The Big Time Attic blog has been posting all sorts of wonderful stuff lately, including some excellent “tips and tricks”…
Tips and Tricks: Jam Comics
Tips and Tricks: Drawing Out in the Cold
Tips and Tricks: Computer Coloring
Tips and Tricks: The Brush Pen
Cartoonists Jessica Abel (La Perdita) and Matt Madden (A Fine Mess) are looking for some cartoonists or aspiring cartoonists to help test out their textbook on making comics that they are working on.
Note that the talented Miss Abel has a section of her artbabe.com site where she has provided some very cool tutorials on making, selling and getting comics that you can check out and see where she’s coming from.
Do You Want to learn to draw comics?
We are looking to form a group of volunteers in your area to help us “beta test” our textbook “Drawing Words and Writing Pictures”.We are in need of motivated volunteers to create a comics group that would meet regularly to learn how to make comics using the teaching materials from our new comics textbook. we will be in frequent contact with the group and will offer any support that may be needed. We estimate the course will take about EIGHT MONTHS to a YEAR.
7000 BC will exhibiting at the Phoenix Cactus Comicon 2007, January 26-28 at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Arizona — at table A6 in the Small Press Creators area. All kinds of self-published comics from members will be available.
Hooray! Chapter four of Far Arden, Kevin Cannon’s 288 Hour cliffhanger serial of a comic featuring Armitage Shanks, Arctic Pirate (which you can read more about here) has been posted! You can start at the beginning here, or click on the image below to start at chapter four if you already read the first three.
I recommend starting at the beginning even if you’ve already read it, as even in its incomplete state (currently one third completed!), the story is complex and layered, and already greatly rewards rereading.
Make sure to leave comments and encouragement for Kevin on the Big Time Attic blog here!
The Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco is having there next Creators Meeting on Tuesday Jan 23 (tomorrow).
CAM Creators’ Group Meeting: Tuesday, January 23, 7-9pm
The next Cartoon Art Museum Creators’ Group Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 23 from 7pm to 9pm. The subject of this month’s meeting is Anthologies. Confirmed guest speakers so far include:
Shaenon Garrity, editor of Moderntales.com, contributor to multiple Friends of Lulu anthologies
Justin Hall, contributor to Boy Trouble, True Porn and other anthologies
Shannon O’Leary, editor of Pet Noir
Nate Orman, editor of The MadHappys
(with one or two more to be added shortly)The Cartoon Art Museum hosts Creators’ Group meetings of local cartoonists four to six times a year, featuring guest speakers on a variety of topics ranging from self-publishing and self-promotion to tax advice and grant writing.
These meetings are open to comic creators of all skill levels, and represent an opportunity for artists in the Bay Area to meet and interact with others in the creative community. Past topics of discussion include preparation for conventions, webcomics, tax advice for cartoonists and animation. The suggested donation for these meetings is $3.
To receive more information about these meetings and other events for local cartoonists, please e-mail Cartoon Art Museum Gallery Manager Andrew Farago at gallery@cartoonart.org
These events are put together by Andrew Farago who also has a new on-line strip: The Chronicles of William Bazillion
Ahhg! And I’m gonna miss the opening! It should be a great show… info here.
Kramers Ergot
January 28 – February 25, 2007
Opening Reception:
Saturday January 27, 20077:00 to 9:00 pm
Art Speigelman says of Kramers Ergot: “If there’s a future for comics, Kramers Ergot seems to have bottled it. The first really new paradigm for an avant-garde comix anthology since RAW. A lavish package where the whole is even greater than the sum of its parts!â€
Having published the sixth volume in 2006, Kramers Ergot continues to exist in a unique cultural spot where narrative, comics, contemporary art and the avant-garde collide. This exhibition features a selection of artists from the acclaimed comic art collection.
Sammy Harkham, the editor and founder of Kramers Ergot will be present at the opening reception. The opening reception will also feature a music performance by New York band Ambergris, accompanied by the ritual unrolling of a 19th century music video (a large scroll).
John K, the creator of Ren and Stimpy, among other things, has an excellent animation blog where he frequently offers cartooning and animation lessons. The esteemed Mr. K can be dogmatic about what he views as the right way to do things, but a lot of the information he provides is really great. The latest one, which I found particularly interesting, is the fourth part of a discussion on animation backgrounds. From numbered page images, it looks like he is putting these together as a book, which I will be looking forward to.
Part 1: General Style Theory
Part 2: Contrasts in Shapes
Part 3: Contrasts in Direction and Size
Part 4: Organic Shapes and Forms
On simple color backgrounds
I was just perusing Tom Spurgeon’s Comics Reporter website and ran across some articles there that I thought would be of interest to you all (check them out at the links below). While you’re there you may want to subscribe to The Comics Reporter blog as well (which is the main page of his site). Tom provides some of the best coverage of comics news on the internoodle.
Why Should I Make a Mini-Comic
There are enough cartooning gigs appearing online these days that I can no longer keep up with them, although I’ll keep trying… there is a list on the top of the site (and the left side of the home page) of things I’ve heard about and got around to adding, and we have a section of the message board here that anyone can post their opportunities to. Fortunately there are other places to check as well!
Conspirator Andrey Feldysteyn does an excellent job keeping up a list of cartooning opportunies, with a focus on international cartooning and gag comics competitions (among other things).
The Comics Journal message board has frequent opportunites that pop, particularly for the small-press cartoonist:
Here is another newer site called comicjobz.com focusing on various general cartooning gigs.
The Digital Webbing forum used to be a good place to look for more mainstream comic book industry gigs, although I don’t see much of that there these days glancing at it.
I’ll post more of them here as I run across them… please post others on the message board here if you know of them!
Judges Announced, and Submissions Accepted!
Bring Your Best for the Fifth Annual
Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-ComicsSAN FRANCISCO (January 16th, 2007) San Francisco comics retailer James Sime, proprietor of Isotope – the comic book lounge, announced today that submissions for the fifth-annual Isotope Award for Excellence in Mini-Comics will be accepted until March 15th at midnight. “In 2007 one mini-comic creator’s career will be forever changed,” said Sime, “So fire up your xerox machines and get ready to submit your minis for the fifth annual Isotope Award!”
The five comic professionals who will serve as judges for the Isotope Award this year include:
Danica Novgorodoff – 2006 winner of the Isotope Award for her mini-comic A LATE FREEZE. Danica is a comics author, artist and also a designer for First Second Books.
Johanna Draper Carlson – Publishers Weekly writer, and the brilliant mind behind Comics Worth Reading. Johanna’s open-minded reviews and enthusiastic reporting set the bar for commentary throughout the industry.
Jason McNamara – Xeric award winning author of all-ages graphic novel FIRST MOON, PopImage columnist, & returning Isotope Award judge.
Kirsten Baldock – The Isotope’s Special Projects Director is also a librarian, bartender, and the author of the SMOKE AND GUNS graphic novel.
James Sime – Proprietor of Isotope – the comic book lounge in San Francisco.
The award, a beautiful trophy sculpted by designer Crowe, made entirely from carved ebony fossil stone and satin silver, has also launched the professional comic careers of Rob Osborne (1000 STEPS TO WORLD DOMINATION), Josh Cotter (SKYSCRAPERS OF THE MIDWEST), Daniel Merlin Goodbrey (THE LAST SANE COWBOY), and now Danica Novgorodoff (A LATE FREEZE). “The attention this award has brought to our winners always brings us such joy,” said Baldock, “Osborne, Cotter, and Goodbrey’s minis have all been picked up by great indy publishers, and Danica Novgrodoff’s A LATE FREEZE is now available through Diamond Comics Distributor. What could be better than that?”
Entry to this competition is five copies of your mini-comic sent to Isotope’s address (326 Fell St. San Francisco, CA 94102) before the March 15th deadline. The award will be given out at a grand ceremony during APE AFTERMATH at the Isotope in conjunction with San Francisco’s ALTERNATIVE PRESS EXPO. San Francisco’s APE convention has been a forum for small and independent publishers in the industry for many years. Because of the nature of this award, the winner will be contacted in advance and must be present at the Isotope at 9 PM on Saturday, April 21st for the award presentation ceremony.
“Get your submissions in and give yourself a chance to grab the gold and the glory that we all know you deserve!” Sime said with a smile, “And don’t forget to order a copy of Danica’s book on page 281 of the January Previews!”
For more information contact the Isotope at (415) 621 – 6543 or at isotopepromotions@gmail.com