See, maybe if Apple (preferably) or for that matter any other computer company wants to see their corporate logo on the laptops, I'll get some sorely needed upgrades. But what with such really bad taste in dumb gags like this, I should stick with a chewed-up pencil and the back of a diner menu.
Speaking of sharing links, besides the hundreds of blogs I follow (fortunately subscribing via Blogger so as to catch posts from the small percentage that are regularly updated) and the stream of Facebook feeds from friends, and the links to cartoon-related sites over on the Ink & Snow sidebar, there are a handful of bookmarked websites across my browser window’s menu bar I peruse on a daily basis:
the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner for local items of topical interest + Al Jazeera, CBC and the BBC for the rest of the world; Daily Kos; Boing Boing; Pharyngula; FARK; Alternet; The Raw Story; Mother Jones; Truthdig; Common Dreams; Grist etc. Weekly I try and catch Laughing Squid; Neatorama; Juxtapoz; i09; Explore; Colossal; Wired etc. And there are a host of other sites - which I won't link to here - that I lurk through to reduce the echo-chamber effect of solipsist browsing (helps to check out another perspective every so often). The Huffington Post I save exclusively for reading in the outhouse with the iPhone - more about that particular aggregator in an an upcoming rant.
Given the general topic and also a printout of the full article I was able to whip up a few rough sketches to submit for approval. There was one additional concept that involved an older couple passed out on a couch surrounded by semi-opaque scenes of them involved in a range of activities that the article author touched upon (roller-blading, gyms, yoga, hikes etc.) but as that scenario involved investing a lot more time (and given the budgetary constrains was literally not worth it) I put these initial cards on the table in hopes of one of them being good enough. That said I did jump the shark by forging ahead on my personal favorite of the two, going so far as to ink in an updated log-cabin style birdhouse to paste in the theoretical cover. But alas, it turned out to not be the chosen one - which again was a good call on the part of an astute editor - and so maybe the cabin-birdhouse image can be recycled at some later point for another project. Chalked it up as another prudent example of having the benefit of an editorial perspective, as it had much less to do as far as the essay's actual content.
After a last-minute tweak for the foliage (leave it to an Interior resident to project/import a nice fall-ish brown instead of the current local green) and flipping the composition horizontally (better arrangement for a front cover to have the trunk on the bound edge) and finally an improved rearrangement of fledgelings, it was in the can and off to the Press' press. And yeah, it was pointed out to me that raven nests don't look anything like that... but no word on whether or not the critic thought that maybe the choice of luggage was also off.
A really big thanks to the folks who dropped in to the 7th annual Summer Sessions course "Cartoon & Comic Art" as distinguished alum and outstanding creators on their own. One of which was the wonderful Anna Bongiovanni who regaled the students (and me) with tales of her experiences out in the real world as a cartoonist. After graduating from MCAD's Sequential Art program she's stayed on in the epicenter of mini-comic-ing and has been successfully producing material for both herself and the writings of others. Anna also gave us a good feel for what it's like not only taking classes for her degree but shared her ground-floor perspective on having tables at many alternative conventions. She also brought along a lot of samples and original artwork to drool over, and made a great impression on the students in the class - it was a real treat! Some samples of Anna's work can be seen at a previous post here but she's now mostly moved over to a Tumblr site called "Bikes Babes & Booze"- check it out (UPDATE: and here's her new on-line store: "Fun with Feelings" and review of her latest comic "Out of Hollow Water" and some previews of the upcoming "Moonbaby" published by 2D Cloud).
Yet another awesome inspiration came with the visit of local legend Layla Lawlor, who was fresh from coming off her own educational experience in teaching comics (more on this in an upcoming post) and a co-exhibitor in the recent Alaska Center for Natural Medicine's "Comic Art" show. A frequent guest and esteemed alum she shared with us her unique and extensive experiences spent generating amazing output... also generously showing a range of minicomics, graphic novels, books (like my favorite: "Freebird") and original artwork with the eager students. There's absolutely nothing better in the world than seeing and meeting a creator in person, seeing the work firsthand, and having the opportunity to ask questions and benefit from their hard-won experience. As an educator I deeply appreciate hearing of fellow cartoonists (esp. former student's) adventures almost as much as the current crop of aspiring talents needs a break from hearing all about it from me: See! Take it from someone else that's "living the dream!"
