Comics Are Great! 41 – Digital Painting

Wed, 12/07/2011 - 2:56pm by andrewjmac

After a failed attempt at some digital painting, I enlisted the help of Brandon Dayton, celebrated cartoonist behind Green Monk and concept designer for EA Games, for a discussion and demonstration on how to paint with pixels. Lots of great material in the video this time as Brandon shares some terrific tips and tricks!

We’re later joined by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library for a discussion on micropayment systems like BitCoin, Flattr, and YouTipIt, followed by another round of great comics recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

• Brandon’s portfolio
• Risk Factions (and on Facebook)
• Photoshop Clipping Masks
• Steve Gibson’s explanation of BitCoin
• The IMF
• BitCoin Evolution
• Star Trek Replicators
• The nemu*nemu Kickstarter campaign
• play.aadl.org
• Jerzy’s FTAM! Designing Sound Elements in Adobe Illustrator workshop

Book recommendations this week:

• Nobody Particular: One Woman’s Fight to Save the Bays
• Stuck in the Middle: 17 Comics from an Unpleasant Age
• Dreamtoons
• Missed Connection Comics
• Grandville
• nemu*nemu

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Comics Are Great! 40 – Jim Henson Was Complicated

Wed, 11/30/2011 - 2:56pm by andrewjmac

WARNING: If you wish to avoid spoilers or opinions on The Muppets movie, I suggest that you save this episode until after you’ve seen the film.

In this special audio-only episode of Comics Are Great! I’m joined by Dave Roman for a talk about the new Muppets film. We discuss some of the unique storytelling tricks used in the film, revisit some of our thoughts on the Mary Sue character (which we first broached in Comics Are Great! episode 03), and examine some of the special considerations one encounters when approaching storytelling with characters like the Muppets. Throughout our discussion we tackle complicated topics such as author intent, whether or not a franchised intellectual property must be frozen in time, and interpreting the mind of a brilliant creator.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
• A Muppet Family Christmas
• The Great Muppet Caper
• The Muppet Movie
• The Muppets Take Manhattan
• The Muppet Christmas Carol
• Muppet Treasure Island
• The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz
• Muppets From Space
• The Dark Crystal
• Labyrinth
• Muppets Tonight
• Elizabeth Stevens’ essay on the Muppets
• Frank Oz reveals why he turned down The Muppets
• Jim Henson’s Fantastic World exhibition
• Life in the Age of Fanfiction
• ToughPigs.com
• AG Bear
• Astronaut Academy
• Delilah Dirk

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Comics Are Great! 39 – The Delilah Dirk Fan Club

Wed, 11/30/2011 - 8:56am by andrewjmac

This week we’re joined by Paul Storrie and Tony Cliff for a talk on doing your research when making a comic placed in a specific place or time–that is, when Paul and I aren’t too busy gushing over Tony’s Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant.

We start off with some talk on creating a premise for your story. How do you create a situation that propels your characters forward? We then kick into some discussion on research methods for creating a plausible sense of place and time for a comic story. But how deep into the reference materials or special collections should you dive? Is there a middle ground between verisimilitude and accuracy?

We’re joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares this week’s book recommendations.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

• Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant
• The Muse
• Make the Comics Drink & Draw event on December 8
• The Ann Arbor Comic Artists Forum on December 4
• Comics! An Exhibition of comics art at the Ann Arbor District Library
• Indiana Jones
• Lupin III
• The Borg
• Catch 22
• Standing Desks
• Yoga
• Suboptimal
• Virginia Woolf
• Aunt Agatha’s Bookstore
• The Three Amigos
• Colon Blow
• Justice League Unlimited
• The Goonies
• Paul Storrie on Comixology

This week’s book recommendations:

• Muppet Sherlock Holmes
• Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers

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Comics Are Great! 38 – Ideas are Crap

Wed, 11/23/2011 - 2:56pm by andrewjmac

This week we address the time-honored topic of ideas and how a storyteller turns them into something useful. If ideas are a dime a dozen, then how do you know a good one from a bad one? If execution is everything, how do you execute? We’re joined by Norwegian cartoonist Kim Holm and local artist Jono Balliett, who share some insights on how they’ve combined non-trivial time restraints and a spirit of play to take crummy ideas and turn them into gold.

We’re joined once again by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares some closing thoughts and great book recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

• Kim Holm’s free digital illustration textures library
• Diary of a Space Monkey
• Lean Into Art – a learning network
• Jerzy’s Front re-imaginings
• Make the Comics Drink & Draw – First session begins December 8!
• Husky House Restaurant
• Jackson Pollock
• The Picture of Everything
• Dating in the Dark
• We Live in Public
• Gamification
• Kim Holm’s Free Art Friday
• WTF Podcast
• Pixar films
• H.P. Lovecraft
• Moleskine Sketchbook Pocket
• All babies look like Winston Churchill
• Dark Mischief: a Spooky Anthology
• JLA/Avengers: Collector’s Edition

This week’s book recommendations:

• Achewood Volume 2: Worst Song, Played On Ugliest Guitar
• Stop Forgetting to Remember: The Autobiography of Walter Kurtz
• Mid-Life
• Cat and Girl

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Comics Are Great! 37 – Adobe Illustrating

Wed, 11/16/2011 - 2:39pm by andrewjmac

We’ve got two super cartoonists in the studio this week for a discussion on digital vs analog tools, with a demonstration on how to draw with what might be the program that perplexes the most cartoonists–Adobe Illustrator!

