Archive for May, 2012
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30
May
2012
Weekly Whirly
I got something special for you this week. Full color whirlies! This is set of 10 whirlies in total. These are all watercolor and ink and vary in size from 3″ x 3.5″ up to 7″x 10″. All of these whirlies are for sale, and are up in my Etsy store!
Featured whirly for the set and this week The Cricket
You probably know by now, that custom built whirlies are everywhere. There is more than enough know-how out there in the world, and it seems like every other block has got a great garage with a full assortment of the necessary tools. The Cricket was built by Professor Penrose to serve as a vehicle to assist in his observational studies of cloud formations and the behavior of light in the upper atmosphere. He made sure this copter had plenty of lift, was exceptionally stable for where the atmosphere is thinnest, and had a nice big window with plenty of visibility. It’s also got just enough room to carry all the various pieces of equipment he needs to make his observations during his voyages. Of course the candy red paint job wasn’t a necessity, but it’s always better to cruise with style.
And below we’ve got the rest of this weeks whirlies. What a week, Enjoy!
23
May
2012
Weekly Whirly
This Week: The Helidragster
There are of course several types of racing copters in the copter world. The Helidragster represents just one of them. In these events the challenge is go up. And go up very very fast. It’s not about how high you can go, but how fast you can get there. These copters are built to do that and only that. Usually equipped with three or more tandem propellors and a whole lot of horsepower. They are top heavy, hard to steer, and have limited visibility. Anything goes in terms of design for Helidragsters, and much of the fun at these events is seeing the wide variety of ingenious designs hit the pads. Vert racing events usually feature one copter at a time. Copters are set up on specially designed landing pads. They start their props rotating. There is a countdown, when it reaches zero a locking clamp is released and the Helidragster takes off like a rocket. The times are logged and these events will typically have two or three heats to determine who is the fastest. There is almost nothing that gets the adrenaline pumping than watching one of these birds take off.
BONUS COPTER!
As you may or may not know I recently made a “Build Your Own Whirly-bird” activity sheet to accompany the “World of Whirlies” which debuted at MECAF this past weekend. Well three days later and the awesome Ross Hopkins has already built one. It’s called the Mako 6.0 and I think it’s fantastic!
If you missed them at MECAF and want to try one for yourself I have the template here to download for FREE! Download it, print it out on a piece of cardstock or more durable paper. Cut out the bits and glue them together. There are a ton of parts to use pretty much all you need to make your own amazing Whirly. If you take a picture of your creation, send it to me and I’ll post on the blog!
21
May
2012
Post MeCAF and a World of Whirlies, the book!
So as many of you have likely guessed I spent this past weekend up in Portland Me, at the ever fabulous Maine Comic Arts Festival (or MECAF). This is the second year I’ve gone to the event and it marks the 1 year anniversary as a Comics Festival participant. One year ago this week I hauled up my One Android Stories comic and a few prints to try my luck behind a table. It was a brand new experience and if you told me five years ago that that was what I’d be doing I never would have believed you (mostly because of the time travel thing). Anyway I had a great time then and a great time this go around too. I got to premier my World of Whirlies book, and even managed to pass on all of my Make Your Own Whirly-Bird activity sheets (be sure to check back soon to find out more about that project and see some of the results.) And check out (above) all the great mini-comics/prints/comic experiments I got from oh so many fabulous cartoonists.I wish I had more time to wander around and chat with creators. There were way too many cool things to see and cool people to meet for the few breaks I got away from my table.
Annnnd if you are interested in getting your own copy of a World of Whirlies they are up on my Etsy shop. Just 3 bucks! Swing by and check it out! You can also find them in comics shops in the Boston area. If you are somewhere and they don’t have em, let me know and I’ll be sure to get them there!
16
May
2012
…weekly…whir…ly… ?
No weekly whirly this week, “awwwww…” But don’t fret because I’ve been hard at work compiling the first Whirly compilation booklet! “Hurray!!!” A World of Whirlies (Thanks for the great title Chantze!) A full 24 pages of helicopter goodness. It’s currently off at the printers and I’ll be picking up the books later today! Just in time to be premiered this weekend at MECAF in Portland Maine. Where I will be with all my books, prints, paintings and smiles. I can’t wait to get up there. It was such a fun event last year, and promises to be just as good this year.
And keep your eye out on my etsy store. I will surely be adding the book there after the show.
It’s been a lot of fun going through all my old whirlies and compiling them into a whole. Hard to believe I’ve been doing these for 5 months now. Here’s hoping I can keep it up for 5 years! I’ve got a lot more ideas for new fanciful copters whirling round my brain. Be sure to check back next week for more rotor’n'motor contraptions.
Oh yeah, and that’s me over there. I drew it to spice up the book with something new, and I couldn’t bare the thought of not showing any whirly related artwork today. I’m not sure if they make calipers that large, but heck when you got a big job to do…
14
May
2012
Poetry Broadside: Landscape: Containing Green
11″ x 17″ ink and digital color
Another poetry broadside I did with the Boston poet Roger Hooper. When first looking at the poem and beginning to generate ideas Roger asked me what would happen if thought of “green” as though it were a character moving through the landscape as it moves through the stanzas and the seasons in this poem. I loved the idea and got very excited for the chance to develop a fanciful character, like a magical beast who does his part as the world shifts from season to season.
