Western New England’s finest comic artists, book illustrators and cartoonists! Saturday, October 20, 2012 – Northampton, MA
We are thrilled to announce The Center for Cartoon Studies, America’s premier MFA program for cartooning, returns to the festival and presents a fun workshop introducing different artist tools and techniques:
11:00 AM – “Ink with a Brush and Paint a Pixel”
There are a lot of tools available to make your comics. Some of these tools might seem intimidating, but they’re actually really easy to learn, and could help take your comics to the next level. The Center for Cartoon Studies students Sophie Goldstein, Laurel Leake, and Sasha Steinberg will show you how to use lettering tools, ink with a brush, and digitally draw comics. Arm your cartoonist toolbox, learn a few more tricks!
1:00 PM – “Juggling Tastes, Pushing Boundaries”
Art can amuse and entertain, but also shock and offend. One person’s trenchant social commentary or moving tale of human drama is another person’s obscenity or insult. We’ll look at some of the issues with pioneering gay cartoonist Howard Cruse, Air Pirates creator Gary Hallgren, editorial cartoonist E.J. Barnes, and former director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Susan Alston.
2:00 PM - Art demo by Scholastics and mecha-extraordinaire artist David White
3:00 PM - “Making A Career Making Art”
It’s not easy to make living as an artist, but it is possible. Our panelists will talk about some of the different ways to do it, and some advice on making your own way. With Jack Purcell (teacher and inker for DC Comics), Rafael Anzovin (computer animator, owner of Anzovin Studios), Sarah Platanitis (journalist), and Colin Tedford (Trees & Hills Comics Group).
4:00 PM – “Stories For Everyone”
Who is the story for and how do you tell it to them? Horror or humor, kid friendly or adults only, daily strip or original graphic novel? A story is more than just a series of events strung together in a narrative; it’s a matter of tone and emphasis, and the way you present it and the audience you have in mind shapes it as much as the plot. Featuring Greg Ruth (Conan Born on the Battlefield, Freaks of the Heartland) and Rebecca Guay (Last Dragon, Flight Of Angels, Black Orchid) in aesthetic “gladiatorial battle”.