Category: Graphic Novel

Weekend Round Up…9 March 2012

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I haven’t done one of these in a while, but I was just looking at graphic medicine ‘s site & they’ve just posted a ton of new links so I couldn’t resist!

To watch/listen to

Forbidden Planet has recently been having the nominees for the Myriad 1st Fictions prize guest blog about their work. This week has included posts by Paula Knight about her graphic novel “The Facts of Life” and Thom Ferrier regarding his GN “The Enlightenment of Iwan James.” (I’ve seen excerpts of both these works and can guarantee that they’re wonderful)

Paula Knight’s podcast of her talk “from the Leeds Comics Forum on the stigma of miscarriage and resulting childlessness” is also up over on the Graphic Medicine blog, so be sure to check that out as well.

To look forward to

A little bird told me that Katie Green is progressing nicely on her own “Lighter Than My Shadow”–if you haven’t yet checked out her blog, be sure to head over there. Not only is she very talented but she’s a wonderful encourager as well.

Laydeez do Comics: Stateside!
The monthly comic get together (in London) organized by Sarah Lightman & Nicola Streeten is coming to America! (Brooklyn specifically) on 7 April…Sarah L & Michael Kaminer of the “Graphic Details: Confessional…” exhibit will be there and I’ve heard rumors that introspectivenarwhal will, too.

Well, that’s all folks! Have a loverly weekend…

FACE OFF le troisieme jour

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Late last night, with about 45 minutes to spare, I finished my “What I wore today” drawing for the 3rd day of Pete’s & mine’s “FACE OFF.”

As you can see, yesterday was not a very fashionable day for me…I went to a noon yoga class and then just wore my yoga clothes the rest of the rather indecisive day…I even wore them to see the even more amazing in person than on twitter Lisa Hanawalt (of horses & lizard fame) as well as Jillian Tamaki and Eleanor Davis. They were speaking at The Illustrator’s Society (up on 63rd!) and I’m so glad I didn’t ‘cop out’ and not go… I must admit, it was a bit odd though, since a lot of people in the crowd were I believe students, and well, since I’ve been out of school for so long, I still ironically feel a bit awkward whenever I’m around a ton of ‘young people’

But enough! I need to actually get to ‘work work’ and finish up a website…but to note! This sunday is the Graphic Details: Confessional Comics by Jewish Women Symposium at Yeshiva University with the wonderful Sarah Lightman….I will be volunteering there, so swing on by–there’s a ton of awesome comics artists featured and it should be a very interesting presentation…

Also to note, Thom Ferrier and Comic Nurse have been “artists in residence” (I believe that’s the proper term) up in Chicago, so be sure to check out all their adventures, including a few ‘comic mashups’ over on their respective sites. Katie Green seems to be nicely progressing on her graphic novel & Paula Knight’s shared some prep work for her graphic novel (which was shortlisted for the myriad editions 1st fictions, if you recall)… Also, apparently Hannah Berry’s latest graphic novel should be out in the summer–got to see a sneak peak of the cover and it looks awesome (to paraphrase her, the darker the environment in which you read it, the more things come out at the dark at you.”)

the 3 day weekend roundup…13 January 2012

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Hope everyone has a great 3 day weekend & stays warm–it’s supposed to be a chilly one in NYC…

To go…

Not many events happening this weekend persay…and sadly missed out on Chip Kidd speaking last night at MOCCA…ah well.

• One event to get excited about, however, is Comics Out Loud, 28 January from 1–5pm. Seems the Society of Illustrators has wrangled together some writers, inkers, colourists & letterers including: Louise & Walter Simonson, Bob Wiacek, Chris Sotomayor and John Workman. The event will be curated by the editor, Danny Fingeroth and presents “a rare opportunity to see top creators doing…their work.” While it’s not exactly cheap–tickets for non-members are $50–it sounds like a pretty awesome event.

To see (or listen)…

• If you haven’t yet seen Martin Scorcese’s latest film, Hugo, go do so without a moment’s delay. I saw it last weekend and was completely entranced by the visuals, storytelling and whimsey that it conjured up. Don’t know much about it? Well, neither did I and actually am glad about that. I’ll give you a hint though: you’ll meet the man who shot the rocket into the moon…er many moons ago.

