Tuesday, December 31, 2019

BLOG INDEX

Since I started this Blog in 2007, there have been hundreds of posts about art process, ideas, advice, cover work, illustration projects, and lots of Mouse Guard. I've gone through and not only added consistent labels on every relevant post, but also provided this index. Perhaps there are posts you've missed, or forgotten about, or you're new to my work and would like to go back and look at posts.

COVERS:
TMNT: Raphael
TMNT: Michelangelo
TMNT: Donatello
TMNT: Leonardo
TMNT: Splinter
TMNT: Casey Jones
TMNT: April O'Neil
TMNT: Fugitoid
TMNT in Time #1
TMNT in Time #2
TMNT in Time #3
TMNT in Time #4
 TMNT: Donatello Macro
TMNT: Michelangelo Macro
TMNT: Leonardo Macro
TMNT: Raphael Macro
TMNT: Macro Collection

Muppet Snow White #1
Muppet Snow White #2
Muppet Snow White #3
Muppet Snow White #4
Muppet Peter Pan #4
Muppet Sherlock Holmes #1
Fraggle Rock Vol 2 #1

Mouse Guard: Black Axe #5
Mouse Guard: Black Axe Hardcover
Mouse Guard: Baltimore Comic Con Program
Mouse Guard 2013 FCBD
Mouse Guard 2014 FCBD
Mouse Guard 2015 FCBD
Mouse Guard 2016 FCBD
Legends of the Guard Vol 2 #1
Legends of the Guard Vol 2 #2
Legends of the Guard Vol 2 #3
Legends of the Guard Vol 2 #4
Legends of the Guard Vol 2 Hardcover
Legends of the Guard Vol 3 #1
Legends of the Guard Vol 3 #2
Legends of the Guard Vol 3 #3
Legends of the Guard Vol 3 #4
Legends of the Guard Vol 3 Hardcover
Legends of the Guard Vol 1-3 Box Set
Mouse Guard Sketchbook Collection Cover
Mouse Guard Coloring Book 
Mouse Guard: Black Axe B&W Ed.
Mouse Guard: Baldwin the Brave Cover
Mouse Guard: Owlhen Caregiver

  Star Wars #1 Variant
Skyward
Rocket Raccoon
Avengers as Animals
Wilds End
Wilds End Vol 4
Thanatos Diver
The Storyteller: Dragons
Mouse Guard Baltimore Yearbook Cover
Wind in the Willows Jacket Process
Wind in the Willows Softcover
Locke & Key Small World
Labyrinth Prequel Variant
Animal Pound Variant

Power of the Dark Crystal Process
Dark Crystal: Ritual Master & Ritual Guardian
Dark Crystal: Chamberlain & Canter
Dark Crystal: Garthim Master & Healer
Dark Crystal: Scientist & Alchemist
Dark Crystal: Treasurer & Numerologist
Dark Crystal: Scroll Keeper & Scribe
Dark Crystal: Ornamentalist & Weaver
Dark Crystal: Slave Master & Herbalist 
Dark Crystal: Gourmand & Cook
Dark Crystal: Emperor & Master
Dark Crystal: Jen & Kira
Dark Crystal AoR: Ordon
 Dark Crystal; AoR: Hup

Usagi/TMNT Variant
Usagi TMNT Wherewhen: Pencils
Usagi TMNT Wherewhen: Inks
Usagi TMNT Wherewhen: Colors

Usagi: Dragon Bellow #1
Usagi: Dragon Bellow #2
Usagi: Dragon Bellow #3
Usagi: Dragon Bellow #4
Usagi: Dragon Bellow #5
Usagi: Dragon Bellow #6
Usagi: Lone Goat #1
Usagi: Lone Goat #2
Usagi: Lone Goat #3
Usagi: Lone Goat #4
Usagi: Lone Goat #5
Usagi: Lone Goat #6
Usagi: Ice & Snow #5

