Still kicking here!

Posted by jupe

Hi everyone!

I’m sorry I haven’t posted much recently, but I’ve been up to a lot of exciting stuff! The top of my priorities has been organising and setting up a new studio space to share with other local artists so I can work from work instead of from home. We move in soon… within the next couple weeks!

I’ve also been working on a new project called Shelly. It’s going to be a series of books for girls ages 10-15 and will deal with the things that are on the minds of girls that age. I’ll be taking direct feedback from that age group and will be incorporating those ideas into the comic so that they have something relatable and relevant to their age group. I find that many girls read below or above their age group because there just isn’t anything there for them.  This will hopefully help change that.

It will be real. It won’t be holding back or pulling punches. Girls want something intelligent; they don’t want things to be dumbed down… and I want to provide that.

Shelly is well under way and preview images and work can be viewed under the portfolio link on this page. The first issue is due out in the summer of this year. As it stands, I hope to have two issues out per year.

Please use the contact form to get in touch with me if you have any questions or comments or suggestions for the book! I look forward to hearing some feedback.

Thanks for your continued support and readership!

Busy Busy Busy

Posted by jupe

I’ve been so busy lately and my house is suffering for it. It’s seriously such a mess. I need to get on it, but also, my job calls. What am I doing? COMICS! I’m making comics for a living now and it’s great.

In sunnier news, the Strays Kickstarter is almost over. I’ve made enough to cover about 3/4 of my print costs, which helps extraordinarily. So many thanks to so many awesome people for the support.

Thirdly, I’m now working on a children’s comic. I’ll make some posts about it soon and add it to my projects page and daily drawings. It’s called Skelt and Apy and is due out this August.

I’m bad at posting again

Posted by jupe

I know that I should be posting more often, but I’ve actually been really busy lately.

First off, I’ve been working on Strange Romance like a mad woman. I have finished all the inking and need to do the colouring. I’m waiting on my writer to let me know if he would like me to do watercolour and marker or digital. Either one is fine with me.

Secondly, I’ve been saving up for a new drawing art tablet. It’s not a Cintiq, as I’d be saving for years for that expensive sucker, so instead, I’ll be getting a Yiynova MSP 19U+ v5. They should really come out with a better name for it. Anyway, it’s supposed to be about as good as the Cintiq and about $2000 less expensive.

Third, I’ve been going to a lot of conventions.  MCX was my first convention and I did amazingly well. Since then, I’ve been to Oshawa con, where I did okay, and to Forest City Comic Con, where I did really, really well again. I’m getting the hang of tabling and have big plans for an upcoming convention in December.  I have two more cons before the end of the year: Sheridan College con, which is a Friday con, and Festivus con in downtown Toronto, where I am sharing a table with my artbuddy, Chris.

I have a ton of knitting to get done, as well as more prints. I’ll be working on crap every single day until the end of the con season of 2015…. and I’m already thinking about 2016. It’s going to be a busy rest of the year 🙂

MCX – Mississauga Comic eXpo

Posted by jupe

I’ve sat at tables at conventions before, but up until yesterday, they were tables owned by other people. Yesterday, I sat at a table that was my own and experienced Mississauga’s first comic convention. It was a small and friendly con, but it was run very well by local artist Aaron Ong. I had a lot of fun talking to all the people and giving away free colouring pages to all the kids.

My bread and butter was Toronto Comics, which I expected. I sold out on volume 1s (11) and sold five volume 2s. I also sold a good number of stickers and prints.  I also learned the consequences of being one of the first tables people visit: they want to check out the rest of the con first, and by the time they get back to you, they’re broke. Damnit!

I’m glad I had my Square with me. I actually did a good chunk of my sales by credit card. Such a handy little thing.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the event. I was at my table for 95% of the con and didn’t take any photos; just selfish photos of my own stuff 😛 The latter two pictures were taken by local comic store Image Collections.

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Yiynova MSP19u+ v5

Posted by jupe

It may look like a bunch of letters, but there are actually many aspects of the newest Yiynova 19 inch tablet which makes it better than the Cintiq — particularly, the $800 price tag.