9
May
2012
Weekly Whirly
This Week: The Peddlecopter
If you’re in good shape, and like a bit of exercise you might just want to take a peddlecopter out for a spin. But don’t be too brazen, a peddlecopter pilot who runs out of steam can quickly find themselves in quite the unfortunate situation. Actually, most peddlecopters are built in tandem fashion for this reason, it’s a bit too dangerous to try flying a any distance on your own, and having an extra pair of legs or two will ease the burden of keeping rigs like this aloft for longer journeys. Typically these birds aren’t used for much more than recreation and a bit of site-seeing, and most folks don’t keep one in their garage, but with a little looking you can find them for rent by the hour at various parks and tourist destinations. What better way to see the wonders of the world than up in the air powered by your own two legs.
8
May
2012
One Android Limited Edition Print Now Available.
My artwork which premiered in Jesse Lonergan’s art book Robots is now available as a limited edition digital print. These prints are 12″ x 15″ and fit comfortably in an 11″ x 14″ frame or mat. Each print is numbered and signed, there are and will only ever be 12 of them available. I’m selling them on Etsy, or you can get them directly via paypal below. Or if you happen to be going to MECAF in a week and a half (May 20) I’ll have them there as well. Woowoo! Below is a little blurb I wrote about the piece which didn’t appear in Robots due to space restraints.
No one knows for sure when and where “One Android” was constructed, or who constructed him. There are some who even speculate that One Android wasn’t built in a traditional fashion. All we do know is that he has the tendency to gravitate toward large and typically ornery beings of one kind or another. Case in point, meet Megabotcopter. Part robot, part copter, Megabotcopter is indeed one of a kind. There have been a few forays into robot/copter hybrid design in the past, a few intrepid souls who dared crossed these streams of engineering bravado, but never has such a conglomeration been braved at quite this scale. No-one is sure who built this monstrosity or even why it was built, perhaps Megabotcopter was made to do battle with irradiated beasts from beneath the ocean, perhaps to punch other giant robots in the nose, perhaps simply to befriend lonely nerdy ten year old boys, we may never know. Sightings of this engineering marvel have declined in recent years, but it’s still out there, walking, talking, flying short distances and towering over almost every robot and copter it encounters.
3
May
2012
Hellbound II Signing
So this Saturday AKA Free Comic Book Day. I will be at Million Year Picnic in Cambridge signing copies of the recently released Hellbound II book. In which I did the art for the opening story. So come and chat, pitch a story idea for Hellbound III get some free comics, pick up your own copy of Hellbound II and get it signed!
Here is some information and a schedule for the days events at Million Year Picnic.
When: May 5th, 2012. Million Year Picnic’s Saturday Schedulle is 10 AM to 10 PM
Where: Million Year Picnic:
99 MT Auburn ST
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-492-6763
What:
Limited Free copies of Hellbound #1!
Hellbound 2 premier with creators signing during the whole day.
- 11:00 AM – Lindsay Moore: writer of “Dolly” ( Hellbound II) and “Faking it” (Hellbound) and Gregery Miller author of “Nostalgia”.
- 12:00 PM – EJ Barnes: artist of “The Plage” (Hellbound II) and creator of “A House with a Past” (Hellbound).
- 1:00 PM – Jerel Dye: artist of “Necrocomicon” (Hellbound II) and Story Editior for Hellbound III (you can pitch your stories to him live!).
Nathan Kitler writer of “Necrocomicon” and “The Bloody Curse of Sarah Goode” for Hellbound.
- 4:00 PM – Patrick Flaherty writer of “The Plague” (Hellbound II) and
- Dan Mazur ( Ninth Art Press) creator of “What really happened to Betty and Barney Hill?” and publisher of Hellbound II.
- 6:00 PM – Jesse Lonergan story editor and cover artist for Hellbound II. Author of “Sweet Dreams” (Hellbound).
http://hellboundinboston.blogspot.com/
P.S. if you want to get your own copy of Hellbound II and can’t make it to the event you can buy it online! Yeah… technology!
2
May
2012
Weekly Whirly
This week: The Cabbiecopter
Like their land bound cousins taxicabs get you where you need to go for a fee. Cabbiecopters come in wide variety of shapes and sizes but are usually fairly compact and agile. They rarely boast impressive specs, opting instead for practicality and efficiency. Most, like this one, carry up to four people comfortably, and still have room for plenty of luggage. In addition to aerial locomotion many cabbies employ a set of wheels, 3 or 4 usually, with a separate motor for puttering around a bit on land. Many drivers find it useful when seeking fares and positioning for take-off when it is especially busy in the sky above. Pilots of cabbiecopter are actually some of the best pilots you’ll find in urban areas even if they are a bit too daring for most peoples tastes . It’s real trick to navigate the busy skies, landing, taking off , landing again, and doing it as fast as they can to maximize their profits. It takes a special kind of nerve.
