Maybe it was only the sun behind the clouds

It Girl & the Atomics #11 comes out on Wednesday!  Be sure to pick it up.  Solicitations are also out for the big second trade, collecting issues 7-12.

I went to see Man of Steel on Saturday with Madeleine Flores.  So fun!  We made reaction comics after; check ‘em out!

I’m still taking French classes and practicing however I can.  It was really funny to learn a couple of weeks ago at ICAF that Jen Vaughn also listens to Coffee Break French, and we found out on Twitter that Monica Gallagher does, too! Woo comics ladies learnin’ French!  Here’s a hilarious snippet from April’s French Elle magazine:

In other news, I dragged my giant bin of original artwork out of my storage shed and performed an inventory check on what I have.  It’s…insane.  10+ years of drawing comics will give you one massive stack of artwork.  Jamie S. Rich is going to take over dealing my artwork for me (yay!!!).  I couldn’t be happier–this stuff shouldn’t be gathering dust in my storage shed.  Jamie can actually market and move it for me, so people will have a chance to buy my originals.  More news on that soon.

What’s this?  What’s this?? #teaser

My youngest brother, Neil, just graduated from high school.  I could hardly believe it when this happened at the ceremony:

Portland summer is in full swing.  Graduation parties, long sunny days, open swimming pools…it’s wonderful.  I’m trying not to get distracted from my projects, but to a certain extent I have to give in to a little summery fun while it’s here. I’m a part of a small miracle this week: 6 cartoonists leaving town for a vacation together.  It’s ridiculously hard for us to take time off, let alone coordinate our freelancer schedules.  I’ve been trying to put this vacation together for over a year, haha, and it’s finally happening!  So excited!

Let’s get out of this town baby we’re on fire

Heh, I’m still getting used to the WordPress interface.  Funny how something little like switching blogging platforms can be so jarring.

I wrapped up It Girl #12 last week!  #11 comes out June 19; be sure to place your orders at your local comic shop.  The feedback for #10 has been really good.  Big thanks to everyone who’s been writing Jamie and me and spreading the word online.

Now I’m back to Over the Surface and an unannounced project.  My collaborators on both projects have put me on something I’m fondly calling my “payment plan”, which is 3 pages/week for each, due to prolonged negligence in favor of lucrative freelance work.  It’s good hard love, and much needed to make these projects happen.  I don’t want to keep relegating them to the back burner, even though commercial work = good.

Portland hosted the 2013 Internation Comic Arts Forum last weekend.  I was able to attend a couple of the talks, learned more about the UO’s comics minor, and got to hear Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá speak about their careers and artistic development.  We’re really spoiled in Portland; I can’t believe how many amazing people have come through town just this spring.

Lastly, the Picture This! show I participated in at Bridgetown Comedy Fest last month was recorded, and I was so happy to see this clip go up online this week.  Check it out!

Welcome to the new site!

Brought to you by Kate McMillan of Outbox Online.  Didn’t she do a fantastic job?  I’m absolutely in love with the new site.  Please look around, enjoy, and let me know if you encounter any broken links!

Only then you’ll see the world all brand new

I haven’t been posting here too much.  It’s a combination of having lots of work (a good thing), and the weather being great in Portland.  You have to go outside when that happens; it could change back at any minute!

 

 

 

Bridgetown Comedy Fest

WOW, Bridgetown Comedy Festival was great!  I went to several shows with my brother Nick and a few friends, and was lucky enough to meet Ben Acker, Janet Varney, Oscar Nunez, Peter Serafinowicz, Todd Glass, Jermaine Fowler, Myq Kaplan, Sam Varela, and Brandie Posey.

The Picture This! show on Saturday night was a highlight for me; Wook Jin Clark and I were two of seven artists who drew live for comedians as they performed stand-up (curious how that works?  Check out this clip).  It’s a fun format and we got to meet some great artists, including Griffith Kimmins and Samantha Gray of Titmouse Animation Studio, and Portland artist Shane Hosea. I believe the show was recorded, and I’ll definitely link it when it goes live.

Here was my weekend in Instagram photos:

 

 

 

Art tips and resources

I got a request from my friend Jaylee last week asking if I had any tips or resources for improving one’s drawing skills.  I get this question a lot, so I wanted to make one big blog post with my ideas.  I’ll add to this over time as I come across valuable resources, so check back.

1. First off, there’s a lot of great stuff that gets posted to Tumblr.  Art-help is a good aggregate for tutorials on a variety of art topics.  Ktshy and Kalidraws both post and reblog lots of relevent art advice and are worth following.
2. This photo shoot of Olympic Athlete body diversity by Howard Schatz and Beverly Ornstein is one of the best pieces of reference and inspiration I have ever seen.  I love it as a reminder that “strong” bodies come in all shapes and sizes, not just your male and female superhero molds.
3. If you want to improve your human anatomy, Michael Hampton’s Figure Drawing: Design and Invention is the best book I have EVER seen for that.  He color codes muscle groups and breaks down complex body shapes into simple ones.  It’s very helpful.
4. Though it may feel like pulling teeth, drawing from life is really the best thing you can do to improve.  It’s painful because it forces you to confront things that you are not good at yet, but that’s the best way to improve!  Sit in a cafe or on a park bench with a small sketchbook and draw people who walk by, the scenery, etc.  Go to figure drawing sessions in your city if possible.  If you’re too embarrassed to draw in public at first, start by picking up a clothing catalog and drawing the people and settings inside.
5. I owe a lot to the series of books How to Draw Anime and Game Characters (vol 1, 2, 3), as well as the How to Draw Manga books (there are TONS, but here‘s an example). 
6. Post your work somewhere you can get feedback.  I recommend setting up a Deviant Art account and a Tumblr, and letting people know that you are open to critiques.  If you have access to arts educators or professionals, ask them to look at your portfolio every few months and listen to what they have to say.

If you’re a good girl tonight

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then they did.

 

Just, in general, such gratuitous violence in this movie.  Sometimes it was funny, usually it was gross.

The movie was actually really, really fun.  At a $3 theater with two friends who can appreciate a good bad movie, it was a perfectly wonderful time.

Some nights I’m scared you’ll forget me again

I made some fan art for Legend of Korra!

With pencils…

Watercolor…

And Photoshop!

You fear that you can’t do it all and you’re right

Do you guys know that I’m on Vine?  I’ve really been enjoying that app and the 6-second-film form.  James Urbaniak’s are some of the best things the internet has to offer right now.

I have been working really hard the past several weeks, and I’ve gotten big into The Blow. (Should I rephrase that?  Oh well.) It’s great finding music that keeps me pinned to my desk when I need to be.  Just a couple more days and I should be able to take it a little easier…! @_@

What’s your name no one’s gonna ask you

I’ve been doing a lot of life drawing around town lately. I love it!!  Truth is so much stranger than fiction; I would never think to invent the characters I see on the street.  It’s a great reminder about variety/diversity in everything from proportions to how people walk and stand to their mannerisms to clothing and hair styles.  Here’s a big ol’ post of the drawings I’ve done in the last month: