Mike Holmes

I'm an illustrator and writer. I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
I make graphic novels and comics, puppets, animation,
and a mean empanada. Send me true stories for my comic strip to truestorycoast at gmail.

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Independent Illustration Professional
Graphic Design | Halifax, Canada Area, CA

Summary

I have been a freelance illustrator for over ten years, published in the Toronto Star, Buddhadharma Quarterly, Halifax's The Coast and various websites. I've created award-winning and nominated album art, show posters and music videos. In 2007 my first graphic novel, "Shenanigans", was published by Portland, Oregon-based Oni Press, contributed the title story to Image Comic's "This is a Souvenir" anthology (May 2009), and in October 2009 Invisible Publishing released my first book as full creator, "This American Drive". In April 2011, my new book, "True Story", will be published and available across North America. I have several projects on the go, and continue to establish myself as a reliable, consistent illustrator who produces eye-catching, imaginative work.
Specialties: Illustration, instruction, graphic storytelling, graphic design, animation, puppeteering, puppet construction

Experience

  • 2009 - Present
    Author/Illustrator / Invisible Publishing
  • Jun 2009 - Present
    Creative Consultant / CCI Entertainment
    Creative consultant for the CBC-TV art instruction series Artzooka.
  • Jun 2006 - Present
    Puppeteer / Decode Entertainment
    Background puppeteer for "The Mighty Jungle", a preschool show on CBC-TV.

Education

  • Nova Scotia College of Art and Design

Additional Information

Websites:
Honors:
Atlantic Journalism Award - Buddhadharma Quarterly, Spring 2007 cover Atlantic Book Award - This American Drive, Mayor's Award for Excellence in Book Illustration, 2010

Posts

Mikenesses #101.

I Marlo Meekins‘d myself.

Wow I love that show! Did you know Catbug is in it?

that is an ugly rumor, I don’t know who started it

hi I’m Mike I draw comics for the Catbug show

josephdreamboatlevitt:


EDIT: Catbug is not going to die! Your love saved him!

Well, it’s official. Catbug is going to die.

I’m Joey Comeau, part of the creative team behind the Bravest Warriors comic, and I’ve been fighting this decision behind the scenes for a couple weeks now. But in the end we have…

josephdreamboatlevitt:

Well, it’s official. Catbug is going to die.

I’m Joey Comeau, part of the creative team behind the Bravest Warriors comic, and I’ve been fighting this decision behind the scenes for a couple weeks now. But in the end we have no choice.

image

We’ve been given the task of killing off Catbug,…

octopuspiecomic:

HEY you!! This was made by me and Lacey!!

This is incredible.

Get this tomorrow! There’s a lot of makeouts and alternate universe stuff PLUS this is only the first five pages!!! I drew some crazy stuff in this book.

-Mike

manifestocomics:

Bravest Warriors #6 previews,
may contain spoilers.

Publisher: Boom! Studios
Release Date: Wed, March 13th, 2013

BASED ON THE HIT SERIES FROM ADVENTURE TIME CREATOR PENDLETON WARD! The Bravest Warriors are deep undercover at an alien beauty pageant… but none of them are winning Miss Congeniality!

good morning Seattle

This is me right now in my hotel room in Seattle, getting ready for Emerald City Comic Con tomorrow! I’ll be at the BOOM! Studios booth all weekend, doing sketch covers for Adventure Time and Bravest Warriors along with my PICs Braden Lamb, Shelli Paroline, Travis J. Hill and more!

Plus Joey Comeau and Ryan North and Natasha Allegri are here too!

And I’ll be selling original artwork from Bravest Warriors issues 1-5!

Come find the table, and say hi. I will say hi back, and we’ll be friends.

Here’s my “A” cover for Adventure Time #16 (due in May I think)!

Props to awesome comedian Paul F. Tompkins for the inspiration with this bit (I prefer pie).

It’s out today! I love drawing this comic book.

manifestocomics:

Bravest Warriors #5 previews.
may contain spoilers.

Publisher: Boom Studios.
Release Date: Wed, February 13th, 2013

FIRST ISSUE OF A NEW ARC! There’s a femme fatale causing trouble on a distant planetÖand the Bravest Warriors have to go undercover to figure it out! Don’t miss out on the first Nick Edwards connecting cover for this arc, featuring each of the Bravest Warriors and a special incentive variant cover with art from series creator Pendleton Ward!

GPOY

(illustration by Simon Greiner)

Hi! Woah. This is cool. I'm so pleased that you have a tumblr. Just dropping by to say that you make some of my favourite comics and that you're pretty cool. Awesome. Wow. Hey. Great. HAVE A REALLY GOOD DAY.

Whoa thanks! You have a good day too.

Probably someone's already asked you this by now, but what's your process on these True Story comics?

People email me stories to truestorycoast@gmail.com (I usually provide this at the end of the comic strip). When I read one I think will work, I try to break it all down visually and pick a handful of moments I want to hit. I’ll sketch it out roughly, adding or subtracting panels to get the timing right.

There’s usually no dialogue in the stories as they’re sent to me - but I try not to use narration if I can help it, so the dialogue is mostly mine. I want dialogue and images to tell the story, rather than use captions to tell the reader what’s going on. The end result is something that belongs to both the original storyteller and me, and it’s super fun to do it that way.

