STUMPTOWN COMICS FEST 2013 -PART 1

 STUMPTOWN COMICS FEST 2013

Jason Z. Pott of NEOtrash Comix

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest:

The 2013 Stumptown Spread

STUMPTOWN COMIC FESTIVAL 2013. It is currently under way as this post is being seen. I have no idea how it will go but good.  I ask that you keep your finger crossed for me and Jason this weekend.  I will take pictures as I can in between sales.

STUMPTOWN UPDATE:  DAY 1

TRAVEL to Stumptown was filled with it's own kinda of interesting stuff when it comes to me traveling to and from shows.  And to most friends they know that I do not own a long traveling kind of vehicle like a car or truck to transport work to and from shows so when you have 31 small pieces of art plus comics it can kinda be a bit daunting a bit but the kid managed to pull it off.  A true bike rider of traveling here in the town of PDX.  I was a moderately well dressed comic book traveling bicyclist of the highest order.  Hahhaha!  I even laugh at myself about this but it went off without a hitch.

THE OPENING OF THE SHOW has been really good this year.  It was kind of hard to compare to last years show since I was taking time out to participate in my friend Ben's wedding so. All vendors always compare their sales with each other.  Though I will say that I have not made my introductions to our next door neighbors yesterday as I was having a great time just hanging out with Jason and talking to him about what ever came up in conversation.  A very drama free kinda of show as I like to think of it.  It was the reason I get along with Jason in that kind of setting.  Good times I am looking forward to see how this day is going to turn out but I know we will have a good time regardless of our sales today.  Adam of Darkslinger Comics remarked to me once a few years ago that people could see the desperation in my face when they would walk by the table and I hadn't sold a damn thing.  ALSO just being happy or even looking happy changes up the situation at a show.  In a way it's no different than when you are having a bad day at the drawing table and you just don't feel it when you're putting that brush stroke to bristol and you think "Man, this just looks like shit!" 

The same applies when you met up with your general public who may not have had the chance to see your work.

So put on that happy face 'cause it could change everything.  Have a great time while you are there.  It's a break from your day to day kinda job.   NO DEADLINES HERE!

, 

,

And on top of the day being good and drama free there was also the sales of a Scratch Pad booklet sold to four new potential fans and two original pieces of artwork and two Corrax books sold!  This was that validation I have  talked about so many times before in the past.  Good times.  

CORRAX THE SEEKER :

Still on hold.  I'm seeking to figure out what I can do to finish this character before I put him to bed.

CORPSE COP:
It's been a while since we had heard anything from this guy but with the pull out of CTS#2 other stories that I had written and thumbnailed out are being dusted off currently.  "Arctic Wolf" is a  new story line.  In Corpsecilce story line CC had mentioned in passing how he has had to deal with other monsters briefly so I decided to play on this foreshadowing plot device.  I was happy to see this develop.  The amount of work that will really on focus on two characters at any one time.  For me as the artist this rocks.  So how will this new story line be rendered? Scratchboard of course.  After the way everybody went gaga over the last book it just made sense to do it again.

Watch here for more as this project develops.

UPDATE WHILE AT THE SHOW I had just purchased a black paper sketchbook and a white PITT marker at the art store to play with at the show to see if I could duplicate my look of the scratchboard quickly.   Surprisingly enough I had a blast working with this.  I coming along with an effect of some almost painted effects from posters I had seen pinned up on wooden power poles down in Eugene over 20 years ago.  They were really awesome pieces of work so this was a happy little revelation for moi.

GALLERY WORK:

Mid OCTOBER at the Slingshot Lounge here in Portland.  If you make it up this way you should check it out.  It'll be cool.

I have been talking to my framer at the art store about floating my 16"x20" in a 2" black boarder and frame.  My thinking about the space is I will need about 16 different pieces for this show I think that I can do this if I start now.  

ALSO AS THE ZOMBIE BRAIN COMMANDS: 

Of course I can't take credit for that one since my friend Dax coined that title.  Another idea for a series of scratchboards to be created using familiar faces and mugs are the evil/mad scientists.  Pushing science to it's ultimate end and the downfall of humanity.  I think I may call that show "The Weird Science Project" or TWSP for short.

COMMISSIONS:

FRANKENSTEIN COMMISSION 9"X12" SCRATCHBOARD 2013
THE SIEBEN COLLECTION

NOTHING beats getting paid for a commission and my FRANKENSTEIN commission is now just curing it's varnish before I hand it off to Jason and Randi for their gothy home.   

And now I have to look forward to getting to work on the Rat Priest album cover and logo.  After that is another piece of work for my friend/bartender Rose and her daughter's birthday Bigfoot scratch board piece.   AND IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH my friend/bartender Dan at a another bar hub that I frequent has hit me up for a t-shirt design as well.  COOL BEANS.  I think work has garnered a little racket and then there is also the gallery work that I have to work on as well for mid October.  Good times.  

DIGITAL DOMINATION:

Still working on this but currently precluded with commissions at this present time.  But with a little help from Adam I think I might be able to get more this under way.

If your wanting to look at some of the older blog for Black Box Comix you can check them out here. Black Box Comix Blog.

Or if you're interested in purchasing something that catches your eye  check out here on the Big Cartel web site.  Big Cartel.

And of course is always the backlog of comics here at Indyplanet.

THE CHANGE UP

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest;

The Stumptown Comicfest 2013.  Next weekend.

Again I have to say thank you to Mister Jason Pott for letting me share his table and pushing NeoTrash Comix around like the trashman I am.  We have been sharing table space for the last couple of years at a variety of shows here in the Northwest and have had a great time doing so.  As Jason likes to say "If I'm not having fun doing it I'll find something else."  Of course I am paraphrasing that statement but that is the general feeling about the passion for the comix he has.

I am looking forward to it.  If you have time and cash and are in town, stop by. 

Stumptown Comics Festival 2013
Floorplan

I am also looking to have about 10 large prints made of both color work I have done for the Emerald City Monsters and Dames submission as well as some of the color work that I have been applying to my scratchboard work.
That small collection I believe will open up another door for the work to be received.  AND with the addition of the popular characters from mainstream comics it allows the style of scratchboard to be seen as a massive platform it can be.

I am currently talking to my printer about the work right now.  All the work I want won't be ready for Stumptown but will be by the time Cyrpticon rolls around.

CORRAX THE SEEKER :
Still on hold.  I'm seeking to figure out what I can do to finish this character before I put him to bed.

Corpse Cop "Arctic Wolf" page 2
Thumbnail

CORPSE COP:
It's been a while since we had heard anything from this guy but with the pull out of CTS#2 other stories that I had written and thumbnailed out are being dusted off currently.  "Arctic Wolf" is a  new story line.  In Corpsecilce story line CC had mentioned in passing how he has had to deal with other monsters briefly so I decided to play on this foreshadowing plot device.  I was happy to see this develop.  The amount of work that will really on focus on two characters at any one time.  For me as the artist this rocks.  So how will this new story line be rendered? Scratchboard of course.  After the way everybody went gaga over the last book it just made sense to do it again.

Watch here for more as this project develops.

GALLERY WORK:
Got start planing what I am going to do for "Scratch of the Dead" show for October.

I have been talking to my framer at the art store about floating my 16"x20" in a 2" black boarder and frame.  My thinking about the space is I will need about 16 different pieces for this show I think that I can do this if I start now.  

ALSO AS THE ZOMBIE BRAIN COMMANDS: 

Frankenstein Commission 2013  
9"x12" Scratchboard- in progress

Of course I can't take credit for that one since my friend Dax coined that title.  Another idea for a series of scratchboards to be created using familiar faces and mugs are the evil/mad scientists.  Pushing science to it's ultimate end and the downfall of humanity.  I think I may call that show "The Weird Science Project" or TWSP for short.

