[Note:
for more daily and meandering minutiae, please check out the Sketchblog]
Apr 30. A few new things: an image about the historical decline of
Chinese scientific discovery for SEED (in the "Illustration" section)
and a portrait of Al Pacino (in the "Portrait" section).
Apr 26. Here
are some pictures of the mini "show" of original Skim art at
The Beguiling in Toronto. Stop by to see how ramshackle my process really
is!
Apr 21. Back in NYC!
Apr 7.
+++
BERLIN VACATION!
Art Directors, please note that I will be away from the studio until April
20th. I will have my cellphone and you're welcome to email, but please be
advised that I will be unable to accept quick-turnaround jobs. 'Can't wait
to work with you when I get back!
+++
Added not one but FOUR
new illustrations. Check them out in both the illustration and portrait sections.
I got into some annuals this year! Look for a few pieces in Communication
Arts and American Illustration. I also got nominated for an SPD medal! Yay!
Below, "Cats Vs. Birds", one of my favourite pieces from last year,
which will appear in this year's AI.
Apr 1. Interested in seeing original artwork? If you live in Toronto,
you can see Skim originals at The Beguiling
on Markham Street. It's right around the corner from Honest Ed's.
Mar 31. I stopped by Forbidden Planet and St. Mark's Books today...
both had Skim in stock! I know it's now available in the D&Q store in
Montreal. Also, Amazon
has uploaded the first few pages if you'd like to see more previews (click
"Search Inside").
Also, a new illustration of REM in the "Portraits" section of this
website.
Mar 30. I'm back in NYC, a little worse for wear but extremely happy
with the Toronto trip nonetheless. My health totally crapped out a few days
before I left for Toronto and it just kept on deteriorating. Ugh!
A few little updates:
National
Post feature
Read
about what I listen to in the studio (Drawn)!
SKIM
in FFWD Calgary
LISTEN
THE Q PODCAST!
Thank-you to everyone that came out to our launch last Wednesday.
Mar 24. I have uploaded a small
excerpt of Skim. If the pages are too large for your browser or you'd
like to examine the artwork closer, download
the .pdf.
I
listed all of next week's Skim events here.
Mar 22. I'm gearing up for my big trip to Toronto and the Skim Promo
Train! I'm excited to talk about the book and hear what people think. Read
reviews from this weekend's Globe
& Mail (Skim review at bottom of page), the Halifax
Coast or BUST
Magazine. It always really makes me beam to be included in BUST. It was
a magazine I adored growing up and gave me one of my first jobs as an illustrator.
Mar 13. More Skim press. Skim in the Calgary
Herald. A review by the
Manitoba Library Association. And a write-up in this week's
Xtra! paper in Toronto. I am archiving all of this in the "Books"
section of this website.
Mar 6. Are you an OCAD student? Maybe you'd like to come to my talk!
Friday, March 28, 2008
10am-12pm
Ontario College of Art & Design
Auditorium (room 190)
100 McCaul St
I think that it'll be mostly about illustration stuff, but Mariko will also
be there to talk about Skim.
Not an OCAD student? All are invited to the
Launch Party on the 26th. Mariko and I will be talking about the creation
of the book and such. Here's the
facebook event listing.
Mar 4. Check out this little Skim feature in Publisher's
Weekly! It's really, really weird reading yourself in "quotes".
Skim recently also received a "starred" review from Quill
and Quire (the Canadian version of PW).
I have heard from the Publisher that Skim is "probably" available
THIS VERY WEEK in the U.S.A.!
Feb 29. One of the things that was cool about doing Skim, which is
set in 1993, is that I didn't have to draw computers, computer mice, chat
rooms, cellphones, and so on. So it amuses me to announce that Skim
has a Facebook page! Be her friend (or is it fan?). She could use a few.
Feb 27.
Matching gold medals from this year's Society of Illustrators Editorial
category.
Feb 14. SKIM AVAILABILITY! I am hearing from covert sources (OK,
my mom) that Skim is available at many stores across Canada, including Chapters
and Pages. Yay!
I have added a little series to the folio. The project was dreamy: classic
children's book illustrations. Delicious. You can also see the images together
in the
final magazine layout.
Feb 13. There is a new illustration in the folio. See the genesis
of the illustration here.
This piece was originally completed for TIME Asia.
Feb 11. Skim at The
Beguiling! Our lil' book is now available in Toronto! As far
as availability elsewhere, I have no idea... all I know is that it's on sale
soon (if not now?).
[As far as the Beguiling post about it not being widely available in The States,
I'm not sure that'll be the case. As far as I know, it will have reasonable
US distribution. We shall see...]
P.S. You should also check out "Paul Goes Fishing" (also pictured).
I love Michel Rabagliati.
Feb 8. SKIM NEWS!