Fairlaine The Goblin Variant
Folklords Cover Variant



PINUPS
Monsters & Dames '15
Iron or the War After
Jim Henson's Storyteller
Usagi Yojimbo
Usagi 40th Anniversary
Fish 'N Chips
Runners: Bad Goods
Runners: Snow Job
Gronk
Cursed Pirate Girl
Liberty Meadows: BCC Yearbook '12
Grendel: BCC Yearbook '14
Archie: BCC Yearbook '16
Tellos: BCC Yearbook '17
Strangers in Paradise: BCC '18
Blacksad: BCC Yearbook '19
Scary Godmother: BCC Yearbook '22
American Flagg: BCC Yearbook '23
The Tick: BCC Yearbook '24
Bone: BCC Yearbook '25
Bodie Troll
Mythbusters
Confederacy of Unprecedented Fellows
Usagi Yojimbo: CAPS auction/Sakai Project
Hellboy 20th Anniversary
Hellboy & The Cockatrice Trio
Hellboy 30th Anniversary
Beyond the Western Deep
TMNT 30th Anniversary
TMNT 2023 NYCC Charity piece
TMNT RPG Illustration
TMNT 40th Anniversary
Table Titans Vol 1
Table Titans Vol 2
Holy Grail Mice
Spongebob Squarepants #50
Mr. Toad Heroes Auction Piece
Roger Rabbit Charity Piece
Thundercats
Halloween Themed Silkscreen

FREELANCE



Draw The Extinct:
Brockball Bruin

Wooly Morose
Twin Multi-Winged Hare
Infant Melon
Royal Talon Octopus



MOUSE GUARD
Pre-Mouse Guard: 1149
Pre-Publication Mice
Mouse Development
Mouse Guard Covers
Winter #3 Page Process
Winter #6 Panel Process
FCBD '10 Page Process
Black Axe #3 Page Process
Black Axe #4 Page Process
Black Axe: Em of Appleloft
FCBD 2009 Print Process
Vulture Print Process
UK Print Process
German Print Process

11x11 Peacock Print Process
11x11 Raspberry Print Process
11x11 Moonflower Print Process
11x11 Lavender Print Process
11x11 Juniper Print Process
11x11 Rose Print Process
11x11 Elderberry Process
11x11 Teasel Process
11x11 Sharon Process
11x11 Yarrow Process
11x11 Pinecones Process
11x11 Clematis Process
11x11 Foxglove Process
11x11 Belladonna Process

Weasel War Print Process
Monsters & Dames '15 MG piece
FCBD '11 Story Process
FCBD '12 Story Process
FCBD '14 Story Pages
FCBD 2025 info
Service to Seyan story process
Legends Vol 2 Storyteller Mice
Black Axe Hardcover Extras



Saxon, Kenzie, Rand vs Snake Print Process
Prevail Print Process
Service Print Process
Mortimer Print Process
Weasel Riding a Woodpecker
Pride Poster Art Process
1149 Heraldic Shields
Lake Como Print
Trio & Sparrow  Print
20th Anniversary Print

2015 Heroes Con Auction Piece
2015 Boston Con Auction Piece
2016 Boston Con Auction Piece
2016 NYCC Auction Piece
2017 Heroes Auction Piece
2018 Heroes Auction Pieces
2019 Heroes Auction Pieces
2022 Heroes Auction Pieces
2024 Heroes Auction Pieces
2023 SDCC Paintings
2025 Motor City Tee/Hoodie
2025 Parkison's Donation
Bardrick/Siobhan paintings

Denmark Print
Other Artists ink Mouse Guard pieces
Überdoodled Art of Mouse Guard
Sketchbook Collection 2004-2015
Sketchbook Collection 2016-2024 
Mouse Guard: Art of Bricks Pinup
Baldwin The Brave Faux Etching
Coin Sticker Process

Mouse Guard Movie Announcement
Mouse Guard Movie Cast
Mouse Guard Movie VFX Artists Video
Science of Mouse Guard Video

Mouse Guard Alphabet Book
MONDO Poster: Fall 1152
Legends Characters Revisited pt1
Legends Characters Revisited pt2
Dawn of the Black Axe Announcement
Welcoming Artists into the Guard

BOOM! 2017 Holiday Card
Happy 2023 Guardmice
Convention Backdrop
Wooden Emblem
Soothsayer's Deck
Mouse Guard Mugs
Mouse Guard Lanyard
Holiday Ornaments 

Mouse Family Commissions
Stained Glass Veyga piece
London 2019 Drawings
Daffodils Piece
Floral Festival Piece
Berry Picker Piece
Harvest Town Piece
October: Pumpkin Alehouse
December: Gift Sled
January '24: Full Circle
Loukas & Saxon
Dorys the Matriarch Cook
Sparrow & Berries
Hawk & Snake
Saxon, Kenzie, & Rand
Goose at Dawn Tavern

Uberdoodled Books
Fan Art


INFO & ADVICE
Square Format
2-D Design
World Building Video w/Bastian
Drawing Like Yourself
Learning From Copying
Drawing Like Yourself Lecture Video
Inking Grey Video
Q&A's
1st time Con Setup Notes
Genres & Diversity in Comics
Drawing Other People's Characters Part 1
Drawing Other People's Characters Part 2
Critiques & Portfolio Reviews
Coloring Demo Videos
Influential Movie List
Comics by Genre Recommendations
Mott Community College Talk
Influential & Meaningful Comic Covers
Influential & Meaningful GN Covers
Reconnect w/ my Kindergarten Teacher
Worlduilding Lecture Video (1FW)
Drawing Like Yourself Video
Comic Storytelling Basics
Words & Pictures: Hybrid Books
Sharon Petersen Obituary & Photos
Oak Park Church Burned Down
Convention Sign Tutorial Video
Worldbuilding Lecture Video
FROM THE VAULT / PLOTMASTERS
Cats Trio
The Big One
R Wars
Art History Comic
The Space Between Us
Mike Davis Wordless Comics
Tower
Updated Tower Portraits
Updated Tower Items
Jesters

Plotmasters: Cats Trio
Plotmasters: Quietus
Plotmasters: Blackcat
Plotmasters: Dragons pt1
Plotmasters: Dragons pt2
Plotmasters: Hero Squad
Plotmasters: Psycho-Mantis
Plotmasters: R-Wars
Plotmasters: Feather
Plotmasters: Claw

Ye Old Lore of Yore Reading
Flint Friend Reunion 2019
Childhood Animations
Screw-On-Head Fan Comic
Fir Darrig Comic
Skullduggers Revamp
Vinelings Revamp
Pirate, Spaceman, Cowboy, Knight



LEGENDS OF THE GUARD INTERVIEWS
Jeremy Bastian
Alex Sheikman
Gene Ha & Lowell Francis
Sean Rubin & Alex Kain
Terry Moore
Jason Shawn Alexander
Katie Cook
Nate Pride
Mark Smylie
Craig Rousseau
Karl Kerschl
Joao Lemos
Nick Tapalansky & Alex Eckman-Lawn
Ben Caldwell
Rick Geary
Christian Slade
Jemma Salume
Cory Godbey
Charles Paul Wilson III
Eric Canete
Jackson Sze
Justin Gerard
Bill Wilingham
Dirk Shearer



MODELS
Matriarch's Chamber
Ildur Hall
The Red Snapper
Upper Port Sumac
Lower Port Sumac
The Mariner's Bell
Library Arch
Darkheather part 1
Darkheather part 2
Darkheather part 3
A Ship of Shell & Timber Scrap
Shorestone Exterior
Shorestone Interior
Haven Guildroom
June Alley Inn
Seyan Gatehouse
Grain Cart Model

Papermodel Guardmice
More Papermodel Guardmice
Papermodel Bilbin 'Mouse'

