Guest Speaker: Fairbanks Library Foundation "Alaska Author Night"

I'm humbled at the opportunity to talk at a very important venue, the Noel Wien public library, for a lecture series hosted by the Fairbanks Library Foundation. It'll be this Wednesday, August 19th from 6-7:30pm.Hopefully folks will have a lotta laughs and a little learning (the opposite of in the classroom) with my stand-up sit-down routine. For once it'll stay focused on funnies, no artsy-fartsy, no politics, nor any drugs, sex or violence either. Okay maybe just a hint.

Along with the usual demo stuff, and a portfolio of process pieces + sketchbooks, I'll unearth the archives and see what books I actually have on hand to sell, along with some original artwork and stickers. This'll be after the approximately 45-minute show & tell of one-hundred slides, which I am rather pleased with in that it covers a lot of ground: I'll have samples of work spanning history from highschool and colleges; from New York, to Alaska, to Georgia, to Maine, and back to Alaska; from freelance to commissions, artist residencies, and over fifty cartoons spanning over almost half a century of doodling, and twenty-five years of teaching too. 

While I haven't come out with a new book (aside from a few titles over on the Lulu site) in at least a couple decades, this talk will double as a warm-up/teaser to a big upcoming event in 2028, marking my forty-year anniversary of being in the local paper. And so plans are now afoot to offer a new collection should fill in the big blank from 2008 onwards, and a tshirt, and a few new stickers. That and beat the drum/spread the gospel about the crucial importance of literacy, especially at a critical moment in society, and how comics can inspire a lifelong love of literature. And all this has resurrected a long-simmering plot to shift more energy & attention back to supporting this institution, as it's been a while since holding a gig down at the library.

Something different will be the inclusion of family influences, namely with an opening dedication of this presentation to the memory of my mom. Fittingly enough she was a librarian, and along with the teacher/bookseller dad, indelibly shaped my journey though the pages of my own life story. Or in this instance, comic book.

"Strength in Numbers"

Ostensibly done as another demo for the Pen & Ink course during the stippling unit, it actually isn't all that much of an example - there will be another upcoming post with a far better exemplification of the technique - but it does illustrate how I usually use one of more of the principle textures (including hatching/crosshatching, spot blacks and scumbling) as quick ways to render volume through value via textures. Also ain't exactly a very good specimen of how to draw krill either. Or a whale - not sure how baleen works with such a toothy grin, but hey, you get the point. I hope. In retrospect this isn't very funny at all, and is really cynical, but that's my perspective on futile resistance in the face of increasing consolidation across the media ecosphere. Especially when it comes to creeping AI slop on every damn platform whether you want it or not. Oh and the corruption and loss of voting rights too. Speaking of, please vote in the primaries this Tuesday.Anyways, as Josh Blue would say: ha ha ha.

Recap: Academic Year Highpoints + Postscripts

As of late there has been many moments of small wonders and opportunities to look back over the academic year from a far-enough-away perspective that all the speed bumps and frost heaves disappear. One of which was donning a cap and gown for the first time ever in my academic career and participating in a formal commencement ceremony. Decades as an adjunct meant not serving on any committees, and the extent of my interaction with art majors was usually just at the Beginning Drawing level, and thereafter seeing their thesis show. Now I get to be in a more engaged and supportive role and remain a part of the process as they take addition upper-level courses and I can sit on their respective committees as a full-time faculty member. And the rebellious self-righteous hippy who dropped out of highschool is a wee bit more assimilated now as far as meeting institutional expectations, and realizing that it's not a damn bit about me. It is a good feeling to be so proud of other's accomplishments, and acknowledging their artistic efforts. Maybe, just maybe, I even finally graduated myself.

Speaking of amazing events, there were several standout samples of student achievements. I have an open studio door policy, and when former students walks through to do a show & tell of recent work it always makes not just my day/week/month/semester, but inspires everybody else who is working away on their own respective efforts. Follow below after the jump break for more...

Blackboard Wisdom: Semester Recap

One of the best ways to start a day is to open the door of the drawing studio and see some anonymous doodles left behind upon what I can only guess is the last remaining blackboard on campus. Most "smart classrooms" have long since evolved with dry-erase paneling and/or digital projections of virtual blackboards. But this is entirely in line with my presumably also being the last professor using those iconic little green grading books.

There was also a recent day when I was introducing Beginning Drawing folks to the usual unit on figure drawing, and all my demos just crashed and burned, as in nothing was working out, and I was having the quintessential "bad art day."  

Rather than be overly embarrassed it served as a meta-lesson in both perseverance and tacit acknowledgement that shit happens, and it's far better to be open and honest about what happens to everyone, even to the best of us. That might be a reason why there some instructors that either/or don't ever do public demonstrations so as to avoid potential displays of failure. Be that as it may, I resorted back to my comfort zone, ie what works fastest and bestest: “Whattaya wanna be: Beaver? Moose? Bear?” “Bear” “Polar, Grizzly, or Black?” “Dealer’s choice” "Done."

