dots for eyes

2012-01-21T14:34:00.004-05:00

Happy (belated) New Year, everyone!

Here's a commission that I did along with Joe Q and Liz P:

If you want the low-down on who-did-what, you can find that here.

I'll have a bigger update/post soon (almost done with the book I've been working on FOREVER!!)

Cephalopods...

2011-11-26T09:43:00.001-05:00

...of the Octopus variety.

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!

Still life with juggernaut and cats.

2011-11-10T14:11:00.002-05:00

Two things: Thanks to everyone who came out at NYCC; it was a blast! I'll be posting some of the commissions I did here (and on my tumblr) over the next few days.

And also, thanks to everyone who donated to The Apocalypse Calendar!! We reached the kickstarter goal, and you can purchase said calendar RIGHT NOW! You can also just buy a print of the underwater illustration I did for the calendar here.

NEW YORK COMIC CON!!

2011-10-12T13:40:00.005-04:00

NYC here we come!
(no, we will not be arriving via tractor)

Joe and I will be sharing the magnificent S-2 table, right next to Mr. Paolo Rivera. Saturday we will be in COSTUME...you heard me. IN COSTUME. The identity of my costume will remain a surprise for now.

I will being selling lots of prints, including this one:

Each of those dudes will be available as individual prints too! Also, there will be mini-comics and original art. AND I'll be doing commission sketches. woot! It'll be a fun time!

APOCALYPSE CALENDAR!!!!!

2011-10-05T01:49:00.006-04:00

Now you can see in EPIC DETAIL all of the marine critters I jammed into this piece for the APOCALYPSE CALENDAR! Can you find:
2 hagfish
1 goliath grouper
6 marine snails
1 cownose ray
2 sea roaches
3 angel fish
1 giant pacific octopus
7 moon jellies
4 seastars
1 scallop
1 clam
2 horseshoe crabs
1 rock crab
7 royal grammas
6 cleaning wrasse
4 redfish
2 flounders
1 longhorn cowfish
4 porcupine fish
4 anemones
4 grass eels
4 moray eels
2 cuttlefish
3 rainbow parrotfish
1 southern stingray
1 green sea turtle
1 harbor seal
1 american lobster
1 whale shark
5 human skeletons
and a whole bunch of barnacles

You can see a bunch of other apocalyptic images, as well as support this project (previously mentioned here), at it's kickstarter site!

MODOK!

2011-10-03T00:56:00.001-04:00

Teeny tiny MODOK, from Emerald City Comic Con.

APOCALYPSE CALENDAR!!!!!

2011-09-27T21:24:00.004-04:00

That's right! With the end of the world just around the corner, wouldn't you like to spend your final days looking at THIS? I was lucky enough to be part of this awesome project, put together by RISD buddy Thomas Quinn, featuring a whole bunch of rad artists! This calendar has a Kickstarter to help it see the light of day (before the light of day is extinguished, that is):
APOCALYPSE CALENDAR KICKSTARTER!

You can even watch a video about it! Can you guess which piece I did?

2011-09-25T23:02:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone who came out for M.I.C.E. this past Saturday; it was so nice to see all that support for a local indie con! The next con that I will be at is New York Comic Con. Joe and I will be sharing a table in Artist's Alley; I'll be posting more about those details later.

Also, I am starting a tumblr: mariswicks.tumblr.com (click to see some more superhero silliness) I am going to use this as a motivation to post more often, as well as to get less precious about my posts (less words, more DRAWINGS).

I will still post here, but there will be doodle-y goodness going on in the tumblr. Mmmmmm...doodles.

COOOOOOOOMICS

2011-09-21T22:38:00.005-04:00

Hey everybody! It's the internet! But let's talk about REAL LIFE:

Joe and I will be at our local, down-the-street comics fest this coming SATURDAY!! If you live in the Boston-area, come out and say "hey" at M.I.C.E. (Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo). IT IS FREEEEE!!!! I will be drawing things and chatting and maybe if you want to hear about ocean animals I will totally TELL YOU ABOUT THEM. They even let me do one of the posters for the show (available as a limited edition print AT the show:

MICE, The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo

September 24, 2011 10am - 6pm

1815 Mass Ave., Cambridge MA (Porter Square)
Illustration by Maris Wicks

That's me: always working intestines into an illustration. AND...I got to help draw the cover of this week's dig boston, along side the talented Ming Doyle and Patt Kelley:

The DIG is a free weekly local paper that you can get on many classy corners around the Boston-area! Pick it up!

Stay tuned for more comics-related news...

MOOSE!!

2011-08-18T11:49:00.003-04:00

Biggs riding a skateboard, done for Paul Maybury Heroes Con 2011

Hey everybody. It's been a crazy summer; I will have updates on work and upcoming conventions soon. I recently did a pin-up for my friend Max de Radiguès' mini-comic MOOSE #3. His comics are ultra-awesome and have been a great inspiration to my own work. You can buy MOOSE #3 (and many of Max's other comics) HERE.

Sketches!

2011-06-26T12:08:00.004-04:00

I did a BUNCH of sketches at Heroes Con...it was a lot of fun. I'm going to try and pace these out, though it is very tempting to post them all at once. I'll start with the more summer-y ones:

Octopuses and put-put golf are summer-y, right?

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

2011-06-10T17:32:00.004-04:00

Along side the fabulous DJ Spider!

Wormie McWormiton

2011-06-10T17:07:00.002-04:00

I finally got jealous of all of Joe's gifs and created my own:

It's a worm who is worming around (actually, it's more of an inch worm, which is really more of a caterpillar...)

Thanks to everyone who came out and said "hi!" at Heroes Con; Joe and I had a great time. We got to sit right next to the magnificent Stéphane Roux, and spent a lot of time bumming around Charlotte with the ridiculously talented Ming Doyle. I met so many new comics peeps...that con is SO CRAZY I LOVE IT. Oh yeah...I totally cosplayed. WTF?

Super-sports: BLACK CANARY

2011-05-27T19:11:00.001-04:00

Ah, Badminton...

Super-sports: HULK

2011-05-23T00:13:00.003-04:00

Me HULK! Me STRETCH! Me BREATHE! Me ONE WITH ONE'S SELF!

Girly McGirly-pants!

2011-05-17T16:14:00.004-04:00

Here's a little peek at a freelance piece I did a few weeks back for RISD (my alma mater):
It's a paper doll to go with their current exhibit Cocktail Culture, which highlights cocktail apparel, accessories, textiles and furniture from 1920 to 1980. I got to illustrate 5 dresses (and 4 pairs of shoes and some accessories) from the collection. It was AWESOME (and possibly the most girly project I've ever worked on). Thanks to Evan for sending that one my way!

If you'd like a Party Paper Doll of your own, you can order one here, or if you're in the Providence area, swing the RISD Museum (they're available in risdworks, located within the museum).

Oh, and Joe and I will be guests at MECAF this weekend (the show is Sunday only). I will have super-sports prints and comics!

Boston Comic Con!

2011-05-04T20:09:00.005-04:00

What a crazy weekend! (I know it's Thursday already...). Joe, Liz and I had a nice hometown con. I got to draw some super-fun sketches, such as:
(Gandalf as a crossing guard, helping some hobbits across the street)

and

(the Incredible Hulk riding a bicycle)

Thanks to everyone who came out to support the Boston-area comics scene!!

I should mention that Joe and I will be at MECAF (in Portland, ME) on May 22nd. We will also be guests at Heroes Con this year (June 3-5 in Charlotte, NC). I'll be posting more about those events later, and also about items I will have for sale.

Okeedokee...back to coloring!

Super-sports: DAZZLER!

2011-04-27T00:27:00.004-04:00

AW YEAH THAT'S RIGHT!!

Liz and I will be sharing a table at Boston Comic Con this weekend - Artist's Alley #503. We'll be right next door to none other than Mr. Joe Quinones - Artist's Alley #502. This way, one of us can get us tasty sammiches during the con.

I will have prints of the Super-sports Superheroes (there's 9 altogether; I haven't posted them all on-line yet), minicomics and other stuff. I'll also be doing sketches. Stop by and say "hi" if you're at the con! TONS of peeps - both local and from afar - are going to be there; nerd-ery will be had by all! I love that we have a big home-town con; I hope this tradition continues!

