Shorter posts:

For a while it looks like I'll be doing shorter blogposts. With a current lack of ready-to-go material I can share, coupled with months of impending deadlines, I don't have as much to contribute on a weekly basis. I still plan on some doing some special, topical, and unique posts (like interviews with all the Legends of the Guard creators!).

Muppets vs Sesame Street:

At the Comic Geek Speak Supershow there was a fan who had a sketchbook of all Muppets vs Sesame Street characters. There were a lot of really clever ones (Piggy vs The Count in a Buffy homage, Pigs in Space vs the Yip Yip aliens, Kermit from the Muppet Show vs Sesame Street News reporter Kermit...) I opted for a bizarre match of rock, paper, scissors between the Great Gonzo and Forgetful Jones.

Fan Art:

This week's fan art is from gamer Donnie Chase who has done a number of character portraits for his Mouse Guard RPG group. This one is named Hudson.

If you would like your fan art to be shown here, please email it to ericebon (at) hotmail (dot) com

Upcoming Appearances:*
C2E2 (Archaia Booth): April 16-18
Graham Crackers Comics Chicago, IL May 1st (FCBD)
Motor City Con: May 14-16
San Diego (Artist Alley): July 22-25
Baltimore Comic Con: August 28-29

*more 2010 dates may be added

From the Vault: Art History Comic

German Expressionism project:
From the vault, I dug out a 20th Century Art History project. The professor, being a huge comic fan, allowed me to do my project in comic form. At the time, this may be the longest series of sequential pages I had ever done in a row. Parts I am still proud of conceptually (having the die brucka group being knights with a castle on a bridge) and parts that completely fell apart (I didn't do much explanation to the blue rider group, or tie in the western idea to the subject matter.) Here are the 7 pages:

Click for more info on :Die Brucka, The Blue Rider Group, Ernst Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Emil Nolde, Max Pechsein, Wassily Kandinsky, & Franz Marc

Walt Simonson:

This past weekend at the Comic Geek Speak Supershow, I was able to get a nice chat in with Walt Simonson. We talked about strategy games, inking implements, wars, 60's sci fi, puppets, and idyllic places to live. Walt seems to be one of those people who no matter what subject matter a conversation turns to, he will have something meaningful to contribute. I look forward to chatting with him again in Baltimore.

Katie Cook Mini Paintings:
Are you a fan of Katie Cook? Own a collection of her mini paintings? have as much trouble as I did figuring out how to display/store them? Here is my solution! Because the paper size can vary, I needed a flexible method, not a stock card holder or mat size. I bought a small, blank photo album (the kind with plain black pages) I use photo corners to fix them to the page. The adhesive just needs to be moistened and it sticks to the page. This method allows you to remove the mini paintings for any reason (like needing to scan them). You can find photo corners and blank books like these at craft stores everywhere.

Fan Art:
Krystyl Cullins did this piece for her boyfriend Ryan (who shared it with me). Krystyl has a lot of work on her website, and it is some really nice stuff! Thanks Ryan and Krysyl!!!

Upcoming Appearances:*
C2E2 (Archaia Booth): April 16-18
Graham Crackers Comics Chicago, IL May 1st (FCBD)
Motor City Con: May 14-16
San Diego (Artist Alley): July 22-25
Baltimore Comic Con: August 28-29

*more 2010 dates may be added

Convention Etiquette

CGS Supershow:
This Saturday and Sunday I'll be at the Comic Geek Speak Supershow! I had a great time at their last show and I look forward to going again this time (at the very least just to see the next installment of Charlito's puppetshow). At this show I will be signing books (bring your own I will not have copies to purchase), Chatting with fans & free buttons, and I'll be doing small sketches. They will be on 6" x 6" bristol and sell for $40.



***EDIT: I wanted to clarify that the following is not a fans vs creators rant. I love conventions and I love meeting fans. My goal here is to look out for fans so that everyone has a good time***Convention Etiquette:
With the con season starting up, I wanted to talk about etiquette for convention attendees (I also plan to do a similar 'setting up at a show for your first time' post down the road that may cover some etiquette for those behind the table as well)

-Be polite!
Most of these suggestions will fall under this idea, but it bears repeating, whether dealing with other attendees or guests, you will get farther being nice and humble rather than being annoyed and demanding.

