Jesse Rubenfeld Illustrations

2010 What is to come

2009-11-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

So I found out late last week that I got accepted to get table space at C2E2. It is bound to be a big show, since the folks who are running it also run New York Comic Con, which is currently the second largest convention in the U.S. I was originally going to take some time off from conventions to focus on finishing up Into the Dust. So now I have a deadline, I need to get the 160 page graphic novel done and printed by late April. I think I can pull it off, as long as I stay on task, and can somehow scrounge up the 5k to print/ship the damn thing.

On the drawing table currently, I am still working on Patrick Redford's magic book "Square", and I am also painting an album cover for my Doppelganger Jesse Rubenfeld (a singer in New York. His site is jesserubenfeld.com as I have the .net) I also have another commission piece entitled "10 faces" which is now the 3rd in a series of drawings I did about 3 years ago. I have to break out my camera and photograph it before I send it off. For now I will leave you with another page out of Square.

Magic and Quest out West

2009-11-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

Okay enough ranting...you are probably wondering what I have been doing with myself. Well, I am working on another magic book with a friend of mine named Patrick Redford. All of the tricks are card tricks, so we decided to make the book a western. Here is the first page. I have been experimenting working at a larger scale, it gives me more freedom to add detail when I want, and I don't have as bad of hand strain working on things at such a small scale. I particularly liked doing the wallpaper pattern in the second panel. Not sure if I will work on the entire magic book at this scale, or whether I will only do them at this 11x17 scale when details permit me to.

Speaking of 11x17 scale, I also churned out a portfolio piece the other day when I had a free moment...I have this short Jonny Quest story in my head, figured I should get it down on paper...I think the story will be about 6 pages all together. So this is simply the first page. As opposed to painting I went back to Photoshop for the coloring, haven't digitally colored anything in quite a few years...feel pretty rusty at it. Into the Dust is on the drawing table as well, but the magic book has to get done first.

Comic Con Soapbox

2009-11-02T09:08:00.001-08:00

So, I want to take a moment out of my busy week to get on a soap box and talk to you all about the potential future downfall of the comic industry. For quite a few years now, I have had table space at quite a few different comic conventions. And for many years prior, I have shelled out

the big bucks to travel to and attend these shows. If we go back in time, say 15 years and look at the biggest 3 comic conventions they would have been the following:

1. The San Diego Comic Con

2. The Chicago Comic Con

3. The Motor City Comic Con

San Diego was still huge, although movie stars like Arnold, Angelina, and Patterson paid the event little to no mind. The show was huge because of the quality and quantity of talent it brought in. If you were in comics, you were there. They even had an artist alley area, for indie and up and coming talent. You had to submit your work for review, but if you had a shred of talent and a book to show, chances are they would find a small spot for you and not charge you a thing for it to boot.

Chicago was a little convention that had exploded into something huge. Recently purchased by Wizard but still run by most of the original convention planners, they still had the same personal sensibilities that a small show would have. If you had money, you had a table. No need to submit a portfolio for a review, just send a check, and the space would be waiting for you. This allowed for many indie and up and coming talent to showcase their work to the big boys of DC and Marvel who also set up at the show.

Motor City was the smallest of the 3 shows, but still had quite a following. Run by a local comic shop, they built up quite a following in the 90s and when they were going full steam ahead they managed to get DC and Marvel to attend their show as well. Their tables were dirt cheap, so it didn’t take much money for all of the “up and comers” to get a table.

Today the convention scene has changed drastically, and not for the better.

Here is my list of faults with the way things are done today with many of the larger conventions.

1. Comics are taking a back seat to media guests. This was a kiss of death for Motor City Comic Con, every year more and more “celebrities” show up. This changes the kind of people who go to the conventions, attracting the kind of tourists who would go on a tour of Hollywood actor’s neighborhoods, just to get a glimpse of Bob Saget grilling burgers. Not to mention that instead of buying comics, more people are saving money to get an autograph from celebrities like the Stormtrooper who hit his head in A New Hope. This sort of Hollywood convention usually makes the big comic companies of Marvel and DC go away.

2. Event planning companies suck. Now with the number 2 and number 3 spots of big conventions being taken up by shows like New York Comic Con, C2E2, and Fan Expo Canada, the little man is out and big companies are in. They are in it to make money, and bring in what they feel are the big names. So instead of letting all the “up and comers” get tables, everyone’s work is juried and only those “worthy” of table space get in. Oh, and unlike the portfolio reviews of San Diego, if you do get in, you still have to pay a hefty table fee…which leads me to reason #3…

3. Price gouging. We all understand that rent needs to be paid for the convention space. In the past 10 years though table prices have doubled or more at nearly every convention…as has the ticket price to get in the door. For attendees, more money spent getting in, means less money spent at the convention. For the guests, more money spent getting the table, means more money that needs to be made in order to make a profit. Kind of a double edged sword; less money all around.

