Tuesday, January 29, 2008

01/29/08 - Illustration Events - Summer 2008

Even though comics dominate our posts here we do want to support illustrators and animators as well. Here are some exciting opportunities for Illustrators to learn and network at some summer workshops/conferences/seminars: (click on the event title to visit the official site)

The Illustration Master Class, June 16-22, 2008, Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts.

Join fantasy illustrators for a week long intensive seminar open to various skill levels. Instructors include Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, Donato Giancola, Rebecca Guay, Dan DosSantos, and Scott Fischer. "Attendees will benefit from a full schedule of classes in figure drawing from an illustration perspective, use of reference, drawing from the imagination, digital and traditional painting technique, live demos and industry q&a, as well as extensive individual one on one critique from 10am to midnight each day." Register by 2/15/08 to receive $100 discount off tuition.

Guild of Natural Science Illustrators' 2008 Summer Workshop, June 15-28, 2008, Hastings, Michigan

Here is the description of this event from the official website:

"This coming Summer in 2008, the GNSI Summer Workshop will once again be held at the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, a privately-run ecological education/research station set in a beautiful area of Barry County, Michigan with 661 acres encompassing an amazing variety of habitats, flora and fauna.

And, wow, what a lineup! We are excited to present our schedule to you in the links above. As with previous Summer Workshops, all of the sessions are meant to integrate and follow a unified theme. These sessions will focus on the creation of an illustration from pencil sketch to final illustration, using water-based media, and emphasizing the use of color and composition to accurately coordinate foreground and background. You may select any one segment for an excellent shorter program, or any combination for the more integrated approach. All 4 workshops will use the subject-rich surroundings at the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute (PCCI) for inspiration and reference, from collecting animal subjects to observation, photography, sketching, and plant collection for background subjects! One advantage of the 2008 Summer Workshop location is the extended daylight hours; we are on the far western edge of the time zone, and our workshop will coincide with the summer solstice; daylight extends to nearly 10 pm!"


2008 Guild of Natural Science Illustrators National Conference, July 20-26, 2008, Ithaca, New York.

There will gallery showings, lectures and workshops at this event. For further details please visit the link above for more information as it is posted..

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

01/22/08 - Starting a web comic?

Creating your own web comic has never been easier!

If you've ever thought about getting one rolling, all you have to do is click here for 50 resources that may just make the task a whole lot easier.

This list was compiled by Laura Milligan over at VirtualHosting and is one of the more comprehensive resource lists I've seen on the topic.

Monday, January 07, 2008

01/07/08 - Coloring Instruction


Interested in learning a few new coloring techniques? Steve Hamaker (who worked with Jeff Smith on Bone and has done a lot of independent stuff as well) has been posting a series of videos to his blog which offer some great tips, tricks and instruction. The series titled "Coloring the Steve Hamaker Way" can be found via these links...

Part 1: Tutorial walkthrough and tricks for coloring comics using Photoshop.
Part 2: Using keyboard short-cuts: Alt/Option + brush tool.
Part 3: Digital inking and coloring using Photoshop CS3.
Part 4: Creating depth, mood, and dramatic lighting by using layers and transparency.