Hi and welcome to my second ever newsletter!!! This month I’ve been pretty busy with non-illustration stuff but I still have a few things to share :)
First and foremost, I’ve been accepted into the Madison Print and Resist Zinefest! Come say hi on April 27th, from 11am-4pm at the Central Madison Public Library.
Last year was my first year attending and I had trouble staying within the budget I set myself, there were so many amazing artists selling their work. I especially love sketchy and riso-printed zines, so it was great to get the chance to add to my collection.
I’ll have my Runaway comics for sale, and I’ve also printed my new comic, Change, to have available. All my comics are printed on cream cardstock and lovingly hand-bound with embroidery floss. I’ll also have prints and stickers and possibly even a couple pieces of apparel for sale.
Mark your calendars and I’m excited to see you there!
As for client work this month, the biggest piece I worked on was for Louis Southard’s Comics are Dying campaign. I mentioned last month that I contributed a page to the graphic novel, which is a 100pg tongue-in-cheek look at the history of the comic book history, with 100 different artists each contributing a page to the book. Well Louis asked me to contribute a poster to the campaign, and as a known comics and art history lover I jumped at the opportunity!
This poster took about 30 hours and almost killed my wrist but I had so much fun reading the novel and researching historical comic styles, especially the really old ones. Many of the artists referenced in this poster have inspired me at one point or another, some going back all the way to elementary when my dad provided my brother and I with stacks of his favorite comics in the hopes we would share his love for the medium (it worked).
I tried to capture a balance between the original style, and putting my own spin on it to create a cohesive-looking illustration. All of the characters in this piece are from the comic itself, so support it on Zoop to get a chance to read!
The campaign just launched today and is currently at $3,456/$5000 goal. This poster is included in the I NEED IT tier, or you can buy it as an add-on to any of the rewards tiers. Support the campaign here.
Other than this poster, I’ve been plugging away at the card illustrations for Andrew Solheim’s card game which I talked about last month. Here’s one from the latest batch of five characters:
I haven’t had a lot of time for fun work this month, so I’m going to share a piece I’ve been working on bit by bit for several months. It’s a self-portrait of sorts; I started it in my Columbo era and I think that influence definitely shines through.
It’s not totally done as I think the lettering still needs a little something-something and I want to add a big leafy plant in the bottom left.
I almost love the chair more than the actual portrait. I might even cut it out and make chair stickers (maybe for the zine fest?)
I also want to come out with a new comic though I doubt I’ll have it done by the fest. I’ll probably apply to CAKE in Chicago this August or MILK in Milwaukee this October so maybe I’ll aim for one of those deadlines.
I have a vague sci-fi idea about an old professor and young student doing research on an isolated planet, but it hasn’t gone much farther than some extremely loose sketches and a disorganized Google Doc.
Thanks so much for reading, have a great month and if you’re a Wisconsin resident don’t forget to vote today!
Cat Columbo self-portrait is one of the best things I've seen in a while. I adore it.
So enjoyed hearing about your ideas and seeing the art work.
Your talent and drive are a delight and are remarkable.
Way to go.