With the top 4 conventions now requiring a portfolio review to get a table, and limiting the number of tables they give out to indie comic artists/writers, who knows what talent these big event companies are turning away…so many big artists today got discovered at conventions like these like Art Baltazar, or David Petersen. Can DC or Marvel afford to let their new talent pool be regulated by Reed Exhibitions or Hobbystar Marketing?

So I have an idea that I hope can be spread around. DC and Marvel, and their parent companies of Time Warner and Disney have tons of money and resources at their disposal. It’s time for a convention that is run by the industry itself. Collaborate with each other….throw in Dark Horse and Image, and Oni and other companies…If the big 4 pubs ran the show, they could get all of their star talent to show up, and they could make an artist alley for up and coming talent that they haven’t tapped yet. It would be cutting out the middle man of comic conventions. Diamond Distributions could even get in on the deal…they do supply almost the entire product to the dealers that set up at the shows.

Just something to think about.

Things

2009-09-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

So I just finished up some commission pieces for my good friend Judy Wiliston. She is writing a book, and I have so far done 15 spot illustrations for it. Just thought you guys might like to see a few of them.

I am also still refining my airbrush skills. So this week,

continuing with the theme from Toronto's drawings, I painted this Supergirl Image. This image pushed my airbrush rendering skills, and helped me cross over into a more traditional comic book style. I plan on doing some sample pages for my portfolio soon, in a variety of styles to make myself more marketable to the bigger companies. I already think I am doing a 1 or 2 page batmite/mxyzptlk story in a more kid friendly style. My

work is usually done at comic page scale (6x9) but I think I might do these sample pages at full linework size (11x17). Anyway,

I'm sure you guys are thinking "quit talking about it

and just do it already!" Will that be my next post? Tune in next week, Same bat-time, Same bat channel! Or whenever I get to it...:P

Fan Expo Canada

2009-09-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

Fan Expo Canada was last weekend, and it was a blast! Was fortunate enough to be placed between Ivan Reis who is currently working on DC's Blackest Night, and Doug Sneyd legendary Playboy cartoonist. Ivan does not speak great English, but the conversations we did have over the weekend makes me appreciate his art even more than I already did. At the end of the weekend he even gave Amber and I a drawing that he didn't get to complete at the show, and said that I should finish it. By day one of the convention Doug was influencing me...something about staring at the beautiful pinups all weekend just makes you want to draw some of your own. I did a few at the show, and they were quite fun...I am planning on doing quite a few more and perhaps doing some sort of sketchbook of them in the future. I'm only showing you 2 of the more successful ones done while I was at the table...
This convention completes my conventions for the year. In fact, I have decided that these conventions have been slowing me down from the thing I was trying to do in the first place...my book. Thus, I have decided to stop doing conventions until Into The Dust is complete. Hopefully this wont be much of a break and I will be back to the cons in a year or so...but its time to get things done! Expect artsy updates soon here though...I will still be making art!

What I have been doing for the past few months

2009-08-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates on the site, things were busy earlier this summer. The chaos began at Adventure Con in Tennessee in early June. The show was wonderful, and I hope to be invited back again next year. Seeing my Knoxville friends was great, and I miss them terribly. When Amber and I got back from the con, our lives began getting real hectic. On June the 27th, we got married. It was a wonderful event filled with all of our family and friends, I could go on and on for days about how great that day was, but to shorten the day up into one sentence, here we go. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, loving wife. After the wedding, we barely had a chance to breathe, because one week later, we moved. We now live in a house on the other side of town, and we live here rent and utility free. The house is connected to a storage business, which we manage (thus no rent)
Since the move, we have been slowly unpacking, and enjoying life as newlyweds. But enough mushy life stuff, on to the art!
Wizard World Chicago starts this Thursday! For any of you who are going to be at the show, my table number is 4502, come by and say hi! I have been working on a few new pieces of artwork for the con, here are two of the masterpieces. The first, was per request from Amber, who Just loves the Twilight books and movie(s) We shall see how it fairs at Chicago, the second piece continues my series of Art about Art, and is entitled "Liberty Leading the Doctor" based on Delecroix's "La Liberté guidant le peuple" Yes, that is the cover of the Coldplay album Viva la Vita...but it was painted in 1830, so go soak up some culture! Both of these will be for sale at the convention, both prints and the originals. After Chicago is Fan Expo Canada on August 28-30, I just got my contract today, so it's official! Sorry for the lack of updates again, things are calm again now, so expect plenty of updates!

