Posts Tagged: art

104: Megan James – MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast

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The last time you heard from us in the Making Comics Gutter Talk headquarters, it was Halloween and we were having a lively discussion with Stephen Bissette. Well, it’s now Earth Day, six months later, and we’re finally putting out another episode. We know, we missed you all, too. But the hope is we’re now back to at least one episode per month and if more time can be unearthed, we’ll bump things back up to two episodes a month. But all in due time, friends. All in due time. We promise.

As for this episode, Adam sits down for a second recording with artist and creator Megan James. She is the mind and skill behind Innsmouth, a magical story that is part Lovecraft, part Book of Mormon, and has fish people. That’s definitely on you if you don’t find that exciting. Adam and Megan actually spoke late last year but life has a funny way of becoming an obstacle to things and the conversation was shelved. However, Adam made sure when he returned to the scene, Megan had to be the first guest and a new conversation was to be had. The topics in this episode range from figuring how to lay out a page for maximum effect, comedy or otherwise, to finding a ton of usefulness in taking a scriptwriting class.

If you’d like to support us and help keep Making Comics Worldwide going and allow us to do cool things like sending out the Daily Challenge, please go to our Patreon page (click HERE) and join our Patreon community. Support good people, people!

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102: Bizhan Khodabandeh & James Moffitt – MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast

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The world these days is far from easy to understand. Sometimes there’s an answer and sometimes there isn’t. And sometimes, it takes all we have to find a way to even try to comprehend everything. But perhaps that’s where art comes into play. Maybe, just maybe, our sight becomes a little clearer when we break it down into more of an expression than trying to fit a round understanding in a square hole. In the case of The Little Red Fish by Bizhan Khodabandeh and James Moffit, a simple, yet powerful story is told and it’s all inspired by the Iranian revolution in 1979. Nah, that’s not complicated to explain.

In this Making Comics Gutter Talk episode, Adam is joined by Bizhan and James to discuss how this story came about and what makes this story have such an impact. There’s also something to be said about the use of animals as the characters, a la Animal Farm by George Orwell, which is another side of the story Adam and his guests dive into. Following this discussion, Adam and Bizhan are left to their own devices as they discuss another project Bizhan was a part of. It involves violence between civilians and police, and soon the conversation turns to a more personal experience for both Adam and Bizhan. In the end, both host and guest ensure the audience they are far from experts on the subject and only drives home the point that there simply is no easy or right answer to the burning, violent questions we face as humans today. But at least there’s comics!

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Comic Road 2: Scripting Time!

Posted by & filed under GNP, Underdogs.

I’m not going to lie. Scripting is my jam. I’m a writing kinda guy, so excuse me if I get a little resource happy here. But there’s so much stuff to learn about scripts that just giving you guys only a couple of resources might break my heart. So we’ll start at square one.

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100: Cristian Roux – MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast

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One of the great things about attending comic conventions of all sizes is meeting people from all over. Because of its sheer size and international draw, it’s actually pretty hard to not meet someone new from far off places while at San Diego Comic Con. At least far off from where you are. If you want to get all Inception on the topic, you are far off to those people you find far off. But we digress.

In this Making Comics Gutter Talk episode, Adam is joined by Australian artist and creator Cristian Roux, whom he met while peddling a book of poetry at easily one of the largest comic conventions in the world. Cristian was drawn to the table by the amazing work of Ted Washington and began conversations with both Ted and Adam, both of which were equally impressed with Cristian’s work. By the time Cristian left the table, Ted pretty much made up his mind that he was taking Puna Press to Australia for their comic and zine conventions and Adam made up his mind to ensure Cristian was added to the long list of stellar guests on the Gutter Talk podcast.

We also would be remiss in pointing out this episode is our 100th episode. From the bottom of our ink-filled hearts, we want to thank not only the talented guests we’ve had on the podcast and panels over the last two-plus years but we also want to thank you, the listener. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or this is your very first Gutter Talk episode, thank you for being a part of this creative endeavor. We do this for you. The website, the podcast, the Daily Challenge, all of it. A world without art and the knowledge it takes to create art is not a world any of the Making Comics Worldwide staff wants to be a part of. This is why educating the masses is so darn important to us. Thank you for being a part of our world.

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98: Gerhard Ka’aihue – MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast

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Always remember: You are unique… just like everyone else. Ok, but seriously. There really is something to be said about originality, and Adam and his terrific guest, Gerhard Ka’aihue, have a lot to say about being original in this Making Comics Gutter Talk episode. Sure, fan art is great, and even better when its purpose is to help you, the artist, hone in on your skills and voice. Still, should that be marketed as your own? Is it your intellectual property to do what you wish with it? To Gerhard, it can be a very fine line to walk.

Yet when it comes to Gerhard’s work, it’s all original, all the time. From his recent comic “Stella Noir” to his graphic illustrations that are eye-popping and brilliantly composed, Gerhard walks his own line between stunning art and simply being productive for productive sake. And isn’t that what being an artist is about? The ABC of art? Yes, always be creating. Sure, he may have a day job and family responsibilities but Gerhard is quite satisfied with that arrangement. In fact, it’s what he wants. His job as a marketing director still taps into that creative part of the brain so the juices are constantly on flow.

And while you’re listening to this stellar Gutter Talk episode, feel free to take a break from your own work and head over to our Patreon page and support us. But not if you’re driving. Please, if you are behind the wheel at the moment, keep your eyes on the road. Heck, if you’re driving, why are you even reading this?!

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97: Patrick Yurick, Ulises Farinas, & Lucy Bellwood (ComicFuel 3) – MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast

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There is not a place we can turn where current events are not effecting our every day lives. I feel incredibly honored to unveil the first episode of comic fuel to feature Ulises Fariñas and Lucy Bellwood as cohosts. Ulises and I jump right into the questions and geek out on what is important to think about when inking – both digital and traditional. We then go into great depth discussing “style” and how it is actually an incidental occurrence in your art as opposed to a measured goal. Lucy hops in during question three to talk about how to think about drawing background art in your panels.

Ulises and I cap the entire episode off with a very important discussion regarding how race and equity is reflected in the comic industry. In fact, in writing the show notes for that segment, I was delighted to find several amazing articles that dealt specifically with how the comic industry is connecting to these important topics.

This episode also includes some amazing borrow audio clips from Jason Brubaker, Ven. Robina Courtin, and art educator John Spencer. Such an amazing third episode. Easily the hardest I’ve worked on yet. Hopefully I can keep it up!

[Tweet “ComicFuel Episode 3 was awesome!”]

Jump times to go to different parts of the podcast:

  • (00:00) Show Opener
  • (00:43) Introduction to Show
  • (10:10) #ComicFuel Break #1: Not A Delicious Chocolate Cake” by Ven. Robina Courtin
  • (12:40) Question 1: Inking
  • (24:40) #ComicFuel Break #2: “Growing A Tree” by Jason Brubaker
  • (28:17) Question 2 & 3 Style
  • (51:46) Patreon Ad
  • (52:12) Questions 4: Backgrounds
  • (54:58) #ComicFuel Break #3: “Can’t Live Without Art” by John Spencer
  • (1:00:00) Show Closing – Race & Equity in the Comics Industry
  • (01:23:00) How can you, yes you, contribute to the comic fuel cause?
  • (01:26:00) Show Outro

Questions answered in this episode

(jump-to specific question times listed below)

  • Josh: What are some good resources to improve your digital inking? I feel like I know the basics, so beginner books aren’t really teaching me anything new. I’m completely self taught, and would love to learn some subtly with my inks.
  • Maya: How do comic artists deal with improvements in their style while making a comic book? Should a comic artist keep a consistent style? If so, how much should one practice style before starting to make comics?
  • Michael, Poland: What are the elements of style of particular artists if I want to use their style in my own work? I usually think of such elements as: the coloring method used (with computer or water colors), shading, …. but what is it that distinguishes the one from the other? There are general groups of artists (e.g. European, Asian, …) who have similar style – how come they can be grouped – what is the key?
  • Jasmine: How often would you focus on comic backgrounds? Are details like that important?

