Mpls. 24-Hour Comic Day

Victor Courtright

2011-10-10T00:04:00.002-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Victor working on his comic.

Oct. 1, 2011. 10 a.m.-ish.

victoranimation.com

Rob Stenzinger

2011-10-10T00:00:00.001-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Rob working on his comic.

Oct. 1, 2011. 10 a.m.-ish.

robstenzinger.com

Robert Algeo

2011-10-09T23:56:00.000-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Robert working on his comic.

Oct. 1, 2011. 10 a.m.-ish.

inabsentiapress.com

Michelle Silva

2011-10-09T23:52:00.001-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Michelle working on her comic.

Oct. 1, 2011. 10 a.m.-ish.

Latham Luepke

2011-10-07T14:24:00.005-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Lantham working on his comic.

Oct. 1, 2011. 10 a.m.-ish.

bearskunk.com

Nick Straight

2011-10-07T14:19:00.003-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Nick working on his comic.

Oct. 1, 2011. 10 a.m.-ish.

nicholasstraight.blogspot.com

Todd Balthazor

2011-10-07T14:17:00.002-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Todd working on his comic.

Oct. 1, 2011. 10 a.m.-ish.

toddbalthazor.com

Ryan Dow

2011-10-07T14:15:00.004-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Ryan stopped by to draw for a couple hours. He's done 24-hour Comic Day lots of times in the past.

Oct. 1, 2011. 10 a.m.-ish.

ryandow.com

Peter Wartman

2011-10-07T14:12:00.003-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Peter is finishing up his first page.

Oct. 1, 2011. 10 a.m.-ish.

wartfolio.com

Earl Luckes

2011-10-07T13:58:00.004-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Earl with his model for this year's comic. (Note Earl is wearing a Kevin Cannon 24-hour Comic Day 2008 t-shirt.)

Oct. 1, 2011. 10 a.m.-ish.

Phil Howe

2011-10-06T14:56:00.003-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Phil working on his comic.

Oct. 1. 9:56 a.m.

Carlito Quinones

2011-10-06T14:54:00.000-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Carlito working on his comic.

Oct. 1. 9:54 a.m.

Salina Travino

2011-10-06T14:51:00.004-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Salina working on her comic.

Oct. 1. 9:46 a.m.

yourprofolio.com/salinatrevino

David Witt

2011-10-06T14:48:00.002-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

David working on his comic.

Oct. 1. 9:27 a.m.

dwitt.com

Lisa-Marie Greenly

2011-10-06T14:43:00.004-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Lisa-Marie working on her comic.

Oct. 1. 9:24 a.m.

Daniel J. Olson

2011-10-06T14:36:00.005-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participant.

Dan Olson starts work on his eighth in a series of fifty 24-hour comic adventures of Bret Blackberg, "Evidently in Oregon."

Oct. 1. 9:01 a.m.

bewilderedkid.com

Maxeem Konrardy and Steve Stwalley

2011-10-06T14:28:00.007-05:00

Twitter photo. Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day participants.

Max and Steve at the check-in table.

Oct. 1. 8:48 a.m.

maxeem.com
soapythechicken.com

The wrap-up

2011-10-02T22:48:00.004-05:00

Kevin Cannon -- not pictured -- brought coffee and pastries for the cartoonists still going at 7:30 a.m. at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts.

Shortly after this picture was taken, everyone went home. And another 24-hour Comic Day is history.

Congratulations to all participants! Links to finished -- and unfinished -- 24-hour Comic Day comics will be posted here and on Twitter.

Click for larger.

Mpls. 24-hour Comics Day, 2 p.m.

2011-10-01T15:47:00.003-05:00

The Minneapolis 24-hour Comic Day group at Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Photo taken at 2 p.m. -- about five hours in.

Click for larger.

Sign up!

2011-09-28T10:53:00.002-05:00

Have you signed up for this year's Mpls. 24-hour Comic Day event?

Sign up on the Facebook event page.

Or send an email to 24hourcomicday@gmail.com.

Executive summary

2011-09-28T10:43:00.002-05:00

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.

