"An Aurora of Polar Bears"- A Children's Primer

I will be in a group show in LA opening this Saturday at Gallery Meltdown, located behind Meltdown comics shop. Each artist gets to interpret a group of animals, choosing from a list of "terms of venery" established during the 15th century.

Opening Reception: this Saturday, Dec 5 2009 6-9 pm
Gallery Meltdown
7522 West Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90046
For a full list of artists and their animals, go here!

I got to paint my own version of "a Grist of bees"

Brooklyn Comics Fest & Smoke Signal #3

Going on this weekend- the very first Brooklyn Comics Fest.
Everyone should go to this, it's going to be good! (poster above by Charles Burns)


Where: Our Lady of Consolidation Church
184 Metropolitan Ave. Williamsburg Brooklyn
When:Dec. 5th, Saturday
11AM-7PM FREE

Plus, after-party at Death by Audio. Music performances by comic artists!

On the left here is a super sweet cover done by Anders Nilsen for the 3rd issue of Smoke Signal, a free comics newspaper put together, printed and distributed through Desert Island comic shop (also the host of the Brooklyn Comics fest mentioned above)

I have a new comic that is part of this new issue. Smoke Signal #3 will be available at the comic fest this weekend, (fresh off the printers!) so be sure to stop by and pick up your copy!

color version of my contribution to Smoke Signal 3 (a B&W paper)

**also!!!** my new silkscreen book "rainbow & i" will be available for purchase at Jon Vermilyea's table at the festival! Table 18.

APE 2009

here i am placing postcards on the Tong/Vermilyea table!

I can't seem to get enough of San Francisco! Being there for APE made it my fourth time visiting this year and it's never short of a crazy good time. The weather was near perfect, different from last year when it rained and I was worried about not having plastic bags for the posters I sold.

The party at Lasp Gasp which kicked off the weekend was so good... it's a good feeling being surrounded by millions and billions of books while enjoying beverage in one hand and fancy h'our dourves in the other. (Or as Eliza and I put it, a cartoonist's wet dream) Seriously, endless platters of smoked salmon (!!) lots of cheeses and fruits, spicy curried chicken... bbq pork sliders. yummm

Jon and I did very well at our table! It was fun getting to meet and hang out with some folks who made it out. Got to know and chat with Helen Parson, she is super sweet and I hope to run into her much more. Chatted with Cat who is super cool. She was doing a residency in Oakland and has now returned to NY! My new book did really well, I brought just a handful and made it out with 1 copy left. :) We went to a party at Ryan's place and got to check out his rooftop with an amazing view of the city!



We did plenty of touristy things of course :) Jon and I sure are speedy walkers! We walked pretty much everywhere, all the parks, saw the full house houses. Japantown (checked out the New People store) Did the Golden Gate bridge and Haight st. Ate lots of amazing burritos.

The photo above is of Jon in the distance and one of my all time closest friends, Angie, at the sutra baths at Ocean Beach. We explored some caves and ended the evening at the Beach Chalet. We got there when they had an amazing happy hour of 2 dollar pints and oysters! They brew all of their own beers, my favorite was definitely the Fleishhacker stout. :)

My new book "rainbow & i" is now available to view on my site! Be sure to check it out. :)

the beauty of off-set printing

I am currently on the verge of finishing my second silkscreen book, and I'm very excited about it! My new book will make its debut at APE in San Francisco, where I will share a table this year with the very talented Jon Vermilyea.






I've been spending a lot of time this summer at the SVA print lab. Here are some pictures of pages of my book being racked.

What I really like about silkscreen is that, unlike painting, I have less control over the result of the image. I'll have somewhat of an idea of how it will turn out, but especially dealing with color transparencies oftentimes I won't know the resulting color tones until it gets printed, and sometimes it's a nice surprise.










Another wonderful thing about silkscreening is that not every print will come out exactly the same as one another. Sometimes the result of off-set prints can be a beautiful thing, that's another thing that makes each print unique (if in subtle ways.)


The new book will be 20 pages like my last book, Pink Lemonade, but with comic panels so it will feel longer.

accidental silkscreen proof

I have a computer again! ...after living over 2 months without one ever since the screen stopped working on my last one. hello again, world.
So, I will definitely try to post more, as long as I have the time and my internet doesn't fail me.
Here's a close-up scan of a recent silkscreen print. I printed the second separation upside-down accidentally after the first separation and decided to keep flipping the paper and printing that way, omitting the line work in the end. There's only one original copy of this print-proof, which I recently gave away as a birthday present.
Stay tuned for some proper preview images of my new book!

Currently listening to:
Yacht - See Mystery Lights
St. Vincent - Actor
Deerhunter - Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP

this weekend... MoCCA!

I've been spreading the word and spreading it good. Pretty much been emailing not only all of my friends, but friend's friends, acquaintances, EVERYONE about this. I've been eagerly anticipating MoCCA fest for what feels like very long weeks! And the weekend has finally arrived, eeeeeeee!

I'm especially looking forward to running into old school colleagues, professors, and the huge array of cartoonists/artists making an appearance. I'll be in a panel which will take place on Sunday, moderated by my old professor. There's quite a few panels that I'm really looking forward to.

I'm going to try and make it to all of these night events, surrounding MoCCA (most of which takes place within walking distance from my apartment :)

Paul Hornschemeier book signing + party
FRIDAY 7-9PM 540 Desert Island Comics shop: Metropolitan ave, btwn Union and Lorimer
"Join us in celebrating the release of a new silkscreen edition with one of our favorite artists. Paul Hornschemeier will be here to sign books and hang out.
We will have beer.
We will also have copies of our brand-new free comic newspaper Smoke Signal. Grab a copy before they disappear!"


