TCAF this weekend!

That's right, I'm flying back to the lovely Canada for another Toronto Comics Arts Festival! I've got my cryptids and my prints and my comics all locked and loaded, so for my Canadian fam out there, hope to see you this weekend!

I'm at Table 111 on the first floor, in the window-ful atrium of the library, which *hopefully* will get more foot traffic this year than last? Anyway, no matter what we'll have a ball. Here are some of the new stuff I'll be bringing:

I only JUST learned that Toronto has the highest population of raccoons, which also happens to be my husband's favorite animal (his former unit was named the Trash Pandas), so I had to do a tribute print!

And it wouldn't be me if I didn't bring my crypties along - here are the ones I found for Ontario, and Toronto's specific Tunnel Monster I also put on a sticker!

Anywhoozits, hope to see some of you there!

Emerald City THIS Week/Weekend!

Well IT'S TIME, Emerald City Comic Con is THIS Thursday through Sunday! I am still taking commission requests beforehand, though I won't be working on them till the show. So if you'd like one, send me an email (lipstickisspress@gmail.com) and let me know what you want, pencil or ink, and it'll be at the top of my pile while I'm at the show! (You can find commission prices/examples here!) OR you can let me know at the show and I'll let you know my availability!

This year I'm a Guest (wee!) sitting alongside an all-star line-up in Artist Alley at Table I-1. 

Here are some of the new things I'll have with me - a brand new romance mini-comic called Martial Outlet (available only as a PDF at the moment, but will be in print and on Comixology soon!) and Stucky and Buffy prints.

Hope to see all you Pac/Northerners there! :D

Commissions Now Open & OTHER FUN NEWWWWS

If you'll be at SPX, Baltimore Comic Con, or New York Comic Con in the next two months and want a commission, pre-order now! Then there'll be no muss, no fuss (no chance of me spilling coffee on the piece while drawing at the show) and I'll have more time to work on it. Just give me a holler, let me know pencil/ink, which character you want, and if you have a preference, please include reference photos! Once you email I'll give ya the paypal address for payment. All sketches will be 8 x 10 on Bristol, $35 for pencil (or $45 for 2 figures in pencil) or $50 for ink ($75 for 2 figures in ink). Yay! (Oh - and Patreon peeps get a discount - become a patron for that and other specials!)

PSST - speaking of SPX and NYCC, I'll be on some panels, yahoo! At SPX I'll be on the Creative Collaboration in Comics  Collectives panel chatting about forming Bmore Into Comics on Saturday from 12:30 - 1:30pm, and at NYCC I'll be on the Kickstarter 101: An Intro to Funding Your Dream Comics Project panel on Friday from 1:30 - 2:30 in Room 1A24.

Come visit!

In February of this year I decided to challenge myself by drawing a hitman a day (all taken from movies, comics, and TV shows). I've placed them all together (along with their memorable quotes) into this "Portrait of a Hitman" mini comic, debuting at SPX! I'll have it available in my store online, or if you're a $3+ patron, you'll get the PDF for free.

The coloring books are back from the printer and look faaaaabulous, I'm so excited about them. The book is still coming along, but check in with my Kickstarter Update page to see the progress as we move along!

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Emerald City Next Week!

It's almost time for one of my favorite crazy big super shows - Emerald City Comic Con! I'll be at Table M-05, which if you were there last year, is the same spot, hooray! (Click the map to see an enlarged version)

That's right, it's happening next weekend, and besides the fact that it's always a super fun show for me .... this year it'll be EXTRA out of control because it coincides with the release of my new book Part-Time Princesses!

WEEEEEEEEE!

So to celebrate, I'll have these limited edition (limited edition because I had no clue how many to print and guessed at a tiny number) posters for sale at my table to commemorate this occasion!

So if you're at ECCC, come say hello and get yourself a poster and it will make my 2015. It will MAKE IT! And if you're NOT at ECCC, please go get my book when it comes out on Wednesday, March 25th! I'll be about to leave for Seattle but not quite, so I'm going to have a private, somber solo book release party. With my cats. My cats better come, the ungrateful jerks ...

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

STAPLE this weekend!

Helllloooo from the depths of the winter tundra in which I currently reside!

I'm planning on burrowing out of here early tomorrow morn and heading on down to the fantastically mild Austin climate for some Staple! action this weekend. If you're in the nearby to Austin area, come on out and see me! I'll have a selection of things, including these things:

OHHH I'll also have a preview copy of my NEW BOOK but no actual copies yet .... ;)

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Commissions Open, Calling All ECCCers!

