Updatery.
Woooo, I'm way behind on DAFT. Greebo sketch will be up later.
In other news, APE rocked my socks again. I’ll spare you the full report and just provide some brief commentary.
Vera Brosgol! drew me the loveliest sketch of the con. Her Return To Sender was one of the first webcomics I was introduced to and man, is it good. I still think me and my friend Jordan should dress up as Collette and Often (respectively) for a con one day.
Jen Wang! is pretty neat. I wish I was as punky-cool as her. I also wish her Strings Of Fate would go back up online, because even though she’s laid that comic aside, it really made an impression on me.
Jason Thompson! still kinda weirds me out, but his work is really way impressive, and he’s always happy to talk about his stuff.
Scott C.! is the most awesome ever! He was so pleasant and seemed genuinely pleased that we liked his comics and Psychonauts. I think the game is the most creative and outstandingly brilliant thing that’s happened to video games since Katamari. And DFAC is like a cosmic wonder, distilling pure simple happiness for everyone.
The sketch he did for me is keen beyond words:
"I think you guys are the first ever to see the ultimate sword," he said. OMG!
Derek Kirk Kim! is even more neurotic than me, and also even more adorable than he draws himself. I have such a pretend-crush on him. That aside, he’s one of the best writers/artists I can think of. I usually detest slice-of-life comics, but his work is incredibly good. Small Stories is amazing, one of the first books I could really, personally identify with.
Kazu Kibuishi! is still so cool. Honestly, I don’t understand how there can be people like him and Mr. Kim, who both possess unfair quantities of talent and cuteness. But I’m starting to sound like a soppy fangirl, so I’m gonna stop now.
Erika Moen! was super ultra nice and funny. I love her style, but I have to admit I’m sometimes a little discomfitted by her sex comics. However, I truly admire and appreciate her unabashed frankness and disarming humor.
Dave Roman! was really great to talk to. He was there with his wife Raina Telgemeier, and I’m afraid I talked more to him than to both of them, but she seemed pretty nice too. His work is totally cute - but I like it! It’s so earnest and unassumingly sweet, and also pretty smart too. I talked to him about Agnes Quill, which I hope I can contribute to at some point.
Other Flight people, like Clio Chiang and Neil Babra! were there and I saw them but didn’t get to talk. Still, cool.
Outside the convention, there were many adventures and wackiness, as we experienced a quest for waffles, Chinatown with the power out, airsoft guns of dubious quality, terrible mixed drinks (Whoppers-flavored milk + cheap vodka), an epic dinner in J-town, the bizarre awesomeness of Kingdom Hearts 2, and so much more. Amazing times.
Now for less hyperventilation and more thoughtfulness - APE didn’t have as many panels as last year, and I wish I’d gone to more of those then. But I tried to be good this year and make an effort to do research, not just run around going Wowlooklooklooklook! It’s still a surreal experience to see these people in “real life”, whose work I’ve long admired online or in print. And listening to everyone and seeing how they do their thing reminds me again and again how hard it is to do comics. It’s simultaneously inspiring and daunting, impressive and intimidating, exciting and depressing.
I realize that most people don’t and can’t make a living just making comics; mostly you have to work a 9-hour job, then go home at night and draw comics until you pass out. Trying to get your work out there is incredibly difficult and expensive and there’s no guarantee of ever getting picked up. As I face the prospect of actually trying to make a career as an artist, I’ve got to keep this in mind. I’ve come to accept that I’ll have to work some day job, which may or may not involve art, and then do my own art on the side. Maybe I can get freelance business, maybe no one will want me and I’ll only be doing my little comic projects; either way, I’ll have to make time for it, which won’t be easy when I’m working to pay the bills.
Ideally, I’d like to be in a creative workplace, even if it’s not my perfect dream-job of drawing cool stuff all day. I used to think I’d be fine just working from home, sending stuff in; but I’ve found that I really do appreciate being around other people, which keeps me stimulated and sparks a lot of creativity I’d never access on my own. So maybe I can find a job somewhere that will be artistic enough to keep me interested, and still allow me opportunities to do my comics as well.
Somehow, I will get these comics done. And one day, I’d like to be at APE, where maybe (just maybe!) some kid will come up to me, stammering and blushing and asking me if I would please draw something in their sketchbook.
Until then, gotta keep working. Thanks to everyone who’s looked at my stuff and encouraged me.
Also, Pirate and I had another long chatter-jam, accompanied with her lovely homemade soup and Quay Brothers animations. As a result, our collaborative comic contraption thing is chugging along (though still in pre-production, so to speak).
MM is on hold briefly as I tend to school stuff and try to bend Photoshop to my will. I also still need to play around with ArtRage, courtesy of dear Rosynose.
I didn't win vert-is-ninja's song contest, alas. But I did get a lot of web hits because of it. However, the dorky madness is probably not going to cease any time soon, as I've just discovered another contest by another absurdly talented young artist. I've become a fanarting strumpet.
