Theories of Autumn

Last weekend I drove along the Mount Evans Scenic Byway to see the beautiful fall colors of the Rocky Mountains. The vibrant hues and high altitude had a peculiar effect on my brain. 

Pig Latin

In my exhaustive research for today's comic, I read that John Steinbeck often signed his books with a drawing of the Pigasus, a mythical flying pig. He also included the Latin motto "Ad astra per alas porci":

"To the stars on the wings of a pig."

You can order a poster here.

Suburban Planning

I didn't feel like sitting at my drawing table for this week's comic. I decided to walk outside and sketch my neighborhood!

Painting for Non-Majors

The extent of my painting education was a half-semester of independent study in high school. I learned the dangers of using turpentine brush-cleaner in a poorly ventilated room, the frustration of using watercolors on thin, cheap paper, and the incredible length of time it takes for oil paint to fully dry. A couple years later, I gave up painting for the boundless rewards of cartooning. 

The Olympians

Required Summer Reading

You can order a poster of this comic at my shop. 

Art Theft for Amateurs

I recently read Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon. It was a thoughtful and inspiring book, but it gave no advice on how to literally steal art. 

Opening Night

This comic peripherally references Life in Hell, the great and recently-concluded weekly comic strip by Matt Groening. The overmatched protagonist is wearing a Bongo costume. After I drew this comic, I found out that Groening's strip was ending its 32-year run.

Dancing about Architecture

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture." 

- Famous saying of indeterminate origins

"Dancing about architecture is awesome."

- Not-so-famous saying

You can get a poster here for your architecture/dance studio.

Kinetic Sculpture

If you haven't experienced the sculptures of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, first visit the artists' website. Then make a pilgrimage to see one of their giant household objects in person. Here's a quick list of the iconic pieces I drew for this comic:


Shuttlecocks, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri
Spoonbridge and Cherry, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Clothespin, Centre Square Plaza, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Steampunk Summer

For a great introduction to this science fiction subgenre, I recommend Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant. Kelly Link's story "The Summer People" is phenomenal, as is the rest of her work.

Cycles of Life

 

In less than 6 months my wife and I will be learning to ride cycle #5! It's sure to be an exciting and terrifying course. 

Summer Night

The Conspiracy of Colors

 

While browsing the unwanted books section at a local thrift store, I came across an amazing item: The Elements of Color by Johannes Itten. The book's subtitle is "A treatise on the color system of Johannes Itten based on his book The Art of Color," and the contents are full of beautiful diagrams and fascinating (if a tiny bit overblown) writing on the practice and history of color theory. It was definitely worth the $2.99 spent. I adapted some of the figures within the book for this comic. I loved the way Itten wrote of the colors as if they were living, breathing entities, with the capacity for good - or evil.

Tree Climbing

Get a poster here to decorate your treehouse.

Draw Like You've Never Been Taught

The Coffee Cycle

My initial idea was to draw this diagram and paint it with black coffee for a watercolor effect. Unfortunately, the coffee didn't show up well and warped the paper. So I drank the coffee. Get a poster here.

The Art of Living

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Iconic Houses

In an earlier draft of this comic, it appeared the Farnsworth house was being gnawed by ordinary beavers. My architect brother informed me that Mies van der Rohe was known for his innovations in steel and glass, not wood. So just to clarify: those are MUTANT beavers. 

By popular demand, you can order a poster of this comic here. If you'd like, I'll include a footnote about the beavers.

Check out some past Incidental Comics about architecture:
The New Building. The World-Famous Architect. 

Meet the Numbers