Model building

In a previous post I talked about models I make and use for reference when drawing Mouse Guard. This post I wanted to go into a bit about model building.

My models can be very simple or very complex depending on my needs. If the model is only for quick reference of shapes as they appear in multiple angles of perspective, I can make something very rough and dirty. This example is the Cistern seen in Issue #5 of Winter 1152. Concentric circles in perspective gets to be a tedious job (drawing square planes for each mortar line). Instead, I just took an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper and layed out mortar lines. I then taped the long edges together and have a tall cylinder with mortar lines that are always in perspective.

Another method is to use printed designs and paste them to flat surfaces. In this example, the Lockhaven Library, I needed to get the general perspective of the arches and shelves and also the complex design of the stained glass window (based on artwork by Jane Irwin!!). I made the arches in photoshop using a line tool and then added photographs of bookcases and bricks. This trick is really handy when doing a repeating design. you can make 1 section and then copy/paste as many times as you need.

Measuring is important here, you need the walls to be the same height so everything lines up in the end. I printed out each 'wall' and mounted them to scraps of matboard using rubber cement. I cut out the openings with an xacto blade and taped the 3 walls together. To add some strength and to remind me where the ceiling structure was, I cut one ceiling arch from cardboard and notched it to sit over the brick posts of the side walls.

This last model is one of the more complex I have made. Gwendolyn's office is a room of Lockhaven that I hope to draw for a long long long time. Even if Gwendolyn is not the matriarch and I'm doing stories years before or after her term, this room will remain rather unchanged, so it makes sense to have a more detailed model of the space. The walls are made the same way the library model was done (design in photoshop, print, paste, cut). The ceiling however, was much trickier.

I have to admit, I should have made this model a long time ago...I was now having to reference my artwork for the details. I found that when I drew one end of the room, the ceiling was flat with exposed beams. The other end had an elevated pitched ceiling filled with wooden trusses. Looking at the exterior of Lockhaven I was able to find an excuse for this being the case (the roof seen above the windows of Gwendolyn's office) and I merged the designs. The roof beams on the model are all made of double thick (glued together) chipboard (the backs of drawing pads). This model is helpful for all the details of this room: the portrait, the mantel, the scroll cubbys, the roof beams, the doorway, etc.

I am also a bit ashamed to say that this is only Gwendolyn's office V2.0 (I had a quick/dirty version from the Fall series). My plans for V3.0 will be more 'real' in the sense that I want the materials to look like themselves, so the model will be made of wood and drywall mud and stone details, etc.

I hope everyone enjoyed this model post. If you use home-made models as reference, post a link to your models in the comment section!

Mother's Day:

I wanted to give a moment to say 'thank you' to my Mom. She was a good mother to me when I was a kid and continues to be a supportive, understanding, and positive parent to me now as an adult (a switch I think must be hard for a parent to make between parenting the young and parenting the adult).

It's said that as a parent, you parent each kid differently based on what they need. I was left very much to my own creativity and exploration as a kid. I was given a very long leash to be away from the house with only the expectation that I tell them what direction I was going and to call if that changed and to be home by supper. Julia kids that I'm lucky I'm still alive with all the places I went and things I did, but I think my parents let me discover me. There would be no Mouse Guard without the freedom I was given.

My Mom was very involved with me artistically as a kid. She would involve me in her various crafting projects and later became involved in my crafting projects. She sewed all of my Halloween costumes until I was old enough to be making my own from scratch. One of those, a Mickey Mouse, was one that I wanted to alter from the pattern. The Mickey was in formal dress and I wanted to be traditional red-shorts Mickey. She was sceptical at first, but between the two of us, we figured out how to use ready made items and alter the pattern to accommodate for our changes. It was only the first time we would sit up late in the dining room steering away from the printed pattern and directions. Each time going further and further away from what was expected.

I think some of that seat of the pants, figure-it-out-as-you-go stuff is what pushes me when I'm making my models for Mouse Guard. Sure there are printed model sets I can use that are made by gaming companies, but each time I make a model, I want to push further away from that expected-store-bought mentality until I'm making something uniquely 'me'.

So, Thanks Mom!!

Winter is done!

I have finished (a few days ago really) the Winter 1152 Hardcover extras (map, location guides, trades, pageantry, epilogue, etc.) I'm really happy with this book. Not to take anything away from Fall 1152, but I feel that many of the personal goals and improvements I wanted to make happened in Winter. It's frustrating to be done and not be able to instantly get the reader feedback, but I'll just have to be patient and wait like the rest of you. The release is set for July of this year...and don't forget to grab issue #6 on the stands later this month if you can't wait.



