Spring weather is always sure to draw everybody out from their winter hiding places and into the streets for some shopping, dining and fun. Crowds can be both exciting and a drag to work on, depending on how you look at it. On one hand, they are filled with all sorts of unique characters, locations and props, in a randomized pattern which can make for tremendous compositions. On the other hand, crowds can take a while to complete, and can bog an artist down in details, which can really ruin an overall picture. This is a watercolour and ink drawing of a scene on Queen Street in Toronto.

All artist's have a favourite medium to work with. A special bond with a creative material or process, that is guaranteed to bring out cool ideas or great work. For me, oil paint is my best friend. I've been missing it lately, since I've been weighed down in a longer-term acrylic project, but I know whenever we meet, good things happen.

Oil is the paint of all paints, and the preferred medium of most modern masters. It is an amazing medium for several reasons. First, the dry-time makes painting more relaxing and more of an exploration. You can mix paints on your palette, that are good for several days which allows for less wasted paint and the ability to have a second sitting if you need it. On the canvas as well, you have time to apply paint and blend later, or even blend colours directly on your surface. Either way it provides for a nice, loose painterly effect. Secondly, the ability to thin out or go thick impasto makes for a powerful choice. Using some thicker paint in spots can literally add a third dimension to your work. All of these benefits apply as well to water mixable oil paints...same great smell but less chemical brain damage!

Conferences are a great place to gather intel, pick up new tricks of the trade and network. Also, since everybody is quite immobile, (except for when the speaker is boring and a lot of fidgeting is going on), it is a good place to get some sketching done. My key observance has been that old marketing guys that were in their prime in the 80's, still look and act like they belong in the 80's.

While at least trying to wrap their heads around social media and the digital age, they haven't evolved visually at all. Still sporting wavy hair, pinstripe power suits and always ready to greet with a bone-crushing handshake, these guys all seem like complete characters now. Even just the backs of their heads and the way they are shaped can transport you back to marketing's heyday.

Usually when I read a comic I know a little of what to expect. With Daytripper, the ten issue Vertigo series by Brazilian wonder twins Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, I was caught completely off-guard. But in a good way.

The book follows an obituary writer and aspiring author throughout the different stages of his life. Each chapter represents a specific age and a dramatic event like the death of his father, the birth of his son etc. What really lures you in, is the way each chapter ends, with an unexpected twist which leaves you questioning why certain things happen in life, and how the choices we make always have a reaction, whether it is immediate or at some point down the road. The writing style really is quite poignant and poetic has you stopping and thinking about deeper philosophic issues than expected. Just seeing life in a non-linear fashion is enough to get the wheels spinning.

Not to be outdone, the art is extremely solid in Daytripper...it's just unusual that the writing in a comic format is done so well. The artwork has the perfect balance of loose inks with moody colours and dynamic compositions. You really feel as though you've been thrown into the same mood as the characters, each chapter being an emotional roller coaster taking you from joy to regret. All in all, with superb writing and superb artwork you can't really go wrong so whatever your passion is, for a ground-breaking reading experience, Daytripper is your ticket.