The Year is 2020

It's March! Boy, has it been a year already. Some good stuff, some not so great things and some great things! I don't feel like getting into all the details right now. What I do want to do is tell you about some of the awesome shows I got lined up this Spring!

I'm so excited to be a part of these amazing shows! I have a new No Pants Revolution coming out as well as some other fun stuff that I can't wait to show you. Below are a few more details about when and where they are.

April 4: Milwaukee Zine Fest 10:30am-4:30pm at The Central Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library Milwaukee, WI

April 18: Detroit Zine Fest 11am-7pm at Light Box Performance in Detroit, MI

May 16: Chicago Zine Fest 11am-6pm at The Plumbers Union Hall Chicago, IL

June 13-14: Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE) 11am-6pm at The Broadway Armory Chicago, IL

So, what else have I been up to? This past December I did my first ever comics reading courtesy of Meanwhile and Saturday Night Drink and Draw. I gave out and mailed over 100 copies of my 2019 Holiday Card (which due to some computer issues I don't have access to right now. That will be for another post soon, promise). Also, for the first time ever, I actually completed all 31 days of #inktober! I was inspired to do inktober illustrations based around the loose concept of fashion. Some of the drawings are of me in outfits inspired by characters, old photos or real life outfits I wear and a few are fan art drawings of characters wearing fun new outfits. Check them out!

Here they are all over the floor. This is fun right?

If you can't make it out to any of the shows I'll be at, then considering grabbing some of my comics from my online store. New stuff coming soon. Link.

Also, if you don't already, go follow me on Instagram and or Twitter for up to date art stuffs. 
Instagram: @Saturn2169
Twitter: @Saturn2169 

Choose Comics

Sometimes life is overwhelming. I've been writing this blog for over ten years with over 200 posts. If you've followed this blog, which I don't blame you if you haven't, you'd see how my life has changed, how my art has changed, the things that I've wanted have changed. I've drawn comics off and on since I was a kid. I was constantly inspired by newspaper strips and then manga and then indie/alt/and autobio comics. But for some reason my idiot brain never realized that comics was my favorite way to express myself. I think for too long I thought that if I was going to make art, then I had to make it my career. And for most of my life comics didn't register as a career. In September 2008, in my seventh ever post, I talked about how I started taking a cartooning class and posted my first ever autobio comic. Ivan Brunetti taught that class. Everything I learned in that class and all of the cool comics I was exposed to was so inspiring. I continued to scribble comics in my sketchbooks and for fun even doodled a daily comic just as a drawing exercise. It wasn't until almost six years later, inspired by the awesome artists I met at NYC Comics Jam, that I finally realized that I could share my art with people through my comics. I printed my first ever No Pants Revolution and tabled at my first ever convention. This post is already getting too long. Long story, short: I'm so inspired by all of the artists and amazing people in my life. I love being able to share my art with people. If you factor in time and materials and table fees, I don't make any money from making comics. But sharing my comics and zines with people give me this weird human connection that I, as an awkward, anxious, depressed person, have a hard time doing in person. Last weekend was Chicago Zine Fest. And even though I've tabled at several cons and zine fests in the past, I still felt really nervous. Just as the show opened, the first person to walk past my table was Ivan Brunetti. He was the first person to buy my No Pants Revolution 4, eleven years after encouraging me to draw journal comics in the first place. 

There are so many people in my life who support me and inspire me and encourage me to continue. Thank you guys so much.  

Oh, so, Chicago Zine Fest was a great show, as always. I debuted my two new books: No Pants Revolution 4: Who Am I? and Mito and Me #3. If you didn't get the chance to see me at Zine Fest guess what?

I got into CAKE (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo)! I'm so excited and honored to be able to table at such a cool convention alongside so many amazing artists. 

Poster design by Marnie Galloway

So, I'm also tabling at Comicopolis and Grand Rapids Zine Fest and hopefully have a couple other shows for the last half of the year. I will keep yous guys posted. 

Thanks for reading.

I've Heard of Cake at Table, but Table at Cake?

That's right! My No Pants and I will be making our CAKE debut Sunday, June 3rd. I've had the honor of being picked to be a part of CAKE's First Slice table for up and coming comic artists. I'm very excited. I'll have copies of all my No Pants books, Mito and Me as well as original art and stickers. If you're in the city, swing by and say hey!

Last weekend I tabled at Chicago Zinefest. It was such a great show! Thank you to everyone who came out to see me and bought books. Anyone who has read No Pants Revolution 3 knows that it is a bit of an emotional roller coaster. It means a lot to me when people pick it up and chuckle or point to things to which they can relate.

Me lookin' like a goof at Chicago Zinefest.

Bonus!!!!

I put together a sketchbook zine for the Northside Comic Artist table at Zinefest. It is a NSC exclusive, limited release. Only 13 copies were printed and it will only be available at conventions where the Northside Comic Artists are tabling (so I will not have it at CAKE). To find out when and where the Northside Comic Artists will be tabling check their schedule here. Below I posted a bit a sneak peek at some of the illustrations inside.

A collection of my favorite characters in fun outfits.