Snowy Valentine's Day:
Before I start the next Mouse Guard Arc, I have a few other projects I need to tackle. The first is the Children's book I'm doing for Harper Collins called Snowy Valentine's Day. The Dummy sketches were approved so I am doing final pencils and inks on the lightbox over printouts of my sketches/roughs. For some reason, inking this book seems to be more nerve-racking than an issue of Mouse Guard. The artwork is all due this month and I'm far away from getting finals to them...so cross your fingers for me.



Recent work:
With the heavy deadlines of both Issue #6 of Winter and the Hardcover extras, I had to let these slide longer than I'd prefer to. Hope you enjoy.

Motor City Convention:

I'll be spending next weekend at the Motor City convention sitting between my friends Jeremy Bastian and Katie Cook (sorry I don't have table numbers yet..I don't get those 'till Friday) Julia and I offered to take 1 niece to a different convention until all three have been. Middle niece Kate is up first at this show, so I look forward to introducing her to this part of Uncle David's job.

As normal, I'll be signing, meeting fans and enjoying the show. Stop by and say hello!

Fan Art:
Action figure modifier Walter Harris sent me a link to poseable Mouse Guard action figure customs he made. The base figures are Ewoks and he details how he made them at his site
More Photos are also located there.


Thanks Walter!



Next time I'll do a post on model building construction

Free Comic Book Day

Thanks to everyone who came out to Free Comic Book Day at Detroit Comics in Ferndale, MI. I hope everyone who made it out enjoyed the free print I offered and that no matter where you were you supported your local shop(s) and the comics industry by spreading the word and attending the festivities. Detroit comics seemed to be getting some good business out of the event. It was cool to see parents bringing their kids to try out some comics. The artform won't survive unless new generations are introduced to it.

Ninja Turtles:

I was very happy to see that the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles was reprinted for Free Comic Book Day. I have a reprint copy somewhere, but have lost track of it (and it doesn't have the original cover art like this reprint does) I was so excited that between sketches for fans, I took the time to draw a Ninja Turtle...which is how I started drawing comic stuff back when I was 11. Here is a colored version of that FCBD sketch.

Michigan-Area Artist's Event: Ink & Stein!

A group of us that met in the past to draw and bounce ideas off each other (Jeremy Bastian, Katie Cook, Nate Pride, etc.) have started a new club/event called Ink & Stein. The group will meet on the last Saturday of every month (May 30th being the 1st meeting) 7pm at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, MI. All artists are welcome to come and draw and chat and drink. We have been asked by the Brewery to get a head count though (and to note it's 21 and older only) so if you plan to attend, email inkandstein@gmail.com to let us know.

Fan Art:

This photo was sent in by a fan. In Pennsylvania along 220 there is a town called Lock Haven. I didn't know about Lock Haven, PA when I started Mouse Guard, the name was just a good one to mean 'safe place'. Now I'll be really amazed if someone finds a sign for Dorigift, Gilpledge, or Calogero!!

The Limited Ed. is here!
The long awaited Mouse Guard Fall 1152 Black and White hardcover is in stores now! It is a beautifully printed and packaged 12" x 12" slipcased fabric-bound edition of Fall 1152. The goal of this book was to replicate the feeling of having all the original artwork for the series in your hands. So the pages are printed in their inked-form, at original size and the pages with rain got a vellum overlay. I'm very happy with the result. The printing was limited to 1,000, but I am told they are still available at Diamond, so ask your local comic shop (LCS) to order one for you if you are interested.


Speaking of your LCS and ordering from Diamond...
I was talking with a few creators I know who have books in Previews currently and they were anxious over methods that, as a creator, you can maximize orders in the narrow window that an individual issue of a book is solicited for. Some of them have come up with a 'coupon' which is a printable graphic that promotes the book and has the Diamond order code with a space for your name and contact info. The idea being that potential fans would print this and then go to their LCS making it easy to place an order.


While I don't see this marketing method as a waste of time (the effort on the creators part is minimal, so any results from it are worthwhile), I questioned how effective it really could be. It made me wonder how many comic fans 'order' their books. I'm sure there is a core fanbase that has a pull-list and or scours previews each month for what they want, but I am guessing that the majority of comic buyers go to their store, and shop based on what is on the shelves. This means that they are relying on the shop owners to narrow down the selection in previews for them and to not overlook any item they may be interested in.