Kevin Cannon's Tips for Surviving Twenty-Four Hour Comic Day

2011-09-18T13:49:00.001-05:00

You wanna finish your 24 pages? Read this. Kevin Cannon's very sensible production suggestions.

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
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 the 24-hour comic day 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.

And a relevant question from last year's blog posting:

diana green said...

A question for Zen Master Cannon:
I did this last year at MCAD, but only finished 11 pages in 14 hours. This is partially because I was a wuss, and partially because I was working full size on 11 x 17 Bristol.
What size do folks usually work on the Challenge? Does it matter?
Sep 20, 2009 6:10:00 PM

kevin said...

Diana -- People work at all sizes (I've seen quarter-page size all the way up to huge sheets of bristol). But more often than not, the large sheets end up being a burden, or at least result in small page counts. I HIGHLY recommend working small, like half-page size. Try a page or two at home and see what you can comfortably finish in 50 minutes. --Kevin
Sep 20, 2009 9:34:00 PM

Facebook event page for 2011

2011-09-09T11:08:00.001-05:00

Add your name to the attendees on the Mpls 24-hour Comic Day page on Facebook.

Poster/logo design for Mpls. 24-hour Comic Day

2011-09-08T21:25:00.002-05:00

Carlos Merino has designed the logo for this year's 24-hour Comic Day. Carlos has captured the unstoppable, inevitable passing of time that all 24-hour Comic Day participants at -- oh, say 2:30 a.m.

Saturday, Oct. 1 - Sunday, Oct. 2

2011-08-02T23:16:00.002-05:00

The dates for 2011's 24-hour Comics Day have been announced. The Minneapolis event will be -- as it has been in the past -- at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts.

Hope to see you all there!

Check back for details.

Vas Littlecrow's 24-hour Comic Day comic

2010-12-05T13:47:00.003-06:00

Vas Littlecrow has posted her 24-hour Comic Day comic on her website.

Arianna Fahrenkamp's 24-hour Comic Day Comic

2010-12-05T13:21:00.004-06:00

Arianna Fahrenkamp's 24 hour comic is posted on her deviantart site.

Carlos Merino's 24-hour Comic Day comic

2010-11-15T14:07:00.003-06:00

Carlos Merino has posted his 24-hour comic on his blog at cuacomekiki.blogspot.com

Danno Klonowski's 24-hour Comic Day comic

2010-11-01T11:55:00.002-05:00

Danno has started posting his 24-hour comic, "Arnold the Super Cardinal," on his website staplegenius.com. Plus, it's IN COLOR.

James Powell's 24-hour Comic Day comic

2010-10-18T16:05:00.002-05:00

James Powell has posted his 24-hour comic at jamespowellart.blogspot.com.

David Tiegen's 24-hour Comic Day comic

2010-10-18T16:02:00.004-05:00

David Tiegen has posted a PDF of his 24-hour comic at davidtiegen.wordpress.com.

J. Babb's 24-hour Comic Day comic

2010-10-18T15:53:00.003-05:00

Justin Babb posted his 24-hour comic on his site, jbabb.wordpress.com.

Send your art to the 24-hour Comics Day mothership

2010-10-06T10:50:00.002-05:00

This notice is from the Official 24-hour Comics Day blog:

24HCD Participants: if you COMPLETED all 24 pages in 24 hours and your venue isn't sending in a copy of your comic to the main 24-Hour Comics Day collection (not all venues do) [Please note: Mpls. 24-hour Comic Day does not send in your artwork], please send in a copy of your completed comic!

You can use the form on this web page marked "Cover Letter to Submit Your Comics to the Official 24-Hour Comics Day Collection." Mail that cover letter, along with a copy of your completed 24-page comic to the address on the form.

Thank you!

Joe Combs' 24-hour Comic Day comic

2010-10-05T10:50:00.003-05:00

Joe Combs will be posting his 24-hour comic on his web site, rustythewonderdog.com. He'll be posting new bits on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so check back. Congratulations, Joe!

Send your links!

2010-10-04T14:03:00.007-05:00

Hey, Mpls. 24-hour Comic Day participants! Did you finish? (Or not.) If you've posted your 24-hour Comic Day work online, please let us know -- we'll link to your work here, on the Facebook event page and on Twitter.