Right now, enough of the jibber-jabber. Time for more drawing.
In other news, APE rocked my socks again. I’ll spare you the full report and just provide some brief commentary.
Vera Brosgol! drew me the loveliest sketch of the con. Her Return To Sender was one of the first webcomics I was introduced to and man, is it good. I still think me and my friend Jordan should dress up as Collette and Often (respectively) for a con one day.
Jen Wang! is pretty neat. I wish I was as punky-cool as her. I also wish her Strings Of Fate would go back up online, because even though she’s laid that comic aside, it really made an impression on me.
Jason Thompson! still kinda weirds me out, but his work is really way impressive, and he’s always happy to talk about his stuff.
Scott C.! is the most awesome ever! He was so pleasant and seemed genuinely pleased that we liked his comics and Psychonauts. I think the game is the most creative and outstandingly brilliant thing that’s happened to video games since Katamari. And DFAC is like a cosmic wonder, distilling pure simple happiness for everyone.
The sketch he did for me is keen beyond words:
"I think you guys are the first ever to see the ultimate sword," he said. OMG!
Derek Kirk Kim! is even more neurotic than me, and also even more adorable than he draws himself. I have such a pretend-crush on him. That aside, he’s one of the best writers/artists I can think of. I usually detest slice-of-life comics, but his work is incredibly good. Small Stories is amazing, one of the first books I could really, personally identify with.
Kazu Kibuishi! is still so cool. Honestly, I don’t understand how there can be people like him and Mr. Kim, who both possess unfair quantities of talent and cuteness. But I’m starting to sound like a soppy fangirl, so I’m gonna stop now.
Erika Moen! was super ultra nice and funny. I love her style, but I have to admit I’m sometimes a little discomfitted by her sex comics. However, I truly admire and appreciate her unabashed frankness and disarming humor.
Dave Roman! was really great to talk to. He was there with his wife Raina Telgemeier, and I’m afraid I talked more to him than to both of them, but she seemed pretty nice too. His work is totally cute - but I like it! It’s so earnest and unassumingly sweet, and also pretty smart too. I talked to him about Agnes Quill, which I hope I can contribute to at some point.
Other Flight people, like Clio Chiang and Neil Babra! were there and I saw them but didn’t get to talk. Still, cool.
Outside the convention, there were many adventures and wackiness, as we experienced a quest for waffles, Chinatown with the power out, airsoft guns of dubious quality, terrible mixed drinks (Whoppers-flavored milk + cheap vodka), an epic dinner in J-town, the bizarre awesomeness of Kingdom Hearts 2, and so much more. Amazing times.
Now for less hyperventilation and more thoughtfulness - APE didn’t have as many panels as last year, and I wish I’d gone to more of those then. But I tried to be good this year and make an effort to do research, not just run around going Wowlooklooklooklook! It’s still a surreal experience to see these people in “real life”, whose work I’ve long admired online or in print. And listening to everyone and seeing how they do their thing reminds me again and again how hard it is to do comics. It’s simultaneously inspiring and daunting, impressive and intimidating, exciting and depressing.
I realize that most people don’t and can’t make a living just making comics; mostly you have to work a 9-hour job, then go home at night and draw comics until you pass out. Trying to get your work out there is incredibly difficult and expensive and there’s no guarantee of ever getting picked up. As I face the prospect of actually trying to make a career as an artist, I’ve got to keep this in mind. I’ve come to accept that I’ll have to work some day job, which may or may not involve art, and then do my own art on the side. Maybe I can get freelance business, maybe no one will want me and I’ll only be doing my little comic projects; either way, I’ll have to make time for it, which won’t be easy when I’m working to pay the bills.
Ideally, I’d like to be in a creative workplace, even if it’s not my perfect dream-job of drawing cool stuff all day. I used to think I’d be fine just working from home, sending stuff in; but I’ve found that I really do appreciate being around other people, which keeps me stimulated and sparks a lot of creativity I’d never access on my own. So maybe I can find a job somewhere that will be artistic enough to keep me interested, and still allow me opportunities to do my comics as well.
Somehow, I will get these comics done. And one day, I’d like to be at APE, where maybe (just maybe!) some kid will come up to me, stammering and blushing and asking me if I would please draw something in their sketchbook.
Until then, gotta keep working. Thanks to everyone who’s looked at my stuff and encouraged me.
Also, Pirate and I had another long chatter-jam, accompanied with her lovely homemade soup and Quay Brothers animations. As a result, our collaborative comic contraption thing is chugging along (though still in pre-production, so to speak).
MM is on hold briefly as I tend to school stuff and try to bend Photoshop to my will. I also still need to play around with ArtRage, courtesy of dear Rosynose.
I didn't win vert-is-ninja's song contest, alas. But I did get a lot of web hits because of it. However, the dorky madness is probably not going to cease any time soon, as I've just discovered another contest by another absurdly talented young artist. I've become a fanarting strumpet.
Right now, enough of the jibber-jabber. Time for more drawing.