Narrative Ink

Need a Diagram in your Comic Book?

2010-05-06T00:20:00.001-05:00

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Specific_diagram_types

helpful little images of different diagrams. I thought it would be a lot easier to find them, but not so much

Jamie McKelvie - Comic Book Layout Tutorial

2010-05-05T21:24:00.006-05:00

Hey guys,

In response to the handout on comic print output, I revisited a certain ImagineFX workshop tutorial focusing on comic book layout by Jamie McKelvie, author of Suburban Glamour. This free download workshop shows his techniques - from his uses of references to converting to CMYK. Enjoy!

~Nace

2010-05-02T15:06:00.003-05:00

hey class,

I wanted to share a really nice resource for the following sorts of visuals:
"Books~~Illustrations~~Science~~History~~Visual Materia Obscura~~Eclectic Bookart."

it's like a blog version of the library image collections.

http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/

Potluck Crit Party

2010-05-01T21:05:00.012-05:00

Here's the list of what everyone's signed up to bring for our last comics class:
Chad - cups + plates
Ellis - coffee + creamer
Christa - orange juice
Lisa - fruit (grapes +/or strawberries)
David - bagels + cream cheese
KD - donuts
Izzy - potatoes (?)
Nat - pigs in a blanket
Joe - chips
Mercedes - deviled eggs / pastry roll (?)
Nace - taffy apple pizza!

"coworker potluck" image courtesy of www.nataliedee.com

interactive inkiness on the web

2010-05-01T20:51:00.001-05:00

So, probably I shouldn't be offering you all a digital diversion from finals, but this interactive flash site is all about letting loose your inky aspirations. Maybe a good way to loosen up and enjoy the unpredictability of the material (yes, ironic, since it's all digital). Takes a few minutes for the site to load, but totally worth it. Once you're done you can replay your own drawing/music video. Good times. Here's the LINK.

Paul Pope giving a talk...

2010-04-09T22:41:00.003-05:00

Here's a funny lecture by Paul Pope from a series on "creating worlds." It's not the most illuminating talk, but it has some nice insights into Pope's creative process and arts background/history. Just skip to the "Pope Opening" part if you're not interested in sitting through the other speakers. Enjoy!

http://fora.tv/2007/09/27/Creating_New_Worlds

C2E2 - Get ready!

2010-03-31T11:22:00.005-05:00

If you're a comic fan in Chicago, definitely keep an open mind towards C2E2- the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo.

http://www.c2e2.com/

Just thought our class might like to know, there's actually going to be some huge names showing up. The convention is Friday April 16th through Sunday April 18th. Hours are Friday 1PM - 7PM, Saturday from 10AM to 7PM, and Sunday from 10AM to 5PM. Tickets are $25 per day, or $50 for the weekend.

The Convention is going to have a pretty amazing turn-out, so it may be worth going just to meet with some of the best comic authors and artists working today, plus some media guests- Alex Ross (Kingdom Come), Dan DiDio (Marvel Editor), Garth Ennis (Preacher), Neil Gaiman (Sandman), Geoff Johns (Blackest Night), Jeph Loeb (Batman: Long Halloween), Mike Mignola (Hellboy), Joe Quesada (Marvel), Jeff Smith (Bone, RASL), Gail Simone (Birds of Prey), Chris Ware, Kevin Conroy (voice of Batman of Batman: The Animated Series), Max Brooks (zombie survival guide), fantasy author George RR Martin, and a TON of small-press/independent/underground/online comic artists like Daniel Corsetto (Girls with Slingshots), John Campbell (Pictures for Sad Children), Jeph Jacques (Questionable Content), KC Greene (Gunshow Comic), Laura Innes (The Dreamer), and a TON more I can't even begin to list here. Here's the official roster of guests-

http://www.c2e2.com/en/Guests/

In addition to guests, the con will also feature DOZENS of panels, some free movie showings, and a couple hundred exhibitors who'll be selling t-shirts, DVD's, comics, books, toys, and whatever else you can imagine. The tickets are a bit pricy, admittedly, but the turn out is going to be really amazing, so I suggest that everyone keep an open mind to the convention as a way to meet great artists, do a little nerdy shopping, and have a good time. Plus, you can also show up in costume. Or hang out with people who do. Or make fun of the inevitably bad costumes. You know, whatever.

- David Mitchell

Rice-Boy

2010-03-13T23:29:00.003-06:00

This is David here.

I'm a pretty big supporter of web-media when it comes to comic distribution, and I really can see the internet becoming the big new venue for comic releases. Web-comics are multiplying like rabbits, with thousands of new titles being put online yearly, may of which are actually quite good. I'm no expert on web-comics to the point where I could write a book on them or anything, but I've probably read upwards and above 100 webcomics since I started reading them in high school. With that in mind, I though I might post some links here to some of my most high recommended.

