Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Project Projections...



I have a couple different projects in the works at the moment... another contribution to Angry Gnome Comics' SHORT STACK (collection of 2 page horror stories), I'll be illustrating a 2-page story called, "Winter Garden" and they are letting me do the book's cover as well. Good times, scratches my horror itch.

I have been thumbnailing the bits and pieces for HipHopScotch #1 as well and while it might be unrealistic to think that the issue will be finished for 2010 I am hopeful for early 2011 (for C2E2 perhaps, CGS Supershow at the latest). I am pretty excited about what this book might be. The intention of the book is to serve as a testing ground/laboratory for story telling and art style. I really want it to be as tight as possible design-wise. I also want to add fun things to it like a letters column, fan-art submissions (once I get some fans) and maybe even occasional essays/editorials. Ideally I would love to have 2 issues out a year.

The final project is just in the discussion stages, but I am pretty excited about it. For a while now I have felt that I really needed a web series to keep my work fresh for people to see on a more consistent basis. Don't really want to say anything about it other then it will be a nice balance to the other things I am doing and (I'm hoping) will be a breath of fresh air... more fun, more funny, maybe even silly at times. We'll see. You'll know more when I know more.

I appreciate those who have asked and been interested in what I am doing these days... I am starting to get back into the swing of things... see you at a show soon. YEAH COMICS!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Bay-bay... and a growing curiosity.


This Friday, Sara and I, are expecting our fourth child... yeah 4. Crazy. We're excited. So pray that all goes well with that, that we are able to survive the munchkin take over and that the other kids will be stoked to welcome this new little one into our family.

On the art front... I am moving forward on a couple projects that have been simmering for a while now and I look forward to showing people some stuff here and there as I get a chance to scan things in and post them. I often wonder what kind of work people expect from me or maybe even hope to see. I just want to do what makes me happy and excited to put brush to bristol but I admit I am curious what people like... just have to continue throwing things at the wall I suppose.

Hope you are all well.

Jewett

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Where have you been?

My art table is calling to me... "Come back to me!" I think I am ready to answer that call, finally.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Question the Answers...


I am in a season of uncertainty right now... am I where I am meant to be? Is my life one that is effective?

As a christian (and not always a particularly good one) there are compromises that I have made in my lifestyle, maybe even justified as acceptable by God. Being a part of the Momentum Youth Conference went a long way toward exposing some of these hypocrisies in my life (Nothing like standing in front of 1500+ teens as a part of a worship team).

A lot of that is beginning to change. I feel like a failure in many areas of my life mostly having to do with complacency and laziness... funny thing is I am reminded of a line from Batman Begins, "And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." It's a philosophy that followers of Christ can live by... we're not perfect and our failures are an opportunity to rise again improved, wiser. Not that we should justify sin or abuse grace. In this brief life we're given limited chances to make a difference, to be effective, I want to take advantage of those opportunities rather then squander them as I have previously. The idea that I am a "mist," here today, gone tomorrow is a profound reality.

This might not be a popular line of thought, in fact... I know it isn't. I don't know where I am going, I just know that God is moving and I am hopeful that He will use me in the process. Pray that answers will be clear or at the very least which direction to go would be revealed.

Reading: The Book of Job, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream

Monday, June 28, 2010

UPDATES!!!!

toolbox

I'm a web designer by day and it's always a little pathetic how hard it is for me to update my personal site on a regular basis... the whole carpenter with his front porch falling apart syndrome.

So this weekend was update like a madman mode... there is still a fair amount to be done, mostly having to do with contact links/items and updating my "LINKS" page with fresh connections, additions, subtractions, etc.

If you get a free second, check out the site and let me know what you think... I would definitely appreciate the feedback. Thanks!

ANDYJEWETT.COM

Friday, June 25, 2010

COMICS!COMICS!COMICS!

I have been having some issues with motivation lately... I want to get more work out there, but life gets in the way. I get tired... by the time I get home from my day job, hang out with the family and get the kids in bed... I'm often beat-up tired and don't feel like doing anything but lay around.

It's a lot like my attempts at losing weight, I want to lose the pounds, eat healthier, live better, whatever... but I'm constantly disgusted with my poor choices. FAILURE, again. It's pathetic unfortunately. Vicious circle.

There's really no excuse, it's all about decisions... "you'll do what you want to do."

Let's make comics.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Father's Day is coming...


Supposedly a day to honor me as a father... and while I appreciate and enjoy the attention, I assure you that I am one of the fortunate ones... not deserving of praise, but thankful for the blessings.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Mummy


Vintage Packaging


Box Illustration (with rush tones for fun... won't be on the final version)

Vampire


Vintage Packaging


Box Illustration (with rush tones for fun... won't be on the final version)

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Ape Man


Vintage Packaging


Box Illustration (with rush tones for fun... won't be on the final version)

Friday, June 4, 2010

Sometimes I get to doodle at work...

We are re-popping some "Glo-Head" model kits at work and the first one I got to do some line-art for the packaging... to be used as design element.


Vintage Packaging


Box Illustration (with rush tones for fun... won't be on the final version)

Monday, April 19, 2010

Train Rides, Thin Books, A Hopped Fence and More Friends Then I Deserve.

I got the opportunity to attend the first ever Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) the Saturday of the show... what a great time. Special thanks immediately to my wife, Sara, for letting me go because she knows how important it is to me.

My buddies over at Around Comics have recently called it quits (for now?) on the podcast and C2E2 was an opportunity for us to all gather in one huge room to celebrate the industry that they have been talking about for almost 5 years. I've been listening to AC since episode #1 (proud to say I was their first iTunes review, heh), they provided hours upon hours of entertainment over the years whether I was at work or at the drawing board. The show will be missed for sure. Chris, Sal, Tom, Skottie and all the other rotating panel members that contributed so much over the years, thanks.


CON REPORT (I only got to attend Saturday):
The Day started at 5:30am waking up, dragging on clothes, making sure I had all my books packed (SICKO, In This Corner and Zombie Crisis), picking up my buddy, jamie and heading off to the South Bend Regional Airport to catch the South Shore (train) to Chicago. Since we were only going for the day and there is a stop at McCormick Place we decided to give the train a chance... it was a good decision in my humble opinion. The ride was fine, good conversation with friends (Jamie, Jon, Alex and Ryan), reading comics we had brought with us to be signed, just hanging out.

We took the early train which had us arriving somewhere a little after 9am Chicago-time, so it was no big deal to walk to the line queued up already for the convention doors (show opened at 10am). I thought it was crazy that so many people were already in line waiting for the doors and was under the false impression that we were pretty far back in the line... by the time the doors opened though, there were easily 4 times the amount of people snaked round the huge staging area we were standing in. A quick trip through the doors and up an escalator and we were in.

I've been to my fair share of "big box" shows (my first show was Wizard World Chicago, which I left after only 4 hours with a migraine)... and I was happy immediately just to see all the bright colorful displays and the people milling about so excited about these thin books with pretty pictures we all love so much. I tend to be labeled as being more of an "indie" guy, but I just love sequential art in general so I can definitely see the beauty in a huge space where Batman sits along side of The Incredible Change-Bots. Honestly my first thought was, "what a beautiful space." Most of the shows I've been to that are on this large of scale are in huge warehouse like rooms with nothing but fluorescent lighting, McCormick has huge windows lining the top of the entire space, so you get natural lighting and a great view of the city outside. More then once throughout the day I caught myself just staring out the windows at the visible skyline... a nice change for sure.

First stop on my agenda was the Around Comics booth where eventually a whole host of great comics pals were hanging out. The beautiful part of it was that all the podcasts were right there so it was great to see all the personalities I listen to on a regular basis. There were man-hugs a plenty as friend after friend showed up.

I spent most of my time in Artist Alley chatting up creators and handing out some minis... Artist Alley is my favorite part of any show. I love to get good deals on books and other comic-related goodies but I am far more interested in talking to friends and discovering work I haven't yet experienced. It's where the true "gems" can be found. Especially at a big show like this with a collection of amazing talent from established to up and coming and even fledgling, I would always suggest it is a far better use of your time then digging through quarter bins all day long (just an opinion though).

I DROP NAMES...
I spent a lot of time walking around with the AC and 11 O'Clock boys as well as Zack Kruse, Ben Tiede and Will Pfeifer (and even the talented Mr. Jim Nelson for a bit). Talked to a ton of people and just had a great time. The time I get to spend with these friends is never enough. It was great seeing Pants and Peter (from Comic Geek Speak) in the Windy City as well as Raging Bullets hosts Sean and Jim (sorry I didn't get to say hi to Jim though). Mr. Phil from Indie Spinner Rack was there sans-Charlie and I hope that it is no secret to him that I cherish him as a pal. Also I totally blew it meeting the iFanboy guys once again (fail). There are too many artists to name that I spoke with in Artist Alley, so I am not going to try... I am thankful for all the encouragement and that so many take the time to let me ramble in front of their tables. It was also great to see Mark Beatty (Dark Tower Comics) again, I love talking to him and he has always been kind to me. If I didn't mention you it's because I am dumb, know that I love you just the same.

CLUMSY CONVERSATIONS...
Thanks to Jeff for always being willing to give me a minute or two at the shows, you're a good man... I always worry about blocking people's tables at these things.

I TOOK A NEW STEP...
Liz at Quimbys/Chicago Comics was kind enough to take some of my books on consignment and I felt like I had turned a corner in some ways. I realize, I may not sell a single copy there, but I'm thrilled to have them sitting on their shelves as opposed to just in my basement.

BEANS, TUXEDOS AND A LACK OF PANIC...
My buddies, VInce (Beanish), David(Grendel) and Jason(Hitchhiker's Don't Panic Character) all got ink done at the show (tattoo artists set up at a comic show, brilliant)... it was really cool to be there while David was getting tagged. It was certainly tempting, but a lack of funds settled it... what a great memory builder though. I am now even more anxious to get more work done soon... I have plans. so many plans.

