Onsmith Comics - NEWS & Such

"Poxus Necropus"

2012-02-01T23:29:00.001-06:00

These are the first 3 panels for my contribution to Paul Nudd's "Corpus Corpus 4: Pox, Poxus Necropus." It's an 8 panel comic strip in B&W. Look for it very soon.

Puck Comic Party.

2012-01-26T22:23:00.001-06:00

Cover to Puck Comic Party.

One of my panels with lettering I did in Italian.

Puck Comic Party is a comics jam anthology from Italy including over 170 cartoonists from all over the world. I am honored to follow Rick Altergott and in turn be followed by Chris Cilla. It's quite an ambitious project including some of comics' heavy-hitters such as Marc Bell, Tony Millionaire, Al Jaffee, Jay Lynch, Bill Griffith, and SO MANY more.

Recent Doodles.

2011-11-22T01:37:00.000-06:00

Last one here has some doodlin' and penwork by the awesomely talented Sanya Glisic. I recently made a collaborative comic/transformation sequence with her for Lumpen Magazine. You can see a preview of it on her blog.

New Exhibitions - "Blaque Lyte" & Keith Herzik Retrospective

2011-10-29T15:25:00.002-05:00

"Blaque Lyte" - Curated by Chris Kerr and Paul Nudd

Hyde Park Arts Center, Chicago

Opening reception: Saturday, October 29, 5-8 pm

Black lights have been used to serve a variety of purposes since the scientist William Byler invented it in 1935 to enhance detection methods from air travel radars to x-ray. From college dorm rooms that create otherworldly spaces to forensic teams uncovering bodily fluids at a crime scene. Drawing from the tendency of their own art work to explore the contradictions within the weird and gross, Paul Nudd and Chris Kerr asked over thirty artists from Chicago and around the world to experiment with different forms and materials to update and immerse viewers in the profound inverse world generated by black-lights.
Along with the thirty artists installed in gallery 2, Gallery 5 will included a retrospective look at screen printer Keith Herzik entitled "There Are Still Lofty Dreams, Meager Desires and Still Silliness." The curators note that Herzik “ignores and willfully defies most of the recognizable hallmarks of screen printing,” he is trying to push the medium and its materials to their limit. Early in his career Herzik studied with cartoonist Peter Saul in Austin and has since created numerous punk-rock posters and is a prolific publisher of handmade artists’ books, zines and other publications.

Exhibiting Artists:
Benton Moss, Thomas Mazzarella, David Shrigley, DeeDee Scacci, Keith Herzik, Nick Black, Mike Andrews, Lilli Carre, Giselind Von Wurmb, Evah Fan, Seth Scriver, Leif Goldberg, Marie Rosen, Eric Lebofsky, Paintallica, Andy Burkholder, Mariano Chavez, Edie Fake, Onsmith, Ben Stone, Sanya Glisic, Kristen Romaniszak, Laurent Impeduglia, Geoffrey Todd Smith, Brandon Heuser, Joakim Ojanen, Hanna Andersson, Anya Davidson, Nicole Northway, Max Morris

I created a series of drawings called, "Faxed Escape Route" which included faxed spam cruise package offers collected from various office jobs I've had. Below is an example of the type of drawings I did:

Newcity Review

Chicago Weekly Review
Blaque Lyte facebook page

Nudd and Kerr also printed a suite of prints to accompany the show which includes:

Sanya Glisic, Andy Burkholder, Onsmith, Seth Scriver, Hanna Andersson, Joakim Ojanen, Lillie Carre, Edie Fake and liner notes by Paul Nudd. Extremely limited edition of 44 (9 multi color prints per edition). All prints are 11x15 inches and are printed on blacklight sensitive Mr. French paper with fluorescent inks. Available at the opening this Saturday or through Chris Kerr.

Here's the printed liner notes by Paul Nudd:

New Print - "One of many Mothers of Hate"

2011-07-27T01:53:00.000-05:00

"One of many Mothers of Hate" - 11"x17" 2-color screenprint made for the "Hatebreeders" print exchange put together by Curtis Readel. The title of the exchange is based off of a Misfits song. Here is a link to the previous exchange based off another Misfits song.

Inkstuds Interview and Some Sketches.

2011-07-15T20:10:00.000-05:00

Above are the early sketches I made for the cover of Black Eye no.1. There's only a small section of writing related to the sketches and the rest is just brain droppings. I'm posting this sketch because I was recently interviewed on the Inkstuds show along with Black Eye's editor, Ryan Standfest and contributing author Jeet Heer. This page works pretty well alongside my contribution to the interview in that some of it makes sense, most of it doesn't. Listen to it here.

This is another page from my sketchbook. I used the female figures in a series of drawings called "Four Women in Transition" that was featured in the new Folio Club issue. Maybe I'll post these drawings sometime. They're not my usual fair. That's it for now. I'll try to update more frequently.

Reminder: Black Eye Signing at Quimby's.

2011-06-21T08:29:00.000-05:00

Flyer by Paul Nudd. If you're in or around Chicago on Friday evening, please stop by.

Upcoming Events!

2011-05-29T17:43:00.000-05:00

I'm part of a group show in Detroit to accompany the release of the Black Eye anthology. Here's the info from the curator, Ryan Standfest's site. The opening is June 5th.

I will be on a panel discussion at the Printer's Row Lit Fest with Ivan Brunetti and Elio. It's scheduled for Sunday, June 5th at 2pm. If you're in Chicago, please stop by if you can. We'll be discussing comics, obviously. (Click graphic for more info) Speaking of Ivan Brunetti, the Chicago Tribune ran a feature on him and quoted me.

