“Spamalittle and Drawalot” – Our Latest MSCA Art Show and Sat-Art-Day Events

It been a very busy (and wet) couple of weeks here for our merry band of cartoonists, but overall it was a lot of fun.

First up was our “Spamalittle: Knights Of The Drawing Table” art show reception at Germantown Community Theatre on Friday night.

This is the second art show that the MSCA has exhibited in the lobby of GCT, and apparently we’ll be back for another next season.

GCT will be announcing their next season on March 9th, and we’ll be announcing that show shortly after.

This art show featured “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” inspired artwork on display (and for sale) by our members.

Lots of great takes on that epic Monty Python movie! You can see more pics by heading on over to the MSCA Facebook page.

We also got to enjoy a live performance of “Find Your Grail” by Sir Muley and Annie Freres who performs as ‘The Lady Of The Lake“). This video can also be seen on our Facebook page.

I really enjoyed catching up with A.G. Howard. We talked about many of our misdaventures togeher back in our airbrush days, and some of our recent health scares and brushes with death..! Yeah, it’s been a scary few years for many of us, but always great to still be able to get together for events like this.

The cold rain and scary weather around the midsouth kept the attendance down a bit, but definitely not the sales! Several of the show’s pieces were sold that night, and two were sold before we even got set up for the reception. Heck, the show hasn’t even officially opened yet and it’s been one of our most successful ones yet.

Thanks to Kevin Williams and DaMarco Randle for hanging the art show and setting up the refreshments table for the reception. And thanks to everyone who participated in the show, braved the bad weather, and bought art. Big thanks to the staff and volunteers at GCT for having us back out again, and again.

You can check out the show for yourself at the theater during their normal box office business hours and during Spamalot performances.

The Spamalittle art show runs in conjunction with their production of Spamalot The Musical” March 3-19 at GCT – 3037 Forest Hill Irene Rd.👑

9014537447:Box Office    9014537444:Main  Box Office:office@gctcomeplay.org

The next morning many of us were drawn together for our latest Sat-Art-Day at 901 Comics East out on Macon Road.

It was another full house for our latest sketchy Saturday in the back gallery room at 901 Comics’ Cordova location. We were surrounded by a lot of comic art on the walls – including some original comic book pages from”The Walking Dead“.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had some of our regular attendees, as well as some new faces there. Was great to have Izzy and Timothy join us this time, and I hope they can make it back for future Sat-Art-Days and other MSCA  events.

Many folks brought their own stuff to draw with/on, but we also provided extra art supplies such as markers, pencils, pens, paper, and sketchcards for anyone who needed them.

And they were put to good use.

Like the night before at the art show reception, it was cold and wet outside, but warm, dry, and a lot of fun inside. We only heard the occasional bit of rain hitting the roof while we sketched.

The only rules we have other than have fun and be respectful of your felllow artists is that if you’re not old enough to drive yourself to the comic shop, you need to have a parent or guardian come with you.

They’re welcome to sit and draw as well, play a game in the gaming area, or hang out and watch some TV at the bar.

The shop serves beer on tap and in cans, but you don’t have to just drink beer. 901’s “Bar With No Name” also serves sodas, bottled water, snacks, and personal sized pizzas.

We’ll be back out at 901 for another Sat-Art-Day on March 25th, as well as another Drink-N-Draw event on March 15th, the Wednesday before St. Patrick’s Day.

901 Comics (both locations) also sells many locally created comics including several comics series made by MSCA members.

One of those Memphis made comics is “Stoned Ninja“.

It (and others) are published by 901’s Shannon Merritt and his own Bad Dog Comics Publishing.

And speaking of  Stoned Ninja, the creative team behind it will teach you what they know about making comics all while enjoying a beer at Crosstown Brewery (1264 Concourse Avenue, Crosstown Concourse) on March 23rd from 6-8pm.

Join writer Gabe DeRanzo and the MSCA’s own Greg Cravens (The Buckets, Hubris, Shoney Bear) as they teach the next class in Crosstown’s Creative Juices sereies- which are instuctional classes for the creative 901.

They’ll be throwing out lots of comic knowlege, and knowing Greg- probably a lot of ninja star stickers as well.

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Everyone in the class will get:

  • A written breakdown of The Process, spelling out the steps and the order in which they have to be taken
  • A full size comic book practice page that you classroom creators will pencil your own dialogue, characters, and action into.
  • One beer will be included in ticket price for those of legal drinking age. Must present ID at the bar to get your beer. Minimum age for this class is 13 years old.

TIckets are $30.00ea and can be purchased through eventbrite by cliking here.