I kind of feel like doing some commissions pre-Emerald City Comic Con this year, WHO WANTS SOME?? It gives me an excuse to do some fun drawing before then and get to see your lovely faces at the show when you come grab your print!

[one_half last="no"]

[/one_half] [one_half last="yes"]

[/one_half] [one_half last="no"]

[/one_half] [one_half last="yes"]

[/one_half] [one_half last="yes"]

Here's the info:

8" x 10" original art, blue (or red) pencil and ink.

1 figure, black & white – $50

2 figures, black & white – $85

**add $35 for each add’l figure in black & white**

All payment up front, via paypal at artemnis at gmail dot com.

Questions? Send me an email at lipstickisspress@gmail.com

---------------------------

I will also be doing commissions at the show, but those might be a little crazy and coffee/lipstick covered - but hey - AUTHENTIC!

***See all the ones I've done here!

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Bmore Into Comics #5 - THIS SUNDAY!

It's time for another edition of comics creators hanging out in a local bar in Baltimore, drawin' things, drinkin' things, and selling their books for all to enjoy!

Come on down to The Wind-Up Space this Sunday, December 14th from 12:00 - 5:00pm for the fun and squeeze in some holiday shopping while yer at it!

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

One Con Down, One to Go!

Woo! Still riding high on the fun that was Baltimore Comic Con this past weekend. This show is still one of my faves, not just because I live in dear ol' Bmore, but because it's the most diverse con I've still ever seen. People of all ages, backgrounds, costumed families, roving packs of preteens - it's pretty special. I get such warm squishes from seeing all the costumed folks bond with one another - "Hey aren't we in the Avengers together? FIST BUMPS!"

I was spoiled by all the familiar faces who returned to catch up and chat with me, and by being across from Locust Moon and their GIANTASTIC LITTLE NEMO ANTHOLOGY. Holy god - have you guys seen that thing? On Friday I thought it was a prop, but on Saturday I dared peek inside. No book can be that big and gorgeous, folks - no book.

And I got a lot of sketches to do - MY FAVORITE. I noticed after the fact that I drew almost ALL my ladies with their arms crossed in front of their boobs. What's that about? Should that be my thing now??

So now that SPX is looming on the horizon for this coming weekend, let's talk table displays! I like to mix things up at each convention, but I also like to figure out what works and what doesn't. Here was my table display for Baltimore:

I'm thinking it might be a little ... cluttered. Am I bringing too many different things? I feel like I either need to reduce/streamline my books and prints and things, or at least group them into different sections. Usually I think less is more, but then I get paranoid I'll leave out the one thing people might want to look at.

As exhibitors/visitors to conventions, what do you guys prefer? If I come up with anything special before SPX, I'll post it here and see if it made a difference.

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Local Times and Sportscar Designs

Hi guys, it's me! What have you been up to this summer?

After running around to different states the last couple of weekends (Boston 2 weeks ago, California 1 week ago), I'm finally here to stay! So here are some of the (exciting) things happening that I get to tackle now that I've got the whole rest of the local year ahead of me ...

• My next graphic novel (written/drawn by me and published by Oni Press) is ALL DRAWN! Now it just needs to be scanned, sent and VAMOOSH you guys will be seeing it soon! Can't wait!!
• My comic 4 States 2 Months, which you may/may not have been following in its sporadic spot on my website, is now almost complete and will be available in print at this year's SPX!
• Speaking of SPX, I will be there this year but FIRST I will be at Baltimore Comic Con at Table A-234!
• And . . . oh right, I've got a wedding to finish planning! Expect some possibly-complainy blog posts about that to come.

As far as my trips went, my fiancee and I checked out Monterey Car Week for a few days (total lifelong dream of his to be basked in hot cars and foggy, perfect weather) this past weekend. Not being a car person myself - I see my car as IT BETTER LAST FOREVER rather than a stunning piece of engineering equipment - I was surprised at how enjoyable it could be for a spectator. I mean, yes, most of the car "shows" took place on gorgeous Carmel Valley golf courses, on breezy/sunny days, where all you do is walk around with your solo cup of wine and peer at the most beautiful vintage sports cars you'll ever see - so really, what's not to enjoy. My favorite part was seeing the crowd of fans - a perfect blend of fancy European men in tailored suits and old, chubby white men who dress like my dad. I overheard a lot of important conversations, but the people who really knew what they were doing were the wives who brought pop-up picnic tables stocked with wine, cheese, and camped out behind their husbands' cars for the duration. I was more than a little jealous of these women.

