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| Colours by Nolan Woodard; Logo Design by Kris Johnson |
Showing posts with label phil mcclorey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phil mcclorey. Show all posts
Monday, March 17, 2014
Friday, February 28, 2014
Monday, August 27, 2012
FAN EXPO 2012 Post Game Wrap-Up
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| The Big Sexy Comics table: where expectations meet disappointment! |
The past four days were a success for Fred and I on many levels. We are both really happy with how Teuton Vol.2 was received. Half of our stock was sold! My thanks and gratitude goes out to everyone who bought a copy.
There are so very many people who showed me kindness and made me feel super. Tony and Kara Moore were badass and extremely kind neighbours. Bob Layton is fucking hilarious and shared with me his brand of cynical wisdom. Convention nights are made spectacular by the company of Phil McClorey, Brian Evinou, Jeff Brown, Fred.
I'm grateful to Michael Walsh and Ed Brisson for the best stroll down Spadina Avenue in memory; to Marcus To for always making me feel welcome; to Ty Templeton and Keiren Smith for treating me like a peer; to Gibson Quarter for being Gibson-fucking-Quarter; to Kris Johnson for praise I'm working hard to be worthy of...
The list goes on. There are more people to thank and stories to tell, but it's all too much to chronicle here all at once. I'll say that I'm left with a whopping new set of memories. With past conventions I was plagued by regrets. This year my only regret is not being able to spend more time with everyone who made this year uh-mazing.
Now here's a series of convention drawings...
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| Thor: in ancient viking garb. |
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| The Joker in prison for Katya. |
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| Captain America: to whittle away the hours. |
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| Jonah Hex: had Westerns on my mind. |
Monday, May 7, 2012
HORROR In The WEST
Exciting news in the world of Indie comics!
A little while ago I contributed artwork to a exciting comic anthology called Horror In The West. The book has been long in the works and was created and edited by Phil McClorey. He's the writer of many cool horror shorts for his own imprint, Furious Comics. You can read my creative history with Phil here.
I can honestly tell you the book is going to be killer. I'm super excited about it. The video lays out the skinny pretty well, but in case you couldn't commit to watching a two minute video, I'll spell it out here:
Horror In The West is cadre of frightful horror tales that take place in the old West. The anthology is creator owned and independent, and is made by some of the baddest and raddest indie talents around: Sam Agro, Jason Copland, Dan Simon, Chris McQuaid, Brian Evinou, Jeff McComsey, Fred Kennedy, and many more!
For my own part, I was only able to contribute a pin-up, although I would have loved to spin my own yarn. Nevertheless, I did craft a story for the devilish saloon girl illustrated below.
My initial drafts all featured the femme fatale mostly nude. For obvious reasons, Phil requested that she be clothed in the final draft. The character, whom I don't yet have a name for, was inspired by another character I once thought up. Nicknamed "The Coyote Queen", she was a desert nymph that seduced travelers with her carnal beauty and wild spirit before stealing their souls.
I still really like that idea, but I thought it would feel out of context in the anthology. So I took the essence of this girl that only exists in my mind and gave her a distinctive Western aesthetic. Now you can have a look at my process:
Prints of my pin-up will be offered to those who make a pledge of $35!
They'll be signed by Yours Truly and may come with extra sketch, if that sweetens the deal!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Happenings
PODCAST
Yesterday I joined friends and fellow indie creators Phil McClorey and Brian Evinou for a round table discussion on the plight of the independent comic creator. Moderated by Fearless Fred Kennedy, the recorded rap session will be available on Fearless' FREDCAST! in a week or so.
Fred's podcasts are worth checking out, as they feature an amalgam of great Canadian artists and writers.
I enjoyed my time and did my very best not to mumble incoherently about Batman. Personally, I think I failed to properly relate my thoughts and experiences as a relative newcomer to the comics world. I'll write more about that some other time.
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
Saturday, May 5th is Free Comic Book Day. To mark the occasion, Stadium Comics is having a tremendous sale, a slew of fantastic guests (including myself), and of course free comics. From what I hear, Stadium Comics has the biggest FCBD event in the GTA. Read all the details here.
Featured here are two of five exclusive sketch covers I illustrated. They'll be raffled away, along with many others, to a few lucky customers who come join the fun. Have a peek at the other amazing sketch covers up for grabs here.
Not to be outdone, my good friends at The Comic Book Lounge are also celebrating FCBD with fun shenanigans of their own.
If you can't make it to Brampton, then I encourage you to visit The Toronto Cartoonists Workshop gang, as well as sexy exciting guests like Kathryn and Stuart Immonen, Mike Del Mundo, Gibson Quarter, and more!
Yesterday I joined friends and fellow indie creators Phil McClorey and Brian Evinou for a round table discussion on the plight of the independent comic creator. Moderated by Fearless Fred Kennedy, the recorded rap session will be available on Fearless' FREDCAST! in a week or so.
Fred's podcasts are worth checking out, as they feature an amalgam of great Canadian artists and writers.
