Cloudscape Comics » illustration

Call for submissions- the Giants of Main Street Bestiary

Jonathon — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:08:23 +0000

For our upcoming “urban fantasy” comics anthology, Giants of Main Street, Cloudscape is looking to include a bestiary of fantastical urban creatures at the back of the book. This is a terrific opportunity for existing contributors and for other NEW artists to contribute to the book. We are looking for finished art, inspired by the examples below, but with your own unique twist on the concept. Think of it as a detailed drawing created in the field as part of a catalog of newly discovered creatures inhabiting a city in a fantasy world. Each creature should fit within 6.25 inches wide by 4.875 inches tall including ample space for text notes around the creature. It should be sans background and float on 100% white (If you need advice on how to get that pure digital white, just ask!). Submissions should be 300dpi greyscale.

Each creature should be accompanied by two to five point form notes or sentences about the creature’s physical attributes, lifestyle, or character. Keep these separate from the illustration because the editors will be reworking your words (and writing up the final copy) to give the bestiary a feeling of unity. Also include the approximate size of your creature because we are going to have a size comparison chart, like you see in dinosaur books or whatever. Don’t forget to name your creature.

Submissions can be sent to Jonathon at comm(at)cloudscapecomics(dot)com, as can any questions you may have.

As usual, we can only accept submissions from artists who have lived or currently live in British Columbia, or from existing Cloudscape members. The deadline for submissions is August 3rd.

30 Days – Day 9-17 by Moses C.

anise — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 07:21:23 +0000

The Thirty Days Project is a practical way to fight Option Paralysis.

Creative people often have the luxury of being able to do anything but just as often end up doing nothing. Thirty Days Project is thirty deadlines; finish a piece of creative work by then end of each day. Visit their website to see more work from a diversity of artists and creators!

Day 9-17 by Moses C.

View more work by Moses at: Mosobot64.deviantart.com and Mosobot64.wordpress.com

Day 9:

Day 10:

Day 11:

Day 12:

Day 13:

Day 14:

Day 16:

Day 17:

30 Days Project – Day 7

anise — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 07:32:18 +0000

The Thirty Days Project is a practical way to fight Option Paralysis.

We are the team for the Cloudscape Comics Society! Here is what we’ve challenged ourselves to for Day 7:

Jeff Ellis

Visit my website at www.teachenglishinjapan.ca

Kevin Wilson

Day: 7 out of 30
Robot: Gurren Lagann

I’m sure the next pair will fit you just right, GL. Keep trying.

You can find my giant robot comic at http://titanzer.com, my tumblr at http://kevinw.tumblr.com, and my portfolio at http://thekevinwilson.com

Moses C

Don’t you just hate it when jetpacks fail on you?

-Mosobot64

PS. Once again, you can find my work at Mosobot64.wordpress.com and Mosobot64.deviantart.com.
I also have a fantasy webcomic in the works at www.trinitacomics.com.

Bevan Thomas

Challenge: To every day do a section at least 300 words long of “World that Was,” my story about Brigida Byzantium’s childhood in a locked room with only her brother for companionship. The story will be written as a dramatic monologue.

World that Was Part 7

What enchanting images, what dazzling dreams haunt our mindful meditation? We fly together on – shall I call them wings?

Is it strange to create words for things that exist only in our dreams? Things that seem to have no substance within rough reality.

Yes, wings will do.

We fly on wings, always higher and higher, away from the darkness, the wicked world, towards the light.

Born in deep darkness, hungry for the living light. Is that not surprising?

We fly farther and farther, a spiral towards infinity, towards—

Oh my beautiful brother, are you there? Tell me, my terrific twin, my boldly better half, is it that we fly towards or fly away?

Do we seek to flee the descending darkness or happily hunt for something new?

Is it fear or hope that directs our dreams?

Does it matter?

We seek to escape from. Is there something we escape to?

What exists beyond the light, beyond this world and whatever made it?

Is it better than what is left behind?

Oh my brother, you are wildly wiser than I, who am fueled by feeling, not by foresight.

Is it hope or fear?

Fear – fear and I are familiar friends, perhaps the only companion who has kept me company longer than it has been you, my terrific twin.

Yes, fit and familiar with fear, but what is hope?

What are these words that spark in our mighty minds.

What are they, when all around is the wicked world’s dismal darkness?

