Nelvana of the Northern Lights

Recently I was asked to contribute a piece of art celebrating Nelvana, an obscure Canadian comic book super heroin from the 1940's.

Nelvana's stories are being reprinted so new generations of comic lovers can enjoy her adventures and perhaps gain some appreciation for Canada's contributions to super hero comics over the decades.

There's a kickstarter campaign active right now and my print is one of several awesome incentives going for it.

To learn more about Nelvana and the campaign, run over to the campaign site and throw some money at it like you just don't care: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hopelnicholson/nelvana-of-the-northern-lights-canadas-first-super

Walter White

 

The series finale of Breaking Bad airs tomorrow night. Like most people, I am legitimately excited and distraught over this fact. I actually won't get to watch the finale until Monday, but nevermind that.

I didn't start watching the show until it was well after it's fourth season, so I've never really had any reason to draw or sketch anything related to the show. A recent sketch commission changes that and it couldn't be better timed. My first Walter White in time for the last Breaking Bad.

This is for Kevin, one of the great guys from Stadium Comics.

 

Here's a painting I finished yesterday for a family member. The subject matter is quite different from what I normally find myself doing, so it was a little challenging and refreshing. Projecting the warmth in the piece was an enjoyable experience.

Wolf Wednesday

If you follow Base Camp X on Facebook or Twitter, you'll know that every Wednesday is Wolf Wednesday. The premise is simple; every week BCX features a badass wolf doing badass wolf things.

Since working with Graeme on numerous projects, he's suggested time and again I create something special for WW. Graeme is a fantastic guy and a good friend. I'm working on a huge painting for BCX right now, but I'd be damned if I couldn't find some time to squeeze in a wolf drawing. And here we are.

Word On The Street 2013

Yesterday I attended Toronto's Word On The Street festival for the first time and I'm pleased with how it went down. I spent the early hours of the day hanging with my good pals Brian Evinou and Marvin Law. I was lucky enough to be visited upon by many friends from my Chapters bookseller days. Later on I spent some time at the True Patriot booth, slinging books alongside Scott Chantler (who said my Wonder Woman sketch was "pretty good." Yay!), J. Torres, Jack Briglio, and J. Bone.

Thanks to everyone for visiting me and for picking up copies of Teuton (which I did not expect to move.)

Here's a bunch of sketches I did during the show. The Gull Girl is actually for sale here.

Stadium Comics Signing Recap 18/09/13

Another delayed recap of another fun event!

This past Wednesday saw the release of two comics I had a small hand in contributing to. The first being Executive Assistant Iris #1 from Aspen Comics. I illustrated a retailer incentive variant for Stadium Comics and it came out pretty slick (see here).

The second title I had a minor role in this week was Zero #1 from Image Comics. I had the privilege of inking along side Michael Walsh, who drew the book. It was a blast to do and I'm really proud to see the finished product looking so dope.

Anyway, I tried posting as many of the sketches from the day as I could on Twitter. In case you missed them, here they are...

Morning Warm-Up: Mother Night pt.2

Excerpt from Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut

Continuing with yesterday's depiction of the novel Mother Night, Howard W. Campbell Jr., Nazi propagandist and American spy, says good-bye to his father in-law, Werner Noth, before leaving for the Russian front. Campbell is in fact fleeing the war to America. In their last moments together Noth, the police chief of Berlin, lays all his cards out for Campbell.

Morning Warm-Up: Mother Night

Excerpt from Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut

I've been loosely re-reading Mother Night recently, one of my favourite novels by one of my favourite authors, Kurt Vonnegut.

It tells the story Howard W. Campbell Jr., his double-life as a Nazi propagandist/American spy during the second world war, and his displacement and isolation after the war. It's a poignant and tragic book whose famous moral is made explicit in the author's forward:  

“Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be.”

Revisiting the book time and again, I've come see the book also examines the power of convictions, and Campbell's lack thereof. At any rate, it's long been a quiet dream of mine to adapt this book as a graphic novel. This morning's warm-up will have to do for now.

The scene depicted takes place near the end of WW2. The Russians are advancing on Berlin as Germany realizes their war is all but lost. Campbell, whose wife Helga was killed in a Russian bombardment, is fleeing the war--and Germany--for good. Under the pretense he is headed to the Russian front, Campbell visits his in-laws one last time before disappearing to America.