Signing for the Black Eye anthology is set for Friday, June 24th! I'll be there with Ivan Brunetti, Lilli Carré, Paul Hornschemeier and Paul Nudd.

This is the illustration I did for the Harold Washington Literary Award reception dinner.

"Black Eye no. 1: Graphic Transmissions to Cause Ocular Hypertension"

2011-05-01T21:46:00.003-05:00

I'm very proud to announce the release of the dark humor comics & graphics anthology, "Black Eye" edited by Ryan Standfest and published by his Rotland Press + Comic Works. The cover above was drawn by Paul Nudd and myself using watercolor, ink, and graphite on stained paper.

The book includes work by over 41 artists and writers from all over the world including Ivan Brunetti, Lilli Carré, Stephane Blanquet, Al Columbia, Paul Nudd and many others working the in the dark humor arts. Please visit the Rotland site for a line up of contributors and ordering info.

I also contributed a two page spread of one-panel gags entitled, "Blood Clots." Above is one of them. The rest are much, much worse.

In addition to the cover, Paul Nudd and I also made a collaborative letterpress print for Black Eye. It was printed by the great folks at Rohner Letterpress here in Chicago. This is also for sale at Ryan Standfest's site. More info and photos of Paul Nudd and I editioning the print can be found here.

"Not Armor but a Cage"

2011-04-07T21:45:00.000-05:00

These drawings were published in Robert Pranzatelli's "The Folio Club" number 3, Fall 2010. I called the series, "Not Armor but a Cage."

Small Press and Comics Symposium of Chicago

2011-03-16T23:47:00.000-05:00

I will be speaking on a comics panel with Aaron Renier, Corrine Mucha, and Chris Ware on March 24th at the School of the Art Institute. All the necessary info is included on the wonderfully designed poster above made by Lilli Carré. Here too, is the website for the event. New City has already wrote up something about it here.

New Print and New Exhibit - Opening this Friday!

2011-03-08T22:26:00.000-06:00

"Invocation of Abundance" - a 2-color screenprint at 18"x24". Made especially for the exhibit, "Power In Numbers" curated by the Chicago Art Department. Opens this Friday, March 11th in Pilsen at 1837 South Halsted, 7pm-10pm. This is an international exhibit of prints with over 40 artists participating. The prints will be on sale during the opening and for the duration of the show (until March 25th). If you can't make it to the show and are interested in purchasing one of mine, let me know.

For more info, click the graphic below:

I quit smoking...

2011-01-31T23:06:00.000-06:00

...on January 17th. It's better this way.

Show Write-Up in Chicago Tribune.

2011-01-25T21:24:00.000-06:00

(click for larger version)

Here's a nice little preview write-up in the January 14th 2011 Chicago Tribune for the show I was in at Western Exhibitions. I was quite pleased to see they printed the drawing I did for it too. Nice little bloody feather in my cap...

Two Exhibits This Friday.

2011-01-12T23:47:00.000-06:00

Ten x Ten is a show of ten prints made collaboratively with ten bands, all from Chicago. There's also additional artwork from all the artists. Here is more info on the show. And, as in my previous post, there is another exhibit I'm part of too, called "Heads on Poles." Again, here is the low-down on that show. I'll be attending both shows for a brief time. Come on out if you're local.

Both are Friday evening. Click above links for more info.

New Print - "Some Assembly Required"

2011-01-10T20:48:00.000-06:00

This is a single color screenprint I did for an exhibit curated by Paul Nudd. It's for the art book to accompany a show of severed head sculptures and features other drawings and prints by some very notable artists such as David Sandlin, Bruno Richard, John Hankiewicz, David Shrigley and many others. Here is some info on the exhibit at Western Exhibitions here in Chicago (I did the illustration for the promo as well).

10x10 Project - New Print with Spudnik Press & Homeroom Chicago.

2010-11-12T02:13:00.000-06:00

This is a 3-color screenprint I made for a project entitled, 10x10, put together by Spudnik Press and Homeroom Chicago. 10 artists based prints off of 10 selected music acts' songs - all from Chicago. I made this based off of a song by my good friend Keith Helt's new project, "Sky Event." The pre-order of this suite of prints and 10 recorded tracks is only a mere $20 until mid December and $30 afterwords. Here is more info on the project (artists and music acts) and how you may order this awesome package.

Recent Doodles.

2010-10-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

"There Will Come Soft Rains" Concept Art.

2010-10-06T01:59:00.000-05:00

This is a concept drawing I did for a project. It's for Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains" and shows robotic "mice" vacuuming in vain as the house is burning down. Read more about the short story here.

New Illustration.

2010-09-20T00:31:00.000-05:00

This is an illustration I did for Columbia College's Encyclopedia Show. It's a wrap-around cover for their program publication.

Lithograph - "Workman's Comp"

2010-09-15T12:39:00.003-05:00

(click for larger version)
"Workman's Comp" is a lithograph printed by the awesome folks over at Anchor Graphics, 2010. Although this is my first lithograph, I really only did the drawing on the stone and the rest was taken care of by Chris Flynn over at Anchor. It is a (very) limited edition of 20 and is for sale through Anchor Graphics and myself. It measures at 19.25" x 15" and is printed on an off-white paper.

New Drawing.

2010-03-15T21:44:00.002-05:00

Spontaneous Human Combustion. Acupuncture. Healing Crystals. This is a new drawing of a man skewered.

