Patreon Page Launched!

I'm on Patreon!

This Spring, I've decided to put together a Patreon to promote my comic making endeavors! If you become a patron, you'll get access to my sketchbook studies, start to finish process for fan art and prints, characters designs, and my entire comic making process! And if we can reach a certain monthly goal, I'll be able to start updating my webcomic Curse of the Eel twice a week instead of just once!

I don't intend to hide any of my work behind a paywall, so I'll still try to post on here and on my other social media regularly, but if you wanted to get sneak peeks at things I'm doing or pdfs of the comics I'm completing, please consider donating to my Patreon if you like my work!

Thank you!

SketchKon 2018 Fun and Sketchbook update!

On November 2-4 in Pasadena California, the first ever Sketch Kon was held and I had the pleasure/privilege to represent Stillman & Birn at the event. Stillman & Birn, for those who don't know, make my favorite line of papers and are, quite literally, the only paper that I am willing to draw on anymore. I spent that weekend manning the Stillman & Birn booth, talking with attendees about making art and art supplies, and showing them some of my work and talking about my process. It was probably, one of the best weekends of my life. I was surrounded by so many creative people, I was representing a product I believe in, and I got the chance to draw some cool things!

Below are some of the highlights of the sketches I did at the event. These were done in 2 of S&B's newest lines of paper, the Nova series which come in Beige, Gray, and Black toned papers. These were mainly done in my beige and gray books, I'm building up my skills to be able to tackle the black paper, and I used gouache, watercolors, poster paint markers, pencils, inks, and acrylic inks on these. That's a loooot of tools to use, but this paper is amazing!

Character Design painted before my flight to Pasadena

Drawn on the flight to Pasadena

Sketches of restaurant goers on Friday night

Some demonstration sketches and a Moscow Mule from Saturday night

The Westin Bar on Saturday Night

Church across from the Westin, drawn on location and painted at the airport before my return flight

Character drawn during the event and painted after I returned to GA

The Hidden Giant, the Golden Gate Bridge!

I got the chance to fly out to San Francisco last week and visit Riley Street Art Supply store for their anniversary sale! I went and spoke to a lot of really cool and inspiring people, I got to take in a few sights and also, do a little bit of sketching.

Shortly after arriving we crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge and it was just covered in fog. It was such an awesome sight to cross the bridge that we ended up pulling over for a second so I could do a sketch of it from Vista Point. I began with the inks, hoping that by the time I finished all the structure that the fog and mist would have lifted, but it just endlessly poured over the top of that hill. I only saw glimpses of beams and wires, and that made it even more interesting. After finishing the inks, we left for the hotel where I added the watercolor to the inks.

The next morning, unhappy with how the drawing just looked incomplete, I prepared some gouache with French Ultramarine Blue and started painting in the mist. I think this was a gamble that paid off as once the drawing was done, I felt like I managed to capture the feeling of this awesome architecture refusing to reveal itself by hiding in the mist. It's flowery and magical, but I write comics so that's just my imagination.

This drawing is also the thesis of why I love Stillman and Birn sketchbooks so much. This was done in my softcover Alpha, one of the new products, and well, I don't think there's a paper out there that can be this versatile and this much fun to draw in. I couldn't have done this drawing in any other sketchbook and have gotten this level of quality.

Materials: Pentel Hybrid Technica 04 and Zebra Large Brush pen, Sennelier and Da Vinci Watercolors and Holbein Gouache.
Paper: Stillman and Birn alpha softcover sketchbook, 150 gsm

SPX Wrap Up and some Illustrations

Yoo! It's been half a month since I returned from SPX and I haven't updated cuz wow have I been working. Anyhow, SPX was a blast! I had a great time, I really want to go back next year. I hope it's a show I can keep returning to, but only time and my luck will tell. If you bought one of my books or got a commission from me, THANK YOU! You help make this feel like it's working! It is, but I can get sorta meh about how I do things after a while. But yes, I will share some of the art I did at the show and just some art I've done since.

Thanks!!

Sketchbook Update and secret item

Why hello! I generally draw in my sketchbooks but I rarely make a post that is just sketchbook images, things I've just played with or trying out ideas. So here's a post from one of my new sketchbooks.

The other thing is, all of these are done in a new product from Stillman and Birn. I'm not really allowed to talk about what it is but I can at least show the work I've been doing in them. It's gonna make sketching in public 100x easier, and it's just plain a cool new product. I can't wait to get my hands on a few more, I'm almost done filling this one up (I've only had it since mid-June).

So yes, there's a lot of stuff here but I hope you all like it!

Requiem Sonata Chapter 2 Inks 1-5

Here are some pages I've inked of Requiem Sonata chapter 2. I hope to have it finished and ready to print for SPX this September! I'd also love to have Curse of the Eel 4 and Rare Drops 2 out by then too.

2015-06-24 Sketchbook update

Hello, I went to hang out with my friend Emma yesterday and I made some drawings in my various sketchbooks. Hope you enjoy them!

Everyone, let's love each other. Life is precious, and it's far too short to be spending it seething with hate.

My Trip to Berkeley, California

I recently returned from a short trip to Berkeley, CA where I was invited to give a presentation about why I love to use Stillman and Birn paper and to try out some new products coming out later this year. That's the reason I went, but the experience was so much more amazing than even just that alone.

I met so many kind art supply reps, artists, art store owners and even just people in the area who were so kinda and said amazingly flattering things about me that the whole trip felt like a dream. I was told by many that they loved having me there and that they really enjoyed my art and hoped that I could make all my dreams happen. Well, this was certainly one of them.

As a kid, my favorite books to have were related to art, especially when we would get art supply catalogs in the mail. I never would have thought, some 20 years later, that I would be befriending and networking with art supply people or with stores who have told they want me to come by and do demos at their stores. It was an amazing experience and one that I'll always remember!

Thank you to everyone who I spoke with, presented to, and just was there to make this event a blast! I also want to thank Stillman and Birn, specifically Michael, for inviting me to the event and for taking a chance on me to help promote your product! Now it's time for me to get back to drawing, I have a convention to prepare for!

Below are some of the drawings that I did while on the trip, all of which were done in a new type of Stillman and Birn sketchbook that is one of the best sketchbooks I've ever had. I filled up at least 12-15 pages of it in 3 days, and I can't wait to share more of it!

Life Drawings - eyedrum session

Here are a few of the good drawings from today's 2 hour session at the eyedrum in Atlanta. It's a really fun and interesting space to draw in, and everyone there is 11 varieties of inspiring. Seriously, I saw some awesome acrylic and oil painted works in the 2 hours which make me feel like I need to push myself even more. I think the most important aspect of any artist is that sense of pushing yourself and your art past your current limits. The moment you think you've learned all you need or that you settle on just one media or tool, how can you continue to grow? With that in mind, I hope you enjoy my attempts at getting better at drawing the human form and using watercolors and a sanguine colored pencil.

Tools: Watercolor and Caran d'Ache sanguine colored pencil
Paper: Stillman and Birn Delta and Gamma sketchbooks respectively

Short Story thumbnails and character designs

Here are some prelim drawings and designs for a story I plan to draw soon.