Comic Art Comes Alive!

My daughter and I are co-curating a show of original comic art in a gallery setting. We want to take the viewer "behind the scenes" of the comic book with a display of original comic art. In an act of extreme generosity, several collectors are sharing their original pages of Star Wars, Batman, and other comic books. Local comic creators will also share their work, as well as some kid comics! Our reception should be a blast! It will be more like a "mini-comic con" than a typical reception. We are going to totally nerd it up in an art gallery setting, with artists making sketches, selling comics and costumed heroes cavorting around. 

Reception: July 6:00, 2-4 pm. 

Sketch Dailies

I have been participating in a daily sketch challenge called Sketch Dailies.  Each day around noon they post the topic for the day -- usually a character from literature or pop culture.  Then artists from all over render the character in their own way.  I've taken it as a challenge to try to "Walesify" things I probably wouldn't otherwise darw -- and at the same time learn some things from the research I do into the characters.  Here are some of the things I've created in response to the various challenges. 

Harlequin

Iron Fist

Link

Mario

Shipwreck (G.I.Joe)

Weekend Catch Up

Warlock

Wolverine

Goliath

Peter Parker

Weekend Catch Up

Contraption

How to Be an Artist

Latest comics

Sketchnotes

I have always been one to doodle while taking notes.  As a kid, I was sometimes reprimanded for drawing during class. Admittedly, sometimes my mind was a million miles away. However, at some point, I started using it as a way to stay engaged.  Over the years, I would ask myself, "If I were an illustrator, how would I represent the concepts being discussed?"  It helps me to stay focused and remember what I was listening to while drawing.

I've since learned that there are other who take notes in similar ways -- a whole army of Sketchnoters!  There's a great book and video by designer Mike Rohde who teaches it as a method of taking notes.  For most, the desire for quality of artwork is not as important as thinking of symbols that will help you remember the concept being discussed. 

Whenever I attend a workshop or training, I take the opportunity to practice.  Here are some pages from a workshop I attended today where I learned a lot about the Collins Writing Program, a great new program that helps teachers of all subjects integrate writing across the curriculum.

This is the cover for the next issue of L.I.F.E.W.I.N. or Life is Funny...Except when it's Not!