Post SPACE Quick Hits

by on April 15, 2014 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News

[dc]I[/dc] survived my first out-of-state comic book show. I want to write-up a more detailed recap soon (hopefully for tomorrow, because I pretty much slept all day Monday), but here is a quick run down for now.

  • SPACE (Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo) is a great show. Lots of indie creators. Worth a trip, for sure.
  • I bought a Square Reader, but didn’t need it for any of my sales. However, the register part of the Square app is very handy for recording cash sales (keep records is always a good idea). I plan to write more about Square soon.
  • I didn’t sell any prints or Chocolate Quest comic books, but I did sell sketch cards¹, mini-comics, and stickers.
  • A two-day show like SPACE was a great way to try different layouts with my table. More on this (with photos) soon.
  • I sold a zombie cat sketch.
zombie cat

Tuuuuna. Forgive the smartphone photo.

  • Several folks asked about buying my sketch cards online, so I will look into making them available soon–maybe using a site like storenvy.com. I would sell, and mail, the original cards myself, and they would not be prints (although I may sell prints/merch of a few via my society6 shop).
  • There’s free pinball in Columbus, Ohio, at a place called Podunk’s.
  • I met a few other artists, including Matt Dye. I still need to work on networking (I was super-exhausted on Saturday however).

OK, that is it for now. I’m resting up and going over my notes. Look for another post tomorrow.

–
¹ Both sketch cards were of cats (including a recreation of Mr. Pickles from this comic). Along with the zombie cat sketch I sold, I need to bring more cat stuff to sell, apparently.

 

└ Tags: , , , , , , ,

Artist Alley Merch: Comic Books, Stickers, and Sketch Cards

by on April 9, 2014 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News

[dc]I[/dc] expanded my Artist Alley offerings for the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo, aka SPACE, this weekend (and the conventions/appearances beyond). I will have a lot more for sale this weekend at SPACE than I did at the MSU Comics Forum in February.

Comic Books Time

The first addition I made for my artist alley table a run of standard size comic books–I will still have my mini-comics, but I wanted to try printing larger books. I talked about this in last week’s newsletter (subscribe!), and I’ll recap here.

I went to a local print shop and asked about printing a run of comic books. The print shop promised a quick turn around, essential this close to a show, and no order minimum (always nice). Not knowing how well my comic books would sell—it collects all four of the Chocolate Quest pages—I wanted a small run.

Originally I went with ten, but I decided I wanted more. I split the difference and went with 15 comic books. I drew a cover and formatted all four pages of the comic book myself.

chocolate quest comic book

Chocolate Quest comic books.

Perhaps most importantly: I kept my comic book simple–which was easy to do with a four page comic. If self-publishing has taught me anything, it is: when you are trying something for the first time, go for simple.

I’m happy with how the books turned out, although I had a formatting challenge since my original comics weren’t created with a standard page layout in mind. But, I made it work and I like the result (I can always experiment with future books).

As you can see on the cover, it says “_ of _”. I decided to individually number the books to make them unique (after I shot this photo, I hand numbered them with a calligraphy marker).

If I do another run of these books, I will make the second run look different.

Continue Reading

└ Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Comic Show Ahoy: SPACE is This Weekend

by on April 8, 2014 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News

[dc]T[/dc]his weekend will be a first. No, not successfully matching my socks, pants, and shoes—my first out-of-state comic convention as an exhibitor, SPACE (the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo). I attended out-of-state comic book conventions as a fan, but never as a creator selling my stuff.

space logo

Comics! Image via the SPACE website.

 SPACE Prep

I spent this past weekend gathering up various comic wares to sell and gear for my table (Webcomic Alliance features a few posts with great tips). SPACE is my first of three (maybe more) appearances this Spring and Summer, so it made sense to ‘invest up front.’ I bought new stuff for the table (including my very own table-cloth), and decided to overhaul the table layout I used at the MSU Comics Forum in February.

 SPACE Supplies

With other convention/artist alley appearances over the years, I learned it helps to come prepared. This means little extra things I might need for the table or my general wellbeing. I found lists online (here’s one), and it is mostly common sense stuff, but other things I may forget about in the rush to pack (duct tape, scissors, snacks, and so on).

Like I said before, since SPACE is my first of three shows over the next month, any work I do now saves me time later. I have a storage bin for all my artist alley gear, so for the next show all I have to do is grab it and go.

Comic Wares

For SPACE, I decided to expand my inventory. I am selling:

I’ve come a long way from only selling my mini-comics, and I’m excited to see how SPACE goes. I read several times that it is helpful to sell as many different kinds of items as possible (and at different prices).¹

 Let’s Do This

I can’t wait for this weekend—mainly because I will be a ball of stress until I get on the road Saturday morning.²

Now, time to crank out a bunch of sketch cards. I hope everyone likes off-model Batman saying goofy stuff like “Be kind, rewind.”

–
¹ One article I read said selling any kind of sketch cards is a good idea, even if they are simple crayon drawings.

² I’m carpooling with fellow Lansing comic pals Ryan Claytor, Jay Jacot, and Jason Struz. Hooray, male bonding.

└ Tags: , , , , ,

Project Ico, Part 1: First Thoughts

by on April 2, 2014 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News, Video Game Playthroughs

[dc]I[/dc] never played Ico when it first came out. I heard of Ico, of course, and its influence, bit by bit over the years. Always eager to try a ‘must play’ classic, I picked up a remastered copy of Ico when I (finally) bought a PlayStation 3 this past fall.

ico shadow of the colossus ps3

Remastered Ico and Shadow of the Colossus for PlayStation 3. Image via Amazon.

When my gamer pals from The Idler (Gavin, Andrew, Kevin, and Sara) wanted to write another group play through,¹ Ico was on the short list.

Bring on the Fantasy

I enjoy fantasy in video games. The games are already an abstract reality, so why not go full throttle? I don’t worry about strange details in video games. I go with the flow. The main character is a boy with horns? Sure. Nothing I haven’t seen in a Final Fantasy or a Zelda. The weirder, the better. This might be why I’m not too interested in games like Grand Theft Auto, but love the Uncharted and BioShock games.

Sure, there is an escapism element to fantasy games. The world is totally different, there is magic, strange beings walk the land, and so on. It helps me forget about insurance premiums or rebalancing my 401k for a little while.

 Pay Attention

The first aspect of Ico I noticed was the lack of distractions, both visual and audio. Coming to Ico after playing all the BioShocks and the first two Uncharted games in a row, I’m used to a lot of noise and action.

Ico is a pretty stripped down game. There isn’t a sea of menus or items to scroll through, characters aren’t talking to you (in English) every few seconds, the game is not telling you what to do or where to go.

There isn’t a robust score highlighting all the action. Just a lot of quiet.

Ico: Distraction Free Gaming

I think the lack of all these other kinds of distractions makes Ico’s environment and level design stand out. I heard on a podcast about an old radio trick: if you want the audience to pay attention—stop talking. Listeners, accustomed to endless background chatter, notice the silence and become alert.

Ico does the same. Which, honestly, is a great mechanic for a puzzle heavy game: it helps the player focus on the visuals, and the puzzle they must solve to advance.

Continue Reading

└ Tags: , , , ,