Emerald City ComiCon 2013 wrap-up post

I’m back from Emerald City ComiCon in Seattle!  It was another great year.  Attendance was over 60,000 and the exhibition area was twice as large as last year.

(Check out the gorgeous photos of exhibitors Anna Goellner took at ECCC.)

The highlights of the weekend, for me, were probably the chances I had to meet face-to-face with people I’ve only known online.  I got to speak with Claire Hummel, Victoria Ying, Brittney Lee, and Joe LeFavi!  It shouldn’t come as any surprise that they were lovely, charming people.  I now own 3 beeeeautiful art books from Claire, Victoria, and Brittney.

I invested a lot in prints this year, and it was a relief that they sold really well!  Commission sales were also great, and Between Gears continues to sell.  The coloring book sales were underwhelming, to the point that I gave them away to kids who showed interest in them, but maybe they’ll be better for a show like Stumptown.  I need to thank Image Comics, especially Ron Richards, for taking time away from their extremely popular table to deliver more copies of Between Gears to me!

I took it pretty easy at night this year, going to dinner and drinks with friends from school more than hunting editors, and I found that to be extremely pleasant.  Big shows like ECCC attract people from all over the country, and I got to catch up with people I don’t get many opportunities to.  It’s exciting hearing what everyone is up to!  And they were really encouraging, giving me confidence in myself and getting me excited to undertake several project ideas I’ve been kicking around. Cons in general get me fired up and inspired–I felt like ECCC pulled me out of a bit of a slump and gave me a clear view of what I need to do.

Speaking of upcoming projects, many people asked what I have in the pipeline, so maybe I should list that out clearly for anyone who is wondering (there are a few more than this that haven’t been announced, so stay tuned!):

• It Girl & The Atomics issues 10, 11, and 12, coming out this May, June, and July
• A Boy & A Girl coming out this year from Oni Press
• A short story in the Thrilling Adventure Hour graphic novel, coming out this summer
• A gallery show at Sequential Art Studio + Gallery in Portland during the month of May

I could hardly believe it, but I actually spent time each night in my hotel room working on commissions!  I always try to, but it rarely happens.  I felt that all of my commissions turned out well this year, and working on them in the evening meant I was able to go out at night without that responsibility hovering over me.  I will definitely try to replicate that in the future.

I was reminded more than once this weekend of Amy Poehler’s speech to the Harvard 2011 graduating class.  I love the message about collaboration; it is so true.  I table alone at shows, but I receive tangible help from many people to get there.  From Colin carrying a 20 lb box of Between Gears for me, to Terry directing people to my table, to Ron scooting his stuff over 4 inches to accommodate my new wire arch set-up, to George and Hunter’s pep talks, to Lucy and Chris’s help folding minicomics and flatting pages for me, to Vitamin C tablets from Rich, to the offers from people to get me coffee and food when I was slammed at my table, I am just the face of a 40-person operation, and I know I couldn’t do it alone.  I am grateful and a little embarrassed by how much help I receive.  I want to stay aware of that and make sure that I’m offering the same thoughtfulness, patience, and help to the people around me.

When it comes to a rising tide mentality and people shaping comics for the better, I really can’t miss the opportunity to mention George Rohac, Yuko Ota, Ananth Panagariya, and the rest of Benign Kingdom.  Do yourself a favor and get acquainted if you aren’t already!

Hope to see you at next year’s show!  …Except I might be in France.  I guess going to next year’s ECCC is one of the consolation prizes if I don’t get accepted to the TAPIF program.

True affection floats

This old drawing got a new wave of attention this week after being posted by Geek & Sundry, the DeviantArt tumblr and twitter accounts, and 9gag.

A lot of people emailed/messaged me to ask about buying prints of it, so I thought I’d post that info here in case anyone else is wondering.  I no longer sell prints online personally–I couldn’t make the economics work in my favor–but I have enabled print buying on several of my Deviant Art pieces, including this one.  If you look to the right of the image here, there’s an “add to cart” button.  If you click that, you can get started on buying a print from DA.  I’ve never bought a print from DA, so I can’t vouch for their service/quality, but it’s simple and the quickest option, with a lot of available sizes.

Option #2 is buying a print from me at a convention.  I make sure to stock prints of this drawing for every show.  I usually make 11×17″ prints, but I might try more sizes this year.  I sell them for $20-25, and I’m happy to sign/personalize them.  Here is a list of my 2013 conventions.

Option #3 is for anyone in Portland, Oregon.  There’s a print shop called TIS that works with my studio, Periscope Studio, and sells prints of our work in exchange for printing benefits.  They sell 11×17″ copies of this print for $20-25.

I have also had several inquiries about commissions.  I am not accepting commissions right now, but I will open up a limited number of commission slots on February 1 (and I’ll post info here about it on Feb 1).  Those are only for people who will be attending Emerald City Comicon and can pick up their commissions in person at the show.

In other news, I can’t stop listening to this song:

I’ve got something to say my friends

The big SDCC news for me this weekend was Oni Press’s announcing my book with Jamie Rich, A Boy and a Girl.  I believe there will be more news at NYCC in October.  Here are some of the teasers you may have seen me post over the last year and a half:

In totally unrelated news, here are some animal sketches I did this weekend:

2012 CONVENTION SKETCHES

I have had some early questions and requests for convention sketches (always appreciated – thank you!), and wanted to post here so you know what the program is if you are interested in getting one.