There is some new stuff to report about Skim,
our graphic novel due out (next?) month.
-First off, a
review from Publisher's Weekly! Scroll up from the bottom of the page
and you'll hit it faster.
-An audio/podcast
review from the Friends of Lulu. Thank you to Marion Vitus and Valerie
D'Orazio. By the way, not sure why this gross hyper-saturated version of the
cover is circulating on the internet. My heart breaks a little bit each time
I see it.
-Some initial information about the Launch
Party in Toronto has been released! It will be at the Gladstone
Hotel on March 26. It'll be a This Is Not A Reading Series event, sponsored
by Pages Books. I'll post more info/the official invite when it becomes available.
-Skim is available for pre-order at Amazon.
-Mariko and I will be at MoCCA, APE, and SPX this year. If you are too, please
come visit us.
I got the hardcover copy of the book in the mail the other day. I'm a bit
nervous, but I can't wait to share it with the world (and hear what you think!).
Jan 18. Does anyone actually remember the holidays? It seems so long
ago. Regardless, I hope you are having a great new year so far.
There are two new illustrations in the Portrait section, including a picture
of the band Vampire Weekend for SPIN magazine.
Things will begin to ramp up for the release of Skim, launching in March.
We will be having an event on March 26 in Toronto. More info on that as it
becomes available. Last weekend Mariko and I were in Philadelphia for a librarians'
conference where there seemed to be a lot of enthusiasm for the book, which
is very exciting. And lo, the
first review, courtesy of Friends of Lulu (not that it'll mean anything
to most people, since the book is not yet released)!
Dec 28. News for the New Year: I have accepted a teaching position
at The New School (Parsons). I will be teaching a class called "Junior
Concepts". Fun! So maybe if you're a 3rd year Parsons student, I'll be
seeing you very soon.
Four pieces have been selected for the Society
of Illustrators this year. One even won a Gold medal. More on that as
info for the show and book become available.
Dec 6. Read a short article that I illustrated over at
A Brief Message. And, if you have time, check out the back archives. It's
a great collection of mini missives on design.
Dec 4. Wow, you guys really dig that Cat
v. Bird illustration. I've had quite a few requests for prints of that
one. If you are interested in prints, of any image, please email me
for prices and availability.
Dec 1. New illustration in the folio. If you're interested in the
backstory, read
it here on the NYTimes website. Portrait section has also been updated.
Nov 26. I haven't had a chance to update the folio yet, but here's
a little illustration from last week's Times Op-Ed page. The
article it accompanies is very interesting. It details luxury brands'
deceptive and exploitive practices; they really are just selling the perception
of heritage, quality, and prestige.
Nov 22. Happy American Thanksgiving! It's official: they're playing
Christmas jingles in the supermarket. Happily I will have a lot of additions
to the portfolio in the next few days this was a fruitful (albeit sleep-deprived)
week. Look for two illustrations in next week's Times Magazine or, if you're
in the UK, this guy in today's Guardian:
If you are a Parsons student, I will be in your neighbourhood next
week, speaking at George
Bates' class with Sam
and Ted. Info
here. Apparently any Parsons student can attend?
Nov 15. Yesss.
Skim Advanced Reader Copy has arrived! The book will be available, as a hardcover,
in the Spring.
Nov 6. This
Wang ZhiZhi illustration is seeing a lot of action lately. It was recently
chosen for the CA Design Annual (AD Siung Tija) and the American Illustration
book. Another piece, done for the New York Times Magazine, also appeared in
the CA Illustration Annual.
Oct
27. There's
a new illustration of Alex (Malcolm Mcdowell),
from a Clockwork Orange, in the Portrait section. Test your Stanley Kubrick
trivia here
if you like.
Oct 16. A new website! I've made some modifications so hopefully more people
will be able to see the whole thing. Although I've pared it down quite a bit,
I've also added a large portrait section.
Oct 16. I'm back! I'm sad to
report that I did not manage to capture any fairies or photograph any dwarves
while I was in Iceland. Although, believe me, I tried...
Sept 28.
I will be away in Iceland from Sept 29th to Oct 15th and will not be able
to take short term jobs. I will periodically be checking email but I can't
guarantee a timely response. I hope we'll work together when I get back!
Sept 18. The Dragonflies illustration (see pic in Aug 23rd entry)
is now
available as a print from the Walrus store. The Walrus is a non-profit
endeavour and proceeds from the print go to the Walrus Foundation. I'm a Walrus
pusher... it's one of the smartest, most interesting magazines being published
right now.
Sept 12. Thanks to Matt
for featuring my sketchblog on Drawn!
I now document my sketchbook and (some of) my process work on said
blog which can be accessed via the "sketch" button at left.
