#kochalka
New album out now: https://kochalka.bandcamp.com/album/bike-flipper
A list of all the songs that I wrote in January 2022 and posted to my Patreon. My favorite of them all might be the last one, Let’s Call the Beatles on the Telephone.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/61954978
Post link
My new Elf Cat graphic novel fit into a nice perfect 100 pages, just like the first Elf Cat book! I serialized it on my Patreon over the past year, and it was a total blast: https://www.patreon.com/posts/59800669
Post link
Dizzy as a Snowflake
…my 2nd new Christmas song for 2021
Christmas Party by James Kochalka Superstar
Hey everybody, it’s time for a Christmas Party! It’s my annual Christmas song, this one for 2021. Also checkout the playlist with my previous annual Christmas songs.
I drew Banana Fox (from Banana Fox and the Secret Sour Society) and Squiggle (from the Eisner award winning Johnny Boo series) for the cover of The Cartoon Issue of my local newspaper, Seven Days.
Check out the cartoon issue here:
Post link
My classic album Spread Your Evil Wings and Fly is now up on Bandcamp
https://kochalka.bandcamp.com/album/spread-your-evil-wings-and-fly
First came out September 17, 2006… the same day my record label RykoDisc was bought by Warner Bros. which I guess makes this my MAJOR LABEL DEBUT. Ryko went belly up not too long after, and the rights have finally reverted to me. (Actually they reverted to me a few years ago, but I didn’t notice until recently… I had to dig up the old contract to be sure.)
This is my only album to receive significant airplay on commercial radio, although not enough to “chart.” My song Britney’s Silver Can was named one of the 100 best songs of the year by Rolling Stone.
Produced and Engineered by Grammy winning producer Peter Katis at Tarquin Studios! Peter has been one of my best friends since college, and we’d collaborated before but this was the only time I had the budget to pay him anywhere even near what he’s actually worth.
I’m proud to make it available on Bandcamp. Today is “Bandcamp Friday”…for the past year the first Friday of each month they waive their normal fees so the artist gets the full amount of each sale. Great day to support bands you love!
Post link
In 2009 my classic chiptunes album Digital Elf was only available in comic shops! I had no distribution to record stores at all. This is the original ad for the CD that I think we ran in the Diamond Previews catalog.
12 years later I have now put the album up on Bandcamp: https://kochalka.bandcamp.com/album/digital-elf
(Bandcamp is waiving their fees today, so for anything you buy today all the money goes to the artist.)
Post link
Happy Valentine’s Day!
NewJohnny Boo,Glork Patrol, and Banana Fox books out now!
Also please sign up for a free drawing lesson: https://www.phoenixbooks.biz/event/james-kochalka-virtual-story-time-drawing-lesson
Post link
Banana Fox and the Secret Sour Society is out now! Available from all your favorite sellers, or buy a personalized signed and sketched copy from Phoenix books:
https://www.phoenixbooks.biz/james-kochalka
You can also sign up for a free virtual online release party and drawing session:
https://www.phoenixbooks.biz/event/james-kochalka-banana-fox-and-secret-sour-society
Post link
I will be serializing a new Elf Cat graphic novel on my Patreon. The first 3 pages went up today:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/45041685
Post link
This is one panel from a comic strip I posted on my Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/44846813
I’ve been posting American Elf diary comics again from time to time, as well as prep drawings for different projects, songs in progress, and other cool stuff. Supporting my Patreon is a great way to support all my artistic endeavors.
Post link
The Exquisite Triumph of Wormboy is a work of absolute stunning genius! And although it comes out in bookstores on November 11, it’s actually available direct from the publisher right now… no waiting!
I drew a wordless 50 page story about a worm with a human face, which was versified as an ekphrastic epic by Vermont Poet Laureate* Sydney Lea.
And it really is an incredible piece of work, unlike any graphic novel you’ll find anywhere.
*(And of course, I was the first Cartoonist Laureate of Vermont… we reigned simultaneously for a while!)
Post link
How to Draw Johnny Boo
So… for the past couple months we’ve been working hard on this play, an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. Obviously now the plans have been scuttled by the pandemic, but I thought I would share the poster I drew for it with you. (Hopefully we will reschedule.)
Post link
Color and Black & White versions of the flier for my next rock show.
doors at 8:30 on Friday Dec. 6 at The Hive 420 Pine St. Burlington, VT
Also, I’ve got a new album https://kochalka.bandcamp.com/album/eggs-2
Post link
Last week, at the San Diego Comic-Con, I won an Eisner award for Johnny Boo and the Ice Cream Computer. It joins my Eisner award for Dragon Puncher Island. It’s pretty interesting to compare subtle differences in the design of the two statues.
Post link
My Local Rocker beer can design for Magic Hat is in the running to be named one of the best beer label designs in the country. Please vote for it here:
https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-beer-label-2019/magic-hat-brewing-company-local-rocker/
Post link
Learn How to Draw Ice Cream with James Kochalka. Also learn how to draw Johnny Boo! Saturday, March 9, 2:00 pm at Phoenix Books in Burlington, VT
https://www.phoenixbooks.biz/event/james-kochalka
It’s a book release party for my new book, Johnny Boo is King!
http://www.topshelfcomix.com/catalog/johnny-boo-book-9-johnny-boo-is-king/1000
Post link
The Tragic Hat
It was Literacy Day at Oliver’s school today. Here’s a short story I wrote using a picture as a prompt. (The idea was to help parents experience what their kids are up to at school, so they had small projects for us to do that mimicked the more in depth work the kids have been doing.)
Post link
Pack the Sack
It’s my yearly Christmas song. Got my 15 year old son Eli to play trombone on it and I’m so happy about that! Even Ollie does some background vocals in the break.
I inked this on iPad Pro using some homemade brushes in Procreate based on my own real-life brushwork. I colored it on my desktop computer in Photoshop.
I’m amazed that the new iPad Pro and Apple Pencil is a real usable professional drawing tool.
Post link
