IllustrationComicsAbout

Nick Volkert

Illustrator & UX/UI Designer

Greater Chicago, IL

All-American Dog|View Work

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.

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!

It's time to learn!

Back to School

Some cute, some total punkasses, it's a collection of characters that know it's time to go back to school and learn!

A small smiling lunch box, with glasses and braces, walks to class.

Created: August, 2015 | Role: Illustrator

Just an awkward but happy little lunch pail heading to school!

Captain Pancake smiles at the viewer as a younger version of himself, with braces a book bag and holding his books with his lunch on the ground at his side.

Created: September 27th, 2021 | Role: Illustrator

Captain Pancake was once an awkward little dude too! Here he is with braces and book bag, ready to go back to school just like you!

A shark peeks out of the water wearing a spinning helicopter hat with all of his books and school supplies in disarray floating in the water.

Created: September 29th, 2021 | Role: Illustrator

FACT: Sharks are not real nuts about going back to school, but they do love taking a bite out of their school supplies!

For America!

Patriotic Designs

A growing collection of designs for my home, AMERICA.

A shark pops out of the water dressed as Uncle Sam, with fireworks going off in the background.

Created: July, 2016 | Role: Illustrator

Fact: Sharks love American and fireworks on the 4th of July.

A little weiner dog is wearing a Chicago-style hot dog costume while carrying a huge waving, red, white, and blue American flag for Flag Day!

Created: June 14th, 2023 | Role: Illustrator

What batter way to celebrate Flag Day than with a tasty Chicago-style Hot Dog and a big ol' waving red, white and blue American Flag!

Beaches, ice cream and sharks?

Summer Series

Summertime is here and gotta get out and enjoy that sunshine, but also stay cool!

A friendly octopus with a mustache helps some young kids in rain coats wash a red car

Created: July 29th, 2019 | Role: Illustrator

Car washes are best when a friendly octopus helps!

A shark emerges from the water a bit too far inland

Created: February 21st, 2019 | Role: Illustrator

This shark may have broken the surface a BIT too far inland. Just a bit.

A merman is drinking a tropical drink, wearing wingies and a Hawaiin shirt.

Created: April 9th, 2020 | Role: Illustrator

While all the vacationers are in quarantine, the mermen are free to invade the nation's pools and party their asses off.

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.

A heroic squirrel in a bomber jacket and leather goggle hat runs with an acorn in tow like it's a football running back!

Created: August 24th, 2023 | Role: Illustrator

Sweeping into action, this daredevil squirrel with a sweet bomber jacket and goggle hat, grabs a tasty acorn to store at his home base!

A lady chicken in a sweet derby hat holds her coffee.

Created: May 4th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator

Spring has sprung and so has this lady chicken! She's out and about with a coffee to keep toasty and a sweet derby hat to show of her sense of fashion!

A shark pops up out of the water into a bouquet of spring flowers and a few bees.

Created: May 3rd, 2024 | Role: Illustrator

Rain, wind, cold, warm days breaking up the cold, and of course the flowers starting to peak out of the ground. Who loves Spring? Well this shark does.

A cicada equipped with a stack of speakers let's its droning go full blast.

Created: April 30th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator

The cicadas are back and they seem to be way louder than usual, and ah yes, a huge sound system on their back would be the reason why. Splendid.

Captain Pancake is bringing the love and is hugging an oversized teddy bear with little hearts popping up above their heads for Valentines Day!

Created: February 19th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator

Captain Pancake is back to celebrate Valentines Day with his oversized teddy bear pal! Why not give them both a huge bear hug to show them some love!

A happy robot in the shape of cup of coffee walks by the viewer while carrying a pumpking and smiling with its robotic jack o' lantern face!

Created: February 18th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator

Another updated robot! A bit out of season when I'm posting this, but the Pumpkin Spice Latte Bot is all steamed up and ready for the Fall!

A robot on the verge of losing its balance is quickly en route to serve hot beverages to cold customers!

Created: January 24th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator

Cool temps call for speedy robots that serve up coffee! The Latte bot is en route to serve up some tasty drinks to keep you warm and toasty! Beep Boop!

A cute watermelon robot walks by on its robotic legs while its robotic arms hold and eat a tasty slice of an actual watermelon!

Created: January 22nd, 2024 | Role: Illustrator

Beep, Blop, Zort! When you're a cute little robot watermelon is it a totally bad move to also enjoy a slice of a tasty and fresh watermelon?

Santa is smiliing while sporting a giant oversized red cowboy hat with a dash of holly on the headband, to compliment his big fluffly white beard.

Created: January 14th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator

A Merry Christmas, a HO-HO-HO, and a giddy up little partners! Santa's here with a big ol' cowboy hat delivering gifts and joy to all the good little boys and girls. YEEHAW.

Join the Danger Huskie Danger Team

Danger Huskie

Vector works that a fun, cute, scary, and a bit dangerous!

A mummy wrapped in gauze lunges at the viewer!

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!

A giant set of pointy and menacing vampire fangs attached to a small body, wearing a cool cape, lunges at the viewer.

Created: April 14th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator

Oh no! The horror! These pointy vampire fangs have arisen from their slumber and are on the hunt for fresh victims! And fresh blood!

A little weiener dog dressed as a Chicago-style hot dog waves an oversized flag of Ireland for St. Patrick's Day!

Created: March 23rd, 2024 | Role: Illustrator

It's a big Irish flag for St. Patrick's Day! This Chicago-style weiner dog is showing his Irish and Chicago pride for a day hopefully filled with luck!

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.

Canadian geese aren't very likely to kill you, but they just may be able to, as this Monday comic suggests.

Created: July, 2024 | Role: Illustrator

Always keep your head on a swivel when amongst the geese of CANADA.

A middle aged Midwesterner learns about not wearing gloves in the cold has tragic repercussions.

Created: February, 2023 | Role: Illustrator

That last cold snap really cashed my hands out to oblivion.

A young man disappears into a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up.

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!

Dear Future Girlfriend: You go all and bust out all your best smash dancing moves for your favorite genre of music: FALLCORE.

Created: October 8th, 2022 | Role: Illustrator

Aint no smash dancing like the smashing of pumpkins, smash dancing.

Dear Future Girlfriend: You'll make sure I'm not sleeping through my alarm clock with that new Texas Chainsaw Massacare chime.

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.

Dear Future Girlfriend: If things were to unfortunately fizzle out, we'll always be united in our undying hatred of pants.

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!

Helpful Spider is at the ready with a flamethrower and an axe in case he needs to keep the New Year in line!

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!

Helpful Spider is at the ready with a flamethrower and an axe in case he needs to keep the New Year in line!

Created: January 2023 | Role: Illustrator

Helpful Spider is on the ready in case things get weird, which they probably will, so yeah.

Helpful Spider is on top of a totebag with a checklist making sure all the back to school supplies are in there!

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.

The Thursday Treat puts you in the drivers seat of a successful trip to the dealership and behind the wheel of a wildy un-aerodynamic taco-shaped car.

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?

The Thursday Treat supposes a paradigm that a TRex is a drummer and a rocker, and is playing for an up and comic garage band.

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.

A wide variety of helpful tips to stay warm during a cold and frigid winter from The Thursday Treat.

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.

You Can at least buy some stickers!

Visit my Shops

Nearly all of my personal work is available as prints, tees, stickers and more. Let me clothe you! (Or maybe let my designs hang out as a sticker on your laptop or print on your livingroom wall).

Reading, it's for your eyeballs!

Related Blogs

Tips, tricks, work stories, short stories, and random musings.

Note book and drawing tools of a UX Designer.

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

A sleepy bear hunkers down for the Winter.

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.

A blog promoting the relaunch of nickvolkert.com

Created: October 12th, 2020

A two year effort crafting, JSON, SASS, REACT and CDNs finally live!