I have only recently started 'pre-ordering' comics. The store I went to as a kid only offered a 'subscription' service as a member of their club, ie: $20 per year. Now $20 annually wouldn't break me now, but as a kid I did the quick math and figured out that I wouldn't order enough books to make it worth while. Some stores ask for a deposit for a pull list, others ask for a deposit based on what you order each month.

I bring this all up, not to complain or offer a solution, but to take notice that there are books being offered that are in danger of falling below Diamond's minimum that you readers may not even know about because they shop based on what their LCS ordered. I'm not suggesting that every comic buyer buy an issue of Previews or for shop owners to change their policies, I just saw a massive disconnect between creators/publishers who are marketing to readers who may not even know how or know the option is there to order books.

With that in mind I fully recommend you check out and order:
Robotika: Code: APR09 0652 and
Cursed Pirate Girl: Code: APR09 0959

Boom Covers:
I am really happy to be doing these covers for Boom. I have gotten the go-ahead that I'm getting to continue some of the Muppet covers after Muppet Robin Hood!! Who said that every wish won't be heard and answered, when wished on the morning star?
Again, I'm posting because I saw them already up on Boom's site:

Mr. Stuffins #3 and Muppet Robin Hood #3

Upcoming Appearances:
Free Comic Book Day: http://www.detroitcomics.com/
Motor City Comic Con: May 15-17

MI comic events

Michigan Comics Events:
Three big events are coming up for the Michigan comic community! And I am fortunate enough to be a part of them all! Here is the rundown:

MSU Comics Forum:
Held every year on the beautiful campus of Michigan State University, The Michigan State University Comics Forum is an an event that brings together scholars, creators, and fans in order to explore celebrate the medium of comics, graphic storytelling, and sequential art.
I'll be delivering the keynote speech on Friday March 27th at 7PM and I'll be on a comic creators panels on Saturday March 28th. The events are free to all
here is the link for more information

Michigan Comics: MIRTH, MOCKERY AND MAYHEM
My Art History Professor at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) has been putting on shows about comic originals as art for a number of years. This time, he and Michigan-based cartoonist Dave Coverly have co-curated a show featuring solely Michigan-based artists working in graphic storytelling from the past and present. The show dates are March 31-June 5 in the University Gallery at the Student Center. There is also an opening reception/comics symposium on the 31st from 7PM to 8:30PM. Three Mouse Guard originals will be part of the show and will tour with the show as it travels over the summer and early fall.
here is a link to the EMU Student Center for directions & maps

Visual Storytelling at the Gallery Project in Ann Arbor:
The uber-talented Katie Cook is co-curating a show at the Downtown Ann Arbor Gallery Project that will feature multiple works of sequential artwork. It looks to be a great collection of artists works and the focus is on the storytelling and the process of making artwork which tells a story. I'll have several Mouse Guard originals and a paper model I made as reference on display. The show runs April 15th through May 15th.
here is a link to the gallery project's site for hours and directions

Mouse Guard Winter #6
Is done! It is in the hands of Archaia now. The few friends who have seen the issue are enthusiastic about it. I'm pretty happy with it myself. I am terribly sorry it took so long to get to the end of that l-o-n-g winter, but it feels good to have 2 finished Mouse Guard story arcs under my belt. I feel that this series was an improvement over the Fall 1152 arc and even the later issues of Winter are better than the beginning issues. Currently I'm getting the extras for the hardcover ready...so bear with me, but I'm trying to get the work in by the deadline.

Covers:
I'm going to assume I can post these since they both appear on Boom's site. Here is the 2nd Muppet Robin Hood Cover and the 2nd Mr. Stuffins Cover.

Fan Art:
I met this young man at the NYCC who had a Lieam tattoo on his arm. I was flabbergasted. I asked him "You know those things are permanent, right?" and he smiled and replied "yes". I'm not a tattoo guy, so I'll never understand it, but I know to be flattered.


Upcoming Appearances:
MSU Comics Forum: March 27th & 28th
Emerald City Comic Con: April 4-5
Free Comic Book Day @ Detroit Comics: May 2nd
Motor City Comic Con: May 15-17

Projects I can finally talk about:

Star Wars Galaxies 4:
I was asked by Topps to do a card for Galaxies 4. Being a huge fan of Star Wars, I was THRILLED to be asked. I was told I could do anything Star Wars I wanted, but that seemed too broad for me to pick from, so I self-imposed the restriction of something from Empire Strikes Back (my favorite of the 6). Wanting to see more of the bounty hunters myself, I opted to have the three most visually interesting in a shootout of some sort. The Galaxies 4 packs are out in stores currently. Happy Hunting!!


