Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Posted in NewsTagged banksy, brooklyn museum, caleb orecchio, Cameron Arthur, genevieve castree, karl stevens, mount eerie, phil elverum, retrofit comics, sara lautman, Sylvia Palacios Whitman, Yumi Sakugawa, Zehra Doğan

Aaron Cockle

Posted on April 17, 2018April 17, 2018

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11/02/2017

Sally IngrahamNovember 1, 2017NewsSally here with comics by Ben Passmore, Whit Taylor, Robb Armstrong, Stephen Bentley, Morrie Turner, and many more! ————————————————————————————————— The African American Literature Book Club (AALBC) has a page on their site devoted to nationally syndicated cartoonists of African decent. They list 12 cartoonists who have/had strips in newspapers or available via online syndicates, and include bios and information about each of them. I’m not sure when the page was last updated (some of the info listed under “Where to Submit Your Portfolio” is a bit outdated) but it’s a good reference nonetheless. Check out the list HERE. Above is a strip by Robb Armstrong, who started drawing JumpStart in the late 80’s. You can catch the strip daily on GoComics – HERE. Here’s a recent strip by Stephen Bentley. Herb and Jamaal also appears daily on GoComics – read it HERE. Bentley made comics while he was in the Navy, then worked in advertising for a long time before starting to draw Herb and Jamaal in 1998. The AALBC list also includes Barbara Brandon, creator of Where I’m Coming From, and daughter of Brumsic Brandon Jr. I wrote about Barbara a few weeks ago, and about her father and his Luther strip before that. Brumsic Brandon Jr. isn’t mentioned on the AALBC list, but Morrie Turner is. He created the first syndicated comic strip that featured integrated characters – Wee Pals. It wasn’t particularly well received when it came out in 1965, running in only one paper – but after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. the strip rose in readership and found its way into over 100 papers. (Brumsic Brandon Jr.’s Luther also rode that wave, coming out in 1968.) It was Charles Schulz, a friend and mentor of Morrie Turner’s, who encouraged him to draw a strip with integrated characters, after Turner pointed out the lack of one in the papers of the day. Schulz shared his contacts from the world of syndication, and the strip eventually took off. You can read more about Turner, and his barrier-breaking comics, in this New York Times tribute. ————————————————————————————————— Whit Taylor has a comic on The New Yorker – Things That Should Come With Trail Periods – one such thing is shown above. There are many more things HERE. ————————————————————————————————— More on the Comics Web Ben Passmore has a comic on The Nib about Whose Free Speech? Black Lives Matter, the ACLU, and Respectability Politics. Check out the work of Gado, a Tanzanian political cartoonist who lays claim to being the most syndicated cartoonist in East and Central Africa – his comics and bio can be found HERE. Here’s work by Zimbabwean cartoonist Tony Namate for you – he’s survived bomb attacks on the Daily Nation twice, and hasn’t given up on comics yet. A slideshow of his work can be viewed HERE. In fact, here is a whole list of the Top 10 Cartoonists in Africa. Here’s an article about how Aboriginal characters and ideas appear in numerous mainstream comic books, but are rarely created by Aboriginal artists or writers – lots of pictures and some interesting reading. One creator mentioned in the above article is Brenton E. McKenna, a Yawuru artist and writer who made the series Ubby’s Underdogs – check it out HERE. ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 11-2-2017 – by Gabriella Tito ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 11-2-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Cozytown – 11-2-2017 – by Juan Fernandez Share this page: [...]

