The Box Factory

Luigizamo

2012-02-07T10:46:00.000-03:30

Ehhh!

2012-01-15T15:29:00.002-03:30

Spent a couple hours this afternoon doodling caricatures of celebrities. Managed to do a couple of decent ones before I jumped the shark (nudge-nudge, wink-winkler).

My Fellow Nerds pt. 2

2012-01-05T11:25:00.003-03:30

A sequel to this comic. How do you feel about the pee-and-poo colour scheme?

Christmas in Hell

2012-01-03T15:52:00.001-03:30

Top 5 albums of 2011

2011-12-26T11:42:00.000-03:30

Yah I know this is a cartoon blog, but let me indulge my music nerdery once a year, ok? Here, in no particular order, are my 5 favourite albums of 2011. Check the Grooveshark widget on the right for my fave tracks from each one.

1. St. Vincent: Strange Mercy. Super catchy and full of the most amazing contrasts. Annie Clark's a bit like wood-sprite driving a tank.

2. Cass McCombs: Wit's End. Really REALLY dark album. I'd be worried about the guy if he didn't release the breezy and upbeat Humor Risk a few months later.

3. Tune-Yards: Whokill. A bit of an acquired taste, like your first time biting into an olive.

4. Anna Calvi: Anna Calvi. Some of the biggest and most confident songwriting I've heard in ages. Plus she SHREDS!

5. Kurt Vile: Smoke Ring For My Halo. This one kinda peters out near the end, but the first half is so good that it makes up for it.

Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-18T16:15:00.001-03:30

Dad Card 2011

2011-12-06T15:21:00.001-03:30

An admittedly rushed and uninspired card this year. Pretty sure that even my 64 year old dad is sick of zombie jokes. But it's done, and I won't be disowned for another year.

Click the "one-shots" label for other dad cards.

Nerdily ever after!

2011-11-29T17:56:00.001-03:30

A year ago the girl in the foreground commissioned me to draw a comic with which to propose to her boyfriend. Now a year later, the maid of honour has commissioned this piece as a wedding gift. I think I can safely say that I'm this couple's official cartoonist.

Snapshots from a graphic novel

2011-11-18T13:46:00.001-03:30

Here's a collage of panels from a graphic novel I've been working on with a writer from St. John's. Ctrl + click the image to get a version you can magnify.

Ween '11

2011-10-31T17:27:00.000-02:30

Anybody up for burgers?

Texture

2011-10-18T11:00:00.001-02:30

A little handout I drew for a drawing class I'm teaching. For more (and better) material on texture/detail, search John K's blog or Mark Kennedy's blog. They both have excellent posts on the topic.

Donny

2011-09-29T12:16:00.000-02:30

A "cut-out" style Flash character I put together. Very much looking at Ed Benedict when I designed him. Also kind of based on the nerd/slob character from this comic.

I heart my brush pen pt. 2

2011-09-19T21:04:00.000-02:30

Brush Pen!

2011-09-02T09:10:00.002-02:30

Where have you been all my life?! I finally bought a Pentel pocket brush pen a few weeks ago, and I think I'm in love...so convenient and such a pleasure to use! (I'm hoping somebody at Pentel notices this ass-kissery and sends me a case of refills).

Abner Dean

2011-07-19T05:36:00.003-02:30

I love these strange, beautiful cartoons by Abner Dean. You can view a series of them here. Mildly NSFW - they're full of psuedo-nudity.

My workspace

2011-07-07T18:31:00.003-02:30

Sinus

2011-06-16T20:02:00.004-02:30

Yet more homework from Ivan Brunetti's cartooning-course-inna-book.

Cellar Door

2011-06-15T09:38:00.003-02:30

More Brunetti homework. I like how this one turned out, with the exception of the 18th century guy in panel 2. I think John K. would describe him as a "pile of lumps."

Smutty 4 Panel comix

2011-06-14T14:23:00.008-02:30

More Ivan Brunetti homework. The assignment was to draw a week's worth of daily 4 panel comics. Really having fun with the ink washes!

Oh, and cats really do have "anal glands" that, um, "express themselves" when they're excited. Petey is a very expressive cat.