One of the things that fascinated me the most was the combination of colors and textures people chose for the exteriors/interiors of their car. So while my fiancee was snapping off engine pics and getting the full car in the frame, I was focused on all of these lovely combos:

Oh, but then I couldn't help but take a picture of this little guy too:

I love when form and function are considered and put together in such a fun way. You sportscar fans out there can have all the horsepower and torque you want, but throw in a good deep orange and some houndstooth pattern and I'm sold.

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Bmore Into Comics #4!

That's right Marylanders and DC'ers and Virginniers! It's time for another Bmore Into Comics!

What IS this magical thing, you wonder? Why, it's just another reason to get into comics and support your local business scene in the meantime! Support by showing up to a bar and buying alcohol and comics, I mean.

So far we have had THREE WHOLE MAGICAL events, and we're returning to The Wind-Up Space for #4! What you can expect: a super-casual atmosphere, friendly local creators, a bar, a hip space to hang out in, and COMICS!

It'll be from 12 - 5:00 Saturday, July 26th at The Wind-Up Space. Right next to The Baltimore Print Studios and Red Emma's! A.k.a. a fun place to spend a couple hours in Baltimore on a Saturday. We'd love to see ya!

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Bmore Into Comics #3

Saturday, May 17th 12:00 - 4:00

It's time for our next installment of Bmore Into Comics!

Created last year, Bmore Into Comics is a series of small, one-day shows stocked with local comics creators and set in bars in/around Baltimore. If you're a localite, come out this Saturday from 12 - 4:00 to Hampden's new Belgian Beer Bar De Kleine Duivel. We'll have comics creators, books for sale, banter, and oh yeah - a TON of specialty beers! I'll be there with all my books and prints in tow!

Here's the list of creators on tap (GET IT? TAP? Because there'll be beer?? Ok, I'll slink away now):

• Jon Eaton
• Mike Riley
• Mike Bracco
• Rafer Roberts
• Dave Crispino
• Melody Often
• Howie Noeldechen
• Emily Gillis
• Christopher Cunetto

(and of course, me!)

Click on the event page and join us!

Can't wait to see you guys and toast to comics!

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Emerald City Con Recap & Sketches!

Yayyyy it's good to be home! Well, kind of. It was really nice getting to see the gorgeousness of the west coast again, and traipse about in Seattle's perfect (PERFECT) weather and pretend I lived there. I'm therefore always a little sad to come home again.

Comic conventions are always a gaggle of emotions and experiences for me, and after they're over it's good to get to relax, but also hard to relax when you've been so motivated and inspired to DO MORE COMICCCCSSSS all weekend. That is just part of the delicious nature of this comic beast - get all ramped up and exhausted creating stuff, then spend a weekend yelling and laughing and discussing comics all weekend, then flop home exhausted, but still wired and inspired to do more comics stuff once again. Sigh. Sometimes it's hard to sulk back to my day job after such experiences, remembering I have some Clark Kenting to do in my real life until comics become my real life.

Every convention I try to do better at The Thing I Am Worst At - i.e. promoting myself and networking with fellow comics peeps. This year I think I did a bang-up job, even though it wasn't without it's awkwardness (Yes, I did splash myself in the face with water as I was talking to someone). To put things in perspective, last year at ECCC I spent a lot of time hiding out in my hotel eating my meals alone. So this year it was bound to be better! Plus, it didn't hurt that I found some beloved comics peeps I've hung out with before, and they allowed me to chat within their orbit and meet others through them.

I think I've learned one of the most important aspects of networking - just try to be a pleasant human that's in the conversation. Just stand there, absorb, and most importantly, ask about and listen to the other people. Don't push yourself or your work on them. Participate, be a good conversationalist, enjoy the moments, and hey, maybe they'll remember you next time. And don't beat yourself up if it doesn't work. Or rather, if you THINK it's not working. True, you may get into an annoying situation where the other comics peeps pretend you don't exist or that you've somehow invaded their elite comics party, but sadly that's the nature of the beast. All of us creators are socially awkward in SOME way, and it's best not to assume others are maliciously being tool bags, just unintentional tool bags. (Plus you can quietly go home and unfollow them and they'll NEVER KNOW.)

Okay, enough of my convention musings. All of you guys who came by and chatted with me and told me you read Bonnie and/or Gods & Undergrads (and didn't hit me for not updating it for a while) and bought sketches and did things - you're all so wonderful. THANK YOU for being the awesome people I'm lucky to have as readerssss!!

