Storytelling and Marketing in Comics

Hi Folks!

Over the weekend of the 16th - 18th of April, the Flights of Foundry hosted several events. Very interesting ones and I are sure you will find one of your likings. It was a pleasure to participate in the two panels they hosted.

Storytelling in Comics and Graphic Novels (Description: devaki neogi)1Murewa Ayodele • Sonny Liew • Sloane Leong • Devaki Neogi • Krister Eide Art LLC

Business Tips for Artists and Illustrators - Marketing, Networking, and BeyondLevente Rückert • Bruce Brenneise • Trivia Fox • Devaki Neogi
You can stream the video if you click on the link above. I hope you like it and do leave your comments.

Teaching myself traditional painting.

I have been sort of on a roll with traditional media. I did some greywash technique with physical screentones which was fun using for the first time. I was saving every single scraps of it, since I find it expensive. I will share the complete art piece on a later date. But here are some previews.

IMG_20210402_093714_525.jpg

This week I did a mixed media painting. It started with watercolor and applied gouache over certain areas. I like how it turned out. I taught myself the painting technique with gouache, which I have not used before. I hope you enjoy it, and let me know what you think in the comments below.

This is my first time using mixed media techniques as well as gouache. So excuse me for some errors which any skilled mind would notice. This came about when I surfed Instagram and found on Brian Bendis's feed the art of Tula Lotay on Pearl Tanaka from Pearl, #jinxworldcomics.

Virtual Con: Flights of Foundry!

'Flights of Foundry,' which is a virtual convention for speculative creators and their fans, have a wide range of topics on the convention days.

I have been scheduled to speak at the convention with other creators I admire and familiar with, including Sonny Liew and Sloane Leong, on April 16th and April 18th. The below image shows you my scheduled days.

I would encourage you to look up the schedule here https://flights-of-foundry.org/schedule/ as there is a vast range of topics discussed; from narrative poetry, music, and art, tips on character designers, migration between countries for creatives, and why outsider position is essential to art and should you get an MFA and more! I am very curious and will be attending. Register for free; a donation is better, though.

Hopefully, see you there!

#flightsoffoundry

INSIDER ART ANTHOLOGY!

A while back, I drew a short two-pager story written by Trina Robbins. It’s a beautiful story but, most importantly, a story that would deeply connect with anyone facing a challenging time locked down at home at this pandemic that got the better of us. A team of over 100 female & non-binary comic book creatives from around the world raising money for female & non-binary comic book retailers who have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic came together to put this anthology, which as our dear editor Shelly Bond often says, out loud; It is a cat and crafts compendium!

Whether you like cats or not or not into crafts alike, I urge you to check it out at GUMROAD; click on the button for purchase, and you can have it for yourself a digital PDF for all of $10 or more.

I am very proud of this book and feel lucky to contribute in some way to the American comic book industry, which was significantly affected. The retailers being hit hard, leading to long-standing-legendary comic book retail shops closing. So, I want it to be more than it has set out to do and if you like to contribute too in your way, please spread the word!

InsiderArtGraphic003-01.png

INSIDER ART

Over 100 female & non-binary comic book creatives from around the world raising money for female & non-binary comic book retailers who have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The word is out: New work!

Hey guys!

It’s been a hectic month all round. I received an offer from a publisher in the best way I possibly could have had. I will be doing a story with them shortly. Meanwhile, I had been working on an anthology, and the word on it is out now. DC Comics has put out the announcement via Nerdist; an excerpt from the article below.

Wonder Women of History features art and stories by an impressive roster of talent which Nerdist is proud to reveal for the first time right here:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – written by Lilliam Rivera and drawn by Anastasia Longoria
Ruth Bader Ginsburg – written by Lilah Sturges and drawn by Devaki Neogi
Elizabeth Warren – written and drawn by Renae De Liz
Rashida Tlaib – written and drawn by Marguerite Dabaie
Teara Fraser – written by Traci Sorell and drawn by Natasha Donovan
Beyoncé – written by Mikki Kendall and drawn A. D’Amico
Mari Copeny – written by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and drawn by Sharee Miller
Edith Windsor – written by Amanda Deibert and drawn by Cat Staggs
Marsha P. Johnson – written by Jadzia Axelrod and drawn by Michaela Washington
Emma Gonzalez – written by Kami Garcia and drawn by Igzell
Judith Heumann – written by Marieke Nijkamp and drawn by Ashanti Fortson
Ellen Ochoa – written by Cecil Castellucci and drawn by Carina Guevara
Shi Zhengli – written by Emily X.R. Pan and drawn by Wendy Xu
Serena Williams – written by Danielle Paige and drawn by Brittney Williams
Tig Notaro – written by Sara Farizan and drawn by Nicole Goux
Keiko Agena – written by Sarah Kuhn and drawn by Lynn Yoshii
Dominique Dawes – written by Danny Lore and drawn by Robyn Smith
Janelle Monae – written by Vita Ayala and drawn by O’Neill Jones

Wonder Women of History graphic novel which has been in the making where we are celebrating these hero’s of our modern times . I am drawing none other than the towering figure and a very popular one at the age of 87, RUTH BADER GINSBERG!!!