I enjoyed my time and did my very best not to mumble incoherently about Batman. Personally, I think I failed to properly relate my thoughts and experiences as a relative newcomer to the comics world. I'll write more about that some other time.
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
Saturday, May 5th is Free Comic Book Day. To mark the occasion, Stadium Comics is having a tremendous sale, a slew of fantastic guests (including myself), and of course free comics. From what I hear, Stadium Comics has the biggest FCBD event in the GTA. Read all the details here.
Featured here are two of five exclusive sketch covers I illustrated. They'll be raffled away, along with many others, to a few lucky customers who come join the fun. Have a peek at the other amazing sketch covers up for grabs here.
If you can't make it to Brampton, then I encourage you to visit The Toronto Cartoonists Workshop gang, as well as sexy exciting guests like Kathryn and Stuart Immonen, Mike Del Mundo, Gibson Quarter, and more!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
QUANTUM PROBABILITY
Quantum Probability is a short sci-fi horror comic I drew some time ago. Written by Phil McClorey, the eight page story can be viewed at Furious Comics. It's a lot of fun and I encourage one and all to check it out along with all the other great horror tales available on the site.
I recall first meeting Phil and how I got to be lucky enough to work on one of his scripts. Allow me to tell you all about it...
The year was 20
09 and it was bangin'. Life had grown contemptuous of my "takin'er easy" and decided to kick things up a notch: my lady love and I learned we were having a baby. Meanwhile, I was hard at work on The Vampire Conspiracy and attending comic conventions to seek advice from established artists. It felt vital to be told not just what I was doing right, but what I was doing wrong and how to do those things better.
On my quest I met some swarthy gents, but none so swarthy as Phil McClorey, writer of the horror anthology The Book of Methuselah and founder of the Canadian comic imprint, Furious Comics. I was strolling through Artist Alley when I came upon Phil's table. He very cordially reeled me into his stories and I was impressed by what he had to share. Reading Phil's brand of comics, you are reminded of a time when boys read scary stories under their bed covers; when ordinary shadows seemingly reached for your ankles from the edges of your bed. I had no choice but to purchase his comics.
I asked Phil if he would look at my portfolio and share his opinions. That's when I realized my portfolio wasn't in my hands. It wasn't anywhere--I had left it somewhere in the convention. I don't remember what I said to excuse myself before speed-walking through aisles packed with fanboys slouched under the weight of their satchels. Now, perhaps Phil doubted my return--I can only assume his world grew significantly darker and a might bit smaller after my abrupt departure--but before long I was back at his table, huffing and panting, my portfolio square in his face. When it was all said and done, I thanked him and took his card, and ran to a quiet corner to hug my portfolio like a parent after finding their lost child in a supermarket (only more so).
Meeting my deadline for The Vampire Conspiracy was a lot like a jockey being dragged half-dead by his horse across the finish line. To reach it I had stayed up 36 hours straight and drank copious amounts of coffee while, foolishly, a myriad of Alex Jones "documentaries" played on YouTube just so I could learn what the fuss was about. In other words: I was fried. When I had crossed the finish line I was only happy to be alive. Yet somehow, after a few days crept by, I wanted more. That's when I dug up Phil's card and solicited my services.
Initially, the first project I started with Phil was his take on the Cthulhu mythos. I rather liked his script. It was fun and exciting and gruesome. I immersed myself in designing my own Cthulhu and took the Cloverfield route by studying the features of numerous animals. I felt like such a smart cookie. The project stalled on my end however, as making room for my unborn daughter eclipsed all else. When I finally got back on the horse and sent Phil some rough pages, he had moved on with another artist to create The Mask of Cthulhu. Together they turned out quite a good story.
Still, I had great admiration for Phil's writing and wanted to shake a stick at anything he'd be willing to give me. What he gave me was a script then titled QUORK. Our ill-fated plan was to get it up on Zuda to become superstars and the envy of all message boards. All of them, I say. Unfortunately, Zuda folded* due to an overwhelming number of creators who also wanted to be the envy of all the message boards.
[ * Let that be a lesson to you, kiddies: when things get tough, give up entirely and close your website! ]
Nevertheless, I forged ahead and very gradually worked away on QUORK while juggling the first issue of Teuton, a newborn, and classes at the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop. The fun never stopped! All the while, Phil sat at home with his brandy, stroking his roguish facial hair, patiently waiting the completion of his eight page materpiece:
Truthfully, Phil was hard at work on some more interesting and original material with other fantastic artists, this time focusing on web comics. It looked unsure whether Phil would continue printing single issues in the long run, but I convinced him with some smooth talk and thinly veiled threats that not only should he print at least one more issue of Methuselah, but that he should include QUORK in its publication. He politely agreed, and in that moment of weakness I demanded he let me draw the cover for said issue and asked for a huge sum of money. He had no choice but to pay, what with my threatening demeanor and all. Plus, I had taken the precaution of growing a mustache of my own, in case things got out of hand. When it was all said and done, QUORK was renamed Quantum Probability, Phil had himself one handsome cover, a fun read of a comic, and a bank account so empty it rivaled the vacuum of space after paying my ridiculous fees.