Last but definitely not least was the kickoff of the class provided by none other than Lucas Elliot, who's since migrated down to the Big City (Los Anchorage - Seattle's Northernmost suburb) and will soon be casting his net across the entire state hemisphere. Good luck to him, and to Layla and Anna, and especially the students who benefited from their experience and inspiration: thanks for stopping by.
The only thing in the whole world that has the power to distract cartoonists from pizza + homemade creampuffs.
Last weekend saw the official release party for the Cartoon & Comic Art class' group publication (and two supplemental volumes by independent students), fittingly enough hosted by The Comic Shop in Fairbanks. This was the seventh annual course offering through UAF Summer Sessions at both the Beginning and Advanced levels, and it was an outstanding success. Throughout the six-week session the class met for three hours a night (6-9pm) Monday through Thursday, and we had a diverse range of interests and skill sets enrolled along with a good balance of gender and age.
Also on display in the art department showcases were hundreds of examples of the in-class exercises and work-in-progress by the Advanced students: this veritable avalanche of output was evidence alone of the impressive passion that these people devoted to their craft. I am always humbled and inspired by these classes and the amazing students, and hope to continue to see everybody's work in the future ...whether it be on-line, in a gallery or in a print publication (or better yet, all three).
Output: Not even a third of the student work wallpapering the department halls.
Join me below the fold to check out some excerpted samples from their final pages + a few of the collaborative pages, and the best of the strips and gags that were printed in the comic book. Tomorrow's post will be a special soptlight on the visiting artists who came to do show & tells for this class: See you all in the funny pages!
What a wonderful event hosted by UAF Summer Sessions as part of their “Discover Alaska” lecture series. An responsive and enthusiastic crowd of over fifty folks who were very engaged and had a great sense of humor (always a bonus) came by for my 45-minute long show & tell on “25 Years of Cartooning in Alaska.” I especially appreciated the question & answer period afterwards and one-on-one followups - and always love it when people share their own funny stories.
The new Margaret Murie Life Sciences building up on the newly renamed Troth Yeddha’ part of UAF campus (aka West Ridge) still had that new-building smell and the auditorium boasted of state-of-the-art technological tools to professionally streamline the presentation. Note: If anybody who came early to the lecture happened to hear the laughing coming from the men’s room it was on account of how despite all the high-tech bells & whistles there still was a roll of toilet paper out on its side in the toilet stall... which immediately brought this panel to mind..
Linked to above is the "director's cut" of the talk, which I tweaked and edited + added bonus stills of the actual cartoons that are being discussed/laughed at. Wish I could cut out the cringe-worthy commentator... some people should just stick to drawing. But like a lot of bad books, still fun to look at the pictures.
This was a companion show & tell that dovetailed with the “Overflow XXV” exhibition currently on display at the Fairbanks Community Museum. I prefaced the lecture with the caveat (or warning) that there’d be something really funny, really stupid and really offensive for everyone… so not really all that much different from spending time with me normally. I did poke fun at the lecture series with a slide of the impressive roster of scientific luminaries and academic speakers which featured a Dr. after Dr. after Dr…. culminating with, wait - what… a cartoonist? But in all honesty it was was quite humbling and flattering to be tapped as the "grand finale" speaker! Technically it was also class time (note: whenever possible BYO cartooning class students as plants in the audience – it’s like having your own imported laugh track) so I honestly tried to lecture. But at some certain point it becomes much easier and better to just click through the cartoons and let them do the work – it’s probably the closest to stand-up that a sit-down comic gets.
Here's a direct link to the unedited Summer Sessions YouTube of the lecture.
The obvious kickoff question to answer is what the title meant:“Overflow” is akin to “Nuggets” (implying something rare and of value) in that it’s a term that takes on different connotations in Alaska. Whether water or ideas, it's something that which arises from deep within as a result of the tremendous stress of intense freeze/thaw cycles in the dead of another long, dark, cold Interior winter. It’s an inspirational environment and mental state for an outsider to a community and region, and gave a great perspective for harvesting cartoon material, which has only deepened over a quarter-century of residency, along with the appreciation of subtle things that only locals can appreciate and relate to. This is, after all, a funny place, full of funny people that do funny things. And some topics just never grow old: outhouses, mosquitoes, the weather all make great fodder for gags.