It’s an honor to draw her story along with Lilah Sturges, who’s on writing duty!

Wonder Women of History” was a feature, created by associate editor Alice Marble, that ran in Wonder Woman and Sensation Comics from 1942-1954. Each tells the story of a real woman who made an impact on history.
— DC Entertainment.

* Wonder Women of History goes on sale on December 1, 2020, and you can pre-order it now.


118653602_10160021436425830_4105621367849587015_o.jpg

New art stationary (this week; #Augweek3)

The Bristols I had placed an order on Amazon, and Cart2India has arrived. Ordering online despite heh descriptions details provided has led to making wrong choices. Especially for pen and ink, paper thickness and surface quality both are crucial to note.

I prefer 270gsm, which is the 300 series Strathmore provides. My first pick and convenient picks are always the Strathmore brand. Though I keep looking around for comic book inking matters, Strathmore is recommended.

#papertexture #surfacetexture #pen&ink #forfinishedwork #bristol #strathmors #drymedia #300series

processed_FIMO_1597392235662.JPG

Bristol: strathmore, vellum, 300 series

9*12 inches

270 gsm

Vellum

Acid-free; heavyweight; for finished artwork; dry media.

It’s easy to identify the different paper categories in Strathmore by the art on the covers. This is a sketch by artist #ChiehLee

processed_FIMO_1597392274035.JPG

Bristol: Strathmore; smooth; 300 series.

11*14 inches

Smooth surface

270 gsm

Acid-free; heavyweight; for finished artwork - pen & ink.

The artwork on the cover is by artist #caitlinGeels <3

New art stationary (this week).

#Deleter #manga #screentone #ToolsRecommendation

Hey guys!

So i have got this screentone I purchased via Amazon, the Deleter manga screentone. I presumed to will be A3 size, but it’s only an A4! I paid around 2000/- change for this. I’m not sure it’s even going to be enough for five pages are. It’s a bit of a disappointment, but this was an imported product and was the only one available on the site. I might just have picked a more expensive one by mistake? Could be.

Next up.

#CarryCase from #lihitlab for pen or art tools.

It’s what I found at Jake Parker's Blog on tools recommendation. It’s a good one; Do check out his blog! I picked it up from here.

Nifty looking smart pen case for sketching on travel.

Not to go by the size of it; about a5. It holds whatever is necessary for a travel sketch journal.

processed_FIMO_1596952832806.JPG

All pens stay intact.

The Left and right compartment hold them in place. Micronibs, pencils, whitener, sharpie, white Jelly-Roll pen and Tombow fudes.

Here are my go-to pen tools in the arsenal. By far, the micronibs from Unipens have been an excellent replacement to my Copic Multiliners; i’ve been looking for the A refill for finer nibs. So having an alternative is good.

processed_FIMO_1596952165281.JPG

Pen tools

Whitener

Micro nibs (#inkingtools #comics)

Dr. PH Martin ink bottle (#inkingtools)

Eraser

Mechanical pencil - pentel graphgear

Tombow fudes ( #inkingtools #comics)

Sharpie (#inkingtools)

Left to right; any whitener really ( currently managing with Camlin), tomboy mono eraser, Ticonderoga pencil (so far the very best i’ve used; the right softness of lead with the hard structure that gives a sharp line but with depth), gelly roll set …

Left to right; any whitener really ( currently managing with Camlin), tomboy mono eraser, Ticonderoga pencil (so far the very best i’ve used; the right softness of lead with the hard structure that gives a sharp line but with depth), gelly roll set of fine to thick, and unipen set.

Multifunction wide format printer has arrived!

I posted briefly about this on Facebook, but a little bit more feedback after one week of usage. So as it goes, I’ve been looking for an A3 printer and scanner for a few years. The search led me to a couple of grand, mostly like Mustek and Brother. Usually, they are above 30k INR; issue for me was about procuring them. Mustek wasn’t available on retail stores from distributors in India and brother; the version was not suitable for the kind of printing I was looking to use it for. Eventually, this month on Amazon, the wishlist took showed me up with this HP variant. It was unbelievable for the price it was selling at 23k INR change. I searched on the HP website, and a direct call made it possible. Speedy service. Order placed in person at their store at Banaswadi, Bengaluru. The product was available for pick up directly from their store. Swift and easy.

