SF Zinefest 2009

I had a great time exhibiting for the first time at 9th annual SF Zinefest! Here are the drawings I did on the spot. A couple were black and white ones I finished previously and watercolored them there.

Monsters of Webcomics

I'm part of the virtual gallery for the Monsters of Webcomics exhibit at the Cartoon Art Museum. It opens August 8th! Here's the press release.

SF Zinefest & Manga Mania

I’ll be at the SF Zinefest on August 22 and 23! Come on by and check out my comics and prints!

I am teaching the Manga Mania class for kids and teens at the College of San Mateo. It’s three class sessions staring on September 26th. Go here to register for the class!

SDCC bound!

I’m heading down to SDCC Wednesday! My comics will be for sale at Bobcat Publishing by my good friend Llyn Hunter at table D-10. Both Sea Rover and Tales of Encounter are $10 for both or $6 each. Combined, both books collect all the comics I’ve done so far on Girlamatic with a couple older stories. I will be sketching for donations at the Cartoon Art Museum booth #1930, Saturday, July 25th from 12 pm to 1 pm. Other than that, I’ll be wandering the exhibitor’s hall.

Chibi Month at Manga Start!

This month on Manga Start it's all about chibis! My chibi pirate step by step is up this week. Check it out!

fish heads

Recently, I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the California Academy of Sciences. These fish heads were drawn from life on a Nintendo DS.

fantasy animal sketches

These were drawn with a Pentel sumi brush and water.

Nichi Bei Times covers Manga Start

Manga Start co-founder Phuong-Mai Bui-Quang was interviewed by the Nichi Bei Times. Read the article online here.

Fanime head sketches

Thank you to everyone who came to Manga Start's panel on the History and Intro Manga Art! I didn't officially have a table in Artists' Alley, but I sat down and drew con attendees as they passed me by.

Fanime Con 2009 and Raconteur

As part of Manga Start, I will be a panelist at Fanime Con on Saturday, May 23rd. It’s the History and Intro to Manga Art panel at 1 pm in Marriott Salon B. Hope to see you there!

In other news, I will resume Raconteur in late July or early August.

Tales of Encounter

Tales of Encounter comic collects Snow Fall, Treaty and Gatekeeper in one book. It's now available at Treasure Island Comics and the Cartoon Art Museum. The Cartoon Art Museum also carries prints of my illustrations. Tales of Encounter and my previous book, Sea Rover and Other Tales, are also available at the Gallery Project until the Visual Storytelling show ends on May 24th.

Raconteur update

The last page of the current story is up! Click here to read it:

Manga drawing gal

Here's a spot illustration for my upcoming manga drawing classes.

Raconteur update

Go read!

unnamed project sketches

It's been a while since I've posted sketches, so here are a few from a yet unnamed, not fully developed comic.

April appearances

I'm presenting manga drawing techniques for Sakura of America from April 17th to 20th at NAEA.

I will be at the CAATX on April 25th from 10 am to 4 pm. Stop on by, learn drawing techniques and pick up my latest comic book Tales of Encounter for $6!

My work will be on display at the Visual Storytelling exhibit at the Gallery Project. The exhibit runs from April 15th to May 15th. Even though I will not be there at the reception that is on April 17th from 6 to 9 pm, check out the exhibit!

Raconteur update today!

New page is up! Click here to read it:

Raconteur returns!

My new story is up on Girlamatic! Click here to read it:

Wondercon 2009

I'll be in Artist Alley, table 112 selling comics, prints and more! I will have my original comic pages for sale too. Here's a cover detail of my new comic book:



Tales of Encounter collects Snow Fall, Treaty (both previously on Girlamatic.com) and one new story just for this book. Stop on by. I'll be there for all three days!

AOD panel appearances

I'm a panelist at AOD (Animation on Display) this Saturday, February 14th. I will be at the following panels:

History and Overview of Manga and Anime
Manga Art Demonstration/Q&A by Manga Start
Professional Art Careers.

Come by and bring your questions!

Sketchcrawl 21 results

I was glad to meet some new Sketchcrawlers at the Ferry Building! Some of us stayed there, while others ventured out to the Japantown. I couldn't stay for the whole day, but it was great hanging out with new folks and chatting it up over lunch in Japantown!




