Hard work and belly laughs
Introduction
My name is Nick Volkert, an artist and creative living in Northwest Chicagoland.
I'm a classically trained illustrator and painter, receiving a BFA in Illustration and an MFA in Painting from Northern Illinois University. I currently illustrate digitally, converting pen and ink illustrations to prints and tee designs.
During my on-hours I'm a UX Designer creating experiences that meet user needs and meet business goals.
In my off-hours I like to paint, create comics, attend way too many concerts, play drums, and, in addition I'm a diehard White Sox fan.
I have a lot of comics, illustrations and art to view, hope you find something you like!
Love is in the air
Valentines Day Designs
Just some sweet, love-filled designs for all the couples out there!
Created: February, 2015 | Role: Illustrator
FACT: Cupid Sharks are just here to spread some loving for Valentines Day to all the hopeless romantics! (And also probably eat you).
Created: February 5th, 2019 | Role: Illustrator
Captain Pancake is ready to fill someone's heart with love as Cupid Cakes!
Created: February, 2015 | Role: Illustrator
Fact: Sharks love LOVE, Valentine's Day, chocolates, flower and candy. And also those headbands with the arrows thorugh 'em. The best!
From Ireland with LOVE
St Patrick's Day Designs
Just a few designs filled with the luck of the Irish!
Created: March 14th, 2019 | Role: Illustrator
St. Patrick's Day is here and your lucky pal Captain Pancake is spreading luck and good cheer while head to toe in his green gear!
Created: May, 2015 | Role: Illustrator
Beware: Sharks have found the end of the rainbow, are dressed like leprechauns or something, and are guarding the pots of gold.
Created: April 10th, 2020 | Role: Illustrator
FACT: St Patrick's Day may have come and gone, but the local sharks still celebrated the hell out of it all dressed in green!
Hip Hop Hooray
Easter Designs
Some Spring themed designs featuring a certain fluffy bunny!
Created: April 14th, 2020 | Role: Illustrator
Captain Pancake donned a bunny costume and is making a break for it with some tasty carrots!
Created: April, 2017 | Role: Illustrator
Please, everyone, anytime during the Spring, please save us from the threat of invading bunnysuit sharks with a hankering for Easter treats!
Created: August, 2016 | Role: Illustrator
Fact: Sharks love celebrating Easter weekend festivities, stealing Easter candy and Easter eggs, and of course, dressing as an imposter Easter Bunny.
Pen, Ink, and Cintiq!
Latest Illustrations
I love making personal works that I use as a vehicle to explore to constantly learn the programs I use on my day to day, and push my artistic abilities.
Created: February 9th, 2025 | Role: Illustrator
Love is in the air during the week of Valentine's Day! This little jar is full of hearts, sweets and love as spreads loves throughout the day!
Created: January 25th, 2025 | Role: Illustrator
During the cold season, bears like to bulk up with a couple donuts and a hot coffee! It's going to get chilly out there, why not treat yourself!?
Created: January 20th, 2025 | Role: Illustrator
Snow and cold doesn't affect this chonky bear, instead he thinks it's a great time to pack up a slew of snowballs for a snowball fight!
Created: December 27th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator
Now that Christmas is over and all the wonderful holiday treats have been eaten, we can officially get back to eating and enjoying pizza...right?
Created: December 26th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator
Christmas is over, the holidays are nearly done, and this grizzly bear is all tuckered out and ready to hibernate yesterday, but still has to muscle through to New Years! If he can do it, you can too!
"Back to school lunch pail gal"
Created: September 14th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator
The joys of back to school! A new year of learning, connecting with friends and gaining new data, err, knowledge! This little robot gal is pumped!
Created: September 8th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator
BACK TO SCHOOL. The heck to all that noise! While all decked out in his interests and seemingly equipped to learn, this little lunch pail robot is completely disinterested in school!
Created: August 22nd, 2024 | Role: Illustrator
FACT: Some sharks can in fact grow hair and let that salt and pepper flow rock out in tandem with some sweet patriotic gear FOR AMERICA.
"Potential Fireworks Disaster Shark"
Created: August 20th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator
FACT: You might want to be careful with any crates of fireworks and misplaced lighters around any sharks near the, the situation might become a spectacle!
Join the Danger Huskie Danger Team
Danger Huskie
Vector works that a fun, cute, scary, and a bit dangerous!
