One Love for Art...

This past weekend I had the chance to go and check out the Love Art fair, a collection of contemporary art from all around the world collected in one building here in Toronto. Tons of people were in attendance to see some of the best work of the modern art day, and plenty bought a few pieces as well. I was glad just to be able to take it all in, some extremely unique pieces and clever designs being used, stuff that could inspire. And I will say this, everything here looked great and had a purpose, I didn't find any blank canvas with a dot going for five thousand dollars. Quite the opposite really, I found pieces that played with colours and designs or that took the modern commercial world that we know and transformed it into art. A lot time and dedication was used here to create some one of kind masterpieces, and while it is always great to look at past works and achievements in the art world, it is also reassuring to see the future is alive and well with no end in sight. The biggest question moving forward as a society and as artist we have to ask is, what are we trying to say about the world we live in? For everything we have accomplished, we are still behind on a lot of issues. We still have a portion of society unwilling to let evolution and change take its place, people who would rather benefit from a disconnected and selfish world. We seek self importance and praise, I see a world that needs the approval of many to feel important. A lot of important issues that we need to talk about can be shown through art, so when someone says their an artist, don't scoff or roll your eyes, because these are the most important messengers of our time. 

So next time and art show is in town or you have a free weekend, why not go to the Art Gallery of Ontario? Or for those outside the GTA, go to your local art museum, New Yorkers go to MOMA. Look at everything and figure out the message, what does it mean? I am going to share with you a collection of pictures that I took at the Love Art fair, these were some of my favourite works at the show, take them in, look at them and enjoy.  

So there you have it, pretty cool art no? Do you have a favourite piece from all the pictures? What do you feel the purpose of art will be in the future? Let's start a conversation here, leave a comment below or tweet me @ChileanStorm and let's talk some art. A big thank you as well for taking the time to read and take in some art, I usually talk comic books but art is extremely important to help the medium as well, so until then boys & girls, keep chasing the storm. 

YouTobs...

Hey guys, I wanted to post this video up that my best friend did here. Here we see Toby present his latest batch of art store purchases, you get to see some really great items. Especially helpful for all artist looking for new tools to work with, take a look and listen as Tobs examines and breaks down what he got and why. 

He is going to be doing these kind of videos once a week, so be sure to give him a subscribe and a like while you are watching. And if you can be totally awesome, be sure to tell your friends across all social media sites. It would be awesome, let's get Toby some views! 

You can also subscribe to this page if you want as well, I am back to comic talking and reviewing like it's 1999! I will be posting various different comic book related post up in here so stay tuned and until then keep chasing the storm! 

Right White Night...

So I think I am a bit surprised when things that should happen, actually happen. Like when the TTC (our not so reliable transit service here in Toronto) is on time with the buses and trains, the extra time on my hands is always welcomed. So I was a bit surprised to find out that this years Nuit Blanche is moving to some bigger streets in the city, instead of going down Yonge and Bay. I am pretty sure I've complained here on the self destruction of Nuit Blanche, and the big reason was how bat shit crazy crowded it got. But with the change to Spadina all the way down to Fort York, this may have a chance at redemption. Or not. I've been wrong before, I am a Maple Leafs fan. But I bring this up, because I have so very cool announcements to make that are going to be taking place on Nuit Blanche, so Toronto storm clouds listen up and be sure to share this post around...

So what to do on an all nighter that is dedicated to the arts? More art that's what! And by that I mean random sketches, all night long and to anyone and everyone. This is something I am going to be doing with my fellow brothers from other mothers, to take in the night and share something with the city. We will be tweeting our different locations all night long and we will be posting up all images on Instagram as the night goes on and on and on. So come find the ChileanStorm, Tea Em, Maddsketch, Pepper Pots and other friends through out the night! Get some cool sketches and other possible cool stuff as well. The night is young and it will be ours! 

So let's art people! Art! Art for freedom! 

The other event will be taking place at Guerilla Printing, over at 413 Spadina Ave, right by College street. So in celebration of the all night event, GP is going to have not only on display a ton of incredible art on the walls from Vince Sunico (man of action) and Lamin Martin, but there will also be live music as well from the Toronto women kulintang ensemble, Pantayo. And as well, Vince will be doing a live art piece based on Grendizer! So classic anime fans, don't miss this spot on Nuit Blanche! The event will get going at around 9 PM on Saturday, so be sure to check it out! 