Muppets!
Another of those life long geek fantasies came true when I was offered the cover assignments for the Muppet Robin Hood series! (at one point in my life, I had thought about trying to become a puppet builder at either the NY or London Henson shops). I have 3 of the 4 done currently, but I can only share cover #1 for now. It was a huge pleasure and I look forward to drawing more muppets and sharing the results with you guys.


Strathmore:
Fans of Katie Cook's blog knows she was one of the artists asked to do cover illustrations and a bio comic for Strathmore paper's new comic-art line of paper sizes and products. I did the artwork that appears on the 300 series. It features a Scottish Grasshopper and Ladybug amongst the thistle (Strathmore was founded in Scotland and their logo is the thistle).



So that should cover it for a bit. Thanks for all the feedback from the month of Old Time Radio! I'm glad people enjoyed it and hope people unfamiliar gave it a try.

Feb. ,Mar. , & April....
Last month was crazy because of all the traveling we did. New York, back to Michigan, Fairbanks, back to Michigan, San Francisco, and back to Michigan. They were all great trips that I enjoyed, but now I have a mountain of deadlines staring me down for all of March and spilling into April.

So while I'm back home again, I may be slow to respond to e-mails, requests, comments, etc.




Alaska:
I was invited to Alaska by Greg Hill, who is the director of the Fairbanks Public Library. He started a program a few years ago called 'Guys Read' aimed at improving the attitude boys have about reading right at the age where their reading comprehension scores drop in the 4th grade. Adult males volunteer to go to the public schools and read the first chapter of a graphically packed book aloud (with the images from the book) projected behind them. The schools then receive several copies of those books so the boys can check out the rest of the story. The reading goes on for a number of weeks until there is a party at the public library for the boys who participated. I was invited up to be the special guest at the party, and read Mouse Guard Fall 1152 aloud (and in character voices) to the boys.


I was also invited to give a lecture/presentation at the University of Alaska Fairbanks as well as teach a workshop there on comic storytelling. The workshop went well. I feel I lingered too long on talking about the process when I should have had them just start on the process, but live and learn. The students all seemed happy with the workshop and I feel we covered some great ground.



And special thanks to Greg, Clare, Jamie, and Diane for making our trip so comfortable.

And rounding out the month of Old Time Radio…

The Life of Riley

genre: family comedy w/funny neighbors
This one was hard to choose. I wanted to feature a family comedy, but couldn’t pick which one to focus on (the other suggestions listed below are all the runners up). I picked Riley because it really is one of the first rungs of making the archetype family comedy. The show follows the day to day of the Riley family. Chester A. Riley is the father/husband character who is a working stiff but wants to get ahead. He is a precursor to such TV husbands as Ralph Cramden and Homer Simpson. Loving and patient wife Peg makes sure the family doesn’t fall apart with Chester’s antics, and children Babs and Junior complete the all-American family of the 1940’s. What I see as the highlight of the show is the helpful advice of the strange neighbor character (much like Wilson from Home Improvement). Digger O’Dell is the Riley’s neighbor and he is "your friendly undertaker". The writers did some lovely puns and jokes about the funeral business and Jim Gillis did a wonderful job making the character funny and slightly creepy at the same time.

Follow this link to 174(!) free episodes of The Life of Riley

If you like Life with Riley I also suggest My friend Irma, The Phil Harris Alice Faye show, The Great Gildersleeve, or Fibber McGee & Molly

I hope everyone had fun with these and tried a few episodes from each posting. And I'll be getting back to posting about Mouse Guard and artwork etc. soon.

Next on the Old Time Radio favorites…

The Whistler
genre: suspense/twist-ending/horror

Though this is one of the ‘lighter’ shows in this genre, it’s one of the best. The show always starts with an ominous 12 note whistled melody and the narration:

I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many
strange tales, hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the
shadows. Yes ... I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak.

The show would then go on with the Whistler narration the actions and inner thoughts of a character involved in some type of criminal activity. While we are mostly treated to the characters acting out their own lines, the Whistler will say things like “That’s right bill, and you thought you were so careful, but you didn’t think about your shoeprints. Many men must wear that shoe right Bill? You can’t be the only one…” expressing the doubts of the criminal to us the audience. The show almost always ends in a twist either because the criminal overlooked some detail or an ironic twist of fate changes the outcome.

Follow this link to 79 free episodes of The Whistler

If you liked The Whistler, I also suggest Lights Out, Suspense, The Inner Sanctum, or The Unexpected

Continuing on with my favorite Old Time Radio shows, we come to...

