From the files

Ink and color pencil on illustration board – 1986

Jeffrey Catherine Jones

Jeffrey Catherine Jones 1944 - 2011

This is a sad passing of energy. Jeffrey Jones was an incredibly gifted artist whose work was always inspiring and influential. His influence on ZONE was large. IDYL published in National Lampoon, and I'm AGE published in HEAVY METAL, were beautifully sketchy one page narratives espousing the profound, the profane or the pun.

I saw Jones only once, at a comic book convention years ago. Try as I might I can't recall if I spoke to him or just studied him visually from a distance. If I did say something it would have only been something like, I really like your work.

I did have the honor of introducing a very close friend to the work of Jeffery Jones, and now she has a Jones painting hanging in her dining room.

Student Sketchbook Stuff

Faber-Castell PITT artist pen – 2011

Done in a student's sketchbook, Friday, May 13th. I don't think the background worked out that well on this one, I was trying to get an up-shot of ZONE leaping off something and just couldn't mange to get the background elements right. I should have drawn the figure higher on the page. I guess that 's what I get for drawing on the train at 6:15 a.m.

Playing with Photoshop

Ink and Photoshop® - 2011

Ink - 2011

This sketch was done in one of my students sketchbooks last week, I colored it Saturday.

A Mother's Day tribute.

Ink, zip-a-tone and crayon on Bristol - 1985

A Mother's Day tribute.

This play on words printed as page 16 in the very first issue of THREAT! I was struggling to draw my own mom in the second panel, working from a photo of her it just wasn't working out. Then, my roommate and fellow THREAT! contributor Jay Geldhof suggested I just find a "mom-type" photo for reference, I did and it looked so much more mom-like. I did some minor adjustments to the hair and glasses and then it really looked more like my mom.

Hold on tight to your genes, was a play off the Electric Light Orchestra song Hold On Tight (1981). Lots of talk about DNA and genes at the time this was created. Being a fairly new vegetarian at the time I was concerned about them using radiation on fruits and vegetables to kill bacteria and messing with plant DNA to create super plants that were immune to certain diseases and resilient to pests. After what happened to him, ZONE is cautioning us to be very careful with what we mess with.

My Favorite Artist

Maeve Kraiger - pencil - 2011