"Framed: The World of Comics"

2010-03-12T22:39:00.001-06:00

This is the awesome poster Andy Burkholder did for the comics exhibit at Columbia College called, "Framed: The World of Comics." The exhibit ran from November 2009 till Februrary 2010. It featured his work along with numerous other hidden talents at Columbia. I exhibited the originals I did for Hotwire Comics #3 (Published by Fantagraphics Books).

I was also interviewed by the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism along with Ivan Brunetti who co-curated the exhibit. Go and check out the video interview/news story on it here. There's also an video interview on the Columbia site with the main curator, Justin Witte. Check it out here.

I've Got Balls... I've Drawn On.

2010-03-05T12:43:00.000-06:00

These are the ping pong balls I drew on for Nick Black's project last summer for a Hyde Park Art Center festival. There were several other artists that did the same for his ping pong blower he built (see below). The blower worked on a compressor with a kiddie pool for the base complete with strobe lights and openings for folks to catch the balls as they flew around.

"The Folio Club" Issue No. 1

2010-01-23T14:12:00.001-06:00

The is the wrap-around cover I did for Robert Pranzatelli's literary/art book series, "The Folio Club." He also featured seven of my drawings from Claptrap #2 in it. Here's a review for it from Fine Books & Collections. Robert also wrote a nice entry on his blog about my drawings. You can purchase the book through Amazon here.

"Onholder"

2010-01-17T17:24:00.001-06:00

This is a comic that my friend and fellow cartoonist, Andy Burkholder drew after I doodled a character in the first panel. You should really go check out his stuff.

New Illustration for The Common Review

2009-11-30T22:44:00.003-06:00

Here's my version of "A Picture of Dorian Gray" for The Common Review.
Update on the Manifest Design Contest: I didn't win it. Thanks though, to all you folks who voted for me! I appreciate it.

Columbia College Manifest Poster Illustration - Vote for me!

2009-11-01T12:33:00.004-06:00

I'm a finalist for my school's 2010 Manifest Arts Festival poster design contest. The contest is open to public voting so PLEASE vote for mine! Here's a link to vote. Pass it on too if you can. Online voting closes on November 13th at midnight.

New Print: "The Accusation"

2009-10-13T22:34:00.004-05:00

Here's an extension to my previous Donald Distortion. This print was part of a small print exchange at Anchor Graphics. Email me at onsmith (at) sbcglobal.net if you're interested in purchasing one.

Donald Distorted

2009-09-15T00:30:00.002-05:00

Signing with Paul Nudd at Quimby's this Saturday!

2009-08-13T01:03:00.004-05:00

Above is one of the collaborative prints I did with Paul Nudd that we'll be selling at Quimby's along with two DVD covers I did for Paul's R.U.B. series on artists, Keith Herzik and Nick Black. I'll have copies of Claptrap #2 there and Paul will have his anthology/art-zine, "Corpus/Corpus" that I did a four color screenprint for. "Corpus/Corpus" also features work by Bruno Richard, Mike Diana, Gregory Jacobson and others. Please come and see us - the event starts at 7pm.

Here's a ridiculously long blurb about the event:

Ice cream, buzzing flies, cow udders, double-tongues, jarred brains, twisted limbs, floating heads, mysteriously sheathed meat-slugs, severed arms, eyeballs, and shrunken-head fishing lures. Welcome to the graphic underbelly of Onsmith & Nudd, a cartoonish netherworld of darkly comic doom. Witness the mushy quadruple-stacked heads that form the menacing totem pole-like Head Heaps. Or the freshly staked heads and weird diseased udder worship of Monkey Nudd Wine. Together as friends, Onsmith & Nudd made close to 1000 prints this year, plenty to sift through, scour and pick apart with a fine toothed bone. Many of these prints, mostly silk screens, will be on view and available at Quimby’s in addition to Onsmith & Nudd's extensive back catalog of zines, mini-comics, miscellaneous multiples, video editions, posters, flyers and original art. As an extra added bonus, visitors are invited to participate in Onsmith & Nudd’s newest collaborative body of work, Horde of the Flies: An Infestation. Many large sheets of paper will be provided so that Quimby’s guests may draw between 1 and 1000 flies that will eventually culminate in a massive swarm of pesky winged insects. Examples, materials and sources will be provided.

Also, Nudd will be releasing the first two volumes of R.U.B., a new DVD zine that features in-camera edited documentaries of local artists. Volume I focuses on local kinetic sculptor Nick Black. Watch Nick as he tinkers with his thriftstore-found animatronic toys, rearranging them into hilarious monstrosities. His studio is a treasure trove of weird parts and pieces, a dizzying labyrinth of plastic and cheapness, and it’s all captured here on home video!!! Volume II contains a video about Keith Herzik, local artist, zine-maker and, most notably, screen printer. Keith began making screen prints fifteen years ago for local gigs, but has transcended the limitations of that form tremendously. Although he remains quite underground, Keith’s influence on younger artists has been immeasurable. Indeed, he is not only one of Chicago’s most prolific image makers and most gifted draftsmen, but also an outrageously daring colorist. Watch him banter, print and give us a tour of his shop, the Alamo Igloo, right here on home video!!!

Finally! Years in the making, Corpus Corpus 2 is finally here! A compilation zine with a notorious line-up, curated and printed by Paul Nudd, Corpus Corpus 2 contains thirty pages of mind and bowel blowing graphic mayhem. Mariano Chavez, Anne Van Der Linden, Gregory Jacobsen, Bruno Richard, Mike Diana, Edith Sloat, Sophie Greenstalk, Kristen Romaniszak, Onsmith, and Ryan Travis Christian join forces in a fully lathered orgy of primal muck. Silkscreened covers, some hand-tinted, and limited to 100 copies, Corpus Corpus 2 will not be around for long. These suckers will be snarfed!

