Online ENnie Award voting

The Mouse Guard RPG is nominated for 3 ENnie awards!

Best Interior Art, Best Production Value, Best Product of the Year.

The winners are determined by online popular vote (which are only open for a few more days), So the only way we can win is if fans make a push and vote. You don't have to vote for every category, so if you only want to support Mouse Guard in your voting, that's fine.

Here is the link to the ballot, and thank you in advance!

http://www.ennie-awards.com/voting/ballot.asp

(SDCC wrap-up post coming soon with info on '09 sketchbooks etc.)

SDCC Info dump *UPDATE*

San Diego Comic Con '09:
I'll be spending most of my time in Artist's Alley AA03. I'll also be signing at the Archaia Booth 2635 once per day. Check the Archaia booth for a schedule of my signing times as well as the signing times of other Archaia creators.

2 new products available for the first time at SDCC:

Winter 1152 Hardcover. 192 pages collecting the 6 issues of the comic series plus an epilogue, and guide pages. Foreword by Dinotopia creator James Gurney. (these will be available at the Archaia booth*)


*Also available: Fall 1152, and the Mouse Guard RPG at the Archaia booth

Panels:
I'll be involved in 4 panels this year (possibly 5, but here are the 4 confirmed):
It will be 5:

Friday July 24th: 11:30-12:30 Comics Arts Conference Session #6: Can College Prepare Creators for Comics Careers?
Ben Templesmith, Stephan Pastis, Hope Larson, David Petersen, Nick Langly, Mark Head

Friday July 24th: 1:00-2:00 Archaia/The Jim Henson Company: The Perfect Publishing Partnership— Learn about the fantasy titles the publisher has in store, including a new Mouse Guard volume (with creator David Petersen), Artesia (with creator Mark Smylie), Okko, and Primordia. Then find out more about the partnership The Jim Henson Company and Archaia have formed to create comics and graphic novels based on such beloved properties as Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, MirrorMask, and Fraggle Rock, as well as all-new, original concepts! Hear more about this venture with Henson's director of publishing and development Joe LeFavi, Archaia's director of development Stephen Christy, and a few surprise guests as creative teams are announced and publishing plans are discussed. All attendees will receive a free Archaia/Henson poster featuring a new piece of art! Room 4

Saturday July 25th 5:00-6:00 Graphic Novels Sense of History
Rick Geary, Stan Sakai, Chris Schweizer, Eric Shanower, & David Petersen

Sunday, July 26th 11:30-12:30 Spotlight on David Petersen.
David Petersen will talk about his Eisner Award winning series Mouse Guard, how it came to be, the process that makes it happen, and what the future holds for his mice. Discussion will be moderated by Nick Tapalansky. audience Q&A will follow the moderated discussion.
*There will be an exclusive given away at the panel.*

Sunday, July 26th 1:30-2:30
Comic and Graphic Novels for all Ages
Jimmy Gownley, Kazu Kibuishi, Chris Schweizer, Jeff Smith, David Petersen, & Lex Farjado

Regarding sketches etc:

Sketches: I plan on doing free quick mouse doodles in any Mouse Guard hardcover (either purchased at the show or brought from home.).

I value the time at shows to talk to fans, answer questions, sign books, take photos etc. I’ll prioritize interacting with fans before anything,

This should answer any SDCC Q’s…but feel free to post other Q’s as comments and I’ll try to answer them ASAP.

Cannot Display Webpage...
mouseguard.net and davidpetersen.net are currently down because of a fire at the hosting site:

Due to a fire that has disrupted power to one of our data centers, some customer services are currently offline. This outage impacts some web hosting customers and VPS customers as well as email services. Power is being restored in the data center and we are currently working to restore connectivity and systems to bring services back online. There is currently no ETA. All available resources at the data center are working to restore services
*Edit 7-4* Looks like it's back up and everything is A-OK*

Recent work:

*EDIT* FIXED link to image!!!!*

Upcoming Appearances:

San Diego Comic Con: July 22-26

Wizard World Chicago: August 6-9

Signing at Paradise Comics Toronto: Aug. 22

Dragon Con: Sep. 4-7

Windy City Con: Sept. 19

Long Beach Comic Con: Oct. 2-4

Baltimore Comic Con: Oct. 10-11

Mouse Guard Live Readings in the Michigan Area: TBA

Dames & Monsters '09 & Muppet Peter Pan #2

Dames & Monsters:
For the 2009 Emerald City Comic con, I was one of several artists (Frank Cho, Stuart Immonen, Bruce Timm, Scott Morse, Ted Naifeh, +42 other very talented folks) who did a piece of art in the Dames and Monsters convention book. (From what I understand there may be a few left if you e-mail the convention organizers). The original artwork is being auctioned off for the Seattle Children's Hospital. So bid bid bid people (hey it's for charity!)
All the auctioned artwork is on ebay here or
you can bid on my piece here