Rob Stenzinger's 24-hour Comic Day comic

2010-10-04T13:42:00.002-05:00

A link to Rob Stenzinger's 24-hour comic. Rob was drawing right on his computer screen. Isn't it great to be living in the future? Congratulations, Rob!

Dan Olson's 24-hour Comic Day comic

2010-10-04T13:16:00.002-05:00

Here's a link the page where you can download Dan Olson's 24-hour comic. This is his third state-based storyline. He hints that he may do all 50 states. Yikes! Congratulations, Dan!

Ryan Dow's 24-hour Comic Day comic

2010-10-04T13:11:00.002-05:00

Here's a link to Ryan Dow's 24-hour comic. Excellent as ever. Ryan was also the first to complete 24 pages. As ever. Congratulations, Ryan!

Some nice photos

2010-10-04T13:01:00.003-05:00

Athena Currier has posted a set of nice photos of the event over on Facebook, starting on this page. Including this one of James Powell.

24-hour Comic Day -- the 24th hour

2010-10-03T10:13:00.003-05:00

Those who were there at the end.

Thanks to Minnesota Center for Book Arts for hosting this year's event!

Back in the FlexiSpace

2010-10-03T10:08:00.002-05:00

Everyone is now out of the Bindery and back into the FlexiSpace room. (There is a Sunday morning class in the Bindery -- hey, MCBA is a busy place.)

8:30 a.m. -- hour and a half to go

2010-10-03T08:43:00.002-05:00

Away from the crowd

2010-10-03T05:28:00.001-05:00

Tone Redmon's desk. What it lacks in light it makes up for in peace and quiet.

The time is right for the Old Codger

2010-10-03T04:13:00.003-05:00

Night time is the right time for podcasts from WFMU's Old Codger. The Codger plays 78 RPM records -- like they're going out of style! Sophie Tucker is The Codger's favorite singing group. The Codger has shoes older than you.

2 o'clock photos

2010-10-03T04:00:00.005-05:00

Some photos from Sarah Morean.

She says, "Not representative of the whole group. Good luck for the next . . . seven hours! That's when I'll be sleeping."

Chris Lyons (why wasn't he in any of the group shots?) and Justin Babb.

Arianna Fahrenkamp, Marina Harkness and Salina Tervino.

Table of the Dans. Klonowski, Olson and Murphy.

Carlos Merino.

24-hour Cartoonists Rock Band

2010-10-03T01:11:00.004-05:00

At Grumpy's. Bud, Dan, Britt and Danno rock the Pixies' "I Bleed."

Computer helpers

2010-10-03T00:22:00.004-05:00

There are a lot of computers here today. Many used as research tools. Some for music machines. Some for drawing tablets. Useful little guys.

Pizza from Sarpino's Pizzaria

2010-10-03T00:10:00.002-05:00

10 p.m. is the 12-hour mark. And time for some delicious pizza. Piping hot from Sarpino's right across the street.

White Castle

2010-10-03T00:07:00.003-05:00

Chris Budel stopped by with a box of White Castle cheeseburgers. There were groans of disgust. All of the cheeseburgers were eaten, however. Yummy.

Half way. The group at 10 p.m.

2010-10-02T23:17:00.002-05:00

Photo by Sarah Morean. Click for bigger.

Into the bindery

2010-10-02T20:02:00.002-05:00

The class that was in the bindery ended at 5 or so. So when they were gone, the cartoonists moved in. Nice!

Snacking at the snack table

2010-10-02T19:57:00.003-05:00

Danno, Carlos, Justin, Ryan, Jesse and Joe at the trough.

Six hours in. Tabletops.

2010-10-02T16:44:00.004-05:00

Peeking in on the eleven tables. (Click for bigger.)

Wet Paint in-event store

2010-10-02T13:54:00.003-05:00

Thanks, guys! Wet Paint's Steve Robbins and Tim Jennen talk materials with James Powell.

Snack table

2010-10-02T13:51:00.001-05:00

A lot of the snacks are still unopened. That will change.

