I'll be at Big Wow in San Jose table AA158, way in the back and to the right in some sort of island of artist alley tables....listed as 17machine studios.

I haven't done this show in years, it used to be called Supercon, and it wasn't so super sales wise for me. I don't think I sold anything that weekend. There is nothing quite like the feeling of setting up at one of these gigs and no one liking your junk. But before I could feel sorry for myself I did Fanime the very next weekend in the same building and did gangbusters in sales. So who knows.

With no Wondercon this year (yeah, yeah, I know they are calling something Wondercon that is down south....I'm just bitter they moved my favorite con) I'm hopeful that Big Wow will have a decent draw....of course as a backup plan, I could always do Fanime which is once again, the very next weekend in the same building....

anyways, swing by if ya can. the guest list is insane, probably one of the best I've ever seen for a con this size.

I'm paraphrasing, but I read this book on self publishing by Dave Sims years ago. In it he mentions that he doesn't want to hear about "your" comic book story until you hit a 100 pages. I remember thinking this sounded harsh, but over the years as I met person after person that had "a comic book they were working on" that was really a couple character sketches, or a world bible, or even a few pages, I kind of understood what he was saying. Sort of a put up or shut up call to arms. Comics are hard, and doing them on the side makes it even harder.

It reminded me of that Family Guy bit, the one about Brian writing his novel.

So years went on, and I never drew a comic. As long as I didn't attempt to draw it, it was something that was possible. If I tried and failed then the dream could be dead. As twisted as that sounds.

Eventually I signed on to help a writer with an action story, 10 pages. Just 10 pages so he could go pitch it. Not even a full issue. Good lord was that hard. Those 10 pages, and in the end it burned the relationship with the writer, and made me feel like I had in fact failed.

So I eventually got back on the horse so to speak, and had a friend write Native Drums. He set me up for success, few characters, little backgrounds, as if he were budgeting a movie, and we had no money.

Even with that set up it took me forever to finish. I pushed through because I didn't want to fail again. I wanted to say that I had at least drawn "a" book. 23 pages.

It took me forever, and I shelved it several times, but I finished, and while it felt great, that Dave Sims quote sat in the corner of my mind. Looking grumpy. The veteran fighter pilot not impressed that I managed to take off and land once. With each issue I completed, 2, and 3, I still had this feeling. I had not completed the challenge.

So flash forward. I just finished issue 4 of Native Drums. The excitement of which sparked a new moment of realization. how many pages had I done? The book is not exactly orthodox in its page count, could it be 100? Had I done it? Was I now actually in the game?



I counted them up...not counting pin-ups, letter columns, etc. 93,94,95....95....95....

fuuuuuuu

so yeah, on to issue 5....and 100 pages, which is far harder than I thought it would be, but so damn rewarding ^____^

So I got a table at Bigwow, SDCC and plan on hitting APE. The con scene is one that I love, but its also something I have to balance with how much it can cost. I think 3 is the max I can do, and SDCC is so crazy expensive to attend that every year I swear I'm not doing it again. lol, and yet here we go!!!

The goal is to have another sketchbook collection, Native Drums 4, Native Drums 5, and maybe Trade Credit (if I can get a printer to let it go through, or if not, I'll do an ashcan all old school style  

I'm thinking of looking into doing a hardcover artbook collection, but I'm not sure yet.

This is all stuff I do on the side, my day job is in video games and this is just stuff I do because I love it. It almost pays for itself, but the goal has always been one of learning and having a good time. So thanks for all the support and patience! I love working in games, but I don't think I could do it as long as I have without having the comics and sketching to keep me sane.

-Vince

Eric Larsen

So I not only got a chance to meet Eric Larsen, but also to get a crit from him on my comic pages.

Before I get into what he had to say, and how cool it was, let me back up and talk about critiques,  and me.

Many years ago I got a very nice critique from Colleen Doran. I knew Colleen from the comic shop I worked at, and it was amazing of her to take the time and give me her objective and professional opinion on my work.

Being young and stupid, I took it way to personal. As if it were an assault on me, and as if she was trying to be mean.

