Over on the Cartoonist Conspiracy site, a couple of good questions were asked about Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day event. Here they are -- with the answers!
Question:
Jessaroo, September 23rd, 2009, 8:58 am
This year is going to ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How cool would it be if there was another zombie run during the night? Outside, I mean– not the immnient indoor one where we’ll be. Will we be blogging again, too? That was fun.
Answer:
David Steinlicht, September 23rd, 2009, 11:56 am
I think we’ll be doing the do-it-yourself, group-blog thing we did last year. That worked out pretty well. A computer set up for participants to share their thoughts. I’ll try to take a beginning, middle and ending picture this year again, too.
Question:
joecombs, September 24th, 2009, 5:35 am
does anyone know if wet paint will accept credit, or should i bring cash for their portable shop?
Answer:
danno, September 24th, 2009, 4:16 pm
YES! According to Tim from Wet Paint they will be accepting American Express, Discover, VISA and MasterCard. They don’t “run” the card there, they have to write all the info out by hand and then go back to the store and enter it. But CASH or CREDIT–YOU DECIDE!!!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
24 Hour Day Update....
YES!!! It's happening!!! Despite earlier word it was not going to be possible, WET PAINT will WILL WILL(!!!) be having an "in-store" from 10:30am to 1pm on OCTOBER 3rd at BOOK ARTS during our 24 HOUR COMIC DAY event. That's right! This is your chance to load up on boss supplies like the Pentel Pocket Brush above (or refills, or paper, or brushes, or whatever) without even having to go to St Paul! (I should note however: since their store will not be opening until 30 or minutes AFTER 24 hour day officially begins, if you come with NO supplies you'll loose an hour of drawing time. So bring a pencil at least. Then when the store opens BUY BUY BUY!!!)
If that's not enough, WET PAINT will be giving away FREEBIES to all contributors! Thanks WET PAINT! You rock!
ALSO: As I mentioned before the MCAD "Comic Heads" will be joining us this year! A projected 15-20. Combine that with our usual 20-30 participants and we are going to have a crowded house! Speaking of which...MN CENTER FOR BOOK ARTS is going to be busting with people on the 3rd. So much so we'll be occupying the MCBA gallery for most of the day (though once people go home we're free to move about the facility and score the high tables).
Get some rest, October 3rd is closer than you think.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
24 Hour Day Update and Survival Tips
Good news about Mpls/Stpl 24 Hour Comic Day at the MN Center for Book Arts! (OCT 3rd-4th, 10am to 10 am!
1) The MCAD "Comic Heads" will be joining us this year at Book Arts! Yay! A chance for Conspirators and Conspirators-Of-Tomorrow alike to join in the rarely communal act of making comics! Always a good time. Welcome!
2) While they won't be able to have a "store" this year, WET PAINT will be providing a free grab bag of goodies for the creators! So remember, before 24 Hour Comic Day(and after!) shop WET PAINT!
3) Signing up before-hand STILL is NOT manditory, but greatly appreciated! 24hourcomicday@gmail.com
4) Finally, and because they are ALWAYS invaluable, a tip from the MASTER:
KEVIN CANNON's "TIPS FOR SURVIVING TWENTY-FOUR HOUR COMIC DAY"
PRODUCTION TIPS
Obviously there's no one way to draw, but here are one man's tips:
- Have your paper ready and, if possible, pre-ruled.
- Come prepared with drawing materials.
- Come with a list of things you want to buy from the Wet Paint booth (it's only open for a few hours). At the same time, let Tim (the owner) know what kinds of materials you want him to stock for cartoonists.
- Bring a lamp and extension cord for direct light.
- Pace yourself. You have to carve out time for meals and bathroom breaks.
- Try doing a page every fifty minutes. That gives you 240 minutes to rest and recoup and eat.
- If you're chatty, you're shooting yourself in the foot. Don't be surprised when you end up with only 20-30 minutes to draw each page.
- Some people like to pencil the whole book and THEN ink. I HIGHLY discourage this. Try to COMPLETE a full page every hour. This lets you accurately budget your time.
- Do as little penciling as possible. Nobody's going to win an Eisner with these books, so why not jump into the inks right away?
- Bring comfort items: extra clothes, an iPod, a cushion, etc. Better to bring too much stuff on your first time.
