blog: drawings

Calgary photos & a TALE OF VICTORY.

Just look at that strapping fellow in the photo! What a delightful book he’s holding, what a clever shirt he’s wearing! (Pay no attention to the seething jealousy seeping from the eyes of the man in the background. He is clearly a man consumed.)

Many, many thanks to the hero of the photo and the many others who came to visit at the Calgary Expo. It was tremendous fun and I sold out of pretty much everything I brought, which made it even more fun. We had a blast playing Machine of Death Draw & Guess on Sunday, and all in all I left Calgary feeling INSPIRED.

Not least because of an incredible achievement I managed on the way home:

…I am the type of person who wants things to work out. I want puzzle pieces to fit, and I want objects to be aligned. I once sorted a stack of bills by serial number because I was bored. I stack coins by size, take exhausting and overlong trips because I can make the itineraries mesh like beautiful gears, and before every trip I agonize over which suitcase will most exactly fit the things I need to pack. I HATE the idea of 43 Canadian cents burning a worthless hole in my pants as I cross the border home.

(Read more on my Tumblr)

Here is a picture I drew in a book:

And here is a newspaper headline that I saw:

…Which at first glance appears to indicate that R2-D2 and a charming moppet dove from a bridge to save a drowning man in an incredible moment of heroism.

Unless R2-D2 is what they mean by “motorist.”

Heroes Con sketches / Next up: Calgary!

Here is a sketch I did at Heroes Con the other week! I believe the request was “mermaid.” So I drew the only mermaid I knew how.

It planted a seed, though, so I decided to work on a more polished version of the same idea:

This final, inked version was donated to the Heroes Con Art Auction, the proceeds of which go toward putting on the show. But I know it will remain firmly in your hearts forevermore!


(click for bigger)

BONUS SKETCH:

This weekend I will be in Calgary for the Calgary Comics & Entertainment Expo! TopatoCo has a map of the show. It’ll be my first time in Calgary, so I won’t know any of the local customs. Please don’t make fun of me for “shaking hands” — it is what we do where I come from.

What should I watch out for in Calgary? What faux pas will I certainly stumble into, without your kind guidance? Leave me a comment!

Finally, here is a little thing I wrote yesterday about a haircut that made me cry.

Maker Faire sketches / Next up: Michigan!

Thanks to everyone who said hello at Maker Faire last weekend! It was a whirlwind trip, but what fun it was. Here are some sketches I did for folks at the show!

(Confidential to the Annie E.Z. and Nancy C.D. who got books from me at Maker Faire: Would you email me please?)

Next weekend — I’m in Dearborn, Michigan for the World Steam Expo! It will be my first time ever visiting Michigan, and I’m very excited to meet Eminem. He will be at the airport, right?

The show runs Friday through Monday at the Henry Ford Museum, which I’ve heard is quite the place. I mean the Hyatt! Which I’m sure is nice too. I’ll be doing a special “Making of Wondermark” panel on Sunday afternoon, but if that wasn’t enough, there is also a ton of other steampunky programming, including a “Mad Science Fair.” Oh and I also designed the programs for the show!

Then, on Wednesday, June 1, I’ll be presenting my “True Stuff from Old Books” lecture at the Ann Arbor District Library! I believe it is free to attend. I further believe that it will be amazing? I’ll be signing books and stuff afterward as well.

Finally — I’ll have a little time to kill in Ann Arbor and environs during the trip. Any recommendations of things to check out while I’m in town? Leave a comment or send me an email!

TCAF Sketches / Maker Faire Bay Area this weekend!

TCAF was great! It was super busy (as you can see above) — another reason why it is one of my favorite shows ever. Here are a couple of sketches I did for folks!

My sketches are very self-aware.

We also played a game of Machine of Death Draw & Guess in Toronto! This was mega fun. We have some great pictures, as well as full video, of that event over on the MOD blog.

Also in that same blog post, I talk about the Machine of Death Official Seal Embosser that I’ve started bringing to shows. If you’d like to get your copy of MOD not just signed, but sealed against tampering, come see me at any appearance this year. See some pictures of it in action!

Next on the docket is this coming weekend — Maker Faire, in San Mateo!

Here is a picture of me taken at last year’s Maker Faire (by Flickr user notthatjeffy).

I think it makes me look like a crazy man who makes comics in a canoe adrift on a lake. AM I? Come to Maker Faire and find out for yourself!

P.S. I’ll have these brand-new items at the show! shhhhhh

Sketches from MoCCA!

Thanks for coming and saying hello at MoCCA last weekend! It was a fun show. I loved being in New York, and it’s always super encouraging and energizing to meet nice people who have nice things to say.

Some of you were clearly nervous, but don’t worry! It was adorable. I get nervous sometimes too. I did not think you were weird. This is the first time in a very long time that I can confidently stamp a show as “WEIRDO-FREE.” I did not meet a single weirdo all weekend! (Until I got on the subway, of course. But that’s a different story.)

Mediocre Sketches

As I normally do, I was offering Mediocre Sketches to all and sundry. As I normally forget to do, though, this time I had the presence of mind to take some pictures!

I usually ask the sketch requester for a suggestion of what to draw — unlike other cartoonists, I don’t have easy characters to just whip out a sketch of. Most people prefer to leave the choice to me (as in the above), which is fine, but I also got some good requests!

“Octopuss in Boots”

“Elephant Chef”

“Dignified Portrait” (click for bigger)

Machine of Death

I also managed to whip up a portable Machine of Death to administer mortality predictions on the spot. Normally this sort of thing is done in a van with an autoclave and a stack of waivers and a full counseling crew on-hand, but in a pinch I made do with a piece of cardboard and a Sharpie.

Dresden Codak‘s Aaron Diaz was my dapper model for this demonstration (with thanks to Chris Hastings for the pics):

WATCH OUT FOR RUBBER DUCKIES AARON