Rosetta Stone

I guess you lovely readers must have noticed something a little different on Rosetta Stone lately. Hand colored art!

The truth is that I was feeling like the computer colored pages were just flat and dead. I needed light and shadow. I didn’t want to start shading on the computer though– maybe it’s just my 11 year old wacom tablet (super size) but it seemed like it would take forever and be really awful. Plus I felt like, if I’m going to spend the time shading the art, why not have an original when I’m done? Besides, I’d finally gotten consistently good enough with the inking to feel confident to commit to doing watercolor.

Little known fact: I started out painting my comics in acrylic! Zombie Punk was done in BW in a combination of acrylic, gouache and acrylic gouache, and that’s how I did the early pages of Rosetta and Cock Robin too.

Based on advice I overheard Lynda Barry give to a fan at MoCCA, I switched to ink and brush, laid flat on the table, about six months ago– and this was a real breakthrough for me.

Last time I was working on Rosetta, and I decided to try doing shading directly on the page using sepiatone grisaille. I liked it, and it didn’t take any longer than doing full color on the computer! And so, being the glutton for punishment that I am,  when I started the new chapter of Cock Robin, I went to full palette watercolor.

It’s been taking me 15 or 2o hours longer per page, but I think the results are worth it.

One reason it’s been so laborious is that the paper I’ve been using for the hand-colored pages has not been very satisfactory for watercolor. Way too absorbent, and it goes all blotchy when wet, which is very distracting. Much more suited for printmaking, or for acrylic or oil on paper, which is what I intended to use it for. Basically I’ve had to build up the watercolor in ridiculously large numbers of transparent layers, waiting for them to dry so I could see what I’d done. Just nuts!

BUT… I recently received delivery of TWO blocks of 18×24 Arches hot press watercolor paper! My favorite paper of all time!! So excited.

This morning’s page isn’t painted on the Arches, though. It’s actually on the last sheet of the mystery stock (a discount-rate roll of decent archival, but not 100% rag paper, possibly Pearl generic brand, that I had lying around my studio for 10 years.)  I used it for Ana and the Calabash, but didn’t discover how great it is for watercolor until I used some for the How To Train Your Lover pieces. I must say it’s a relief to be working on the right kind of surface. And amazing how much brighter the colors are on paper that’s got better sizing.

It’ll be interesting to see the performance of– and my working speed on– the Arches, with its Cadillac surface and gelatin sizing, as compared to the other papers.

…Mmmmm, gelatin…

(Sizing is glue. -Ed)

Hey there- so in case you’re wondering why the skimpy updates of late — Andy Laties and I, along with our good friends Seth Tobocman and Eric Blitz, are performing at bookstores up and down the East coast right now. I hope you’ll join us as we deliver some World War 3 Illustrated-style Social Justice manna, through the medium of Multimedia Comics, Music, Puppetry and Animation!

Seth Tobocman’s new book tour starts tonight at Bluestockings in New York City, featuring Seth’s powerful performances of excerpts from his current releases, “Understanding the Crash” (Soft Skull) and “You Don’t Have To Fuck People Over To Survive” (AKPress), now in its third printing.
Eric Blitz and Andy Laties provide free-jazz musical accompaniment in this riveting show.
Appearing with Seth are “Crash” co-author Eric Laursen, who will present a multimedia look at The Bailout, and Rebecca Migdal, a World War 3 Illustrated editor, performing to her animated comics with puppetry and live music.

Tour dates are still being added! To stay tuned for updates, sign up for the email list below, or visit www.sethtobocman.com, which goes live starting next week.

Below are the dates for the tour, that I’ll be joining him on:

Friday, June 4th at 7pm
Bluestockings
172 Allen St (btwn Stanton and Rivington)
New York, NY 10002
212-777-6028

Monday, June 7th at 7pm
Wooden Shoe Books
704 South Street
Philadelphia PA 19147
215-413-0999

Tuesday, June 8th – 3pm
Signing at America’s Future Now Conference
Omni Shoreham Hotel
2500 Calvert Street NW
Washington, DC 20008
202-234-0700

Tuesday, June 8th at 6:30pm
Hosted by Positive Force
Location:
Victory Heights – Community Room
1369 Irving Street NW
Washington DC 20010
202-939-1431

