Wow! What a busy and fun time the last 2 months have been!
I graduated with a BFA in Illustration from the College for Creative Studies in May. What a whirlwind that was. Between finishing final projects, working on Reed Gunther, and working freelance, I was booked. Somehow throughout this madness I was awarded 'Senior Select' for the Illustration Department which I was super honored to receive. Because of this, I was given a big ol' wall to hang a bunch of my artwork at the end of the year CCS show.
More comic pages than you can shake a stick at!
Plus, someone at the school thought that it'd be a good idea to have me speak at the graduation ceremony (Don't worry, I'm sure this person is already fired). Again, I was honored and tried my best not to completely screw this opportunity up. Here's a photo of me trying not to throw up in front of all of my colleagues, friends and family, and professors whom I owe a lot to:
What can I say? CCS has been my life day-in and day-out for the past four years. I learned to call Detroit my home and met some amazing friends whom I will miss dearly. I mean, look at these hams!
I've learned an incredible amount by studying at a 4-year art school. Although, I'm ready to move on and am excited to start a new chapter in my education! I owe many thank-yous to my teachers who are some of the kindest, hard-working, and knowledgeable artists I know.
Funny enough, I even started this blog my first week of school 4 years ago!
Two weeks after graduation, Kassandra and I hoped on a plane to NYC for the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards. What an experience! Last year, I was lucky enough to win the Jay Kennedy Memorial Scholarship and the NCS was nice enough to fly us out for the Reuben Awards. The NCS was also nice enough to make me an official NCS member so Kassandra and I were able to visit all of our friends at the Reubens this year and in many future years to come!
To sum it up, the Reubens were once again, spectacular. With guests like Bill Plympton, Joe Kubert, and Steve Brodner lecturing, you know it'll be a good weekend. But the really priceless events of the Reubens are the off-to-the-side chats you're able to have with some of the biggest names in the industry. I put some of my personal highlights in a little comic I drew on the plane ride home:
Then, it was back home to quickly finish the latest issue of Reed Gunther titled, "Reed Gunther in Fish Out of Slaughter!" It's our fourth issue and is available Wednesday, June 30th for purchase here!
Oh, and did I mention Kassandra and I were trying to plan our wedding throughout all of this? Needless to say, we did it and the wedding went off wonderfully! We had a gorgeous day and it was such a treat to have so many of our close friends and family there.
Our photos aren't back from our photographer yet but I'll share this photo my teacher Dave Chow happened to capture right as we were walking down the aisle. Too cool- what a day.
So now I'm working freelance full-time and have a few projects in the works. We're gearing up to head out to the big San Diego Comic Con in a few weeks which will be a lot of fun. If you're there, stop by the Reed Gunther booth!
Thanks for reading and thanks to all of our blog/online/cartooning pals and gals who have sent their letters, messages, and best wishes our way!
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