ink and thunder

Songs Illustrated: Deafheaven's "Gifts for the Earth" by Becky Cloonan

Mon, 01 Feb 2016 13:29:19 -0500

In Songs Illustrated, we enlist our favorite comic book artists and cartoonists to translate songs into sequential art.
Black metal pioneers Deafheaven has spent half a decade exploring the contrast between euphoric washes of ethereal noise and relentless tidal waves of barbed metal glory. Blurs of serrated guitar, heart attack percussion and George Clarke’s sandpaper rasp have pushed the group into a new space that straddles traditional Scandinavian chaos with something much less definable. That hybrid intensity reached a new apex with 2015’s “New Bermuda,” an album that seamlessly gallops along assaulting guitar lines and tear-jerk adagio piano outros with equal conviction. And don’t get us started on the live shows.
In our latest Songs Illustrated, writer and illustrator Becky Cloonan channels eight-and-a-half-minute album closer, “Gifts for the Earth,” into a visual elegy of haunting beauty with an insidious core—which couldn’t be more appropriate. Cloonan currently co-writes the eerie underside of Batman’s stomping grounds in Gotham Academy as well as the cosmic horror slow burn of Southern Cross. Here, she harkens back to the brutal, lonely lament of works like her self-published one-shots Wolves, Demeter and The Mire as well as her stint on writer Brian Wood’s viking epic, Northlanders.
Deafheaven is currently on tour and Ms. Cloonan is currently prepping her new ongoing Punisher run at Marvel.

My HÄXAN print for Mondo

Thu, 21 Jan 2016 10:14:10 -0500

My HÄXAN print for Mondo

Sue ‘em all

Fri, 15 Jan 2016 21:01:43 -0500

Sue ‘em all

Day posters I illustrated for roadburn.com! Omg look at that...

Wed, 30 Dec 2015 10:55:17 -0500

Day posters I illustrated for roadburn.com! Omg look at that lineup. I can’t believe it. Such an honor to be doing work for this festival!!

More Sketches 😑

Fri, 11 Dec 2015 09:07:09 -0500

More Sketches 😑

Hell yeah, Dark Phoenix! Regular and variant prints for...

Sat, 21 Nov 2015 11:31:43 -0500

Hell yeah, Dark Phoenix! Regular and variant prints for @mondotees’s Snikt Bamf Thwip: A Celebration of Marvel Comics gallery show! The opening is on December 11th, so if you’re in/around Austin be sure to check it out!

Other artists set to premiere pieces at the show include: Florian Bertmer; Boneface; Glen Brogan; Sam Wolfe Connelly; Craig Drake; Francesco Francavilla; Gianmarco Magnani; Mike Mitchell; Phantom City Creative; Chris Skinner; Matt Taylor; Emily Tetri; We Buy Your Kids; Tom Whalen; and Matthew Woodson.

For more info on the show, check out: http://www.superherohype.com/news/359131-mondo-announces-final-2015-gallery-show-snikt-bamf-thwip-a-celebration-of-marvel-comics

None outlive the night when the Norns have spoken. My piece for...

Wed, 11 Nov 2015 16:30:12 -0500

None outlive the night when the Norns have spoken.

My piece for the @mondotees Originals show! So many amazing artists and good friends in this one, I’m honored to be a part of it. Opening is this Friday the 13th at the Mondo gallery in Austin TX! 7pm! Be there! 😘

For some more info, peeks at the art, and a great interview with Mitch Putnam, check out http://eviltender.com/2015/11/11/opening-soon-originals-a-fine-art-show-at-the-mondo-gallery/

sirmitchell: Took me a bit, but these and more are now...

Mon, 02 Nov 2015 13:56:26 -0500

sirmitchell:

Took me a bit, but these and more are now available at poorexample.com!

WOLF’S BLOOD!! New shirt by me and @roguescreenprint,...

Sun, 25 Oct 2015 11:18:37 -0400

WOLF’S BLOOD!! New shirt by me and @roguescreenprint, available now for pre-order for the next week!! I am sooo stoked on how these came out!! Roguescreenprint.bigcartel.com

“Do you know what we need, man? Some rope.” Pretty...

Fri, 16 Oct 2015 21:09:42 -0400

“Do you know what we need, man? Some rope.”

Pretty psyched to finally be able to show the final art I did for The Boondock Saints Mondo x Steelbook! Fun stuff!

brianewing: Now available through @meta.crypt...

