2010
| 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |
| Gerald McBoing Boing | ||
| Jan 14, 2010 11:42 am | ||
| Here’s a delightful cartoon based off a Dr. Seuss cartoon. I love the simplicity of the line work, and also how it’s easy to identify with the characters.
I’ve been sick recently with a cold that just won’t go away. It’s frustrating, but I actually feel pretty happy about how things are right now. I feel like I’m finally starting to adapt to the independent, solitary, cartoonist lifestyle. I’ve been developing a new style recently, which I’m excited about. It is kind of a progression of the style I used in the college 101 series. I like it because, unlike my recent Mal and Chad style, it seems able to handle darker, more serious stories. I’m hoping I can develop a good story that syncs with this style. Progress on the Mal and Chad book is going at about its usual pace: slow. To let the story breathe a bit, my editor decided it would be good to add a couple more pages to certain scenes. So the new page count of the book is 221 pages! I’ve got about 50 pages inked so far, and I am itching to see the book finished. In spite of how long this is taking, I really feel confident that the book will be some of the best work I’ve ever done, and that people will enjoy it. It’s hard being patient though! Thanks to everyone who has been reading the journal comic. Here are a couple new ones. | ||
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| Comics Class | ||
| Jan 20, 2010 11:10 am | ||
| This February I will be teaching a class on becoming a professional cartoonist, and there are still spots available! If you live in the Albuquerque area and have any interest in expanding your skills as a cartoonist, you should consider signing up. Or, if you know someone that might enjoy this class, let them know! Here’s the course description:
When you open a newspaper, do you immediately flip to the comics section? Do you enjoy graphic novels or manga? Have you ever wanted to launch a webcomic? Have you ever wanted to draw comics for a living? Whether you are an accomplished artist or still struggling with stick figures, this course engages people of all abilities. By the end of the semester, you will have an intimate knowledge of storytelling, composition, penciling, inking and the business of comics. Please bring a sketchbook and your preferred drawing implement to the first class. We will meet Thursday nights from 6:00 to 9:00pm, starting on February 4 and going for 8 sessions until April 1. The tuition is 100 dollars, which I believe comes out to only 12 dollars for each 3 hour class. We will be using Scott McCloud’s book, Making Comics, as a textbook. This course is being handled by the UNM continuing education program. To register online, go here, and to find out more, go here. Also: new journal comic. | ||
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| The Book is Almost Done! | ||
| Mar 18, 2010 9:52 am | ||
| Hey all, sorry that Doodle Alley has been a dead space recently. I’ve been working hard on the Mal and Chad graphic novel. I’ve inked 192 pages so far, and there are only 29 pages left to ink! I’ve set the deadline to finish the final draft by April 1st. After that, I’m sure there will be more editing, more corrections, more waiting on the publisher, but that’s okay. I’ll be pretty much done. I’m looking forward to it. This has been a real marathon.
I remember when Michael Green, my editor, first contacted me about maybe turning Mal and Chad into a children’s comic book. He was surprised to learn that I was only 20 and told me that I’d have to wait until I was 21 before he could make me an offer on the book. Some kind of legal policy that Penguin has I guess. Even after he made the offer, it was still a year before we had worked out the contract and made it official. During that time I went on a foreign abroad exchange to Japan. Even though we hadn’t finalized the contract, I began writing the book while abroad. I read a lot of Japanese comics while I was there and used them for inspiration. During the whole time my editor has been incredible. He’s allowed me a generous amount of creative freedom, and he’s given me a good chunk of encouragement. Here’s part of an email he sent me last week: “This morning I teased your book to another group of literary agents who came in for a dog & pony show. I only do that for a select few books that I’m either especially proud of or looking forward to. I feel like Mal and Chad is a secret I get to carry around in my back pocket. I’m eager for the day I can unveil it to all.” I’m really looking forward to the day this book will be published too, but I wanted to let you all know that it won’t be for a while. Even after I complete the final pages there’s still a considerable amount of work to be done as far as organizing the whole printing process. I turned 23 this last weekend, which marks the 2 years since I got the offer on this book. Since then so many amazing things have happened to make this book possible. I feel incredibly thankful to my family and friends and especially to God. As a promotion for the upcoming book, I’m going to be relaunching the Mal and Chad comic strip soon. I’ll be updating the comic strip Monday through Friday, five times a week! I’m currently working with the accommodating staff at Uclick so that the strip will be featured on GoComics. I’ve also built a whole new website just for Mal and Chad. Check it out and tell your friends! The Mal and Chad comic strip hiatus is coming to an end. | ||
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| Top Shelf 2.0! | ||
| Mar 23, 2010 12:52 pm | ||
 I’m proud to announce that my journal comic is being featured on Top Shelf 2.0, the online comics gallery of Top Shelf Productions. I have a good deal of respect for this publisher, so I’m excited to have my work acknowledged by them.
I’ve got 20 pages left to ink on the book! So close! | ||
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| The Mal and Chad Relaunch! | ||
| Apr 9, 2010 10:32 am | ||
| Wow, these last weeks have definitely been a transition period for me.
I finished inking page 221 of the book: the last page. Yay! I'll write all you lovely readers a blog to announce the mile stone. I feel like I should celebrate more, but I know there's still a good deal of editing to be done, and then a long wait until it sees print. I feel like if I celebrated now I'd be like a ski racer in the Olympics who raises his poles and starts cheering for himself right before crossing the finish line. It seems like bad form and also, what happens if he falls? Then all his celebration will come back and haunt him. No-- you know what it is? I'm terrified of being done with the book! The book represents legitimate work with a legitimate paycheck, but as I draw near to completion, I can feel myself being swallowed by a chasm of questions and fears. What am I going to do next? How will I stay sane? Will I really be able to survive off of my own work and ideas? Please stay tuned in to find out! I'm as curious as you are! We do have one thing to celebrate however, if not the finishing of the Mal and Chad book, then the beginning of the Mal and Chad strip! To promote the book, to keep my hands moving, to bring some Mal and Chad goodness into your life on a daily basis, I'm pleased to announce that the Mal and Chad strip will be relaunching this Monday at MalandChad.com! Please tell you friends! You can join the Mal and Chad fan page on Face Book if you want to spread the word that way, or I've installed all sorts of sweet blog/digg/twitter gadgets on the website if you want to let people know by those means. Thank you! | ||
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| Drive | ||
| May 22, 2010 1:59 pm | ||
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This interesting video has been causing me to rethink how I set up my work habits as a cartoonist. I tested out a system of incentives while working on the Mal and Chad graphic novel, and it helped me organize my life, but it was not particularly motivating. I'm currently considering ways to develop passion based work habits, where work gets done by the push of passion rather than the pull of incentive. How do you get work done? | ||
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| Link Update! | ||
| Jul 28, 2010 7:23 pm | ||
| I weeded out old links and updated the sidebar so that we've got a nice image link to Mal and Chad.
Yay! Here's a cool movie about what it's like to try and make a deadline. I feel like this sometimes when I have to draw Mal and Chad. This animation was made entirely out of sticky notes! | ||
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| The Borrower Arrietty | ||
| Sep 1, 2010 8:56 am | ||
| Wow. The next Ghibli movie looks so gorgeous.
Will Ghibli be able to keep putting out movies though? According to this article, Miyazaki says that if this movie doesn't do well, they've already made plans to shut down the studio... | ||
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All material on Doodle Alley™ is copyright 2006-2010 by Stephen McCranie, unless otherwise noted. |