Ryan Klassen Guest Art

Well I guess the title of this post speaks for itself but the wonderful artist behind this piece is done by the very cool Canadian webcomic creator Ryan Klassen. His main webcomic City Folk can be found @ http://cityfolk.ca/ and is an all ages comic with some very patriotically and stereotypically Canadian main characters. His design is very cool and well constructed. We're discussing to hopefully do a guest art switch with our webcomics in the near future, keep watching for that. For now enjoy his wonderful piece he did of Deena, Tara and Tobey!

Fine Arts Advanced Dimploma

I wanted to post a photo of my College Diploma to Linked In and in order to do that I had to have an image link so here it is if anyone else is interested in seeing it. I'm an edumacated artist. :)

Bronies

There has been a lot of talk on the topic of Bronies lately, and it’s such an interesting topic people don’t seem to know how to react to it. I accept it with open arms mainly because to me it’s showing that the genders are slowly becoming more and more equal and neutral, and things should not be separated as strictly for men or strictly for women. If the writing and art is good why can’t guys think of “My Little Ponies” as an awesome TV show? It seems as though it is more socially accepted for women to like "manly" things, but the first reaction I hear when I mention this topic to people just hearing about this new “brony” phenomenon is, “Are they gay?” Perhaps some are, but even if they are or are not, who cares? They’re not hurting anyone with what they like, are they? Only if they throw a plush of Rainbow Dash at you, I suppose, but even then, they’re harmless. When I was young I used to watch a lot of “Ninja Turtles” and no one really stopped me. I think girls liked to watch it because, well, turtles are cute animals, they may be a bit slimy, but that personally has never stopped me from finding turtles fascinating as creatures. Also, the ninja thing has always made me happy. Not for the violence aspect but mainly for the self-defense part, which I believe every woman should know. I think boys enjoyed it because; well turtles are really cool creatures as stated above, they have shells which are pretty much like built in armor so they don’t easily get hurt. Plus, they’re ninjas who fight robots (in the cartoon version anyways, which I watched a lot as a kid) and what’s not to like there? It was just an over-all cool show…which, if Michael Bay has any say, will be ruined soon enough. Anyways, I used to hang out with some boys after school that my mom would babysit and I also had brothers that I frequently saw so it was inevitable that I came out the way I did I suppose, which is being a very confused girl who is a tomboy that has no problem with acting and dressing girly whenever she wants to. Now, the brony thing doesn’t shock me much like it seems to be doing to everyone else and I’ll tell you why. When I was watching Ninja Turtles with these boys after school, one of the boys who was younger normally watched them with me and we played with the toys and all of that jazz, but his mom one day bought a bunch of little ponies for me to play with. I think she always wanted a daughter and probably felt bad that the boys were “forcing” me to play all these “boyish” games. I loved “My Little Ponies” they were my “girly” toy. It definitely outshone Barbie, which (though she had more jobs then Ken) seemed like a stereotype of a girl that I was supposed to grow up to be but couldn’t bring myself to want to be. Well, that boy who was younger, quickly took possession over the ponies his mom bought, telling me they were his. His mom had intended them to be kept there for me to play with in case I didn’t feel like playing with "G.I. Joes" but he insisted they were his. At first I worried that he would grow up to be “girly” himself, but that was a reaction of being brought up where it’s ok to be a tomboy (as my mom stated she was one when she was little) but the boys in my family were strictly brought up to be men. This seemed to be very ignorant of me. I even thought as a young child that it was wrong to think that way. I let him play with the ponies, after all, why are certain animals mainly a “girly” or “boyish” thing? Horses have been ridden by men and women. Women stereotypically love horses as much as men love cars I suppose, but men have been known to love and ride horses just as much as women have been known to love and drive cars. Look at cowboys and jockeys, I know that “Brokeback Mountain” movie made Westerns now seem “gay” but there are a slew of very cool movies and books on cowboys that are incredibly “manly”. Why can’t people accept the fact that men can like “My Little Ponies” and be perfectly straight? There’s nothing wrong with him watching it and being gay, but I actually, personally know a few gay men who like the original series rather than the new one. One said, and I quote, “The drawing style is freaky and kind of even babyish.” So therefore he refused to watch it. It’s just a new style that I guess can be hard for some people to grasp. The writing is really rather wonderful though and I think the creator of the reboot, Lauren Faust, meant to make the show less boring as a lot of shows directed towards girls have been in the past and that’s why Networks very rarely go for a show meant to be for a female audience. Girls aren’t as into those kind of cartoons and with the ratings so low why bother spending a ton of money into something that won’t generate any money? The show is packed with such colour, and energy, and adventure and excitement, and even some character development so why wouldn’t people watch it? It has everything a show needs to survive. So what does all this have to do with my comic? Well lots, this show (like my comic) has strong, cool, but still flawed characters. Not only that but in a new plot-twist I have written that Tobey becomes a “Brorsey” (which is technically a “Brony” but I had to change the name of the show so that people knew what I was doing but it doesn’t disrupt this fictitious world I have created that’s not too unlike our own). Why can’t Tobey be a “Brony”? He’s has the right characteristics to be one. Someone comfortable enough with himself to like what he wants to and not care what others think of him, even if it does cause Tara to make fun of him. He can easily laugh at himself and shrug things off, which I think is a really strong trait to have that others may confuse for weakness. I love that men are breaking stereotypes just as much as women are, and are blurring the line between what the genders are supposed to be about. Why can’t “Bronies” be accepted with open arms into our society? I, for one, think this is a refreshing change for the better.

Tobey as a pony.

TBT Books @ Wizard World

Those who know me know I'm a comic artist and those who know me fairly well know that I like going to conventions, those who know me REALLY well know that the first convention I ever attended was Paradise Comicon in 2007 (otherwise known as Wizard World Toronto now) and I was selling the first comic book I ever published called "Dork Girl" there. So now you know me REALLY well I suppose. Anyways, I thought it'd be fitting to go there and launch the publication of my first set of Tom Boy Tara Books...I know! It's about frickin' time! I've been doing it since 2008 and it's now 2012 but I've finally organized myself and put together a set of 4 books each 60 pages long, including 50 comics each and some extra art towards the back. It was fun, yet tiring to do, and I had no life for a while, as I have a day job that's full time so every weekend I had was spent planting myself in a seat and agonizingly putting together a manga-sized book with my comics using a template and fixing them up to make them print-worthy. Seeing as it's an Indy comic I thought it was fitting to use the site Ka-Blam and have an online store for them on Indy Planet to make the independent comic experience more complete. Finally! I'm going to a Comic BOOK Convention to show off my TBT merch AND I finally have books to show! I know, it's a webcomic first, but now that I have books, people at these conventions can actually see what I'm talking about when I try to tell them about my stuff. Oh GLORIOUS DAY! Finally! But wait...I have not yet received my copies of comics to sell, and the Comicon is only a week away...perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself here. Maybe I won't be able to show off my wonderful comics I've been toiling over for months and months only to prepare for this one 2-day show! If that is the case and I AM indeed bookless at the convention, I have a back-up plan. Everyone can still go to my webcomic as usual and if they want to they can purchase the comics on there as they are displayed in my Products section of my site, OR once I receive the comics I plan on putting them in random stores in the Toronto region (details on that to come) which I planned on doing if I had left-over books anyways. Hopefully I get the books on time, as I would love to have them for the con, but if not at least this way I won't be too bummed out. So far though the year of 2012 has been busy but extremely fun! Hope you all come out to see me at Wizard World!

