New buttons for Fan Expo 2018

Fan Expo is upon us once again and I have some great new buttons! They are 1 inch gems that I am seriously ecstatic about.

I’m also stocked with my new print, Bunnies + Chainsaws.

Bunnies + Chainsaws print - Dan Holst Soelberg

Bunnies + Chainsaws is a signed print that measures 32cm x 32cm. It’s the same size as a vinyl record jacket and fits a standard Ikea frame that comes with a mat.

I feel like I’m constantly working on a new book that’s never finished. Mostly because I’m constantly working on a new book that’s never finished! It’s all about priorities, and deadlines. Lots of people are asking when I’ll have a new book and I promise I’m working on it. Thanks so much for the interest! It’s encouraging to hear the enthusiasm from everyone. Please feel free to share your photos and comments about my work here. I read everything. I’ll be sharing progress photos on Instagram and report on developments here.

I want to take a moment to reflect on my personal creative projects and creative process. Here’s my confession: I have been going through a funk. I usually spend part of my mornings and evenings making things without deadline and free of anyone else’s direction. It’s my opportunity to be completely limitless in creative expression. For a long time now, I feel like I don’t have the focus or drive to make it happen. The mojo’s gone. The free-flowing creativity that was easy ten years ago has gone away. So, I’ve been beating myself up, which just creates a downward spiral.

But something changed recently. I’m feeling energized and excited. What’s changed? Why am I suddenly driven and focused?

I changed my perspective. Or rather, my perspective was changed for me. I took a week vacation with my family to a YMCA camp that completely shook up my brain. In an instant, all my daily routines and concerns were gone. There were no expectations at all. For a whole week! The stark contrast to my usual life showed me that ten years ago, my life was very different and I had fewer concerns. Over time, adult responsibilities mounted. Two kids happened. A different life creeped in so slowly that I didn’t notice. Tiny, incremental changes in direction are barely detectable from one day to the next, but looking back after ten years, and the landscape is completely changed. My mojo’s still there, but the time and space isn’t. Demands on me have mounted and taken up space in my life and in my head – space that used to be free for me to play. I miss playing.

I can’t go back to the life I had ten years ago, and that’s not my goal. There’s a lot that I don’t want to change, but I can change my priorities and make sure that I live my values. I value playing. Play is necessary.

I hope you find time to play today too.

All the new buttons and the print shown above are available in my online shop.

Fan Expo is in Toronto Thursday, August 30 until Sunday, September 2.

Full details are on the Fan Expo website.

See you there!

Dan Holst Soelberg - Bunnies + Chainsaws closeup

Pattern – an Art Exhibition

Bending Spoons Gallery @

Vesuvio Pizzeria & Spaghetti House

3010 Dundas St W, Toronto

Show Runs until April 29, 2018

My new art exhibition focuses on pattern. Every piece in this show is a unique and original artwork, but each has also been developed with the intent to become a repeating pattern.

So, why patterns? Aesthetically, the seamlessness and infinite repetition of pattern is so damn appealing! The artwork that comprises a pattern is simultaneously contained in a finite shape and limitless in the shapes it can fill. There is also something fantastic in the messiness and organic freedom in a hand drawn pattern. Within the bounds of any pattern, there are limitless fun possibilities.

Pattern isn’t just a superficial aesthetic. In creative expression, pattern and repetition are elemental. Repetition is a powerful tool used in communication, storytelling and art. Our logical minds seek out order (repetition), and any disruption to the pattern of order signifies change that immediately stirs a response from the audience.

Repetition is often used to establish the setting in which we find the hero of a story. Think of the last time you read a book or watched a movie that relies on repetition in the first act to communicate the idea of order or a boring status quo that the protagonist is stuck in. Then something different happens that disrupts the pattern. Something new and out of the ordinary jolts the protagonist out of hum-drum boring into an adventure that sets the plot in motion.

I believe all creative pursuits rely on pattern in some way. This exhibition is my exploration of it.

Due to schedule conflicts, I won’t be hosting a reception for this exhibition.

