to design another brain character...YES!)
He's the guy all the senses report to.

*Update: FableVision animator, Hannah O'Neal, asked me to dig up the alternates for the Brain. She inspired version (D) with a doodle she passed over to me. So many brains, so little time.



And here they all are in the final character lineup.



One more image to toss at you: a test that I did to make sure they worked on the background concept (devised to be a cool little factory & command center inside the body).



That's all for now! I like to think of these little sense guys as cute cousins to my weirdo brain character. I'll share a few of the final animations in the near future.

Seduction of the Idiots @ Canteen

A bit of fun news to report: My bud David DeGrand and I are co-curating a comics and cartooning art show for the Canteen Gallery in Ottawa. This is the same gallery that featured my Caucus Race illustration in a group show back in March. I'll post more information as the show nears, but as you can see we have a pretty amazing lineup of cartoonists, including the crew from Heeby Jeeby!

David gets full credit for the show poster and the name, "Seduction of the Idiots" (meant to be a play on the infamous book, Seduction of the Innocent).

For now, pencil in the opening date, August 27th—especially if you'll be in and around Ottawa. It'll run until September 12th.

Where is my mind?

The brain is on the loose over here at Drip! I'm not sure how, but he got into the banner. Which is alright, I guess. If you missed him on Heeby Jeeby, here's his debut comic:




...which has now been dubbed "Brain Freeze." I kind of like "Cubed", too. Especially because I built this comic from a 4x6 square grid (if that sort of thing interests you).


I definitely plan on doing more comics with him, so be on the lookout.

And as a brain BONUS, this fellow just arrived in my inbox.


...who was delivered and drawn by the one and only Trevor Van Meter! WOW! That's one damn fine root beer float. I'm certainly not going to discourage pin-ups and "brain art" like this. The invitation is open!

Trevor has a leg up on me because he actually gives his characters awesome names. You may have heard of his creation, "Crappy Cat."


Hop over to this website to check him out—and PLAY THE GAME (which is hilarious and insanely well-crafted). I mean it. Play it. You can even download a FREE iPhone app featuring Crappy Cat comics. Comics on a phone, you ask? YES.

So, that's your dose of brain for today.

Heeby Jeeby @ Hub Comics July 18th

As the flyer states, Dan and I will be signing copies of Heeby Jeeby Comix #1 at Hub Comics in Somerville, MA on Sunday, July 18th. A week from today! (flyer art by Dan himself)

If you know anyone who lives in the Boston area, please pass the word along. Especially kids! It should be a good time. We'll be drawing and doing collaborative comics as well.

I dropped off a dozen copies of the book last week, making Hub the first retail location to stock Heeby Jeeby Comix!

Here's the official Facebook event for more info.

"Bob Flynn and Dan Moynihan, both formerly of Nickelodeon Magazine, and now of Fablevision, have teamed up to form the wacky, kid-friendly 'Heeby Jeeby Comix.' Heeby Jeeby was a big, sell-out hit at the Maine Comic Arts Festival this year, and is a lot of fun for all ages."

Ice Cold Root Beer Floats!

Just what you need to beat the heat!
Go read my new comic over at --> Heeby Jeeby!