Lexington KY Comic Creators Group

10/28/11 - Themed Life Drawing Tomorrow Saturday October 29th

2011-10-28T13:31:00.001-04:00

Not actual model.

Fans of Themed Life Drawing (TLD) take note: tomorrow, Saturday October 29th, we will have an early Halloween Treat!

At UK Reynolds Building #1, in room 202B from 9am-12pm, the CCG and UK Open Life Drawing Group will be hosting a costumed drawing session. We will have a male and female model dressed in the theme of 1920's cabaret/circus performers. Admission is $7-8 (cash only). Space is limited. This is an uninstructed open drawing session. Bring your own art materials. Models will hold poses of increasing length. 30-seconds up to 45-60 minute poses. Don't be late - there may be dance lifts in the early (quicker) poses!

See the tab for CCG Themed Life Drawing near top of this page to see previous TLD events!

Parking in front of the Reynolds Buildings, along Scott Street, is usually OK on Saturdays.

Reynolds Building #1, 349 Scott Street

Here's another map link to help you find the Reynolds Building: http://maps.uky.edu/campusmap/?Bldg=101

7/26/11 - LEXICON: Creative Arts and Cancer Awareness

2011-07-26T20:58:00.002-04:00

There's a special event happening this Saturday! A first time effort and it all benefits a worthy cause! I have cut and pasted this info this from the Facebook event that local comic shop owner Sara Arnett set up. Artists please consider donating some work for the raffle and silent auction.

LEXICON: Creative Arts and Cancer Awareness

Saturday, July 30 · 12:00pm - 6:00pm
Al's Bar of Lexington
601 North Limestone St.
Lexington, KY 40508

Our goal with this event is to promote the wonderfully talented locals and their creative endeavors. Providing a chance for local film companies, actors, writers, and professional and amateur artists to set up side by side to promote their art and make a little money for themselves. Some tables are still available! To reserve table space please Contact Sara Arnett (see Admins) ASAP. There will be a silent art auction and raffle,... (we are asking our guests to donate items or donate a portion of their earnings for the evening). We will be donating the entirety of the earnings of the raffle and the auction to The American Cancer Society. If you would like to donate, please let us know! Feel free to send items for the auction or raffle even if you cannot be there in person.

7/22/11 - Animation Festival In Cincinnati this Weekend!

2011-07-22T15:13:00.000-04:00

Don't miss the Nine Nation Animation Festival this Saturday and Sunday in Cincinnati (actually Northern KY)! Cincinnati World Cinema is presenting this collection of international animation shorts curated by Jonathan Howell.
There will be a talk after each night's programming lead by UC Animation Instructor David Hartz. Save if you get your tickets before the event!

W H A T :

NINE NATION ANIMATION

2010, Nine shorts plus one bonus film, running time approx. 92 minutes.

Genre: animated shorts; drama, comedy, documentary.

The films are NR (not rated) but suitable for all audiences, PG and older.

Discussion with David Hartz after the film.

Social Hour, bar and food catered by Europa Bistro & Café before the films.
W H E N :

Saturday, July 23, 6:00
Social Hour, bar & food at 5:00 pm

Sunday, July 24, 4:00
Social Hour, bar and food at 3:00 pm
W H E R E :

The Carnegie Arts Center
1028 Scott Blvd., Covington KY 41011
859-491-2030 859-491-2030

Easy Access, Free Parking:
Interactive Google Map
Printable Map & Written Directions
Printable Downtown Bridge & Street Grid
Printable Parking Map

7/11/11 - Derby City Comic Con - First Time and Local!

2011-07-11T14:38:00.003-04:00

Saturday July 16th will be the first Derby City Comic Con in Louisville KY! This first time show will have lots of our friends from the LCS ( Louisville Cartoonists Society) and several CCG members as well.

Where: Kentucky International Convention Center
221 Fourth Street
Louisville, KY 40202

When: July 16, 2011, 10 am - 5 pm

Tickets: $7
Kids 12 and Under: Free

While attending please make sure and stop by say hello to:

Jay Chuppe (Western Ky Comic artists and CCG art show participant)
Kenn Minter (Near Mint Press)(CCG member)
Jenevieve Broomall (LCS member and CCG TLD attendee)
Marc Ballard (host of the Lexington Comic Convention)

Help make this inaugural event a success and ensure that it will be an ongoing annual event!

5/27/11 - Next Meeting/Workshop with mini Star Wars TLD!

2011-05-27T14:01:00.002-04:00

The Star Wars TLD fun continues at our regular CCG Meeting/Workshop this Sunday, May 29th! For more information see the page tabs for our Meeting/Workshop and Themed Life Drawing just below our blog banner!

We will also have a guest speaker talking about a local e-magazine that is looking for submissions from local artists work who use digital tools in their workflow.

A North Lexiington comic shop is planning for a Comic/Cinema Art Show in July - come and find out more!

Meet other cartoonists, illustrators and animators living and working in Central Kentucky! Find out about local events and upcoming regional conventions~

5/16/11 - Sunday in Louisville: WonderFest and 21c Cabaret Life Drawing

2011-05-16T16:33:00.001-04:00

Gas prices have kept my travel to minimum the last couple of months. But there was too much happening in Louisville this past weekend to discourage me from a road trip!

First there was WonderFest - a great show that hardly anyone one in Kentucky knows about! This is an internationally attended showcase for commercial and garage kit modelers. Fans of Science Fiction and Horror movies are well entertained with the displays and guests. I talked with some acquaintances from past shows: William Stout and Kerry Gammill. Both of whom are very talented artists and were gracious enough to do a sketch for me.

I also met some new faces there - Mike Fredericks is the publisher of the long running Prehistoric Times (Bill Stout and Jim Gurney have been featured in several issues) which is a great resource for comic artists, paleo artists and illustrators who need to study the art and science of portraying dinosaurs.

Next I met the the very nice John Olvevich, who was there for the first time representing his company Glenmarc Industries, Inc. They are the premier supplier of mold making and resin casting supplies for the garage kit crowd and for many Hollywood special effects studios. He was very interested in mailing connections with sculptors whom he could refer to manufacturers and other customers. If you need to cast something this is company to contact! john had some incredible cast figure samples at his booth from a Chicago area artist, Eduardo Andrade - look for his work to come to prominence very soon!

Then I stumbled on a sculptors table with some really inspired and naturalistic sculptures of dinos. David Silva was making his first visit to WonderFest and blew me away with the painted samples of his work. David is toy sculptor and concept designer for a toy company in NJ by day and dino sculptor in his spare time. Hope to talk more and maybe see him in process sometime soon! Tip: David recommends Greg Paul's "The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs" as a great reference for the latest on saurian anatomy.

Next year I need to plan on attending WonderFest all day or even both days - two hours was not near long enough!

I left about 4:15p to make it downtown to 21c and the Cabaret Life Drawing. It was a small crowd but a fun session. Enjoyed meeting fellow artists Scott McCrory and a young MICA art student who's name I did not get :-). Wow! Our model, Desiree, had lots of excellent, if challenging poses! Skylar Smith, the moderator, was her usual calming and generous self! :-)

A stimulating afternoon and evening for sure!

5/3/11 Free Comic Book Day in the Bluegrass this Saturday

2011-05-03T08:53:00.008-04:00

Saturday May 7th, 2011
What Is Free Comic Book Day?

Free Comic Book Day is a single day - the first Saturday in May each year - when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely FREE* to anyone who comes into their stores. *Check with your local shop for their participation and rules.

Watch this space as we try and compile a regional list of events and participating stores! Information is as accurate as possible but may be subject to change. Please note: quantities are limited for free comics!

Central Kentucky Free Comic Book Day Events

Danville

Comic Cosmos - 1560 Hustonville Rd # 101, Danville, KY 40422-2460 - (859) 236-3031

Lexington

A+ Comics - 123 Southland Drive, Lexington KY 40503 - (859) 276-1118

Collectibles Etc,115 N Locust Hill Dr #106, Lexington, Kentucky - (859) 269-6633

LEXINGTON'S BEST COMIC BOOK STORE
is bringing you LEXINGTON'S BEST FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!
GET KEYS for our TREASURE CHEST GIVEAWAY. UPDATED WEEKLY through MAY 6th.
Check out www.facebook.com/collectibles.etc/les.etc/ to see which books are this week's KEY books.--FIRST--
WE are going to open ONE HOUR EARLY @10:00 AM
10:00 to 2:00 ~ We will focus on KIDS ACTIVITIES
1) Show up
2) Get Free Comics
3) ONE DAY SALE. SAVE on almost EVERYTHING in the store.
4) Special Guests!!!
5) BLANK COMIC BOOKS (while supplies last)
--Buy a BLANK #1 MARVEL Comic and have LOCAL Artists create your own personal VARIANT COVER. $5.00-$20.00
--THEN--
2:00 to 3:00 MARK KIDWELL will be signing the (sold out) '68 #1!!
(he's got some free comic day image stuff too)
--LAST--
3:00 to 8:00 ~ LIVE ART SHOW. Watch an artist start with a blank page and finish with a piece of art. Then buy their art. And those meddling kids from BOUCOUP POP will be recording an in store podcast!

Heroes Realm, 1624 Old Paris Road, Lexington KY 40505 - (859) 268-0097

Joseph Beth Booksellers - 161 Lexington Green Circle, Lexington, KY 40503 - (859) 273-2911

Sorry no free comics! But to honor Free Comic Book Day we will have 20% off all full price Graphic Novels! Get Coupon here or at our Facebook page - coupon valid Saturday and Sunday only!

The Comic Interlude -393 Waller Ave # 10, Lexington, KY 40504-2914 - (859) 231-9237

Here at Comic Interlude we are going to be having the following deals available to all on Saturday May 7th, 2011:
-Buy one get one free on ALL Trade Paper Backs
-Buy one get one free on ALL new comics (new comics being books currently on our shelves excluding this weeks releases)
-50% of on all backstock in the store
We're going to be carrying all of the gold level retailer FCBD items and we will have extended hours on Saturday. We will be open from 10AM to 7:30PM and are happy for any comic readers new or old to stop on in and join us!

Quarantine Comics FCBD All-Day Live Art-A-Thon! (multiple locations)

Live art all day! Three chances to see artists draw and paint live! All are welcome and commissions are available. Previous live art pieces have been taken to Half Price for their Comic Book Legal Defense Fund auction. So come in and bid, it all goes to an essential cause!

11 a.m. - 3 p.m:
Half Price Books
Sir Barton Place
2321 Sir Barton Way
Lexington, KY 40509
(859) 264-0848

3 p.m. - 6 p.m:
Collectibles, Etc.
115 N Locust Hill Dr #106
Lexington, KY
(859) 269-6633

6 p.m. - 10 p.m:
Movie Tavern
133 North Locust Hill Drive
Lexington, KY 40509-1532

(859) 266-4645

3/27/11 - Upcoming Comic Events

2011-03-28T23:23:00.000-04:00


With spring and the coming of warm weather several local comic events come into sight!

Well we have almost made it through the tumult of March! Here are some upcoming regional comic events to keep your eye on as we move into spring and summer!

Saturday April 2nd 2011 - Kenn Minter book signing - Lexington KY - Morris Book Shop - 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Sunday April 3rd 2011 - 2011 Gem City Comic Con - Dayton, Ohio 45435-0001 - Student Union at Wright State University, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy - 10:00 am -5:00 pm

Saturday and Sunday May 14-15th 2011 - WonderFest - Louisville KY - Crowne Plaza Hotel - 10:00 am -5:00 pm both days

Saturday July 17th 2011 - Derby City Comic Con - Louisville KY - Kentucky International Convention Center

BEAUCOUP POP is LIVE!

2011-03-04T22:20:00.001-05:00

Hey folks! I'm part of the quad-headed beast that is Beaucoup Pop. Check out our Episode 0 available here. Warning: saucy language!

And be sure to check out www.beaucouppop.blogspot.com for all updates and show notes.

Get it! Dig it! Lurve it!

: Justin

EYAO IV

2011-02-25T21:57:00.001-05:00

Hey folks! Wanted to share with you the piece, "Peter", I have in at Eat Your Art Out IV “The Dark & Cryptic Origins of Nursery Rhymes” currently showing at Meltdown Comics out in L.A. If you're by some chance in the area, please go check the show out. There's some really amazing work on display there and it's all for sale, so if you dig on something, buy that shizz!

Much thanks and love to my homegirl, Jane Dope who got me a spot in the show.

: Justin

2/13/11 - Woodland Art Fair Application

2011-02-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

FYI Lexington and area artists! The summer arts event in Lexington! A Lexington tradition that has an improved layout the last several yeas, thanks to Joe Artz!

AFB Art Fair @ Woodland Park
Entry Deadline: March 31, 2011

LAL is now accepting artist applications via ZAPPlication for 2011's AFB Art Fair @ Woodland Park.

Using ZAPPlication, artists are able to submit images of artwork and booths as well as applicant information 24 hours a day. There are more than 10 categories for entries, including 2-D and 3-D mixed media, ceramics, glass, fiber/leather, drawing/pastels, graphics/printmaking, jewelry, metalwork, painting, photography, and wood.

The deadline to apply is March 31, at 9 a.m., and the application fee is $25. Artwork will be evaluated on the criteria of technique, craftsmanship, design, originality and presentation by jurors Stacey R. Chinn and Jennifer A. Reis. Acceptances will be announced through ZAPPlication in early May.

http://www.icontact-archive.com/cBWhbqpdMOdjp69viPKyyzOf6J6T8CQY?w=1

2/13/11 - Great Poster by Cricket Press's Sara and Brian Turner

2011-02-13T09:28:00.002-05:00

If you want to get your event noticed in Lexington there is one sure fire way to success - get the poster design and screen printing talent of Cricket Press behind your cause! The Kentuckians for the Commonwealth group realized this when they wanted to get the word out about there Lexington Loves the Mountains events - Culminating with tomorrow's rally at the capitol.

