Archive for Lubbock Sketch Club

West Texas Comic Book Writers, UNITE!

animalman25

Lubbock already has the Lubbock Sketch Club for artists, but is there a similar resource for writers? You betcha. The West Texas Comic Book Writers Association had their first meeting a couple of weeks ago and is ready to hit the ground running.

The next meeting of the group is this Sunday, May 18, at 3 p.m. at Star Comics, 2014 34th Street. They may decide to change their meeting location later, if a lot of folks show up.

Bring pen and paper, your mad 1337 writing skillz, and a willingness to accept constructive criticism. Because you’re never going to get better if you storm out every time someone tells you to improve your dialogue, oy?

The group’s forum is http://wtcbwa.proboards81.com, and the group e-mail addy is wtcbwa@live.com.

And if you’ve got some good examples of comic book scriptwork, either in a standard script format or in the context of a comic book itself, bring that along to point out what you like.

I’d hoped to be able to attend these meetings, but I’ve had a pretty indestructible case of writer’s block for about three months now. I know, sucks to be me. :/

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Sketch Club News, Plus Reviews

Before I hit the reviews, here’s some late-breaking news from Will Terrell of the Lubbock Sketch Club:

Well, its another busy week with the Lubbock Sketch Club. I will be on NBC / KCBD channel 11 tomorrow (Thursday) at noon in the New Notebook segment. I’ll be talking about the Lubbock Comic Book Expo coming May 3rd. Tune if you get the chance!

Also, Make sure to come visit us Friday for our First Friday Art Trail! Here’s the blurb….

“Drawing on Inspiration! The Lubbock Sketch Club art show and Sketch Night! The First Friday art show where YOU are part of the fun! Visitors are invited to view the groups exhibit of cartoons, comics, and fine arts, check out the costumed figure drawing demonstration in the studio, and Sketch with the artists in the Sketch Club classroom. Located on the third floor of the Asbury/Hope Shalom building at 20th and Ave T, room 301, from 6-9pm.”

And with that out of the way, let’s hit a couple of quick reviews.

I picked up a couple of comics last week that I wasn’t expecting much from. Frankly, they’d both been so awful in recent months that I was actually expecting to drop both titles. But both surprised me with excellent stories.

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She-Hulk #27

She-Hulk and Jazinda learn that Larry Ryan, the guy they saved last issue, is now in jail, accused of killing his wife. Outraged that he’d be falsely accused, Shulkie returns to try to convince the authorities to let him go. Unfortunately, she gets a bit too agitated and tears his cell door open, and that gets her arrested, too. She’s not in any serious trouble, but she’s no longer a lawyer, which was the only way she would’ve been able to get Larry out of jail. Luckily, she still has some friends — no, wait, they’re actually enemies — she can call for help.

Verdict: Thumbs up. Lo and behold, She-Hulk’s entertaining again. Her characterization is back on the money, and we actually get her back in a courtroom, thank the heavens! Shulkie really is at her best when she’s kicking ass in battle and kicking ass in a courtroom. She just ain’t any good as a bounty hunter, and she’s even worse as an angst-ridden whiner. Sure, sure, she’s probably going straight back to bounty hunting next issue, but maybe this is an indication that she won’t be angsty or non-lawyerly for long…

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Teen Titans #57

It’s a Ravager spotlight issue, as Rose Wilson takes on Copperhead, Persuader, and Dreadbolt of the Terror Titans. It’s pretty much wall-to-wall fighting. Sure, we see Kid Devil getting tortured, and we see Robin and Wonder Girl act like idiots… but forget about them. The bulk of this issue is Ravager beating people senseless, and it is very, very good.

Verdict: Thumbs up. Sure, Ravager’s completely insufferable most of the time, but it’s pretty clear that she’s a character who’s best suited to action sequences. Now if only they can figure out a way to keep her fighting next issue and leave Robin and Wonder Girl out of the comic for a bit longer…

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Photos from the 24-Hour Comic Jam

Don’t tell me you missed out on the Lubbock Sketch Club’s 24-Hour Comics Jam?! Well, I did, too. It’s okay — I can’t draw, and I need my regular 15 straight hours of beauty rest every night. But not to worry, we got a quick report from organizer Brandon Adkins, along with some photos from his wife, Jennifer.

We all had a great time, William thinks it was our best Sketchclub event yet. I so appreciate our volunteers: Adrienne and Matt McKinney, Lindsay Gragowski, and my wife Jennifer especially.

The creators were: Scott and Logan Adair, Elias and Noah Sustaita, Lucas and Meranda Puryear, Cherri Marouf, Rachael Simmons, Timothy McEndarfer, Melissa Jones, Will Terrell, and Sarazann Greenwood.