First up is Rice-Boy:

http://www.rice-boy.com/

Rice-Boy actually isn't just a single tale, it's a website with three sections. First up is The Adventures of Rice-Boy, a now-complete 450-page adventure tale about a cute little guy named Rice-Boy who lives in a sort of surreal fantasy world. It follows his quest to save the world after being selected by a mysterious robot named The One Electric. Beautiful art-work and a very imaginative world.

In addition to The Adventures of Rice-Boy, the website also has Order of Tales, a now 500+ page epic that's not yet complete. Taking place in the same world as The Adventures of Rice-Boy, it's a slightly darker tale that explores the vast fictional world of Overside. There's also a third section to the website which features a variety of short-stories taking place in the same world as the previous two mentioned stories. Really all quite looking in to. Enjoy.

- David

Comics in the News

2010-03-13T22:15:00.001-06:00

Hot on the heels of discussions around the "economics of comics" raised during last week's Chicago Comics Symposium, here are two news articles of interest:

The first addresses the decision to pull weekly comics from newspapers across the country, including a "survivor-style" contest to nix less-popular strips that I find rather horrifying. Whether newspaper strips are of interest to you as an artist or not, they have historically been many people's first introduction to basic "comics literacy." What do you make of it?

The second article is less about graphic narratives and more about miniature paper laboratories that diagnose illnesses with comic-book inks. Some excellent comic-book-reading scientists are surely behind this plan. This reminds me to mention that the Union of Concerned Scientists is planning a Student Edition of its regular annual Science Idol: Scientific Integrity Editorial Cartoon Contest .The winner will receive $1,000 for their design, and runners up will get $500 and $100, respectively. More info on this as it develops!

Chicago Comics Symposium

2010-03-05T15:43:00.005-06:00

Just wanted to remind you about the upcoming Comic Symposium, taking place in SAIC's very own Ballroom on Thursday and Friday, March 10-11, from 4pm - 7pm both days.
It's an aMAZing opportunity to see comics professionals like Anders Nilsen, Sarah Becan, Jeffrey Brown, Paul Hornschemeier and more speak on their work and ideas. Artists/SAIC faculty Jeremy Tinder, Anne Elizabeth Moore, Surabhi Ghosh and I myself will be speaking on a panel or two as well.

Here's a link to the Symposium SITE, and the schedule of events is:

THURSDAY, March 11th, 2010
Getting Out: Distribution and Self Publication- 4:30pm-5:30pmModerator: Jeremy Tinder
Panelists: Ian McDuffie, Joey Jacks, Sarah Becan, Anders Nilsen

Comics, Art and the Between- 5:45pm-6:45pm
Moderators: Bad @ Sports and Guest Jason Dunda
Panelists: Paul Hornschemeier, John Porcellino, Christa Donner, Bernie McGovern
**********************************************************
FRIDAY March 12th, 2010
Imagining Identity of Self and Others in Comics- 4:30pm-5:30pm
Moderator: Stanford Carpenter
Panelists: Lucy Knisley, Jeffrey Brown, Nicole Hollander, Tyrell Cannon

Professionalization in Comics- 5:45pm-6:45pm
Moderator: Anne Elizabeth Moore
Panelists: Surabhi Ghosh, Beth Hetland, Jeremy Tinder

That guy I was talking about...

2010-01-29T18:31:00.002-06:00

Hey, this is Ellis. Here's that painter guy I was talking about in class briefly. His name is Miodrag Dado. He's not a "comic artist" per se, but he's pretty great. Check it out.

Welcome to Narrative Ink!

2010-01-29T13:27:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the class blog for Narrative Ink: Drawing on Comics. This is a space for you to find interesting comics resources and things discussed in class, as well as a place to post things of interest for the larger comics community.

Once you've logged in as a user, you can either create a new post containing text, images, videos and links, or start a conversation by commenting on an existing post. (Note - people can post a comment even if they're not a part of the class). This is a visual class... so please don't post text without some sort of image (still or moving) to accompany it! Check back often to participate in our discussions and stay in the loop about comics-related events and news.

Indepth Talk With Scott McCloud

2010-01-20T15:55:00.000-06:00

2009-12-18T15:55:00.002-06:00

On www.comicbookresources.com they revealed the results of their Top Two Comic Book Storylines of All Time as voted by the readers.

"Watchmen" by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (Watchmen #1-12) - 2003 points (78 first place votes)

"The Dark Phoenix Saga" by Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin (X-Men #129-137) - 1472 points (59 first place votes)

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/12/18/top-100-comic-book-storylines-2-and-1/

Full results. ^^ Has anyone read these??

James Jean

2009-12-17T01:16:00.002-06:00

Hey, everyone. I just thought you should all take a look at James Jean if you haven't before. He's not a comic artist per se but he has done some cover art for comics and gets a ton of work doing commercial illustration. Plus his sketchbook is just incredible.