The group -- 2 hours in

2010-10-02T11:16:00.004-05:00

It's a beautiful, sunny day today. We're inside drawing comics. (Click for bigger.)

Go!

2010-10-02T10:26:00.002-05:00

Signing in.

Settling in.

Location, location, location

2010-10-01T10:39:00.003-05:00

(Click for bigger.)

And, here's a link to the map and parking page for Minnesota Center for Book Arts.

The deal with starting at 10 a.m.

2010-10-01T10:09:00.002-05:00

Here we go--only about 24 hours until 24 Hour Comic Day! Some things you should know when you arrive at the MN CENTER FOR BOOK ARTS tomorrow.

1) WHERE IT'S AT!!! We do the event in the rooms that are located just past the gallery and book arts store (the "Bindery" area).

2) THE EVENT STARTS--STARTS!--AT 10am!!! Barring incident or podcast recording, please plan to be there BEFORE 10am--every minute counts! This way you can be set-up and ready at Go-Time (we also do a group photo at 10).

3) WAIVERS AND NAME TAGS!!! It appears there will be 50 or so people participating this year (AWESOME!), so when you arrive there will be a "HELLO, MY NAME IS:" sticker to affix to yourself, as well as an official 24 HOUR DAY WAIVER that must be filled out and handed into myself (DANNO--name tags!) or DAVID STEINLICHT before you begin.

4) THE PIZZA FUND!!! When you hand in the waiver you can also turn in your $3 for the pizza fund. Pizza will arrive at 10PM--the half-way point.

5) DON'T FORGET THE SNACK BUFFET!!! Please bring something to share (note: your snack does NOT need to be able to feed all 50 people. There are ALWAYS left-overs the next day).

And . . . I think that's it! Please review the other "DEAL WITH..." posts to familiarize yourself with parking, art supplies, and twitter

The Deal with Food

2010-09-27T17:08:00.005-05:00

PIZZA:
SARPINOS PIZZA is the official pizza "sponsor" this year. They are giving us a sweet "BUY ONE GET ONE FREE" deal. So if you want to take part in some warm 'za at 10pm(the halfway point) please bring $3.00 for the PIZZA FUND.

SNACK BUFFET:
Please bring a snack or beverage of either healthy or junk-filled quality to share.

OPEN BOOK COFFEE SHOP:
There is a coffee shop (which also sells sandwiches, cookies, etc) open during business hours both Saturday and Sunday.

OTHER:
There are several nearish places to get food/snacks/etc. Like GRUMPYS or the gas station or that sushi place.

The Deal With Art Supplies

2010-09-27T17:00:00.001-05:00

While it is always a good idea to START promptly at 10am with art supplies and paper on-hand, our good friends at WET PAINT will be at 24hcd from about 11-1pm to sell you any last-minute goodies you may need (paper, brushes, refills, ets).

WET PAINT will also have some FREEBIES on hand for all participants.

So bring some extra cash and support the best art store in town who supports you right back!

The Deal with Twitter

2010-09-27T16:37:00.007-05:00

While usual blogger DAVID STEINLICHT will be taking some group phots through-out the 24 hours, he'd also like to do a digital 24 Hour Comic this year. With that in mind:

LET'S ALL TWEET!!!

Please share your musings and pictures with a #mpls24hcd hast-tag, and follow the offical account http://twitter.com/24HourComicDay

The Deal with Parking

2010-09-27T16:25:00.004-05:00

If it can be avoided you SHOULD NOT DRIVE to 24 Hour Comic Day. But I know, sometimes it's unavoidable. The MN CENTER FOR BOOK ARTS does have a FREE LOT, but with over 50 people signed up and everything else that goes on at MNCBA on any given Saturday, space will fill up fast.
There are ramps and such around, but the best deal is the block behind Book Arts--3rd St S--where meters are only 25 cents an hour!
So if you get stuck with that--sorry, but you can always move your car back to Book Arts later (and especially move it there overnight).

Snacks -- and real food

2010-09-27T12:28:00.002-05:00

Think about what kind of food you want to snack on.