These are gesture drawings for the musical performance I went to, after leaving the Sketchcrawl early.

21st Sketchcrawl

Happy New Year! I'm participating in the 21st Sketchcrawl on January 10th. Check out Sketchcrawl.com for more info and meeting times/locations!

Raconteur update today

It's the second to last page of the current story...!

Dickens Faire

Holiday Anime Faire `08

On December 6th, I’ll be at the Holiday Anime Faire teaching with Manga Start a class on body expressions. Stop on by!

Raconteur update today!

CAEA Manga Presentation Thank You

Thank you to the 50 plus art educators to came to Sakura of America's Intro to Manga Presentation! I was grateful to see so many educators willing to get up early and be interested in manga. Again, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask here or on Manga Start.

CAEA Manga Presentation

I'll be teaching a workshop with Manga Start at the California Art Education Association this Saturday, November 15th. The workshop description:

Introduction to Manga for Classroom Art Education
Manga (Japanese Comics) is captivating your students’ interest. Learn more about this unique genre from Professional manga artists, and gain insight on connecting manga with traditional classroom art education.

Raconteur update and Manga Start

A new comic page is up!


I'm helping out with Manga Start. Check out the site for manga style tutorials!

Raconteur update... finally!

Raconteur update

After I replace my dead laptop, the current story on Girlamatic.com will resume this month.

ground and pound

Here are some gesture drawings while watching UFC fights on TV. I used a brush pen and they weren't more than a couple minutes using a freeze frame option on the TV remote.

Mendocino jam comic

Here's the jam comic from the Manga Festival in Fort Bragg, CA. I had a great sharing drawing hints and skills with attendees. Enjoy!

Manga workshop on the Mendocino Coast

I will be teaching a manga workshop on August 23rd at Racines. The workshop will cover facial/body expressions, character design and a jam comic. Sign ups at the store are recommended!

San Diego Comic Con starts tomorrow!

A reminder: I will be doing sketches for donations at the Cartoon Art Museum table on Friday, July 25th from 2-3 pm. The museum's table is on the mezzanine level in the Fan Club section, number MZ11. According to the staff, it’s $10 for a 5.5x8.5 and $25 for a 8.5x11. It may be different once there, but it’s a heads up. Come on by!

Here’s a logo design I finished for a gaming group:


Any fan of The Red Star will enjoy this. I will color it later:

sketches at SDCC!

San Diego Comic Con is just around the corner! I don't have a table, so I'll be roaming as a free agent on the floor. I will be doing sketches for donations at the Cartoon Art Museum table on Friday, July 25th from 2-3 pm. CAM's table is on the mezzanine level in the Fan Club section, number MZ11. Come on by!

Raconteur update

Here's the latest page of my current story Treaty. After this story is done, I'll be putting Raconteur on hiatus for a while.

MoCCA pics

Just some choice pics from MoCCA here. Enjoy!

thumbnail roughs

MoCCA bound!

Mark your calendars: Leigh Dragoon, Karen Luk and Rachel Nabors will be at MoCCA! We're at table S41, on the second floor of the Puck Building.

Art Spiegelman and Chris Ware, Serial Boxes, April 30th

Chris Ware and Art Spiegelman were guest speakers at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco on April 30th. Their conversation, as guided by Heidi Chute, was part of Serial Boxes – a series of lectures exploring the graphic novel.

Ware is known for his graphic and geometric comics that look computer generated, but is done by hand. His notable works include the Acme Novelty Library and Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth. Spiegelman’s underground comics work began in the 1960s and 1970s and continued with co-founding of Arcade and Raw. His Pulitzer-winning Maus elevated graphic novels to literary status. He equated his recent work, In the Shadow of Two Towers, as current generation’s World War II influence.

Spiegelman believes that graphic novels are still bidding for respectability. The graphic novel is a medium, not a genre. He views the term “graphic novel” as a marketing term, instead of just saying “comics” to describe his work. Chute had Spiegelman define comics – words and pictures, reduced level of visuals, picture words. Ware shared his view of sequential art as “typography of picture words.”