Signing @ Stadium Comics, Wednesday Sept. 18th

This Wednesday I'll be appearing at Stadium Comics in Brampton for the release of Executive Assistant Iris #1 from Aspen Comics.

I illustrated an incentive variant for the title that is exclusive only to Stadium Comics.

Be sure to stop by Wednesday from 12-8 for a signed copy. I'll also have copies of Teuton Vol.3 for sale and will be doing sketches.

For more super awesome details on Wednesdays even, jump over to Big Sexy Comics.

This marks the second commissioned cover I've done for the awesome people at Stadium Comics and Aspen; the first being Bubble Gun #1. While I took my time for that cover and got it just the way I liked it, this latest was very last minute and I was left feeling like it could've gone in different directions.

I received the offer from Stadium to draw their Iris variant while I was buying gear a day before I left to the badlands of Montana for a fossil dig. They needed a fully finished piece urgently and I had a very small window in which to complete it.

Working quickly, I was left with two versions I liked equally. Well, one perhaps more than the other. Ultimately I let Stadium decide which they preferred. I think they made the right choice. Still, one serves to make the other more interesting I think. So have a look at the road not taken...

Morning Warm-Up: Red Heart

Lyrics from Red Heart by Hey Rosetta!

**UPDATE**

To address the misquoted lyric in this morning's warm-up, I'd like to point out that I realized my error soon after posting it. I was working quickly to finish and missed it entirely. Then I sung my bastardized version in my head and had to laugh at myself, and so it remains.

Enjoy the art and join me in laughing at artsy hubris.

Daily Warm-Up: Lost Coastlines

Lyrics from Lost Coastlines by Okkervil River

Additionally, here are a couple of sketches from yesterday for people who purchased Teuton Volume Three online.

Jealous? Don't be. Get your copy at the Big Sexy Comic Shop!

New Morning Warm-Ups

Lyrics from And It Spread by The Avett Brothers.

Morning warm-up sketches are important. In fact, most artists will tell you that it takes a couple hours of drawing time to mentally and physically fall into the groove of a work day. This is as true for me as it is for every other working artist.

Sometimes thinking up subject matter for a warm-up is a hurdle. The key is to not over-think it. You're essentially turning the taps of your creativity on, so let it flow and go with whatever spills out. I do, however, like to choose themes for my warm-ups and loosely follow them for as long as the mood lasts. In the past I've sketched my favourite villains and anti-heroes from film and literature. It's a well I enjoy returning to.

But another element that's a common part of my morning warm-ups is music. Songs will play at random and out of that mix a song or lyric will rise to the top of my awareness and trigger a thought or a memory or an image that quickly inspires. So recently I thought, why not try to capture those tiny moments?

Hence the images above and below. I recommend listening to the songs these pieces were inspired by. Enjoy!

Lyrics from Oh Patience by Shona Foster

Big Sexy Comic Shop

Fearless Fred and I fared very well at Fan Expo the other weekend. We debuted the much anticipated Teuton: Volume Three, the final installment in our medieval epic from Big Sexy Comics. The reaction from fans were phenomenal and we sold out of V.1 & 3 completely by Sunday!

With that said, copies of Teuton V.3 are available for purchase online at the Big Sexy Comic Shop!

There's actually a ton of great stuff at the online store, including all three Teuton books, prints, and original art by Yours Truly.

Recently added to the store are my Superman Unchained and Green Lantern/Silver Surfer prints for just $10 each.

As well, come painted sketches from Fan Expo 2013 are up. Check it all out!

FAN EXPO 2013 Interview

TGT Media interviewed me briefly over Fan Expo weekend.

Christ, that already feels like a long time ago.

This is the first interview I've actually felt good about after seeing it. Magic was in the air those five minutes, and you can witness it!

Spectacular Views II

I've returned from my second tour of duty excavating dinosaur fossils in the badlands of Montana. There were many neat finds, lots of hard work, some close encounters with wild life, and some great laughs with my fellow dino-diggers.

Here are several panoramic views of the hard country in which the remains of some of the last dinosaurs to have walked the earth can be found...

Silver Surfer VS. Green Lantern

Earlier this week I finished a commissioned piece depicting the Silver Surfer and Green Lantern about to have a cosmic throw down of epic proportions, or they've sorely missed the mark on a flyby high-five. It happens.

