A Pair of Pet Portraits

Ms. Penny | Private Commission 

Graphite portrait  8x10

Maile | Private Commission 

Also in graphite.

Mr. Monster

Mr. Monster | Comic Syrup Press

The original adventures of Mr. Monster, Fred Kelly's occult vigilante, are returning to print thanks to Comic Syrup Press! To learn more about this strange and exciting hero from Canada's Golden Age of comics, his creator Fred Kelly, and the talent behind the reprint campaign check out the official Kickstarter and Facebook pages. My suitably creepy illustration will be available as a print to backers of the project.

Johnny Canuck!

Johnny Canuck | Comic Syrup Press

In celebration of the forthcoming reprinted adventures of Johnny Canuck, Canada's first national comic book hero, this image will be available as a print from Comic Syrup Press!  To learn more about Johnny, his creator Leo Bachle, and the talent behind the reprint campaign check out the official Kickstarter and Facebook pages.

Johnny Canuck 

The Thing

The Thing | Commission

The Thing is an 11"x17" ink drawing, coloured digitally.  The piece was done for Joe Kilmartin, a knowledgeable comics and pulp culture enthusiast of The Comic Book Lounge and once upon a time, Dragonlady Comics in Toronto.  I have enjoyed frequenting Joe's College Street shops for many years.

The Thing | Sketch | Inks  | Digital Colour

One of my favourite Marvel characters, The Thing, has always been a popular choice when sketching at conventions or warming up at home.

I'd done a rough of Mr. Grimm twisting up a lamp post, an element that may still end up in this image as an overlay.  The copy(text) in the top image was all lifted from different sources (a couple of Kirby Pin-ups mostly) and modified.

Yo Joe!

DJ Cobra Commander | Commission | Pencil on heavy paper

With another G.I. Joe movie set to debut next week I thought it might be appropriate to share this old drawing.  I was lucky to get a snap of the sketch I'd done for a friend back in 2007.

My Grandfather

Donald Douglas McKay | Personal Piece | graphite on heavy paper

I did this drawing of my grandfather from a tiny 3.25"x1.5" photograph that was taken in 1942 while he served in the Royal Canadian Navy. I had to ring him up a few times while working on this to ask about details I couldn't make out, and he was a big help.  Because the picture was so small and not without blemishes, this photo-reproduction proved to be more challenging than the last.  If we come across any more good photographs I'd love to take another crack at it.

Donald Douglas McKay |  Reference used

He's the handsome fella in the middle;) 

The Moose

Moose | Personal Work

This national icon is painted in acrylic on a 15"x 21" illustration board.

Moose | Sketch | Process  

At the outset I knew I wanted to keep the edges of the image very loose and spontaneous.  Once I was satisfied with the sketch I used broad colourful strokes to fill in the background and then tightened up the figure with a little more care(and smaller brushes).  Also, you can see a little more detail in the moose's face in the early process photo on the right.
   

Moose | Prints | Products | Apparel  

Signed archival prints are available directly from me, or try out Society6.com. That's where the Moose and many more of my works are now available as affordable art prints, iphone cases, pillows, apparel and more. I think it would look great on the face of a paddle too or the bottom of a snowboard. 

Receive free shipping by clicking the promo link here, Society6.com. This offer is available until midnight on December 9th and excludes Framed Art Prints and Stretched Canvases. 

Werewolf

Werewolf | Private Commission

An older piece but a favourite, and seasonally appropriate. This werewolf in a tree was a private commission in ink on watercolour paper(~14x20"), completed in 2005 or 2006.  Originally commissioned by a collector of horror themed art, my personal goal was to create a chilling image without the expected blood and gore typically associated with the genre. To see a dog in a tree is also a little unexpected.  Although I will continue to have this image available as a signed archival print directly and at conventions I have expanded its' use to new merchandise including stationary cards and ipod cases at Society 6. Check out the Werewolf and some of my other items available through Society 6 by clicking the link here,  www.society6.com!   

The Scarlet Witch

Scarlet Witch | Commission

The Scarlet Witch is an 11"x17" ink drawing, coloured digitally along with some additional hand made textures.  This piece was commissioned by Doug Simpson, manager at Paradise Comics in Toronto and an Avengers super-fan.
  

Scarlet Witch | Inks | Digital Colour  | Sketches

For more than a decade Doug has commissioned drawings of his favourite members of the Marvel Comics super team, including Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Ant-man, The Vision and Hawkeye.  Many of these drawings became promotional material for local comic book conventions.

This is the second Scarlet Witch I've drawn for Doug;)  Thanks for keeping me busy!

Up a Tree

Lion | Personal Work

This proud beast is painted in acrylic on illustration board and measures ~8" x 10".  It is available as a signed giclee print limited to one-hundred units and costs $60+shipping.  It also makes a swell  4.5"x 6" card!

Lion | Sketches | Detail | Wallpaper(1920x1080) 

There are a few more lion sketches leading up to the painting that I'll post as I scan them. 

Also, check out other products featuring this illustration now available at Society6. 

Kick-Ass Annie

My Kick-Ass Annie | Commission for Anne Koyama of Koyama Press

I was thrilled when Annie asked me to contribute to her growing collection of amazing commissions, and did my best to create an interpretation of her icon/logo that would stand out in good company.  Be sure to check out the other fantastic "Kick-Ass Annie's" she's collected over the years as well as a ton of great books, comics and more at Koyama Press!

Kick-Ass Annie | Sketch and Detail

Like the cover to Kill Shakespeare this piece was originally conceived as a sketch and then worked over in photoshop incorporating hand drawn and painted elements.

Wedding Invitations

To Have and to Hold | Private Commission

The approach I took to this wedding invitation was inspired by the venue Jamie and Talia had chosen for their big day. The Eglinton Grand is an old theater in Toronto that's been converted into an event hall and restored to its original 1937 grandeur. We thought it would be fun to imitate the sensibilities of a romantic movie poster from the same period.

To Have and to Hold | Process & Detail | ink on watercolour paper 10 x 15"

At the outset I had intended the physical art to be rendered exclusively in ink wash, but after over-working Talia's hair I introduced white acrylic. Once I'd completed the black and white painting I brought it into Photoshop where I colourized the image. This is a technique I've found quite successful at capturing a Technicolor look while retaining the brushstrokes and textures of my painting. With the rendering already done in paint this method of colouring is pretty quick.
The typography on the posters of the 1930's is sometimes the most complex part, often using as many as six different typefaces in a short stack of text. For this I created some original hand lettering and modified existing fonts in other places. Some informational text has been omitted for web.

New Commission

Miller & Mullet | Private Commission

Bear and Pig

Bear and Pig | Private Collection

Commissioned as a gift from a bride to her groom. Companionship is the theme here. An unlikely partnership of two very different creatures, in love, and planning a future together. Acrylic on illustration board. A limited quantity of signed archival prints are still available directly from me. For more prints and throw pillows featuring the Bear and Pig please visit Society6.

New Commission

Magneto | Private Commission

I'm a sucker for comics. Magneto was commissioned by a Toronto collector and friend, Ryan Aleong.  I thought I'd surprise him by presenting full colour art upon delivery of the original ink drawing.

New Work!

Untitled | Private Collection

This piece was privately commissioned and created under the sole direction that it was to be science fiction influenced. I had a lot of fun digging through old pulp mags for inspiration and ultimately I'm quite happy with the result...

A limited edition run of 50 prints will be made available soon!