If you’re interested in a course at TCW this is a great opportunity to meet and chat with faculty and students alike. Plus, there will be original artwork for sale!

Admission is a suggested donation of $4, with all proceeds going to the Toronto Public Library’s Lillian Smith branch. As with all TCW events, this is fully licensed. Join us for holiday cheer, awesome artwork and maybe even sign up for a workshop in January!

Toronto Cartoonists Workshop Faculty Art Show

587A College Street, Toronto, ON

Friday, December 9, 7 p.m. until 11 p.m.

And here’s another sketch by Christopher Yao. Chris has become our “go-to” artist for Trey, but I think you’ll agree he does a pretty amazing Elizabeth!

From L to R: Sam Ruano, Gibson Quarter, Christopher Yao, Rachael Wells, Kathleen Gallagher. Note the Scarecrow in the front row.

But wow, what a great time! I met a lot of great people at the TCW booth, chatting about both the school and Holmes Inc. The panels and workshops were fantastic and, as always, the costumes were spectacular. The Holmes Inc. gang had a fantastic time with Ty at the “Make Your Own Darn Comic” workshop on Thursday night. For many of us, it was our first time speaking as a guest rather than just a spectator. Thank you to everyone who showed up for the panel, especially the Scarecrow.

Our artists kept busy at the TCW booth sketching their favourite Holmes family members. Here’s a  cool Trey sketch by Christopher Yao.

We’ll post more convention sketches over the next few days. In the meantime, for another view on the FanExpo experience, see what Holmes Inc. writer Aaron Feldman had to say.

Remember, you can download Holmes Inc. at these purveyors of fine online comics.

Or email us at info@torontocartoonistsworkshop.com to order a physical copy.

Finally, if you picked up a copy of the comic, we’d love to know what you thought of it. Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you for your support!

- KG

"It's a wrap!"

The TCW crew will be manning a booth celebrating the myriad comic and art courses we offer (check them out at the TCW website).

We’re also dang easy to find. Stop by Booth 125 against the wall in the convention area, say howdy and pick up your copy of Holmes Incorporated #2 all weekend long!

Copies of Holmes Incorporated #2  will be for sale, and tons of Holmes Inc. 2 creators will be at the booth throughout the weekend, available for signings, sketches and questions. Come out and meet the comic book superstars of tomorrow!!!

Our editor and guiding light Ty the Guy Templeton will be there on Sunday (time tba).

The TCW and Fan Expo are also teaming to offer up a veritable smorgasboard of awesome “HOW TO” COMIC WORKSHOPS all weekend long!

Check out our stellar 2011 line-up of panels…

MAKE YOUR OWN DARN COMIC!ASSEMBLING THE HOLMES INC. PROJECT  WITH TY TEMPLETON and the Holmes Inc. Gang!
THURSDAY, 5 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Ty Templeton

IT’S IN THE PUNCHLINE: GAG HUMOUR CARTOONING WITH PLAYBOY’S DOUG SNEYD
THURSDAY, 6 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: PAUL TRUSTER

TEAM SPIRIT: CREATING THE FF WITH JONATHAN HICKMAN, STEVE EPTING & MARKO DJURDJEVIC
THURSDAY, 7 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: BRENT CHITTENDON

KEEPING IT IN PERSPECTIVE- A PRIMER  WITH DALE DESROCHERS
FRIDAY, 12 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Dale Desrochers

GREAT WHITE NORTH STARS:  CREATING ALPHA FLIGHT WITH CHRIS CLAREMONT, FRED VAN LENTE & DALE EAGLESHAM.
FRIDAY, 1 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: JASON SHAYER

NO TRACING ALLOWED – ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON CONTEMPORARY INKING WITH MARK MORALES, DEXTER VINES, J. BONE AND BOB MCLEOD
FRIDAY, 2 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Kellam Templeton-Smith

LIFE WITH ARCHIE- CARTOONING THE ETERNAL TEEN WITH DAN PARENT
FRIDAY, 3 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Walter Dickinson

DIGITALLY SPEAKING WITH CAMERON STEWART
FRIDAY, 4 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Walter Dickinson

KILL SHAKESPEARE PRESENTS: CREATING AND MARKETING YOUR INDEPENDENT COMIC
FRIDAY, 5 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Walter Dickinson