Let's get on to the sketches! I was really happy with this bunch, they were so much fun to do.

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-4]

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Staple Stuff

As always, I had a FABULOSO time in Austin at Staple last weekend, even though I think I made the mistake of staying at my hotel too much (what can I say, I'm one of them introverted types) and therefore, the hotel workers were getting a little TOO familiar with me. "Ms. Gallagher, would you like another bottle of wine this evening?" Um ... I could be all "You don't know me!" but clearly, he did.

I had a blast chatting about comics, meeting new people, and even being included on a Webcomics Marketing Panel! Even though sometimes I get a little stage frighty, I LOVE being on panels and getting to chat about comics to a larger audience. This one was moderated by Mr. Boundless Energy Richard Whittaker, I got to chat with Jeremy The Artist, Jason Poland, and Kennon James.

It seemed like most of the questions from the audience were in regards to HOW to start a webcomic - i.e. what platform to use, what tools, how much web design do you need to know, etc. One thing we all seemed to agree on was to just start DOING. Start creating, and whether you post stuff via your phone camera and uploading to a newly created Tumblr page, or scanning and posting stuff on your own website/blog, the important thing was to just get started. No matter what, it won't be perfect and it will continue to evolve, no matter how much you plan and think you've thought of everything from the start. That's why I figure it's best to just do, go, draw, write! Nothing will be perfection, and everything will change, so you might as well kick it into gear and start!

As always, Chris "Mr. Staple" Nicholas put on a really fun show that I feel like highlights some of my favorite things about Austin - friendly people, oodles of creativity, and endless things to see. I sat next to super talented ladies Diana Steig and Anissa Bryant, who were kind enough to share their food supply with me and take me out on the town. And I even got to catch some of the Oscars and snark about them with Chip Zdarsky!

Here are the fun sketches that lovely people asked me to do:

Now I get to gear up for the next show . . . Emerald City Comic Con at the end of this month!

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-4]

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Fun Things This Week!

FUN STUFF TODAY:

When I Was A Mall Model

Written by: Monica Gallagher Art by: Monica Gallagher Price: $2.99 An autobiographical tale about trying to build a career as a model when I was a late teen. Full of awkward antidotes and outfits galore! Definitely read it before you think about buying a bunch of shoes and walking down a mall runway.

When I Was A Mall Model is on Comixology! For those of you not familiar with Comixology, it's a place where you can read tons and tons of comics on your tablet/e-reader/iPad thingamajigee. And while I fully support local comic shops and am kind of obsessed with print in general, Comixology is yet another great vehicle for gettin' comics out to more people, aww yeah.

(BTW my publisher Oni Press is having a mad crazy graphic novel sale there right now you can check out!)

FUN STUFF LATER THIS WEEK:

Bmore Into Comics #2 is this Saturday, hooray! That's right, after we had a really great #1 back in August at Bad Decisions, now it's time for #2. We've got a bunch of amazing people lined up to be there (check out the website for all the deets)

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-4]

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

SPX-itement!

Who's going to SPX this weekend, the awesomest show for indie creators on the east coast??

Here's a little map of where I'll be (if you haven't seen the amazing maps cartoonists have been doing of their table locations, just follow SPX on Tumblr):

Here's a sneak peek at what I'll have at the show!

And of course, tons of other stuff. :) Hope to see you all there!

And also, for those of you who can't make the show this weekend, check out my new store page, which directs you to where you can purchase books and prints and crafty things!

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-4]

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

How'd it Go?

Ohhhh Bmore Into Comics Issue #1 was SO much fun! I wrote a little recap about it on the official BIC site (sorry for the acronyms - I absolutely do NOT support the use of acronyms), you can check it out here.

Also, this happened - my friend Lani doing a RIDICULOUSLY accurate Jamie from Girls with Slingshots.

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-4]

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Print Prepping Away

The 2nd wave of con season is almost at hand! For me, I've got TWO local shows back to back in September (Baltimore Comic Con, followed by SPX), an appearance at New York Comic Con in October, and oh yeah that little local show I'm organizing in a bar on August 24th. What makes it extra fun is all the out-of-state traveling I'll be doing between now and then. Yippee!

Luckily I enjoy coming up with little crafty goodies I can sell alongside my comics, so here's a preview of some new things I'm whipping up for the fall shows.

