illustration

Batboy and the Art of Self-Sabotage (A Book)

| Mister Kessell

I’m excited to announce that I’ve published my second book!

Cover artwork for Batboy and the Art of Self-Sabotage
Batboy and the Art of Self-Sabotage

Available now on Amazon! Click Here!

This is a collection of the first fifty installments of the Batboy comic, which were originally published on social media from February to December 2021. You can see a previous post about Batboy here.

Batboy is my anxious alter ego and a vehicle for some of my random ridiculous thoughts.

I’m super excited to see Batboy in print, the full-color illustrations boldly leap off the page, even though Batboy himself is far from bold. You can see a small selection of Batboy for free on Instagram and Twitter. But if you want to make Batboy your own, please check him out on Amazon.

Brooklyn Horror con 2021

| Mister Kessell

GREETINGS, CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT!

I’m super excited to announce that I will be appearing at the first annual Brooklyn Horror Convention October 23rd & 24th 2021. You can find me somewhere in the Artist Alley. I will post more info as it becomes available.

In preparation for my first real convention appearance, I’ve been painting up a storm and having a blast!

Below you can see one of my dear friends who will be attending the convention.

Portrait of Bela Lugosi, Acrylic on 11x14 Canvas Board by M. R. Kessell 2021
Portrait of Bela Lugosi, Acrylic on 11×14 Canvas Board

In addition to my original paintings, I will have an assortment of prints and postcards. Good ol’ Pumpkinspice will be on hand to ruin your pastries and spoil your coffee drinks.

The Return of Pumpkinspice, 11x14 print by M.R. Kessell
Pumpkinspice ruining your breakfast

I will also have a few copies of my illustrated book on hand. Pick one up for the monster kid in your life. I’ll even sign it for you (although that might actually decrease its value.)

If you can’t wait until October, you can order a copy from Amazon, by clicking here!

I’ll be posting more in the upcoming weeks, I’ve got quite a few new artworks to share with you! Hopefully you’ll want to come peep them in person.

I might also do a few posts on the logistical prep as an artist for their first convention appearance. I’m learning a lot and hope the info could be helpful to some of you.

Until next time!

Coffee is for Closers

| Mister Kessell
Illustration of a business man emerging from behind an office plant and a filing cabinet, he seems to be spying on someone.

I’m super excited to share this album art I created for CODE OF THE JAGUAR, a punk band from the “old, weird Philadelphia.”

This two-song single is streaming now, you can listen on bandcamp , and also preorder a physical 7″ record.

While you’re there, I recommend checking out their whole oeuvre, you’ll have these songs stuck in your brain for days.

And speaking of weird, old Philadelphia, in the 80s and 90s there was an all ages nightclub in the area called Pulsations, which featured a dancing robot. Take a look if you don’t believe me.

Introducing Batboy

| Mister Kessell

A few weeks ago I created a random, ten-minute doodle. It was intended to relieve some pressure in between other more serious projects.

It turned out to be a new character. I call him Batboy.

He is able to voice some of my worries, my boredom, and other ridiculous thoughts in a single panel.

I have been posting him every other day on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Follow me there if you’d like to see more!

Making A Horror Comic

| Mister Kessell

I’m very excited to share yet another new project that’s been in the works for a while now. I’ve been tasked with drawing a short horror comic by the hilarious and horrifying writer/comedian, Tim Vargulish.

In this latest video I give a little sneak peek of a rough comic book page, the process of setting up a comic page using Clip Studio Paint (which is a breeze, btw) and drawing a finished panel.

If you’re interested in drawing comics yourself, I highly recommend this software.

Aside from that, I’m jazzed to have illustrated the cover for Krampus Tales: A Killer Anthology, which will be available on November 24th! Check it out and maybe get yourself a copy.

Krampus creature steps out of doorway into a dark snowy night with basket on his back.

I’ve also just realized that I haven’t shared anything about my Halloween this year. Despite the nearly apocalyptic conditions, we did enjoy the holiday. I’ll cover it in more detail in my next blog post.

By the way, are you on Twitter? Why not join me for some laughs and whatnot.

Until next time!