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Another sketchbook page:
Once again drawn with brush pen and red marker.
- My friend and fellow CCS classmate Sean Ford has been reviewed on a couple of mini-comic blogs recently: HERE and HERE.
It's exciting to see the birth of my generation's presence in the comics world, and Sean's book desearves all of the praise it could ever get. Check out his BLOG.
- I forgot to mention this before, but my newer mini-comics Turtle Keep It Steady and The Bait & Switch are available for purchase at I Know Joe Kimpel as well as Sean's recently acclaimed comic and most of the other great books coming out of CCS.
- Stampin' Steve Bissette's new book of film reviews (the first of four) is available HERE. The jacket was designed by the talented and clever Jon-Mikel Gates, a recent graduate of CCS and good friend here in Vermont.
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- James Sturm has been in the news recently concerning his new book, Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow. He wrote it, Rich Tommaso drew it (ooh, and I just found some sample pages of Rich's new book, Miriam here), and I had the pleasure to add the grey tones for about half of it. I think the draft I read was the final draft, but whatever it was, it was damn good. In a short amount of pages the story touches upon several issues, hammering the tips of those well-tread icebergs with original and resounding wallops. And there was still enough space for some great baseball scenes. It's funny too.
You can read about it here, and here too. And I'm sure there will be tons more about it in the coming months as it will be released next fall or winter.
- Also, just so everyone knows, the school is now able to grant MFA's.
- My interview with Sturdy Steve Bissette was put up on his blog while I was in NY. It's long and rambling, but Steve asks the good quesitons and is gracious to have allowed me to ramble as long as I did, and to have posted the whole thing.
- I guess that's all for right now. Here are some photos:
Steve Bissette hosted a small bar-b-q last night. It was relaxing, thanks Steve.
Here we have Steve distracting a baby so he can have all of the Raspberry Milanos to himself.
Our favorite Betsey has TWO hotdogs at once. "Surely I won't regret this decision!"
"Listen Baby. I'm telling you, it's best to stick to just ONE hotdog per bun. Really. I can't stress this enough, knowing from very recent personal experience."
Seriously though, we're going to miss you Betsey! Something fierce.
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Okay, so here are the lastest links:
Keep checking SundaysAnthology.com for updates, even after MoCCA as it will be available for sail online at I Know Joe Kimpel.com
We're already getting good buzz for the book. On the Beat and Comis Alliance.
I've been interviewed by Sassy Steve Bissette. Check it out here. (It's not up yet, but should be by this afternoon)
That's all for now.
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It is production time on the Sundays anthology and the whole editorial staff (with some additional help) has been sacrificing sleep and health to make sure you get the best anthology possible. Keep checking the Sundays Anthology website for updates, including announcements like the following:
The legendary Steve Bissette is contributing to the anthology, but not only that, the contribution is a page of BRAND NEW TYRANT story/art. That's all I'll say for now.
Also, in addition to kicking out a gorgeous, enormous page (which I was graciously allowed to scan and piece together)Steve has also been continuing his CCS blog interviews.
Check them out!
Sean Ford
Sam Gaskin
Below are the front and back covers to my most recent mini, Grumpus.
I don't remember what the size of the original art was, but the stickers I printed out for the covers are about 3x4 inches.
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Our very own Steve Bissette has been conducting interviews with CCS students and graduates recently on his blog. They've been great and I look forward to reading more.
Colleen Frakes
Emily Wieja
Keep checking the blog for more. Steve's trying to give us some exposure before MoCCa; he's doing a great job and it's been a lot of fun. Thanks, Steve!
Below are some sticker designs I printed up for the cover of one of my minis.
The original for this is about 5 inches square, and was drawn with a G-nib and black ink, there is also some ink wash done with a brush.
The original for this one is about 8 x 10 inches and was drawn with that teal concentrated water color I keep using and a G-nib, and an india ink wash for the back ground. For both of them the color was adjusted in Photoshop.
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Another couple of pages of character studies.
both of these were done with a G-nib and teal concentrated watercolor (and some brush pen on the first image), both are about 9 inches square.
Gabby (Ken Dahl)'s invertiew is complete (and long!), over at Steve Bissette's blog.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
I haven't read the whole thing yet, but so far it's been great. Steve really knows how to ask questions and direct the conversation, and Gabby, as much of a long-winded gas-bag as he is, is articulate and completely honest.
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Here are a bunch of photos I never posted, but have been meaning to.
On the last day of class we were treated to a presentation by our dapper fellow Gabby "Ken Dahl" Schultz. Go to Steve Bissette's blog today for part two of Gabby's interview to figure out why he has so many freakin names.
He was so nervous that he wagged his hand for thirty minutes before leaping through the door, leaving a Gabby shaped hole.
The last days of class came and went with everbody in high gear with short nerves, and low sleep.
