artoriginals presents master of the macabre and B.P.R.D. artist Guy Davis, who will be making a special Toronto appearance at the Gladstone Hotel on Saturday, February 27 for an interactive workshop and exhibition followed by an appearance at  Toronto ComiCON as a featured guest on Sunday, February 28.

Davis, recipient of the 2009 Eisner Award for Best Artist, is best known as the penciler and inker on Mike Mignola’s long running series B.P.R.D., chronicling the supernatural tales of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Mignola, best known as the creator of Hellboy (who was a former member of the B.P.R.D. team), is also the series writer. The Hellboy property has spawned two feature films and several animated versions. Fans and many industry insiders believe that B.P.R.D. is likely to be the next Mignola property that will be adapted for the big screen.

Selected works spanning Davis’ career, including Sandman Mystery Theatre, B.P.R.D. and The Marquis, will be featured in the exhibition along with an interactive and insightful workshop for registered patrons.

Schedule of events

Saturday, February 27

Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West

Constructive Storytelling: The 180 Minute Master Class, 1 – 4 pm: Master artist Guy Davis is set to provide patrons with the key components of his vast storytelling bible. The lecture, demonstration and Q&A elements are a unique opportunity to get inside the head of one of the industry’s most renowned visionaries.

$105 per person – limited spots available (15 participants). Email info@artoriginals.ca to register.

Of Mystery and the Macabre, 7:30 – 11:30 pm: featuring selected works from Davis’ award-winning projects including Sandman Mystery Theatre, Mike Mignola’s B.P.R.D. and The Marquis. A brief question and answer period hosted by Mark Askwith of SPACE will precede the exhibit.

Free admission

Sunday, February 28

Metro Convention Centre, 255 Front Street West

Toronto ComiCON, 11 am – 5 pm: Guy Davis will be a featured guest at Toronto ComiCON.

Please direct all inquiries to:

Sean Menard

Director, Marketing and Publicity

artoriginals

647.328.1656

info@artoriginals.ca

www.artoriginals.ca

About artoriginals

artoriginals offers comic book and illustration enthusiasts a unique opportunity to interact in an intimate setting with their favorite creators over a weekend in Canada’s largest city. Contemporary cartoonists and illustrators will take part in workshops, exhibitions, lectures and artists’ talks revolving around themes central to their work.

All activities for artoriginals will be held at the historic Gladstone Hotel in downtown Toronto, a favourite with the local arts scene. Voted one of the top 10 Art Hotels in the world by Lux Magazine, the Gladstone has been in operation since 1889 and is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Toronto.

For more information, see www.artoriginals.ca

About Toronto ComiCON

Toronto ComiCON is the annual two-day comic book convention event hosted by Hobby Star Marketing, Inc. (HSM) and was founded in 1992 as one of Canada’s premiere sports and entertainment marketing agencies. Since the beginning, HSM has specialized in placing professional sports and entertainment celebrities at a variety of venues in addition to hosting its own signature events which include:

· Fan Expo Canada

· Anime Expo (CN Anime)

· Science Fiction Expo (SFX)

· Horror Expo (Rue Morgue’s Festival of Fear)

· Gaming Expo (GX)

Fan Expo Canada has evolved into a spectacular annual Multi Media Event with prestigious acclaim, becoming North America’s 3rd largest event of its kind.

For more information, see www.hobbystar.com

Chances are you’re pretty familiar with Darwyn Cooke. He’s arguably one of the most critically and commercially succesful artists working in the industry today. His recently(ish) released adaptation of Richard Stark’s The Hunter was one of the best selling books to come out this year and has been critically lauded by pretty much everyone.

Well, for those of you (in the Toronto area) who want to a chance to see some of his work first hand, or maybe want to see what the hype is all about today is your lucky week, as Sean Menard and Walter Dickinson are presenting a art exhibit at the Gladstone Hotel this Friday October 16th, here’s the blurb from Art Originals:

Noir and Beyond: The Darwyn Cooke Exhibition, 7 – 11 pm: Featuring selected works from the last decade, the Darwyn Cooke retrospective will include an entire chapter from Parker: The Hunter, new and unpublished material as well as a number of surprises!

Free admission – this event is open to the general public.

This is going to be a crazy fun night as Darwyn himself says: “This is a fantastic concept for comics art in the Toronto community and I hope everyone in the Toronto area can come out support Sean and Walter’s amazing efforts. Be sure to come say Hi to Marsha and I.”

If you can’t make it friday night, Saturday will have:

Workshop with Darwyn Cooke, 10 – 3 pm: This workshop with master cartoonist Darwyn Cooke will provide patrons with valuable insights into his creative process. The lecture, question period and portfolio review sections allow for a unique opportunity to get inside the head of one of our most renowned industry stalwarts. Click here for a detailed workshop itinerary.

Spaces for this workshop are limited to 15 spots. Each space is $105 and fees are non-refundable. There is sure to be a waiting list for this event, so don’t delay. Sign up today!

This workshop is presented in association with the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop. For a list of their ongoing courses offered in the downtown Toronto area please visit www.cartoonistsworkshop.com. For further information and to arrange payment, send an email to info@cartoonistsworkshop.com

$105/person. Limited seating (15 persons).

An Evening with Darwyn Cooke, 7 – 10 pm: Hosted by Mark Askwith of SPACE, this intimate and interactive session will include a reading by Cooke from the original text of Stark’s The Hunter with corresponding images from the graphic novel projected as backdrop. Cooke will be available immediately afterwards to sign copies of his work.

$10/person. Limited seating (75 persons)

This really is just a really cool sounding event and I really hope that many of you will try to make it. Myself and David will be attending and taking lots of pictures that we’ll no doubt post on the site. Let’s try to make this one as big as possible as I’d really like to see more of these shows to help spotlight great Canadian Artists.