However, this exhibition is free for viewing at the restaurant now. I will be adding more artwork on April 8. The art will hang in Vesuvio until April 29.

Art exhibition & Fan Expo

Alas, my exhibition is coming to a close, but there is still time to see it! Come to Toronto, have a fabulous Italian lunch or dinner and look at some tree art.

InsideHalton.com just published a story about me and my show. You can read it by clicking this link.

For directions to the restaurant and a preview of the menu, click here.

Some of the Outgrowth art hanging in Vesuvio Pizzeria & Spaghetti House

As the article mentions, I will be at Fan Expo in just a couple of days. Fan Expo runs August 31 to September 3, and I will be in the Artists Alley at table A265. I’ll have my usual wares all stocked up, and a couple of new things that I haven’t had time to share here, so they will be a completely new surprise. As a teaser, I can tell you that one of my favourite greeting characters, the “arrogant cat” is making a comeback in two new cards. Come to Fan Expo to see them!

For all the information on Fan Expo, click this link to the official website. Hope you can make it!

August art exhibition “Outgrowth”

“Outgrowth” is my new exhibition of art currently on display at Vesuvio Pizzeria & Spaghetti House until September 2, 2017. Please join me for the reception on Sunday August 13, 3–5pm. I invite you to leave your comment on this blog, or write in the exhibition comment book at the show.

I decided in recent years that it’s a bad idea to have an art exhibition in the summer because it lures me to the solitude of my studio when I should be outside enjoying the weather. Well, somehow I convinced myself that I could finish the artwork for my current show in the spring, which didn’t happen exactly as planned. I’m not a procrastinator in the typical way, but I do tend to cram in as many “final touches” in the very last minutes before hanging an art exhibition. If someone had forced me to hang this show an hour earlier, there would have been one less artwork!

This series of art is completely different from anything else I’ve done. It has been an indulgence for me to immerse myself in trees, examining rugged ridges in minute detail. With this show, “Outgrowth”, I am inviting you to explore every bark fold, crack, burl and crevice in the stark contrast of black ink. A close inspection uncovers my sincere and earnest reverence to the smallest features that reveal a tree’s individuality and history that may span several lifetimes. Step back, and the tiny ink lines soften and blend to form a naturalistic depiction.

The trees I studied for these pieces are all real and live near Lake Ontario’s shore in Oakville.

Bending Spoons Gallery @

Vesuvio Pizzeria & Spaghetti House

3010 Dundas St W, Toronto

Show Runs until September 2, 2017

Cats, cats, cats!

Pencil sketch that became this new artwork

I have been drawing cats lately.

Not just any cat, but a particularly shaped cat. I envision this as a pattern. I haven’t figured out yet how the pattern can be used exactly. I also want it to live as a print that can be framed and hung. I’m excited to introduce it!

The complete artwork

I will officially introduce the artwork at Geequinox in Halifax this weekend. Click here for complete Geequinox event details. I will have prints for sale, along with the original artwork.

If you can’t attend, the print will be available at my online shop May 1, 2017. Click here to pre-order.

For those who can attend, see you at Geequinox in a few days!

Sketch Page & Geequinox 2017

I’ve been silent for a while. It’s a natural part of my creative life. I go through periods of introspective planning that require silence and input; I observe and let the world come at me and live through me. Now that I have two small children, silence rarely happens. I can go days on end without any meaningful silence. When I do have some precious quiet after the kids go to bed, I’ve been in the habit of sabotaging it with television or some other senseless silence-killing act. Nevertheless, silence is vital to creativity. If creativity is part of your life, you know what I mean. Like a night of deep sleep that repairs and heals the body, silence is the mind stimulant that promotes innovative connections between ideas and generates new thoughts. Silence and stillness make action possible.

So, while I am still seeking silence, I am feeling the need to express myself more than I have the last few months. I didn’t mean to be silent on this website for quite so long, and all of a sudden I feel that I have a lot to say!

For starters, I have drawn a new self-portrait.