-Sketches/Commissions
Every artist is different, but the key is to follow whatever rules the artist puts out for their sketches/commissions. Even if you think it's unfair or too pricey, they made the rules for a reason. Some artists don't do this type of work at conventions, and no artist has to. They are not art-monkeys there to do the bidding of fans. Be glad you get the chance to interact with an artist and collect their original work. If something is out of your price range, simply & politely say that it is out of your range or say that you will consider it for later. It is a good idea to check with creators before a convention what their policy/rules/prices are so that you can be where you need to be with the correct amount of money.
-Convention Guests are people:
As an attendee it can be frustrating to get to see your favorite comic person, but remember that they have to eat and go to the bathroom. They may also have other obligations (being in panels, meetings, interviews, etc.) Often either the guest or a convention volunteer will post a message or have someone table watching who can tell you when the guest will be back. If you see a guest outside of the convention (in line at the food stand, in the bathroom, outside having a cigarette, etc.) It might be ok to say hello and that you appreciate their work, but limit it to something VERY quick and simple...use good judgement: would you approach a professor you recognize from college in this situation? and how much of their time would you take? Never ask for something to be signed in this way.
-Be mindful of a guest's space:
The table a guest sits at, and the space in front of it is their workspace. They are there to do a job...even if the only job is to have meaningful interactions with their
fans. Be very careful of the items they have displayed. Don't set your items on top of their table or display. Don't lean on those items either. And when you form a line for mega-star-guest, be mindful of who you are blocking with that line. Can that guest still be seen by convention goers? if someone wanted to buy their books/items could they fit between the table and your line? When I was in London, I found that the line (or 'queue' as they call it) stayed a good distance from my table, giving only the next person in line the personal time & space with me. It felt wonderful to not be crowded or have someone 4 people back in line interrupt the first person with a question for me.
-Asking for Critiques:
Many attendees go to conventions to try and 'break-in' to the comics industry. I think that is great and it shows a lot of courage to share your work like that. However, critiques (at least good ones) take time. So for a guest to give you anything meaningful means taking time away from other attendees. So try and ask when the guest does not have a line and offer to stand to the side if anyone comes. Also, a note on critiques: they are not meant to be flowery or praising. They should point out what you may be doing right, what you may be doing wrong, and how to perhaps reconcile the two. Don't try and lean a critique the direction you want it to go. Listen more than you respond. Don't make excuses for your work.

-Limit your time:
Don't occupy too much of any one creator's time. If there is a line, remember, each person should be able to get the same amount of time you have. To do this, you may have to cut conversations short (following up later if the line dies down) and limiting the amount of items you want signed. I'm always fine with someones collection of books or comics...because I only have 12 issues..but when you approach someone who has worked in the industry for decades, a stack of all their 1985-1994 issues is too much. Also signing more than 3 of the same book is a red flag that an attendee is planning to either e-bay or resell the books in their shop. Some guests frown on this, I tend to be ok with it so long as I don't have any fans in line and/or I'm not working on a commission for a fan.
-Be Clean:
This one always comes up a a joke, but it's always a factor at conventions: wash! Clean yourself every night, use deodorant. With the number of attendees who show up to conventions, it doesn't take to many stinkers before the whole place has an odor you can taste. On that same note, once you wash, keep washing! Throughout the day, it doesn't hurt to wash your hands or use a hand sanitiser. There is a lot of money handling, eating, and glad-handing that goes on at a convention, it's best to get rid of those germs every chance you get.

Fan Art:
Ryan Estrada who attends the Ypsi Ink & Stein group, gave this to me at our last meeting on Saturday. I overheard Ryan saying that he really enjoys Ink & Stein because it reminded him of how much he likes to draw, and I think it shows how much fun he had with this piece. Thanks Ryan!

