Next Comic Artists Forum Sunday, February 7!

I wanted to throw out a reminder to all SE Michigan folks interested in comic that the next Comic Artists Forum will be held 1-3 p.m. Sunday, February 7 at the Ann Arbor District Library! I will be once again acting as the advisor to the forum, whose goal is to help create a local group of creators with a shared endeavor to finish their own comics and see them in print. So far we've had a pretty good turnout to the forum events, ranging from ages 10 to adult, and from beginner to published cartoonist. It's been a high-energy and creative experience, so if you've been on the fence about attending, rest assured that you'll have a good time.

As Mark Rudolph and I have described on our Art & Story podcast, "Art Buddies" are instrumental in keeping us motivated and working. This is your chance to meet some of your own.

More information can be found on the Ann Arbor District Library website. Hope to see you there!

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Video of a daily sketch

Yesterday I shot some video of my process of creating a daily sketch for the Go! Go! Illustration sketch blog:



I used a Pentel .5 mm mechanical pencil (with blue leads) for the penciling, the Pentel color brush for the inks, and Utrecht 2-ply bristol for the paper. I'll try to make more videos like this as I create more of these sketches.

Daily Sketches on Go! Go! Illustration!

The daily sketch. Many artists use them as a warm-up exercise before hitting the comics page. I've flirted with the notion of incorporating it into my routine on and off for years, but like any exercise regimen, it's easy to fall off the horse.

I'm trying it again with my pals at Go! Go! Illustration. My hope is that "working out" with a group will help keep me in the routine.

Right now I'm in the middle of an exploration of characters from the Masters of the Universe cartoon/toy/comics series. Normally I don't like drawing characters created by other people (unless I'm paid for it!), but I'm finding that I'm having a lot of fun with these. I'm doing my best to walk the line between the cartoon iterations and the toy designs, along with a high degree of energy:

More posted every Monday through Friday at the Go! Go! Illustration website. I'm also selling the sketches, in case you're interested!

UP! Fair This November!

I'm thrilled to announce my involvement with yet another free public comics event!

Listeners of Art & Story have heard me go on at length about the problems independent creators face when attending American comic book conventions, and how art fairs and book fairs offer somewhat more promising opportunities. Rather than endlessly complain, I decided to put my money where my mouth was. Over the last several months my pals Mark Rudolph, Sara Turner, Kevin Cross, and I have been developing our own fair to be held at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning this November 19-20.

The event is called the UP! Fair, and it will be part convention, part fair, and part conference:

• Like a convention, it will have an exhibition floor for artists/creators to display and sell their work.

• Like a fair, there will be hands-on learning activities for the general public. They will be invited to get their hands dirty making comics and stories of their own. I will also be leading my Comics: A Pathway to Learning workshop for educators and librarians.

• Like a conference, there will be professional development workshops for working cartoonists and writers.

I am really excited about this event, and I hope that you will be able to attend. More information is on the way in the coming weeks/months, so check the UP! Fair site in the future for details (or subscribe to the RSS feed!)

The co-organizers and I also got together to describe our vision of the fair in Art & Story 116.

Two Comics Classes Beginning January 14!

I hope you or a young one in your life will check out two of my upcoming weekly Graphic Novel Academy classes at the Ann Arbor Art Center starting this month!

Those who aren't familiar with my Graphic Novel Academy series can check out videos from my annual six-week series at the Ann Arbor District Library. Over the course of 6-8 weeks we walk through the entire process of making a comics story, from idea to final publishable pages.

Starting January 14 I'll be leading an 8-week session for kids ages 9-12. We'll meet every Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Starting January 13 I'll be leading a 6-week session for teens. We'll meet every Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Registration is required. You can sign up on the Ann Arbor Art Center website.

I'm working on developing some new aspects to this edition of the academy, like having some kind of public event/show to celebrate the completion of the students' work. I'm very excited about this workshop series, so I hope you'll consider signing up, or tell a friend who might be interested.

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