Mouse Guard during Winter - Lieam vs the One-Eyed Owl by David Petersen

My main stop at FACTS Spring Edition this April 2026 was "Mouse Guard" creator David Petersen. I absolutely adore his extremely approachable all-ages story featuring brave mice in an ever opposing world. When you walk in nature, you never know if there is a Mouse Guard somewhere around, on one of their many adventures. It's great for kids; it's great for adults; it's great for new readers; it's great for comic book veterans. "Mouse Guard" is just one of the better independent stories.

My favorite book so far is the "Winter 1152" story - which features Black Axe Celanawe & young Lieam together. The latter is an eager-to-please and -fight mouse, having to grow up way faster than he should. I wanted to homage that relationship and a specific moment from the book. Unfortunately, David wasn't actually offering that kind of option. But I explained my idea, my love of the series, and managed to set something up.

My commission idea was to have Lieam, with his Guard's cape, carrying the Black Axe, facing off against the One-Eyed Owl. I won't spoil what happened before or what happens after...

David executed it masterfully. I adore the dense snow; the clear face-off composition with the imposing Owl, with Lieam holding his composure, his feet steadily positioned. A true "David versus Goliath" story, which the commission portrays perfectly.

This was done in pencils and inks on an 11x17 board. A perfect piece where everything just fell in place - from idea to the ink on the page.