Our next upcoming MSCA event is the monthly dinner meet-up at Garibaldi’s Pizza on Walker Ave. near the U of M on Tuesday, March 7th from 6-8pm.✏️🍕

The meeting is casual, free, and open to the public. Do feel free to bring your sketchbook, tablet, or other drawing supplies if you like, as well as any promo items you might want to share with the group. Plus bring a few bucks to order off the menu if you’d like anything to eat or drink. Like the Sat-Art-Days, any age or skill level is welcome to join us, just bring a parent with you if you can’t drive yourself there. We meet on the 1st Tuesday of the month (except for the 4th of July this summer).

And be sure to “Stay Tooned” for the next episode of the Drawing Funny Podcast which will be dropping later this week….which reminds me- I need to record it!

Later,

Lin

Art Classes, Art Entries, and Art Shows – What’s Coming Up!

Hey, gang-

Hope you’re all warm, dry, and not sitting in the dark. It’s been a couple crazy days here in the mid-south with all the ice blowing through the area over Ground Hog’s Day this week, but the sun has finally returned and the weather is warming back up…for now. Lots of art stuff coming up, so let’s not waste any time getting to it…

Up first, do you have, or know, a child who would be interested in learning all the ins-and-outs of creating comics?
Martheus Antone Wade (Shinobi: Ninja Princess; Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa) leads masterclasses for kids in just that topic !
The Comic Studio are classes that teach the art of comic book and manga illustration and storytelling. Prices are right for your kids, or for kids you know if you want to create a scholarship for them!  Click the link below and check it out…
 
From MSCA member and NCS Membership Chairman, Greg Cravens:

The National Cartoonists Society has begun its annual call for entries for consideration for the NCS Divisional Reuben Awards recognizing excellence in professional cartooning for work published in 2022.

● The Divisional Reuben Awards recognize individuals for their artistic excellence in cartoon arts.
● You do not have to be a member of the NCS to enter.
● There is no fee for submissions.
● All submissions must complete the online entry form and comply with division requirements. If you are unable to submit via the online form, please email us at ncs@nationalcartoonists.com
● Only work FIRST published between the dates of January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 can be considered. Submitted work must be accompanied by verification of the date of first publication or it will be disqualified–see detailed instructions below.
● Entries should represent professional cartooning, as demonstrated by publication, syndication, production, or distribution through a professional organization via a platform or manner widely available and consumed by the general public such as Amazon. For example, art created solely for a card mailed to family or self-published for a school assignment or posted on social media for fun or done as a hobby should not be submitted.
● The NCS always encourages the exploration of new ways technology enables our members to create their work. We do, however, oppose the commercial use of AI-generated images that have been trained on copyrighted works, and will not allow any artificially-generated art to be submitted for any category of our awards.

Your submissions must completed by February 15, 2023 for consideration for one or more of the following Division Awards:
-Comic Book
-Book Illustration
-Online Comics: Long Form
-On-line Comics: Short Form
-Gag Cartoon
-Newspaper Strip
-Greeting Card
-Newspaper Panel
-Advertising/ Product Illustration
-Graphic Novel
-Variety Entertainment
-Magazine/Newspaper Illustration
-Editorial Cartoon
-Art for Animated Media

In the interest of ensuring that the NCS Divisional Reuben Awards are representative of the very best work produced in each category, entries are juried by members of our regional chapters or by specialty juries. The results of nominations from jurors are compiled and the top 3 nominees in each division will be posted for online voting by the entire NCS voting membership. Winners will be announced at the Reuben Awards, Fall 2023.

You  can find more info at:
www.nationalcartoonists.com/awards/guidelines/

Our MSCA art show, “Spamalittle: Knights Of The Drawing Table” next month at Germantown Community Theatre. The deadline for art will be at the next MSCA monthly dinner meet-up this coming Tuesday, February 7th from 6-8pm at Garibaldi’s Pizza in the U of M area. The art show will be in conjunction with GCT’s production of “Spamalot“, and we will have an opening reception on Friday, February 24th from 5:30-8:00pm in the lobby area of the theater.

Here are some of MSCA member Dale Martin‘s art for the show.

If you mised our latest drawing event, we’ll be doing more Sketchy Saturdays at 901 Comics East. The next one is Saturday, February 25th, and the following will be on March 25th. Both Sat-Art-Days will be from 10am-2pm and free/open to the public. They aren’t art classes, but a chance for local artists to get together and draw with others. You can either work on your own project, or experiment with some of the art materials on-hand.

We will also be doing more MSCA Drink-N-Draw nights on March 15th and May 17th from 6-8pm at 901 Comics East.

The comic shop has a bar, gaming area, and gallery room where we can drink and draw.

At the last Drink-N-Draw in January we had to deal with thunderstorms and a power outage, but that didn’t stop the artsits there from drawing- even in the dark! The events are free to attend, but if you’d like to order from the bar (local and domestic beer on tap and in cans- plus sodas, water, pizza or snacks) then bring a few bucks with ya.

One of the artists who participated in our Sketchy Saturday was Katie Jones. She shared her recent Mitsui Lecture Series online lecture with us and I hope you get an opportunity to see it and enjoy!

I wanted to share this with you and the group from the recent lecture I did with the Japan Society of TN if anyone wants to watch it. It’s about bringing Japanese culture in the classroom and I am the only artist and art teacher in the entire lecture and I talk about comics and anime if anyone is interested.

https://youtu.be/T7-boyZUmAs

The 2nd Midtown Con is coming up this April 8th at Black Lodge Video (near Crosstown Concourse).

Here’s some info on the first Memphis Libraries Comic Con on the first Saturday in May (Free Comic Book Day) at the main library on Poplar Avenue.

Hello, and I, hope all is well. 

My  name is Jody Callahan, and I’m a librarian at the Central Library here in Memphis. We have formed a committee to put on the first Memphis Libraries Comic Con, planned for May 6, 2023. We hope to make it a quality con, and to that end, we’ve gotten backing from our foundation. The plan right now is to offer tables to local artists and sellers to sell their wares. We expect to use the main library foyer as well as the meeting rooms. The tables would be free to artists and vendors. Those selling would have to donate 10 percent of the day’s proceeds to the Friends of The Library nonprofit charity (It’s a condition the library has set for commercial activity on the site).

We are hoping the Mid-South Cartoonists would be interested in joining us!

The event is free and open to the public. We already have members signed up to set up at the show, and I’ve heard the comic legend John Ostrander (writer- Suicide Squad, The Specter, Star Wars: Legacy, Grim Jack)…

…and comic creator and former MSCA member Mike Norton (Gravity, Spider-Man, Battlepug, The Rock Gods Of Jackson, Tennessee) will be there as guests. If you’re interested give Jody Callahan a yell at Jody(dot)Callahan(at)memphistn(dot)gov. Table space is limited and available on a  first come basis.

All the local comic shops in Memphis participate in FCBD and each have different ways they celebrate it including in-store guests, cosplayers, sales, contrests, free merch, and more. To find them or a comic retailer nearest to you check out the FCBD site’s Store Locator page- www.freecomicbookday.com/StoreLocator.

Hope you can make it out to join us at the dinner meet-up or any of the other upcoming events, like our next dinner meeting this Tuesday, February 7th from 6-8pm at Garibaldi’s Pizza on Walker Ave, near the U of M and Highland Strip- rignt across the street from Tiger Bookstore. Dinner meet-ups are free and open to the public, but like the Drink-N-Draw events, be sure to bring something to draw with and/or a few bucks to order off the menu. We meet in the big dining room on the right on the first Tuesday of each month.

Lin

“Drawing Funny” Podcast Reaches 50 Episodes!

Well, Drawing Funny has made it to 50! Yep, that’s 49 episodes more than I thought I was going to make it to with the pandemic inspired podcast.

You can listen to Episode 50 at www.drawingfunny.com, on Apple, Spotify, or any podcasting platform you like to use.

You can also click on the player above.

Show notes: For this 50th episode of Drawing Funny I was joined by MSCA president Kevin L. Williams as we interview his longtime friend Steve Troop

Steve has worked as an animator, cartoonist and graphic designer for around 30 years now. He’s the creator of Mayberry Melonpool, an online comic strip series since 1996.

In the late-2000s, Steve’s puppet versions of Melonpool were featured in the online web series Quickcast by Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy). He has worked as an illustrator and storyboard artist for Attack of the Killer Tomatoes – The Animated Series, and the CGI animated feature Ping Pong Rabbit.

Steve co-owns Puppet Design Studio in Valencia, CA where he’s designed and built puppets for Nike, American Greetings, GleeJimmy Kimmel Live!Teen Titans, and The Big Bang Theory. Steve’s credits include working with Mike Johnson (director – Corpse Bride), Phil Nibbelink (animator – Roger Rabbit), Kid Cudi, Pharell, live puppetry performance in Trace Adkins’ music video “Brown Chicken, Brown Cow” as well as Ed Sheeran’s 2014 MTV Video Music Awards Best Male Video, “Sing.”

Steve and Melonpool made a cameo in Comic Book: The Movie, and is also the co-creator of the off-off-Broadway FRINGE production, Alien VS Musical.

Steve will be the instructor at a puppetry design/build workshop at The Land Schools in Las Vegas this March 24-26, 2023. He’ll teach you everything he learned in the first ten years of building puppets – in three days! If you are serious about puppetry, you should attend this class. Use code Prcy30 at checkout for 30% off ANY workshop. More info at www.thelandschools.com.

We’ll have video segments from this interview on the MSCA’s YouTube channel soon.

“Stay TOONED!”

Oh. don’t forget that our next MSCA monthly dinner meet-up will be this coming Tuesday, February 7th from 6-8pm at Garibaldi’s Pizza in the U of M area. We’ll be talking about the recent Drink-N-Draw and Sketchy Saturday events at 901 Comics East, the dates for future events at the comic shop, and discudssing our next art show- “Spamalittle: Knights Of The Drawing Table” at Germantown Community Theatre in March.

Deadline for submitting art for the show will be at this dinner meeting, and we’ll have art show invites and flyers for anyone who’d like some to help spread the word about the show.

Hope you can join us for it.

Lin

Sketchy Details On Upcoming MSCA Events This Week

If you’re free this Sunday, January 15th from 4:30 – 6 pm, go visit the MLK Day Celebration at the Withers Collection Museum and Gallery333 Beale Street, Memphis, TN 38103.

MSCA member Devin Hodges will be present with his comic book The Common Days of Cade!

He’ll also be set up and selling comics, zines, and prints at the Corinth Comic Con on Saturday, January 21st. The one day show will be held at the Crossroads Arena (2800 S Harper Rd.) in Corinth, MS

You can find out more about Devin and his comic on his stie at www.diastcartoons.com.

You can also find his comic for sale along with other locally created books at Comics and Collectibles on Poplar (near Colonial) and 901 Comics East on Macon Road out in Cordova.

And speaking of locally created and 901 Comics East, my hand-drawn sketchcards are now also for sale there- 551 Macon Rd, Cordova, TN 38018.

I have official artist returns for $100.00ea, and personal sketchcards drawn on my own custom blanks for $35.00ea. I’ll be adding more sketchcards and sketchcovers to the ones at 901 and The Cellar (in Bartlett) soon.

This Wednesday (Jan.18) the MSCA will be holding our first official Drink-N-Draw at 901 Comics East. It’s exactly what it sounds like- we’ll be drinking and drawing from 6-8pm at the Cordova location. 901 has a bar and gaming area and offers domestic and local beers on tap and in cans.

If you don’t drink beer, Lil’ Sweet says there are sodas, water, and some individual pizzas and snack items as well. So bring your art supplies and a few bucks to order something to drink/eat while you draw.

Later this month on SaturdayJanuary 28ththe MSCA will be hosting our first “Sketchy Saturday” at 901 Comics East from 10am until 2pm. It’s going to be a free hands-on workshop that will focus on drawing on sketchcards, sketchcovers, and in sketchbooks. I’ll have some free MSCA sketchcard blanks to hand out, and lots of art supplies on hand for attendees to use and experiment with.

If you’re looking for art classes, the Wades and Team Toshigawa have The Comic Studio which are art classes with a comic book twist. The classes cover everything from photoshop techniques, to illustration techniques, to writing all from the perspective of comic book, manga and graphic design creation.

The Comic Studio meets virtually twice a week (Wednesdays at 12:00 noon and Thursdays at 5:00pm), and are for children ages 8-15. Look for more class times to be added soon. Know a child interested in manga and comic book illustration? Get them to the Comic Studio!

You can join The Comic Studio by clicking here!

Hope you can make it out to one or all our upcoming events!

Lin

MSCA January Happenings – 2023

Well, after 35 years of drawing funny in the mid-south, we’re ready to do it some more next year!

MSCA MONTHLY DINNER MEET-UP AT GARIBALDI’S PIZZA

Our 35th anniversary year was packed with MSCA and member events (art shows, library display, dinners, etc.) and we started off the new year right with our first dinner meet up of 2023 onTuesday, January 3rd from 6-8pm at Garibaldi’s Pizza’s U of M location. It’s just off Walker near the Highland Strip and Southern, and across from the Tiger Book Store. We had another great turnout for this month’s dinner.

The dinner meetings are always free and open to the public, but you may want to bring a few extra bucks to order something off the menu to eat and/or drink. If you have kids who are interested in cartooning, if you are a kid and want to learn from some comics professionals, or are just a kid at heart and love cartooning then stop on by. FREE parking!

Be sure to bring a parent and/or a friend along, too. We don’t teach classes at the dinners (that’s a separate event), but we do freely share tips, tricks, techniques, and sources. (Be sure to check out our links page for more helpful info!)

Also, if you attend be sure to bring some of your latest work to show around (sketchbooks, portfolios, works in progress, printed pieces, etc.) and don’t be afraid to show them to members, or share any promos you may have to hand out. We usually have a freebie table for those items so feel free to add to them or pick up some to take home.

Don’t forget to bring something to draw with, or be shy to ask to borrow a pen or pencil. Spontaneous sketching often happens during these events, and it’s always encouraged.

It doesn’t matter what hand (or foot) you draw with, what/who you sketch, or what you doodle on – sketchbook, notebook, sketchcard, sketchcover, jam piece, or even a napkin. There’s always plenty of those around.

This month I had some of our members do sketches for the press promo pizza boxes I’m working on, so thanks to everyone who drew one for me. I’m going to be putting them together this weekend and out to the local news media soon.

Thanks to the staff at Garibaldi’s for letting us gather there each month (and the pizza boxes). It was great to finally get back to meeting in person again last year, and we look forward to being back there in the big room again throughout 2023!

Garibaldi’s Pizza
3530 Walker Ave
Memphis, TN 38111

(901) 327-6111
www.garibaldispizza.com

MSCA DRINK-N-DRAW

This month we’ll be experiencing our very first MSCA Drink-N-Draw event hosted by 901 Comics East out in Cordova on Wednesday, January 18th from 6-8pm. We’ve been known to drink and draw at our dinner meetings, and at con-related drink-n-draws, but this is officially our first! 901 Comics East now has a bar, gallery space, and gaming area. We are looking to make this a quarterly event at the friendly neighborhood comic shop.

The bar serves beer on tap and in cans- including some local brews. If you don’t drink beer, there are sodas, water, and some individual pizzas and snack items. So bring your art supplies and a few bucks to order something to drink/eat while you draw, and a designated driver. There is no theme or no real rules (other than 21 or older if you plan to drink beer), so feel free to draw or work on whatever art you’d like. ✏️🍺

901 Comics East
8551 Macon Rd, Cordova, TN 38018

(901) 249-7959
www.901-comics.business.site
On Facebook – 901 Comics East/901 Games East

Take Germantown Pkwy. to Macon (Malco and Whataburger), go about a half mile up and after the post office take the left at the 3-way stop, and then a right at the next 4-way between the school and apartments. Continue on Macon about another block or two, continuing straight after the 3-way stop at Dexter. The comic shop will be on the right in the shopping center next to the Pit Stop food truck court (the Greenline runs behind the shopping center).

There are several locally created comics for sale at 901 Comics as well!

MSCA SKETCHY SATURDAY

Later this month on Saturday, January 28th the MSCA will be hosting our first “Sketchy Saturday” at 901 Comics East from 10am until 2pm. It’s going to be a free hands-on workshop.

If anyone is interested in joining in on creating some sketchcards and sketchcovers please stop on by. I’ll have plenty of sketchcard blanks and a few sketchcover comics to share while they last, but if you need any 901 sells some blank sketchcovers, too. 

I’ll have some markers to use and extra Bristol paper to play on if anyone needs them or wants to learn how to color with markers. I’ll have a mix of Copics, Letraset, Prismacolor, and Sharpies on hand, plus some extra pencils, Pigma Micron and Gelly Roll pens, and other art supplies.

Please feel free to bring any supplies you’d like to use and/or your own sketchbook to work in. I’ll have some card sleeves for finished cards ((901 sells packs of 100), and we’ll have some art books for folks to look through for those who might need some inspiration and/or reference. We’ll be in a comic shop so that should help with getting inspiration, too!

Some of you may remember many of our members getting together at Bookstar on Poplar, Adam Shaw’s studio on Broad Ave., Michaels in Olive Branch, and other locations when we’d get together to just hang out, draw, and have fun together. If you’re not interested in drawing on sketchcards or sketchcovers, do come on by and like I said bring a sketchbook or other art project to work on with us. 

As with the drink-n-draw event, if this goes well we’ll look at doing more “Sketchy Saturday” type of events in 2023. We’d like to keep these casual and more of a social sharing of ideas and techniques than an actual art class, but if anyone would like to host/teach a class or if there is something you think would work as a project just give me (Lin Workman) or MSCA president Kevin Williams a yell- midsouthcartoonist(at)gmail(dot)com.

These gatherings are to encourage setting aside time to draw, being social/networking, and sharing ideas, news, and techniques with others. Hopefully it will give us some additional meet-up opportunities for anyone who can’t make our monthly dinner ones at Garibaldi’s. 

Kev  sends out an email reminder before events so be sure to join the mailing list. I try to post heads up online on social media and our site here, but here’s the 2023 dinner schedule if you need it.

Our podcast Drawing Funny is now in it’s third season and we’ll have a few more episodes dropping in January, including the 50th episode- “stay tooned!

And if you’d like more info on the MSCA and/or how to become a member, either check out our ABOUT US page, shoot Kev an email, click the player above, or stop by an event and ask us in person.

I hope you can attend one or all of our 2023 events- we’d love to have you join us!
Lin

New “Drawing Funny” Podcast Episode With Info On Upcoming 2023 MSCA Events

The first Drawing Funny episode of the new year is available for downloading.

You can listen on most podcasting platforms such as Spotify and Apple, check out the Drawing Funny website at www.drawingfunny.com, or click the player above.
(Run time 52min, 5sec)

Show notes: For the first 2023 episode of Drawing Funny I’m joined by MSCA president Kevin L. Williams (aka Soloman Blues). We took the show on the road did some recording over the weekend while in the MSCA’s secret mobile recording unit. We were on our way home from seeing the Alabama Blues Brothers perform at the Princess Theatre in Decatur, AL.

We discuss some of the Mid-South Cartoonists Association’s 35th Anniversary events that happened in 2022, some of the club’s history (founded in March, 1987). Plus we share info on upcoming events for this year including our next monthly dinner meet-up at Garibaldi’s Pizza this Tuesday (January 3rd 6-8pm), our Drink-N-Draw (Wednesday, January 18th 6-8pm) and Sketchy Saturday (January 28th 10am-2pm) at 901 Comics East, and “Spamalittle” art show at Germantown Community Theatre (March 3-19).

Garibaldi’s Pizza
3530 Walker Ave
Memphis, TN 38111
(901) 327-6111
www.garibaldispizza.com

2023 MSCA Monthly Dinner Schedule- next dinner January 3rd 6-8pm.

MSCA Drink-N-Draw (Wed. 1/18/23 – 6-8pm)

We’re going to be starting off the new year with our very first MSCA Drink-N-Draw event at 901 Comics East on Wednesday, January 18th from 6-8pm. We’ve been known to drink and draw at our dinner meetings, and at con-related drink-n-draws, but this is officially our first. 901 Comics East now has a bar, gallery space, and gaming area. We are looking to make this a quarterly event at the shop. The bar serves beer both on tap and in cans (including local brews), as well as sodas, water, and some individual pizzas and snack items. So bring your art supplies and a few bucks to order something to drink/eat while you draw. There is no theme or no real rules (other than 21 or older if you plan to drink beer), so feel free to draw or work on whatever art you’d like.

Sketchy Saturday (1/28/23 – 10am-2pm)

Saturday, January 28th the MSCA will be hosting our first “Sketchy Saturday” at 901 Comics East from 10am until 2pm. It’s going to be a free hands-on workshop for anyone interested in creating some sketchcards and sketchcovers. We’ll have plenty of sketchcard blanks and a few sketchcover comics to share (901 sells some, too), plus some markers, and extra Bristol paper to play on if anyone needs them. Please feel free to bring any supplies you’d like to use, or if you’re not interested in drawing sketchcards or sketchcovers, do come on by and bring a sketchbook to work in.

Some of you may remember many of our members getting together at Bookstar, Adam Shaw’s studio, Michaels, and other locations when we’d get together to just hang out and draw.

Like the MSCA Drink-N-Draw event (Wed.1/18, 6-8pm), if this goes well we’ll look at doing more “Sketchy Saturday” type of events in 2023. We’d like to keep these casual and more of a sharing of ideas and techniques than an actual class, but if anyone would like to host/teach a class just give me or MSCA president Kevin Williams a yell: midsouthcartoonists(at)gmail(dot)com.

These gatherings are to encourage setting aside time to draw, being social, and sharing ideas, news, and techniques with others, and give us some additional meet-ups for anyone who can’t make our monthly dinner ones at Garibaldi’s.

901 Comics East
8551 Macon Rd.
Cordova, TN 38018
www.901-comics.business.site

Just take Germantown Pkwy. to Macon Rd. (Malco and Whataburger), go about a half mile up and after the post office take the left at the 3-way stop, and then a right at the next 4-way between the school and apartments. Continue on Macon about another block or two, continuing straight after the 3-way stop at Dexter. The comic shop will be on the right in the shopping center next to the Pit Stop food truck court (Greenline runs behind the shopping center).

SPAMALOT/spamalittle (March 3-19, 2023)

Germantown Community Theatre
3037 Forest Hill Irene RD.
Germantown, TN 38138
www.gctcomeplay.org
901.453.7447

Happy New Year! Stay warm, stay dry, stay safe, stay tooned, and keep drawing funny!

Linwood

Return To The Little House Art Project

This past Saturday morning Antonio Johnson and I (Lin Workman) joined fellow MSCA member Grace Smith at the Little House Art Project in Southaven, MS. Antonio was there to share some techniques in Clip Studio Paint on his laptop, and I was there to have the students draw sketchcards. Grace is a longtime student at the art class and helped us and instructor Rebecca Treadway with getting everything set up and organized.

I’ve come out to the classes a few times now- teaching how to draw comics, covers, and creating characters with shapes.

I was first invited out by Vicky Neyman, who at the time was the director of the DeSoto Arts Council. Unfortunately for this class Vicky was home sick and couldn’t make it.

I don’t consider myself a great teacher, but love sharing what I know with others. I always get a bit anxious before the classes start, but end up having a fun time talking toons with the students. Antonio and I both discussed writer/artist’s block and how intimidating it can be staring at a blank page. One student was worried about her characters being too similar. We gave her some ideas of how to fix that and a ‘lightbulb‘ popped on over her head. It was great to see someone’s eyes go from frustration to inspiration. We just gave a few suggestions and told her what we liked about the characters, as well as some ways to battle future creative blocks. Look forward to seeing what she does with her characters and art moving forward.

The MSCA’s Martheus Antone Wade and Kevin L. Williams have both been Little House art instructors as well.

Kevin brought Muley The Mule along and taught them how to make paper bag puppets and draw toons.

Martheus taught comic book art and some martial arts instruction.

Antonio had a \S/uper time drawing with the class and seeing some of their work in their sketchbooks and devices. Many of the students in the class work digital, while some only prefer to work traditionally. I brought along some MSCA sketchcard blanks, my markers, and some reference books. We had around 20 or so autistic art students.

I think the class had a great time, too- especially after they understood exactly what a sketchcard was! Hey, most folks don’t know what they are…I didn’t when I was first introduced to them.

I had a few students ask me, “What do we do with them..?” and “What do we draw on them..?” I explained that they could draw anything they wanted, with anything they wanted, and do anything they wanted with them when they were done.

Sketchcards are basically blank trading cards you can draw on in pencil, pens, markers, paint- or whatever. They are usually the same size as baseball cards, but some are larger and some are smaller. They can be collected, traded, gifted, or sold. I gave them all some plastic sleeves to protect their cards. Last time I was there I was able to donate some Bristol paper and markers that weren’t used for the Quick Draw panel at MidSouthCon that year, plus leave behind some art books for them to share.

The sketchcards I do professionally (for companies like Topps, Cryptozoic, Breygent, RRParks CARDS, etc.) are randomly inserted into trading card packs- kind of like golden tickets in Wonka chocolate bars. Sketchcards are very sought after collectibles and can go for anywhere from a few dollars each to several hundred…or more!

Some of the students also just sketched, filling up entire sheets of paper which is always fun. I really need to do that more often myself. Been too long since I’ve worked in a sketchbook.

The artistic autistic group recently did an art show at the Southaven Library in conjunction with the Southaven Arts Council. It’s become an annual event for the artists.

It was on display in the lobby of the library for the month of April– which is Autism Awareness Month. It was a great mix of traditional and digital art.

Thanks to Vicky, Rebecca, Grace, and all the volunteers and students at the Little House Art Project for having us out. I hope to be back again soon. Really wish I had a group like this to hang out with when I was growing up and learning. Makes me thankful for getting into the MSCA in my twenties, and one of the reasons I try to promote it and any art groups I encounter. It’s so important to share knowledge and inspire each other.
Lin

 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
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. It 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.

Little House Art Project
2126 Stateline Road East
Southaven, MS

Ages 12 & up – 10:00 a.m. to Noon

$20.00 – All supplies included
Limited seating  – The Arc NWMS will adhere to the most recent safety guidelines given by Governor Reeves or our local leaders.
Reserve your spot today.

PAYMENT OPTIONS
1.  Click the DONATE button to pay for your $20 class fee.
2.  Bring a check for $20 made payable to “The Arc NWMS” to class.
3. Bring $20 cash to class.

