THONY AIUPPY

Tag: Jacksonville

  • 5 Things Friday – January 9, 2026

    2026 is already rocking and rolling along. Here’s 5 things that’s been going on.

    1. I got to celebrate 20 years of marriage with my wife Melissa. We got to get away to South Florida where we went to the Perez Museum in Miami, visited the Everglades, ate Mahi tacos, and traveled down to the Florida Keys to see coral reefs.

    2. Teaching is picking up. Not only am I teaching at the University of North Florida this semester, but I will also be teaching at the Florida State College at Jacksonville (South Campus). I’m really excited and hope to share some student work soon.

    3. 2025 was my first real year of tabling. Ended the year with the Orlando Zine Fest (shout out to Black Bird Comics who puts on an extraordinary event!) I will be tabling at more zine and comic fests in 2026, including DCAZ 2026 in Jacksonville, Florida and Heroes Con in Charlotte, North Carolina. Some more announcements will be forthcoming. I did put in for the Fluke Athens fest in Georgia. Fingers crossed.

    4. I received an Art Ventures grant in December 2025 through the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. You can read more about the Awards HERE. With the grant, I will be making a graphic novel about the architect Henry Klutho and his impact and contribution to the city of Jacksonville. I’m very excited about this project and I will officially start working on it in February. Part of the funds from the grant will go towards hiring an editor so that I can make this the best book possible!

    5. I will be having an art exhibit with James Green at The Unicat Gallery in Jacksonville. The show is called FULL BLEED. James and I are including original comics pages that we’ve made for our comics as well as new paintings and prints. You don’t want to miss it if you live in Jacksonville. The show’s opening reception is Saturday January 24th.

    Screenshot

  • 5 Things Friday – October 10, 2025

    Here are 5 things I’ve got in the hopper:

    1. Treasure Island Comic Con

    Tomorrow, October 11th, from 10-5, I will be in Fernandina, Florida for the inaugural Treasure Island Comic Con. There are some amazing talents that will be at the con and I’m super excited for the opportunity. I will be going up with Dan from Black Cat Comics (located on Stockton Street in Jacksonville’s Riverside neighborhood). I’ll be selling Haint Tales and Aquabarian comics. Come out if you’re in the area. Would love to see you.

    2. Savage Fest

    Next weekend I will be tabling at Savage Fest, in Savannah, GA, with my buddy Andy Kozlowski. I’m super pumped to get up to Savannah. It’s been a while since I’ve been there and will be good to see some familiar faces. Andy will be selling rise comics and I will be selling Haint Tales 1 & 2, Aquabarian, and Cryptids from the Damned Platoon. If you live in, or near, Savannah, come out for a great fest. It’s going to be a blast. Hopefully, I can get a chance to run over to Neighborhood Comics, too before we dip out.

    3. Black Cat Comics Halloween Anthology

    This Halloween, Black Cat Comics (Riverside, Jacksonville, FL) is releasing a Horror Anthology of 1-page comics and stories centered around the spooky aspects of Jacksonville. You can expect tales of School No. 4, the Betz Sphere, and even ZAAT! All the submissions have been turned in, work has been scanned, the covers and interiors are ready to go. If you want a copy, you’ll have to go to Black Cat Comics on Halloween. We’ll be having a release party. It’s going to be a total blast.

    Here’s a little snippet of what to expect:

    4. Spooky Season Reading

    Tis the season for Spooky Books, especial spooky comics. I an infatuated with horror comics both old and new. I’ve been reading a lot of Jack Davis horror comics Jack Davis did for EC Comics back in the day. I’ve been poring over the Fantagraphics Black and White reprints (Taint the Meat & The Living Mummy). As I continue to grow as an artist, Jack Davis has been a boon for me. He’s in my “Top 5” most influential artists that I continually go back to.

    Another comic I can’t get over it the newly released Facsimile Treasury Edition of DC’s House of Mystery. If anyone knew how to put to gather a horror anthology in the 1970s, it was DC Comics and the talent attached to this volume is top notch, including the likes of Berni Wrightson, Gil Kane, and Alex Toth (just to name a few).

