Zines pictured: Stick Cats Number One Act 1 by Nick Marino, Bag of Bones by Larry King, Madtown High #4 by Whit Taylor, and Mungo the Skugg by Chris Monroe.

Here’s an interesting interview with Phil Foglio where his discusses his experiences with publishing his comics for free on the web.

“…For years people had been coming up to me and saying “I would like to get into comics” and I had been saying “Screw comics. Do a webcomic. It’s the wave of the future and your production costs are super low,” and eventually I realized that instead of just giving this advice I should take it.”

I thought I would call your attention to webcomics.com. For the last few months they have been posting a ton of excellent cartooning lessons… it is quickly becoming one of the best places to look on the web for this sort of information (along with our own Cartooning Lessons rss feed, which you can find here). Many of the articles are user submitted, so if you have information to share, it is a good opportunity to do so. Go check it out!

Modern Cartoonist: The Naked Truth, written by Daniel Clowes.

Fantagraphics has posted an essay by Daniel Clowes originally appearing as a bound-in booklet accompanying Eightball #18, originally published in 1997. Some interesting reading on modern comics and what they are and can be. It’s very cool that the whole book is hand lettered and illustrated in lovely two color illustrations.

Minicomics as Artist Books
with Will Dinski
Mondays: March 24, 31, April 7, 14
6-9pm
All skill levels welcome

With so many new comics going directly to the web, many minicomic
creators
have started making higher quality books with a lower print run.
Screen-printing, letterpress, inkjet as well as photocopying are three
trusted printing techniques of these artists. This workshop will review
these techniques and discuss their usefulness as a storytelling
vehicle. By
the end of the four weeks, students will have crafted their own
minicomic.

$170 ($155 members)
$10 supply fee
Mention the CARTOONIST CONSPIRACY to waive the supply fee.

Here are the videos Brian wanted to post here the other day.

On the BTA blog I wrote about my experience drawing the Rock Atlas for City Pages. The account is more technique than gossip, but still worth a look.

Saturday, June 30 and Saturday, July 14 | 10:00 am-4:00 pm | VSA North Fourth Art Center | Albuquerque, NM

7000 BC will be conducting two day-long workshops, open to the public ages 15 and up, that will guide participants in making their own comics. Participants will work with 7000 BC members and to create their own sequential art project. The suggested donation is $20. For more information, or to register, send an email.

Check out this inspiring commencement speech to the first graduating class of The Center for Cartoon Studies by the great Patrick McDonnell at Tom Spurgeon’s excellent Comics Reporter Blog.

Mr. Spurgeon has also reviewed a recent run (May 13-19) of McDonnell’s Mutts strips having to do with writing a commencement speech here, one of which can be seen above.