So now you know guys, Nuit Blanche just got 50% cooler! Be sure to get some coffee or energy drinks in you, because it is going to be a long night of fun, art and surprises! Remember to dress for the weather and be ready for anything. I may see some you guys out there this weekend, so until then keep chasing the storm! 

Start Living...

"You get busy living or you get busy dying".

It's times like these were I think back to them old lazy days, playing video games until morning and sleep in until I feel the need to wake up. Of course, back in those days I was practically invisible to the world and those who could see me weren't very impressed. Those lazy days are long gone now though. Now a new chapter is starting for me, and it's one that will be taking up pretty much all of my time. A lot of work and jobs coming up, but right now I know what I need to do. I have a lot of debt that I need to pay off and a lot of money I need to save up, but at least I am in the right direction. A big thank you to my big brothers who have helped me out with these different jobs, going to do my best to make you guys proud. To all my friends and family who I haven't had the time to see, I apologize but I want to let you all know that I am working my ass off and I haven't forgotten you guys and gals. I promise you all, I will find the time for each and every one of you. 

And I haven't forgotten about my responsibilities as an artist either. Been hitting up a lot of inking as of late, had the chance and honor to ink up art from Vince Sunico, Toblyawesome, Shane Heron, Kevin Briones and that's just to name a few. It's a great excercise and practice, I try my best to show the lines of the artist and as well try to add my own touch to the piece. I still need a lot of practice, but it's been a great excercise. I have posted a few of these on Instagram in the past few weeks, so if you have yet to see them be sure to follow me @ChileanStorm and tell your friends as well. Also been hitting up on Deviantart as well, posting a lot of the sketch covers that I have done in the past months as well, so be sure to check them out over at my Deviantart page as well, under MindMage. Going to have to bring that name up to speed, but make no mistakes it's me. And also be sure to shoot me an email or a comment below if you want to see some original content or if you are looking for some commissions, I would love to do some work for you guys, so let me know.

Well that's all the time I got, but I will do my best to keep you guys updated. Just know that I am going to be really busy, also going to be doing some shows with the SP crew in the next few weeks, so be sure to follow us and see us at the shows. Much love to all of you, and keep chasing the storm. 

And Here We Go...

The weekend comes and the weekend goes. Welcome everyone, back from the first big show of the season at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and feeling great and ready for a new year of excitement and adventure and all that good stuff in between. First and foremost a big thank you to everyone who came to the Artist Alley and stopped by at the Spent Pencils table, I appreciate every moment and everyone who stopped by and showed their support, it means the world to me. And a big thank you to all the artist as well who spent the weekend working away as well, a lot and I mean a lot of amazing and creative talents on display this weekend. From new art groups like Breaking Lead, Legion of Beards and From a Hat, this is the power of the GTA art community, glad to have you guys at the shows! And of course a thank you to all my crew and to my friends in the Artist Alley, I can't wait to keep evolving and growing with all of you.

I sold a lot of different prints this weekend and a few sketch covers, so I should let you guys know I sold both the Thunderbolts and the X-Men sketch covers. But I will be doing an X-Men/Adventure Time cross up prints, have those ready for the next shows as well. That being said, let me know what kind of prints you would like to see from me and I can have that done for you. Also got some more blank covers, so give me ideas on those as well. Aside from that I was giving out a few free sketches and some postcards as well, which I will be making more in the near future. And I was lucky enough to get a lot of cool swag this weekend as well, from Apocalypse 4 tee and print, original books and some prints as well. I will be reading a lot of these in the near future and I will let you know what I think, but I highly recommend that you all get Black Hole Hunters Club, Teuton, Omega Zone and Two Mistakes Two Many. Look these books up, these are all original books and you need to give these guys plenty of love and support. 

So I've got to get going now, plenty to clean up and I've got to work later on tonight. But again, thank you all for all the support and keep it coming, follow me on Twitter and Instagram under @ChileanStorm and be sure to follow this blog for all the updates and news and reviews that I can give you. Until then, keep chasing the storm. 

Also, check this blog and video out, a certain lil storm makes an appearance. 

The Storm at the Expo...

A whole year has passed. It's crazy but when I wanted to start plugging this blog more and more, it was this time last year, after paying for my Fan Expo table and trying to imagine, me at the biggest show of the year here in Toronto, Canada, simply trying to make a name for myself. I couldn't even imagine it at all, I was scared and nervous, but I was also too hyped and giddy to let that show. And honestly, it's crazy to think back and realize that it just came and went, and I honestly couldn't be happier. But really I think back as well and I can't wait for next year as well, I can't wait for the next shows and all the different events that are coming up in the near future. So how exactly did my weekend go? With four days and three nights to cover, I will do my best to keep this as short as possible, but I can't make any promises, so grab a coffee...this may take awhile.

