Sequential Artists Workshop

Comics itself is a medium and practice. But it also can be host to lots of different working mediums: traditional comics materials, new digital tools, watercolor, printmaking—whatever your heart desires! How do you choose yours?

(Watercolor illustration by Jess Ruliffson)

What medium feels gratifying, what feels satisfying, what is too labor intensive right now? Maybe you are still learning a new medium, and figuring out how to make short experiments to get fluent and/or fast. Try practicing it every day—returning to the "terrible anvil of daily deadlines" to establish your style!

Hyena Hell once said to avoid using materials that present more of a block to you. Working in the ‘wrong’ medium, i.e. one we are unfamiliar with, can be a kind of defensive armor against finishing the work: "Once I get good at this I will start/finish my comic."

Don’t wait, call today! WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN YOUR HANDS RIGHT NOW? Use that first.

Some tips or things to try when choosing a medium for your comics:

* Do what works for you, not what people say you should use

* Find the tools that feel good in your hand and help you express yourself

* Set parameters for yourself to not get overwhelmed by choice

* Play with 'weirder' mediums like photo comics and collage

* Use whatever materials are available to you (financially, spatially)

* Get the fancy stuff if you want!

* Change mediums between projects

There's lots more on the call, so give it a listen!

And join us for next week's episode as we get deep into COLOR!

You can watch the call live by joining the SAW FLOW + PUBLISH member group, where you'll also get access to a supportive community and expert guidance on getting your comics published! Sign up here: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/comics-flow-group

See you next time!

💬 DONATIONS SAW Comics is a 501C-3 non-profit and we thrive on your support and donations to keep arts education accessible! You can support us on: ➡️ Patreon:   / sawcomics  ➡️ PayPal: https://learn.sawcomics.org/pages/donate➡️ Or become a sustaining donor: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/s...

Thank you for being here!

This week on the Terrible Anvil we talked about CRITICISM!

Criticism and rejection are inevitable parts of the creative process—so how can we make them more bearable?

Jess Ruliffson and Tom Hart share their advice on when (and who) to ask for feedback and how to go about it, offer tools for managing your inner critic, and discuss how to distinguish between constructive feedback and unhelpful criticism.

This episode of the Terrible Anvil is chock-full of relatable anecdotes and practical tips, so give it a listen!

And join us next episode as Jess and Tom talk comics MEDIUM—Digital, Analog, and Everything In Between!

You can watch the call live by joining the SAW FLOW + PUBLISH member group, where you'll also get access to a supportive community and expert guidance on getting your comics published!

Sign up here: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/comics-flow-group

Happy making!

💬 DONATIONS SAW Comics is a 501C-3 non-profit and we thrive on your support and donations to keep arts education accessible! You can support us on: ➡️ Patreon:   / sawcomics  ➡️ PayPal: https://learn.sawcomics.org/pages/donate➡️ Or become a sustaining donor: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/s...

Thank you for being here!

This week we talked all about creative collaboration!

[Note: We had a couple technical difficulties this episode, and there’s a bit of silence from 52:14 to 52:38!]

Comics can often be a solitary endeavor, but you'll find lots of ways to collaborate with other people—be it editors, writers, artists, colorists, copy editors, designers, publishers or co-creators!

Collaboration in any art form can be a great way to breathe new life into the creative process. They can be scary or uncomfortable if you're used to having total control over your creative projects, or this shared control might feel liberating. Either way, there's lots to gain from working with others on a shared project, from morale boosts and accountability systems, to practical knowledge sharing and the creative alchemy of multiple minds coming together.

But how do collaborations happen? How do you make them successful? How can you maximize fun and minimize pain in the process?

There's lots of advice in this episode, but the core of it is to establish clear communication and boundaries and to have a shared goal with your collaborators.

Tune in for even more wisdom (and shenanigans) from Eisner-nominees Tom Hart and Jess Ruliffson in this episode of the Terrible Anvil!

And join us next week as we cover rejection, criticism, and deadlines in the comics process! You can watch the call live by joining the SAW FLOW + PUBLISH member group, where you'll also get access to a supportive community and expert guidance on getting your comics published!

Sign up here: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/comics-flow-group

Happy making!

💬 DONATIONS SAW Comics is a 501C-3 non-profit and we thrive on your support and donations to keep arts education accessible! You can support us on: ➡️ Patreon:   / sawcomics  ➡️ PayPal: https://learn.sawcomics.org/pages/donate➡️ Or become a sustaining donor: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/s...Thank you for being here!

The Terrible Anvil Episode Fourteen: Starting Over

Hi, Friends!

