I'm as shocked as most other Watterson fans, but the creator of Calvin & Hobbes has sat down for a few questions for what appears to be his third interview. Yes, only two others exist.

It shocks me that someone as intelligent and exponentially popular as Mr. Watterson could have pushed interviews back. He simply defined the funny pages for me as a kid, and as an adult his works resonates with the best sequential art has to offer. I'd love to hear his thoughts on art, story, life...if only he cared to share. But he retired early for a reason. Today he paints and studies the masters. It sounds from the random questions that he has gotten more cynical about life, and how he chose to portray the optimistic Calvin.

A few important bits fall out of the full interview that my greedy artist side couldn't overlook.

My biggest complaint with comics today is their demand to tied to current news or technology. While I think these jokes are funny, they don't last. Watch an episode of "Family Guy" with your kids and see their blank expressions. Then pull out some "I Love Lucy" and see which scores higher. Watterson agrees, and purposely tied Calvin and Hobbes to more timeless adventures.

He thinks newspaper comics suck now. He doesn't flat out say it, but it is clear. I think we can all agree he is right. He even feels this whole internet comic thing will take over (though it is mighty clear he hasn't the slightest about internet comics).

Watterson prefers inks to pencils. I absolutely love this but I'll save the juicy quote for you to read yourself!

Under normal circumstances I'd link to the article, but since this appears to be a press release I'm posting the whole damn thing. Enjoy!


Fans From Around the World Interview Bill Watterson

Mark Mulvey • Port Murray, NJ

Q: Are the adventures of Calvin and Hobbes similar to your own childhood, or is the strip a way for you to create stories you never experienced as a kid?

A: I'd say the fictional and nonfictional aspects were pretty densely interwoven. While Calvin definitely reflects certain aspects of my personality, I never had imaginary animal friends, I generally stayed out of trouble, I did fairly well in school, etc., so the strip is not literally autobiographical. Often I used the strip to talk about things that interested me as an adult, and of course, a lot of Calvin's adventures were drawn simply because I thought the idea was funny. In any given strip, the amount of invention varied. Keep in mind that comic strips are typically written in a certain amount of panic, and I made it all up as I went along. I just wrote what I thought about.


Charles Brubaker • Martin, TN
Q: What do you think of the comics section since your retirement nearly 10 years ago?

A: It took a while, but now I read the comics almost like a normal person. This is not a great age of newspaper comics, but there are a few strips I enjoy. Things could be better, things could be worse.


Meghan Bolton • Columbia, MD
Q: How would Calvin the six-year-old be different today in 2005 versus 1985-1995?

A: I usually tried to keep the strip relatively unanchored in time. Calvin's toys, for example, were mostly a wagon and a cardboard box, rather than anything up to date. I suppose a 2005 Calvin would be different, not because it's a different era, but because I think about some different things at this point in my life.


Suzanne Kaufmann • Charlottesville, VA
Q: So many of Calvin and Hobbes strips had some kind of moral/theological element that I wonder what your religious upbringing was and if it influenced that. (For instance, the "Love the sinner, hate the sin" strip as well as many Santa-related Christmas strips.) I'm guessing you were raised Catholic?

A: Actually, I've never attended any church.


Ben Gamboa • Whittier, CA
Q: Many young cartoonists are using the Internet to display their work instead of, or in concert with, print media because there are few barriers to entry and the medium provides the freedom to experiment with form, content, and color. Given your concerns over the state of newspaper comics, what do you think of this development?

A: To be honest, I don't keep up with this. The Internet may well provide a new outlet for cartoonists, but I imagine it's very hard to stand out from the sea of garbage, attract a large audience, or make money. Newspapers are still the major leagues for comic strips . . . but I wouldn't care to bet how long they'll stay that way.


Kodi Tillery • Kansas City, KS
Q: Did you ever have a real-life situation that you sorted out through depiction of a similar incident between Calvin and Hobbes? If so, can you describe the situation and the impact your strip had on it—i.e., did the people in your life realize they had made it into your strip?

A: I tried not to use my life that directly—whenever I started to cross that line, it felt exploitive. Real-life issues gave me a subject to work with, but then I made up the stories. Inconvenient facts were deleted, details were moved around, and wholly fictitious parts were added, all to fit the needs of the strip. My family certainly recognized the context of a lot of strips, but I tried to keep the true parts as just the starting point.


Alan Taylor • Lubbock, TX
Q: You have been very persistent in not becoming a public figure, and I respect that a great deal. Is there anything you would wish to tell the fans who do not understand your wishes and why it is important to you not to claim the spotlight?

A: My impression is that those who don't get it, don't care to get it.


Matthew Atkinson • Oklahoma City, OK
Q: What attributes do you wish were seen more commonly among children?

A: Good parents!


Timothy Hulsizer • Keene, NH
Q: You've often cited Herriman, Kelly, Schulz, etc., as comic strip inspirations. But who inspires you most in the fields of painting and printmaking?

A: At the moment, I'm looking mostly at artists from the 1600s, but I study any artist who tackles the particular issues I'm working with. Titian one day, de Kooning another. It wasn't my intention, but over the years, I've pieced together a modest understanding of art history that way.


Nick Samoyedny • Tarrytown, NY
Q: What led you to resist merchandising Calvin and Hobbes?

A: For starters, I clearly miscalculated how popular it would be to show Calvin urinating on a Ford logo. . . . Actually, I wasn't against all merchandising when I started the strip, but each product I considered seemed to violate the spirit of the strip, contradict its message, and take me away from the work I loved. If my syndicate had let it go at that, the decision would have taken maybe 30 seconds of my life.


Jonathan Fang • Riverside, CA
Q: Displayed not only through characteristics of Calvin and Hobbes, but also through your unique style of art, storytelling, and layout, you seem to stress the individual. You spoke to outcasts or people who did not seem to fit the "norms" of society (myself included) and no doubt made it feel OK for people to be different. Was that your intention when starting Calvin and Hobbes and how do you feel about individualism and originality?

A: I guess one thing I like about Calvin is that whether he fits in with the wider world or not is almost beside the point, because he can't help but be himself. Of course, when I started Calvin and Hobbes, my intention was simply to have a job cartooning. I had very few big ideas of where my work was going until it got there, but looking back, I think the strip generally shows my values on these subjects.


Meghan Bolton • Columbia, MD
Q: Was there anything you wanted to include but couldn't because of the syndicate, the editor, or the public? If so, what and how did you deal with the situation?

A: That was never a problem. I wasn't trying to push those kinds of boundaries.


Jyrki Vainio • Lahti, FINLAND
Q: Most cartoonists say they prefer the spontaneity and energy of their initial pencil sketches to their finished ink drawings. Do you have any thoughts on this as it seems that in your work it is the ink drawings that have the great spontaneous energy?

A: My pencil sketches were just minuscule notations of who was talking, so I have no particular reverence for them. In my case, the finished pictures captured more of the visual impact I was after. In fact, I did as little preparatory pencil work for the finished strip as possible, so the inking would be a real drawing encounter, and not a sterile tracing of pencil lines. Ink is a wonderful medium all on its own.


Dara Card • Orem, UT
Q: Is there anything about the strip you would change if you could go back? (NOT that it needs change! I think it is perfect the way it is.)

A: Well, let's just say that when I read the strip now, I see the work of a much younger man.


KT Misener • Ontario, CANADA
Q: What books do you keep reading over and over again?

A: Hmm. Suddenly I feel very shallow.

Thanks to my favorite game blog Kotaku, I learned that this week's Time magazine tackles the issue of webcomics. In New Zip for an Old Strip we learn about the webcomics revolution that has been underway. Currently there are thousands of artists working on redefining the genre. I guess that McCloud guy is ahead of his time.

But the most compelling point to note in this article is the subject matter these comics have taken.

Time goes out of their way to make comparisons to the birth of syndicated newspaper comic strips like Krazy Kat and Nemo, and each of these strips tend to cover wildly different grounds. Time's webcomic samples on the other hand are of two varieties: With Video Game references and Without.

So why two distinct groups?

I feel this is the interesting question that needs answering. Especially as I continue to plug away on my own webcomic which clearly falls into one of those categories. I think Peter Moore (leader of Microsoft's Games Division) hit the nail on the head while addressing the audience of the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2006, "Games are our shared heritage".

Never before has a society had a chance to collectively experience something. Games are vivid representations that transcend movies and books in the sense that a user has the perceived ability to act. This option makes users feel invested as the actions of a hero aren't merely of a third-party but of their own.

On top of this we add the modern myths games have created. The ancient Greeks had magnificent Gods to wrap epic stories around that were ultimately parables. Today we have game icons that do the same thing. Solid Snake as the stoic freedom fighter. Link as the plucky youthful hero to defeat evil. Mario doing whatever it takes to save his love. Joseph Campbell would swoon at the rich retellings of age old ideas. These aren't new concepts, but they have never been wrapped into such a compelling engaging package before.

We have an entire generation that can speak the same language, so it is no wonder that when we branch out to other forms of communication we attempt to add to and repurpose these tales.

In other words - Go Webcomics Go!

So this is how my comics start out.

They fill up any scrap of paper I can get my hands on. The thought is if I can purge my silly ideas onto napkins/sketchbooks/notepads enough I might find an idea worth using. This sketch was one of 30 I did on my morning train ride on Chicago's Metra. I find the closer I am to being asleep the better I write, so mornings are perfect writing times.



A few days will pass and now I have the clarity to decide which of the crap I'll highlight. For the Pixelton strips I'm drawing everything into the computer using my fab new Wacom tablet. On average, an inked page will take about 4-5 hours. I usually pull up a documentary online to help the time move faster.



In a cruel twist of fate the coloring process takes about this long as well. In this case we now have the color layer over the Black & White art, but it wasn't doing it for me...



So I added in the trademark DigDug ground and called it a day. Hooray for useless pop-culture references!