Day 1:

Set up day, man I was so happy to be there. Artist Alley, you know the guy who was jumping up and down, doing the Daniel Bryan "Yes Yes Yes" chant...yeah, that was me. I was so happy though, I couldn't believe it, me at Fan Expo. And seeing all my fellow Spent Pencils members, not to mention the new additions to the crew, the talented comic book artists and writer friends as well, not to mention everyone who was setting up, it was hard not to be excited. When the show started I decided to do a free warm up sketch, got to get working as soon as possible. It's a good way to get to meet new people as well, and I really do want to interact with as many people at these shows as possible. And before the night was up, I got my first commission of the show as well. 

After the show we decided to go out for dinner, which you know we did every single night, crazy but true. Afterwards a few us shared a few rounds of rum and drinks, which apparently I can't hold too well. Thanks Tea and Carly for letting me crash in the room.

Day 2:

Like any good day, I started this one by crashing to the ground. That will wake you up. Anyways, I had quite a few errands to run all over town, so I didn't get to the show until later in the afternoon. However, I did get to go and pick up the prints that I had ordered from Guerrilla Printing, and a big thanks to those guys on the amazing work as well. So as soon as I got to the show I set up all my prints in the my book and had them ready for everyone to take a look. I did pretty well during the day as well, sold a few of the Pokemon prints and got more commission homework to take home and work on.

But I didn't go home, after the show we went to get some dinner and afterwards it was on towards the Revival club for the Rue Morgue after show party with The Birthday Massacre! Man that show was awesome, I started watching the show at the back enjoying a few drinks, by the end of the night I was right at the very front. An amazing show, love the energy and the feedback with the crowd. I would love to go see them again and you should too, check out there work at this link, here: The Birthday Massacre.

Day 3:

Not much sleep was had, I was up and early to get ready for the biggest day of the weekend. I had to add some finishing touches to one of my commissions, an Adventure Time sketch cover with Marceline beating the crap out of Lemongrab. I loved how it turned out and it was a blast to work on as well, check it out as well and see what you think. After finishing one it's onto the next project, all the while selling a lot of my Pokemon prints and helping out to sell a lot of cap'n Sunico's prints, and any chance I get to help out anyone in my Spent family, I will do so! A lot of friends, old and new came by the table as well and it was great to feel all the love from everyone who has been with me along the way, thank you so much guys! And also a few of the band members from The Birthday Massacre came by our table, which was amazing! I had to hook them up with a few prints, totally blown away on how totally cool they were! Seriously, check these guys out!

The night we went out to Denny's for our traditional Spent Pencil eating joint, with a few of the new members as well! I was starving, I had three orders of food including a couple of pancakes, a burger and a wrap. Let me tell you, no sleep is better then deep sleep. Needless to say I passed out as soon as I got to cap'n Go's place, still ready for one more day.

Day 4: 

At last, the final day of the show, really bitter sweet kind of feeling for sure. I mean it's great to get back to a normal sleep pattern, but I had a blast all four of these days and could keep going on and on. But all things must come to an end at some point. I had all my commissions finished and picked up on this day and surprisingly as well I was able to sell a few of my blank covers that I've done, including a last minute purchase as well, which is always an awesome feeling.  But it was great show and a great experience, I had a blast spending my weekend with the people I care most about in this world, there's nothing I wouldn't do for anyone from the Spent Pencils family. 

And of course any day wouldn't be complete without Denny's.

But I just wanted to say a really big, huge thank you to everyone who came by the Spent Pencils table, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you and all the support we get along the way, so thank you for the support and be sure to spread the word, tell friends and family and everyone you can, so we can make this Spent world bigger and bigger. And how it has grown, I am looking forward to meeting and working with all of the new pencils that have been added to the family, welcome guys to the crew and if there's anything I can do for any of you guys and girls, let me know. 

It's a brave and exciting world, and you know what...I can't wait for what comes next. Are you ready? 

Some YouTube Storm Vlog as well...

The Saga Continues

A few months back, if you've been following, I reviewed a graphic novel comic book by the name of Saga. If you haven't read said blog yet, go read it here first (insert link here) and then check out the first volume of Saga before you read more. I would like to call this a review, but I mean who are we kidding, Saga is fantastic. And I will say this much, these next issues keep the pace going and gives the story more twist, background and character development. This is the kind of book that shows are made out of. So it goes without saying if you got the first volume, get the second one for sure, the series doesn't skip a beat. So for the rest of this blog I wanted to go through some of my favourite moments in the book. So please come back once you've read the books, don't want to be the guy to spoil the story for you.