Muppet Peter Pan #2:I saw that Boom put up the cover for the 2nd issue of Muppet Peter Pan. I still am having a really great time doing these covers and I'm thrilled to be able to draw the Muppet characters in all these locations/costumes/story scenarios. "Thanks Boom! I'll keep drawing them as long as you will have me!" For this cover, I was happy to flourish up Gonzo as Captain Hook. Gonzo is my favorite Muppet, so I take even more pleasure in drawing him. I thought about having the feather in his hat be the tail feathers of a chicken that sat on his head under the hat...but I decided to go more traditional (and since I don't think that's in the story it was just embelishment for my own glee) However, note the chicken motif on the ship's railing and the pommel of Gonzo's saber.

Mouse Guard RPG wins 2009 Origins Award for best Role Playing Game!!

Luke Crane did a wonderful translation of my Mouse Guard world into a playable and fun game. He and I talked early on that the game had to be something more than just an RPG where you happen to be mice, one that really took the scale and the lifestyle of my characters and made the mechanics focus on it. So thank you Luke! And now it has won RPG of the year 2009 upsetting Dungeons and Dragons 4th edition. Even though Mouse Guard uses only 6 sided dice, I think it just rolled a natural 20.

You can find out more about the Mouse Guard RPG at:
Burning Wheel's Mouse Guard RPG forum or Archaia




Social Networking:
I am excited about the use of social networking and its relationship between fans and creators (being a creator who also is a fan of other creators). I now use Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and this Blog (and that's not counting regular ol' e-mail.) I want to invite all of my fans to use the Blog, MySpace, and Twitter to keep in touch and connect/comment/question/compliment/or complain. However, I'd like to keep Facebook as a more personal site for friends and family I know personally and keep in touch with. I'm not trying to complain here, I just want fans to know that if I have ignored a Facebook request it's not a snub, just please contact me through one of the other venues.



Fan Art Redux:

A few posts back I mentioned how Walter Harris did a great job on his Mouse guard action figures he made from Ewoks. Well, he's been at it again and now has 3 'waves' (1: Saxon, Kenzie & Lieam. 2: Sadie, Celanawe, & Midnight. & 3: Rand, Conrad & Gwendolyn.) Take a look at his site for detail photos of all the characters. Thanks again Walter!

Upcoming Appearances:
San Diego Comic Con: July 22-26
Wizard World Chicago: August 6-9
Signing at Paradise Comics Toronto: Aug. 22
Dragon Con: Sep. 4-7
Windy City Con: Sept. 19
Long Beach Comic Con: Oct. 2-4
Baltimore Comic Con: Oct. 10-11
Mouse Guard Live Readings in the Michigan Area: TBA



Next Time (or soon thereafter): SDCC info...

Trivia Winners:

1st place: Bo Harris

2nd place: Morgen Dukes

3rd place: John Brown

Runner Ups: Bree Smith, Geoffery Wong, Sharon Wong, Brandon Klassen, & Nick Nemphos.

(Winners, please e-mail me shipping addresses to get your prizes off to you.)

Thanks to everyone who entered! I had to be VERY strict on the judging and enforce some spelling penalties (especially with the spelling of MY name). There were a few Questions that I want to make not of and a marked with *'s in the key below:

Answer Key:

Matchup:
Kenzie : Blue
Saxon : Red
Rand : Yellow
Lieam : Green
Sadie : Purple
Gwendolyn : Silver
Midnight : Black
Sienna : Orange

Name Meanings:
Saxon: Sword
Kenzie: Wise
Rand: Shield

History:
who was the 4th matriarch of the Guard: Laria
based on the RPG, what is Kenzie’s birth year? 1121
When did Lieam join the Guard? Winter 1149*

Real life counterparts:
Who is the character Saxon based on? David (Petersen)
Who is the character Lieam based on? Emerson (Jones)
Who is the character Kenzie based on? Jesse (Glenn)

