Gronk by Katie Cook
As many of you know my day job is teaching elementary school which is why there tends to be no mature stuff in this comic, we might use fancy vocabulary, but for the most part it’s kid friendly. I actually get a little upset when a creator takes a perfectly good all ages story and ruins it by putting in one word (just to be cool? just because they can? just to show everyone that they are edgy and “mature”?). I’ve already commented on publishers being clueless (Action Cat #2 came out this week- funny, the majority of the ads were all ages- hopefully they will reprint issue #1 in the same manner so I can put it in my classroom). Once a week I’m going to discuss comics in the classroom and how other teachers can use these powerful tools to engage students and enhance learning. Just remember “With Great Power comes great responsibility.”
Some of this comes from the panel I was part of at Indy PopCon with Jim McClain (Solution Squad) and other pieces come from years of using comics with kids and seeing how other teachers have embraced comics.
Vocabulary:
Comic Strip – Basically a joke or gag told in a specific number of panels
Comic Book – A book which tells a story using the medium of comics (panels, balloons, etc.)
Trade Paperback – A bound edition containing a number of comics, usually a complete story arc.
Graphic Novel – A bound edition usually containing one story. At the elementary level what most people consider Graphic Novels aren’t appropriate as the content is too mature.
In my Classroom: Even though it is reading, I tend to not allow my students to read comic strips in class. I prefer comic books and trade paperbacks since they build on each other and tell a complete story. I tell my students that while it is reading, there is more I can teach them through a comic book. If they want to check out and read books with comic strips at home, during their “free time” that’s fine, but during class time no comic strips (I also discourage joke books, and some other “fluff” books).Some overall basic resources to start with…
A Parent’s Guide to the Best Kids’ Comics – I have purchased three copies of this and only have one left! This is a great resource for comics sorted by age. It also includes If you liked this recommendations so what do you get that kid who loved Bone to keep them reading?
Search the Web for good webcomics – Sadly some of the best stuff for kids is being produced independently so you need to check out the web and See what’s available. I tend to have my students reading The Dreamland Chronicles or Little Guardians (both of which are available in print also) . unfortunately not many of the comics online are in long form so they tend to be just strips. Also web creators aren’t always timely about updating their comics (like me). So kids tend to have to wait (and wait, and wait)
Your Local Comic Book Shop- I know it’s scary in there, and not all shops are created equal, but there is no harm in asking. Some shops will donate or at least give schools a discount. The more we, as educators, talk to comic shops the bigger and better their all ages sections will be.
Reading With Pictures – an online community and creator of “The Graphic Textbook” which is now going by “Reading With Pictures- Comics that Make Kids Smarter” and should be available in August -as a Kickstarter supporter I better get my copies before they are for sale to the general public (just sayin’)
I’ve started to put together a resource website for the teachers at my school about comics, it is a work in progress so keep that in mind (and it has a strong focus on STEM).
I know there are a lot more and I’ll keep adding to the list as I post more, but I’d like to keep these short, Next week when we look at some specific titles that should be in your classroom comics library!
My Table in Artist Alley
“Excited” would not be a word I would use to describe my feelings as I prepared for “tabling” at Indy PopCon- “terrified” would probably be a better word. While I am a teacher and spend hours each day in front of an audience (i.e. my class) I’m not very good at or comfortable with just talking to people. If you have known me for a while you might have forgotten that I hide in the corners of rooms and quietly add something to a conversation when I hear them. After a while I do come out of my shell, but for the most part, I’m fine hiding out and getting a feel for the crowd… its called “being an introvert.” So here I was setting up a table at a Convention that will have thousands of people potentially tens of thousands of people what was I thinking?!?
Set up began Thursday for the people who were bringing in lots of stuff (not me). I had about 70 copies of my book, about 350 buttons, 15 prints, a banner, an old cigar box, business cards, drawing supplies and a couple of pads of paper in various sizes. It almost all fit into a large box that fit in the boot of my MINI Roadster. I showed up Thursday evening to get things ready… because I’m that way. 15 minutes later I had everything set up and Sue was asking me if I wanted to put it all away so nothing would get stolen. I took the change out of the cash box, and went to look around the Hall which was huge and at the time fairly empty.
The View from my Table
Indy PopCon is a strange beast, it seems the idea is to have a convention that embraces all forms of popular culture not just one. So as I walked around, I saw a wide variety of stuff in the booths that were setting up. The organizers had done their homework, put together a Kickstarter to help with initial funding, and visited the other new convention, the Indiana Comic-Con, which had been held months earlier with a few issues. Their communication was exemplary, keeping everyone informed. Being my first big con, I was very happy with everything I had seen so far. Still nervous, but I felt that with all the prep and changes they had made to accommodate more people it would be a fantastic success for everyone involved.
The first day of Indy PopCon coincided with the last day of school so since I had set up already I headed to school to say my goodbyes, and then head off to PopCon. I didn’t realize that there would be high school graduation ceremonies, a convention of Methodists, and the State Democratic Convention all happening around PopCon. I was in typical Con wear for me (my nifty comic Hawaiian shirt and my flying monkey fez. I arrived (early- this is the way I try to do things especially when I’m nervous) and rearranged some things sat down and started to draw. I wanted to have some samples of monkey sketch cards and a commission so the throngs of people would know what I could do. The nice thing was I was really close to some great comic creators (Little Guardians, Chris & Gin, Samantha Kyle, and Ron Braun) in case things did get weird… Hey! who brought that laser pointer?!?
FridaySaturdaySunday
I was able to complete a lot of work and avoid talking to people since most people do what I do when walking through Artist Alley the first time- they stay in the middle of the aisle and avoid eye contact. Those that stopped I talked about my comic “It started off as a biocomic and then I realized my life was boring (ha ha) so I added the evil monkey bent on world domination and his scores of clone minions that live in my basement to spice things up (ha ha).” I talk to kids much easier than adults, but since for many kids it was still a school day, it was mostly adults. Sales wise I sold mostly to my friends who stopped by to see how I was doing and be supportive (thank you all). I survived the first day without a mark on me, and actually was pleased with how things had gone. Saturday I wore my Star Trek Red Shirt, figuring that this was the day I would get pummeled with people and being new had little chance of survival. It actually was kind of nice. I made my typical jokes about this being my “Walking Dead” costume, and stuff like that. Not what I had expected, but what was great was drawing some more and talking to the friends who stopped by to check things out. Sunday I helped at a panel on Comics in the Classroom with Jim McClain and again enjoyed myself (dressed in my TARDIS fez and new TARDIS bow tie). As the con came to a close I was happy to have given it a try and enjoyed it (although I was exhausted).
A commission for some friends.
How’d I do? I “made table” which to me meant I made enough money to pay for my table space. Being my first con I was happy with the result. Some people weren’t as happy, but they had more experience, and kept comparing to other cons. Was I swamped? No. Did get to be obnoxious yelling at people to “buy my stuff”? or “Hey! Look at me!” I hope not, I said “Hi” as people passed and went into my little talk if they stopped to look at things. I was a little surprised that the posters didn’t sell at all, but that’s okay. Mostly I had fun. I learned a lot from the experience and am looking forward to taking that knowledge to the next Con, whenever and where ever it will be. Some of the things I need to consider are how many of these things do I go to- I’m not really sure right now. For right now Indy PopCon is on my calendar for next year, along with a repeat visit to the INDYpendent Show. However my current priority is to get more comic strips drawn, tell more & better stories, and be ready to make “My Geek Odyssey” issue #2 before May of 2015!
