Also be sure to check this out at the store. It’s a brand new 8.5″ x 11″ print I made of Gary taking a break while on the job. My friend Ken colored it. You’ll love it. : )

This year’s Stumptown was significant because it marked my first full year of exhibiting at conventions. I started tabling at the 2010 Stumptown Fest, so coming back this year was very meaningful. I’m glad you all were there to share in the experience with me!

See you all soon!

Trevor

I know I’m a little late to the game on this, but I’ve been working on a Knights print intended to raise donations for the disaster relief effort in Japan. For only $15, you’ll get an 8.5″ x 11″ full color digital print (colors by my friend, Ken – see an example of his work on Knights here), signed by both Ken and I, mailed to your home address. Material and shipping costs are included in the $15. (I expect the cost to be around $2.) The rest of the amount will go straight to the American Red Cross’ disaster relief effort in Japan.

Here’s the deal: I only have the sketch completed right now.

Reason: I am pretty slow at making things, due to a lot of reasons.

Rather than let this stop us all from helping out, I’m going to start taking donations for the print right now. This will allow us to help as soon as possible while giving me time to work on the print instead of rushing it out. Over the next few weeks, I’ll begin inking over the sketch. Once I’m finished, I’ll hand it off to Ken, who’ll then color it. Once he’s done, I’ll have cardstock copies made for each one of you that donates, sign each one, put them in a sleeve (with cardboard backing) and mail them out to you.

I don’t know how long the process will take, but I know it’ll get done eventually. I’ll keep you all updated on our progress and probably post some pictures along the way.

The print will remain for sale indefinitely, with all proceeds, as mentioned above, going to the American Red Cross’ relief effort in Japan. Whenever the relief effort is complete, the proceeds will then go to the “Where The Need Is Greatest” donation option (see here).

Now…a little about the print itself.

Ever since I came up with the idea for Knights over four years ago, I’ve wanted to explore the idea of other knights like Gary working for QAADR (Quest Amelioration and Dispute Resolution) in other countries. These knights would wear culturally-relative armor along with their suits and ties, and fight against mythological creatures specific to their culture.

Japanese culture and their samurai warriors were an obvious subject to start with. But since the Knights storyline is “slowly expanding,” I haven’t had the time yet to work this idea and its characters into the comic. This print changed all that. While working on it for the past few weeks, I had a great time creating a small viewport for you into the world of Kenji, a samurai knight operating in the same world as Gary, working for the same company, just over in Japan instead of… wherever Gary’s from. : )

And so I present to you the sketch, depicting Kenji in all his monster-hunting glory:

“A peaceful river flows under an ancient bridge. Nearby, Japanese cherry blossom trees are in bloom. In the shadow of the bridge, an Oni and Kappa believe they can hide from the skilled QAADR employee crossing above, while an Orochi attempts to hide among the lilly pads.”

Hopefully this gives you a good idea of what the end product will look like. These examples of Ken’s previous color work for Knights should help.

Here’s the button that will take you to the PayPal site where you can make your donation:

(You should be prompted for your mailing address at some point – this will be the address I use when shipping out the prints.)

Thank you so much for your time and consideration. And a big “thank you!” to all who are able to donate and help out those struggling in Japan.

-Trevor

The 8th annual Stumptown Comics Fest is this weekend, April 16th and 17th, at the Oregon Convention Center! I’m really excited to exhibit this year, since I exhibited for my first time ever at last year’s fest – it’ll be great to be back! I’ll be at booth A-18 next to my friends Ken (my colorist) and Jeremiah. I’ll have book one, buttons, prints, “Gary Runs from Things” handouts, as well as a brand new print I’ll be debuting at the show! Come on down and say hi!

Here’s a map of the show floor and where my table is:

“Under the Helm” Sketches

Thanks everyone!

Trevor

P.S. I used a new brush pen I’ve been practicing with – what do you think?

Mainly because I can’t control it. In no way does my coloring skill match my skills in penciling/inking, and combining the two via my own effort would undoubtedly lessen the overall impact of my artwork. And since color implies so much about the tone of the work and the characters contained in it, I was REALLY afraid of implying something about Gary and the other beings in his world that was completely unintended. (A corpse worm that looks like it’s wearing clown doesn’t look nearly as scary…right?) So, I’ve basically never considered trying to color my comic work.

Within the past year, my friend Ken, a talented colorist, suggested I try some color in Knights. I patiently reiterated to him my views above and kindly declined the challenge. He kept bringing it up over the next few months, and, met with the same response each time, eventually offered to color some of my existing work. “Just for you to see what’s possible,” he said. I agreed.

I remember times in my past when I’ve tried too hard to control a situation or effort, and can recall my Dad, most likely fed up, looking at me with two clenched fists held up, saying “Go like THIS, Trevor,” at which point he slowly opens his hands. He would throw in a “Let go” sometimes if I was being especially stubborn and/or thick-headed.

After seeing the result of Ken’s coloring efforts, I envisioned my Dad silently doing the hand thing and smiling, knowingly. And now I share with you several examples of Ken’s talented work, knowing you’ll also see why letting go is a good thing:

I am blown away by the depth his colors add to Knights. He’s been following the strip since we met a few years ago, and his understanding of the world and love of the strip shows in the results. (Also, note the nice additions he sneaks in there to one-up me, such as translucent corpse worm tentacles and fiery glows at the base of smoke columns.) I know this is just the beginning of a wonderful collaboration, and am excited to see where things go in the future. I hope you are too.

Ken will be sharing a booth with me at the upcoming Stumptown Comics Fest this April (booth A-18!) where we’ll be unveiling our next collaborative piece – a brand new 8.5″ x 11″ full color Knights print featuring Gary…being Gary. I just finished the inks last week and handed it off to him to start his coloring magic. We’re both really excited to share the end result with you, which will be for sale (for the first time ever) at the Stumptown convention. And since he’ll be at the booth right next to me (displaying his collaborative work with a longtime friend of his) this will be one of the few times you can get us both to sign the print. Pretty sweet, eh?

Keep looking here for further updates on the print (mayhaps a preview) and the near-future addition of a Knights store (yay, commerce!) where you’ll be able to buy various Knights-related merchandise, including this new print as well as the three prints seen above.

(And Ken, if you’re reading this, I’m hoping it guilts you into coloring faster. I can’t wait to see it!)

See you all in April!

Trevor