Back when I was drawing the epilogue for Mouse Guard: Fall 1152, I built a simple model of the larder. This model was made of bristol board.
Below is a video about the model, how I made it, how it was used, and how it could come to be used again in the future.
Back when I was drawing Mouse Guard: The Black Axe #6, I built a modular model of the Haven Guild room. This model was made of cardboard, bristol board, paper, and basswood.
Below is a video about the model, how I made it, how it was used, and how it could come to be used again in the future.
Several years ago I made an 18" x 24" print called "Feather Knighting" with a mouse trading violence for wisdom. The background of the large print was to be a room full of references from past mouse guard stories, artifacts, story cues, and easter eggs. In this video below, I go over the reference model I made to help me get the geometrical perspective correct as I worked on the piece.
In Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 the mice first travel to the city of Sprucetuck, a hidden away vertical settlement inside of the trunk of a spruce tree. To help me design & draw the location for the comic, I built a model of cardboard & bristolboard...which unfortunately no longer exists....but...
Below you can watch a video where I talk about this model:
In The Black Axe story, I explored a new room just off of the Matriarch's Office (a public room where Guardmice are welcome to confer with their leader)...A chamber only to be accessed by the Matriarch of the day, and full of the passed down knowledge, writings, and artifacts of the previous Matriarchs. In the video below, I share the model I built to design the space and reference it as I drew the pages.
Through all three of the main series of my Mouse Guard books, the Matriarch's office has been featured. In Fall, it was the setting for the climactic battle against Midnight, In Winter Gwendolyn assembled her Guardmice to hunt down Abigail, and in the Black Axe Celanawe reveals his knowledge of the portrait-door as he returns to Lockhaven for his Matriarch Bronwyn. To help me in envisioning and drawing the location, I build a model of the room.
Below you can watch a video where I talk about this model:
At the end of The Black Axe, Celanawe visits Conrad in Upper Port Sumac (they'd met earlier in the book in the Lower portion of the city), I built a model of the exposed part of the town out of commercially available gaming papercraft kits and then kit-bashed them together
Below you can watch a video where I talk about these models, how I built them, what the materials were, and why I built them in the first place.
For my 2015 Free Comic Book Day story "Service to Seyan" (included in the short story collection Baldwin the Brave and Other Tales), I built a model of the gatehouse that leads to the mouse version of the Elysian fields.
I made a video where I talk about this model, how I built it, what the materials were, and why I built it in the first place. Below you can watch as I explain how having the model helped frame scenes and block where the mice should stand in them:
For my 2012 Free Comic Book Day story "The Tale of Baldwin the Brave (included in the short story collection Baldwin the Brave and Other Tales), I built a model of the puppet theater and a mouse marionette.
I made a video where I talk about these models, how I built them, what the materials were, and why I built them in the first place.
Below you can watch as I explain how having the models helped frame scenes and block where the puppet mice should stand in them:
I also recorded a video of the story narrated by me:
For the second issue/chapter of The Black Axe, I built a model of Conrad's ship: The Red Snapper. With the fan excitement over the video of Adam Savage talking to me about my models on Tested.com I wanted to do some videos where I talk about a specific model, how I built it, what the materials were, and why I built it in the first place.
Below you can watch as I explain how having the model helped frame scenes and block where the mice should stand in them:
For another Blogpost about the model of the Red Snapper:
For the fifth issue/chapter of The Black Axe, I built a model of a junk boat made of mouse-salvaged materials. With the fan excitement over the video of Adam Savage talking to me about my models on Tested.com I wanted to do some videos where I talk about a specific model, how I built it, what the materials were, and why I built it in the first place.
Below you can watch as I explain how I made the model modular to protect my initial craftwork on it:
For the cover of Legends of the Guard Volume 2 Hardcover collection, I built an architectural model of a Quail Cart. With the fan excitement over the video of Adam Savage talking to me about my models on Tested.com I wanted to do some videos where I talk about a specific model, how I built it, what the materials were, and why I built it in the first place.
Below you can watch as I explain why knowing where the quail hitches makes a better illustration:
For a Full Blogpost on the art process for the cover of Legends of the Guard Vol.2 Hardcover:
For the prologue of The Black Axe (a story originally published on Free Comic Book Day in 2010), I built a model of a a barrel carrier for the mice to re-por the scent border. With the fan excitement over the video of Adam Savage talking to me about my models on Tested.com I wanted to do some videos where I talk about a specific model, how I built it, what the materials were, and why I built it in the first place.