COMMISSIONS:
Second commission is in the works with Frankenstein and then Rat Priest.  This is turning out pretty cool.  Here is an example of the Frank piece as it develops before I varnish and frame it.

DIGITAL DOMINATION:

Still working on this but currently precluded with commissions at this present time.

If your wanting to look at some of the older blog for Black Box Comix you can check them out here. Black Box Comix Blog.

Or if you're interested in purchasing something that catches your eye  check out here on the Big Cartel web site.  Big Cartel.

And of course is always the backlog of comics here at Indyplanet.

And that is it for the kid, 'cause a commissions are waiting to get done.

A CRAZY BUSY WEEK

Deathlok

Doctor Doom

Doctor Strange

Judge Death

Man Wolf

Ghost Rider

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest;

CORRAX THE SEEKER:
The editing on CTS#2 is completed and now to the corrections that need to be made!  Thank you Jason!
Sweet another issue on the way to the printer soon.
CTS #2 UPDATE:
AS OF THIS DATE THERE WILL BE NO CORRAX THE SEEKER #2 BEING SHOWN AT STUMPTOWN THIS YEAR.
For me, thats kinda a bummer but being a lone comic book creator I don't have the luxury of having a paid editor on my staff of one.  Sometimes, just sometimes, you have to stop and take a serious look at your work objectively.  In this case I have to contend that the work has to be seen in a favorable light with the right audience.  Jason is right about the work (the storytelling) comes to a complete stop when you turn the page.  This means I'm to close to the work and what is clearly clear  to me, the artist and creator, is not clear to the audience.
   Now how long the redrawing of the pages is going take is anybodies guess I just hope sooner rather than later.   But I want that book to be good.  Would every artists out there want that?
My hope is that Corrax will be completed soon.   Two separate stories combined.  We'll see how it plays out.

GALLERY WORK:
No more shows as of this time.  But knowing The Portland scene that can change very easily.

HOWEVER IN REFERENCE TO THE GALLERY WORK-

During the latest deal with the Monster Mosh on Easter earlier this year I was contacted via Facebook by a group calling itself RAW natural born artist group.  They are a group of "artists for artists" or at least thats the tag line I have read.  Now I like to think that I am pretty open minded guy and that ALL ARTISTS are above board and represent themselves the same.  I came away from a conversation this last sunday wondering if this group really was representing themselves in that fashion.

I don't think so.

In the conversation (like all advertising that I learned in school) the mention of the name of the group (more than three times) seemed to be the focal point and when I mentioned that a one night show just didn't do it for me I think was nail that put my chances of dealing with this group on a indefinite hold.

Personally I am glad about that.  Having to pay to play in a smorgasbord of other artists that I don't know in a some kind weird Mandelbrot set  ain't work for me.  And as I talked to my close friend he said it sounded like a scam.   Artist don't have that kind of money and be seen as just one of many I have had to deal with for many years at shows.  I want my one man show.

When I was at the bar a friend of mine named Joey Mass came in we started talking about the gallery scene.  You see, Joey shows work here in town and at the bar we were sitting in as well as showing art down in Southern California Hollywood.  He been doing this for a couple of years now so I can safely say he knows the business.  He bristled up when I mentioned this group and backed up what Dax had said to me about thinking they're a bunch of scam artists, so the two of these guys are to me golden.

BUT IT DID DO ONE THING FOR ME......in a funny way Joey asked me if I could put together a group of images together.  I said sure for mid October.  I realized at that moment I had just talked myself into doing a one man show!
Well hot damn!
However I will say anybody who is approached by this group should read this review of RAW.  It will put things in perspective. http://www.merylpataky.com/my-raw-artists-experience.html

COMMISSIONS:
Well with piece known as "NATURAL V.S. SUPERNATURAL" 2 been turned over to the commissioner opens a few spots to work on new art.  Of course in celebration of the sale drinks were imbibed and the hand off of money was done but not the actual image. 
This made for some amount of hilarity.