At that time I worked in an amusement park in the summer as a caricature artist. in 5-10 minutes in marker I had to draw a caricature of a total stranger and make them like the drawing. If they did NOT like the drawing they could refuse to pay, and demand another artist draw it. This rarely happened. maybe once or twice a month, but it was brutal. It would take me weeks to fully recover. To me a crit was either you liked it, or you hated it, and the hated it part had usually come with "and I want this other artist to draw it instead!"

So I've spent years meeting professional artists and NOT asking for a critique. Which is really silly, as I have sense matured emotionally, given and had critiques in art school, and for over a decade in my day job had to be art directed or art direct.

I'm not sure why. On some level it was not wanting to bother these "pros" and I think also, a fear of the beat down. The old "don't quit your day job" line.

In art school I remember seeing a girl in the hall crying and I asked her what was wrong. She told me she had gotten a crit from the teacher and it was negative. I asked what was said.

"I asked him how I could improve it, he said I could roll it and smoke it!" then more tears.

In some nightmare version of my approaching a professional for critique I think I feared the worst.

So over the last year I have made an effort to ask for a critique from artists I admire, and for the most part the result has been the exact opposite. In fact so much so that it hasn't been really helpful in a lot of cases. "it all looks very nice, good luck with it"

while its great to be told how great your stuff is, you yourself can see 50 things wrong with it. is he lying to me? can he not see the flaws? I need help here!!

SOoo back to Eric Larsen. He came to a workshop on comics that I attend and looked through my work, made some (disapproving) grunts and sounds and then said something about it "being very nice" The instructor pushed on Eric to dig a bit,

a pause

and then Eric Larsen the Art Director took over. Not Eric Larsen pro talking to a fan.

He pointed out flaw after flaw. Took paper and traced parts of the page to showed how it should be, explained why certain things were sloppy. why some inking looked good on my page and why some looked terrible.

He then broke out 10 or so pages of art for the next savage dragon that he was working on in the coffee shop before he arrived. breakdowns, fully inked pages, pages with just the pencils done. It floored me.

Not because they were the best pages, or because I'm a huge fan, but because of the speed. Speed that came from doing a monthly book for decades. Comic pages are like solving a puzzle. how many panels, what size, what goes in them, and thats before you get to the trouble of if you can actually draw it. He has the experience to solve a page in a dozen ways. because he's solved that same puzzle hundreds of times!

It was so inspiring to see someone at that skill level in the field, and to be able to tap that knowledge for one of the best critiques I've ever gotten.

Cripes! I stepped on an emotional landmine!

So I finally got a new dog, I still miss my old friend so much, but was looking forward to a new super mutt!

well we picked one up from a rescue, a one year old cattle dog mix. He has been a handful, far to reactive, full of energy, but over the last 4 months he's been slowly being trained into something less like a hyper furry terrorist and more like a good buddy.

then this happens

Bad Hips.

We noticed a popping in his rear legs an had the vet check it out. Turns out he has bum hips. AHHHHHH!!!!!

so, what I'm asking, if you, or someone you know has had to do the hip surgery stuff for a dog, what was the experience? what would you do differently, what did you wish you knew?

I'm so rocked by this. gah.

I'm probably the worst at self promotion, but for what its worth, my "company" website. I love that it sounds like I have assistants and an office. lackey! get me coffee!! Prepare the jet! ho boy. getting loopy in here.

[link]

Ape 2012 has come and gone.

Friday we hit last gasp for the party. Kel saw something and commented "nice spine" I'm used to her pointing out boots, or hair or what have you on others, but never a spine....then I saw an actual bone spine hanging on the wall. oooh!!

nice spine became the go to compliment on someone that looked cool walking by SOooo creepy hey there, nice spine...

The table had a constant flow to it all Sat. If we weren't selling stuff we where at least talking with people. It was a blast, and made what is a short con day seem packed. Nothing makes things drag more than sitting at a table with no one coming by.

I saw so many people, and got so much support it really floored me. A lot of folks looking for new stuff from me which felt amazing.

I showed off my new japanese dip pen, my new favorite inking tool, to anyone that even looked vaguely like they had an interest in drawing. I'd bust out the ink and let them give it a try. At one point we had Steve Leialoha and Al Gordon messing with it and talking about how they met, and different inkers they like and what not. Randomly, there was a girl standing behind me in a latex catsuit, and I really had to decide, look at the amazing girl, or watch these guys ink. the inking won. ^__^

I walked the floor with Al, and he introduced me to Sergio Aragones. AL hummed something to Sergio, which triggered Sergio into a spanish folk song. it was pretty awesome. The girl getting her books signed began screaming in spanish and got her phone out to record it all. He sang this beautiful song right to her. I thought she was going to faint.

Sunday was slower, the niners and the giants both had games, and sunday is always slower.
still we had some good sales, and I sold a couple original pages.

A buddy from college, Mez, swung by and we got to catch up. He brought his sketchbook by, really amazing work. We also got to see a host of familiar faces from previous cons, and some old co-workers. really just so cool to catch up with people again.

Thanks to all those that came by!!!! you guys and gals rule!

-Vince

So I'll be at APE this weekend, table no 312! Swing by, keep me company, maybe buy something, maybe do a sketch trade with me. buy me a beer and I'll draw you something dirty.  I'll be listed as 17machine studios.

-Vince

So I got a note from Comic-Con in the mail, and I DID get a table! APE is my favorite con, and if I could only do one, it would be APE.

So swing by, say hi, keep me company, and I'll do you a quick sketch.  I'll try and have as much new stuff as I can (sketchbooks, prints, ashcans etc)

I'll be listed as 17machine Studios, (table 325 I think...I'll have to double check that, its an end table...I think where I was last year)

-Vince

Comic-Con 2012

Well I survived another year of the San Diego Comic-Con. I drove down a day early to LA and hung out with some friends. Even got a tour of Blizzard which was cool. I was surprised at how tight the NDA/ security was, even between teams.

Weds it was a nice ease into San Diego and I felt fresh for preview night.  In the  past couple of years I've driven down on Weds from San Francisco, and just barely made it to the table. It really sets the wrong tone for the whole con as I show up exhausted and then have to do the next 5 days.

Preview night is really more about getting everything set up for me then it is about sales. I could skip the whole preview night thing, but its so nice to have everything done before thurs morning.  I did get to see where all my booth friends had landed, and say hi, which is always cool. There is a real feeling of comradely with other small press vendors, and if you've sat next to each other in a previous year, there is a feeling of almost family.

The show went really well this year. Best sales I've ever had, and really nothing  went wrong. Each one of these shows I learn a bit more about how to set up and sell my junk. The big new thing for me this year was putting all the prints in bags and boards. It allowed people to grab the exact print they wanted and have something to carry it in with out the print destroying itself.

Square was the other big win for the show. I could take credit cards, and more importantly, the square readers have been out long enough for the customers to feel comfortable about it.

I saw several people from Deviant Art, which is really darn cool, and did quite a few free sketches. I've learned that doing commissions at the show just stresses me out, and makes me effectively absent at the table. I can't draw and pay attention at the same time. So NOT doing commissions this year, while meaning less money, made me much happier.

I had a nice visit from Kemikill and got a new favorite sweatshirt from her!

Pechan swung by twice which is always a treat. She even gave me a kick ass print from AX.

I stayed at the Hilton, which cost me an arm and a leg, but it was super nice to be that close, to be able to just walk back to the hotel room on a whim. It was also cool to hang out at the hotel bar at night and just mingle. Though I guess I could do that at any hotel and not be a guest.

I didn't get to go to any of the panels, but I did manage to get out from behind the table and get some quality time with some artists I like. Highlights,  Art Adams gave me an amazing crit, John Van Fleet talked about process and working in video games (even got to see some of his 3d work) and Steve Leialoha gave me a nice crit and a cool sketch. I think he is the most mellow guy I've ever met. I chatted with Jim Silke for a long time about Sam Peckinpah, and even got to hear a couple of cool stories about Robert Culp and Warren Oates (two of my favorite actors of all time)

I also got to see Patton Oswalt in concert, which was crazy good, and nice after picking up the Phil Noto print of him

I spent way to much money at Stuart Ng on French comics. I don't even speak French! But damn are they cool!

Well that ends rambling about SDCC 2012.

Yep, one, more, time!