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Comic Road 1: Starting Your Comic

Posted by & filed under GNP, TalkingComics, Underdogs.

So you want to make a comic? That’s great! In fact, that’s exactly what a class full of students down at Chula Vista High Tech High wanted to do. And after designing an extensive curriculum, Making Comics Worldwide CEO Patrick Yurick, and incredibly handsome Editor-In-Chief Kevin Cullen, decided to bring all of you burgeoning comic creators into the mixture by giving you the opportunity to follow along with the Graphic Novel Project (GNP) students step by step through this blog! (more…)

88: Ian McGinty – MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast

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As we end Year Two for both Making Comics Worldwide and the Gutter Talk podcast, we’re pretty darn excited and grateful for how far we’ve come and where we’re heading. We have a lot of big plans for the future but before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s deal with where we currently are.

In today’s Gutter Talk episode, Adam sits down with artist and creator, Ian McGinty, to discuss everything from creating music in his teens to creating comics in his twenties and beyond, and also how the two can sometimes require the same process. It’s also pretty cool and inspiring to see and hear how far Ian has come since his high school days when he began to take comics seriously. While he explains how this came at the expense of something else, the moral is that sometimes the sacrifice is worth the reward. Ian’s recent bouts of success are proof of that.

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87: Joe Badon – MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast

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It’s not very often you meet someone that makes it difficult to distinguish if you’re talking to yourself or another person all together. However, in this Making Comics Gutter Talk episode with artist and creator Joe Badon, it seems that’s exactly what happened; Adam has met his soul-twin and he’s a damn fine artist. And not only is he an artist in the drawing sense, but Joe is also an artist in the musical sense. Today’s episode opens with a song called “Monster Zero” from Joe’s band The Band That Wouldn’t Die. It’s a bit experimental but we dig it just the same. It’s perfect to draw or write to, if not both.

This episode is yet another strong example of why being around like-minded peers in a community is an important part of not just becoming an artist but being one, as well. There’s always a certain comfort level during the growing process in knowing not only are you not alone but you’re more alike with others than you may have originally thought. Your ideas, concerns, goals, and sometimes even the same dreams. When you meet someone with these things, you know you’re in for a fantastic conversation.

Download this episode and listen in as Adam is joined by Joe to discuss all things comics. And politics. And other random tangents that seem to happen in Gutter Talk podcasts on a regular basis. By this time, though, you should just be used to it, right?

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86: Stephen Bissette – MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast

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It seems the Making Comics Gutter Talk podcast has its first ritual and we couldn’t ask for a better one. You see, last year for Halloween we opened the show with a Vincent Price reading of a classic Edgar Allan Poe tale, which was followed by a fantastic talk with one of the masters in the horror movie and comic genre, Stephen R. Bissette. We had so much fun putting that podcast out that we decided it was imperative this become a regular thing. So we made that happen. You’re welcome.

Last year we opened with Vincent Price masterfully reading Poe’s “The Raven.” This year we have Vincent Price reading Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” While there may be some who can read a Poe story out loud, not many can give it the respect and justice it deserves like Vincent Price.

Following that Adam is joined again by Stephen Bissette to discuss what he’s been up to the last year, and as it turns out, he’s quite the busy guy. In the conversation they discuss what is needed to create a top-notch horror story, whether it’s in the comic form or otherwise. Stephen brought up what it was like to work with the amazing Alan Moore and how he crafted scripts for artists to work with. Needless to say, mind = blown.

So put your scary mask on and download this episode with Stephen Bissette. When you’re done listening, the amount of tricks and treats in your arsenal will be all the candy you’ll need. You know, until next Halloween when we get to do this again.

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