jenny's comics

So Much To Share!!

2011-10-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hello from Piebird, North Ontario, where the goats are happy, the farmers are long-haired, and the leaves underfoot are delightfully crunchy!

If you don’t know already, I’ve been here for a month, for my yearly retreat from the city. The first order of business when I arrived was Rest. I slept for 10 hours a night, and felt like I recovered some long-lost portion of my soul. The second order was goat-snuggling (all my old friends, and the newest addition, The Mighty Pepe) and catching up with my dear dear farmer friends, Sherry and Yan. The third order was music.

I’ve been spending a few hours a day practicing, writing, and musically organizing in anticipation of recording. Last month, while traveling in Sweden and Germany I wrote a few songs, and the inspiration I was feeling has carried over to life here at Piebird. I’ve got a bunch of new material, and am feeling so wonderfully at ease with writing and playing. I can’t wait to share with you!

At first I thought this album would come into being some time in the wee hours of the new year. But scheduling, as usual gets in the way, and it turns out that Adrian Dolan and I (and a delightful gang of other weirdos), are going into the studio in March. This would make the album release slated for some time in May. I know, I know, it sounds far away, but really, Spring’ll be here before you know it! And extra wonderful is the fact that Yan of Piebird (who is an incredible graphic designer, but don’t tell him I told you so), is going to help me out with the album art, which is very exciting.

So the fund-raising has begun, and things are moving along quickly! 21 days left to raise just under 10 grand, woah, and holy shit it’s exciting! I have no idea if I’ll reach the goal or not, but so far, people’s donations have been mind blowingly generous, and they’re sharing it around like free candy on hallowe’en! One thing I’m getting out of all of this is this incredibly gratifying sense of being supported. Supported by my friends and community, by fans of The Gruff, and also by complete strangers! Amazing!

What I am still looking to achieve is even more sharing around of the Rockethub site, and a reminder to you all that even small donations, five or ten bucks, make a big difference. So here’s the link, and don’t forget that there are material rewards to be had, not to mention my undying gratitude…

http://rockethub.com/projects/3555-j-r-s-solo-album-finally

So this is the first installment in my “blogging” (anyone else think that “blog” sounds like another wordfor “barf”?) about this fundraiser and album creation. Two more days in this gorgeous North Ontario countryside with the two nicest people in the world, and I’ll be on my way back to Vancovuer to put some of this planning into play. I’ll keep you updated.

Love and ruminants.

Jenny

PS! here is a link to my new youtube channel thingy. It's got some songs on it. Currently it's as close as I'm going to get to a website.

http://www.youtube.com/user/nicejengoat

The Last Hurrah

2010-03-25T01:23:00.000-07:00

yep. 'tis the end of the gruff as we know it.

Foxy

2009-04-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

My newest comics for BC musician. I'm thinking I need a name for these things. I draw a couple of them every month, and due to my artistically schizophrenic and uncommitted nature, they always look different. So yeah, a name, in a recognizable font, that shows up every time. Any ideas? Help!

Spring Breakup, live and cartooned (with special guests, Gruff birds and Jenny-Jack of all trades)

2009-03-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

Song Writing is a Complicated Process

2009-02-23T21:07:00.000-08:00

Black bears

2009-02-16T07:45:00.001-08:00

These are a couple of pictures that i did for Corbin Murdoch's project, "A Year in Song". The February track is "Black Bear", a song that has a lot of meaning for me, and I also sing on this recording.
http://corbinmurdoch.wordpress.com/

I seem to hate everyone...?

2009-01-20T18:55:00.000-08:00

Do all these comics seem a little... bitter to anyone else?

comics for bc musician magazine

2008-12-06T14:49:00.000-08:00

BC Musician magazine has asked me to do one or two comics for them every month! Money! They're paying me REAL money to do this! haha. I'm so flattered, and happy that people will get to read them.

This is a Reminder

2008-10-01T19:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we all need a reminder. If talking animals or Hank Williams are needed to get the message home, well, so be it.

self portraits. sortof.

2008-09-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm living on my own right now. Housesitting. It's real nice, but the only person around for me to draw is... me! So here I am, thinking about the concept of home, and shaking a limp fish. I've been reading a huge collection of Ray Bradbury short stories, and loving his dated obsession with Martians and rockets. So here's me as an alien. Yes, I know, I'm a total classic sci-fi nerd.

Just some stuff

2008-08-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

Heaven is a Folk Festival

2008-08-17T19:24:00.001-07:00

To Be Continued...

