Blog Every Day April: 21

I don't have enough money to buy everyone's books. I don't own studio space or publish material. One small thing I can do to support other comickers, though, is to pimp them out, and hopefully spread the joy of their stories and art! Thus I give you: The Minicomic Post!! :D
Titles I picked up at Stumptown this year:

Copy Jerk 01 by Matthew Metzler
This mini had great production quality and content. Though the boob jokes probably weren't written for my demographic, I laughed out loud many times at the mini's other jokes. The art style is nice, too--I like the clean linework and coloring, and Metzler is pro at expressions and drawing his characters consistently.
www.CopyJerk.com

Devil Bids Us Skoal by Ainsley Yeager
This mini is a print preview for Devil Bids Us Skoal, a webcomic now up on Webcomics Nation. Though it is just a taste of a much larger story, Ainsley's fast and fun storytelling style is evident from the first pages alone, and her art leaves you wanting more.
http://pleaseinsertcoins.com/

Dinosaur Vs Robot by Ainsley Yeager
Ainsley gave me issues 5 and 6 to pore over, and now I want issue 7! Her autobiographical mini series expresses her emotions and documents her accomplishments and failures over several months of her life in each issue. I really enjoyed this form of journaling as a reader. Each strip is only 1 or 2 panels, but it tells you exactly what was going on with Ainsley that day. When read in succession in this mini format, you feel like you know the author personally, and are rooting for her to keep going.
http://pleaseinsertcoins.com/?page_id=83

Flaccid Badger Wants an Apple by Cat Ellis
This is one of my favorite comics ever, ever, ever. I have a boner for Flaccid Badger (Aaaah! See what I did there?!). He flops over inanimate objects so cutely, you might just squeal out loud when you read it. In public. The storytelling style mocks children's books with simple sentences accompanied by hilarious, sometimes less G-rated images. With a mere 8 pages, Flaccid Badger has worked his floppy way onto my "favorites" bookshelf.
http://cattifer.com/blogalog/

Fredrick the Whale by Matt Grigsby
Fredrick the Whale is the silly story of a whale who just wants a bottle of milk, is that so much to ask?! Grigsby took the inspiration for the comic from a group of 6-10 year olds playing a camp storytelling game, which makes it even cuter and funnier than it already is. The art, especially the design for Fredrick, works great with the story.
http://www.grigsbyart.blogspot.com/

How I Was Born Again by Brendan Wright
Wright prefaced this to me by saying, "It's from 2 years ago, so...you know." However, the story doesn't loose its value over time, I think. The main character, a 15 year old boy, agrees to go to church for the first time when a cute blond asks him to go with her. He explains his relationship with religion, the details of his 'conversion', and his feelings afterward in a straight-forward, relatable voice. Anyone who has had questions about religion will be able to relate to some part of this endearing story.
http://wrightopinion.com/

In Contempt: Collateral Damage by Kevin Moore
I'm not normally drawn to the art style of political cartoons--heavy on the hatching, low on the grayscale--but Moore drew me in from the first strip with his clear and expressive faces and body language. The comic isn't bogged down with dialogue, either, which often deters me. Instead, In Contempt is funny, harsh, and fast-paced. I ate it up in about 10 minutes, and then read it again. My favorite image was that of King George the W (with lines above and below the W like a Roman numeral) in his feudal courthouse.
http://mooretoons.com/

The Ravens' Gambit: Issue One by Rich Ellis and Susan Tardif
I know Rich and Susan, so I know that they are talented creators. However, I was really taken aback when Susan put Ravens' Gambit in my hands. From cover to cover, the art is awesome. I think I held it 5 times as long than one normally holds a comic without opening it, but I was too captivated by the cover to start reading right away! The pacing and story are seriously pro, and the art holds up to the story's standards with consistent rendering and a good sense of mood. This comic even has bonus material in the back with a funny story to let you get to know the characters better--a must have!
http://elliscomics.com/ravensgambit/

So go and buy all of them, NOW! :P

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!!