Onsmith & Nudd Collaborative Prints Exhibition.

2009-06-29T11:08:00.005-05:00

The opening reception for the exhibition from the print residency I had with Paul Nudd is on Friday, July 10th at Spudnik Press. If you live in the Chicago area, please come by and check out the prints we spent the greater part of 4 months on as well as come to draw with us for our newest collaboration. Address and other info is on the postcard above. Here is the press release for the show:

Spudnik Press

1821 W. Hubbard, Suite 308

Chicago, IL 60622

312.532.0304

www.spudnikpress.com

Friday, July 10th - Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Gallery hours: Mondays & Thursdays 6:30 - 11PM, or by appointment

Opening reception: Friday, July 10th, 7 - 10PM

Spudnik Press is pleased to announce a new exhibition of work by our Spring 2009 Artists in Residence, Paul Nudd and Onsmith. Ice cream, buzzing flies, cow udders, double-tongues, fishing tackle, jarred brains, twisted limbs and floating heads. These are all things Onsmith & Nudd. Three separate suites of prints meld these two artists' signature styles into a cartoonish netherworld of darkly comic doom. Witness the mushy quadruple-stacked heads that form the menacing totem pole-like Head Heaps. Or the freshly staked heads and weird diseased udder worship of Monkey Nudd Wine. Onsmith & Nudd made close to 1000 prints this year, plenty to sift through, scour and pick apart with a fine toothed comb.

As an extra added bonus, visitors are invited to participate in Onsmith & Nudd's newest collaborative body of work, Horde of the Flies: An Infestation. Many large sheets of paper will be provided so that Spudnik's guests may draw between 1 and 1000 flies that will eventually culminate in a massive swarm of pesky winged insects. Examples, materials and sources will be provided.

Recent Small Drawings.

2009-06-04T22:07:00.002-05:00

Recent Illustrations for "The Common Review" Magazine.

2009-05-19T22:55:00.004-05:00

"Against Asceticism" (upcoming Summer 2009 issue)

"The Transmigration of Philip K. Dick" (Spring 2009 issue)

"Destination: Auschwitz" (Winter 2009 issue)

$(Heart) Show at NFO XPO This Weekend...

2009-04-22T23:56:00.004-05:00

This is the drawing that I'll make into screenprints for a show this weekend at "NFO XPO", which is part of Version Fest. Info and some explanation of $(Heart) below:

$HIT = MONEY = LOVE = ART

Paul Nudd and Bert Stabler have organized an incredibly great print show that celebrates the connection, first pointed out by Freud, between the wealthy miser who retains his feces, and the artist who plays with hers. Our goal is to present art that illuminates our reflection in the porcelain pond.

The show includes work by:

Mike Houston
Keith Herzik
Martin Mazorra
Andy Bolus
Bruno Richard
Jake Austen
Onsmith
Kristen Romaniszak
Paul Nudd
Chris Kerr
Mindy Rose Schwartz
Edie Fake
Melissa Brown
Ryan Duggan
Paul Mack
Bert Stabler

The show is taking place in the NFO XPO, part of this year's Version
Fest.

April 25 & 26 , 2009
1pm to 8pm
Benton House Gymnasium
3052 S Gratten Avenue
Bridgeport (off Bosley Park)
(a few doors north of the Benton House)

New One Panel Gag.

2009-03-21T17:34:00.001-05:00

New Fake New Yorker Cover.

2009-03-19T01:36:00.002-05:00

Recent Drawings...

2009-03-05T01:15:00.003-06:00

The first one is in tribute to Andy Kaufman. All of them were made using fluid acrylics, casein paint, and India ink. I have more to show and will update again soon.

Coming Very Soon - Claptrap No. 2...

2009-01-12T15:10:00.004-06:00

I've finally got around to publishing the second issue of Claptrap (5 years after the first one). This issue will contain 26 printed pages of:
Drawings & doodles from 2006-2008
Some selected unpublished gags
Collaborative drawings with fellow Chicago artist, Paul Nudd
Center full-color spread
The cover is a wrap-around 2-color screenprint with rubber stamps printed on the inside. The first 20-30 copies will include 3"x5" doodles from the first issue of Claptrap. The book measures at 7"x8.5". I'll be selling these at Quimby's, Chicago Comics, and maybe a couple of other online ordering sites and it should be out by early February. Oh, and the print run is 125.

"Golden Tissues" in Portland - Curated by Chris Cilla

2008-12-05T15:16:00.004-06:00

I have a couple of drawings in a show curated by one of my favorite cartoonists, Chris Cilla, at the Pony Club Gallery in Portland Oregon. Cilla describes the exhibit as, "A delicious freshly boiled collection of scientifically created, fantasy fueled factual autopsies, mostly flat, frequently black & white, some colored pigments, all seeing, all of the time." The show features work by 20+ artists including John Hankiewicz, Jason T. Miles, Zack Soto, Dylan Williams and others.

I'm in Trubble...

2008-12-02T01:38:00.003-06:00

The "Trubble Club" that is... I've been meeting with some of the talented Chicago cartoonists folks doing comics jams together. Many of them turn out strange, humorous, or just plain silly but overall I'm pleased to be with many of them. We've compiled some of them in a mini that's being sold at Quimby's here in Chicago and we're working on a second volume.
Other Trubble Club members include: Al Burian, Lilli Carré, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Anya Davidson, Lucy Knisley, Corinne Mucha, Rachel Niffennegger, Bernie McGovern, Laura Park, Aaron Renier, Grant Reynolds, Becca Taylor, Jeremy Tinder, and Marco Torres... Go check out the blog.