    5. Art Show in January 2026

    In January, I will be having an art show with my good friend James Greene. If you don’t know James or his comics, you need to check out his Larry Loathman series. We will be exhibiting original pages and creating new work for the exhibit, which will be at The Unicat Gallery. My hope is to be able to share some of the process and development of new work through the newsletter. Be on the lookout for more information and chatter relating to this upcoming show.

    All I can say now is that it’s time to get grinding.

    Thanks for sticking around and coming along with me on this art journey. If you are around for any of the upcoming events I’ll be participating in, please come say hello. It would be great to see you.

    Til next time,

    Thony Aiuppy

  • January 2025 Updates

    There are a lot of new things happening around these parts.

    First off, I started teaching part time at UNF (University of North Florida) again. This semester I am teaching Figurative Painting. It’s going alright so far and I am adjusting to doing more demos. Currently students are doing self-portrait paintings that I look forward to seeing. Here’s a quick demo of my self-portrait that I gave on Wednesday. I’ll probably finish it in class over the next week or two.

    Second, I’m also starting a new part time gig teaching adults with autism at the Rainbow Center, part of L’Arche (an adult autism care facility). I’ll be teaching ceramics and very much look forward to working these amazing humans!

    Third, I’m still teaching private lessons. This semester I’m teaching Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 4-5:30. If you know anybody in Jacksonville, Florida looking for art lessons on Fridays, send them my way.

    THONY AIUPPY Under Deaden Days Q2 COMICDownload

    Fourth, this weekend I finished a new comic titled Under Deaden Days. It’s an 8-page weirdo western poetry comic. Feel free to download and read at your leisure. I may do a few tweaks, but this is something I plan to do more of: mixing comics and poetry.

    Fifth, I just got a proposal approved for a large project. That means a couple of things.

    For the rest of January and probably most of February, I will be spending a lot of time researching, writing and doing some preliminary sketching for a large sequential art project. I have a deadline in the middle of the summer. Can’t give too many details, but I will be sharing some process stuff along the way here. If you’d like to get updates from me, this is where they will most likely be posted. Because of my tight deadline, I won’t be engaging too much on social media over the next several months.

    You can sign up for my Blog/Newsletter HERE! Please share with your friends!

    Happy MLK Day!

  • Some New Updates!

    Hi everyone. Just wanted to give an update because a lot has been going on in my corner of the world.

    I have new comics up in my STORE.

    There are 2 different Comic Bundles that you can purchase at a discount (and I’m covering the shipping for orders during the next month).

    1) Risograph Bundle

    My friend Andrew Kowzlowski over at Paper City Publishing created these Risograph versions of The Aquabarian and Cryptids from the Damned Platoon.

    2) Black & White Bundle

    There’s also the 3 Black $ White Comix Bundle that comes with The Aquabarian, Cryptids from the Damned Platoon, and Collage Comix.

    Two weekends ago I got the chance to table at Small Press Fest in Dania Beach (Fort Lauderdale area), Florida.

    It was the first time I ever tabled outside of my city, Jacksonville, Florida. The experience was great all around. It was amazing to connect with people and share my work with a new audience. Highly recommend if you are trying tabling. Being a newbie, I didn’t have the best spot, but I totally made it work. My neighbors were super-chill and when we hit a lull, we chatted about process and future projects/endeavors. Also, just found out that I will get to table at the Orlando Zine Fest next month (December 14, 2024).

    This last weekend I taught a comic zine workshop in my city.

    I was able to partner with a local roastery, the super rad Solune Coffee. The workshop was small, but helpful to people wanting to make more zines and comics. There was a cool mix of young people and adults. It was a great time and I was able to practice and sharpen my teaching (comics and zines) skills. 

    Oh, yeah, I got a new dog. Her name is JuneBug  she turned 1 on Halloween. 

    Between making and selling comics, tabling, and trying to do art workshops, life has been very full.

    This is all on top of teaching private art lessons (I have over a dozen private students now, and hoping to grow more during the Spring) and participating in the SAW Yearlong Comics Program for the second time.

    Thanks for your time,

    Thony Aiuppy 

    Stay connected and up to date! Subscribe below!

  • New Art Classes coming FALL 2024

    Coming Late Summer // Early Fall 2024, I will be starting a new business teaching private art and group art classes in Jacksonville, Florida. Get more information HERE!

    Let me know how I can accommodate your art needs. Send me an email at thonyaiuppy@gmail.com