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Comics Are Great! 45 – Balancing Act

Making comics is a time-consuming and challenging endeavor, especially when you try to balance your personal life, paying gigs, and passion projects. I’m joined by Skottie Young and Katie Cook for a discussion on the lifestyle of a working cartoonist and strategies to stay on top of one’s career, finding time for personal projects, all while still being present for friends and family.

We’re joined at the end by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library for some final thoughts and book recommendations.

Links mentioned in this episode (thanks to Eric Klooster for collecting them!):

Comics and book recommendations:

Upcoming events:

Here’s the video from this episode’s live stream (audio player at the bottom of this post):

Live streams every other Wednesday at Comicsaregreat.tv!

Audio hosting provided by Ka-Blam Digital Printing. This episode was recorded live at the Ann Arbor District Library.

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Podcasts

Comics Are Great! 45 – Balancing Act Comics Are Great! 45 – Balancing Act

Making comics is a time-consuming and challenging endeavor, especially when you try to balance your personal life, paying gigs, and passion projects. I’m joined by Skottie Young and Katie Cook for a discussion on the lifestyle of a working cartoonist and strategies to stay on top of one’s career, finding time for personal projects, all while still being present for friends and family. We’re joined at the... [More]

Thunder Punch Daily 145 – Thumbs of Terror Thunder Punch Daily 145 – Thumbs of Terror

But when I start?I’m a beginner who knows nothing.Which, come to think of it, is a very good thing.⁰ — J.M. DeMatteis (@JMDeMatteis) January 24, 2012 Today I share some of my experiences in thumbnailing the new Front story I hope to start updating on Sugary Serials in February. I borrow some wisdom from J.M. DeMatteis to help make my points more lucid, but the big idea is that there’s no escape from the terror... [More]

Comics Are Great! 44 – Great Comics Comics Are Great! 44 – Great Comics

We’re back with a new “season” of Comics Are Great! recorded live out of the Ann Arbor District Library Netcast Studio! And to kick it off, we’re starting with a discussion of the wild and varied landscape of comics by talking about some of our favorite books. Whatever your tastes, there’s a comic out there just waiting for you to fall in love with it. I’m joined by Stephanie Mannheim, Gale... [More]

Thunder Punch Daily 144 – Back on Track Thunder Punch Daily 144 – Back on Track

In this extra-sized episode of Thunder Punch Daily I catch up on where I’ve been, how I’ve been playing Don’t Tip the Waiter for the last month, how I’ve tried to fix that with the help of David Seah, and a few new thoughts on using Tumblr and Posterous as a part of your balanced comics publishing. Links mentioned in this episode: David Seah’s Emergent Task Planner Rob Stenzinger Lean Into Art... [More]

Comics Are Great! 43 – Let’s Fight! Comics Are Great! 43 – Let’s Fight!

It’s a special unscheduled Comics Are Great! discussion with Ryan Estrada, who just happened to be in town during the winter break. He sat down with me for a talk on the various kinds of drama that pop up in comics circles and together we explore why it is that we’re sometimes so eager to pick a fight online. Is there a time and place for arguing with peers or readers, or is it an opportunity to turn them into... [More]

Comics Are Great! 42 – My Life in France Comics Are Great! 42 – My Life in France

As we close out the 2011 season of shows, I’m thrilled to have Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier on to talk about their recent experience at the Quai des Bulles Saint Malo Comics Festival. While watching some video and slideshows from their trip, Raina shares her reflections on how tabling at a French comics festival differs from ones in the United States, and Dave shares his observations about how the festival felt different... [More]

Comics Are Great! 41 – Digital Painting Comics Are Great! 41 – Digital Painting

After a failed attempt at some digital painting, I enlisted the help of Brandon Dayton, celebrated cartoonist behind Green Monk and concept designer for EA Games, for a discussion and demonstration on how to paint with pixels. Lots of great material in the video this time as Brandon shares some terrific tips and tricks! We’re later joined by Eli Neiburger of the Ann Arbor District Library for a discussion on micropayment... [More]