The late Motor City Post 2009

2009-05-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

I never seem to get these post in on time...So, Motor City Comic Con was last weekend, and it was a wonderful start to the new convention season! I had not one, but three new mini-prints for the show...in continuation of my love of my childhood, I did a Fraggle Rock triptych. Here they are in all of their glory. I still have some left, which I will bring to the next convention in Knoxville, Adventure Con. So here is a rundown of the con.
Friday: Slow. Friday's are always slow, but it seemed moreso this year...people are always working, or having better things to do on a Friday than run around a convention all day. I saw all my old friends, was set up next to my buddy Ken Kreckler, had a great chat with Mark Sparacio, and generally had a good time. Amber went off to go Star gazing...Aaron Douglas and Michael Hogan of Battlestar Galactica were there, both of which were extremely nice guys...Amber did find out that Aaron was quite a comic fan, and quickly gave him a copy of my book....he was quite excited, and later asked me for the next chapter...I guess he liked it...Amber managed to snap a photo of him in his geeky glee. We were set up across from the General Lee....which I thought was going to be quite a pain, but it drove traffic to our section of the convention center quite a bit....it helped that Bo Duke himself, John Schnider was signing autographs there all weekend as well...On Friday he walked by my table and laughed at my Last Mupper and gave me a thumbs up, so it is now unofficially endorsed by Pa Kent himself! My friend Peter stopped by to keep us company for a bit, he had his heart set on buying some Wolverine Claws that day.
Saturday: Talk about busy! I have never seen a more crowded Saturday! It more than made up for Friday's lack of traffic. Amber was stuck at my folks house for our second bridal shower, so I brought Dad along to be my part time "booth babe"...personally I think Amber is sexier. Aarom stopped by briefly to say hi on the way to his table, he was leaving mid-way through the day, and he asked me to stop by if I had the chance. Sadly I did not, It was a steady stream all day. Costumes are always fun to see on Saturdays at conventions...and this was no exception. There seems to be a large ensurgence of Steampunk cosplayers in the past year...at least 2 airship pirate crews were there, and they really took their time on their costumes. Dad seemed to have a good time there...he picked up a few books from old students of his, but not much else. My buddy Jason stopped by, as did my friends Joe and Kamron.
Sunday:Everybody was tired and it was starting to show. Traffic was slower, but no where near as slow as Friday. I had a chance to walk around a bit, which doesn't always happen at these conventions. I talked again with Mark, who said he did very well this convention, and I gave him a print for being such an inspiration for my work ethic this past year. He gave me his cell number and email address and told me to call him whenever I needed to chat. That put me in a great mood for the rest of the con.
One last Image to discuss before I end this post. Last Summer I did a convention in Toronto called Paradise Con...Sadly it is not happening this year (but I am doing Fan Expo Canada!) Anyway, I was set up next to Brian Evinou, who is an animator based in the Toronto Area...I did a pinup for him of his character Lucy Legacy, and he said he was going to return the favor...only took him about a year, but he finally did it. I will be seeing him at Fan Expo Canada in August...can't wait!

The Search for Spock!

