PCS Book 3

The Philadelphia Cartoonist Society’s third comics anthology. This one is titled “PCS Book 03: The City of Lotherly Brove.” It is the group’s illustrious tribute to Philly.
You read more about it here and buy your copy here.
Keep your eyes peeled for an Official Book Release Party in the next few weeks.

My Main Man Bil Keane

I wrote this article recently while reflecting on the passing of cartoonist Bil Keane. Bil helped me out a great deal in my life. I owe him a lot. I am very grateful to have known him, and I'm sad that he is gone.

CLICK HERE to read the article in Spirit Community Newspapers.

P.C.S. Hobo Day Illustration

Here is a drawing I did to advertise the Philadelphia Cartoonist Society's upcoming "Hobo Day" event in June.

The original drawing was done in my sketchbook in pen and ink. I scanned it and re-worked it in Photoshop, changing the ink lines to a dark brown to give it a more rustic, old-timey feel. I also had to do a live trace on the sign logos in Illustrator before placing them into the Photoshop document. The hand-drawn logos in the original drawing were just too shaky.

The digital color palette was inspired by a book I was thumbing through called "The Designer's Guide to Global Color Combinations" by Leslie Cabarga. The book is really interesting, because it talks about how different color combinations evoke a different aesthetic response depending on the region or country. It breaks down by chapter what parts of the world use these color combinations in advertising and art. It even gives a bit of history on why these colors work well in different parts of the world. The book also gives the RGB and CMYK number values you can use to get these exact colors when using programs like Photoshop and Illustrator.

I didn't delve much into the meaning behind the color palette I chose. I just picked colors that seemed to fit my drawing. Still in all, the book is really cool and full of a lot of interesting information. Plus the writer has a great sense of humor.

Halloween Show at Proximity Gallery - October 1

The Philadelphia Cartoonist Society and the Autumn Society are teaming up for a show at Proximity Gallery on October 1, 2010. This will be a Halloween-themed show with over 30 artists displaying work. please click on the photos below to see closer details from some of the pieces from the drop off day.

James Heimer, myself, and Sam Heimer (the curator)

Here is a detail from my piece, entitled "7 Crows":

Please stop by Proximity on October 1 for the opening or some time during the month of October when the gallery is open. Proximity is located at 2434 East Dauphin Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125. For more information , please contact Janel Frey at 267.825.2949 or e-mail: janel@proximityart.com.

Philadelphia Cartoonist Society Pictionary - Next Monday 10/26/09

The Philadelphia Cartoonist Society will be holding their monthly PICTIONARY night on Monday, October 26, 2009 at Bob & Barbara's Lounge (1509 South Street in Philly) starting about 9:30 PM. 

Teams of 3 or 4 will sign up and play each other all night in a one and done tournament. The winner of every round gets a special (Can of PBR and a shot of Jim Beam) for each member of their team. The team left standing at the end of the night gets to play against members of the Philadelphia Cartoonist Society. If, by some miracle, your team beats the PCS, you'll receive yet another round of specials and a prize pack to split up amongst your team.

Generally, I host the tournament each month as an impartial judge. This month, I'm stepping down from judging so I can have some fun and play on the PCS team at the end of the night. So folks coming to play better come strong.  I act like a nice fella, but you don't want to be on the other side of the Pictionary board from me.