Upcoming Appearances:*
CGS Supershow: March 27-28
C2E2 (Archaia Booth): April 16-18
Graham Crackers Comics Chicago, IL May 1st (FCBD)
Motor City Con: May 14-16
San Diego (Artist Alley): July 22-25
Baltimore Comic Con: August 28-29

*more 2010 dates may be added

Galaxies 5 Base Card & Alaska

Back from Alaska:
I had the pleasure of going back to Alaska this year. We visited some friends in Fairbanks for a few days. While in Fairbanks, I did a few live readings of Fall and Winter to local schools. Julia and I were also very happy to hit our favorite Thai restaurant (ever!) and get to see the 2010 world ice championship. The main purpose of our trip was to be a guest of the Alaskan Library Conference in Anchorage, where I gave a few presentations on Myself, Mouse Guard, and Graphic Storytelling. I think libraries and librarians are awesome! and it's really great to see them partnering with teachers to make comics and graphic novels a valid medium. You can see photos from our trip here.

Star Wars Exhibit:
Bosco's comics in Anchorage had me in for a signing and offered us tickets to the Star Wars-Imagination meets Science exhibit. I had been to a traveling Star Wars exhibit years ago and while there was some overlap, there were costumes, models, and props, I had not seen in person before. It was real treat for me and I thank Bosco's for the tickets! You can view my photos from the exhibit here.

Galaxies 5 Base Card:With Star Wars in mind, here is the artwork for my Galaxies 5 base card for Topps. They asked me to do a Luke card (a real honor) so I opted for Luke from my favorite of the movies: Empire Strikes Back. Here Luke is between worlds. While he wants to be a Jedi, and has his lightsaber on his belt, he's still quick to draw a blaster. His costume in this scene always read as more 'Han' to me than Jedi. This card was also an awesome excuse to draw R2.

Ink & Stein:

The new location was a huge success last month for our Michigan artist gathering. This month we have made one more change: the date. March 20th will be the date for this month's gathering. We decided to shift from the last Saturday of the month up to the THIRD SATURDAY of the month. We did this to avoid the end of the year holidays as well as several conventions that could hurt attendance. If you like to draw and you want to socialize while you do it, come on out to the Marriott at Eagle Crest in Ypsilanti 7-11pm.

Fan Art:
A fan with the alias Pendragon sent this fan art in. It's a mouse shaman. I'm not sure if his cloak is scales or feathers, or something like pine cone, but I really like the pattern. I like the idea of mice using materials they scavenge as well as ones they make. Thanks Pendragon!


Upcoming Appearances:*
CGS Supershow: March 27-28
C2E2 (Archaia Booth): April 16-18
Graham Crackers Comics Chicago, IL May 1st (FCBD)
Motor City Con: May 14-16
San Diego (Artist Alley): July 22-25
Baltimore Comic Con: August 28-29

*more 2010 dates may be added

Legends 1 in previews & Alaskan Interview

Legends of the Guard
Issue 1 of the Mouse Guard Anthology is now in previews (order code: MAR10 0699). I'm thrilled to share this cover and the info that Jeremy Bastian, Alex Shiekman, & Ted Naifeh have stories in this issue. All of the covers have stories associated with them as well. The legend the cover refers to will be printed on the inside front cover of each issue.

Interview with Multiversity comics
While I was in Anchorage, the guys from Multiversity Comics taped an interview with me about Mouse Guard. Here are the two segments:

Fan Art
Jacob Haynes sent this great panoramic fan art. You can check out Jacob's website to see his other artwork as well as his architectural models!






Upcoming Appearances:*
CGS Supershow: March 27-28
C2E2 (Archaia Booth): April 16-18
Graham Crackers Comics Chicago, IL May 1st (FCBD)
Motor City Con: May 14-16
San Diego (Artist Alley): July 22-25
Baltimore Comic Con: August 28-29

*more 2010 dates may be added

From the Vault: The Space Between Us

**I am away this week in Alaska. So this post was pre-typed and auto-posted for me **
The Space Between Us:
Many years ago, my friend Mike Davis was living out of state when he and I talked about making comics. Mike felt that he struggled with comics, especially when it came to drawing panels. He was confident with sketches or single illustrations, but not comics. So I proposed to him that he fill several pages of a sketchbook with doodles of the same characters, to also include locations, scribbles, anything from his sketchbook he liked. He would then mail me that book. I scanned all the various sketches and pages. In photoshop I cut and pasted and layered them into a digital collage until I worked up what I thought was a working story. Here for you are the results of that interesting collaboration.