My first convention appearance has already been blogged about (The INDYpendent Show) which was a great opportunity to teach a little about comics, and get told how I needed to step up my game… So I did. The first thing I worked on was getting something else printed, more than a print. I depressingly looked at the comics I had produced recently and realized that I could put together a 16 page comic book with two years worth of comic strips. Many of my self publishing friends had given me a drop dead date for having something ready, and that date had come and gone when I finally was able to start this project. I looked around the interwebs and remembered a few publishing company names from conventions and went to Ka-Blam out of Florida. They had an online pricing tool and promised a quick turn around so I could have my books in time for the Indy PopCon (which I will blog about a little later). I realized that about a third of the comics still needed to be colored so I decided a black & white book was in my future. As I was working on getting the book laid out (fine, avoiding the scariness of laying out the book) I designed some buttons to sell also. I tried a few different ideas for a cover and decided to go with one I drew while waiting for a meeting to start, which has shaped the design of the covers for the future. Once everything was turned in, it was just waiting for the comics to arrive. As the time passed I got anxious like waiting for my first MINI, I checked the progress on the Ka-Blam website until I saw that the book had shipped. The package arrived earlier than I had anticipated, and I was very pleased with how they had turned out. I kept telling myself this was a learning experience, and I would figure out what I did wrong, and fix it for the next book- I was already thinking about the next book before the first book was in my hands.
There’s something strangely scary about seeing your work in print. For the past five years I’ve been working on this comic and it’s just been pixels on a screen. Pixels aren’t real, no matter how much I looked at the comics I published here they were always intangible. When My Geek Odyssey appeared in FTF Geocacher Magazine, it didn’t faze me since I know a lot of people to contribute to hobbiest magazines, they write, I draw- no big deal. When I opened that box and stared down at my cover, an homage to Uncanny X-Men #141, it all became real, I had actually done it. While many a Con had called me a “Professional” it never really meant anything until I held that comic in my hands thumbed through it and found the one glaring error. Then I remember the old Marvel No-Prize and decided this was another lesson I had to learn.
I’ve already got ideas for next time, and issue 1.5… my first big thing is to start getting more comic strips out. I’m planning on Tuesday & Thursday as a publishing schedule for the summer and hopefully into the school year. I’ve got a bunch of stories I’m getting ready to tell, the first one being about our trip to Joyce Kilmer National Forest in North Carolina which started today. I’m re-examining the direction of the comic and will see what path that takes me down. I’ll take some side trips on My Geek Odyssey, but hopefully you’ll enjoy reading them as much as I will enjoy making them.
Some of you may have seen my Facebook post about this earlier in the week. On Wednesday I picked up an All Ages comic from my local shop I was purchasing it for my future classroom (more on that later). The cover was cute, reflecting the content of the comic. I have purchased other all ages comics from the same creators, and my students have really loved them. So I have nothing against the comic itself and what was is “All Ages.” Then I looked at the back cover, and cringed. You see the publisher of this specific comic seemed to think that the “All Ages” audience (little kids) would also enjoy reading about a scantily clad, woman who bathes in blood.
Looks kid-friendly enough doesn’t it?
Here’s the description of the all ages comics (from Previews) “THIS is it kids! The Cross-Over EPIC Event of a lifetime! Finally, CAPTAIN ACTION CAT meets ACTION CAT and the characters from AW YEAH COMICS! There is something EVIL out there and EVIL CAT is determined to find it! Even if it means searching throughout the SILVER AGE to do it! Could this blip on the screen be the one known as DOCTOR EVIL CAT?! We bet it is! What will happen when the SILVER AGE and the AW YEAH AGE collide! What does this mean to the Time-stream? The Fate of the comic world may change forever! PLUS, a mysterious frozen souvenir from the GOLDEN AGE makes a visit! Brought to you by the EISNER and HARVEY Award winning, New York Times best-selling Famous Cartoonists-Art Baltazar & Franco! CAPTAIN ACTION CAT is based on the classic Action-Figure Adventure-toy CAPTAIN ACTION! True story.”
Here’s the description of the comic advertised on the back- “Set against the fairytale backdrop of knights and magic, Blood Queen begins with the heartbreaking plight of a royal child, teetering between life and death. Summoned to save the princess, a young woman of untold power begins a journey that will uncover secrets, reveal forbidden desires, and stoke the fires of war. Inspired by the notorious true story of the Countess Elizabeth Bathory, Blood Queen imagines the Renaissance era as a colorful nightmare of mayhem, lust, and sorcery.” I will not show the ad, but you can see it (and what one cool cartoonist dad did to it) in the link below.
To quote Sesame Street “One of these things is not like the other…” As a teacher who LOVES comic books and wants to expose my kids to great stories and reading I sadly can’t put Captain Action Cat in my classroom library because for some strange reason I like to be employed and the rather “mature” ad on the back of this all ages comic makes it impossible. I handed the comic to another teacher to use in her class as an example but warned don’t show the back cover, don’t let the kids read it, just show a page or two using your document camera. I’m rebuilding my school comic library and unfortunately, some titles just might not make the cut… that makes me sad.
So here’s my question, because this is not the first publisher to do something like this, “What are you thinking?” I know, you have sell comics, and I know it is hard to change something that has been standardized for your entire line, but c’mon. How am I supposed to promote comics in the classroom to teacher who are already skeptical when all you give me are more reasons for them to say “No”? See, I can’t fill my room with the stuff DC and Marvel produce, because for the most part they’re titles talk down to kids and are only based on cartoon shows that are tied to selling toys. Worst case they are just a weird version of fumetti with screen shots from the cartoon instead of photos. There are some great titles by regular publishers like Scholastic and Random House, but I want to make sure my kids get a variety of all ages comics. Great comics for kids that challenge them come from the independent creators and they don’t tend to produce regularly, and then when they do the publisher puts a massive advertisement on the back and a few in the actual comic to make it impossible for me to have it in my classroom.
I’m not the only one, but we shouldn’t ever have to go to such extremes:
Thanks to the co-creator of Dexter’s Digs and The Brother’s Grant for sharing that link with me, it made me feel vindicated.
Feel free to comment with your favorite All Ages title- I know I don’t know them all, and would love to get more into my new classroom.
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That leads to the announcement that I will be returning to the classroom next school year! After two years dealing with fun and frustration of working with teachers and administrators I am really looking forward to getting back to a classroom and test, and test, and test my students day in and day out. Who knows I might end up discovering that they need to know about Countess Elizabeth Bathory and I’ve missed the chance to have third graders learn something new and important. What does this mean for My Geek Odyssey? I really don’t know, but I do know that when I was in the classroom before I was able to get a comic out more regularly, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. This summer I will be working on creating a sizable buffer (I know, I know, I’ve said that before) with lots of scantily clad monkeys in every strip.
Remember I’ll be at Indy Pop Con Booth 238 stop by and say “Hi” or yell at me about being a prude who likes to be gainfully employed. I’ll have stuff for sale.
I’ve taken the past few weeks as this school year starts to wind down… you know it’s winding down when you can count on one hand the mandated assessments teachers have to give. So I’ve been working on various things including taking some of the comics and getting them published in comic book form. Part of this is to actually go through the process, and part of it is to have something tangible for when I go to conventions.
Hopefully my first book of strips will be available at the end of May for Indy Pop Con. It will contain story lines from the past two years, in glorious black and white. Why black & white? because first I’m being cheap, and second I realized that I have a few stories that I never got around to coloring, and that coloring takes time which I don’t have right now. It was easier to remove the color layer from the original and as needed on a handful of strips add some lines than to color 20 odd strips- maybe next time.
Thanks to the MOOC I have been kinda working on I have more plans to hopefully get back into the regular schedule with the comic strip and have longer story arcs. I have two ready to draw and another one bubbling in my brain that I want to use. While my summer is getting filled I still see a chance to get more comics done than last year.
So where can you find me in the next few weeks?
This weekend I’ll be in Chicago at C2E2 I don’t have a table but I’ll be hanging out with the monkey, so look for Cecil and you’ll find me. There’s also a flashmob Sunday afternoon that I should be dropping by.
Next weekend will find me in Fontana Village for MINIs on the Dragon. Again look for Cecil who will be with his MINIons. While we will be staying at our favorite place in the world about 30 minutes away from the festivities, I know I’ll be hanging out with friends Saturday.
Indiana Geocaching Spring Picnic– Cecil will be there and I’ll be tagging along.
Triton Central Middle School Comic Con May 22 A friend is putting on a comic Con with her students and many of us from the Indy Webcomic Group will be attending sharing our knowledge.
GeoWoodstock over Memorial Day – Cecil and I will be wandering around (No, we don’t have any new pathtags).