The future is here

2011-06-13T08:48:00.001-02:30

Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice

2011-06-03T09:17:00.006-02:30

I got Ivan Brunetti's new cartooning book the other day. I expected it to be a bunch of highfalutin' essays, but it's actually more of textbook for the cartooning course he's been teaching. Above is the first homework assignment - something along the lines of "draw a page of doodles." Seems like a neat book so far. More later!

Sartorialist sketches 3

2011-05-18T09:20:00.002-02:30

Yet more sketches from The Sartorialist.

I like dis marker

2011-05-17T10:37:00.005-02:30

There's a certain type of inking I really like - you see it in Hank Ketcham's stuff and in David Mazzuccheli's Asterios Polyp. I want to emulate that look for a project I'm working on. Here I'm using a fine chisel tipped marker and kinda getting in the ballpark. I also tried Hunt lettering nibs and got a similar effect.

Head hints!

2011-05-11T10:04:00.005-02:30

I made this cheat sheet for a private drawing student. These are the rules I carry around in my noggin about how to draw a head in profile... sort of a stripped-down compilation of stuff I learned from Jack Hamm, Walt Stanchfield, etc. etc. etc.

Old paint doodle

2011-05-07T18:07:00.001-02:30

From '04. Acrylic and india ink on paper.

Sassitude

2011-05-02T17:10:00.003-02:30

For a girls' self-esteem workshop poster. Thanks to Paul Tucker for the word "sassitude."

Sartorialist sketches 2

2011-05-02T09:02:00.004-02:30

More sketches from The Sartorialist (see bottom of links).

My wacky old website

2011-04-28T15:10:00.002-02:30

Click the image to visit a very strange website I made when I was an animation student (2004). I threw it up on a free swf hosting site today- probably the first time it's been online. None of the sounds or links are functional, but you may find an Easter egg in the bunny's nose.

Bill Peet

2011-04-12T10:33:00.007-02:30

Bill Peet is quickly becoming one of my very favourite illustrators, largely thanks to the recent spate of posts on Michael Sporn's blog. Such a wonderful mixture of sophistication, simplicity, humanity and charm.

I marvel at the bold, flowing comositions, thoughtful lights and darks, expressive posing, and linework that's at once virtuosic and humble. I can scarcely think of an illustrator who's more "complete."

Night of the Living Ted

2011-04-11T15:49:00.005-02:30

From 2006. I was teaching a Photoshop course at the time, and gave a B&W version of this to the students to colour as part of a unit on comic book-type colouring.

Don't click to enlarge. The reduction is hiding a multitude of sins.

Jackie

2011-04-04T09:23:00.002-02:30

Weary

2011-03-29T19:23:00.007-02:30

Sorry about the lack of posts guys...been busy with a couple of projects. This drawing was supposed to be a self-portrait but it turned into a weird amalgam of various older relatives.

Magine Boards!

2011-02-25T12:13:00.006-03:30

Hey look! One of my doodles is on a prototype snowboard! (Ignore the slight placement error - the faceblob isn't supposed to be tangent to the side of the board like that. I'm told it'll be fixed).

My cousin and two of his buds have started a snowboard manufacturing company called Magine Boards and may be using some of my art. I'll keep y'all posted.

Stackers

2011-02-14T15:06:00.001-03:30

Pin-up doodle

2011-01-31T09:47:00.001-03:30

Max Ernst's house

2011-01-28T08:51:00.002-03:30

TV Doodles : Funerary

2011-01-19T14:00:00.003-03:30

Sartorialist

2011-01-19T13:34:00.005-03:30

These are the first things I've drawn in some time that are "blog-worthy." Sketched them from The Sartorialist, a great place to find photos of interesting and snazzily dressed humans.

Cowboy Henk

2011-01-13T09:09:00.003-03:30

I ran into these mysterious Cowboy Henk comics at Meathaus a few weeks and thought they were hysterical. A little like the old Ernie Bushmiller Nancies but with more bodily fluids and nudity.

There's a huge collection of them here.

