A new ojingogo strip is up.

Despite all appearances, things are happening: After gestating for over a year, I’ve finally started drawing an impressionistic comic about my trans-siberian trip. Also, I have finished many pages for a new ojingogo book, but haven’t bothered posting them. It’s about a third done. I aim to have two new minicomics for these in a month or so.

And I’m on the final pass on a bunch of illustrations for a children’s book for Kid’s Can Press. So with any luck, there will be a couple new books out next year.

And I’m moving my work into a studio later this week to start work with the very-inspiring, James Braithwaite. I’m going to try it sans Internet for a while and see what happens… or doesn’t happen.

“Book jacket design should concern itself with, in my estimation, equal parts enticement (“Come buy this book”) and exegesis (“This is what this book is about, more or less.”) A good cover doesn’t let one category trump the other. A good cover should not resort to cliché in order to accomplish either. But the real key here, in both categories (enticement and exegesis) is the designer’s ability to work the sweet-spot between giving-away-the-farm, and deliberate obfuscation.”

-Peter Mendelsund

Ink and wash portrait of my friend Elaine’s cat, Pepito.

Elaine is a designer and one of the best people I know.

Here’s my interpretation of the Koyama Press logo for Anne Koyama.

There are so many good ones. My favourite is this one by Jesse Jacobs.

A new ojingogo page. You can see the full thing here. There are many new pages and strips and they’ll be going up regularly.

To escape the heat, I’ve been working in the library lately. No limit of inspiration. I’m with Borges, who said, “I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”

A couple one minute poses from life drawing on Saturday. A man!

For the Vancouver arts weekly, The Georgia Straight, for an article about chronic pain – something I have personal experience with.

Art director: Mark Pilon