Month: April 2022

New “Drawing Funny” Podcast Episodes – We’ve Hit 40!

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Well, gang- the podcast has reached 40 episodes! I can’t believe it’s that many…I was just hoping to make it to more than one, then two, then three…and now around a year and a half later here we are. Going forward I’m going to make some format changes to try and improve on the show, and cut back on my editing so I can not only get more episodes out more often (and more consistently), but can have more time to work on my art.

I’ve got a “Nosferatu” sketchcard gig for RRParks CARDS, working on another Star Wars sketchcover on the drawing board, and doing some research and design work in preparation for an upcoming art project I’m developing and hope to announce soon! Oh, and I just opened a new Tee Public store online.

But back to the podcast…

In this solo episode I have some MSCA member and meeting news, more updates on upcoming conventions and events such as Free Comic Book Day and the Memphis Comic Expo(DonnieCon), as well as some memories of mine and Nicki’s Saturday in midtown Memphis visiting The Art Center, attending MidTown Con at Black Lodge, seeing a photo exhibit at Crosstown Arts, discovering the Memphis Listening Lab at Crosstown Concourse, and shopping at The Cellar and Comics & Collectibles.

Plus I talk about artist/MSCA member Antonio Johnson‘s Clip Studio Paint demo at the April MSCA dinner meet-up, and me sliding by 901 Comics, Goner Records, and Burke’s Bookstore in the Cooper-Young neighborhood this week.

Also feature the Little House Art Project and their current Autism Awareness art show (with the Southaven Arts Council) which is up through April at the Southaven Library, the DeSoto Camera Club‘s latest photo display at the Hernando Library, and some other mid-south art happenings. I also give you some John Grisham trivia, and my book signing at the Southaven Library back in the day with his brother, Mark Grisham.

The back-half of the episode is about a Facebook post I shared about “high functioning anxiety“. I discuss my anxiety, depression, and other health issues– hey, I ain’t gettin’ any younger. If you want to skip that part of the show, the local art/event news is at the front end of the show and the “Anxiety” section begins at 4om 50sec. (Art above by art by Amy Hartelust.)

If you are dealing with any mental or physical issues I hope that you listen to the whole show, and that my sharing what’s going on in my head and hands these days helps you. It was definitely therapeutic for me to talk out loud about it. Please don’t keep whatever you’re going through to yourself…talk to someone and/or seek help.

 

I’m solo again for this 40th episode. Lately I’ve seen a lot of comics creators online ask, “Where do I begin?” Well, “Just start making comics.” seems like the most honest answer, but I know that there’s a lot more to that question. I don’t have all the answers, but I do share my my comics origin story and thoughts on creating comics.

I offer up some advice, resources, cautionary tales, and more about making comics and getting them out there to readers. Lots of ways to make comics these days, and lots of ways to read comics, too. I’ve seen both the pros and cons of doing cons.

I don’t offer any real advice on breaking into comics, because like writer/editor/publisher Mark Waid has said, “Breaking into comics is like breaking out of jail: once you find a way, that way is closed forever.” It’s different for everyone. I do however encourage making comics- and hope the info shared in this episode will help you not only avoid the pitfalls I did creating my own comics, but also enjoy similar positive experiences like I did. Looking back they far outweighed the negative.

If you have any questions I didn’t cover feel free to stop by one of the MSCA monthly dinner meetings at the U of M Garibaldi’s Pizza (1st Tuesday of the month at 7pm). Our next one is on Tuesday, May 3rd. If you’d like to share your experiences creating comics I’d love to have you on the show, just drop me a line at podcast (at) drawingfunny (dot) com. I’m hoping to get out more and record in person. Also always looking for any member and/or local event news to share on the show.

Stay well, stay tooned, and keep drawing funny!

www.drawingfunny.com

PS: If you’d like a “I Have Anxiety.” print or sticker, or see other art by Amy Hartelust go to: www.amyhartelust.com

Stoned Ninja Has Kicked Off Another Kickstarter- Stoned Ninja #1 SAP

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Gabriel DeRanzo and MSCA member Greg Cravens have kicked off another “Stoned Ninja” Kickstarter, and are hoping you’ll get their back by being a backer for this current comics campaign.

Stoned Ninja #1 SAP! This comics fundraiser is for The Second Advanced Printing of Stoned Ninja: A New Strain of Hero #1. It features remastered cover art by Greg Cravens and Gene Fayne.

Stoned Ninja is the story of Kazunori Takagi, a ninja who finds a mystical strain of weed that gives him super human abilities! This New Strain of Hero uses his skills to defend Reef City from evil!!

Pledges start at just $1.00, and go as high as up to $420.00. For local backers in the M-town, they also offer a no shipping fees option– just pick up your Stoned Ninja stash at  901 Comics once the copies are back from being printed.

Several stretch goals are included- and we all know how important stretching can be!

In addition to the new remastered cover art by Greg Cravens., there are also a couple variant covers being offered.

“Action Figure” variant cover by Greg Cravens.

“Bloody Ninja” variant cover by Dusty Jonakin.

You can get a taste of the comic (and some Stoned Ninja edibles) around town at places like 901 Comics and Whatever or by going to their websites www.stoned.ninja (if you’re 21 or older) or at www.stonedninja.com.

Lots of comics and merch to be harvested including variant covers and blank sketchcovers.

If you’re in the Memphis area be sure to say, “Hi!” (or “High..!”) and have Greg draw all over your comics at one of our monthly MSCA dinner meet-ups at Garibaldi’s (a great place to have the munchies), or at the upcoming Memphis Comic Expo(DonnieCon).

The campaign is currently at just over $2K and has already smoked its $1,000 funding goal (so to speak) which means this project will become a reality and not just a pipe dream for the Stoned Ninja team and their readers.

But the guys are looking to go even higher to unlock those stretch goals for their backers. They’ve got 26 days to go on Kickstarter and could still use a hand with this campaign.


Kickstarter profile: Stoned Ninja Comics
Websites: stonedninja.com or stoned.ninja

 

901 Comics
2162 Young Ave.
Memphis, TN 38104

“I’m Going To Midtown!” – Midtown Comic Con at Black Lodge and “Memphis Quarantine” at Crosstown Arts

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This weekend Nicki Workman and I headed over to midtown to do some running around and just get out of the house. It was just too pretty to stay indoors!

Our first stop Saturday was The Art Center over on Union Avenue. It’s been a while since I’ve been by the shop.

I had to check out their stock of Copic markers. I saw online that they had them, and I’m always looking for another source.

I was also happy to see they still sell sketchcard blanks and physical comic pages for creating comic books, manga, and comic strips…sweet!

I dropped off some swag for their customers, and I bought a few of their stickers and some other art supplies. (You can see more about my shopping experience here on my Lin Workman site.)

Our next stop was the MidTown Con at Black Lodge over on Cleveland. It’s was their inaugural mini-con.

When we first walked in it was obvious that many others had this event on their list of things to do on Saturday. The place was much bigger on the inside than I had expected, and definitely much more attended than I had expected as well.

The first folks we recognized were Gabriel DeRanzo and MSCA’s Greg Cravens with “Stoned Ninja” comics.

Apparently due to hunger Greg got one of his prints confused with the Stoned Ninja gummies!

I also ran into fellow MSCA member Jason Negan. Due to work and the pandemic it’s been too long since we’ve talked in person.

I also got to run into some other local artists at the show, such as Devin Hodges/DIAST Cartoons and The Common Days of Cade comics.

Billups Allen and Cramhole zine.

And artist/cosplayer Nora Childers, who is part of the Indie Artists Market (just around the corner from Black Lodge). She’ll be a part of the 901 Heroes Fantasy Wars cosplay fashion show at Black Lodge on Sunday, April 24th from 5-10pm.

I saw a lot of toys, comics, art, apparel and more. They even had a concession stand- and restrooms which I really appreciated.

Nicki brought along her new mirrorless Sony to play with at the show. Thankfully she only wanted to shoot me with her camera, and not what she’s usually packin’ when we go around Memphis..!

We ran into local cosplayer supreme Kelldar…

…as well as a couple other cosplayers like this Mando and Harley. We had to cut out just as their costume contest got underway.

More and more folks were arriving and we felt the need to create a bit of space for them. Really glad the MidTown Con was such a success. I don’t know if the vendors did well, but I did see a lot of folks buying and selling. Overall it seems like folks are ready to get back to attending conventions and events.

Since we had parked at the Crosstown Concourse and Nicki had her camera, we decided to visit it next. It’s on Cleveland just half a block up from Black Lodge. Again, the weather was extremely nice out so we enjoyed the short walk.

