Good Ideas, Bad Ideas

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. 

Pig Latin Redux

As "Wayne's World 2" definitively proved, the sequel is never as good as the original. Still, I wanted to find out what happened to that intrepid pig.

Stray Books

You can pick up a poster of this comic at my shop.

Sunday Dialogue Illustration

After spending a couple days on the beaches of New England, I had the opportunity to illustrate the Sunday Dialogue for the New York Times Sunday Review. The topic was the (unfairly?) maligned baby boomer generation. I shamelessly included images from my seaside sketchbook: a sailboat, rocky coastline, and an aggressive seagull. 

Como Obter Idéias

Portuguese translation by Iris Abramof. 

Read the English version here: How to Get Ideas

Toque Cada Dia Como Jazz

The inimitable Iris Abramof offered to translate some of my comics into Portuguese, and I happily said yes. She's tackled a number of my favorite Incidental Comics from the past couple years. I'll post the Portuguese translations regularly this month along with links to the original versions. My hope is that I can parlay these drawings into a trip to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup or the 2016 Summer Olympics - maybe I could serve as ambassador of webcomics? Thanks again to Iris for her help.

Read the English version here: Play Each Day Like Jazz

Please note that posters of the translated comics are available at my print shop.

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.