01/04/2017

Juan FernándezJanuary 4, 2017los Cómics / NewsJuan con un poquito sobre Tenderete Fest XIII; Furillo, la vida de Núria Pompeia; Chicks on Comics en A long distance relationship; Power Paola;Un look a las Editoriales Colombianas enfocadas en los cómics; Para leer Al Pato Donald – Mass Communication & Colonialism; Joanie y Jordie de Caleb Orecchio; Suzy y Cecil por Sally Ingraham. Cómics y noticias que me han llamado la atencion: Hoy empieza @TendereteFest XIII a las 16:00 en @lasnaves en Valencia — Más Detalles. Conozcan a Furillo. Un tipo que está dibujando la historia al absurdo. Imaginate, Franco en la luna… Pues ese es el caso en Nosotros Llegamos Primero. Estilo Joe Sacco “bigfoot” con un gusto español… Elisa G. McCausland le da un vistazo al trazo lúcido de Núria Pompeia. Pomeia fallecio el pasado 25 diciembre. Chicks on comics,El colectivo internacional de historietistas en primer plano en El País! Después de ocho años de trabajo conjunto, toman ahora las paredes de la Fundación Proa de Buenos Aires para exponer A long distance relationship, diálogos entre el cómic y las artes. El viaje gráfico de Power Paola por Suramérica Isabela Ramirez nos cuenta del colorido diario de campo de Power Paoloa, Nos Vamos. Paola recorrio Suramérica durante dos años dibujando y escribiendo todas sus experiencias en sus libretas de apuntes. “Yo me fui editando poco a poco —explica Paola—. A lo largo de todo el recorrido hasta Lima (aunque ahí no terminó el viaje) estuve dibujando y escribiendo solamente lo que me parecía que debía dibujar. Mi edición no fue racional sino intuitiva. Todo es tal cual como es el cuaderno, no fue pensado”. Un look a las Editoriales Colombianas enfocadas en los cómics Go have a look at some of the movers and the shakers in Colombias flourishing world of comics publishing. There’s something for everyone in this collection of publishers. Como hay gente a la que le gustan las pantallas de computador, hay otra que sigue amando al papel en todo el sentido de la palabra. Aquí le dejamos algunas editoriales colombianas que hacen novelas gráficas, fanzines y libros. Para leer Al Pato Donald – Mass Communication & Colonialism This one is a throw back, but is well worth looking into if you haven’t before. How To Read Donald Duck (1972) by Ariel Dorfman (Argentina-Chile) and Armand Mattelart ( Belgium ), is a key piece of political literature of the seventies. An essay, or a “decolonization manual” in their own words that analyzed comic books published by Walt Disney for the Latin American market from the point of view of mass Marxist literature. Its main thesis is that Disney cartoons would not only be a reflection of the dominant ideology -the ruling class , according to the tenets of Marxism , but also be active and conscious accomplices of the task of maintaining and disseminating that ideology. It highlighted qualities of Disney characters and their world, notably that parents, or ancestors, generally were not present. Hay un desfasaje entre la base económico-social en que vive cada individuo y el estado de las representaciones colectivas, y es precisamente lo que asegura la eficacia de Disney y su poder de penetración en la mentalidad comunitaria en los países latinoamericanos dependientes » ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 1-4-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio ————————————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 1-4-2017 – by Sally Ingraham Share this page: [...]

06/06/2018

Juan FernándezJune 6, 2018los Cómics / NewsAntonia Herrera y María Soto Aguilar, Rosa Colón, Kelly Fernandez, Sol Díaz Castillo, and Love and Rockets #5 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Los cómics y las noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: ~ en Español y “sometimes in English” ~ – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – La Polola #77 – Antonia Herrera y María Soto Aguilar; las Punkrobotinas Sol Díaz Castillo y Marcela Trujillo tienen una nueva edicion de La Polola Podcast! Las chicas conversan con con Antonia Herrera y María Soto Aguilar, primas, amigas y las dos socias de Punkrobot Estudio, autores de “Historia de un Oso”, ganadora del primer premio Oscar en Chile! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – “We have only begun to mourn our dead.” Rosa Colón‘s latest comic for The Nib reckons with Hurricane Maria’s real toll. Nobody knows exactly how many people were killed, but it’s more than the government says. Read it HERE. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Starting from Mini-Comics with Kelly Fernandez Loso Perez has put together a profile on the multi-talented Kelly Fernandez over on Prime Vice Studios. Kelly Fernandez is a cartoonist from Queens, New York. She was the recipient of the CAKE’s annual Cupcake Award in 2017 and a winner of Scholastic’s “Get Published by Graphix” competition. Her work has appeared in various comic anthologies such as Mine! and Dates: Volume 2 , as well as the teen literature and comics magazine CICADA. Her work often stars Latino women, and usually has something to do with folklore, monsters, or video games. When she’s not at her desk, you might find her looking for new places to eat or singing karaoke with friends. Take the opportunity to get yourself more acquainted with her work, HERE! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – La dibujante Sol Díaz Castillo fue entrevistada por Vicio y Virtud! ¿Cuáles son las ventajas y desventajas de tener estudios formales? ¿Le recomendarías la carrera que estudiaste a alguien que aspira a ser historietista? ¿Por qué?: Mmm, creo que estudiar cualquier cosa, por muy lejos que pareciera estar de tu interés más específico, sirve y aporta en un bagaje cultural, social e incluso emocional dentro de una persona. Me parecen importantes las herramientas no sólo técnicas, sino conceptuales, sobretodo en un contexto educacional básico que busca sólo resultados y obediencia. De todas maneras las Universidades también tienen cosas muy cuestionables, muchas veces son más aire que contenido… Yo creo que para ser historietista no hay una sola carrera, se necesitan varias cosas, podrías venir de Arte, de Diseño, de Literatura incluso… Aún así, desde mi experiencia, Diseño me aportó mucho en cuanto a comunicación visual, a contar con imágenes, creo que eso es lo que hago como dibujante, cuento historias y los dibujos son mi herramienta principal. Léanlo todo AQUI! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Love And Rockets concludes its Locas reunion with bittersweet nostalgia Over on the AV Club, Oliver Sava takes a look at Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez‘s latest issue of Love and Rockets (#5). Memory and the effect of time, explored by Gilbert and Jaime’s different narrative techniques and aesthetic focuses – good stuff! It’s a nice comparison of emotional techniques that they employ in this issue. The differences in the brothers’ tones can be seen in how they start their stories in this issue. Like Gilbert, Jaime begins in the middle of a conversation, but the dialogue invites readers into the action rather than keeping them at a distance. Hopey is looking back at messy moments in her angsty, aggressive past, her first line recounting the time she and her friends beat up Hilary Pute and stole her lunch box. Readers might have already forgotten that this story was presented in the previous issue, putting them in Maggie’s position. Hopey continues by lamenting how she treated her old boyfriend, Tex, during their time together on the East Coast. Once again there are multiple options for engagement that depend on the readers’ retainment of past Love And Rocketsstories. Read it all HERE! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Suzy and Cecil – 06-06-2018 – by Gabriella Tito – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Cozytown -06-06-2018- by Juan Fernandez Share this page: [...]

06/18/2018

Caleb OrecchioJune 18, 2018NewsCaleb Orecchio here with a brief discourse on the fundamental prowess of Steve Ditko, and more! ——————————————————————————— This Ditko spread is breathtaking. To me at least. It’s so simple. Simple and balanced colors, simple shapes, strong silhouettes, and I love the way he uses hatching to convey the foggy atmosphere. I understand the action immediately. It’s beautifully structured like a painting. Fundamental. Every comic student should be made to copy it. Consider the left page. Notice how the top and middle tiers make an “X” so to speak. They correspond or “rhyme.” You see what I mean? And look, that bottom wide panel opens it up while maintaining the flow of images. And that’s just the obvious stuff I notice! It is not terribly complicated, but it’s smart comics. Ditko is like a good quarterback. He patiently stays in the pocket – he waits he waits – then bang – right in the bread basket! He’s not resorting to hail marys or 180 degree flipping of perspective. The entire page is essentially from the same camera angle, he just pulls it in and out to create tension. Then, on the next page, he flips the perspective to show spacial relations and to keep the action moving towards the center of the page. The result is great sequencing on top of the fact that the spread itself is pleasing to look at as a whole. I can’t stop looking at it. Oh yeah, also check out the Pat Boyette strip in this issue of Haunted #14 (1973) if you can find it – – it’s really good too. ——————————————————————————— if you don’t know, now you know Did you see the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum announcement for the 2018 Lucy Shelton Caswell Research Award winners? One of three recipients was our own Frank Santoro! Go read all about what Frank and the other cartoon researchers will be getting into. Scott Cederlund takes a look at the newest Love and Rockets over on Panel Patter. Elijah Brubaker is the latest guest on Inkstuds. ——————————————————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 6-18-18 – by Gabriella Tito Share this page: [...]