Toad Hall Foyer & Great Hall
Toad's Caravan & Carriage House
Rat's Boat & Kitchen
Strandbeest Model
Grandparent Mice Sculptures
Model Video: Barrel Carrier
Model Video: Quail Cart
Model Video: A Ship of Shell & Timber Scrap
Model Video: The Red Snapper Ship
Model Video: Puppet Theater
Model Video: Seyan Gatehouse
Model Video: Upper Port Sumac 
Model Video: Gwendolyn's Office
Model Video: Matriarch Chamber
Model Video: Sprucetuck
Model Video: Feather Knighting
Model Video: Haven Guildroom
Model Video: Lockhaven Larder
Model Video: Shorestone Exterior
Model Video: Coin Horde Column
Model Video: Leaf Boat
Model Video: The Mariner's Bell
Model Video: Library Arch
Model Video: Lower Port Sumac

Model Building Workshop




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Tuesday, December 24, 2019

YouTube Channel


Just a Blogpost reminder about my YouTube channel where I share Mouse Guard readings & songs, Tutorials, Architectural Models, Game info, Plotmasters Project episodes, Creator Commentary, and more! 

The channel has 60+ videos already--with more soon on the way. Make sure to click 'subscribe' and the bell icon over on YouTube so you can get alerts when new videos go live:





Mouse Guard Readings

Tale of the Wise Weaver



Tale of Baldwin the Brave


Tale of Thane & Ilsa


The Watcher's Stone
by Ryan Lang – performed by David Petersen



The Timber MicePerformed by Kyra Sims & Jordan Shapiro
Illustrated by Justin Gerard 

Lyrics: David Petersen  – Melody: Cliff Monear



Legends of the Guard Vol.1 Cover Legends



Legends of the Guard Vol.2 Cover Legends


Legends of the Guard Vol.3 Cover Legends


The Tale of the Wild Wolf



The Tale of Piper The Listener


Fall 1152 LIVE Reading


Creator Commentary

Fall 1152: Chapter 1

Fall 1152: Chapter 2

Fall 1152: Chapter 3

Fall 1152: Chapter 4

Fall 1152: Chapter 5

Fall 1152: Chapter 6

Fall 1152: Hardcover Extras

Legends of the Guard: 'Potential'
with Alex Kain & Sean Rubin


Winter 1152: Chapter 1


Winter 1152: Chapter 2


Winter 1152: Chapter 3


Winter 1152: Chapter 4


Winter 1152: Chapter 5


Winter 1152: Chapter 6


Winter 1152: Hardcover Extras

Legends of the Guard:
'The Battle of the Hawk's Mouse
& the Fox's Mouse'
with Jeremy Bastian




Architectural Models

 Coin Horde Chamber Column



Leaf Boat

Barrel Carrier


 Quail Cart


 A Ship of Shell & Timber Scrap


 The Red Snapper


 Puppet Theater


 Seyan Gatehouse

Upper Port Sumac

Gwendolyn's Office

Matriarch's Chamber

Sprucetuck

Feather Knighting Room

Haven Guildroom

Lockhaven Larder

Shorestone Exterior


Wind in the Willows:
Toad Hall Foyer 




Wind in the Willows:

Toad Hall Dining Room


Wind in the Willows:

Toad's Caravan


Wind in the Willows:

Toad Hall Carriage House


Wind in the Willows:

Badger's Hearth


Wind in the Willows:

Badger's Cupboard


Wind in the Willows:

Rat's Dining Area


Wind in the Willows:
Rat's Boat


Mouse Guard Games

Swords & Strongholds:
Game Rules

Swords & Strongholds:
Common Questions



Swords & Strongholds:
Play Example

Mouse Guard RPG Info


Plotmasters Project

Cats Trio

 Quietus

 Blackcat

 Dragons pt 1

 Dragons pt 2

 2017 Baltimore Panel
Demonstrations &
Lectures


Ladybug: Line Art/Levels Demo

Ladybug: Color Hold Demo

Ladybug: Color Demo 

  Mouse Guard Speed Color 1


 Mouse Guard Speed Color 2

Mouse Guard Speed Color 3

Mouse Guard Speed Color 4

Mouse Guard Speed Color 5

Mouse Guard Speed Color 6

Mouse Guard Speed Color 7

Mouse Guard Speed Color 8

Mouse Guard Speed Color 9
Misc.

