Fan Art from Dennis Michels of Maskerman
December 2, 2008 - Tuesday
Today I wanted to share some fun and whimsical fan art that was recently sent to me by Dennis Michels. Dennis is the creator of the webcomic Maskerman, which is a silly look into superheroes. Dennis also has some very useful tutorials about how to setup Wordpress and Comicpress (the blogging software that most webcomics artists use to display their comics), which you'll probably want to check out if you're starting your own online comic. As always, click the artwork below for the full-size version.
Serialized Storytelling
December 1, 2008 - Monday
Recently, a few of the webcomics I've enjoyed reading include Starslip Crisis, Octopus Pie, and Marooned. What do all these comics have in common? They all require more than one update to tell their stories. As I've found myself appreciating comics like this, I've started wondering what it would be like to try my hand at this type of writing as well. In the past I've done a few longer stories, but since I've been (hopefully) improving as a writer, I might be able to make a better stab at this now. For example, for the A Hairy Situation and Hot Dog! storylines I was so new to posting comics online that I didn't even make an effort to have each page come to a satisfying conclusion (such as a joke or cliff hanger). More recently, in The Soda Enthusiast and Working for a Living, the stories read more like a series of strips taking on the same theme rather than a continuing narrative.
So where is this discussion leading? Well, today is the start of a new storyline, titled "It Came from the Drain," that will go more than just 4 or 5 strips. I'm excited about the challenge of trying to write individual comics that have their own jokes, but also fit into the larger context of an extended story. As the story continues, I'd love to hear feedback from you guys on whether I'm doing this successfully. In addition, this storyline will give me a much needed break from the individual strips I usually write. But don't worry, the typical snarky and cynical gags will be back before you know it. I don't know exactly how this story will end, but given that a certain little event is supposed to take place on this site sometime in the not so distant future, you can probably guess when this storyline will end.
A couple reminders for those of you who were too busy visiting with family last week to check on Calamities (shame on you!). First, there is the Calamities of Nature Guest Strip Contest, with entries due by December 22nd. See last Monday's blog post for more details. Second, we have an ongoing holiday sale, which ends December 12th. Check the online store to see the discounted book prices.
Holiday Sale
November 28, 2008 - Friday
Well, it's that horrible time of year again. Where people stress themselves out way beyond belief to find the right material objects to prove how much they care for friends and family. And of course, being the opportunists we are, Calamities of Nature is getting into the act. From now until December 12th, all Volume 1 books are 15% off. In addition, I'll be including a couple bookmarks of recent strips. There are a lot of people out there who still aren't into this whole webcomic thing. They'd much rather have tangible comics they can hold in their hands. And who can blame them. It's enjoyable to curl up with a book, blanket, and your favorite hot beverage on a cold winter night. If you have any friends or family like this, our holiday sale is a great opportunity to introduce them to this webcomic you've been enjoying online. Remember you can request a personalized sketch for your book to make the present that much more special.
A note about shipping. Since most of you will be wanting your books to arrive before Christmas, I'll will be sending all US orders via priority mail. This will cost me a little extra, but it's worth it to make sure you get your product in time (as long as you order by December 12th). For international orders (and this includes Canada and Mexico), priority costs quite a bit more, so I've added serparate priority mail options for this. Please note, I cannot guarantee international orders will arrive before Christmas if you don't choose the priority option.
Calamities of Nature Guest Strip Contest
November 24, 2008 - Monday
Do you have any social, political, or maybe philosophical commentary that you need to get off your chest? Do you have a great gag you want to do, but it will only work with a pink creature wearing a green and red hat? Well, this is your perfect opportunity. I'm excited to announce the first (annual?) Calamities of Nature Guest Strip Contest (also known at the CONGS Contest for people in the know).
I'll be picking the 3 best strips submitted to me from now until December 22nd. The 3 winners will have their comics featured as the December 28th, December 31st, and January 2nd updates on my site. These comics will get a place in the archive, along with a link to a website of the winner's choice. In addition, each winner will receive a signed copy of my volume 1 collection. If you don't win, it's still all good. All other submissions (of reasonable quality) will be featured individually in the blog on Tuesdays and Thursdays and have their comics saved in the gallery. For further details about the rules, see below. I've been really impressed with the guest strips I've received in the past, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with!
Additional Rules:
Files must be submitted electronically to calamitiesofnature@gmail.com. No snail mail please.
The web ready file must be 850 pixels wide and at the most 560 pixels high. They must be in jpeg format and no more than 250 kB. They must have "calamitiesofnature.com © 2008 Tony Piro" somewhere on the artwork, and you may include your own name and homepage url if you wish.
The content of the entry must be consistent with that of this website. When in doubt, keep it PG.
Please keep a high-resolution version of your artwork on hand (a width of around 4200 pixels should be sufficiently high-res). I might request it if I want to include your strip in a future print edition.
Birthday Painting, Step 3
November 20, 2008 - Thursday
Here's the final painting. In retrospect, it was a little ambitious to do four of my daughter's favorite animals. It felt almost like I was doing four separate paintings at once. The elephant was by far the easiest and most fun to do. Its skin is forgiving to paint because even a stray bush stroke just looks like an intentional wrinkle. It's no Renoir, but I think my daughter will enjoy it. I can't wait to give it to her on Saturday! Once again, click the picture below to see the larger version.
Birthday Painting, Step 2
November 19, 2008 - Wednesday
Now it's time to start the actual painting. I went to Dick Blick and got some Liquitex acrylic paints. Acrylic paints are the bane of my existence. They dry much too fast, and it is impossible to match colors because they change color as they dry. I would so much rather use oils, but they have the problem of being super messy and requiring some sort of ventilation. They're just not practical to use in most circumstances. So I'll have to bite the bullet, and make due with acrylics.
Anyway, here's the progress after the first day of painting. As you can see, I am far from finished. In fact, I suspect I'll have to repaint most of this. At this point I'm just trying to get a feel for what color scheme I want to use. Also, since I paint so infrequently, I'm trying to get my hand reacquainted with a brush, and figure out what sort of style I want to use. It would probably be better if I didn't try to do these things at the same time as I'm trying to create a finished piece, but I don't have this luxury. Things look pretty crappy right now, but don't lose hope, because there is plenty of more work to be done. By the way, my daughter walked by the painting and excitedly named each of the animals see saw and then said "Dad paint! Dad paint!" so the painting has already been worth the effort.