Comics Are Great! 40 – Jim Henson Was Complicated Comics Are Great! 40 – Jim Henson Was Complicated

WARNING: If you wish to avoid spoilers or opinions on The Muppets movie, I suggest that you save this episode until after you’ve seen the film. In this special audio-only episode of Comics Are Great! I’m joined by Dave Roman for a talk about the new Muppets film. We discuss some of the unique storytelling tricks used in the film, revisit some of our thoughts on the Mary Sue character (which we first broached in... [More]

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Workshops and Events

Family Comic Jam! Family Comic Jam!

I’m very excited to announce that I’ll be leading a comics workshop for the whole family at the University of Michigan Museum of Art 1-4 pm on January 28! In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how a cartoonist uses shape, size and line to write with images. Then each family will divide up into a team consisting of a writer, artist, and letterer, switching between jobs with every page. The result is an... [More]

Online Comics Workshops Online Comics Workshops

I’m excited to announce that the Lean Into Art workshops store is open! Rob Stenzinger and I have put together 18 different bundles of workshop videos to choose from, ranging from classes on making mini-comics, storytelling theory, illustration, Photoshop and Illustrator tutorials, and even workshops on UI Design and developing videogames from your comic. There’s nearly 40 hours of instructional material to choose... [More]

FTAM! Creating Sound in Comics workshop FTAM! Creating Sound in Comics workshop

I’m really excited to announce that registration is open for my new online workshop on creating sound elements in Adobe Illustrator! In this multi-session course (which amounts to 6 hours of programming) you’ll learn how I choose my fonts, design my word balloons from scratch, design sound elements such as sound effects, and integrate them all into my comics pages. A good sense of sound design is just as important... [More]

The Download! The Download!

Attention learning enthusiasts! From 11:00 am to 3:30 pm on Friday, November 18, 2011, you can check out a bunch of free workshops at the TorranceLearning Download in Chelsea, MI. I went last year and it was a really fun and informal event with lots of great info for anyone who is interested in learning more about how technology and visual communication is being used in educational situations. Looking forward to this year’s... [More]

Make the Comics! Make the Comics!

I’m thrilled to announce a new public event for cartoonists in the Ann Arbor Area! On December 8, 2011 from 5-8 pm Roos Roast Coffee Works will be hosting as many cartoonists as they can fit into their new space for a caffeinated drink-and-draw! If we can get enough cartoonists to turn out for this, I’d love to make it a monthly event. Updates about the event will be updated in this site’s category, and I’m... [More]

Youth and Teen Graphic Novel Academy! Youth and Teen Graphic Novel Academy!

Registration is now open for the winter session of my Youth and Teen Graphic Novel Academy workshop series at the Ann Arbor Art Center! In this 8-week course, we’ll explore a soup-to-nuts approach to creating a graphic novel. We’ll study character design, world building, theme development, composition, and other various storytelling principles in comics. Sprinkled throughout the series are a bunch of mini-lessons... [More]

AADL Comic Artists Forum November 6! AADL Comic Artists Forum November 6!

The Ann Arbor Comic Artists Forum is back to its monthly schedule, and the next session is at 1:00 pm November 6, 2011! These free sessions are an opportunity to connect with fellow cartoonists in the area, share what you’ve been working on, and get treated to a presentation by a special guest cartoonist. It’s a terrific event with an open, positive atmosphere. Whatever your level of experience, as long as you... [More]

Photoshop Elements Online Workshop Photoshop Elements Online Workshop

On December 5, 2011 at 6 pm ET I’ll be leading an online edition of my Coloring in Adobe Photoshop Elements workshop! In this course you’ll follow along as I share the techniques I use to color my comics, followed by a chance for you to get your hands dirty coloring your own images (or a provided sample). And the good news is you don’t have to use the full Adobe Design Suite to get started. I’ll be... [More]

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