Postcard: Steal From the Best

Coyote!  

This is pretty close to a straight up copy of this page from one my family's longtime favorite comics, Gunnerkrigg Court.

Postcards: Frith and El-Ahrairah

Have I posted my collaboration with Maggie yet?  I don't think I have.  But know that it inspired me to want to practice my banners.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

I love Coyote.  His style in Gunnerkrigg Court reminds me of The Blessing of El-Ahrairah in the movie Watership Down (whose influence has crept into my work before). I was inspired to make two cards, one of Coyote and one of Watership Down. So I found a suitable image, and got to work.

Then Frith felt himself in friendship with El-ahrairah, because of his resourcefulness, and because he would not give up even when he thought the fox and the weasel were coming. And he said, "Very well, I will bless your bottom as it sticks out of the hole. Bottom, be strength and warning and speed forever and save the life of your master. Be it so!". And as he spoke, El-ahrairah's tail grew shining white and flashed like a star; and his back legs grew long and powerful and he thumped the hillside until the very beetles fell off the grass stems. He came out of the hole and tore across the hill faster than any creature in the world. And Frith called after him, "El-ahrairah, your people cannot rule the world, for I will not have it so. All the world will be your enemy, Prince With A Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed."

Postcard: It Pays to Plan with Your Printer!

I just thought it odd to advertise colors in a black and white ad.

I hoped adding elements of color would emphasize that the ad featuring paper colors was not, in fact, in color.  The ad being for a paper company was a pleasant bit of harmony.

I thought maybe I could use Drambuie guy.  He is not the right size for this card.

This guy, though, this guy is going places.

The gross layout stage.

Boom!  All trimmed up.

Postcards: der Frosch

My buddy Sam moved to Oregon (the state) and we agreed to exchange postcards once she settled on an address.  She asked for a watercolor of wildlife, which brought me to a state of "oh heck, what will I do?"  I used a picture I had recently taken of frog sticking up out of duckweed as my reference, and got to work.

I wasn't sure the best technique for plants both floating on and submerged in water, but putting the water down first felt right.  Then build up the frog, then the duckweed. 

Wow does the duckweed not look at all like duckweed.  Ah well.

It's a little lopsided and impressionistic, but it turned out pretty well.

Not like this though.

Postcard: Play in Massachusetts

It just happened.

Backgrounds is a category of collage I have.  Things interesting-ish, but are certainly going to be layered over.

These two penguin youths were standing against the penguin adults in the previous penguin card.

Why not lean against giraffe?

Then ad all the things!

Postcards: The Savagery of Wildlife

Nothing fancy today.  I just really like old woodcuts and needed an animal-centric reply postcard.

Postcard: Boxer Bill

While out and about, Ben and I came across this poster.

We have both of course read Bone and Coraline.  Ben had also read Ghostopolis and Sidekicks.  I was inspired to get more books from this list.  Get Ben and I more well versed in this slice of culture.  I started with Cardboard, having grown up aware of Doug TenNapel, Nimona, because it looked cool, and Lumberjanes, because I keep hearing about how great it is.  We read Cardboard right away, and both really enjoyed the character Boxer Bill.

When Ben sent me a postcard from his trip to Ohio, I responded with this watercolor of Boxer Bill.