Return to Printmaking

A lot has been happening these past few months. I completed the Cid & Francis comic, which you can read over on my Tumblr, and I've also decided to get back into printmaking. I use to do a lot of this back in the day, but fell away from it during grad school. I guess looking at it now, it's a medium that I had real strengths in, and it helped me to stand out from the pack. I'm a little rusty, I'll admit, but being back in a print shop, rolling ink onto a block and sending it through a press, it felt good. 

Richie Tenenbaum, from Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums

Treasure Map Travels

featuring Cid & Francis

Both of these prints are currently for sale at my Storenvy shop. 

What Are You Talking About?! - Page 1 Sneak Peek

First page of a new comic I'm working on. It should be 15 pages when all is said and done, aiming to have it completed by mid-May. I don't plan on posting the rest until it's completed, but I at least wanted to give people a sneak preview.

New characters, new world. Just something that I wanted to get out of my system and see what it looks like on the page, and how people react to it. So it goes.

Sketchbook Project 2012

A few pictures of my contribution for the Sketchbook Project 2012, Time Lords of the Chronometer, which is currently on its way to the Brooklyn Art Library.

Christmas Gifts 2011

Some drawings that I made for the family this past Christmas...

The Gnome's Campfire Tale

Mrs. Dowlin never suspected that the class pet iguana was planning the takeover the whole time...

Monster Holiday Blues

Originally appeared in the Philadelphia City Paper's annual Comics Issue, December 1, 2011.

Drive

Finished poster illustration based on director Nicolas Winding Refn's film.

LANNISTER

Finished illustration of the family of Casterly Rock, based on characters from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.

The Children of Stark

Finished illustration of the Stark kids, based on characters from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.

ADVANCED NOTICE! PACC 2011!

Make sure you find yourself in Philadelphia on August 14 for the Philly Alternative Comic-Con. I'll be there along with other great comic creators from Philly and elsewhere selling cool comics. Put it on your calendar NOW!

Poster by Pat Aulisio

The Children of Stark

I made up this illustration based on Game of Thrones (or A Game of Thrones, for the book aficionados out there) for a mini-zine that someone is putting together. Hopefully it makes the cut, but nevertheless, it was fun to make.

I'd like to think that this is a full blown illustration, but at its heart it's fan art, I know. And is that such a bad thing? I think most of the work I make is inspired by someone else's work, and while my effort pays tribute to their work, at the same time it tries to capture the same energy and spirit that the original work was created with. That doesn't make much sense, but that's the best way I can describe it.

And so, it should be known that George R.R. Martin's books have become sort of an obsession for me. In a matter of two months I've consumed the first two books, and I'm now on the third, and this coming from a very slow reader. Chances are that the rest of the summer will be devoted to the fourth and fifth books, and then I have to wonder what I'll be reading in the fall because I doubt that I'll find anything to live up to this series. And from what I hear, the HBO adaptation is top notch, so I can't wait to finally see that (I lack the means for cable TV).

Also, I fell in love with the pencils I made for this illo, to the point where I was considering just leaving it at that (with the exception of the bottom text, that always needed work). There was just an energy and vibrancy to the pencils that I really liked, and that I've rarely been able to capture through inks. But at the same time, the ink forces you to commit to something, whether a line, expression, or layout, and it has a very good way of exposing your mistakes. So, in the end, I'm pleased with the final result, and I'm even thinking this may deserve a watercolor treatment down the road.

Dr. Sketchy's - June 11, 2011

A selection of sketches I made during the steampunk-themed Dr. Sketchy's June session (in Philadelphia).

Spider-Man Sketches

If you've been keeping up with the blog, you may have seen me mention something about a personal Spider-Man project, just a five page sample to try my hand at something 'mainstream.' The project is somewhat...stalled at the moment, due to other projects, of course. I have the page layouts complete and the panels roughed out, but at the moment I'm not sure when I'll be able to pick it up again.

However, I have been able to work out some sketches for the characters I'll be using. I have to admit, my sketching style can be infuriating. I'm always amazed by people's clean sketching styles, because it is the complete opposite of mine. My own is always frenetic, like my brain and hand can't get the drawing out quick enough so that the next one can be drawn. I don't particularly like the practice, but that's just how it has always been, and I've learned how to work around it. Honestly, I'm amazed I get anything done.

