For the past few days I have been in New York attending (in part) the New York Comic Con which has been an eye opening experience on many levels. One of which has changed my viewpoint towards the mystical creature known as the comic con, but then again I tend to do these things solo which might shade my viewpoint. I
was able to spend some time with Sue on Friday wandering around and seeing neat things in New York including the Mochimochi gallery exhibit. For those of you who know nothing of Mochimochi, and while I am not a knitter, these are interesting little things made from yarn. I think Sue started off making little bats about a year ago. As I believe the designer has said “You can only give someone so many scarves.” So this exhibit was a whole little world made entirely of knitted stuff. Frankly, very creative and cool.
Saturday I kind of planned this as my “fanboy” day where I would just have fun and look around. I planned on going to one session and maybe taking in a movie. The session I attended was on digital coloring (no offense Ben) that session alone was oath the price of admission, unfortunately I could not find the presenter’s table so I could purchase a copy of his DVD,but I will be looking online once I get home. After the session I decided to brave the exhibit floor and see what might be available for purchase. Sadly, as I am finding with many cons, the crowds were overwhelming. I did pick up a few things and stopped by Webcomics.com in order to “check-in” for Sunday’s Webcomics Boot Camp. As I was hanging around doing my best not to look like a booth barnacle I overheard Scott Kurtz (PVP) chatting up the event with someone. When he said “We’ve taken screen shots of a few pages from each participant’s site and we are going to critique them.” My stomach tied into a few knots and I probably got a little paler. I then introduced myself and my comic and Scott’s reply sealed my fate… he said something like we are all trying improve, and or something nice that just made me feel like a kid who shows you a picture and your reply is “Oh, what a great drawing… Tell me about it” which is grown-up speak for “I have no clue what you drew so you need to tell me what it is so I can say something nice.” I spent the rest of the time trying to avoid the crowds, get something to eat, and finding something cool.
I ended up in “Artist Alley” which has become one of my favorite places. When I first started going to comic conventions I basically stayed in the dealer room/exhibit hall. I never went to sessions, didn’t even know they had sessions. I was a teenager with disposable income and I was trying to either get free stuff, or buy stuff. This was the way I operated until just a few years ago. Now I ramble around the exhibit hall for a bit and then head to the sessions or artist alley. For the uninitiated, artist alley is where comic artists set up a space to sell sketches, original art, or promote themselves. You never know who you might run into there. This time around I wandered and purchased a piece from Ryan Dunlavey of “Action Philosophers” & “Comic Book Comic”. The piece is a simple (I wish I could draw like this) drawing of Galactus giving a cheesy grin and thumbs up. The other artist I came across was Humberto Ramos who drew Impulse for DC and has done a number of other titles. I have really liked his style over the years and if he wasn’t chatting/sketching with some folks I would have picked up his sketchbook. Oh, I forgot to say that these artists tend to have “sketchbooks” available- collections of drawings in various stages which for a fanboy/impressionable comic artist really help me to understand the process.
All of this leads to the (drumroll, please) Webcomics Boot Camp. This session put on by Brad Guigar (Evil Inc.) and Scott Kurtz (PVP) was enlightening to say the least. It started off with the caveat of we have paid for an honest opinion and if they aren’t honest with us, giving us false hope, it wouldn’t be fair. So up comes the first comic (person isn’t there) on to the second comic- My Geek Odyssey! I won’t go into all the suggestions that were brought up, but they were appropriate and correct… Some great tips and help along with some things that made me feel guilty- the “Yes, I know, I’m going to fix that really I am.” You will see changes in the coming weeks/months to help make the comic better. Some things might take a while since they will require updating my equipment or improving my skill set. I know the effort will pay off in the end and hopefully all will be in place for our second anniversary in May. After some of the comments to the other artists, I’m glad I got rid of the Sailor Moon knock off from the cast
After a wonderful (yet stressful) time at MINI Takes the States 2010 and a nice quick drive from Denver after being home less than 24 hours I started teaching. Now one of the things I like about teaching is that every year is different. If one year was great, the next year could be a nightmare… you never know and that makes the job interesting. So for the past two weeks (We had “Back to School Night” eight days after the kids showed up) it has been a rush and I know that My Geek Odyssey has suffered because of it. For that I apologize. But I also look at everything else that is going on and it is time to make some hard decisions.
First- do I continue the comic? That is a no brainer- yes, even with a small readership (compared to many) I still have stories to tell and I haven’t saved Cecil from the clutches of Ooktron… yet. Plus, I really like doing this- it is a lifelong dream come true. If you don’t like it- pfffft! to you. Heck, my own parents don’t read it, so why should anyone else? I do it for me (as Sue reminds me so often, its all about me). I have completed over 250 strips in a little over a year, something I am proud of. But, if I want to take this to the next level, there are things I need to do… and time (as a teacher) makes some of those options impossible.
For those who might be new to the comic My Geek Odyssey (my life) is divided into a couple different interests – MINI Coopers, Geocaching, teaching, family, and geeky stuff (Science Fiction, Comics, Tech, etc…). To have the time I may need to decide what I can give up…
Thank you Christina @ http://www.lilcoopr.com for snapping this while I was working on an MTTS Strip in my studio. I thought it was fantastic when she first showed it me in the camera and I'm glad to share it with you... the creative process
“One-half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it.” – Sidney Howard
This quote has adorned my email signature for years partially as a jab to members of my family who don’t get it. In economics it would be “Opportunity cost” every decision comes with a cost. So what do I give up to make My Geek Odyssey move from silly dream, and pastime to something more? 24 hour Comic Day- Same weekend as Mickey & MINI, New England WebComics Weekend same weekend as a teaching conference I just said I would speak at, Baltimore Comic-Con today and tomorrow (Sue’s major fundraising event is tomorrow), Intervention (a webcomics convention) Same weekend as the Indiana Geocacher’s Fall Picnic… It’s like either I take some time to learn how to do webcomics better, or go to events that will give me stories to tell in my webcomic! I am heading to NY Comic-Con, but I’m not even sure what that will be like having never attended.
So I keep rambling… and try to decide what to do. I know many cartoonists have hit this wall before- having followed some strips as the creator’s output dwindles and then as if by magic something happens and its back better than ever. 250 comics, that a lot of work… then again its just a drop in the bucket compared to others… SO I can’t quit teaching (need to eat and I like my job), don’t want to give up anything so I guess I better just buck up, quit whining, and get to drawing. Stiff upper lip and all that.
For the present at least for a while My Geek Odyssey will still come out, but as I get a handle on my classroom and responsibilities for this school year I may end up missing a day here and there. Ben will be back on color duties once I have paid him for taking care of Hemi over MTTS and actually get a comic strip to him. So to quote a pair of wise sages: “Patience, young Skywalker” -Yoda “and thank you for your support” – Frank Bartles
For those who have been following some of my posts I might have mentioned something about a secret project I was working on which has caused me to be a bit behind on the strip. Well the secret is out… I have been asked by MINIUSA to take the comic on their big rally marking the end of Summer- MINI Takes The States. So starting August 9th until the 15th My Geek Odyssey will be on the road & in color. I’ll be dragging the studio along with me as we travel to Denver with a whole lot of our MINI friends. What will happen along the road? No idea… That’s why I’ll be doing the strip on the fly. I’ve taken over the coloring duties since Ben has been on vacation and will continue to color these strips since I have no clue when I will actually get them done.
You may be wondering how this got started… Well, I did a Friday strip at the beginning of the Summer that was a commentary on MTTS which ended up with a few phone calls from the people putting this whole ginormous event on. While we talked they brought up the idea of continuing the comic as the event went on. My response was “sure” since I was going to do it anyway. The first of my efforts has been sent out as a link to those who have registered for the event, so if you got the “Know before you go” email and didn’t read the entire thing you might have missed it. I was finishing up this strip (more like a comic page) Tuesday while at my workshop. Added to what I had worked on before was the top panel integrating the song and I tweaked some color things that I had missed when I first sent it (stuff I would know was wrong but no one else would) so if you haven’t seen it here is the link- http://www.eventjack.com/registration/minitakesthestates2010/announcement/PDF/my-geek-odysssey-cartoon-series-1.pdf
The actual strips during the rally will be posted in both on the event page & here.
To me this kind of brings it all back around to what started this strip which was a MINI event – MINI United. I now have the chance & a bit more experience to do MINI Takes The States the way I would like to have done MINI United (now that I have looked back on those strips). Of course lots to do before school starts but amazingly enough it will get done “it’s amazing the things that would never have been accomplished if it wasn’t for the last minute.”
With Summer starting to wind down (yes, it must be July) I was checking out my to do list and besides petting the cat still have a lot to do. Sue, Cecil & I just got back from GeoWoodstock 8 where we had a fantastic time. The weather was great, the events were wonderful and the caches… well most of the caches could be found! Cecil ended up getting his 1,100th cache at the famous A.P.E. Cache (Mission 9: The Tunnel of Light) and Sue hit some massive milestone along the trip also. I stopped counting Sue’s milestones when she doubled mine- I think she’s closing in on 3,000 finds right now.
I’m supposed to be planning out the comic for the next few weeks and I thought I would at least do a bit about our trip so look for that (no golf). Then the strip will start looking towards the future and the start of school along with MINI Takes The States. (Information is coming out although it is kind of funny at this time the folks in charge of the west coast can’t seem to spell “August” for them it’s “Augst” – pet peeve of a guy who has been a web master- then again I know spelling isn’t always my strongest suit) I am coming up with some ideas and am planning right now to try to chronicle the rally for those MINI folks in the audience… which means I’ll be bringing along the whole My Geek Odyssey kit with me. If you see me in Denver (or on the road) ask you might end up with a sketch.
Before all that I have lots of things to do (including petting the cat & laundry). I’ll be heading to GenCon Indy (Gamer Geek Mecca) and seeing how games can impact classroom instruction and going to the Extending Teacher Creativity Workshop in Terre Haute and present a bit about classrooms and comics (something else I need to work on).
SO… Now the story of our fostering Hemi is over… I do want to apologize for being a little sneaky to those who kept asking about what we had decided to do. When I drew last week’s strips Sue & I had not come to a decision. By the end of the week we had decided that we should adopt him, but we needed to give Hemi a chance by himself for a full day. Saturday we headed out to Columbus, OH to go caching and just motor. When we came back we did get a talking to from Hemi, but the house was no worse for the wear, so it was at that point we decided to go ahead. I had already drawn Monday’s comic which would have ended the arc with Hemi back at the Humane Society for good by Wednesday- Cecil Foiled once again. So on Sunday I started redrawing the strip. It took me a few attempts before I got the timing and eveything spaced out right. Then all we had to do was fill out the adoption papers, pay the fee & it would be over… sounds simple- doesn’t it?
The worst thing was trying to Hemi back into the box (it was easier to draw the box than put Hemi into it). Then deal with him meowing all the way to the Humane Society (He was sick when we got him so he didn’t say a thing). We then waited around for him to be cleared. The volunteer who picked him out for us to foster was funny she brought him back and asked if we wanted to foster another cat. Sue & I replied “No” She started to look a little dejected and then we said “We’ll keep this one.” and she lit up like a Christmas Tree.
The announcement on the Hamilton County Facebook Page about Hemi's adoption.
We headed next to Sue’s office to call the Vet for his free exam. We couldn’t get in until the afternoon so after Hemi greeted Isis (the office cat)- not a pretty site. We headed back where, exhausted, Hemi crashed on my lap. Just as he was getting comfortable, I had to put him back in the box to get him to the vet… & more meowing.
The quick check by the vet gave him a clean bill of health and his annual rabies shot so when he got home (his home) he crashed again and I was happily trapped under a purring cat until Sue got home. I had to tweek a few things to keep playing up the “We returned Hemi” story in order for today’s comic to be a surprise- and for those people who got hooked I do apologize.
So last night I think he finally started to really settle in- while I hate to anthropomorphize- I think he knew he was here to stay.
Cecil takes a few minutes to check on World Domination Plan 72A
Last weekend I went down to the Johnson County Fairgrounds to the Hoosier Hills Fiber Festival. Saw many wonderful fibers but still left with my usual issue – I didn’t have specific projects in mind so I only came home with a single skein of hand painted yarn. In actuality it’s a good thing because I really don’t need any more yarn.
Also, I’ve resisted learning to spin so was able to pass by all of the spinning wheels, drop spindles, fleeces and rovings without a second glance. Well, that’s not quite accurate – I find the process fascinating and enjoy watching but have decided there’s still a lot to master with knitting. Maybe someday, but certainly not now.
There were animals, too – some adorable lambs and very hot looking long-haired bunnies. Always cute to pause and look.
One reason I went down was work-related. The Northside Knitting Guild was doing a fundraiser on our behalf. They had many cool things in their booth – their members are so talented. I bought a bag recycled from a cashmere sweater – very clever!
The booth I found most interesting though was a woodworker who makes crochet hooks, knitting needles, and accessories. I picked up some handmade buttons, a darning egg and a lucet.
What is a lucet you ask? It’s the wishbone shaped thingie in the photo below. They have been used for centuries to make cording. I learned how to do it in a class ages ago . . . now where’s that project I never finished?
My treasures from the Hoosier Hills Fiber Fest
In other news, I finished the Super Scarf for the 2012 Super Bowl project earlier today. It always feels good to get something done!
Here are a couple of photos of the final steps:
My autographed MINI-50 Years book just happens to be the perfect width for fringe.I did alternating 2 blue and 1 white & 2 white and 1 blue.Fringe!After finishing the fringe it was time to trim it with the rotary cutter.All ready to be turned in.
I was reading Unshelved iPad review and realized that I haven’t chimed in on the iPad since I picked it up a few weeks ago. I’ll try to keep this short. “coolest piece of technology I have seen in… well, coolest piece of technology I have seen, ever.
I have a 64GB iPad 3G- I waited until the 3G model came out so I wouldn’t be tethered to a wifi hotspot. I purchased the Apple iPad case, the card reader and the VGA out cable. I also ended up purchasing another charger since it nice to have one at school and one at home- although it does charge through the iPhone car charger.
I bought it to replace my laptop on trips and with its size and weight it will do that easily. Although I’m still trying to decide if there is a way I could do this comic on it.
I purchased a number of apps to play around with including “Brushes” which I love- it turns the iPad into a sketchbook.
Reading on it couldn’t be a nicer experience, both books & comics one nice thing is I can read in bed without having the light on to bother Sue.
There are somethings that need to be worked out:
Since this is new technology there are some bugs when surfing… I never realized how many site have little bits of Flash or need to be translated into a touch environment instead of a mouse. This comes up when I’m trying to scroll down a list on a site like Facebook… I end up scrolling the page not the pop-up list. The same issue with Flicker and managing my photos no “click & drag.”
It should have come with a cloth of some kind (like the iMac & iPhone) since I tend to have to clean the screen- I never realized how much junk is on my fingertips.
the VGA out cable seems to only work with keynote though I haven’t tested it extensively, it would be nice if I could display my screen through a projector especially when teaching.
picking nits- while the keyboard is fine size wise, the layout of some things is taking a bit of time to get used to. The placement of some keys (shift for example) is in the wrong place so I end up typing numbers or symbols… I’ll get used to it.
Do I regret my purchase? No, I’d do it again in a heartbeat… Sue already wants to steal mine (and has for one day), fortunately for me her birthday is coming up.
I agree that the iPad is really the next big thing… it will change the face of personal computing. It is perfect for those folks out there who aren’t “power users” and just want to check their email, read a book, and go online. Like one of Apple’s early taglines for the mac “The computer for the rest of us.” With the iWork suite of programs it even makes it great as a mobile office in a snap. My parents should get one- except I’m not sure what Flash games my mother still plays, besides that it should meet there needs.
Again, the coolest piece of technology out there… I can’t wait to see what will happen with version 2 or with the next (first) OS update.
Yes… My Geek Odyssey made it into the Indy Webcomics Group Anthology (but you already knew that) and while at the release party there was a videographer. What?!?! you haven’t seen the Anthology? Well you can purchase on at most local Indianapolis Comic Shops (just ask) or visit the Indy Webcomics Group Website and order one for each of your friends… I’m already planing for Volume 2.
“IN FEBRUARY, 2012, INDIANAPOLIS WILL WELCOME THE WORLD AS IT HOSTS NFL SUPER BOWL XLVI AT LUCAS OIL STADIUM. Staging this game – and dozens of related community events – will require the efforts of nearly 8,000 energetic volunteers. In an effort to show appreciation for each volunteer’s good work, the Indianapolis Host Committee is asking the community to hand knit a scarf for each of them. This personalized memento, aside from being part of the Official Volunteer Uniform, will serve as a warm “Thank You” for their service, and provide an instant connection between the scarf makers and volunteers. Indianapolis has a rich tradition of volunteerism so let’s continue that history with the Super Scarves Project!” Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee
This announcement was made just before the 2010 Super Bowl and it sent ripples through the Indianapolis knitting community. Each of our local yarn shops, as well as the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, are serving as suppliers of yarn and collection points.
No matter how you look at it, 8,000 is a lot of scarves!
Of course I committed to doing my part and have been working on a seed-stitch submission which is almost complete. While people select and work their own patterns, each scarf must be in the standard blue and white of the Colts and be at least 6×76 inches. To get that much done, the scarf has been with me quite a while – it’s been to Las Vegas, Chicago – twice!, down to North Carolina and the Dragon, to the Geocaching Spring Picnic and back and forth to the office numerous times.
And it’s finally in the home stretch! At lunch today I finished up the last of the white stripe so only have about ten inches of blue and some decorative fringe left to do. Whew!
Here's my progress so far!
If YOU have interest in participating in this project, check out the link above. You have until November 2011 to get yours done!
Knowing I’m almost done with the scarf, I started a new pair of socks for Bruce over the weekend. Had some wonderful Jitterbug yarn in Slate we picked up at the Garden District Needlework Shop in New Orleans over Christmas. It will be perfect for ‘back to school’ – better not say that too loud as today’s the first day of summer vacation! : )
Jitterbug - Slate.
It’s done! After a couple of months, I’ve finished my first big lace project – the Mystery Shawl project through Stitches and Scones! In my last post, I previewed the yarn I used – Happy Feet Sock Yarn in red! Knowing I wear a lot of black, I thought red was an appropriate choice.
It was a mystery because every week or so, a clue was posted to the user group. And, in most clues there was a choice of two different patterns so it was almost a ‘choose your own adventure!’ I was on track for about the first clue and a half but then we went away for Spring Break and got behind. Actually this turned out to be a good thing as I realized that I wanted to increase the size of the shawl!
You see, as part of the project, the shop also held a session on blocking – something I’d not done before! While at the class, I saw the finished size of several shawls (pre blocking – but more on that later) and decided I really wanted something larger. So, after seeing what the magic of blocking can do, I went home and knit and knit and knit. Because each row of the shawl added stitches, it took longer and longer to finish a row and I started to regret this decision but am really glad I stuck with it!
Fourteen extra pattern rows later it was time to do the border – another place I could choose between two different options. I was again glad I was behind because I had been able to see both options complete on other people’s work and made the appropriate choice for my shawl.
Finally it was time to bind off and I was very lucky – after adding all the extra rows I ended up with a mere 5 yards of yarn left!
Now, about blocking:
In a nutshell, it consists of getting the project wet and pinning it out into its final size and shape to dry. What it also does for lace is to provide stitch definition and opens up all the little holes that took so long to do! My shawl was 21 x 48 inches at the widest points when it came off the needles. After blocking, it’s 31 x 63 inches!
But, what you really want are photos so no more typing . . . here it is!
Here it is just off the needles - pretty scrunchy!At the end of blocking - had just removed the blocking wires and pins!Having its 'official' photo taken at Stitches & Scones to prove it was done!And, finally, a little detail of the lace!