2/7/11 - Editorial - What is the life and work of an artist worth?

2011-02-07T14:38:00.000-05:00

Editorial:

Originally the illumnai were
to be made as a screen.

What is the worth of an artist? And who decides? Can an artist achieve full recognition of his or her contribution and value to society during their lifetime? Does society in general, even care, about artists, their work, their lives or their dreams? Recent trends in society tend to say no, that they don't care. For instance the file sharing phenomena of the last decade - at first it seemed like a a backlash against the perceived greed of the recording industry. Now it seems that people just like to get what they like for free regardless of the harm this inflicts to the creators of said desired items.

Bronze illumine.

Let's move this line of thought along to examine the "hometown" perception of the work and life of a particular fine artist.

What would you think of a NYC raised star art student who attended a top private east coast college, graduating with flourish and having a great many opportunities open to him who chose, of all places, to come and work in Lexington at the University of Kentucky Art Department? Furthermore he not only starts his career here but he stays on year after year, raising a family of two sons with a wife who patiently and regularly asks "...when are we going to go home - where you will be acknowledged and appreciated?" This artist does not go home but instead immerses completely and with no regrets into the day after day process of transforming himself into the artist of his dreams but also, amazingly shares this mission and passion with each student who passes through his tutelage, bringing or starting many of them along on the journey as well.
Do you even believe that this is a true story?

If you watch PBS much you have probably seen the series where a team of traveling experts travel around the country to town hall type meetings to discern not politics but the value of individuals either acquired or inherited antiques and collectibles. I think the series is Travelling Road Show or something like that. In many cases participants in the process much to our (the viewers, and the TV show subjects) delight it is often discovered that an item in question is really quite valuable, quite rare and definitely worth preserving. I suppose that something equivalent to the Road Show treatment needs to happen for the cultural community of Lexington - for we collectively possess items that we clearly don't know the significance of!

Let's not be poor caretakers and guardians of this legacy of untold value and benefit ...act now.

Friends of Tuska Meeting
6:30 PM,Wednesday 2/9/11
147 Old Park Avenue 40502
(Corner of Park and Central)

Come out and be prepared to be amazed by the artistic and intellectual endowment to our community from an artist who lived, worked and taught his entire professional career right here in LEXINGTON! Doesn't that kind of commitment and love deserve better?

Learn more:

Feb 1st 2011 Business Lexington article on Tuska House and current crisis by Ide Boudin
Jan 21st 2011 - David Tabatsky comments on Tuska House in Facebook post

David Tabatsky
“It's been an honor to be brought into the Tuska world - one I see full of infinite possibilities as a learning center, a museum, a central point of community energy, and as a historic landmark of Kentucky art history. I've been deeply moved by Tuska's work - not only his absolute mastery as an artist of multiple media, but maybe even more by how he shows and teaches us the human condition. His work must live on. It would be a crime to...."

Tuska Musuem on facebook

John Tuska's motto - translated from Italian:
One life is not enough.

BIOGAMER GIRL #1

2011-02-06T14:52:00.001-05:00

Hey folks! Justin here, and the first issue of 'BioGamer Girl' hits this week featuring cover art by yours truly. Visit the site up and order a copy! You'll dig it.

I'll post the cover here soon, so watch this space.

: J3000

2011 February 01 - Postmortem Report on Xombie Nation! CCG Meeting/Workshop

2011-02-01T12:31:00.005-05:00

Thriller Stage Show Halloween 2010
photo by Jennifer Miller

Xombie Nation! was held last Sunday for the first time. We started out with an incredible dance routine by the mysterious Silent Hill zombie nurse. While still in shock and awe from the fantastic improvisational dance we moved on to nearly an hour of expressive and challenging poses by our model and muse. Here is a link to a flickr group set up expressly for sharing and commenting on CCG Themed Life Drawing (TLD) work: artwork and photos. This was our pilot run at having these sessions - I want feedback from our artists! Look for another CCG TLD session in February!

Billy talks about how he got started...

"Creepiest Artist in America" and famed Zombie artist Billy Tackett and his wife Heather closed out the January meeting with an hour-long talk about business strategies for freelance artists. Many gems of wisdom from Billy and Heather's "school of hard knocks" were eagerly taken in by the assembled audience of cartoonists, illustrators, teachers and students.

The couple shared excellent marketing and branding strategies and explained how to actually make money on the convention circuit! Keep your naming simple and logical - cool names will often just cloud your branding and folks won't know why your studio name doesn't match your website name! The concept of keeping a common style and appearance throughout your marketing materials was brought up several times. They even set up an abbreviated con table presenting some of their better selling merchandise. Billy advised to used your art and design skills to make your booth/table reflect your art aesthetic and branding themes.

Examples of some of Billy's artwork
translated onto merchandise.

Thanks Billy and Heather! I hope you will come back and visit us again soon! Check out Billy's excellent website for his schedule of appearances and upcoming publishing project!

Justin Stewart was awarded the inaugural annual award for "the local cartoonist who contributed the most to the local artistic community."

The 2010 CCG Stewie Award is named after Justin and will be awarded annually at our Holiday Dinner. Justin was not available to attend that function this year so this announcement had to wait till now. Join me in congratulating and thanking Justin for all his work with Live Drawing Events and his assistance with this years UP! Fair! We are proud of you, guy! Nominations for the 2011 CCG Stewie will be accepted in November!

Fangirl Confessional: Episode 23 is here!!!!

2011-01-14T11:59:00.000-05:00

The fine ladies at Fangirl Confessional let me sit in on their show and it was a blast! Hope you guys give it a listen and dig it.

Fangirl Confessional: Episode 23 is here!!!!: "Hey there wonderful peeps! Just dropping by to let you know that the latest episode with special guest Justin Stewart is now ready for..."

2010/12/20 - Pencil Sketch - Live Art! Tron Legacy - Movie Tavern

2011-01-12T14:18:00.002-05:00

Olivia Wilde from Tron Legacy - pencil sketch from movie still -
HB lead in Staples 1.3mm mechanical pencil

Finally got over to one of Justin Stewart and Quarantine Comics Live Art events at Movie Tavern. The theme was Tron Legacy and I had been anxious to see this - being a video game player from when the first movie came out back in the '80s!

Thanks to Justin and Movie Tavern - had a great time and want to come back for more!

PS: If you want to attend one these contact Justin on his Facebook page - here is a link to the next happening Green Hornet Live Art! this Saturday 1/15/11 (link to FB event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117941404944537).

12/28/10 - The Year in Review - Political Cartoons

2010-12-29T13:30:00.001-05:00

2010 - it's been quite a year! Let's see the one you like! (Cartoonists send me your toons as well to post here.) Blog members feel free to append to this post or readers can add comments with links to their images!

I just saw this one (We work, They Profit) on an Iraqi Student Solidarity site and it has that classic power of old style political cartooning - with strong allegorical types represented. Let's just take a nice long look at the form - and not obsess about the message or the speaker, shall we?

If you buy that this is a dying art - think again! You need to study history and look at some of the great examples of this important art form! As long as we have corruption, waste, ignorance, intolerance and greed we will have a place for these brave critics who hold up a mirror to our lifestyle and politics.

12/14/10 - December CCG Meeting and Holiday Dinner

2010-12-14T12:45:00.008-05:00

We will have an early and abbreviated CCG meeting this Sunday 12/19/10 at the Beaumont Branch Library (3080 Fieldstone Way Lexington, KY 40513 ) before we meet for the first DW&WP Cartooning Class. See agenda below.

We could also plan on a little CCG/DW&WP holiday meal afterwards? Sahara, Applebees, Masala, Fulin asian fusion, Pucini's, a Japanese grill and good Mexican place, are all nearby to the library. Let me know who might be interested and your preference(s) as with a large group it might help to have reservations.

Sunday 12/19/10 Agenda

1-1:45p CCG Meeting - Beaumont Branch Library Small Conference Room
1:45-2p Break
2-4:50p DW&WP Chapter One - Beaumont Branch Library Small Conference Room
5:30 or 6p Holiday dinner get together for all - please RSVP

For those we won't see this Sunday have a Happy Holiday Season and look forward to a great year for the CCG in 2011!

12/10/10 - Conan OBrien Visits New Corporate Brethren at DC Comics

2010-12-10T17:08:00.001-05:00

With media mergers and conglomerates you get some strange pairings and some fun bedfellows. This one seems to be the latter. This video documents Conan's visit to WB Animation which animates DC Comics characters. Animation afficiandos look for Peter Girardi and Bruce Timm (now that's a name we all know and love!).

FANTAGRAPHICS Wants Your Art

2010-12-08T15:41:00.001-05:00

The amazing indie publisher, Fantagraphics, wants art to hang in their new warehouse. Send some stuff if you'd like.

-Justin

11/29/10 - Drawing Words & Writing Pictures cartooning class now forming!

2010-11-30T21:51:00.003-05:00

OK, The CCG is (bravely? foollishly?) going to try and fill the void for adult comic art education in Lexington with the first area DW&WP Class! Are you ready to start? Is it time to develop/hone your cartooning skill? Did this month's incredible UP! Fair fill you with inspiration and determination to make the leap and create your own comics masterpiece? Then this is for YOU!

If you are interested in attending/participating in a local meet up to work through the Drawing Words & Writing Pictures curriculum ( a 15-week college level course) please email the CCG Coordinator at (lexkyccg "at" gmail "dot" com.) Please email if you have questions..

This class is open to all and no previous drawing or writing experience is necessary. There will be no tuition but you will be expected to purchase the text and needed supplies (please inquire for a discounted text and basic supplies). Aspiring/developing/emerging cartoonists/comic creators are encouraged to attend. Act now! Once we have our minimum, classes will commence and entry will close.

See our new PAGE - a new feature on the blog! Just click on the tab to see the DW&WP Cartooning Class page.

Up! Fair Volunteers Needed

2010-11-05T09:09:00.007-04:00

Hey folks! Would anyone like to volunteer for the upcoming Up! Fair (recently reported on in the Chevy Chaser)? If you'd like to learn more, you can go here to contact someone about volunteering.

They are looking for help on Saturday November 20th at the Carnegie Center in downtown Lexington. It would only be in four-hour shifts and the responsibilities would include:
- Assist with providing bottled water to all tabling guests during the day
- Watch tables for artists while they lead workshops
- Check in with teaching artists before workshops to ensure that they
have all of the teaching materials they need
- Help attendees find the workshops they are interested in

If you can, please do. It'd be a great way to meet and have some time to talk with the creators and I guarantee you'll have a good time.

Thanks!

10/16/10 - Kentucky featured in Underground Comic and Trade Paperback

2010-10-16T15:02:00.002-04:00

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is not to often depicted in comics and if so it is only in passing or referenced with none too flattering associations. Having traveled and lived from one end of the US to the other has taught me that there are rednecks and cowboys all over (and hopefully not to pre-judge people or places). So I was happy to see Kentucky portrayed with a broader lens in a recent comic series, now available as a trade paperback: "Underground" written by Jeff Parker and drawn by Steve Lieber. Centered around two Kentucky State park rangers and the fictional Stillwater Cave this enthralling adventure story has several exciting sections that really capture the thrills and dangers inherent to cave exploration. It was also fun to find the local references that the authors embedded into the storyline through some obvious research or knowledge of the region.

I had met Steve back in 2000 at Orlando Florida's MegaCon. His then current work on DC's Hawkman and the independently produced Whiteout (recently released as a major motion picture) caught my attention and admiration.

A recent Facebook prompt lead me to visit Steve's profile - this all cascaded into renewing contact and getting caught up on Underground, his website (old and new cartoonists will want to check out the great Advice section) and another of his projects: "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating A Graphic Novel" - co-written with Nat Gertler.

This easy to read book covers areas that many other good texts on creating comics just don't address, namely: a simple but effective process for writing plots/scripts and tips on how to ensure good results as the artist visualizes the written script. This bridging of written word and drawn images really doesn't get explained adequately or often enough in most "how to" books - they tend to be focus on either the writers perspective or that of the artist.
To clarify this point I have excerpted from wikipedia's entry for "comics" in the section defining comics. Read below Will Eisner's (the man responsible for popularizing the terms "sequential art" and "graphic novel") informed opinion - (also check out the variants by others: McCloud and Harvey):

In 1996, Will Eisner published Graphic Storytelling, in which he defined comics as "the printed arrangement of art and balloons in sequence, particularly in comic books."^[42] Eisner's earlier, more influential definition from Comics and Sequential Art (1985) described the technique and structure of comics as sequential art, "the arrangement of pictures or images and words to narrate a story or dramatize an idea."^[43]

This blending of word and picture - and this includes the unseen words from the writer that inspire the images created by the artist - is what makes comics unique! Nat and Steve really hit the target and fill this void of information - kudos to them for this service to all who want to learn the deceptively complex set of skills necessary for effective sequential narrative/cartooning.

10/08/10 - Artists Presenting at the World Equestrian Games

2010-10-08T20:48:00.011-04:00

A big part of the World Equestrian Games are all the exhibitors set up there on the grounds of the horse park. A number of these are involved in equine art and I came across two that caught my eye.

Debbie Sampson describes herself as a Sports Artist, and her website will certainly attest to that. I met her the first week of the WEG while she was painting at a booth near the Equine Village.

She has as a special fondness for equine sports and was working on a close up of a horse in oils with a pallet knife as we talked. She also works with many professional sports franchises which can be somewhat involved because of licensing issues.

The work that I saw that day was colorful, visceral and a bit abstract - it was, for me, very reminiscent of LeRoy Neiman. After vising her website I saw a versatility in her rendering (as this striking dressage study demonstrates). She resides in Florida but will often travel to Kentucky for our numerous racing and equine events. I look forward to her next visit and hope that we can chat more then.

A nearby booth promoting a horse registry was hosting a drawing to have your horse immortalized in an oil painting portrait. There was a sample image (shown at right) that was quite striking, which drew me in to learn more - I later discovered the artist was none other than Richard Hescox.