But we made it. Here we are in James Sturm's Cartooning Studio 1 class, our last class of our first year at CCS.
I wish I had a photo of our first assignments. In James class we pretty much did all of our homework as comics, and not only that, but were required to make enough copies for everyone in the class. Sometimes this was easy as photocopying a single page for everyone, but often the bar was raised higher and higher as students used the available resources to create some truly awesome mini-comics.
These are the first year's final projects. Each one was a monument to the creative achievements made by the creator that year, and all of them, absolutely each one was the peak of that person's year's work. As it should have been. I don't have all of them in the photo, but there were roughly 16 or 17 all together.
Our Reading & Writing professor invited us to a dinner at her house that night. It was a good time, thanks Sarah.
Here we are playing some wiffle ball.
Penina and Amanda Ann are berating the dog. Mocking his inability to speak, and his lack of thumbs.
Badass B-Rye!
And here's a picture of our ever-lovin Rich Tommaso in a tree!
JP Coovert's dog London, chillaxin to the maximum.
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Saturday saw the graduation of the very first class of The Center for Cartoon Studies. There was a commencement with guest inaugural speaker Patrick McDonnell, creator of Mutts; live accordian music; and a lovely cast of graduates with lively spirits and a truly awesome body of work behind them. The group of 18 cartoonists spent the last two years paving the way for future classes, helping the school work out some of its kinks and rough spots, and every class to follow will be grateful.
A few of them have some work up at I Know Joe Kimpel.com that you can preview and purchase, and the I Know Joe Kimpel blog is up and running with posts from their class and mine.
Some photos of the commencement events:
The commencement ceremony was held the Briggs Opera House in downtown White River Junction, just a block from the school, due to the rain. It was a nice, cozy little venue, and comfortably held everyone's family, with everyone able to see the stage.
This is the only picture I have of our year's dapper Fellow, Gabby (Ken Dahl) Schultz, in which he is not flipping me off. He was recognized during the ceremony, but not to the extent that I would have liked to have seen. Thanks Gabby for all of your time spent with us!
This time I wasn't the only jerk with a camera in everyone's face.
The graduating class of 2007 at The Center for Cartoon Studies. Congratulations guys!
I have a bunch more photos on my flickr account, including half a dozen different versions of the above photo.
The above image is one of my favorites - Andrew has that smug, mischievous grin but Emily just doesn't care.
The main faculty was awarded with signed cards drawn by some of the class members. on the left is co-director Michelle Ollie, next to Steve Bissette (instructor extraordinaire) in the middle, and on the right is co-director James Sturm.
It was a spirited afternoon, with the public invited to the school to join the students, their families and the faculty at the school for the senior's thesis exhibit.
Xeric winner Sam Gaskin enjoys his accomplishments, and looks smooth while doing so.
Everyone cleaned up nicely, I must say.
Despite the constant drizzle, the cool breeze was comfortable, and I felt the afternoon was a classy and calm end to a great year. I hope it was nice for the senior class and I wish them well.
That evening a few of us celebrated at the India Queen, ending in a night at the school playing ping-pong. The way it should have been.
More pictures at my flickr page.
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Alright alright alright alright, here we go.
- Indie Spinner Rack recently visited the school and spent a weekend talking and partying with us. The first (of two or three) interview is up, featuring the, always entertaining, Steve Bissette! The episode has a long introduction that has nothing to do with CCS or Steve, but once it gets rolling there is non-stop Bissette giving us the dish on his days as part of the very first class at the Joe Kubert school; his early days and projects he first got in on; and how he hooked up with the Center for Cartoon Studies.
And keep checking in for the next episode which will feature an interview with James Sturm and probably some of us students. Thanks to Charlie and Phil for visiting and putting the shows together. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to see you guys at MOCCA.
- Speaking of MOCCA: JP and I just got word that we will, not only be getting a table (for a long time we were dumped on waiting-list-purgatory), but that table will be sandwiched between tables belonging to our friends. More on that later, but remember to keep an eye out for One Percent Press at MOCCA this year, we'll have a few brand new minis.
- The Christian Science Monitor did an article about the graduating class I thought I would post a link to here, for those interested. The article touches upon one issue I thought worth noting: the difference between CCS and the Joe Kubert school. I think Steve's point (the one he makes in his ISR interview, mentioned above) on that matter is a fair one. The Joe Kubert school is a trade school; CCS is a liberal arts school with a focus on cartooning.
- Here is a trailer for a potential documentary about the school.
- A classmate of mine, the lovely Sean Ford has won an internship at First Second publishing with his quiet/ funny/ thrilling comic Only Skin (the first issue will be available at MOCCA). Visit his blog for samples.
- Here's an interview with James I've been meaning to post for awhile. This is concerning this new book that is due out sometime soon. I saw a proof of it at the Drawn & Quarterly studios last week - looks good James.
- and lastly Craig Thompson has started a blog.
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