ICAF 2011

I've been doing so much that I haven't found time to post anything.

I was able to give a paper at the 2011 International Comics Art Forum. This year it was at the Center for Cartoon Studies, so I was finally able to visit that school. My camera is absolute crap, so I don't have any good pics.

I'll write more later.

Cleaning the lettering pens.

It must be Fall--I'm cleaning my pens for my SEQA 386 Hand-Lettering and Typography for Comics class. A few hours soak in Windex usually does them pretty good.

Hair Cut Guts Redux

Since I reworked the cover of Playing to the Haircuts, I decided to throw some some gray tones over the inside pages. The story is really just a few pages of Julie and Fred vaudevillian banter. Everything looks fancier when you print it on cream off-white paper. Here's a page.

Playing to the Haircuts - screenprinting.

Each year my Mini-Comics class picks a theme for which we all create a mini-comic. These go into a box set. In 2008 we did the Ology Anthology where each person chooses an area study; I created a comic called Nephology (the study of clouds). In 2009 we did the Hat Box where everyone chose a different hat to base a story; I did a comic called Herman's Dunce Cap.
In 2010 the class did a set of stories based on Rhyming Disorders (I forget the name right now). I was knee-deep in department chair duties, so I didn't get to make a book that year.

This year (2011) we did the Hoakum House Theatre, where everyone created a story of a Vaudeville act. I created a dinky little story called Playing To the Haircuts (which means that your act is so bad, the audience is leaving). A requirement for these sets is that the cover must be silkscreened. Here's what I did for my vaudeville cover. It's a plum-colored Canson paper (quite a tooth) with light mint ink:

That's what went into the set, but when I printed another round I wanted to add a second color to the print. Sometimes when I want a second color on a print but don't want to burn a second screen I'll just tape off certain areas on the under-side of the screen and print a transparent layer over a few sections. Here's the taped-up screen:

I blocked off the background so that the characters would have the yellow layer. You can see the blocked off areas from the squeegee side when I hold it up the window:

I printed it up and it looked like this:
I didn't like it, so I re-taped the screen opposite (so the background would get the yellow ink):

That's the final version.

Gobnob 036 - Much Less Twice

SDCC Booth

My SCAD booth-mates: Derek Larson, John Lowe, and Heather Dietzold. Come visit if you're at the San Diego Comic-Con! Booth # 5568.

Gobnob 035 - Not Excited

Gobnob 034 - Letter of Rec

Gobnob 033 - Trying To Avoid

Gobnob 032 - When You're Done

Gobnob 031 - Not That Late

Gobnob 030 - Make It Count

Gobnob 029 - Get That To Go

Gobnob 028 - Brian Ralph Script

Gobnob 027 - Something Hard

Gobnob 026 - Let Go

Gobnob 025 - Decisions

Gobnob 024 - Laundry

Gobnob 023 - Too Passionate

2011.

So I'm out of excuses now--Holidays are over and school has begun. New strips start Thursday! Three week break is over.