I'm going to brave the crowds and the madness, and setup a table in the Small Press section of the San Diego Comic-Con. The table is in the same exact place I was in last year...which might mean something to you...but maybe not.. heck. I'm not sure I can find it again, and I spent days there. It's in the center of the show floor but towards the back wall.

I'll be listed as 17machine Studios, as if there are a bunch of people in a "studio" or as if I have need of 17machines to produce work ^___^ the name is from a machine shop off of route 17 in Va...and now that is just useless knowledge, and I'm babbling....


anyways


L-10


come by,
tell me you know me from DA.
bring a sketchbook, I'll do a sketch trade with ya.

[link]

Well I finally got off my rear and submitted the first issue to Graphicly. They have been really great and it's freakin cool to see my book on the iPhone iPad and Android through the Graphicly app.  one more step into the future! I'll be putting up the rest of the issues soon.

[link]

....and it shipped today! woot!  I normally keep my DA account and my work separate, but now that I work for an Indy developer (as in, we have no money) instead of the 800lb gorilla (as in Activision)
I think its probably ok for me to post.  It's a small team amazing team, and I'm proud with what we managed to do with our first mobile game. Its called SummitX done by Free Range Games.


iphone
[link]
If you have an 3gs/ipad one you'll want to reboot to free up memory. anyways...


android
[link]

well end of my marketing pitch ^___^ now I got to get back to work

SOOoooo I thought I wasn't going to do it again. Last year Comic-Con was long, expensive, and mainly, I was feeling down after I didn't have as much stuff done for it as I wanted.

...and yet Kelly filled out an application and submitted it for me on the last day of the con "just in case"

...and I sent samples in to the con "for the heck of it"

...and I got approved!!!

...and paid for the table because the deadline to pay was like, in 3 days

...and now I signed up for a hotel




HOLY SMOKES! I'm going to Comic-Con again with a table in Small Press!!!

I'm pretty excited about it,  like Charlie Brown and that football, I'm going to try it ...one...more...time!! O____o

Hey gang,
   Well I'll be at APE this year (listed as 17machine studios) at table 634. This might be the last con I do for a little while, as Wondercon has moved out of the area for next year and I'm thinkingI might not make comic-con next year.

I love APE though, so I could see doing it again next year, and if I can remember fanime before the tables sell out I'd love to do that gig.

in any case, I'll bring art books and what not, prints, t-shirts, etc. I've never been one to do the "buy something and I'll draw you a commission for free" gig as I've seen that tactic make huge sales for friends, and almost kill them with work.  (here's 5 bucks for the book, can you draw the x-men fighting the JLA for me? eesh) but....I think this year I might bring a stack of watercolor paper and just bang out doodles on them and give them to who ever wants them with a purchase. that way I can pre-load a bunch of em before I even sit down

swing by, say hi, buy me a beer, and tell me what cool stuff you've found!


-Vince

So maybe to much info, but I've got this crazy eye twitch thing going on. Its been 2 weeks now and it just comes and goes. Its almost comical if it weren't so annoying. its totally timed like an anime react.

"we have any coffee?"
"no, we are out of coffee"

que eye twitch.

gah.


I think its just stress, but damn it! drawing is hard when one of your eyes is just doing its own thing.

end of rant.

comic-con 2011

well comic-con came and went and I somehow survived it all. Sales were smaller per item for me from last year, but I had more stuff and somehow made more money. go figure. still not going to quite my day job

It was a long drive down, 10 hours, but I left like 4 in the morning and avoided most of the traffic. I actually got diner before preview night instead of after (which last year left me with few food options) Preview night is a mixed bag for me. It allows me to get set up without the crowds, but then its always slow sales wise as people tend to be looking to see what they might buy in the coming days.

Thats always an odd bit to. People see something they like, decide that they have days to come back for it, probably intend to come back for it, and then as the days go on, they forget and/or just can't find me again. It doesn't help that the small press tables are numbered separate from the isle number system. (isle 1500, but table L10, having just the "L10" part wouldn't help you one bit as you look up and only see isle numbers and most people cover over the signs that have the table Letters)

The tables are compressed together tighter than at Wondercon. at Wondercon you can actually get in and out of your booth without having to move behind your neighbor. Comic-Con they had the tables tight so the guys in the middle of the row have to do the bugs bunny routine (pardon me, scuse me, etc) as they crawl over and around all of the adjacent booths.