I have also created a place on this website to keep some of my personal drawings.

Most of these drawings were first posted on Facebook, and now they will have a more permanent home here. Click here to visit the page.

On to announcements: I’m excited to let you know that I will be attending a Halifax event next month as a featured guest!

Geequinox takes place April 22nd and 23rd. To quote the official website, “Geequinox is a two-day event held at the Halifax Forum focused on gaming, cosplay, comics, and art.” This marks my first Nova Scotian event, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I will be joining the (again, quoting the official site) “vendors of geek centric goods and services” and I will bring as many wares with me as the airline will allow. I’m flying NewLeaf for the first time direct from Hamilton to Halifax. Both the airport and the airline are new to me and I’m enthusiastically anticipating the experience. I love travelling and everything to do with travel. Even waiting in the airport feels like an adventure to me.

A big, heartfelt thanks to Marina Smith for inviting me to Geequinox. Marina has been wonderfully supportive of me and my work, and it will be exciting to finally meet her face to face. Also, a special thanks to Alex for giving me a place to stay in Halifax. Your generosity and kindness are unequaled.

Please click here to learn more about Geequinox.

My 2016 Christmas card

Dan Holst Soelberg - 2016 Christmas card If someone can tell me how to have more time in a day I am all ears. I’m not talking about wanting to cram more activities into a day, I’m literally talking about having more time. I’ve been thinking about this—if I could add about six more hours to every day I would have just enough time to do everything I want. That’s all. Just an extra six hours. If you know how, let me know.

Speaking of non-existent segues, it’s time to unveil my new Christmas card. I’m excited! It’s been a couple of years since my last Christmas card and I’ve had requests for something new. So, I dug deep into my cavernous well of ideas and sketches. Here’s what came out:

Cover of my 2016 Christmas card

Dan Holst Soelberg - inside 2016 Christmas card

And open the card to reveal the horrors that await smiling, candy cane loving children. (click image to enlarge)

What better way to say “bless you on this sacred holiday” than the image of bones in the snow and the threat of bodily harm from a mutant tree? I wrote the poem and sketched this idea a while back but it didn’t feel resolved.

Dan Holst Soelberg - 2016 Christmas card

Left to right: Initial sketch of the card front; Original sketch of the axe-wielding tree monster; Revised tree monster with enormous hands instead of the axe. Without the weapon, I wanted his facial expression to be more animated. The ruled lines are drawn to help me figure out the layout, and to transfer elements to the final artwork.

The tree holding the axe didn’t feel quite right. The image is just a little too close to the axe-wielding boy in my headless snowmen card, so I kept sketching until this monster with huge grappling hands emerged.

Because I was strapped for time (seriously, six extra hours every day would be awesome…even just five!) I had to change up my usual process and find ways to speed it up. First, I drew it at 100% scale. Like most artists, I usually draw at a larger scale, but when time’s valuable, a smaller drawing translates to less time.

Second, I really felt that colour was important for this card (rather than my signature black and white). I like watercolour, but it can be finicky and time-consuming. I recently bought a drawing tablet for the purpose of speeding up my process, but for some reason it wasn’t giving me the results I wanted. So, after a few frustrating minutes of failed attempts, I ditched the tablet for my trusty Apple cordless mouse. It did exactly what I wanted and the result is satisfying. I like how the Photoshop watercolour brush can be adjusted to work like the real thing. The happy accidents feel and look remarkably natural. And if a brush stroke isn’t working, it’s such a fantastic feeling to command+z my way out of it!

The card is available for order on my online shop, and I’ll start shipping them out next week. If you want yours in time for Christmas, please place your order now at this link. If you’d rather buy directly from me, just send me an email at dhsoelberg(at)gmail.com.

Here is the completed pen drawing before applying colour on the computer. Notice the misspelling of “dear”. Photoshop can do wonders! (click image to enlarge)

Here is the final product, with the silhouettes completing the 3-act play, and punctuating the punchline. (click image to enlarge)

If you want to buy from me personally, you can tomorrow! As mentioned in a previous post, I’ll be selling my wares at Frost Bite in Toronto on Sunday, December 11 at 11am to 8pm. It’s at Pia Bouman School for Ballet, 6 Noble Street, Toronto.

