This weekend I will be in Portland Maine at Coast City Comicon! I have never been to this show or Maine for that matter. I know nothing about Maine other than the guy with the giant head who writes horror books that get turned into crappy movies lives there. Although I did like that one called “the fog” or “the smoke” or something like that, where everyone was trapped in a grocery store because there were a bunch of weird monsters outside. Well..I didn’t really like it but I was amused that half the cast from Walking Dead was in it and the idea of shooting myself in the face in my car crosses my mind occasionally so I could relate to the end.
Anyway…I’ll not only be at this show but will be hosting a “how to” panel. This is not only going to be good because you don’t have to wait ten minutes in between me talking while some other jerks mumble into a microphone who are clearly not only not used to public speaking, but seem to be unaccustomed to speaking to anyone an a way that will hold their interest. I sit on panels like that and often notice that the guy who is talking into the mic like it’s a cobra that might bite him on the throat at any moment has a wedding ring on…and I think to myself how relieved his wife must be that he’s out of town boring someone else…then I imagine all the parade of pizza delivery guys she is screwing while he is out of town so she has something too occupy her mind in between his business trips. I find letting my mind wander thusly helps get through the few mind numbing minutes of men who spend there entire work week staring at blank pages struggling to get through a sentence without using the word “uhm” fourteen times.
…what was my point? Oh yeah, this panel will be on the visual techniques and tricks good illustrators use to make a good story a great story. So even if you have no interest in drawing comics it will still be interesting for you to learn and be able to spot the techniques in your favorite books and appreciate all the thought that goes into illustrating a comic book. And believe me there is a lot that goes into it, which direction someone is punched, where the camera shot is, how wide the panel is, even what’s on the pictures on the wall in the background are all elements that good illustrators use to lead the eye and fool the brain.
the panel is Sunday in the Monhegan Room 3:00 – 4:00
the full panel description is below, and here is the link to the show…http://coastcitycomicon.com/
the difference between a bad comic book and a great comic book is more than just the art and story. It is several dozen subtle, simple but important techniques. In this panel Eisner Award-nominated illustrator Douglas Paskiewicz (Arsenic Lullaby) shows you the secrets behind the magic, and does so in a mean, hurtful and often hilarious way. If you are hoping to break into the field, or just have a love for comics, this is a great panel to attend and learn the insider tricks on the pros make a story that sucks in the readers and grabs hold of their imaginations.