NYT Bestsellers Week 4:
I don't know how I can still be surprised anymore, but I am!
Mouse Guard Winter 1152 is at #9. You can check out the full list here: NYT Bestsellers Graphic Novels

Dragon*Con:

I will be set up at Dragon Con (Sept 4-7) in the Artist Alley. In attendance will also be Mythbuster Adam Savage. I didn't get to meet him at SDCC (despite my bribe of a free drawing to both him and whatever fan of mine brought him to my table). I hope that perhaps I'll get meet him at this show...and I'm making the same offer...

Puppet contest:
Last week, I posted about the TVTV Puppet Contest. Well here is my entry: The Snail. He was a puppet I built when I was 16 or so. Unfortunately, I had used permanent marker to trace my pattern and it showed through on the seams and where I had mis-traced. He had also lost his eyes over the years, so I gave him a makeover. He got a puffy paint stippled texture to mask the marker and cool button and feather eyes.

New Runners:
A while back I mentioned Sean Wang's awesome comic Runners (This is a pinup I did for him exploring the past crew seen in a flashback from the first series). Sean has been posting pages a every day from the first series leading up to this coming week, when Runners: The Big Snow Job starts! So if you like classic Star Wars and awesome ship and alien designs, check out Runners.



Fan Art:
This piece comes from Ryan Cabral who sent me this awesomely moody nighttime piece. I like how cinematic it feels. Thanks Ryan!!
Upcoming Appearances:
Dragon Con: Sep. 4-7
Windy City Con: Sept. 19
Detroit Comics' Book Club: Sept. 25
Long Beach Comic Con: Oct. 2-4
Baltimore Comic Con: Oct. 10-11
Mouse Guard Live Readings in the Michigan Area: TBA

3rd week on NYTimes Bestsellers!
Winter 1152 has stayed on the NYTimes Bestsellers list for Hardcover Graphic Novels for its 3rd week! After last week of it getting to 8 of 10 (while still thrilled I was ON the list at all) I figured it was the end. But thanks to fans suggesting it to new-yet-to-be-fans, it has hung on! We will see what next week brings!

Indie RPG awards:
Mouse Guard won 3 of the Indie RPG awards handed out at Gen Con: Game of the Year, Best Support, and Best Production. I'm thrilled Mouse Guard won these! Thanks to Luke Crane & his crew for such a great game. You can read more about the Indie Award results & comments on why we won here


Mouse Guard Playlist:
A fan was commenting on Twitter about what kind of music would be good for his Mouse Guard RPG adventure. It got me thinking that while Ballad of the Ivory Lass is available on the MG site (and the ballad from issue #6 is coming soon), I could round out the list with music I use while I'm working on Mouse Guard to evoke the mood I'm after in the storytelling. So here is a list:
(and I'm interested in your suggestions as well, feel free to post them as a comment in this post)

-Howard Shore: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship, Two Towers, & Return of the King:
Pretty much everything on these soundtracks is appropriate and was listened to heavily while I worked on Mouse Guard Fall & Winter. Highlights are Concerning Hobbits (for any town/mouse settlement/mouse culture pages) The Hornburg, & The Grey Havens.

-Trevor Jones & Randy Edelman: Last of the Mohicans:
Again, this whole album is great and most of it fits with scenes in Mouse Guard thematically. The Main Title, Ambush, & The Kiss are my favorites though.

-Simon and Garfunkel: Monday Morning 3AM:
Odd choice, I know...but one of their takes on a traditional ballad is right in line with Mouse guard and was something I listened to before trying my hand at writing one: Peggy-O

-Natalie Merchant: Ophelia:
Same reason as Simon & Garfunkel, only this time it's her take on the traditional When The Ring the Golden Bells that served as inspiration.

Winter Black and White:
I don't know if I have been given a full green light on a Winter version of the Black and White limited ed. hardcover we did for Fall, but I was asked to mock-up the cover for it...which is a good sign! I wanted to share it here. I'll let everyone know more, when I know more (including pre-order info etc.)


Convention Sketches:
I like sharing these from time to time. Some of these I finished just today, some of these I found saved on my camera's memory stick and I never posted them. For those new to the blog/Mouse Guard, I do commissions at shows that are 7" x 7" on 12" x 12" bristol. I do not have an open list and do not take names outside of conventions. Some of these are requests of the person getting the piece, others are my own ideas (though this time they all seem to be requests).

Translvania TV:
Gordon Smuder, who has been a supporter of Mouse Guard, is one of the minds behind Transylvania TV, an adult-humor puppet show with online webisodes. Gordon is the performer for Furry J. Ackermonster, an albino Yeti. I love the design of the character and I think he's my favorite on the show, so I did this fan-art for them. Right now the show is running a contest to get your own handmade puppet into one of their episodes! (I have my entry already photographed and ready to send in!)