Future Ink Comics Art Show and Release Party
FRIDAY 8:30PM-11PM Eye-Level BQE Gallery, 364 Leonard St. (near Desert Island)
"Comics publishers Secret Acres, Bodega Distribution, and Sparkplug Books are proud to present some brand new ink of the future ....in conjunction with this year’s MOCCA Arts Festival!...
...Artists will be signing copies of their new books and selling limited edition prints and artwork. And refreshments will be served courtesy of the publishers! So come on down to the side of the of the freeway. Come one, come all and come early to see the ink of the future!"


Windy Corner at Giant Robot plus after party at our house!
SATURDAY, 6:30-8:30PM, AFTERPARTY: 10PM-3AM
GRNY: 437 E. 9th st. East Village.
Afterparty @LOFT: off the J train, first stop into brooklyn

"In addition to the opening reception Panelists V, Giant Robot will also host the debut of three new comics including Windy Corner #3. Meet the artists behind the Ignatz award nominated magazine and get a signed copy of the new issue."
...THEN, after the signing, come to 282 broadway for a big mocca after party that is also sorta a party for Nate Doyle's Crooked teeth #4, JULIACKS/Olga's Rock that never Sleeps and Fart Party v. 2. there will be: live music by nate's band HINGES, a small art show on our walls, pot luck and more cool stuff!"

a little vacation

I recently came back from a nice little vacation in San Francisco. Even though it's the city where I grew up, visiting the place with a bunch of east coast friends and making a point of touring there makes for a very different experience! I had an incredible time (at some points, surprisingly inspirational)

one of my all-time favorite activities: beach bonfire!!

I traveled there and back with my good friend Deo, he pretty much was taking pictures non-stop. For more incredible photos, visit his flickr!

Now that I'm back and off of vacation mode, I've been working hard on preparing drawings for my next silkscreen book, which I'm really psyched about. I'm finally getting to coloring in some separations and I have to say, scribbling with the extra BOLD tip oil-paint Sharpie is such a sensational feeling... It feels amazing, coloring like a kid essentially. I can't imagine making silkscreen separations on a computer screen?? (not that I know how to, anyway!)
So, I'm hoping to start printing once summer arrives and try and finish the project by end of summer with an all new silkscreen book for APE this year. I can't wait to print!

where i dream and draw

Corner of the room where my drafting table resides.

This is the room that I currently live in. It's where I sleep. It's where I drink all this coffee before exerting my creative energy into whatever project at hand, on the very table pictured.

Immersed in the organized clutter (in the detail photo) : antelope brown india ink, at least 2 pairs of scissors and box-cutters (when things get hectic they are lost so easily!), an array of tiny tiny oil brushes, sumi ink, 4 different kinds of tape, oils, random tubes of acrylic, uhh toothpaste?, etc.
On the other side of the drafting table: books, more books.

recent reads:
"The Road" Cormac McCarthy
"Post Office" Charles Bukowski

currently reading:
"Swallow Me Whole" Nate Powell
"Monster Men Bureiko Lullaby" Takashi Nemoto

music on loop:
Matt & Kim, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Panda Bear

"Sweet Surrender" it opened!

The opening reception was incredible! I couldn't believe all the people who made it out! It was good to see my neighbors, my Brooklyn roommate and all his friends, former weekend art students (circa YWCA!), SOTA kids, people i've met at Wondercon, even people I met last year at APE (!) and some folks I met on trivia night that very week turned out for the opening. WOW! Met a ton of new people as well. The night blew my mind!

I wasn't able to take any pictures, but here are some photos courtesy of friends and the gallery:


from left to right: my friend Scott, neighbors Paul and Jon, and myself

my parents and me looking fascinated by whatever Sarah is saying (Sarah, my former art teacher from the Y)

it was packed!!!

from left to right: Camilla, Krista, Allison, me

Also, there's a nice write up of the show on ARTslant: http://www.artslant.com/global/articles/show/5521

"Sweet Surrender" @ Gallery1988SF

I'll have about a dozen new pieces for this show and will be in town for the opening reception. I'll be staying in San Francisco for 2 and a half weeks starting end of February to finally unwind, and to attend Wondercon. I cannot wait!

Details: "Sweet Surrender"
opening reception, Friday, March 6th 7-10PM
1173 Sutter St. San Francisco, CA 94109
www.gallery1988.com
g1988.blogspot.com (stay tuned for the preview of the show)

one. hundred. BEASTS! @ GRSF

Opening Saturday, Jan. 17. The beasties make their way to San Francisco, at Giant Robot shop!

For previews, check out the BEASTS blog. Quite a few artists created new versions of their beasts exclusively for GRSF and it looks amazing. If you're in SF, don't miss this!

details:
Beasts! at GRSF, January 17, 2009-February 18, 2009
Reception: Saturday, January 17, 6:30 pm-10:00 pm
GRSF
618 Shrader Street
San Francisco, CA 94117

"Giant Robot is proud to present Beasts!, a group show featuring artists from the worlds of comics, skate graphics, rock posters, children's books, and other commercial and gallery arts."
"...To commemorate the publication of Beasts Book 2 and the simultaneous release of the paperback edition of Beasts Book 1, Fantagraphics Books art director Jacob Covey has pulled together artists from both volumes for an eclectic exhibition of original works and art prints."