Richard Diamond
genre: detective/hardboiled

The setup was simple and predictable, but in the best way, because it worked. The title character, Richard Diamond is a private detective in New York City. His redhead girlfriend Helen Asher calls him on the phone where they exchange some witty banter about Richard coming over to her Park Ave. Apartment that night. A client showing up cuts the call short. Diamond goes through his ‘$100 a day plus expenses fee’ charge (which always shocks the client) and the case gets going. Somewhere along the way the 5th precinct’s Lt. Walt Levinson and Sgt. Otis Ludlum (think commissioner Gordon and a loveable but dimwitted detective Bullock from Batman) get involved
In the end the case is solved and Richard goes to Helen’s and sings a song.
This show was great at combining crime, humor, action, romance, and singing.

Follow this link to 52 free episodes of Richard Diamond Private Detective

If you liked Richard Diamond, I would also suggest Boston Blackie, Broadway is my Beat, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, or Nero Wolfe

Old Time Radio:
I am a big fan of Old Time Radio, and I think you should be to. My Dad was a little boy in the heyday of Radio, so he would share with us kids some old recordings of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy or Abbot & Costello. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I sort of ‘rediscovered’ old radio shows. On a late drive home, I stumbled on an AM station that was playing an episode of Richard Diamond Private Detective. I was hooked. I found that Old Time Radio is the perfect thing to listen to when I’m working. Both XM and Sirius radio have a station dedicated to it and there are several sites to find episodes online for free. So every Saturday in Feb. I’ll be sharing one of my favorite shows.

The Shadow
genre: crime solving (super)hero
“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men…The Shadow knows!” On September 26th 1937 Orson Wells became Lamont Cranston aka the Shadow for radio listeners of the time. The Shadow was already a popular character in the pulp magazine of his own name, but his radio persona became a new line of continuity for him. The radio show changed the character to have the power to “cloud men’s minds” both hypnotising them and making himself invisible to their eyes. This was, evidently, done to help speed along the show not spening narration time describing how the shadow was hiding or crouched or staying out of sight in general. The radio show also introduced the character Margo Lane as the Shadow’s love interest and crime solving companion.

Folow this link to 10 free episodes of The Shadow

If you liked the Shadow, I also fully recommend:
Superman, Challenge of the Yukon, or The Saint

New York Comic Con:

I will be at the New York Comic Con . I'll be spending most of my time at my table in Artist's Alley (I3), but I will also have some signing times at the ASP booth (949). And ASP just informed me we will have 500 copies of Winter #5 available! We should also have copies of the RPG, Fall 1152, and the other Winter issues at the ASP booth.

Top Cow is going to be releasing the cover I did for the Dragon Prince as a NYCC exclusive cover to issue #4. I will be signing Dragon Prince Covers at the Top Cow booth, though times are still TBA.

Cursed Pirate Girl

Jeremy Bastian's book Cursed Pirate Girl is currently in Previews (page 286 order code: FEB09 4407) Followers of this blog may know that I'm a big fan of Jeremy's work and so I'm very happy to see the first issue solicited. Cursed Pirate Girl is an all-ages nautical fairytale with some Lewis Carol influence. I think that fans of Mouse Guard will love this book too. Unfortunately there seems to be a mix-up in the previews listing...it has Jeremy AND I listed as doing the artwork. To be clear, I contributed a pin-up. Which can be seen here. Cursed Pirate Girl is 100% Jeremy Bastian goodness (he inks the whole thing with a brush!! A BRUSH!!!) Jeremy also just relaunched his website, keep checking it for news on his book and artwork.

Mr. Stuffins:

Boom Studios asked me to do some covers for their new Mr. Stuffins series. The book is about a Teddy-Ruxbin style stuffed bear that is programed more the the vein of 007 than a kid's best friend. So I did 3 covers saluting the spy/espionage genre starting with #1 a car chase (with one of my favorite classic cars, a 1957 Corvette). I don't have solicitation dates yet, but keep your eye out for it in previews.

Travels...

I will be out-of-town for almost all of Feb. We start with NYCC and then a 12 day trip to Fairbanks Alaska for several events as part of the Guys Read program (more on that once I get back) and the last leg of the trip is Wondercon. What this means is that I will be out of reach for next month and won't be able to do my normal blog posts or respond to as many e-mails. I do plan on having some pre-written posts throughout Feb. that I can quickly make 'live' all about Old Time Radio.

So until March, see ya folks!

(My sister-in-law will be staying here with the dog, so pet lovers, don't get worried about Autumn)