From the Office of Wheels
Nice collection of pre-war motorcycles by photographer Paul Clifton. These are more utilitarian looking than the overly designed motorbikes of the current era, but there's beauty in their spartan styling.
Lots of ideas here for vehicle design. I may be incorporating some of these into a future comic.
More bikes here: LINK, LINK, and LINK
Clifton's Website: LINK
-Jake
From the Division of Products and Services
I made a couple NEW pins for the shop. I am so PUMPED for how cool these pins turned out. I designed this octopus holding a pen a few years ago for Inktober and I always loved this design. My wife convinced me that it needed to be a pin, so here we are.
ORDER HERE: LINK
I also have the Spacing Out pins available: LINK
AND
I've added a new print to the shop: STAR CRYSTAL: LINK
The Star Catcher pauses for a brief moment to contemplate his 4th dimensional existence.
All orders that come in are lovingly packed by my assistant Lucy. She's a college student and works Fridays and Saturdays. So if you order now there's a good chance it will get packed up and shipped out before Sunday.
PATREON: This week on the Patreon: sketchbook art dump!
I'm sharing a bunch of images from my private sketchbook.
The amount of support on my Patreon ebbs and flows, but always hovers around 125-130 people. I'd like to get that up to 140 this month. If you sign up this month I'll give you any of my digital artbooks of your choice. Just DM after sign up and I'll send you a download link.
You also get a 15% discount in my shop, and at the end of the month some patrons get all my working files to learn from and pick apart. Sign up here: LINK
From the Inspirational Thought Unit
I've been thinking a lot lately about what direction to take my career in the coming months and years. There's a lot of opportunity out there and it's hard to parse out what's practical and what's going to be a waste of time.
One thing I'm trying to balance out is making opportunity vs chasing opportunity.
The difference is an opportunity you make is usually born out of passion, and an opportunity you chase is usually born out of desperation.
My friend put it succinctly:
"A project born not from passion but from opportunity may bear fruit but it’s almost always bitter." -Kohl Glass
On the flip side, I've done passion projects that have borne very little fruit, but boy was it sweet fruit.
Listen, I've got 5 kids and a mortgage so I'll take any fruit. But I just worry that chasing too much opportunity actually limits the amount of lasting success one might have in a career. James Clear looks at it this way:
“If you spend too much time working on good things, then you don't have much time left to work on great things.
Understanding opportunity costs means eliminating good uses of time, and that's what makes it hard.” - James Clear
The trick then is to set aside enough of yourself to work on projects that make opportunity so that those projects have the sunlight, nurturing, and fertile soil they need to make a ton of sweet fruit.
-Jake
From the Illustrators Division
I've seen Yambe's work here and there on the internet and it has always stopped me in my tracks. I'm a sucker for combining cute with cool, and Yambe does it masterfully and seemingly effortlessly.
Back in October I had the surprise pleasure of meeting him in person at Lightbox Expo. I was excited to pick up a copy of his new book collecting all of these drawings. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the printer, or shipping, or something and he didn't have any books with him. I hope he's able to sort that out because as far as I can tell there's no way to get a copy right now.
Website: LINK
Instagram: LINK
Twitter: LINK
-Jake
From the Office of Cutaways
Have you ever heard of the Kowloon Walled City? It was a block of buildings...or one mega building that house 50,000 inhabitants in Hong Kong:
It was demolished in 1994, and is now a garden park type thing.
Graphics journalist Adolfo Arranz, who specializes in those incredible infographics you might see in a newspaper or an issue of national geographic, decided to take on the challenge of doing a cutaway illustration of this city, and I gotta say he really nailed it.
Big image hosted here: LINK
Making of thread posted here: LINK
Order a print of it here: LINK
Check out Arranz's website here: LINK
-Jake
From the Flora and Fauna Unit
I've been to my fair share of museums around the country. I make sure to visit one in every city I stay at for more than a day. One of my first art jobs what working at a natural history museum helping to design some exhibits. I got to paint some life sized models the museum ordered from some studio, do a couple of wall murals, and I even got to do some rock sculpting for one of the exhibits.
All this to say that nothing I've seen or worked on even comes close to the masterpieces coming out of the Blue Rhino Studio. The fidelity of their sculptures is just next level.
See tons more of their projects over on the website: LINK
Instagram: LINK
Fascinating hour+ long interview with Tim Quady, President at Blue Rhino: LINK
Comprehensive video and commentary of their life sized model of SUE: LINK
-Jake
From the Archive Unit
I've been going through my archives to update my website with freelance work and I came across these old robot drawings I made for a Lipton Tea commercial that I don't think ever got made. (Unless you remember seeing a Lipton Tea commercial with a cute robot in it, if so tell me where I can find it!)
I got this job because of an illustration I posted on Instagram. An art director saw it and said that's the robot we want for this job. I wasn't going to do anything with it anyway, so I obliged and we worked on refining it for their needs. Here's that original drawing:
I don't know if that's the best way to get consistent work these days, but back when there wasn't a ton of artists on Instagram, and there were a lot of art directors looking for artists it sure was a good way to get your work seen by the right people.
This is old work for me, but I thought it still has a certain kind of appeal and character to it that I hope is still found in my work today.
PATREON: The amount of support on my Patreon ebbs and flows, but always hovers around 125-130 people. I'd like to get that up to 140 this month. If you sign up this month I'll give you any of my digital artbooks of your choice. Just DM after sign up and I'll send you a download link.
You also get a 15% discount in my shop, and at the end of the month some patrons get all my working files to learn from and pick apart. Sign up here: LINK
This week on the Patreon: Destiny 2 Concept Art!
-Jake
From the Inspirational Thought Unit
Here’s something I’ve been thinking about:
I'm always wondering how best to expose myself to interesting and different experiences (which is hard for a guy who sits in a studio for 40+ hours a week) and how best to fill the creative bank account that each of us carries with us.
Whether you want to tell stories, draw pictures, write music, create new technology, the things we make are molded and shaped by our experiences. It seems like the more diverse and broad your experiences are the better chance you have to connect things that other people haven't thought to connect.
Or to put it differently: the more diverse and broad your experiences are the better chance you have to help people that other people haven't thought to help.
So here's an idea to help expand your experience landscape:
You should try and have a good friend* who was born in each decade over a span of 8 or 9 decades. Not sure how to word that better.
So like, have a friend who’s under 10, a friend in their teens, a friend in their 20’s, 30’s 40’s 50’s 60’s 70’s and 80’s.
Granted I know that gets a little weird for the under 20 crowd, but something like a parent approved mentorship, or visits with a young relative would count.
The idea is that you are exposed to a lot more different thinking and experience than if you just hang out with people your age. The effect might be a richer, broader understanding of humanity.
This idea was inspired by my wife Alison who has a few pen pals who are under 10 years old, a couple of girls she mentors who are in their early 20's, good friends in their 30's and 40's, a friend who she goes to lunch with when she's in town who is in her late 50's, a neighbor in her 80's who she trades books with, and an out of state friend in her 90's who she brings flowers to every time she's in town.
Because of this Alison just always has a great perspective on things when I talk to her about stuff.
I think there might be something to this. I'm going to try to work on it this year.
-Jake
From the Illustrators Division
I've been following the work of French artist Alex Diboine for several years. He's kind of a genius at everything he draws. Characters, environments, color keys, even 3D models all have a deft proficiency about them that makes them look like he just busted them out while also looking well crafted and thought through. I hope to rise to his level some day. Super inspired.
Nicely curated Website: LINK
Instagram: LINK
Twitter: LINK
Lots of older stuff on his Tumblr: LINK
-Jake
From the Craft Mastery Special Unit
I found this nice write up about a recently translated pamphlet that show's Miyazaki's painting technique and tools.
I'd seen the pamphlet before in Japanese, which I don't read, and though it looked nice, but I missed all the charming self-deprecation Miyazaki is known for.
What's great about this is Miyazaki's tools and techniques are about eliminating friction and getting work done. Tools aren't the focus in his work, he just found something that gets the job done, and his technique never gets in the way of telling a story, or exhibiting a character's personality.
Read the full write up here: LINK
The second page there is concept art for a commercial Studio Ghibli did back in 2004 to pay the bills:
Watch the video here: LINK
-Jake
From the Industrial Design Desk
I'm becoming less and less enamored with rubbing glass all day.
I miss the big chunky buttons of the 80's. So, little by little I've been filling that void by replacing the sleek design of contemporary tech with the knobby buttons of my youth: LINK
When I found designer Shawn Hazen's personal collection of vintage calculators I was in button heaven. The Triumph-Adler Concorde 1 is a design masterpiece!
Lots more here: LINK
(Found via @AisleOne)
-Jake
From the Drawings Unit
I've been working on these pieces on and off over the last month or so. I felt like my portfolio needed some fresh art, and I want to add some cool prints to the shop this year.
I'm exploring style and color with these. With the Messengers illustration, I designed it to look good in a kid's playroom or bedroom, and the other I was inspired by Mobieus and the Vaporwave microgenre.
These are available in the shop now starting at $20: LINK
PATREON: The amount of support on my Patreon ebbs and flows, but always overs around 125-130 people. I'd like to get that up to 140 this month. If you sign up this month I'll give you any of my digital artbooks of your choice.
You also get a 15% discount in my shop, and at the end of the month some patrons get all my working files to learn from and pick apart. Sign up here: LINK
From the Inspirational Thought Unit
Do you ever find yourself playing the What If? game? It's a horrible game where you fantasize about the paths in life you didn't take. You ask yourself questions like:
"What if I had chosen a different major?"
"What if I had asked so-and-so out on a date?"
"What if I had started a youtube channel in 2009 instead of 2023?"