Misc.
Has Rand ever killed a Snake? No.
How many different swords have we seen Lieam use? 3
What does the inscription read on the compass lid of Loukas’ sword?
Wander where you will the grove of oaks stands no taller than your bravery
What was Landra’s job prior to taking over for Rand? Quartermaster
What is the motto above the door in Gwendolyn’s office?
It matters not what you fight but what you fight for
What did the mice use to mark the grave of the grain merchant?
A piece of his hat
What type of bed does Celanawe use?
Hammock
How many of Midnight’s army were left outside the gates of Lockhaven?
114
In the game Saxon and Kenzie play in the Casks, which mouse is apparently winning?
Kenzie
What poison was found in Rand’s leg bandage?
Hemlock
What inscription is over the door in Lockhaven’s Cookery?
Only what ye need and not a morsel more
What baked good is Lockhaven known for?
Gabcroon

Geography:
What city is the Easternmost on the Mouse Territories map? Wolfepointe
What three cities are listed as having fallen on the map? Woodruff’s Grove, Ferndale. & Walnutpeck **
What city is mentioned in the story, but not shown on the map? Windselm ***
Where was Sadie stationed prior to the Fall of 1152? Frostic

Hidden Gems:
What series & issue shows a mousey Han & Luke? Fall 1152, Issue #3 (pg 10)
What is hidden amongst the bones on the cover of Winter #4? Millenium Falcon

Publication:
When (year) do I date the first Mouse Guard drawings? 1996
What was the company I used to publish the first black and white issue of Mouse Guard: Comixpress
To whom is Fall 1152 in loving memory of? Gilbert and Doris Petersen
List the pinup artists in order:
Guy Davis, Rick Cortes, Mark Smylie, Jeremy Bastian, Geof Darrow, Stan Sakai, Craig Rousseau, Nate Pride, Jane Irwin.

*Several places I refer to Lieam having joined the Guard in the Winter War of 1149, however, I found that the RPG has a misprint that says he joined 2 years ago...taking into consideration that the RPG is set up in the same time as the comics thus far (1152), the match comes out to be 1150, which I also accepted.

**The city names were the biggest trip-up for the entries. More people got this wrong than any other, and it came down to spelling. I felt bad at first that the map's text, which is handwritten, was hard to read with the strikethrough, but I found that the cities are listed in the printed text of the RPG and 2 of the cities are printed in dialogue in Winter #1.

***Another one I didn't expect to get more than 1 answer to consider correct. Glen Stone was submitted and I had to accept it. While I hadn't ever done much with it other than place it in the song lyrics (not even having decided if it were real or fictional), the reality is that it was mentioned and is therefore also correct.

Contest Rules:
Paste the questions & answers into an e-mail and submit them to ericebon (at) hotmail.com.
The answers should all be available in the Fall Hardcover, the Winter issues, the RPG, this blog and or various online interviews. The contest will be open for 1 week. Entries must be recieved by 6-19 at 12:01 AM (EST).
Correct answers will take priority over speed, but speed may be used in the event of a tie.
Only one entry per person. Winners will be announced on this blog between 6-22 & 6-27

Prizes:
First place: 2 six foot long Mouse Guard banners (my former convention banners) AND an original piece of Artwork.

Second Place: A set of the convention sketchbooks (one with an original sketch on the inside front cover) AND a signed Winter #1

Third Place: A 2008 sketchbook AND a signed Winter #1

5 Runner-ups will recieve: A Mouse Guard poster and buttons.


Questions:
Matchup:
main cloak color:
Kenzie
Saxon
Rand
Lieam
Sadie
Gwendolyn
Midnight
Sienna

Black
Red
Green
Orange
Blue
Yellow
Silver
Purple

Name Meanings:
Saxon:
Kenzie:
Rand:

History:
Who was the 4th matriarch of the Guard?
Based on the RPG, what is Kenzie’s birth year?
When did Lieam join the Guard?

Real life counterparts:
Who is the character Saxon based on?
Who is the character Lieam based on?
Who is the character Kenzie based on?

General Q's:

Has Rand ever killed a Snake?

How many different swords have we seen Lieam use?
What does the inscription read on the compass lid of Loukas’ sword?
What was Landra’s job prior to taking over for Rand?
What is the motto above the door in Gwendolyn’s office?
What did the mice use to mark the grave of the grain merchant?
What type of bed does Celanawe use?
How many of Midnight’s army were left outside the gates of Lockhaven?
In the game Saxon and Kenzie play in the Casks, which mouse is apparently winning?
What poison was found in Rand’s leg bandage?
What inscription is over the door in Lockhaven’s Cookery?
What baked good is Lockhaven known for?

Geography:
What city is the Easternmost on the Mouse Territories map?

