March 22, 2013

In which I pretend to be a teacher again

So those panels I'm giving at Shuto Con in a couple of weeks have been giving me grief. Okay, well two of them have the other one's a fun 2.5 hours of doodling with whoever passes by.

Mostly the "Time in a Box" panel. And it's not for typical reasons. You know the "I don't know what to talk about" or "I'm not sure what they'd want to know", etc...

This is me at my computer every time I try to write this panel

I am having trouble because I am trying to pack my 18 years of on-off comic research into 50 minutes.

There are so many important things when it comes to drawing and making comics that I'm having difficulties breaking it down to the bare minimum without confusing my audience.

And what's even WORSE is that if you don't pay attention to some of these things your comic will go from Awesome to Unreadable.

So that's why I've been a little quiet lately. I'm trying to write it in an outline format leaving myself notes and then I'll pare it down for the final Power Point I'll be using.

But damn. I'm gonna be talking 90 miles an hour at this rate...

Chances are also very likely I'll be posting tidbits of the panel up here later. Because I can't help but talk about art and stuff.

March 11, 2013

I LIIIIIIVEEEE

Wow. First off, it's been a little while since I last posted. I'm gonna apologize for that, but over the past couple of weeks I was getting over convention crud, then Dave got something from a pharmacists conference (we think) and then I got whatever was going around, and have been suffering THAT for a week.

Frankly, this is the first time in DAYS I have felt well enough to actually float around the house and work on things.

So what have I been up to? Oh all sorts of things. The sketchbook archive is plodding along slowly, and I'm going to start picking that up again to try to clear out some shelves. I'll let you know if I find anything truly horrifying interesting.

The last week I spent slaving over something even MORE exciting for you guys!



That's right! Tangerine Wings #2 will be available for sale at SHUTOCON at the beginning of April!

I discovered that the best way for me to make comics is to do them in giant bursts (kind of like a jet engine kickstarting), so for 6 days I sketched, inked, toned, lettered and arranged the entire chapter! For somebody who has tendonitis in her arm, that's a pretty good feat.

But I can't take all the credit for not actually being in pain. The Cintiq that I have has been so immensely helpful with my muscle problems it has been worth every penny. I strongly recommend it for any serious artists who sometimes have difficulties using regular tablets. (I have a problem with the visual disconnect, so I could never "draw" with the regular tablet, but the Cintiq lets me draw right on the screen).

So up next I'll be working again on Sky's End, providing myself a nice chunk of pages for you guys to read!

For now, I'm going to go finish working on my new panels for SHUTOCON coming up in April! Here's the listing (and times!) of all my panels:


ART JAM (Rules are listed under the forum)
FRIDAY, 9:30 PM - Midnight, WORKSHOP ROOM (103-104)

Do you like to draw? Want a quiet place to doodle for a while? Then join us for ART JAM! What is ART JAM? Well, it's an open panel where you can come in, and work in your own sketchbook or with the art supplies provided (pencils and paper). Feel free to work on your own picture, or draw one of our still lifes provided!



Time in a Box: Tips for Comic Panel Layout 
SATURDAY 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM, PANEL ROOM 2 (102)

A picture’s worth a thousand words, but a terrible layout only spells disaster! Join Crash Bang Labs for a discussion panel about Comic Panel layouts and composition. Whether you’re drawing a single comic strip or a full chapter book, the tips and tricks in this panel will help you tell your story your way! 

Her Legs are HOW Long?
An Interactive Panel on Drawing Properly Proportioned People

SATURDAY 10 PM - 11:30 PM, PANEL ROOM 1 (101)


Having trouble drawing people, or maybe you’ve always wanted to learn? Join Crash Bang Labs for an interactive panel on drawing human body proportions! The first half of the panel we’ll discuss proportions, and show examples from comics and animation, and the second half we’ll do some follow-along exercises where we draw a basic male and female! Sketchbooks are encouraged, but basic paper and pencils will be available for those who don’t carry art supplies with them.