Click here to go to the event’s official facebook page. You can also go to the website for more information: http://theBazaarofTheBizarre.org/

Chicago trip, 2017 Calendar & new prints for Frost Bite

Life’s been treating me fairly well and keeping me far too occupied. Recently, I took an overdue trip to Chicago with my family.

It’s been more than just a bucket list destination. So many reasons to go and far too many things to do in that blustery city. “Windy City” is not just a cute nickname.

The famous Chicago Skydeck was not-so-cutely closed when I went due to high winds. Trust me, that little diversion didn’t deprive me of a Chicagorific adventure.

Left to right: Art Institute of Chicago; Georges Seurat’s painting “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte”; The L Train was a convenient 5-minute walk from our hotel and took us right into the heart of Chicago

I was fortunate to visit the Art Institute of Chicago, but in retrospect I wish I’d had more time to take in the staggering number of exhibits. I had my own Cameron Frye moment with the famous Seurat masterpiece. It’s only now that I’m home that I seriously regret not going to The Green Mill, a renowned Chicago hot-spot for Jazz lovers. Then again, I don’t know how kid-friendly the place is and I was carting two under-aged offspring. I think a parents-only revisit is something I must plan soon.

In announcements, I am very happy to have the 2017 Shadow Abuse calendar restocked and available in my Storenvy shop.

2017 Shadow Abuse calendar cover by Dan Holst Soelberg

Copies available now at http://danholstsoelberg.storenvy.com/products/18543973-new-2017-calendar-shadow-abuse

The first printing sold out quickly! The new calendar features large-scale reproductions of pages from the book Shadow Abuse, and if you have the 2016 calendar, I assure you these are all different. If you visit my shop, you’ll also see several new full-scale signed reproductions of drawings from Shadow Abuse. And in response to requests, the “headless snowmen” artwork from my Christmas greeting card is now a signed print. Click here to see it.

In upcoming events, I’m taking part in the very-soon-to-happen Frost Bite show in Toronto. Expect to see lots of wonderful things to delight your soul and make holiday gift purchasing easy for you. I’m aiming to unveil a brand new Christmas card that conveys the sentiment that I think we all need during the holidays. I’ll post a peek here just before the show starts. Frost Bite happens Sunday, December 11 at 11am to 8pm. Once again, it’s at Pia Bouman School for Ballet, 6 Noble Street, Toronto.

Click here to go to the event’s official facebook page. You can also go to the website for more information: http://theBazaarofTheBizarre.org/

My dream of making greeting cards has come true!

I fantasize about working for Hallmark making greeting cards, but I’m sure the job in my head doesn’t resemble reality. My twisted mass of grey matter imagines a vast open office space, and my spot in front of a large window. I’m sitting atop a tall stool under a swing-arm lamp clamped to a drafting table. I start Monday morning with my steaming cup of coffee, giggling as I sketch out my latest greeting card ideas. After lunch, I present my ideas to the creative group in a long room at the head of an equally long table and we choose the most promising ones that I will develop throughout the week. At the end of Friday I put my finished artwork boards in an oversized orange envelope and drop it on the office mail cart for the reproduction department. At 5pm I switch off my lamp, fold my jacket over my arm, and whistle happily as I skip to my car.

I know, it’s kind of a boring fantasy. Don’t judge!