Finally I lay in the type and word balloons. If I've learned one thing when not sketching these out fully it is: Always leave more space for text then you'd ever imagine! There is nothing worse then needing to redraw a section (or shudder, a page) once you've run through the illustration gauntlet.

See you Thursday!

What is Pixelton?
A secluded tropical island of refugee 8-bit heroes. Join Kirby and Fil as they learn the power of choice beyond the TV screen. There is much more, but that is the elevator pitch.

When?
Every Monday and Thursday we'll have new strips.

Sign me up!?
Um, thanks! Check back here for more info as it hits. I'll be releasing lots more fun goodies and info over the next few weeks. (And our current books under Creative Commons!)

Do me a favor would you? If you enjoy it please tell a friend, or bookmark it. You have no idea how much this sort of thing helps!

What about the "Welcome to Pixelton" graphic novel?
It is more exciting than I imagined when I started it three years back...but it is taking time. So you can check out the mini-web adventures until the main course hits.


PLEASE PRESS START

Welcome to Pixelton is launching in web comic form this weekend! It is going to be a bi-weekly addition to the big book and an experiment to see how folks react to the idea.

Along with the snazzy comic goodness will be a site refresh where I release all of my books in digital format for free under Creative Commons. I've also finally collected the full PSP versions of each, along with our font collections, and even some experimental storytelling tools for authors I'd created a year back. Most of this has been unavailable for quite some time and people have been kind enough to email me to re-release, so consider it (almost) done.

Please stop by let me know your kind thoughts or suggestions!


UPDATE: BOOO! So I missed this weekend apparently. Who knew. I have a reason, and it is quite exciting. Check back in the next few days for the full scoop of Welcome to Pixelton and "the exciting mystery project" that I shoved into Beta on Tuesday.

Over a year ago I wrote a letter one Larry Hryb (or as the cool kids may know him Mr. Major Nelson). Mr. Nelson heads up the community aspects of what has now become the world's leading online gaming platform called Xbox Live. Why did I write him? What the hell does this have to with comics and Scott McCloud? The hot geek on corporate exec loving can be seen below. My lame email to start:

Hi Major Nelson,

I just wanted to pass along what a joy your podcasts are. When I'm sitting at work listening to the latest word about the 360 it keeps me going. I hope Microsoft acknowledges how your effort taps directly into their core audience and keeps the excitement going. Great stuff - please keep it up!

You're always encouraging comments/questions, so I thought I might pass one along. I know that Sony is going for an all in one portable media center for the PSP. One of the surprise demands was for digital comics on the go. I know that the 360 looks to be doing this for the home.

Do you know of any plans to allow publishers to offer comic books and graphic novels for download over live? I think it would be a huge hit considering the type of folks currently on Xbox live.

If so I'd love to add my company's work to the mix!  We offered up free comics for the PSP and it has been a big success.

And as long as I'm fishing, any rumor on having a place to upload stored image files to create custom faceplates? I know my wife would pay for the 360 herself if I could plaster a photo our dog on the front...

Thanks!
Josh


Wow. I've been called a media whore before but yikes...anywho, here was Major's kind response:



Thanks for your email.
We’ll be sticking to game content for now, but you never know


There you go folks - undeniable proof that the Xbox 360 will be comics free...until it won't be. Good times.



This hope for comics in our living rooms came from a little book by Scott McCloud called Reinventing Comics. This bland titled novel was the first follow-up to Understanding Comics, which is largely known as the best damn book ever on the art of sequential art. But Reinventing Comics was much less about the potential of a medium (though Mr. McCloud implied the changes would be diverse). Instead it was a book about micro-transactions and comic books. Compelling, eh? Accounting is quite big with the ladies...

But seriously, Reinventing Comics was written back in the day where the internet was a lumbering beast that was finding its' legs. It was cute to watch the thing tumble around, but guessing about where it might go was fairly useless. Today, comic artists are actually able to make a living by distributing comics only on the web. But the big difference from reality and the hopes of Mr. McCloud are that micro transactions never came to be. Ad revenue is the way almost all sites have fought their way into profitability.

Micro-transactions simply didn't work for comics before because they had always been perceived as free. Add in a library of mediocre content and even when they are readily available the interest is at a flatline.

Finally the moral of the story: People do still hate Micro-transactions in any form. Right now they are invading Xbox Live to a point where its' most ardent supporters are upset. While gamers have every choice under the sun not to buy what they don't want, this fact seems to elude them. It reminds of the old credit card bait and switch, pay a lower interest rate with no "gifts" or pay a higher interest rate and earn points you can buy shiny things with. Which would you choose? The truth is while they both work depending on the situation. The points make people feel love towards their card while the other creates indifference.

I'd like to believe the flaw is with this old idea instead of comics perceived value.

-Josh

New to the Animation and Cartooning Library: Animation by Preston Blair. If there is only one book that you could read about these subjects this should be it. Enjoy!

-Josh

When I was growing up we had no money.

I don't mean in the common sense that "times they were tough" I mean we didn't have enough to live on. I spent most of my life watching my mom two or three jobs a day to pay for the crappy one-bedroom apartment we were trapped in. She'd come in for a few hours of sleep and lie down on the floor. We couldn't even afford food. We had $30 a week to survive. If I was hungry I needed to deal with it.

