Bridgetown Comedy Fest

WOW, Bridgetown Comedy Festival was great!  I went to several shows with my brother Nick and a few friends, and was lucky enough to meet Ben Acker, Janet Varney, Oscar Nunez, Peter Serafinowicz, Todd Glass, Jermaine Fowler, Myq Kaplan, Sam Varela, and Brandie Posey.

The Picture This! show on Saturday night was a highlight for me; Wook Jin Clark and I were two of seven artists who drew live for comedians as they performed stand-up (curious how that works?  Check out this clip).  It's a fun format and we got to meet some great artists, including Griffith Kimmins and Samantha Gray of Titmouse Animation Studio, and Portland artist Shane Hosea. I believe the show was recorded, and I'll definitely link it when it goes live.

Here was my weekend in Instagram photos:

 

 

 

Soon we'll be found

Portland got 2 consecutive days of sun this week and so we have entered the magical, annual sprouting phase, where every patch of earth suddenly explodes in bright fresh, SATURATED green things. It's lovely!



The Periscope whiteboard is infamous for sprouting horrors, but this is the worst one yet:



I'll let that sink in for a moment.



I am kind of hoping this will become an insert-able rage face, but I'm afraid its short/fatness makes it difficult to impose over photos. This is the best I could do, and it's awful:



Feel free to try your own. Tomorrow, if I remember, I'll take a photo of what's falling into its mouth on the whiteboard.

Don't you want me to be the captain of your submarine up periscope

Deconstructing Comics Episode #285 part 1 takes a look at comic studio set-ups. I talk about Periscope Studio around 19:40. I have to research my Periscope history...!

Portland Comics posted an article on Periscope today as well.


7 new Between Gears pages up today if you haven't read them!

Even when you were here you were already gone

Emi and I had the best time yesterday: I just borrowed a Nikon FM2 from Charlie Chu, and she has been photographing with her dad's old camera for a while, so we went out together on a 3-hour walk around Portland and she showed me a few things about taking a good photo.

The weather was GORGEOUS. I sunburned my shoulders! It was the first warm, sunny day in a long time and everything looked good.

We explored a couple of piers at the waterfront and saw geese, boats, dragon boats, and a great blue heron. Let's do it again!!!

I'm an animal you're an animal too

All photos in this post courtesy Erik Scultz

On Saturday, I got to participate in Dove Lewis's Superheroes Celebration at the Lucky Lab. The event honored dogs who donate life-saving blood to Dove Lewis, which is a nonprofit emergency care center for animals. Owners brought their donor dogs out for canine cupcakes, award ceremonies, raffles, and portraits provided by yours truly, Terri Nelson, Joëlle Jones, and Cat Farris. It was so much fun! Cute dogs everywhere!!!

Check out this write-up and short video by local news team KGW.

And tons of lovely photos from the event by Erik Scultz on Dove Lewis's Facebook page.

I feel unlike I've ever felt

The Portland Opera put on another Comic Artist Night at the Opera event on Monday night, and I was lucky enough to be invited! :D Here are some illustrations I made, inspired by L'Heure Espagnole and L'Enfant et les Sortileges. These 2 plays were my favorite from the entire 2010/2011 season, so if you live in Portland, do yourself a favor and buy tickets to one of the performances this week! I'm going again on Tuesday night, they were so good.

(L'Enfant et les Sortileges was about a bratty kid having a guilt nightmare. I loved the lament of the various animals he tormented at play! There was a really cool effect in the scene where actors pressed their faces and hands through fabric trees that I tried illustrating here.)



(L'Heure Espagnole was a bedroom comedy about a woman trying to have an affair and being endlessly frustrated by her male companionship options. I laughed so hard at the poet and muledriver suitors!)

Comic artists were treated to pizza, beer, and wine before the performances. I indulged, and my notes from the opera were, accordingly, remarkably unhelpful:




Thank you SO MUCH to Julia Sheridan and everyone at the Portland Opera for the opportunity to see all of the amazing operas this year! I've had an amazing time and plan to attend the opera next year as well! :)

We can't rewind we've gone too far

I got last-minute tickets to the Hood to Coast premiere last night at the Keller Auditorium here in Portland. I took my roommate Hannah and we concur: that movie is fantastic. If you live in the northwest, you've got to see it. Portland/Oregon looks soooo beautiful in this film, and the people they interview are just awesome. I had a huge grin plastered on my face for the entire thing (minus the parts where I was crying...the good kind of crying, I promise). The Thunder and Laikaning team was my favorite part - Hannah and I burst into laughter during pretty much every scene they were in.
People at the premier dressed up but wore running shoes--adorable! Wish we had gotten the memo in time to join in.