COMICS WORKBOOK COMPOSITION COMPETITION 2016

Juan FernándezJuly 10, 2016Santoro Schoolthee SANTORO CORRESPONDENCE COURSE and thee Comics Workbook Rowhouse Residency presents the COMICS WORKBOOK COMPOSITION COMPETITION 2016 ————————————————- 1st place – $500 cash prize to the winner 2nd place – $250 credit at Copacetic Comics 3rd place – $100 credit at Copacetic Comics plus four $50 honorable mention prizes from Big Planet Comics ————————————————- Create a 16 page signature comic book narrative to the specifications below —————————- DEADLINE: August 30 2016 midnight new york city time ————————————————- PAY ATTENTION!! THIS YEAR IS DIFFERENT! Hereand Here and Here are last three years if you haven’t heard of the contest. This isn’t a scam, silly. Here are the specs: Original art page size: 5.5 x 8.5 inch originals with a 5 x 7.5 inch live area. Three equal “landscape” oriented panels. No exceptions. Each panel will be 5 inches wide and 2.5 inches tall. The “Tezuka Grid”. MEANING: YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE PANEL SIZES. 14 pages with 3 panels per page means you only have 42 panels to tell your story. And two covers. Work may be in color OR black and white – OR – a combination of both. You may also cut paper to the standard panel size of 5 x 2.5 inches and arrange them on your 5.5 x 8.5 paper quarter inch margins east, north and west with a three quarter inch margin south. These “specs” were derived from Osamu Tezuka’s proportions for his first manga, The Mysterious Underground Men. It is a classic 2:3 proportion which is the same as traditional North American comic books. See above photos–I determined the live area and then scale’d up to a standard North American size which is affordable to print. See my ideas about the two most used comic book proportions HERE. International students must use the same specs. No complaining. It is recommended that you use one 8.5 x 11 piece of paper to compose the “spread”. The point is to draw small. And to draw by hand. And to learn how to draw in a “1 to 1″ fashion, as this proportion is perfect for North American “mini-comics” and for makers worldwide to produce comics from office supplies. And can be reduced to make a traditional 100x150mm live area for manga. See thoughts on this subject HERE. Thats 14 pages of story plus two covers. Meaning seven spreads and a front and back cover. A 16 page signature. Follow this example here. THE STORY MUST BE COMPLETE. SERIAL INSTALLMENTS of a longer narrative ARE NOT ELIGIBLE. THE STORY MUST BE NEW. IF YOU REPURPOSE AN OLD STORY THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN PUBLISHED YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. Consider this an exercise in short story writing. I think the 16 page signature is ideal to contain a short story. Adaptations of existing works are not eligible. Like, you can’t copy a sequence from a movie. Photograph or scan your pages and post them on your tumblr AS SPREADS. If you don’t have a tumblr – make one just for this contest. No exceptions! No complaining! Also post the front cover as the lead image and the back cover as the final image. Email me – santoroschoolATgmailDOTcom – that you have posted your entry to your tumblr – complete with your name and title of the work in the text field and that it is for the composition competition 2016 – and I will reblog it on to the comicsworkbook site. I will be posting them – reblogging them – on comicsworkbook as they come in. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I will, however, only be posting stories that stick to the RULES. If you don’t follow the rules, I will not reblog the story and you won’t be eligible for the cash prize. Any questions about the competition – please email me. The competition is open to all. You do not have to be a former student of mine. Former students of mine ARE eligible to compete. Again, If you have any questions about the rules please ask. Better to ask and be safe than to be mad when I disqualify you over some missed detail. Seriously. Remember the page size: 5.5 x 8.5 inch originals with a 5 x 7.5 inch live area. Three equal “landscape” oriented panels. No exceptions. Each panel will be 5 inches wide and 2.5 inches tall. Work may be in color OR black and white – OR – a combination of both. Remember! Email me – santoroschoolATgmailDOTcom – that you have posted your entry to your tumblr – I will reblog it. You may enter as a writer/artist duo. DEADLINE is August 30 2016 at 11:59 pm EST Winners will be announced the following week. please reblog this announcement GOOD LUCK! signed Frank Santoro COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS: 1. Can I have gutters in between the panels and can I work digitally. ANSWER: You can have gutters – and you can work digitally. However I still want you to draw it at 5.5 x 8.5 inch original page size with a 5 x 7.5 inch live area – don’t draw large and shrink it down – ideally you are drawing panels that are 5 x 2.5 inches. 2. I understand that we are to post the comics as a two-page spread. But does the comic necessarily need to actually/physically be a spread? What I mean is, do I need to actually divide an 8.5 x 11″ page down the center to make two 5.5 x 8.5″ pages, or can I have two *separate* 5.5 x 8.5″ pages, completely independent of each other, which I then place side by side in order to post a picture on Tumblr? I would hate to draw a sloppy page and have to trash two pages because of it. YES you may use two pieces of paper 3. I assume there is to be no sub-dividing of the three horizontal panels into separate, smaller panels, correct? For example, sub-dividing the top panel into three small vertical panels so that the comic page reads 3 -> 1 -> 1 is reason for disqualification, yes? Correct. 3 panels per page – all 2.5 inches tall x 5 inches wide. No subdividing. 4. Is it alright to work on a page larger than 5.5 x 8.5″ provided that we DO NOT reduce the art in any way, and we DO adhere to the correct panel sizes and space orientation? This would merely be a technical convenience to me as I find it easier to draw on larger pages due to hand positioning/orientation etc. YES Share this page: [...]

04/17/2018

Posted on April 17, 2018April 17, 2018 by Aaron Cockle

Aaron here today with Latin American Art; Remembering Geneviève Castrée; Banksy/Zehra Doğan; Retrofit Comics 2018 Subscription

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Sylvia Palacios Whitman, Passing Through

Radical Women: Latin American Art, 1960–1985
At the Brooklyn Museum through July 22:

The artworks on view range from painting and sculpture to photography, video, performance, and other new mediums. Included are emblematic figures such as Lygia Pape, Ana Mendieta, and Marta Minujín, alongside lesser‐known names such as Cuban‐born abstract painter Zilia Sánchez; Colombian sculptor Feliza Bursztyn; Peruvian composer, choreographer, and activist Victoria Santa Cruz; and Argentine mixed‐media artist Margarita Paksa. The Brooklyn presentation also includes Nuyorican portraits by photographer Sophie Rivera, as well as work from Chicana graphic arts pioneer Ester Hernández, Cuban filmmaker Sara Gómez, and Afro-Latina activist and artist Marta Moreno Vega.

