“Pizza- It’s What’s For Dinner!” – Our Latest MSCA Monthly Dinner At Garibaldi’s

This last Tuesday we gathered together again at Garibaldi’s Pizza for our monthly dinner meet-up.

We had awesome attendance this month- probably one of our best turnouts of the year.

Many art conversations with members talking toons and sharing recent work during the meet-up. It was probably one of our loudest meetings, too! No shortage of things to talk about or folks to talk to.

Lots of art was being created during the two hours we were there as well. Always great to see our members drawing during these dinners. Several had their sketchbooks out or were working on their tablets.

Katie and I (Lin) were working on some sketchcards for some upcoming collector boxes for 901 Comics. Dale Martin and a few other members are also working on some. (News on those 901 boxes coming up soon.)

And as usual there were lots of freebie swag to snag and take home including magazines, comics, candy, stickers, and more.

MSCA president Kevin L. Williams took some time at the end of the meeting to catch everyone up on what’s been happening in the group and what’s coming up such as our next MSCA Drink-N-Draw at 901 Comics East, the MSCA mini-con at Germatnown Community Theatre on November 18th and the Cinderella art show at Theatre Memphis next year. He also gave us details on our Christmas art swap at our December dinner.

Thanks to everyone who came out to join us this month. We’ll be back for the art swap at the final 2023 montly dinner next month on Tuesday, December 5th from 6-8pm.

Dinner meetings happen on the first Tuesday of each month at Garibaldi’s Pizza, 3530 Walker Ave. (off Highland/Southern) near the University of Memphis from 6-8 pm. They are free and open to the public, but we definitely recommend bringing a few bucks to order off the menu and some art to show and/or work on.

Hope you can make it out to join us for one…or more!

“Halloween Comic Fest Is In The Bag…Along With Some Candy!” – A Look Back At Our Event At 901 Comics East

On Saturday, October 28th the MSCA was part of the Halloween Comic Fest at 901 Comics East.

Kevin L. Williams, Katie Jones, Jason Negen, Dale Martin, and Lin Workman (me) each had a table to sell our wares and promote the MSCA during the event..

Kev and I were set up near the front of the store, Dale and Katie in the gaming area, and Jason in the gallery room.

Halloween Comic Fest is very similar to Free Comic Book Day (1st Saturday in May) – free comics, great sales, folks in costumes, signing appearances, and more.

This year 901 Comics East was offering several free comics and candy– plus a 20% off sale. We also had some free MST2K and Three Stooges trading cards from RRParks Cards. That’s the card company I recently did Halloween Trick-Or-Treat sketchcards for, plus my “Bats” trading card set.

We got to tell several people about the MSCA, promote our upcoming events, hand out some frebies, and even sell a few comics and zines.

We had a lot of folks show up in costume…

…some were even kids of our MSCA members, Charlie Forrester, Antonio Johnson, and Eman Casallos!

Dracmula was on hand at Kevin’s table, and MSCA member Devin Hodges stopped by to check out the festivities, and read our latest zine over Kevin’s shoulder. Devin did the cover for that “The Good, The Bad, And The Sketchy” gaming issue.

NCS Membership Chairmain and longtime MSCA member Greg Cravens came by to say hi as well.

We had a fun time hanging out, talking comics and catching up with each other. I got to show off my new Gabe’s Cave banner for the first time at an event.

I drew on a sketchcard while I was there, and Izzy showed me one of his recent Sonic sketchcards.

Speaking of sketchcards, I have several for sale at 901 Comics East (and The Cellar in Bartlett).

901 Comics East also has lots of comics supplies, blank sketchcovers, manga, and local creator comics available for purchase. #supportlocal

We’ll be back out east on Wednesday, November 15th  for our last Drink-N-Draw event of the year.

Our Drink-N-Draws are free tp attend and open to the public, but bring a few bucks if you’d like to enjoy a beverage (beers, sodas, water), pizza, or snacks from “The Bar With No Name“.

Thanks to 901 Comics for having us out for these events. Swing on by if you get the chance.

And our next MSCA dinner meet-up is this Tuesday, November 7th from 6-8pm at Garibaldi’s Pizza on Walker Avenue near the U of M.

New “Drawing Funny” Podcast Episode From A Couple Couch Potato Podpeople

Calling all podpeople– a new “Drawing Funny” podcast episode is available !

You can listen in the player above, online directly at www.drawingfunny.com, or most podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple, and others.

Show notes: For this episode of Drawing Funny I take a trip to our couch to have a comics conversation with my wife and live-in I.T. person- Nicki Workman (with special guest appearance by our cat Jarael). This is a follow up to my Episode 47 – “Back To Basics”.

While on our way home from the MSCA December dinner meet-up this month I told Nicki about a couple conversations with some fellow local creators recently. They had asked for my advice on their art and projects. Well, even though I do a podcast that offers advice on just about every episode (and even multiple times on each of those episodes), after my many failures and less than stellar art career I’ve been questioning my art expertise when it comes to giving advice. I asked her is she thought I was qualified, and that conversation led to this episode which includes some very good advice by her.

Not just on creating art, but some of the business basics of being creative for a living, as well as her life in corporate America, and reasons for continuing her education at this point in her life. Was happy to catch her on break between semesters to get her to share her thoughts. I’m super proud of her being able to juggle a full time day job and work trips while attending grad school online and keeping a 4.0 GPA at the same time. She’s in the home stretch for her MBA!

I also have some local MSCA news about upcoming dinner meetings (next one is Tuesday, January 3rd), current and upcoming art shows and plays around town, as well as some news about the first ever MSCA Drink-N-Draw (Wed. 1/18/23) and Sketchy Saturday (1/18/23) at 901 Comics East (8551 Macon Rd, Cordova, TN 38018).

I actually edited some of this episode sitting at 901’s bar while watching some of the World Cup highlights after work, and also back on my couch with Lena supervising me.

I plan on being back with another DF episode before the end of the year, and recording my 50th episode around the first of the year.

Also, as stated in the episode, we recently had our last MSCA dinner meet-up for 2022. We’ll be back at Garibaldi’s Pizza on Tuesday, January 3rd from 6-8pm.

It has been great to be able to meet back in person again, and we had another great turnout with a good mix of old familiar faces and new!

Some sketchy things happened during dinner, including our “semi-annual” holiday art swap.

Members brought art pieces to swap with each other by drawing numbers out of a hat.

There were also more freebies available for attendees and restaurant staff to take home for the holidays.

Thanks to the staff at Garibaldi’s for letting us gather there each month. Look forward to being there in 2023!

Garibaldi’s Pizza
3530 Walker Ave
Memphis, TN 38111

(901) 327-6111
www.garibaldispizza.com

Lin

Dinner And Drawing – Our Latest MSCA Get Together At Garibaldi’s

Hey, gang- we recently got together for our monthly dinner meet-up at Garibaldi’s Pizza over in the U of M area off Walker and Highland near Southern.

We had a good turnout again this month, and had a good time discussing what everyone has been u to lately and sharing some art.

 

 

More freebies were available for folks who attended. Kevin brought some more MSCA postcards, Jack Chapman brought some art books to give away, and I brought along some Free Comic Book Day comics from my day job at 901 Comics East, more MSCA sketchcard blanks, and a few of the promo trading cards (featuring my art) from the upcoming Nosferatu Series Two card set produced by 4 different publishers: RRParksCARDSAttic CardsLeg Day Cards, and RJF.

I’ll bring a few more freebies to the next meeting in October including the Nosferatu promo cards, and some new MANOS trading cards I just received in the mail.

Oh, don’t forget that  if you stop by any of our local Memphis area comic shops- Comics & Collectibles, The Cellar, and 901 Comics, or The Art Center you can snag some free MSCA and Drawing Funny podcast swag.

We discussed a lot of the recent events like the Zine Fest, and upcoming events like Monster Market, Memphis Comic Expo/DonnieCon, MidTownCon, annual NCS Fest/Reuben Awards, and the ongoing MSCA display at the Hernando Public Library.

annual

The Monster Market is an on-line store which features original art, prints, and other monstrous merch. There will be an in-person open house on October 1st at Marshall Arts. I’ll have some of my “Scared Silly” prints, canvases, buttons, stickers, magnets, and more available for sale there, as well as some of my hand drawn sketchcards. Dale Martin will also be a part of the artist line-up for this year’s market.

The Memphis Comic Expo (AKA “DonnieCon“) is back in the M-Town with over 70,000 square feet of expo space featuring comics, artists & writers, a cosplay contest, panels, vendors, voice actors, food, drinks, and more!

Agricenter International
(Entrance in Wing C)
7777 Walnut Grove Road (near Germantown Pkwy.)
Memphis, TN 38120
FREE PARKING on premise.

Expo Hours:
Saturday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
VIP Ticket holders will have early entry privileges at 9:30am both days.

Tickets are now on-sale, but VIP tickets have sold out.

Our own Greg Cravens is the Membership Chairman for the National Cartoonists Society and will be in attendance for the NCS’s annual meeting and awards. This year it’s being held in Kansas City, MO. If you’d like to find out more about becoming an NCS member, be sure to ask Greg about it, or check out the NCS website at www.nationalcartoonists.com.

When I got home from the MSCA dinner I had some NCS Icons pins waiting for me in my mailbox. You can order some here. I also recommend checking out the NCSFest online. Lots of great interview, panels, and other cartooning videos to check out.

And speaking of checking out some cartooning, the Hernando Library display cases are full of original art, printed comics and zines, newsletters, promotional materials. art show invitations, and more from the club’s 35 year existence in the Memphis area.

 

We showcased some production art and tools of the trade from back when art was literally cut and paste, like some examples of  our early logo and original promo flyer.

 

We tried to include some original art and notes next to the finished printed materials to show a peek of the  process of creating the art.

It was fun to be art archaeologists and MSCA historians as we dug though the club’s archive box and history scrapbooks. There was so much we had forgotten about or didn’t know about. Definitely a learning experience for Kevin and me. Soooooo much more we wanted to display, but just ran out of room.

 

We’ll see about adding in other items next time. We’d love to do a future  one  featuring original comic art and final printed pages/covers by MSCA members.

If you get a chance to stop by the library it will be up for the rest of September, and will be followed by a Ghostbusters display by the Memphis Ghostbusters. Oh, and for the holidays a LEGO display by Kevin Thorn is coming up in December..!If you can’t make it by, you can see more pics on the MSCA Facebook page, and a few more will be added as soon as I get the pics Kevin took while we were there.

First Regional Library (Hernando Public Library – established 1950)
370 W Commerce St
Hernando, MS 38632
www.firstregional.org

HOURS:
MONDAY  9:30-7:00
TUESDAY 9:30-7:00
WEDNESDAY 9:30-7:00
THURSDAY 9:30-7:00
FRIDAY 9:30-5:30
SATURDAY 9:30-5:00
SUNDAY CLOSED

The dinner meetings are casual and open to the public. 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- and any art questions you may need answers to.

Please be sure to introduce yourself and let us know you’re there to hang out with the MSCA.

The room is reserved, but occasionally some folks don’t realize it and unintentionally join us.

 

 

This month there was some drawing done during dinner…go figure! There has been talk about trying to get back together to do more zines, and we will have another art show at the Germantown Community Theatre in spring 2033.

Dinner gatherings are always the first Tuesday of the month  starting at 6:30pm (or a bit earlier if you’d like) at Garibaldi’s Pizza, 3530 Walker Ave..Our next one is Tuesday, October 4th.

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- lots of great pasta, sandwiches, and pizza to choose from!

Hope you can make it out and join us for dinner…and some cartooning conversation.

Lin

Garibaldi’s Pizza

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

^Additional photos by Kevin L. Williams.

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”

“Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel!”- MSCA Dinner Meeting And FCBD This Week

Attention, Citizens..!

Lots of comic action happening this week in Memphis, so gas up your batmobile and dry clean your capes.