About Cloudscape

The Cloudscape Comics Society is a Vancouver non-profit dedicated to supporting local comic artists. We publish anthologies, hold meetings and workshops and work with other community groups to promote comics. We meet weekly at the Grind Gallery and Cafe on Wednesdays at 7:30PM.

30 Days Project – Day 5

anise — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:15:26 +0000

We are the Cloudscape Comics Society! Here is what we’ve challenged ourselves to for Day 5:

Jeff Ellis

Day 5: Patrick Sundstrom
Visit my website at www.teachenglishinjapan.ca

Reeta Linjama

Birthday of a Knight — Day 5/30 of my knight-themed 30 Days Project with Cloudscape happened to be Donut’s birthday, in honour of which I drew her as a knight. (Thanks for letting me post this and congrats again, )

She’s always chastising gravity, so obviously Gravity is her steed. Well, I forgot to draw reins on it, but Donut can just point her Starbucks Birthday cake pop to the direction she wants to go and Gravity will follow it. It seems like a hungry horse.

website / sketchblog / deviantArt / Tumblr / Twitter

Anise Shaw

Environment 05 (totally cheating again) – by Anise

This page has so many backgrounds and so much painting for it that it totally counts as environment practice.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

From my comic Even in Arcadia.

Kevin Wilson

Day: 5 out of 30
Robot: Combattler V
My status: Blugh

Poor Batty, still thinking yoyos are cool. Now if he used a scooter…

You can find my giant robot comic at http://titanzer.com, my tumblr at http://kevinw.tumblr.com, and my portfolio at http://thekevinwilson.com

Moses C

And now, ladies and gentlemen, an Oni (Japanese ogre) eating ice cream. Hey, even monsters like an icy treat every once in a while.

-Mosobot64

Once again, you can find my work through Mosobot64.wordpress.com and Mosobot64.deviantart.com. Oh, and on DA, I have a contest on! For points! Check it out!

Bevan Thomas

World that Was: Part 5

Ama, you are there? I am not alone? Oh praise – should I say “praise God?” Was he what brought you back to me, and thus is virtuous, or did he hide you from me and thus is vile, or did he do both and thus is fickle?

Oh, he plays with us, for he thinks us so little, trapped in the walls of the world, deep in the darkness. But we’ll show him, won’t we, my brother? Yes, we’ll show him that we have strength, that we have power. He created us and our pitiless prison, but we can overcome. We can be free.

He built our base bodies, yes, and our solid cell, and maybe the god of this world has power over them still, but oh my brother, there is one thing he cannot control, and that is our minds. They remain ours.

Sit in the centre, back to back, so our spines touch, so our heads meet.

Clasp your hands in mind, oh my brother, then close your eyes. Think and dream. Dream together. We have clawed at the wide walls, at the solid cell, unless our nails broke and bled. We screamed, we shrieked, until our throats almost split.

Fists cannot free, shrieks cannot save. But maybe our thoughts can rescue us.

Our prison has been prepared, our bodies bound, but God or demon or whatever built this dungeon dark cannot master our minds.

Where fingers failed, thoughts will succeed.

What do you dream of, my brother?

What do you dream? Let us dream it together.

What do you dream? I dream of… dream of….

Oh my brother, what is that that lies before us?

About Cloudscape

30 Days Project – Day 4

anise — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:05:43 +0000

We are the Cloudscape Comics Society! Here is what we’ve challenged ourselves to for Day 4:

Jeff Ellis

Day 4: Gary Smith
Visit my website at www.teachenglishinjapan.ca

Reeta Linjama

And a watercolour version for good luck:

Day 4/30: Jedi Knight

For my knight-themed 30 Days Project with Cloudscape

Sorry, Jedi everywhere

website / sketchblog / deviantArt / Tumblr / Twitter

Anise Shaw

Environment 04 (totally cheating) – by Anise

I worked on this today instead of my illustration for the 30 days project, so I’m submitting it. I love the way it looks, but the bg is killing me.

It’s a panel from the next page of my webcomic found at www.epidigm.net/arcadia

Kevin Wilson

Raideen knows Raideen likes to party. I loved this one so much I even made a 1024×768 wallpaper of Party Raideen.

I am Kevin Wilson, part cartoonist and part pineapple. My challenge is to bone up on my giant robot skills by drawing one every day for June. That’s 30 robots of the large to super large variety.

You can find my giant robot comic at http://titanzer.com, my tumblr at http://kevinw.tumblr.com, and my portfolio at http://thekevinwilson.com

Moses C

“First, young grasshopper, you must learn to respect your elders.”