- On the flipside, don't bring a bunch of unnecessary crap. Things are going to be tight this year and space -- especially table space -- will be at a premium.
- Wait until you get home to erase.
HOW TO MAKE IT TO THE FINISH LINE
- Have your paper ready and, if possible, pre-ruled.
- Come prepared with drawing materials.
- Come with a list of things you want to buy from the Wet Paint booth (it's only open for a few hours). At the same time, let Tim (the owner) know what kinds of materials you want him to stock for cartoonists.
- Bring a lamp and extension cord for direct light.
- Pace yourself. You have to carve out time for meals and bathroom breaks.
- Try doing a page every fifty minutes. That gives you 240 minutes to rest and recoup and eat.
- If you're chatty, you're shooting yourself in the foot. Don't be surprised when you end up with only 20-30 minutes to draw each page.
- Some people like to pencil the whole book and THEN ink. I HIGHLY discourage this. Try to COMPLETE a full page every hour. This lets you accurately budget your time.
- Do as little penciling as possible. Nobody's going to win an Eisner with these books, so why not jump into the inks right away?
- Bring comfort items: extra clothes, an iPod, a cushion, etc. Better to bring too much stuff on your first time.
- On the flipside, don't bring a bunch of unnecessary crap. Things are going to be tight this year and space -- especially table space -- will be at a premium.
- Wait until you get home to erase.
HOW TO MAKE IT TO THE FINISH LINE
You will get distraught and tired and want to quit. Some tips on surviving the full 24:
- Split the day into chunks. I like to think of the day as 3 8-hour shifts.
- Set goals for yourself. "When I finish 12 pages I'm going to gorge on cookies and walk around the block."
- Listen to your body, it's going to tell you when you should eat and drink. Avoid caffeine if you can help it.
- If you're a coffee addict, only drink coffee in the mornings. That is, drink up Saturday morning, but then not again until Sunday at dawn. This will keep you on an even keel and it will give you a reason to push hard during the wee hours.
- Imagine people who are not as fortunate as you. When it's four a.m. and you want to die, think about some guy out there who's working the third shift at a dirty, poorly-lit machine shop. Drawing comics doesn't seem so bad now, does it?
- Keep an eye on someone who's better than you. Watch their progress and use their success for inspiration. Ask for tips. Tell them how much you like their comic.
- Keep an eye on someone who's worse than you. Man, wouldn't it be embarrassing if THAT person finished the full twenty-four hours and YOU wimped out? Yep, time to keep drawing.
- Don't drink alcohol. You'll feel sluggish the rest of the event. Limit your drug intake to stimulants.
- Bring a lamp and extension cord. Bright, direct light will keep your rods and cones all fired up and give you more energy.
- Change your environment when you feel restless. This could mean physically moving your spot, putting on some headphones, or even putting on a clean shirt.
- Document your progress. Take photos, give interviews, blog.
- Tell your family and friends to check Steinlicht's blog (the one you're reading right now). You'll be more apt to keep working if you know that your Aunt in Dubuque is going to check the blog before she goes to church on Sunday morning.GET YOUR HEALTH ON
I started drawing "Far Arden" as a series of 24-hour drawing marathons. After my fifth straight monthly marathon I woke up to a numb drawing hand. The numbness extended from my fingers to my elbow and lasted for two days. I was freaked out at first, but then angry. Angry atmyself because this situation was completely avoidable:
- Keep your drawing hand and arm loose. Catch yourself if you're gripping your pen too hard.
- Put padding on your drawing tool. I bought some colorful elementary school foam pencil holders at OfficeMax. They look retarded but feel great.
- Shake out your arm once an hour. Stretch your fingers, flex your elbow, massage your meaty palms, etc.
- Eat often and eat healthy. That crap-filled candy bar you ate at Hour 2? It's going to start tearing at your stomach lining during Hour 17.
- Drink lots of water. More water than soda, anyway.
- Help out your immune system by downing some echinacea. Do this by taking a multi-vitamin or drinking a "Green Machine" Naked Juice.
- Keep it fresh: bring a toothbrush/paste, deodorant, clean socks, whatever.
- Take a walk in the fresh air. Get your heart-rate up once in a while.
... AND FINALLY:
- Split the day into chunks. I like to think of the day as 3 8-hour shifts.
- Set goals for yourself. "When I finish 12 pages I'm going to gorge on cookies and walk around the block."
- Listen to your body, it's going to tell you when you should eat and drink. Avoid caffeine if you can help it.
- If you're a coffee addict, only drink coffee in the mornings. That is, drink up Saturday morning, but then not again until Sunday at dawn. This will keep you on an even keel and it will give you a reason to push hard during the wee hours.
- Imagine people who are not as fortunate as you. When it's four a.m. and you want to die, think about some guy out there who's working the third shift at a dirty, poorly-lit machine shop. Drawing comics doesn't seem so bad now, does it?
- Keep an eye on someone who's better than you. Watch their progress and use their success for inspiration. Ask for tips. Tell them how much you like their comic.
- Keep an eye on someone who's worse than you. Man, wouldn't it be embarrassing if THAT person finished the full twenty-four hours and YOU wimped out? Yep, time to keep drawing.
- Don't drink alcohol. You'll feel sluggish the rest of the event. Limit your drug intake to stimulants.
- Bring a lamp and extension cord. Bright, direct light will keep your rods and cones all fired up and give you more energy.
- Change your environment when you feel restless. This could mean physically moving your spot, putting on some headphones, or even putting on a clean shirt.
- Document your progress. Take photos, give interviews, blog.
- Tell your family and friends to check Steinlicht's blog (the one you're reading right now). You'll be more apt to keep working if you know that your Aunt in Dubuque is going to check the blog before she goes to church on Sunday morning.GET YOUR HEALTH ON
I started drawing "Far Arden" as a series of 24-hour drawing marathons. After my fifth straight monthly marathon I woke up to a numb drawing hand. The numbness extended from my fingers to my elbow and lasted for two days. I was freaked out at first, but then angry. Angry atmyself because this situation was completely avoidable:
- Keep your drawing hand and arm loose. Catch yourself if you're gripping your pen too hard.
- Put padding on your drawing tool. I bought some colorful elementary school foam pencil holders at OfficeMax. They look retarded but feel great.
- Shake out your arm once an hour. Stretch your fingers, flex your elbow, massage your meaty palms, etc.
- Eat often and eat healthy. That crap-filled candy bar you ate at Hour 2? It's going to start tearing at your stomach lining during Hour 17.
- Drink lots of water. More water than soda, anyway.
- Help out your immune system by downing some echinacea. Do this by taking a multi-vitamin or drinking a "Green Machine" Naked Juice.
- Keep it fresh: bring a toothbrush/paste, deodorant, clean socks, whatever.
- Take a walk in the fresh air. Get your heart-rate up once in a while.
... AND FINALLY:
- No sleepy, no drivey.
Monday, September 7, 2009
The poster is here...the countdown begins...
This years kick-ass poster is by DANIEL J OLSON (www.bewilderedkid.com/blog)
That’s right! 24 HOUR COMIC DAY is nearly upon us again. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3rd from 10 am until 10am SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4th (or whenever you get done, whichever comes first).
Once again we will be taking over the MINNESOTA CENTER FOR BOOK ARTS to do this, and ALL are encouraged to participate whether you’ve attempted 24 HOUR COMIC DAY before or not–and remember, if 24 hours seem too daunting, you can always try a 4, 8, or 12 hour variation. Whatever you like. The more the merrier. We also collate a box of 24 HOUR COMIC DAY mini-comics a few weeks afterwards, to commemorate the good times.
Bring your own art supplies, a treat to share for the “POT LUCK”, and a love of drawing comics.
If you’re interested in participating, please drop an email to 24hourcomicday@gmail.com (please note, this is email and the 24-HOURCOMICDAYwebsite are for people participating at the Minneapolis BOOK ARTs location only. Please see the official 24 HOUR COMIC DAY for all other inquiries.)
HOPE TO SEE YOU BY 10am ON OCTOBER 3rd! (Get there early and stake out a good spot!)
As always, a THANKS to all our usual sponors:
International Cartoonist Conspiracy
Minnesota Center for Book Arts
Big Time Attic
Big Brain Comics
Wet Paint
Grumpy’s Bar
Pizza Luce
International Cartoonist Conspiracy
Minnesota Center for Book Arts
Big Time Attic
Big Brain Comics
Wet Paint
Grumpy’s Bar
Pizza Luce
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
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