• For my British friends (close to London), Laydeez Do Comics will be meeting Monday 16 February from 6.30–9.30pm. Daniel Locke, Jacqueline Nicholls and Karin Rubins will be the ‘featured artists’ of the night.

To read…

I love perusing the many used book stores in NYC and recently snapped up 2 very nice discoveries:

• Marzi– a graphic novel about a young girl growing up in Poland before the fall of Communism, it’s more of a series of anecdotes instead of a fully drawn out narrative. As a result it’s a bit choppy, so I’m wondering if this might be a better “children’s graphic novel” due to it’s child narrator and simple, non complex style of storytelling. The jury seems to be out as to whether or not Marzi succeeds as a graphic novel–while NPR (or the NYTimes**) reported that many Polish residents identify with the story (and are quick to share it with friends) others feel it’s “unsatisfying“. Which just means you should read it for yourself  **I could swear I read the article on either the NYTimes or NPR about this yet now even “googling” fails me and I can’t find it.

• Gemma Bovary– I was quite happy to pick this up for $7 at Housing Works Books! Much of the action takes place in France, so I had a lot of fun reading the bits au francais that are sprinkled throughout this riff on the great novel “Madame Bovary.” Written by Posy Simmonds, (the second graphic novel I’ve now read of hers), her sketchy, naive style and the wit of her characters make for another engrossing tale of love, lust and the confusion of the two.

To do…(warning: shameless self-promotion ahead)

Buy my “Yoga Desk Calendars”–that’s right folks, I’ve turned my 12 Days of Yoga illustration series into a 2012 desk calendar. Please note that since it’s a desk calendar, it’s rather small (about 3.75″ x 6.5″), but I happen to love small things so I’m sure you will too! I’ll be updating this post soon with a link to purchase them, so get excited!

To celebrate!

Two of my best British buddies (Paula & Thom) have been shortlisted for Myriad Editions’ First Fictions competition. Guys, this is pretty prestigious, so go check out their work and cross your fingers for their success–I’m personally hoping for a ‘tie’.

And another ‘hip, hip hooray!’ goes out to “Dr. Smoo” (of Better, Drawn) & that over achiever Thom Ferrier for being chosen as exhibitors at the “awesome…Toronto Comics & Arts Festival” for 2012….There is 1 small problem though, since they’ve spent all their $$ on paper, ink & tea, they need some help getting there–won’t you donate to their trip?

Well, that’s all folks! Good luck, and if you happen to read or do anything listed about, let me know how you enjoyed it–or didn’t! Also, be sure to check back here, next week for new artwork and stories…

The weekend roundup…9 Decembre

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Wow. I can’t believe it’s already so close to Christmas! Don’t know about you, but I am quite behind with all my gifting and such….Thankfully though, if like me, you are behind, there are several craft fairs and such to get you back on track (many with delicious food too–since you can’t shop on an empty stomach!)…So sit back, make yourself a mug of tea or cocoa and read up on some things to do, before you rush back out into the holiday craze…

To go…

So this weekends events aren’t exactly literally ‘comic arts’ related, but they’re all creatively inspiring in some sort of way–huzzah!

• If you are in NYC do be sure to go see all the holiday windows–sure there will be crowds, but they’re all so intricate that it’s worth it…If you can’t make it to New York, don’t worry, Refinery 29 has some lovely photographs which you can enjoy from the comfort of your home (ie: no crowds)

• And, if like me, you had to miss the The Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Festival there are quite a few write ups (some with pictures!) of the events…so you can see all the awesomeness you missed out on…er: Comic’s Grid Comixology Chris Mautner’s

• Finally, there is the BUST Craftacular this weekend 10 & 11 Decembre in SoHo from 11am–7pm (8pm on sat)–Admission is $3. There are sure to be some awesome vendors, and festivals like these are great for poking around and discovering new artists. Be sure to visit the amazing ThreadBareSupply booth as well for handmade cowls, jewelry and hats– tell ’em ‘bonatron’ sent you

To see (or listen)…

• Jules Feiffer & Irwin Hasen will be speaking at MoCCA on Thursday 15 Decembre. Feiffer was an assistant to Will Eisner while Hasen worked for Marvel on Justice League & Wonder Woman. Also check out the documentary Irwin: A New York Story  (though I am not sure where you can rent this…)

• And don’t forget, of course, about the upcoming: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn–out in theatres 23 December. Garen Ewing has a great post reminding die hard Tintin fans (like myself) to be sure to see the film with an open mind.