What Is Tom Boy Tara About?

I get asked this question quite frequently and it’s extremely hard for me to explain. My fall-back answer is often, “It’s about a tomboy named Tara…go read it yourself and find out!” or even sometimes, “It’s about the perspective of a tomboy who is now grown up and still remains child-like” which may not be entirely true, it’s just a simple explanation to get people intrigued enough to go check it out. Upon much reflection after creating over 200 comics it is still very hard for me to explain my work. I just do it.

After a lot of thinking about it though I feel it’s possibly even my perception of how our society’s gender roles have become almost a grey area and it’s only the beginning of the confusion we are feeling about who we are as a whole. Even though, I know how to spell the word “tomboy” I split the word up in the title to not only be cute, but to make the word “boy” in tomboy stand out. This part should be obvious as to why and hopefully there be no need to explain myself there.

I’ve even had people approach me and ask why the comic is not just about Tara, meaning, Tobey is just as involved and there have been numerous comics only about Tobey and his problems as well. Agreed, the tomboy part of the title is merely a staple to show gender confusion and how it’s slowly being accepted. Tomboys are not fully accepted by society yet, as there are very few media outlets that glorify them. If anything, the tomboys are the side-kick characters, although more and more these day’s people are beginning to realize that girls are very powerful in mind, body and soul. The worst of it is, every day I see many sensitive men in our world and a lot of them so sensitive that they feel the need to hide their sensitivity because they’re afraid to look or act different than the way a stereotypical man is supposed to be, when in actuality (I feel anyways) those men who have the “balls” to be who they are and openly sensitive are the manliest men of all, and those who lie and cheat and run away from their problems to me aren’t men at all, but merely cowards.

In Western society at least there are still a lot of prejudice and hate, but I’ve noticed a lot more acceptance too of people who are trying to be who they are. I hold those people who are who they are with highest regard and respect. Sometimes being who you are isn’t always going to make you look perfect, you may even look down-right flawed, but you’re real, which in this society (full of make-overs and plastic surgery) is a rarity that needs to be treasured.

Though, it’s not a bad thing to be girly, I know the character Deena is definitely not idolized in a lot of ways, at least not in the beginning of the comic. The main trait of a stereotypical girl is her beauty and her caring-sensitivity, which I have highlighted with Deena’s character. To make her look flawed I gave her a naivety and in some situations an absolute ignorance. She is sweet and will give you chances though for a long time until you really make her mad, which is seldom. She will stand up for what she believes is right and has an almost innocence to her which sort of makes her look like a Saint next to Tara sometimes.

All girls just like all men, are unique in more ways than one, whether it’s in looks, personality, their goals in life, etc. We need to except and recognize that our differences make us amazing beings. Instead of shunning those who are different, we need to embrace it. Our society that seems to be reaching a state of evolution still is archaic in a sense, but it is getting there slowly. There will always be those who will never understand why we want to be who we are, but we need those challenging people in life unfortunately to realize how blessed we are to find another person who understands our individuality.

Nerd Mafia Promo Party

I know I've been neglecting my duties as a blogger recently, sorry it's been busy as of late, what with working and trying to put out a comic a week as well as going to promo parties. What's a promo party, you ask? Well, only the greatest thing a starving artist/writer like me could ever attend! Put on by the very cool Nerd Mafia, and hosted by the wicked Andrew Uys who is responsible for Uysfaber and his lovely wife Theresa. A few friends of mine in the comic/creative/nerd industry all got together with some really awesome interviewers like radio/pod cast hosts, bloggers and those who do video interviews for their site, as we mingled, had some food and alcohol and enjoyed the lovely June day while listening to the magical music of Nerds With Guitars. It was wonderful. I got to see some old friends like Alice Quinn of Tdotcomics as well as my friend D.K. who's working on Hardware, Sally Christensen and her awesome boyfriend John T. who do so much for Nerd Girl Pinups and have their own little business called Yarn of Despair. I also met some new people while I was there, mainly one of the very knowledgeable and cool hosts of Geek Hard, Andrew Young who did a full interview of me here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ykge4qtnLM as well as Eli Green and Nathan Schwartz from Lazyreviewzzz who did a lovely tribute video to the party here: http://www.viddler.com/explore/lazyreviewzzz/videos/222/2.806 Also the lovely Sally Christensen that I already mentioned above asked me to do my first interview of the day so I was a bit nervous but as the interviews went on I loosened up. She interviewed me and other cool nerds here: http://nerdgirlpinups.com/article/326 check out the videos, I hope you enjoy them, and visit the websites of these wonderfully creative people in Toronto. You may realize you love what they're doing and might even come out to a Nerd Mafia party in the near future!

P.S. Sorry to those I met/greeted at the party I did not mention, there are so many cool people at this party as I'm sure you can see by the videos, I could not meet everyone there and those I did talk to and did not mention, again my apologies. Maybe next blog post! :)

My Top 10 Fave Animated Tomboys

Ok, I think cartoons are the perfect place to showcase strong, sarcastic and even gutsy women. Maybe it’s the fact that this is where most outcasts come to share a common ground but if you’re going to make a cool character, animation is the place to be. In most things, tomboys are considered to be the side-kick characters as they are in a lot of cartoons as well, but there have also been a few that have become the stars of the show either because it’s all about them or just because they stand out on the coolest people ever scale! Perhaps I am biased because I have a comic about a tomboy but I think tomboys are the most fascinating people in human nature. Either way without further ado here are my top ten fave animated tomboys:

Gadget from Rescue Rangers:

This wrench-weilding mouse is not only handy but oh-so-adorable and has even caught the eye of Chip and Dale…whom, let’s face it, aren’t even in her species. I love Gadget’s name and strong nature. Oh and by the way, cool goggles hun, you were Steampunk before it was even invented!

Lydia from Beetlejuice:

Ok some may argue with me on this one and say, she’s not a tomboy, she’s more Goth. I say, who said Goths can’t be tomboys? I think they go nicely together like skulls to Hamlet. I dunno…fact is, she doesn’t quite get along with Pru that prom-queen chick and hangin’ out with ghosts all day don’t make you all that popular with the female living unless you’re into that sorta thing like her. To me she was always very cool and I was drawn to her spunky nature and fascination for all things unusual.

Ashley Spinelli from Recess:

Often referred to by her last name, Spinelli was frequently seen getting dirty, playing sports and punchin’ out anyone who insulted her clique on the playground. I almost forgot about recess until I watched this show back in high school and Spinelli was always my favorite character on the show. I loved how she hated “The Ashleys” (the group of princesses all with the same name who were clone-like in nature and were all rich, pretty and popular…aka: Snots) and defended her friends without even a hesitation. I also thought it was hilarious how she seemed to have no emotions until the episode where we meet her parents and they embarrassingly reveal that she has a crush on T.J. the main character.