A Couple of New Drawings...

2008-11-16T23:10:00.005-06:00

The first one is called "It Cuts Plastic Tubing and Human Fingers Efficiently" and the second is "Office in a Small City" (after Edward Hopper). Here's a link to the original painting.

Anthology of Graphic Fiction Vol. 2 - Video Preview

2008-10-21T00:30:00.003-05:00

Ivan Brunetti on An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Vol. 2 from Yale University Press on Vimeo.

This is a preview video for Ivan Brunetti's "An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons & True Stories Vol. 2" published by Yale University Press. I'm fortunate enough to have drawn the title page (which is animated in the beginning of this video - my drawing, "Cartoon Suprematism") as well as having a page of unpublished comics in it. The book is amazing and I highly recommend it even if you are on the "up and up" with today's art-comics.

New Comic for Chicago Artists' News.

2008-10-09T19:34:00.006-05:00

Finally, a new comic. This is the second half of a collaborative comic I did with John Hankiewicz for Chicago Artists' News, a paper published by the Chicago Artists' Coalition. John wrote the strip, drew his half, and I did the second half. There's more info on the strip on John's blog. The first half of the story is there too so you may want to visit his blog and read his half first. It was great to collaborate with John on this because I got to learn more about his ideas with constructing stories for his comics.

Signing at Quimby's - Oct. 11th 7pm.

2008-10-08T23:54:00.003-05:00

As part of Trevor Alixopulos' signing tour for his new book, "The Hot Breath of War", I'll be signing along with him, Laura Park, and Jeremy Tinder at Quimby's here in Chicago. What will I be signing? Well, if there's anyone who shows up with copies of the Hotwire anthology, I can sign those. Yeah, I don't do much nowadays and I don't have a book of my own... I may have a couple of new minis there that I did with John Hankiewicz though. So there'll be something new at least...

New Drawing - "Gash"

2008-09-30T00:20:00.003-05:00

Ebony pencil and a touch of charcoal. This is a poor photo too.

2008 Ignatz Awards - I'm nominated...

2008-09-17T10:17:00.004-05:00

To coincide with the annual SPX convention, I've been nominated for an Ignatz Award for my story in Hotwire Comics #2 (Fantagraphics Books) called "The Candy Rod". This is surprising to me, as I've never been nominated for a comics-related award. It's unlikely I'll win the award because of the other great stories mine is up against, including:
"Americus", MK Reed and Jon athan Hill, Papercutter #7 (Tugboat Press)
"The Galactic Funnels", Dash Shaw, Mome #11 (Fantagraphics Books)
The Thing About Madeleine, Lilli Carre (self-published)
"The Urn", Chris Wright, Inkweed (Sparkplug Comic Books)

Other pals of mine have been nominated in other categories as well: Lilli Carre, Laura Park, Austin English, Ted May, and David King.

New Drawing.

2008-08-06T01:42:00.001-05:00

Watercolor pencils and ink.

Odds n' Ends & Some News...

2008-07-17T22:07:00.010-05:00

I will be at Quimby's tomorrow night at 7pm (Friday, July 18th) for the Windy Corner Magazine signing along with John Hankiewicz and the editor (and main cartoonist) Austin English. The way I'm involved is that I interviewed John Hankiewicz for this issue and I'll be there to support these guys. Here's a link to the Quimby's site with the event announcement.

This is a drawing that Paul Nudd did for me. I'm flattered. Paul and are brewing up a possible collaborative art/comics project and I'll let you know more when it happens.

In other news, I recently finished up a new mini comic and a mini of drawings (some of them are shown above) that are split 50/50 with John Hankiewicz. We'll be putting this out sometime before the end of the summer. The two of us are also working on a 4 page comic for the Chicago Artists' Coalition newspaper. I'll post something about it once it's ready for print.

There are some photos up on the Pony Club Gallery's Flickr account from the show I was in curated by Chris Cilla. Go and check 'em out here.

Recently, I took a position at Beverly Arts Center on Chicago's south side teaching a comics class for junior high and high school students. The class will be over this week, but I've made scans of a lot of their comics and will post a link to a Flickr set. The above drawing is by Gabriel (13 yrs old).

Finally, here are a couple of my recent doodles. I'll try to update this blog more often.

New Group Show in Portland, OR - Curated by Chris Cilla

2008-05-19T21:26:00.002-05:00

Some of my recent drawings and prints will be in a group show titled "The Wormy Apple Now!" at the Pony Club Gallery in Portland, OR. The show is curated by Chris Cilla and features work from Vincent Fritz, John Hankiewicz, Ryan Iverson (who drew the back of this postcard with the info), Jason T. Miles, Tim Root, and Chris Cilla himself (he drew the front of the postcard too).

Recent Doodles/Drawings for May 2008.

2008-05-05T00:54:00.006-05:00

New Painting - "Pan-Fried"

2008-05-01T00:44:00.003-05:00

This is a painting - also with India ink - I did in the bottom of a pan.

Brunetti, Hankiewicz, Onsmith Lecture This Thursday

2008-04-28T12:28:00.005-05:00

I will be giving a lecture this Thursday night (May 1st) at Columbia College Chicago along with Ivan Brunetti and John Hankiewicz. We'll be talking about our work and a bit about self-publishing comics. The lecture will be at Columbia College's library on the 3rd floor (624 S. Michigan Ave.) from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. (Above image is from the poster for the event.)

"S.T.O.M.A." Exhibit this Saturday!

