Picasso Blues

Picasso's "Blue Room" is in the news - read more about it here. Picasso's Blue Period was a fascinating (if somewhat melodramatic) time in his career. For best results, sing the words of this comic in the voice of bluesman Robert Johnson. The greatest song about Picasso, however, was written by Jonathan Richman.

The Problem of Perception

How to Look at Art

This comic first appeared in my series "Who Needs Art?" for Medium.com.

You can order a poster at my shop.

My Neighbor Magritte

This comic first appeared in my series "Who Needs Art?" for Medium.com.

You can order a poster of this comic and many others at my shop - there's still time to order posters for the holidays. Orders should be placed by December 18 at the latest for arrival by December 24.

Georgia's World

This comic first appeared as the seventh of ten strips in my series "Who Needs Art?" for Medium.com. It was inspired by a trip to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

People of the Art Museum

This illustrated journal of a trip to the Denver Art Museum first appeared in my series "Who Needs Art?" for Medium.com.

Sculptor vs. Painter

This comic first appeared in my series "Who Needs Art?" for Medium.com - check out the original post for some of the history behind the feud between Tatlin and Malevich. This comic could also be called "Constructivist vs. Suprematist." I think Constructivism was a fascinating movement, but I'm partial to the geometric energy of Suprematism. 

The last panel alludes to the Russian artists who combined the language of both movements in their work. One of my favorite examples is A Story of Two Squares by El Lissitzky, a remarkable children's book that advocates Constructivist principles of cultural progress through Suprematist shapes and colors. 

Looking at Art

The final comic in my ten-part series "Who Needs Art?" is now up on Medium.com. I've spent the last 5 months exhaustively researching 20th-century art. I've visited museums, searched digital galleries, and lugged piles of extremely heavy art books home from the library. It felt like getting an art history degree - without the pesky exams or crippling tuition. The last entry in the series is an incomplete summary of some things I've learned by looking at modern art. The visual inspiration for the drawing was the sculpture park at The Nelson -Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, one of the best places to spend a fall afternoon.

Thanks to my editor at Medium, Charlotte Druckman, for helping make the series a reality!

American Art

This comic first appeared in my series "Who Needs Art?" for Medium.com. I originally posted it the week of Independence Day, but it takes on a new meaning today as the U.S. government begins an ineptitude-induced shutdown. In this country, as in every country, our art is far greater than our politics.

A New Style

The latest comic in my series "Who Needs Art?" for Medium.com features the geometric abstractions of Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg - the two main figures of the Dutch art movement De Stijl. You can read the full comic here. Caution: may contain primary colors. 

Dada Day

While researching the history of modern art, I noticed some parallels between the early-20th-century Dada art movement and the reckless enthusiasm of childhood. My daughter is not yet old enough to recreate the art of Marcel Duchamp, but in the next few years this comic may become a reality.

This is the third comic in my series "Who Needs Art?" for Medium.com.

My Neighbor Magritte

Read the full comic in my series "Who Needs Art?" at Medium.com.

Self Portrait

This comic appeared as the second in my series "Who Needs Art?" for Medium.com.

Remembering Futurism

Filippo Tommaso Marinetti was a man of inherited wealth, artistic vision, controversial political views, and a well-curled mustache. His “Futurist Manifesto” is an outlandish and entertaining document that would be difficult to parody. I’ve paraphrased parts of the manifesto in this comic while trying to stay true to the spirit of the original.

This comic appeared as the first in my series "Who Needs Art?" for Medium.com.

People of the Art Museum

I made an illustrated journal of a free day at the Denver Art Museum. It's the latest in my series "Who Needs Art?" for Medium.com. You can read the full version here. Disclaimer: I did not use a pen in the galleries - my original sketches were in pencil.

Sculptor vs. Painter

The latest comic in my series "Who Needs Art?" is verbal sparring match between two 20th-century Russian artists: Vladimir Tatlin, a Constructivist, and Kazimir Malevich, a Suprematist. You can read the full comic at Medium.com.

American Art

The latest comic in my series "Who Needs Art" is up on Medium.com. It's a reflective stroll through a gallery of 20th-century American art.

In other exciting news, a few of my comics were selected to appear in the Best American Comics 2013! It's not available in stores until October, but you can see the cover (by the incomparable Kate Beaton) here.

Some other places you can find my work:
The Hic and Hoc Illustrated Journal of Humor, an outstanding collection of humor comics edited by Lauren Barnett and Nathan Bulmer.
Alternative Comics #4, featuring an equally star-studded lineup of cartoonists.
The "Nerds for Hire" podcast, where I discuss freelancing as a visual artist with hosts Non Wells and Mindy Holahan.

Life Drawing

Becoming a first-time father brings the irresistible urge to write about it! Just ask Stevie Wonder, John Lennon, and Colin Meloy. At some point, my perspective on fatherhood may turn slightly less sentimental - maybe closer to Randy Newman.

Sketchbooks of the Pros

Keeping a sketchbook is essential for the working cartoonist or illustrator. It's a place to draw freely without the fear that someone will see your poor rendering of a bicycle. It's a place to return for reference about what a bicycle (sort of) looks like. It's a place to stow away underdeveloped or misguided ideas, in hopes they'll someday amount to something. It's a place to search madly for usable ideas when faced with a serious creative block. A visual artist who doesn't keep a sketchbook is like an author who can't find the time to read: they may be able to get the work done, but they won't have near as much fun doing it. 

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.