OUIJA BOARD INSPIRED GOODNESS...
My great find at the show was "The Complete Ouija Interviews" by Sarah Becan, it's a fascinating look at some sessions she and her brothers had with a Ouija board while staying in Nantucket, well worth your time and money... and Sarah is just a great ambassador for comics, she's doing interesting things sequentially... don't miss out. She also has a pretty rad food journal called, "SAUCEOME," that you should check out!

ROCK AND ROLL DRIVES A BUS...
At the end of the day, Jamie, Jon and I hopped on the shuttle to Reggies (old school bus painted with skulls and various other goodness) for some dinner and the Hero Initiative after party. Got to ride with Jim Demonakos which was cool, seems like a nice guy, I only hear good about Emerald City and Kirby Krackle is a lot of fun.

We ended up having a great burger at Reggies and getting to see Joe Quesada rock out with Kirby Krackle... it was entertaining, fun music for sure. Sadly, we had to leave before the Fuglees took the stage in order to make it to our train on time.

YOU WANT ME TO HOP OVER A FENCE?
We got a cab and asked the driver to take us back to McCormick so that we could catch the 9:24pm train back to South Bend... he was a very nice man that I personally had a hard time understanding. Jamie, thankfully handled most of the interaction and we ended up at the 18th street stop. The problem was that it was a long-ish walk up a concrete ramp and down some stairs to the "stop." We were already cutting it pretty close on time and started to look around the stop and realized that there was no button to alert the conductor to us at that stop. we looked around and saw that the McCormick Place was with in eye-shot... the only issue being that we would either have to walk all the way back up the stairs and the winding ramp to come all the way back around OR we could just walk across the tracks and hop a fence. Thankfully no one was hurt in our little adventure, we got over the fence and headed toward the McCormick Place entrance.

It quickly became apparent that we were under the center and had gone in through the deliveries-type entrance so I was definitely starting to have my doubts that we were going to make the train on time. we walked for what seemed like forever as the clock continued to tick away the minutes. When we finally got to an area where we could see inside the building, we noticed comic fans still trickling out here and there but the doors were locked and pounding on the doors yielded no results at first. We kept walking and were finally able to get some attention from some folks that let us in and we were able to find our way back to the correct platform literally seconds before our train arrived. There was one more train going back to South Bend after that but we were thrilled not to have to wait around for it.

COOKIN'...
The ride back was pretty cool actually, because of the Cubs game the whole train was pretty well packed... which meant the 3 of us couldn't sit together. I ended up sitting next to chef named, Chris who was on his way to Gary, IN to visit with friends after work. It was a fun conversation about his job, food in general (I know right? me talking about food, whodathunkit), and the woes of being a Cubs/Bears fan. It's amazing how many cool people drift in and out of our lives on a day to day basis, folks who lead interesting lives that we may never talk to unless a bunch of baseball fans force us into a seat together on a late night train. After Chris' stop in Gary I had the seat to myself and read Sara Becan's book and started reading Liz Mason's zine, Caboose (all about her health issues/woes and recreational activities). The ride was uneventful and for the most part very pleasant.

THE PARTY'S OVER...
We arrived at the airport, climbed into my car and drove home... dropped jamie off and pulled into my garage, a great day come to an end. I am so thankful to comics for the friends that they afford me. I would have never met most (if not all) of you with out these "silly little kid books." Thank God for comics... I look forward to seeing you all again as soon as possible.

Summit City Comic Con anyone?

PS. if you read all this, I apologize.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

The PKD Black Box Interview


Shawn Pryor, from PKD Media, interviewed me on his show, The PKD Black Box. We talk about my mini-comic, SICKO, influences, cartoons and just life in general. Give it a listen when you get a second!

Friday, February 12, 2010

SICKO gets some chatter...



I have been remise in mentioning some of the great reviews and kind words that my meager efforts with SICKO have received... it's humbling and certainly appreciated. I am encouraged that at least a few poor souls want to see more from me... YEAH COMICS!

PODCASTS
11 O'Clock Comics #76
Around Comics #258
PKD Black Box #2
Teenage Wasteland Episode #63

REVIEWS
Wicked Cool Comics

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Stuff to do... tick tick tick

My life as a Columnist...


Was talking to my friend, Arlene about columns while checking out one of her new writers at Wicked Cool Comics.

I was reminded that I had a column once upon a time as well, WORD... by Andy Jewett. It was a fun column, mostly a mixed bag (editorial, diy, reviews and interviews). I wonder if anyone ever actually read it... I seem to remember a couple comments on articles here and there. It was a bit sad when the site that ran the column decided to call it quits, but then again, I was never very timely with my posts (sort of like this blog *cough*).

So, for about two seconds I was a "writer." The End. You can stop reading now... sorry.