I will be exhibiting at Emerald City Comic-Con, the Stumptown Comics Fest, and the Toronto Comic Arts Festival this spring (SO EXCITED).

Prices:
-$80 for watercolor
-$40 for ink
-Prices can increase for likenesses, multiple characters, and complicated requests
-FREE sketch of my choice with purchase of $10 or more OR if you are a small child

I really, REALLY appreciate requests for commissions by before shows. These give me time to properly reference the commission and they almost always turn out better. Plus, your commission is ready to pick up any time, and there’s no risk of me running out of commission slots. Feel free to get in contact with me any time between now and the show you are attending to arrange for a commission.

Get back get back up

I was too tired/happy to post anything at the time, but I finished my Oni book last week!!!!

I really wanted to finish before the holidays. Now I have a bit more capacity to handle the holiday+birthday+other time constraints and stress that are coming up.

I made this progress chart in November to help motivate me to finish:

(24 penciled/inked/toned pages in a month, what’s up)

The 9 check-offable boxes after ‘Celebrate’ were a joke, but looking at it later I decided that I should create 9 distinct rewards for myself — turn it into a kind of ritual and commemorate the end of a big book project. It was fun coming up with a list of things that I’d been wanting to do (rather than buy, it being the holidays anyway and material rewards requiring less creativity/more money):

• Spend a day drawing fan art
• Climb the *****’s fire escape onto the roof
• Hike somewhere nice and watch the sun rise on New Years morning for good luck
• Go to the Sky High trampoline gym (can you tell that I like heights??)
• Christmas movie marathon (The Snowman, Just Friends, Love Actually, Die Hard, Tokyo Godfathers, Elf, Rudolph)
• Get dressed up and spend a day going into EVERY boutique on 23rd (more to satisfy my curiosity than to actually shop…how are there so many nice boutiques on one street?!)
• Go into Counter Media (The porn scares me off every time I think I’m going to go in! xD But I’ve heard there are good comics in there…!)
• Spend a long, lazy weekend morning at the gym (work out, hot tub, sauna, shower and get dressed nicely, eat lunch at one of the nice restaurants upstairs)
• Draw a cover for my Ghibli sketchbook and give it to the next person to draw in

I’ve done 2 of these already, and am looking forward to the rest.

If I knew then what’s so obvious now, you’d still be here

I made a blog where you can read chapters 1 and 2 of Over the Surface online. I have been considering doing this for a while. Although I love making and distributing the minicomics, many people who might enjoy the comic simply would never be exposed to it that way. I want as many people as possible to read the comic, and this will make it much easier to try out the comic, pass it on to friends, etc.

We’ll sing a happy song and you can sing along

Folks, we are just 5 weeks away from Emerald City ComiCon!

I will be sitting with Periscope Studio at space 122 (see the floor plan here). And did you hear the news? I’ve officially joined Periscope!!! I put my name on an overnight drawer yesterday!

Yeah it’s alright it’s just a matter of time ’till I find my feet

Hey guys!

I created a profile on Comic Art Fans as a long-term database for my comic pages and selling them. If you are ever curious about buying a page from a project of mine, this site is the place to start. I’ve also listed some illustrations, though those are, in general, more likely to be posted on Etsy first. The only things not up on CAF right now are Between Gears, Julie Christie!, and pre-2008 projects.

This new venue for selling pages is a part of a push I’m trying to make to sell off my original art and raise money. I am moving out of my parents’ house next month and I could really use a lighter load and a little cash in my pocket. Times are tough and I don’t expect anything, but there are pages for as little as $10, so do check it out if you can.

☆☆☆I will also be accepting 5 discounted commissions!☆☆☆

• 9″x12″
• BW or with some grayscale Copic marker tones/shading
• any character
• bust or full-body
• limited/abstract background
• $30 (normally $50!)

1. Kevin M.
2. Bob D.
3. Jackson H.
4. Lincoln H.
5. Softestbullet

or comment here to claim a spot. First come, first served.

I can’t stop thinking about you

Hey guys!

Sorry if you’ve already read this in 3 places, but Between Gears is up for a Smack Jeeves Award! See the nominees here, and vote here. The other nominees are really fun; check them out!

I’m working pretty much exclusively on Between Gears these days, and getting ready for Comic-Con (just 2 weeks away!!!).

Get away now they trying to steal your soul

Road Trip!

My mom and I are leaving tomorrow on an epic, win and gold road trip to San Francisco! We are going to stop at the northern California coast/Redwoods area, stay 2 nights in SF, and stop at Ashland and Crater Lake on the way to Sunriver, where we will join my dad and brother Neil for a separate 4th-of-July-type vacation. WIN AND GOLD I SAY!

I will be back on July 7. Today I am trying to get ahead on Between Gears so that there will be updates for the next 2 Wednesdays while I am away. They should be automatically scheduled to start at 11:00AM each Wednesday, so check the site then! Apologies if something goes wrong; I will not have internet to know/fix it.