Lor from The Weekenders:

Another Disney show (I know, who knew Disney was that into producing so many shows about tomboys, it was a shock to me too, but then again, they did make Mulan) Lor was cute and a bit boy crazy but her gazillion brothers (who would often, for some reason, pile on top of Lor for fun) kept her in line I think. Also she hung out with guys and a very smart chick, these guys were never very popular in their school but they had some fun weekends together, shooting hoops, eating pizza and doing “normal” kids stuff.

Kim Possible from…Kim Possible:

Yup, yet another Disney show I dressed as her for Halloween once. Kim is the butt-kicking spy/superhero you always dreamed you could be…she also tries to keep a head on her shoulder and even tries out for cheerleading which you don’t always see tomboys doing in these cartoons, but hey she’s the leading lady, she hasta be kinda cute. Her best friend is a wise-cracking, nerdy guy who has a naked mole rat as a pet. She tries to be a normal teenager but often fails; I don’t feel that bad for her though, she’s got a sweet high school job.

Buttercup from Powerpuff Girls:

Despite her simplified and cute look this girl is very intimidating. She always looks mad whenever I see her. I’ll admit I didn’t watch this show enough (I didn’t get the channel when it was on) but I find Buttercup was the coolest outta the girls and I know a ton of people who have called her as their favorite. She kicks monkey-butt! And no that’s not an expression she really kicks monkeys in the butt, if you haven’t seen it, look up Mojo Jo-jo he’s my fave villain!

Jessie from Undergrads:

Another costume I did for Halloween, Jessie was awesome. This show was so wicked and I’m sure most would agree. Too bad it only lasted a season, but maybe that’s how it remained so good, it didn’t wear out its welcome…at least I didn’t get sick of it unless I allowed myself to watch it over and over again. Anyways Jessie totally had the hots for Nitz but didn’t bluntly flirt with him about it; at least he didn’t notice ‘cuz he was too busy pining over Kimmy. She was quick-witted and one of the guys. A good combination of sexy and cool, Jessie was a character I have always enjoyed watching.

Nikki from 6-Teen:

Another purple-haired, femme-fetal, Nikki is one of my fave characters in the Canadian born show 6-Teen. Maybe I missed an episode or two but I never quite understood why she worked at that store with so many blond clones. Maybe she enjoyed mocking them or feeling superior to their very ditsy ways but either way it made me laugh. Normally in most situations girls like her would have either been fired or more likely would have quit that job long ago but for some reason she stuck it out. She was smart, mature, gutsy, sarcastic, and had a good head on her shoulders. Out of all the girls I think Nikki was my fave and she made me wanna tune in as often as I could. This show had a lot of fun characters though too, if you haven’t seen it I suggest you check it out.

Joan of Arc from Clone High:

Another Canadian show, yes Joan did seem pretty gothy too, and who knows why she liked Abe, it was such a silly show. I loved how she would punch out JFK if he ever made an offensive comment and kicked Gandhi in the face for the same exact reason. I also loved how she loathed Cleopatra and how they seemed to share a common animosity for one another. The historical stereotypes in one school and how they interacted with each other was pure genius, and the way the characters would point out the random flaws in the writing out of nowhere made it even more hysterical.

Daria and Jane from Daria:

Ok, I know these should be #10 and #11 on the list but these are my #1 fave tomboys…and well since they’re from the same show it was really hard to separate them. I love the characters equally. I feel even though Daria is most likely thought of as a geek and Jane the crazy artist they were both drawn to each other as friends through their common tomboyish personality trait. Daria was created on Beavis and Butthead (which I’ll admit I rarely watched) that they called “Diarrhea” as she sardonically zings them back with her awesome wit. On her show she held her own quite nicely I think. Running 5 seasons long and gaining character development along the way. Jane and Daria seem attached at the hip and despite major curveballs and bumps along the way somehow manage to remain friends through everything they go through, even when Daria steals Jane’s man?! Wow, talk about sharing everything as friends! They both have their differences but a stronger similarity. Both gals agree that they possess a really good friendship. I think it’s great when two tomboys have found each other and can keep each other sane in this crazy mixed up world, especially when that world is full of those that are the complete opposite of them.

Those are my fave animated tomboys, I’m sure I forgot a few along the way, what’s your favorite tomboy of all time?

What 80s and 90s Cartoons Taught Us About Nerdy Girls

Ok so I was doing a little research for fun. I thought it would be funny to point out some of the stereotypes of the smart female characters of the 80s and 90s...the fact that I actually grew up on these characters makes me sad. Most of the characters have large glasses, are shy, klutzy, desperate for love...and even at one time a man and no one seemed to notice their huge transformation? I know...right? Some of them have their better qualities sometimes I mean they're all quite smart or at least leave something to the imagination with their ensembles. Oh I also noticed that a vast majority of them either wear blue or purple or even have blue hair. Coincidence? Probably not, it's most likely just the characters I chose. Anyways here's a few pix of the characters with little write ups about them*:

Shy Violet from Strawberry Shortcake:

"Shy Violet is a studious little girl with the mind of a genius. She wears great big glasses and looks just as intelligent as she is. Most of the time, Violet can be found reading or writing or working on her theories about color. She is Rainbow Brite's problem-solver and can always be counted upon for quick answers to difficult questions. Though Violet is very shy, she never hesitates to speak up to offer advice. And when she speaks, everybody listens because she's always right! Hers is the color of wisdom and enlightenment, so when she's not busy offering advice, she's managing the work of the violet Sprites, supplying violet colors to our world." ~Quote brought to you by: http://www.rainbowbrite.net/characters/violet.html

Plum Pudding from Rainbow Brite:

This one shocked me a bit too, but I also find it somewhat amusing: "The last of Strawberry Shortcake's original 1980s friends, Plum Puddin' was the bespectacled genius of the group. A surprisingly non-token second male character in Strawberry's early adventures, Plum Puddin' vanished from Strawberryland in 1982, only to return to the series in 1984 as a brainy female. Strawberry Shortcake seemed not to notice. Plum remained Strawberry Shortcake's scientific advisor through the franchise's disbanding in 1985."~Quote courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Strawberry_Shortcake_characters#Plum_Puddin.27

Jeanette from Alvin and the Chipmunks:

Now I dunno about you but I watched a lot of the Chipmunks as a kid, it just always seemed to be on. I noticed later on that Jeanette slightly resembled Irma from Ninja Turtles. Anyway, here's another quote from Wickipedia: "Jeanette Miller is the tallest of the Chipettes. She is the female counterpart of Simon. She is the middle sister of the Chipettes. Jeanette has a high amount of intellect which she is often not afraid to use, and is considered the lovable klutz of the Chipettes. Her klutzy personality is shown in her outfits, and is often seen with her shoelaces untied, a strap on her dress shoulder crooked, etc.. She wears glasses due to extremely poor eyesight. Jeanette has brown hair in a bun, green eyes, and her signature colors are royal blue and purple. In the 2009 film, Jeanette is voiced by Anna Faris.~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chipettes

Irma from Ninja Turtles:

