EDITED TO NOTE: This batch now sold out. Next batch in a few weeks. Thanks for your interest, everyone!
For everyone who was asking: There’s a batch of Arthur sculptures in the store RIGHT NOW!
We’ll be releasing them in batches of 10-20…but as of this writing there are just 6 in the store! Head on over and secure your very own cute duck-butt.
Just for fun, I thought we’d have a little contest for the graphic designers among us!
Let’s have a contest for Imperial propaganda posters for La Familia, the Empire, the Drive Corps, IndustriaGlobo….anything set in the human empire of the strip. Feel free to tackle any angle or any theme.
One of the aspects of DRIVE universe that I like is that the Empire sort’ve harkens back to Soviet wartime styles in their own propaganda (except for the red, of course!). For example, we saw a taste of it in this strip. So shoot for that! Anything along those lines.
Here are a few more examples:
Deadline will be August 31st, the grand prize will be decided by me, and the prize will be both DRIVE books, signed and sketched and specially personalized to you!
One of the famous things that Charles Schulz used to ask other cartoonists is, “What are you doing that’s new? What new characters, new places, new story lines are you introducing?”
It’s an apt question from a man who produced Peanuts for FIFTY YEARS.
And it’s a question I’ve been asking myself with Sheldon, lately. And the place that question led to…was Emily. And, in a little bit, to a second new character that’ll be entering the strip.
So I hope you’re ready for two new faces in the Sheldon-verse, guys!
…will be going up a little later in the day on Monday, following San Diego Comic-Con.
As will, perhaps, a write-up of the show. (Short version: It was an amazing five days — and everyone who came out is the best best best.)
San Diego Comic-Con has some huge stuff going on for DRIVE and my other strip SHELDON, so I wanted to give you guys a one-stop guide to the show:
(click the pic for a printable guide to the show!)
Here’s the breakdown of what’s new:
1.) First up….a new book: DRIVE: THE EMPEROR CALLS — the second book in the Drive series!
2.) The very first ARTHUR SCULPTURES are debuting! These aren’t just any mass-produced figurines stamped out on a machine, either: My friend — and LA puppet and special effects artist — Nikki Rice Malki hand-crafted these cute little duck butts, and only 200 of ’em will ever grace this world! And we’ll have 35 at the show — so snag yours early!
3.) New book: COFFEE: IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER collecting *all* the coffee strips into one book!
4.) New CHARACTER PAINTINGS: I’m bringing about 40 to the show, and they’re all character-specific pieces. Here’s a few samplers. Come check them out at booth #1228!
5.) Also! On Saturday at 5PM, I’m giving a WEBCOMICS WEEKLY with Scott Kurtz, Brad Guigar, and Kris Straub in room 25ABC.
6.) And as always, original Sheldon art will be 20% off for folks coming out to show, the high-fives are free…and the meaningful friendship is FORVER.
Can’t wait to see you there! Booth #1228
San Diego Comic-Con has some huge Sheldon-y stuff going on this year at booth #1228, so I wanted to give you guys a one-stop guide to the show:
(click the pic for a printable guide to the show!)
Here’s the breakdown of what’s new:
1.) The very first ARTHUR SCULPTURES are debuting! These aren’t just any mass-produced figurines stamped out on a machine, either: My friend — and LA puppet and special effects artist — Nikki Rice Malki hand-crafted these cute little duck butts, and only 200 of ’em will ever grace this world! And we’ll have 35 at the show — so snag yours early!
2.) New book: COFFEE: IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER collecting *all* the coffee strips into one book!
3.) New book: DRIVE: THE EMPEROR CALLS — the second book in the Drive series.
4.) New CHARACTER PAINTINGS: I’m bringing about 40 to the show, and they’re all character-specific pieces. Here’s a few samplers. Come check them out at booth #1228!
5.) Also! On Saturday at 5PM, I’m giving a WEBCOMICS WEEKLY with Scott Kurtz, Brad Guigar, and Kris Straub in room 25ABC.
6.) And as always, original Sheldon art will be 20% off for folks coming out to show, the high-fives are free…and the meaningful friendship is FORVER.
Can’t wait to see you there! Booth #1228
So, I already announced that we’ll have the first-ever Arthur sculpture aaaaaaand two new books at SDCC — but I haven’t mentioned I’ll also have PAINTINGS there! I’m bringing about 40 to the show, and they’re all character-specific pieces. Here’s a few samplers. Come check them out at booth #1228!
DRIVE: THE EMPEROR CALLS, the second book in the Drive series, makes it’s debut at San Diego Comic-Con, booth #1228!
You can pick up both DRIVE books at booth #1228, and sketches and signings are free!
(The new books will also be available on the site in mid-August, after the book launch party.)
Two new books make their debut at San Diego Comic-Con, at booth #1228:
1.) COFFEE: IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER which collects *all* the coffee strips into one book!
2.) DRIVE: THE EMPEROR CALLS — the second book in the Drive series.
You can pick them up at booth #1228, and sketches and signings are free!
(Both books will be available on the site in mid-August, after the book launch party.)
The very first Arthur sculptures are debuting at San Diego Comic-Con this week! These aren’t just any mass-produced figurines stamped out on a machine, either: My friend — and LA puppet and special effects artist — Nikki Rice Malki hand-crafted these cute little duck butts, and only 200 of ’em will ever grace this world!
Nikki first sculpted Arthur on a computer, using 3-D software, refining the look and curves and feel of Arthur in the real world. Here’s a turnaround of her amazing work, to show you what we were looking at:
Untitled from Sheldon Comics on Vimeo.
Using that digital file, Nikki made a 3-D print of it. For those not familiar, 3-D printing is a form of additive manufacturing, where a three dimensional object is created by laying down successive layers of material. Slowly but surely, a little Arthur starts to rise up out of the machine. But! 3-D printing introduces tiny striations, like the rings of a tree trunk, and those need to be sanded down — and the whole thing primed — before Nikki could produce a master mold. Here’s that sanded and primed Arthur:
Nikki then poured liquid silicone all around that Arthur to produce the master mould.
Et, voila!
Next, Nikki poured casting resin into the mould to make little Arthurs…one at a time.
Once broken free of the mould, the figure was sanded down, cleaned up, and perfected.
Nikki then skillfully painted each figure.
And out of the total run of 200, we’ll have 35 little Arthurs at SDCC, signed and numbered by Nikki and myself. The rest will be available on the site for Christmas!