Titillating Tour Tales

2008-08-17T19:08:00.001-07:00

The Wild Turkeys are our new band friends, a wonderful group of brothers from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. I just realized not one of them is a turkey, though I covered a lot of other animal bases... check them out at

http://www.myspace.com/thewildturkeys

their tunes are awesome and hilarious, and they're the perfect pairing for The Gruff. Like spaghetti and red wine... or maybe crawdads and whiskey...

I also just realized that I drew the guitarist in this comic playing left handed... oops. I guess it was just more aesthetically pleasing that way. Artstic license, dammit.

Kamloops Motel

2008-08-17T19:07:00.001-07:00

This is the motel we lived in while planting out of Kamloops

Grumpy Bear

2008-07-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

I may be a little cranky, but I'm doing art again, after OH-SO-LONG, so stay tuned for more.

Amazing musicians you meet on the road

2007-11-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

Silos - Nanton, Alberta

2007-11-14T20:23:00.000-08:00

Leaving Nova Scotia, I finally felt inspired

2007-11-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

tuesday!

2007-07-13T21:36:00.001-07:00

good news hangover

2007-04-23T20:52:00.002-07:00

the night before this drawing came in to being, the gruff won "artist of the year" at the vancouver island music awards. what this means is, yes, we can flounce around like the common drunks that we are, and everyone just thinks we're real cute. but it also means that folks were buying us copious amounts of expensive liquor all night long at the awards ceremony at the queen's hotel in nanaimo. the cointreaux and banana liquers were flowing like a river... a scary river.

thus the happy hangover.

based on a true story

2007-04-23T20:52:00.001-07:00

musicians

2007-03-26T21:07:00.000-07:00

i attended/played in some concerts the last few weeks. i love sketching musicians, especially people i know.

cowboys and poetry are fun

2007-03-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

lovefest 2007

2007-03-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

these are some drawings for my friends jaime and drew's 10th wedding anniversary invitations.

art at the cafe

2007-03-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

glenna goodness and adam sleepyhead

2007-02-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

go to glenna's concert! she's amazing! this poster was fun to make.

stove dragon!

2007-02-22T20:04:00.000-08:00

this is an old drawing that i did of the wicked old cast iron woodstove at the lasqueti island community hall. man can that thing put out heat!

aliens can answer all your questions

2007-02-06T17:19:00.000-08:00

les voyageurs super-cool

2007-02-06T17:17:00.000-08:00

st patrick's day poster

2007-02-06T17:07:00.000-08:00

unbelievable

2007-02-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

a letter to my friend

2007-01-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

ducky!

2007-01-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

christmas country death

2007-01-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

baby jesus in the manger! the holidays completely killed my artistic momentum. first a wicked cold virus, then i lost my fancy pen. (depressed). THEN the gruff had gigs five nights in a row, and christmas came and holiday mayhem enused. still gigging twice a week, and working as well, (not to mention a newfound addiction to "LOST") i'm guiltily neglecting art. but my comic did indeed get accepted to the new book "the make" and there's an opening on the 20th, for which i am supposed to "make" something. so i gotta buckle down! it's time to get creative! and you people! come to the art opening... it's rumored that buck 65 will be playing the party! check out the website for details. http://www.themake.ca/
here's some sketches i did of my folks on the ferry last weekend, a couple of comics from vancouver, and my lino-cut country-christmas-death card. i'll try to write more comics soon, so if you read them, please comment on them, so i know they are seen. oh! and happy 2007, friends!

bleargh

2006-12-13T22:26:00.001-08:00

meh. so sick. don't care about comics anymore... tomorrow, maybe...

until then, here is a picture of a lemming. isn't he cute ?

solstce cafe winter fair

2006-12-01T17:48:00.000-08:00

hey! you! if you live in victoria, i expect you to all come out to the craft fair at my cafe. if you don't, may you be smitten with christmas elves, and forced to listen to kenny rogers and dolly parton's christmas special for the rest of your life...

snow days!