2009-05-11T18:40:00.000-07:00

So, on Saturday, my brother Tyler graduated! Congrats Ty!
While in Albion Michigan, my folks and I stopped into a Burger King for breakfast. I was shocked to see the Star Trek toys for their kids meals, and I was drooling over the collectible drinking glasses. Sadly, I had no money on me, so I could not purchase said glasses. Ty got a free pizza coupon for Domino's Pizza at commencement, and he did not want it, so he gave it to me....Little did I know that my later trip out to pick up pizza would start a geeky quest. Amber and I were hungry and ordered the pizza, and I mentioned the glasses from earlier. Amber persuaded me that I did indeed NEED the glasses, and so with pizza and Dog in the car, we drove off to the local Burger King.
Upon arrival, I ordered Amber a veggie burger combo meal, and a set of the Glasses. The disembodied voice inside the speaker box said they only had 3 of the 4 glasses, and that they were missing Spock, i ordered the other 3, and we asked if they knew if there were any other BK's in the area that would have Spock. The dude assured us that they would. So our Search for Spock began! Unlike Star Trek 3, there was no planet going through an accelerated aging process, just one pizza, and an unsupervised burger in a bag...plus one hungry dog. We had to make a stop for Amber, and when we returned, only 2 minutes later, the burger was gone(and the dog burped). So now we not only needed the Spock glass, but another veggie burger for Amber (who by this point didn't want any of the pizza) We drove to the other BK in Ypsilanti...I went to order the glass and burger, and they responded "we don't have the Spock glass" so aggrivated I drove off. The quest continued into Ann Arbor, where we hit not one, but 2 Burger Kings! I even bought Amber's second Burger at one of them, but they tried charging us an extra $2 for the thing (after giving us a bun with lettuce and ketchup and nothing else) so we demanded our money back.
Still Spock-less, we drove to the edge of Saline. Again no Spock. I got on I-94 determined to get that damned glass!! We got off in Belville, and tried the BK there...and they had 10 CASES OF SPOCK!! Yay! So...to recap, we wasted an hour and a half, driving through 3 citys, hitting a total of 6 Burger Kings to complete the set! I was quite pleased, cause I wasn't the only driving force of this quest, Amber was determined too! (she is so not a Trekkie) We saw the movie the next day, and I loved it. Amber loved it! It is now my quest to get her to like Star Trek....I have had her watch 2 episodes of the original series since, and she liked one of them and fell asleep during the other....baby steps I guess.
Anyway, if you made it through all of this mumbo jumbo, you probably noticed my latest pin-up....anyone see the starfleet insignia hidden in the background?

Wolverine

2009-05-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

So, I don't have the money to see the movie yet...getting paid Monday. But I was hyped about the motion picture, so I decided to do a Wolverine pin-up painting. I set off to complete an image of Wolverine after a fight; I wanted dramatic lighting, some smeared blood, a glowing cigar with puffy smoke, and some sort of setting that would be good for a brawl. But when I started drawing Wolvie, I found myself liking the hatching on his torso quite a bit, so Instead of shading him in with wash, I left him white. I broke out my airbrush and decided to get my dramatic lighting down before nailing down a setting. Again, once I removed my mask, I ended up liking the minimalistic background. It feels a bit more artsy or poetic to me. So I stopped. I like it too much to go further on it...it's done! What do you think?

I got it Covered.

2009-05-01T11:49:00.000-07:00

So, figured I'd share with all of you what you are missing out on by not purchasing a copy of Into the Dust #4 on my website...Here are 4 covers that I have recently finished for some of my pre-orders. I am back doing regular Substitute Teaching this week, I was spoiled last month being able to sleep in, waking up by 5:45 was a slap in the face...but it is nice that by the time I leave the house, the sun is up. Motor City Comic Con is only 2 weeks away! Are you ready? I am gearing up to do a few more prints in the next few weeks to prepare, be on the lookout for more posts.
I think I need to do a Wolvie print, and some sort of Trek print before the convention....sound good?

Amber and I have our first bridal shower this Sunday, yay! Glad I only have to make an appearance at the end of it, not saying I don't like the people going to the shower, it's just not my scene.
Our Wedding is just a short 8 weeks away, sent out all of our invitations this past week.
Well, off to go gather some loose change from around the house for Wolverine tickets, wish me luck!

.daed si naw-ibO

2009-04-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

So, it took me another week to get back to this painting, but it's done! The Abbey Road album cover done on the Death Star...combining 2 of my faves! There will be prints available at the upcoming conventions. Motor City Comic Con is less than a month away now! Time seems to be a luxury I don't have these days. I have one week left teaching for the ECA at EMU, lots of lecture planning seem to be taking up much of my free time. I have to write an exam for this week! I should have copies of Into the Dust #4 in my hands on Tuesday; so if you ordered a copy, I should be getting to it this week. Other time-drainers. Amber is graduating this coming Sunday! My brother Tyler is graduating, in a play, and has a sketch comedy show all to do in the next week or so! Amber and I have our first bridal shower in a week and a half or so! The wedding is in 10 weeks! 2 Comic conventions in those 10 weeks....Anyway, look out for some more art popping up soon!

Someone is missing...

2009-03-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

So, March is almost over. Thank goodness! 2 weeks ago, I taught a week long class in Northville Michigan at Hillside Middle School about comics. It went well, great group of kids! I forgot to bring my camera along, but they have a wonderful teacher (Iain Burrell) and art room up there. Last week, I worked on a commission piece that was all to familiar...a nice lady like my Last Mupper so much that she wanted to buy the original....sadly, that sold at Wizard World Chicago last year...so she commissioned me to paint it again...but to leave out Jim Henson under the table. It was fun to repaint something for once. It was easy and theraputic, and got me back into the swing of making art again. I am currently working on another painting...should be done at some point this week. I'll of course post it when it is complete.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the opening of the 4th comic art show at EMU. This time, the show focuses purely on Michigan based comic artists. It is called, "Michigan Comics: Mirth, Mockary, and Mayhem from the Tri-Coastal State". I have 4 pieces in the show, and know quite a few of the other artists too. The opening is from 5-7pm, and from 7-8:30 there is a panel discussion with a few of the artists...for directions to the student center click here.