This week on The Terrible Anvil, Tom Hart and I dug deep on the topic of STARTING OVER. We noted there's a few different types of starting over:

1) Restarting an old, old, project2) Starting a new project after you finish one you've been working on (or even working in a series or across multiple comics pages)3) Completely rethinking a project you have sunk a lot of enthusiasm and hours into

Have you ever started over? Tom said he sorta started over in his approach to his graphic novel, and also while he was working on an outline for a follow-up memoir that one small dream sequence within it became a longer series, B is Dying. I noted that I when I was making comics  about veterans, originally I envisioned myself as a character and removed myself once my personal narrative got too long and tangential to hook to the main story (it ended up being the idea for a different book that I didn't make!) 

Sometimes, particularly on freelance/shorter work, I will keep going to the finish line and use the information of what was less than ideal as inspiration for future comics. It's not a starting over but a way to gain insights into a better working process.

Here's some gems from the chat, and thanks Meg Lentz our fabulous note taker!

Oneita brought up a good question:

What about starting over in the middle of what you are doing for a deadline but still be true to the pitch? Like how close do the thumbnails have to be to the pitch?  What if I’m veering too far away from my pitch? And I don’t like my pitch anymore?

I was thinking that the best course might be to #keepgoing and get it over with, and then take those desires forward to the next project. And keep your collaborators informed if you really veer off topic! But mostly, I just try to finish stuff quickly and Tom Hart said book publishing editors are more committed to getting a book rather than the exact thing you pitched!

Tom talked about building a personal archive of ideas to mine later - maybe that book proposal didn't  "work out" but there's a lot of good stuff to revisit!

In thinking about the big scary restart, I mused that rather than starting over on my projects, I usually just stop to clarify what I'm working on and being more intentional + specific - letting go of the things that don’t serve the main goal

Jim Hamilton shared: I plan on using the upcoming Graphic Novel Intensive to decide whether an idea I have has legs. I think maybe it won't, but it may take me in some other worthwhile direction.

Carole McKee Armen observed that: Getting feedback from valued critique partners can lead to a difficult decision whether or not to “start over” or stay the course

(Tom mentioned this awesome 'cinema shack' by the filmmaker Agnes Varda)

Tom Hart also talked about The Garden of Unfinished Projects - a playground where one could keep dreaming with other cartoonists about the nascent beanpoles of ideas quietly mulching in the comics backyard, getting bigger and riper.

Tom and myself both noticed the magic of thinking about PROCESS with others (versus PRODUCT, the final work). Tom said he's curious about the future of art and wonders if projects have to have clear beginnings middles and ends, or if they can be more about creating something and being in the company of others.

There’s always opportunities for starting over in a variety of ways. Doubt is an important part of the creative process (I joked that "doubt is the sexy part of faith" haha.)

We also thought about TOILING (it's value and maybe enjoyment?) and FROLICKING...

I asked Tom Hart: Starting vs starting over - what’s harder? are they the same thing? Tom says starting is harder - there’s more uncertainty and insecurity. A big takeaway from this Tom mentioned: Don't start from scratch, don't start with a blank page! What sort of artsy detritus can you unearth from your garden of ideas? Maybe start there first, less pressure, more fun.

There's lots more fun on the podcast, you can catch recordings via SAW's awesome YouTube channel and wherever you stream podcasts. Next week, we're talking about COLLABORATING!

Happy Making!

💬Did you know SAW is a SCHOOL!

Find our ONLINE CLASSES at https://learn.sawcomics.org/

💬 DONATIONS SAW Comics is a 501C-3 non-profit and we thrive on your support and donations to keep arts education accessible! You can support us on: ➡️ Patreon:   / sawcomics  ➡️ PayPal: https://learn.sawcomics.org/pages/donate➡️ Or become a sustaining donor: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/s...Thank you for being here!

This week we talked STYLE!

How do you make your own artistic style? How long does it take? Do you need to stick to one at all?

We go over these questions and more as we unpack what role style plays in cartooning and our expectations around our work.

We also revisit topics like moving past our inner critics, forging daily creative routines, and staying curious about the possibilities of our work. As always, a nice mix of philosophy and practicality!

Join us next week as we talk about STARTING OVER—both redoing projects that came to a halt, and getting started on a new project after finishing one!

You can watch the call live by joining the SAW FLOW + PUBLISH member group, where you'll also get access to a supportive community and expert guidance on getting your comics published!

Sign up here: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/c...

See you next week! --------------------------------

💬ONLINE COURSES SAW is a SCHOOL!

