So I Got My Apple Pencil

My Apple Pencil finally arrived last week. I've been experimenting with it in whatever free time I have. Overall, I like it quite a bit. It paired easily and charges quickly. It's got a great feel to it. Mostly, I've been drawing in Procreate, which I like quite a bit. It does a lot of the things that Photoshop does and has a pretty quick learning curve. I do wish it had a straight-up magic wand tool to select an area.

I adore the different brushes, especially the pencil, graphite and chalk ones that create a really natural tool. They're better than anything in Photoshop and at least on par with Painter.

The problem I've had so far is line fidelity. The iPad Pro is almost too good. I'd like to be able to tweak it so there's a little more smoothness to my line, the way that I've done with my Cintiq and Manga Studio. I can make a pretty crisp line with a brush, but the Apple Pencil isn't a brush and doesn't have the same feel.

I'm following the same learning process I did with the Cintiq, Manga Studio and my Nostromo where I forced myself to do a drawing a day using that tool. That's been helping a lot. The Captain Cold sketch below took almost two hours to do. The Wonder Woman one took less than an episode of Castle. That's improvement.

The iPad Pro is doing what I expected it to do. Ultimately, I wanted what I call an Eighty Percent Device. Something where I could get 80% of the way to finished. With my current setup, I'd be able to at least create tight pencils for projects. I'm working on getting my inks where I want them. And I'm finally going to be able to sit on the couch and color comics pages! That will work well for me. Ultimately, I'll still need to take it over to the desktop and tweak and finish those files off, but being able to do 80% of the work on the iPad when I need to makes my convention travel schedule a lot more manageable, so I'm definitely happy with my purchase.

My Weekend at Alter Ego Comics

This past weekend, Marc Bowker invited me to his store, Alter Ego Comics, in Lima, Ohio. I've done a few events for Marc, and they are uniformly excellent. They're a lot of fun, Marc's staff is delightful and they all take care of me. If you're a creator and you get the chance to do something at Marc's store, jump at the chance! (Marc also has an unerring ability to find great places to eat, too.) Saturday's event included a screening of my Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors episode, a Q and A afterwards, and lots of signing and sketching afterwards. Lots of people came by and I had a wonderful time meeting and chatting with everyone.

Photos are courtesy of the Underground Video Network, who also interviewed me. The interview is linked here, too.

My 2016 Convention Schedule

You can see me in lots of places this year. Right now, my travel schedule isn't as crazy as last year, but I'm sure that will change. But, as it stands, my 2016 convention schedule isn't listed. This doesn't count any store signings (like the one I'll be doing at Alter Ego in Lima early next month) or FCBD. And there are a lot of shows on top of other shows so there are a few shows I'm usually at that I won't be able to attend this year. It breaks my heart that I won't be at DragonCon, but hopefully next year. Same goes for Comicpalooza and HeroesCon.

And, I'm not yet booked for Free Comic Book Day. I am available. I'd love to do something out of state again. It's the one day a year where comic creators get treated like rock stars and I love it.

Amazing Arizona

Phoenix  February 12-14, 2016

Wizard Cleveland

Cleveland  Feb. 26-28, 2016

C2E2

Chicago March 18-20, 2016

WonderCon Los Angeles

Anaheim  March 25-27, 2016

Indiana Comic-Con

Indianapolis  April 29-May 1, 2016

 Space City Comic-Con

Houston May 27-29, 2016

Denver Comic Con

Denver  June 17-19, 2016

Comic Con International

San Diego  July 21-24, 2016

Baltimore Comicon

Baltimore September 2-4, 2016

Cincinnati Comic Expo

Cincinnati  September 23-25, 2016

New York Comic-Con

New York October 6-9, 2016

Akron Comicon

Akron November 5-6, 2016

So, about 2016

I've been watching a lot of Suits lately, and one of my favorite lines is from my spirit animal, Harvey Specter: "I don't have dreams, I have goals." That said, here are five of my goals/resolutions for the New Year. Finish 1.1 new projects in 2016. I've got a new project in mind that is almost ready for me to start working on. For now we'll call it "Project: Burgundy". But I'm really excited about it. It's exactly the kind of thing you'd expect me to do, but it's not like anything else I've done. And I want it to look different, too, which is why you'll be seeing me post some new coloring samples on Twitter from time to time.

And why 1.1? Well, doing a big project every year is fun. But I'd like to try to slip a smaller one in there somewhere. Maybe a single issue of something?

Write more animation This year saw the telecast of my episode of Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors. I'd really love to do more of that. It's a great medium to write for. Of course, given production time, even if I do manage to make this one happen, I won't be able to tell you about it until 2017. But I'm willing to live with that.

