Talk Weird Press

CAKE!

2012-02-02T19:44:00.000-08:00

The good news came in this morning: I'm going to CAKE in June!

Or, the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo, run by Quimby's own Neil Brideau.

Doubly exciting is that it'll be my first official trip to Chicago - being stuck on a bus full of middle-schoolers in the eight grade in traffic on the way through Chicago doesn't exactly count.

In the absence of another Minneapolis Indie Expo this cartooning year, I'm very, very happy to see another Midwest indie get-together forming due to the efforts of a few very enthusiastic people, and very grateful to the panel of many different artists who decided to give me a shot at representing my neck of the woods in the Windy City and choosing me as an exhibitor. I think it's going to be a great time for all involved, and hey, I'll get to see Quimby's for the first time, too!

I'll have copies of Dirty Van #1, Sea Change, and hopefully some more small minis of shorter stories to fill that space I've been generously afforded. I'd planned to fire Maisie up once it got warm enough, anyway, and now I've just got that extra incentive. YEAH.

If anybody's interested and/or in the Chicago area, they could ALWAYS use volunteer power, and people to come and mill about, too.

2012-02-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

"Apps for the Post-Digital World" - City Pages Comix Issue, 2011

I actually played that thing called 'Angry Birds' for the first time a few weeks ago. I probably never will again in my life. Why are the pigs legless and ensconced in these irrational structures? Why do these birds need to project themselves into these buildings and slaughter these porcine balls, when they themselves explode into feathers and nothingness?

Just, why.

Dirty Van, el primero!

2011-12-23T17:00:00.000-08:00

Hey, everybody! I currently have nine of these first-printing versions left after MiX and passing them out to friends. Screen-printed covers, with copy guts. You can get one at the links below - and start reading it here.

---> talk weird press <---

or at

Boneshaker Books

2002 23rd Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN, 55404

(if you go on Sundays, you can stop in and chit-chat or draw some durpy cats with Amaya; plus the kid's table has dictator finger puppets. you too can have a hand full of wiggling overlords.)

Plus, a late, late picture of my swag from MiX. Thanks to the ever-awesome people who just decided out of the goodness of their hearts to give me a few, too.

EDIT: Whoops. I already have a copy of 'The Strong Silent Type' by Bart King, but I was so motivated by his 'last five copies!' sign I jumped on it. Hahahaha, woo. That's like, 200% more than most people have. That's cool.

C.L.A.P. - winter/11

2011-12-11T15:21:00.001-08:00

Long time no post!

In that time, I had one last class, poured a lot of coffee, put thousands of miles into my car, tore out some hair over freelance, and spent months revving up for the Minneapolis Indie Expo, and going to it. There's a whole post about that in me, just not at this hot-second. It was awesome, to say the least.

There was also comicking in that wide-open time between July and December - I've got a few more comic projects lined up, and more on those later, but first the ladies at C.L.A.P. (Creative Ladies are Powerful) are going to feature above drawing in their zine for their Winter 2011 issue. I'm excited to be in some good company there, including the very awesome fellow-'CADette, Megan Leafblad.

---> C.L.A.P <---

Plus, the mini-ad drawing that'll be in the back of the issue, as well - Maisie/Laisie as Molly the Riveter.

Until the next post - keep warm, everyone! I'll be getting my butt burned by the heating blanket here at my desk.

my long-time-coming cartooning mixtape

2011-12-11T13:54:00.001-08:00

♬ <---

"at my lonesome white table, ready, willing, and able"

"Kitchen," for Just Add Ink

2011-07-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

Just dropped off the framed artwork at Altered Esthetics for the Just Add Ink show, sitting within two pretty (-easily-attained-at-your-local-Menards) frames. Excited for the gallery opening, which is August 8th, Friday, at 7 PM, and especially excited for August 20th, because I plan to be, unfortunately, not at the artist discussion there, but instead I'll be happily up north somewhere fumbling in a canoe and or kayak, getting sunburnt and turning 23. Disappointed I can't be there for that, though.

To print the 300-some physical copies for the actual cookbook (which you see them collating like champs here) I fired up the Pendergast Machine- offset press Maisie - with a full ream of 8 and a half by 11's. I ended up with about 400-something actually acceptable ones. Go Wikipedia how much a ream holds and you'll understand why I also have a bunch of pretty screw-ups to show you below.

In any case, running the press for the first time on my own was, of course, fraught with danger. I've more than once woken myself up in the middle of the night to go out and make sure the rollers are night-latched and disengaged, when I know I did it before going to bed. Did a couple of fake-out runs just setting it up, and, without inking up or anything, just running it. First actual attempt was disastrous and ended about ten minutes after hitting the paper feed engage with the fountain pouring everywhere and me running around the empty garage with ink coating my forearms and parts and paper scattered on surfaces everywhere. Second was similar, but ink only to my wrists. Third and fourth were actually, surprisingly, pretty successful.

The fifth time I had my sister Maddie and best friend Alicia sitting out with me (and trying to change my music to Britney Spears without my noticing) and after printing and clean up, Alicia stands up, after having sat a good five feet away, with black oil ink, the Hep C of art supplies, on her neon green shirt, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

You should all come see the show at Altered Esthetics, and the opening August 8th, 7 PM.

I also have extras if anybody cares for a set.

screw-ups from left to right:

1) drunk in the afternoon; 2) red river flood; 3) almost 3-D; 4) sideswiped; 5) "words"; 6) chocolate-dipped; 7) if birds pooped ink; 8) this-hurts-to-look-at-in-an-enjoyable-way; and 9) television static.

☆

"the pendergast machine is humming - ord'r up, she's really running"

What do you think the back rug symbolizes? Discuss in short essay form.

2011-05-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

"It's like a video game with word problems."

bye bye studio

2011-05-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

Having just been booted from my design studio, which comes as blessing and sad news at the same time, it's picture time. I guess, luckily for everybody's estimation of me, the only pictures I have of it are of when it is immaculately clean and organized, at the very beginning of September last year.

Oh, and there's only one coffee there. I don't have a photo of what it looked like by the end of school, but I would have to dig out a space for my bristol to sit and prop my laptop open on a pile of something for Daily Show time. Imagine, now, six more coffees, all of an equally indeterminate old age, a stuffed Easter sheep, a foot-and-a-half tall stack of bristol, an old timey lamp, and a lot more just things sitting around and you get the idea.

Hand-drawn calender. Sheesh.

I'll miss it, though.

2011-04-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

Now that that awkwardness is out of the way...