Sorry I didn’t do the deadline thing Amber! I’m a loner, a rebel.
Plus I have no scanner at the momo and had to photograph this.
The last panel that got chopped off reads “I spent a lot of time in the sick bay, either crying or with my friend and her mysterious fainting condition”.
1. Briefly describe your experience at comic artist rehab:
I drew comics every 4 days. I whinged a lot but I really enjoyed it. It’s good to have an incentive to create things and though I think I could have done a better job, had my health not been so problematic, I’m glad that I stuck it out! I really loved the support and comments. It’s so nice to get a bit of love. Self publishing can be so isolating!
2. What, if anything, did you learn from the program?
Soldier on! That it’s ok to do a bad drawing, you can often save it or just re-draw it! It’s good to plan things, but sometimes spontaneity is better! I’m def going to keep a list of ideas on hand constantly.
3. Which one of your own comics are you most pleased with and why?
Day Nine. I’m so obsessed with the inside of flowerpot girl’s house.
4. Which one of your own comics are you least pleased with and why?
Chicken. It’s just so messy.
5. Do you hope to keep up drawing comics after rehab? If so, how often.
But of course, in some form or other. I’ve got a new zine out which hasn’t been launched yet and it’s more freestyle pictures with words than comics. But this has encouraged me to explore narratives.
6. Any suggestions for future rounds?
More Amber with a big stick!
Links:
More Miss Helen at spycore dot net
Apparently this is my last rehab! I’m going to miss it! I’ve got some ideas in the melting pot(ie. noggin) about the flowerpot community, which will be fun to rehash in my future works.
I’ve also got a new zine out, Fly Away Bird #5 which hasn’t been offically released, but when it is, I’ll be posting a link to how/where you can get a copy at my blarg.
Forgive my lateness of this comic, I just got back from Critical Mass(we rode from Hyde Park to Bondi Beach and I insisted on frollicking in the water when it was over). It was my first big ride since I’ve been ill, and it felt good. I’m on the mend, finally now, with some special perscription only nasal spray, for those interested in my health.
Byeeeee comic rehab people!!!
I needed Amber to remind me to comic today. Here is a photo of the chicken in question, surely you can see the likeness.
I am little angry at self for not trying to get past the classic Miss H style of high text to illustration ratio. I like words too much!
Also, I had my next few comics all planned out but I’ve come over ill again, and in my invaliddy state, I have not felt the flowerpot world joy.
Edit: Here is my rush job in the name of round 3 solidarity.
Original Entry:
I’m sorry, I’m too depressed to comic. I am sure I will recover, alas, all I can muster up right now is some bad teen angst poetry.
Why
Oh
Why
I hope that in the face of adversity
I do not turn rotten
I’m going to sit on the town hall steps
and wonder where has gone
my
utopia
Sorry.
Ok. I’ve been doing my comics in my little a6 sketchbook, the first and last panels are a whole page, and the middle two are on the one page. I’ve been doing a rough outline in lead, but I think it takes away from the final.. look or something, so next time I’ll just do the background in pencil, then ink in the foreground. I think the faces are lacking from being drawn twice, rather than looking loose and spontaneous.
Oh, the mystery. Is flowerpot girl up to nefarious activities? Is she merely hiding a ruined meal or a stray pair of underwear? Call me the juicy dangler.
I was, again, struggling to get this done on time. Here are things I’m going to work on: getting ideas ready well before it’s my day to draw, respecting the edges of the page and the frame(I can’t get out of the frame of mind of me in high school, publishing zines and trying to get the most out of my 20c per a4 page! It’s dreadful), thinking more about how the comic reads. Yeehaw!
I don’t have an image editing program at the moment, and I have to scan on someone else’s computer so I couldn’t size this before I uploaded it, so I let flickr do it for me. You can click to view it bigger.
I was really worried at one point when I thought I was totally going to die from sinus pain that I wouldn’t be able to put pen to paper but the promise of improving health combined with the two hour wait motivated me to not let the team down.
There was actually a lady in the waiting room in a wheelchair that said rehab on the back. I deserved that wheelchair, damnit. Anyway, I had been preparing for my flowerpot dweller’s comic on my long train ride the other day, but alas, we’ll all have to wait. I hope the build up isn’t too disapointing! I feel like such a bundle of excuses, but next time! NEXT TIME!
My name is Miss Helen and although I’m a zine maker, I like to think that comics and zines are like peas and carrots although if you’re a purist, I apologise that my ratio of words to pictures may be quite high.
Despite feeling quite ill indeed while I drew this, I am thinking a lot about scale. How big do people generally draw their comics? This was on a A5 page, and I felt kind of restricted. I always want my pens to be finer, though I used a uni ball micro, I had some issues with ink and paper, I think it is because I’m using a cheapo sketchbook? Do these things matter? Am I being the art version of a hypochondriac? I never went to art school! *tear*
Well, here’s to the new year!
I’m 26 and I’ve been writing zines and drawing and photocopying for over 11 years. After being featured in Spectrum and debuting as a feature artist at the Penrith regional gallery, I’m finding the non existent pressure of a return to what I love best (ie. self publishing) a little overwhelming and have been spending far too much time on the internet faffing about, obsessing over things that I need not and buying superfluous and various plastic things over the internet, or eating christmas/new years leftovers. The only times I can bring myself to do actual creative things is either when I’m visiting my friend Vanessa’s house, or when I’ve got an objective in mind.
So I’m hoping the pressure of performance drawing (ha!) and support will inspire me to get off my internets and get into the sketch pad. Or something. Also I’m hoping the whole “blogging on a regular basis” thing will rub off on me, since mine is somewhat neglected
Comic Artist Rehab 