This name sounded very familiar and after talking with the gentlemen from the registry I realized this was a well known science fiction cover artist. I believe he even did a cover or two for Marvel Comics - for their magazine line: Savage Sword of Conan or maybe Kull, The Conqueror. He also has a fine art website where he promotes his equine and portrait art. I was disappointed when I realized Richard was not actually in attendance there at the WEG since I was hoping to meet him in person - but it was a fun connection to make.

Although I did not visit or see the American Academy of Equine Art during my two recent visits I would be remiss not to mention them and their full time presence at the Kentucky Horse Park while discussing equine art. I hope learn more about this organization and it's members in the near future. This non-profit group describes themselves (from their website):

The American Academy of Equine Art, Inc. was established in 1980 by a group of ten distinguished artists, individually famed for their work on equine subjects. Their aim was to maintain a degree of excellence within the genre, and to promote the academic representation of the equine form in drawing, painting and sculpture. Loosely based on the Royal Academy of Arts in London, the AAEA serves to educate and encourage a broad awareness and appreciation of contemporary equine art as a specific and distinctively worthy segment of fine art in America.

10/07/10 - World Equestrian Games and Spotlight on Lexington

2010-10-07T14:08:00.004-04:00

We here in Lexington have been hearing about the World Equestrian Games or WEG for years now and I think many of us were tired of what seemed like a lot of hype before it even started! Well, as one those initial negative nellies I have to confess that I am now a convert and have been very impressed with Spotlight on Lexington (a 16-day festival of cultural performances, mostly musical in downtown Lexington) and the actual games themselves! Spotlight on Lexington performances are all free and open to the public! This is a great gift to the people of Lexington and I hope many in the area are recognizing the opportunity and taking in as many of these acts as possible. Thank you to the many sponsors who financed these fine performances!

I have attended the WEG twice now, both times with only a general admission pass ($25 at the gate). Even without attending the events I was very enthralled with what was available: specifically the numerous demonstrations at the Equine Village. If you are at all interested in the horse these presentations will be quite entertaining and uplifting. It is a joy to watch and be with people who are clearly doing something they love. Speaking of which, both of these ongoing (until Sunday 10/10/10) events are great opportunities for artists to draw, sketch and learn. Here you will be able to draw a wide spectrum of people and the many breeds and qualities of our equine friends. Two animals have made an immense impact on the development of human civilization: the dog and the horse. I find it quite touching that these noble animals seek our companionship, acceptance and dare I say, love.

The Kentucky Horse Park may very well be the premiere equine facility in all the world, something we Kentuckians can all have a little pride in. Don't be put off by fears of crowds or long lines - neither of these were an issue on the days I went (which were Tuesdays - the final weekend may be different).Take the LexTran shuttle and avoid the $20 parking fee at the park or ride share with a group of friends and split the cost. Just make sure and visit our state park during this once in a lifetime event! I would attend everyday if work and my fall allergies would allow!

Share your art! I encourage all my fellow artists to post a comment or send a link to online galleries of their sketches and drawings of the WEG or Spotlight events.

10/05/10 - Post 24-Hour Comics Day event

2010-10-05T02:15:00.006-04:00

Congratulation to all who participated in 2010 24-Hour Comics Day event here in Lexington and across the nation!

Brett Hatfield, a first-time visitor to our August CCG meeting and a frequent cartoon contributor to The Kentucky Kernel has a great facebook gallery post about his local 24HCD experience at Collectibles, Etc.

See his photos at : http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1196490001

Brett, send a link when you post your comic! Jenny and Mike too!

Email or post a comment if anyone else out there has anything to share from this year's event!

PS: While researching the founder of the 24-Hour Comics Dare, Scott McCloud, I found this interesting recent (2008) work of his. It is a 38-page online comic explaining the virtues of Google's Chrome browser. See a master at work, using the medium expertly to explain highly technical material in a clear and illuminating way.

10/01/10 - 2010 Lexington 24-Hour Comics Day event tomorrow!

2010-10-01T17:55:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow, Saturday October 2nd, is our 2nd time organizing a full blown 24-Hour Comics Day event here in Lexington! The kind folks at Collectibles, Etc. have stepped up to host the event for a second year as well! If you are interested in participating there are some spots left - but don't wait space is limited!

Sign up TODAY online here: 2010 Lexington 24-Hour Comic Day Participation Survey

If you are curious or just want to see the process: the store opens at 11am on Saturday. There will be special sales and other fun stuff happening while the cartoonists are hard at work. Come out to cheer these folks on and save on your comics at the same time!

Challenge starts:
11 AM Saturday 10/02/10.
Challenge ends:
11 AM Sunday 10/03/10

Location:
Collectibles, Etc.
115 North Locust Hill Drive
Suite # 106
Lexington, KY 40509-1517
(859) 269-6633

09/30/10 - Fashion Illustration: Jennifer Lilya Video

2010-09-30T19:17:00.002-04:00

Illustration and specifically Fashion Illustration does not get enough attention here. I was recently made aware of a very talented fashion illustrator (through a Facebook friend Gerry Acerno) by the name of Jennifer Lilya. She works with traditional media to create her striking and fun images.

I was interested in learning more about her working method (she works on 90# stonehenge with acrylic washes and sumi ink) and and found these videos by PinkyShears, an online magazine for the professionals in the fashion industry. Check out the embedded videos below:

Intro: Interview with Jennifer Lilya, Fashion Illustrator from PinkyShears on Vimeo.

Interview with Fashion Illustrator Jennifer Lilya. [Full Length] from PinkyShears on Vimeo.

09/22/10 - Big Back To School Meeting/Workshop this Sunday!

2010-09-22T21:19:00.000-04:00

Our annual "Big Back to School Special" Meeting/Workshop will be this Sunday, September 26th from 1:30-4:30pm at the Northside Branch of the Lexington Public Library. See the CCG Calendar link for address and links to maps. We will have local comic writer/artist/ and screenwriter Mark Kidwell as our guest speaker! We will also have a computer coloring demonstration, as well as door prizes, raffles and some other surprises!

This is our big event to welcome new or returning members - so if you are or aspiring to be a cartoonist, illustrator, animator, etc. please come and join us for a fun afternoon!

09/19/10 - 2010 Lexington 24HCD Event

2010-09-19T14:59:00.003-04:00

Last year with the help of Collectibles Etc. we had successful event - so we are doing it all again!

Interested cartoonists please complete the interest survey to be on the initial list of participants. We need your contact info so we will be able to contact you and make the final list where you will be confirmed to attend.

24-Hour Comics Day (24HCD) is an annual event where comic creators attempt to produce from scratch a 24 page comic in 24 hours. This idea was born in 1990 from a dare Scott McCloud, noted comic creator and author of Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics and Making Comics made to his friend, and fellow comic artist, Steve Bissette.

Additional information about 24-Hour Comics Day can be had at :

The Lexington KY Comic Creators Group (CCG) is organizing the event for October 2nd 2010 with the help of at least one Lexington comic shop host. We had a successful event last year and may have more interested parties than space. A small ($10-25) entry fee may be required to help cover expenses, especially if we have to come up with secondary host locations.

How to Particpate?

Complete the survey:

Direct link:
2010 Lexington 24-Hour Comic Day Participation Survey

Or this embedded version:

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

08/14/10 - David Colman Animal Drawing Videos

2010-08-14T20:03:00.003-04:00

David Colman was trained as an animator and works as a character designer. Here are some links to some really good how to videos - specifically his Snow Leopard drawing session at a California zoo. His two part video on drawing the giraffe looks good as well!
Video Links:
http://embedr.com/playlist/david-colman-videos
Blog:
http://davidcolman.blogspot.com/

08/05/10 - CCG Drawing Challenge III: Shark Week!

2010-08-05T15:30:00.001-04:00

Discovery Network's Shark Week started last Sunday and continues through Saturday. I can't think of many more dramatic and exciting topics than this for a drawing challenge. From naturalist renditions to over the top, blood and guts cartoons - anything is fair game! Email your links for inclusion on this blog or post on the CCG facebook page.

08/05/10 - Cincinnati Comic Expo

2010-08-05T14:36:00.001-04:00

In a little over a month the very first Cincinnati Comic Expo will take place. This one day show is unique in the number of golden and silver age comic creators that it will have as guests. People like Russ Heath, Allen Bellman and Murphy Anderson. An impressive lineup for any show much less a fledgling event! The impressive lineup of guests continues and includes contemporary independent artists Laura Innes, Thom Zahler, CCG art show exhibitor Mike Maydak from NKY, and fan favorite/local artist Tony Moore.

I am excited that a quality show is happening so close to home and will be sure to attend. Getting to meet and talk with living legends of comics is treat too rare to pass up. This is also a great opportunity for local upstarts to display their works as an exhibitor! Visit the Cincinnati Comic Expo official site for more information: http://cincinnaticomicexpo.com/index.php

04/07/10 - Congrats to the Lousiville Cartoonists Society

2010-04-07T14:29:00.006-04:00

Wow! The comic creators in Louisville are hard at work! There's a recently posted online article from the Louisville Courier-Journal highlighting the achievements of Ted Lee Nathanson and other members of the Louisville Cartoonist Society. The LCS just published their first anthology comic! They are having a gallery show of their work as well! Check out their site for the latest news - looks like they have a lot going on!

Here's the full Courier-Journal story....

Even more coverage at the Metromix Louisville site.

04/07/10 - 2010 Conventions and Events

2010-04-07T12:04:00.005-04:00

Just to help keep these up on on your radar. Some upcoming comic/illustration/local events and conventions for this year:

Mega Con - Orlando - March 12-14
Keeneland Spring Racing Meet - Lexington - April 2-23
MoCCA many events, Festival NYC - April 10-11
Gem City Comic Con - Dayton, OH - April 11
Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event - Lexington - April 22-25
SPACE - Columbus, OH - April 24-25
WonderFest - Louisville, KY - May 15-16
Heroes Con - Charlotte - June 4-6
The Illustration Master Class - Amhurst College (MA) - June 12-18
San Diego Comic Con - July 21-25
Gen Con - Indianapolis IN - August 5-8
AFB Art Fair @ Woodland Park - (Deadline to Apply for Fair 3/31/10) - August 21-22
Baltimore Comic-Con - August 28-29
Chicago Comic Con (Sneaky Wizardworld is buying up all the cons and losing the WW name!) - August 19-22
Dragon Con Atlanta - September 3-6
SPX - Baltimore - September 11-12
Cincinnati Comic Expo - September 18
World Equestrian Games 2010 - Lexington - September 25 - October 10
New York Comic Con - October 8-10
Keeneland Fall Racing Meet - Lexington - October 8-30
OSU many events, Festival of Cartoon Art - October 15-16, 2010!
Mid-Ohio-Con - Columbus - November 6-7
UP! Fair - Lexington - November 19-20

02/02/10 - Groundhog Day 2010

2010-02-02T13:47:00.002-05:00

So are your ready for a month and half of winter or are you wishing for six weeks?

Today Punxsutawney Phil makes the call. Me, I'm trying to enjoy the season and each day as a gift - you know the "present". If you follow macrobiotic theory then you know we need to change with the seasons. This is a time for quiet introspection - something that is essential I think for creative folk. But how to do that in our current social climate? That's more than I can tell how for anyone else - much less myself. :-)

Here's a quick doodle I did today - how about some of you join the fun? Post a comment with a link to your Groundhog Day image - come on it will be fun!

02/01/10 - Digital Tools and Software in the Life Drawing Studio and Beyond

2010-02-01T06:20:00.003-05:00

MATC pioneers Digital Life Drawing Course using Wacom Cintiq monitors and the Corel Painter (natural painting and drawing media emulation) application.

Many new tools, such as pressure sensitive drawing tablets and pressures sensitive tablet displays coupled with software programs like Corel Painter, Adobe Photoshop, ArtRage, and Autodesk Sketchbook Pro are allowing artists to now work digitally in the life drawing studio. See the link below for the full story about the Milwaukee college that has taken a hi-tech approach to life drawing.

http://www.milwaukee.tec.wi.us/matc_in_action/2009_Digital_Life_Drawing_Class.html

With the recent announcement of Apple's iPad expect to see more digital art created out in the real world as digital artists break free of the chains to their desktop computers. Over the past months there has been an explosion of digital art produced on portable devices such as the Nintendo DS, Apple iPhone and Apple iPod Touch as developers produce art and painting applications for these platforms. This type of art has gained legitimacy - even gracing the cover of national magazines (see photo of the New Yorker cover by Jorge Columbo produced on his iPhone using the painting app "Brushes"). This was covered on the excellent art/illustration blog "Lines and Colors".

01/21/10 - Arts Advocacy Day 2010

2010-01-21T11:00:00.004-05:00

Show KY Legislators Your Support for the Arts! This came to me today by email:

Arts Advocacy Day 2010

Join us in Frankfort on February 10, 2010!

Come to Frankfort to support the Arts! With the current funding pressures on state government, elected officials are making tough choices right now. This year will be crucial to make sure that the arts are supported in Kentucky.

Who should come: Arts supporters, Artists, Arts administrators, Arts organization board members, Arts educators... anyone with a passion for the arts.

When and where? February 10, 2010 at the Capitol building in Frankfort, starting at 9:30am.

Agenda for the Day:

9:30am : Rally for the Arts in the Capitol Rotunda
10:30am - 2pm : Meet with Legislators
2pm - 5pm : Arts Advocacy and Arts Education workshops (sponsored by Arts Kentucky)

For information on activities being presented by the Kentucky Arts Council, click here <http://artscouncil.ky.gov/> .

Wear something that represents your area of the arts! (Blue if possible.) If you're an instrumentalist, bring your instrument! If you're a dancer, wear tights and taps!

More information about the event and what you can do to prepare is available at www.artsky.org/artsday <http://www.artsky.org/artsday> . Check there for directions, schedule, and more!