Thing is, I’m not going to be able to get it for a really long time, and as nice as my Wacom Bamboo tablet is, an on screen drawing tablet would be far superior for me to work with.

SO, as much as I hate people asking for money, I’m going to become one of them.  I’ve set up a GoFundMe page for the big price tag of $800 and will see if I can manage to get a bit of cash from people who are willing to support my fledgling art career.

If I reach my goal, I’ll send everyone who pledged $15 or more at least one art print as my thank you to them. The more you pledge, the more prints you get.

In other news, I’m all rested up from my time at Fan Expo and am ready to get this house clean as soon as possible. My mom is giving me a huge hand in it and I plan on helping her make it go as easily as possible. Then, off to Thunder Bay for a week, and after that, a small comic convention in Mississauga where I can hopefully sell some more prints.

The kids are in school, so I’ll be an art machine and will feel a lot more freedom, as well as a lot less stress.

Fan Expo

Posted by jupe

I’d post more, but I’m really really tired. I worked the Toronto Comics table today and yesterday and while working, I spotted a girl who looks just like one of the pictures I drew awhile back.

Check this freaky-deaky shit out!

Steampunk lady was super duper nice. She and I chatted a bit and she walked away with a self portrait.

Bedtime soon. I’m so tired I could pass out right now.

Actually, that sounds like a great idea.

Awesome. Just awesome.

Posted by jupe

And I mean Awesome as in actually Awesome and not Sarcastic-Awesome.

I’ve been on a drawing streak. I’ve organised my copics, coloured with them, and done a lot of pages for Strays. The script is constantly being modified in little ways as I receive feedback and I’m pumping out the storyboards like gangbusters.

I am currently halfway done the Strays comic in storyboarding. Check it out in the Portfolio link at the top of the page for the most recent images.

I’ve been on a crazy sleep schedule but it enables me to actually get stuff done.

Tonight’s dinner is homemade burritos. It will be glorious. 🙂

Long Day!

Posted by jupe

Wow, what a Friday!

My dear friend EK Weaver is in town and I’ve been going out of my way to make time with her and Brett. Last night, we got a babysitter and went to the Indie Ale House with her, Brett, Neil Nadelman, Mike Toole, Dave Merrill and his lovely wife Shain, Greg and Jaime, my husband, and eventually Andrew Stevenson, my friend and editor. It was a lovely time with great food and drink.

Today, I hit the gym and after I showered and changed, went to meet EK, Brett, and Mike downtown. As it turnd out they were on Weston Road. Not wanting them to get lost on the subway or streetcars, I picked them up and we slowly made our way down to Chinatown where I introduced them to Megan Hendricks at the Embassy. They really liked the studio and classroom and after much humming and hawwing, we went for dumplings.

Man, do I ever love dumplings.

The time was beginning to wane on us so I called my neighbour Meghan and asked her to pick up Nick. Luckily, she was able to, because by the time we went to Black Oak Brewery and dropped everyone off, it was late. I got home 20 minutes after Nick got out of school. Thank goodness for Meghan. I have the most amazing neighbours.

I doubt any of my neighbours read my blog, but I still feel enormous gratitude toward Tanya for keeping an eye on the boys after Charlie was picked up by Keiren and Ty, huge gratitude toward Charlie for persevering for hours without tv or internet entertainment (she read books, as I was told), to Meghan for picking up Nick, and to Rob and Cindy for understanding when Alex couldn’t attend that board meeting.

We really do have the best neighbours, ever.

Anyway, I’m home now, and  very sore, but it’s so worth it. Tomorrow is my nephew Eligh’s birthday party and my birthday on Tuesday. Then, June 4th is Nick’s birthday and the 6th is his birthday party.

BUSY BUSY and a long day but oh so satisfying.

Strays!

Posted by jupe

I’ve been doing a lot of work on Strays now that Toronto Comics is finished. I feel like I can move forward with momentum, though I’m still slightly hesitant because I’m waiting for feedback on my work.

Here is a sneak peek of the first four pages of Strays, penciled.

Strays Pencils, Pages 1 through 4

In other news, Toronto Comics Vol 2 is done and published and copies are flowing nicely. I also have Sawchuck coming out this summer and two more anthologies to work on this year.

I’ll post more as I go along!