Carl Sagan

I just finished this on the live drawing stream. Which you can replay here: https://live.kickstarter.com/dave-wachter/live-stream/portraits-live-drawing-event

PORTRAITS - my new Kickstarter project

After the election last fall, I felt the need to respond, and do so through art. I told friends and fans online that I would draw commissions for them of “inspirational progressives” and endangered animals of North America. I ended up drawing 20 portraits, and donated the money to the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the National Resources Defense Council(NRDC).

Now I’m putting the drawings together into one art book. It contains 20 images of inspirational progressive people from history and today, as well as endangered animals of North America. The book will be 44 pages, which includes full pages of the drawings and short biographies on each subject. It’s 7x10, paperback, black and white interiors, printed on nice semi gloss stock paper, card stock cover, and perfect bound. All books will be signed, a limited number will include a small portrait sketch. 

Funds raised through the Kickstarter will also go toward printing extra copies of the book, that I will take with me to conventions and sell alongside my other works. Proceeds from those books will go toward the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the NRDC.

The images are also being printed as postcards, suitable for framing, mailing to your member of Congress, or mailing to a friend.

I’m really excited about this project. I hope you take a look and tell your friends!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davewachter/portraits-an-artbook-of-inspirational-progressives

The Gunfight

One of the rewards from the Guns of Shadow Valley Kickstarter campaign was an ink and watercolor re-creation of the gunfight page from chapter 1. Below is the original, created way back in 2007.

Undead or Alive

Check out Steve Bryant and Jason Millet's kickstarter for their new graphic novel Undead or Alive! This pin-up of Undead or Alive is available as part of a reward level for a mere $300. There's lots of reward levels available, and the book looks awesome. It comes from a team with a proven track record of quality, you may remember them from Steve's awesome series Athena Voltaire. So go check it out and give them your money, you won't be sorry!

Last Hours of The Guns of Shadow Valley Kickstarter

As I write this, there are less than 36 hours left of The Guns of Shadow Valley Kickstarter campaign. It all ends 11pm on Monday, Eastern time. Our goal was to earn enough to be able to finish the webcomic and have it printed as an oversized, hardcover edition, and it looks like we will be able to. The campaign has been really strong and folks have been extremely generous.

There are two more major Stretch Goals we would like to reach which will make significant improvements to the printing of the book. It's a lot to ask for in such a short time, but I think it's possible.

There are lots of Rewards still available, including beautiful original art by Andy Jewett, JK Woodward, Rafer Roberts, and Tom Scioli. Also available are original pages of Godzilla and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by me. The original art for the Movie Poster Print is also in need of a good home. Not to mention all the prints, t-shirts, sheriff's badges, digital comics and more.

So if you haven't, please stop by the Kickstarter page and check it out. And if you can help us spread the word, you have our gratitude.

Guns of Shadow Valley poster art

This is the original art for a reward level on the Guns of Shadow Valley Kickstarter campaign, called the Movie Poster Art Print. The print is available at the $50 dollar level, along with the book. It's also available as an add-on for an other pledge level. The original painting is also available for a pledge of $1400.

The idea here was to create a movie poster reminiscent of painted movie poster art from the past, before the days of bad Photoshop. I was influenced by the work of Drew Struzan, who painted the movie posters for the Indiana Jones movies, Star Wars, and just about everything else in the '80s. I also wanted to harken back to the movie posters of when Westerns were king of the box office in the '40s and '50s, which is one of the reasons for the horizontal format.

The Guns of Shadow Valley Kickstarter is LIVE

The Guns of Shadow Valley Kickstarter campaign begins NOW! Please stop by the page and check it out, we need your help to finish the comic and print a Big, Beautiful hardcover book!

Guns of Shadow Valley Kickstarter begins tomorrow

Tomorrow we launch The Guns of Shadow Valley Kickstarter campaign. The objective is to raise enough funds to finish the comic and publish a big, beautiful hardcover collected edition. I've been working on this comic since 2008, and now we finally have a chance to finish the story. When we kick off tomorrow, please take a look at the campaign, consider donating, and help us spread the word far and wide. Thanks! gunsofshadowvalley.com/kickstarter/

Ghost Ship HMS Resolute

This depicts the discovery of the HMS Resolute, an exploration ship abandoned in the Arctic after becoming trapped in the ice, and found a year later by an American whaling ship, floating some 1200 miles away from it's last known location. The tale of the Resolute is an integral part of The Cabinet, a graphic novel currently in production by my friend Christian Sager and artist Kelly Williams.

Summary of The Cabinet: On a doomed 1901 mission to the arctic Northwest Passage, a “shadow cabinet” of social outcasts opposing America’s government find horror and madness that leads them to the assassination of the President of the United States.

There is a Kickstarter campaign designed to raise funds for the production of The Cabinet. I painted this scene as part of the donation rewards packages. This print, as well as several other beautiful pieces are available, along with copies of the book in PDF, softcover, and hardcover, and original art. Christian has told me about this story and it will be a really fascinating project and a great read. I encourage you to check out the Kickstarter page and consider donating to the creation of The Cabinet!