Fan Art:Matthew Netzley sent me this artwork of his Mouse Guard Role Playing Character. Matthew also sent me the link to his gallery

Upcoming Appearances:*
----2010----
CGS Supershow: March 27-28
C2E2 (Archaia Booth): April 16-18

Graham Crackers Comics Chicago, IL May 1st (FCBD)
Motor City Con: May 14-16
San Diego (Artist Alley): July 22-25
Baltimore Comic Con: August 28-29
*more 2010 dates may be added

From the Vault: Maddie & the Monster

Maddy and the Monster:
Years ago, after seeing some of the mini books Jon Morris was doing, I started hand making books for family members as gifts (I still owe one to my youngest niece and don't know when I'll find the time to make it for her). This book was for Julia's cousin's daughter Maddy. With a smile on her face she would call me 'monster' when I came to gatherings with the sole expectation that I'd chase her.

Ink & Stein:
This month's Ink & Stein (Saturday the 27th) is at a new location!
Based on the huge success of the gatherings (we have been getting 15-20+ people per month) we felt the need to move the event. The Corner Brewery, our former home, seemed like the ideal location. But they refused to accommodate us. They wouldn't reserve us space without a charge, they treated us like we were in the way, and ultimately were rude to our group. "Sorry we brought a group in monthly willing to buy food and drink Corner Brewery, we will annoy someone else with our spending."

After Katie Cook scoured the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area for a new location she found the MARRIOTT at Eagle Crest! The space is full of tables and chairs that are spread out in a well lit area. This may make it easier for Ink & Stein-ers to socialize and not be locked into one seat as they were at the Brewery. The only drawback is the Bar closes at 11pm. However, it looks like we can hang out after that, but just not order any more.

So if you are an artist (or writer) in the Southeastern MI area, come join other like-minded folks the last Saturday of every month at the Ypsilanti Marriott at Eagle Crest from 7-11pm

Fan Art:
Jason Bradley sent this to me. His inspiration for the two panel strip was Steinbeck (obviously) and the Bugs Bunny Cartoons with Gossamer. Thanks Jason!


Upcoming Appearances:*
----2010----
Alaska Library Conference: March 4-7
CGS Supershow: March 27-28
C2E2 (Archaia Booth): April 16-18
Motor City Con: May 14-16
San Diego (Artist Alley): July 22-25
Baltimore Comic Con: August 28-29
*more 2010 dates may be added

Muppet Snow White:
Here is my cover for Muppet Snow White #1. I originally planned it for the cover of issue two, so it didn't make it into previews for solicitation, however, I have been given the go-ahead from Boom to share it. Snow is being played by Spamela Hamderson, while the 'dwarves' are the Electric Mayhem. Special thanks to Katie Cook who lent me some reference material to get this cover done.

Narnia:I recently borrowed the Narnia audio books from Jeremy Bastian and I have been listening to them as I work. A few years ago, when I still had time for commissions, I did this piece of Reepicheep sailing off into Aslan's country. Bill Willingham wrote in the introduction to the Mice Templar collection that The Mice Templar, the Mouse Guard, and Willingham's own Mouse Police, are "sons of Reepicheep". I must admit, Reepicheep was in my mind when I drew the first mice, his bravery out matching his size. *edit* I just realized after getting to this point in the audio book, that I drew this without re-reading the scene and got the setting and a few details wrong.