HP WIDE FORMAT MULTIFUNCTION OFFICEJET 7740

HP WIDE FORMAT MULTIFUNCTION OFFICEJET 7740

Inkjet Scanner, printer and faxes Wifi-enabled Up to A3 size. Prints thick art quality paper type but (NOT limited to) of 300gsm. Color and BNW. Set up. Initially, for that size, I was looking to have a dedicated small table/unit. Still, my current table had sufficient space as well as sturdy enough to accommodate. Speaking of the weight, it can be lifted by a 60kg person—about 18 kg in weight. Printer settings. I want to point out that not to mess around with default/factory setting that is don't change paper type, etc., even if you are using vellum or smooth 300 gsm. It's sensitive to the paper setting, so if you put it to heavy/thick paper setting, it doesn't print on vellum or smooth Bristol! Cartridge cost About 9-10k INR per black XL. It could be ordered at the HP store as I checked. Prints 2000 sheets per XL cartridge. I will test this and see how long this lasts, so there will be a later update. Printing quality. Good. Even at fast- economical draft print, it's excellent! At a high-quality setting on the bond sheet, it's sharp and proper absorption. Color printing I have tested a few but yet to try out a different paper on it for 75 and higher GSM. Update later.

Do I recommend it?

YES.

  1. Very economical. I yet have to come across a scanner and printer at this price of exact 23,600/-!

  2. It can be directly printed from USB Drive.

  3. Prints thick sheets of 300 gsm ( tested) and probably higher (which I haven’t checked).

  4. A3 scans, faxes, A4 automatic feeder scan.

  5. Works great via wifi from PC/laptop —> HP or directly HP —> laptop for scan-output. LCD touch screen for operation control. That works just fine though I prefer to use windows viewer setting to print.

  6. Saves a whole lotta time and no brainer.

Go for it even if you’re slightly wary of the print cartridge price. But even at that price, which as a professional, you won’t regret to spend if you choose to calculate the per-page cost, which is far cheaper than a printing outside.

New work!

Oh yes! This is a big one. But I can’t reveal much, sorry. I can only tell that this is a big honor to illustrate someone a huge figure in our lifetime and history. It’s a short story, so work deadlines are very tight. But in time will be revealing a bit more.

The new printer reveal is pending, which I said will do today but it will be the weekend probably till I get some time to sit down and talk/ share pictures of it.

Art tools!

Hello Everyone!

This is my first post on my blog on this new portfolio site!

Exciting, very exciting!

Okay so this is the very beginning of every art stage — you have your art tools sorted and you go from there. Interesting, but easy? not so. There is a lot of hit and miss, over the years I have talked to great comic book artists, read other blogs and succeeded into buying and actually making use of them, haha!

so, today’s postman aka amazon delivery boy handed over my parcel of these.

Pentel Graphgear 1000 .7 nib.

Tombow fudenosokes. Hard and soft.

From left to right; Fudenosuke hard, Pentel Graphgear 1000 mechanical pencil 0.7, Fudenosuke soft.

Tombow is a brand I have grown fond of using almost in every art I do, since talking about them with artist Mack Chater; when I discovered his gorgeous inks on twitter I could not help but ask, ask that I do whenever I come across great inks — You guys should go and check his artworks, where he does traditional inking with Tombow’s. It’s great! Of course, it’s the talent that leads, but tools are that which supports. And good tools can enhance the quality of your art. Anyway, so he very graciously shared his knowledge on the tools he uses to ink his art, his experiences with them and his knowledge with nibs. But nibs are for another day. Today is the day for pens and pencils aaaaand Erasers! Speaking on erasers is not much but do try out Tombow Mono Eraser 2.5mm.

***

Pentel Graphgear 1000 Drafting Pencil - 0.7 mm; Pentel mechanical pencil.

Pentel Graphgear 1000 Drafting Pencil - 0.7 mm; Pentel mechanical pencil.

116212788_10159911463455830_4677965562440670442_n.jpg

First time user, but I have got a feeling this is going to be good. Its the weight around the base that has those rubber nubs that helps hold it comfortably and slip, one which is the problem with steadtler mechanical pencil.

Made in Japan.

Next one, is Tombow Fudes.

2d26a94a8840.jpg

I mostly use the soft, since its something between a sketch pen and brush, unlike Pentel brush-pen which acts more like a brush, imitating the bristles. This one; imitates the sketch pen but you can have varying line weights with it especially on vellum surface, its looks very good, lending textures and absorbs fast.

111149341_10159911463360830_5040897966921140536_n.jpg

The hard one, I use to draw panel layouts, buildings etc. Its tip is medium hard, like a sketch pen?—yes! you got that.

These lasts very long. At the price of 120 INR/ pc, its economical. But use and throw. No refill function.

Okay, bye for now! Next update tomorrow will be on HP Wide Format Multifunction Printer!

Stay safe.