-Mosobot64

PS. More of my stuff can be found @ Mosobot64.deviantart.com and Mosobot64.wordpress.com

Bevan Thomas

World that Was: Part 4

Ama?

Ama, are you there?

I cannot feel you. I cannot hear you.

Ama?

Please, speak to me. Do not leave me the demonic darkness.

I dreamed the lovely light into existence, the wide world beyond the wicked walls. Do not say I dreamed you too.

Do not leave me here alone.

AMAAAAAAA!!

About Cloudscape

30 Days Project – Day 3

anise — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 19:32:07 +0000

We are the Cloudscape Comics Society! Here is what we’ve challenged ourselves to for Day 3:

Chloe Chan

From the great mind of Chloe Chan

What I was working on yesterday instead of the 30 days project….

Jeff Ellis

Visit my website at www.teachenglishinjapan.ca

Reeta Linjama

3/30, Coal Knight

I read about this guy in a creepy kids’ book once… I think…
—Reetta L

website / sketchblog / deviantArt / Tumblr / Twitter

Anise Shaw

Environment 03 – by Anise

My good friend Miriam Libicki kindly offered her photostream of desert photos she took in Israel a bit of inspiration for me. These are some green shoots that popped up after only a night a rain.

I make comics and other fine things. You can see my comic at www.epidigm.net/arcadia

Kevin Wilson

I am Kevin Wilson, part cartoonist and part pineapple. My challenge is to bone up on my giant robot skills by drawing one every day for June. That’s 30 robots of the large to super large variety.

You can find my giant robot comic at http://titanzer.com, my tumblr at http://kevinw.tumblr.com, and my portfolio at http://thekevinwilson.com

Moses C

Anyone up for barbecue? Don’t mind the cat outfit-the cook’s just practcing for his performance art gig next week.
More non-sequiteurs coming your way tomorrow!
-Mosobot64

PS. More of my work can be found through Mosobot64.deviantart.com and Mosobot64.wordpress.com . Have a good day!

Bevan Thomas

Tired, so tired, so terribly tired. How long did we scratch at the walls of the wicked world? How long did we try to break through to the lovely light beyond.

Our nails are broken, bleeding. Oh my brave brother, is it hopeless? Perhaps it is just a delightful dream, perhaps in truth there is nothing but the darkness.

Is this a bad world? We have food, we have life, we have each other. Is anything else needed? Must the world be wide and populated, or is it sufficient to have two terrific twins? Is everything else an illusion?

God, creator of this world, builder of the wide walls, giver of the filling food, are you out there? Do you live in the light? Did you hide us from your Heaven? Why did you build this walls around us?

Yell, my brother, yell! Scream! Let us raise our voices to high heaven and see if God the father, God the mother, listens! Is someone out there? Did someone build the walls? If so, can they hear?

Scream! Scream! We are here, oh laughing Lord! Oh grand grotesque God! Did you put us here? Did you build our walls? We are here!

Nothing. Nothing but nothing. Let’s have sudden silence. There is nothing out there beyond the wicked walls.

Let there be quiet, let there be silence. There is nothing out there. I want to sleep, to dream.

In dreams there is a wider realm, in dreams we escape the rigid room that is the wicked world. In dreams there is lovely light, there is sight, there is colour.

In dreams we are beyond the fallen world, beyond the fingers of fickle fate, beyond the grip of God.

In dreams there is escape and joy.

Let us dream, oh my brother. Let us dream.

About Cloudscape

30 Days Project – Day 2

anise — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:00:28 +0000

We are the Cloudscape Comics Society! Here is what we’ve challenged ourselves to for Day 2:

Chloe Chan

Characters from Two Keys.

I don’t know how long I can keep this up for, guys.

Jeff Ellis

I’ve decided to participate in the 30 days project which means I need to make a piece of art every day for the next 30 days. In honour of the Canucks Stanley Cup run, I decided to draw a famous Canuck, drawing from their 40 year history. The first Canuck is Raffi Torres. Basically just because he scored the winning goal in game 1.

30 Canucks 2 – Willie Mitchell

Visit my website at www.teachenglishinjapan.ca

Reeta Linjama

Sorry alles, my days run kind of long. But I can do this!

Knight 2: homely knight on the SeaBus, North Van.