The problem with this is you get caught up in thinking patterns that aren't healthy for you, and ultimately waste your creative energy on something that won't benefit you.
I stumbled on a substack post by screenwriter John August where he suggests new rules for the "What If? Game:
Only ask What If? questions about the future. What If you now devoted yourself full-time to writing? Or, What If you stopped carrying this torch for screenwriting, and pursued something else you enjoyed? Which would make you happier?
Only think about the person you are today. A 20-year old has different options and challenges than a 49-year old. How much of your current life would you be willing to up-end?
Recognize assumptions. Don’t assume you know where a path would take you. Rather, ask whether traveling that path would be interesting and fulfilling.
Now THIS is a What If? game worth playing.
Read the rest of his post here: LINK
From the Illustrators Division
I'm currently lost in the the dense over growth of Sarah Webb's illustrations and comics. I found their work while researching inspiration for my Dusk Bunnies print and just fell in love with her organic style.
Webb currently works in the animation industry in Los Angeles, but is originally from Alaska, and I think you can see a lot of her upbringing in her work.
More here:
Current webcomic: LINK
Website: LINK
Instagram: LINK (No art, but a "personal visual journal")
Twitter: LINK
Tumblr: LINK
-Jake
From the Office of Wings
If you've been following what I post here for very long you'll have figured out that I LOVE weird vehicles. Especially failed diesel-punk garbage like this agriculture jet designed in and for the Soviet Union.
The M-15 Belphegor was designed to be a more efficient and modern replacement for the Antonov An-2SKh. However, when they tested it out it was clunky to fly, expensive to operate, slow, and noisy. Consequently only 150 were manufactured out of the thousands that were initially ordered.
What I like about it is the unconventional design that makes it look like it's from Miyazaki's Nausicaa, Mad Max, or a B level sci-fi film.
More photos and back story here: LINK
-Jake
From the Office of Scale Models
From the Department of Video Works
I made a video!
After my last AI video I felt like I didn't fully capture my thoughts so I wrote a short essay that summed up the my thoughts a lot better. I had some extra time in my schedule last week to make a video and threw this together.
I'm hoping this is the last AI video I feel compelled to make because I'd rather divert my attention to comics. But I did want to plant my flag on the topic in a satisfactory way before moving on.
You can watch it here: LINK
PATREON: One of the perks is you get to see my videos early, read my video scripts before I make the video, and give input on things as I make them. Also, every week I show patrons the process of at least one drawing. At the end of the month some patrons get all my working files to learn from and pick apart. Sign up here: LINK
-Jake
From the Inspirational Thought Unit
I have a lot of books. I forget who said this...or even if this is how it was said, but it's how I feel about collecting books: your bookshelf should not be a collection of your accomplishments, but of your aspirations.
Have I read them all? No. I have flipped through them countless of times. They're little hotspots of inspiration. In an effort to remove myself from too much algorithmic influence I keep going back to my bookshelf (and the bookshelves of others) to find things that I wouldn't normally come across while on social media or doing a google search.
Last week I was introduced to the concept of an anti-library from this article: LINK
It was affirming:
I don't want to promote irresponsible consumerism of reading material, and I'm not suggesting you go out and buy a library wholesale, but if you see a book that looks cool and you can afford it, pick it up even if you know you aren't going to get to it right away. It'll be a reminder of what you don't yet know.
Steve Jobs said that creativity is just connecting dots. In order to connect them, first you have to collect them.
-Jake
From the Department of Space Exploration
The Soviet space program used completely different controls and instruments from American spacecraft. One of the coolest of these instruments is the GLOBUS. This showed the cosmonauts their spacecrafts location above earth and it used some astonishingly sophisticated engineering do its job.
You see this isn't a digital computer here, "this navigation instrument was an electromechanical analog computer that used an elaborate system of gears, cams, and differentials to compute the spacecraft's position."
Wow.
this stuff just fires up my imagination. Who says digital computers are the way of the future? I imagine this thing is solar flare proof, doesn't lose information if the power goes out, and just looks sturdy as heck. Makes me rethink what kind of tech I want to use in my sci-fi comics.
More photos and information here: LINK
(Kind of cool: Scroll to the bottom to see a comment by "Unknown" who says he has a working Globus in his collection with a link to a photo. Followed the link to find out it's Steve Jurvetson's Flickr account. Jurvetson is on the board of Spacex and is a huge space nut.)
-Jake
From the Illustrators Division
Gosh, I just love the work of Helvetica Blanc. Based in the Pacific Northwest, with a back ground in graphic design, Helvetica is "an artist exploring mysticism, the subconscious, and worldbuilding with an emphasis on form and texture."
The compositions, shapes, textures, and colors hint to an unknown world of iconography that feels familiar but altogether alien. Like, if we discovered a long dead civilization on Pluto and all we had left were their statues and art, I feel like it would look something like this.
More here:
Website: LINK
Twitter: LINK
Prints: LINK
-Jake