Find our ONLINE CLASSES at https://learn.sawcomics.org/

💬 DONATIONS SAW Comics is a 501C-3 non-profit and we thrive on your support and donations to keep arts education accessible! You can support us on: ➡️ Patreon:   / sawcomics   ➡️ PayPal: https://learn.sawcomics.org/pages/donate ➡️ Or become a sustaining donor: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/s... Thank you for being here! --------------------------------

This week we got rather philosophical here at the Terrible Anvil podcast! We tackled lots of big ideas, but circled back again and again to finding joy in the hard parts of comics (and within the confines of capitalist markets). We also discussed drawing inspiration from the world around us. Zooming out can get us out of our heads and give our work room to breathe. But our power to tell stories comes from within us too! We go over ways to tap into our own creative energy, even when we've reached a state of burnout. Finding ways to reignite the joy of our creative process can lead us to more sustainable art practices—especially when we're working on dark, heavy topics. Where do you find joy in your work? What keeps you creating even when the going gets tough? Let us know in the comments! Join us for next week's episode, where we'll talk about developing your own STYLE!

Meg Lentz’s amazing thumbnail for this episode!

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💬SAW is a SCHOOL! Find our ONLINE CLASSES at https://learn.sawcomics.org/

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Recorded at SAW on Zoom, April 4, 2024

This week on The Terrible Anvil, we talked about BACKGROUNDS! When and How and Why to draw them, maybe also hopefully indirectly answering Oneita's great questions from the pre-call post over in Comics FLOW and PUBLISH:

"Personally love backgrounds and I like having them in my comics but I tend to get lost between deep perspective and foreground objects. I’m not wanting to take away from my characters but I also want to have more than a blank throwaway type environment.  I’m often weighing how much detail in the background?  How do I make my characters pop?  What’s most important ,words or the characters or the silence?"

(Some other great comments from the pre-call post!)

We talked about the link between last week's topic, EXPECTATIONS and backgrounds: what we THINK backgrounds should look like, as well as what readers might expect, hence this fun John Byrne example of a fight in a snowstorm:

Jess mentioned that OBJECTS can also serve a similar purpose to backgrounds and that, as also is the case in improv theater, and also perhaps radio theater sound-effects (thanks Walter Hudsick!) that objects can be CHARGED WITH NARRATIVE. (aka PROPS!) And thought of the value of words and pictures paired together: when the caption says "We're back at the spaceship command room" and the panel has a steering wheel, I know that is the steering wheel to aforementioned spaceship and not a Honda Civic.

Regarding expectations of what backgrounds (and maybe also comics) can or should do, it's often thought that backgrounds should be IMMERSIVE and REALISTIC. Tom and Jess underlined the idea that one can draw comics that are immersive without being explicitly detailed or realistic. Something that Jess will often refer to as ART BUDGETING - asking each panel how much and what kind of information it wants to impart, and to what end. Every panel is a choice - the ones preceding and coming after inform that choice as well. You get to decide how and when to make something look a certain way, or what to emphasize.

Carole McKee Armen mentioned the backgrounds of KrazyKat and how they frequently change, and Tom added how that approach impacts the storytelling and narrative itself.

Tom mentioned the minimal backgrounds of Peanuts and how that shaped how he often would draw backgrounds when starting out. This example of Sally kicking the school building was a recurring scenario that Tom loved.

There's lots more on this episode! Tune in on our YouTube channel and listen wherever you stream your podcasts.

Happy Making!

Jess (+ Tom)

Hi, Friends!

This week's episode of The Terrible Anvil was streamed LIVE on YouTube (I dunno if we will do that regularly, but if you've been wanting to catch a live call and aren't part of the SAW Comics FLOW + PUBLISH group, check that page out. It's also where we archive the video recordings!)

Ok, what did we talk about this week? EXPECTATIONS!

A few episodes back Tom said:  "There are a lot of reasons to feel bad while making art. Most of those are expectations of results, expectations, rewards"

There were three ideas we touched on in this episode:

-Time is the medium of possibility (give yourself more time)

-Inevitability versus possibility (don’t mandate results before, during, or after the work)

- It's ok to be ambitious! (But normalize your mediocrity too. That old adage, shoot for the moon, land among the stars...but you could also stay in grassy field dreaming and stargazing)

Sometimes things don't end up how we planned (see the plentiful "expectations vs reality" memes, this one is my favorite:)

...and sometimes things go better than we think they might!

Some highlights from the chat this week:

Maria Fitzgerald said: "If one makes a deadline it gives one something to aim for.  It makes the project suddenly seem possible."