Mary Jane Watson

Your Friendly Neighborhood Web Head

Electro

New Online Store & Featured Products

Jeez, been exactly a month since I posted to the blog. Sorry dear readers, things have been busy, but things are always busy, right?

One of the things I've been busy with is setting up a new online store through Big Cartel. Etsy was nice, but the slow sales were getting frustrating, and I liked the look and flexibility of Big Cartel. So, you can find the store here: Mike Sgier Comics & Illustration - Big Cartel

I'd like to highlight two items that I've recently completed, and are available to buy. First, I created a reproduction of my Sketchbook Project 2011 contribution The Fibonacci Device. You can get a glimpse of the complete book at a Tumblr I set up for it: fibonacci-device.tumblr.com

And you get your own copy of the book here: msgier.bigcartel.com/product/the-fibonacci-device

Also available at the store are a set of sketch cards I made based upon the films of Federico Fellini. At first this project was a just a fun 'hobby,' but it turned out that I really enjoyed it, people liked it, and I kept coming up with ideas for cards. It gives me a chance to tackle a lot of subjects in a short amount of time.

You can buy your own set of Fellini cards here: Fellini! a celebration in sketch cards

And there's plenty of other stuff there too, so please, browse around!

That should do it for one night. I'll try not to be a stranger!

Moving into Spring and Summer

Figured I would update you on the goings-on in Mike-land. I don't have anything concrete to show, but a batch of things are in progress, and will be making their respective debuts in the months ahead. So, without further ado...

-I'm currently in the midst of a short storyline titled Dig over at my webcomic Supernova Lullaby. It'll end up being a 14 page comic, and will make its first print appearance at the Philly Alternative Comic Con in August, hopefully with a nice screen printed cover. It features a few characters I introduced in the Relative Visitors and Alien-kind's Best Friend storylines, and I'll most likely be using them more in future stories. Dig is inspired mostly by The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, but is now entering a short flashback sequence showing some Las Vegas-like shenanigans.

-I've also begun work on a 5 page Spider-Man action sequence. I wish I could say this is for publication, but sadly, no. It just occurred to me that I had never actually drawn a comic with actual superheroes, and figured it would be a fun exercise and something to show potential clients that I'm capable of this kind of comic. It features the friendly neighborhood web crawler, Electro, and Mary Jane. For some reason, I like drawing Electro over other super villains. And I have a soft spot for redheads, so I'm continually baffled by Marvel's efforts to fudge Spider-Man's relationship with MJ. With the exception of maybe Gwen Stacy, is there any other woman out there in the Spidey-verse that can hold a candle to Mary Jane Watson?

-And in all honesty, a Silver Surfer story would probably be better suited to my talents. If someone wants to write up a short episode, send it my way.

-I've been plugging away on sketch cards, and I've been upping my game a little bit by using ink washes instead of colored pencils. You can find them at a Tumblr blog I set up: Sketch Cards I Make. Mostly cards inspired by Fellini films, but I've got some other things cooking.

-NO LIFE: A few weeks back, I started reading George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire due to the hype surrounding the premiere of the HBO adaptation. Holy crap, you guys, this went beyond the hype. The first book, A Game of Thrones, clocks in at 800 pages, and I finished it in a mere span of weeks. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN. Seriously, I'm a slow reader, I get bored easily and find something else to read in the midst of the book. Not with this one though. Don't let the fantasy elements turn you off, this is the real deal. If all of you grown adults out there can stand to read Harry Potter, then goddammit, you should definitely be reading this. This has it all: sex, death, palace intrigue, war, giant wolves, extinct dragons, and a giant continent-wide wall protecting civilization from chaos. Go out, buy the first book, and enjoy. (Or watch the series, either way, it deserves your support.)

Dr. Sketchy's - April 16, 2011

Went to my first Dr. Sketchy's event ever, right here in Philadelphia. Here are some of the drawings:

above: a couple 5 minute sketches that ran into each other

The theme of the event was 'Art Deco,' and the hostess had a couple challenges for us. One was to incorporate some kind of leashed animal (real or imaginary) into the sketch above. I liked the way the pose turned out, but I kind of ran into a wall with the animal part. Probably for the best.

Libra

The second challenge was to transform the pose into a letter, number, or astrological sign. My two sketches for this were more successful, and Libra, the image above, was my favorite of the day (because everyone knows that Libras are the best!).

F

And above is my attempt at the letter F.

So, there you have it. It was a lot of fun. I plan on going again. And you should go if your own city has them. The end.