And who better to demo than Jannie Ho, children’s book illustrator and comics artist, widely known for her work on The Great Reindeer Rebellion, Light the Menorah, and Lily’s Lucky Leotard.

Also in studio we have Ryan Estrada, author of Aki Alliance, The Kind You Don’t Take Home to Mother, and Chillin’ Like Villains (or you can just download the Complete Ryan Estrada Collection to get them all–for free!). Ryan was recently included in the next Machine of Death collection as well.

Together we talk a bit about Ryan’s recent adventures in South America and finding out he was a Google Plus star upon his return home. After revisiting some talk on social networking we started in Comics Are Great! episode 17, we move on to some drawing demos from Ryan and Jannie.

We’re joined once again by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares some closing thoughts and great book recommendations!

This week’s book recommendations:

• French Milk
• Tonoharu: Part One
• Burma Chronicles
• Mister Wonderful: A Love Story

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Comics Are Great! 36 – Inking Foo

Wed, 11/16/2011 - 1:39pm by dubaym

If you’ve ever wondered about “analog” inking techniques and tools, this is the episode for you! I’m joined this week by Michigan cartoonists Joe Foo and Mike Roll for a talk on why and how they use the brush to ink their comics. You might want to watch the video of this week’s episode, as Joe and Mike lead some really terrific demos of how they do what they do so well.

We’re joined once again by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares some closing thoughts and great book recommendations!

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

• CAG Producer Matt Dubay’s Twitter
• The College For Creative Studies
• Apooka
• Desmond’s Comic
• Fast vs Slow Zombies
• Paranormal Activity
• Manga Studio
• SkyNet
• C.H.U.D.s
• Crow Quill pens
• Reed Gunther
• Guy Davis
• Jay Fosgitt
• Niles Crane
• Wassup?
• Willow
• Michael Cho
• Dang Argyle
• Todd McFarlane
• Chucky
• Chucky Finster
• Leo Laporte
• Dick Cavett

This week’s book recommendations:

• The 120 Days Of Simon
• Cecil and Jordan in New York
• Union Station
• Cinder and Ashe
• The Complete Ryan Estrada Collection

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Comics Are Great! 35 – Gender Identity

Wed, 11/16/2011 - 12:39pm by dubaym

It’s a discussion on the positive power of fantasy stories on this week’s Comics Are Great! podcast, as I’m joined by Joamette Gil and Brian Denham for a discussion on their new comic, Exile. Gil and Denham’s story features a transgender protagonist who faces cosmic challenges while also dealing with her own gender identity. But this raises a question–why deal with these issues in a fantasy tale, rather than a memoir or slice-of-life story? How does a fantasy story change one’s approach in dealing with these issues?

We’re joined at the end by Sharon Iverson of the Ann Arbor District Library, who shares some terrific book recommendations with us.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Womanthology: Heroic
• The Olympia Cartoonists Collective
• Katie Shanahan
• Project Chance
• Brian Denham’s Adobe Illustrator tutorials
• Homestuck
• Antarctic Press
• PPV: Pay-Per-View

This week’s book recommendations:

• The Knights of the Lunch Table #2: The Dragon Players
• Calamity Jack
• Showcase Presents Aquaman 1
• Diary of a Zombie Kid GN
• Wandering Son: Book One (Wandering Son)

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Comics Are Great! 34 – Did Somebody Say Topic?

Wed, 11/16/2011 - 11:39am by dubaym

It’s a bit of a silly episode with a special surprise topic at the end. I’m joined by Paul Storrie, Alice Hunt, and Tracy Williams for a discussion on the physical hazards of making comics, the Captain America movie, My Little Pony, and finally some talk on writing. Thankfully Eli Neiburger joins us at the end to tie some of our randomness into some kind of usable thoughts, along with some more great book recommendations.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

• Goodbye Chains and the Historical Notes
• The Green Hornet Casefiles
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• Choose Your Own Adventure books
• My Boyfriend Is a Monster 2: Made for Each Other
• Festivus
• Manga Studio
• The Captain America movie
• The Godfather
• Peanuts Minus the Last Panel
• My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
• Bronies
• Interview with a Bronie
• She-Ra, Princess of Power
• Hockytown
• Harvey
• Seth MacFarlane
• Futurama
• Firefly

This Week’s Book Recommendations:

• Waiting for Food: Restaurant Placemat Drawings
• The Beats: A Graphic History
• Studs Terkel’s Working: A Graphic Adaptation

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