Indy Pop Con – I’ve got a table and am planning on doing a session with my friend Jim McClain on Comics in the Classroom and may be helping out with a few sessions with the Indy Webcomics Group. I’ve got my square, I’ve got paper for sketches, I’ve got business cards, I’m almost ready!
Once I get the cover done and the pages submitted I’ll start back on the comic (the only place to see it in full color) and get back into the swing of things!
Thank you all for your patience…
Yesterday I did one of those uniquely Hoosier things that should be experienced at least once in ones lifetime – I braved the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale.
Over the years I would occasionally hear about this shopping frenzy in Fort Wayne where thousands of women would descend and literally shop ‘till they dropped. When I saw a small news item that this was the week of the sale I thought I’d take a drive to see if the event lived up to the hype.
To back up, in case you are unaware of this phenomenon, “Vera Bradley is the name of a luggage design company founded by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia Miller in 1982. It is an American design company best known for its patterned bags. The Fort Wayne, Indiana company produces a variety of products, including quilted cotton luggage, handbags and accessories.” (Thank you Wikipedia).
The first thing I needed for this little jaunt was a ticket so I fired up the computer and found that not only did I need a $5 ticket to go on a weekday, I also needed to select the specific time slot I would attend and ‘register’ as a customer if I planned on buying anything. This is some serious shopping! So, after a number of clicks I had one ticket for the 2:30 – 5pm time slot – the morning was sold out – and a sheet with my ‘customer information.’
Friday morning arrived and it was time to hit the road! On I-69 I noticed several vehicles crowded with laughing women and was pretty sure we were all heading to the same place. Then I spotted a billboard advertising the sale – as I said, this is the big time!
After an intermission to find a couple geocaches, I headed over to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum for the big event. I arrived about 2:45 thinking I could miss the line to get in but, oh no, the line was still all the way down the side of the building, around the corner and even doubling back on itself!
The line goes down there, around back, then doubles back on itself!Almost there!
Roughly 97% of the crowd was female and there were lots of groups. It was a very good-natured crowd and eventually we were at the door and, upon surrendering my ticket, I was given a large pink garbage bag and let in to the hall. Wow, talk about sensory overload!
WOW!
I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was rows upon rows of tables stacked with all types of merchandise from water bottles to suitcases to comforters. After some initial disorientation I could tell there was a method to the madness, home goods were over there and wallet-type things over there and suitcase things in this area. As I didn’t actually have a shopping list, I decided the wander up and down each aisle approach made the most sense to see everything while I was in among several thousand other people doing the same thing.
Lots of bags
Quickly it was apparent that the pink bag was for ‘loot’ as people were tossing in items willy-nilly. There were also signs on almost very wall (and many PA announcements) about ‘sorting’ and how the fire marshall doesn’t want people sitting on the floor. It seems that the preferred method of shopping is to grab everything that strikes your fancy then find an area to review and discard the unwanted items. By the time I left there were at least a half-dozen laundry rolling bins overflowing with these cast offs!
Not sorting.
A PA announcement also let me in on the fact that the star-shaped balloons indicated tables where there were special markdowns and I saw one woman with 7 or 8 of one type of shoulder bag going for $20! While this was the exception, I’d say most of the prices were 50-60% off of retail.
It also struck me that Vera Bradley makes many more items than I had thought – aprons, coaster sets and flip flops were just a few of the unexpected things I stumbled upon.
As I wandered, I did drop a few things into my big pink bag and also dropped some things into the cast off bin though people watching alone was totally worth the price of admission. My big splurge was a large tote that I kept admiring as people carried them around the shopping floor. I decided to take the plunge but, when I got to that table they were gone! As I was standing there reconciling myself to leaving without it, a young women and her friend were standing nearby debating the merits of that very tote versus one of another pattern. Fortunately for everyone, she went with the other pattern and I got the tote I wanted!
Pink bags waiting to check out!
When I heard the announcement that there was only 45 minutes left in my session I headed toward check out to beat the crowd. A big sign over the door reminded shoppers that the per-person limit for the sale is $3,500 (I later learned that this is the point of registering as a shopper) – it certainly was not a problem for me!
