Thursday, September 22, 2011

Gumption for Assumption

People ask me, "Where did Clipboard Girl come from?" She is not meant to be a particular person, but she personifies the type of bureaucracy that prevents good things from happening. An example is when the Jones Act prevented foreign ships from helping with the BP oil spill. "Why aren't they helping? Oh, it's because of a rule." That kind of thing bugs me, and the comics with her is my revenge.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Scenes from an Art Show

The Heroes Your Mom Threw Out Comic Shop recently sponsored an art show at the Elks Lodge in Elmira. Proprietor Jared Aiosa is very supportive of artists in the area, in addition to being a writer and artist himself. The events like this that he sponsors go a long way toward encouraging creative people from all walks of life to gather their creations and share them with others. In fact, the community that has come together as a result of the Heroes "art parties" have become a place for artists, writers, educators and other creative people to network and make arrangements to collaborate.

One of the artists was Kevin Falkenberg. His Zombie Mark Twain print is quite a hit.
Jim Duffy, artist and retired art teacher shared many of his creations, including his new hobby -- stained glass.

This artist had some fantastic caricatures that skewered Palin and other political figures.
When I set up my table, I took a page from the Paul Bozzo playbook and offered kids and curious adults the chance to "pull a print" from a block of my character, The Mystic Yak. I have learned from Paul that an interactive station at an art show is a refreshing change of pace, helps the viewers understand how your art is made, and teaches some children about an art form that they may not experience due to budget cuts.

The kids were proud of these and took them home at the end of the evening.



The next big event that Heroes will sponsor is the Herobot Con Comic Convention on Saturday, October 8th. You won't want to miss that. Comic artists from Marvel, DC, the Simpsons and (ahem) some lesser known publications will be there. It is always a blast to talk to children's book illustrator Tedd Arnold, so come on down!