TAAFI PRESENTS: SCHOOLISM.COM – DIGITAL PAINTING WITH BOBBY CHIU
Presented by the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI.COM)
FRIDAY, 6 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: TAAFI

COMIC BOOK BOOTCAMP  WITH TY TEMPLETON
SATURDAY, 12 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Ty Templeton

CREATING ZOMBIES AND MACABRE MONSTERS FOR FUN & PROFIT WITH TONY MOORE
SATURDAY, 1 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Walter Dickinson

CUTE REBOOT: CREATING FUN COMICS FOR KIDS WITH KATIE COOK
SATURDAY, 2 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Robert Pincombe

POISONED PENS: WRITING CRIME COMICS WITH BRIAN AZZARELLO AND JASON AARON (who will join in at 3:30)
SATURDAY, 3 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: PAUL TRUSTER

SUPERHERO STEW – CREATE A CHARACTER WITH  DAN SLOTT AND TY TEMPLETON
SATURDAY, 4 PM  – ROOM #717
Moderator: Ty Templeton

ILLUSTRATION MASTERCLASS WITH COMICS LEGEND BILL SIENKIEWICZ
SATURDAY, 5 PM  – ROOM #717
Moderator: Robert Pincombe

WATERCOLOUR MASTERCLASS WITH JILL THOMPSON
SATURDAY, 6 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Walter Dickinson

PENCILING THE COMIC BOOK PAGE- AN INTRODUCTION BY LEONARD KIRK
SUNDAY, 12 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Leonard Kirk

DRAWING THE FEMME FATALE WITH MARK BROOKS
SUNDAY, 1 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Walter Dickinson

BREAKING THE MOLD:  REDEFINING THE CLASSIC HERO WITH JAMES ROBINSON
SUNDAY, 2 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: KATHLEEN GALLAGHER

LOOK UP IN THE SKY! CAPTURING THE FLYING FIGURE WITH SHANE DAVIS
SUNDAY, 3 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Walter Dickinson

PAINTING MASTERCLASS WITH FAMOUS MONSTERS COVER ARTIST JASON EDMISTON
SUNDAY, 4 PM – ROOM #717
Moderator: Keiren Smith

How’s that for incredible line-up of talent???

Seriously, you don’t want to miss the TCW panels. They’re fun and full of amazing insights! And please drop by the TCW booth to pick up your copy of the 80-page giant Holmes Incorporated #2!!

Art by Leonard Kirk - Colurs by Keiren Smith

And finally, a little bonus appearance.  Holmes Incorporated artist Christopher Yao (Fauntkin), letterer/colourist Keiren Smith and Assistant Editor Rob Pincombe recently collaborated on a webcomic for the hilarious trans-media, superheroic, web series Tights and Fights!

All three of us will be stopping by the Tights and Fights booth (Booth 1000) this weekend to glad hand. (Times are still TBA) The short comic is available for digital download here if you want to check out and the T&F gang are working on a way to buy and download right at their table! T&F will be sharing the space with another amazing web series, Pretty In Geek!

Check out the article here, and be sure to come by our table at Fan Expo!

Holmes Inc,. Editor Ty Templeton speaks (and speaks and speaks and speaks) with the cool kids at Dork Shelf!

And don’t forget to catch Ty and the Homes Inc. crew live and in person today at Fan Expo Toronto 2011 from 5-6pm today in Room 717  in the workshop, “MAKE YOUR OWN DARN COMIC! ASSEMBLING THE HOLMES INC. PROJECT”!

Toronto Convention Centre, South Building, 4pm. Check the website for all the details…

The Toronto Cartoonists Workshop – Holmes Incorporated will be at Booth 125 against the wall in the convention area.

Copies of Holmes Incorporated #2  will be for sale, and Holmes Inc. 2 creators will be at the booth throughout the weekend, available for signings, sketches and questions.

Our editor and guiding light Ty the Guy Templeton will be there on Sunday (time tba).

Art by Leonard Kirk / Colours by Keiren Smith

Ty will also be manning his own table at P-O57A (look for UBISOFT…then look past Artists’ Alley to the wall, and there he’ll be). And right beside him or thereabouts, you can find our master of production, letterer-colourist Keiren (K.T.) Smith (P-O56B)

Keep your eyes peeled for Holmes Incorporated alumni like Gibson Quarter (P-055A) and Adam Gorham, sitting with Big Sexy Comics at A1-P to show off their collection of the awesome Tueton!