Even though the presentation was ostensibly about my cartoons, I both started and finished with examples of other people’s work. This eclectic sampling of material started with my educational heroes as a current art teacher and also my artistic inspirations. From there we jumped off into my first published cartoon (1982 in Nottingham High-school’s “Meadowbrook”), moved to Alaska and saw the cover of Tundra Hippy Comics and early commercial work for Clinkerdagger, Bickerstaff & Pett’s, and the debut of FreezeFrame (with The Homesick Alaskan) in 1986 in the Heartland section of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. From there we wandered through a gradual evolution of stylistic shifts largely on account of materials and techniques: the FreezeFrame feature was marked by the use of Flair pens, Xerox printer paper and Zip-A-Tone; then the adoption of a computer as a tool began to assert itself, so digital shading and tell-tale vectored line becomes the dominant aesthetic; culminating with a return to basic drawing principles in Nuggets, with minimal Photoshopping of raster images, and wash and watercolor over the traditional pen & ink originals. I also took some time to talk a little about the creative process: from the conception of ideas, to doodles, pencils, inks to finished piece. Then a brief sampling of editorial panels followed, with a skip through my experiences in the Sequential Art department at SCAD and the hiatus in Maine, and also some examples of freelance work for a range of different clients.
Final mention was made on the importance comics as a way of instilling a sense of passion about reading, and a pitch for the Literacy Council of Alaska (note: added a "Literacy" tag for the "Topics" blog-post label list). One fresh example I gave was the mother of a young boy who came to my opening, bought the new book, and on the ride home he read aloud each cartoon to her – and wanted to go back to the gallery because he was almost done with the book and was going to run out of cartoons. Hearing about that sort of thing really, really makes my whole day.
And at the end, some of my favorites culled from the students of both the Visual Art Academy and the Cartoon and Comic Art course in UAF Summer Sessions. Because that’s where it’s at, and that’s what it’s all about.
Thanks again to UAF Summer Sessions and to all the folks who helped, and to all the friends and fans who came out for their support!
On the left: creative genius. On the right: the work of a thief.
Basically as far as I can tell they (iFunny) have created an app to easier facilitate ripping people off, so "create your own fun" means in other words "if you have no talent whatsoever hack other people's skill and imagination instead." Once again the work of Mighty Wombat is so good that these talentless tapeworms feel the need to not only strip off his name and copyright but have no shame about pasting in their own instead. Truly a shitty thing to do, but also works as a way to identify these cheap hacks. If these folks had anything in their own pathetic lives that they valued or had any creative worth at all then perhaps they'd empathize, but that also assumes cognitive awareness.
Also George Takei should maybe not try so hard to be funny all the time as maybe then he'd be able to expend a minimum amount of effort in better researching who he's helping to rip off.
Last post in a series of spotlighting student works: this time from a special "WINTERmester") session over the spring '13 semester. Here's a direct link to the Imgur web-album/portfolio... check it out!
Earlier in the year I was asked to spearhead a new effort on the part of the department to offer a Beginning Drawing studio course that met just on the weekends for five hours every Saturday.
As a seasoned veteran of the Summer Session insanity I had experience in compressing a schedule that didn't cut any corners or sacrifice exercises and assignments regardless of the timeframe. Still this was the ultimate experiment, and the logistics were frustrating: mostly on account of the fact that folks who took the weekend class pretty much by default didn't have the time during the week, which was often reflected in the quality of homework.
That said, of the eleven drawings accepted into the end-of-semester student art show for the department, nine were from this class alone. So despite the intensity and challenge these folks absolutely eclipsed any expectations on my part. And there were for the most part some outstanding surprises as far as the development of personal style and discovering different possibilities with new mediums. Well done!
We here at Ink & Snow are taking the weekend off on a sort of limited hiatus: after a hectic season of 10-hour days all week on campus + juggling freelance + the funny papers + the exhibition I'm a wee bit burnt out... so here's a series of spotlight posts featuring the work of some fabulous students!
One really weird thing I noticed was knowing exactly whose hands those were (posted above) without seeing anything else including their names... just goes to show what's really important in a drawing class.
So check out the sampling of select student pieces on display at the new series of Imgur portfolio albums: this summer I extended the mandatory establishment of a web-presence from the Intermediate students to also include the Beginners.
All around a very satisfactory session - what with low enrollment it afforded me the chance to be far more hands-on compared to the usual class size of twice as many folks. Increasing the student/teacher ratio is a great opportunity to shift into more of a mentorship role, and the results spoke for themselves.
I'm very pleased to be included in this season's roster of speakers for UAF Summer Sessions' "Discover Alaska" lecture series. I'm slated to be the last presenter ("25 Years of Cartooning in Alaska") on this upcoming Wednesday, August 14th, at 7pm in the new Murie Building's Auditorium up on campus' West RidgeTroth Yeddha'. Come join us!