Tell Antony Johnston why Speed Racer is Unjustly Maligned. Unjustly Maligned has become one of my favorite podcasts, and I adore the often-vilified Speed Racer movie. Two great tastes that taste great together. I've guested on a few podcasts this year, including Jesse Jackson's Next Stop Everywhere and Storming the Castle, and I'd like to do more of that in general.

Get an editor to contact me about a gig. Hunting down the next project is part of the job, I get that. But I'd love to have an editor contact me out of the blue and ask me to pitch on something or be part of something (another Secret Love, I'm looking at you). That means being more of a presence online and promoting more and in different and better ways. That's something I can do.

Do another international show This year I did a comic convention in Monterrey, Mexico, and it was a lot of fun. Plus, as a gift to myself this year, I applied for TSA PreCheck and Global Entry, so it's a breeze going through security now, even internationally. So I'm all set up for it.

Extra credit: Lose another twenty-five pounds. This year I lost almost 45 pounds, depending on what day you catch me on. I got serious about watching what I eat thanks to Under Armour's MyFitnessPal and serious about working out thanks to the ubiquitous Planet Fitness and their open-all-the-time schedule. Can't sleep? Might as well work out. Plus Pedometer++ makes sure that I'm taking over 10,000 steps a day. (Some of my Disney World days were staggering.)

I add that one not to brag, but because if I can do it, anyone can.

Merry Christmas!

Hope you and yours are having a simply wonderful Christmas! Here's this year's card. [image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/xmas2015a.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="#" alt="How I know what season it is?" title="Red?!"lightbox="false" ]

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/xmas2015b.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="#" alt="Have a great holiday, no matter which color it is!" title="Have a great holiday, no matter which color it is!" lightbox="false" ]

[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/xmas2015c.jpg" align="left" border="image_border" link="#" alt="We don't celebrate red" title="We don't celebrate red" lightbox="false" ]

Live from New York Comic Con

This past weekend was the excellent New York Comic-Con. I've just about recovered from it. I had a busy show, appearing on ConTV, doing two signings at IDW, and teaching a drawing class. I would have liked to have been at the table more, but it's the perils of being popular, I suppose. Sales were good, and I think I may do more commissions in NYC than anywhere else. I've got some regulars who like to challenge me, including doing a Teen Titans/Star Wars mashup, and a Princess Leia pony. (The hard part there: Figuring out her Cutie Mark.)

I also had a fantastic time after the show. Great friends and great conversations at great restaurants. I had marrow, or "meat butter" for the first time! Cucumber soju continues to be my kryptonite. And New York pizza is still New York pizza… which means tasty but no Chicago pizza.

The highlight of my nights was when Tony Fleecs and I got to go see the taping of Saturday Night Live, as well as getting a tour afterwards and hanging out with some of the writers. Seeing SNL live has been on my Bucket List for a while, and it was great to check that off. It is so much better, so much funnier in person. It's amazing to see what they do to make that show happen in such a small space, and how great the band is to perform flawlessly while so much is going on around them. It was definitely a treat, and I don't know how much I should say about how this trip happened, but thanks Person Who Arranged It! Thank you so much!

The other highlight happened at the show when a mother came up with her daughter who was in my drawing class. I taught a higher-level class because it was mostly teens in the class, but her younger daughter was there and just absorbed the whole thing. She always liked to draw and took classes in previous years, but her mother said that she saw the light go on in her daughter's head in that class, and that I was going to be "her memory" of learning to draw.

I like doing what I do, but I can get a little cavalier about it. Moments like that remind me how I can actually have an impact on people. It's very humbling.

A big thank you to everyone who came by. I hope I gave some good advice to the Kubert School students who stopped. Thank you to everyone who came by and said kind things about Long Distance. That book is finding an audience in ways I never would have expected.

I'm looking forward to next year already!

Man, I love the Baltimore Comic-Con

Last weekend I was at the always-excellent Baltimore Comic-Con. It was so much fun. I got to host Katie Cassidy's panel, be on a panel with writers far outside my fighting weight like Amy Chu, Terry Moore, Jamal Igle, Louise Simonson, Mark Waid and Christy Blanch, sell a bunch of stuff and meet a ton of people. The Baltimore Yearbook entered it's fourth year, spotlighting David Petersen's Mouse Guard. There was some excitement getting it there on time, but in the end everything worked out and I'm pleased to work with and recommend everyone I dealt with. But if I looked particularly tired on Friday, that's why.

Cons can be a grind and often, by the end, I'm ready for things to wrap up. Baltimore is the only show I ever want more of. Like ice cream, you have to know when to stop, but you always want more. At least for me.