Warming spoilers up ahead.

•The Will: let's get this one out of the way, I love The Will! He is by far my favourite character of the series so far and you get to see more and learn more about him in this book.

After the first volume, he is a mess after finding out his former flame and fellow Contractor, The Stalk was murdered by Prince Robot IV. So you see him early on in the book very depressed and look through old memories of him and his ex. We then see a perfect dream of his, together again with The Stalk and freeing the young captive girl on Sextillion, and not mention killing everyone in the way. Upon waking up though he is introduced to one of the clients who hired him to kill Marko and Alana in the first place, Gwendolyn. That is Marko's ex-fiancé, Gwendolyn.

Needing The Will to finish the job he was paid to do in the first place, Gwen is there to see what's been the delay. She informs him that Prince Robot IV is also on the hunt for the infamous new family, and that finding them will also allow him to lay retribution for The Stalk. The Will agrees to get back to work but only if she can help him free the slave girl, which with some political push she manages to do. The Will sees that the great interest in him finishing the job must mean there's a history between Gwen and Marko.

By the end of the book though we have another family traveling the galaxy hunting for the bounty. This I loved, cause this family may be even more dysfunctional than our story's main heroes. The little girl is able to sense and hear the artifacts the Gwendolyn and Marko carry, so they use her to follow them through out space. And Gwen is not exactly The Will favourites ship mate, but they must work together now to finish the job.  And how could I not mention Lying Cat, everyone loves Lying Cat. How can you not?

•Marko & Alana: the family that changed the rules. At the end of the first volume they just got off the planet and were headed into the great unknown of space, when suddenly they are stopped by unknown intruders in their rocket ship, these intruders are actually Marko's parents.

The story starts with Marko and his mom heading to the nearby planet to rescue the ghostly babysitter, leaving Alana with the baby and her estranged father in law. We get to know the parents and how they feel about the relationship and how they feel about their granddaughter. The mother is very upset with Marko, especially for leaving Gwendolyn. The dad however wants to get to know his granddaughter and his son's wife, seeing how he has very little time left to live. That was a really good twist to the story, it was a bittersweet moment of connection.

We also get to see flashbacks to when Alana and Marko first met. We see that Alana's world is changed after reading a romance novel, the romance between two different creatures. She is inspired by the book and wants to share this book with as many people as possible. I loved that the first meeting between them ended with Alana knocking out Marko's teeth to the floor. We see them spending more and more time together as prisoner and guard keeper, Alana is able to share the story with him. It's in a desperate moment that Alana decides to free Marko and run away with him. That's how their story together begins. I love the idea that from a simple love story these two have made a connection and formed a love that has the potential of changing everything in the universe. And all this from a small little love story.

•Prince Robot IV: probably the most unlikeable character in the story so far. After killing The Stalk and stealing her ship, he has decided to go find the author of the love novel that Alana had read. When we see him for first time, it appears he is dying on the battlefield, when he is saved by a field medic. Unfortunately for said little field medic, she blows up after inhaling toxic gases. We then see it was a dream or perhaps a memory, still not sure actually. There is something about this scene that I will touch on later, if you've been following comic news I am sure you know what I am talking about. He is then reminded on finish the job to take out Alana and Marko, but remains calm and lands on the planet to find the author.

Once he find the author, he begins to question him on the book and if he knows that what he wrote could be the spark to a revolution. After a back and forth, Prince Robot IV shoots the author and decides to stay and wait for the family, as he assumes that they will be coming to the same planet to find the author. And little does he know that there hiding up stairs. And that is where the volume ends.

Okay so apparently there was some controversy over issue 12, at the beginning of the book we see a wounded Prince Robot IV on the battlefield, on his screen face though there are images of man giving oral sex to many other men. According to a lot of websites on all iOS products this book has been banned. What I am curious is about why ban it? Saga is an extremely mature book and up to this point there have been many and many graphic images. So why now? It doesn't make sense, just have an age warning and let it be, it seems a little strange in my opinion, but maybe in time we will learn. Actually if anyone knows why this happened, by all means please let me know.

It's incredible how consistently amazing this book has been thus far after two volumes, I am happily surprised by all the fantastic elements of this story, from the art work to the concepts and all the characters, Saga is going to be the book of 2013. I can't recommend this book enough to everyone, so spread the word and let the world know, Saga is a must read.

That's all the time I got right now, thanks for reading and remember to subscribe to this blog to follow all kinds of comics news and reviews and inside look at the world of comic books. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, by following @ChileanStorm. I am also on YouTube, doing Time Well Spent on the Maddsketch channel and also doing my own Storm VLOG videos, so please subscribe to our channel, give a like and leave a comment. And be sure to like the Spent Pencils page on Facebook, one like goes a long way. I am ChileanStorm, and remember to embrace the storm and keep running forward.

Spent for YouTube

Put this in your tube and watch it! 

You want some content? We got content right here! In efforts to connect with you, yes you, we've been hitting up YouTube with a lot of different videos and I got some of the updates and links right here for you, but I implore you to subscribe to our channels, give a like and leave a comment, the feedback is super important to us, so please do some interacting! I swear we don't bite. So as you may or may not know, the main channel to get a lot of sweet artist and comic book content is the MaddSketch channel, so click and enjoy the various different shows, like Doodle Tuesdays and The Sequentials. You can also watch yours truly on Time Well Spent, if you haven't seen it yet we got 4 episode up, so watch and see what you think. I will be posting up the video down here as well. You can also watch both me and Tiffany on our own YouTube channels; Tea Em will be vlog-ing and will also looking through more comics that have a personal connection, not to mention doing video gaming as well, so check her out for sure! On the ChileanStorm, I will be doing just vlogs and updates, I have thought of going through my collection of games and comics and share them with all you. So you want more TWS awesomeness, subscribe to our channels and love us more then that goldfish you got last year at the Ex.

As promised earlier here it is, episode 4 of Time Well Spent! It does end a bit early on us, but we wanted to encourage more interaction with the channel, so if you are reading this, please a like and a comment, it won't kill you right? And tell your friends! 

And here is the brand new episode of Sequentials! This was done during the 100th episode of Unboxing Wednesdays, and has a great collection of amazing and creative talent, so give it a watch!

And here is my own quick video vlog I did on Wednesday at Silver Snail, for July Well Spent. I could have made it longer, but it happens. And I will post one by the end of the day as well, so stay tuned for that. 

So there you go, plenty to watch here and on all of our channels, we are not stopping with giving you as much content as we can and all three of us have comics in the works and online as well, be sure to check out Tiffany's Tales of Lost, which up right now and updated every week. So be sure to subscribe to that page as well. Alright everyone, that's all the time I got for now, and I got to get ready for all the events this weekend! So stay tuned, and keep watching the Storm!
 

What's HSDS?

High School Dance Syndrome. 

No, this isn't an official scientifically certified term, but I am making now. So what is it? Well you remember back in High School those really lame dances that you said you'd never go to (and hats off to you if you never did end up going, you didn't miss much) but then realized you were going cause all your friends wanted to go to, yeah those one, super lame DJ and disco ball included. I remember always seeing a lot of my friends stuck to the wall, all night, afraid to dance or interact with anyone, even one and other. Now granted, I have no shame, so I was doing my best of what I think would be considered dancing, just to have fun. We are here, might as well have fun with it. Now I know social experiences aren't for everyone, hell I find myself in a cold sweat in large crowds without any of my well known elements; the guy in the two sizes too small Superman shirts, comic book cosplayers and a guy in a bear suit. Sometimes it takes a while for me to break the ice, but I do what I can, whenever I feel like I probably don't belong in a place or situation, I leave. Simple as that.

I bring up HSDS, because I want to get to know more fans, more artist and creators, I want to get to know you! Yes, you. As much as I write, draw and do videos on the things I like, I want to get to know who you are and what are your likes and dislikes. Yeah I am screaming out into the darkness of space that is the internet, looking for signs of life, but we are in the social media age are we not? And things can only be social if we interact, got a comic I should read, let me know. Got an art page, let me know. Think I am doing it wrong, then by all means please let me know. Especially for us freak and geeks, we need to stick together and interact way more, this isn't high school anymore, you are among friends. So please by all means, talk to me, I won't bite. 

I am also starting a Vlog series right now on my YouTube page, but I will be posting them here as well, here's the first episode of Storm VLOG...

So these will be quick little updates with what I am doing in the day, unedited straight from my phone and sent to all of you. Going to need some subscribbers and comments to let me know how I am doing. And I want to see what you're doing, got a blog or channel, please tell me, I would love to see all the different content and communities out there for comic books and artist in general. So let's kick the HSDS bug out the window, hope it falls on a car and blows up to pieces. This our world and our universe, let's take control and make it what we want it to be. 