Fan Art:This week's Fan Art is from Charlotte Cheng. Thanks Charlotte!
If you want your Mouse Guard Fan Art to appear on the blog, just e-mail a jpg to ericebon (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Upcoming Appearances:*
----2010----
Alaska Library Conference: March 4-7
CGS Supershow: March 27-28
C2E2 (Archaia Booth): April 16-18
Motor City Con: May 14-16
San Diego (Artist Alley): July 22-25
Baltimore Comic Con: August 28-29
*more 2010 dates may be added

Mouse Guard Shirts & Mugs:
I have just revamped the Mouse Guard CafePress site! There are now all new shirt designs for men, women, & children. I also added new mugs. All of the old items (with the exception of a few mugs) are now unavailable. I plan on adding items from time to time, and I ask you guys to help me. If you see something that I don't have, but you need: suggest it to me. CafePress has some limited options with the shirts and colors, but I'll do my best if enough people ask for something.

Valentine's Day
Many folks know that I have a children's book coming out in 2012. It was based on a hand-made gift I did for Julia on our first Valentine's day as husband and wife (which I intend to share next year) . For various reasons there had to be some changes from the original characters of Mouse (me) and Cardinal (Julia). In one of the tests I did for Harper Collins, I tried using a Cardinal for both characters. I also thought it would be fun to go back to traditional painting (the book now has bunnies as the duo and it's illustrated more like Mouse Guard). Here are those samples.

Fan Art:
The awesome Jay Fosgitt drew this for me last week. Jay is an amazing cartoonist, and it was cool to see how quickly he can draw and ink something (I suppose his work as a caricature artist doesn't hurt his speed). I brought the original of this home and colored it.

Upcoming Appearances:*
Alaska Library Conference: March 4-7
CGS Supershow: March 27-28
C2E2 (Archaia Booth): April 16-18
Motor City Con: May 14-16
San Diego (Artist Alley): July 22-25
Baltimore Comic Con: August 28-29
*more 2010 dates may be added

Pencil Drawings (now in color)

Though I don't get to do it much these days because of the inked style of Mouse Guard, I also like to do rendered drawings in pencil. Frequently I would also color or tint these drawings in photoshop.

In this example of Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser, I merely tinted the linework on my greyscale drawing using the color balance tool. I also adjusted the levels (the control over what pixes are black, white, and middle tone) and cleaned up or enhanced the highlights.

On this Hellboy piece I also tinted the linework. Because this was drawn on toned paper, the paper also took the tint instead or remaining white like above. Because I started this drawing as a simple sketch, the area on the left was just scribbled in and not completed by hand. I finished that area using the burn tool. The additional highlights were added using the dodge tool.

These two examples are excellent ways of quickly touching up a pencil drawing and adding some quick color. I find that sketches can get polished up to 'finished-drawing' status quickly using this method.

The Joker piece on the left is an example of a more painterly approach to coloring pencil drawings. Once scanned, The pencil artwork was on a top layer set to multiply and then tinted. On layers below, I used various photoshop brushes to digitally paint the tones. I was aiming for a gritty and chaotic look for the Crown Prince of Crime in Gotham, so I didn't worry that the colors didn't strictly adhere to the lines.

This last example (of Red Cap) is a mix of the styles above with an added twist. Besides tinting the artwork and adding painted colors beneath, I also scanned a swatch of painted watercolor paper. With my pencil art and color layers set to 'multiply' the scanned watercolored background is also visible.

I find that playing with pencil drawings in photoshop helps me figure out ways I can make my work better in the future. It's a quick way of seeing if my rendered areas need more or less contrast, if color helps or hurts the lines, or to play with color in ways I wouldn't normally.

Fan Art:

This week's piece is a digital painting from Kyle Galbraith. You can check out more of his work at his DeviantArt site here. Thanks Kyle!

If you want your Mouse Guard fan art displayed on the blog (sculpture, painting, drawing, etc.) send an e-mail to ericebon (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Upcoming Appearances:*
Alaska Library Conference: March 4-7
CGS Supershow: March 27-28
C2E2 (Archaia Booth): April 16-18
Motor City Con: May 14-16
San Diego (Artist Alley): July 22-25
Baltimore Comic Con: August 28-29
*more 2010 dates may be added