Today, this haunts every part of my daily life. I turn lights off of rooms obsessively and I find every dime I can for saving. And I can't eat more than two meals a day without feeling stuffed. In many ways, I can imagine how it would feel like growing up in the depression. The only thing I had back then was free time and the prayer of talent at anything - I needed a way out.

My mom must've found Animation by Preston Blair by accident. The garish color cover and oversize format were clues to me that it was something special. I studied the drawings all the time and tried my best to match Blair's style. I learned so much about cartooning from that book that I decided it was what I wanted to do when I grew up. Blair convinced me in 40 pages that "character" animation was worth a 5-year old's time. Later on I heard that it was the inspiration for many, many other cartoonists and animators as well.

Oh, and I noticed that the ASIFA - the Hollywood Animation Archive Project had released most of the book free online. Enjoy!

I'm going to be tossing up a PDF version of this into the library sometime this week. I photographed and retouched my old copy but these are so much cleaner!

-Josh

So talk is cheap. I could state the fact in my last big post that "straight lines are simply a figment of a weak human imagination" and then simply walk away...but where is the fun in that? The following artists inspire with minimal (if any at all) use of a straight line. When viewing please keep this in mind, and you'll notice that is very easy to forget.

Carter Goodrich:
At first it may seem that Goodrich is using straight line - but look closer! Everything is subtlety curved giving these static figures hidden life.





Al Hirschfeld:
Beautiful flowing characters that signify personality in confident strokes.




These artist's work feels right. It feels alive and breathing with intensity. A part of this is their understanding that straight lines work best when brought to the highest form of abstraction. The work of Nate Wragg (a character designer at Pixar, with a great interview HERE, and a beautiful blog HERE) shows it best in the samples below.

Check out how the lines are made more interesting and effective by the contrast versus living curves. Overall though these seem to be purposely static pieces of art though.






Chris Ware:
Finally, the work of the Chris Ware. He uses straight lines almost exclusively as representations of man-made objects, but everything is else is elegant expressive curves. This contrast is even more important as it follows along with the common message in many of his stories - humanity exists in a hulking mass of homogenizing culture that cannot completely accept a unique individual. (Strictly my interpretation here...)




-Josh

So how's your Monday? Good, good.

It is a rather crazy night here in the shadow of the Sears Tower. It is dropping heavy buckets of lead water against the windows in a funny rhythm beat that I wouldn't believe in any other context. In a movie I would laugh at the noise as being unrealistic, in a book it would be laying it on too thick. Yet, it happened. Oh yes, back to the point - Isn't funny how people can believe things so firmly to be true, even when our little monkey minds are wrong? (Like a certain conveniently placed rain. )

This post is about a lie that we are told each and everyday. As a matter of fact it is a lie humans invented and have tried to spread, but it just ain't catching on in nature. Here we go: There is no such thing as a straight line within nature.

Give it some thought. We live in a man-made world of perfect lines... it is only natural that we unknowingly try to apply this to art.

Now, I'm not suggesting that many people actually draw like this. But I am trying to prove a point. Trees, grass, even rocks, they all are wonderfully imperfect filled with subtle curves and imperfections. They breathe and roll creating unique living rhythms. But people hate random imperfections because they're hard to predict, so humanity adopted the straight line. It is simple enough to remember. But it is simply terrible at representing things filled with Life.

Why does this matter? Many artist's art are based on nothing but straight lines. Straight line art gives me the feeling of overpowering death, because it ignores everything else in the universe for a human concept of perfection. Beginning artist's don't even try to hide their bias, the classic stick figure is a living breathing human viewpoint. But even skilled artists try and apply "perfect" lines to natural objects. Whether applied to bones or horizons, straight lines (and any other ideas of perfection) are man made and don't belong in your art.

Ground-breaking, probably not. But I never hear these fakers called out for what they are. Down with man-made perfection! Up with your living breathing imperfect art.

- Josh

I'm happy to say I have a new addition to the comic artist's library today! It is a ferocious critque of a Steve Rude Jonny Quest Comic by Alex Toth.



Below I've done my best summarize what seem to be Mr. Toth's main issues with the comic storytelling. But first don't take my word (or Alex Toth's) without a little test - download the pdf and review the art yourself before you read any of the commentary. Make notes about potential improvements in the margins. Finally, compare your thoughts versus "the pro's".

How did you do? Being able to find mistakes in flow and design will make or break your own comics. Chances are if you are missing a major flaw in this piece, you are also missing this idea within your own sequential art.

Alex Toth's Critique (Quick Summary for buzy folk who trust me to translate to the best of my ability):

- When creating the layout of a page THINK before, during, and afterwards about what you want to emphasize and why.

- Never get in the way of telling a clear story. Some common mistakes can be to include superfluous, distracting, or confusing images or dialogue.

- Understand that establishing shots are vital to comprehend a change in scene, character, or emphasis. Mis-using an establishing shot is equally as bad as not using one.

