What I’m working on

Though I haven’t finished the next Human Spring story for you yet, I have been working on a few different things that I’d like to share with you. While I don’t usually like to talk about things too early in the process (since they can often just be shiny new ideas that go nowhere), these projects are starting to take shape…

March and April are going to be busy months for me, especially on the “fine art” side of things. There’s the art show at MidSouthCon (where I can just display & sell work without having to table the whole time– making drawings of dragons & monsters is a small price to pay for that perk!) and the East Buntyn Artwalk, a fun event that draws out a lot of people willing to purchase original art (no small feat in this town!)…

I also did this drawing for the Playhouse on the Square’s annual art auction. They are exceedingly generous to the artists who donate, so I’m happy to do a piece for them … like this drawing inspired by “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder”. If you ever get the chance to see that show, do yourself a favor and go; you won’t be disappointed!

I’ve been working to finish up a couple of new comics in time for a book event at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library in April, too. For that, I plan to have completed the print edition of “Sultana”, a new Watusi issue, and Book 2 of “Watusi in Oz” (tho there’s still a lot of work– mainly the bonus chapter not shown online– still to go on that one).

I’ve also been collaborating with a local writer on a new comic that’s taking shape nicely. While it’s still a little early to go into a lot of detail (without spoiling its big reveal), I can show off some of its cast of Knights Templar…

Plus, I have actually finished a story this year, for Bob Corby’s moon-themed Oh, Comics! anthology to be published in April. My tale of a moon launch set between the wars involved more straight lines than I think I’ve ever drawn in a comic before!

So that’s what’s cooking at the moment. Most of the comic projects will eventually come your way in some form through this Patreon channel; if you want to see more of my pencil drawings, please follow me on Instagram, where I’ve been posting a new drawing nearly every day.

[January 2023 UPDATE: this post originally appeared on my now-closed Patreon page.]

My Oz model sheets (a sneak peek)

As I’ve been planning and working on Watusi’s adventure in Oz, I wanted to not only include some of Baum’s characters, but have my original characters look like they belong in that world, too. Fortunately, original Oz illustrator W.W. Denslow  had a lovely cartooniness to his illustrations that are easy for me to translate into my style. John R. Neill‘s designs from later books are a little more more lavish, but I can still simplify those characters to fit the needs of cartoon storytelling (versus storybook illustrations).

I plan for the Tin Woodman & Scarecrow to look pretty much like they originally appeared, but I think I’ll play with Jack a little more: not only will his intelligence be determined by the particular pumpkin atop his shoulders, but his personality, too. The head in this sketch is a hipster head, but he may have another one if the story dictates it by the time he appears…

I also wanted to update the look of the Munchkins, Hammerheads, and  Winkies for a story set 100 years after Baum (although a more traditional Munchkin garb will appear, too). The bottom row are my main original characters for this story; not sure about the title for the “Governor” yet or the rhyming name of Itsch’s brother (Kitsch or Etsch). Any thoughts on which is the most appealing?

Look for the first of these characters in today’s Watusi the Talking Dog episode!

[January 2023 UPDATE: this post originally appeared on my now-closed Patreon page.]

“InkTober” 2015: my month of model sheets

When my friend (and Watusi jam participant) JB Winter first pitched me “Inktober“, a drawing challenge to do one ink drawing a day for the entire month, I wasn’t initially interested in participating. After all, I figured, since I draw in ink all the time, it’s really not that big of a challenge to me. After checking out Inktober instigator Jake Parker‘s website on the project (including his review of his go-to inking tools), and seeing some of the amazing drawings that participants produced during the first few days, I figured I could at least do the “5K” option of posting once a week. So I decided to indulge my general love of model sheets and draw up some decent ones for four members of my Watusi cast. If nothing else, having that reference should help me be able to keep my characters in proportion to each other! For those of you who missed them on my twitter feed, I’ve collected them here for your enjoyment.!

The first choice was a no-brainer:

We have a winner!

At long last, I’ve finally decided on the name for this character: “Chester”. Thanks to Shawn Geabhart for suggesting this winning name!

It’s contest time! Name this character, win a drawing!

Try as I might, I just can’t seem to find a name for this guy that I’m happy with, even after featuring him in a story in Doghouse Funhouse #1! But, since he’ll have a bit part in the current Watusi storyline, it’s high time to get it figured out! While the names of his buddies (l-r) Chuck, Emma, and Kirby came with no problem and seem to fit them just right, I still haven’t found anything that quite suits him. Here’s a little background on the character: he’s a 10-year old classmate of his friends, and gets along with them pretty well. He’s smart (like Kirby), but downplays it. His family is pretty well off, and he lives in the tony part of Wonder Valley, but doesn’t flaunt it Richie Rich style. In fact, his parents send him to public school just so that their wealth doesn’t go to his head. He’s not a goof-off, but (partly because he’s so smart) he doesn’t have to work very hard at school, so doesn’t take things too seriously. Who knows, maybe he’ll grow up to be a slacker…