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!
Merry Christmas to one and all!
Christmas Designs
A selection of my most cheerful and festive designs from my portfolio! Ho ho ho!
Created: November, 2017 | Role: Illustrator
Captain Pancake is all decked out in his Santa suit to spread some Holiday Cheer!
Created: August, 2015 | Role: Illustrator
In a horrible experiment in the frigid North, peppermint was grafted to Santa Claus' bones.
Created: September, 2015 | Role: Illustrator
FACT: Santa shark loves gift giving during Christmas and brings presents to all the oceanic creatures!
Da Designs
Chicago Designs
All of my Chicago-based designs in one handy spot! Da Bears!
Created: December 9th, 2018 | Role: Illustrator
Captain Pancake is a huge fan of a certain football team from Chicago, by the lake, of the Midway!
Created: November, 2017 | Role: Illustrator
Just a loyal Chicago Dog running down Lake Shore Drive to the Bears game, bringing you your lunch!
Crisp air and crisp leaves
Fall Series
Time to cozy up in your warm jackets blankets and pumpkin flavored things!
Created: December, 2013 | Role: Illustrator
Logs often patrol the forest in the Fall showing off their wooden mustaches!
Created: December, 2014 | Role: Illustrator
The best way to scare away crows is the apex predator of the sea!
Created: August, 2014 | Role: Illustrator
An isolated version of my 'Lumberjack Shark' design.
Pen, Ink, and Cintiq!
Illustration
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.
"Halloween Candy Destruction Shark"
Created: October 31st, 2023 | Role: Illustrator
FACT: Sharks will eat your current and past Halloween candy plunders with reckless abandon because they love them some crunchy, sweet, and gooey candy!
Created: October 27th, 2023 | Role: Illustrator
FACT: If sharks spend enough time with jack o'lanterns in the water on All Hallows Eve, they become one themselves!
Created: October 25th, 2023 | Role: Illustrator
FACT: Don't get in the water and between a shark and it's appetite for some October pumpkin destruction this Halloween!
Created: September 18th, 2023 | Role: Illustrator
A robot built to handle all your high fives! It's the High Five Robot! If you see him out in the wild be sure to give him a high five! NO LOW FIVES.
Created: August 1st, 2023 | Role: Illustrator
FACT: Sharks are known to totally manhandle a box of delicious ice cream sandwiches.
Created: July 23rd, 2023 | Role: Illustrator
FACT: Sharks have taken up jobs as ice cream men and are serving up soft serve ice cream cones...with sprin-kills...sorry...sprinkles!
Created: June 25th, 2023 | Role: Illustrator
Who loves skateboarding? Little blueberries of course. They also love listening to their Summer jams!
Created: June 19th, 2023 | Role: Illustrator
Chicago Dogs in Chicago Hot Dog costumes LOVE to go skateboarding, of course!
Created: Ocotber 16th, 2022 | Role: Illustrator
Skull jam is definitely a pretty grim form of jam, but hey, it's full of calcium!
Join the Danger Huskie Danger Team
Danger Huskie
Vector works that a fun, cute, scary, and a bit dangerous!
Created: November 25th, 2023 | Role: Illustrator
A dashing cape! A Jack O'Lantern head! What possible evil deeds could this evil three-pieced suit villain have in store for his unsuspecting victims!
Created: November 21st, 2023 | Role: Illustrator
Donning a purple cape, and a new body, the Evil Eye is lurking about looking to lunge at unsuspecting victims to spread...what could it be? Oh yeah, EVIL.
Created: November 15th, 2023 | Role: Illustrator
Free from an evil eye socket, the evil eye wanders about looking to do EVIL, and voila, an evil idea has landed in this little wandering eye's mind!
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: 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!
Created: September 5th, 2022 | Role: Illustrator
Oh, you all saw Top Gun this Summer too? Sweet, me too.
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 heavy kickdrum style, but lacks a bit on hi-hat and snare rhythms.
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 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.
"Welcome to the new nickvolkert.com"
Created: October 12th, 2020
A two year effort crafting, JSON, SASS, REACT and CDNs finally live!