Wednesday, June 9 at 7pm
Hosted by Red Emma’s
Location:
2640 Project
2640 St. Paul St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 230-0450

Friday, June 11th at 7pm
ACME Screening Room
25 S. Union Street
Lambertville, NJ 08530
609-397-0275

Saturday, June 12th at 7pm
The Lucy Parsons Center
549 Columbus Ave.
Boston, MA 02118
617-267-6272

Monday, June 14 at 7pm
Black Sheep Books
5 State Street, Montpelier, VT
(802) 225-8906

Tuesday, June 15 at 7pm
Food for Thought Books, Inc.
106 North Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01002-1703
(413) 253-5432

The SOHO GALLERY FOR DIGITAL ART Presents
the Release Party for Issue #40 of World War 3 Illustrated!

Friday, February 26, 2010 8-11 pm

Location:
The SOHO Gallery for Digital Art
138 Sullivan St. NYC, NY 10012

Join us to celebrate the publication of the new issue
with live performances by contributors (including yours truly),
a digital gallery show on the theme of “What We Want”,
music and refreshments. Admission is free.

For more information about the new issue and WW3 Illustrated,
Go to the Magazine’s web site

While the ‘08 Presidential election is viewed by many of us in America as a turning point, it is uncertain what the ultimate outcome will be. The nation remains distressed, economically and ecologically in the aftermath of 28 years of right wing dominance in politics.

World War 3 illustrated asked that artists do more than just criticize things as they are:

WORLD WAR 3 ILLUSTRATED is responding with 128 pages of answers from comic book artists; exploring alternatives, making proposals for progress and offering ideas for a better world for all.

Featuring the work of:

Seth Tobocman, Sabrina Jones, Jennifer Camper, Rebecca Migdal, Paula Hewitt Amram, Susan Simensky Bietila, Carlo Quispe, Sandy Jimenez, FLY, Melissa Jameson, Colin Matthes, Eric Hadley, Jack Laughner, Erik Ruin, Ethan Heitner, Kate Evans, Katie Fricas, Michael Hew, Sabin Calvert, Zeph Fishlyn, Sylvan Migdal.

DATE: February 19th, 8-11 pm
LOCATION: Vox Pop Café, 1022 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn NY

Comictoons: Heartbreak and Chutzpah is the first in a series of evenings at Vox Pop hosted by Rebecca Migdal, showcasing the hottest sequential artists performing excerpts from their graphic novels. The premiere, at 8 PM on Friday, February 19th, features Migdal’s edgy comedy and multimedia, along with fellow World War 3 Illustrated artists Seth Tobocman and Sandy Jimenez’s trenchant and personal social commentaries. Plus, special guest Scott Blakeman performs his astute political comedy. Music by Eric Blitz and Andy Laties.

Please feel free to share the postcard below:

“In the dark aftermath of Valentine’s Day, it can be comforting to have a good laugh,” says Migdal. Her set debuts the character of Machiavellian psychiatrist Dr. Rhonda, who will present excerpts from her cartoon self-help book, How To Train Your Lover In Five Easy Steps. Rebecca Migdal was a 1989 recipient of the Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Emerging Artists Grant, sharing that honor with The Blue Man Group. During the 90’s she fronted the New York avant-pop bands The Rubber Dahls and Clockwork Robin. She created her first graphic novel, Zombie Punk, in 1997, and has been a member of the World War 3 Illustrated collective since 2003.

Comic book artist and writer Sandy Jimenez will read and present images from an extended version of I Was a Lousy Teacher, from his long-running illustrated series of stories about life in New York City. Sandy Jimenez’s first published comic book work appeared in World War 3 Illustrated in 1991. He is the creator behind Marley Davidson: Bronx Exorcist and as a filmmaker and writer, he was a recipient of the ABC/Disney New Talent Development Grant in 2005. His first feature length motion picture, The Likes of Us, was completed in 2009.