On the topic of websites, I'm in the process of renovating this one... I know
some visitors on lower resolution monitors are having a hard time seeing all
of it at once.
Aug 23. Hello again! I'm back in Brooklyn, hoping to gather a bit
of moss and get some work done. There is a new Walrus cover in the folio.
Here's a picture of it in action in Toronto. Me and Gisele hang out alllll
the time.
Aug 13. I was back... but now I'm gone again.
Please note: I will be away in Toronto for the next week, from Wed,
August 15th, til the 22nd. I will be unable to take on short term jobs, but
am available via email and phone if you would like to contact me.
But what will I be DOING in Toronto?
TCAF! I will
not be manning a table there, but will be signing on both days. You can find
me for sure at the Conundrum table on SUNDAY, 2-3 pm. As for Saturday, I'm
not sure when I'll be there, but it will be at the Doug Wright Awards table
(Gilded Lilies was nominated!).You
can attend the TCAF kickoff/Wright award ceremony yourself:
THE TORONTO COMIC ARTS FESTIVAL KICK OFF EVENT
Featuring Joe Matt Returns to Toronto, and the 2007 Doug Wright Awards
Innis College Town Hall
Friday, Aug 17, 6:30pm-8:30pm
2 Sussex, @ St. George (two blocks south of St. George TTC)
$5.00. Tickets available at the door.
Aug 3. The New York Times has an article about the subway
art and mosaics, one of my favourite things about the city.
July 25.
Note: I will be away in Calgary for the next two weeks, until August
9th. I will be unable to take on short term jobs, but am available via email
and phone if you would like to contact me.
But
what/where IS Calgary?
I'll be in Alberta for the most part, but will be in Vancouver for
the Powell
Street Festival from the 2nd to the 5th. I have a few things up, including
some new Skim artwork. Personally, I'm looking forward to the food.
Here's the info for the show and talk:
Between What’s Said and Unsaid: A drawing show by Nikkei artists
August
4–17, 2007
Helen Pitt Gallery, 102–148 Alexander Street
Opening, Friday, August 3, 2007 at 7 pm
Artist talk: August 4, 2 – 3 pm
Hours: tba
Information: 604.683.8240
Between what’s said and unsaid is an exhibition of drawings by a younger
generation of Nikkei (Japanese descent) artists from Canada, USA, and Japan.
This show looks at drawing as storytelling, drawing as exploration, drawing
as play. From the narrative of graphic novels to more elusive suggestions
of story, common threads appear. These are stories of youth and coming of
age, glimpsed in small epiphanies and day-to-day moments. Ranging from melancholy
to more playful, the works evoke a nostalgic sensibility. The medium of drawing
has an immediacy and accessibility suited to this exploration of subtle emotions
and discoveries. These works will play against each other, creating their
own small dialogues. This exhibit plays a very important role in the overall
theme of the 2007 Festival, which is Asobi (play), an exploration of creativity
and experimentation.
Curated by PSF programming committee member Alia Nakashima, the show features
Kaori Kasai (Japan), R. Kikuo Johnson (USA),
Jillian Tamaki (Calgary/NYC), Cindy Mochizuki
(Vancouver) and Madoka Hara (Vancouver). There will be an
artist talk featuring the Canadian artists on opening day, Saturday, August
4 at 2 pm.
July 7. There's a Washington Post Bookworld illustration in the folio
(and in your Sunday Washington Post). I love doing book stuff...
July 6. Have a pleasant weekend.
July 3. Awards News: 'Gilded Lilies' was nominated for a Doug
Wright "Best Book" Award! I'm pleasantly surprised. Congrats
to all nominees. I just booked my tickets to go to the Toronto
Comic Arts Festival, August 18 & 19. I might make a stopover at the
Conundrum Press table, but I won't be manning it. Praise the Lord!
I love this,
because I like to think I've been claimed by the CBC. I love you too, Mothercorp!
July 2. There's a new Book Review piece in the folio. It seems like
I've been doing a lot of stuff for the Times lately, which is awesome. The
tall guy below was in last week's Week in Review.
Thanks for everyone who came out and said hello at MoCCA. It was lots of fun
and I can't wait to do the 'rounds with Skim.
Jun 21. On Saturday and Sunday, I will be at MoCCA's Art Festival.
If you have even a passing fancy in alternative comics and are in NY, you
should check it out. It will be held in the Puck Building (293 Lafayette,
at Houston), from 11-6 on both days. Sam
and I will be at table A57. Speaking of Sam, we tag-teamed on an Angelina
Jolie illustration today...
Jun 14. A tiny note. My dear fellow artists: please do not add me
to your mailing list, event announcement, newsletter, etc. etc. without my
permission. I troll the internet way too much anyway, so I probably already
know about it already, and besides, it's kinda rude.