Thank you, Marc, for a fantastic time. Let's do it again next year.

Artwork for Rancho Obi-Wan

I was lucky enough to visit Rancho Obi-Wan a couple years ago, and it was a great time. I can't recommend visiting that place enough. I even managed to impress Steve Sansweet by knowing some Star Wars toy trivia that had eluded all his other tour takers.[image src="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/swladies.png" align="left" border="image_border" link="http://thomz.com/blogall/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/swladies.jpg" alt="" title="Rebellious Ladies" lightbox="false" ] They're having a fundraising auction to help keep the place going, and I was honored to be able to do a piece for it. It's 12x9 and drawn in ink and colored with Dr. Martin's watercolor dyes. Read more about the auction here.

Cartooning Summer Camp Wrap-Up

So, sometimes I teach. It’s not in a credentialed capacity. I teach an afterschool program at Hawken Lower School, and then for the last few years I teach a week of cartooning at summer camp.

I don’t think I could teach regularly. I sometimes come off as having a lot of patience, but some of that is just storing it up all year to use it for that one week.

This was the biggest class I’ve had yet. I started out with eleven and then gained another two that transferred from the cupcake class. Five girls, eight boys total. They were also the best class I’ve had yet.

On a side note, I love that the girls in my class all asked for superheroes when I drew their end-of-class sketchcards. And when they got to name their Pictionary team, they named it “Hydra”. I love any time I see that gender line in comics coming down

Some of the kids have taken my classes for years. One of them actually graduated from taking my classes to being my teaching assistant. That’s the kind of thing that makes you realize you’re not just teaching some cartooning stuff to kill some time, but you’re actually becoming part of the fabric of their lives. I don’t think I’m a great teacher in any way, but when they keep taking my class, I know there’s something that they’re responding to.

We played dodgeball at recess every day. Everyone played and it was great. And we drew a ton. Basic stuff, advanced stuff. And, like I said above, we even played Pictionary.

Here’s the thing: It’s an honor to be part of these young people’s lives. Some of them I’ve been with for two years or more. And when we wrapped up, and Jake headed off to move to California and Riley to Australia and Eliza asked if she could be my assistant next year… look, I’m an easy touch. I cry my Dean Winchester tears all the time. But I wasn’t expecting this to affect me as much as it did. And it did.

If you’ve got a skill, like drawing, you owe it to pass it on. You’re a link in the chain and it shouldn’t stop with you. Teaching forces you to articulate and clarify what you think you know. Some of their questions make you better, too. You get as much as they do.

I’m so glad I said “yes” the first time I was asked to teach there. It was outside my comfort zone, but I’m so happy I went there.

Muncie? More like FUNcie!

This past weekend was My Little Pony Day at Aw Yeah Comics in Muncie. Christy Blanch and her gang were kind enough to invite me as well as Andy Price and Katie Cook to come and do their first Sunday signing ever. The store is as fun as you’d expect, and the staff was amazing. I can’t remember the last time I was taken care of so well. I’d tell you to go into comics just so you could hopefully be treated so well yourself, but comics is competitive and I don’t need the competition.

Plus, I got there on Doctor Who day, and they had Jammie Dodgers.

Muncie is a small town, but it’s got its charm. And like a lot of places, it’s got some great restaurants if you know where to look. Fortunately, Aw Yeah did. They took us to Barn Brasserie and Casa Del Sol and they were both freakin’ amazing. Barn Brasserie had comic books as decorations on the walls of the bathrooms. (Admittedly, I only saw the mens’ room). The owner insisted that Andy and I add our signatures to the wall with so many other artists.

And they had beignets.

The signing went really well. A nice steady crowd, but not too many. There were lots of great people, and lots of kids, which is always nice to see. It was just the right mix.

And they made sure that we took some comics home with us, too, which I appreciate. You can see my haul in the photos. And they took us to see The Man From UNCLE which I appreciated a lot, too.

Kyle and Sy from the shop were great. By the end of the weekend we were trading jokes like a well oiled sitcom. (I, of course, am the Chandler.) And Christy, well, Christy’s just awesome. I swear she’s a bigger fan of Long Distance than I am. She certainly has sold more than me.

Icing on the cake was getting to log some serious convertible time. Nice and sunny on the way out. The most common comment at the signing was “I love Long Distance,” but the second was “You drove with the top down, didn’t you?” Yes, I did. And then a nice night drive on the way back, too.

It was a great weekend. Go to Aw Yeah Muncie if you’re ever in the area. Get the Sesame Chicken at Barn Brasserie and the margarita at Casa Del Sol, too.