Either way, this was a fun piece. The actual art has a simple watercolour background with no border. If I choose to sell it as a print, I wanted it to have a fuller background. So I polished it digitally using Photoshop and Sketchbook Pro. Thanks to Kalman for the hot improvement tip!

 

TEUTON Vol.3 Wrapped up!

The third and final Teuton book is wrapped. And I do mean wrapped, babe. It's off to the printer and everything. I'm excited about that, and I'm excited for you, the people, who will get to see it and hold it and purchase it at Fan Expo in August.

Yes, my lovelies, the future is bright and full of hope. But it wasn't always so. There was a time not long ago where the fear of not finishing Volume Three was nearly a horrible reality. Somewhere in the multiverse there's a timeline where I did not finish Volume Three, and that dark future resembles the Age Of Apocalypse. Probably. Anyway.

Take a look back on those days of uncertainty with these cover...

Superman Sketch

Lately I've been snapping photos of drawings and pages as I draw them and throwing everything up on Twitter. Hopefully people enjoy seeing a process. Mostly it's to let those counting on me to finish Teuton that I'm not dicking around.

Anyway, last weekend I draw a little birthday card for some classmate of my daughters. They're all good lads and I've known most of them for a few years now, so I don't mind doodling up a little something on a card.

For this particular card I drew classic Superman. Here's a few progress shots...

 

MONSTROSITY ***UPDATED***

Coloured by Nolan Woodard

Recently I collaborated with my friend Michael Walsh to create a really cool giant monster pin-up for Monstrosity, a comic anthology containing stellar work from a gaggle of Toronto indie creators.

I wanted to write and draw my own short story for the book, but I'm too darned busy finishing Teuton Vol.3 (which is clipping along, thanks for asking!)

You can get the whole making-of scoop over at Big Sexy Comics, where I did a decent write-up on how to buy the book, the print, or even snag the original piece of art. Please read all about that here.

Or head to Monstrosity's Indiegogo campaign and donate!

Post-TCAF

Photo courtesy of @portablecity

Well that was super fun.

I'm relieved, actually. As excited as I was to attend my first TCAF, I was also slightly nervous that my book Teuton and super-hero ladden portfolio wouldn't fit in, but everything went fairly well. While it's true that drawings of caped crusaders have their place at other cons, I found all the people attending TCAF to be open-minded, curious, and eager to discover something completely new. So thank you kindly to everyone who visited and showed their support. Whether you picked up Teuton, Undertow or Book of Methuselah, I hope you return for more.

There's a whole world of comic culture that I've now only just exposed myself too, and it awakens things in my creativity that urges me to take part in it all. I was inspired by everything I saw from friends and strangers alike. Once again I'm excited for the future and at what I may create.

There's a whole ton of other people to thank and acknowledge for making this weekend worthwhile...

Thanks to my pals and table mates Brian Evinou and Fred Kennedy for putting up with me. Thanks to Shane Heron for being a pal and nursing me through my miserable hangover. Thanks to Sam Noir for generously giving me a lift, sparing me a cold and soaking wet walk to Union Station. Thanks to Agnes Garbowska, Meaghan Carter, Marta Chudolinska, Alice Quinn, Marvin Law, Rachel Kahn, Kevin, Shaun, Anna, Leo, Jason, Allison, Adam, Steph, Mike, and all you other beautiful people who said Hello and dropped some coin. Sorry for the acid tongue on Sunday.
 

Here's a few drawings from the weekend, including a super spoilery Game Of Thrones sketch. Reader beware...

 

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Almost Something For TCAF

This weekend I'll be attending TCAF for the first time ever. Read more on that over at Big Sexy Comics.

While considering the TCAF scene, I decided to hammer out an 8-page mini book made special for the show. Something small and personal and overall fun for me. I really like science fiction and aim to write and draw a sci-fi tale

I completed two pages earlier this week before growing unsatisfied with the rushed quality of my work, even though I liked the more fluid way I drew it under the constraints of time. Ultimately I decided to put it on the back burner and focus on Teuton, the book with a big, looming deadline.

Anyway, here's a look at those two pages--for better or worse...

