Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Executive summary

Nutshell: Take no more than 24 hours to draw 24 pages of comics.

It's a dare and a creative exercise. It won't be your best comic, but it will be among your longest comics.

You are not supposed to think of an idea beforehand.

Some bring a randomizer tool to ensure the idea will be thought up that day. (For example: Pick seven random words from a dictionary -- put them all in your comic's plot.)

You can prepare your materials beforehand. You can line boxes onto your paper and such.

Wet Paint of St. Paul will have a store there for the first few hours, so you can fill in materials you forgot to bring.

Consider working smaller than you usually do. 24 pages is a lot of ground to cover in 24 hours.

Minneapolis version is at MCBA and starts a 9 a.m. Saturday morning. Come a little early to get there before the starting bell.

Spending 24 hours in one place can be difficult. Bring snacks, beverages, personal entertainment/distraction devices, a cushion for sitting, a toothbrush.

Bring snacks for others, if you wish. There'll be a table or two to hold community snack items.

MCBA has a wifi network. It's better than nothing, but there are ever-more computers showing up at the event, and that seems to slow down the wifi.

There are not many outlets. If you are bringing lots of electronic companions, consider bringing a power strip.

Many people finish by the 17-hour mark (2 or 3 in the morning) and go home. That's okay. Many people quit before finishing. That's okay, too.

We're all in the room together, but except for pizza time, it's not really a chit-chatty, loud-music social event. Words of encouragement, however are always welcome.

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