Hermit Hill | Vol.1 | 09/03/08

Taking out the trash. The everyday problems of an agoraphobic can lead to some strange problems that need to be solved. The insensitivity of the average waste disposal engineer doesn't help matters.

On the drawing table tonight

Here's a photo from my drawing board tonight. I just finished inking a comic that'll be online next week. So, this is kind of a preview I guess, a peak behind the curtain. I pencil the page in non-photo blue and then ink over top of that directly. The borders and text will be added after I scan it into the computer using PhotoShop.

Hermit Hill | Vol. 1 | 09/02/08

Put that in your pipe and smoke it! This comic was updated while I was on vacation with my family. Hence my dedication to you, the loyal Hermit Hill reader. Namaste.

Hermit Hill | Vol. 1 | 08/28/08

Ah yes, the plight of the artist. A famous artist was once asked how he could charge such a high price for his paintings and the artist replied that one doesn't pay for a single painting, one pays for the lifetime of artistic experience that leads up to the painting's creation. That's probably a more eloquent way to express this idea than a crude cartoon of an old guy brow beating some kid, but we all do what we can I suppose.

Hermit Hill | Vol. 1 | 08/19/08

Here is the latest Hermit Hill comic, "Shout from on High".

Synesthetic Anthology Release Party Photos

Click to see more photos

Here is the stylish cover of the Synesthetic Anthology. The book is a collection of comics and cartoons from over 20 different creators all in the Dallas, TX area. I have a 7 page story in there titled 'Normal'. Today there was a release party for the completion of the book down in Dallas at Titan Comics and I took a bunch of photos. Click through to see more images from the event.

Synesthetic book release party this weekend

Almost a year and a half ago I joined up with some local Dallas artists who were looking for cartoonists and comic book creators in the area to help put an anthology book together. After all that time and a lot of work from everyone involved the book is finally complete. The Synesthetic Anthology is a collection of skilled cartoonists, writers and illustrators here in Dallas. I'm proud to say I have a story in the book and the book looks great.

This weekend we're having a release party in Dallas at Titan Comics. Creators who worked on the book will be on hand for signings and war stories about getting our part complete by the dead lines. We'll be there from noon to about 5:00, so please come by and have a look at all our hard work.

Kudos to Jake and Luan, the editors and the two guys who brought the whole thing together. Give 'em a pat on the back when you see them, they deserve a ton of creadit for getting this project complete.

New Bramble Vine Comics Hat Design

Here I am wearing my hat. I designed it through Lids.com where you can upload your own image and have them incorporate it into the hat stitching. I used one of the cartoon faces I made for a recent poster I designed. The quality of the hat is excellent, it came out pretty good I think.

Bramble Vine Comics #2 Printer Proof

I have the proof copy of my latest comic book back from the printer. If you click the image above you can see some pics of the cover and the back of the book. I think it came out really good and sent the printer the go-ahead to fill the rest of my order. I'll have these in time to distribute to the Dallas area comic shops that carry my books and for the upcoming Baltimore Comic Con.

Hermit Hill Webcomic Launch Day

Today I am starting a regularly updated comic called Hermit Hill. I'll be uploading new Hermit Hill comics twice a week, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. This is something I've been developing since I completed my last comic book and I am pretty excited about it.

The comic revolves around Walter, an agoraphobic shut-in and all around old coot. He lives in a little house on top of a hill. He gets occasional deliveries from a kid named Francis who brings Walter his groceries and mail and tries hard to cheer up the old grouch.

My plan is to upload the installments in volumes, starting of course with volume one. Each time I reach 24 pages in a volume I'll put out a comic book that collects all the comics up to that point and move on to the next volume. Each book will be available for sale here on my web site, at local Dallas area comic shops and at any comic conventions that I attend.

Anyway, before I get too far ahead of myself, for now I just need to get the comics created. I have several week's worth ready to go and many more already scripted.

Ok, here we go.

Doodlin' : A Cartoonist's Sketchbook

I have put together a book containing the scanned images from my various sketchbooks from the past 4 years. This proof copy just came back from the printer and I am really happy with it. I think looks good. You can buy a copy right now through the Lulu.com page for $9.95. It contains over 140 pages of doodle cartoons and sketches. I'll have these available at future conventions like Baltimore Comic Con and Wizard World Texas. If you click on the image above you'll some interior pages as well.

Sketchbook Page Portrait

This is a scanned page from my sketchbook. I drew this from a photograph that was in an excellent book I recently picked up. It's called Facial Expressions : A Visual Reference for Artists by Mark Simon. The book is a visual reference of people's faces in the best poses I've ever seen in a book like this. I have a bunch of different visual reference books, but this one really stands out, especially coming from a cartoonist's perspective. There isn't just people's faces in the book, there are tons of great extreme facial expressions. It's such a fun thing to flip through the book and sketch some of these facial poses, which you rarely get to see.

Cartoon Pins!