Is it me or is there a striking resemblance between Jeanette? It's uncanny! "Irma Langinstein is the bespectacled, dorky best friend, and colleague of April O'Neil at Channel Six, where she serves as Burne Thompson's secretary in the 1987 series and Archie Comics." ~http://tmnt.wikia.com/wiki/Irma_Langinstein

Janine from The Real Ghostbusters:

"Janine's character was changed at the suggestion of consultants, who said that they wanted to change the shape of Janine's glasses (which they thought would frighten children), and change her from a feisty character to the "mother" of the Ghostbusters group as they felt she was "too abrasive". Additionally, the Brooklyn accent was discarded with a change in voice actresses. This, among other reasons, was why writer J. Michael Straczynski left The Real Ghostbusters." Quote found and additional info about this can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janine_Melnitz

Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury from Sailor Moon:

"A quiet, fourteen-year-old bookworm in Usagi's class. Highly intelligent with a rumored IQ of 300, she can transform into Sailor Mercury, Soldier of Water and Wisdom. Ami's shy exterior masks a passion for knowledge and for taking care of the people around her. She hopes to become a doctor one day, like her mother, and tends to be the practical one in the group. Secretly, she is also a fan of pop culture and romance novels, and becomes embarrassed whenever this is pointed out. Ami would also be considered the "tech girl" of the group, Utilizing her mini data computer, which is capable of scanning and detecting virtually anything she needs." ~More info as well as this can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor_Moon

So what have we learned here today? I personally have learned that smart girls (at least in cartoon land) are often reserved and shy, with head buried in a book while toting laptops and wearing their hair either really short or in a convenient ponytail.

*Note: Most of these characters are obviously from girly cartoons or shows that drew an equal male/female audience...with possibly the exception of The Real Ghostbusters and Ninja Turtles.

Awards, Interviews, and Ponies?

Ok, so a few things have happened to me this month that I'd like to share. The list of articles I'm addressing is as follows: 1: I'm up for an award, and if you'd like to vote I'll tell you how.
2:I was interviewed about my career by a 15 year old who had a project, if you'd like to know what I think about being a cartoonist read on, it's long-winded.
3: My friend Kelly Mills made me a wonderful My Little Pony version of Tom Boy Tara!
If you'd like to read all three topics, please feel free, but if you'd like to skip one or two at least you know what I'm going to rant about so you can skim.

The Prix Aurora Award
So I'm pleased to announce that the lovely and always wonderful Liana K. has nominated my comic "Tom Boy Tara" for a Prix Aurora Award. I'm in the "Best Graphic Novel" section. Apparently webcomics are able to be nominated for it. My comics 129-165 from 2010 are in the running which involves *SPOILER ALERT* the huge story arc of my one character Jade coming out as a bisexual and Tara questioning her own sexuality. If you haven't read it, lots of stuff happens after that too...it's a crazy read.

Liana and the fine people at Futurecon (a fabulous 3 day New Years Relaxacon that she and a few others made up and then donated all of the money gained from it to epilepsy Toronto) were also nominated for a Prix Aurora Award. Please vote for them if you can!

The Prix Aurora Awards are Canada's national popular vote Sci Fi & Fiction awards, meaning the public gets to vote on the best of the best in Canadian SF!

The nomination period is open, and it is free to nominate. However, since the awards are a one person/one vote system, you must register with the society and get your society number before proceeding to the nominations.

Nominations are live now, and close April 30th, 2011. Please help us get those who supported the Futurecon convention on the ballot! They donated a lot of time and work to help raise epilepsy funds.

Come voting time, there is a nominal $5 fee per ballot. This money goes directly to paying for the swanky trophies they give out, and other expenses related to the awards. You can donate more if you wish.

The nomination form can be found here:

http://www.prixaurorawards.ca/Membership/nomination.php

The Prix Aurora Awards prefers that you complete all categories when you nominate. So to help you with that, here is our preliminary "Friends of Futurecon" list of recommendations. Let's get all our Futurecon guests nominated, so we party at SFContario, November 18-20th, 2010 in Toronto:

PROFESSIONAL NOMINATIONS:

Best Novel - English:
Robert J. Sawyer: Watch (Penguin Canada)
Derwin Mak: The Shrine of the Siren Stone (Orchard House Press)

Best Short Fiction - English:
"Cloned to Kill", Derwin Mak, Infinite Space, Infinite God II, Twilight Times Books
"The Polar Bear Carries the Mail", Derwin Mak, The Dragon and the Stars, DAW Books
"Family Tradition", Derwin Mak, Night to Dawn, issue 17, April 2010

(Note: All these short stories can be read online here: http://www.derwinmaksf.com/Auroras.html )

Best Poetry/Song - English
Robert J. Sawyer: "The Transformed Man," Tesseracts 14 (EDGE)

Best Graphic Novel - English
Tomboy Tara, strips 129 - 165, Emily Ragozzino, Tomboytara.com, self-published.

Best Related Work - English
The Dragon and the Stars; Derwin Mak and Eric Choi, Editors, DAW Books

Best Artist:
Leonard Kirk, Examples: Dark X-Men: Issues 3, 4 and 5 - Penciling and Inking, Marvel Comics
New Mutants (vol.3): Issues 15 - 19 - Penciling and inking, Marvel Comics

FAN-BASED NOMINATIONS

Best Fan Publication:
The Dominion Dispatch, Adam Smith, Editor, http://www.steampunkcanada.ca/dominiondispatch.htm

Best Fan Organizational
Liana Kerzner, FUTURECON!!!!!!!!!! (This was a team effort but the Auroras make you list a single name. This was the one RJS provided, so let's keep it consistent!)

Best Fan Filk:
Nero's Fiddle, Red is the Rose Album

Best Fan Other:
Andrew Gurudata, The Constellation Awards, Polaris 24
Nero's Fiddle, Live performance, Futurecon, December 31st, 2010 (In case the Aurora committee doesn't see the gals as "filky" enough. The official definition is muddy.)

An Interview About Being in the Cartoon Industry
Interview for Comic Book Artist and Author Emily Ragozzino

Q: How did you first decide to become a comic book artist?

A: When I was eight years old, I used to do my own comics based off of cartoons I watched on T.V. and newspaper comics I read. I didn’t have a comic book store near me, as I grew up in the country so I didn’t really base them off of comic books, but I always found all sequential art and animation to be extremely fascinating and an amazing storytelling method.

Q: Is there anything you think is important to do during your formative years if you want to become a comic book artist?

A: Well for one thing, I think it’s best to learn a thing or two about writing and art, especially if you want to do both. I’m mostly self-taught but I took Fine Art in college and all through high school, I also loved English. I think it helps to know how to craft your own stories and create some kind of movement with your art to make the story interesting. Creating a story that includes body language often helps make the art look more appealing, however if the story calls for it, small gestures can make the art look more organic, more boring perhaps but also more realistic if that’s what you’re going for.

Q: Do you think it was luck or your own choices, or a combination of both, that got you where you are today?

A: Well, I’ve always worked hard to achieve any goals. Sometimes coincidences happen where I met a cool person at the right time that would help me to further my career, but most of the time if was motivation and sticking with what I loved and never giving up hope that got me to where I am.

