INCIDENTAL COMICS

Future Work

2013-05-24T09:47:00.000-06:00

I'm excited to announce that I've started a new comic series for Medium.com called "Who Needs Art?" With a new post every other week, I'll be exploring movements and concepts in art and design. I'm treating this series as my chance to experience what I missed by not going to art school.

You can now read my first piece "Remembering Futurism," about the early 20th-century Italian Futurist movement. In a few months I'll start posting the full comics to this site. Thanks for reading!

There are worlds...

2013-05-20T08:01:00.000-06:00

You can order a poster at my shop.

Message to a Graduate

2013-05-13T07:52:00.000-06:00

Rules for Freelancers

2013-05-06T07:42:00.000-06:00

This is the second of a set of comics I drew for Red Lemon Club, a site with articles and resources for creative professionals started by illustrator Alex Mathers. The secret to success in any creative field includes a cape, a Holden Caulfied hat, and a small herd of trained elephants.

Day Jobs of the Poets

2013-04-29T07:30:00.002-06:00

This comic is factual, but it requires a couple clarifications: Wallace Stevens was an executive at an insurance company, not your average insurance salesman. And there's no evidence that Emily Dickinson liked cats, but her sister Lavinia was cat-obsessed. So Emily must have been forced to cat-sit occasionally.

You can order a poster here.

A Cartoon for Earth Day

2013-04-22T07:52:00.000-06:00

Happy Earth Day! Enjoy your supercontinental breakfast.

Tie Chi

2013-04-08T07:59:00.000-06:00

How to Make Write

2013-03-30T16:50:00.002-06:00

This drawing appears alongside a NYT Opinionator Draft essay by Henry Hitchings about the use of nominalization in writing. One type of nominalization is the appropriation of verbs as nouns, leading to attention-grabbing (and annoyance-inducing) phrases like the ones found in this comic. You can also see the illustration and article in print in the March 31 NYT Sunday Review. Thanks to AD Matt Dorfman for the gig!

A note on the rabbits: probably my favorite short story of all time is "Stone Animals" by Kelly Link, from her collection "Magic For Beginners." It features numerous, mysterious, and possibly sinister bunnies lurking in the yard of a suburban home. Also, I remember loving the epic rabbit allegory "Watership Down" when I read it in middle school. I have it on my bookshelf and intend to revisit it soon. Coincidentally, my bunnies will appear in print on Easter. As always, you can order a poster at my shop.

Creative Blocks

2013-03-18T19:29:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer

2013-03-11T08:20:00.002-06:00

One of the most difficult questions to answer is "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

As always, you can order a poster of this comic at my shop.

Genius Is...

2013-03-06T08:00:00.004-07:00

I drew this comic for Red Lemon Club, a great site of advice and inspiration for creative professionals. Thanks to illustrator and creative blogger Alex Mathers for the gig! Be sure to check out his other site, Ape on the Moon, for interviews and portfolios from a vast array of illustrators.

You can order a poster at my shop.

Performance-Enhancing Drugs for Writers

2013-02-21T10:50:00.002-07:00

I don't advocate drug use - unless it leads to great works of literature.

You can order a poster at my shop.

What Is Love?

2013-02-12T06:39:00.000-07:00

The hardest part of writing about love is choosing just one metaphor.

You can order a poster at my shop.

The Elephants of Typography

2013-02-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

I drew this comic after spending some quality time with The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst. It was a engaging and thoughtful book on a subject that can seem frighteningly esoteric to non-designers. Still, no book exists that cannot be improved with elephants.

You can order a poster at my shop.

Double Majors

2013-02-03T07:37:00.001-07:00

This comic appears in the 2/3 NY Times Education Life section.

The Great Coffee Spill

2013-01-29T06:27:00.001-07:00

Treacherous Slopes

2013-01-24T06:56:00.003-07:00

The Nature of Ambition

2013-01-15T06:31:00.000-07:00

Minimalism is Simple

2013-01-08T06:32:00.002-07:00

The panels in this comic were adapted from paintings by Ellsworth Kelly and Sol LeWitt. There are many great blogs with advice on how to live a minimalist lifestyle. I think none are as helpful as absorbing the simple beauty of minimalist art.

You can order a poster here.

This Year

2013-01-02T06:24:00.001-07:00

An Alfred Hitchcock Christmas

2012-12-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

My favorite Christmas movie is "It's a Wonderful Life." My favorite Hitchcock film is "Rear Window." I'd love to see a movie that combines the two.

Op-Ed Illustration

2012-12-12T07:59:00.001-07:00

This illustration appears on today's NY Times Opinion page, alongside a letter suggesting the creation of a progressive third political party to caucus with the Democrats. The drawing was a self-initiated challenge in drawing equine legs. Thanks to art director Alexandra Zsigmond for the gig!

Life Drawing

2012-12-10T06:39:00.003-07:00

Becoming a first-time father brings the irresistible urge to write about it! Just ask Stevie Wonder, John Lennon, and Colin Meloy. At some point, my perspective on fatherhood may turn slightly less sentimental - maybe closer to Randy Newman.

Life in the Woods

2012-11-27T08:04:00.002-07:00

For some thoughts about my process and a couple of my sketchbook pages, check out this write-up about Incidental Comics on the illustration blog Ape on the Moon.

You can order a poster here.

Pi vs. Pie

2012-11-19T09:38:00.006-07:00

This comic is dedicated to Archimedes and Wayne Thiebaud. Happy Thanksgiving!