Fan Art:
Issac Thayer, is a great kid whom I have met before at the Chicago Comic-Con. He and his Dad were at this year's show again and Issac was cool enough to give me a bunch of Mouse Guard fan art! I picked this one out of the batch because I liked the use of shading using tone rather than line. Keep up the good work Issac!

Upcoming Appearances:
Dragon Con: Sep. 4-7
Windy City Con: Sept. 19
Detroit Comics' Book Club: Sept. 25
Long Beach Comic Con: Oct. 2-4
Baltimore Comic Con: Oct. 10-11
Mouse Guard Live Readings in the Michigan Area: TBA

Muppet Peter Pan #3

Muppet Peter Pan #3:

Here is the cover I did for Muppet Peter Pan #3. The direction I was given was "a Kermit and the Lost Boys cover". I had a blast drawing Animal (the first time I have done so for the Boom covers). I love doing these and hope Boom will continue to ask me to contribute.

Peter Pan #1 will be in-stores mid-September with the rest of the series following monthly.

Fresh Ink:
Today on G4's Attack of the Show segment Fresh Ink, Blair Butler named Mouse Guard Winter 1152 as one of the "five trades you should be reading"! Thanks to Blair and ATOS for the spotlight! G4 usually replays ATOS later the same night and again the following morning before the new episode airs at 7pm, so if you missed it you can try and catch a re airing.
*edit* You can watch the Fresh Ink segment online here

New York Times... AGAIN!

Mouse Guard Winter 1152 has stayed on the New York Times Best Sellers list for the 2nd week! Pretty amazing I think! You can take a look at the other 9 Hardcover Graphic Novels that made the list as well by following this link.

Old Time Radio:

As I have said before in blog posts (a, b, c, & d), I am a fan of Old Time Radio. I have Sirius Satellite Radio (channel 118 is the OTR channel) and between that and various OTR sites with free downloads, I'm able to program an entire work day with a playlist of the stuff.

I wanted to share a few sites I use and suggest that if you have a job where you can listen to radio without being distracted by phone calls/customers/etc...OTR is one of your best options.

Here are some great sites:

OTR.net: http://www.otr.net/

Radio Lovers.com: http://www.radiolovers.com/

Old Time Radio Downloads.com: http://oldtimeradiodownloads.com/

Ink and Stein:

This Month's gathering is quickly approaching! For those who don't know, Ink & Stein is a gathering at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, MI for artists & writers to spend an evening working on their work, sharing ideas, getting critiqued, making contacts, and overall-having a good time. This Month the date is Aug. 29th at 7pm. If you can't make this month's gathering, try us again the last Saturday of every month.

Fan Art:

Michael Murray(age 10) hand delivered this piece of artwork to me at the Chicago Comic-Con! Thanks Michael for the fan art and for coming to my table at the convention. If you would like your fan art to appear on the blog, email it to me at ericebon (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Upcoming Appearances:
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

New York Times...?!?!

While in Chicago, I received several calls from Archaia staff congratulating me and informing me that Mouse Guard Winter 1152 made the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover graphic novels! Obviously I am thrilled and amazed to have Mouse Guard or my name in the same sentence as "New York Times Bestseller". The Winter collection debuted at #4. We will see what the coming weeks will hold.

Charles Christopher

I have become a BIG fan of Karl Kerschl and his webstrip the Abominable Charles Christopher. For me Karl is making a strip on the level of Calvin and Hobbes. Don't click the link looking for a direct comparison of strips though...what I mean is that he has a full emotion range (from HAHAHA, to Awwww, to sob!) and his draftsmanship on par with some of the top in the visual storytelling field. So I was thrilled when he offered to let me do a guest strip! It was a few weeks ago now, but here is the link.

Black Axe info

At my spotlight panel in San Diego, I talked about the upcoming Mouse Guard: Black Axe series. CBR covered the panel and you can read their report here. The basics of the new series are: It's a prequel, It will have 2 familiar mice from the Fall/Winter stories as younger mice, They travel off the map, and the series will start early next year. I also wanted to share this image that I teased at the panel. I gave away this free print to all the fans in San Diego.

Archaia+Henson=YAY!

I'm thrilled that my publisher and the Jim Henson company have teamed to produce new stories of Henson properties (Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Fraggle Rock, etc, etc, etc....) but also to create new material together. I was fortunate enough to not only be a part of the panel in San Diego that announced the partnership, but I was asked to do the poster artwork for the announcement featuring the Dark Crystal! Creative teams for the books have not been announced yet other than the news of Brian Froud doing covers and creative direction for Labyrinth and Dark Crystal. I do not have any of these posters, Archaia is the only source, but I did hear rumblings at Archaia that it may get reprinted for future cons. You can read coverage of the panel at CBR.

Fan Art:

This piece was given to me by Amanda Estey. Thank you Amanda! I agree Mice with swords are awesome (mice with staffs, bows, maces, axes, slings, daggers and shields are pretty cool too)

if you want to see your fan art here, e-mail it to ericebon (at) hotmail (dot) com

Upcoming Appearances:

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

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.