While some of that may be exaggerated just a touch, I did really enjoy working with Phil and expected to carry on with QP, but my commitment to Teuton and generally hectic life made that nigh impossible to do at a reasonable rate. In the meantime, Phil's writing just keeps getting better, as you can plainly see by checking out his Meta-Human Affairs or his thrilling contribution to the WWII zombie anthology, FUBAR.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more updates all month long!
I recall first meeting Phil and how I got to be lucky enough to work on one of his scripts. Allow me to tell you all about it...
The year was 20
09 and it was bangin'. Life had grown contemptuous of my "takin'er easy" and decided to kick things up a notch: my lady love and I learned we were having a baby. Meanwhile, I was hard at work on The Vampire Conspiracy and attending comic conventions to seek advice from established artists. It felt vital to be told not just what I was doing right, but what I was doing wrong and how to do those things better.On my quest I met some swarthy gents, but none so swarthy as Phil McClorey, writer of the horror anthology The Book of Methuselah and founder of the Canadian comic imprint, Furious Comics. I was strolling through Artist Alley when I came upon Phil's table. He very cordially reeled me into his stories and I was impressed by what he had to share. Reading Phil's brand of comics, you are reminded of a time when boys read scary stories under their bed covers; when ordinary shadows seemingly reached for your ankles from the edges of your bed. I had no choice but to purchase his comics.
I asked Phil if he would look at my portfolio and share his opinions. That's when I realized my portfolio wasn't in my hands. It wasn't anywhere--I had left it somewhere in the convention. I don't remember what I said to excuse myself before speed-walking through aisles packed with fanboys slouched under the weight of their satchels. Now, perhaps Phil doubted my return--I can only assume his world grew significantly darker and a might bit smaller after my abrupt departure--but before long I was back at his table, huffing and panting, my portfolio square in his face. When it was all said and done, I thanked him and took his card, and ran to a quiet corner to hug my portfolio like a parent after finding their lost child in a supermarket (only more so).Meeting my deadline for The Vampire Conspiracy was a lot like a jockey being dragged half-dead by his horse across the finish line. To reach it I had stayed up 36 hours straight and drank copious amounts of coffee while, foolishly, a myriad of Alex Jones "documentaries" played on YouTube just so I could learn what the fuss was about. In other words: I was fried. When I had crossed the finish line I was only happy to be alive. Yet somehow, after a few days crept by, I wanted more. That's when I dug up Phil's card and solicited my services.
Initially, the first project I started with Phil was his take on the Cthulhu mythos. I rather liked his script. It was fun and exciting and gruesome. I immersed myself in designing my own Cthulhu and took the Cloverfield route by studying the features of numerous animals. I felt like such a smart cookie. The project stalled on my end however, as making room for my unborn daughter eclipsed all else. When I finally got back on the horse and sent Phil some rough pages, he had moved on with another artist to create The Mask of Cthulhu. Together they turned out quite a good story.
Still, I had great admiration for Phil's writing and wanted to shake a stick at anything he'd be willing to give me. What he gave me was a script then titled QUORK. Our ill-fated plan was to get it up on Zuda to become superstars and the envy of all message boards. All of them, I say. Unfortunately, Zuda folded* due to an overwhelming number of creators who also wanted to be the envy of all the message boards.
[ * Let that be a lesson to you, kiddies: when things get tough, give up entirely and close your website! ]
Nevertheless, I forged ahead and very gradually worked away on QUORK while juggling the first issue of Teuton, a newborn, and classes at the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop. The fun never stopped! All the while, Phil sat at home with his brandy, stroking his roguish facial hair, patiently waiting the completion of his eight page materpiece:
Truthfully, Phil was hard at work on some more interesting and original material with other fantastic artists, this time focusing on web comics. It looked unsure whether Phil would continue printing single issues in the long run, but I convinced him with some smooth talk and thinly veiled threats that not only should he print at least one more issue of Methuselah, but that he should include QUORK in its publication. He politely agreed, and in that moment of weakness I demanded he let me draw the cover for said issue and asked for a huge sum of money. He had no choice but to pay, what with my threatening demeanor and all. Plus, I had taken the precaution of growing a mustache of my own, in case things got out of hand. When it was all said and done, QUORK was renamed Quantum Probability, Phil had himself one handsome cover, a fun read of a comic, and a bank account so empty it rivaled the vacuum of space after paying my ridiculous fees.
While some of that may be exaggerated just a touch, I did really enjoy working with Phil and expected to carry on with QP, but my commitment to Teuton and generally hectic life made that nigh impossible to do at a reasonable rate. In the meantime, Phil's writing just keeps getting better, as you can plainly see by checking out his Meta-Human Affairs or his thrilling contribution to the WWII zombie anthology, FUBAR.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more updates all month long!
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