Highbrow Corner: Alexander Ross

2011-01-05T17:58:00.004-03:30

I'm not a fan of much contemporary fine art, but I'm going gaga for these drawings by Alexander Ross.

Quickie X-Maz book reviews

2011-01-04T19:11:00.005-03:30

The Art of Harvey Kurtzman

You probably own this already, but if you don't, go buy it! It's got pictures from every stage of the man's carreer (including some very humbling work he did in highschool), and several fascinating sections that illustrate his meticulous creative process. An education for any cartoonist!

Lucky in Love

I get the idea that Stephen DeStefano's studied his Kurtzman. He's one of the best and most stylish cartoonists working these days and I loved every panel of the new graphic novel he created with writer George Chieffet.

My fellow nerds

2010-12-26T09:27:00.003-03:30

TV Doodles : Mr Tiny Head

2010-12-19T16:46:00.004-03:30

Your fancy home gym will not enlarge every part of your body...

Mustard Jar : Beach Bungle!

2010-12-19T15:08:00.002-03:30

I need to start paying more attention to Japan...

2010-12-16T16:45:00.004-03:30

...'cause I have a feeling I might be missing whole universes of awesome. The animation looks similar to this. Same animator?

Oh and after some googling I discovered the band is called Urichipangoon. If this happens to be your cup o' tea, check out Oorutaichi too.

Something a little different...

2010-12-08T22:36:00.006-03:30

From summer '07. My sister had twins and requested a Pooh painting for their bedroom. Certainly not my usual fare, but I figured it was worth bloggin'.

Smed! hurb! hut!

2010-12-03T17:46:00.002-03:30

Pencils, pens, markers, and a bit of photoshop friggery.

Dadcard '10

2010-11-28T19:48:00.006-03:30

Kind of attempting to do "Harvey Kurtzman meets Bob Camp." Click the "one-shots" label for previous dadcards.

Doodle-daddle-doo

2010-11-24T16:47:00.002-03:30

Mustard Jar: Dirty Discovery!

2010-11-22T10:09:00.002-03:30

TV Doodles: Quite the pear!

2010-11-18T11:29:00.003-03:30

McBusters

2010-11-09T20:16:00.003-03:30

Dang! This is the best Channel 101 show I've seen in ages! As a rule I kinda hate parody, but this is a really really clever one. The voices and writing and drawings are great, too. Kinda has a Johnny Ryan vibe. Cheggum oot!

Li'l sh*t / spike-tailed wackadoo

2010-11-08T16:18:00.004-03:30

Mustard Jar : Gym Class Gas!

2010-11-06T22:20:00.004-02:30

Happy B-day, Mike!

2010-11-05T16:53:00.005-02:30

Why do drawings look better in B&W sometimes?

Ween '10: Grunge Royalty

2010-11-02T19:13:00.004-02:30

Er, don't click on it. We got the broad strokes pretty good, but it falls apart under scrutiny. Fairly certain Kurt didn't crimp.

Spooky season's greetings from Mustard Jar!

2010-10-30T14:28:00.002-02:30

Some of the inspiration for this Halloween opposite gag came from this nifty Halloween opposite gag by Pedro Vargas. Happy Halloween y'all!

Mustard Jar: Fap Attack!

2010-10-24T13:39:00.002-02:30

Werebears guest spot

2010-10-13T10:13:00.006-02:30

Funny and prolific cartoonist Jennifer Barret is taking a little vacation at the moment, and so she's asked some people to be guest artists for her web comic Werebears and Only Children. Click here to see my strip. It's sort of an expanded version of this bit of fan art I drew a couple of years ago.

Pinball

2010-10-08T18:33:00.003-02:30

I don't know who's responsible for these Pinball shorts, but they are by far my favourite Sesame Street thing. If you strapped me to some kind of Clockwork Orange device and forced me to watch these on an infinite loop until I died, I would be stoked.

The visuals are amazing-but I think I like the music even better. How many crazy time-signature changes are in this thing? It blows my mind!

Hey it's Grumbacher!

2010-10-08T09:31:00.003-02:30

Splits

2010-10-04T09:08:00.003-02:30

Acrylic on canvas from the early naughties. I think this might have been the last time I ever painted something from life.