—Reetta L

website / sketchblog / deviantArt / Tumblr / Twitter

Anise Shaw

I make comics and other fine things. You can see my comic at www.epidigm.net/arcadia

Day 2 – Environment 02 by Anise Shaw

I’m trying to teach myself how to draw and paint environments and layouts, which I have very little experience with. Today I did a speed paint, which started out really awesome and then I got totally frustrated with as soon as I had to develop the focus. It was good for learning what order I needed to paint in though, and tomorrow hopefully the results will be nicer.

Kevin Wilson

I am Kevin Wilson, part cartoonist and part pineapple. My challenge is to bone up on my giant robot skills by drawing one every day for June. That’s 30 robots of the large to super large variety.

You can find my giant robot comic at http://titanzer.com, my tumblr at http://kevinw.tumblr.com, and my portfolio at http://thekevinwilson.com

No, Gigantor! Think of your diet!

Moses C

Puffins. It had to be Puffins. Puffin Beach. Coming to theatres summer 2011. Or never. -Mosobot64 PS. My work can be found through Mosobot64.wordpress.com and Mosobot64.deviantart.com as well. Have fun, and another non-sequitur will come your way tomorrow!

Bevan Thomas

World that Was: Part 2

Dreams again, dreams of lovely light and wide wonder. There is something beyond the walls of this wicked world; I am sure of it. Something beyond the hideous hand of whatever grotesque God built this dark domain around us as we suddenly shrieked into existence.

Sit beside me, my bold brother, my terrific twin, and press your ear against the wall. Yes, here. Can you hear something, hear something beyond?

In the waking world, I do not believe I have ever heard anything before besides you and I, but now, yes, is that something, or merely my ingenious imagination?

Are those furtive footsteps? Is that a wondrous whirring? Is there something beyond, not just dark darkness extending in to a final forever?

Would you call me desperate, maybe mad, to suggest that sight and light are things that happen while we are awake, not just when we sleep?

Could that be a reality? Could these walls be removed and light be conjured forth and then, while awake, I could turn and you could turn and we could see each other?

For all eternity there has been you and I together, the only two beings in all existence, and I have heard and smelled and touched you, but never we have seen. What does your face look like, my bubbly brother? What would that nose look like, these ears, these cheeks?

I have a theory, a sudden supposition. Hear me out. What if – what if there was a wider world and that someone, call him “God,” built a smaller one, away from the light, and placed us in it during the ages past, long aeons before memory. And here us two grew, with no light, with no contact with anything save ourselves, but there exists a world beyond.

A world beyond. Is that a horrid heresy, oh my brother, or a happy hope? What would this world be like, this world of light. Shall we call it Heaven? And is there only one God, the god that build our finite and fallen world, or are there numerous gods?

What do you think, oh my brother? All this talk makes my head go round and round. You are the thinker, I the doer. Am I speaking sense or merely noising nonsense?

People besides ourselves. What an oddly amusing notions. Gods who inhabit a wide world of light instead of a narrow realm of darkness. Do we belong in the outer world as well? Are we gorgeous gods or merely mortals, trapped in our dark dungeons until the end of time?

About Cloudscape

Suspicious – A New Painting in our Etsy Store!

anise — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 02:01:51 +0000

Suspicious by Reetta Linjama

Our member Reetta Linjama has honoured us with a late campaign, but no less appreciated painting for our Etsy store. Click on the image above to take a look at the painting and shipping options!

Thank you to everyone for their wonderful support!

New Paintings on the Cloudscape Etsy Store

anise — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 01:34:30 +0000

It’s been a really exciting month, and now we’re in the last stretch of our 21 Journeys Fundraiser. We’re about 2k away from our goal, with the combined contributions from members and preorders from IndieGoGo, so if you haven’t had a chance to pledge to the cause, now’s the time!

If none of our IndieGoGo perks tickle your fancy, then perhaps one of these fabulous paintings will. They are $40 each, and that includes all shipping to Canada or the United States. The paintings were donated by dedicated Cloudscape members on wooden cradle panels generously provided by Opus Framing and Arts Supplies.

Feel free to click on the images to be brought to their respective shop page for purchase information.

Whirring Blender Design Challenge

Nuu — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 23:11:58 +0000

Check out Carly Monardo’s Whirring Blender Design Challenge, where she chooses a subject matter and an illustrator whose style she admires, and puts the two in a blender with magic and unicorns.

The end result is a beautiful and creative milkshake of rainbows and good illustration. (The pic shown is Cloud drawn in Gipi’s style)