That's all the time I got today, going out to enjoy some Pride festivities! Be happy with who you are, gay, straight, trans, bi-sexual; whatever you choose for your life, live that life to the fullest and love with all your heart. <3

 art from yazzdonut 

July Going to be Spent!

Episode three is here! Watch it and love it! 

But yeah, here it is, on this episode we look at Jim Carrey being weird about Kick-Ass 2, Jim Lee will paint on your wall for 25K, and on the Spotlight I suggest people to give Luke Cage Noir a read. And remember I have an in depth review here on this blog a few posts back, so go check that one out as well. On the Reviews, we take a look at the Young Avengers! Me and Tiff were really happy to do this series, it's a lot of fun and it's got great characters, so check it out if you haven't. But yeah, check out the episodes and subscribe and leave some comments below, don't be a stranger. We want to hear from you, what do you want to see from the show.

And also big news for the month of July, take a look at the picture below and you will see what I mean...

 

There you go, Silver Snail comics is hosting Spent Pencils in store every Wednesday and Saturday for the month of July! So come on down to Younge and Dundas location and meet three different members of the Spent Pencils crew.  We got an event page on Facebook, so you can keep track of all the different artist who will be drawing during these days. But make sure to come by all the days, say hi and get some cool original art work! Your time will be well spent! 

Thanks again for reading guys, stay tuned here for all comic book news, reviews and all that good stuff.

Picnic on the Island:

A little update on today's picnic, a little something before I get to theaters and get started on the Man of Steel event tonight. An early start of the day for me, woke up a little bit ahead of my alarm clock. So with all that free time, I decided to read a few books I had picked up last night from Silver Snail. I even went through my whole comic book collection and made a list on all the current books that I am following and which issues I am missing. I met up with the Wolf Fist team and we made our way to meet up with the rest of the group. After a little bit of waiting and a boat ride across we got to meet with the rest of the team and let the eating begin. 

It was great to see practically the whole team together, being a 20 person group and all, it's a little hard to organize all of us together in one spot, but this was pretty close.  A big thanks to everyone who could make it today, it was a blast! And so much amazing food cooked perfectly by Joanne, that was really really good. It was great to sketch trade with Mark, going to post up that CM Punk he drew for me. And a big thanks to Arnold, for getting everyone together in the first place. A team is only as good as its leader, and there is no better then Arnold! 

Also remember to check out my new video, on the Maddsketch channel on YouTube! There's a giveaway going on, so be sure to check it out and get some freebies. Also subscribe to the blog here and be sure to follow me on Twitter and on Instagram, @ChileanStorm! And give a like on Facebook to both Maddsketch and to Spent Pencils page. Also stay tuned for later tonight, I am going to try and interview my Dad on comics, a Father's Day special! 

What Time is it?

Hey y'all, quick blog post here for everyone, been up late tonight and last night working away on a few projects. I am really proud to say that we have finished our first episode of Time Well Spent, which is a comic book and geek based show with yours truly and Tiffany as hosts for the show. A big thanks to Maddsketch for helping us out and editing this bad boy all day, we couldn't have done it without you, and be sure to subscribe to his YouTube channel, a lot of content is coming in the next few weeks. This is the first time I have ever tried anything like this, so I was a little nervous, but I am really glad to be working with good friends on this, makes the whole process a lot easier. I just want to get better and better, so by all means keep watching and enjoy the show.

Let me know what you think of the video and by all means subscribe, like and comment on the video, and share with friends and family. Going to be doing another sketch card step by step tomorrow after work and then on Saturday we got a family picnic during the day and we are doing Superman at night, so stay tuned for more blogs and updates. Also be ready for Thursdays, with new episodes of Time Well Spent. Thanks again for the support, and I will see y'all later! 