This year they had the exhibitors wear wristbands that you weren't supposed to remove for the entire con(and they were made in such a way that you couldn't pull them off without destroying them). I think it was to cut down on the fake exhibitor badges, or to prevent exhibitors from swapping badges with a normal badge and going to the exclusive line up stuff before others could get onto the show floor.

Highlights

-Seeing the building rogues gallery of con friends I seem to be amassing.
-talking to Terry Dodson
-talking to Phil Noto
-having Terry Moore look at my stuff (he didn't buy anything, but he looked for awhile. thats got to be good sign right??)
-seeing the rifftrack guys perform
-having cool neighbors

weird moments

-"did you name your company 17machine because my favorite number is 17?"
-"do you have any watchman stuff?"


overall it went well and gave me a lot of inspiration to get off my rear and do more drawing!

-Vince

Well its that time of year again. I got a table at Comic-Con in San Diego and will be selling prints, comics, and other stuff.

This will be my third year doing the show, and it is always crazy. I've had close friends attend the show and not see me even though
they went through the small press area. So I figure I'd mention my attendance, might increase the chances

Swing by and say hi....that is if you can actually find my ninja like table.

I'll be at :

Table L10
listed as 17machinestudios.

Well I got back from India on Thursday, sick as a dog, and managed to stumble into Wondercon on Friday. I hit the doctor at 7am that morning for blood tests and what not to try and figure out what alien life form was trying to eat my intestines. Imagine the worst hangover ever. Now try and go to a con with that for three days. eeesh.

It was the least prepared I've ever been for a con, and yet the fact that I packed up from APE and just unpacked that same gear onto the table at Wondercon actually almost worked out.

I was out of business cards, sold out of several books and prints(as I had pretty much only the inventory left from APE, and really underestimated the demand) and found myself at the kitchen table stapling ashcans at 5am. that's about as "Indy" as it gets.

If you met me and I seemed out of it, I was on this crazy jet lag and the food in India, while amazing, was out to kill me. If ya missed me at the table, it was either because I foolishly thought I could get portfolio review from Boom Studios at 1pm and not line up at at 8am, or it was when we ran out of all the books, and I realized I had left what inventory I had at the house 30 minutes away. eeesh.

Overall the con this year had some of the nicest customers I've met yet. much less radioactive people, or maybe I just was to out of it to notice. I did have one guy go on and on about how much like tin tin my work is. no really. ...yeah, I don't see it either....

I got to see a lot of familiar faces. Doing the Ca Cons over and over you tend to slowly build of friends list of form table neighbors and customers.

I actually did a couple of commissions this year which was actually really fun. (and helped pay for the table) We had an end cap which was super nice, and they gave small press a lot more room behind the table then years previous.

My standing banner with agent was at the end of the table, and we had at least a dozen people stop and pose with it for photos. I was kind of floored by that. really blew my mind that someone would want to have their photo taken with her

Friday we had a cool agent come up from LA and hang out for an hour or so patiently explaining IP licensing and what not while I worked the booth. learn something new every day

Saturday I stumbled on Brian Stelfreeze, one of my favorite artists whom I had no idea was going to be at the show. He was nice enough to give crits to not only myself but a couple of other artists. I spent 2 hours listening to crits and watching him draw. I couldn't believe the stuff that I learned, and how he made it all seem easy and fun. I had taken classes over a decade ago at SCAD from him, Cully Hamner (green lantern mosaic...best, book, ever) Allen Nunnis, Mike Mignola, Scott McCloud, Will Eisner, Dave Dorman (who paints really small! )and I would swear Terry Dodson was there as a student, but I could be wrong on that point. but any ways....

Sunday I got go to dinner with a bunch of cool cats from DC that we had met earlier in the day. It felt like some sort of hazy jet lagged exhaustion induced dream as I sat at a table of amazingly warm and talented people as they reminisced about the early Wildstorm days and what not.

So while I was the least prepared, sick as a dog, exhausted, and only barely awake, I somehow managed to have record sales, learn more in 2 hours than I had in 2 years, meet a cool IP rep, and have and amazing entertaining dinner filled with new contacts and neat people.... just...wow.