There are restaurants near the Minnesota Center for Book Arts -- there's a nice coffee shop with soups and sandwiches in the building -- so probably don't bring actual meals.

But then again, you will be awake most of the night, and you may want a nibble at a time when the restaurants are closed.

There will be a donated snack area where you can share snacks with other cartoonists. Maybe think about bringing something for that, too.

2010-09-21T12:07:00.003-05:00

We're thinking the electronic coverage of this year's event will include Twitter.

The account is set up now and there are a few tweets already at http://twitter.com/24HourComicDay, but the real fun will be during the event itself. Mpls. 24-hour Comic Day participants will be encouraged to tweet with abandon.

Wet Paint in-event store suggestions

2010-09-21T12:00:00.002-05:00

What would you want the Wet Paint in-event store to sell? What have you bought from the Wet Paint store at previous Mpls. 24-hour Comic Day events? Please reply in comments. Thanks!

Attending as of Sept. 16

2010-09-16T10:56:00.002-05:00

From the Mpls. 24-hour Comic Day Facebook page, here's a list of who's clicked the "Will Attend" button.

Click image for bigger.

Kevin Cannon's Tips for Surviving Twenty-Four Hour Comic Day

2010-09-02T12:35:00.003-05:00

Good advice never goes out of style. Here again are Kevin Cannon's very sensible production suggestions. You wanna finish your 24 pages? Read this.

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
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 the 24-hour comic day 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.

And a relevant question from last year's blog posting:

diana green said...

A question for Zen Master Cannon:
I did this last year at MCAD, but only finished 11 pages in 14 hours. This is partially because I was a wuss, and partially because I was working full size on 11 x 17 Bristol.
What size do folks usually work on the Challenge? Does it matter?
Sep 20, 2009 6:10:00 PM

kevin said...

Diana -- People work at all sizes (I've seen quarter-page size all the way up to huge sheets of bristol). But more often than not, the large sheets end up being a burden, or at least result in small page counts. I HIGHLY recommend working small, like half-page size. Try a page or two at home and see what you can comfortably finish in 50 minutes. --Kevin
Sep 20, 2009 9:34:00 PM

2010 Mpls. 24-Hour Comic Day location

2010-08-25T10:20:00.004-05:00

This year's Minneapolis 24-Hour Comic Day will be held at Minnesota Center for Book Arts on Washington Avenue near the Humphrey Metrodome. It's right down the street from Big Brain Comics, Grumpy's Bar and the Guthrie Theater.

The event will be at MCBA from 10 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday-Sunday, October 2-3. Sign-up on our Facebook page, or by contacting us at 24hourcomicday@gmail.com

Date for 2010 24-hour Comic Day: Oct. 2

2010-05-03T23:16:00.002-05:00

The official website of 24-hour Comics Day says they've picked a day.

Documentary on this year's event

2009-10-13T17:46:00.005-05:00

Sarah Morean did a documentary about this year's Minneapolis 24-hour comic day event. The 13-minute movie is posted over at the Daily Cross Hatch. It features a nice overview of the 24-hour comic day phenomenon -- along with interviews of Brett Von Schlosser, Abby Lehrke, Tim Sievert, Danno Klonoski, Jesse Gillespie, Carlos Merino and Zachary Garrett.

Zachary Garrett's 24-hour comic

2009-10-12T10:05:00.004-05:00

Zachary Garrett has posted his 24-hour comic on his Web site, zacharygarrett.com. The comic took 26 hours and it's 20 pages, but it's still a noble effort. Check it out!

Jesse Gillespie's 24-hour comic

2009-10-06T17:43:00.002-05:00

Jesse Gillespie has posted his 24-hour comic, "A Forest of Teeth" on his Web site, tetheredhawk.wordpress.com.

David Steinlicht's 24-hour comic

2009-10-06T14:26:00.002-05:00

David Steinlicht has posted his 24-hour comic over at allsmall.net.

Daniel Olson's 24-hour comic is posted

2009-10-05T19:55:00.004-05:00

On his bewilderedkid.com Web site, Daniel Olson has posted his 24-hour comic, "Meanwhile in Wyoming." It's a continuation of his last year's 24-hour comic, "Somewhere in Montana"!