Super-sports: Spider-man

2011-04-22T00:32:00.004-04:00

Super-sports: Wonder Woman (part one)

2011-04-16T09:25:00.003-04:00

Jumpin' some rope (which is kind of lame, but she's warming up for her main event...hence the "part one").

Super-sports: Captain America

2011-04-06T12:04:00.003-04:00

Playin' some frisbee.

Super-sports: Batman

2011-03-26T13:59:00.005-04:00

I've been doing these little (6.5" x 9") drawings as a warm up for inking/coloring lately. I've drawn supers playing sports before, but I thought it'd be a nice little challenge to add some more folks in tights to the mix. This one is actually a re-do:

Despite the fact that I just finished inking 133 pages of comics (with Faber-Castell Pitt pens), I've decided that I'm making the switch to...NIBS! I like to be green, and I always feel bad about how fast I blow through the pens (you can't refill them, and I'm not sure they can be recycled). I've also been missing a more organic line (although Joe has already pointed out to me that I'm pretty tight about my nib-work as well). What ultimately turned me was our trip to Belgium back in November, where we were lucky enough to work in a studio with a bunch of AMAZING comics artists. My friend Max asked me what I inked with, and I showed him my fistful of Pitt pens, and he was like, "Whhhhaaaaatttt??????". And then he made a pretty strong case for nibs. I was also inspired by my friend Alec's recent post about the inking tools he uses. Needless to say, I've been inking with nibs a lot. I'm still using the Pitts when I travel (to avoid bag spills, which is a phenomena that I excel at), but all the stuff I'll be posting will most likely be inked with a G-nib. I must admit, it is super fun. Enjoy!

Hammer Time!

2011-03-20T01:53:00.002-04:00

Break it down:
THOOOOOORRRRRRR!

Let me first start by saying that our trip to the Pacific Northwest was AWESOME. SO AWESOME.

Emerald City Comic Con = super rad. Got to meet Mr. Chris Samnee, who is the man responsible for one of my FAVORITE superhero comic stories, Thor: The Mighty Avenger (written by Roger Langridge to boot!). I had never read a Thor story before. I totally love Thor now, because of this comic (see above drawing). Thank you, gentlemen!

Joe and I got to hang with Mr. Greg from Tugboat Press (the man responsible for making Yes, Let's happen), see Mr. Chris Haley and his posse, get some bro-time with Mr. Scott Campbell and meet countless other comics folk (sorry if I left you out; you can heckle me in the comments).

BOWIE!! (for Mr. Haley)

Aside from the con, Joe and I had a blast during our short time in Seattle. We visited the Seattle Aquarium (gee, I wonder who wanted to do THAT), marveled at the wonders of Pike Place Market and ate copious amounts of delicious food. Short and sweet, and then we where on the road to Portland (and beyond).

Once in Oregon, we checked in to Chateau D' Ann (Ann and I were roomies back in college!). From there, Joe and I rented a car for our journey south to visit...the Allreds! Mike and Laura are SUPER DUPER!!! We had a blast doing everything from karaoke to dune-exploring to movie-watching, out in the middle of the beautiful Oregon woods. It was amazing to hang with such amazing artists; we can't thank them enough for their incredible hospitality!

Joe, Maris and Mike somewhere in the Shire.

THEN, back to Portland for some hang-time with Ann, some doughnut-eating, and more karaoke (with the Allreds again, but this time at Floating World...crazy!).

Now I'm back in Somerville, drawin' and computerin' and workin' at that place filled with fish and turtles and penguins...

I'll have a post about the cons I'll be at this year...just a few (I'm trying to be good). Oh, and I apologize for my silence in the comments; I've just been super-busy. I suck at staying on top of stuff like that!!

byebye for now!

Inks-cellent.

2011-03-03T13:14:00.004-05:00

Done. With. Inks. I am so excited!!!

*note: the pages above are not really that big*

So here's a little update on the life of Maris (well, the life that is squeezed into the non-primates time):

ZOMG (part 1): I wrote a one-page Madman story with Mr. Joe Quinones (he did all that lovely art - more about that project here). Thanks to Mr. Mike Allred for the awesome opportunity!

ZOMG (part 2): I also wrote a script for a super-secret DC project; more about that soon. I kind of still can't believe it. Joe's also doing the arts on that. Yeah Joe!

ZOMG (part 3): Leaving for Seattle in...1 hour!! Joe's a guest at Emerald City Comic Con, and then we're heading down to Portland, OR for a little working vacation. I will be at the con, but I'll just be hanging around. If you want to buy something Maris-y, my friend Greg over at the Tugboat Press table (M-22 in Artist Alley) will be selling copies of "Yes, Let's". Actually, if anyone would like a sketch, I could definitely be persuaded to draw something of the super-hero variety for a tiny bit of moolah...just sayin'.

I have lots of art to post. And peeps that I want to shout out too. But that will have to wait. For now.

So yeah. Crazy-pants stuff going on. It is EXCITING!!!

Power Girl.

2011-01-21T14:15:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure that this is what it's like to be Power Girl.

It is a New Year.

2011-01-06T17:20:00.003-05:00

Yes, indeed. Hope you had a Happy one. Here is Kitty and Lockheed to ring it in...
Done at Boston Comic Con for fellow co-worker/comic nerd-friend Sam. (Thanks, Sam! I love ANY excuse to draw Miss Pryde, especially with this costume!)

I'm actually leaving the house!

2010-12-11T11:46:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone. It is a widely know fact that I really don't like the winter (with the exception of the snow). Winter bums me out BIGTIME. But, I will be leaving my house tomorrow to celebrate a bunch of artwork hanging at local café:

This show has been up since early November, and it features the work of me, Joe Quinones, Liz Prince, Tim Finn, Ann Smith and Evan Larson, as well as pet-photographer Kelly Allen. If you live in the Boston area, feel free to come down and say hi. The show is tomorrow (Sunday December 12th) from 5 - 7 PM at the delicious Bloc 11 Café. Joe and I will be baking cupcakes for people to eat! ANd we'll all have prints, t-shirts and comics to sell. There's also a super-cool comics shop next door, should you desire MORE comics: Hub Comics. Maybe I'll see you there!

A little more information:

2010-11-11T11:05:00.002-05:00

So yeah, Joe and I are in Belgium and France for a bit. The main reason is because Joe was asked to be a guest at the Lille Comics Festival ! Amazing, since we haven't taken a vacation in FOREVER. So, here we are, in Belgium! Our friend, Max, was nice enough to host us for the Belgian part of the trip, and he has been wonderful. We've gotten to draw in his studio along with all his comics (B.D.) and art friends (merci beaucoup!). The trip has been totally awesome so far, and we're leaving for Lille, FR tomorrow. As part of Joe's going to the festival, he drew a shout-out illustration:

Learn more about the piece it is referencing at Mr. Joe's blog. I actually colored the illustration, except for Harley's exquisite skin (Joe's the rendering king). Okay, that's it for now. I'll try to post again before we return to the states, but if not, until then!

Hey internets!

2010-11-09T18:01:00.001-05:00

I am on a plane...to Belgium!

More soon...

Happy Halloween!!

2010-10-31T11:38:00.003-04:00

From the Green Lantern Corps:

Some awesome guy at SPX this year requested a sketch page of Liz, Joe and me as Green Lanterns for his Green Lantern-themed sketchbook. Fun times. Liz and I are both projecting kitties, while Joe is projecting...a bottle of Dr. Pepper?

We are staying in for Halloween; we hope that we'll get some trick-or-treaters at our new place. We sure have enough candy. And there will most definitely be some carved pumpkins later!

We're finally starting to feel settled in the new place. Almost all the walls are painted, and we've started hanging pictures up. It's amazing how much time it takes to get all nested into a new place. I've spent all my free time doing apartment-y things; I don't remember the last time I drew a auto-bio comic...oh, well. There's been plenty of non-auto-bio comics drawing going on in my life, which I am very pleased about. Sneak-peaks about that soon!

Until then...high-five some ghosts for me.

NYCC

2010-10-08T09:06:00.004-04:00

That's right. I'll be at New York Comic Con starting today (Friday) until Sunday! I'm kind of unofficial; I'll be the tag-along at Mr. Quinones' booth. BOOTH G-8. Right next to our dear friend Mr. Rivera's booth. BOOTH G-7. Come say 'hi'!

Slightly inappropriate.

2010-09-30T11:55:00.004-04:00

Just look at that little hotdog butt hole!!

M.I.C.E.!

