Linework is Columbia College’s comics anthology, started by cartoonist and professor Ivan Brunetti. The anthology is student-run, featuring the work of students, alumni, and faculty of Columbia College Chicago. Each issue is put together with a lot of heart and incredible talent.

Marieke McClendon, one of the editors of Linework 4, recently made a quick promo video of the new issue:




Linework 4 will be available for purchase soon, at places like Quimby’s, Chicago Comics, Shop Columbia (623 S. Wabash Ave), as well as the upcoming CAKE fest.

Additionally, there are a number of Linework 4 Special Edition issues (coming soon) for which select artists were invited to contribute small works of art, prints, mini-comics, etc. I made a small edition of prints for the Special Edition issue, which I will be posting soon.

To learn more, visit the Linework Comics Anthology Official Tumblr. Thanks!!

Next Saturday! The 6th Annual $20 Print Sale at Chicago Printmakers Collaborative!

Great way to get some highly affordable, locally-made prints, posters, tees, and other fun stuff. I will have some things in the show for sale too. There’s always so much good stuff to take in and enjoy, so come as early as you can!

Opening Reception:

Saturday, May 18th, 2013
12-6 pm
Chicago Printmakers Collaborative
4642 N. Western Ave, Chicago IL

Show runs through June 8th
Gallery hours: Fri & Sat, 12-5 pm (and by appointment)

Starting next month, Duffy O’Connor and I will be co-teaching the relief printmaking class at Chicago Printmakers Collaborative. Duffy is full-time faculty at Harrington College of Design, where he teaches drawing, design fundamentals, and relief printmaking. He has been working with this process a lot longer than I have, so it is a real honor to teach alongside him.

For this class, we will be covering everything from single to multi-color relief prints on wood and linoleum, printing by both hand and press, transferring images, and much more. Here are the details:

Fundamentals of Relief Printmaking
Mondays, June 3 – July 22, 2013
8 weeks, 6 – 9pm
For more info, sign up/share, visit: CPC Class Schedule

Here we are working on a woodcut for the poster, which we designed and carved ourselves. We even printed some of the posters using handmade ink!





Final woodcut poster, 11″ x 17″ (click for larger):




The ink-mixing process: The pigment is thoroughly mixed with Burnt Plate Oil No. 3 to create rich and smooth printing ink.

If you live in Chicago, grab yourself a new copy of The Chicago Reader!

I just finished an illustration for Ben Joravsky’s column, which deals with the city’s recent plans to close 54 public schools, leading to subsequent overcrowding at others. For example, Dever Elementary on the northwest side. I’m a big fan of Joravsky’s columns, so this was a treat!

Check out the article here:  Mayor Emanuel’s crowded-classroom approach to fixing schools

Here is the illustration:

I’ve recently been looking at one of the books that I picked up at the fair. I wanted to share it with my students, then found myself completely immersed in it (this happens a lot). It’s a beautiful collection of over 100 full-page photographs of highly magnified plant forms. They are characterful and lively; with a little imagination, one could find faces, bodies, architecture, and plenty of inspiration in the simple, graphic structures.

The book is “Art Forms in the Plant World” by Karl Blossfeldt. It is not a rare book and can be acquired online quite cheaply.



Below are a few of my favorite pages scanned from the book. Click to view larger.



Pumpkin Tendrils




Varied shoots




Bourgati’s Eryngo Leaf




Small-flowered American Horse-Chestnut




Weeping Forsythia, young shoot




Scorpion-weed panicles




Varied shoots

The story is “LOS”, by J.D. Sommers, about a woman’s haunting, surreal descent in neurosis. I’ve included my illustration below. You can read the full story on the Reader’s page, or better yet, pick up a copy of the paper this week!  It’s wonderfully written and very engaging, and I recommend reading it if you have some time.

Also, just wanted to quickly note, there will be some new changes and updates on this website and blog coming up this year. As I have been teaching more classes, my time on the computer is very limited, however I do hope to also post more student work as well as other art updates. That’s about it, thanks for checking in!

This is the first cover illustration I’ve done for Penguin Group and I’m very pleased with how it came out! The illustration is based on one of the stories in the book, The Tailor, in which elaborate outfits escape from a tailor’s shop and take over bodies, in a macabre, magical-realism sort of way.





The original illustration: