Friday Six: Imagineering Workout; Muppets; Dick Van Dyke

by on April 1, 2016 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, Friday Six, News

[dc]I[/dc]t’s Friday, so get ready for what’s on my mind (or things I want to share), in a particular order.

Before I start, a reminder it is April Fool’s Day, so beware of amateur hour on social media (ex: dead, fired, sick, pregnant).

[ ] I picked up this Disney Imagineering Workout book during my trip to Walt Disney World earlier in the month (specifically, inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios).

disney imagineering workout

Creative stuff inside.

As the cover says, it’s full of “Exercises to Shape Your Creative Muscles.” I’m not very far in yet, but I like what I’ve read so far. It’s not a “here are creative secrets of the universe” book but a “here’s exercises you can do to shape the way you think creatively” book. So there’s some work required on your part.

[ ] Stephanie and I started watching The Muppets show (the new one on ABC), and I love every episode so far (we are nearly finished with the first season). I really enjoy it’s weird, irreverent humor (no surprise there). There’s some amazingly sharp writing and the Muppet performances are always great.

[ ] Uncle Deadly and Big Mean Carl are my new favorite Muppets.

[ ] Tapastic, a website for hosting comics, has this handy comic explaining rethinking comics with mobile devices in mind. Clattertron is on Tapastic now, and I’ll have a more detailed blog post about this soon.

[ ] I have my first Patreon patron! Hooray! One down, a million to go, right? RIGHT? I added a new goal for my Patreon page too: if I get to $125 per month, every patron ($1/month and up) gets a free PDF of my novel, The Magic of Eyri.

[ ] This Gilbert Gottfried podcast with Dick Van Dyke is recommended listening. Yes, he’s still alive. He sure doesn’t sound 90 years old.

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Patreon: Support Clattertron, Get Rewards

by on March 29, 2016 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News

[dc]I[/dc] at long last decided to start-up my own Patreon page for Clattertron. I wanted to do so for a long time now, but I finally jumped in head first over the weekend.

Now, fans and readers can directly support my comic strips via Patreon (along with the traditional methods like buying merch and books).

clattertron patreon

It really is easy. Super easy!

What is Patreon, anyway?

Patreon is a way for fans to support creators, directly. There are different ways to set up a Patreon, but mine follows the monthly model: you pledge a certain amount of money each month, and in return I give you something.

Think of it like a Kickstarter you back each month, or paying for a subscription, or pledging money to public radio/TV.

A fan sets up a Patreon account and backs Clattertron for a certain amount. Patreon takes a percentage, and I get the rest. You know your money is going to me, which helps me cover my costs of making comics.

Many other comic makers, and artists, I follow online use Patreon, so I decided to give it a try.

Why did I start a Patreon page?

A few reasons.

First, I like the idea of readers being able to support my comics without necessarily having to buy “stuff.” Nothing against buying stuff, but I know from my experience, there are times I want to support artists, but don’t always want another t-shirt, and I can’t always make it to their appearances.

Second, Etsy didn’t work out for me (one sale in over a year). I might try another route for selling original art online, but I think my Etsy experiment is over. I needed another way to try to support my comic making. (Don’t worry, my Society6 shop isn’t going anywhere.)

Third, I cannot rely on website ads. Between ad blockers and readers getting content via other channels (Facebook, email, me yelling on corners), website ads just aren’t what they were in the past (sad, but true). Affiliate links still do better for me than banner ads, but even those only work so well (and again, need a reader to buy something).

Continue Reading

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Friday Six: 03.25.16

by on March 25, 2016 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, Friday Six, News

[dc]S[/dc]ix things on my mind or worth sharing. “Worth” is subjective, I guess. Maybe I should just say: I wanted to share.

friday six clattertron

Five isn’t enough and seven is excessive.

[ ] On the Feb. 5 episode of the Coffee & Cider podcast, Rich Stevens (Diesel Sweeties) talked about overhauling how he makes comics, and how he’s making them with smartphones in mind, instead of monitors. It’s something I keep thinking about too, and I might do the same very soon: switch to more of a vertical column look. We’ll see.

[ ] I probably need to get one of those new Square Chip Card Readers, don’t I? Ugh. Oh well. Hard not to, as my Square Reader helps me get a lot of sales at comic shows. Technology!

[ ] Stephanie and I saw Zootopia last weekend. We both loved it, a lot. I’m still thinking about it right now as I type this. Excellent story, fantastic character animation/design, and great voice acting.

[ ] Speaking of Disney, Stephanie and I (along with friends) went to Walt Disney World for a few days this month. Spring Break 2016! Anyway. Fun times were had, but the new MagicBand/Disney App experience when it comes to Fast Passes takes away some of the charm. Now, your trip to the parks is heavily scheduled and regulated. Want to go on Space Mountain? Be there at this time, then go on your next ride at this other time.

Go go go!

I get it. There’s no way we would have done everything we did otherwise, but having to select Fast Passes so far in advance (a couple of months in our case) and stick to a schedule makes it feel more like work than fun at times.

[ ] Maybe I should get a pair of these zombie Disney Princesses leggings for my next trip to Walt Disney World?

[ ] Currently reading: Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72 by Hunter S. Thompson. Always worth a read every presidential election.

Have a good weekend.

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See Me at the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival

by on March 24, 2016 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News

[dc]E[/dc]xcellent news came today, as I found out my application for a table at the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival was approved!

a2caf logo

via the A2CAF website.

Formerly known as Kids Read Comics Celebration, the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival (A2CAF), is a free event on June 18-19 at the Ann Arbor District Library in downtown Ann Arbor.

What is the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival?

From the website:

Our Kids Read Comics Celebration is a totally free event that unites kids, teens, parents, teachers and librarians with professional artists and writers from the comics and animation fields. Our goal is to introduce kids to worlds of imagination while unlocking their creative impulses, and to serve that goal, the convention features:

  • hands-on workshops
  • panels and presentations for kids, families, and educators
  • a chance for kids to meet and chat with comics and animation professionals
  • the opportunity for kids to have their own art portfolios reviewed

Sounds like a lot of fun if you ask me. I try to keep my comics all-ages,¹ so this was a show I really wanted to attend, and I was very happy to hear I made it through the jury process to get a table. I found out about this show the day after it ended last year and immediately asked to be put on the email list for when table applications opened up.

I enjoy trying new shows, especially a show with a focus on getting kids and teens interested in comics.

Convention season is picking up, with my next show being SPACE in a few weeks. Time to get cracking on a new coloring book and some other new items (like my Hourly Comics collection).

–

¹ If/when I get around to setting up a Patreon, I might use that as an outlet for more adult focused stuff (which would probably just = swearing and jokes about filling out tax forms).

 

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