You can't step in the same river twice

Photo dump from my morning walk:


The NW hills have all of these awesome shortcut stairwells. I keep finding new ones and being very excited.

There are so many dead-end streets...this one lead into this steep, forested hillside. There's a lot of undeveloped land in this area, and it's fun when you run into it unexpectedly.





I like dis house.

Stumptown 2010 Recap

(Courtesy ocean yamaha)

Stumptown wrapped up yesterday at 6, and I came home utterly exhausted at 6:30. The weekend was SO fun; it topped last year's for me twice over.

Friday:
I got into Portland around noon, milled around at home, made sure all of my merchandise was in order, caught up with the family, and got ready to go out in the evening. Emi Lenox and I went to the Doubletree at 6 to set up our tables for the next day (a HUGE improvement on last year--my stress was cut in half knowing that everything was already at my table).
We went from there over to The Secret Society; after much success with Drink n' Draw Like a Lady at MoCCA, Hope Larson organized the first Drink n' Draw Like a Lady West with help from Dylan Meconis. It was so fun--newbies, pros, artists, writers, reviewers, students, and editors all sippin' drinks and mackin' on cupcakes while talking shop. In addition to catching up with friends and talking with people trying to get into comics, I got to meet Hope, Kate Beaton, and Lucy Knisley! I feel so lucky that Portland is the site of DDLL West, and cannot wait for next year's.
After DDLL, Emi, Joelle Jones and I went to O'Brien's in NW and met up with Nicolas Hitori De, Jamie S. Rich, and Jamie's friend (Bobby...?). I left within half an hour, drove back to the suburbs, and face-planted in my pillow.

Saturday:
I got to the con an hour early, which is the way I like it. There is ALWAYS something that comes up and takes 20 minutes when you didn't expect to lose that time. For me, it was parking on the other side of the Lloyd Center from the con, trying to take a short cut through the mall, and realizing that the doors on the other side were still locked. I had to walk around the entire bloated mall! Bah!
I was set up at table 114 with Angie Wang and Emi, next to Susan Tardif and Rich Ellis and near a lot of other Periscope members. I liked our placement; we were on the outer loop of the con, and got a lot of traffic. We weren't near any huge lines that might block our table or any annoying/loud tables. I had great interactions with the people who came by, and made enough sales to cover the table by lunch. I did a lot better than I did in Seattle last month, thanks to a more relevant crowd and also to Emi's suggestions on my table organization. I put my minis out on the table instead of stacked in a stand, and people seemed more happy to browse them that way.
I left the table for short trips around the con, usually to a single table that I had been planning to visit. I bought DAR! volume 2 from Erika Moen, Spellcheckers, Mercury, French Milk, and a Kate Beaton print. If I had left many more times, I would have gone broke. There were so many great products to see!!!
After the con, table 114 went out to dinner at Gustav's with Cat Farris, Ron Chan, Sean Kelley, Emi's awesome friend Lindsay Zimmerman, Leigh Walton and intern Hazel from Top Shelf.
We schlepped down to 7-11 for cheap coffee, and then headed over to Cosmic Monkey for the official con afterparty. Jeff Parker as MC is always entertaining, and the comic art battle included a dance-off this year!
Emi and I went to Brett Warnock's for an after-after party, which was a ton of fun. His living room and basement are comic heaven, and he wouldn't let me leave without a truckload of Top Shelf titles! I felt so guilty--I could hardly carry it all.
Again, pillow face-plant in the early morning.

Swagalag

Sunday:
I rolled into the con just before it started. It was more of the same from Saturday--great traffic, great interactions, and fun with the other exhibitors. I was exhausted from the late nights, but held it together with a little help from the hotel cafe. I took Angie and Emi home and I got back to my house barely an hour after the con closed. I pulled on my jammers and watched Avatar with the family.