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“Poetry seemed useless in the context of actual annihilation.”
On Studio 360, Kurt Anderson talks with Phil Elverum, husband of Geneviève Castrée, who passed away in 2016, about Elverum’s recent Mount Eerie albums, which are about Castrée’s death. Her last book, A Bubble, will be published in June by D&Q.

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Zehra Doğan/Banksy
Patricia Mastricolo at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund wrote about the Banksy mural protesting the imprisonment of Turkish artist and journalist Zehra Doğana few weeks back:

This first night the mural was revealed, a projection of the dark painting Doğan is imprisoned for showed over the mural. Based off a photo Doğan saw, she painted the rubble of a Kurdish town, destroyed by tanks, with the Turkish flag flying over the town. She painted the tanks as surreal monsters. The Turkish government said that the painting compromised military security, even though it was based on a government photograph.

Credit: Tony Cenicola, The New York Times

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Retrofit Comics 2018

All the Sad Songs – Summer Pierre

Fashion Forecasts – Yumi Sakugawa

I Love You – Sara Lautman

John, Dear – Laura Lannes

Our Wretched Town Hall – Eric Kostiuk Williams

The Prince – Liam Cobb

Survive 300 Million 1 – Pat Aulisio

Survive 300 Million 2: Serpentine Captives – Pat Aulisio

The Troublemakers – Baron Yoshimoto

TRUMPTRUMP vol. 2: Modern Day Presidential – Warren Craghead III

Understanding – Becca Tobin

The Winner – Karl Stevens

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Vision Box – 4-17-2018 – by Cameron Arthur

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Joanie and Jordie – 4-17-2018 – by Caleb Orecchio

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Comics Workbook

An online magazine for comics makers

Aaron Cockle

Posted on April 17, 2018April 17, 2018

Explore

Daniel Clowes Talk At The Bay Area Book Festival 2016

Chris Anthony DiazJuly 1, 2016The Diaz ArchiveDaniel Clowes talked with Ivory Madison at the Bay Area Book Festival, downtown Berkeley, Sunday, June 5, 2016. Dan also signed his latest Fantagraphics graphic novel PATIENCE, THE COMPLETE EIGHTBALL 1-18 SPECIAL EDITION and also advanced copies of the WILSON paperback. Photo color by Graham Willcox Share this page: [...]

05/16/2018

Juan FernándezMay 16, 2018los Cómics / NewsPowerpaola, Liniers, y José Antonio Suárez Londoño —————————————— Los cómics y las noticias que me han llamado la atención esta semana: ~ en Español y “sometimes in English” ~ Feminismo y Autogestión: Elisa Mccausland entrevista a Powerpaola Incluir la palabra “poder” en el nombre siempre ha sido toda una declaración de principios. ¿Qué ha cambiado desde entonces ahora? ¿Qué has comprendido en torno al poder como autora después de más de una década dibujando y publicando, y qué crees que queda por hacer? Al principio esa palabra me fue dada. Creo que esa historia la he contado muchas veces. Por una confusión, creo yo, un hombre en el metro de París entendió que mi nombre era “Power”. Yo insistí con el mío y, al final, quedó un tiquete de metro con el Power escrito por él y mi nombre escrito por mí, todo junto. Lo tomé como una señal y luego, cuando abrí mi primer blog, lo puse como mi seudónimo. Siempre pensé que estaba fingiendo ese poder, me sentía muy insegura en muchas cosas; pero esa palabra me hacía inventarme un personaje que no le tenía miedo a nada. Y como dice esa frase de autoayuda: “Finge hasta que lo consigas”. Con respecto a qué queda por hacer, me parece que la clave está en seguir cultivando la imaginación y creando comunidad. Es la única manera en la que creo que las cosas avanzan. Léanlo todo en TEBEOSFERA! —————————————— King Features Picks Up “Macanudo” by Liniers. King Features Syndicate is picking up a new comic strip, something that is surprising in it’s own right. A heads up, though Macanudo has actually been around since 2002 in Argentina. Created byArgentinian cartoonist Ricardo “Liniers” Siri, Macanudos is a constellation of characters and gags that click and hum to make you laugh and make your heart warm. If you liked Pablo Holmberg‘s Eden, you’re likely going to enjoy Macanudos. It’s interesting to see Liniers find a home at King Features given that it seems American daily strip cartooning(Schulz, Herriman and Watterson) has been at the center of his practice. The circle nears completion… —————————————— La mente automática – José Antonio Suárez Londoño Bernal Espacio Galería presenta un conjunto de treinta grabados del destacado dibujante José Antonio Suárez Londoño (Medellín, Colombia, 1955). Todo el conjunto está lleno de tanteos, bifurcaciones y huellas. En el trabajo de Suárez Londoño todo se aprovecha, cada cita y cada circunstancia, y todo tiene más de una lectura. Ocurre también en los dibujos de Marcel Dzama con el que hay cierto parecido. O con los de WilliamKentridge, de quien tampoco está lejos. De hecho, el diálogo, aquí sí, fluye entre estos tres creadores que se conocen más allá del papel y de la magia, Doré, la botánica, la infancia, Goya y el presente. Los tres hablan de lo aprendido, lo cotidiano y lo imaginado comprimido en un tiempo conquistado. Lo que tantas veces llamamos fábula. Pocas veces pueden verse trabajos de este nivel y con esta cercanía, rozando la miniatura y el preciosismo, así que esta es una exposición para detenerse y para descubrirse. Más sobre la exposición. —————————————— Suzy and Cecil – 5-16-2018 – by Sally Ingraham Share this page: [...]