Reload the Bubble

Tomorrow is a pretty big day for comic book fans across North America, a lot of stores, especially in the GTA will be hosting different kind of Superman Man of Steel kind of events in store. So go down, get a free All-Star Superman comic, a free poster and also be sure to check the all new Unchained Superman, by the creative team of Scott Snyder and Jim Lee. However with that out of the way I wanted to bring your attention to another really cool release going on tomorrow as well, which is part of Aspen comics 10th anniversary event during the summer, 10 for 10, in which every month Aspen will be releasing a new series with the first issue being only $1! A neat feature with this line of comics is stores across the country are encouraged to find different comic book artist and get them to draw unique store only covers. Here at Spent Pencils, we've had the chance to have some of our artist draw up a few of these covers. The very talented Vince Sunico and Daniel Wong had a chance to do a few of these covers for Stadium Comics! And now Oliver Castañeda and Paul Limgenco will be working together to bring a unique cover for Gotham Central Comics, for the Aspen comic series, BubbleGun! And the best part is, this comic will be available tomorrow at Gotham Central, and both artist will be on site for signing! I will post links for this event and the one that is taking place at Stadium Comics, and they will also be having a unique cover for BubbleGun, by the very talented Toronto artist, Adam Gorham.

To bring everyone up to speed with tomorrow's release, here is the general idea behind the plot for BubbleGun...

"They like the tech, but live for the high stakes! Sisters Molli and Devyn, along with teammates Roman and Kyo—and a stockpile of cutting edge, cyber-punk technology, form a confident team of mercenary thieves able to take on the most formidable jobs around. Yet, when one cyber heist turns out to be more than they bargained for, as a mysterious package and its contents threaten to unravel the group to its core, the menacing worlds of corrupt industry and deadly espionage is unleashed upon them! "

So if this does sound like a pretty cool story that you want to get into, be sure to check it out. And if that doesn't get you going, got a few exclusive images here that will get you going in no time. Here is a sneak preview of the cover from Oliver and Paul. The first image is the pencils only and the second is the coloured finished image.

So there you have it, so if you live anywhere in the GTA, no reason not to go down and get a copy of these covers! There are limited in numbers, so act fast and get yours today! Also I got a few plugs and links for everyone reading today, the first one is for an awesome web ongoing web comic series, Tales of Lost, by the very talented Tiffany Medeiros. And for any Sailor Moons fans out there, be sure to check out, The-Kid36 website and DA page, he is going through the whole casts of characters. Also be sure to check out and follow me and all my updates on Twitter and Instagram by going to @ChileanStorm for all art, Spent Pencils and comic news and updates. Thanks again everyone, and stay tuned. This storm is only growing. 

Links: 

• 36kstudios Homepage
• Tales of Lost Web Comic
• Gotham Central Comics Facebook page
• Stadium Comics Event Page

Niagara gets Spent...

So a long delay since my last update, I just happened to fall onto one of those stretches of days were everything happens at once. And honestly it's going to be nice to get home and rest for a little bit, and wake up tomorrow morning and get to work harder then ever. After finishing a long week of work, it was time to meet up with the SP crew and get to work on some potential new art for the upcoming convention in Niagara that took place this weekend. I stay up literally all night try to get some prints done for the weekend, but I couldn't colour them up in time and honestly I don't want to half ass it, if I am going to do anything I want it to be the best kind of work that I can do. But it's two more possible prints that I want to have finished and ready for Fan Expo, the more the merrier. I also had to meet up with my old friends from high school, one which is getting married (congratulations Murray). So I had to go get suited up, by the time I got home, I just crashed and fell asleep, having to be ready for the next morning.

Day One: 

6 AM? Why am I awake at 6 AM? 

7 AM wake up call from the boys, I totally slept in. Have I mentioned in the past that I am not a morning person? So I get up and grab whatever I need and all my materials, a quick bagel and a banana and I am out the door and ready to hit the road, ready for whatever may come! We meet up with the rest of the crew and we grab some coffee to get the day started and make our way down to Niagara. Traffic is pretty tamed all things considering it's a Saturday morning and all. An hour and half or so later and we are at our destination, we get in and we set up and we pass out. The first hill we get over is just getting there right on time and setting up, Spent Pencils, always making an entrance. The team for this weekend; Arnold, Vince, Daniel, Gerard, Paul, Kevin, Rico, Oliver, Maddsketch, Tiffany and me, the ChileanStorm. We start drawing right away and the crowds line up, a lot of prints going and a couple of commissions as well. I decided to try something new, an experiment if you will. I placed a free sketch card on the table and see how long it takes for someone to notice. Took about 20 minutes for someone to see the card and use it, I drew a pretty cool Scarecrow and they seemed to enjoy that. It pays to look is essentially the idea here, and I will be doing this at different shows and cons, so come on by and take a look, you could be getting some free art. I had a few sketch cards and postcard sales, but still haven't been able to sell some of my sketch covers, but in time, plus it gives me time to post them online. I really do need to get prints done and ready for conventions, it's what really sells. I am also trying to figure out different ways of getting my art to more people at these shows, maybe stickers or smaller prints. So any kind of suggestions, by all means throw them my way. 