 Ringo Awards Keynote Speech


 Snowy Valentine Promo

 Mouse Guard Book Trailer
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Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Lily Redfur -A Fan's Cosplay Character-


Just after Halloween this year I was contacted by a father who helped his four-year-old daughter make a Mouse Guard costume for her of her mouse alter-ego Lily.

Dad Jason writes: "I'll try to describe Lily and her patrol to you in as few words as I can manage, we're fond of our patrol and their adventures pass the time in the car and have also become a part of many bedtime stories.

Lily is an excellent archer and prefers to strike her targets from far above in the trees, but is skilled enough with a sword that she isn't afraid to fight in close if necessary. She is bubbly and positive and makes friends easily. She has reddish-brown fur and a light green cloak. She is the hero of our tales and is a true out of the box thinker (as only a hero controlled by a 4-year-old can be!)"






So, with a special as this fan family is, I did a drawing of Lily Redfur that should now be safely in her paws.







2020 Appearances Coming Soon...
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Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Comic Storytelling Workshop basics

A few weeks ago I was an instructor at the 1FW Workshop where I was asked to lead a small group discussion about comic storytelling. In the year prior when I was an instructor, I didn't do much prep for my small group talks, expecting that they'd be a bit more like round-table discussions...but this year I wanted to come prepared.

So I loaded on my iPad the script, layouts/pencils, inks, and final colors/letters to be able to show my process and help demystify the process before opening up to attendees' specific comic storytelling questions and concerns. In this post, I'll share those materials, from the FCBD story: 'The Tale of the Wild Wolf'


SCRIPT:
This 8 page story started with an outline/script. I tend not to over-write, or even break down beats into panels. I'm bad with denoting what is a word balloon of dialogue, what is narration text, and what is description for me to know what's happening. But that's also because as the writer AND artist, I can be a little more loose with this process. It's like an idea purge. I'm just trying to get it all out before I worry about how it fits into panels or what scenes are on which pages.

I'll then print out my script and mark it up with pencil to make notes of where page breaks seem like they fit. Sometimes that's based on experience of knowing what could/should fit on a page, while other times, it's just a gut feeling that the break should be...there. I may doodle up some thumbnails or make notes about some bit being its own panel...but I leave a lot of that for the next step.



LAYOUTS/PENCILS:
I'll then start pasting all the dialogue and narration into a photoshop template I have for my pages, giving each page the text that my marked up scrip calls for. I almost always break my panels on the 1/3 lines of the page, and then make decisions about scenes and how they'll fit. Sometimes the most important bit in a scene needs to be a certain shape (tall, wide, big) and then I have to just puzzle in the other panels around it--other times it's about needing a certain number of beats (this happens and then I need two reaction panels, or I need to show the before, during and after of an action)

I draw characters and panel backgrounds on copy paper often drawing those elements separately, then scanning them and combining them in my page template. That way I can resize, rotate, and manipulate each element individually (the various parts of the drawing tinted different colors gives you a clue as to what are different drawings). The wolf photo on page 6 was a cheat after I'd already drawn a wolf there I hated, inked it, and woke up the next morning with the deadline looming feeling the need to change it...and hopefully in my next step, I didn't make it look like a photo trace, but a seamless part of my artwork...



INKS:
I print out each of my page layouts and then tape them to the back of bristol board. On my lightpad I'm able to see through the surface of the bristol to use the printout underneath to guide me as I ink..