Q: How often do you work as a comic book artist?

A: I try to post a comic a week if I can. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but I try to stick with that goal. I think having goals and giving yourself a deadline really helps a lot. I try to work on a comic for about 3 hours more or less. I just began colouring it in. Because I change my style frequently and experiment a lot it can take more or less time, but I mainly have fun with it and the time flies by. It’s what I love to do, so it’s hard not to have fun.

Q: What are your favorite parts about this job?

A: Just being able to create something new and different really makes me content. I’ve always loved art and writing, so I think the fact that I’ve found something to combine both of my loves has really helped me to progress.

Q: What are your least favorite parts about this job?

A: Trying to find the time to do it among my day job and other daily tasks and challenges and at the moment I’m not making a ton of money off of it. It’s the price I pay for being an artist and enjoying what I do.

Q: Are their any particular skills and interests that are required for the job?

A: I think most people can do this type of work if they really have the passion for it, dedication and the talent. Talent comes last because I’ve seen some comics with good writing and bad art or vice versa and they still make it alright. I think if you have a new and different idea that will relate to people, that often helps. Creativity is a big requirement. I say passion and dedication because I’ve seen enough artists give up because they don’t think there’s enough money in it or they’re too shy to show their own work. If you like what you do you’ll want to show it to the world and keep going with it. If you put your mind to it, I really believe you can accomplish anything.

Q: Which of the following types of abilities are useful within your job?
(Copy from the following list)
Kinesthetic
Linguistic
Logical
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Musical
Visual/Spatial
Natural

A: Definitely Linguistic, I think without language in the comic realm (body language or speech) it would just be a bunch of random pictures. There must be a concept or some kind of story to suck the reader in. Visual is definitely another strong ability needed, or else it would just be a regular short story, conversation, narrative, etc. Art is what makes comics such a fascinating medium; it can convey a mood or set a scene. I believe you can use most of the other abilities in the above list to write about something, the ideas for comics are endless. I for one will use music in my writing to display the characters likes and dislikes or again, set a mood.


Q: Within the job, what sort of thinking is important?
(Copy from the following list)
Respectful
Disciplined
Creative
Synthesizing
Ethical

A: I think “Creative” and “Discipline” are the top ones on the list. You obviously need to have creativity to even craft your own comic, and discipline to keep going with it, especially if it has a storyline that lasts a while like mine does.

Q: Is there a particular personality that best suits the job?

A: Well, like in any career, an ambitious personality will allow you to take the career far. Especially because you will most likely not receive overnight success, it takes a lot of hard work, dedication and a lot of money into it (that you may not easily get back) you have to enjoy what you do and I think creative methods in marketing yourself can really help get things out there a little bit. Most artists forget that if they begin this career, you must market your product and unless you have a partner you must do it on your own or with the help of friends and possibly family. If you have a business mind and a fabulous support system, it sometimes helps to get your idea out there. Creativity also helps obviously, but being logical about your goals in your freelance career also helps a lot, you’re your own boss, you call the shots, they may as well be smart decisions.

Q: Are there any good things that people can do to volunteer that prepare them for your job?

A: Well, I think if you have the time to dedicate to your future goal while you’re young, it can help. If my college had a newspaper that was published often, I would have definitely volunteered to do the comic in that newspaper. I have in the past made comics for things. I used to practice making birthday cards for people and coming up with funny little slogans and caricatures, just writing and doing random sketches can often help. Carrying a small notebook with you at all times too can help you get ideas down that you later forget about. I just practiced art a lot, and wrote whenever I could to keep things fresh. I think that’s all you can really do to prepare yourself.

Q: Are there any other interests that your job makes it easy to pursue? Are there ones that you feel are difficult to pursue?

A: Caricatures and face painting have been things I have done on the side. I can easily do storyboards for film because I know how to do sequential art. I can easily also write scripts for film as well, as I normally write out scripts before I draw out the panels.
I feel it is a very limited career, but you can also do a lot with art and writing. I have published books because of it, I have created t-shirts and other products with my art, there are endless possibilities. My core interests are art and writing, I find that this career path helps me fulfill all of my needs.

Q: Does your job often interfere with your personal life, and vice versa?

A: It can sometimes. I have been distracted at past side jobs because I was so focused on what I wanted to do next in my comic. I have even been fired over it. Although that job was not for me and the employer knew it, it was just at a bad time in my life that I lost that job. I have had friends and family think I was delusional for wanting to do this as a career as it makes very little money, especially at the start. I have ignored a lot of people because I have followed what most consider “just a dream”.

Q: Is it possible to create a healthy work/life balance, without cutting too much of either?

A: I have created one. I now work full time at an art store for spare money so I can eat, pay bills and generally have a roof over my head. It also helps me save money on supplies if I need them. I find doing a comic a week at least until I make some money off of my comic gives my viewers just enough to constantly go back to check in with it, and it allows me to pursue what I love while still giving me time to work and have a social life, and do all the things I need to do.

Q: Is there anything else you’d include that’s important information about your job?

A: It can be a difficult career. It may sound glamorous at times, but believe me, it takes a lot of discipline, and dedication and laborious life balance to allow you to survive in this incredibly sought after career. Let’s face it, a lot of people want to be their own boss and work mainly from home while making massive amounts of money doing it. If that’s why you got into this career in the first place though, you may want to rethink your life choices. It’ll take years to get there, I haven’t even received that luxury yet, and don’t know if I ever will. That’s the price I pay for doing what I love though.

Kelly Mills Makes My Little Ponies Even More Awesome!
So I just got the best present of the year, and I was so excited to share it with everyone! My friend Kelly Mills makes customized My Little Ponies. She came to visit me one time recently on her way to see the play "Wicked" with her boyfriend and told me she was going to make me a Tom Boy Tara pony. I didn't think she'd be making it so soon. I can't stop staring at the pictures she had of them below, I was just in awe of all the detail she put into it. She took my childhood girly toy and made it something tomboyish! Such an amazing thing! Well I luckily snagged the pictures of the making of the pony and the finished result is there too. If you want to see Kelly's other ponies she's customized she does such an amazing job, they're here, just click on this link: Midnightflurry
Please hire her if you know someone (or yourself) who would like a My Little Pony customized. She does an incredible amount of work, as you can see!

The Future Is Here!

So it has been a while since I last posted in here. Since my random cartoon teaching gigs I've had two friends ask me to teach "the making of comics" to more students. My one friend who is part of the Literature Committee at her high school was going to see if I could speak for an hour about comics as a piece of literature. I've also been asked to teach a few girls from an all girl high school how to draw comics. Both gigs will be in April of next year, but they want to book me in advance before commencing the next semester. I'm pretty excited that I was asked to do these things, even if it doesn't pan out, it's the thought to ask me that counts. Very exciting!

So I had just completed some works for an upcoming event called Futurecon! Futurecon is a cool 3 day party right on New Years put on by constant con goers who wanted to make their own convention. It's based on a sci-fi movement that doesn't seem to be primarily focused on for most conventions (normally when you think of sci-fi you think of aliens) which is Time Travel. It's one of my favorite kinds of Sci-fi being a fan of such movies as "Back to the Future" and "Time Bandits". I was asked to participate in drawing for the very cool event. I made caricatures of Liana K and Ed the Sock (who will be running the event) dressed in gear from different time periods and also as Marty McFly and Doc Brown from "Back to the Future".

These caricatures have been put on a cover for the event's free keepsake program book that doubles as a photo album. Also my line drawing of Ed and Red as Marty and Doc has been put on the official t-shirt for the convention. Sales from the t-shirts will go to help banish epilepsy as well as the money from most of the con. I'm really proud to be a part of this history-in-the-making event. It will be the New Years party of a lifetime! If you would like to go to it, please feel free to register for it on the website here.

That's all for now, I hope everyone's holidays go smoothly and hopefully next year will be just as wonderful, if not more wonderful than this one. For me, it'll have to be pretty darn wonderful, I had a blast this year!

I'M IN THE NEWS!

Even though it's small town news it still counts. I grew up in the country, this is awesome to me! So, this is one of the creative things I was doing a few months ago that I said I'd get back to you about later. The very awesome Liana K from "Ed the Sock" and "This Movie Sucks" asked me to join her in participating in a very cool program at a public school that connects children to their young parents. I was thrilled to be asked and therefore taught a whole bunch of kids about grade 1-3 and their parents how to create their own cartoon character and then their own comic strip. What the article doesn't mention here (because the photographer/writer of the article left before this)is that the school asked us to stay and do another more advanced presentation for about 60 kids from grade 4-6. We had all of their attention and it was so super fun! I made an interesting suggestion that you can turn any shape into a head or body if you just use your imagination. We had kids asking to come up to draw a shape in front of everyone so we could turn it into something cool! Liana who is a huge fan of comics and claimed she wasn't an artist at all was drawing more than I was up there. Everyone wanted to participate! Needless to say, it was a very fun day! Thanks to Adam Hodgins who arranged the whole thing and the awesome school of Brechin for having such a wonderful program. I wish I had something like that when I was their age.

Interview

Well it's been a while since I wrote a blog post...lots of artistic things are going on, but stuff I can't really discuss too much now. Instead I wrote a little interview out about my life and my art/writing career. Enjoy!:

• What is your birthdate?:
March 5th, 1982, yes I’m getting up there in age, I don’t care, grow old gracefully.
• Previous occupations:
For art: graphic designer, caricaturist, art director, storyboard artist, face painter, cartoonist, fashion designer, etc…I’ve also done a lot of random retail jobs to keep this art career afloat.
• Favorite job:
I’ve had a few, but I’ve always enjoyed making my own comics.
• High school and/or college:
Went to school in Banting Memorial High School then went to Georgian College for Fine Arts for 3 years and eventually moved to Toronto.
• Name of your favorite composer or music artist:
I love the band “Cake” ‘cuz they experiment with all kinds of instruments in their band. I enjoy artists who experiment. I’m also into MGMT.
• Favorite movie:
It depends, I have a few favorites…but it changes with my mood…Maybe The Fantastic Mr. Fox most recently.
• Favorite television show:
Freaks and Geeks.
Revealing Questions
Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
A. Life is hard, but when drawing, it’s fun.
Q. What is your motto or maxim?
A. If I have time to watch a movie I have time to draw a comic.
Q. How would you describe perfect happiness?
A. Getting to wake up everyday and make a living doing what you love.
Q. What’s your greatest fear?
A. Knives.
Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
A. I’ve always wanted to go to England to see the history there.
Q. With whom in history do you most identify?
A. Jim Henson, I love creating new characters, imagine and inspire imagination in others like he did.
Q. Which living person do you most admire?
A. My boyfriend, he is the most amazing boy I’ve ever met, he is so calm and together, successful in his career, and he knows when to be mature and when to have fun.
Q. What are your most overused words or phrases?
A. “That’s insane!” I’ve been told I say that a lot when talking to people…some people tell insane stories though, in my defense.
Q. What do you regret most?
A. Not taking a photography job that was offered to me when I was in high school ‘cuz I was lazy then. Woulda been great on a resume.
Q. If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
A. I want to learn the drums. Never became musically inclined but I woulda loved to learn something cool.
Q. What is your greatest achievement?
A. I think publishing my very own comic books and my own web comic.
Q. What’s your greatest flaw?
A. I’m too self conscious and I sometimes blame that on the fact that I’m a girl.
Q. What’s your best quality?
A. I have a good imagination which helps me to tell stories and create.
Q. If you could be any person or thing, who or what would it be?
A. I would love to be some kind of mythical creature. I love mythology, Unicorns, Pegasus, anything horse-like were such powerful animals that inspired imagination
Q. What trait is most noticeable about you?
A. I think the fact that I’m tall…when people would describe me to someone they often referred to me as “the tall girl”. I change my look too frequently to pin-point a single trait.
Q. Who is your favorite fictional hero?
A. Daria
Q. Who is your favorite fictional villain?
A. The plant in Little Shop of Horrors.
Q. If you could meet any historical character, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
A. If I could go back in time I would tell all of King Henry the Eighth’s wives to watch out and never marry him ‘cuz they’re going to die a horrible, horrible death.
Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?
A. When people ignore their inner nerd and mask it with a phony version of them selves.
Q. What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing or drawing?
A. Creating new products for people to use or wear.
Q. What’s your fantasy profession?
A. To be a shape-shifter…then I could do almost any profession…even if it is just temporarily.
Q. What 3 personal qualities are most important to you?
A. Having an imagination, a sense of humor, and being open-minded
Q. If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
A. Rice Krispies…I could make so many things with that.

On Books and Writing
Q. Who are your favorite authors?
A. C.S. Lewis, J.D. Salinger, Daniel Clowes, Mike Carey, Craig Thompson, and Graeme Roland Base.
Q. What are your 5 favorite books of all time?
A. The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, Catcher in the Rye, Ghost World, The Unwritten, Blankets, and I know you just said 5, but it’s a short children’s book and so awesome anyways in art and in writing, The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery.
Q. Is there a book you love to reread?
A. I just read Blankets but would love to reread it. I’ve reread The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe several times as a kid and have reread Catcher in the Rye.
Q. Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
A. Keep trying, you will have a magnum opus someday, if you get rejected, don’t let that stop you, Stephen King kept every rejection letter he ever received when he first began, that’s words of encouragement enough I’d say.
Q. What comment do you hear most often from your readers?
A. That Tom Boy Tara is awesome and I’m not allowed to stop making it…their words, not mine.

Marketing Strategies For The New Comic Artist

People often come up and ask me at conventions, “How do you get your web comic out there?” To be fair I’m not famous…yet, but I have become a little more known with a few marketing strategies I’ve discovered through trial and error. I took Fine Arts Advanced in college and they teach you a little bit about how to market yourself as an artist, which has been helpful, no doubt, but once I got into the real world and realized the competition and how fierce it is I soon had to rely on my creative skills to stand out above the rest. Plus I find a lot of these strategies work well online, which is what you want when you’re a web comic creator.