Created: January 1st, 2025 | Role: Illustrator
Happy New Year! This fancy little dachshund in a tux and a Chicago hot dog costume is here to help you ring in the new year in the fanciest way possible!
Created: July 20th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator
Happy national hot dog day! This Chicago dog is repping the red white and blue, not of the Chicago flag but of the stars and stripes of the American flag!
Created: April 18th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator
This terrible and evil mummy has escaped its tomb, its sarcophagus and is on the prowl to reclaim its throne in the modern world!
Spooky works of unspeakable horror!
Ghost-Eyed Cat
Pen and ink horor works for all my spooky, scary and fans of a certain little day in October! It's my Halloween project of unspeakable horror the Ghost-Eyed Cat. Tread with caution!
Created: February 9th, 2025 | Role: Illustrator
A ghost's singular purpose on Halloween is to steal as many Jack O'Lanterns and as much sweet candy as possible, oh and scare as many people as they can!
Created: February 9th, 2025 | Role: Illustrator
The terrifying gaze of this vintage skull is one to take you back in time to the simpler but way more spookier days of Halloween nights!
Created: February 9th, 2025 | Role: Illustrator
Mr. Pumpkin is a proud, fancy and ginormous animated pumpkin man standing proud amongst his small patch of pumpkins on a windy and cool October night!
I write jokes too
Comics! (Eventually books)
I used to pay the bills as a cartoonist at the Northern Star during my Undergraduate and Graduate studies at Nothern Illinois Univeristy. I've always loved comics and was an illustation major to be a comics illustrator (that old cliché). Nonetheless and when the time allows, I love to write and draw works for my friends and social media followers. Big things in the works!
Mondays are the worst
Monday Comic
Just a weekly comic I started celebrating everyone's least favorite day of the week.
Created: July, 2024 | Role: Illustrator
Always keep your head on a swivel when amongst the geese of CANADA.
Created: February, 2023 | Role: Illustrator
That last cold snap really cashed my hands out to oblivion.
"Retreat to Hoodie Season (Fall Edition)"
Created: September 5th, 2022 | Role: Illustrator
Fall update of my retreat to hoodies comic earlier this year. Huzzah!
Comics about a wonderful future gal pal
Dear Future Girlfriend
Another weekly comic that started as a series of smart-assed Facebook posts and grew into a comic!
Created: October 8th, 2022 | Role: Illustrator
Aint no smash dancing like the smashing of pumpkins, smash dancing.
"Chainsaw alarm clock (Repost)"
Created: October 4th, 2022 | Role: Illustrator
You'll make sure I'm up for work on time, albeit with an accelerated heartbeat, during cool weather sleepy season.
Created: July 17th, 2022 | Role: Illustrator
If it doesn't work out, we'll at least have this in common, forever.
A helpful little arachnid
Helpful Spider
Always helpful!
Created: June 2023 | Role: Illustrator
Helpful Spider noticed the weather has warmed up and is ready to be helpful for the rest of the year!
Created: January 2023 | Role: Illustrator
Helpful Spider is on the ready in case things get weird, which they probably will, so yeah.
Created: August 2022 | Role: Illustrator
Helpful Spider is can't believe it's August already either! In any case he's manning your back to school list and making sure you have all your supplies!
Comics usually on Thursdays
The Thursday Treat
Ongoing comics that are sometimes funny, of various amounts of panels, subject manner, and typically on Thursdays, not on a more funner day like Friday.
Created: September 28th, 2017 | Role: Illustrator
Can the taco not only be a great delivery vehicle for meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream, but also a wildly un-aerodynamic car?
Created: July 6th, 2017 | Role: Illustrator
A tale of a TRex drummer that has a mean heavy and menacing kickdrum style, but lacks a bit with rhythms on the hi-hat and snare.
Created: February 5th, 2016 | Role: Illustrator
The Thursday Treat is a well of knowledge of helpful, albeit questionable, tips on keeping yourself warm during a frigid Winter.
Reading, it's for your eyeballs!
Related Blogs
Tips, tricks, work stories, short stories, and random musings.
Created: January 13th, 2025
Check out a few of my favorite works since starting in the tee design game in the late 2000's.
Created: January 16th, 2021
A few tips for JR UX Designers out there looking to gain more skills and be a more proficient UX Designer
Created: January 2nd, 2021
It's cold, miserable, the roads are dangerous, so it's time to get creative while you're huddled up in your warm home.