2008-04-24T00:29:00.003-05:00

I'll have work in an exhibit this Saturday (one day only) called, "S.T.O.M.A." - curated by Paul Nudd (he drew the postcard above). Here are the other artists in the show with links:

Keith Herzik
Joyce Polance
Edie Fake
Andy Bolus
Brian O'Dell
Jean-Louis Costes

Photos from the "Off-Kilter Comics" Exhibit

2008-04-22T00:56:00.005-05:00

I've uploaded some photos to my Flickr account that I took of the exhibit I curated in Minneapolis called "Off-Kilter Comics" as well as the signing I had with Ivan Brunetti, John Hankiewicz, and Zak Sally.

Above are some photos of the opening taken by Terry Beatty. You can see more of the photos from the opening at his blog. Here are even more photos of the opening. There was also a nice write-up of the show in the Southwest Journal from Minneapolis.

S.T.O.M.A. Exhibit, Curated by Paul Nudd

2008-04-09T23:52:00.005-05:00

This is the poster I did for Paul Nudd's "S.T.O.M.A." show that I'm in. The rest is explained on the poster itself.

"Off-Kilter Comics" Exhibit & Signing - Minneapolis, MN

2008-03-15T02:04:00.004-05:00

I am curating a show at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design called, "Off-Kilter Comics." The exhibit features over 70 works including original comics pages, prints, and original drawings by:

Ivan Brunetti
Lilli Carré
John Hankiewicz
Onsmith
Zak Sally
Dan Zettwoch
Above is the front of the postcard for the show and here's the back with additional info:
I'll also be signing books with Ivan Brunetti, Zak Sally, and John Hankiewicz at Big Brain Comics on April 5th from 3 to 5pm. Here's the flyer for the event:

My most recent doodles/drawings.

2008-03-02T00:56:00.004-06:00

New Drawing: "Rural Route"

2008-02-15T00:59:00.004-06:00

This is a new drawing I did with ink-wash and a touch of colored pencils. I apologize for my crappy digital photos (the lamp light probably didn't help much either).

Hotwire Comics #2 - Out in February 2008.

2008-01-07T21:17:00.001-06:00

Here's the cover for the upcoming (Feb. 2008) Hotwire Comics #2 that I have a four page comic in. The cover is by Tim Lane and the anthology is edited by Glenn Head, featuring new material from Mark Newgarden, Ivan Brunetti, Johnny Ryan, Stephane Blanquet, R. Sikoryak, Sam Henderson, and several others. There's also a new website for the series and you can see samples from this upcoming issue here. Below is a sequence from my strip for the issue, entitled "The Candy Rod."

New Doodles...

2007-12-01T14:15:00.000-06:00

The first two are Sharpie and litho crayon and the third is litho crayon and brush-pen.

New Illustration for The Common Review.

2007-11-25T12:02:00.000-06:00

This is an illustration I did for the Winter 2007 issue of the The Common Review. It's accompanying an article about a college professor who takes his class on a trip to Europe, but his students don't take in the culture and sights and instead party and goof off.

Recent Prints: Woodcuts & Screenprints...

2007-11-11T13:45:00.001-06:00

This is a woodcut print I did at the beginning of this semester called, "Laborer and Monkey-Wrench". The block is 16"x20" and was more work than I had anticipated, but it's nice to work in a larger scale for a change.

This one is a two-block woodcut print called, "Peepholes". Both blocks measure at 9"x12" and were printed with water-based ink.

"Duel with Oklahoma" is a two-color screenprint I did in an edition of 40. It's on "speckletone" 100lb. French paper measuring at 12.5 x 16.5.

Finally, this is "Perspire/Expire", a four-color screenprint from a drawing I did previously. This is for Paul Nudd's "Corpus/Corpus" zine and print collection which will feature Nudd, Mike Diana, Greg Jabobson, Bruno Richard, Anne Van der Linden, Mariano Chavez, and others. I still feel like it's crazy that I'll be sharing "space" with these ridiculously talented folks, but Paul Nudd asked and I jumped on the opportunity.

I apologize for the poor photos I took with my 5 year-old digital camera, but at least you can get the gist of what these prints look like.

Fake New Yorker Cover.

2007-11-06T01:07:00.001-06:00

This is a fake New Yorker cover I did for a class. I figured I'd do it over Halloween, as it was recent and on my mind at the time I got the assignment. I have plenty of other stuff to post here, but it's just a matter of scanning and uploading, so come on back soon.

Illustration for The Common Review.

2007-09-24T11:11:00.000-05:00

This is an illustration I did for the Fall 2007 issue of The Common Review. It's accompanying an articled entitled, "Who Wrote Frankenstein?" (Mary Shelley or Percy Shelly).

New Dumb Drawing.

2007-09-11T22:28:00.000-05:00

New Drawing.

2007-07-31T14:47:00.001-05:00

Recent Drawings.

2007-07-19T22:18:00.001-05:00

Kevin Scalzo's "Sugar Booger" #2.

2007-07-13T15:14:00.001-05:00

I did a "pin-up" drawing for Kevin Scalzo's new issue of "Sugar Booger" and it also features pin-ups by Eric Reynolds, Jacob Covey, Anna Klein, and Joshua Vrysen. To order your very own signed copy of Sugar Booger #2, go here.

Bhopal Ink Wash Drawings.