Below you can watch as I explain the thought process of how mice would pour the border:
My illustrated edition of Kenneth Grahame's classic Wind in the Willows published by IDW has been released! The book has Grahame's original text, with over 70 illustrations by me.
For this week's blogpost I'm going to share a few of the physical models I used/built to help me visualize & illustrate the book. Below are photos of the models of Rat's boat & Rat's Dining Area. I've also included a few videos of me talking about the models.
RAT'S BOAT:
The first model I made for Wind in the Willows was Rat's boat. It's chipboard & bristol board. The oars are basswood & chipboard.
RAT'S DINING AREA:
I did purchase a few Victorian/Edwardian doll house furniture kits. Here I used a cupboard, round table & chairs with some printed paper windows, chip board & cardboard ceiling, and a paper oval mirror to make Rat's Dining area.
Wind in the Willows from IDW is available to order at your local comic or book shop -or-
on Amazon.com:
My illustrated edition of Kenneth Grahame's classic Wind in the Willows published by IDW has been released! The book has Grahame's original text, with over 70 illustrations by me.
For this week's blogpost I'm going to share a few of the physical models I built to help me visualize & illustrate the book. Below are photos of the models from Badger's Kitchen. I've also included a video of me talking about the models.
BADGER'S HEARTH:
The hearth model itself is made from chipboard with paper printed as brick glued on and basswood & popsicle stick details. The matching settles are basswood and the stand-in hanging hams & braided garlic is tissue & string.
BADGER'S CUPBOARD SHELVES:
This was made out of basswood (typically used for doll-house parts) I referenced a few Edwardian pieces, and then built this to-scale with quarters as dinner plates. The bowls you see are store-bought doll-house pieces.
Wind in the Willows from IDW is available to order at your local comic or book shop -or-
on Amazon.com:
My illustrated edition of Kenneth Grahame's classic Wind in the Willows published by IDW has been released in the direct market (comic shops) and will be in the Book Market Feb. 14th! The book has Grahame's original text, with over 70 illustrations by me.
For this week's blogpost I'm going to share a few of the physical models I built to help me visualize & illustrate the book. Below are photos of the models of the Toad's Caravan & The front facade of his Carriage House. I've also included a few videos of me talking about the models.
TOAD'S CARAVAN:
This model is made of basswood (typically used for doll-houe trim & details). The steps are removable and cam hang from the back, the wheels operate independently, and the axles have working suspension. Details are drawn on by hand in pencil.
TOAD HALL CARRIAGE HOUSE:
This model is all hand-drawn (no printing out duplicates) The wall is made of bristol board and the open doors are chip board (the thicker material on the back of a sketch-pad). The doors are hinged with painter's tape.
Wind in the Willows from IDW is available to order at your local comic or book shop -or-
on Amazon.com:
My illustrated edition of Kenneth Grahame's classic Wind in the Willows published by IDW will be released to the direct market (comic shops) tomorrow and Book stores on Feb. 14th! The book has Grahame's original text, with over 70 illustrations by me.
For this week's blogpost I'm going to share a few of the physical models I built to help me visualize & illustrate the book. Below are photos of the models of the Toad Hall Foyer and Toad Hall's Dining Room. I've also included a few videos of me talking about the models.
TOAD HALL FOYER:
This model is made from chip-board (the stuff the backs of sketchpads are made of) with printed paper details glued on (all the paneling & tile-work) and basswood trim.
TOAD HALL DINING ROOM:
This model is was almost completely made on the computer first. Not the geometry of the room, but each flat surface (paneling, plank floor with rug, arched door, leaded glass window and banners, etc.) were printed designed and then printed out. Those sheets of paper were then rubber cemented on to sheets of chipboard (the thick backing on sketchpads) and glued together using holt melt glue and basswood for re-inforcement (as well as some trim details) where needed.
Wind in the Willows from IDW is available to order at your local comic or book shop -or-
on Amazon.com:
Back when I was drawing the epilogue for Mouse Guard: Fall 1152, I built a simple model of the larder. This model was made of bristol board.
Below is a video about the model, how I made it, how it was used, and how it could come to be used again in the future.
For my 2015 Free Comic Book Day story "Service to Seyan" (included in the short story collection Baldwin the Brave and Other Tales), I built a model of the gatehouse that leads to the mouse version of the Elysian fields.
For my 2012 Free Comic Book Day story "The Tale of Baldwin the Brave (included in the short story collection Baldwin the Brave and Other Tales), I built a model of the puppet theater and a mouse marionette.
My illustrated edition of Kenneth Grahame's classic Wind in the Willows published by IDW has been released! The book has Grahame's original text, with over 70 illustrations by me.