From Jess: "we often tell ourselves we have to become like the great masters before we can finish our work, when really we can work with what we have now"

Michi Mathias said: "We always see our own work as mediocre bcs it never matches what was in our heads. But when we dare to show it to other people, they see it as fantastic! The hard part is accepting that, not negating it…."

Which reminded me of this Ira Glass quote:

Tom Hart said that GOALS and EXPECTATIONS are “Wiggly terms” - have to define them and negotiate them for ourselves"

But maybe we have more control over our goals; expectations are often derived from comparing ourselves to others

Now more than ever, art-making and publishing and sharing is more accessible than before. Tom thinks "Having so many options makes art making more accessible and should be fun!"

Jess mused "If your expectations are open-ended and steeped more in possibility than inevitability, they can be easier to manage"

We talked about our expectations: wanting to draw like Charles Schulz (consistently, magnificently) wanting a regular, steady job teaching art in higher ed, or expectations within an experience like an MFA program--

Tom had a good bit of advice, if you take nothing else with you:

How to deal with expectations? Lower them!

One way to do this:

Tom recommends making small things that are easier to finish

I joked about embracing mediocrity but there's something to this about being authentic, showing up, working how YOU work (not how you wish you worked, or how Charles Schulz worked) and trying not to get too cynical about the whole process. Stay curious, be kind to yourself and your inability to draw hands/cars/backgrounds--

Alison Kent said: "One of the most valuable things about SAW is the community cheerleading, it’s not a red ocean (full of sharks) vs. blue ocean. (Unlike a lot of MFA programs)"

Tom mentioned this movie:

Tom set his expectations for undergrad on this film - wanted to be surrounded by curious artistic minds and found that his classmates just wanted to essentially draw Hulk + Superwoman porn 

Jess was also thinking about the repetition or expectation of something happening more than once (RESULTS): SOMETIMES vs ALWAYS and NEVER - things happen sometimes, but rarely always and rarely never

Oneita Parker said: "Its ok to create here"

Adrean Clark said: "sometimes we make things thinking it’ll go somewhere but in the end it goes in a different direction"

Walter Hudsick wondered: "Is there an aspect especial to comics/cartooning that creates an expectation of publishing? Plenty of people paint for fun without ever expecting to sell a painting or be in a museum, for example. But comics really only exist when published?"

On goals, Jim Hamilton said: "I set a modest goal that I am pretty sure I can meet: selling 100 books this year. I'm up to 39 books sold now and I have two events that should get me a lot closer in the next couple of weeks. (I have also given away 21 books to family, libraries, mentors, etc..)"

There's LOADS more in this episode, we thank you for listening. Thanks for being here!

The Terrible Anvil Episode 9 - How to Win Friends & Influence People (TABLING at Conventions!)

In this episode we talk about some of the most social fun one can have as a cartoonist: TABLING!

Tune in for tips on navigating comics conventions, zine fairs, and press expos of all seasons and sizes. Learn about attending conventions to share your work, expand your network, have fun, and see what's out there in the world of comics.

Whether attending, volunteering, tabling, speaking in a panel, or hosting your own, we've got you covered!

Have any burning questions about comics making?

Want a say in what we cover in future episodes?

Leave a comment below or in the SAW Mighty Network!

Want to leave comments and heckle us in real time during our live calls? Join us at our SAW FLOW + PUBLISH member group—and get access to a supportive community and expert guidance on getting your comics published!

Sign up here: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/comics-flow-group

See you next week! --------------------------------

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Recorded at SAW on Zoom, March 14, 2024

This week we talked about navigating social media to promote your work and make money as a cartoonist—from networking and building your audience, to avoiding burnout and fielding harsh feedback.

The internet can be a lovely way to connect with friends and family, make new connections, support fellow cartoonists, and publish your comics. There are great benefits to serializing a webcomic or routinely sharing your work.

But social media can also be a source of pressure, discouragement, and creative doubt.

Do you need to move to NYC and gain a million followers on Instagram to be a commercially successful artist? Do you have to work tirelessly on gaming the algorithm to get your work seen? Do you have to monetize your comics at all?

Listen in for answers to questions like these and more!

And join us next week for our episode on TABLING!

You can join the call live by subscribing to the SAW FLOW + PUBLISH member group, where you'll get access to a supportive community and expert guidance on getting your comics published! Sign up here: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/comics-flow-group

As always, happy making!!

💬 DONATIONS SAW Comics is a 501C-3 non-profit and we thrive on your support and donations to keep arts education accessible! You can support us on: ➡️ Patreon:   / sawcomics  ➡️ PayPal: https://learn.sawcomics.org/pages/donate➡️ Or become a sustaining donor: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/s...

Thank you for being here!