His main website is:

http://www.jamesjean.com/

but he has a great blog at:

http://www.processrecess.com/

Really makes you want to draw!

More Recommendations?

2009-12-16T21:58:00.004-06:00

Hi all- thought I'd take the chance to share one of the webcomics I follow- Girl Genius, written and drawn by Professors Phil and Kaja Foglio. The tagline of "Adventure, Romance, Mad Science!" sums it up rather nicely, but it has plenty of comedy and a lot of world building too.

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20021104

I know there's Bakuman from the team behind Deathnote and Moebiuss work- does anyone have more titles or authors they would recommend off hand?

Moebius/Sci-Fi Site

2009-12-11T15:18:00.004-06:00

HI ALL!!

file:///Users/stephenoliver/Desktop/Picture%20clipping.pictClipping

I decided since Moebius is one of my favorite artists to post the site that shows him actually drawing and his process. Also If you would like a copy of my power point just in case anyone wanted to look at it again to get some information on him and see more of his artwork let me know and I can send it to you in an email :). Just copy and paste this link and you should be redirected to it. Also underneath the link for Moebius' video is another link to a website that has a lot of information for sci-fi artists. This is where i found the video Time Masters that Moebius worked on in the early 80's and tons of other information on other science fiction artwork and videos! Enjoy!

http://drawn.ca/2008/07/07/moebius-redux/

http://starfruitsurfrider.blogspot.com/

Good ol' Ink tip

2009-12-08T00:10:00.001-06:00

How's everyone doin?

Just recently stumbled upon a tutorial video by Mark Crilly.
In this video Mark Crilly, artist of Miki Falls, presents a lesson on how to ink with micron pens, with some helpful tips about crosshatching technique.
I like how this vid show how much crosshatching is enough so it will not ruin the drawing. Also the video, not only he teaches how to do crosshatching, he teaches how to ink properly (hair, eye, mouth, and ear).

Check it out, and I hope it helps you!~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AetUX0akcC8

PS Ignore the site that shows up on the video, some person took the vid and began to use it as an advertisement.

Characters

2009-11-15T09:36:00.015-06:00

Hi comic peoples!

I've always liked character designs - I usually burn hours and hours of my life looking at this stuff - so I just wanted to share these two site. These cats do one heck of a job coming up with some awesome character - Rich is one of my friends. Justin Sweet is another artist I use when I am in need of inspiration for compositions. He has about 3 different styles of drawing and painting that he uses for his work and I think he bases it on the theme if the concept . . . so check them out, especially their environments

Justin Sweet: http://www.justinsweet.com/index.html

Richard Loung: http://luongart.esmartdesign.com/index.html

Paul Pope on Wednesday Comics

2009-11-08T13:27:00.003-06:00

Paul Pope talks a bit about his experiences with Wednesday Comics. Wednesday Comics was an experimental format DC played with a few months back. Publishing a weekly anthology of comics, using only one page per title. In 14x20 newspaper format. Pope contributed with The Adventures Of Adam Strange.

http://pulphope.blogspot.com/2009/10/muad-dib.html

Comix Battle this Tuesday, November 3!

2009-10-30T15:27:00.001-05:00

Hi all,

Comix Battle this Tuesday, 6pm. Free. Be there!

Infusing the sacred art of comics creation with the flippant irreverence of improv comedy and the swaggering bravado of professional wrestling, the “Comic Art Battle” is a live art spectacle that pits the comic book world's most talented creators, writers and artists against each other in a clash of lightning-quick wits and spontaneous draftsmanship.

A successful team of battlers will have to deploy talent and strategy as well as natural charisma in order to win over the audience during a series of timed matches, all of which are heavy on audience participation and ultimately judged by audience applause. The menagerie of challenges ranges from one-on-one cage matches where two artists must sketch a volunteer from the audience in an audience-suggested setting, to an all-out brawl where every team member must get up on stage at once and put their heads together to create a six-panel comic based on an audience-suggested theme in under five minutes.

With an ever-revolving roster of contenders, dynamic team line-ups, and a growing assortment of bone-crushing challenges, these unpredictably uninhibited events are never the same and always full of surprises!

More info (including video and photos from past battles) is available HERE.

Super Duper Awesome Amazing Comic Group

2009-10-30T15:04:00.003-05:00

hey guys, as i mentioned in class today, i'm gathering a group to produce and distribute a bi-monthly anthology of comic works. anyone can join.

you don't need to have a 12 page epic every issue. works range from 1 pagers, political cartoons, to an on going series. if we have too many people, its possible we can do a rotating roster. if it does turn out to be a rotating roster, the possibility of this turning into a monthly thing is more than possible.

this is not by any stretch of the imagination a money maker. this is just for fun, get our work out, and learn about the annoying side of comic production. its also good to have a group of people serious about comics to get feed back outside of class. AND if you join, you'll get access to my giant collection of comics.

email me if you're interested. me and my co-organizer will organize a meeting within the next week to discuss production, printing, and distribution outlets we've come up with. its also a chance to give us inputs and ideas, and just to get everyone on the same page.

my email is: blue-caravan@hotmail.com

Pose Maniac

2009-10-26T22:31:00.001-05:00

Hey guys. Just dropping by to let everyone know of a pretty good site for reference poses to help with the process of drawing your scenes.