2006-12-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

comic tour journal

2006-12-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

hi there, honkies!
so i finished up my tour journal, and everything is posted (somewhat in order) on this site. if you already read them, well, you'll have to scroll down for the new ones. thanks for reading. please leave me comments. constructive criticism is welcome. but don't mention that i can't spell worth shit.

nova scotia, ontario, and more

2006-12-01T17:30:00.000-08:00

i'm home from a month long tour of nova scotia, ontario and quebec, and i am SO glad to be here! i missed my bed like an old friend, though our adventures were really fun, and we made some good contacts out of it all. already booked for 2 festivals next summer, and expecting more! this is my little comic journal of our trip. i wish i could've included everything and everyone, but travelling like that, i just couldn't keep up. i'm going to add them in sections, as i haven't even finished inking them yet.

nova scotia

2006-12-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

last 2 gigs in nova scotia

2006-12-01T17:00:00.001-08:00

the men of nova scotia

2006-12-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

toronto, london, sudbury, sault ste marie

2006-12-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

yan's place

2006-12-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

after all that angst about yan and his mysterious "dissapearance", we got ahold of him at last. he hosted us at his farmhouse, and seeing him was really great closure to what was a somewhat tumultous past. here's phaedra kissing billy. don't worry, she paid the fee.

toronto and guelph

2006-12-01T16:01:00.000-08:00

ottawa, montreal, and home!

2006-12-01T15:21:00.000-08:00

!

i was drunk, but geoff was REALLY drunk

phew! i'm so glad to be home now. when i left town i was thinking, "i should move away, get out of victoria for a while..." now i'm just grateful to live in such a great place. and grateful for all the fun and generousity we experience while on the road.

little mermaid gone bad

2006-10-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

i'm going to submit this to a guy who's compiling a book of local artists. it's my first art submission to anything since i was 11 and i won a thrifty foods colouring contest. kirsten at 16 1/2 is going to help me clean it up on photoshop. gawsh, i hope they like it!

october 18th was a wierd day

2006-10-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

another old one

2006-10-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

i shouldn't put this up, because boys are stupid, but it's still one of my favourite drawings.

ladies!

2006-10-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

here's a couple of my ladies. phaedra and sol... be with them both in halifax within the week.

self explanatory

2006-10-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

beware the cellulite gnomes

2006-10-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

a new dress

2006-10-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

i started this one and it felt really good at first, but every time i tried working on it, there were people distracting me. i kindof lost momentum by the end. but man, that dress is hot.

giving thanks (give'r!)

2006-10-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

dessert was pumpkin tarts with whipped cream! yummy!

ferry drawings

2006-10-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

i was drawing on the ferry on the way back from our gig in kelowna. this lady noticed me sketching her and got really freaked out. she started looking all shifty and nervous and evenutally left. it was wierd. do people dislike being drawn? maybe i'm egotistical, but i thik i would like it...

aliens!

2006-10-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

i wish i made this!

2006-10-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

here is the OH SO PRETTY poster (derived from the album cover) that Shawn O'Keefe http://www.trust36.com/ made for us. i wish i did art like this. so clean, and pleasing to the eye. yay.

by the way:

Please come to The Gruff cd release concert/party
October 21st.
10/12 dollars
Victoria Event Center 1415 Broad st.
doors at 7:30
Clay George is opening

it's gonna be so fun, and i think we have ordered too much beer. so afterwards (provided we get approved for the liquor lisence)... kegger at my place. wooooo!

some stuff

2006-10-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

jenny cohen and i had a really slow night at work last week. i figure at least i can be constructive with my time.

this is my friend old man luedecke. he's not really an old man. but he's a great banjoist, and the most amazing songster. check him out at :
http://www.oldmanluedecke.ca

how are we ever supposed to know what the right decision is?

has anyone seen this yan?

2006-10-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

self confessed geek

2006-10-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

some brown ones

2006-10-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

i like the way the pencil and the brown ink look together. the ink is specifically called "antelope". in case you ever wanted to know what colour an antelope is.

breakfast at mo:le sure is yummy! specially when you have it with a friend.

autumn's here

2006-09-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

another one that could get me in trouble

2006-09-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

scary ones!

2006-09-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

a dirty one

2006-09-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

sorry. this one's kindof dirty. what can i say? it was inspired by the dirtiest man i know.

the park

2006-09-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

i've been really inspired by enrico casarosa's comics and sketches lately, they're very spontanious and personal. that's what made me try this one. it's kindof boring, i know.
http://enricocasarosa.com/wordpress.1/

a bad day and a good shirt

2006-09-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

and after this next comic, phaedra really did make me the sweetest cowboy shirt you ever did see. check out her work at

http://www.thegruff.com/rodeowesternshirts.htm

some older ones

2006-09-30T18:43:00.005-07:00

there are still alot of things i'd like to do in my life...

the end of the world

2006-09-30T18:39:00.000-07:00

more oldies

2006-09-28T18:34:00.000-07:00