Headless snowmen greeting card by Dan Holst Soelberg

The front of my headless snowmen Christmas card. See what’s written inside here: http://danholstsoelberg.storenvy.com/

The reality is I don’t have a job at Hallmark, but I decided to go ahead and make greeting cards anyway. I started a couple years back with my headless snowmen Christmas card. It’s been a consistent hit with multiple reprints. I think it’s the message written inside that has captured the essence of the holiday season. Click here to look inside. I then created a couple of birthday cards that went over well and prompted many requests for more. Well, since I have this little Hallmark job fantasy, I was happy to oblige! Without further ado, here are my latest birthday cards available for purchase now:

Dan Holst Soelberg don't look your age Birthday Card - cover

You can buy this card at my online shop: http://danholstsoelberg.storenvy.com/

Dan Holst Soelberg give you a hand Birthday Card

To see what’s written inside the card, click here: http://danholstsoelberg.storenvy.com/

Dan Holst Soelberg kill two birds birthday card

To see what’s written inside the card, click here: http://danholstsoelberg.storenvy.com/

Dan Holst Soelberg don't age any more Birthday Card

To see what’s written inside the card, click here: http://danholstsoelberg.storenvy.com/

To see what’s written inside the card, click here: http://danholstsoelberg.storenvy.com/

If you want to browse my birthday card collection in person, I’ll be at Art-O-Con in Burlington this Sunday. It’s located at 3063 South Service Rd, Burlington. I’ll have all my books, prints, 2017 calendars (yes, I reprinted!) and other things available.

Admission is $8 for adults, $2 for kids aged 12 and under. There will be over 90 vendors there. You can see some of the other vendors at the official Art-O-Con news site.

art-o-con_2016_info

This is dedicated to the Fan Expo fans

This year’s Fan Expo took place the first weekend of September, and I would be remiss if I didn’t give some seriously earned kudos to all the people who attended. The Expo organizers deserve a shout-out for doing their usual event-hosting magic, but let’s give due credit to all the devoted fans who bring their energy, enthusiasm and excitement! Please accept this as my humble offering of most sincere gratitude. This message is devoted to you. I am your biggest fan!

Dan Holst Soelberg with Emma at Fan Expo

Emma bought a book and was kind enough to come back the next day for more. Thank you!

My first ever event/expo as a vendor was Fan Expo Toronto 2012. At the time, I had a couple self-published books to my name and I thought Fan Expo might help me find kindred souls who enjoyed macabre humour as much as me. Maybe I’d make a buck while I was at it to fund my creation factory. Four years later and five consecutive Fan Expos later, I am a believer in the Expo. And I appreciate the amazing people who share my weird, dark humour and have bought my offbeat creations.

The lovely Jaime with six-year-old Grey (left) and three-year-old Shaw (right).

The heart the operations, Jaime, with six-year-old Grey (left) and three-year-old Shaw (right).

Of course, my family gets a big chunk of my gratitude. For the past couple of years, my wife Jaime has joined me on Thursday with my son Grey. Grey had to get used to the crowds and the noise, but he always settles into the Expo groove. Since last year he has been a Minecraft fanatic, attracted to anything and everything Minecraft related. It’s because of him that I have Stampy’s voice on perma-loop in my brain. It’s been a huge education for me. This year was first time we brought Shaw, my daughter. It was amazing to see her immediately take to the Expo like it was home! She is a natural-born party girl, and the Expo is her scene. Cosplay is definitely Shaw’s jam. The look on her face when she first saw Spider-Man in person was priceless. Pointing and shouting “It’s Spider-Man, look! It’s Spider-Man!!!”. The pure joy rushing through her was palpable and contagious.

The Thompsons: Stacey, Maggie and Gord.

Visits from old friends are always a welcome and exciting surprise for me. It was a special treat to see the Thompson family this year. And, if you’ve visited me the last couple of Expos you’ll be familiar with my table partner Alexandria. Alex is an amazing friend and purveyor of exquisite taste. She turned me onto Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki. “This One Summer” has a special place in my heart.

Beetle Juice and Spider-Man. Side by side, naturally.

Fan Expo is inspiring for me. Meeting the people who actually like what I do is both an honour and humbling. It gives me the drive to keep going. For everyone who took time out of their busy Fan Expo day to visit me, thank you.

The constant stream of people that move through the Metro Toronto Convention Centre all weekend long.

The constant stream of people moving through the Metro Toronto Convention Centre all weekend long.

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