Tag Archives: Amy Martin

A Humble Tribute to Comics I Love

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Last week I went to my friend and role model Amy Martin’s reception at the Cartoon Art Museum here in SF. I’ve been meaning to check out this museum since I moved here, and it was a great occasion to do so. It was awesome to see Amy’s originals and really great to see the museum’s collection. I was actually teared up when I saw an original Bill Watterson Calvin and Hobbes.

There’s just something about seeing the originals that really hits me. Seeing the faint traces of the sketch lines still visible, appreciating the quality of the ink on paper in the way that only the naked eye can, and witnessing something of the artist’s process in those aspects.

And what is it about comics that I love so much? I think that simple things are often the best and comics are SIMPLY AWESOME. Comics are art that tell narratives and how they do it – what characters and worlds comic artists create – seems limitless. I think comics are an incredible testimony to human imagination and skill. In high school I fell in love with Japanese manga, even more so than anime at times, because the personality of the artist really showed through in the styles of drawing and characters. Even as technology, media, and the publishing world change dramatically, comic artists inspire me because they create work by hand, and are more and more self-published. Some of my favorite comics are now online, but owning them in book form is incredibly important to me.

I am definitely pretty low on the the comic nerd spectrum compared to some of my friends, and I actually wish I knew a lot more about comics. I recently tried my hand at creating my very own comic and I want to do more!

Here is a list of my all time favorite comics & manga, new and old!

Calvin & Hobbes
Doonesbury
Sailor Moon
Battle Angel Alita
Trigun
Ghost in the Shell
Gunnerkrigg Court
Amy Martin Comics
Questionable Content
Girls with Slingshots
Tiny Kitten Teeth

SFZine Fest 2010

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A week later, I’m finally recovered enough to do this post…

Last week, my BFF from CO and DIY/zinester counterpart, MQ, came out to San Francisco. We had a lovely time eating various forms of deliciousness in the Mission, shopping on Valencia, going to the beach (It’s a big deal to girls from Colorado!), hanging out in the Haight, and of course, assembling our zines and other materials for the 2010 SF Zine Fest.

I really think this year was our best festival ever. We featured 3 artists from CO: MQ, Adan Delagara, and Kelly of shortandqueer. From CA we had myself and KokoroKara. We had the most cohesive table display we’ve ever assembled, we sold more than ever before, and we had nothing but positive experiences and interactions with other exhibitors and attendees all weekend. Utterly fantastic. Lots of friends came to support and check out the festival. And of course, I walked away with a huge stack of zines and art that will keep me busy for many weeks.

I’m really proud of my and MQ’s new zines. I created a collection of 10 years of my poetry titled “Pop Tarts and Really Good Beer” and my first comic zine, “The Adventures of Kitty & Monkey.” Both will be on sale on my Etsy shop in the next week. MQ’s new zine, “The People We Might Be” featured 3 new essays that connect to mysterious photos from her grandmother’s collection. MQ is an amazing writer and as usual, I was moved by her essays. My favorite was definitely the one about her boyfriend and his gun collection!

What did we learn this year at the Zine Fest?

Finances: We did a lot better this year managing our finances and keeping track of our inventory (I’m happy to report that everyone got paid!) but next year I’d like to have an actual cash box that can lock. That would help soooo much – no more digging around in envelopes for change!

Pricing: I really struggle with knowing how to price my stuff. I’ve been dealing with this on Etsy, as well. MQ and I discussed this a lot – how do you balance the hours you put in both designing and creating, the materials you use, and predicting what people will actually pay for something? I think my break through moment with this was when MQ put it simply – “Is this in my budget range? Would I be able to buy this?” Instead of pricing for some phantom “rich folks,” I should just price for someone like me and make my work affordable and accessible.

Self-promo: I’m really bad at talking up my own stuff, but great at promoting my friends’! Why is this? MQ agreed – so we’d talk up each others’ work a ton AND try to be better about promoting our own stuff.

Customers: I took note of what people were drawn to on our table. Bold lines and colors are an obvious choice, but it was interesting how people automatically went for the zine with the thick, touchable, textured paper. Materials really do make a difference.

Above all, I don’t know what I’d do without MQ! A table buddy makes life so much easier. You have someone to talk to when there’s a lag or when exhaustion sets in, someone to double check the inventory while you chat up customers, someone to watch the table if you need a break, and one of you can go get coffee/lunch/walk around the festival!

We declared this year’s SFZF a total success and we can’t wait for next year! MQ’s visit made me ridiculously happy and I can’t wait to see her again soon.

Right now I’m focusing on my Etsy inventory and catching up on projects. Onwards and upwards, friends!

And lastly, the tip of the iceberg…

Some favorite folks we ran into!

Amy Martin

nerd Jerk

Everybody Get Up

Doctor Popular

Some new favorites!

Mary Van Note

Malachi Ward

Elle Skinner

Agent Agnes

There were so many more… Yay Zine Fest!

Oh geez, SFZF is only 3 weeks away!!!

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In 3 glorious weeks, my BFF from CO, the righteous MQ, will be in SF and we will be getting our DIY on at the SFZF or San Francisco Zine Fest (that’s a lot of initials/acronyms in one sentence)! And this weekend felt like a Zine Fest preview weekend for me.

Yesterday, Saturday, I took a walk and checked out the Market SF artist fair at the Blue Macaw in the Mission and met some lovely artists. Melinda Mae and I gushed about how much we love the physical textures of fabrics and how we can’t resist touching them! We also discussed the best places to buy fabrics (Japan & NYC are at the top of the list, just in case you’re curious. I learned later that LA is also great). I really wish I could buy Melinda’s handbags – they’re so beautiful! Hopefully one day soon.

I also lusted after Creek Van Houten’s amazing steampunk jewelry and trinkets. Leyna Lightman gave me a cookie and told me about dyeing lace and the lace she bought in Turkey. I bought fun envelopes from Meleta Buckstaff and I LOVE her bracelet cuffs made from old men’s ties. Brilliant! I didn’t get to talk with them, but I really liked Monkey and Seal’s crafts too! Lastly, I spent a long time talking with Stephanie Cortes of nerdJerk whose blog I’ve just started to read, but whom I already have an ENORMOUS craft crush on. She’s also a member of the SF Bay Area Etsy Street Team. I bought her zine and she gave me a button. Huzzah! There were lots of other lovely artists at the fair, but unfortunately I didn’t get to talk with them all.

Today, Sunday, I took an early morning bike ride through the Mission to Ocean Beach. On the way back through Golden Gate Park, I stopped at the County Fair Building (the same venue as the SFZF) and checked out the Vintage Paper Expo. I had no idea people were so hardcore about vintage paper goods! I’ve also never seen so many boxes of postcards in one place. In order not to get overwhelmed/spend any money I didn’t spend a ton of time there, but I looked lots and I did buy a couple vintage postcards for friends. I want to save my pennies and hopefully buy some original, turn of the century fashion plates next year!

And to top it all off, I visited a friend who went to Comic Con in San Diego this year and brought back a little present for me – a signed copy of Amy Martin’s The Girls are Mighty Fine, which I was planning on buying at SFZF! Oh, glory!

So I’m all inspired and close to getting my own projects finished for the SFZF in a few short weeks! I’m putting out a collection of 10 years of my poetry, and my first ever comic book! I couldn’t be more excited. I’m also stoked to work on my Etsy shop and make it better.

Don’t forget, kids! Come to the San Francisco Zine Fest! Sept. 4 & 5 at the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park!