How to propose to a nerd...

2010-09-26T19:42:00.004-02:30

I was contacted recently by a lady in Ontario who wanted to propose to her boyfriend using a comic she had written. I agreed to draw it.

It ended up being a bit of a rush job, but I had fun working on it. It also got me back into inking with a brush.

See the rest of it here.

Boredom = elaborate doodles

2010-09-22T11:55:00.004-02:30

Dr. Fryman

2010-09-15T14:17:00.003-02:30

Does Dr. Foreman from House remind anybody else of Frylock?

Strange country

2010-09-13T20:06:00.002-02:30

Doers

2010-09-08T15:29:00.002-02:30

House of Terror

2010-09-05T18:07:00.005-02:30

My wife and I have been watching a lot of House lately and I've been sketching his weird head. This one doesn't look much like him, but I like the ghoulish vibe it has.

Dorks

2010-08-30T12:38:00.006-02:30

My new thing is using one line to draw a contour rather than a million. Whaddya think?

Album Art: The Disengagement - This is Backup

2010-08-22T23:15:00.005-02:30

Did another album cover for The Disengagement. Here's the last one I did. This one's a print-it-yourself affair to go along with their digital download release.

I love working for these guys 'cause they let me do whatever I want. Check 'em out!

Mr. Argento

2010-08-19T20:24:00.002-02:30

Cliff Sterrett

2010-08-13T10:53:00.003-02:30

How cool is this drawing? The more I see of Cliff Sterrett, the more I like him. Check out this great post on Michael Sporn's blog for more.

'Nother facebook pic

2010-08-06T22:05:00.003-02:30

Knobs

2010-08-06T20:24:00.005-02:30

Ugly Males

2010-08-03T19:54:00.005-02:30

This place is amazing!

It must be new, because there aren't very many pictures yet. But if they keep adding more , it'll basically be a bottomless well of cartoon inspiration!

Mizz

2010-07-27T16:18:00.003-02:30

Welp, it's no Rembrandt, but it is the first caricature I've done of my wife that didn't cause her to recoil in horror. I guess because it's not really a caricature at all, just a more or less straightforward drawing from a facebook photo.

Hopefully something more substantial to post soon. Toodles!

Mustard jar: Ab-Solute Victory

2010-07-17T21:35:00.008-02:30

Doodles born of boredom and Burroughs

2010-07-07T13:32:00.002-02:30

Mustard Jar : Science Fair Despair!

2010-07-05T00:06:00.002-02:30

TV Doodles: Heads

2010-06-30T14:10:00.002-02:30

TV doodles: Moms / assorted

2010-06-16T21:27:00.003-02:30

Quickie double bounce walk

2010-06-10T22:50:00.002-02:30

A little walk cycle I made today for fun. My first attempt at a double bounce. Feel free to critique!

I ate Jim Woodring

2010-06-08T21:13:00.003-02:30

Well, more like I ate the sandwich he invented. I read about it a couple years ago here, and just today summoned the courage to prepare the strange concoction - yellow mustard, crunchy peanut butter and slivers of bread-and-butter pickles grilled between two slices of bread. The verdict: strangely delicious!

Mr. Locke

2010-06-06T14:34:00.004-02:30

Glermit the Frolg

2010-06-06T13:16:00.002-02:30

More weird Kermits here.

Animation Backgrounds

2010-05-27T13:11:00.004-02:30

If you're an animation fan looking for a spot to waste dozens of hours, check out Animation Backgrounds. There's too much post-60's Disney there for my liking (which I find cold and overwrought and garish), but the newer stuff kinda serves the purpose of making the golden age stuff look even better.

Birdman

2010-05-18T17:44:00.005-02:30

Sometimes the internet seems like a moldering, incestuous heap of porn and fan art. Then I see something like this and it temporarily restores my faith in both the internet and humanity.

Mustard Jar meets Moutarde!

2010-05-09T16:48:00.004-02:30

Lusty Lummox

2010-04-28T20:29:00.002-02:30

Quickie book reviews

2010-04-27T22:13:00.010-02:30

Spent the weekend in the city and bought a pile of books. Here are some quickie reviews.

