Hey, thanks to everyone who came to the CAM-JAM 2010 #2 at the Cartoon Art Museum this last Sunday 7-18-2010. It was a lot of fun and our team did some nice work.
photo by Mike Hale
photo by Mike Hale
Tag Archive: comic
Jul
19
2010
Apr
11
2010
Q) What format for a comic?
(can’t see the images in facebook/email, view it here: http://atomicbearpress.com/2010/04/11/comicformatquestion/ )
Now that our comic work will most likely appear in multiple formats: print, web, ipad, iphone/ipod touch, Motion Comics, cel phone, e-book reader what is the best format to aim for first?
There is…..
1) Standard Comic Book Format (portrait aspect ratio).
Pros: Works good for print and on correctly formatted screens like the new iPad from Apple. The print copy might sell better in Comic Book Stores.
Cons: Posting it on the web requires the user to possible scroll up and down which could take away from the experience. For smaller screens like the iPhone, the page might need to broken up into single panels.
2) Web format comics (landscape aspect ratio)
Pros: Works good on monitor screens with out scrolling around.
Cons: Harder to print as a book. For smaller screens like the iPhone, the page might need to broken up into single panels.
(example: Travis Hanson’s The Bean. It looks great on screen and the printed books are nice but might take more work to create)
the bean page 100 by *thebeanbytrav on deviantART
3) Panel by Panel (web format) Each panel is a separate illustration which is then can be edited into a page layout if desired.
Pros: Panels are ready for digital formats like cel phones and the iPhone. Can be edited into a comic page if desired. Feels like a picture book or a story board/animation that is reveled as you scroll downwards or sideways. Can control how the reader sees the work since they focus on only one page at a time. Easier to make into Motion Comic.
Cons: Still might have to edit it into a page for print. Would produced full page layouts that are pretty un-dynamic based on their standard shapes. Story telling can possibly go slower paced then a full page of comic. The reader has less control how the view the information since they only see one panel at a time.
(example: Derik Kirk Kim’s The Tune. Cinematic, looks great on screen, can control how the reader see’s your vision more so.)
44) Square.
Pros: Nice, friendly format. Feels like a childrens picture book. Stands out as different then a standard comic. Looks pretty good aspect ratio wise on computer screen.
Cons: Might be harder to print and format for some smaller screen media like the iPhone.
(example: Mouse Guard and Jim Hennson’s Fraggle Rock from http://www.archaia.com)
Are there other formats to consider as a starting place? Which one do you like?
Mar
26
2010
Upcoming class: March 29, 2010 at the Schulz Museum
On this upcoming March 29, 2010 I will be teaching two classes at the Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa CA.
Superheroes and Sidekicks
Learn the basics of drawing daring wonder women, strong super men, and their savvy sidekicks. Join cartoonist Brian Kolm as he covers the basics of heroic figure construction.
MONDAY, MARCH 29 ? 9:00am–12:30pm
Comic Book Creation
Design, draw, and assemble your own mini-comic book with cartoonist Brian Kolm.
MONDAY, MARCH 29 ? 1:00–4:00pm
Children taking both “Superheroes and Sidekicks” and “Comic Book Creation” on March 29th can bring a lunch to eat at the Museum between classes.
Advance registration is required.
? Call (707) 579-4452, ext. 263 to reserve your space, or download and print our Class Registration Form (PDF).
? Please review our Cancelation/Refund Policy before signing up for classes.
? We do offer Fee Assistance for those who are interested.Classes are recommended for children in grades 1–6.
Cost per class: $20 members & $25 non-members
[except Camp Freeze – see listing below]Purchase or renew your Schulz Museum Membership
and save 20% on every class!
Mar
23
2010
The Road to Wondercon 2010 part 1
We’ll folks, Wondercon 2010 will be upon us in 11 days and I can’t wait. That is, I am excited and also nervous. Nervous because I will be working on some new items and ideas for the convention and excited for pretty much the same reasons. Of course I am excited too for all the awesome friends I will see, the cool new products, the colorful costumes and all the fun and energy the convention provides.
First off, you should know that I can be found in Artist Alley at table AA 48. To help you I have made this spiffy map (below).
hint: click for a bigger image.
This year I will be focusing on art and art prints with the classic comics for sale as well. (all info is subject to change)
- A set of mystery color prints that will feature some new watercolor paintings.
- The last of the limited edition sketchbook from 2008 which features a role playing game theme and included a custom “black and blue” sketch.
- The 25 Penguin prints in both color and the color it yourself print editions.