MOVING (TO TORONTO) SALE!!!

Moving is EXPENSIVE, so I’m hoping to make some extra money! How?

For the next week or so I’m having a special offer on original art from the Bravest Warriors comic series!  (Published by BOOM! Studios! Written by Joey Comeau! Drawn by ME!)

So what’s the deal?

When you buy a an original page from the first 4-issue story arc (signed if you want) I’ll include ONE OF TEN not-that-easy-to-get VARIANT COVERS (also signed if you want!) when you use the coupon code MOVING.

GO HERE TO SEE WHAT’S AVAILABLE!

(I will do my best to make sure you get the cover you want, but note a first and second choice in case one is sold out.)

Thanks everyone - if you’ve wanted to get something like this, now’s the time! If it’s cool, please reblog and share this around!

True Story #244.

MOVING SALE!!!

I’m moving to Toronto in four weeks! I need to make an extra bit of cash AND lighten my load, so I’m having a special offer on original art from the Bravest Warriors comic series.

When you buy a page (signed if you want) I’ll include ONE OF TEN VARIANT COVERS (also signed if you want!) when you use the coupon code MOVING.

GO HERE TO SEE WHAT’S AVAILABLE!

(I will do my best to make sure you get the cover you want, but note a first and second choice in case one is sold out.)

Thanks everyone! If it’s cool, please reblog and share this around!

jessfink:

nedroidcomics:

eiffelart:

One of the most bitter asks I’ve ever seen handled in the funniest and coolest way possible.

You are the best, Natasha!!!

Gee, why aren’t you getting these amazing opportunies, Anon? I can’t think of a single reason why people wouldn’t want to work with you

Natasha is amazing.

I keep coming up with shit to say to this anonymous crappy person, but yeah, Natasha said it funnier and better than anyone ever could. THAT’S why she gets opportunities. Because she’s good at things.

emmyc:

thephilosophersquid:

emmyc:

beatonna:

Heyyy maybe you’ve seen that first picture being posted all over facebook?  I know I have!  I also know that the jokes were originally by Ben Kling, as you can see by following this link!  There are also more where they came from!  Cute stuff. 

Now jokes like “Be Mein” could be pretty coincidental but on the whole I don’t think so!  I just wanted to direct you to the original artist, because hey, fight that good proper attribution fight.  Facebook is a no mans land of nothing attributed to anyone ever.

Ben is my IRL friend and I hate the internet and I’m gonna smack all you fuckin’ joke-stealing jerks up OK? Also, you tasteless weirdo who re-purposed his jokes, I feel really sorry that you have 0 design sense and couldn’t see that his drawings were wayyyyyy cuter valentines than your crappy photoshops. AARRGHH

If you like Ben’s original cool cute valentines, you can purchase them here!! http://www.redbubble.com/people/benkling/collections/179130-dictator-valentines?product_type=greeting-card <—- yeah!!!

I’m one who made this egregious error, even after I totes remember seeing these wonderful illustration/valentines on the Tumblr. The best way to make up for it is to first publicly confront my wrongdoing, and then buy the fuck out of Ben Kling’s valentines (my valentine will have to guess which one I got ‘im).

You’re the person who made the knockoffs? First of all, thank you for responding in such a classy way (unlike I did). It takes guts to own up to doing something. I always picture the people who do these things as people who DO consider the consequences of hurting the content-creator, and they just don’t care. But I think a lot of times it’s just someone who didn’t realize, maybe didn’t think it all the way through, or maybe didn’t see someone’s creative effort as something that should belong solely to it’s maker.

True apologies are like icecream sundaes made of magic that tastes like sunsets. They are rare, and should be well received and appreciated!

(I’m sorry I called you a tasteless weirdo.)

awesome lessons, everybody!!

Not to throw water on this, but “The Philosopher Squid” didn’t make these, she was just apologizing for spreading it around. The original thief is anything but sorry and even is being kind of a dick about it - he says he “acknowledged” the original artist but I’ll be damned if I can find Ben’s name on the post anywhere:

http://the-kim-jong-illest.tumblr.com/post/41733145090/i-saw-some-dictator-themed-valentines-earlier-but

True Story #243.

Audio

  • songsbyjeremy: Bluegrass Christmas! Here is a christmas song! Please remember Santa’s banjo playing is only as good as mine. So don’t fault the guy for it. Christmas songs with banjos! Please reblog and share these songs, and follow Jeremy! You will get the gift of a new awesome song every few days!
    229 plays
  • guyswithpencils: Guys With Pencils Ep 85 - Mike Holmes! Mike Holmes is an East Coast based Cartoonist/Illustrator. He’s currently been working on such titles as the Adventure Time Comics and Bravest Warriors. Mike has done a variety of posters for comedian Patton Oswalt and is an active member in the East Coast comic book scene with his own series titled True Story.Mike chats with us and talks about his personal experiences and what lead him down the road as from a stand up comic to a sit down cartoonist. Check out Mike’s work at the links below.Mike Holmes TumblrMike Holmes Twitter Download These guys were great to talk to and their podcast should be on your subscription list!
    237 plays
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