Check it out

Best manga ABOUT MANGA!!!

2009-10-16T15:56:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone, this is Tatsumi.

I want to share a manga with you guys, but sadly its not translated into English,

and I dont think it will be anytime soon, or ever.

It's called "Bakuman" and it's the newest (and still ongoing) series by the two authors

of Death Note. It is a story about two middle school (currently high school in the series)

trying to become a manga artist in the most popular manga magazine in Japan, "Shonen Jump".

Alot of people have questions, including Japanese people like myself, on the steps and techinques, what goes on during drawing a manga, and such more. Everything is in this comic starting from these two kids submitting their work to win prizes, all the way to becoming a professional manga artist in Japan.

If you ever wanted to experience what it feels like to be a part of the manga culture in Japan, this is the manga for you. The good news is that probably because the authors are the same as Death Note, many foreign fans have translated this comic. Below is the link.

http://www.onemanga.com/Bakuman/

If this doesnt work for you, tons more will come up if you type "read bakuman online" or something in google. I am usually against illegal uploading and viewing of comics, but some things you just gotta share! But if it ever does come up in the US, please buy it after you read it online. I'm sure you will sympathize more and buy it too after you read how hard it is to survive as a manga artist in a weekly magazine :)

Enjoy!

Guy Davis

2009-10-15T15:58:00.004-05:00

If anyone missed Guy Davis today, he's doing a signing tomorrow the 15th at Graham Cracker Comics.

If you aren't familiar with his work. Davis first came onto the scene with Baker Street, which lead him to do Sandman Mystery Theater for DC's Vertigo. Currently he's working on his own project The Marquis and B.P.R.D (Hellboy spin off written by Mignola).

International Comics Arts Forum at SAIC THIS WEEK!

2009-10-13T15:09:00.003-05:00

This year's International Comic Arts Forum will be held in Chicago this year, hosted by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago! That means you'll have the chance to see comics artists and scholars from all over the world present on their work, covering diverse topics including Ethics + Comics, Questions of Identity, and Innovative Forms. Panels and presentations will take place in the Grand Ballroom and at the Gene Siskel Film center THIS WEEK ONLY, with a full schedule of events from Thursday, October 15 through Saturday, October 17th.

Check out the full schedule of events on the ICAF site HERE!

Call for Illustrators

2009-10-13T14:55:00.000-05:00

Chris Kullstroem, a writer from Norwich, CT is currently seeking illustrators for his upcoming book "Deadly Roles," a collection of interactive murder mysteries in which players take on character roles, search for clues and solve mysteries in a themed party setting. He's seeking several illustrators so that a different style can be applied to each chapter.

This is an unpaid assignment, but great experience, and good for your portfolio.

Chapters focus on the following themes:

The Plague
Death Omens (ravens, banshees, hellhounds, etc.)
Alchemy
Funeral Home
Underworld Legends (Heaven, Hell, Greek Underworld, Limbo, etc.)
Cursed Cemetery
The Undead (vampires, zombies, ghosts)

Each chapter includes roughly 8-12 character illustrations, 6-8 full page illustrations and 5-10 small images. You must be able to put all images into high resolution TIFF and JPEG format.

Looking to start project immediately for completion date of early 2010.

If you're interested, contact Chris at chris@monstersandbooks.com with sample work.

Website: www.monstersandbooks.com

Windsor McCay Talk 10/28/09

2009-10-06T07:49:00.001-05:00

Winsor McCay - Conservative Revolutionary
October 28, 2009
6:30 - 7:30 pm

An examination of the life and work of Winsor McCay, creator of Little Nemo and the "Father of American Animation." Rick Marschall, editor of eight books and author of many articles on McCay's work, will discuss aspects of foundations and innovations in McCay's style; and the role of technology and mass-production in his art, particularly Sunday comic supplements and animated cartoons.

The event will be held at Columbia College Chicago, Hokin Lecture Hall, 623 S. Wabash Ave., Room 109. It's FREE and open to the public.

Unifying Theory Of Superman's Powers

2009-09-30T15:45:00.003-05:00

io9 recently posted an article summarizing a theory that unifies all of Superman's abilities into one. The theory was conceived by Ben Tippett. Tippett proposes that Superman has the ability to manipulate the inertia of matter on the atomic to kilometer length scales in which he is in contact with.