Lately I love making these little hanging prints - i.e. prints that you can hang anywhere you want - on a bulletin board, a fridge, a rear view mirror, etc. In the past I've only done some of my animal prints:

So I thought, hey, why not do some Bonnie ones??

Since logistically I couldn't fit the WHOLE strip on my little wood flats, I've taken a couple of choice one-panel frames of some of my favorite moments. Here's what the back looks like:

Also, I'm making some regular ol' prints of Bonnie  - an 8 x 10 of Work Bonnie and a 5 x 7 Vacay Bonnie. Now I just need to come up with a Beast Mode Bonnie . . .

So if you're going to be around at either Baltimore or SPX, come by and check out all the Bonnie prints! And if you can't be at those shows, I'll let you know once I've put them up online for sale! :D

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-4]

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Home again, home again

Whew!

I think I'm done for a little while. And by done, I mean I won't be traveling to exotic, far-off lands every other weekend. Now it's time to relax and make COMICS again! Hooray! So, sorry for the delay, but since I rolled back into town this week, all my Bonnie/Gods & Undergrads updates are going to be a wee bit late this week. Or "fashionably late", as I prefer to call them.

Allow me to say a hearty hello to all of you who came by to visit me at TCAF, holy crapola what an amazing show that is. If only all comic shows were in libraries and all of them packed to the gills with amazing readers! So much comics love and excitement all over the place, I got really spoiled. Besides having a fun time catching up with my pals Tim Fish and Greg Lockard, I ALSO got to be part of an amazing podcast DINTERVIEW (dinner + interview, according to Becky Cloonan) with Paul Pope, Becky herself, Glyn Dillon, and Jimmy Aquino of Comics News Insider. Li'l ol' me, chilling with some serious comics heavy hitters, trying to keep my laugh from being a cackle and attempt to add something to the conversation. You can find that interview here, and Jimmy also posted a one-on-one interview you can find here!

Sigh. Such fun times! I'll be over here beaming, so in the meantime check out some sketches I did at the show:

Also, I created these little family seal drawings for some of my Gods & Undergrads characters. Once I clean these up a bit, I'll be selling them as prints.

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-4]

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Sketch-Up Catch-Up

Squooshed between a comic convention in Portland, Free Comic Book Day, and an upcoming trip to TCAF, I present you with some of the sketches I've had the privelege of doing for lovely folkses in various cities . . .

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-4]

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]

Maximizing the Space

Ohhh it's table display time again! And this time, I fear, I'm a little squashed. Whereas I usually luxuriate my products across a six foot table space, I've got two conventions coming up (Stumptown and TCAF) where I fear I'll have to contain my madness to just three feet.

Thus, it's time for some planning. I start out by drawing a 3' long (half of an average 6' table space) x 2' deep space on the floor with some easily removable tape (you can also do this on a large enough table, if the person you live with doesn't violently object). Sometimes I fold up the tablecloth I plan on using and place it inside, to see if it clashes terribly with my books. But if I've used the same table cloth consistently without any problems (besides the occasional ink stain), I can skip using it.

Then comes the tricky part. It's not just about fitting everything into the space as you lay it on a table ...

But making sure to create levels of height in order to stagger appearance, catch the eye, and also - yeah - cram in as much stuff as possible.

And since I have a lot of books, this gets a little crowded. I am a comics creator who has not one, but THREE ongoing series (Bonnie N. Collide, Gods & Undergrads, Lipstick & Malice), as well as autobiographical short stories (Boobage, Go For the Eyes, Mall Model, Middle School), and a new graphic novel (Glitter Kiss), I'm usually at a loss for how to compile and present everything. Do I age off some of my stories and stop bringing them along? Or do I condense them into cute packages?

Lately I've just been doing the latter, because I enjoy dabbling in packaging. But I've found presenting them in their packaging makes people reluctant to pick them up and unwrap them. So, the convenience of bundling them together becomes moot as I end up separating them anyway in order for people to flip through them.

What worries me the most about my gaggle of books, prints, cuffs, is that it doesn't seem very cohesive when viewed in a cluster like this. I can only do so much with uniform price stickers and labels. Plus there is something to be said for a good dosage of negative space.

Fellow comic exhibitors/craters/viewers of exhibit tables out there, what are you doing to conquer this problem? What do you like to see in a table? I think for now I'm going to keep incorporating some height (courtesy of these fine crates from Jo-Ann's) and fretting a little while longer.

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-4]

[otw_is sidebar=otw-sidebar-7]