UPDATE: I'll also be interviewed by Charlie O'Toole on 970 KFBX-AM that same morning... 8:30ish or so.
So just for fun I camped out and took up tablespace most of Friday at the newspaper's booth at the Tanana Valley State Fair. Peddled a few wares but primarily promoted an upcoming presentation and also pushed the ongoing exhibition downtown. Bonus points for seeing many people who had also attended the Overflow XXV opening, which elicited many a "you again!?!."
Basically I was creative funny-looking window-dressing that drew a lot of people in for a closer look at the process: there's real reward and some satisfaction at doing public demos, especially for younger folks who dig seeing someone do it right there on the spot.
My fantasy fair ride failed to deliver yet again: every year at the popular "reverse bungee/slingshot" I watch for a while, but nope, everybody remembers to buckle in...
Scored a sweet pelt-swap with a famous cartoonist (and no, I won't sign your boobie) who is an annual fixture at the Fair, which confused the heck outta folks who already fail at basic cartoon literacy: seems like 80% of time interacting with the public involves tactfully disabusing them of the notion that, no... I'm the "Other Guy."
Lucky thing as an enthusiastic gyro decided to splooge down the entire front of my tshirt, and after a futile attempt at trying to wash it up in the restroom it resulted in also completely soaking the front of my shorts (awkward: good thing I was sitting behind a table for most of the rest of the time).
Also got some invaluable pro-tips on how basic hygiene would increase both popularity and sales.
But the absolute very-bestest thing about the whole day was checking out a former student's work from the Visual Art Academy (more samples here) earlier this summer who dominated the displays with a veritable avalanche of talent: congrats to Tara!
Recent illustration (last week's issue) for the cover of the Anchorage Press featuring a headline article by Scott Christiansen on a simmering turf battle between the Anchorage Regional Landfill and a local Alaska Native corporation, Eklutna, Inc. At issue is electricity being generated by the methane gas from the garbage and who gets a share of the proceeds - such territorial pissings are quite commonplace at any transfer station between scavenging species.
I was tasked by the editor to come up with something including the suggestion of dumpsters filled with cash, and juggled amidst the XXV Overflow show + classes I came up with a few roughs. The first was pretty basic, the second the same but for the inclusion of a dumpster diver, and lastly - my personal favorite - was "Methane Moose."
Needless to say an amalgamation was approved sans any pipeline of flatulence, and I dropped in the logo for the Municipality of Anchorage plus an iconic skyline of the Chugach Mountains.
A few additional tweaks were in order for the final print version: one, that the piles of trash-cash didn't really look like money (hence the addition of Gov. Parnell's handsome visage), and two, the color scheme was shifted so as to provide green relief, and lastly a humorous debate on the extent of the butt crack's visibility. It being the front cover some small measure of decorum was expedient, and as one can see between the two versions a judicious edit scaled back the Crack of Doom. Only after it went to press did I catch the errant dollar sign beneath the knee - damn those random pastes.
Today I'll be doing some demonstrations at the table for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner at their table at the oldest and farthest-north Tanana Valley State Fair. We'll be located in the Borealis Pavillion: please stop on by for a visit - or maybe even subscribe to the Sunday paper as I'm worth at least a buck-fifty a week. Sometimes.
As it will probably be in the 80's again, I'll be keeping cool because the Tundra guy said not to wear any pants because nobody ever sees behind the table anyways. Also, there will be free beer:
Bonus post: here's my personal favorite poem and piece of artwork on display at the Fair this year:
Here's a slough of pics from opening night for the show at the Fairbanks Community Museum: Many thanks go out to all the wonderful people who dropped by, and especially to all the fine folks behind the scenes who made it happen (Diane Rose, Steve, Ron, Bob, Diane & Sue, Gary, Brian W. & Brian N., Seth & Sarah, and the original Grunditz). Turnout was fantastic with well over several hundred visitors, and there was splendid victuals and musical entertainment on hand as well. Even though it was a First Friday and there were several other venues hosting exhibitions - plus it was also kickoff for the State Fair - there was an overwhelming show of support. This was in no small part due to some exceptional coverage in the newspaper + promotional efforts of local organizations. It was really special and humbling to see so many good friends and fans alike - and make so many new ones!
If it's expensive, framed + in a gallery, then it must be Fine Art®™
