Between the Lines

Between the Lines

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Today and tomorrow I will be running workshops on political cartooning for the Australian National Museum. It’s been fun preparing and discovering that ancient research I did as a teen (back when I was reading everything in the library alphabetically and diving on anything on the new release table) is valuable. I loved to read about artists and especially cartoonists processes and now I get to share it with 30 people between 8 and 14.

The struggle of course is I always want to cram in as much information and cool stuff as possible, for each 2.5 hour workshop I have about 6 hours of content. It will be fun to run a workshop and then get to run it again, normally I custom make each workshop and don’t get to repeat myself. It will run once today for about 14 people and then the same workshop will be run for another 16 people.

It should be a lot of fun and many thanks to Chris Wahl (fab artist who draws many things, including the sexier covers of Australian Mad Magazine) who has kindly let me use some of his excellent examples of charicature in my workshop.

Comicbook Opera

Comicbook Opera

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It was amazing to see our musical performed. It’s been wonderful to get small people say “great lyrics” with big grins on their faces as they get to sing about horrible monsters, cruel villains and robbing a train. It was great to hear teachers, parents and other grownups talk about the moments they loved. Some of the dance moves were utterly fantastic and much of the makeup was sweetly gruesome. There are parts of the musical I really want to rework, improvements to be made, lessons learned, but I am glad that the things that were really important to me worked well.

  • The kids had fun performing on stage – the lyrics were rewarding and the chorus liked singing them and the lyrics also invited cool dance moves.
  • The story was simple on some levels, but also had rewarding meta levels through complexity of lyrics and was open to deeper engagement and a safe place for children to explore emotions, concepts of good, bad, loss and overcoming setbacks (that was probably the coolest bit of feedback I got from a teacher discussing the musical afterwards).
  • The moments that were really important to me are moments that people have said told me how much they loved afterwards.

It has been wonderful to get so much positive support from friends and family. There’s a lot of work still ahead of us, to redevelop Comicbook Opera and find new opportunities for it, but it feels so great to have my work performed and dreams of how to take it forward.

Comicbook Opera

Comicbook Opera

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Comicbook Opera will be performed for the first time tomorrow! Thursday 15 7pm at Canberra Girls Grammar School. 200+ students performing, it’s just massive. WIN TV will be showing snippets of today’s rehersal during the news tonight (6.30pm and midnight). You might even get an interview with a happy, if sweaty and slightly glazed, Liz.

I am so delighted by the energy and vision everyone has put into the show, it’s a great honour to work with such lovely people to make Comicbook Opera live and see my words on a page become a singing dancing entity.

Paying gig – Australian Manga artists only

Paying gig – Australian Manga artists only

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Forwarded on, please approach manifest.branding@gmail.com directly if you are interested or need further information.

Melbourne Anime Festival is back in 2009 celebrating its tenth year. We are currently searching for an artist to make all of our art for this year. The skills you will need if you wish to attempt for this role are:

* Able to produce both Vector and Raster based art, preferably in Adobe native formats.
* Be able to get work done on short notice, as in as little as 3 days.
* Be able to take criticism.
* Work with the design and create additional work.
* Create multiple designs from a single brief.

The role will involve working closely with members of the Manifest Organizing Committee and taking instructions on where certain things may need to be changed. Artwork that you will be required to make could be used for:

* Posters
* Postcards
* Badges
* Program Book
* Online Promotion
* Other Promotional means

The remuneration for being selected is $2,000 plus the opportunity for bonuses for providing high quality images within certain time constraitns. The closing date for submission is January 19th at 9:00AM. You may be required to meet with members of MOC

In order to be eligible you need to present at a minimum:

* 5 pictures
* 3 Must include Peppa-chan
* 1 Must include a Male character
* 1 Must incorporate how you will stylize the celebration of the 10th Manifest
* 3 Must have been made within 12 months of the submission date
* Original computer files must be provided for at least 3 images (In order to understand how you use programs, Eg, layering methods)
* Of these computer one must be vector and one raster

Please submit your pieces of work as well as the following details:

* Full Name
* Address
* Email address
* Phone Numbers
* A description of what makes you believe you would be the best for the position
* Any possible issues that you know of that may present themselves over the year. Eg. Leaving the country or general unavailability

Either electrionically to manifest.branding@gmail.com or physically send it to
P.O. Box 21036
Little Lonsdale St
Melbourne 8011

Improvised Theatre Resource

Improvised Theatre Resource

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Mike(y) and I created a Improvised Theatre Handbook to an annual Improv Workshop and Friendly competition that runs as part of Phenomenon. I think it’s been running for three years now. The handbook contains elements and skills that we thought would be valuable to focus on and a range of warm up exercises, Short, Medium and Long Games. Mission Improv-able

I’m posting this as some fabulous teachers expressed an interest in our resource and this will make it really easy to find (I think there are links to it in the depths, but here it is on the front page).

Soon I will have details to post up about the Premiere of Comicbook Opera… the world-wide premiere is next week!

The year that was

The year that was

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So where on earth did this year go? It feels like it has been a fairly slow year in terms of generating new creative content, but I think I’ve done ok. This year seems to have been the year of actually getting out there and talking to people about my work. As an end of year reflection and evaluation this post will be dot points of things done and then in later posts I shall reflect on what I learnt and got out of different experiences.

  • Managed Warehouse Circus for 6 months
  • Freelance creator, project manager and educator, and breaking even! A lot of this was through my work in educational comics
  • In terms of educational comics, conducted two major artist searches and worked on eight projects, engaging with issues ranging from safe sex, drug use, sustainable hunting and land management practices and support for starting or managing your business.
  • Wrote a musical with Michael Sollis, Comicbook Opera
  • Attended Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Conference, Emerging Writers Festival, ACT Writers Festival, Comicon, Worldcon and Conflux
  • Attending Comicon and Worldcon meant a month in the USA and has inspired me to return to that far shore (supported by a grant from ArtsACT).
  • Was co-mc at Conflux, ran a workshop on the comics industry and during the Great Debate smooshed a cream pie into Gillian Polack’s face!
  • Wrote some articles for Ozcomics.com
  • The Making of the Scientist, comic & essay published in December Meanjin
  • I carry you in my heart (comic) published in Ronin Illustrated 3
  • Snake Skins (comic) reprinted in lip issue 11
  • Songs Dreams and Nightmares, a collection of my works printed and warmly received, only a dozen left and considering a reprint.
  • Found a lovely artist to collaborate with on The Long Road a gritty urban fantasy
  • Was a guest teacher for an Open Arts program which was thoroughly enjoyable (thanks Gillian!)
  • Reworked my website and got my very own domain!
  • Co-wrote and ran The Group, a Triptych for Phenomenon Roleplaying Convention
  • Increased the number of submissions and query letters I sent to publishers (although this needs to be increased further next year)
  • Had time to enjoy life on multiple occasions (although mostly in the second half of the year)
  • Resumed regular work as a life model! A joyful, integrating form of ephemeral performance art and inspiration. I discovered I enjoy work outside the house as too much time hunched over the laptop freelancing gets a bit lonely and bad for the back.
  • Started casual work at the new National Portrait Gallery Bookstore, for similar reasons as above, with less nudity and art theory and more shelving beautiful beautiful books and getting new insights into the publishing industry. I love my colleagues and I love that I get to work with books. I enjoy having a mixed model of employment. The casual work provides me with enough for a safety net and takes the edge off lean times, but keeps me hungry and motivated.

I think that’s it in very broad strokes!

I hope you all have a lovely festive season and new year

Artist search over (for now)

Artist search over (for now)

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Hi all, this month’s artist search has come to an end. I am not sure when the next one will occur, but there probably will be on in the future. Here are some tips based submissions I got (so you can start get cracking on  samples and other comics to be ready should opportunity arise).

In terms of getting over the line things I will be looking for in pencilers will be:

  • strong technical skills, good proportions, perspective etc
  • faces faces faces faces… good facial expressions, proportion, variety of people, variety of ages. There are books of people showing different emotions out there, have the best emotional vocabulary you can.
  • tight clean pencils
  • detailed backgrounds
  • good panel composition
  • talking scenes, not just action scenes

Colourists

  • rich colours
  • detailed backgrounds and textures
  • successful applicants generally show skills smoothly combining photo references into their work rather than just flat planes

Happy holidays… next post I shall rave about musicals, education and other exciting things.

Thanks and further news

Thanks and further news

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Thanks to all the artists who sent me info. I’ll be maintaining a list of people to contact should further opportunities arise.

Comicbook Opera is 99.9% complete, that .1% keeps dancing around and poking its tongue out at me, but I think we’re in fine shape for the premiere in January. The collaboration process has and continues to be a fascinating process and it’s given me new perspectives on how I work and what my fears are. This collaboration has been quite different to my previous collaborations and is more like a sculpture.

I keep chipping away to reveal more underneath, I feel more like an archeologist… an archaologist who has written 9 drafts so far and wants to keep chipping away. I now understand how some playwrites have been notorious for pathologically writing, rewriting and tweaking their plays… there is something about the theatrical process that brings out that urge in me and I may have to be careful lest I drive my co-collaborators insane!

Paying gigs for pencillers and colourists (colorists)

Paying gigs for pencillers and colourists (colorists)

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I interrupt this sporadically updated website to put out the call for talented artists (of a very particular style).

I’m talent scouting for Inception Strategies, looking for Pencillers and Colourists for educational comics. Style must be DC/Marvel realistic, tight clean pencils that can go straight from pencils to colour. Must be able to commit to doing 24 pages (over a reasonable period), IS has a good track record of paying on time. Colour needs to be high intensity with lots of detail. Must be able to work from photographic references and depict people from diverse backgrounds.

Please pass on to anyone who might be interested. If you are shortlisted we would like you to be available to do test pages in late October/early November.

Submission info:
Please do not attach samples of artwork, send relevant url that shows your mighty awesomeness, as a general note please don’t make your website so wanky I do not know which links to click or have to click through outdated stuff you did in primary school before I get to the good stuff.

Please indicate in the subject line if you are a penciller, colourist or both. Possibility of ongoing work for the right person. Final decision on who gets gigs will not be made by me and depending on the number of submissions I may be slow to respond. Follow up e-mails to see how things are going are fine as long as you do not hound me.

e-mail liz@lizargall.com

Cheers

Liz