New Nib and Brooklyn Book Festival

 

I went to New York Central Art Supply on Saturday and picked up a new nib holder, fancy G-nibs, and some really gorgeous Strathmore 500 Bristol. I bought a Dustin Harbin original drawing at SPX and was inspired to use the materials he draws with to see if I could make something really clean and pretty, like his stuff. The lines are not as clean as I thought they would be, quite messy actually, but really fun. I don't understand how people letter comics with nibs. It's hard and unwieldy. I think the ink I use is too thick and may be causing all the trouble. Further investigation is required.

 

 

I also had the opportunity to see a great panel at the Brooklyn Book Festival, moderated by Bill Karalopoulos. It was inspiring and encouraging to hear about each of their story-writing processes.

Bill Kartalopoulos,  Gabrielle Bell, Carla Speed McNeil, Adrian Tomine, Jaime Hernandez.

Adrian Tomine, Jaime Hernandez.

I want to find a smarter way to work, or a way work faster. Maybe it is a matter of developing consistent work habits.

Drawing on Location at the Jalopy Theater

On Monday I took the day off from my photo job to draw Ernesto Gomez, Arturo Jugman, Walker Shepard, Jackson Lynch, and some others at the Jalopy Theater during the Brotherhood of the Jugband Blues recording session. The idea is to collect good drawings for the album artwork. It was slow going, since people move a considerable amount when they play instruments. They usually oscillate between two poses, and you have pick one and keep looking for the moment when they go back into the pose. It's a really fun and challenging way to draw.

Back from SPX - The Small Press Expo

This was my very first time tabling at a convention, and the feedback from other artists was incredible, inspiring, and awesome. Another cool piece of news: Haditha/Katrina and Bethesda minis were selected to be included in the SPX Collection at the Library of Congress. Josh Kramer (Cartoon Picayune) and J.T. Yost (Digestate, Birdcage Bottom Books) were there selling copies of the anthologies I've been lucky to be a part of, it was great hanging out with them and seeing all their hard work paying off--really beautiful comic books! Susie Cagle's thoughts on comic making shared in the Comics on Assignment panel were really inspiring to me. She's done great work in reporting on the Occupy movement and women's health issues in California, where she is based.

Me and Tom Hart with my Sequential Artists Workshop Grant!

Me and Matt Bors talking about how cool comics are.

 

SAW Micro-Grant

I just received the great news that my grant application to the Sequential Artists Workshop Micro-Grant program was accepted. Funds were limited and applications were abundant in number and talent. I'm honored to share this distinction with Julia Gfrorer, her work is really beautifully drawn. You can see some of her work and read about her here on the Comics Journal. Congrats Julie and thank you, Tom Hart and SAW!

Haditha/Katrina in Color

Here's the full version of the comic in Issue 78 (New South Journalism) issue of The Oxford American. Go swipe (and pay for) a copy at your local bookstore. New Yorkers: McNally Jackson has them in, and everyone that works there is nice (and handsome).

Table at SPX

J.T. Yost passed me this great exhibitor map, which highlights all the contributors to Digestate that will be there (I'm at D12B, next to the fabulous Jen Tong, who will have new silkscreen books!)

Find me at SPX this Saturday and Sunday in Bethesda, MD. I'll be selling comics and drawing pictures.

Exhibitor map a la Digestate autographer locations.

A picture of J.T. with all those copies of Digestate!

Haditha/Katrina on the SPX Debuts page.

Bethesda Part One + Haditha/Katrina Shout-Outs

Here's the Bethesda comic in its entirety so far. This story was told to me by First Lieutenant Michael Rhoads of the Marines in late April of this year at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center with other artists from the Society of Illustrators. More stories from Nathan Rimpf and Joshua Wetzel will be added later, probably in late October when the residency is winding down.

*EDIT* I've posted the color version I created in March 2013.

This story will be available as a mini-comic at next week's Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD. It also appears in the forthcoming issue of  The Cartoon Picayune, Issue #4 Distress. There was a nice mention of the CP issue and Haditha/Katrina comic on the SPX blog. Haditha/Katrina also got some nice shout-outs on Graphic Ladies Tumblr, and the Symbolia website (albeit pixelated as all heck).

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