Some highlights:

• Both my primary and secondary thesis advisers came to the con! Yet another vote of confidence that I picked the right people for the job.
• Kurt Busiek bought Over the Surface!!! WHAT?! 8D
  
• Talking with publishers about possible future projects~~~!
• Fan art from Emi and Nico!!!!
  
• Seeing Angela Melick again!
• Meeting all of the great artists from out of town, most notably Nico, who had to reschedule his flight half a dozen times thanks to Iceland

A few things that I want to fix next time:

• Making button sets at a discount - I think that they would sell much better
• Fan art sells so much better than original characters...I have never felt quite right selling other people's characters, but I want to try next year
• Smaller portfolio x_x
• Bigger, easier to read price sheet
• Cuter presentation...! My table zen is terrible...!!

"You're out living it up today, I've got dues to pay"

Middleman, rag doll, Keyboard Cat, and Bad Robot


With 'off the res' Emi

I had a FAB Halloween weekend in Portland, Medicine Fridaying myself back to health, sketching it up with sketchgroup, cheering on the Ducks to glorious victory, and, cough, blacking out at Halloween on Hawthorne. Now I'm back at school, and things just keep getting gradually busier!

Still working on most of the same art projects, with Wonder Woman and Monsters & Dames squared away, a new commission for next month, and that children's book project for school. Between Gears needs to kick into gear and catch up, but since it comes after my paid work, that's just got to wait a little longer. Still, there were 5 new pages yesterday if you missed it.

It's also time to write the story that I want to turn into a comic for my senior thesis. I present my prospectus on November 30, so time is short to research, write, and practice. I have 10 books checked out, with 10 more waiting for me at the library. Since 'research' is reading Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics and The Art of Howl's Moving Castle, I don't mind at all. :P

I'm still applying for JET, little by little, and allllmost have all of my outside forms gathered, which is the most stressful part.

I'm stressed out by all of these moving parts (oh yeah, and there's CLASS, too), but each area is fun in its own right. Got to keep a tight schedule and make sure that everything happens on time and WELL!

She's thinking 'how did I get here?'

I wasn't able to be in Portland for the Amazing Amazon First Thursday event this week, which showcased Wonder Woman Day contributions, but Matt Grigsby was nice enough to e-mail me some photos from that night!



Art always looks better framed by two handsome men! :P (Matt's site, Terry's site)



Matt and his ink wash painting.



Terry and his mixed media painting.



They hung my piece next to Alex Ross's!! I'm not sure whether or not you can see it in these photos, but the gallery had the glass for each piece uniquely engraved! Mine has butterflies on it.

A lot of people who I mention on this blog, and whose work I really admire, are in this gallery. I hope I can make it to Portland sometime during October to see, and I hope that you can as well!

You see me crawling up the walls for you

This fountain piece is still marching slowly on...That's the last of the people, but next comes the cascading water in the fountains. Very intimidating. Should I dry brush...? Try to copy the photo identically...? I like it too much to mess it up now!

Yesterday, Periscope intern comrade Emi Lenox invited me to join the sketch group she keeps with Angie Wang. It was so cool! We went to a swanky Pearl District cafe and talked for a couple of hours, with a little drawing in there, too. :P I'm still new to this 'other people draw comics' thing, so I appreciate meeting more people who do, especially in Portland. Both gals are funny, talented, and just the kind of people you feel lucky to know. :D And check out their sites! Holy skills, Batman!

Still listening to Evident Utensil by Chairlift on repeat. I can't get over that song!

Stumptown Recap

It was Christmas, the first day of school, and a rock concert all rolled into one!!


(The Stumptown 2009 Flickr pool is already up! Add your photos or browse through others'! :D That's Ainsley, my table mate, on the left!)

Saturday:
I woke up at 6 on Saturday morning practically buzzing with excitement. First convention jitters!! I had time to finish most of my final preparations, such as assembling my tool kit and packing a lunch, before hitting the road at 8:30. I got to the Lloyd Center DoubleTree at 9 and had an hour to set up my table. The floor was so full of excited, talented comic folk! It was inspiring just watching everyone set up their tables. (And sadly, the set up and take down hours were the times I saw the most tables, because I hardly got a chance to walk around during the day.)