2007-07-11T11:30:00.000-05:00

This is a series of ink wash drawings I did for an Environmental Science class project on the 1984 MIC gas (methyl isocyanate) disaster that happened in Bhopal, India. A pesticides plant in the heart of the city (owned by Union Carbide and currently owned by Dow Chemical) malfunctioned and released approx. 40 metric tons of this gas into the city, killing 3,000 people and in the coming years, another estimated 15,000 to 20,000. Neither Union Carbide nor Dow Chemical have given proper compensation nor cleaned up the site. Although these images aren't necessarily accurate, I wanted to choose a sequence that would help sum up the event and its history. The third image shows Warren Anderson, the CEO of the old Union Carbide Corporation, who still has homicide charges against him from Bhopal.

In Memory of Sol Lewitt...

2007-06-11T23:35:00.001-05:00

Here's an illustration I did a while back in memory of Sol Lewitt.

Recent Doodles...

2007-05-12T16:20:00.000-05:00

All of these were done with colored inks, India ink, and markers.

New Illustration...

2007-05-10T14:53:00.000-05:00

(Click for larger version)
This is an illustration I did for a class project. We were to illustrate four different "ism's", such as capitalism, hedonism, cannibalism, masochism, etc.

New Paint and Ink Drawing.

2007-05-07T03:55:00.000-05:00

Abstracted Factory Worker.

2007-04-28T16:33:00.000-05:00

Here's a drawing I did as an extra proposed sketch for a class project. I was looking at some Stuart Davis art and just kinda threw this together (it's not fantastic, but I just figured I'd share it). It's Prismacolor markers and Sharpies.

Paying Tribute to Woody Guthrie's Dust Bowl...

2007-04-23T18:13:00.000-05:00

This is a drawing (click for larger version) in tribute to Woody Guthrie's "Dust Bowl Ballads." I did it with India ink and colored pencils. It was just something new that I hadn't tried before (compositionally and technically).

Fernand Leger Ink Wash "Caricature"

2007-04-18T01:26:00.000-05:00

Here's an ink wash drawing I did incorporating a few of Fernand Leger's paintings and a small "caricature" of him. I'm pretty fond of his art, so when I was assigned to do a caricature for a class, I decided to do one of him in this unconventional rendering, as I thought it would fit him and his work better than the stereotypical large head and small body.

"Cartoon Suprematism"

2007-04-15T23:18:00.000-05:00

Here's a drawing of a Suprematist styled composition with some cartoon characters as the geometric shapes. If you don't know which ones they are, I've failed in my representation of them, I suppose. I may be making a larger painting of this too.

Clayboard Weight-Lifter...

2007-04-10T10:59:00.000-05:00

Here's another recent clayboard scratching.

A couple of painted doodles...

2007-04-04T17:36:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple more of my geometric guys painted with ink over them. (You can click either one for larger versions.)

"100 Years Of Labor" - Clayboard Project

2007-04-03T16:08:00.000-05:00

This is an 11"x14" clayboard scratching I did for a class. The project was to take influence from the WPA posters of the 30s and 40s and create an image in tribute to 100 years of labor.

New Painting.

2007-03-27T21:23:00.000-05:00

Here's some detail:

Here's the whole painting:

And here's one more for the hell of it:

This is a 2 foot square painting I did for class that's based on a system and/or pattern. I designed the four characters so they would fit in together in a modular fashion and then alternated four colors (radiating from the inside squares outward).

Sketch Exhibit at Columbia College.

2007-03-19T15:36:00.000-05:00

Above is a few doodles made with a rubber stamp I carved out.
I have 10 pages of sketches in an exhibit at Columbia College called, "Sketchy Five." The show is open to the public and is located at 623 S. Wabash Ave., Hokin Gallery and will be up until April 20th. Below is one of the pages I have in the show. I'll be at the reception on March 29th at the school.

Recent Doodles for March...

2007-03-13T12:54:00.000-05:00

Here's some scratchboard doodles I did with some other doodles I did with Ryoko Oguchi below it.

"99 Cartoon Portraits" at Buenaventura Press!

2007-02-28T20:18:00.000-06:00

Now for sale at the Buenaventura Press shop: "99 Cartoon Portraits" - the screenprint (previously mentioned) I did from the characters I drew for Ivan's Anthology of Graphic Fiction. You can see (and order!) the print here. Below is another pic of the print.

Big(ish) Update - New Doodles, Drawings, & Paintings...

2007-02-22T16:03:00.000-06:00

Here's the classwork:

This is an acrylic painting of the Astro Boy character, "Doctor Elefun" and a crappy sculpture I made using "Sculpey." It was a class assignment where we were to make a still life from one object found and one created using a light source.

This one is an illustration using transparent dyes and India ink. We were to illustrate a cover for an Urban Outfitters catalog - insert ubiquitous hipster in urban environment. Oh, and it's cropped because I screwed up some of the areas of the illustration.

Here's the personal work:
Ink drawing I did on a test paper of colored inks.

Slightly older doodle using Pentel Sign pens.

Acrylic paint with India ink over it (on cardboard).

Transparent yellow ink with colored pencil & India ink.

Whelp, that's it for now.

Slightly Older Illustration (Promo)...

2007-02-07T00:01:00.000-06:00

A Few Recent Characters...

2007-01-10T17:08:00.000-06:00

Paper Doll/Puppet Thing.

2007-01-05T15:46:00.000-06:00

Here's a paper doll/puppet I made on bristol board using prismacolor markers, ink, eyelet setter, and (of course) eyelets. Next one will be a little better crafted, as the legs on this one are a bit weak. I'll post images of the next one when I do it.

Winter's here.

2006-12-24T19:23:00.000-06:00

Here's a holiday/winter promo illustration I did for Rocket Republic.

Recent Random Doodles...