09/06/2018

Juan FernándezSeptember 6, 2018NewsJuan here announcing the winners of the 2018 Composition Competition! – – – – – – – – – – Congratulations to ALL who created and submitted work for this year’s composition competition! This year saw a move away from the previous years’ use of Tumblr as the dominant platform of digital media publishing and towards Instagram. A different platform invites different constraints. Instagram functions as a hyper-customizable newspaper that gets updated vigorously and endlessly. This year’s use of Instagram begged for a return to the building blocks of comics, thus the creation of comics strips. Details on this year’s criteria are available HERE. _____________________ First Place – A Weeklong Residency at the Rowhouse Residency in Swissvale, PA. Cory Feder Our decision to award Cory Feder First Place recognizes Feder’s creation of an ambitious yet simple, multi-layered poetic sequence that cuts through notions of language. This is the kind of strip that can be read and re-read ad infinitum to continue gleaning new meaning. Feder’s comic is the kind offhand remark, the cadence of which, you keep thinking about for years. This complex concoction of intuitive drawing and deft use of juxtaposition made for a winning combination. _____________________ Second Place – A collection of gag comics by the Comics Workbook gang Julian Fiebach In Second Place, Julian Fiebach’s “The Worker”clearly embodies excellence in both conception and execution of the classic 4 panel gag. Here is a testament to the raw power of smart minimalism in cartooning. These strips accomplish universally relatable expressions of the many ways that we engage in (and avoid) work in our lives through a pattern language pared down to its essentials. _____________________ Third Place – An original portrait by Audra Stang Will M. The Comics Workbook Competition’s Third Place, “BALLS”, offers an off the wall bit of nonsense. It’s a bizarre laugh that holds together quite well as an absurd re-interpretation of elements Charles’ Schulz world of Peanuts. It carries echoes of grief that crash into pure, unexpected, absurdity. This is a collection of visual chuckles, that accumulate to an absurd 4 panel sequence. A glorious bit of nonsense that begs the question, “WHY?”. _____________________ Honorable Mention Antoine Rigalleau David Craig Chris Jones _______________________ It is our belief that artistic creation is a two way street. An artist, or any other creator, grows in the process of creating; the greater the efforts, the greater the growth. By this measure, comics creators in general – and those who submitted work to this competition in particular – are growing by leaps and bounds, and so, by definition, is the comics form; as in the final analysis, the value of a form is coincident with the work that it contains. It is our hope that all of the makers who participated in this contest have been TRANSFORMED in some way – artistically, personally, spiritually, and/or physically – by the time and energy dedicated to the creation of their submissions. Everyone who took part in this exercise has completed a hero’s journey. _______________________ What I liked about the three winners is a strong sense of intuition and control. I see this aspect in the work of the honorable mentions. This year the judges looked at the entries and tried to frame the winners in a way that reflects the multifaceted jewel that is the world of comics creation in 2018. Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s contest. And to everyone who may have begun their comic but did not finish it or enter it, please finish it and post it, and we will do our best to get it seen. Tag your post with #compositioncompetition2018 on Instagram. Juan Fernandez, Pittsburgh PA ___________________________ The restrictions placed upon the contest entries were derived from The Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers. It is our firmly held belief here at Comics Workbook that restrictions such as the grid are ultimately freeing. We also believe that timing is the essential ingredient to making great comics. How do you study and practice timing in comics? You use the grid. _____________________________ Please check out the complete list of entries for 2018 at the following link! All Entries. _________________________ Check out past competition winners and entries: 2013 – 2014 – 2015 – 2016 – 2017 ————————————————————————————————— Cement Mixer – 9-6-18 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

