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!
Break out the cake!
Happy Birthday Designs
Make your bday a special day with one of my birthday themed designs!
Created: July, 2016 | Role: Illustrator
Fact: Sharks love birthdays more than you could ever know and are always hungry for some sweet birthday cake!
Created: April 23rd, 2020 | Role: Illustrator
Fact: Lady sharks love birthday parties.
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!
"St Patrick's Day Chicago Dog"
Created: March 16th, 2021 | Role: Illustrator
A little Chicago, a little dog, a little green.
"St Patrick's Day Sweets Shark"
Created: March 29th, 2022 | Role: Illustrator
FACT: Sharks love to live it up, every single day of March for St Patrick's Day and enjoy all the treats, sweets and minty flavored drinks!
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!
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.
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!
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!
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!
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?
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.
Created: January XXth, 2024 | Role: Illustrator
Life at the North Pole isn't just about toys and spreading joy. You have to chop some wood to keep Mrs. Claus and all the elves and reindeer nice and cozy!
"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!
Join the Danger Huskie Danger Team
Danger Huskie
Vector works that a fun, cute, scary, and a bit dangerous!
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!
Created: March 16th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator
Happy St. Patrick's Day! What's luckier than a festive dachshund in a chicago-style hot dog costume that is giving you a four leaf clover? I can't think of anything!
"Four Leaf Clover Chicago Dog"
Created: March 13th, 2024 | Role: Illustrator
A little dachshund in a bowler hat is all decked out in green, beyond the green toppings of a tasty Chicago-style hot dog, to wish you a Happy St Patrick's Day!
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.