- Your main characters need to carry the story, so as readers we should always have a clear view of their actions and attitudes.

- "Fake art" is used abundantly by Toth in this article. It seems to mean art that is based on weak archetypes within the artist's head.

- Comic panel design is the act of corralling a reader's eye without their knowledge. Unfocused shots are the byproduct of lazy or ignorant artists that ask their audience to do their work for them.

- I can't even begin to summarize the last few pages. Go read them now and draw something worth remembering.

-Josh

Great resource via Drawn and ConceptArt.org. Thanks!

Those of you kind enough to stop by (thank you!) may have noticed a new tab floating in the navigation that mysteriously appeared last week. If you have been too afraid to visit it is merely a collection of cartooning notes and "how to's" by famous comic book and animation artists. Each one has been featured by my favorite blog Seven Golden Camels by Mark Kennedy. Feel free to peruse and enjoy the library as I'll be adding more pieces as I stumble into them.

The library currently contains the wisdom of the following artist's/books:

Carson Von Osten - Comic Strip Artist's Kit Famous Artist's Course - Composition Famous Artist's Course - Distribution of Space Glen Keane - Notes Illusion of Life - Natural Forms Marbury Hill Brown - Curves Mark Kennedy - Appeal Mark Kennedy - Attracting the Eye Mark Kennedy - Twins & Tilts Preston Blair - Rhythm Rowland Wilson - Layout & Light Rowland Wilson - Painting Willard Mullins - Character Exaggeration Wally Wood's 22 Panels

If you happen to have any ideas or suggestions for other essential cartooning resources please shoot them my way. Kennedy's blog has inspired me to pick up the torch he started, but explore it with much less class and subtlety. While his obsessions seem to revolve around rhythm and line of motion, mine are closer to comic design, character design, comic pacing, and staying motivated. I hope you'll spread the word if you dig what you find.

As a matter of fact, I think I hear my next post coming...

-Josh

So I'm reading Chuck Jones' great autobiography "Chuck Reducks" where he simply pours his thoughts on life, passion, and animation into the page. If you aren't familiar with Chuck Jones (How?) he was an animation director at Warner Bros, Studio that worked on many of the fondest remembered Looney Tunes shorts. Jones is a startling likeable guy because of his constant self-effacement and compelling staunch opinions on any number of topics he strolls through. It also doesn't hurt that every drawing he does has the ability to speak directly to your heart and soul. Last night I came across a wonderful passage which I'd love to share with you (paraphrased by someone much less likeable):

Chuck Jones admired Walt Disney a great deal and while under Fritz Freling at Warner Bros he decided to write Walt a letter.

His letter mentioned Jones' admiration for what Walt had done for animation and for what he had continued to do by inspiring animators. Chuck sent the letter off and by his surprise received a response. Walt told Jones that he wished him great success as well and that he hoped he too would one-day inspire young animators.

Chuck Jones was so proud of this letter he kept it with him in his back pocket for years. Anytime he had an opportunity he would pull it out and show a friend. Soon the paper wore out and the cherished gift was unrecognizable. Jones mentions that he wrote to Walt Disney 4 or 5 times afterwards, and each time he had a response.

In the final day of Walt Disney's life he lay in a hospital bed like the lucky of us do. Jones' happened to be near by and visited the hospital in hopes to pay his respects to the animation legend. Jones was ushered into the room where Walt was waiting for the end. Chuck Jones mentioned his letters and thanked him for always taking the time to write back. But it had always puzzled him, why?

Walt Disney said "You're the only animator that ever wrote to me." He died six days later.

-Josh

Had to share a few ink/color shots from the completed pieces of an earlier thumbnail. Enjoy!

So a severe cold has been close to taking my very life this week, and I've been farther away from my computer than I'd like. The good news is that I've had more time to enjoy my new tablet and I'm still smitten. Below are a few samples of cartoon art that I've cooked up. I'm enjoying experimenting with a few styles that my previous tablet wouldn't allow, and I'm definitely liking how things are cooking.

Funny thing is, I'm currently using dual tablets. One is the new beast for precise visuals, and the others is for general chicanery. The 9" x 12" is closer to 12" x 16" with the extra tablet space. Watch out John Woo, king dork is in town.






The funny thing, for a blog about comics, motivation, creative refreshment, and all of the shiny things in between, I really don't show much art on my site! Well this will be changing very soon. Maybe even today... .

Instructables' LeeVonk has an inspired idea for making short animation. I'm definitely tempted to give it a try myself. You have to dig the quality and retro flavor. These look like they were made for Sesame Street back in the 80's. Four steps to a ready piece.

Andy's Early Comics Archive is a look at the long and winding past that is sequential art. While you could debate whether some of these items fill the "comics" definition, it is the most thorough collection of comic-styled art I have seen. I highly recommended swinging by and seeing the elements incorporated within such beautiful art.

The articles on Early Speechballoons in Cartoons and Early Speechballoons in Comics are particularly one-of-a-kind.