Attention to all of my Knoxville friends. Comic convention season is coming up! Adventure Con runs from June 12-14th, and they were gracious enough to give me a free table! So I hope you can all come and see me! As for other conventions, I plan on attending Motor City Comic Con, Wizard World Chicago, and Fan Expo Canada. A few other conventions are on the maybe list...but I am getting married this summer, and I don't want to drive myself too crazy.

Into the Dust Chapter 4 is Here!

2009-03-05T21:24:00.000-08:00

Today marks a historical day in the world of comics; Watchmen, the legendary graphic novel that was thought to be un-filmable, opened in theaters today. But that's not what makes today historical...Into the Dust Chapter 4 is done, and ready to read! And guess what? You can read the entire thing for free! Just Click Here! For those of you who wish to own a physical copy of #4, packed with extras, plus a custom sketch cover by yours truly, head on over to IntotheDust.net and pre-order your copy!

Something New

2009-02-16T15:12:00.001-08:00

So, I don't have any new comic art to show you today, I am working hard on Into the Dust #4. My brother Tyler is currently helping me out with the dialogue, it should be done very soon. What I do have for you today is something new for this site, and I would like to get a bit of feedback on it as to whether I should continue to include this sort of thing in the future. For many years, singing was a passion of mine. I always knew I would end up being a comic artist, but that didn't stop me from taking 7 years of choir classes, and touring Europe with the elite chamber singers of Ypsilanti High School. At the end of my senior year however, I had a bit of a falling out with my professor, and I decided to stop my vocal training, and focus purely on art...
Still, whenever I grew tired or bored, I would find myself playing the piano again, and singing for my own pleasure. Last spring, my good friends Mike and Yasmine had me sing at their wedding, having been away from it for6 years by that point, singing in front of an audience was a little nerve wracking. But I was recieved well. So recently I acquired Adobe CS4, and I decided to mess around with the Audio program that was included, Soundbooth. This was the result...

So please, what do you think? should I continue to occasionally tickle your auditory nerves, or should I stick to the visual cortex?
I hope this post doesn't come out all wonky, I am trying to update it with Adobe Contribute, which I have never used before...

January, Chugging along!

2009-01-24T17:53:00.000-08:00

Well the past week and a half or so I have been hard at work on Into the Dust! The forth chapter will be out by the time I go to my first convention this year. As I have said previously on this site, this issue will be available for free online for anyone to read. I will have some print copies, but they will be a limited edition version with a blank cover (minus the Into the Dust logo, etc) Why would I do this you ask? Well, because anyone who orders the lovely print copy will get a hand drawn cover! Yay! Cover price will be a bit more than Chapters 1-3, but the free online edition plus the sketch cover will make up for it. Today, I finished putting together a Teaching page for the site...kinda an advertisement for anyone who would like to hire me for public lectures, teaching etc. On that page (just look to your right and click Teaching) you will also find 2 videos examples of my teaching. These videos were way too long for Youtube, so I just uploaded them to my own server!
The page you are looking at is page 20 of chapter 4 in process. So far just linework...haven't filled in many blacks, or thickened many lines. Just thought you would like to see that indeed the chapter is close to being done.
I should have a new "Thought Balloons" video soon. I'm trying to learn about the program more, and get a better green screen set up in my studio. Once all of those kinks are out, I want to try to do a "Thought Balloons" every week.
I started Substitute Teaching this week, worked at 3 separate schools so far, in 3 different school districts. It's good money, and I set my own schedule. So if I get an art commission, I don't have to work!

Things

2009-01-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

It's a new year! Magic book is done (besides 2 or 3 layout edits), and my new piece is done, I call it "A Super Bluff". It's based on Cassius Marcellus Coolidge's "A Bold Bluff", one of the Dogs playing Poker series...
For those of you not fluent in Geek, the Animals in my version are the Legion of Superpets. Krypto the Superdog, Beppo the Supermonkey, Streaky the Supercat, Comet the Superhorse, and Ace the Bathound.
In the real world, I have orientation for Substitute teaching this Wednesday.
Tonight I participated in the A&S Alive podcast tonight....check out the site!
As soon as things get settled....back to Into the Dust!

Christmas, the State of Things, and a Poker Game

2008-12-22T21:40:00.000-08:00

It's been one hell of a month.
A quick run down for those who came in late....
My fiancee Amber was laid off from her job. Later that day she came into my studio where I was working with my laptop. In the middle of her rant about why Michigan's economy sucks, she raised her hands up above her head and knocked my laptop to the floor. Broken. $200 later, I send my laptop to HP to be fixed. Next day, I go into Art Attack and explain how bad of a day it had been, and my boss tells me that Art Attack is going out of business....on the 23rd of December. One or two minor panic attacks later, I come up with a plan to pay the bills during lulls of commission work (Substitute Teaching.) Meanwhile, I begin my 3 week artist residency at Erickson School in Ypsilanti. This goes well, despite the fact that all of my teaching notes/powerpoint presentations for the classes were on my laptop. One week later, Amber and I are going to the grocery store, and my car overheats...now this has been happening for a while, they fixed this problem in July when we broke down in Chicago, but it hasn't really worked quite right since. So, the car overheats, but now it's winter, and we had only driven 6 or 7 blocks. So we drop it off at the garage, and a few days later I get the bad news that my car is terminally ill. Broke, distraught, and utterly clueless as to what to do, I go and plead with my parents to help. Long story short: Dad has a new car, and I now am in posession of his old car (the one I borrowed to drive to Tennessee)
Artistically, the magic book's artwork is done! Currently I am preparing them digitally for approval/print (hours and hours of boring work) So to keep me sane, I am beginning a painting. This idea came to me a few days ago when I was drawing playing cards on one of the magic book pages. It was an Idea that needed to get down on paper, just to get it out of my head...There is another painting that I was planning on doing first, but it requires my full attention, not this which is just keeping me sane (and letting me experiment with some of my new art supplies)
So the Image for this post is the painting as it currently sits on my desk behind me as I twittle away at the boring part of a magic book. Enjoy!

Video blog #2

2008-11-16T11:12:00.000-08:00

Sorry to all my art history students back at Webb. The audio for the lecture that I gave got lost somehow...I will post the audio-less powerpoint soon.
So I got quite a few comments on my recent video update, so I decided that I would try to make it a regular thing....I'll review something that I am reading, or watching...and generally just keep you updated...This is not to say that I will stop regular posting on this site however.... Enjoy!

The Big Update Part 2!

2008-11-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

So....if you have read part one, you kinda know what I did with the 7th graders, but if you haven't here's the skinny...
We got together as a group and each class came up with an idea for a short comic with 6 panels. They came up with what was going to be in each panel, and then they broke up into smaller groups and each drew a panel of the comic on a sheet of newsprint, which they later re-drew into a much more final drawing, and used markers and pens to ink their pencil lines. I then took their drawings, and drew my final version of their comic. There were two 7th grade classes and so I ended up having to paint 2 separate comics.

The first class wanted to tell a story about a lonely Jellyfish who happened to be an actual jar of jelly. He traveled the ocean after being kicked out of his family to find a friend/someone to love. He came across the following characters: A marshmallow pufferfish, a sea cucumber who owned a ranch, a tuna fish (who happens to be shaped like a can of tuna)and a cracker fish who are in love, and a mushroom manta who ran a restaurant. After being ignored by all of these people he comes across a peanut butter fish, and they live happily ever after...

The second class wanted to tell a story about a penguin at the beach. The penguin would drive to the beach, make a sandcastle, eat some ice cream, go surfing, shoot out of a whales blow hole, and end up forgetting to put suntan lotion on and go home with a bad case of sun burn.
Kids come up with the strangest things....
As I said in part 1, I start my Art History lecture tomorrow. It will span 2 days, and I will do as I did with my big comic lecture and put it up on the site for students/anyone to watch and listen to...It will take me a few days to edit it together this time though...expect it to be up on the web by the beginning of next week. I made 2 silk screens today for fun of page 7 of Into the Dust #1. If they turn out well I might start selling shirts with the image on them....

The Big Update Part 1!

2008-11-04T16:08:00.001-08:00

So here it is, the big update! I have tons of photos, plus an interview slash article written by Cathy Dowhos-O'Gorman about my time here at Webb. It’s my last week, and I’m down to my last class, art history! My shows up, and will be up for the rest of the week. We’re having a closing reception on Friday around 12:30 PM. I pick up my father at the Airport Thursday evening and we will leave Knoxville early Sunday morning. I hope to be back by late afternoon this following Monday. I’ve had a wonderful time here at Webb. I have decided that I must come back down to Tennessee for Adventure Con next year. I already have a place to stay which is a bonus! It’s Election Day, I hope everyone went and voted. I have decided to break this post up into sections; the photos you see here are of my show, and an upper school students working on their projects for my class. In printmaking, students are laying out silk Screens of comic strips that they have written. In drawing, students are making mono prints of facial expressions in a deliberate sequence. And in AP Art, Students are finishing up their comics!