To use x-ray vision, he alters the emission and absorption of atoms/molecules. He can also alter his own physiology. My problem is that this does not explain how Superman can see in 5 different DIMENSIONS while in a bleed in space time which causes multiple different universes to clash into each other, a redundancy which I'm willing to over look for now. If Supes can alter the emission/absorption rate, then it would only be logical that that power would only work in the New Earth (Earth-0, not Earth-Zero) Universe. Since it would illogical to assume that the laws of physics work the same in the other 52, much less when they clash into each other.

If this theory is true, then it would also make sense that Superman would not have to do much to disable missiles, nukes, guns, and many other things that could be sabatoged by changing the inertia of matter just a bit.

My final problem is that this does not explain how Superman is able to fuse with Ultraman to embody a giant Superman Robot to do battle with a void sucking vampire who's part of a race of immortals who control the balance of the 52 worlds.

Although looking back, I think my main problem is with the horrid writing of Grant Morrison.

Presentation Party! (ahem, schedule)

2009-09-28T15:46:00.002-05:00

Hi all, below is the official schedule for in-class comics artist presentations.

Plan ahead: you will need to (1.) research interviews,articles, and high-quality images to address the requirements discussed in class (2.) read *at least* one complete printed work that you'll bring to share with the class, and (3.) organize and present a cohesive visual (Powerpoint or Keynote) presentation for the class.

So, without further ado, here's the calendar:

Oct 2: Caitlin Ostrow (David B.); Marissa Eurek (Julie Doucet)
Oct 9: Andrew Shen (Paul Pope); Jane Pigliacelli (Alison Bechdel); Ali Adame (Jhonen Vasquez)
Oct 16: Mike DuPree (Taiyo Matsumoto); Antonia Neva (Marjane Satrapi); John Cho (Kohta Hirano; Erica Li (Jessica Abel)
Oct 30: James Lee (John Porcellino); Lauren Smith (Anders Nilsen); Luthando Mazuboko (Windsor McCay)
Nov 6: Stephen Oliver ( Moebius); Sam Smith (Simon Bisley); Stephen Settles (Osamu Tezuka)
Nov 13: Dylan Rabe ( Frank Miller); Tatsumi Hsu (Junji Ito); Matt Koos (Renee French)

Chicago Humanities Festival

2009-09-27T21:46:00.002-05:00

Lynda Barry and Matt Groening will be speaking at the UIC Forum on Nov. 5 as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival. From the CHF website:

Matt Groening (creator of the The Simpsons, Futurama, and Life in Hell) and Lynda Barry (Ernie Pook’s Comeek and The Good Times are Killing Me) first met in the 1970s at Evergreen State College, the improbable seedbed of some of the greatest graphic comic work of the past several decades. They remain close friends and continue to influence each other’s work. Two of the country’s funniest people separately, Groening and Barry together breach the comic sublime.

Great Comics on the Cheap

2009-09-24T12:54:00.001-05:00

If you're looking for some interesting new comics (and you should be...) make sure you take advantage of Drawn & Quarterly's 40% - 50%-off sale AND Top Shelf's $3 Online sales. These are both great ways to sample a range of great experimental and independent comics without spending a lot of money. Both publishers showcase a diverse range of pretty amazing work, so check out their rosters and, while you're at it, take a look at their submission guidelines for submitting your own!

Note: Top Shelf also features a whole page of links to interviews on other sites with some of the artists they publish. James Kochalka, Allen Moore, Lilli Carre, Jeffrey Brown, Renee French, and more. Drawn and Quarterly also features in-depth bios of its artists.

Web Comics!

2008-12-07T13:21:00.005-06:00

I think that, compared to printed comics, I've ended up reading web comics a whole lot more. I thought I'd share some info with you guys about a web comic artist that I recently discovered.

A couple of weeks ago when I was at Borders, I found a graphic novel version of the first book of The Babysitters Club. Of course, like I know a lot of girls did, I read The Babysitters Club series when I was in elementary school, and I remembered reading an article about the new graphic novels online a while ago, so I bought the first book out of curiosity... and I thought it was actually pretty cool. I did a search on the artist, Raina Telgemeier, and come to find out, she also has a really awesome web comic! Also, I hadn't realized that she's the wife of Dave Roman, another comic artist who I've known about and talked to on LJ. Talk about a small world!

Check out Smile!. It's a really great webcomic. Right now it's on hiatus since she's planning on publishing the rest in book form, but hopefully when it comes out to print it'll be an awesome comic comic, too.

Also, here's a list of a bunch of other webcomics I frequent that you all may be interested in reading:

White Ninja Comics
Cat and Girl
Perry's Bible Fellowship
Thinkin' Lincoln
Ryan Estrada Comics
Kiskaloo (This comic is actually drawn by one of my favorite Disney artists, Chris Sanders, who directed Lilo and Stitch)
Bob The Angry Flower

And here's a short synopsis on web comics from a guy that I think some of you might find familiar. :)

MOEBIUS REDUX. documentary on moebius (2007)

2008-11-21T13:32:00.005-06:00

Revel in the cheap CGI chapter divisions!