To read…

While it’s not a graphic novel, I’m really enjoying: “My Mother She Killed Me, My Father, He Ate Me: 40 New Fairy Tales.” Compiled by Kate Bernheimer, it’s  a collection of fantasy tales written by the likes of Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link and Michael Cunningham (to name a few). Since my graphic novel has elements of the fantastical, it’s good research 

To do…

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a ton of stuff left on my to do list, so I’m not going to add anything additional here…I’m sure you have plenty of things left to do as well, so hop to it now!

 

Well, that’s all folks! Good luck, and if you happen to go to one of these events, let me know how you enjoyed it! Also, be sure to check back here, Monday 12 Decembre for a new series…

Weekend Round Up…26 November

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Hope everyone had a peaceful & (ful)filling Thanksgiving–with tons of turkey, veggies & pie–lots of pie! Oddly, there wasn’t any at the house I went over to, but that just means I’ll end up eating more at Christmastime…But enough! If you’re not one of those crazies…er shoppers, lined outside the doors for all the “Black Friday”(and subsequent weekend) sales, here’re some things to keep you busy.

To go…

Nothing new seems to be opening in NYC this weekend, but aside from last week’s exhibits which continue into the New Year, there are some upcoming events to definitely get excited about…

• Comic Release & Signing by RetroFit Comics–Pat Aulisio, Box Brown & Josh Bayer will be at Josh Hanley’s Universe (4 W 33rd St. Manhattan)–2 Dec 6–8PM (Thanks to Comics Reporter for the tip!)

• The Brooklyn Comics & Graphics Festival–Artists & publishers selling their wares, original art gallery, lectures & conversations, curated by Desert Island, PictureBox & Bill Kartalopolous–Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church (Williamsburg)–3 Dec 12–9PM

Also, if you just so happen to be up in Montreal this weekend, be sure to get yourself over to expozine 2011–Montreal’s 10th Annual Small Press, Comic & Zine Fair–26 & 27 Nov 12–6PM (Merci à Comics Reporter)

To see (or listen)…

• The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn–out in theatres 23 December (I got really excited yesterday because I thought it came out 23 November–ah well) Garen Ewing has a great post reminding die hard Tintin fans (like myself) to be sure to see the film with an open mind.

• Turns out you can listen to podcasts of artists (including Daryl Cunningham, Andrew Godfrey and Phillipa Perry) discuss their work which combines medicine and/or medical issues and sequential art from previous Graphic Medicine conferences

To read…

I’m still wading through the appendixes (appendices?) of “From Hell”–it’s amazing & admirable how much historical & visual research Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell did for their graphic novel. My next one to read though, is a toss up between “Billy, You and Me” by Nicola Streeten or “Tangles: A story of Alzheimer’s, my mother and me” by Sarah Leavitt. Check out Leavitt’s discussion about her work here.

To do…(before 2 Dec!)

Scholastic’s got a fun mini comic contest going on. The basics: Fold an 8½” X 11” sheet of paper into a mini-book and create an original comic book. Ten winners will receive a Prisma Colour Prize Pack valued at ~$200 The only hitch is, entries are due to be postmarked by 2 Dec which doesn’t leave much time–so hop to it!

 

Well, that’s it for me. Enjoy your weekend (and all those leftovers). I’d love to hear about what you’re currently reading or if you go to any of these exhibits. I’m definitely hoping to be productive—what with Thanksgiving over and all, the pressure to get stuff done for Christmas is really ramping up!