Straight for the art: Tintin sketchbook

O'Malley's Tintin

One of the highlights for me at this year’s SPX was having Top Shelf’s Leigh Walton show me his impressive Tintin-themed sketchbook featuring art by folks like Bryan Lee O’Malley, Jeff Lemire, Kate Beaton, Jeffrey Brown and many others. Thankfully, Walton has put up a Flickr set of the sketchbook, so that all from near and far can revel in it. Great snakes, what fun!

Straight for the art | Cuaderno de Frases Encontradas

From Berrio's 'Conversations'

Even if you can’t read Spanish (and I totally can’t) this sketchblog by Juan Berrio, based on snatches of overheard conversations is still worth checking out. (via)

Venditti shares ‘The Ugly Truth’

The Ugly Truth

While some folks collect sketches of comic characters (like the Watchmen) from artists at conventions, Surrogates writer Robert Venditti collects sketches of himself — or of his baby picture, to be precise. And he’s started sharing them every Monday at his blog, starting with one by Jeffrey Brown.

(Speaking of Brown, don’t miss his Wolverine vs. Hulk strip over at the Top Shelf blog).

Video preview: Be A Nose

Courtesy of Jeff Lester comes this nifty video animated clip for Art Spiegelman’s upcoming collection (three books covering three time periods) of sketchbook material, Be A Nose, to be published by McSweeney’s. Here’s the official pr:

Art Spiegelman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Maus, creator of Wacky Packs and the Garbage Pail Kids, and father of the modern graphic novel (though hes still demanding a blood test), presents this warts-and-all reproduction of his private sketchbooks — and the results are as candid, sharp, and funny as the relentlessly innovative man behind them. BE A NOSE! is a rare glimpse into the secret scribblings of an American original.