2006-12-13T15:55:00.000-06:00

Here's some random doodles I did recently. And of course, I have to plaster my name all over them... A couple of them are done with a litho crayon and sharpie, after seeing some pretty cool drawings by John Hankiewicz done in a similar manner. I'm still working on a strip for an upcoming issue of Kramers Ergot and also have a mini of drawings in the works (Claptrap #2). More later.

New Comic - For Book of Children's Dreams.

2006-11-25T01:34:00.000-06:00

The book is called "Elmonstruodecoloresnotieneboca" and it's the project of Roger Omar (Spain). What he's done is collect dreams from children in Mexico, Spain, and Brazil and is having artists render them from several different countries as well. The collection will include cartoonists Rene French, Matti Hagelberg, Anke Feuchtenberger, and Max as well as illustrators like Derek M. Ballard, Steak Mountain, and Flavio Morais (any many, many more). I illustrated the dream I chose as a comic strip simply because of the narrative nature of the dream itself. I'm not quite sure when the book will be out or where you can purchase it, but once I do, I'll be sure to post something about it. Oh, and here is the dream I illustrated:

Jesus Roberto (Mexico)
The Puncher Ghosts
"One day I dreamed that there were ghosts in my house... They punched me when I was left alone, and when my mother arrived, she found me all beaten up... From that moment she doesn't leave me alone anymore."

Print Gocco, Craft Magazine, and "In The Studio"...

2006-10-29T16:54:00.000-06:00

Above is a page from the premier issue of Craft Magazine (from the same publisher of Make Magazine) that featured an article over Print Gocco and the campaign to Save Gocco. They featured a layout of some gocco prints including the cover of my mini-comic, "Claptrap", as well as prints by Cole Johnson and Minza Wada. You can purchase a copy (or subscribe) here. Here's the cover:

Also, the new book from Todd Hignite, "In The Studio" published by Yale University Press, features a section with Ivan Brunetti where he talks about The Gocco Set and says some nice things about Ryoko Oguchi's artwork. Other artists covered in the book are: Charles Burns, Chris Ware, Art Spiegelman, Jaime Hernandez, Gary Panter, Robert Crumb, Seth, and Daniel Clowes. Buy it here. Here's the page from the book (poorly scanned) where Ivan discusses The Gocco Set:
(Click for larger version) And here's the cover:

I'll Be Attending SPX.

2006-10-08T21:28:00.000-05:00

I'll be attending the Small Press Expo (SPX) in Bethesda, Maryland and I'll be sharing a table with John Hankiewicz and David King. Outside of the mini comics of mine that have been around for a little while now, the only new stuff I'll be bringing is a 24" square screen-print of the illustrations I drew for Ivan Brunetti's "Anthology of Graphic Fiction" (previously mentioned). The print includes all of the drawings for the book as well as extra ones (a total of 99 drawings) in deep violet ink on a light beige paperstock. Here's some photos of it:

Oh, and there'll be a mini of drawings by me, Ivan Brunetti, John Hankiewicz, and David King that we'll have (it's new) called, "Bethesda is Latin for Stamina." Here's the cover image:

Ivan Brunetti's "An Anthology of Graphic Fiction"

2006-10-04T19:06:00.000-05:00

(Click for Larger Version)

Now in some stores and soon to be in others - "An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, & True Stories", edited by Ivan Brunetti and published by Yale University Press. You can order it here. I won't go into it too much here, simply because I don't want to attempt to write a full review of it, but the design and production are incredible and it's surely something I see as an essential book on comics (old and new). I just so happened to be able to be a part of it (and am very honored I could be) - I drew the illustrated table of contents of numerous cartoon characters. Here's a sample of some of 'em:

While I'm updating here, I may as well post a couple of random drawings I did a while back:

Cover Illustration - "Who-Ville"

2006-09-23T18:52:00.000-05:00

Here's an illustration for a newsletter/magazine published by the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University - the Academy of Alternative Journalism. The first image is the published newsprint copy and below is the wrap-around illustration. The image is kind of a Dr. Suess inspired rendering of the Chicago skyline (albeit very much different from the Dr. Suess art - I just couldn't pull it off).

Brief Profile in Chicago Magazine.

2006-09-20T23:38:00.000-05:00

(Click for larger version)

The newest issue of Chicago Magazine ran a one page feature in conjunction with Ivan Brunetti's upcoming "An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories", profiling four of the cartoonists included in his book: Archer Prewitt, Jeffrey Brown, John Hankiewicz, and me. The reason being, of course, that we're all from Chicago. Pretty nice of them to include me with these guys. Here's the cover:

New Strip - for Oxford American Magazine.

2006-09-18T20:05:00.000-05:00

(Click for larger version)

Here's a new strip I did for Oxford American Magazine, their Southern Music Issue. The title is in reference to Alien Sex Fiend, not Johnny Cash by the way. Anyway, they also feature comics by Patrick Dean and Martin Cendreda - pretty cool. Oh, and you can find the issue (with an accompanying CD with tracks by Sun Ra, Richard Hell, The 6ths, Sam Cooke, and others) at Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Tower Records. Here's the cover:

"Onsmith" Logos...

2006-09-15T01:00:00.000-05:00

It seems a bit self-indulgent, but these logos are actually for a class I'm taking. The assignment was to create a personal "tag" or logo incorporating our name, so these are some of what I came up with.

U-Tunes CD Illustrations...

2006-09-06T16:49:00.000-05:00

Here's the finished product of some illustrations I did for a CD of children's music for a church. Yep, that's right - for a church. So if you happen to be an art director or publisher, just know that I'm open to all sorts of illustration jobs. The layout, production, coloring, and typeset was done by Jake Thomas. Below are some additional drawings for the CD insert.