So after a long day of drawing, sketching and candy apples, we headed back to our hotel room. Here I thought it would be a night to relax and kick back, but you know how we do it, we decided to go out and see the town. And also use this chance to congratulate our soon to be married pencilneck, Gerrard. And if you haven't been to Niagara Falls before, it's a tourist trap kind of city, with the best and worst of both worlds, the states and Canada. But a lot of bright lights, different attractions, and stores are open really late. Needless to say, photo opportunity are plenty in the falls. From one attraction to another, just taking plenty of pictures and making tons of silly faces. We hit up one of the bars and had a couple of drinks, no big deal. And of course what would any reasonable person do after a few drinks, hit up the haunted house. But thinking back, I don't think it was that scary, but it was still a lot of fun and shenanigans to be had by all, in other words a night well spent.

Day 2:

After a late night, it was an early morning for the SPC, but no day can get truly started without a hardy breakfast. So we hit up a breakfast buffet, and well, we truly did have all we could eat. So much bacon, I didn't even know where to start. I even went with the black coffee challenge in the morning, I am not really a black coffee drinker, but it's really damn strong. After breakfast, we made our way down to the convention and get ready to do it all over again. A lot of drawings and plenty of donuts and coffee, a long day of drawing. But its great being able to meet and connect with all the fans of comics and arts, seeing the smiles on all the faces, that makes my day. And also being able to see all of the other talented artist in the artist alley, we are all on the same boat and it's a great community to be part of. A big thanks to everyone who came by this past weekend, to con for being a great shows and to all the stores in the GTA that supports us along the way. Thank you.

Luckily we didn't go home on an empty stomach, a big thank you to Oliver and his family for inviting all of us for an awesome meal. It was a longer drive back home, but not on an empty tummy.

And now I am back home, finishing this up and just looking ahead to what's next. And the amount of work that's ahead of me is plenty, so stay tuned, I am going to update as much as I can, be sure to follow me on Twitter and on Instagram, @ChileanStorm for both those sites. The rain is still pouring out here, so stay dry and stay cool Toronto.

Be Brave:

It's been a long time coming and I was due for a visit, so tonight I decided to get my tools and go down to Rhino bar, to take part in the Toons On Tap life drawing sessions. For those who are unfamiliar with Toons On Tap, it's a life drawing session that is open for all artist in the city, and they get to draw models who are dressed up as well known comic book or cartoon characters. Tonight's session was Merida from Pixar's Brave. And these models really do look the part, you need to see it to believe it.

Life drawing is one of the many different aspect of my art experience that I need to improve upon and spend more time with, and this is the perfect chance to do just that. It's something I haven't had the chance to put much time in to this practice and tonight I made sure not to miss out. I did get there a few minutes late, little did I know it would be such a full house, which is awesome to see. I am honesty blown away and so happy to see a very strong art community here in Toronto (Crack-head mayor and all). If I can saying anything about drawing, it's always fun to do, but it's great with other artist. A lot of talent in the room as well, from different styles and different methods, an awesome variety in the room.

Needless to say after three hours of drawing I got a lot of work to show, so it goes without saying here are some of my studies from the night...

 

 

 

Another cool idea that takes place at the end of the night at Toons On Tap, the character model gets to pick out her favourite drawing from the various artist and that artist gets to take home a prize. So at the end of the night you present your best work and see how it goes. The model tonight, Merida, was so amazed by all the work she had asked if she could keep the art if the artist didn't want them. I thought that was a very cool idea, so I gladly gave my piece for her to keep. It looks like she really liked it, and I am very pleased to share my work with others.


An awesome night that I highly suggest other artist in the city of Toronto check out, and for those in other cities, I am sure there are many different similar practices taking place in your city, so by all means find them and get drawing. A big thanks to Toons On Tap for organizing these events, to tonight's model, Adrianna, you were fantastic. The  next session for Toons On Tap is on Tuesday, June 18, 2013 and it will be back at The Rhino Bar. I will be posting links below as usual, so if you are interested by all means check it out. Also let me know what you think of gesture and life drawings, what do you do for practice? Let me know in the comments below. And don't forget to check out Spent Pencils page and like our Facebook page as well, to keep track of all SP related news. Another page in a very artsy life, thanks for reading guys and gals.

Links:

• Adrianna Prosser (Tonight's Model)
• Toons On Tap Facebook Page
• Spent Pencils Home
• Spent Pencils Facebook Page