Be amazed by Alexandro Jodorosky's rage towards
America!

Wonder at the French usage of wild gesticulations!

Watch as Stan Lee extrapolates from within his empire of paper based-entertainments business!

Be Hypnotized by the subtle emotions displayed in the tremors of Moebius' creased countenance!

CLICK HERE FOR A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS,
CONVERSATIONS AND AWKWARD DIGITAL PANS! IN MOEBIUS REDUX! a documentary on Jean "Moebius" Giraud.

Money for Comics

2008-11-18T21:47:00.002-06:00

Here are links to some funding sources of interest:

The National Cartoonist's Society offers the Jay Kennedy Comics Scholarship for artists pursuing comics in their junior or senior year of college (next year). The deadline is February 6.

For the rest of you, especialy those of you graduating this year, apply apply apply for a Xeric grant. This grant provides funding to self-publish and distribute a comic, and has gotten many great comics artists off the ground running, including Jessica Abel, James Sturm, Scott Mills, Ellen Forney, David Choe, and so many more. There are two deadlines per year, one in March, and one in September.

Go bananas for APE!

2008-10-29T03:04:00.005-05:00

Hey guys, it's around that time again. The bay area is having their 14th (technically 8th) comic convention for the alternative/ self-published/ and other presses. So, if you can afford a flight to the Golden Gate Bridge after a night of masquerading in spandex/ capes/ or no-clothes, feel free to attend. Also if you went to Comic-Con in July, you get in for free. Well here is a link if you want more information; possibly to even get a booth in the future.

GO APE SHIT!

P.S. There already is a link provided on the right. Also, please feel free to disregard both puns above.

Paul Pope "Animation"

2008-10-12T16:49:00.002-05:00

I had mentioned this during my presentation but, couldn't come up with the goods during. So, below is a link to the downloadable PDF the video is embedded deep within. The PDF for the magazine "MGZN" is fully interactive and rife with hands-on potential. Pretty sweet for a free digi-zine. Enjoy?

MGZN

<3

Chris

International Comic Arts Forum

2008-10-09T07:38:00.002-05:00

SAIC will host the International Comic Arts Forum this week, October 9 - 11 in the Ballroom, hosted by the department of Visual Critical Studies. Want a detailed breakdown? Go to the ICAF website HERE.

World Building Reading

2008-09-30T20:52:00.003-05:00

Hi all, HERE is the McCloud reading on world-building for next Friday. I look forward to seeing all kinds of site studies in class next week!

Isotope

2008-09-17T20:11:00.002-05:00

As a place worth visiting....
I've always wanted to go to Isotope if I'm ever in SF.
http://www.isotopecomics.com/

Robots Never Sleep blog

2008-09-12T17:23:00.007-05:00

I discovered this guy's blog one day as I Google searched Abara - Tsutomu Nihei's most recent work in progress. He writes an alright review of that particular manga along with a hell of a lot of other comics work from the Japanese archipelago. He covers a wide variety of titles and artists; Kazuo Umezu, Osamu Tezuka, Taiyo Matsumoto, Hideki Arai + many more - a good range of different styles and subjects amongst this lot. Of his long list of works Ive only read Abara, BLAME! and The World is Mine. His BLAME! review bugged me a little. I guess he doesn't look for what I look for - which has me recommending this blog not necessarily for his opinion, but rather, as a great source for manga you may never have heard of before. He mentions what sound like interesting projects, check them out.

http://robotsneversleep.blogspot.com/

Other blogs

2008-09-09T20:18:00.004-05:00

Here are some links to other blogs that might be interesting to search through...

ASIFA
Its a developing animation archive I volunteered at and they have lots to look at. Newspaper comics are aplenty there and have works by Pat Sullivan, George McManus and more. The director is a nice guy and would be more than happy to share the information he's gathered up over the years, just send him an e-mail.

Comicrazys
Relatively high-res images of all types of comics and comic related things. Recently posted some pages for inking from the Famous Artists Course (1948).

Will post more as I find them, hope these will suffice.

Comic art show/expo

2008-09-08T14:06:00.004-05:00

Hey class!

Here's some information you might be interested in. It's a small comic expo in conjunction with a big comic art exhibit opening in Champaign, IL. It is being organized by my friends/collaborators Damian Duffy and John Jennings that I mentioned in my little autobiography comic. This particular press release deal mostly with the expo, but the links at the bottom will point you to more information about the art show itself.