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 16:46:52 -0400

brianewing:

Now available through @meta.crypt http://meta-crypt.com #ShubZeroth #embroideredpatches they are a whopping 5"x4" and sexy as Hell!
#metacrypt is #brianewingxjustinjewett we’ve been quietly cranking out Japanese #sofubi for the past couple of years. We have a big release for #nycc to announce soon. But for now we are FINALLY making these #Halloween #shub #patches available through our shop. These will not be available through my shop. Trying to generate more interest in the toys we have been making so I wanna keep it separate.
I’ll be at @mondocon this week and @newyorkcomiccon next week. #norestfortheretarded I’ll have the patches available at my booths. But in small quantities. So if you want them get on that!
I have been stressing me bollocks off in preparation for #mondocon and #newyorkcomiccon My heart hangs heavy and if you see me I might look a little thinner. #stressisagreatwaytodiet #ughh #noitsnot #calgontakemeaway #andshootmeintheface
Got a flight to catch in a few hours and some more prep to do. Hope I get to see some of y'alls at the show. Bring hugs and booze please!!!
#Patchgame #beelzabub #baphomet #loveskindacrazy #withaspookylittlegirllikeyou #whiskeygingerstakemyheartaway #beelzababe #toofuckingtiredtowriteanymore #stickaforkinme

FREELANCERS: RETIREMENT SAVINGS 101

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 09:11:57 -0400

kalidraws:

Hey, how often do you think about being an old person? As someone with a deep, persistent fear of dying alone and penniless, I think about this a lot. I can solve the “alone” part with a lot of cats, but the “penniless” part is a little trickier. I can’t count on the fact that I’ll be able to work forever, and as a freelancer I don’t have a pension or an employer’s 401k plan to sustain me. I’m CERTAINLY not counting on Social Security to bail me out, and neither should you.
This is where Individual Retirement Savings (IRAs) come in! I haven’t seen much advice about this geared towards artists, so I thought I’d write a post about it. You can start saving at any age for your future comfort and happiness, and there’s no blood sacrifice or mystic knowledge required! What is required is a basic understanding of how IRAs work, and the willingness to sign up for one and start saving. If you are earning money, don’t have a retirement savings account, and can spare a chunk of cash each year, start now!
So, the basics:
There are few different kinds of IRA, but for simplicity’s sake I’m mostly focusing on Traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. Each IRA has the same goal, to allow you to save money for retirement, and to let your money to grow tax-free in the time in-between. You can set one up for yourself so long as you (or your spouse) have earned income.
What makes IRAs different from a regular savings account? IRAs can generate a lot more earnings over time because you don’t pay taxes every year!
IRAs are typically composed of investments (in mutual funds, stocks, bonds, etc.) so your gains will fluctuate year to year depending on the financial landscape and the kind of investments made–but you can expect to earn around 7% over the long-run, which is way better than the average savings account interest rate of 0.06%. That’s not to say that a savings account is bad. If you have a savings account, THAT’S GREAT. If you have extra savings and you’re willing to wait 30 or so years to take it out, open an IRA to take advantage of the higher growth potential!
You can open an IRA through most large financial institutions–banks, mutual fund companies, and brokerage firms, any of which can offer a variety of investment options. The fees and fee structure for each institution can vary however, so it’s good to compare. (You can start by searching on google for “where to open a Roth IRA” or “where to open a Traditional IRA”)
TRADITIONAL & ROTH IRA, COMPARE & CONTRAST
Who can contribute to an IRA?
In a Traditional IRA, anyone with earned income of any amount can contribute, but you must be younger than 70 ½. In a Roth IRA, you can be any age, but you must have a modified adjusted gross income of less than $131,000 if you’re single, or a modified adjusted gross income of less than $193,000 if you’re married filing jointly.
How much can you contribute per year?
In both plans, you can contribute up to $5,500 each year, or up to $6,500 if you’re age 50 or older. You don’t have to contribute the max amount, and you don’t have to contribute every year. The max amount is increased every so often so it’s a good idea to check into the current maximum contributions allowed (just google “maximum IRA contribution”)
What’s the deal with taxes??
The big difference between Traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs is when your money gets taxed. With a Traditional IRA, when you CONTRIBUTE money you don’t have to pay taxes on it, but when you WITHDRAW money you have to pay income tax on it at that time.
In a Roth IRA it’s the opposite–when you CONTRIBUTE your money you pay taxes on it, and when you WITHDRAW the money it is entirely tax-free.
Simplistically, this means that if you are currently in a high tax bracket and think you will be in a lower tax bracket by the time you retire, a Traditional IRA may save you more money. If you are in a low tax bracket right now and anticipate that by the time you retire your income taxes will be higher, the Roth IRA will be a better fit. You can also have retirement savings in both kinds of accounts (though your total contribution per year still maxes out at $5,500/$6,500), and/or roll over one kind of account into another down the line.
One big tax caveat: If you or your spouse have the ability to contribute to an employer sponsored retirement plan (i.e. 401k) you can still contribute to a Traditional IRA, but you will NOT get the tax deduction. This is referred to as a “non-deductible IRA contribution”, and it affects “pre-tax” IRA accounts, like Traditional IRAs. Employer sponsored retirement plans have no effect on your contributions to a Roth IRA account though!!
There’s a 10% penalty if you withdraw money from your IRA account at the wrong time. So WHEN can you withdraw your money without penalty?
In a Traditional IRA, you can start withdrawing your money at the age of 59 ½, and MUST start taking minimum withdrawals at age 70 ½. (I don’t know why the half-numbers are important, but them’s the facts!)
In a Roth IRA, there are no mandatory withdrawals, and you can start withdrawing your money at the age of 59 ½ – if your withdrawal is at least 5 years after your first contribution was made. (So, if you start contributing to a Roth IRA at age 56, you wouldn’t be able to withdraw your earnings without a penalty before the age of 61. This isn’t an issue if you start earlier!)
Roth IRA BONUS: Roths allow you to withdraw your previous contributions at ANY TIME without penalty, provided you don’t take out the interest your contributions earned. (So if you contribute $10,000 over time and your Roth IRA earns an additional $8,000 in interest for a total of $18,000 in your account, you can still withdraw that original $10,000 at any time, no matter when or what age you are)
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU??
It means that young freelancers are in an ideal situation to start contributing to a Roth IRA account. If you are just starting working, it’s likely that you are in a lower tax bracket right now than you will be later, so Roth IRAs can be very beneficial. The longer you have your money in a retirement savings account, the more time it has to grow–$5,500 a year may sound like a lot to contribute at first, but you don’t have to contribute the full amount and you don’t have to contribute every year. If you can only contribute $1,000 a year, contributing ANYTHING is better than nothing, as long as you start sooner rather than later. Also, because Roth accounts let you withdraw your original contributions at any time, if you find you need to use some of that money for an unexpected expense you can always take it out without penalty.
ONE !!!IMPORTANT!!! CONSIDERATION:
There is MONETARY RISK involved in contributing to any IRA. Since all IRAs are investments and investments can fluctuate, there may be some years where your account experiences losses instead of gains. Sometimes there may be less money in the account than what you contributed. This is to be expected, and the longer you are able to let your account grow the greater your overall gain will be, despite any fluctuations along the road. This is another reason why starting as soon as possible is best.
Other situations to consider:
If you already have a 401k account from an employer, you can also open your own IRA in addition. If your employer matches your 401k contributions, do that first–that’s free money! If you max out your employer contributions and want to contribute more, you can put the rest in your own IRA (but it will be considered a “non-deductible/after-tax contribution”. See “One big tax caveat” above)
If you are self-employed (or a small business owner) and you would like to contribute more than $5,500 each year to an IRA, consider the SEP IRA. The SEP IRA functions very similarly to a Traditional IRA, but you can make higher yearly contributions–up to $53,000 per year! There are other rules that govern this, though.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Artists, if your cost of living can support it, start a retirement savings account now if you don’t have one already. It’s the best thing you can do for your future-self.
Full disclosure: I’m an artist, not a “wealth management professional” and if you have any questions about retirement savings accounts you should talk to qualified persons. I’m just scratching the surface here–I speak only from my own experience & simplified understanding. I’m happy to have a Roth IRA account with Morgan Stanley/Smith Barney and have been contributing since college, my uncle works there and is my financial adviser. I wrote this because I have seen very little income-allocation advice geared towards artists, and I feel fortunate to have benefited from my parents’ and uncle’s experience. Contributing a little bit to your future security is easier than you may think.