First up is our MSCA monthly dinner meeting at the U of M Garibaldi’s Pizza on Tuesday, May 3rd. We meet up  the 1st Tuesday of each month at 7pm in the big room.

I’d like to get a few member interviews so if you’d like to be on an upcoming Drawing Funny” podcast episode I’ll be there a bit early so hit me up. Would love to talk toon with ya.

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! The meeting/meet-up is casual and open to the public. I’ll have some MSCA freebies with me, too.

Speaking of freebies…this weekend, it’s BACK! Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) 2022 is 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. Here in the M-town all our local comic shops are participating- Comics & CollectiblesThe Cellar, both locations of 901 Comics, and Jupiter Comics out near Moscow, TN.

The midtown/Cooper-Young 901 Comics location will be having a special in store signing appearance by legendary Ghost Rider artist Javier Saltares. Doors open at 9am! First personalized signature is free and $5 for every signature after. CGC witnessed signatures are $10 each. Sketch pricing depends on size and content.

That same day out east in their Cordova location (8551 Macon Rd, Cordova, TN 38018), 901 Comics will be having several local creators in-store which includes some of our MSCA members. Slide by from 10 AM – 7 PM and say hi to Jetta/Shinobi creators Martheus & Janet Wade, the Stoned Ninja team Gabriel DeRanzo and Greg Cravens, Matt Bowers the creator of the Memphis comic, artist and inker extraordinaire John Martin, and Richard Fields creator of Lucy! They will also have a 20% off sale that day.

Don’t forget that the  “Stoned Ninja” Kickstarter still has a few days left. It has lots of great tiers and incentives, and you can back this current comics campaign for as little as a dollar!

If you go out to 901 Comics East or to the MSCA dinner meeting see about getting Gabe or Greg to do a sketchcover for you.

ADJ Design’s Antonio and Tamika Johnson, the creators of the novic Bluff City Blues will be at Bookstock Memphis Area Authors’ Festival on Saturday, May 7th from 11 am to 3 PM at Benjamin L Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Ave.

It’s free and family friendly- live music, food trucks and more!

Over the weekend I finished up the Star Wars display at the Hernando library. It’s been a while since Nicki and I have done a display in their west lobby. This one is to celebrate May The Fourth and Revenge Of The Fifth (or Sixth) and features some of our personal collection.

I found some stuff I was looking for, but there’s at least a few boxes of stuff I can’t find- mostly my original Star Wars action figures (blue and red Snaggletooth figure and original dozen) and some of the large dolls… I mostly just found Power Of The Force figures. They’re here somewhere either in my closet or Nicki’s. I’m sure I’ll run across them when I’m not looking.
If you’re in the Hernando, MS area and dig Star Wars and/or collecting stuffs please slide by and check the display out. It will be up for the month of May, and they are open Monday-Saturday. I tried to do a little from each trilogy, cartoons, games, novels and comics, and even added a Darth Vader sketchcard I did from my first Star Wars gig I did for Topps.
Nicki and I got together because of Star Wars and having mutual friends who dug it, too. It’s the first movie I not only remember seeing in the theater (the opening crawl/space battle🤯), but is also the only trilogy (OT) I know exactly where I originally saw them in Memphis. Unfortunately all three theaters no longer exist.
Oh, you can see (and buy) more of my sketchcards at The Cellar out in Bartlett, Tn. Check them out if you’re there for Free Comic Book Day. Lots of freebie MSCA swag to be had as well.
Hope to see you this weekend around the M-Town!
Lin

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

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!

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

MSCA Meeting And Local Event News- All On The Latest “Drawing Funny” Podcast Episode

Hey, gang- sorry it’s been so long since my last MSCA post. I honestly just haven’t had time for that- but to make up for it here’s a whole bunch of stuff for you in this website update!

BIG NEWS– after meeting virtually on Zoom for the last two years due to the pandemic, we were happy to return to in-person meetings at Garibaldi’s Pizza this month…and we’ll be back on the first Tuesday in April! We had a great turn out- about a dozen members or so.

Zoom meetings were great and essential to keeping in touch, but it was awesome to see and talk to everyone in person and not through a computer screen…and eating some pizza!

A new Drawing Funny podcast episode is also up. In this solo episode I have some MSCA member news, updates on upcoming conventions and events, as well as info on our president Kevin L. Williams being interviewed recently about the Mid-South Cartoonists Association‘s 35th anniversary for WMC TV5’s “Bluff City Life“. The show airs at noon on Tuesday 3/29!

Coming up this weekend – MidSouthCon.

Featured MSC guest is writer John Jackson Miller – that’s JJM holding the book.

Also coming up- Midtown Con, April 9th- Black Lodge Video, Memphis.

Metropolis Superman Celebration – June 9-12, 2022. Guests announced so far include SMALLVILLE’s Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling, as well as George Newbern- the voice of JL/JLU Superman.

MCX2022 poster art by Sam Payne.

Guest announcements have begun…such as Mark Waid, Ron Marz, Cullen Bunn, Sam De La Rosa, and “The Crow” creator James O’Barr! Go to www.memphiscomicexpo.com for more info.

In this podcast episode I also discuss some I CREATE COMIC BOOKS Facebook group threads and share my opinions on impostor syndrome, social/anti-social media, being social in person, making time for positive activities, and editing out toxic people and situations that are in our lives. These days I’ve learned to love “unfriend”, “block”, and “delete” when necessary..!

BTW- some of the member news I discuss is the first issue of “The Dragon Templar” being spotted out in the wild at The Cellar. Art by Dale Martin and story by Brad Starnes. Brad’s brother Skoot Starnes did that cover of “Fathom” sitting next to it.

And I give you a Mr. Pototo Head’s up on Lonnie Easterling’s new “Spud Toons” website- www.spudtoons.com.

I know that’s a lot happening, but hopefully you’ve got time to check out some or all of the above and/or give the podcast a listen..!

Lin

 

“Priced To Sell- Or Sit..?” – New Drawing Funny Podcast Episode

New “Drawing Funny” episode is available- listen online here or most anywhere  you like to download podcasts.

“How much is that art in the window?” In this solo episode I discuss pricing and selling– or not selling my art, and what some folks have thought about the prices I charge and if my work is worth the cost. I’ve talked before about how I got into drawing funny for a living and how I’ve set up at conventions and art shows, but really haven’t mentioned why I charge what I do for my sketchcards, sketchcovers, paintings, prints, tees and more. I also talk a bit more on how I create my own art, where I’ve sold it over the years, and what expenses I’ve experienced. Plus if you’ve wondered what exactly is a sketchcard and/or a sketchcover, wanted to know how to get into doing them, or how much they pay- I talk about that as well.

I don’t have all the answers by a long shot, but if you’re struggling with what to charge for your work maybe this will help you understand art pricing and some possible avenues for selling and buying art. If you have any ideas or stories on selling art and/or how you price things, please give me a yell at podcast (at) drawingfunny (dot) com. I’d love to hear from you.

Shameless plug alert: Lonnie Easterling and I have several of my hand drawn sketchcards and a few sketchcovers available for sale at a comic shop here in Memphis- The Cellar. There are both official artist returns cards from companies like ToppsBreygentCryptozoic, and RRParks Cards and personal sketch cards drawn on my own custom blanks- with more to come after the holidays. If you’re interested in buying any of these please contact the shop. I don’t do commission work so this is the only way to currently purchase/collect any of my art from me.

Oh, and if you stop by The Cellar in person be sure to snag some free Drawing Funny podcast and MSCA swag. Lots of buttons and stickers are available while they last, plus they make great stocking stuffers!

The Cellar: Tabletop Games & Comics
2737 Bartlett Blvd
Bartlett, TN 38134
(901) 382-8623
If you like to shop online, be sure to check out MSCA member Antonio Johnson and ADJ Designs’ merch on his website. Lots of hats, tees, hoodies, art prints and more are available.
You can also order a copy of the novic book “Bluff City Blues” on their website, or at Comics and Collectibles on Poplar Avenue.
Merry Christmas- stay warm and stay tooned!
Lin (and Lex)