Seen in the check-out line. The bag in the center was the $20 deal. Wish the photo weren’t so fuzzy.
Check out is in a completely separate exhibit hall allowing them to clear the sales floor in preparation for the next group of shoppers! The system is flawless, they have lots of registers and people directing people so the wait was actually pretty short. Items come out of the pink bag, get rung up, and put in to a white bag. Once the shopper crosses the line between pink and white there’s no going back!
Just in case you bought too much!
In all, from getting in line to getting back to my car it was a little over two hours – long enough but not too long.
Surprisingly, it actually was rather fun – I think going with no expectations and no shopping list was good because there was absolutely no pressure to buy anything – I could just experience the event.
For those interested, the dates for 2015 are April 8-12.
So if you’ve never been to Comic Convention but you want to talk to creators up close I can recommend the next INDYpendent Show (in December). On Sunday I was fortunate enough to table at the first INDYpendent Show, a comic show with the mission to help those people who love comics and want to create their own, but either don’t know what steps to take or need a kick in the butt to get started. I ended up the show being not only a wise sage giving advice, but also getting kicked a couple times.
The cartoonist & Cecil at their table ready to impart wisdom and sell you stuff.
I arrived as prepared as I could be (which means I forgot stuff). I came in and fumbled around setting up my banner, laying out a progression of original strips, and a print of Cecil riding Bernice (a story I need to tell). I made a quick sign that said “Prints $5” and sat back, calm and confident… OK maybe nervous and scared is a better description. I was fortunate enough to be next to Jim McClain creator of Solution Squad, a friend and fellow teacher who has done this a few times. I started to make a list of what I forgot or needed. #1 was business cards. While I had made business cards when I first started the comic, and around year two made another batch, I had either forgotten them or ran out. Everyone who made it to my table had nothing with the website on it! doh! Next thing on the list was some way to take credit cards… While I thought having cash to make change was good enough, and for this show it wasn’t a problem, but the next one, who knows?
After setting up I helped Chris Ludden of Chris & Gin, The Brothers Grant, and Indy Webcomics Group with an educational session on “Bringing Your Character to Life” which, for the first session, was well attended. We talked about some of the basics of drawing and expressions. Chris and I agreed that we did more talking than we had intended, but when we asked the group to draw, they seemed to look like they were deer caught in the headlights.
After that I was at my table for the 5 hours. I happily sold my first print to a boy named Elliot and spoke to friends who stopped by and kids who were interested in how I created this comic. I talked about Micron pens, and non-photo blue pencils the different between regular and Verithin Prismacolors (Verithin are harder and easier to work with IMHO). Scanning as Line Art and the simplicity of Photoshop Elements for the beginner. I chatted about hand lettering and the transition to digital lettering. I just went on, and on, and on. I talked about how and why character designs changed over time. I played teacher, something I’ve been doing since at least 1983. So I was in comfort zone. Then I got my butt kicked.
As a member of the Indy Webcomics Group I get to meet up with other local creators and we encourage each other with projects offer advice and criticism when needed. Like I said I was next to Jim McClain someone who over the past year has become a close friend. Jim knew me mostly as a teacher who admires his work, not as much as a comic creator. He played the role of big brother sharing with me tips and tricks for conventions that he has picked up. “Can I have one of your business cards?” was one of his first questions. As we talked throughout the day during breaks in the crowd he asked me having a book… I made my typical excuses about not being ready, needing more time to polish little things like story and art. A little bit later I noticed he was looking at the comic from day one. He turned to me and just stated- “Next time you’re at a convention you need to have a book. You’re more than ready.” I jokingly replied, “You aren’t the first person to tell me that.” He bluntly said, “I hope I’m the last.” He wasn’t, a kid who admired my monkey drawings asked if I had a book he could buy… doh!
I had a wonderful time, learning about how to table at a small convention and I’m really looking forward to the next INDYpendent Show, but before then I have the monster that is the Indy Pop Con and putting together a book, even a small one of Cecil’s greatest hits… wish me luck and I’ll keep you all updated as to the progress.
Years ago Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book about how when a certain number of events occur then someone goes out a tips a cow… or something like that.
I think right now I’ve reached that proverbial tipping point when it comes to My Geek Odyssey. As we start our fifth year I’m going back and looking at some things I’ve done (mostly what I haven’t done) and after a series of events am thinking about the direction we are headed.
Basically the recent events that I elude start with Watching Dear Mr. Watterson on the flight to visit family over the holidays, & then on the same trip visiting the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. From there it seems that a lot of little and not so little things have been pushing me. From the submissions for the Circle City Aerodrome art show. Having my first table at a Con (next week’s INDYpendent Show) which led to having a banner made. Watching Stripped a wonderful documentary about the history & future of comic strips. Hanging out with some wonderfully creative people in the Indy Webcomics Group and teachers passionate about the power of comics in education. All added weight and then today- the proverbial straw the broke the camel’s back- A retrospective of Bill Watterson’s work at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State.
Cecil is ready to take a look at the exhibit.
I came in thinking I needed to change some things up and had started taking some steps in that direction (signing up for a few MOOCs on Comics, rereading some of the classics like Scott McCloud’s Making Comics). I left shattered… the whole “I am not worthy” vibe but also thinking “What can I do to become worthy?”
Last night I got to a point in Making Comics where a small card fell out of the book… it was the original card I had made up when I started this whole crazy endeavor. It was pretty simple. one side was a section of my original drawing of Tink and me, on the other was the dictionary definitions of “Geek” and “Odyssey”. As I looked at this card, I started thinking that maybe I’d strayed from my original intent… I still don’t know, but thank you Bill Watterson & the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum for giving me an idea as to what I need to do, and where I need to go.
Like I said, I left the exhibit shattered… an emotional wreck. Not something you would think could happen to someone looking at comic strips, but it happened to me. I looked at the concise storytelling, the art, the layout of the comics… all were genius.
The exhibit is divided into various sections including the original strips and pitch , something on each character along with the various reoccurring themes, the tools he used and his inspirations. I started with the original concept and moved around the room taking it all in. I know I need to return some weekend and just sit at every section and really take it all in. It’s like watching a movie and knowing that you missed a bunch of things so you have to see it again, and again.
Because of what I saw I am going to reexamine my past strips and see what I can learn and improve upon. This is going to be a long process and with the real world intruding it will take more time than I can imagine, but I will update you as to the process and how it is going. I’m not going to stop drawing, but as you have noticed my productivity has not be great recently… hopefully with this renewed vision it will improve, but that will take time.
If you are in the area for the INDYpendent Show, I’ll be there and we can chat. If you have the opportunity to visit the exhibit in Columbus, I recommend it… but if you ask me to come along, bring tissues.
I still get torn up by this one… especially in just pen & ink.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to have a table at Brickworld Indy. Brickworld is a series of Lego Conventions throughout the midwest and having a table basically means I had a display. I did the same thing last year sharing the space with a friend. This year I figured I’d build bigger and better and need the entire table… I was wrong.
To start off let me explain how Brickworld works- Think of it as a juried art exhibition. Displayers are asked to contribute their work for the public to see, vendors pay for booth space, and activities are put together for the attendees. Activities include large piles of “playbrick” to build with, cooperative mosaic builds, stuff like that. Some displayers may have remote control cars for kids to operate, or robots, mostly this show is about seeing the potential in a little plastic brick. Displayers do not pay for their space (as far as I’m aware), they instead get a small percentage of the profits from the show after plugging things into a long complex formula dealing with how engaging their display is.
One of the great things is that most displays are team efforts. So IndyLUG or MichLUG get together and build a massive layout. The night before Brickworld opens they gather and put it all together. Yes, it’s mostly built, but there will always be some last minute tweaking. IndyLUG for example has a massive M-Tron layout (M-tron is a Space set from the 1990s- basically lots of red & black) along with other cooperative builds (Castle, the Lego Movie, the Great Ball Contraption, etc.).
Cecil poses next to “Just like Beggar’s Canyon” on the first day of Brickworld Indy.
I started with the idea of the improving the Death Star trench display I had last year having it go the length of a 96″ table. For about a week, I worked out how it would look and started with a great idea of incorporating the “Palace Cinema” into the design. Then I was asked if the Cinema could be part of “The Lego Movie” display. So it was time to redesign. Which really wasn’t that bad, I didn’t like how it was turning out.
As Friday rolls around, I’m bouncing between schools and decide on a new idea on how I want it to look. So when I get home I start tearing apart what I had, and rebuilding. Remember the show is Saturday. I bring what I have done to the Fairgrounds that evening and lay it out. Then I start to add detail- towers, guns, and ships. After a while I head home leaving things to sort out in the morning.
Saturday morning as the local news crew is going around I’m back building more and getting ready. The biggest problem- the trench. You see, it’s going the wrong way. Last year I had it cut the width of the table so everyone could see the details in the trench. By making it longer- kids were unable to see it. since it was only viewable on two sides it basically looked like a bunch of grey base plates on a table. At the last minute I took all the Minifigs I had from school put them on two base plates so the space was filled and walked away figuring I would tweak it throughout both days.
Over 19,000 people came to Brickworld Indy this year (thank you Lego Movie), and I watched as kids ran over to see what I had built… and then stare at the MiniFigs. “Look! There’s Emmet! and Lord Business!” Some people were impressed by the actual build, some AFOL (Adult Fans Of Lego) liked it but but commented on the lack of greebling (that’s the term for using small pieces to add random and excessive detail to spaceships). Star Wars fans commented on the fact the trench was too narrow.
So what did I learn from this? If I do it again I’ll work smaller, and add more detail. I have an idea on improving the build. I really do like the way the Lego Movie has a design element to it that makes thing fanciful and yet detailed. I joke that I need more bricks, but even with the tubs I currently have, I used the grey 2×4 bricks I had purchased for school to complete my build. Then again, if I just buy about a thousand more MiniFigs I could just cover a table and be done with it.
If you’d like to see some of the photos check out my Flickr photostream.
I was asked a while ago to contribute something to this show and you may have seen some of my initial attempts during the 30 Days of Drawing challenge. The artwork is due today and is finished. While I could (and probably will at some time) color it I felt the initial ink over non-photo blue pencil had a nice feel to it. Plus since I color digitally the finished work would end up looking mass produced and not original. The pieces are not for sale, since I have no idea what I should charge, and kind of feel that if I just charged for the frames, it would be silly and overpriced. The art show is being held at New Day Meadery in Fountain Square with the following events (descriptions taken from the New Day Meadery website):
IDADA First Friday: Circle City AerodromeFriday, February 7, 6-9 PMCircle City Aerodrome has done it again! This juried show is a collection of pieces that fit this year’s theme “Time Travel is Messy: Vonnegut in the Aerodrome”.
Stop by to see this amazing collection of works from artists and inventors from Indianapolis, and around the country. Curiosities and thrills shall be had by all!
Circle City Aerodrome Artist Reception:Friday, February 14, 6-9 PM
This is a fantastic opportunity to meet the creative minds behind the amazing juried art show presented by the Circle City Aerodrome, as part of their national convention!
This year’s gallery theme is “Time Travel is Messy: Vonnegut in the Aerodrome”, and is part of the weekend-long A Dark Victorian Romance. Not to be missed!!
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As for the drawing I guess you could also call the “30 days of drawing… day 32- yes I skipped day 31” The wrench is an antique that I felt added the certain something to the work…
As for the events.. I’m not sure if I can make either due real life work commitments, but who knows?
12×12 pen & ink over non-photo blue pencil on Bristol. A depiction of Sir Cecil’s Simian Aero Corps that were invaluable at stopping the assault of the mechanical armies from the East during the great time-war of 1883… not to be confused with the great chrono-war of 1875, or the somewhat great wibbly-wobbly skirmish of 1892. Hence the idiom “throwing a monkey wrench into the works” became part of the vernacular.12×12 pen & ink over non-photo blue pencil on Bristol. A portrait of Sir Cecil. E. M. Ookington-Smythe KBE DFC on his faithful steed “Bernice” after returning from “abroad” (Sir Cecil never did explain whether it was forward or backward through his chronovortex.) The original artist is unknown and presumed eaten.