I had a chance to flip through some of the 24-hour comics, and it’s really amazing that they were able to create such wonderful comics in such a short space of time — and much of it sleep-deprived as well! Very talented artists we’ve got here, y’all.

And now for some pix! First, here’s everyone at the beginning of the event. So bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!

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Front row: Scott Adair, Logan Adair, Elias Sustaita, Noah Sustaita, Rachael Simmons.

Middle Row: Cherri Marouf, Melissa Jones, Sarazann Greenwoood, William Terrell, Virginia Pape.

Back Row: Brandon Adkins, Lucas Puryear, Timothy McEndarfer, Meranda Puryear.

And yes, there were kids there! They didn’t stay the whole 24 hours, but they did finish their comics, so huzzah!

And here’s everyone at the end! Some of them are still bright-eyed, but it looks like the bright eyes of raging, fatigue-hypercharged psychosis!

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Tim McEndarfer, William Terrell, Brandon Adkins, Cherri Marouf, Melissa Jones, Meranda Puryear, Virginia Pape, Lucas Puryear, Rachael Simmons, Sarazann Greenwood.

And a few shots from during the event itself.

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Scott Adair, William Terrell, Logan Adair, Lucas Puryear.

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Lucas Puryear, Stephen Jones, Meranda Puryear, Cherri Marouf.

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Many happy people! Drawing their hearts out!

Congratulations, everyone! Hope you all got caught back up on your sleep since then. 🙂

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24

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Ya ever heard of a 24-hour comic? Basically just what it sounds like — a full-length comic book created, from the first line of the script to last ink on the cover, in just 24 hours.

And Lubbock is about to host its first-ever 24-hour comic event.

Let’s turn it over to the organizer, Brandon Adkins, for all the details.

24 Hours In Lubbock: Lubbock’s first official 24-hour comic event!

Doors open: Begins: Friday, March 28th at 9:30pm (Asbury Center/Hope Shalom off of 19th and Ave T)

Doors close at 10:00pm, sorry no latecomers.

Ends: Saturday, March 29th, at 10:00pm (Freebirds World Burrito on South Loop 289)


What is a 24-hour comic?

The ultimate comicbook creating marathon. A virtual rite of passage for any comics creator.

All you have to do is make something that usually takes 24 days in 24 hours…

Make a comic, 24 pages (+ cover) in 24 hours from start to finish. No preparation, outlines, layouts, character designs, or script.

What you need:

Your well-rested, punctual self.
Whatever paper and art supplies you feel comfortable using to make comics.

Transportation to the event.

Optional, but useful:

Your favorite caffeinated beverage, and snack food (if you’re picky or want to share)
A pillow (If you’re the powernapping type)

A seat cushion (remember you’ll be sitting a lot)

Snacks, drinks and basic art supplies will be available, but if you’d like to bring some to share, that would be keen!

Transportation from the event is available (just let us know beforehand). Please don’t plan to drive back from this event as we don’t want any accidents.

The Lubbock Sketch Club will be hosting this 24-hour comic event to jumpstart our local comics creators in preparation for the Lubbock Comics Expo. You can publish the results of your 24 hour comics, or use the ideas and characters to publish a more “finished” piece.

If you let us know you’re attending, before the big day, we will send you a special, nifty, neato, spiffy keen email (at least Brandon thinks so) in response. If you don’t have email, a slightly less spiffy printout will be provided at the event with your name emblazoned in glorious marker. Either way, you will have our undying gratitude.

For details check out our website at: www.elsketchoclubo.com or send an email to: 24hoursinlubbock@gmail.com.

So there you got it. Comic creators and aspiring artists, be there or be square. It’s not like you were planning on sleeping during the weekend, were ya?!

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Comic Book Expo coming to Lubbock!

If you ain’t heard the news, mark your calendars for May 3rd.

 

The official site is here.

Looks like most activities will be taking place at Lubbock’s Science Spectrum, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, May 3. That’s the same day as Free Comic Book Day, and the day after the “Iron Man” movie hits theaters.

Admission fees are just $3 per person, or two people for five bucks. Kids under 12 are free, but you gotta come with an adult. And if you come in costume, admission is free, too.

Don’t come expecting a huge mega-con. The Expo’s being kept fairly small on purpose — most of us have never run a convention before, so it’s best to keep it small and friendly. Besides, there’s going to be as much emphasis on education and community-building as there will be on geekery.

Will there be special guests? Maybe. That’s still being determined.

More news to come, I’m sure. But for now, mark your calendars: Saturday, May 3, at the Science Spectrum.

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Lubbock Sketch Club on the Art Trail!

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Got a note from Will Terrell from the Lubbock Sketch Club today…

Hello Friends!

The Lubbock Sketch Club artists will be on the First Friday art Trail in Lubbock this week at the Hard Tops Gallery (2228 Buddy Holly Ave) from 6-9pm. Come visit us, hang out and sketch, or just introduce yourself and show support for our little group. We hope to see you soon!

Also… there may be crackers and wine 😀

Art, comics, and crackers and wine?! What’s not to love?!

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Interview with Will Terrell

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Will Terrell by Will Terrell

This past weekend’s “Texas Country Reporter” segment on the Lubbock Sketch Club seems like a good time to present this short interview I did with the Sketch Club’s head honcho, Will Terrell.

Could you tell us something about yourself? Background, history, age, biography, etc…

I did not grow up in West Texas, in fact I moved around a whole lot before I ended up here. From Austin to Dallas to Denver to Houston and so on. Nine times in all. I moved to Lubbock my Senior year of High school and graduated in 1995 from Lubbock High.

I decided I wanted to make comic books for a living after graduation, mostly because I couldn’t really picture myself doing anything else. I’ve pretty much always been a storyteller. Even as a little kid I would make up invisible worlds wherever I was. Moving around so much, your imagination is pretty much all you have. I’d lay in bed, or in a field somewhere, and make up stories involving every person I knew going on some strange adventure or another with me. In retrospect, it was only natural for me to do that for the rest of my life.

How did the Sketch Club come about?

The Sketch Club came about from my experiences living in San Diego. I worked as a caricature artist out there at Seaworld and Legoland California. While there, I worked with hundreds of other professional artists — cartoonists, caricature artists, comic book artists, and so on. This environment, combined with the knowledge I attained studying at the Watts Atelier of the Arts, allowed me to learn more in a six month period than I’d learned in 10 years in West Texas. It was the entire culture of learning as a group and constantly challenging each other that inspired me to start the Sketch Club when I returned to Lubbock.

I don’t believe that Lubbock has any less talent than other cities, the problem is that there aren’t enough resources or opportunities to do something with it. In this I saw an opportunity for the Sketch Club. I’d been trying to start some sort of comic book artists group in Lubbock since the very beginning. I’ve tried lots of different ways of doing that. From publishing companies, to artist studios, to teaching classes and workshops. None of those seemed to work though. I can honestly say though, that the Lubbock Sketch Club is already enormously successful at what I intended it for. And it is only getting better and better.

Things look to be moving forward very quickly for y’all, especially with the new space at Asbury. Please tell us a little about the new space and all it entails? How quickly is the Sketch Club growing?

The Hope Shalom Community has provided a space for the Sketch Club to give hands-on art education to the community. We are very grateful for this opportunity. Our attitude is to be interactive with teaching and learning. To make the process fun and easy, and teaching people to teach themselves. This is why you’ll see us at local events covering 4 or 5 tables with artists of all ages drawing and having fun.

The new spaces at the Asbury United Methodist Church allow us to do several things. We’ve started with a weekly figure drawing/painting group and that has been very successful so far. It’s training that is available to anyone, that might otherwise be very hard to come by outside of a university (sometimes even INside of a university). In the spring we will begin the next phase of the Sketch Club by hosting monthly workshops on illustration, digital painting, cartooning, etc., as well as a weekly after-school program. We’re very excited about that.

The sketchclub seems to be growing at a steady pace. We just passed our first birthday in October, and we had 35 people show up to our weekly Freebirds Saturday Sketch Night. The numbers tend to fluctuate each week, but we average 20-30. And we’re constantly getting new people along with our regulars cycling through depending on their schedules. Our figure drawing group averages 6-10 people every Wednesday night, and we intend to grow that into multiple nights.

What do you have planned for the Sketch Club’s future?

In the immediate future, we are planning to publish our 3rd issue of the Sketch Club Sketchbook in January. Along with our first comic book anthology. We are also putting together our first comic book CONVENTION in conjunction with the Science Spectrum and Star Books and Comics scheduled for Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 (Free Comic Book Day!).

In the near future, we would like to do a lot more public events where we have tables set up where the general public is invited to sit and sketch with us. We did 4 this year. My favorite was the Lubbock Arts Festival, where we had over 400 people sit down to draw with us, and we did cartooning for kids workshops for more than 3,000 kids. I’d also like to start taking that into the local school systems.

In the long term, we intend to incorporate the Sketch Club and file as a non-profit art organization. And focus a lot of our energy into training artists to teach and putting them in after-school programs around the city. With an emphasis on teaching young artists to make a career out of their art, and providing the resources and opportunities for them to do that… while enjoying the process.