We grabbed a few drinks at Farm Burger and walked around the Concourse.

We enjoyed checking out all the artwork hanging around on the walls.

We headed up the stairs to walk around the Crosstown Arts section on the second floor.

We noticed that there was an photography exhibit going on. It was “Memphis Quarantine” by photographer Jamie Harmon, who photographed 800 plus dwellings and over two thousand people between March 13th and May 31st of 2020- averaging 13 photoshoots a day lasting between 15-30 minutes..! Each home/person/family received a private web link with edited images they could download and have at no charge. (You can read more about the photo shoot here.)

There were photos everywhere we looked- all around the foyer area and in the large galleries. Two things I didn’t realize until last night. One- the show ended the next day, Sunday April 10th (today). And two- Jamie was actually hanging out in one of the areas. Had no idea what he looked like, and he was talking with folks so we tried not to bother them. Wish I had known both then!

If you missed the show, check out the website where they are doing preorders for the Memphis Quarantine book at www.memphisquarantine.com ($70ea).

When we were at Farm Burger earlier I noticed the guy behind the register was wearing a Memphis Listening Lab tee on. I asked him what that was and he said it was upstairs.

Yep, it wasn’t here the last time I had stopped in at the Concourse. Here’s the scoop on MLL–

Memphis Listening Lab is a curated collection of music and music history, a forum for music-related talks and performances, and a music education, appreciation, and experimentation space located in Crosstown Concourse. The MLL mission is to provide the community with opportunities to study, research, and enjoy popular music by way of a steadily expanding catalog of resources that represent the rich musical heritage of Memphis.
You can find out more about MLL here and buy some merch here.

We headed back downstairs to turn in Nicki’s photo pass. This was the first time I’d seen someone behind the boards at the radio station. Usually I’m there a bit later, and I’m not sure if they were in the studio during the pandemic or not.

After we left Crosstown, we headed over to The Cellar in Bartlett, and then over to Comics & Collectibles off Poplar. It’s been about a month since we’d been to either shop.

I’ve got sketchcovers and sketchcards for sale at The Cellar – each hand drawn and done in markers. MSCA member Lonnie Easterling has some sketchcovers for sale there, and I noticed another artist had added their sketchcards as well.

I saw some copies of The Dragon Templar by Brad Starnes and MSCA’s Dale Martin, sitting next to a Fathom comic with a Skoot Starnes cover, and just above some of our MSCA The Good, The Bad, and the Sketchy zine on the shelf at The Cellar. Later at Comics & Collectibles we saw copies of Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa by Martheus Antone Wade, Janet Wade, and Kevin L. Williams .

If you need acrylic stands for your collectibles be sure to check out Charles Ettinger‘s at The Cellar, or on his Etsy shop- www.etsy.com/shop/LaserheadStudios.

You can always find freebie MSCA and Drawing Funny podcast swag at Comics & Collectibles, The Cellar, and 901 Comics in the Copper/Young neighborhood.

Hope you’ve all had a great weekend. If you were set up at the MidTown Con I hope it was a success for ya!

Lin

 

Black Lodge Video
405 N Cleveland St.
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 424-1514
blacklodgememphis.com

 

Crosstown Arts
Crosstown Concourse
1350 Concourse Ave #280
Memphis, TN 38104
crosstownarts.org

The Art Center
1636 Union Ave.
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 276-6321
The Cellar: Tabletop Games & Comics
2737 Bartlett Blvd
Bartlett, TN 38134
(901) 382-8623

901 Comics (Cooper/Young)
2162 Young Avenue
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 421-8819
901-comics.business.site

Comics & Collectibles
4730 POPLAR AVENUE #2
MEMPHIS, TN 38117
901-683-7171
memphiscomics.com

Little Art House Project Autism Awareness Art Show And Reception

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Last night (Thursday- April 7, 2022) I got to attend the reception for the Little House Art Project‘s Autism Awareness art show. April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day, and April is Autism Awareness Month. Little House Art Project is a combined art class for special needs and typical young adults ages 12 and up.

The show was put on by the Southaven Arts Council at the M.R. Davis Southaven Public Library in Southaven, MS. The library has a nice gallery space in their front lobby area. (The MSCA had a brief showing there, but unfortunately the library had to close that week due to COVID.)

There were about 13 art house students that participated in this show- each doing 2-3 pieces of art. Some were originals, some were digital prints.

One of the participating artists was the MSCA’s own Grace Smith– AKA “Warrior Grace” and/or “Creator Grace“.

Grace works digitally in Procreate on a tablet, and loves to draw in a manga/anime style on it and her smart phone.

There were many different styles of art and mediums used, and they varied in size and details- but all were fun.

My favorite was this monkey painting..!

I really enjoyed getting to check out all the art, and talk to many of the artists that attended. There were a few artists I didn’t realize were participants until after I got home from the show. It had been a while since I had seen Grace at one of our dinner meetings at Garibaldi’s or drawing  nights at Michaels in Olive Branch back before the pandemic.

Grace, Austin Almond, and Austin Richards (above with his blue dog painting) were all interviewed by Fox13 Memphis’ Mandy Hrach. You can see the video here and see pics here.

The artists did great on camera discussing their art, autism, and why they love creating art.

Austin Almond , art house director Vicky Neyman, and a few others were also interviewed by a reporter from the DeSoto Times-Tribune newspaper (click here for the story). Austin works at the Germantown Community Theatre where we had our latest MSCA art show.

I’ve known Vicky since I first joined the DeSoto Arts Council back when she was that art council’s director, and she’s a former Southaven director. She does amazing work with her “art kids”, many have grown up in her art classes. I’ve taught art classes at the art house before (as has Kevin L. Williams and Martheus Antone Wade) and look forward to getting to draw funny with them again in mid-May for some Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Congrats to Vicky, Grace, and all the Little House Art Project participating artists. Little House Art Project is a program of The Arc Northwest Mississippi. The show will be on view in the M.R. Davis Southaven Public Library until the end of April. They look to do another art show next year in April for Autism Awareness Month.

M.R. Davis Southaven Public Library
8554 Northwest Drive,
Southaven, MS 38671
Phone: (662) 342-0102
Fax:     (662) 342-0556
south(at)firstregional(dot)org

Southaven Arts Council
2126 Stateline Rd E
Southaven, MS 38672
Little House Art Project
2126 Stateline Road East
Southaven, MS

Little House Art Project began as an idea born of an art program for special needs children.  but, why stop with artistically gifted, special needs teen?  Many teens yearn for art instruction.

Little House Art Project is an opportunity for all teens to learn more about fundamentals of art.  Studies in light sources, painting still life, and more will be explored in this series of classes.

Please contact The Arc NWMS for more information at
901-907-9041 or admin@thearcnwms.org.

“Bluff City Life” Interview And Clip Studio Tutorial With “Bluff City Blues” Novic Creator At MSCA Dinner Meeting

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On March 29th MSCA president Kevin L. Williams was interviewed by host Andy Mannis for “Bluff City Life”, which aired on WMC TV5 here in Memphis. Kev and Andy discussed the MSCA and our 35th anniversary this year (March 28, 1987).

If you missed the MSCA segment when it played you can now check it out online here.

On Tuesday, April 5th, we got back together for our MSCA monthly dinner meeting at Garibaldi’s Pizza. This was our second meet-up back at Garibaldi’s since we had to stop due to the pandemic back in March 2020.

We had another great turnout- not only some of our usual suspects, but folks we haven’t seen for a while like brothers Marvin and Spencer Cheveallier, former MSCA prez Charles Ettinger, and a new face- Courtney Dunn, from the Brooks Museum Of Art who heard about us from one of the postcards we recently sent out. She brought a few of her sketchbooks to show- which were great. Always love to see other artists’ sketchbooks.

I had Dale Martin sign my copy of “The Dragon Templar” comic. I picked up a copy of the first issue at The Cellar. He and writer Brad Starnes are working on the second issue now.

We had fun hanging out, talking toons, and eating pizza and pasta. Lots of catching up to do as always, sketchbooks to be looked at, drawings to be done, and more freebie swag to be had.

Towards the end of this meeting, member Antonio Johnson brought along his laptop, tablet, and extra monitor to do a tutorial on the art program Clip Studio Paint.

He showed us the basics that can be done, and took lots of questions from the group. A few members use the program and added some of their expertise to the conversation.

A few months back Charles had shown us a bit of how he used the program while on one of our Zoom meetings. He was working on the Memphis issue of our MSCA Zine. I was impressed with the what could be done with it in just those few minutes.