I first came across Wally Wood's "22 Panels" piece in high-school. It was an entire mini-comic/article devoted to finding better ways to visually represent a conversation. "How quaint!" I thought, and tossed it aside. I suppose I was too busy drawing splash pages to worry about dialouge. Ten years later (and hopefully a bit wiser) I appreciate the usefulness of Mr. Wood's creation much more.

The truth is, conversations are sequential art's blindspot. It takes a gifted writer and artist to mold a scene that is natural, because people can spot a fake hobbling their way. A well paced and illustrated scene can free up the burden of the writer. In other words, good conversation art equals less focus on talking heads more focus on highlighting interesting characters or plot.

Click HERE or on the image to download this helpful, inspirational tool by Wally Wood. Many thanks to Joel Johnson for purchasing and restoring this classic for comic fans to continue enjoy. Now to divert to a wildly different area of sequential art...



Bill Watterson is one my favorite cartoonists due to his whimsical illustration style and his heart-warming characters. A few minutes exploring and you'll find that Watterson hates interviews. As a matter of fact, I've only been able to find two in existence. (Full Interview here)

But back to the point - Watterson's feelings seem to echo Wally Wood's:



Christie: When you sit down at the drawing table, though, do you do one at a time or just keep going?

Watterson: I write separately from the inking up. I'm sure this varies from cartoonist to cartoonist; I find that the writing is the hard part and the drawing is the fun part. I like to separate the two so I can give my full attention to one or the other. Writing it, I'll sit down and stare into space for an hour and sometimes not come up with a single decent idea, or sometimes no idea at all, and it's very tempting to go do something else or just draw up a strip, but I find that if I make myself stick to it for another hour I can sometimes come up with several good ideas. And when I get to the drawing, I really enjoy taking a big chunk of time and working on the drawing and nothing else. That allows me to make sure that I'm really challenging the art, making each picture as interesting as I can...stick in a close-up or an odd perspective. This way, the writing doesn't distract me while I'm drawing and vice versa. I can devote my full attention to each.

There you have it folks. One hundred percent proof that you should make dialogue scenes visually interesting for you and the reader. It just makes sense, no?

- Josh

I have a confession. It is something I try not to admit, but I'm going to test and write it down in the hopes of a magic blog catharsis.

I was a production assistant to Paul Horschemeier while he created books 2 and 3 of the Forlorn Funnies "Mother, Come Home" graphic novel and Forlorn Funnies 6. I scanned, prepped, and added colors to nearly each and page. I also worked on scanning, coloring, and preparing Jefferey Brown's artwork for print in the "Project: Telstar" and "Unlikely".

 
It isn't that I'm ashamed of these actions, as a matter of fact I enjoyed them quite a bit, the problem is that I occasionally live in the shadow of them. How do you follow-up one of the "IT" creators of 2006 without feeling inadequate? Paul's work has since been heralded by Time, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone. And though our contact was brief Jeffery's work is also equally regarded within the comic industry.

It began with a letter simple enough. I wrote him to pass along how much book one of "Mother, Come Home" had moved me. It is one of only a few comics that I had a visceral reaction to within the first 10-pages. I had a feeling it was going to be something special. I jokingly offered to be his intern, free of charge. He kindly responded and asked that we meet to look into my offer.

It didn't hurt that I was a huge fan of "Sequential", Paul's experimental comics during his college years. In high-school my mom and I drove to SPACE, a mid-Ohio comic convention in hopes to walk-away with some sign that this was my future. We loaded up her sparkly green station wagon and landed in a crummy hotel miles away. SPACE was a dump. After driving a few hundred miles to be greeted by what appeared to be a converted gym was a surprise. The folks inside were equally downtrodden.

I was in love because of this. Soaking up the atmosphere. Speaking with each artist. Asking stupid, pointless questions just to say "Hi". I realized at SPACE that this is what I want to do with my life. In my memory, Paul was the only one there standing to greet shoppers and he even had a makeshift booth. We made small talk, but his comics caught me off guard. They were good, very good. They are the only comics I held onto that day. His 5 minute meeting had an impact on me. He could do this, I could do this. So I started drawing "Nothing Left to Lose".

Back to the present: I began to swing by his place a few times a week. Scan in his art, clean it, adjust the levels, and fulfill any shipping orders. I'd then color the art at home and return the next day with the files. It was an exacting schedule because if the strict printing limitations Paul worked to. To go outside of one line was unacceptable. To miss a deadline was unacceptable. Though, oddly enough, I noticed that Paul expected neither of these of himself. Yet, he still did a great job of putting the fear of God in me.

Sometimes I'd come by and we'd just hang out. He wouldn't have any pages set or shipping was done, and I'd play with Margo, his adorable puff-ball kitten. My job would be to acquire food while he worked. In retrospect, my visits seemed to be a good way to twist his arm to create consistently. I kept noticing we'd miss deadlines but we would be working as hard as we could. The deadlines existed to give him a goal to strive for.

The closest thing I can compare it too was like being in an abusive marriage. We both had gripes but we pushed through the routine with robotic precision. We weren't great friends and that is precisely the reason it worked. We forced each other to get some stuff done. We continued on this way for a long time. Paul's temper (and my own) were bound to clash eventually, but the other shoe never dropped as expected. I was continuing a career as a designer and I was getting tired of spending so many nights commuting. Paul was most likely sad to see my help go but wouldn't miss me as a person. It was a clinical goodbye followed up with a handshake.

I made the mistake of using a quote from an email he'd sent me in promotional materials for "Nothing Left to Lose". It was an overly kind quote, one that you'd give a friend, and in retrospect I may have took advantage of it. Paul found out about it down the line and wrote me a very angry letter, asking that I remove his name from anything in the future. I did and have since.

Here are a few additional bits of wisdom he passed along or that I gleaned while hanging out on his couch, now paraphrased by time:

- The beginning of the story is the most important. Hook them there and it carries them to the end.

- Make every panel "magnet worthy" – worthy of being appreciated

- A deadline is the only way it will be a priority

- When you break a deadline set a new one and don't fret over it

- Conventions matter. Attend them.

- Cartooning is the concentrated act of isolation

- Organize your life so that comics are your priority

- Never lose sight of your mission

- Keep friendships with cartoonists. It is helpful for motivation/sanity

- Be prolific
 
And maybe the most important:

- Have idols that you live in the shadow of  - He painfully loved Chris Ware's work though he seemed to try and hide it due to comparisons
 
Paul is an amazing man, and one of the few truly driven people I have ever met, but I don't think we ever saw eye-to-eye. Even in the end when we'd been working together for almost 2 years. He is also brilliant, and his brilliance is probably part of the problem. I felt over-worked, under appreciated and a bit jaded. I was learning that while I admired my hero, it was questionable whether I liked him.

Today, I look at the recent paperback edition of "Mother, Come Home" and notice my name has been removed. It hurts a bit honestly. I know each and every line of those pages, but that is the price you pay for being on the sidelines. I've listened to this advice ever since. So in keeping, this is the first and last time I'll discuss this here.

- Josh

So, I’ve beat quite a bit around the sequential bush the past few weeks about my exciting new book: Welcome to Pixelton. You’ve been good so I can let one big golden nugget slip: It will be an entirely unexplored dimension of comic storytelling which I’m pushing to an extreme.

Big words, no? Yep. How can I be so sure? Because I’ve looked far and wide and only a few people have attempted this style even in a small form. It is an untapped use of comics that I’m beginning to feel may be their most appealing face. It will be everything that my last book wasn’t. It should have a chance at affecting people in a unique way.





It isn’t a genre, but a new approach to comic storytelling. A storytelling avenue that could work with any genre, or style. And It isn’t through the use of certain panels or storytelling techniques.

Before you roll your eyes, people doubted me before Nothing Left to Lose existed too. They would hear about my debut 200+ page graphic novel and self-publishing debut and chuckle. But when I arrived with NLtL at SPX Fall 2004 they changed their tune. I had a show campaign that was featured in USA Today, and a postcard that many said was “the best they’d ever seen.” Folks learned that I could deliver on my talk and that even at my weakest outing, I was swinging for the heavens.




Now I’m 50 pages into the first chapter of a story and format that is ten times as ambitious. Each day I grow a page stronger, and I get more excited about 4 years of planning coming to life.

I hope this doesn’t come off as ultra cocky (though a good 75% would suffice). It is from pure elation that I write this down. I’ve found the place in comics where I hope to spend the rest of my life – enjoying creating each and every second.

I understand that drawing comics can be hard. We all feel it. You do another 2-hour page only to realize the next morning that your timing is all wrong, your main character is way off-model, and you're already behind as it is.

Breathe!

In a few years you'll look back at all of the sweat and tears with a big smile. Here are five time tested techniques for improving your pages and you're outlook on the empty page:

1. Build a Desert Island.

Like it or not, you need some sort of routine to create your own comic. Drawing a page here and there not only allows you to slack on your job as an artist, but it ensures that the writing of your book will be just as dis-jointed.

I've learned that the most effective way to make the "Page a day" mark is to trap myself. In other words, place yourself in a situation each day where a large portain of your time is open to only comics. How? In college I would schedule 2 hour gaps between classes. It was just enough time to do some quality work, while not enough to allow me to wander home or become bored. Today, I use the 45 minute train rides and my lunch break as Desert island time to work. Effectively using this time instead of wasting it away is key to keeping sharp.

2. Haven't drawn in a month? STOP.

You may not like to hear it, but procrastination means you are not having fun. Waiting until inspiration hits again for your 200 page story is a big waste of time. Tell a story that excites you today.

3. You have one month to live.

Imagine you have a month left to prove to the world your existence meant something. Go tell the story you were born to tell. Be creative. Be human.

And ignore everything you've ever heard about comics. Many wonder why comics aren't recognized as an art form - the reason is because it's an inbred industry. Do work that you think has a chance of toppling your greatest heros

4. Publishers? Meh.

I occassionally receive material from independent artists looking for Water Media to help publish them. They have a full book, completed and xeroxed to perfection. Many also include a cover letter which does an exceptional job of explaining their reason for creating their work. I need some sort of form letter that simply says "You're done. What are you waiting for?"