Here I add all the texture and line weight, pattern, and density that helps turn a pencil sketch into a real inked panel. And making sure that I applied all my stylistic mark making to the wolf on page 6, it doesn't look out of place or an overly photo referenced panel compared to the others.



FINAL PAGES:
With the inks finished, I scan them and then color them digitally. This story has a large flashback, so I gave it an orangey-sepia style color story. With the colors set, I also add the balloons and dialogue boxes and make final polishes to the lettering. 



If you'd like to hear me perform this story, I have it below or on my YouTube channel with other readings of Mouse Guard stories as well as creator commentary, model videos, and more 






2020 Appearances Coming Soon...
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Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Model Building Workshop Session

A few weeks ago I was an instructor at the 1FW Workshop. And as a hands-on demonstration, led a group in building an architectural model. My goal wasn't so much to show how useful they are––both for drawing complex geometric perspective from any angle, but also in exploring a space for the right composition...but instead to show that it was possible for them to make these themselves. That the time commitment isn't outrageous, it doesn't take a lot of building knowledge, or special materials, or expensive tools.

In this blogpost I'll go over the basics of what I showed them.


I started with photos of some of my Mouse Guard architectural models. I wanted to give them a smattering of some that were interior and some that were exterior, some that had little applied details (used just for geometry) and some that had lots of paper textures applied. Some were only a few pieces of cardstock, and some were much more complex plywood that had to be cut and drilled with power tools to achieve. The point was that you can make these as complex and detailed or simple and basic as you have the time, experience, and tools for.


Then I announced the project itself: we were going to group build a tower. I loaded my iPad with Google image search results of various towers. I tired to get a variety of towers. Ones that were widest at the base and tapered smaller all the way to the peak. Towers that had a wider top level, towers from various cultures, towers with function, towers that were decorative, and symmetrical & asymmetrical towers.

And our goal wasn't to recreate one of these exactly, but to pick out design choices we liked as a group to include into our model.



Next was the presenting of materials:
Cardboard (single and double corrugated––all scavenged shipping boxes), rulers, x-acto knives, a cutting mat, a pack of basswood scraps (purchased at a local hobby store), sandpaper (using up discs I have for a palm sander that bit the dust years ago) and 3 types of glue: Hot Melt (not pictured) for anything structural, Super Glue for anything that required finesse, and glue stick for applying paper patterns and details to flat surfaces (I'd usually use spray adhesive here, but to cut down on mess, I went with glue stick)...


And lastly, sheets and sheets of patterns and textures and building elements I cobbled together from Google image searches printed out on copy paper.

For my models, I'd print these as-needed and to the exact scale my model required...but for the workshop I just came prepared with a half dozen sheets of shingles, brick, stone, tiles, pavers, arches, wood elements, windows, doors and more.




The group was well attended. My only regret is that to get them started, I spent a lot of time building a lot of the first section myself instead of having them get in there and get into it faster. But, I did put knives and glue and paper and trim in their paws and got them making decisions about our tower.




One of the things I tried to impress on them was how rarely I measure using numbers. I'll cut something to a length that I like...say a wall, and then use that to trace to make the corresponding wall. Our use my thumb on a ruler as a depth gauge to mark out a piece. Sometimes setting the model down on a fresh sheet of cardboard to mark out the size the 2nd floor should be so that it overhangs the walls of the first floor. It's something my Dad taught me when woodworking, and something I still use to this day when building something for myself.




The session was a few hours and we got a good hunk of work done (unfortunately I don't have a photo of where we were when the group had to disband for the next workshop event), but we kept the space set-up so that in the free-work time later that night folks could come back up and continue to push the model forward. And with the help of some of the students (some that were in the first session and some that joined us anew in the evening) we finished this tower model:







If you have more interest in my architectural models, I have a YouTube Playlist here showing several of the models, materials I used to make them and how they helped me illustrate my stories:





2020 Appearances Coming Soon...
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