Free Comic Book Day 2013

Sending My Love From FCBD

At the start of 2013 I remember thinking to myself, "this year is going to be really good for me, but only I can make that happen." While that still stands true, the company I keep is also a huge factor in why I'm enjoying my time in comics, and I'll be damned if I don't know some truly remarkable people, creators and lovers of the medium alike.

So another year, another day of free comics; this one being by far the most fun for me personally purely because I was surrounded by really, really cool people. To everyone there--my fellow creators, the good blokes at Stadium Comics and all their kick-ass volunteers, and everyone who stopped by to drop coin and otherwise show support--I thank you all.

Comics As A Participation Sport

Most people don't realize that comic books is a participation sport and everyone involved is important in evolving the medium and keeping the industry vital. Seriously. There's a interesting circle of life that everyone from the creators, publishers, retailers, and consumers co-habit, and they are each in turn affecting and affected by each other.

For instance, as someone pointed out to me earlier this week, the Free in FCBD isn't free for everyone. The retailers giving away their free comics actually paid roughly twenty-five cents per copy for the privilege of having hordes of consumers enter their store with the hopes punters will purchase something. Yesterday Stadium Comics unloaded a whole pallet's worth of free comics to what looked like a locomotive's length of people. I can't calculate what the event must cost, nor do I want to, but Stadium Comics and every retailer participating in FCBD did so not only to generate business but to keep readers invested in the medium as well as offering new readers, young and old, a an entry level opportunity to discover something new. They do this at great cost and even great risk because they know the future of the comics medium depends on a growing, diverse readership.

With that said, I'm truly very grateful to Stadium Comics for always putting on a great time for their customers and guests. Kevin and Rob are great fellows and their staff and volunteers are rad people. The stress is over and I hope it was worth it. It certainly was for me. Thank you!

For more on just how instrumental the role consumers play in what comics get made and sold, I highly recommend this thought provoking article by Devan Faraci on Badass Digest here.

Highlights 

As I said above, the day was made great because I was in great company. Easily the coolest thing about yesterday was seeing the new books my friends created. How fucking awesome is it to have a bunch of pals team up on different projects together?

THE BLACK HOLE HUNTER'S CLUB

One such book was The Black Hole Hunter's Club, written by Ricky Lima and illustrated Shane Heron, and a cover designed and coloured by David Bishop to boot!

BHHC is a 12-page, black and white sci-fi comedy that bleeds the twisted, slapstick humor Lima and Heron are known for. When reading your friends' work it can sometimes pull you out of the story when it feels too much like the person you know. In this case, it feels like a fun hangout with hilarious buds--in space!

The book is one of two projects spun out of the recent 12-Hour Comic Marathon hosted by The Comic Book Lounge and organized by Keiren Smith.

SQUIRRELS

The second of which is D.A. Bishop's SQUIRRELS. On my brief visit to The Lounge on 12-Hour Comic I got to see this in the making, and I knew right away that Bishop had something special on his hands.

It was the same feeling I had when I checked out his zombie book, Stranger, and later again when he produced Deep Sea with the aforementioned Ricky Lima. It's official: anyone should be excited for what Bishop creates.

In the case of Squirrels, he offers a short tale that's dark, imaginative and brutal, echoing Watership Down yet attaining a wholly original quality. Since it's creation a few weeks ago it's been getting love and attention from blogs and sites like Bleeding Cool. Deservedly so, as it's exactly the kind of material that perfectly displays what exciting, unconventional things can come from pure, unadulterated comics mayehm.

Kudos, boys!

Stuff and Such

It's been a while since my last post. Truthfully it may be longer still before I'm posting regularly. That's because of all the nifty things I've been involved with. Namely Teuton and just recently True Patriot.

Go ahead and read Fred's post about our work on True Patriot here, the indie Canadian super-hero anthology that features the magnificence of Scott Chantler, J. Bone, Ramon Perez, Andy Belanger--and it goes on like that until I show up. Then everyone discretely leaves the party.

Meanwhile the deadline for Teuton is fast approaching. As I've said before to anyone pretending to listen, it feels as though I've got several nooses tightening around my neck. Still, I'm hopeful.

Anyhow, this blog. According to the stats, people actually look at this thing. That makes me feel terrible for not posting anything new, or even new-ish. Well, here's a bunch of stuff I drew if you're in desperate need of killing 5 minutes...