12/12/2017

Aaron CockleDecember 12, 2017NewsAaron here today with Shaw/Willumsen; Fox & Gal; Hernandez/Salinger; Josef Albers in Mexico (at the Guggenheim); Polish Animation; Domino Print Mag ————————————————————————————————— ‘I think of the workspace as like mood and posture, surfaces and height, very physical, and then communication or information possibilities are something else.’ Caleb linked to this in yesterday’s newspost, Dash Shaw’s interview with Connor Willumsen, but it’s worth a read if you haven’t yet had the chance. It’s always nice to see cartoonists talking with each other about the work. : But it’s an accumulation of all of these decisions that you’re making. You’re deciding to not draw these things and to draw things in a different way… I get what you’re saying, that it’s intuitive, but you’re still creating the conditions. It’s not like those things happen to you. : Right, but I guess I am sort of nurturing a perspective as if they are just happening to me. I’ve been giving some workshops lately and I’ve been telling people that it helps to get through a page, continue the narrative, by just blowing the space on the page they’re currently working on, you know, like waste a lot of space and draw something small in an expansive void. The way I look at the way the book did turn out has a lot to do with how I was feeling while I was making it, because I was trying to make it quick, like as close as I could to the speed of reading a comic, which is impossible, and so I was subject to my immediate state during any particular page. So if I was feeling bogged down with a page, if it I was feeling it was becoming too laborious for me in its detail or pace, if it was boring me, I would blow a lot of space on the page to get through that moment and start fresh at the next, and my thinking is if I had a intuition that that needed to happen, just for my own wellbeing in that moment, the reader would have similar intuitions during the reading experience. Like if I’m getting bogged down by a page so is the reader, and to give myself drawing space is to give the reader space at the same appropriate moment, as if at the same moments we would feel the same moods or rhythms, even though we can’t possibly read and draw at the same speed. ————————————————————————————————— Almanac 2017, Orbiting, Meow De Vivre Over at the High-Low blog, Rob Clough looks at recent work by Iona Fox and Penina Gal. Fox’s comics have two built-in advantages. First, in her occupation as a farmer and mountain cabin caretaker, she simply does things that no other cartoonist talks about. Second, her sense of humor is extremely sharp, and she’s able to bring humor to any situation. Fox also brings the perspective of someone with a number of intellectual interests, as her degree is in geology, she knows quite a bit about meteorology and it goes from there. Her self-caricature is one of my favorites, with a “fox curl” on top of her head and a collection of freckles, knobby knees and jumbled limbs. Her strips can range from a relationship strip about geese to a beautiful series of shots of sunsets. The strips pre and post Trump’s election certainly have a different tone, as she touches both on politics and protecting those around her. There are strips about undocumented dairy workers and their struggle for improved conditions. … Meow De Vivre is a much sillier project, but it’s also visually distinctive. Originally designed for gallery space at a hair salon, Gal actually does something original with cat cartooning. The “Singles In Your Area” page is hilarious, with profiles from “OK Catnip”. There are “pawdicures”, trash talk about dogs, cat selfies, cat haute couture, and a clever collage. Gal has an eye for gag humor that’s never been obvious in some of her other work (with the exception of Glamera, which she did with Betsey Swardlick), but it stands out here in page after page celebrating cats as familiar creatures or as performing drag. Once again, Gal’s watercolors are the main attraction, grabbing the eye without looking too garish. Being in a gallery, that use of color was obviously crucial for an audience, but it worked just as well on the page. ————————————————————————————————— Reading ‘Catcher in the Rye’ Today Via Gilbert Hernandez, over at the NY Times. ————————————————————————————————— Guggenheim Museum Presents Josef Albers in Mexico Albers’s collaged images also suggest a nuanced relationship between the geometry and design elements of pre-Columbian monuments and the artist’s iconic abstract canvases and works on paper. Several of the latter are titled after key sites in Mexico, and formal resonances between the two bodies of work become apparent, especially when viewed together as in the Guggenheim presentation. Albers’s embrace of pre-Columbian imagery may be considered within the complex and often-fraught history of modernist artists looking toward non-Western cultures for source material. His work contrasts with that of the revolutionary Mexican artists with whom he met on his trips, including Diego Rivera. At the same time, Albers’s long-term commitment to studying Mexican art and architecture also positions him as a prescient figure in the history of post–World War II American art, when artists such as Donald Judd, Ad Reinhardt, and Robert Smithson looked toward ancient traditions with a new sensitivity and self-awareness. ————————————————————————————————— At Anthology Film Archives: The 70th Anniversary of Polish Animation Polish jazz and abstract art, posters in motion and inspired collages created by outstanding visual artists like Jan Lenica and Walerian Borowczyk – it can all be found in Polish animation. These films are almost invariably auteur works: the directors themselves discover the stories, write the scripts, draw, paint, shape the plasticine, sculpt the plaster, and sometimes even record the musical scores for their films. Polish animation has long been celebrated for its dark, black humor and courage in exploring the human psyche. Under communism, it mastered the art of the metaphor, in order to elude censorship. Social satire has always been a Polish specialty. ————————————————————————————————— Domino Books‏ @DominoComics New PRINT mag about comics from DOMINO, coming in mid 2018. Coedited by me & @LFlipowitz w/ beautiful first ish cover from Jesse McManus! ————————————————————————————————— The Winter Semester of thee Santoro Correspondence Course for Comic Book Makers starts January 18th 2018! 8 weeks – 500 bux – coaching for as long as you need. The course is hard, but Frank will push your comics making practice to a new level, getting you to think about timing and color in new ways. Makes a great holiday gift for yourself – or for a loved one who is interested in comics. Apply by midnight (EST) on Dec. 25th and get $100 off the course price. Full details and how to apply can be found HERE! ————————————————————————————————— Vision Box – 12-12-2017 – by Cameron Arthur ————————————————————————————————— Joanie and Jordie – 12-12-2017 – by Caleb Orecchio Share this page: [...]