What follows is Cathy’s article:

Michigan-based comic book artist Jesse Rubenfeld is wrapping up his month-long tenure this week at Webb School of Knoxville as the school’s fall Artist-in-Residence.

Webb's Artist-In-Residence Program is a four to six-week, on-campus teaching and learning experience for Webb students, featuring nationally and internationally acclaimed artists. The program, which takes place every fall and spring, provides students with a view into the real world of art by exposing them to professional artists and inspires them to explore their own creative abilities.

Rubenfeld earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Eastern Michigan University (EMU) with a concentration in drawing. He is the author/illustrator of the serial comic book, Into the Dust, which has been distributed nationally and internationally, and is now in its fourth installment.

The desire to become a comic book artist came at an early age for Rubenfeld. His father, an art historian and avid collector of comic books, was a big influence, according to Rubenfeld. “Dad collected comic books all his life and grew up a block away from one of the original Archie comic book artists,” he says, adding that many of his father’s friends went on to make comics and create characters like Swamp Thing and Wolverine. “So growing up, I liked comics, I liked art,” says Rubenfeld. “It was never this fantasy job because I knew all these people who had this job, and I knew that it was possible to do it and to make a living at it.”

Rubenfeld said he tried his hand at comic strips, but found attempting to tell a story in so small a space limiting. So much so that his story disappeared. “And then it was just about being funny every week,” says Rubenfeld. It was not until he studied under comic book artist/author Scott McCloud at EMU that he realized he could apply his fine art talents to creating comics. “Scott had seen what I was doing in my fine art, which was far more realistic and less “cartoony,’” says Rubenfeld. “So he looked at my art and said ‘why don’t you do something more like this in a comic?’ I said ‘okay, I’ll give it a shot.’ And I had this story that I had been working on in my head for quite a few years that I thought would be great.”

That story led to Rubenfeld’s breakthrough comic book, Into the Dust, which he says is loosely based on The Wizard of Oz, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, mixed in with 1960s popular culture. “My Dorothy-like character doesn’t end up in Oz, but ends up in 1964 Beverly Hills,” describes Rubenfeld. “So she goes from the Dust Bowl era of Kansas to 1964, and she travels back home to Kansas along Route 66 in a groovy red mustang.”

Rubenfeld describes his art as gritty and realistic, with undertones of expressive marks. He says he prefers to work with ink wash and watercolor as opposed to the more standard digital color. “With digital color, it’s a very exact science,” he says, “and hard to add that tactile ‘go-at-it” appeal that watercolor and ink wash have. It’s messier, but it’s much more expressive.”

Expression was the main idea behind a project Rubenfeld assigned to Webb’s fifth grade students. They were to think about something that happened to them in their lives, gather as many details as possible and then tell their stories in a series of panels to later be colored and put into a collage.

With Webb’s Upper School art students, Rubenfeld taught the importance of making location a part of the story and the need to create the story behind the characters. As an exercise, he gathered photographs of people and handed them out to the students. “And I said ‘okay, you’re stuck with this person,’” Rubenfeld describes, “’what’s this person’s story?’” Another assignment called for students to create expressive portraits, showing a change in expression over a three-panel sequence with the last panel to also show what caused that expression.

Webb’s seventh grade students were charged with creating an original comic strip as a class. They broke up into smaller groups with each taking a panel to draw and ink. After they were done, Rubenfeld collected the drawings and put together the final version. The result was a six-panel comic strip about a “jelly” fish, which is shunned by his family for being different, and he roams the sea in search of a friend. That project is currently on display in Webb’s Upper School Gallery, along with samples of Rubenfeld’s previous works.

Rubenfeld’s tenure at Webb marks his first teaching experience; something he says he’d like to do again. “Webb is a wonderful school and its facilities are terrific,” says Rubenfeld. “I strive to make comics less of a throw-away entertainment and looked at more as fine literature and fine art, and teaching is a great way to get that idea into people’s heads.”

Despite his lack of teaching experience, Rubenfeld is a natural, according to Webb art teachers. “I think that Jesse is such a talented professional and the students took to him right away,” says Upper School art teacher, Margie Luttrell. “He provided a new and interesting twist to looking at art in a different and valid way.”