The Toon Treasury of Classic Children's Comics

Boy is this anthology chock full of good stuff! A bunch of Carl Barks stories, Harvey Kurtzman, Basil Wolverton, Milt Gross, etc. ect. ect. There's some real oddball stuff too, like Jack Coles "Burp the Twerp" comics. Definitely worth getting.

R. Crumb's The Book of Genesis

At the risk of being pilloried...I'm not that into this thing. Maybe the hype was so great that I could only be let down. Or maybe it's just the source material - one can only stand so many pages of "Hezekial begat Jobriath begat Nebuchadnezzar etc." Also the drawings just aren't up to Crumb's standard (probably cause he had to draw so damn many).

Hot Potatoe

Marc Bell's been doing these ramshackle surrealist comics and artworks for 20 years or so now, and they just seem to get better and better. This is a huge, hardbound collection of recent work. It is beautiful and hilarious and I will spend hours and hours ogling it.

Highbrow Corner: Roberto Matta

2010-04-20T09:45:00.008-02:30

I was only dimly aware of Surrealist painter Roberto Matta until I googled him yesterday. What fantastic stuff! Has that futuristic, cartoony vibe that Spanish modern art often has (Miro, Picasso, etc.). More images here. Wikipedia bio here.

Modulars

2010-04-18T22:24:00.012-02:30

Only got one suggestion on what to label these things, but it's pretty perfect: modulars! Thanks, Vincent.

And I REFUSE to get a cell phone!

2010-04-16T15:49:00.002-02:30

Tried out the Hunt 100 here on the recommendation of Bill Griffith. Don't wanna jump the gun or anything, but I may have a new favorite nib. It's got a huge range and doesn't catch the paper like a 102.

Toothsome

2010-04-13T14:27:00.005-02:30

Anybody have a good name for these thingamabobs I post? I wanna make a label for them, but I don't know what to call them. "Doodle" is kinda belittling and "abstraction" or "construction" sounds way pretentious.

More here, here, here, here and here, and elsewhere under the sketchbook label.

Noobs

2010-04-13T10:23:00.007-02:30

This pen "rules"

2010-04-10T21:18:00.006-02:30

Hit the road, Ames guide, I've got a new favorite widget. I was riffling through a box full of pen parts at an antique store today and found this old German ruling pen. It still works perfectly, and it's handsome and heavy in a way few modern things are.

A ruling pen is an old school technical pen. You have to dip it in ink, but unlike modern technical pens, you can adjust the width of the line. This one pen basically replaces your whole set of Microns or Staedtler pigment liners or whatever.

There's a great post on the comic tools blog about them. Cheggit oot!

Dr. Grey meets the 3rd dimension

2010-04-09T10:05:00.003-02:30

Lil' sumpin' I've been picking away at in my spare time. Dr. Grey is a character from my now defunct (sort of) comic Offal Funnies. There's a 3D Dermot in the works too, though he's not as far along.

Archie Visits Newfoundland!

2010-04-08T16:23:00.003-02:30

New original comic coming soon, folks, I swear. But for now, enjoy this bizarre bit of Newfoundlandia from 1990. Read all of it here.

BTW, this was largely the inspiritation for my Mustard Jar Visits Newfoundland comic from a few weeks back.

Wacky Toth!

2010-04-01T09:42:00.004-02:30

Ran into this Alex Toth story over at Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine. I've never seen Toth work in such a fun, cartoony style! Kinda reminds me of some of the classic MAD guys. Read the whole thing here.

Also dig the great perspective in the second last panel. So tasty!

Complete Milt Gross

2010-03-29T20:48:00.007-02:30

I finally got my copy about a week ago, and I'd just like to add another drop to the torrent of praise it's been getting in the cartoon-o-sphere. Milt Gross was one of the greatest (maybe THE greatest?) cartoonists ever, and everything about the design of the book is completely perfect. BUY IT NOW!

BTW, if you want some articulate praise for Gross, you'll find lots of it here. Also, a more in depth review of the book here.