So incredibly stoked to be doing art for Roadburn Festival...

Thu, 10 Sep 2015 13:18:04 -0400

So incredibly stoked to be doing art for Roadburn Festival 2016!

Stole this from Capelight Pictures Facebook page, where they...

Tue, 08 Sep 2015 10:20:39 -0400

Stole this from Capelight Pictures Facebook page, where they teased this little sketch of mine–

Announcing the first German MONDO x SteelBook®: Boondock Saints!

A rare, pensive moment for Conan

Mon, 07 Sep 2015 22:37:53 -0400

A rare, pensive moment for Conan

💌

Sun, 06 Sep 2015 14:04:41 -0400

💌

sufferme: more riffage. love this fucking Mustang…. got some...

Sat, 05 Sep 2015 11:06:03 -0400

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A post shared by B L K T R I handmade pickups (@blktri)

sufferme:

more riffage. love this fucking Mustang…. got some fret buzz to work out after being in my Ohioan swamp assed basement, but it’ll happen. #BLKTRI #DEATHBEFOREBATTERIES #TORCH #BKS www.blktri.com

RIFFS!!! \m/

“The stars incline, they do not determine.” Peek...

Fri, 04 Sep 2015 02:36:46 -0400

“The stars incline, they do not determine.”

Peek at the print I did for All Star Comics in Melbourne! :D I’m so stoked to be signing there tomorrow (Saturday September 5th!) from 12-4, and then giving a Q&A from 4-5! If you’re in town come down and say hi!

karlkerschl: More sketching of Maps as Robin. I REALLY want to...

Tue, 01 Sep 2015 18:15:22 -0400

karlkerschl:

More sketching of Maps as Robin. I REALLY want to do a fun Batman & Robin book now.

IRON FUCKING MAIDEN

Sun, 30 Aug 2015 08:54:42 -0400

IRON FUCKING MAIDEN