The event is also on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=433394670312&index=1> .

Please pass this on to other arts supporters and your organization's email lists!

A Good Cause

2010-01-19T14:49:00.005-05:00

Check out the Comic Creator's Alliance Site. They are currently raising money to help fight human trafficking. More information can be found at the following link:

http://comicalliance.weebly.com/index.html

01/14/10 - Editorial Cartoons Haitian Earthquake

2010-01-14T17:50:00.000-05:00

Daryl Cagle's excellent site:

http://blog.cagle.com/news/2010/01/13/live-blog-haiti-cartoons/

Some selected cartoons about the disaster in Haiti:

Helicopters - Cartoon by Daryl Cagle - msnbc.com

Helping Hand - Cartoon by Steve Breen - San Diego Union-Tribune

Voodoo Spike - Cartoon by John Cole - The Scranton Times-Tribune

Pat Robertson - Cartoon by Bruce Plante - The Tulsa World

This last is one is for real: see the link to the video:
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/robertson-blames-haiti-earthquake-pact-devil

01/10/10 - Great Video Resource: Sketch Magazine at Comic Related

2010-01-10T07:05:00.000-05:00

This mention is long overdue for work of two local friends: Sketch Magazine (Blue Line Pro, the publisher of Sketch, is located in Northern KY) and comicrelated.com (Chuck Moore has made his fellow CCG members proud with the ongoing successes in the comic news biz).

Together these two have a Sketch Magazine blog on the Comic Related site that is becoming a great collection of online video clips that any comic/illustration/animation artist would find of interest. Thanks guys! This helps a lot!

01/09/10 - Three Cheers for Bobby Chiu and Stephen Silver!

2010-01-09T08:02:00.006-05:00

Ever since 2008 when I attended the Frazetta Tribute by the NCS (link to past CCG blog post) I have been interested in bringing attention to the fact that many of our comic legends are aging and leaving this mortal plane without any legacy of their thoughts and working process. That is why I am so excited to see the latest offering Bobby Chiu's Schoolism.com - online lectures from several of comics and cartooning living legends! (Thanks to James Gurney for catching this and posting on his excellent blog "Gurney Journey"!)

Apparently Stephen Silver is the driving force behind the video lectures from:

Mort Drucker (Mad Magazine artist extraordinaire)
Stan Goldberg (Archie Comics)
John Reiner (Comic Strip artists for Howard Huge and others)

Thanks Stephen! And I hope many of you will share my interest and gratitude by letting the folks at Schoolism.com that you appreciate their efforts!

01/09/10 - Marvel Comics (Disney) Sues Jack Kirby Heirs

2010-01-09T07:23:00.001-05:00

Marvel Comics is suing the heirs of comic legend Jack Kirby. The heirs had sent Marvel numerous copyright termination notices that stated many of their most profitable comic properties would revert to the estate starting in 2014!

Marvel contends that these characters were created as "work for hire" and that the heirs claims are baseless. What do you think? Is this fair and only a company protecting it's legal property or is the "Mouse" flexing it's legal muscles?

Here's a link to the January 8th NY Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/09/arts/09arts-MARVELSUESFA_BRF.html?scp=1&sq=Kirby%20Heirs&st=cse

01/07/10 - Some Excellent Video Tutorials

2010-01-07T14:23:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I have discovered some really excellent drawing demo videos that I think a lot of you will really enjoy and benefit from. I am just embedding the first video of each segment - these are multipart and should be viewed at full screen.

Steve Bissette demos inking for drawing monsters and dinosaurs. These are really well done! It''s really refreshing to see someone who really understands what they are doing - and able to do demonstrate clearly and effectively without the crutch of the undo button. Steve currently teaches at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction VT. He is one the early graduates from the Joe Kubert School of Cartooning (1977) and veteran comic artists (see his great dino epic "Tyrant").

Mysterious Memphre (Lake Monster) Demo:

Dino demo #1:

Dino demo #2:

Woodland Scene Inking Demo:

I have tried to put these in order. If you have a problem or want to see more - just do a search on youTube for "Steve Bissette". Thanks to Cat Garza for posting these (check out Cat's excellent web comic "Year of the Rat"!).

SCAD Watercolor Project from Samir Barrett

2009-11-30T20:59:00.004-05:00

Hey, this is Samir Barrett, Animation and Sequential Art student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I've been asked a few times to show you all my process when it comes to doing projects so that's what I'm doing.

This is not one of my best pieces but if you wish to see my step by step process for this water color project then you can see it here: http://sketchmasterskillz.blogspot.com/2009/11/water-color-project-for-mat-tech.html

10/28/09 - OSU Cartoon Library - New Name, Same Great Programming

2009-10-28T20:21:00.007-04:00

The largest single collection of comic and cartoon art is housed relatively close to us - just a few hours drive to the north is Columbus and Ohio State University campus. There you will find the newly renamed: Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. A generous donor has insured that they will soon have a facility to more appropriately display their holdings - good news indeed!

Now the world’s largest collection of cartoon art and comics, the Cartoon Library and Museum is currently located in the basement of the Wexner Center for the Arts http://cartoons.osu.edu/. Its new, permanent home in Sullivant Hall will expand its space from its current 6,808 square feet to more than 40,000 gross square feet of space storage and exhibit space allowing more of the collection to be displayed and accessible to the public.

Click here for the complete news release about the name change.

You may want to keep their events URL in your browser favorites - the library hosts many expert lectures and significant art shows throughout the year. They will be hosting the next of their tri-annual Festival of Cartoon Art in a little less than a year - October 15-16, 2010!

Coming up next month is a lecture about Winsor McCay on Tuesday November 3rd at 7PM where John Canemaker, McCay's biographer, presents "The Art and Life of Winsor McCay," a talk on this legendary cartoonist..

10/07/09 - UK Community Arts Group Gallery Show - Year THREE!

2009-10-07T08:36:00.006-04:00

Being able to draw the human figure is a foundation skill for cartooning, illustration, animation and many other visual art specialties. Here in Lexington we don't have a whole lot of options for adult learning but there has been one beacon of light that has been a consistent resource for several years. Here is a news release describing a current gallery show from the UK Community Arts Group:

Lexington KY - September 27^th 2009 - The UK Community Arts Group is proud to announce our third annual Gallery Show: "Life Drawing". This group show is from a collective of artists who attend the long running open life drawing sessions in the Reynolds Building. The works displayed are from the past year and were either created at these sessions or derived from work created there. This is a varied group not just in age (twenties to eighties) but in cultural background, degree of formal training and artistic approach.

We invite all to attend during the run of the show but especially hope our current and past models along with absent members and friends will grace our gala reception.

The show dates will be:

Opening on Monday 9/28/09
Reception on Friday 10/02/09. Reception times are 6-9pm. Light refreshments served.
Last Exhibition date: Friday 10/9/09

The show will be held on the UK Campus at:

Raymond Barnhart Gallery
Room 206
Reynolds Building 1
672 South Broadway (near the intersection of Scott Street)
Lexington KY 40506-0101

For further information about the show please contact Professor Arturo Sandoval, Barnhart Gallery Director at (859) 230-9635 (email: aa.sandoval@uky.edu)

This post is getting up quite late - this show will be up for just another three days! But this is a great example of community art and the variety of artists and work that can come from it. This show is a group show show presented in an informal "salon" style of presentation. The link that ties it at all together is that the work was created or derived from studies created in the open life drawing sessions held Saturday mornings and (currently, but subject to change semester to semester) Tuesday evenings in the Reynolds Building. These are open, uninstructed life drawing sessions with a nude model. We have artists with no formal training alongside retired professor emerita. We have an age range from late teens to octogenarians. This exhibition is an exciting time when we actually get to see what our fellow artists have been creating and can compare to our own work - often of the same model or even the same pose!

My thanks go out to UK Architecture Professor Tony Roccanova, who tirelessly coordinates the open life drawing sessions, Professor Hui Chi Lee who among many things acts as a group liaison with the art department, Professor Arturo Sandoval, the Barnhart Gallery Director and great friend to the community arts group and Professor Ben Withers, chair of the UK Art Department, upon whose generosity and support we all prosper.

10/03/09 - 2009 Lexington 24-Hour Comic Day Challenge

2009-10-03T20:12:00.006-04:00

Today is 24-Hour Comic Day. Around the whole country cartoonists are working alone or meeting in groups to create 24 pages in 24 hours. That is writing, penciling, lettering and inking twenty-four pages - with no preliminary work beforehand!
Here are some links to sites and blogs about this years events:

Here in Lexington, the CCG has worked to organize local interest and also was thrilled to find a willing host: Tony Florence, owner of Collectibles, Etc.

Lexington's first official 24-Hour Comic Day challenge started today at 11:00am and will run the full 24 hours until tomorrow, Sunday 10/4/09 at 11:00am. The store will stay open through the whole event - so if you are reading this post before the day is over (even in the middle of the night) go out and visit these brave souls and give them your encouragement. Here's the location:

Collectiblles, Etc.
115 North Locust Hill Drive
Suite 106
Lexington, KY 40509
google map

Show your suport and buy something while you're there to let them know you appreciate them hosting events like this that help build a community for local comic creators. I would like to thank Tony on behalf of the CCG and all those cartoonists attending todays marathon!

09/26/09 Back to School Special Meeting/Workshop Sunday

2009-09-26T20:40:00.009-04:00

Tomorrow we will having our annual "Back to School Special" Meeting/Workshop at the Beaumont Branch Library. This meeting is our annual recruitment drive also - so you regulars: please bring that friend who you have been meaning to tell about our little group! New folks: bring samples of your work to share and get input from fellow comic creators, illustrators and animators.

It should be an exciting meeting, our special guest speaker and instructor will be Fran Riddell. Fran will be talking about her training and experiences as a caricature artist and give an introductory lesson to the group. Fran, besides teaching art full time at a local parochial school, is in great demand by groups and agencies for her skill at caricature. It is encouraging to hear her reports that her part-time vocation is in great demand and should serve as encouragement for many visual artists out there that there are still ways to make a living following their passion and creating art.

09/18/09 - Comicpalooza and 24th Worldwide SketchCrawl

2009-09-18T15:24:00.008-04:00

Two events coming up tomorrow, Saturday 9/19/09:
Comicpalooza at Comics2Games in Florence, KY. There will be art demos and and instruction. Guests include Uko Smith.

For more information contact:
Comics 2 Games 859-647-7568 / info@comics2games.com
Blue Line 859-282-0096 / info@bluelinepro.com

The 19th of September 2009 is also the 24th Worldwide SketchCrawl. Taken from the SketchCrawl site:

"...making the SketchCrawl a World Wide event: having people from different corners of the world join in a day of sketching and journaling and then, thanks to the Internet, having everyone share the results on an online forum."

Sunday the 20th is another Cabaret Life Drawing session at 21c Museum in Louisville.

Don't you just love Fall? The weekends are so packed with festivals and events - it's sometimes overwhelming just figuring out what to do!

09/11/09 - Scare Fest 2009 and CCG Sketch Walkabout

2009-09-11T07:59:00.010-04:00

Scare Fest returns again this year, bigger and scarier than ever! This is a good opportunity to meet some talented artists (Billy Tackett) and popular local comic creators (RD Hall). I also encourage those who will attend to take their sketchbook and we can turn the three day event into an extended CCG Sketch Walkabout! There should be lots of folks in makeup and costumes! Feel free to post comments here or on the Lexington KY Comic Creators facebook PAGE, if anyone wants to meet up there for some drawing comraderie (post a time and place). Please send me links to your sketches from this so we can all share! (Please send links and not the actual files!)

CCG Sketch Walkabout not to be confused with the upcoming 24th World Wide SketchCrawl Drawing Marathon for 9/19/09! (Two links here, one for the blog and one for the Facebook EVENT.) Look for more about this later!

The Scare Fest is the Largest Horror and Paranormal Convention in the southeast where you will be able to experience three horror- filled- days in September 11th, 12th, 13th 2009 at the Lexington Center in Lexington, Kentucky one of the largest convention centers in the state with an abundance of parking on site. Come and meet your favorite celebrities in the horror and paranormal community.
*****NEW HOURS FOR 2009*****

Opens Friday at 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm ( Golden Ticket Entry: 4PM )

Opens Saturday at 11:00 am to 8:00 pm ( Golden Ticket Entry: 10AM )

Opens Sunday at 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm ( Golden Ticket Entry: 11AM )

09/08/09 - Report from 2009 Gen Con, Indianapolis IN

2009-09-08T11:16:00.007-04:00

The following blog entry was written by Stevie Moore who attended a portion of this year's event held August 13-16 2009:

Gen Con Indy - Great Opportunity for Aspiring Sci-Fi and Fantasy Artists

Gen Con is one of the largest conventions of its type in the world, originally started by Gary Gygax (of Dungeons and Dragons) fame. Besides Gen Con INDY, there is another Gen Con in California, which is now owned by the ex-CEO of Wizards of the Coast and represents much more than just gaming. Having been to Gen Con Indy for the second time; this year my biggest complaint is there is simply too much to see, even if you were there for the full 4-5 days until 2 a.m. every night. My focus at Gen Con and this article will therefore be on the Art related features which are so wonderful and close by.

A major part of every years convention is the heavy emphasis and recognition bestowed upon the talented artists that work in the gaming industry. This has led to be an all inclusive mecca for the fantasy artist, where you can go to the art show and see artists that are very novice to seasoned veterans of illustration, from Dragon Lance novel covers to Magic Cards, to just about any artwork created for any game. Every year Gen Con selects an "Artist Guest of Honor" this year being Omar Rayyan, whose work has appeared on many magic cards.

I had a great opportunity to go the last day of the convention this year and talk with many of the 75 or so artists at their booths. I was amazed at how friendly the artists were and how helpful they all were with information about portfolios, networking, and other aspects of the freelance and illustration business. Artists booths range from $200-$400, depending on the number of panels behind their tables, where artists display their best work and sell pieces to a target audience of collectors and fans. Interestingly enough, many artists I talked to said they usually do better than break even but its much more than an art sale. Gen Con being one of the largest trade shows of its type, the networking is worth its weight in gold! Many artists talked about new jobs and contracts that they get every year just by showing up to the show. In addition to that there are free portfolio reviews by professional art directors and also many artists were happy to look at portfolio's, as I personally witnessed at one point and was surprised by the positive nature of the critique that differed greatly from my upbringing at the University of Kentucky school of Fine Art!

With just about every art director in the business crawling the floors searching for new talent there is no reason not to either investigate getting a booth or bringing your portfolio for any fantasy artists. Although not specifically geared to the comic world, Gen Con has plenty of Comic, Manga, Anime, Card and Board Games, Role playing Games, Video Games, and just about any other related activity you can think of. What sets it apart from many other conventions is the respect and highlight they give to the creative artists and designers that make so much of that imaginary world visible for those that enjoy it.

09/03/09 - 2009 Lexington 24HCD Event Interest

2009-09-03T09:27:00.007-04:00

24-Hour Comic Day (24HCD) is an annual event where comic creators attempt to produce from scratch a 24 page comic in 24 hours. This idea was born in 1990 from a dare Scott McCloud, noted comic creator and author of Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics and Making Comics made to his friend, and fellow comic artist, Steve Bissette.

Additional information about 24-Hour Comics Day can be had at :

The Lexington KY Comic Creators Group (CCG) is considering organizing such an event for October 3rd 2009 with the help of a Lexington comic shop host. Sponsorship is still a question but not a requirement. A small ($10-25) entry fee may required to help cover expenses.

The Colorado Alliance of Illustrators is hosting a 24HCD event and has some interesting plans:

http://www.allianceofillustrators.com/content.aspx?page_id=87&club_id=651408&item_id=97832

Please follow the link below to complete an online survey form ASAP (hey it is a Census year!) so the CCG and any potential event hosts can determine :

length of event
number of people interested
anything we didn't think of

Go to FORM

Loading...

8/30/09 - GLC NCS Meeting News - Superman and Comic Strip Superstar

2009-08-30T22:00:00.016-04:00

Last weekend the Great Lakes Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society or GLC NCS had their annual summer get-together in Cincinnati and invited some guests to attend - among whom I was lucky enough to be included. Many thanks to Craig Boldman for the invite! This meeting was fun and informative. Last year, myself and few other CCG members attended a similar event and info gained from then and there led to my being able to attend the NCS Tribute luncheon and presentation of the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award to Frank Frazetta at his museum in Pennsylvania in September 2008.

Well this year had some interesting news items as well. Ed Black, the GLC's secretary told of a project to preserve the homes in Cleveland Ohio of the two creators of Superman. The Siegal and Shuster Society is a registered charity and was founded last year by writer Brad Meltzer. With the generous help of many current comic artists it has raised over $100,000 in the last year to preserve the home of Jerry Siegel. This past July there was celebration of this achievement - see this link to CBR story for more details: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=21998

Another brief Ed shared was about Comic Strip Superstar. This event is a contest (entries must be in by September 12th 2009 to be eligible.

The winner will receive a publishing contract from Andrews McMeel Publishing, a $5,000 advance from Universal Uclick, and a monthly stipend for the development of 20 comic strips that will be considered for syndication.

Two well known cartoonist judges for the event include Gray Trudeau (Doonesbury) and Lynn Johnston (For Better or Worse) Also judging will be two veteran Universal Press Syndicate editors. The contest is sponsored by Andrews McMeel Publishing and hosted by Amazon.com. You need to have two weeks of daily cartoons and two Sunday strips in order to enter.

I did some further web searches upon hearing of this contest and have cooled somewhat in my initial enthusiasm for this project. There seems to be some concern that the contracts are somewhat one sided in the interest of the sponsor and not a good deal for the lucky winner. See these links for some of these commentaries:

Revised 09/08/09:
Oops! I forgot to mention previously the National Caricaturists Network (NCN) 2009 National Convention:

http://www.caricature.org/index.php?page=convention-upcoming

The event will be in Sandusky, OH over November 2-7, 2009. Big discounts for signing up before 9/15/09 - see site and below (copy and pasted from Tom Richmond's excellent blog):

On or Before September 15th:

Members- $165
Member guests- $100 each
Non- Member “Seminar Only”- $99

After September 15th:

Members- $250
Member guests- $100 each
Non- Member “Seminar Only”- $125

08/02/09 - Lousiville Cartoonist Society

2009-08-02T10:30:00.009-04:00

There's a new comic creator group in Kentucky!

The Louisville Cartoonists Society!

I had heard about this group when I was in Louisville last May for the excellent WonderFest convention. There, by chance I bumped into Jason Guest who was also visiting the artists alley. After I introduced myself and gave him a CCG card he told me about the newly formed Louisville group. Fellow Louisville artist, Joe Welsh, whom I already knew from his participation in our 2008 CCG/LexArts Comic Art Show, confirmed this in an email conversation.

I later managed to track down Ted Lee Nathanson (the organizer - and artist for the cool zombie pic gracing this post) on Facebook and we have since continued a friendly email exchange. Below is a quote from one of those emails that briefly explains the group's purpose:

Our (the Louisville Cartoonist Society) goals are:
1) to encourage and critique each other's work- and create the kind of conditions that help creators finish projects.
2) to promote and show work together as a group- create an outlet for people's work

Ted started this group earlier this summer (in May) and their fourth meeting is coming up this Monday, August 3rd in (of all places) Louisville! Here's the info cut and pasted from their site:

Next Meeting: 7:00PM MONDAY AUGUST 3RD @ RAY’S MONKEY HOUSE on Bardstown Road- so decided because they serve both coffee and beer. Pick your Poison and Bring your Sketchbook, we’re doing a drawing Jam! No theme, but it’s been suggested that you should bring an image or phrase to throw in an idea pile. I like this a lot, and instead of explaining what I think an idea pile should be, I’m gonna leave it up for interpretation.

Looks like they are off to a great start! I wish Ted, Jeremy, Jason, Joe and all the other LCS members (whom I hope to meet soon!) all the best and look forward to some exciting collaborations between the two groups and even more great comics coming from the bluegrass state!

07/24/09 - July CCG Meeting/Workshop and Sal Villagran

2009-07-24T11:42:00.000-04:00

Just in case some of you don't know the CCG has monthly meeting/workshops. These are typically the last Sunday of each month and usually are held at a Lexington Public Library Branch between 1:30 and 4:30pm. The link in the right navigation bar for the CCG Calendar has the most current information about where, when and who will be at the next meeting.

This coming Sunday, I am excited to tell, we will host a guest speaker: Sal Villagran. Following is brief listing of his accomplishments as an artist:

He is a classically instructed/influenced figurative artist, specializing in drawing and oil painting. see his site here:(http://www.salvillagranart.com/)
He is a recent winner (3rd best in show) Art Renewal Center 2008/2009 Salon Competition. (http://www.artrenewal.org/articles/2009/Salon/winners1.asp#Best%20in%20Show)
His commercial illustration clients include Wizards of the Coast (magic cards) (http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/arcana/193, https://www.abugames.com/buylist.cgi?command=showdetails&itemid=177899&invid=301496)
He is a drawing/painting instructor (UK Art Department and private) here in Lexington

Sal will give a brief talk about his working process for commercial illustration art, specifically his recent pieces for Wizards of the Coast Magic Cards. I am sure many of you will find this of particular interest and value.

A little more about our meeting/workshop format.

The first segment - the meeting - has the usual announcements of upcoming events, guest speakers, recent events of interest that someone attended and reports on, group business and planning.
Then we have a break (sometimes with some light refreshments) and next we are on to - the workshop portion. Here we can do round table reviews of new work that has been brought in. Constructive criticism is the goal here - input that is of benefit for the cartoonist. This is one of the primary benefits of meeting with other comic creators and is a good way to promote learning and growth. We will often have some creative exercises and or a jam comic. Jam comics are a group effort with one person starting the page with a title or the opening panel and passing it on to someone else in the exercise. This continues until the page is full and hopefully comes to some sort of (usually humorous) ending. We are currently reviewing two "structured curriculum" to include either as a regular part of the monthly CCG meeting/workshop or possibly as break off meetings. The two programs we are looking at are the Famous Artists Cartooning Course (FAS CC) and Drawing Words & Writing Pictures (DW&WP) by Matt Madden and Jessica Abel. Both are excellent resources (and I know I will continue to use both to advance my personal learning).

07/23/09 - Mazza Conference and James Gurney

2009-07-23T13:59:00.016-04:00

Last week I was able to attend the Mazza Museum's Summer Conference last week for one day. The Mazza Museum is a teaching museum for picture books located in Findlay, OH on the campus of Findlay University. The five-day event was their 17th annual summer conference with a mixture of professional authors, illustrators, teachers and librarians in attendance. This is is a similar institution in purpose to the Cartoon Library & Musuem at OSU.

The way I discovered this event was through reading James Gurney's excellent blog GurneyJourney and seeing that he was going to be making a speaking engagement fairly close to home (about 4.5 hours away).

If I appear dazed in the picture below, it may be from lack of sleep from the night before! That week my family and I were on the way home from a summer trip to the northeast so we were coming from CT the day before. We arrived at our hotel in Findlay around 2:30AM but I was able to arise and attend the 9:00 AM keynote speech on Wednesday July 15th. James gave an excellent presentation detailing his growth as an artist, researcher and author (the Dinotopia series being the most notable). Come October look for his new art instruction book: "Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist".

Later he led a pull out session where he showed his sketchbooks and demonstrated the use of water soluble pencils for field sketching. He closed with a short question and answer session.

It was a pleasure to meet this kind and gracious man and his lovely wife Jeanette. James is a truly gifted and skilled artist. But I think he is just as significant as an arts educator. He shares an incredible amount of knowledge he has learned over the years on his aforementioned blog. He is able to show the nexus of science and art: through his work biology, history, anthropology, optics, are integrated with architecture, illustration, oil painting and sculpture. Please let me know if you would like to help advocate for James Gurney to come and visit our area. He makes numerous appearances each year, around the nation and internationally, speaking primarily at private art colleges.

05/05/09 - Educational Opportunities

2009-05-05T19:29:00.013-04:00

Some comic/cartooning educational opportunities coming up this month (don't wait to check this out as these classes will fill quickly!).

School of Visual Arts (SVU) instructors and authors of Writing Pictures and Drawing Words, Matt Madden and Jessica Abel will lead a two week Summer Intensive Comics Seminar at SVU in NYC:
http://mattmadden.blogspot.com/2009/05/pre-mocca-art-festival-class-summer.html

Matt is a good teacher (I attended his one-day workshop at OSU's Wexner Center last summer) and can help you get through the inertia often stymieing a new cartoonist. Some additional info taken from Matt's blog:

Starting the day after Memorial Day, Jessica and I are offering an intensive 2-week class at SVA, the goal of which is to learn how to make comics by writing, drawing, and printing a minicomic in time for the MoCCA Art Festival the weekend of June 6-7. We'll teach in the mornings and afternoons will alternate between open studio time and visits from a group of stellar guest cartoonists: David Mazzucchelli, Becky Cloonan, Tom Hart, Gary Panter, and Kim Deitch! Each will have a three hour session that will be a combination workshop/craft talk/crit.

The roster's filling up fast so sign up sooner rather than later. Info below, registration info here.

If you can't travel to New York then this may be for you: Bobby Chiu's Schoolism is offering a "Build a Powerful Comic Book Portfolio" online course taught by Alvin Lee:
https://www.schoolism.com/
Click on the sample video link to see and hear Alvin critiquing a students work. There are two tuition rates: you can get reduced rate if you opt out of instructor feedback. This "self taught" option saves you more than half the cost of the regular rate!

05/05/09 - NPR Story on Adults and Drawing

2009-05-05T18:32:00.009-04:00

When did you stop drawing for fun? If you are the average adult you probably stopped sometime in your Elementary School years. Somewhere along the line many decide they just aren't "good enough" and stop.

NPR ran a story today (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103818071) about why adults stop drawing and Mo Willems, a cartoonist and children books illustrator wants to get adults back to drawing and doodling. To quote Mo, who has been working with NPR on their Radio Cartoonist series: " Cartooning doesn't have to be realistic...if you can write your name, you can draw a cartoon. Your name is series of letters in the right order and a cartoon is just a series of shapes in the right order".

Visit the web link for an audio archive or maybe you can catch the story today on your local NPR radio station. Here is a link to Mo's blog with even more content: http://mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com/

05/0109 - Wolverine Movie Opens and Free Comic Book Day

2009-05-01T11:33:00.004-04:00

Free Comic Book Day is tomorrow! The new Wolverine movie opens today! Here is a video talking about both!

Here is a list of Kentucky comic shops - visit with your friends, family and young ones!

04/11/09 - National Illustration Event - Mazza Museum Summer Conference

2009-04-11T21:55:00.000-04:00

Just as comics has the often mentioned (at least here on this blog) OSU Comic Library and Museum - children's picture books has the Mazza Musuem on the campus of Findlay University in Northern Ohio.

During the week of July 13 - July17 2009 they will have their 17th annual summer conference. There will be numerous notable presenters including James Gurney of Dinotopia fame who will be speaking there Wednesday July 15th in the morning.

Here in Lexington the University of Kentucky Library has a group with a similar mission - The McConnell Center seeks to study and support childrens literature.

04/10/09 - National Events - Redstick Animation Fesival

2009-04-10T17:47:00.003-04:00

Animation doesn't get the attention it deserves here on the CCG blog - but I definitely couldn't miss the opportunity to spread the word about this soon to happen event in Baton Rouge, LA: the Redstick International Animation Festival! The Festival runs from Wednesday April 22nd to Saturday April 25th 2009.

There are discounts for students and educators - passes for the screenings are free. Some of the workshops your Gold Pass will buy you are:

Drawing Dinosaurs
Guerilla Animation
Video Game Development

I also discovered a, here to unknown, compatriot comic creators group - The Baton Rouge Cartoonists Society! They will be teaching children's cartooning workshops during the festival.

04/10/09 - Regional Comic Event - SPACE

2009-04-10T17:17:00.004-04:00

Coming up April 18th & 19th in Columbus OH is SPACE - Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo.

The Friday (4/17/09) preceding the Expo the newly renamed OSU - Cartoon Library & Museum will have an open house from 3-5pm.

03/03/09 - Next Meeting Time

2009-03-03T20:28:00.002-05:00

Our first meeting of 2009 will be Sunday March 29th, 1:30-4:30pm at the Beaumont Branch of the Lexington Public Library. We will be meeting in the large conference room (on the right side as you enter). See the CCG Calendar link for more details.
Please contact me if you have some ideas on what you would like to talk about or work on. I have some ideas but would love to get more input from those of you who will be attending. If you are new and wondering about what we do at our meetings see the CCG Mission Statement (WIP) link.

01/25/09 - Gaming Event in Louisville next weekend

2009-01-25T18:50:00.004-05:00

Conflux should be an interesting event! It is coming up in Louisville next weekend (Saturday 1/31/09) and is hosted by Brennan Moody of www.Bluegrassmagic.com. This looks like a fun time for Magic card gamers and fans of fantasy art (I was informed about this happening by local painter Sal Villagran who will have a table there).

For more information contact skullman@bluegrassmagic.com. If you go: make sure and visit Sal's table and help support our local talent.

Salvation in a Newsletter

2009-01-05T00:15:00.004-05:00

In the spirit of full disclosure I need to clarify that following is an extract of material from ConceptArt.org / Massive Black's website posted here by one our CCG members. - J.Gilpin, CCG Coordinator.

In an effort to give back and to begin to take on bigger challenges as a community, ConceptArt.Org has been quietly working to solve the pending Orphan Bill (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqBZd0cP5Yc for more information on what we are up against and what we desperately created a solution for).

The new viewer is here: http://www.conceptart.org/search/index.php?cat=bestof&forumid=5

This summer we helped send thousands of emails to the members of the US House and Senate to stop this bill. What did we get in return? Canned email form letters thanking us for sharing our views. The bill drafts went the House and Senate anyway. The artists, professionals, and creative organizations who were trying to protect artist rights were ignored by the US government completely. Realizing that even a hundred thousand signatures wont stop the copyright bill, at least that is how it looks from here, I got to thinking what we have to do to solve the problems right here at home.

Artists having to pay to be in searchable registries is potential problem number one. I believe this will be left to the private companies based on my research into who is supporting this horrible bill and what businesses are opening preparing for it. I went in and checked the domain registry to search to see if people were buying the domains (registermyart.com, artregistry.com, etc..etc...) and every one I searched was gone. This was the red flag that began the real push to solve this assault on artist rights. The corporate sharks are already preparing to feed it seems.

Since the business world reads the laws and tries to capitalize on the loopholes, it is obvious to me that this would happen. Money is already flowing that direction. My guess is the art registries will launch as soon as the law passes or shortly thereafter, unless some miracle happens. Smart buggers but not smart enough. Imagine the photographers who take five hundred images a day or more...ugh. Artists cannot pay for this service...at least those I know who produce quantities of work...and none should have to.

Anyway, that problem is now solved in low tech fashion here: http://www.conceptart.org/search/ind...rumid=5&page=1 ConceptArt.Org has created a search system for locating art and artists, essentially cutting off the paid registry industry before they can even get off the ground. Click the images and find the original thread. Click the artist name and contact them directly. This also keeps these readying companies from acting as middlemen, between the searcher and the artist who they wish to hire. There is no room for that in our business.

I designed and we rebuilt all our databases and set up conceptart.org servers to handle up to 200 terabytes of secure storage. This service is entirely free and is a gift to the community from ConceptArt.Org. It is also nice as you can now browse through the images on the site very quickly. What used to take a week to view, now takes hours. Released in this viewer are five hundred thousand images. More will be added shortly. When you post on the forums your images go in the copyright search registry we created. It is all automated for you. Just keep doing as you do and at least your work can be found. The watermark will be site wide, and contains the appropriate information.

You can search best of (five star threads) for fun...or from each forum if you click the "forums images" text tab...there are a ton of ways to look for stuff. key wording is in progress. That is the final piece of the basic search tool.

The idea is to simply kick the entire start up registry industry in the nuts before it can even learn to stand up by taking action ourselves.

Anyway...just some thoughts...my vision for where this heads is deeper than this but it should at least help some, i hope. I spoke at length with Brad Holland and others involved in putting up the fight for artists rights and we have solved two of the biggest issues.

1. That artists could have to pay for their works to be registered and protected in the US, and there is evidence supporting this.
2. That these companies would then act as middle men between prospective clients searching the databases by requiring the company or person searching to pay them for your information.

Obviously, these problems must not happen.

There are other problems being solved, as related to this bill and this is just a first step in the best defense is a good offense mentality when it comes to artist rights. If we sit around and wait for someone to provide these solutions it is going to cost us dearly. Instead, we are taking action.

Happy New Year too!

Jason Manley
Founding Director
ConceptArt.Org
President
www.massiveblack.com

10/21/08 - Society of Illustrators Call For Entries

2008-10-21T20:05:00.000-04:00

Here's a chance to be entered into a prestigious NY art show and be included in the 2009 Illustrators Annual 51. Online submissions accepted but deadline is November 7th, 2008.

Here's the link to their website with a fun poster PDF call for submitting your work.

http://www.soicompetitions.org/

10/20/08 - Lexington Catholic High School - College Arts Night

2008-10-20T18:18:00.006-04:00

Here's a great opportunity for High School students looking for a college or adults wanting to go back to school and interested in a performing or visual arts program to find out a lot of of school options:

Lexington Catholic High School
Performing and Visual Arts College Night (event pdf) (poster pdf)

October 21, 2008 Auditions/Portfolio Review 5:00-6:30
General Fair 7:00-9:00 pm

Register at this link: http://www.lexingtoncatholic.com/images/files/PVA%20Audition%20Portfolio%20Review%20Registration%20Information%202008.pdf

This Tuesday evening at Lexington Catholic High School numerous local and a few national level (Savannah College of Art and Design) art programs will be be present to answer questions and assist with getting info about their programs to potential students.

10/16/08 - 24 Hour Comic Day - Last Minute Planning!

2008-10-16T12:45:00.006-04:00

If you want to participate in the upcoming 24 Hour Comics Day as an artist click here to sign up and here to check your input - no promise yet that it will happen - still need a venue!

The official date is this Saturday October 18th! As long as you start or finish within that 24 hour period you are fine.

Comic Shops, Colleges, Art Studios: if you want to host this 24HCD event (either as a full day or the shortened 6-hour & 6-page version we typically do) email me ASAP or post a comment here on the blog. Remember the full 24 hours hosting has some special needs - see the official website: FAQ Hosting 24HDC.

OK I like to make comics and I'm intrigued: how does this work?
Here is the basic set of rules as defined by Scott McCloud: The Dare.

So far, in the past half hour, I have two people who want to participate....speak quickly if you want to play along!

09/29/08 - Orphan Works Act - Rep Chandler's Previous Response

2008-09-29T06:05:00.001-04:00

Update: 11:00am - I just called Congressman Chandler's local district office (219-1366) to inquire about his support for S2913 or HR5889 (Orphan Works Act - Senate and House Bills). Please call and let him know your opposition to these bills and make the same inquiry so we can maybe get some attention directed to this issue while everyone is looking at the Home Mortgage Bailout! Becky at his office is going to fax my inquiry to his Washington Office. Stay tuned for more...

Here are some points of contention with this legislation:

The high cost of digitizing and registering work with commercial databases will make compliance impossible for most artists.
This will cause billions of unregistered works to fall into the public domain.
To make money, commercial databases will have to promote and facilitate infringement.
Infringer-friendly databases will compete with artists for clients.

This is the response letter I received from Ben Chandler's office after completing the online letter campaign earlier this summer to voice my opposition to the Orphan Works Act.

August 13, 2008

Dear Mr. Gilpin:

Thank you for contacting me with your views regarding H.R. 5889, the Orphan Works Act of 2008. As your representative in Congress, I think the most important part of my job is to understand your concerns so I can better represent the Sixth District in our nation's capital.

As you may know, the U.S. Copyright Office conducted a study in 2006 to identify the problems that have incurred with orphan works. Orphan works are defined as works which have owners who are difficult or even impossible to locate. This can often lead to unintentional infringement by subsequent artists and creators. As with most sensitive intellectual property issues, some of these situations can be addressed by existing copyright law, but many cannot.

H.R. 5889 was introduced on April 24, 2008 and provides compensation for owners harmed by deliberate infringements while also limiting the penalties for infringers who were diligent in their efforts to locate the copyright owner. This bill is currently awaiting consideration by the House Committee on the Judiciary.

While there are good reasons to reform our intellectual property laws, I also believe this bill, as written, may have unintended consequences for artists that would infringe upon their intellectual property rights. I will continue to closely monitor this issue as it moves through the House and will keep your thoughts in mind.

I appreciate the time you have taken to contact me about this matter. I hope you will stay in touch and contact my Lexington or Washington office if I can be of any further assistance.

Sincerely,

Ben Chandler
Member of Congress

I certainly hope that this letter indicates his OPPOSITION to the coming house bill!

The backers of this legislation SNUCK their Senate version of the bill through with a tactic called Hotlining - where the Senators are rushed to vote and don't even read the bill they are voting on!!!

09/28/08 - Nonpartisan Reporting - Orphan Works Act - Educate Yourself!

2008-09-29T04:20:00.005-04:00

Many of you probably don't even know what the Orphan Works Act is or how it's passage into law will effect your life. Here are several articles or blog posts to consider:

Print media articles:

Blogs:
Animation World Network

Mark Simon: http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=Columns&article_no=3605
CBR Forum: http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=217795
Drawn Blog: http://drawn.ca/2008/05/13/oppose-the-orphan-works-act-of-2008/

National Cartoonists Society

The Daily Cartoonists: http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2008/05/12/ncs-urges-opposition-to-orphan-works-act-of-2008/
Tom Richmond: http://www.tomrichmond.com/blog/?tag=orphan-works-act
Crafting a Green World: http://craftingagreenworld.com/2008/06/23/the-shawn-bentley-orphan-works-act-how-new-copyright-legislation-will-affect-indie-artists-and-crafters/

American Association of Editorial Cartoonists

The Daily Cartoonist: http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2008/09/28/aaec-responds-to-passage-of-orphan-works-act/
AAEC official site: http://editorialcartoonists.com/news/article.cfm/629/

Professional Photography Groups: (yes, you guys need to ACT too! Any visual art work is at RISK!!)

Photo Business News & Forum: http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2008/04/orphan-works-act-thieves-charter.html
Advertising Photographers of America: http://www.apanational.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1
American Society of Media Photographers, Inc.: http://www.asmp.org/news/spec2008/orphan_update.php

This bill is regressive and pro big business - most artists are small business - we must stand up now to this legislation that will adversely effect our ability to make a living!

The international Copyright Law called the Berne Convention states that"no artist should be subjected to mandatory registration to allow for copyright protection"!

"Under the Berne Convention, copyrights for creative works do not have to be asserted or declared, as they are automatically in force at creation: an author need not "register" or "apply for" a copyright in countries adhering to the Berne Convention. As soon as a work is "fixed", that is, written or recorded on some physical medium, its author is automatically entitled to all copyrights in the work, and to any derivative works unless and until the author explicitly disclaims them, or until the copyright expires. The Berne Convention also resulted in foreign authors being treated equivalently to domestic authors, in any country signed onto the Convention. The UK signed the Berne Convention in 1887 but did not implement large parts of it until 100 years later with the passage of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988. The USA did not sign the Berne Convention until 1989."

09/28/08 - Band Together STOP HR5889 Orphan Works Act - Congress has let us down!!

2008-09-28T20:25:00.003-04:00

To all my Artist Friends,

Recent Development (fact checked see below):

Please read this Sunday 9/28/08 (today) post by Brad Holland of the Illustrators Partnership:

http://ipaorphanworks.blogspot.com/2008/09/orphan-works-devils-own-day.html

I trust this site and it sound like some nasty tomfoolery has allowed this bill to pass the US Senate. Yes, Gladys this is real.

PLEASE ACT NOW TO STOP THIS BILL IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!

Or else our livelihoods as visual artists will be greatly reduced (more overhead to register with private registries ($50 per registration) for a right we have now for FREE) and imperiled (no damages for COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT - no lawyer will ever take your case on commission)!!

OK here is DUE DILIGENCE - I have fact checked and it looks REAL! Links from govtrack.org a project to track congress"

Here is a link to the Senate bill (S2913) showing passage on 9/26/08: (Yes Sen McConnell (KY) has let us down AGAIN!!)
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-2913

Here is a link to the House bill (HR5889) which can still be stopped: (Will Rep. Chandler (KY) step up?)
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-5889

--
Jonathan Gilpin
Coordinator
Lexington KY Comic Creators Group
web: http://lexkyccg.blogspot.com
email: lexkyccg@gmail.com

09/27/08 - Education - Living Arts & Sciences Adult Art Classes Fall 2008

2008-09-27T07:20:00.003-04:00

I am thrilled to see more adult art education opportunities in Lexington this Fall. Besides the resurrected UK Fine Arts Institute (UKFAI) (classes have already begun - not sure if you can enroll anymore?) - we have the following classes offered by a venerable Lexington institution: the Living Arts and Science Center (LASC). I know several of these instructors and suspect as long as they have adequate resources for supplies and materials (a real issue for many of these classes - so always inquire) they will do everything in their power to help their students succeed! Remember to think of LASC when you are considering charitable giving - the Joseph-Beth Gives Back program is an excellent and easy way to help fund a tremendously under evaluated arts program that has served the arts and crafts education needs of Lexington's children, youth and adults for more than 30 years! Why, I even took a bird drawing class there, while a mere lad of thirteen (circa 1976?) - wish I still had those pictures or knew who instructed that class!

Teen & Adult Classes

Thursdays
October 2-30
12. The Silver Process: From Blank Film to Finished Print
Sarah Marie Miller
Discover the world through the eye of a machine: a 35 mm camera! You will learn to shoot a meaningful photograph, process your own film, and print from negatives. We will often work in the darkroom, so you’ll also learn to conquer your fear of the dark. Bring a snack and your own camera if you have one.
AGES..............Teens and Adults
LIMIT..............6 students
TIME...............5:30 - 8:30 pm
COST..............$150/160 (nm)

Thursdays
October 9-30
13. Beginning Rigid Heddle Weaving
Beth Rosdatter
We will learn how to plan our own individual design, how to ‘warp’ the loom, and weave our projects. The rigid heddle loom is a basic loom that will allow you to weave light work, such as placemats, dishtowels, scarves, shawls or fabric for clothing. The skills and techniques you learn using a rigid heddle loom are all transferable to other types of looms. Depending on your project choice there may be an extra cost of $15 to $25 for your yarn.
AGES..............10 yrs - Adult
LIMIT..............8 students
TIME...............7 - 8 pm
COST..............$40/50 (nm)

14. Realistic Drawing 101
Donna Eads
Develop powers of observation and analysis by learning to draw. Drawing is the foundation of art and just like a new language, it can be mastered. With a variety of media, students will expand their technical skills including realistic rendering, shading, texture, three-dimensional shapes and composition. This class is for individuals with no prior experience, and for those who wish to further develop their skills.
AGES..............Adults
TIME...............7 - 9 pm
COST..............$65/75 (nm)

Tuesday and Thursday
October 14 and 16
Two-Day Workshop
18. Creating Digital Art
Bruce Frank
An overview of the process of creating art using a computer. Included is an introduction to Adobe Photoshop (retouching, color correction, special effects) and using a graphics tablet with Corel Painter (drawing and painting with a computer). Students will have hands-on experience scanning images, creating an art piece, and printing it.
AGES..............15 - Adults
TIME...............6 - 8 pm
COST..............$45/55 (nm).

Saturday
December 18
One-Day Workshop
19. Multiculturalism
Christine Kuhn
Throughout history, religious ideas have motivated and inspired people and sometimes provoked war. In this class we’ll look at different religions and how beliefs are expressed in beautiful artforms. We’ll create some of our own beautiful images and shrines to express some of our own beliefs. CKCPJ
AGES..............Teens and Adults
TIME...............12 - 2 pm
COST..............$15/25 (nm)

Tuesdays
November 4-25
50. Photoshop: The Basics
Steven Littrell
Have you had trouble getting those photos off your camera? Don’t know to which format you should save your files? This class is just for you. We’ll go over the basics of Photoshop, how to manipulate photos and get them ready to print or upload them to the web. This class is great for artists who want to get their work into a digital format. If you have a laptop feel free to bring it with you.
AGES..............Adult
LIMIT..............6 students
TIME...............6 - 8 pm
COST..............$65/75 (nm)

Wednesdays
November 5-19
51. Intro to Oil Painting for Homeschooled Teens and Interested Adults
Frank Boyer
Oil Paint has very unique qualities that can produce beautiful effects. Learn the elements of good composition, color mixing, and techniques specific to oil painting. Materials will be provided. You are welcome to bring your own brushes.
AGES..............Teens - Adults
TIME...............2:30 - 4:30 pm
COST..............$80/90 (nm)

Thursdays
November 6 and 13, December 4 and 11
52. Scandinavian Holiday Crafts
Beth Rossdatter
Learn to craft decorations and gifts using Northern European traditional techniques. Learn how to craft charming Scandinavian holiday embellishments using straw, paper and foil. Note:This class will meet twice in November and then continue twice in December.
AGES..............10 yrs - Adults
TIME...............6 - 7:30 pm
COST..............$50/60 (nm)

Saturdays
November 8-22
55. Intro to Oil Painting
Frank Boyer
Oil Paint has very unique qualities that can produce beautiful effects. Learn the elements of good composition, color mixing, and techniques specific to oil painting. Materials will be provided. You are welcome to bring your own brushes.
AGES..............Teens - Adults
TIME...............12 - 3 pm
COST..............$95/105 (nm)

Thursdays
December 4 and 11
Two-Day Workshop

67. Essential Oils for the Holidays
Melinda Boyer
In the first week you will learn how to unlock the power of essential oils and put them to work for you. We’ll discuss the history of essential oils and aromatherapy, then we’ll delve into the properties and uses of 10 basic essential oils. The second week will present tips on blending and creating bath salts and bath oils. Everyone will put together their own bath salt, massage oil and a perfume blend. This class will meet in the Gallery in Bronte Bistro at Joseph-Beth Booksellers.
AGES..............14 yrs to Adult
TIME...............6 - 8 pm
COST..............$55/65 (nm)

Tuesday
December 9
One-Day Workshop

68. Holiday Wreath Making
Melinda Boyer
You will craft a colorful and stunning, scented holiday wreath, using preserved evergreens, lavender, rosemary, dried strawflowers, larkspurs, and globe amaranth topped with German statice. All materials and plenty of expert guidance will be provided. Melinda will also have some add-ons for you to purchase if you wish.
AGES..............Adults
TIME...............6 - 9 pm
COST..............$50/60 (nm)

09/21/08 - Academic Art Instruction - Where Can I Get This?

2008-09-21T06:13:00.003-04:00

Academic Art Instruction is all the rage now. Some call it the Atelier Method. The word "atelier" is French for "artists studio": which makes it obvious the roots of this movement go back to the French Academic movement (but much further back if you trace their inspiration).

...to be continued, hopefully by guest bloggers and collaborators!

(add to this blog post - email me and I 'll tell you how!)

09/18/08 - Art Instruction - Excellent Post and Comments of Gurney Journery about drawing from Plaster Casts

2008-09-17T16:17:00.006-04:00

James Gurney is an amazing artist and has a great learning resource - his personal art blog Gurney Journey.

Here he talks about every imaginable aspect of art; from fine art oil painters technique from17th century Europe to building a maquette of a man riding a dinosaur. He is most well known for multi book series Dinotopia but here is a link to an interesting post he put up about the decline of cast drawing after iconoclasts destroyed many in the 40s and 5os. The post is good but the discussion it provokes is even better! Damn those iconoclasts - can't we all just get along?

IMPORTANT FOOTNOTE:

Contact me if you will join in on a campaign to try and get this marvelous speaker and artist to come lecture/demo for one of our area Art Programs (UK, EKU, BEREA, TRANSY? )- he has two speaking engagement openings in April if we can consolidate support and get a plan together!

09/17/08 - Professional - Job Links

2008-09-17T06:28:00.006-04:00

Do what you love. Love what you do. No, not this: Money, Monyeyeee , Money. Do it for the LOVE.
This page should get a lot of updating. To do what you love you need to get paid for it - so the necessity for finding an employer who loves what you do! Please comment on how this should be organized or if you see ways to make it work better.

09/12/08 - Video Games
At his recent talk at Jo-Beth R.A. Salvatore explained that the gaming industry currently makes more money than the music and movie industry put together!

Company Name:
Wizards of the Coast
Industry:
Trading cards, Gaming, Novels, Guide Books
Employs:
Visual artists, writers, programmers
Website:
http://ww2.wizards.com/Company/Jobs/
Submission guidelines (games, novels, art):
http://ww2.wizards.com/Company/Submissions/default.aspx
Famous employee:
R.A. Salvatore, fantasy novelist, Sal Villagran, Lexington area painter

09/16/08 - My Trip to Frazetta Tribute thanks to the NCS

2008-09-17T04:19:00.007-04:00

Somehow our little group got the attention of the Great Lakes Chapter of the National Cartoonist Society. This is the crem de le crem of cartooning groups and was founded by the big boys in syndicated comics back when they were powerhouses of income for the newspaper industry names such as Milton Caniff, Alex Raymond and Mort Walker were well known around the country. An aside: Caniff is known to have outbargained Randolph Hearst when he dictated his own terms for his new comic strip Steve Canyon, Hearst knew he couldn't say no and lose such a bread and butter staple to his syndicates success.

A small group of us, John, Justin and I, jumped at the chance to attend the casual summer NCS luncheon in Lebanon, OH that Craig Boldman, chapter president, had invited us to. This was so that we could tell about our then upcoming LexArts/CCG comic art show. It was during the announcement phase of the meeting that I heard about the request for submissions to a Frank Frazetta Tribute Book Project that another NCS member was organizing and soliciting submissions for. After getting back from that highly enjoyable lunch meeting; I was filled with happiness - talking with so many knowledgeable grown-ups who shared my passion and interest in comics and cartooning had me feeling almost guilty with joy.

But the thought of getting to let Frank Frazetta know how much he had influenced my young artist mind was really getting me stoked up! I emailed Craig for the particulars soon after getting home. Upon getting the information - I was thrilled to see this endeavor included a luncheon where one could actually meet the living legend! Now I was on cloud nine! To make this story short - I was once again pleasantly surprised when my meager art offering was accepted by Jack Pittman for the the tribute book he was lovingly hand assembling to present to Frank.

Saturday August 30th 2008: My trip to East Stroudsburg and to the Frazetta Museum, was not without a few glitches and this made me miss the luncheon and getting to talk with many of the assembled NCS cartoonists - something I truly regret. But I did get there in time for the presentation to Frank of the NCS - Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award.

(Picture here was my art sub and Franks award) Which appeared to stun and touch Frank when his long time friend Nick Meglin presented it to him.

Frank turned eighty this past February and is still recovering from a stroke a couple of years back. He has taught himself to paint left handed nearly as well as he could before using his right hand. His originals are striking in their unusual quality for oils - very smooth - not much texture or impasto. He apparently loved baseball so much that most of his works were completed in under 24 hours - he would work through the night so he could go out in the morning and play ball. He is a very normal sort of guy other than being a savant artist (he could do all this when he was five years old!) But I was amazed at his friendly, down to earth demeanor - not what one would expect from a "living legend"!

He looked at one of my self rejected sketches for his tribute book and asked: "Who did that?" When I told him I had - he replied "..thats good!" I don't think I will ever forget those words of praise. Thanks Frank!

---------
Other Frazetta tribute posts: (send me your links if you want to be added!)
Ron Hill - Great Lakes Chapter of the NCS

09/16//08 - Location Sketching - Goddess Reunion Tour

2008-09-16T12:24:00.006-04:00

Local art dynamo, Theo Edmonds, clued me into to this cool chance to draw and paint some wonderfully colorful people enjoying their lives and their art!

If you want to draw and be recognized for your efforts give Theo a heads up that you want to attend and participate. Then he can add your name to the list and give and get some improved internet promotion!

Here's the info straight from the tri-city visual arts list serve (thanks to Anna Brzyski at UK!):

EVENT NAME: GODDESS REUNION TOUR:

-a bold and funky outsider art happening

WEBSITE: www.coollifeky.com <http://www.coollifeky.com>

Producing Host: Theo Edmonds and Donna Ison

Type: Visual Art/ Poetry/Theatrical
<http://www.facebook.com/s.php?k=400000010&c1=5> - Performance <http://www.facebook.com/s.php?k=400000010&c1=5&c2=40>

Date: Monday, September 22, 2008
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: the old Heritage Antiques Building across from Dunkin Donuts
Street:238 East Main Street
City/Town: Lexington, KY

Description:
Usher in Autumn with a glam happening of art, poetry, theater, dancing, and drumming. Join us on the equinox for a party that is bound to release your inner deity.

Includes art show of several known and soon to be known Lexington artists. (that's us boys and goils!)

Poetry Performances by:

Katerina Stoykova-Klemer
Sumayya Rashid

And... the highlight of the evening... an original theatrical performance piece written by Donna Ison that will introduce the world to Myrtle... Jesus' own Auntie Mame and the Virgin Mary's twin who was written out of the Bible. Also included in the performance piece will be re-introductions to Mother Mary (the archetypal virgin/ good girl with all the pros/cons that entails) and Mary Magdalene (the archetypal whore/bad girl with all the pros/cons that entails).

The whole evening will be set to the music of Nina Simone and Freddy Mercury. So dress in your most glam goddess fashion and join in the drumming, dancing and divine fun as the equinox rises upon us.
Admission is free. Cash bar and catering provided by Mia's.

Setting: The Garden of the Goddesses (a kind of Vegas meets Eden).

09/15/08 - Location Sketching - East Indian Dance Performance

2008-09-15T03:12:00.011-04:00

Update: 9/16/08 - this was a great event! Krithika Rajagopalan of the Natya Dance Theater of Chicago both instructed and entertained a small, but riveted group of students, professors and families from our local Indo community. Many thanks to her for sharing an art form she clearly holds dear.

Jump over to my personal art blog by clicking here to see some of my sketches (have to scan) and some photos from the event.

I am constantly looking for events or opportunities where local artists, including myself, can draw, sketch, or paint from life. This is in adjunct to regular life drawing sessions I attend throughout the week. These other opportunities are a chance to study the figure in clothing and in action - two aspects missing from standard nude life drawing sessions.

Today, Monday 9/15/08 (5-6:15 & 7-8pm) at the Recital Hall of the UK Singletary Center For the Arts, there will be a free event that should be great for lots of visual artists that enjoy/take advantage of the the benefits of LOCATION SKETCHING.

Bharata Natnam Performance. Lecture and demo. Performance follows after a 45 minute break. Sponsored by the University of Kentucky Asia Center and the University of Kentucky Department of Theater.

Today is a prime example of a great chance to study a number of items:

the clothed figure and how wrinkles fold and drape
the figure in an aesthetic and repetitive movement - dance
an exotic and foreign culture to the standard American fare

If you go, be a courteous artist and keep a low profile, clean up after yourself and ask before assuming anything. I have not contacted the hosts to discuss sketching on site so please follow good etiquette and request approval before starting. I am hopeful that as long as we are low-key and not a distraction that there should not be any problems.

Tips for capturing the moving figure:

Look for poses that repeat and that you will be able to view again. Try several at one time on your page - coming back to each as you see and learn more.
Take a mental snapshot - close your eyes and hold the image of the figure in your head - then open your eyes and transfer to your paper.
Share your tips with others - leave a comment on this blog. Look for links to my work or others.... here.

09/13/08 - UK Community Arts Group Gallery Show - Year TWO!

2008-09-13T06:18:00.019-04:00

This is a project that I helped with and participated in last year (photo gallery of last years's show courtesy of Sung Ha Kang) and am really looking forward to doing so again for this year! Thanks to UK Art Department Chair, Ben Withers and rock-star Fiber Arts Professor Arturo Sandoval for their generosity and assistance in helping make this opportunity happen then and now!

Participation open for all for all current attendees of open life drawing sessions! See link at bottom to reserve your space.

Dates:

As provided by Arturo Sandoval, Barnhart Gallery Director, are as follows

September 27-29, 2008 (UPDATED 9/16/08): Setup Dates. Group set up Saturday 9/27/08 in the time we usually draw - 9am to 12 (best time for all to set up) - I will simultaneously be doing digital acquisition of images to facilitate the Hub video wall show in November!
October 1-10, 2008, Exhibition dates.
October 3rd, 2008 (Updated 9/30/08): Friday 6-9pm Reception will have food and drink served. Sign up to contribute a dish here and check on what is already promised here.
October 11th, 2008, Take down date.

Help:

Volunteers are needed to help with the following:

Reception setup and coordination
Registration and division of gallery space for individual artists
Distribution of promotional material, posters and show cards

General Information:

The show will be "salon style" there will be a 4" wide black paper mount wrapped around the gallery walls - this is your display area (exception some may request one of three or four floor stands for objects or booklet display). Space will be allocated based on total number committing to display. Last year everyone had approximately a 10' x 48" area to display in (enough for several images - bring more than you need to hang so we can be sure and fill the walls). See photo gallery of last year if this unclear.

You will also need to:

produce a short artist statement (to fit on a letter size page (max) & mount with your art
sign and turn in the simple release form before displaying your work

Online Sign Up:

Reserve your space for Community Arts Group display!

in Barnhart Gallery (October 1-11, 2008) and/or
digital video wall display in the Hub @ WT's (November 1-30, 2008). Click here to see a video about the Hub - a new concept in library space for the University.

CLICK HERE to SIGN UP.

See who is already signed up (or check you reservation).

Contact info:

Community Arts Group

Anthony "Tony" Roccanova - Associate Professor, School of Architecture - 859.519.8231 - rocca@uky.edu
Jason Lambert - eralin@yahoo.com
Jonathan Gilpin - Visual Communicator - 276-5528 (h) - gilpin.jonathan@gmail.com

UK Department of Art

Arturo Sandoval– Alumni Endowed Professor, Fiber - Room 104A, Reynolds Building #1 - 859-230-9635 (cell) - aa.sandoval@uky.edu
Benjamin Withers - Professor and Chair - 203 Fine Arts Bldg. - 859.257.2727 - bwithers@uky.edu

UK Libraries

Stacey Greenwell - Head of Information Commons - B-67, south wing, basement, Young Library 40506-0456 - (859) 257-0500, ext. 2002 - stacey@uky.edu

09/12/08 - ScareFest - Horror & Paranormal Convention Starts Today!

2008-09-12T12:41:00.010-04:00

Don't know much about this but it looks like it could be lots of FUN! Serious paranormal advocates mixed with nerdy horror buffs - what's not to love!

SCHEDULE
& EVENTS

The Scare Fest will be held September 12-14, 2008

Friday from 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm ( Early Entry: 3PM )
Saturday from 11:00 am - 8:00 pm ( Early Entry: 10AM )
Sunday from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm ( Early Entry: 9AM )

Here's the link to their site:
http://www.thescarefest.com/POSTERANDPROGRAM.htm

09/10/08 - Joseph Beth Guest Author Talk - Danica Novgordoff Discuss her Graphic Novel

2008-09-10T12:39:00.011-04:00

Updated:9/12/08
CCG folk: we may be having a special event with this author/cartoonist - please contact me if interested!

Online RSVP form

Check your input & see who else is coming.
-----------------
Another post straight from Jo-Beth's calendar:

Danica Novgorodoff, this young woman is an Eisner Award nominated cartoonist and a graphic designer for First Second Publishing. She worked on Matt Madden and Jessica Able's excellent College Text for Cartoonists: Drawing Words & Writing Pictures. I hope to get her to speak to the CCG gang while she is in town - stay tuned for more! Apparently she has some Kentucky connections or roots?

DANICA NOVGORODOFF
discusses and signs
Slow Storm (review)

Sunday, September 21st at 2:00 pm

Ursa, firefighter in rural Kentucky, searches for her place in life, struggling to meet her own expectations. When a tornado hits her town, the ensuing chaos brings her world into sharp focus, somehow making everything clearer, and Ursa finds that she just can't stomach the way her life is going. It is then that she meets Rafi, an illegal immigrant whose life isn't going the way he'd pictured it either. Their encounter is the catalyst for Ursa and Rafi, who take different roads to the realization that wanting your life to change isn't enough to make it happen. A new and exciting graphic novel set in Kentucky!

JB Lexington Directions & Hours

Joseph-Beth Booksellers
161 Lexington Green Cir # B
Lexington, KY 40503
(859) 273-2911

Store and Bistro Hours:
Monday through Thursday, 9:00 am to 10:00 pm
Friday and Saturday, 9:00 am to 11:00 pm
Sunday, 11:00 am to 9:00 pm

Directions to Joseph-Beth in Lexington:

From I-75/I-64:
Take the KY-922 exit- ext 115- toward BG Parkway/Airport/Lexington; Merge onto Newtown Pike/KY-922 S toward Lexington/Airport/Keeneeland; Merge onto W New Circle Rd/KY-4 W toward BG Parkway/Airport; Take the Nicholasville Rd/US-27 exit- Exit 19- toward Lexington/Nicholasville; Turn Right onto Nicholasville Rd/US-27; Turn Right onto Lexington Green Circle

09/10/08 - Joseph Beth Book Signing R.A. Salvatore

2008-09-10T12:31:00.007-04:00

This event comes straight from the Joseph-Beth calendar.

(Now defunct) CrossGen comics and (still around) Checkers (I think?) and others have published comic adaptations of this fantasy authors works. Worked for TSR, now Wizards of the Coast - has a very strong and loyal fan base; most likely from his frequent involvement in his online reader community and advocating good fantasy stories suitable for the broad market (as examplified by his body of work).

R.A. & GENO SALVATORE
discuss & sign
The Stowaway: Stone of Tymora Bk I
Friday, September 12th at 7:00 pm

Tickets are required and available with the purchase of this title.

Nearly two decades ago, R.A. Salvatore introduced the world to Drizzt Do'Urden - a character that has since become a fantasy icon. Now, for the first time, Salvatore partners with his son Geno to craft a brand-new saga just for young readers, featuring a cameo from the most beloved fantasy character of all time.

JB Lexington Directions & Hours

09/10/08 - Jockey Life Drawing Session - Secretariat Horse Festival

2008-09-09T06:28:00.009-04:00

Salina Ramsay, a local equestrian, teacher and artist, brought this exciting event to my attention. And I think all of us Kentucky based artists could some practice drawing on the wonderful horse racing tradition of our commonwealth.

To assist and support this event I created a PDF flier specifically for the drawing/painting (which runs from UPDATED again! 9/18/08: new time: 1:00am - 3:00pm) portion of the event.

Use this Google map link to get directions - it is called Bourbon Park, 30 Legion Street, Paris KY 40361

09/10/08 - CCG BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL!

2008-09-09T06:05:00.006-04:00

This will be our 2nd Annual BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL!

The date is Sunday September 28th.
The times are 1:30pm - 4:30pm.
The location: Updatded: The new Northside Branch Library - Multi Purpose Room.
Bring your work to have reviewed
Bring your basic drawing/writing - journaling supplies for creative exercises

Come join us for a celebration of the:

comic form, comic strips, gag and editorial cartoons
illustration and graphic design
traditional animation and 3-d animation
and conceptual art for film, gaming and industry

EDUCATION - COMMUNITY - NETWORKING

Our group is a professional and amateur member association open to any (middle school age and older) candidate - those with experience or just a desire to learn. This special meeting is targeted at returning High School and College students coming back for another exciting year of learning. We want to be part of that and can offer assistance in many aspects of the developing artist. We are looking for students to sponsor school chapters of the CCG in their home institutions.

We welcome Art and English teachers to come visit or contact us for assistance in comics based curriculum.

Stay tuned for more information or email us at lexkyccg@gmail.com if you have any questions!

09/09/08 - Gallery Show - Woodcuts by Wesley Bates and Other Works

2008-09-09T05:53:00.005-04:00

Local Illustrator Laura Lee Cundfiff sent me this and I thought it looked pretty interesting!

You are cordially invited to the opening and artists’ reception for the Gallery Exhibit at Elk Creek Vineyards [in which I will have a few pieces].

"Carved Surfaces"

Featuring the works of Wesley Bates, Jennifer Zingg and Bob Gibson.

This exhibit honors the collaboration between Wesley Bates and Larkspur Press.
Also on display will be the work of a few of the students he has inspired over the years here in Kentucky including Laura Lee Cundiff.

Saturday September 20th 5pm - 7pm

The exhibit will be on display through October 31st where a closing reception will be held. (Note: Wesley Bates and Juanita Wilkins will be here, and Juanita Wilkins will perform at the closing reception.)

Click here to see the invitation on the Web and to get directions:
http://www.etab2b.com/elkcreekvineyards/Carved_Surfaces.html

Note: Google, mapquest and yahoo all map the location incorrectly.
Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think would like to come!

Laura Lee Cundiff
Www.lauraleecundiff.com

CG Hub

2008-09-02T01:52:00.005-04:00

This is just a quick blurb on my part. I found a link to a place called CG Hub tonight. As best as I can tell at just some cursory skimming, it's a site to get artists connected with entertainment companies (i.e. Blizzard, animation studios, games, etc.). I felt the need to share it with you guys.
http://www.cghub.com/ Check it out when you have the time.

8/21/08 - B*p S*** Magazine - Can you believe?

2008-08-21T10:07:00.008-04:00

Original post of 8/21/08 removed on 11/19/09 at request of subject.

Comments and input are as always requested and desired.

08/08/08 - LexArts/CCG Comic Art Show OPENS - Watch for More!

2008-08-10T01:03:00.017-04:00

Well what do you know? We had a GREAT show opening Friday August 8th 2008 at ArtsPlace, 161 North Mill Street, Lexington KY 40507. Thanks to our Juror and Lecturer, SCAD - Atlanta, Sequential Art Program Professor - Shawn Crystal!

I met Shawn a little over a year ago and felt an immediate connection, if you meet him you I;m sure you will agree he immensely personable and approachable! But my professional impression of him as a cartoonist and teacher still continues to grow! What a joy he has been to work with and learn from these past several days!

Shawn, please know you are always welcome here in Lexington by the CCG and yours truly! I'm sure Nathan and LexArts feels the same way!

Thanks to the UK Library Conservation and Preservation Department folks: Becky, Kazuko, Cliff and Shel.

Thanks to the www.comicrelated.com and (B****p**** S***** reference removed 12/13/09 at request of subject) magazine (look for more on this groundbreaking forthcoming publication soon!) for the media coverage.

Thanks to all the artists who bravely submitted and laid themselves out for the world to see - you guys literally made the show!

The workshop today was a great time and hopefully the start of a series of high quality/low cost comic art workshops in Lexington! Thanks to Nathan Zamarron and James Clarke of LexArts for providing a wonderful venue for the training today and all your guidance and help throughout setting up this show and this weekends related programming.

But wait - the show will be up through September 6th. Please visit the show soon and often. You may find that we add features to the display throughout it's run - can you say KY Comic Reading Room? Comic creators please contact me if you would like to have a reading copy of your comic in our gallery reading lounge.

But wait, ...AGAIN! Sunday August 10th we will close out our opening weekend with a free presentation by Herald Leader Cartoonist extraordinary, Chris Ware!

Chris' work is like what you would expect from a national magazine like Time or Newsweek - really incredible!

He will be showing his working process for converting a pencil drawing to a print ready color piece (Photoshop Coloring!!). Chris's demo is free and open to the public from 2-4pm at ArtsPlace, 161 North Mill Street, Lexington KY 40507.

Bring the kids down for the show! This should be an enlightening and interesting program for the whole family!

06/22/08 - Lexington Comic Art Show - Call to Artists!

2008-06-22T13:02:00.012-04:00

Comics, cartooning and illustration works are commonly thought of as being inferior to the fine art typically displayed in art galleries. With this misconception in mind it is with a great deal of excitement that I want to announce this joint project between LexArts and CCG that we have been working on for the past several months. Thanks to Nathan Zamarron, the Community Arts Manager at LexArts, for involving the CCG in the genesis of this event. Our goal is to have submissions representative of the entire commonwealth and therein to document the talent, diversity of voice, and artistic commitment of our graphic storytellers.

The window for submitting is somewhat short - so don't delay! The show is open to all ages with under 18 and 18 and over age categories. Comic pages, comic strips and single panel humor or editorial cartoons are all fair game for this show.

Look for more posts about this gallery show and associated events including possible lecture(s) and workshop(s). Follow this link to find the call to artists with all the information you will need to submit to the show.