“The kids were definitely able to relate to him and his art right away and laugh,” says Middle School art teacher Noel Redmon. “There’s not always humor in art, but there is in Jesse's work. The students were excited to see Jesse and show him their own work. I’m confident that their time with Jesse will be among the highlights of their Middle School experience.”

See Me in Action!

2008-10-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

Today was a relatively uneventful day. I did however pick up the few photographs of my self teaching the fifth graders. I've had fun working with them, tomorrow is my last day. Next week, I get to start working with the drawing class in the upper school, as well as a printmaking class. Both projects for the new classes will be slightly different than with previous classes. The weather is beginning to change here; I am now bringing a jacket to work, and the mornings can be quite chilly. Leaves are beginning to fall and change colors, it looks kind of like Michigan two weeks ago. Be on the lookout for more photos of students, I will post them as soon as I get them.
I do miss Michigan. If I was home right now, I would be preparing to go to art night. It has been a while since I've been to one, with all preparations for this trip, and I really miss it. Obviously, I also missed my fiancé. Waking up without her there every morning is torture. I do like the better economy, the warmer weather, and the people here; however, they do not compare to the people, places, and things I call home.
On a happier note, I got paid today! So I've decided to go buy a pizza. Later!

Still at Webb, 2 weeks down 3 to go!

2008-10-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

So a photographer has been following me around snapping photos of me with the kids, however she has yet to send me any shots....as soon as I get them, I'll throw them all up for folks to see me in action. Sorry no new lecture yet...been giving a really short intro slideshow on my artwork, but you guys are already here, and can see all the images and read all that I would have said in it anyway, so why bother putting it up. The 7th graders and 5th graders seem to be having a lot of fun with the projects I have given them. The AP high school class got off to a rocky start, but seem to be going at a good pace now.
I have been working half of the time on Into the Dust and half on a magic book for Danish magician Rune Klan...here is a page of his book that I have done down at the school...

I posted a short video blog about my DVD addiction down here on a different site, but what the heck! It's more personal than professional, but you guys might like to see it....the sound is a little out of place, but it's not too annoying...

Oh and my brother Tyler is a radio show host every Tuesday night from 10-11 pm....his show is called Black Tuesday. I have been charged with recording his shows, and I have decided to put them up on my web server for folks who miss it....go listen!

Webb School AP Art Class Lecture

2008-10-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I hope a few of my students are here...but anyone who is interested can watch and listen to my first lecture! It may take a few minutes to load, but it will be worth it...the audio starts out a little deep....not sure why that happened, but it clears up after a few seconds.

Oh no I didn't!

2008-10-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

Well, actually yes I did....look at the Mupper in all of its 67 inch long glory! Sorry folks, this one isn't for sale...I'm going to laminate it and use it as a display. This print always draws a lot of attention, hopefully it will be amplified even more when this hangs under my table!
Well, I thought I would take a moment out of my busy day at Webb to give you a quick tour....I shot a few photos, and I'm sure there will be more to come.

Image 1, the Clock tower. The center of Webb's campus, it has a lovely chime, and ties the entire campus together. It's very pretty to watch all the kids run around and under it to hurry off to class.

Image 2, my windows. These windows are my domain...my desk and area sit behind those panes of glass, at the back of the printmaking studio...I have already learned that these act like a magnifying glass and heat up my work area...today it was in the 80s...and it felt like it at my desk.

Image 3, the middle School art room...Todd Johnston's class room...he's my go to guy at Webb. Haven't really done anything over there yet, but I will soon.

Image 4, The printmaking room,, this photo is shot from my desk, the guy in the distance on the left in the doorway is Joe, he teaches 3d, painting, and art history...his 3d class is building guitars from scratch...they look pretty sweet...I can't wait until they get strung.
That's it for now, be on the lookout for lessons this coming week!

Quick Recap on the convention and where I am now

2008-10-09T16:48:00.001-07:00

The Mid-Ohio Convention was a wonderful show.
To the right is a photo of a Secret Invasion comic cover I contributed to....I drew Jack Power from Power Pack, he is in the first row near the middle.
Sold a lot, saw old friends, etc. I was interviewed again in a comic related Podcast, you can listen to it here
Since the convention, I traveled down to Knoxville, Tennessee to teach kids at the Webb School. Living in a hotel is a very strange experience....I start my first project with the students on Monday.....I am going to be updating this site with class stuff, including projects, and powerpoint-like presentations that you can watch and listen to and join in with the students if you like. So until then, Have a great weekend!