Is there anything else I should have asked you but forgot to?

There is no fee to join the Sketch Club. Just show up and participate! We meet every Saturday night from 7-10 p.m. at Freebirds world burrito, 4930 S. Loop 289. Also visit our website for more information: www.elsketchoclubo.com

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Lubbock Sketch Club to be featured on "Texas Country Reporter"

 texaskid

Got an e-mail late yesterday afternoon from Will Terrell from the Lubbock Sketch Club. The folks from “Texas Country Reporter” visited Lubbock a few months back to profile the Sketch Club, and he says he’s finally gotten word that this episode will air this weekend.

Here in Lubbock, “Texas Country Reporter” airs on NBC at 6 a.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday. I know, I know, that’s way too early, especially on a weekend. Still, if you wanna see it, better record it, Tivo it, or just get yer worthless carcass out of bed and turn on the tube.

If you still can’t manage that, it looks like the folks at TCR put most of their shows on YouTube eventually, so you should be able to see it then.

Anyway, big congrats to Will and everyone else at the Sketch Club for grabbing some pretty major publicity.

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Home-Grown Artistry

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Lone Star #1

Hey, instead of mini-reviews of comics, let’s have a review of a mini-comic.

“Lone Star” is produced here in Lubbock. It’s written by Linda Shuferty, drawn by Charlie Tucker, and lettered by Mike Panzer. It’s less than 20 pages long, and it measures about 4″x7″. Pretty standard for a mini-comic.

Most minis you see out there are going to be personal and autobiographical. Not this time — it’s about a guy named Lone Star, part superhero, part time-traveller, who fights against a fella who keeps sending jet fighters back to the Civil War to help the South defeat the North. There’s not a whole lot of story beyond that, mainly because there’s not really enough room in less than 20 pages to flesh that out. I assume future issues will detail more of the plot, characterization, etc. — this is really more of an introduction to the comic and its concepts.

The art looks pretty good, if a bit quirky at times. Lots of really beautiful detail work here, and some of the backgrounds and long-shots are really striking — stuff like the sky filled with jet fighters, a view of a distant battleground as viewed from the cockpit of a plane, the shot of Pickett’s Charge.

Yeah, there are some things I could criticize and nitpick over. But I prefer not to talk smack about most comics creators unless they’re pros. You don’t talk smack about people who are making comics for no reward other than the joy of making comics.

Verdict: Thumbs up. It’s just a buck, so go pick it up.

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Lubbock Artists Lead the Way

splashbrannigan

You can’t fight Art!

For you Lubbockites who are into creating your own artwork, comic and otherwise, this is an outstanding time to check out the Lubbock Sketchclub. Here’s the news from Sketchclub Big Cheese Will Terrell:

The Lubbock Sketchclub is now set up in a studio at the Hope Asbury Methodist Church/Hope Shalom Community Center. Its a great space with lots of potential. This is the beginning of big things for the art community here. There are not many venues to learn the figurative arts in Lubbock, especially in as inspiring a setting as we have the makings of right now. Our group’s foundation is the Thursday night figure drawing group. But in time, as we get all of the equipment built and creative routine ingrained, we will begin to introduce lots more, expanding to multiple nights of figure drawing, portrait drawing, and painting groups. We also have interest from master illustrators to work with our group as we grow as well. And many many more exciting things.

“Repetition is the mother of skill.”

Many of you have seen how frustrating it can be to start drawing from life, especially if it’s been a while since you’ve tried it or have never tried it, or have never worked in this kind of environment. But if you’ve been two or three weeks in a row, you notice how dramatically and incredibly your skills improve. This repetition is crucial to growth. Being around other artists in the same process is equally important. This studio allows us to consistently provide this creative synergy, and I am certain this will only be the beginning. Please join us in these early days, I promise you will not regret it.

The Sketchclub figure drawing group meets Thursdays 7-10 p.m. at our studio in Hope Asbury Methodist Church (21st and Ave T). Come join us this Thursday for our first session. Park in the back parking lot and take the fire escape/staircase to the third floor. The door will be open from 7-8 p.m. After 8, you will need to call me to be let in. 239-0196.

The fee is $5 per session, or $16 for 4 weeks. If you are able to pay the monthly fee that will help us out a lot. Also if anyone is interested in making donations, we need money and supplies for painting the studio, building additional drawing horses and building the model stage. Other items we are looking for are fancy chairs/small couches, interesting props/costumes, fabrics, and of course additional models.

It’s exciting to think that we’re watching the beginnings of a thriving artistic community spring up right in front of us.

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