Zander Cannon's 2009 12-Hour Comic

2009-10-05T10:58:00.004-05:00

And a link to our blog for a bit of explanation

Finished 24-hour comics online

2009-10-05T10:53:00.004-05:00

We will post links to finished 24-hour comics here as they show up online.

First up: Ryan Dow's story of those lovable canines, Brownie Dog and Little Pepper is posted at ryandow.com.

And Danno is posting his story of groceries -- and revenge a page at a time at staplegenious.com.

The end

2009-10-04T11:49:00.002-05:00

Danno (organizer of this year's Minneapolis 24-hour comic day) reluctantly leaves the Minnesota Center for Book Arts parking lot -- his work is finished here. Godspeed, mighty warrior. Photo by Sarah Morean.

The group, 10 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 4

2009-10-04T11:36:00.005-05:00

Sarah Morean stopped by at 10 a.m. to snap a photo of the people still here at the end of Minneapolis' 24-hour comic day.

The group on Saturday at 10 p.m.

The group on Saturday at 11 a.m.

2009-10-04T02:13:00.001-05:00

2009-10-04T02:11:00.001-05:00

Zander done with 12 hour comic!

2009-10-04T02:10:00.001-05:00

Stwalley gone!

2009-10-04T02:07:00.001-05:00

Cocktail Hour

2009-10-04T01:13:00.002-05:00

Lupi here. I got here late but I've already gone through productivity, hyperactivity, braindeadedness, and giddiness. Now I'm ushering a phase of renewed productivity sponsored by pomegranate juice, tonic water, and vodka. I've been here 11 hours, and I'm on page 16.

Hour after hour

2009-10-04T01:09:00.002-05:00

Finished pencils relatively early, but inking is moving slowly (in part because the pencils were so quick.) Putting aside time allotment for procrastination.

Alex F.

Pizza Luce delivers

2009-10-04T01:05:00.002-05:00

1:00 a.m. Delicious. Thank you, Pizza Luce.

2009-10-04T00:19:00.003-05:00

Danno here...

All pencilled, lettered, and given the once over with a Micron...time for brush pen and brusk/ink bottle.
PIZZA LUCE is on the way...THE OLD CODGER is on the ipod...some of us will swing by GRUMPYS for last call in an hour or so...life is good.

2009-10-03T23:24:00.001-05:00

The group, Saturday 10 p.m.

2009-10-03T21:57:00.002-05:00

Click for bigger.

Steve's here!

2009-10-03T21:40:00.001-05:00

Homage to Kevin Cannon

2009-10-03T21:39:00.001-05:00

A lesser known K.C. trope, the Whaaaaa? reaction is a great favorite of mine.
Zander

All done

2009-10-03T21:33:00.003-05:00

Just finished my comic up. It is insane and shoddy, but it is done. I'm tired and giddy. If you're wondering why I finished so early, it's because I used half-sized paper rather than full-sized. Maybe I'll try full-sized next year. Anyway, I'm tempted to stay for pizza, but I think I'll head home.

R.D.

Diana G. here

2009-10-03T20:04:00.002-05:00

There are two Dianas so it's important to specify.
I started off with a talking cigarette lighter trying to pick up a duck. By page 14, a large man has just snapped a kitchen knife in half with his bare hands. It will make sense by page 24.
Back to page 15!

2009-10-03T19:35:00.000-05:00

Danno here...

I am currently both inking and drinking.
...Disaster to follow...

Saturday, 7 p.m.

2009-10-03T19:16:00.002-05:00

the worst part of comic making

2009-10-03T16:57:00.001-05:00

actually, there is no worst part. my fingers ache and my back hurts. it's a thrill

Hour 6 portraits

2009-10-03T16:12:00.001-05:00

Page 2 by Zander

2009-10-03T16:09:00.001-05:00

Hour Six - One Fourth of the way through!

2009-10-03T14:56:00.007-05:00

Hey all, this is Dan Olson (not Danno Klonowski or Dan Murphy). Just checking in with all of you out there that MAY be reading this blog. I know I talked about it enough on Facebook over the last couple of days.