Legendary graphic artist Seth Tobocman will perform works from You Don’t Have to Fuck People Over to Survive, a powerhouse assemblage of his most enduring images.
“Seth is an equal-opportunity offender of the powerful—the rich, the complacent winners, the gentrifiers, and especially those whose positions and attainments rest on violence,” writes critic Alan W. Moore in his introduction to the new edition of the 1989 classic, re-issued by AK press. “His characters are driven through misery and despair to the moment of decision when they push back, or stand up.” Tobocman is one of the founding editors of World War 3 Illustrated, an author/illustrator of three collections, and an educator. He has shown his work in streets and galleries across the globe—including Exit Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and the New Museum of Contemporary Art.

Scott Blakeman has made more than thirty national television appearances, including Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, and co-host of several political humor segments on NBC’s “Sunday Today”. Scott was the warmup comedian for the Late Show with David Letterman and the CBS comedy series Welcome To New York. He can be heard regularly on National Public Radio.

Scott co-founded Standup for Peace: The Two Comedian Solution to Middle East Peace with Palestinian-American comedian Dean Obeidallah, performing a highly acclaimed evening of Jewish and Arab-American comedy.

Dear Ones,

Just a note to let you know that I have not forgotten your devotion. Fans of Ear Fetish, Cock Robin, Zombie Punk and Rosetta will not be neglected in 2010!

December has continued to be an intensely busy time for me. Moving to a new home (one that actually has heat!) and entertaining friends and family there, and putting out a new issue of World War 3 Illustrated have been just a few of the demands on my time. I am continuing to undergo physical therapy for the back strain/repetitive stress injuries that knocked me out of commission in October, and my goal is to slowly get myself back up to a level of productivity that is  sustainable. Then I can set a publishing schedule for myself that is realistic, and so a bit more reliable. I thank you all for bearing with me as I flounder about on the slippery paving stones of my good intentions.

“How To Train Your Lover”  is a piece I’ve been wanting to illustrate for some time, and it seemed like a good idea to have a series that I could produce relatively quickly. The positive response to the cartoons has been gratifying indeed. And The Spoonworms panels are only the tip of the iceberg of a comedy series that I think you’ll enjoy. It’s a pleasure to be able to share these cartoons with all of you. I appreciate your interest in them, and I’ll continue to offer installments as time goes on.

Ear Fetish I consider to be one of my real achievements as a comic artist, and it’s also my most popular series, so many of you will be glad to know that there is more to come on that story: a few more pages are already finished and ready to be colored, and more will be created too. Possibly some exciting Ear Fetish news will be announced shortly as well.

However, the Rosetta Stone / Cock Robin / Zombie Punk cycle is my great passion, and not having much time to work on the pages has been more frustrating for me than you can imagine. I’ve been fortunate to have the assistance of Nere Kapiteni in coloring Zombie Punk, she has kept that story thread moving along when things were tough for me.

The Cock Robin/Rosetta threads of the story are merging right now and are so, so close to a turning point that will set into motion all the amazing and delightful events that follow.

This is a story I’ve been working on for over twelve years and yet my excitement about it is more powerful than ever. I hope you will all return in the weeks to come, will have faith in my intense motivation to bring forth in the world an excellent tale driven by the hopes and desires of the sexy, humorous and lovably flawed characters: Robin, Wince, Rosetta, Charlotte and so many more that I can’t wait for you to meet. I can’t wait, too, to produce more animated video readings of the work and hopefully if all goes well, books and other things that will bring pleasure to fans and new readers.

Oh god. Please pardon this boring and seriously un-funny post. I usually make everything into a joke but just now I wanted to let you all know how much it means to me to have this place on the web where I can bring my world to life, and to know that so many of you are reading, enjoying and eagerly awaiting the next pages of the stories. I am too!

They say that an artist creates because she wants to make what she sees in her mind visible in the world. I  create what I want to see, and there’s nothing I want to see more than this epic story going out to all of you. I know I’m going to be working on it for years to come! And I feel so incredibly fortunate to be able to devote myself to the mission of being an artist and creator in the world. Whatever else blossoms for me professionally as a result of doing this work, I can’t and won’t ever abandon the wellspring of my inner life, the world that Robin and Charlotte, Wince and Rosetta inhabit. It is doing this work that made me into a true artist, and so I actually do owe everything to the intervention of these magical, libidinous spirits in my life. They are my great joy and the source of my genuine self.

Rock on in 2010, and thanks for reading,

Rebecca