werewolf kid and current events

I've got one more woodcut character up at my etsy store, looking for a good home. He would prefer to be hung somewhere where he can watch people eat, but he'll be happy to hang anywhere! I also have several more wood cuts at my studio waiting for finishing touches, so stay tuned!

Also in the works: I'm working on my first zine in over a year! Tabling at the Stumptown Comics Fest and putting out a collaborative mini comic with Sean Christensen and Amy Kuttab, really got me inspired to get back on the book making wagon. I'm hoping to get back to having at least a couple of self published works available at all times.

I'm working away on my new comic. It feels like it's taking forever, but I also feel like I'm doing some of my best work. Hopefully everyone will find it worth the wait.

Stumptown Comics Fest!

I'll be at the Stumptown Comics Fest ( www.stumptowncomics.com ) at the Oregon Convention Center all weekend. I'll be at the Secret Acres table (D-18) with the whole Secret Acres catalogue, including their two newest awesome books, "Gaylord Phoenix" by Edie Fake and "I Will Bite You" by Joseph Lambert. Sean Christensen will be at the table with his amazing new mini comic "Dream Grant" and the collaborative comic we just finished with Amy Kuttab, "Play Overlord" There will also be prints galore, including some new silk screened prints I just finished making. If you're anywhere near Portland, come say hi and hang out with us!!

Reading at Guapo Comics

This Friday, the 15th at 8pm there's going to be a comics reading and art show opening at Guapo comics on 6350 SE Foster to help kick off The Stumptown Comics Festival happening this weekend. I'll be Reading with Sean Christensen and Amy Kuttab from the brand new collaborative comic called "Play Overlord" that's hot off the presses! The poster above features some panels from our comic. I also have one small piece in the show. Fun shall be had!

Monsters for Sale!

I've got some new woodcut characters up for sale on my Esty Shop that are looking for good homes. www.theoellsworth.etsy.com

Interviewed by Copic

My friends Teesha and Tracy Moore introduced me to Copic Markers awhile back and I got kind of crazy about them. I could easily spend all my money stockpiling the many vibrant colors and using them up like candy. Tracy was interviewed as a featured artist on their website a few months back and he pointed them in my direction, so now I have an interview too!: http://www.copicmarker.com/featured-artist-theo-ellsworth

Slow Wave guest strip

My good friend, Jesse Reklaw has been making "Slow Wave", a weekly comic strip that documents the dreams of readers, for well over a decade. I was a fan of this strip way before I ever moved to Portland and met him. For his birthday this year, he decided he wanted to take his first ever vacation from making the strip, so a different cartoonist has been stepping in each week to add a new piece to a crazy, spontaneous dream narrative that's been forming. The comic above is the little piece I've added to it. It was fun figuring out how to follow what everyone else had done. It was also fun seeing my work computer colored. I think it's one of the few times I've seen someone else put color to my inks. You can see a larger version of it and check out the whole narrative over at www.slowwave.com

working away

I'm still hard at work on my comic, "The Understanding Monster". I started renting a small studio across town so I can be extra focused. I've been having fun riding my bike there every week and getting lost in my piles of pages. I'm just about to head out the door right now for another day of working on it! It's still hard to tell exactly when book one will be ready, but it's been feeling a lot closer lately.

Bro Time!

I had an great time yesterday working on the collaborative project my brother Matt and I are doing. I wish we had time to work on this more often! He did some test shots of the astronaut from the post below, making him do a zero gravity leap across the screen. Stop-motion animation is like magic to me. I worked on creating interchangeable heads for this goofy old photo of us. I'm the little guy!

astronaut in motion

I just finished making my very first paper-cut puppet for the collaborative animation project my brother Matt and I are doing together. It took a little while to figure out how to make workable paper joints, but I think it worked out. Now I'm super excited to see what else can be built! I'm riding my bike to his house later today so I can give him the astronaut for some test shots.

Found: Tiny Sweater!

Found on sidewalk near park. I wish I could contact the person who lost this because I'd really like to meet someone this small

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Etsy Shop!

I've finally got a little shop up and running over on Etsy! Right now there's a few limited edition prints and a nearly out of print art zine for sale. I'll be putting some of my woodcut characters and original art up for sale soon too. Hopefully this will be another step towards supporting myself while working on my crazy new book! www.theoellsworth.etsy.com

four drawings from the notebook I keep in my coat pocket

Floating

There's a new place in Portland called "Float On" that has sensory deprivation tanks. There's been some studies showing that floating in sensory deprivation tanks can improve creativity and mental clarity, so they're doing a project where they let artists float twice for free. After the second float, the artist creates an art piece inspired by their experience. After a hundred artists have done it, they're going to publish a book. I just finished my piece. It's something I vividly saw during my second float. I highly recommend trying this some time, if you've never done it. It's a fascinating experience. It's an amazing way to step outside of your life and spend ninety minutes in a surreal and relaxing state. If you're an artist in Portland, I'd recommend getting in on this project. I'm trying to get all my artist friends to do it so we can take over the book! www.floathq.com

Russian Dolls for Secret Acres

Chris Beckett, Color artist at DC comics, commissioned all the Secret Acres artists to create pieces to a Russian Doll set as a Christmas present for Barry and Leon, the awesome gentlemen that publish my comics.

Leon just sent me this group portrait of all of them together. It was awesome to see what everyone did. It makes me want to do more collaborations with everyone. From left to right: Edie Fake, me, Joseph Lambert, Ken Dahl, Sean Ford, Minty Lewis, Mike Dawson, Sam Gaskin, John Brodowski, and Eamon Espey.

Cosmic Action Dog

My friend Jesse Reklaw gave me one of his altered action figures. Now I can choreograph epic action sequences when I'm taking a break from drawing! Read Jesse's weekly comic at www.slowwave.com

The Understanding Monster (preview #1!)

I've been working on a story that I've been hoping to turn into an ongoing comics series.


Figuring out how to get the story to the point where I can actually start from issue number one and begin releasing it regularly, has been a new and strange process for me.

Lately, whenever anyone asks me what I've been working on, I end up giving abstract and evasive answers. It's been hard to tell if its actually turning into a real comic or if I've been on a madman's quest.

The story's been working it's way through a long phase where I've been pretty sure it might be an unreadable mess. Also, the ongoing need for rent and food money has been causing some suspenseful and distracting thoughts. Illustration work and gallery shows have been squeaking me by, but it can be scary.

I suppose the goal of any artist is to be able to connect their imagination to reality in just the right way. I'm trying to make this imaginary job I've made up for myself into a real job without losing touch with the fact that I'm really doing this because I love the craft.

Trying to bring this story together has been mirroring everything else in my life. I've been trying to live and function in the world in a way that feels responsible, while at the same time attempting to let my imagination run completely wild. It can feel like racing in opposite directions simultaneously.

I've been going to work everyday. My New Years resolution has been to keep regular hours (something I have trouble with) and stay as focused as possible. It's already been paying off.

Just yesterday, I felt like I arrived somewhere new with it. The contents of the first issue are finally starting to gel. I don't want to say too much about it yet. The story has lots of weird Science Fiction, personal Myth, and Fantasy elements to it. I've been trying to access the feeling I used to get reading comics as a kid and remember the kinds of stories I used to make up in my head during that time.

It's also a Ghost Story. For awhile I was calling the comic, "The Quiet Family", but I've gone back to the original title I had for it. The Quiet Family still plays an important roll in the narrative though. There are stories within stories.

There's lots of goofy Horror elements to the story as well. I want this comic to be a vehicle that will allow me to explore anything that fascinates or scares me, while at the same time allowing for in-depth character development and world building.

I feel like I'm in way over my head, but creating something that feels impossible, an inch at a time, is the most satisfying thing that I can think of to do with my art. I'll post more about my progress soon!

Wish me luck!

It Hatched!

Happy New Year!!

This is a New Years card I made for the Toonseum in Pittsburgh. www.toonseum.com . It seems like an amazing place. Hopefully I'll get to visit sometime.

I'm feeling really excited about this coming year. I'm going to work hard to make 2011 my most prolific year yet!

shapes

I made a few wooden cut out ornaments for family this Christmas, thought I didn't get to make as many as I was hoping to. Next time I want to make tons of them. Shapes for everyone!