Also, if you get the time, check out the Eye Trauma Comix website for some of my previous work. eyetrauma.net

Krannert Art Museum Invites Comics Creators to The Next Panel Comics Expo
Champaign, IL – Comics creators are invited to show their art and sell their wares at The Next Panel Independent Comics Expo, taking place Friday, October 24 and Saturday October 25, 2008, at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

The Next Panel expo will take place in the Link Gallery, adjacent to the University of Illinois Krannert Art Museum, and celebrate the opening weekend of the museum’s Fall 2008 exhibition Out of Sequence: Underrepresented Voices in American Comics. The exhibition features 65 comics luminaries, including Dale Messick, Kyle Baker, Colleen Doran, Spike, Stan Sakai, and many more.

Out of Sequence is a ground breaking exhibition of diversity in comics, both as a community of artists and as a medium. “This show is a look at underrepresented demographics of artists and underrepresented forms of comics,” said co-curator John Jennings, “so it’s an incredibly varied mix of artists, styles, and formats.”

“There are women creators, minority creators, gay and lesbian creators, webcomics, small press comics, gallery comics, educational comics and virtual reality comics,” added co-curator Damian Duffy. “It really is an historic collection of creators and comics that aren’t often acknowledged in mainstream conceptions of the medium. And, really, a big excuse to show people as many kinds of cool comics as possible, in a setting that recognizes them as an art form.”

The Next Panel Independent Comics Expo gives comics artists the opportunity to promote their work and sell art and books to attendees of Out of Sequence, an event sure to draw audiences from the university, the community, and beyond.

Tables are 6”x3”, and cost $20 for a full table and $10 for a half table. To register for the event, please contact Chris Schaede at the Krannert Art Museum at (217) 244-0516 with your name, address, e-mail, credit card number and expiration date, and preference of table size.

Registration will be open from August 11- September 26, 2008, and space is limited.

For more information on the Next Panel, including a list of local hotels, visit: http://www.comicspace.com/nextpanel/

For more information on Out of Sequence, including a full list of artists, visit: http://www.kam.uiuc.edu/pr/outofsequence/

Questions concerning registration can be directed to Chris Schaede at the Krannert Art Museum.

All other questions concerning the exhibition and expo can be directed to the curators.

Damian Duffy: duff@eyetrauma.net, (217) 355-8569
John Jennings: jayjay@illinois.edu, (217) 419-1071

Chicago Comics Artists

2008-02-20T12:51:00.001-06:00

Chicago is a hotbed of amazing comics activity, and not surprisingly many communities have formed as a result. Some have formed into official groups, and others just hang out informally and draw in coffee shops together. Not a bad plan! Here are just a few Chicago-based artists and groups:

Chicago Artists You Should Know About

Ron Rege Jr.
Lilli Carre
Anders Nilsen
Jeremy Tinder
Becca Taylor
Paul Horns chemeier
Ezra Claytan-Daniels
Sarah Becan
Grant Re ynolds

John Hankiewicz

Surabhi Ghosh
Eric Lebofsky
Jeffrey Brown
Lucy Knisley
Onsmith Jeremi
Chris Wa re
Ivan Brunetti
Lynda Barry

I know I'm forgetting some, so if you've got any to add, drop me a note and I'll add them to this post!

Chicago Comics Communities

The Holy Consumption:
Paul Hornschemeier, Anders Nilsen, Jeffrey Brown and John Hankiewicz
Click "This Week's Service" for sketchbook views, special projects, and more!

Shortpants Press:
a small-press comics site co-run by Chicago comics artist Sarah Becan. Showcases work by other midwest comics artists including Grant Reynolds, who co-runs the newspaper "Skeleton News" (not much of a web-presence for that one, but worth getting involved with!)

Hairy Nipples Comics Crew:

The myspace page for a whole slew of great area artists: Lilli Carre, Grant Reynolds, Becca Taylor, Lucy Knisley, and many more. Very inclusive group, also affiliated with the "Skeleton News," a paper-only publication with numerous contributors.

Chicago Comics and Quimby's Bookstore
both places where you can find a wide range of independent and foreign comics and other interesting small-press publications, as well as sell your own. Comics signings, zine events, and discounts for anyone who sells their work through the shops.

Comic Art Battles

2008-02-19T18:11:00.005-06:00

Attention all comics artists who secretly harbor fantasies of being rock stars: Ezra Claytan Daniels' famous Comic Art Battles now have a website, so you can get involved. Find out about upcoming battles, contact members of the CAB community, view video footage of past showdowns, and check out others' photos of these fabulous multimedia events. I can't recommend them highly enough, as a participant and/or audience member. The very pinnacle of performative, competitive, collaborative, narrative drawing.

Whatever Happened to Victorine Meurent?

2008-02-18T16:32:00.005-06:00

Former Narrative Ink student Victoria Morris has officially published her final comic, a graphic biography of legendary French artist/muse/model Victorine Meurent online for all to see. Check it out HERE.