Business Cards: One of my favorite old fashioned strategies has always been the business card. I’ve tried many printing places and they were all well and good, but at one particular convention I saw one man’s cards that stood out above the rest. He had these tiny cards, about half the size of a regular one, and he had many different images on them. I thought they were adorable and showing off numerous images as if to have a mini portfolio seemed like such a wonderful idea. I quickly asked him where he got them printed. He said, “Online at moo.com.” He then proceeded to tell me how cheap they were to make. I joked with him about possibly working for them and he assured me he wasn’t. I took a card and remembered the easy-to-remember web address when I got home and looked it up. Such a fun site it was too! I made some cards with their wonderful “printfinity” function to showcase a few of my different styles I use. I’ve gone to them several times for mini cards too, because I find they actually arrive quickly and in a cute, little protective box. Whenever I hand them out at conventions I suggest to people to use them as bookmarks for their graphic novels they’ve just purchased. They’re such handy little things. Plus not only can you make business cards but you can make postcards, stickers, greeting cards, etc. Another great thing about moo is if you join their newsletter they will keep you updated on cool events, contests and the best is their marketing strategies. They sure know how to market (it is their job after all) and man, I’ve learned a lot just from reading their newsletter updates!

Edible Business Cards: I find people really seem to like free food at cons, not all mind you, but most. Plus, if the con was anything like last Fan Expo where it was impossible to get food because of the long lineups people will be thankful for it. I had an epiphany one day about the best food that would get messages across to people and I thought, ‘Of course! Fortune cookies!’ I swiftly began searching for sites that provided great deals with Fortune cookies and one place has served me well. Goodfortunecookies.com had the best and coolest deal! The site may look a little sketchy, as well as the box the cookies come in, but believe you me, they make them fresh and delicious, and they’ll get them to you on time! I’m not one to procrastinate so I like to order them way before I need them, and they don’t go stale for about 3 months or so. You can set the date for when you want them delivered by, and you’ll bet they get it to you. Best part, you can write your own fortunes! I like to get huge amounts of them for a fairly good price and I write 17 different fortunes (all having to do with situations that happen in my comic on them) then I put my website underneath the fortune and tell people to go check out my comic from there. Another cute option they have (perfect for the artist with the cool style) is you can put a logo on there for free with a big order. They have different deals going on but I know they can do it, just make sure there’s no writing on the logo because it’s so small few people can read it. Leave the written anything to the fortunes themselves. Now, this business card method doesn’t always work mind you, some people are superstitious when it comes to Fortune Cookies, or have food allergies, that’s where backup cards come in to play, and you can rely on your moo cards in that case.

Be A Walking Billboard: Okay, so I have come up with so many kinds of clothes to wear in the past it’s ridiculous! The old fashioned t-shirt logos work wonderfully, don’t get me wrong, but I also find other types of clothes, the ones that you can’t find at a normal convention also make you stand out. Remember: If you’re doing a different comic, one that has barely been established it’s best to do something different so people will take notice. Sometimes causing a scene works but people see through it and it seems hokey. I like checking out different product ideas I could do that will also showcase my stuff long after the convention is over, so if people want to purchase something online, they have the option to. I once wore a tie with my logo on it and people seemed to love it! You can always shop around to see what sites work best for you, but for now I’m using zazzle.com to make numerous projects, including skateboards, doggy shirts, hats, purses, ties, shoes, stickers, magnets, posters, and so much more! You can do so many cool ideas with it! You can customize your store too if you’d like, just play around with it. Fun to make new and unique products! You can also make shirts on Zazzle, but I like to go to a Canadian site called tshirtmonster.ca where you can change the colour, style, brand, size, gender and if it’s an adult, child or baby shirt to suit your needs. You can also opt for an environmentally friendly organic blend shirt for those who like that sort of thing. The quality of shirts is excellent. I like to wear the shirt randomly out, or to comic related events. If I do a bulk order of shirts I ask friends if they want to wear them at the table with me so not only is the order cheaper and you know they’ll be bought, but your friends can advertise the different styles that suit them made specifically from the site. I also have a few shirts at the table for people to pick up in case they want something now. Getting a size people will want is tough though, but through trial and error I find the bigger the shirts the better, not everyone can fit into a small and some people would rather wear a big shirt than a tight one, you can wear it as a shirt to bum around in at home. Another new product I wanted to do because my site is a bit edgy was make temp tattoos. They’re fun at conventions. They’re a little different than some products too so they stand out and if you go to straytats.com you can make any image into a tattoo and you can re-size it to suit your budget so you can either make one big one for you or a bunch for conventions! I made a bunch of Jack the ferret from my comic; I think he worked out well. Also, there are a lot of people who are crafty and make one-of-a-kind customized products. My friend Valerie Scovill just created some beautiful jewelry for my comic and if they don’t do well at this next convention I go to I’m thinking of putting them for sale on Etsy.com which is fabulous for any kind of unique, handmade trinkets. Also, my moo business cards ended up being wonderful for making jewelery! Valerie realized the cardboard they used to make the business cards were perfect for being suspended in resin. The cards were the perfect thickness and lightweight enough to not be too bulky. The cards at the bottom were used to make pins to put on your clothes!

Social Events: If you have the money for it, go to conventions, trade shows, and any related event that has to do with your audience. If you can afford a table by yourself or can share some with friends please do. If not, fliers or business cards at these events are also a good idea for getting it out there. Unfortunately you can’t be shy here, this is where you must hone in on your social skills or at least appoint a friend who has no fear going up to people who supports your business choice. If you don’t approach people and let them know what you’re doing, word of mouth can’t develop and your creation won’t get out there. Go to as many art shows as possible too. There are lots of free events in the summer time especially that may have people that are interested in the same things as you. Research online. You can also make your own event, with the power of Facebook invite friends to a gathering you made up. Hold it at your house or a public place like a pub, restaurant where you can talk with people. Maybe see if there are any art shows involving comics or even approach restaurants that look like they're artist friendly to see if they'll hand out fliers for you or showcase some of your art to possibly even sell. If you have a book you've published go ask your local comic book store if they accept books from Indy comic artists. See how they do business if they buy your stuff outright or do commissions, a lot of stores do things differently. So if your comic features music in it ask a local music store if they can take some of your books to sell. Try to find local Indy 'zine creators to see if they'd like to showcase your art or comic in their magazine. It helps get your name out and you're checking out the cool community and what they're doing too. People may even give you some of their business advice while you're at it.

Online Marketing: Well if you’re just starting out with a new comic it is hard to get it out there. What I like to do (especially if you’re promoting a web comic) is check out different online forums, maybe ones that are specifically art, comic related or would appeal to your audience, for example, (again I'm using music as an example)if your comic is about music, try to check out some music forums as well. I’ve tried forums like CBR.com the comic book website in the Indy comic section and also craigslist.com to show off what I’ve done. They’re free for the stereotypical starving artist and it’s online so it’ll be easy to access. You’re zeroing in on your target audience too so you’re bound to get some interesting feedback. If not, just remember not everyone will like your comic, especially at the beginning stages, so don’t be so sensitive to harsh criticism, some people don’t know what they’re talking about and just want to insult or some people just want to help so you can heed some of the advice if it seems necessary but remember this will happen a lot if you’re getting your art out there so it’s good to develop a thick skin now, which is something some artists have trouble with I’ve noticed. If you have passion and drive for what you do and feel you have a lot to say I think you should keep going with it. If it’s something you want to make money off of, don’t expect anything right away. I find the people who do it for fun because they enjoy it and they don’t care about the money portion of it have the right idea. Also ask the web comic creators that inspire you if they can help you advertise your stuff on their site. Sometimes they're nice and have been in the same boat as you so they may help you out, if not you tried and if they have forums on their site post on there for others to find or even create some advertising by making banner ads to post on your site or others. Also you can try to get other people to advertise on your site, and join affiliate programs. It may help you earn a little extra income to maintain your site. Adding a button from paypal to your website in case someone wants to donate to you for all your hard work doesn't hurt either.