To Spiegelman, comics represent timeless space, much like a musical score. Large panels may equal no passage of time. Spiegelman claimed rational barely exists in comics. Plain painting ignores the story. Ware creates his panels as he goes, increasing the complexity of the pages to have the reader linger over the pages. He joked how drawing naked people brings him to the drawing board.

Speaking historically, Spiegelman suggested comics as architecture derived from the church stained glass windows. Spiegelman focuses his narrative stories, looking for visual coherence of panels in and out of the story. On the other hand, Ware gives the story a more cursory glance (whether it works or not) tempered with real life parallels.

On the question about which panel to read next, Spiegelman replied that it was the artist’s responsibility to know. Spiegelman added that ambiguity lends to more reader involvement. “You have to use what little space you have to pack inside everything you can!” quoted Spiegelman of his father showing him how to pack in a cartoon strip. He stated that this was the best advice he ever received as a cartoonist.

Ware uses comic panels as a typographic element and as “memory pictures.” He experiments with story, not necessarily storytelling. Relying on the perception of ambiguity for his panels, he said that it must feel right to work. He commented that man is the only creature surrounded by man-made things.

Regarding influences on his work, Spiegelman cited Harvey Kurtzman of Mad magazine. Spiegelman showed slides of an ugly woman portrait that spoke more to him than some pretty girl magazine color. Ware cited Frank King’s Gasoline Alley for its parallel to real life story, use of contemplation and color. He also included Daniel Clowes’ Ghost World and Eightball.

Throughout the conversation, Spiegelman and Ware showed slides of their work, applicable cartoons and references. For example, Spiegelman showed a cartoon of himself overshadowed by a monolith of Maus with his grandson in the foreground playing World of Warcraft on a laptop. He wondered if could ever escape Maus’ shadow, while his grandson asked to be left alone to finish up a quest.

Ware discussed the details of the Acme Novelty Library, covering repeated letter design and a glow-in-a-dark constellation of the story’s cast. He lamented how much he over thinks his stories and their format. Spiegelman had single cartoons and strips ready to illustrate his answers, while Ware was self-deprecating about the fact he was not as prepared or witty.

Chute asked what concerns Spiegelman and Ware have about their own work. Spiegelman said that the birth of a notion was troublesome, citing the fame of Maus. Ware’s concern was keeping a grip on his self-worth as an artist.

Recognizing that inherent humor was in their work and answers, Chute asked if that was intentional. Ware remarked that comics are prefect for humor; although, it’s much harder for him to write humor, as his work reflects his “deep self.” Spiegelman paraphrased Mark Twain saying, “There’s no laughter in heaven.”

The conservation ended with applause from a full house. Both gentleman lingered afterwards, signing their books for an appreciative audience.

new drawings

Here are a couple more finished looking drawings.

Conceptual drawing for a developing story done in ink wash.


Ink drawing of yet-to-be named lead of a developing story. She's riding on a back of an ostru (made up creature based on two-legged dinosaurs and ostriches). Ostrus are also in the current Raconteur story Treaty.

Orphan Works Bill for 2008

Please take a moment to fill this out:
http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/

More information on what it is about:
http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/issues/bills/?billid=11320236

A few key points:
The Orphan Works Act defines an "orphan work" as any copyrighted work whose author any infringer says he is unable to locate with what the infringer himself decides has been a "reasonably diligent search." In a radical departure from existing copyright law and business practice, the U.S. Copyright Office has proposed that Congress grant such infringers freedom to ignore the rights of the author and use the work for any purpose, including commercial usage. In the case of visual art, the word "author" means "artist."

It is a violation of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works for any country to impose registration on a rights holder as as a condition of protecting his copyright. See Article 5(2) "The enjoyment and the exercise of these rights shall not be subject to any formality (emphasis added)."

Publishers and other art licensees will be less likely to commission new work from artists if they can surf the net for free images that have become separated from identifying information. An artist's pre-existing paintings and drawings - orphaned through no fault of his own - would be competing against him for the new commissions he needs to make a living.

Manga, Art and Graphic Novel Expo for Teens

I'm going to be at the Manga, Art and Graphic Novel Expo for Teens this Saturday, April 26th, in Fremont, CA. Come on by! I'll be at my table doing small drawings like these for a small price: