Procrastination

I've been trying for far to long now to make a comic. I've got all the right ideas and tools but there's just one more thing...MOTIVATION! I get started and do all the groundwork; Then I lay out a few pages, but when it comes down to bringing it all together it all falls apart. The procrastination periods between work get greater and greater until it all fizzles away. So ironically, I made a comic about procrastinating about making a comic.

David & Goliath

The bible is full of amazing stories, from Noahs Ark to the walls of Jericho, but there's one that everyone seems to know...the story of David and Goliath. Whether its a small business taking on a giant corporation or the school geeks taking on the jocks, we can all relate to it in some way or another. There is something amazing about watching the underdog triumph amidst seemingly impossible odds. David is the original underdog and one of my heroes! This is my tribute.

No Dice!

I've grown up in a family of motorbike lovers. My dad restores old motorbikes and everyone else in the family rides them. I like motorbikes to, but I really love the art and style that goes with it. So when I was approached by a friend who commissioned me to custom paint his motorbike tank I jumped right in. The brief was pretty simple, a Kustom Kulture inspired graphic with dice in the design and the number 25. With this very loose brief I came up with the design above. It still needs a few more coats to crisp up the lines and a clear coat finish, but I just couldn't wait to post it.

The Spirit

Us humans are a curious bunch. Always looking for answers to questions, trying to discover how things work and why things are the way they are. We love things that we can see and touch, but what if we were to discover a Spirit. What if God showed us what the Spirit looks like. I wonder if we'd spend more time trying to discover how it worked rather than just appreciating it's beauty and mystery.

Robin

I don't like to pick favorites, but if I did, Robin would be my favorite superhero. The fact that he's just a kid and doesn't actually have any superpowers has always attracted me to him. I posted an illustration of Robin last year, but I feel this one pays homage to his more mature detective side. It also gave me a chance to play with some lighting techniques that were so popular in black and white movies, especially detective ones.  

Veronica Mars

I remember loving Veronica Mars as a kid and now, years on, I find myself hooked once again. It seems just in time with the movie set to come out real soon. I think it would make an even better comic, which is why I went ahead and made the cover in the hope that someone would do the rest...hehehe. The illustration is meant to capture her school life balanced with her undercover work.

Code QR

Looking around, I have started to notice more and more QR codes appearing. These strange geometric codes can be found on just about anything and it's making me question what the future will really be like? The technology around us is starting to define our identity and shape the way we act and behave. Is it making our life easier or is that what we're supposed to think? I have no idea!

Plugged In

A snapshot of the future. That's all I could think of when I finished this illustration. People walking around with screens attached to their heads being fed information all day. Being entertained constantly and removing themselves further from the world around them. It's not too far from where we are already.

New Year Adventure!

It's the 4th day of 2014 today and I've decided this is going to be a year of ADVENTURE! I've kicked of the year watching adventure documentaries and it's got me inspired to set out. I'm not sure where or what I'm going to do, but if I end up looking as happy as this guy, I think my new years resolution will be fulfilled.

Married To The Sea

After last weeks portrait of a sailor, I decided to create a single page, silent, mini-comic titled Married To The Sea. I wrote a short poem to accompany the comic, which helped me capture the mood and story behind this lonesome sailor.

he's bound to the sea and calls her his own

but knows his place

bowlines and hitches, his second nature

like that, the love of the ocean air

his compass finds home in the pocket

closest to his heart attached to the

anchor he's never cast

waves rock the boat to sleep

until morning

forever bound to the sea 

Oceans End

The idea of a lonesome adventurous sailor spending his life exploring the sea is to me, the definition of what it is to be a man. A man with the wisdom of the ocean reflected in his eyes. A man who knows every map like the back of his hand and can read the weather days before it arrives. As for me, I get seasick pretty easy.

Full Throttle

Biker Mice From Mars was possibly the coolest cartoon ever! I can only imagine what it would have felt like pitching this idea to a studio. "Picture this. Three giant mice from Mars riding super cool motorbikes around the streets of Chicago, kicking the butts of badies." It was these giant mice that inspired me to ride the streets of my home-town pretending to be my favourite character, Throttle. I re-lived those fond memories while I created this illustration. I really tried capture the funky 80's colours and cheesy poses that flowed throughout the show.

Goldilocks Gig

Sometimes I wonder what the bears in Goldilocks And The Three Bears were doing while Goldilocks was raiding their house. Since it doesn't really specify in the books that I've read, I decided to make up my own side plot. I figure the logical explanation is they must have been at a punk gig. Papa Bear is the singer, while Momma Bear and Baby Bear are in the crowd, pumping their fists for moral support.

LumberDuck

Sometimes I draw a picture and wonder what was going though my head. This is one of those pictures. I'm not sure why a duck is dressed in a checked flannel shirt and has just cut down a tree, but I could just say something smart like "It's open to interpretation" or "It's a political statement", and people would probably just pretend to understand. Ducks are the best!

I Smell A Rat

I heard a news report a few weeks back revealing the Dutch police force was training rats to aid in their investigations. The idea of rats in the police force completely captivated my imagination. I started researching more into the story and found they were already being used in war torn countries to sniff out landmines. These tiny detectives are my new heroes.

The Cold One

I've started reading a few books that show the process of making comics in the hope of one day making my own. Creating a memorable character that connects with the reader is a big part of the process and one that I have been attempting over the past few days. One book put an exercise forward to create a character for one of the four seasons. It went deeper, explaining that the picture should say a whole lot more...like where they come from, what type of person they are and what sort of background they have. Hopefully you can conjure up a small story just by looking at this man.  

You're Punk Rock Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown and the whole Peanuts gang are my heroes. These characters and their daily dilemmas have managed to remain as relevant in the 1950's as they are today. But since the 1950's, these Peanuts characters haven't grown an inch, which led me to ask the question..."what would these kids look like grown up?" By grown up I mean adolescent punk rockers! So after hours of contemplation I inked Charlie Brown as the punk kid he would probably be today.

Superlove Heartbreak

I think everyone can relate to having their heart broken at some point in their life. I'm not sure how many people have experienced this heartbreak from a superhero, but this unwitting bank robber is feeling just that. Lady Super-Love has cast her spell on him and is about to bust his gonads! All he can think of is how beautiful she looks as she leaps through the air, leaving a trail of the finest perfume known to man.

Future Ball!

I don't know what the future of sport holds, but I sure hope it's rollerblading robot suits kicking and throwing metal balls at each other! I imagine Dub-Step would be playing through the entire game, every robot's favourite genre of music.Whether or not this dream comes true, it's nice to imagine how it might look.

Miss Martian

Afternoon cartoons. It’s those two words that got me through high school and continue to motivate me to this day. My most recent afternoons  have been spent admiring Young Justice, created by DC and Warner Brothers. Miss Martian is one of the many heroes that make up the young team and possibly on of my favourite. So naturally I got out my sketch pad and started life drawing from the TV. The result being the illustration above which is not my usual style, but the sketchy lines gave it so much more life than the ink alone ever could have.