Convention News, Book Update, and a Personal Loss

Hello, everyone! I know it's been awhile since I've posted an update, and there's a reason for that. But, believe me when I say there will be a lot more updates in the near future. There are big things finally happening behind the scenes, and it's time to start getting them out there.

First up, once again I'll be attending NipponCon at McDaniel college in Westminster Maryland. The convention is this Saturday, April 5th. I apologize for the short notice. I'll be in the Artist Alley selling Box-Bot Boogie mini-comics. It is a small college convention that doesn't cost much to get in, so if you don't have much to do this Saturday and you're in the area, come on by!

Now, for those of you wondering about my upcoming comic book series Amusing Tales, I just want to announce that the book is finished! All the artwork and writing is finally complete and the book is being prepared at the print company as we speak. It will be 24 pages (sorry, not 36), full color.

Unfortunately, this means that I will not have it ready in time to sell at NipponCon. The book will still be available for purchase online however, and there will be a big announcement when it's be released, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I'll have Box-Bot Boogie mini-books available at the convention, and there will be more new adventures with Frederick and Zoki coming soon!

And now, on a sad note, I don't usually like to get personal on this site, but I feel that I need to make an announcement about this. I've noted that I haven't been updating this site much, and that's partially because I've been taking care of my Mother. Last year, she was diagnosed with ALS. She passed away this January and it's been very hard, I miss her terribly. She was very supportive of my cartooning career, and I'll be dedicating the first issue of Amusing Tales to her memory.

Halloween Gallery #5: My Costume for 2012

Every Halloween, I have a tradition. I put on a costume, and sit on a chair on the front porch handing out candy to trick-or treaters, always with a CD player next to me playing Halloween songs (Monster Mash, Time Warp, Thriller, etc.). To me, it's the big event of the season. And, this year I wanted to dress as a pumpkin man (not unlike our dear friend, Bob).

There was just one problem. We couldn't find a proper pumpkin head mask. There were plenty of pumpkin face masks, masks that are shaped like regular human faces, but made out of pumpkin. That's fine, but what I wanted was something shaped like an actual pumpkin that would fit over my whole head. The only one we found cost roughly $80!

Eventually, my Mom came up with a great idea. Don't buy one, make one!

 Starting with the inflatable pumpkin to the left, we taped a pile of plastic bags to the bottom to increase the height. Then, it was covered with strips of newspaper that were coated in flower-paste.

When she was a child my mother once created a Charlie Brown mask using the same method, so it was great that she was able to help.









  I was surprised at how tough it was when it hardened, considering it was just newspaper and flour. Honestly, I hadn't made anything out of paper maché since elementary school.

Jonni Good's site was a great source of tips, by the way. Check it out sometime. This person does amazing things with paper maché.

Once it hardened, we removed the inflatable and it was just a matter of spray-painting it orange. Then applying the details in poster paint, with the facial features outlined in black marker.

Then all we had to do was cut the facial features out with a dremel and spray it with a polyurethane glaze, completing the mask!

 Of course, we had a real jack-o'lantern, too. And, here you can see the mask side by side with the real thing. While, it's not the most realistic pumpkin mask out there, I think it looks pretty decent.

And, now the moment of truth...

I had a glow-stick inside the mask with me to create a glowing face effect like a real jack-o'lantern, but I don't think the effect worked that well. Still, I'm pleased with how this costume turned out. Anyway, I hope you had a Happy Halloween and found this post entertaining, and not too boring.

Oh, and since this is such a dorky "photo-blog" post, and none of those are complete without cat pictures, here is my adorable Halloween kitty...