Life goals. Also, I love the word 'wistful', and was looking for an excuse to use it.
Ink & watercolour, 8x10 inches. Original drawing is SOLD available here.)
wistful
Print of the Week: free your shooting star
I'm starting something new today! I'll be featuring one large 16x20 inch print every week, and offering it for just $30. Get this one before the price goes back up! Deal ends Apr. 19.
47
Today I turned 47.
47 years old! Goddamnit. Some folks assume that I’m younger, based on how my drawings look. I’ve been drawing pretty much the same way my whole life, so I might age, but my work stays the same.
It made me realize that although I’ve been sharing my drawings online for 12 years now, you probably don’t know that much about me. Sure, I share little bits about what I’m doing with my work, but not a whole lot else. So I think it’s time we get caught up:
I grew up in a small town in Quebec.
I went to school in French, all the way through High School, although my family is English-speaking (we call ourselves Anglophones in Quebec, a term I later realized is not used in the rest of the country). I can still speak French a bit, but it’s really really rusty. Comment ça va?
I live in Victoria, BC with my wife and two sons.
My drawings are sometimes funny, but I’m often a pretty serious guy. I often have a furrowed brow. Sometimes people (mostly on Facebook) get mad when my drawings aren’t funny. What? Did I promise you that I’d make funny things all the time? No. My blog is called ‘Serious Drawings’. I’ll make my drawings funny when I want to, and when it makes sense to me. If you want 100% consistent funny, go follow The Oatmeal - he’s really good at it.
My drawings are often seen as positive or uplifting, but I’m not necessarily a super cheery fellow. I draw them as reminders to myself. There’s a quote from Carol Shields: “write the book you want to read, the one you cannot find”. I make the drawings I need to see.
Well, actually it's more complicated than that. Making art for a living is a delicate balancing act between making work that you care about and that OTHERS will care about too.
Okay, I just realized that the last few paragraphs made me sound like a grouchy grouch. I'm not, I swear! Ugh, this is why I don't write about myself...
Lots of people get my drawings tattooed. But I never design tattoos. It still feels strange to see my work on other people’s bodies. It’s a very odd feeling. But I’m honoured that my work has enough meaning to them to decide to make it a part of their lives.
Do I have any tattoos? Nope. I’m too afraid to get one, and it’s too much commitment.
I like fish & chips and hamburgers and sushi and yakisoba and coffee and dark chocolate (not all at the same time).
I like long walks on the beach, but a good walk on a trail in the woods is better because you don’t get sand in your shoes.
Okay I think that's enough for now!
new print: hooray for today
I've been adding a few new prints to the shop lately, including this one. It comes in 2 sizes:
8 x 10 inches, signed by me ($20, shown above).
16 x 20 inches, unsigned ($39).
Get 'em here. (see other prints here)
drawings for Reader's Digest
I made these drawings for the April issue of Reader's Digest, which is on newsstands now. They accompany a funny (and rather Canadian) article about giving the family cottage a new coat of paint.
Reader's Digest hires a ton of illustrators for each issue, (an increasingly rare occurrence in magazine publishing,) a fact worth celebrating and supporting 🎉 🙌 . Love working with them!
This is my second time with RD; I did a commission for them back in 2014.
Available now (cover illustration by the terrific Leeandra Cianci):
I'm on crutches
I fractured a bone in my foot over the weekend, while playing basketball with my 14 year old son. This week has been all about doctor visits and phone calls, x-rays, getting one of those plastic walker boot things, and borrowing crutches from good friends.
Oh well. At least my job doesn't require feet.
run with a boombox
Water based paint pens & acrylic on thick card stock, 8 x 10 inches.
(Original painting is SOLD available here.)
Here's a time-lapse video of me drawing it:
My drawing in an iPhone ad
A while ago I designed some digital stickers for Apple's iMessage app. Now Apple is using (with my permission!) one of my drawings in a TV commercial for the iPhone!
It's my boombox with arms and legs drawing, and it appears during the last 5 seconds of the ad.
You can watch the whole thing on Youtube:
birds on bicycles
Water based paint pens & acrylic on thick card stock, 8 x 10 inches.
Original available here.
pay attention
I made this drawing for an activist tool kit put together by Silent Book Club. It's a set of 10 postcards by 10 artists, and comes with instructions on how to reach government representatives in Washington, DC. The other artists in the set include: Lisa Congdon, Jane Mount, Micah Player, Leah Rosenberg, Lisa Solomon, Nadine Appenbrink, Brittany Truex, and more.
All proceeds benefit non-profit organizations that fight for first amendment rights.
Get the postcard set here.
Introducing socks!
We made socks! Two kinds! There is a 'super duper' pair, and a pair that will give you super powers. Put these on and maybe, just maybe, make your day a little bit better.
These socks are sooooo super duper, it says so twice.
These socks have super powers. It must be true, it says so right on the sock.
Get a pair here.
Printable Valentines
Well here's something new...
We made printable Valentines! This is a new collection of drawings made specifically for Valentine's day, all in one PDF file. Print, cut them out, sign, and share them with friends, co-workers, family and your loved ones.
I know that Valentine's Day may not be on your mind (yet), since there's plenty of other stuff to worry about. But February 14th is coming no matter what, and this might be a fun, easy way to share some love and/or silliness.
We were inspired by the valentines that kids hand out to everyone in their classroom. And although these are great for kids, they're kind of fun for grownups too.
- Includes one 3-page PDF file, with a total of 12 different valentines.
- Print as many as you want, and share them with lots of people.
So, why would I make print-your-own instead of selling actual cards? Well, we figured most Valentine's purchases were last minute, so making cards that you had to order and wait to arrive in the mail was too much. This way you can use them as soon as you buy them.