What three cities are listed as having fallen on the map?
What city is mentioned in the story, but not shown on the map?
Where was Sadie stationed prior to the Fall of 1152?

Hidden Gems:
What series & issue shows a mousey Han & Luke?
What is hidden amongst the bones on the cover of Winter #4?

Publication:
When (year) do I date the first Mouse Guard drawings?
What was the company I used to publish the first black and white issue of Mouse Guard?
To whom is Fall 1152 in loving memory of?
List the pinup artists in order:

Muppet Robin Hood #4 & Peter Pan #1

Muppet Covers:

Here are the covers for Muppet Robing Hood #4 and Muppet Peter Pan #1. The Robin Hood cover was in some ways an homage to Disney's Robin Hood...it was the narrator in the Disney film, but with Kermit's connection to the banjo, I thought it was fitting.

Peter Pan #1 was a bit complicated. When I was given the go-ahead, the final scrips hadn't been approved. So you may have seen a cover of mine with Robin as the Michael character. This version was used in Diamond and seems to have made it around the interweb. After the change was made to Bean Bunny, I fixed the artwork so the book could print with the correction. The next Peter Pan covers have Gonzo as Hook and the Lost Boys (waka waka!!)

Mouse Guard Contest:
I have mentioned in previous posts that I wanted to do a contest for the blog and for the fans. So here is how it will work: I will be posting a list of trivia questions at 12:01 AM on June 12th. e-mail back the answers....it will be as easy as that. The prizes will include: Original Mouse Guard artwork, My old 6' show banners, a set of sketchbooks, and signed books and posters. So check back to enter (and for further rules.

Snowy Valentine's Day:

I'm not able to post much artwork, but I'm getting into the final coloring stages for Snowy Valentine's Day. The publisher was drawn to my Wind in the Willows illustrations where I used fabric textures for the clothing on the characters. Julia and I went to a fabric store and spent a good hour just snapping photos of patterns and textures we thought would be helpful. I'm trying to wrap the interiors up this weekend, otherwise the book could be pushed back a year! (book publishing schedules are set way in advance and since SVD is a holiday book, if we miss the window for 2011, it goes to 2012).

Ink and Stein:

The first Ink and Stein was a huge success!! We had a larger turnout than we expected, got folks in for the local area and even brought in a few from the Lansing area. We had a few writers show up, which we hadn't planned on, but I was pleased they came. The whole idea is to get creative people around each other talking about and working on creative things. If Ink and Stein can bring writers and artists together to collaborate on ideas or help each other with their thought process, I'm all for it!

The next Ink and Stein will be June 27th (more info to come)

Fan Art:

Katie Cook drew this a while ago, but I saw it again at the Motor City con and thought I'd post it. Thanks Katie!!!

Upcoming Apearances:

Heroes Con: June 19-21

Detroit Comics Reading Club: (edit: date postponed)

San Diego Comic Con: July 22-26

Mouse Guard #6 In stores today!

The conclusion of Winter 1152 is available at your local comic shop today! In addition to wrapping the story, it includes the 2nd Mouse Guard Ballad (download will be available later this summer) as well as a pinup from Jane Irwin.

Original Artwork:

Pages: As usual, the original artwork for the issue is available now that the issue has been released. You can find available pages listed at the for sale section of the mouseguard.net site. or just click here

Cover #6: This time I'm handling the cover differently. With past issues, I get inquires about the cover long before the issue is out and I'm having to tell people to wait and then offer it to the first person to e-mail me the day the issue hits stores. This time, I figured I'd put it on ebay and let that be the method of sorting out who gets it. The auction is located here.

Also in stores today:

Muppet Robin Hood #1 & Cursed Pirate Girl #1

In addition to doing a piece of work for each of these books (a cover and a pinup) I am a fan of each of the properties and really believe in them. So if you like Muppets and/or Nautical Faerie Tales, pick up these books!

Ink and Stein:

Reminder that this Saturday (5/30) is the first Ink and Stein gathering at Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, MI. Ink and Stein is a social gathering for artists to work and share their ideas, techniques, and camaraderie with other artists in the area. We will meet at 7pm. If you are an artists and want to participate, bring your paper and pencil and we will see you there!

Contest:

I know I hinted a while ago about an upcoming contest that could make some hard to find items available as prizes. I have not forgotten...I just had to straighten out the terms of the contest. I had something very elaborate planned, but in better judgement have scaled back the entry requirement/commitment. I'll post more about it in the next month or so.

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!!