Other Marketing Techniques: If you do happen to get a table at a convention or trade show I’ve seen different strategies, some work, some don’t. I haven’t tried this yet but I want to either get a large cardboard cut-out of one of my characters or buy a cheap mannequin (maybe at a flea market) I can dress up to look like my character and put a wig on, paint her face and maybe add some of the merch I’m selling, like buttons, jewelry, t-shirts whatever to give an interesting display. So many people have cool ideas at these things. I have also cosplayed as my character before, or if you have friends that like to cosplay maybe you can ask them to dress up as a character from your comic for you. I once did a photo shoot with a bunch of friends of mine so I had a photo album to show at these conventions and during the shoot people were wondering what we were doing so we did a little promoting then. You can do it any time during the year; you just need a little creativity with your promotional methods. Of course Facebook, twitter, blogs and a whole plethora of social network sites are right at your fingertips too so take advantage of the free advertising methods and if you have the time try to look into new ones and see what's gaining the most audiences.

There are lots of different methods that work for different people; again it’s all trial and error as you go. If you don’t mind doing a little shameless self promotion and if you also have friends who support what you do they can help you and you have some of the ingredients to be successful. These are just some tips I have used that have helped and stuff I’ve noticed other people have used. It sounds like a lot of work and some of the tips may cost money if you really want to get into it, but if you display stuff online and keep it simple by directing people to your website where all this stuff is, they’re bound to stumble across it and enjoy it. Most of these ideas are either free strategies or fairly cost effective so have fun marketing!

A Blog About a Blog

So I already enjoyed the idea of the wonderful blog T-Dot Comics before because it's all about the rich comic industry in Toronto and we have a lot of cool and interesting comics here. Let's face it, people come from all over the world just to enroll in Sheridan College which has proved to be a tremendous school for animation and sometimes those honor students get picked to work for Disney...or at least they used to. Not only that but we have countless new schools popping up randomly to teach people how to draw cartoons properly, what with Max the Mutts Animation School as well as Ty Templeton's Comic Book Boot Camp! So not only is the idea behind T-Dot comics a fabulous one but I like it even more now that there has been a video interview of myself posted on there (call me self indulgent, call me what you will, I still think it's pretty cool) along with a number of very cool artists like my friend James Turner who has a link to the side of this blog if you notice. If you'd like to visit the blog please feel free to go there at: http://tdotcomics.ning.com/ but if for some reason that doesn't work you can always check out the side of this blog and click there under the video posted or you will notice a link has also been established for the blog itself.

On a sad note, today is the unfortunate anniversary of my mother's passing. Four years ago today she had ended her 5 year struggle with cancer. Before she got to the point of not speaking because she was on so much pain killer medicine she told all three of her children that she wanted us to do everything that we wanted to do with our lives. That was one of her last spoken wishes. She was a very unselfish woman, one who always encouraged artistic endeavors and creation in any way. She was an amazing artist, as well as a great fashion designer and I always admired how she was always positive no matter what happened during her life. She was my inspiration and the inspiration of all of her children, as my older brother pursued his dream of working in the film industry and my younger brother still plugs away recording for his musically talented friends. She will always be in my heart and I think it is one of the reasons I keep on going with this comic as much as I do, I not only want to fulfill my dream but I want to make my mom proud as well. I'm happy with all that I have accomplished, and must say I never thought I'd get to where I am today if it wasn't for her. Miss you mom!

Fan Expo

Well I attended Fan Expo at long last. Shared a table with the wonderful troop at Nerdgasm Comedy! Joined the Nerd Girl Pinups on occasion too so it was a tremendously busy convention to say the least. Especially since no one seemed to know that there were 3 levels to the con unless they went downstairs to attend a panel. I was located on the 100th floor and it seemed to be the worst location for activity. Which was odd because on Saturday the convention was at maximum capacity so you'd think we'd be working our butts off, but no sir, it was dead then busy, then dead then busy, etc throughout the day. People were so annoyed with the con, in fact, that the attendance for Sunday (at least where I was) was minimal and I refused to travel far from my table assuming a security guard would not let me back to my merch. It's rough advertising for a comic by yourself that few people have heard of, that's why I stayed put unless nature called. I was lucky that the cool people at my table provided me with beverages and food (something I forgot to bring along)so I traded them my fortune cookies I made (or my edible business cards) to thank them for their generosity. The whole con was frustrating and also fun but tiring as well. Lots going on before the con and after the con. I went to the first Annual Questy Awards on Friday night and was going to go to a Nerd Girl Pinups party but became suddenly drained of energy when I was done the con on Saturday, Sunday night I got up enough energy to attend a DVD taping at Nerdgasm comedy. It was a lot of fun! Sunday I also had a video interview with the cool/lovely Alice Quinn of T-dot Comics which is a blog for all your Toronto Comic needs! My video interview shall be posted in a few weeks, will let you know when it is. In the meantime check out their site: http://tdotcomics.ning.com/

There is tons to talk about on this blog and lots of pictures to post, however, I don't have all that much time to do that at the moment. Maybe another day I will post them, until then, keep reading Tom Boy Tara, the recent comic brings up the good question, "What's going on with Tobey right now?" So if you missed Tobey you should check out my latest comic.

TBT Jewelry Has Arrived!

As stated in a previous post I have commissioned a wonderfully talented jewelry artist to create a line of Tom Boy Tara jewelry pieces for the Fan Expo and to hopefully also be sold at the upcoming Canzine Festival. If you like any of these pieces and perhaps want them done differently or something we can make commissioned pieces for you. Here are some pictures of the pieces that were actually crafted for the shows already and there might even be more to come if they do well!
The first picture is of all of the jewelry in a group that Valerie S. has made for me.

The second picture is a closeup shot of the earrings she made. Now you can have your very own Tara gold earring. You can buy either one, the way she wears it or both as a pair.

The third picture is of all the pins you can put on your shirt, bag, suspenders, coat, whatever you want it on and you'll look delightfully 80's as well as unique, as every one is different!

The fourth and fifth pictures are of the necklaces that you can have. Either on a classic chain, or on a circular wire cord for a modern and edgy look,
they're definitely a cool conversation piece.

Every piece is hand made with resin so your piece is sealed from any kind of water damage so the images will last for a long time. All very durable and awesomely edgy, it'll be hard to pick a piece you really want. If you want to know the prices of any of them let me know and I'll try to give you an estimate, whether it's one of the pieces here or one you want to make as a commission.