From 5-6pm today in Room 717, Ty and Holmes Inc. assistant editor Rob Pincombe will be running the workshop, “MAKE YOUR OWN DARN COMIC! ASSEMBLING THE HOLMES INC. PROJECT” with other members of the HI2 creative team. Come and see  us for tons of behind the scenes dirt!

The convention ends at 9pm today–but there’s lots more to come all weekend long!

See you there!

The results speak for themselves. Gesture drawing helps the artist to understand the human body and create more naturalistic, expressive figures.

by Rae Wells

I used to dismiss gesture drawings as being just warm-up scribbles. A lot of the time, I didn’t even bring them home from class; I’d just pitch them in the recycle bin at the school. I don’t do that any more. Gesture drawings can teach you a lot about energy, and learning from them can really help bring figures to life on your pages.

A gesture drawing is about the tension and energy of the pose. It’s not about getting a likeness of the model, it’s about getting the attitude they’re showing. An artist’s gesture drawings can be like a writer’s notebook – quick records of ideas to explore later. A gesture drawing from a good model can be the starting point for a story or a pinup.

When I’m doing a gesture drawing, I start with a few seconds of observation, to get a feel for the pose, about what it would feel like to be in that pose, where the tension is, where the weight is, and where the energy is.  I do all this on a gut-level, not any kind of thinking or analysis… when the pose is only a minute or two long there’s not really any time for that. I’ll often find myself mimicking the pose a bit to get a better feel for its energy.

Once I am ready to draw, I spent a few seconds exploring the page and the pose, moving my arm over the paper although I might not start making marks right away. First I check how much room I have on the page, and where the edges of the page are compared to where the farthest out points of the pose are. I try to look at the model and not the page while I’m working, so it’s extra-important to have a feel for where the paper ends.

I start with a light mark that will be the frame for the drawing. For some of these drawings, I’ve highlighted the first mark I made on each page. Usually it’s a swish of a line, the “line of action” as they say. As you can tell, this doesn’t really correspond to the spine or to the centre of the figure. It’s closest to being a description of the angles of the dominant masses of the figure. If the drawing was an essay, this first line would be the premise. It defines what the pose is about.

Once the first line is down, I start putting in lines that support the premise, describing the major masses, starting with the biggest ones and moving out from there. Again, this is done by feel and gut reaction, and it takes a matter of seconds. Start big, then add in the important supporting lines, but keep it big and broad. I rarely draw faces on my gesture drawings, unless the model is making an especially expressive face, and even it’s a record of the attitude, not an attempt at making a portrait. Don’t worry too much about the end product, just record the information the way you feel it.

At least, that’s the way I approach it. I’m not saying that there’s a particularly right or wrong way to do it, just that this is how I do it, and it has worked out pretty well for me so far.

See it, Feel it, Draw it.

In that order – that’s the important bit.

(Originally posted Sept 17, 2010 on my blog, Can’t Stop Drawing.

The more natural a figure feels, the more real they are to your readers and the more engrossed we become in their adventures.

Holmes Inc. artist Gibson Quarter illustrated this week’s instalment of the popular web comic The Gutters.

We’re always happy to hear of our creative team getting gigs, and we’re really excited to share this news with you. Want to read?

Click here to see the latest issue of The Gutters, and be sure to check out some of the previous issues: they’re hilarious!

Here’s a snippet of what you can expect:

Hal: Has this comic exceeded its expectations and if so, how and why?

ROB: I’m pleased to say that people really seem to dig it!

Our readers have been extremely supportive.  They get that the series is created by the “comic book superstars of tomorrow”. I mean, some of these contributors are doing their first comic work ever but you’d never know it from the quality of the work. There are a ton of different styles at work but every artist is using the language of comics to tell their tales with panache! We’re starting to see even more excitement now that we’ve made both issues available for free digital download from anywhere in the world.

The reaction from creators wanting to be a part of the book has also been incredible. Once people saw the first issue they were eager to dive in and offer their own spin on these characters.

So it’s been good for the readers, good for the contributors, and good for the TCW.

Find out pretty much EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about us. And a few things you didn’t even know you wanted to know!

Click the link below to check it out!

http://comicbookinterviews.com/2011/08/interview-rob-pincombe/

Holmes Incorporated pin-up art by Dawnson Chen