After last night I’m amazed to find out more about what else it can do and support, and for a very reasonable price. I really hadn’t thought about getting a new graphics program (I use Corel Draw and Photoshop), but am really tempted to get it and a new tablet for my new laptop. The question is, since I draw outside the computer left handed, and draw inside the computer right handed, do I just stick with the way things are, learn it left-handed since I’ve got to learn to use the program, or try to get comfortable with either hand- just in case..?

You can check out Antonio’s art at www.adjdesign.com, as well as purchase some of his and wife Tamika’s books, merch and apparel in their shop here.

Since the restaurant closes a bit earlier these days we didn’t have a long time to really get into what all the program can do, but it was a fun introduction to it for many of us. Thanks to Antonio for teasing us with Clip Studio Paint. I hope we can have more demonstrations at future meetings. If anyone would like to lead one, please give Kevin a yell so we can schedule it.

Also looking for guests to talk toons on our Drawing Funny podcast. I can either do a Zoom call or meet in person if needed. Just shoot me an email at podcasy(at)drawingfunny(dot)com and we’ll schedule it. I’d also be happy to interview anyone at our meetings or other events.

I’m glad we were able to have monthly Zoom meetings during the pandemic, but man it’s great to be meeting back in person again.

Don’t forget that MidTownCon is this Saturday from 10-4pm at Black Lodge Video here in Memphis. More and more cons and events are starting up again.

Also, mark your calendars- Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) 2022 is set to be celebrated on Saturday, May 7 at local comic shops across the country and around the world! Check with your local comic shop to see ig/how they are participating, and if there are any requirements/restrictions.

Oh, and Dale Martin has his first show of the year he’s participating in- the Annesdale Snowden Neighborhood Art Walk in Memphis. Dale does a lot of art shows and festivals around the mid-south, so keep an eye out for him and his work.

Stay “tooned” for more MSCA anniversary updates and member news. Hope you all are doing well and drawing funny!

Lin

MSCA Monthly Dinner Meeting This Tuesday- No Foolin’, fools!

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Hey, gang- no April Fools jibber-jabber today. Just a couple MSCA bits of info for you-including the next monthly meeting this Tuesday.

Yep, it’s hard to believe it’s time for another MSCA dinner meet-up at Garibaldi’s Pizza off Walker Ave. and Highland (across from Tiger Bookstore).

It’s been a month since our first time back at Garibaldi’s after a two year pandemic forced hiatus. Yeah, hard to believe it was two years without any in-person get-togethers here.

We had about a dozen members stop in, and as you can tell everyone was super excited to be back together in the same room again..!

We all enjoyed some good grub, great conversation, and traded/snagged some cartoonist freebies. I brought some MSCA and Drawing Funny podcast swag (pins, buttons, stickers, sketchcard blanks), Kevin Williams brought some MSCA postcards, Greg Cravens had some of his stickers, and Lonnie Eastering had some of his Spud Toons stickers. (If you’d like any MSCA and/or Drawing Funny freebie swag be sure to stop by Comics & Collectibles, The Cellar, and 901 Comics around town,)

This month marked the 35th anniversary since the first Memphis Cartoonists Group meeting- March 28, 1987.

The name has changed since that first meeting and so has our roster of usual suspects, but we still have some members from those early days and are always looking to have more folks join our ranks. Young or old, experienced or just starting out, published or just draw for fun- everyone is welcome to come out and talk toons with us.

This last Tuesday, March 29th- the day after our official anniversary, MSCA president Kevin L. Williams appeared on WMC TV5’s “Bluff City Life” to talk about our group’s history with host Andy Mannis.

During the MSCA segment some pics of the group (including a shot from out most recent March dinner meeting) and some member’s art was shown including some from our recent art show at Germantown Community Theatre.

There we a couple of minor technical issues, but Kev did great a great job promoting the association and getting the word out to the mid-south. If you missed Kev’s TV appearance, the episode should be available to watch on their website anytime now.

Hope you can all make it out to meet up with us this Tuesday, April 5th from 7-9pm at the U of M Garibaldi’s Pizza. Bring whatever art you’ve been working on, favorite art book/comic or recent art tool purchase to show, or some promo swag to hand out. Also, feel free to bring a friend or family member, and be sure to bring a few bucks to order off the menu. You and your stomach will be glad you did!

I’m hoping to actually sit down and do a bit of recording for the Drawing Funny podcast during the meeting, so if you’d like to be on the show please let me know.

I pity the fools that miss this next MSCA dinner meet-up!

Lin