2010-09-25T07:24:00.002-04:00

Hey y'all, Liz and I will be at the Massachusetts Indie Comics Expo today! We wil be joined by a whole bunch of talented New England comics peeps. If you're in the Boston area, come down and say "hi" (plus admission is FREE!!). Oh, and we'll have a new mini...the sequel to Four Squares, drawn with Mr. Joe and Mr. Tim. See you there!

Ah, the interwebs...

2010-09-15T17:21:00.006-04:00

Hey everyone on the interwebs! If you were at SPX last weekend, thanks for coming down and supporting us nerds. Joe, Liz and I had taken a year off, and we were glad to be back (SPX was my very first comics convention, back in 2002). If you weren't at SPX, thanks for reading this blog!

I apologize for the steady decline in blog postings; this has been a busy year (don't even try and count the number other times I've typed that phrase...). It's not that I haven't had anything to post, I just haven't made the time to post it. (shame,shame)

I know my post last weekend was brief, so here's a little bit more on what's going down in the land of Maris:

-I know I mentioned this before, but "Yes, Let's" is a super-cool kid's book that I did with Galen Longstreth for Tugboat Press. It is full color! Read it to a kid (or to yourself) in the grass! Here's a peak:

cover:

a little peak inside:

-I'm still hard at work on Primates, the graphic novel I'm illustrating for First Seconds Books (written by Jim Ottaviani!); I'll hopefully be posting some sneak peaks soon.

-I have a comic in the anthology "Make: Comics About an Intimate Act", edited by Robyn Chapman. There's a bunch of swell people in this great little collection about my favorite subject...POOP.

-Joe and I moved...1 mile down the road! We're still in Somerville, making this the longest we've lived in the same location. Also, we now live below the talented Liz Prince. OMG comics house. We drew one last night, but we can't really take credit...

-Biggs is obviously still being AWESOME:

-I pretty much cut off all my hair, so get ready for me to look like even more of a boy in my auto-bio strips...

So, yeh. I'm sure there's more. But that's it for now. Joe and I are just barely getting settled into our new place, but once we're set up, I'm planning on drawing comics just for the fun of it again (I haven't drawn a personal comic all summer long!) And the logical conclusion would be to post these comics to this blog (though I don't always do the logical thing.) Just sayin'.

SPX!11!??

2010-09-11T08:22:00.003-04:00

Forgive me, Blogger, for it has been 3 months (?!) since I last blogged...

I am at SPX in Bethesda Maryland! With Liz and Joe and Tim!

Come say 'hi' if you are attending!

I have a new book out (written by Galen Longstreth, put out by Tugboat Press)!

I have been working and moving and working; I will blog more soon (like how Joe and I are now Liz's NEIGHBORS!!). Promise.

-m

MECAF!!!

2010-05-21T10:38:00.005-04:00

Get ready to be MECAFfeinated!!! Liz and I (and Duddits) will be at MECAF in Portland Maine this Sunday, May 23rd hawking our comic-y wares. Mr. Joe Quinones will be unable to join us do to his being chained to the drawing table...but I'll have stuff of his for sale. Portland, ME is a GREAT town; lots of good food and good peeps. If you're in the Boston area, it's just a hop, skip and a jump up the coast (2 hours). Joe and I did this con last year, and we had blast! So come say "hi".

A comic.

2010-05-16T19:42:00.006-04:00

This is a comic that a drew a few sketchbooks back, but it was recently in this neat zine called Little Brother (you can buy a copy here). Here's my submission:

That pretty much sums up how I feel about moving. In reality, I have all my limbs, and I've only ever lived in New England, but finding that sense of "home" takes time and effort (even if you're just moving to the next state over). As of right now, home is where the cat is...

Stumptown.

2010-05-08T10:15:00.011-04:00

Two weekends ago, Joe, Liz and myself spent the weekend hawking our wares at the Stumptown Comics Fest in Portland, OR. I absolutely LOVE this convention, plus it's a great way to hang out with comics friends that we see just a few times a year. Here are some tidbits from our trip:

O.K. so not particularly pertaining to Portland...but as soon as we flew in, I started to experience some serious gastro-intestinal trouble. Our first full day in Portland had me searching high and low for public restrooms as we walked around downtown (you didn't expect me to stay in my hotel room and poop all day, did you?).

from top left: our table at Stumptown (courtesy of Joshin Yamada ); Star Trek pinball at the Hawthorne theater (Max is watching the trainwreck that is my pinball skills); Liz, Joe and me photobombing...ourselves?; t-rex on the floor at Denver airport

When we weren't in comics-mode, we pretty much spent our time walking around, eating (mostly donuts), and playing pinball/arcade games with awesome comics people (Alec, Claire, Greg, Max, Lucy, John, Jon Chad, Colleen...thanks! I probably forgot some people too...sorry)

Liz and I did a bunch of convention sketches; here are a few of mine:

One last doodle: the plane ride home:

I inked this with a nib and ink (supplies I haven't touched since college, luckily Joe has a fancy nib that he uses for detail work that I could borrow); I was totally inspired by Max's comics. Plus my shaky inking skills perfectly matched the turbulence of the plane ride (note: I did NOT ink on the plane).

We're home now for a while. Our last comics engagement of the spring season will be at MECAF. Yay Maine! (I'll post more about that when it's sooner.)

-m

p.s. Oh yeah, and the Superpooperman drawing can be blamed on the request of this man (look for pooping Supergirl and Spiderwoman!). heh heh. poop

So much has happened over the past three months...

2010-05-05T18:23:00.006-04:00

...but what's really awesome is that WE NOW HAVE A CAT!!!!1!!

Intertubes, meet Biggs "Bear" Darklighter. He is a formidable 16 pounds of feline. And we love him so much. Do not worry; he is on a diet.

I have drawn him a bunch (we've had him for almost a month):
Biggs already has some "fan art" that I'll be posting soon.

I have so much to catch up on, I'm going to update every day (or every other day) for the next week or so. So this is all you get (for right now). Cattitude!!

-m

Happy New Year...

2010-01-31T09:07:00.004-05:00

It's still January, so I'm allowed to say that, right? So far 2010 has seen a lot of drawing things I can't post quite yet...though I have been able to crank out some doodles and comics. One of my goals this year is to do more life drawing, so this past Monday I (along with drawing buddy Erica and my sis) doodled out at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. If you live in the Boston area and like seeing copious amounts of taxidermied animals, glass flowers and meteors, you should definitely check it out. I'm kind of in love with the coelacanth they have:

I brought my itty bitty watercolor set and a pencil.

Some of my other doodling endeavors have lead me to draw some pixel-y art:

Yeah, that's supposed to me. I've been loving me some graph paper.

Lastly, I was linked by the kind gentleman over at Marvel Smartass for all my interpretations of Marvel characters! Thanks! I should draw more superheroes...

ZOMG 2010...

2009-12-30T23:57:00.003-05:00

...PLEASE GIVE ME A FEW MORE MONTHS, OK? I know it really shouldn't matter, but the New Year always puts me in a funk (kind of in the same way birthdays do...that uneasy half exciting/half nauseating feeling). Did I do enough this year? Could I have done more? Better? Ah, self doubt. Whatever. 2009 was what it was. I tend to only remember the good (I'm such a bloody optimist), so I actually feel like it was a pretty good year (please don't prove me wrong by pointing out my foibles in the comments). I'll end my "deep thoughts" session by wishing everyone a wonderful New Year (and a blue moon to boot)!

cheers,
maris

oh yeah, I drew a family portrait of the Joker for my local comic shop Batman Gallery show:

That's right, I actually used a non-digital medium to color it!! WATERCOLORS in da HOOOOOUSE!! (or to be more accurate, watercolors in the apartment)

It's beginning to look a lot like...

2009-12-12T16:13:00.004-05:00

SUPERHEROES!!

That's right folks. There's some superheroes up on my Etsy site. Just thought you might want to know.

Sketchy McSketchertons...

2009-11-21T14:11:00.006-05:00

...from Sketchville.

Lots of work-related drawing lately, so here's a little recreational sketching. Most of these were done last night our local coffee shop Bloc 11, and they had a live music night (for the first time ever). All I can say is that I definitely need more accordion in my life.

And no, there were no slugs performing live. I just felt like drawing slugs (because they are AWESOME).

On the topic of farts...

2009-11-04T07:59:00.003-05:00

This was an editorial piece I did a few months back for Discovery Girls magazine (it was in their "Embarassing Moments" section). I don't do editorial illustrations very often, so this was a fun job (plus I got to draw FARTING and use the "poot" sound effect).

Even more Super...

2009-10-27T16:24:00.003-04:00

VILLAINS!?

This one was for a commission. I really heart the Batman cast of heroes and villains, and I was super-excited to draw Poison Ivy. I always found her character (as well as Catwoman's) interesting; I liked that they were both conservationists...(or, at least that was kind of how they were portrayed on the animated series, which was my gateway drug to the Batman universe). Their characters always seemed to have good intentions (Catwoman's theft was very Robin Hood-esque; stealing from the rich to give to the poor), but their good intentions often turned into acts of eco-terrorism (hello, poisonous plant bombs!). Philosophy aside, the villains of the Batman universe are just plain fun to draw!

Superheroes!

2009-10-21T14:03:00.007-04:00

Last weekend, I crashed the Big Apple Con with Joe and Paolo. I had a few things to sell, but cons like that aren't really my audience...I did manage one sketch request (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU). Ladies and Gentlemen, Wonder Woman:
I love drawing superheroes...I guess it's because I never really get to. While I was sitting behind the table, I doodled up some other stuff:

Paolo watercolored the Spidey one for me!

I have a feeling 2010 might be the year of the con; Joe and I are planning to go all out (we might even do San Diego con). Who knows? Once we figure out our schedule, I'll be sure to post about way ahead of time. Ok, back to drawing comics!

True Story:

2009-10-09T00:34:00.001-04:00

(click to make it BIGGER)

So much to do...

2009-09-30T10:27:00.009-04:00

...so little time. Again, I've been neglecting the blog, and even larger, the internets. I feel as though updating the blog is a treat, like a little reward for finishing a project. The trouble is, I've got at least three projects that are in the works, but nowhere near completion. The result? This neglected blog. It seems that more work would provide the exact opposite, resulting in a blog filled with entry after entry. But I can't find the time to justify sitting down and saying, "Here's what I'm doing, but it's just a snip-it...", when I could be using that time to keep working. Perhaps I should view blogging as a task rather than as a reward...
I am also feeling a bit out of touch with the whole comics crowd after my decision not to attend some of my favorite conventions this year. Just this past weekend was SPX, which I haven't missed since 2005. I was sad not to go, but I was able to stay home and finish a little project I'd been working on for Uncle Envelope. Definitely check out the site; it's an awesome thing to subscribe to, especially if you (or your kids) love getting stuff in the mail. Here's a sneak-peek of my mini comic, which will be the mailing item for October:

Yes, those are poops. The comic is all about the human digestive system. I loves me some science!!

And here are some comics from a while ago...I have such a back-log of these, I can't wait until I put them together in a big, fat book (yet another project that might keep me from frequenting the interwebs...)!

The Tetris comic is from last November (before my DS met it's unfortunate fate). Lately, video games have been "off limit" with the exception of a little MarioKart every now and then (you know, to alleviate stress). My favorite vehicle is the Super Blooper. Gee, I wonder why...possibly because it is a car shaped like a squid? But I digress...

I leave you with one of my many job-related comics. This one is about something I'll probably be doing tonight:

I have the best job EVER.

Cheers,
Maris

Summertime...

2009-08-25T12:24:00.005-04:00

Ways to beat the heatwave:

1 lemon, squeezed
ice
maple syrup to taste (and none of that fake stuff; I'm looking at you Mrs. Butterworth)
2 slices of lemon, for prettifying

Instant cool off, although I can't promise that you won't break a sweat squeezing the lemon.

But seriously, this is how hot it was last week:

Sorry about all those butts.

In other news, I have finished all my pencils for the book I'm working on!

Yay! I actually performed the happy dance afterwards.

Egads.

2009-07-01T15:00:00.006-04:00

Ugh. Has it really been a month since I last posted? Oops. Well, I don't even have anything that spectacular to show...just a lack-luster photo of my shared work space. Joe and I both share our computer and drawing table; we have a back-up laptop and small table for when our respective tasks overlap. Here's what it looks like with my stuff at the drawing table (click for bigness):

Again, not all that interesting. I might also add that I am currently drawing my final pages on 9" x 12" Vellum Bristol (which is VERY soggy at the moment due to three weeks of CONSTANT HUMIDITY).

I'm still drawing little auto-bio comics whenever I can...here's some oldies about work (and work-related mis-speak):

Yay! Scallops! (yes, those little black dots are it's eyes)

And last, but not least:

Ok, so I guess I had a few things to share. I know I've said it before, but I am going to make an effort to post once a week, even if it's just a wee comic. Now, BACK TO WORK FOR ME!!!!

-m

The Great Outdoors

2009-06-01T19:21:00.003-04:00

In light of the summer season, I thought I'd share my Project:Rooftop Wolverine redesign:

And I'm proud to say that I smell like squids today.

Not dead...just working.

2009-05-23T10:40:00.003-04:00

Shake your finger, slap me on the wrist, give me the cold sholder...I've been a negligent blogger. That's right. But of course I have a legitimate excuse (as always): I've been working on a longer comics project. This longer comics project (a biography actually) that combines the early careers of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Biruté Galdikas (three women who studied three different great apes), along with the fantastic writing talents of Mr. Jim Ottaviani. And this book is being published by First Second (yay!) Jim tells a great story of how our working on this project together unfolded here. Pretty hilarious. I should mention that my dream of the past five years has been to do 'science comics', and it's totally awesome that this dream has come into fruition. What it really comes down to is that I just love nerding out. Big time.

I'm not going to post much right now (just a few teasers), seeing as how I'm about halfway through the pencilled pages. I'll update periodically, but don't be surprised if my entries turn into a series of grunts and hoots. I have been trying to manage drawing 5 days a week (I'm only two days a week at my other job), so far it's working out. I've also been putting together a collection of my little autobiographical comics (there's over 200 strips at this point)...but I just keep drawing them.

Here's some chimpanzees:

And another thing: I'm in the anthology Ghost Comics. It comes out today. If you live in Minneapolis, check out the release party.

MECAF

2009-05-16T18:56:00.004-04:00

Hey Everybody!
Tomorrow (Sunday May 16th) is the first annual Maine Comics Arts Festival being held in beautiful Portland, ME. Joe and I will have a table there where we'll be selling our usual comics, prints, t-shirts and stuffed animals. Many familiar comics faces will be there, and of course, lots of comics, so If you're in the area, come on down!

STUMPTOWN 2009

2009-04-16T01:04:00.005-04:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's a glorious 1:05 AM and Joe and I are leaving for Portland, OR in...OMG LIKE 3 HOURS!!!! That's right; we're hopping a 6:05 AM flight out of Boston. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty exited about a 4 AM cab ride. Woopee. Sorry about the lack of posts and comment responses; I'm hoping to get back on that wagon once we return to the East Coast next Tuesday. Joe, Liz and I will be sharing a table at Stumptown Comics Fest this Saturday and Sunday, so if you're in the Portland area, stop by and say hi! Here's a glimpse of all my wares:

Ah, Portland. I can hardly wait to eat a donut covered in bacon. And wear shorts!!! AHHHG SHORTS I LOVE YOU SO! GET READY TO BE BLINDED BY THE SUPREME WHITENESS OF MY WINTER LEGS (my legs have not seen the light of day in 7 MONTHS people!).

OK. Time for me to stay up and wait for the cab.

p.s. I might actually try and blog from Portland...we're toting the computer this time around!

Dah-nah-nah-nah...

2009-03-30T15:48:00.004-04:00

Batgirl!

My exposure to Batman was pretty much through Batman: The Animated Series during middle school; I watched it religiously every weekday afternoon. Batgirl was one of my faves (the Barbara Gordon Batgirl), so of course I relished Batgirl: Year One when it came out. I looked to the old TV series' Batgirl costume for inspiration on this one (hence the bright purple). There were some early attempts to make her suit sparkly, but my Photoshop skills were, um, under par. Oh yeah, and she's on roller skates.

Superheroes on the brain.

2009-03-23T22:51:00.006-04:00

So I really missed the boat on getting this in on time, but I finally got around to doing my Batman redesign (the latest contest that was held over at Project:Rooftop). I had ideas of giving him a big scary mask (something inspired by this), but I ended up going very simple...big surprise. Here it is:

As long as we're on the topic of superheroes, here's my Aquaman:

This started as a sketch I did at New York Con. I scanned it and colored it. I'll eventually do a more detailed Aquaman drawing with lots and lots of my favorite underwater creatures.

And yes, both Batman and Aquaman are doing yoga-esque poses; I'm not really sure why. I'm pretty sure that most superheroes do yoga though (especially Batman).

WE RE IN YER CITY...

2009-03-22T18:54:00.002-04:00

DEESTROYING THINGZ!

Missed missed connections...

2009-03-10T15:08:00.008-04:00

A while back, I submitted this comic (drawn by both me and Joe) for the Missed Connections anthology that recently came out. Alas, we did not make the cut (the story takes kind of a fantasy-turn, but it's ::ahem:: mostly true...). I figured I'd give it a post.

Note: Joe does not actually talk to the ladies like that.

Oh, those crazy animals...

2009-03-02T19:13:00.003-05:00

Here's some of the shenanigans that go on at work:

February Dailies

2009-02-21T00:27:00.007-05:00

So, as inspired by Miss Lucy Knisley, I did a comic-an-hour on the first day of February. I actually completed them on that day, but it's taken my this long to scan and post them. Tsk tsk. Well, here they are (click to biggie-size them):

Sundays aren't that spectacular...at least I wasn't at work; it would have been aquatic puns galore.

23 Things I've done...

2009-02-19T22:45:00.004-05:00

...over the past 3 months:

And here's what Number 17 looked like in real life:

I'm a total LOLrus!!

I don't think I'll ever get in the paper for anything comics-related...that's ok though. Not many people can say they made the front page of the Metro section as a GIANT YELLOW WALRUS USING A SEWING MACHINE!!
-m

YARRRRRGH!!!!

2009-02-05T16:28:00.003-05:00

That's right. Joe and I are coming...to New York City for the New York Comic Con. Yes, I will be selling stuff. No, I will not be in costume. Please come visit our tiny little half a table (B9) in Artist's Alley if you're in town. If I know you well enough, I might give you a cookie.

Hey, I also started an ETSY!!!

mariswicks.etsy.com

But it is in vacation mode until I get back from NYC (Monday).

In addition, I am an ass. I am sorry I haven't posted. Please believe me that I have been drawing lots and lots of comics!! I have! It's true. I even did hourly comics a few days ago; I'll post when I get back.

Cheers!
m

OMG THANKSGIVING

2008-11-24T23:58:00.008-05:00

is maybe my favorite holiday. But this post really has nothing to do with Thanksgiving. I'm just going to post some comics:

That's right: celebrity frog touchings!!

My new superpower...

What my new superpower is doing to Joe:

While we're on the topic of superheroes, here's me as some of my faves:Creepy? Yes.

All right, I'm cut off. I'm heading up to Maine early tomorrow to partake in the eating of the foods (and drinking of the drinks). Happy Thanksgivings (perhaps I'll will myself out of a food coma long enough to blog during the holiday...).

-m

Deez Nuts: A comic about Aaron Renier

2008-11-21T00:04:00.004-05:00

A comic is based on a true story: This classic myth was dictated to me and Liz one balmy summer night by Mr. Aaron Renier. It was after a night of inebriated goodbyes (due Mr. Alec Longstreth's leaving the city of New York). (Click on it to read it biggie-style.) Uh, that's about it.

Drawn sometime in July with Liz; we took turns drawing each panel, then we inked each other's panels. Story, in part, by Aaron (--there should really be a children's book of his drunken fables). Colored by me (with input from Liz).

-m

Some inappropriate-ness for you all:

2008-11-16T23:44:00.008-05:00

I had been debating whether or not to post these because they were a tad...er...dirty?...I guess. Anways...they all involve other people being inappropriate; more specifically they involve either Joe or people related to Joe being inappropriate. Ah, genetics...First, a little Tour de Boston humor:

Ah...nicknames:

This was embarrassing (I was right behind him)...

And now for something completely wholesome: (It rained a lot this past weekend.)

I can haz a life?

2008-11-07T15:21:00.006-05:00

Last weekend, instead of partying for Halloween, I decided to partake in a new level of nerdi-ness: Descent: Journeys in the Dark. More like descent of my social life...sort of. I played with a group of friends that spanned high school, college and post-college; we all had yummy snacks and sat down to six hours of candle-lit nerdery. So I guess it was one of the more social things I've done lately. It ended up being pretty fun, not because of the game, but because of the company (I laughed so hard I cried towards the end). Well, I'll cut to the chase. Here's me as the character I played as:
I like owls better than falcons, so pretended I had an owl instead. Whatever, it still gave my enemies armor -1 when ever it was around. And, in case this wasn't enough, here is Joe as his character.

Guess what?

2008-11-06T00:54:00.004-05:00

I know I don't really talk politics on my blog, but OMG I'M SO FLIPPING EXCITED!!

YES YES YES!!!

Random bits...

2008-11-02T12:19:00.005-05:00

Quite possibly the best discovery of the past few weeks:

Lessons in animal dominance:
Moral of the story: it doesn't matter if I'm smaller; I'm older and I can HUMP YOUR FACE!!! (thank you to Joe's parent's dogs)

And then:
Yes, I do this. It is sooooo good.

Beets, bad memory and cutlery.

2008-10-28T00:21:00.012-04:00

OK get ready for it: big honkin' post. First up, I've rekindled an old flame: BEETS. Joe won't eat them because he thinks they taste like "curdled blood", but I (a long with Liz) think that they are divine! Here's the meal they co-starred in last week:
After the beets had cooked, I pressed them into my sketchbook before I peeled them. This is what happened:
Then, for the next three days:

So when I made made my epic SPX post, I neglected to mention that I WON A NERDLINGER!!!!
Specifically, it is the Nerdlinger for "Most Random Informative Facts About Invertebrates & Best All-Around Drawing Session Chatter". I drank it, and it was awesome. Thank you Nerdlinger Committee!
Oh, yeah. This also happened: MK - Joe apologizes through his KICKED IN FACE. heh heh

Now about that cutlery (featuring Lucy, Nelly, Joe and me):
Let me backtrack and mention that last weekend, Joe and I went to upstate New York to do many things:

-visit his family
-peep some foliage
-go to book event/presentation about French Milk by Lucy Knisley
-rock out in carbie (hmmm...mystery songs...)

We accomplished all these things and more (the fork! the fork!). Joe and I took a new way to get to his folks house and we passed that fork. It immediately reminded me of that part in the Muppet Movie...The fork is actually 100 times bigger than a for-reals fork (or, at least that's what it said on the plaque).

Lucy's book event was awesome; I bought French Milk, as well as The War of the Worlds (with illustrations by Edward Gorey). French Milk made me yearn for some travel...Joe and I had planned to go to Europe after school, but it's five years later and it's still on the back burner. Well, better on the back burner than behind the stove I guess.

On Sunday, we got hang out with Lucy and meet her friend Nelly, and pillage the Rhinebeck farmer's market of all it's tasties (apple, tamalés and pumpkins, oh my), and drink coffee, and eat amazing chocolates (um, dark chocolate lavender sea salt carmels anyone? OMG PLZ YES!!!!), and maybe draw a little jam comic, hmmm:
Good times. I had only met Lucy twice (at the past two MoCCAs); it was great to hang with her and Nelly (who is now officially part of the "Maris and Joe Carpool Hall of Fame"!!). Joe and I like making new friends! (OK, I sound like I'm FOUR).

I think that's it...sorry about another LONG post.

-m

Summer reading...

2008-10-24T00:40:00.005-04:00

(click on comic to enlarge)

Class: Cephalopod

2008-10-21T21:43:00.006-04:00

OK, so that's an octopus up there.

I've spent the past two days dissecting squids with kids (well, junior high and high schoolers). Stinky, but AWESOME:
You should be thankful you don't ride the subway with me.

And, yes, this actually happened:

Time to shower...whewwwEEE!!!

2008-10-21T20:40:00.002-04:00

Comics from...

2008-10-20T19:54:00.008-04:00

...the summer?

Ok, there's still a major back log of comics from the past few months. These ones were focused around my trips to Maine. I miss living there terribly, and I take any chance I get to visit. Luckily my folks moved up there about a year ago; now I can get my fix and visit the family. I managed to go up for both work and play a few times:

This was right before I left on the Maine Coastal Route bus (thank you, Concord Trailways) for a sea kayak trip (which deserves a comic unto itself...more about that later):

True story, Liz was my witness...

