I’ve taken the past few weeks as this school year starts to wind down… you know it’s winding down when you can count on one hand the mandated assessments teachers have to give. So I’ve been working on various things including taking some of the comics and getting them published in comic book form. Part of this is to actually go through the process, and part of it is to have something tangible for when I go to conventions.
Hopefully my first book of strips will be available at the end of May for Indy Pop Con. It will contain story lines from the past two years, in glorious black and white. Why black & white? because first I’m being cheap, and second I realized that I have a few stories that I never got around to coloring, and that coloring takes time which I don’t have right now. It was easier to remove the color layer from the original and as needed on a handful of strips add some lines than to color 20 odd strips- maybe next time.
Thanks to the MOOC I have been kinda working on I have more plans to hopefully get back into the regular schedule with the comic strip and have longer story arcs. I have two ready to draw and another one bubbling in my brain that I want to use. While my summer is getting filled I still see a chance to get more comics done than last year.
So where can you find me in the next few weeks?
This weekend I’ll be in Chicago at C2E2 I don’t have a table but I’ll be hanging out with the monkey, so look for Cecil and you’ll find me. There’s also a flashmob Sunday afternoon that I should be dropping by.
Next weekend will find me in Fontana Village for MINIs on the Dragon. Again look for Cecil who will be with his MINIons. While we will be staying at our favorite place in the world about 30 minutes away from the festivities, I know I’ll be hanging out with friends Saturday.
Triton Central Middle School Comic Con May 22 A friend is putting on a comic Con with her students and many of us from the Indy Webcomic Group will be attending sharing our knowledge.
GeoWoodstock over Memorial Day – Cecil and I will be wandering around (No, we don’t have any new pathtags).
Indy Pop Con – I’ve got a table and am planning on doing a session with my friend Jim McClain on Comics in the Classroom and may be helping out with a few sessions with the Indy Webcomics Group. I’ve got my square, I’ve got paper for sketches, I’ve got business cards, I’m almost ready!
Once I get the cover done and the pages submitted I’ll start back on the comic (the only place to see it in full color) and get back into the swing of things!
Yesterday I did one of those uniquely Hoosier things that should be experienced at least once in ones lifetime – I braved the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale.
Over the years I would occasionally hear about this shopping frenzy in Fort Wayne where thousands of women would descend and literally shop ‘till they dropped. When I saw a small news item that this was the week of the sale I thought I’d take a drive to see if the event lived up to the hype.
To back up, in case you are unaware of this phenomenon, “Vera Bradley is the name of a luggage design company founded by Barbara Bradley Baekgaard and Patricia Miller in 1982. It is an American design company best known for its patterned bags. The Fort Wayne, Indiana company produces a variety of products, including quilted cotton luggage, handbags and accessories.” (Thank you Wikipedia).
The first thing I needed for this little jaunt was a ticket so I fired up the computer and found that not only did I need a $5 ticket to go on a weekday, I also needed to select the specific time slot I would attend and ‘register’ as a customer if I planned on buying anything. This is some serious shopping! So, after a number of clicks I had one ticket for the 2:30 – 5pm time slot – the morning was sold out – and a sheet with my ‘customer information.’
Friday morning arrived and it was time to hit the road! On I-69 I noticed several vehicles crowded with laughing women and was pretty sure we were all heading to the same place. Then I spotted a billboard advertising the sale – as I said, this is the big time!
After an intermission to find a couple geocaches, I headed over to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum for the big event. I arrived about 2:45 thinking I could miss the line to get in but, oh no, the line was still all the way down the side of the building, around the corner and even doubling back on itself!
The line goes down there, around back, then doubles back on itself!Almost there!
Roughly 97% of the crowd was female and there were lots of groups. It was a very good-natured crowd and eventually we were at the door and, upon surrendering my ticket, I was given a large pink garbage bag and let in to the hall. Wow, talk about sensory overload!
WOW!
I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was rows upon rows of tables stacked with all types of merchandise from water bottles to suitcases to comforters. After some initial disorientation I could tell there was a method to the madness, home goods were over there and wallet-type things over there and suitcase things in this area. As I didn’t actually have a shopping list, I decided the wander up and down each aisle approach made the most sense to see everything while I was in among several thousand other people doing the same thing.
Lots of bags
Quickly it was apparent that the pink bag was for ‘loot’ as people were tossing in items willy-nilly. There were also signs on almost very wall (and many PA announcements) about ‘sorting’ and how the fire marshall doesn’t want people sitting on the floor. It seems that the preferred method of shopping is to grab everything that strikes your fancy then find an area to review and discard the unwanted items. By the time I left there were at least a half-dozen laundry rolling bins overflowing with these cast offs!
Not sorting.
A PA announcement also let me in on the fact that the star-shaped balloons indicated tables where there were special markdowns and I saw one woman with 7 or 8 of one type of shoulder bag going for $20! While this was the exception, I’d say most of the prices were 50-60% off of retail.
It also struck me that Vera Bradley makes many more items than I had thought – aprons, coaster sets and flip flops were just a few of the unexpected things I stumbled upon.
As I wandered, I did drop a few things into my big pink bag and also dropped some things into the cast off bin though people watching alone was totally worth the price of admission. My big splurge was a large tote that I kept admiring as people carried them around the shopping floor. I decided to take the plunge but, when I got to that table they were gone! As I was standing there reconciling myself to leaving without it, a young women and her friend were standing nearby debating the merits of that very tote versus one of another pattern. Fortunately for everyone, she went with the other pattern and I got the tote I wanted!
Pink bags waiting to check out!
When I heard the announcement that there was only 45 minutes left in my session I headed toward check out to beat the crowd. A big sign over the door reminded shoppers that the per-person limit for the sale is $3,500 (I later learned that this is the point of registering as a shopper) – it certainly was not a problem for me!
Seen in the check-out line. The bag in the center was the $20 deal. Wish the photo weren’t so fuzzy.
Check out is in a completely separate exhibit hall allowing them to clear the sales floor in preparation for the next group of shoppers! The system is flawless, they have lots of registers and people directing people so the wait was actually pretty short. Items come out of the pink bag, get rung up, and put in to a white bag. Once the shopper crosses the line between pink and white there’s no going back!
Just in case you bought too much!
In all, from getting in line to getting back to my car it was a little over two hours – long enough but not too long.
Surprisingly, it actually was rather fun – I think going with no expectations and no shopping list was good because there was absolutely no pressure to buy anything – I could just experience the event.
For those interested, the dates for 2015 are April 8-12.
So if you’ve never been to Comic Convention but you want to talk to creators up close I can recommend the next INDYpendent Show (in December). On Sunday I was fortunate enough to table at the first INDYpendent Show, a comic show with the mission to help those people who love comics and want to create their own, but either don’t know what steps to take or need a kick in the butt to get started. I ended up the show being not only a wise sage giving advice, but also getting kicked a couple times.
The cartoonist & Cecil at their table ready to impart wisdom and sell you stuff.
I arrived as prepared as I could be (which means I forgot stuff). I came in and fumbled around setting up my banner, laying out a progression of original strips, and a print of Cecil riding Bernice (a story I need to tell). I made a quick sign that said “Prints $5” and sat back, calm and confident… OK maybe nervous and scared is a better description. I was fortunate enough to be next to Jim McClain creator of Solution Squad, a friend and fellow teacher who has done this a few times. I started to make a list of what I forgot or needed. #1 was business cards. While I had made business cards when I first started the comic, and around year two made another batch, I had either forgotten them or ran out. Everyone who made it to my table had nothing with the website on it! doh! Next thing on the list was some way to take credit cards… While I thought having cash to make change was good enough, and for this show it wasn’t a problem, but the next one, who knows?
After setting up I helped Chris Ludden of Chris & Gin, The Brothers Grant, and Indy Webcomics Group with an educational session on “Bringing Your Character to Life” which, for the first session, was well attended. We talked about some of the basics of drawing and expressions. Chris and I agreed that we did more talking than we had intended, but when we asked the group to draw, they seemed to look like they were deer caught in the headlights.
After that I was at my table for the 5 hours. I happily sold my first print to a boy named Elliot and spoke to friends who stopped by and kids who were interested in how I created this comic. I talked about Micron pens, and non-photo blue pencils the different between regular and Verithin Prismacolors (Verithin are harder and easier to work with IMHO). Scanning as Line Art and the simplicity of Photoshop Elements for the beginner. I chatted about hand lettering and the transition to digital lettering. I just went on, and on, and on. I talked about how and why character designs changed over time. I played teacher, something I’ve been doing since at least 1983. So I was in comfort zone. Then I got my butt kicked.
As a member of the Indy Webcomics Group I get to meet up with other local creators and we encourage each other with projects offer advice and criticism when needed. Like I said I was next to Jim McClain someone who over the past year has become a close friend. Jim knew me mostly as a teacher who admires his work, not as much as a comic creator. He played the role of big brother sharing with me tips and tricks for conventions that he has picked up. “Can I have one of your business cards?” was one of his first questions. As we talked throughout the day during breaks in the crowd he asked me having a book… I made my typical excuses about not being ready, needing more time to polish little things like story and art. A little bit later I noticed he was looking at the comic from day one. He turned to me and just stated- “Next time you’re at a convention you need to have a book. You’re more than ready.” I jokingly replied, “You aren’t the first person to tell me that.” He bluntly said, “I hope I’m the last.” He wasn’t, a kid who admired my monkey drawings asked if I had a book he could buy… doh!
I had a wonderful time, learning about how to table at a small convention and I’m really looking forward to the next INDYpendent Show, but before then I have the monster that is the Indy Pop Con and putting together a book, even a small one of Cecil’s greatest hits… wish me luck and I’ll keep you all updated as to the progress.