Interested in other approaches to historical/biographical comics?
Try these:
Chester Brown's Louis Riel
Osamu Tezuka's Buddha
Ho Che Anderson's King
Art Spiegelman's Maus
and if you speak basic French (or Italian), Marco Corona's Frida Kahlo: A Surreal Biography is well worth seeking out.

Activism in the Sunday Funnies

2008-01-23T17:23:00.001-06:00

Interesting comics coverage in Newsweek and Editor & Publisher: Darrin Bell and eight other minority newspaper cartoonists join forces to make a pointed comment about racism and the Sunday funnies. Keep your eyes peeled on February 10th for their protest on paper.

PDF Comics

2007-12-07T09:58:00.000-06:00

So: while everyone got their comics completed on deadline, several folks did not get them printed in time for our exchange on December 5th. The links below will download PDF comics of each person's work. Please be sure to download and read each one before the crit Friday.

I recommend taking a page of your notebook or sketchbook and jot down notes about each person's comic (whether in PDF or printed form) as you read. Bring it with you to critiques so that we have a basis to start from. Otherwise it's likely you'll forget all about the subtle panel transitions and wording choices you meant to comment on, and that'd make for a pretty lackluster discussion on our last day.

So - without further ado, I bring you:

* Mary Zolp's "The Little White Bird"
* Dann Tincher's "Mann Versus"
* Ernest Kim's untitled (Skulltastic) comic
* Chris Nania's "Death in Vegas"
* Matt Litwin's Scrollable Comic and here the Page-by-Page Version
* Bryan Underhill's Death of a Mariachi
* Rebecca Bach's "The Real True Story of How the Easter Bunny Came to Be"

Pitch Packets and Parfaits

2007-12-04T21:57:00.000-06:00

Hi all,
Comics artist and Loaded Blanks publisher Ezra Claytan Daniels has generously offered up this link to the Pitch Packet he talked about during his class visit last week. Not sure what a cover letter should look like? Wondering about the difference between a synopsis and a preview? He's laid out his own examples here, which you can use as a model to put together your own comics pitch for publishers. Just don't try to plagiarize -- publishers will recognize straightaway if you've copied parts of someone else's ideas or phrasing.

On another note, here's a brilliant packaging idea from the publisher of Parfait, the hand-bound zine/artist book edition by Brooklyn-based Emily Larned. Sell one version of your publication for cheap, and another with some handmade, limited-edition freebie attached (in this case an "electric animal" in customized packaging) and charge a little more. This also works for covers - you can make a cheapie version with xerox only, and a limited-edition run with silkscreened covers. That way everyone gets to enjoy the content, and those willing to pay a little extra for your time can appreciate it as an art object.

Annwyn's Comic

2007-12-01T15:55:00.000-06:00

Click this link to read Annwn Kohlmoos' final comic in PDF format. I suggest printing a copy if at all possible... otherwise there will be a lot of looking over shoulders.

As you read everyone's comics, I suggest again that you take down notes, so that we can get the most out of our discussion on Friday. How are the pacing and transitions working? Does the aesthetic of the drawing complement the content? Is the dialogue consistent, or believeable? Jot down your thoughts on each and bring 'em with you to critiques.

Salmagundi

2007-11-15T15:08:00.000-06:00

Here's Nick's webvideo comic, for all to see. Enjoy!

Publishing Resources

2007-10-28T10:25:00.000-05:00

In class, we talked about self-publishing options and the importance of making your book look appealing without costing you a fortune.

If you're looking for colored vellum or fancy paper options, Paper Source, located across from Pearl on Chicago Ave. is a great place to start. Most of their papers are in the 8.5" x 11" range and can be run through computer printers. They also carry a wide range of rubber stamps, bookbinding supplies, and other useful things

There are several sites that can give you the basic gist of DIY screenprinting. Here are two of my favorites. I can also give you advice if you're having trouble:
USS Catastrophe Guide to Screenprinting for Comics
and
No Media Kings Guide to Printing Posters + Shirts
Head to Chicago Silkscreen on Milwaukee Ave. for all the supplies you'll need.

this Make: Magazine Video lacks some specifics, but is a great introduction to basic screenprinting (also shows you how to make a wolf jacket with light-up eyes!):

Print on Demand
Another option is to use a print-on-demand publisher like Lulu.com, which will allow you to print books as fancy as you like, but never pay for them. How does this work? You have to be fairly computer-savvy, but you just upload your work to the site, specify cover, paper, and layout options, and the company makes individual copies as people order them. They even have printing options specifically for comics!

The downside to this system is that it costs more to print than it would if you're printing in bulk, which means you'll need to charge more and earn less. If you want your book to be available for browsing in shops like Chicago Comics, you'll have to front the cash to print your own copies. Also, they'll try to convince you that you'll need their special "Comics Creator" software, which costs $30.