With great frogs comes great mosquito-bility:

And this is what Joe had to put up with every time I returned to Boston:

::sigh:: I love pine trees...

When you wish upon a blog...

2008-10-18T13:34:00.016-04:00

If only I could post through telepathy. Then this blog would be updated daily, if not hourly. Instead I choose to binge and purge my entries. (see below)

But really, I've been working on a better schedule for myself (and seeking much wisdom from Mr. Alec Longstreth). Trying to manage my time between comics, invertebrates and feeding my face shouldn't be that hard, but I end each day wishing that there were AT LEAST 5 more hours to go before bedtime (29-hour day, anyone? it'd be good times, I promise you). In addition to my inability to make a schedule, autumn has always been a time of transition for me. Transitions = fatigue, unrest, inability to do things (like make schedules):

I find myself going in several different directions with projects I'm excited about, but this often results in huge amounts of spent energy, and little to show for lots of work. So I prioritize, but sometimes making a list of all the things to do and which things need to be done first can be AGONIZING. With that said, I'm doing lots of work...it's just not seeing the light of day on ye ol' blog (yet). OK ENOUGH OF MY RAMBLING.

SPX was good this year. I had some new stuff:

This comic debuted at MoCCA, but I originally drew it as an online installment for Ballyhoo Stories. (Click on "COPING" under "Online Comics"; be warned: there are swears and good old cartoon violence!)

Then, this past July, Mr. Joe, Ms. Liz, Mr. Tim and I did a journal comic everyday for the month of July and then packed them into a mini-comic dubbed "Four Squares":

Here's the first page:

We then drew ourselves in crayon (not in the book):

It ended up being 64 pages - whew! Joe has it for sale on his Etsy...I should have an Etsy site up soon (but, you know, IT'S ON MY LIST OF THINGS TO DO!!!)

I drew a few comics while down in the DC area for SPX:
On the road...

What better way to eat a Happy Meal than to the sweet, sweet cacophony that was the vice presidential debate?

SPX generally consists of eating, and selling stuff, and buying stuff, but mostly eating stuff:

And then just when you thought I was dead, I return from the grave to EAT YOUR FACE!!!

One could understand why I looked like this at the end of the weekend:

I also saw the exhibit "Jim Henson's Fantastic World" at the Smithsonian International Gallery. Though I was sleep depraved after 9 hours in the car, it was well worth it. Having grown up addicted to PBS (and some might claim that I still am...thanks a lot, NOVA), I was a huge fan of Sesame Street (uh, I watched it through junior high and high school). My mom was gracious enough to tape things like "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" off of TV (so I could watch it until the VHS tape snapped), so like many of my generation, I grew up with all sorts of Jim Henson influences. But I digress; this is a traveling exhibit, so if it comes near you, GO SEE IT!!!

OK, so SPX was good. Saw lots of peeps; I wish everyone lived closer; it'd be great to be around so many amazing artists and just hang out and draw more often. Oh, speaking of drawing, this was one of the jam comics from SPX:

So I, Joe, Kaz, and Liz did the first four panels, but then I sent my sketchbook around, so I'm not sure exactly who did what after that...here's some of the folks (I think) who drew on this: Robyn Chapman, Laura Park, Nate Doyle, Austin English...If you drew a panel, let me know. If you didn't draw a panel, and I put your name, I'm sorry.

So after SPX, Joe and I returned to a pretty messy house and decided to clean for, let's see, I don't know...FOUR DAYS. That sucked, but now the apartment is absolutely SPARKLING (well, I might not go that far, but it's relatively clean). Not that this has anything to do with cleaning, but on an end note, here are some whales (and perhaps a few dolphins thrown into the mix):

Oh, and I haven't forgot about these two...

p.s. I proofread as best that I could, but some of this post is poorly written...apologies!

-m

Who is awful at keeping a blog?

2008-09-27T17:03:00.010-04:00

I AM!!!

First things first:
I entered my drawing into the "Vampirella Revamp" Contest over at Project: Rooftop. Runner-up, baby!!! I am sooo innocent!! No cleavage here:

After reading the judges' comments, I decided to play around and go back to the original Vampirella color scheme (black hair, red outfit):

A big congrats to everyone! I hearted some of the more non-traditional entries, and I totally heart the Grand Prize entry; I would so read that comic in a heart beat (both the bat-one and the "speed racer" one)! And thanks to Project: Rooftop for giving me reasons to procrastinate!! I do have to give a shout-out to Liz's entry, only because I would most definitely consume "Vampirella-O's" if they were a breakfast option.

Second things second: Comics. I've been keeping up with the teeny comics, drawing them whenever I get a chance. Here are a few ones from July/August (ugh, I'm such a poopy-head!):
I"m such a jerk...

Yes, I still have a hard time living in the city.

And yes, that is really what my ovaries and uterus look like; grumpy face and all.

I apologize for the potty-mouth ahead of time, but I swear this is what my pinky finger said:

Har-har:

Thirdly, I would like to point out that winter is coming:
(from left to right: me, my sis, and my cousin Nick - taken in New Hartford, NY winter 2005 or 2006?)

I am a staunch supporter of the summer and all of its hotness, so the tone of my postings may take a turn for the grumpy once the temperature dips below 30 degrees. But let's not be hasty! Fall is upon us, and there will be much eating of the apples and drinking of the cider!!

Almost done...I, along with some New England cronies, will be attending the Small Press Expo next weekend in good ol' Bethesda, MD. I will have the usual: mini-comics, stuffed super heroes and my game face (watch out - I bare teeth!). If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say howdy. I'll be with Mr. Joe, as well as Mr. Tim and Ms. Prince. I will attempt to post some previews of what I'll have this year during this coming week.

Ok. That's it for now.

-m

Kitties! Bug Bites! Subways!

2008-08-17T17:01:00.004-04:00

A smattering of tiny comics:

-m

Summer, summer, summer-time...

2008-08-15T10:48:00.004-04:00

I wish I was at the beach today...To be fair, the beach in the background was photographed two years ago up in Maine at Pemaquid Beach. Not that I haven't been to the beach this summer though. I am proud to say that I have swum in both the ocean and freshwater, as well as camped a whopping 3 times! And yes, there will be much more swimming and much more camping. Long live the summer!

A bunch of comics...

2008-08-03T08:39:00.011-04:00

...in no particular order:

A big thanks to Tim Finn (and his raucous birthday party) for making this next comic possible...

Though not drawn within the panels, this act was committed in front of more than three people...

The past few weeks have seen me grumpy (codename = gunther) on several occasions (which is mostly a problem for Joe - sorry Joe!)..

A couple of weeks ago, when it was really hot, I came home from work and rocked out to David Bowie in my underwear. Sometimes that's all you can do when it's 95 degrees outside:

And last, but not least...this drawing was inspired by one of those "Jesus Saves" road signs that caught my eye on the bus ride down to NYC a while ago. Only I mistook the sign to read as:

There will be more soon, and possibly some color to spruce up this drab bolg. I promise.

-m

When the computer's away...

2008-07-17T16:17:00.006-04:00

...the watercolors come out to play! I went to Maine last weekend for some lo-fi tree-time (and to visit my family). Right before I left, I looked in the magical drawer of mystery art supplies and though "ooo, watercolors!". This is the only thing I managed to crank out, and I obviously wasn't up for the challenge of painting my surroundings (sorry, pine trees). I've been drawing comics everyday, even when there are no seats on the subway! But I'm still trying to catch up with the scanning and the posting (I'm not doing too great a job, but whatever IT"S HOT OUTSIDE!). Here's a few about bugs, cats (specifically Professor Rufus Devious), and the wonders of the morning:

The great outdoors...

2008-07-11T00:10:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to camp out on one of the Boston Harbor Islands (thanks to my awesome job!). I had a swell time with my new (and not-so-new) co-workers. There aren't many things in this world that I love more than camping; I wish I could do it more often.

Yes, that ocean was mighty cold. Still not as cold as Maine, though. Speaking of which, that's where I'm headed for the weekend! Yay! Maine! Hopefully I'll return with some rugged, outdoors-y comics for you to look at!

-m

Lightning, pizza, dinosaurs and donuts.