- Commissioned monochrome and color wash art. Full size, in your sketchbook or on a sketchcard. It’s all good and all one-of-a-kind.
- A new free postcard when you visit the table.
- Classic Comics
- get a sneak peek at some new comic projects in progress as well.
- FREE Easter Treats on Easter Sunday!
All for now, but more info will be on the way–Stay Tooned!
Feb
02
2010
Wondercon 2010 – April 2-4 (including the benefit auction at the Cartoon Art Museum)
I will be at Wondercon 2010 this April 2-4. Come and celebrate Easter with comics, movies, animation, toys and other pop culture fun. You can find me (as illustrated below) in artist alley table 48 where I will have lots of comics, art, prints and other goodies to check out. Looks like I will be sitting between to Alexis Fajardo author of Kid Beowulf (aa 49) and Lark Pien author of Long Tale Kitty (Little Bird Books = aa47) which means I must be one of the cool kids now. Click on the map below to see it enlarged.
ALSO on Friday April 2, 2010 the Cartoon Art Museum, the HERO initiative and Comic Outpost will be having a special tie in event: a benefit auction for comic artist Ed Hannigan. The museum usually has some sort of event, but this one will be extra special. I will be there helping out and I hope you folks can make it as well.
Today, Hannigan is 58 years old and has multiple sclerosis. The Hero Initiative, a charitable organization that provides financial assistance to comic book professionals in need, and Marvel Comics have collaborated on a tribute book, Ed Hannigan: Covered, that features highlights from Hannigan’s artistic career. The Cartoon Art Museum will display some of Hannigan’s most notable covers alongside the cover and complete interior artwork for one of his most famous single-issue stories, The Spectacular Spider-Man #64, which introduced the crime-fighting duo Cloak and Dagger.
Sponsorship for this exhibition has been provided by The Comic Outpost. The Comic Outpost, located on 2381 Ocean Ave. San Francisco, CA has been fulfilling the needs of comic book lovers for well over 15 years. Current owners Gary Buechler and Roger Yan firmly believe their customer service and subscriber program is second to none. For more questions, visit their website at www.comicoutpost.net or call (415) 239-2669.
SAVE THE DATE: An auction of original artwork will be held at the Cartoon Art Museum on Friday, April 2, 2010, in conjunction with San Francisco’s WonderCon comics convention.
Jan
22
2010
Life drawing comic: Roller Derby Girls 1-19-10
The other night at Dr. Sketchys San Francisco I tried something new…to draw a comic from the life drawing models who where the Bay Area Derby Girls. I found that using the gestures (2 min poses) maybe was too fast and since there were 5 rotating models it made it hard to form a story. So taking that into account, here is my final result. See photos of the model session on the official blog HERE.
Click on an image for a slightly bigger image.
Sep
11
2009
Oct 3-4: 24 Hour Comic Book Day 2009
I will be participating in 24 Hour Comic Book Day this year from October 3rd at 11am to October 4th at 11am at Comic Outpost in San Francisco, CA.
What is 24HCBD?
The 24 hour comic challenge is for a cartoonist to completely create a 24 page comics story in 24 straight hours. A “24 hour comic” is any comics story you make while facing the challenge, even if you take more than 24 consecutively-awake hours to make the comic or if you end after 24 hours with a story that’s shorter than 24 pages. For more details on the challenge, click here.
My first time I participated was in 2005 where I met members of the San Francisco cell of Cartoonist Conspiracy and soon joined their ranks. That comic is The Synthetic Owl which you can read HERE.
The second time was last year (2008) at Comic Outpost, which was really fantastic and I made some new friends. See Photos HERE and read the final comic TEAM SONIC X HERE.
So now we have less then a month till the 2009 challenge and I am eager to try it again (while I can stay awake that long) and I plan to use the event as an excuse to bone up on my skills which I will post samples of on-line.
Stay tooned to see what happens.
Sep
05
2009
Rooting Tooting Pinoccho – part 1
This is a comic I created last month at the Cartoon Art Museum during a comic jam (CAM JAM 2 on 8/16/09) and at the San Francisco Zine Fest (8-22/23-09).
The challenge: draw a mini comic that I could experiment and play around with without worrying about consistency and style.
When I polled my friends on Facebook and Twitter to find out what format they would prefer, most asked for the comic to be posted all at once. I wanted it to last a few days so my final decision was to break down the comics into a few big chunks. This is the first one.
Please comment and let me know what you think. I find it encouraging to get feedback and it makes me want to post more comics and art for you folks.
all work ©2009 Brian Kolm
Click to enlarge the pages…
TO BE CONTINUED…