Here are some new pin designs. I ordered these from Button Arcade and I am really happy with the quality of them. I got 10 different designs all based on my recent Faces poster. I got these done for the upcoming Baltimore Comic Con. This was the first time I've created pin designs with color. I will be selling these at my table for $0.50 each and I hope people enjoy them.

Gadgeteria on Retail Shelves Today!

It's Wednesday, which means new comics hit the comic shops across the land. If you happen to be in the Dallas, TX area on this clear summer day you can swing by some excellent comic shops and find some Bramble Vine Comics books on their shelves. Currently my books can be found at these fine comics retailers:

Zeus Comics

Titan Comics

Keith's Comics

I just met with Keith today actually, and he'll be putting up copies of Gadgeteria once the next printing is shipped at the end of August. Many thanks to Richard, Jeremy and Keith for giving an indie artist like me some shelf space. It is very much appreciated!

Hopefully, more stores will be added soon. On that note, if you are a comics retailer and you're interested in putting some of my books in your shop send me a message and I will give you all the details.

New Stuff Coming in Time for Baltimore Comic Con

It's been a productive few weeks. I haven't done a lot with the blog, but I have been getting things together back in meatspace for the upcoming Baltimore Comic Con this September. I have my latest comic book, Bramble Vine Comics #2, currently in the printing stage over at Ka-Blam. I'm expecting the proof copy by the end of this week. I'm also printing up a new version of my cartoon Faces poster, so I'll have those on hand at the con. I have some new pins printed up with images from the poster that I think are really fun.

Also, I have a new paperback book I'm having made that should also be arriving this week. It's a re-print of several of my sketchbooks over the past 4 years. I haven't ever done a book like that before, but I'm excited about it.

I know it's still a couple months off, but it really takes time to put these things together and I think my table at Baltimore Comic Con will have a great selection of cartooning fun!

Bramble Vine Comics #2 off to the printers

I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated the site, but I have been busy getting the last details in place for my next book. I’m happy to report that Bramble vine comics #2 has been sent off to the printers. I should get a proof copy back in about 3 weeks. I’m really happy with this one. I think it really does have some of my best work.

Now that it is complete I can move on to my next project which will be a published collection of sketchbook pages from my various piles of doodles. Hopefully I’ll have that in hand in time for the Baltimore Comic Con.

I will get some pages from my latest book up on the site soon.

Sketchbook page

Here is the most recent page out of my sketchbook. I’m working on developing a more cartoony character design here. I want to come up with some concepts that fill the page with smaller panels, but still retain a full character body as much as possible. I think it’s starting to come together. now I just need to write a story that will accommodate the new format and we’ll see if this can come together.

Screwed by JMV Entertainment

First off I’d like to apologize to my readers about this weekend. I had announced a personal appearance in Houston with the JMV Entertainment comic book show and that show did not happen. To everyone that showed up for the show you saw the same thing I did when I got there ready to sell some books, draw some sketches and meet some readers ... a whole lot of nothing.

James Vaughn of JMV Entertainment contacted me about two months ago and invited me to be a guest artist at the next JMV comic show down in Houston. That was supposed to be today, but when I arrived to the show at the hotel in Houston I was met with a blank stare from the hotel reception person. There was no show scheduled. They'd never heard of JMV Entertainment. There was a hotel lobby full of very pissed off people; exhibitors and artists and comic fans who all came for a show that wasn't there.

Neither Vaughn nor anyone else with JMV (if there is anyone else) contacted me or any of the other guests to tell us that the show had been cancelled. I spoke to some of the other invited guests and they are all as pissed as I am. Even as I type this the JMV Entertainment web site is still using my name and a few others to promote the fake show today. I flew to Houston, rented a car and paid for a night in a hotel all for nothing.

I’ve heard from other cartoonists about being screwed over by shady show promoters before like the type of extortion that went on at this year’s New York Comic Con in which people showed up to their pre-paid space only to be gouged an additional couple hundred bucks for a table and chair and even carpet, but this is the first time I’ve experienced something like that first hand.

So, again, I apologize to everyone that tried to come to the show this weekend. I’ll have to choose the shows I attend more carefully in the future.

Appearance at JMV Comic Book Show, Houston, May 25

This weekend I’ll be at the JMV Comic Book show in Houston, TX. It’s being held at the Crowne plaza - Northwest. You can come by and find me in the artist alley part of the show. I’ll be selling my comics, including my latest book, Gadgeteria, posters, pins and sketches.

UPDATE: Screwed by JMV Comic Book Show.

New site design

I’m in the middle of migrating my site to a brand new design and hosting service. Check out all the colors! There may be some growing pains here and there, so if you happen to see any problems please let me know.

In the move I’ll be moving to a new blog system as well, so my older posts will be temporarily unavailable. I’ll find a way to archive all that stuff and put it up somewhere online.

Working on my next project

I spent my lunch break the same way I usually spend it, working on my next comic in the back of my local coffee shop. Here you can see the pages I am currently inking, taken with my camera phone. I’m about half way through this current short story. A few more lunches and I should be done.