09/19/2016

Juan FernándezSeptember 19, 2016NewsJuan here! SPX just wrapped up. Wotta whirlwind! I’ve got loads to share but I’m on the road today, so only the essentials: Reflecting on our CW workshops; Ignatz Winners; Dash Shaw on instagram. ————————————————————————————————— We had the honor and privilege of presenting our one of a kind comics programming to eager creators at SPX this year. It was a joy to see cartoonists experienced and amateur to gather round for some spirited drawing and discussion. Although n depth coverage of our workshops and the full SPX experience is soon to come this week, a short recap of what went down in THE DANGER ROOM. Saturday September 17th 12:00-1:00 PM Comics with Jeffrey Brown Mr. Brown truly brought the “Star Wars Academy” to a packed audience! Jeffrey Brown was on hand to share storytelling tips and drawing advice. Jeffrey Brown challenged all participants to follow along with creation of a 4 panel slice of life comic. After some diligent work, sll participants recieved personalized reviews of their work. 1:00-3:00 PM Comics Workbook Hangout We were joined by a packed audiencefor an afternoon of comics-crafting. We explored the history of tracing and its benefits. It’s safe to say we are take your comics-making game to a new level. Simple exercises will push you in mind-bending directions. Drop in for a minute or an hour. 3:00-5:00 PM Spanish Fever (Spanish Language Workshop) This SPX, Comics Workbook, was joined by Spanish cartoonists José Domingo and David Rubín for some lively Spanish language instruction and presentations. Many thanks to SPX, Fantagraphics and the Spanish Cultural Ministry and Fantagraphics. 5:00-6:00 PM Cameron Nicholson and Frank Santoro Cameron Nicholson expanded minds as he examined his notions of the comics form and methodologies for creating and refining one’s own comics. Comics Workbook founder and internationally known cartoonist/teacher Frank Santoro piped in with color commentary. Spirits were very high during this uplifting, talk. Sunday September 18th 1:00-2:00 PM Comics with Carol Tyler The great Carol Tyler taught us the ins and outs of her unique mode of autobiographical comics, her history as a painter and the importance of cornering the market on her nibs. A maker who has been defining the form since the 1970’s, Tyler had her audience ebtranced. Carol Tyler will discuss her adventures in comics and share drawing tips and storytelling advice. 2:00-3:00 PM Comics Workbook Hangout Participants took a break from circling the ballroom and channeled their energy into a heaping helping of Dan DeCarlo and Harry Lucie studies. This hangout hammered home the idea of drawing as an exploration of drawing as a way of seeing and knowing. 3:00-4:00 PM Comics with Charles Burns The inimitable Charles Burns brought us a very special presentation wherein we explored his sometimes dark but always thrilling worlds. Participants drew along with him and got one of the heartiest Q&A sessions one could ask for. 4:00-5:00 PM Comics Workbook Hangout In our last, more laid back session, we hopped to it and explored the relationships between filmic techniques and cartooning. Participants left having completed an entire 8 panel, one page More to come this week! ————————————————————————————————— Ignatz Winners 2016 If you haven’t been checking Twitter feverishly to see the results of Saturday night’s Ignatz Winners, Tom Spurgeon’s got what you need! It’s all over on comicsreporter.com ————————————————————————————————— Dash Shaw is on instagram. I’m not messin’ around. It’s true! Hop on over to his account, follow him, and take a look behind the curtain on his latest projects. No better way to glean some insight into the american masters’ cartooning and animation process. All from the comfort of your home. ————————————————————————————————— See you next time with some JUICY, in depth, SPX Coverage. -Juan Share this page: [...]

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