2008-07-08T18:45:00.008-04:00

Due to the hotness and humidness (note: "humidness" = not a word) of the weather, we've had some pretty rockin' thunderstorms. This one was witnessed on my ride home from work; it's a view from one of the bridges that connect Boston to Cambridge (the one the red line goes over). Subway patrons remarked that the coulds were "apocalyptic" in nature.

Ah, Pinnochio's pizza. One of my favorite places to get pizza in MA. Boston's pizza selection is tricky for a pizza-snob like myself...after living in Providence, RI for years, you get pretty picky about your pizza (Providence pizza = delicious).

They gave me a free slice seeing as how every guy who works there saw it happen (I'm sure the look on my face was of sheer terror post-pizza plunge).

Let's hope these are somewhat recognizable..Any guesses as to which movies they are from? The last one might be a bit tricky.

I worked a Saturday a few weeks back. There's nothing quite like donut holes and coffee on a Saturday morning, even if it only happens once a year!

About two weeks ago...

2008-07-06T15:38:00.006-04:00

A (somewhat) work-related comic:

I've been toying with the idea of making a "Tide Pool Exploration" Guide in the form of a mini-comic...it'd be about animals from the northeast U.S. - sorry all you west coasters; I know you've got some sweet marine animals out there.

Right before I left for Heroes Con:

And on the plane ride home...

Does anyone else ever get EXTREMELY gassy when they fly? I think it has something to do with the pressure in the cabin, or maybe I'm just getting old (and you fart more when you're old, right? Isn't that what the term "old fart" is all about?). Enough about flatulence. Hope every one had a nice long weekend...

-m

Catching up...

2008-07-04T09:05:00.003-04:00

I'm still a few weeks behind in posting one of these a day...I've been drawing three or four on average. I don't like to post them all at once (::ahem:: ), but I'll try and do a few a day until I get caught up, and them I'll try and post what I've done for the day, on that day. I'd also like to start coloring these every once and a while; I've been felling a little rusty since the completion of the themes.

I don't have headache now, but I did when I drew this.

-m

More comics...

2008-06-29T16:02:00.015-04:00

Since I haven't been posting regularly (mostly due to the not-being-home-because-I'm-at-a-comic-book-convention situation), I'm going to go ahead and post a bunch of the notebook-y comics I've been doing. Most of them are still drawn on the subway, but now I ink them afterwards. I'm just not so great at doing "sketchy" or "on the fly" comics. Hopefully I can get on a schedule where I post one of these each day. Here goes:

Date-wise, these are all out of order. I just want to catch up. SO I CAN POST MORE COMICS...bwahahahaha!

HEROES CON 2008! ZOMG!1!! NAME-DROP/LINK-O-RAMA:

2008-06-27T00:07:00.010-04:00

Where to start...where to start. Ah! Last week. So, last Thursday, Ms. Liz Prince and I flew to Charlotte, NC to attend Heroes Con 2008 (Mr. Joe joined us a day late due to prior commitments). On our connecting flight, we ran into a Mr. Kaz Strzepek, and, once on the ground in Charlotte, we were greeted by a Mr. Greg Means and Mr. Alec Longstreth (thank you thank you thank you for carting our bum-bums around!). Liz and I parted ways, for I had a rendez-vous with a Mr. Paolo Rivera. I settled into my temporary abode and topped of the evening with some CABLE TELEVISION (le droolz).
The next morning, I awoke to sunny downtown Charlotte. But first things first: I completed my daily ritual of rigorous calisthenics and cleansed my body (with complimentary hotel toiletries, of course) in preparation for the big day that lay ahead. As I stepped into the sweet, Southern air, I let my eyes fall upon the concrete wonder that is the Charlotte Convention Center. This would be my semi-lucrative day-time dwelling for the next two and a half days...

OK ENOUGH WITH THE WRITING!! WHERE ARE THE PRETTY (<---somewhat subjective) PICTURES?!?!?! AHHHHH!!!

I SAW LOTS OF PEOPLE!!!11!!

I"M SORRY IF I FORGOT ANYONE/MADE ANYONE LOOK NOT OK!!!1!1
But really, I had some time to kill sitting at my table, so I tried to draw everyone I knew (or knew of) within eyeshot. Also, some peeps I hung out with afterwards (I can't say that I wasn't inspired by Mr. Matthew Reidsma's SPX drawings of yesteryear). What I wouldn't give to be marooned on the Indie Island...

TOO MANY WORDS!!!

I SAW IRONMAN!

THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED!!!

I had awesome neighbors! Mr. Jim Ottaviani on my right, and Ms.MK Reed and Ms. Liz Baillie on my left (see above for rough interpretations of the actual people I just mentioned).

On Saturday, WE WENT TO DAIRY QUEEN!!!!! THANK YOU AGAIN, MR. GREG!!!

All I had for dinner on Saturday was BLIZZARDS AND BOURBON! Let's just say it was a good night, and leave it at that, all right?

Heroes Con was AWESOME! (Did I already say that?). I had an AWESOME TIME! Are you feeling the AWESOMENESS yet?

But then, Mr. Joe and I tried to fly back to Boston. Here's us waiting in the Charlotte Airport:

FOR SEVEN HOURS.
Luckily, we ran into Mr. Brian Ralph (who was waiting for the same flight to Baltimore) and convinced him to watch our bags, eat at Chili's and draw comics with us.
Once we FINALLY arrived in Baltimore at around 12:30 AM, there were no more flights to Boston (le sadz et le tiredz). The next possible flight we could take was at 6:30 AM. AWESOME (<---that one is sarcastic, not to be confused with the three previous "AWESOMEs"). Brian kindly offered up his place (thank you, again), but we figured it'd be better just to wait it out:

IT WAS COLD, BRIGHT, AND LOUD (no thank you, rude, evil swearing night workers who blatantly KNEW that we were trying to catch a wink and didn't give a flying FUDGESICLE). Regardless, Mr. Joe and I made it safe and sound back to Beantown around 7:30 the next morning.

In short, I would totally do Heroes Con next year (if Charlotte would have me again, that is). A super-duper thanks to Mr. Dustin Harbin for alerting me of this con, and making it a great show. And for looking ultra-swanky in that hawt white suit. YOWZERS.

Oh, and I do realize that this might just be the weirdest blog post on Dots For Eyes yet. heh heh

-m

Let's watch the sun rise...

2008-06-16T23:01:00.002-04:00

...or not. It really does feel like I'm stuck in a giant butt crack, especially when it's muggy outside.

Taking my work home with me...

2008-06-15T23:50:00.005-04:00

inadvertently.

No matter how much I was my hands after work, I generally have an "ocean" flavor to my skin. Yum.

MoCCA?

2008-06-14T18:51:00.010-04:00

So, last weekend, Joe and I attended the MoCCA. It was the hawt. It was also the fun.

I meant to mention that we were going on the bolg, really, I did. But somehow I never got around to it. Some of the highlights from our trip to NYC:

1. Saw lots of people (yay for internet friends who actually "exist" now!)
2. Had Red Vines for the first time...PLUS I drank Sprite using a Red Vine as a straw (thank you, Alec)
3. Lost my voice (and supposedly sounded like a eighty-year-old tranny...thank you, Greg)
4. Sweated constantly (thank you, heat wave)
5. Bought some comics
6. Saw some AWESOME lightening in Chinatown after consuming the most delicious vegetarian Dim Sum

Here's everything that I ate on Saturday (the day before the Dim Sum):

For some reason, this MoCCA wasn't as fun as the last year's, but last year was our first time. And this time, I was bogger-y. And covered in sweat. And farting (uh, like that doesn't happen ALL THE TIME...). And completely unable to talk on Sunday. Eh, it was still awesome.

Speaking of convention-type thingies, Joe (and Liz, and like a butt-load of other people) will be attending Heroes Con this coming weekend. Boo-yah!!! I'll have the same-ol' stuff (stuffed super heroes, t-shirts, assorted mini comics), and I'll be selling my wares some where amidst the shore of Indie Island. Come by and say "hi". I guarantee that I will be wicked tired.

Back to the past few weeks. I've been drawing lots of comic on the no-no paper (you know, lined paper that is for note-taking, not comic-making) while on my way to and from work. So I'll be posting those now and then. But since this post is pretty much about MoCCA, I might as well post the ones I drew while I was there. Here we go!

So, yeah, more comics soon.

-m

One more cup of Weasley for the road...

2008-06-01T22:46:00.005-04:00

I had to add this one. I had it half done as of this morning, but I finally sat down and "finished" it (the sketch part that is).

Side note: I had three days off from my fishy job (which is going swimmingly, might I add), and I spent it inside my apartment...working. It was pretty treacherous, considering how AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL it was outside today (to be fair, I took a half-hour walk to get some fresh air...and coffee). Given my commitment to the indoors, I've been playing music non-stop. I don't usually do this, but for fun, I'm going to post what I've been listening to:

The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Beirut - Gulag Orkestar and some EP
Islands - Arm's Way (not sure how I feel about this album...it just came out)
Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary
Weezer - this random CD of unreleased/b-sides I unearthed whilst cleaning...with songs so good they make me want to poop my pants...er, in a good way ::ahem:: )
The Stereo - Three Hundred (guilty pleasure ::drool:: )
Smog - a bunch of stuff from random albums...thank you Ann and Evan
Jonathan Richman - Best of Jonathan Richman
The Alkaline Trio - I Lied My Face Off EP, Goddammit! (that last one was an album, not me cursing)
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Broom (just bought this, and I like it)
Nada Surf - The Weight is a Gift
The Blow - Paper Television (also just got this, and it has definitely grown on me...OMG I heart the "Parentheses" song)
The Magnetic Fields - I
Currently: Islands...again (giving another go - still not sure about it...it's kind of like a rock musical, and I generally like albums that sound like rock musicals, but...I dunno)

Random, I know. I always like to read about what people listen to when they work. So there's my 2 cents.

Spare time?

2008-06-01T11:09:00.005-04:00

During my spare doodling time, I've been sketching Harry Potter characters, under the influence of the Harry Potter Drawing Challenge (yeah, I'm a wee late on the uptake, but whatever). I've decided to do all them as sketches first, then have the pleasure of inking them [relatively] all at once. I heart myself some inking. And then, I will color them. Don't look for the end of this anytime soon, as I am currently running short on having the spare time. Here's the first four (as done over the past month):

You want the comics?!

2008-05-30T21:03:00.010-04:00

You can't HANDLE the comics!!

All right, well, you probably can...I've been scribbling away the 20 or so minutes on the subway each morning on my way to work. I take it so early (usually around 6 AM) that I'm almost guaranteed a seat. Given the nature of the subway, these drawings are a bit shake-y (apologies for the eye-strain that may ensue). I guess these are somewhat of a response to my need to always make "polished" drawings; the following comics are quite raw. I also see the fitting of a story or snip-it into 3-panel comic as a challenge. It looks so easy when other people do it, but it takes some consideration as to what (or what not) to show. Oh, and if you click on them, they get bigger!

Enough of my babble...comics:

I would like to note that the "We built this zitty" comic should be read to the tune of "We Built This City" by Starship. And here's all you need to know about Alewife. And, no, I don't actually ride a cannoli to work...

-m

Celery

2008-05-11T11:30:00.006-04:00

I thought about making a sequel to this where the celery is face down on the ground, topped with peanut butter and raisins...a sort of macabre "ants-on-a-log".

Eat cher veggies, ya hear?

2008-05-05T22:12:00.003-04:00

Portland was...

2008-05-03T01:22:00.009-04:00

AWESOME!! We (Joe-Liz-Dave-etc.) had a wonderful time on the opposite coast. The main reason for our trek out to Oregon was the previously-mentioned Stumptown Comics Fest. It was my (and Joe's) first time as exhibitors, and we would definitely return for next year's Fest. We had visited Portland a year and a half ago with intentions of investigating its live-ability, and these past two trips have been a blast. Portland is proving to be a future semi-permanent destination. The food, the people, the trees, the doughnuts...

On the topic of confections, we finally had a chance to purchase tasties from Voodoo Doughnuts. I had heard a lot of hype about this place and how good their doughnuts were, but I remained skeptical...up until my first bite of heaven, that is. Behold, the doughnut of my dreams:

That's right. A cake doughnut with vanilla frosting delicately powered with Tang drink mix and garnished with miniature marshmellows. OH. MAI. GAWD. They also make doughnuts with maple frosting and two strips of bacon on top, which would be reason enough to visit Portland a third time.

But back to Stumptown. I debuted a new mini dubbed "Coping with Death" where Death and I proceed to beat the living snot out of eachother Mortal Kombat-style. I won't say anymore. As per usual, I bought a TON of comics. Joe shows restraint in this department, whereas I make up for his restraint...and then some. Yesterday was the first day I had since we got back to really sink my eye-teeth into the pile of issues, minis and books. Needless to say, I'm pretty full right now. And...back to Stumptown (again). Here's me being a doofus:

Yes, I am making the "silent coyote" hand signs...Here's Joe, Liz and me combining our powers to become one mighty doofus:

Ah, collective power of silly. Most of this silliness can be blamed on lack of sleep and increase of caffeination. This is the formula every time I travel. There's just so much to do, and so little time to do it in (we were only there for three days, since I don't count the two days it takes to fly out). I use this simple remedy to get the most out of my trips, that is until I get a cold or fall asleep somewhere unfortunate (i.e. on the subway while going to work...). Yet, I still appear to be a fully armed and operational human battle station.

Some of our evening activities included: playing arcade games whilst drinking, eating reeeeaaaallly spicy thai food, singing karaoke, walking (a lot), eating reeeeaaaallly tasty bread pudding, and watching cartoons back at the hotel (thank you, Cartoon Network). Oh, and frequenting photo booths...Can you spot the Maris?

Once we got back from Portland, I worked my bumkins off. I didn't really get to recover from our travels until yesterday (I slept until 1:30, which is a rarity for the ol' Maris), hence the delay in blog postage. Speaking of which, I hope to be back on track and posting a lot more in the days to come. I promise (how many times have I typed that...hee hee). But seriously, I've been drawing up a storm, I just need to take the time to post the darn stuff.

OK. This is hands-down the longest post I've ever made, so sorry about my rambling. The last thing I wanted to add about my glorious three days in Portland, Oregon is that is was great meeting new friends, hanging with long time friends, and getting to know better the friends we only see at comics-y shin digs. If my eyelids weren't so heavy, I'd will myself to list some names and link, link, link away, but it'll have to wait for the next post... All righty, I'm becoming semi-incoherent at this point...time for bed!

-m

OMG COMICS!

2008-04-24T08:47:00.005-04:00

There has been much to do in Marisville as of late. Here a peep at my daily schedule:

1. Wake up
2. Eat
3. Become clothed
4. Think about work
5. Ride some form of public transportation
6. Work
7. Think about other work I have to do while working
8. Eat (sometimes)
9. Work some more
10. Make a bad pun
11. Handle some invertebrates (still considered work, but lots of fun)
12. Work
13. Eat
14. For desert: more work!
15. Maybe sleep

Ok, it's not really that crazy, but I've been busy with life. Ah, life. So in about 5 hours, I'm heading to Portland Oregon to sell my wares at this year's Stumptown Comics Fest. I've got a new mini-comic coming out called "Coping With Death"; more about that (and perhaps some preview pages) later. I've also rounded up a band of mischievous superheroes:

Yes, I will be selling them, which makes me some kind of superhero trafficker, but that's ok because I made them. If you're in the Portland area, stop by and say "hi". Oh, and tell me of wonderful places to eat, because I know there are oh so many. WEST COAST HERE I COME!! WAHHAHAHA!!

-m

*note about photo* I had only 2.5 hours of sleep before this was taken...Go me!

Theme number 100.

2008-03-31T16:37:00.003-04:00

I think I procrastinated so long on these last two because [subconsciously] I didn't want it to end. Well now it has. Who knows what'll be next...

I know I'm not supposed to pick favorites...

2008-03-31T10:14:00.006-04:00

...but this is probably my favorite animal at work.

Theme number 99.

2008-03-28T17:25:00.002-04:00

I've got work on the brain.

2008-03-28T14:06:00.004-04:00

That's right. I've been working. I've also been drawing, and lately I've placed priority on comsistently drawing over scanning and posting what I've been drawing, with the idea that - sooner or later - I would sit down and post all this stuff. This is less exciting that getting a post-a-day, but still [what I deem] productive. So, here I am. A day off from work, and with copious time to post.

I might also add that I've spent the past 3 hours farting around on the internets (damn you, lolcats!). But don't tell anyone, all right?

-m

More penguins.

2008-03-07T19:47:00.000-05:00