My favorite exchange occurred whilst working again from models in the morning Beginning Drawing classes, and while sitting one-on-one with a few students through a 5-minute gesture and after talking them through the process from building up loose, simple underlying shapes, slowly dialing it in & refining a basic contour line before dropping in some value etc. I then asked:

"And what did we learn from this demonstration?"
"Just keep scribbling until it looks like something”

"no lies detected"

"Frazetta in Alaska"

Nostalgia: I have a sweet spot for the work of master fantasy illustrator Frank Frazetta, ever since during high school as a budding art major I was turned on to his pen & ink work, which, along with his graphite pieces, are simply stunning examples of craftsmanship and technique (as evidenced by one particular piece posted below). Unfortunately 99% of the public never sees that stuff, instead only remembering classic album covers and cover art for pulp paperbacks (*update: check out the recent record-setting auction of one of his iconic paintings here) mostly big men with big muscles and big swords fighting big monsters while defending women with big, uh, hair. I always take the time to showcase samples of his lesser-known works, including meticulously rendered concept work and process pieces, to all of my drawing classes. Just look at the energy of each individual stroke as they coalesce into such a powerful, dynamic composition.
This scenario recalls the epic shot taken while on a semesterly field-trip up to the UAF Museum of the North with a Frazetta homage (documented a couple years ago on this post), I still have the prop pencil in a corner of my office as a sort of obscure reference to the giant penny in the Batcave. Also this keeps getting pushed back in the production pipeline as far as getting printed (always something "better" to swap out in the schedule), and will in all likelihood never the page of the newspaper, and so why not: here's an exclusive for the regular readers.

"Wet Kuspuk"

The initial doodle is posted here only because it's a prime example of a judicious edit following some reflection, and bouncing it off a few friends as well to get an objective perceptive on a potentially problematic panel. Simply deleting what may for me be only a casual reference to an infamous pop culture phrase was done in order to redirect any connotations associated with a notorious abusive adult entertainment series. 

The core concept is funny enough on its own, so I voluntarily dropped the top caption to keep focus on the gag, and avoid any additionally implied racist overtones. Ostensibly as a member of the media, I'm cognizant of depictions of other folks, and consequently always try to be as inclusive a possible, not to mention that the kuspuk is a cultural icon up in our neck of the woods.

"Interior Cave Redecoration"

When obsessive/compulsive interior redecorating meets cabin fever: it's like a monthly Rubik's Cube rearrangement of everything you own. In theory there's only so many possible configurations in a one-room cabin, but after a long, dark and cold winter, I'm convinced the inner space transcends space + time, somewhat similar to a log TARDIS.

Nice turkey leg there cAtticus. Bonus: obscure Obelix homage?

"OG Door Dash"

I actually haven't ever used this service, nor any air b&b's, or uber either, or any of the recent hipster shit. Probably the only person you know that hasn't ever ordered anything off amazon (originally thanks to their early history of obliterating independent bookstores for that). Now get the hell off my snowbank.

Also one of the reasons I rarely read contemporary syndicated comics is also on account of such self-imposed purity: the fear of contamination from other ideas because I still adhere to equally outdated concepts of authorship and originality. So when I accidentally saw this in a recent comics section (saved and used as holiday wrapping paper) I was reminded of the theory of multiple discovery (or simultaneous invention and/or synchronicity). Great minds and all that.

And sometimes I feel a little twinge when I see some fabulous artwork and a feature story rubbing shoulders on the page with a particularly tasteful panel of mine. Touch of class, that's me. (Featured is work by a former student Phoebe Flanagan, and story by a great writer and reviewer, David James).

"Murmuration"

 

Technically referring to flocks of starlings (though the behavior is seen in other species), it would actually be a welcome sight (video here) if exhibited by mosquitoes, since all we really have is incessant swarms. 

Bonus trivia: this was one of the demo panels done in this year's pen & ink course, for the stippling assignment of course.

"Sour Doe"

This is an excellent example of the sudden shift in direction that can occur when editing on the fly (hence to existing sketch: the initial concept doodle evoked a very similar look/feel to a piece published a couple years ago, "Lack Toes." Since that day whilst drawing I evidently had my self-plagiarizing radar on I recalled the inadvertent mirroring - which is understandable given the success of of that particular panel - it's one of my current all-time favorites in terms of content (ie the gag) + coloring + composition. Plus it's now a bonus backhanded commentary on other big, dumb mammals of the north. Hat-tip to the brewery and a favorite brown ale I fell in love with while visiting the wife when she was earning an MFA in painting in Montana.