Publishing is as simple as bringing finished pages to a printer. Sure, computer work and money are involved, but these are afterthoughts compared to your exceptional work.

In other words, don't wait for a publisher's help to begin considering yourself a comic book creator. You can do it yourself. Start HERE.

5. You are your audience.

You are the one who will be spending thousands of hours to make it - have fun! Enjoy what you can and elminate those things that bring you down. Write stories that you enjoy for people like you.

Speaking from experience, about 10% of those who read "Nothing Left to Lose" really understood what I was getting at. While it could be argued that this is failed storytelling (and they may have a good point) my belief is that the most powerful forms of art are by definition exclusionary. Some people will not get it. Some will not try to get it. But the few who share your unique world view will hear you speaking to them.

So don't dilute your message by ensuring that it matches the homogeny of culturally approved slop. You can do this by writing for fun and enjoyment and the rest will follow.

While surfing on the internet tubes, I found probably the greatest thing mankind has to offer a budding character creator: a podcast.

And this isn't any old "I just need attention" type of podcast, no, this is the real deal created by Tim Schafer at Game Developers Conference in 2004.



What's that you say? You're not aware of this Tim Schafer, and you are not creating some sort of game? Fear not. Tim was the character designer and eventually creator of some of the most orginal videogame IPs in recent memery. From Monkey Island, to Full Throttle, and Grim Fandango, to most recently Psychonauts. These games are still hailed to today for their amazingly compelling characters and creative scenarios.

He'll cover a wide range of tips and cover methods that were every bit as magnetic as his creations. Go, click the subscribe link and listen up good HERE.

Comics can be tough, because they ask you to fill immense amounts of time face-to-face with a blank sheet of paper. This is nothing new to most forms of art though. Novelists need to think up compelling characters and illustrate their journeys. Artists need to find an intimate place of visual ground to call their own . All forms of art ask their user to tackle some sort of inner demons. But independent comic artists have to both write, draw, publish, and promote. And our reward is to know that unlike the former samples we most likely won't receive any recognition.

As a kid, when I began to realize comics were what I would devote my life to, this was a fun motivator. We were the underdogs. We we unique. We were our own private island of history and if you didn't have the secret knock, you didn't get in. But sometime last year this changed for me. I'd realized I hadn't read anything in some time that got me excited about the art form. Worse yet, the mainstream comic community could care less about anything that isn't the one genre that keeps the machine standing. What is the point of creating when there is no audience?

I'd never had to deal with that question before. Why create anything then?

And the journey took me back to the beginning. Why did I compulsively draw for twenty years despite my terrible skills? What at all did I find joyous about this process which seemed so filled with negativity and obligation? What stories were worth telling? I spent months away from creating trying to remember. (Creepy how right Scott McCloud is on this. Don't know what I'm referencing? Go read this.)

I found the answer in hard cover form at my local library. It was a book I'd read as a kid and enjoyed a great deal, but when finding it again I was stunned by its' genius. Every panel made me smile. Even more made me laugh out loud, and I don't laugh out loud. The book is the ever famous Sam & Max: Freelance Police.



It reminded me that comics should be as fun to make as to read and when they aren't you should stop. And the story could end there...

What a wonderful after-school special about returning to our youth, yes? Well it gets more complicated. You see I really loved Sam & Max. It was my new inspiration. I needed it as a reference, and more importantly I wanted it to be safe.

So, off to Ebay and Amazon I went - only to find Sam & Max was extremely rare. The rarest of the rare. $125- $1,000+ rare. I loved it but that is a good chunk of publishing a book. I needed another way.

I woke up a few times actually fearing for the book's safety. I kept imaging some sort of cruel Library purge where all books were a dollar. The ratty tabletops being perused by someone who wouldn't appreciate the ART that this book held. Or worse yet, that they'd trash it. (While I admit that I'm exceptionally lame for these thoughts they are based in fact. I have a 1940 copy of "Les Enfants Terrible" which I saved from being salvaged last year. The year before it was a copy of "It's a good life if you don't weaken" and two copies of "ACME Novelty Library". Comics are the first things to be jetisoned, followed by very old good books.)

Something needed to be done. I wore jeans, tried to act "cool" and borrowed the book from the library. Then I...ahem..."somehow lost the bag". Yes, I know, I'm terrible because I've robbed others of this dried wood pulp joy. My conscience said it was okay because they had another copy.

I've heard rumors of a reprint. If this is true I''d be happy to return it to it's rightful owner. For the time being I'm just trying to be a good guardian and student.



People always ask with a grin "How's the book coming?" like if somehow I stopped sleeping it might happen faster or better. The best part of making the book is the process, and how it changes you. I've been writing and drawing 3 new stories off and on for over the past 4 years. I love comics and all, but it is beginning to feel like a miracle they're still being worked on some sort everyday.

I have Sam & Max here by my desk so that sooner than later I can hand them a copy and they can see for themselves.


For those of you that have enjoyed Sam & Max, you know my point of view. Let's play Fizzball sometime.