Scheduled Dates for 2022
August 13 (rsvp August 10)
September 10 (rsvp September 7)
October 8 (rsvp October 5)
November 12 (rsvp November 9)
December 10 (rsvp December 7)

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

www.thearcnwms.org/little-house-art-project

Episode 42 – “Little House Art Project”

“Drawing Funny” Hit The Road For Free Comic Book Day 2022

There’s a new “Drawing Funny” podcast episode available for download- Ep.41: “FCBD Multitude Of Madness”. This episode chronicles mine and Nicki’s Free Comic Book Day adventures around Memphis last weekend.

Saturday, May 7th was Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) 2022. The annual event happens on the first Saturday in May of each year and is a way for the comics industry and retailers to thank their customers, introduce new readers to comics, and a chance to celebrate comics.

The re’s a huge selection of comics to choose from each year. The comics are free for folks visiting the shops, but not free for the retailers (they pay the costs of each comic).

Each participating retailer has certain rules for the free comics, and/or offer sales and in-store creator signings and additional events.

Folks are definitely encouraged to wear a cool comic tee and/or cosplay as their favorite comic characters.

Not every retailer participates, but most around the mid-south area do, including Comics & Collectibles, The Cellar, and 901 Comics, as well as Jupiter Comics out in Moscow, TN.

Nicki and I hit three of the comic shops in the M-town. We stopped at Comics & CollectiblesThe Cellar, and 901 Comics East.

We got our free comics while picking up our hold box comics. Did some additional shopping  and chatting with friends. Thankfully the shops all sell comic boxes- helped hauling stuff out to the car!

For the podcast we talked with local comic creators Dale MartinBrad and Skoot StarnesMatt BowersGabe DeRanzo, and Janet and Martheus Antone Wade about their current and upcoming projects such as The Dragon TemplarFathomMemphis, Stoned Ninja, Shinobi: Ninja Princess and Jetta: Tales of the Toshigawa comics. (Sorry for some of the poor audio quality- I explain the cause in this episode.)

901 Comics East had local creators Gabe, Matt, Antone, Janet, Anakin- as well as John Martin and Richard Fields at their shop for an in-store signing appearance. Unfortunately we had to run to the DeSoto Malco and didn’t get a chance to talk to John or Richard, and we missed getting to chat with MSCA member and “Stoned Ninja” artist Greg Cravens who hadn’t made it up from the Puppy Palooza at the Crosstown Concourse.

When we got down to Southaven we caught Doctor Strange And The Multiverse Of Madness and towards the end of the podcast give some non-spoiler thoughts on this latest Marvel movie.

We loved the new seating at the theater, but don’t understand why folks will pay $15 for a seat and and insist on being on their phones during the movie…ugh.

Oh, while at 901 Comics we got some sad news news of the passing of legendary comic creator George Pérez. Nicki and I discuss our George encounters and memories of him. He was not only a great creator of comics, but a fan and cheerleader of the fandom- and a super sweet guy.

I hope you got out to enjoy Free Comic Book Day. Definitely mark your calendars for next year!

Stay well, stay tooned, and keep drawing funny!
Lin

 www.freecomicbookday.com

 

Little Art House Project Autism Awareness Art Show And Reception

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.

Smells Like Teen Mineral Spirits- Youth And Teen Art Programs At The DAC

From the DeSoto Arts Council in Hernando, MS:

Drawing, Painting, & Sculpture

After-school Art Mentoring for creative kids ages 9-12 and teens 13-18.

During the school year, we are offering after-school classes for older youth ages 9-12 who are interested in developing a higher level of skill in the arts.

Young artists receive direct instruction in drawing, painting, and mixed media. Students explore drawing from observation, color theory, and other advanced art making techniques as they build on their own unique creative passions.

These project based classes focus on the HOW behind creating art on a 2D surface. Once a solid foundation is developed, students are free to creatively experiment with a broader range of materials and processes.

Classes meet once a week for 1.5 hours.

Learn More here or call (662)487-5888 to register.

Classes taught by Angee Montgomery.
Registration open through December 20th.

For more info on the 13-18 Teen Art Program featuring Figure Drawing and Teen Studio ImmersionClick here.


The DeSoto Arts Council
2465 Hwy 51 S
Hernando, MS 38632
www.desotoartscouncil.com
(662)404-3361
dac(dot)desotoarts(at)gmail(dot)com

 


WORKING HOURS
TUE 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
THU 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
SAT 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

CLOSED: SUNDAY, MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY
_____________________________________________

Angee Montgomery Studio
www.angeemontgomery.com
angeemontgomerystudio(at)gmail(dot)com
(662)487-5888