So, far with only six hours in I'm done pencilling and writing the 24 pages. I'm working on inking and lettering pages three and four. I went about doing the whole project a bit different this year. First, I'm writing and penciling everything up front. This should prevent writers block and not being able to figure out layouts in the wee hours of the morning. I'm working smaller, which is a time saver. I'm working at 5.5 x 8.5, which is what the printed comic will be. Also, I'm working on graph paper, which means I don't need to deal with a ruler. The graph paper is 11 x 17, so i am doing two pages per sheet. I know that I could do four per page, but I just feel like being wasteful, OKAY?

If all goes well, I should be done around 3 or 4 AM. However that is a pipe dream. In reality I will probably be done somewhere around 6 or 7 AM.

Anyway, I'm starting to bore myself and probably you as well. I'm going to get back to the comic now. I'll check in later to tell you how things are going.

2009-10-03T14:31:00.002-05:00

So it's almost to the start of the 6th hour. So we *should* have 5 pages done. I think. Is that right? I'm not good at math.

But anyway. It's about now where your body starts letting you know it would rather do something else for a while. Your ears ache from headphones, your butt aches from the chairs, your head hurts from thinking and worrying and making and all that. And then you realize how much you are already kind of sore and you think, 'Oh god. I still have 19 more hours.' (again, the math may be wrong there.)

But it's all good, we are still rolling. See you at the end.

-Ilon

Mpls. 24-Hour Comic Day

Victor Courtright

Rob Stenzinger

Robert Algeo

Michelle Silva

Latham Luepke

Nick Straight

Todd Balthazor

Ryan Dow

Peter Wartman

Earl Luckes

Phil Howe

Carlito Quinones

Salina Travino

David Witt

Lisa-Marie Greenly

Daniel J. Olson

Maxeem Konrardy and Steve Stwalley

The wrap-up

Mpls. 24-hour Comics Day, 2 p.m.

Sign up!

Executive summary

Kevin Cannon's Tips for Surviving Twenty-Four Hour Comic Day

Facebook event page for 2011

Poster/logo design for Mpls. 24-hour Comic Day

Saturday, Oct. 1 - Sunday, Oct. 2

Vas Littlecrow's 24-hour Comic Day comic

Arianna Fahrenkamp's 24-hour Comic Day Comic

Carlos Merino's 24-hour Comic Day comic

Danno Klonowski's 24-hour Comic Day comic

James Powell's 24-hour Comic Day comic

David Tiegen's 24-hour Comic Day comic

J. Babb's 24-hour Comic Day comic

Send your art to the 24-hour Comics Day mothership

Joe Combs' 24-hour Comic Day comic

Send your links!

Rob Stenzinger's 24-hour Comic Day comic

Dan Olson's 24-hour Comic Day comic

Ryan Dow's 24-hour Comic Day comic

Some nice photos

24-hour Comic Day -- the 24th hour

Back in the FlexiSpace

8:30 a.m. -- hour and a half to go

Away from the crowd

The time is right for the Old Codger

2 o'clock photos

24-hour Cartoonists Rock Band

Computer helpers

Pizza from Sarpino's Pizzaria

White Castle

Half way. The group at 10 p.m.

Into the bindery

Snacking at the snack table

Six hours in. Tabletops.

Wet Paint in-event store

Snack table

The group -- 2 hours in

Go!

Location, location, location

The deal with starting at 10 a.m.

The Deal with Food

The Deal With Art Supplies

The Deal with Twitter

The Deal with Parking

Snacks -- and real food

Tweet

Wet Paint in-event store suggestions

Attending as of Sept. 16

Kevin Cannon's Tips for Surviving Twenty-Four Hour Comic Day

2010 Mpls. 24-Hour Comic Day location

Date for 2010 24-hour Comic Day: Oct. 2

Documentary on this year's event

Zachary Garrett's 24-hour comic

Jesse Gillespie's 24-hour comic

David Steinlicht's 24-hour comic

Daniel Olson's 24-hour comic is posted

Zander Cannon's 2009 12-Hour Comic

Finished 24-hour comics online

The end

The group, 10 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 4