I was really nervous (shaking, really...) for the first couple of hours, but talking with Ainsley (cool as a cucumber :P) and forcing myself to crack my sketchbook helped me hit my stride. A bunch of friends stopped by my table throughout the day, including my good friends Carrie and Andy, Jamie Rich, Periscope friends, and even friends from school. They were all really supportive and it cheered me up every time they stopped by.

I like imagining all of the people that might have my comics in their hands now. It's a wonderful feeling!

Blogger ate three paragraphs of this post, but I'll try to rewrite them!:
I tried to find a friend's party after the fest Saturday, but it was epic fail. I am from the west side, and Portland's east side confounds me miserably. I drove up and down the last street I could find on my direction sheet for 10 minutes, but never found the next one. x___x
I went to the Cosmic Monkey after party next, where I was finally able to see the awesome comic book store everyone raves about! What a place! They had an entire section for local zines, and another for locally published books. :D It is a truly awesome comic shop. I plan to return. :) The Trophy Awards show and Comic Art Battles were fun to watch, and Jeff Parker cracked up the whole audience for several hours in his MC alter ego. I met the new Periscope intern, Emi, and the old one, Sarah. New friends, yaaaay! xD We danced and shouted at the stage late into the night.

I went to the portfolio review table late Saturday, and got some time with Bob Schreck. I went in with a thick skin, but he was nice. He did tell me I should go to art school, which sounds harsh out of context, but I agree that I could use basic training in some areas (perspective, anatomy, and color theory most of all...). He said that my expressions and faces were good, but I should work on backgrounds (don't ink with a ruler) and character details from far away, esp. hands. I'm in such a frustrating place between 'hobbyist' and 'employable artist'. I don't have the money for art school, but I'll try to take at least a single class at PSU or AI this summer.

Sunday:
I got out the door pretty late, and arrived at the fest with only half an hour before opening. However, I had left all of my stuff under my table over night, so I was able to set up pretty quickly. Though activity was down, sales were up. I think it was people exploring the fest Saturday and buying Sunday. My family came through, which was very sweet, and even took pictures of my booth (BLUSH). I met even more cool people, and enjoyed the more casual atmosphere of the day.
At 6, I made the decision to go straight home instead of out to celebrate, and gave my family some attention. We made burgers and watched LOST. Bliss!

THINGS I LEARNED FOR NEXT TIME:

• You need super, SUPER sticky tape to hang anything on tablecloth
  
• Pack a lunch you can eat with one hand
• Don't smile with unbreaking eye contact when someone approaches you. In fact, I found that my most effective attitude for making people stick around was sketching in my own little world, and only looking up and smiling if someone stayed at the booth for half a minute or more.
• Business cards. Bring them all.
• It may seem pompous to put your pricing sheet at the front of your table, but that is where it needs to be
• Print out driving directions the night before and put them in your car before you go to bed
• Do not drink caffeine the first morning--the excitement more than does the job!
• Only pack merchandise that you think represents you well. Each item could be the only one a customer takes home with them!
• Wear a bright color
  
• If you think it's time to get a table and a con, sign the frick up today!!!! I wish I'd started doing this a year or even two years ago!!

As of today, I'm planning on attending the Portland Zine Symposium. :) I like this convention stuff!

Next post: review of all the minis I read at the end of the weekend!!

Happy Holidays!

HOLIDAY SHOPPING!! *FOAM* It was so fun!

Our neighborhood got about 4 inches of snow on Sunday, which stuck throughout yesterday and today, and effectively snowed my family in. The forecasts say there may be even more tomorrow! It's been fun pretending to live in Alaska, but my body has taken about as much abuse as it can on the sledding hill, and I'm running out of things to do (except finishing A Room of One's Own...ugh, my wrists...).

The roads improved a little today, so my mom and I took the opportunity to go downtown and shop. I love the way Portland looks in the winter: clear sky, bright lights, bundled up people--the snowy icing is a bonus this year. We found gifts for my little cousin Kendra at Art Media, some gifts for the boys in Pioneer Place, and a couple of things for ourselves. I bought a dress for my birthday next Monday (21!!!!! OMG) at Express. It's so cute. I can't wait! I just hope the roads are clear enough for my friends and me to get downtown... :-/

Kara says "Happy Holidays!" :)