"Moshup's Bridge"

Storyteller Jonathan Perry, who works at the the Peabody Essex Museum, retells a Wampanoag trickster tale called "Moshup's Bridge." It's a great story explaining some of the geographic features around Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts. Chris Piers, a friend of mine from the D.C. Conspiracy who does some editing for Image Comics, will be doing the art. He's researching various aspects of the story right now--proper clothing for the area, how certain rock and land formations look--but he did this quick sketch of Moshup when he learned he was pairing with Jonathan. I really like this drawing because with just a few quick lines, Chris conveys the power of Moshup in the context of the setting.

"Ishjinki and Buzzard" Updated

Dimi Macheras, who is illustrating Jimm Goodtracks's telling of "Ishjinki and Buzzard," is fleshing out his drawing for the story. I thought you might like to see how he's doing it. Below are the colors for the page previously posted.

"Ishjinki and Buzzard"

Jimm Goodtracks, of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, retells the story of "Ishjinki and Buzzard" for the Trickster project. Jimm works on the Baxoje Jiwere Language Project, which is really interesting, so be sure to check out its site. (It also has an extensive bio of Jimm, which itself is very interesting.)

Artist Dimi Macheras, who recently transplanted from Alaska to Seattle, is rendering the story. Dimi illustrated the wonderful Strong Man comic, which offers a modern-day telling of the Tlingit tale. It was funded by the Association of Alaska School Boards. You can see the cover and order copies here. The Anchorage Daily News also did a nice article on that project.

Below is a basic but captivating layout Dimi did for one of the pages of Jimm's story.

Draft vs. Final Page

Just wanted to show you how pages like this come together. A few posts ago, I put up Pat Lewis's pencils for the story he's illustrating for storyteller Tim Tingle. Below is a final version of that page--inked, colored and lettered.

A Congregation of Characters

Micah Farritor has finished the pages for Dayton Edmond's telling of "Coyote and the Pebbles." I couldn't resist posting at least one of these beautiful pages. Here's one that includes many of the characters. Enjoy!

Jack Gladstone

Last month I caught an acoustic performance at the National Museum of the American Indian by Jack Glackstone, an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation of Montana. His music is in the folk genre, blending acoustic and steel guitars, some flute and some wonderful lyrics. Of course, my two favorite songs were Trickster stories--"When Napi Roasted Gophers" and "The Bear Who Stole the Chinook." (Both of these songs are found on the album below.) If you have a chance, check out Jack's Web site. I think you'll enjoy it.

"Horned Toad Lady and the Coyote"

Below is a character sketch by artist Roy Boney, Jr., for Texas storyteller Eldrena Douma's telling of “Horned Toad Lady and Coyote.” You'll also find Roy's first-page rendition of that story.

Roy, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, Okla., recently had his illustrations "Cherokee Punk Rock" and "Our Father" published in Spirit magazine, a First Nations of Canada magazine that also includes American Indian tribes. (Also, check out Roy's Web site to see some of the wonderful animation he has done, including a few with Native American characters.)