But now as the week progressed there has been some changes going on with this little bit o artwork.  My doing another band cover design for my friend Eric of Rat Priest here in Portland is one.  The others are for my friend Rose and a piece for her Daughters birthday and another Frankenstein piece for my friend Randi.

Turning into quite a machine when it turns to this stuff.

DIGITAL DOMINATION:

Now this is something I have always hedged around even though I know that the only way to get my work really out to the world is to use the internet and all that it has to offer.  With being said and some of the newly found resources from the latest E.C.C.C in Seattle, I have slowly working on getting both the comics submitted to comiXology.com  and getting the previous comics that I have made offered digitally though indyplanet.com from all the Pandora' Garage volumes 3 and 5, Corpse Cop, Johnny Vega and Corrax the Seeker.

Now on the strictly art side of things there is the online shop of Big Cartel.com.  Like my friend Dan DePaolo who has and Esty shop on line and is connected to his blogger site Big Cartel. So I am pushing to get the work out for both and still produce new stuff.

A MID WEEK POST- KINDA

Hey there sports fans, Al here with the latest;

CORRAX THE SEEKER:
The scanning has started as well as the pre edited lettering.  No color on this beast yet but it will be there
soon.  I am hoping to hear from Jason soon about this.  Later this evening I got confirmation from Jason that the edits on CTS #2 were done. Sweet another issue on the way to the printer soon.

GALLERY WORK:
By the time of this posting the art work for the Goodfoot's "Monster Mosh" will have been dropped off and ready for a show later this evening. I will be posting images later.
Not much in imagery for the show itself but lots of things around it did come up.   One was being interviewed for my friend Devon Deveraux cakling imp podcast.   On a side note about Mister Deveraux.  I have known Devon since I first met him at Stumptown about five years ago I believe.
I have to blame it on the mutual admiration of William Shatner.  Devon had presented a postcard entitled "The Transformed Man".  An awesome piece if you haven't seen it. Check out here for the podcast of the show @ http://cacklingimp.podbean.com/2013/04/01/episode-13-live-at-the-goodfoot/

COMMISSIONS:

"Natural VS. Supernatural" 2 is now complete.  The original piece had sold a year and half ago so I had to make a new one from (pardon the pun) from literally scratch.
  Now done looking at them in comparison the newer version has incorporated the new techniques that I have been working since first one was made.  Pretty damn  cool I would say.
ON TOP OF THIS another commission came my way as I was working my scratchboard piece of the Thing over a few drinks. The piece is of Bigfoot on a 5"x7" for a birthday present for my bartender's daughter.
I just love these pieces going out as birthday presents!
AND ON TOP OF THAT..
The owner of the same bar (The Slingshot Lounge) that I was commissioned for Bigfoot is hitting me up for a commission piece for a band design.
Now mind you this wouldn't be the first time I'd been hit up for art for a local band but lets just keep adding up the commissions.  Makes an artist just want to hangout at the bar all day.  I'm really not sure if thats a good thing or a bad thing.

DIGITAL DOMINATION:

Now this is something I have always hedged around even though I know that the only way to get my work really out to the world is to use the internet and all that it has to offer.  With being said and some of the newly found resources from the latest E.C.C.C in Seattle, I have slowly working on getting both the comics submitted to comiXology.com and getting the previous comics that I have made offered digitally though indyplanet.com from all the Pandora' Garage volumes 3 and 5, Corpse Cop, Johnny Vega and Corrax the Seeker.

Now on the strictly art side of things there is the online shop of Big Cartel.com.  Check out 

http://blackboxvisualarts.bigcartel.com/Like my friend Dan DePaolo who has and Esty shop on line and is connected to his blogger site Big Cartel. So I am pushing to get the work out for both and still produce new stuff. I am also getting invites to RAW Artists @ http://www.rawartists.org/art