Making a Book: Test Prints of Apartness

So I've almost completed the art for Apartness, the book I'm making. And so I'm starting to try to figure out how I want the book to be laid out, what size it should be, the physical qualities of the thing.

View fullsize

Today I printed out the first eleven pages at home on the ol' LaserJet, because there's nothing quite like seeing something in person.

View fullsize

One thing I learned is that standard 8.5"x11" letter sized paper is actually a very good size and format for this work. My largest art is 14"x10" (standard proportions for half-page Sunday funnies) and this reduces well to 8.5"x11". Moreover, the 13"x4" daily strips look good on a letter-sized page as well. This is all good news: since 8.5"x11" is a very common size, it should make my first foray into book making a bit easier.

View fullsize

The other thing I leaned is that making books is frustrating and time consuming but SO COOL! It's extremely gratifying to finally see this thing that I've been poring over for months come alive in print form. Until now it's all been in my head. But now I have a much better idea of what it will look like, and that has energized me to get this thing done.

The Rejection Process

I got my first syndication rejection this week, on Tuesday, February 5, 2014. I'm not surprised, by any means, but it's naturally still a little sad. 

There are good sides to it, though. For one, I can now count myself among some of the best company in comics. Bill Watterson was rejected by syndicates for five years before he got a nibble for a strip submission that would eventually become Calvin and Hobbes. (That's right, even Calvin and Hobbes was initially rejected.) During that time he made six (six!) attempts at getting syndicated. And now I've made my first. I've completed one revolution around the sun, made my first round trip, completed my first full lap. I have a sense of accomplishment, success or no. A sense of achievement: I have achieved, if nothing else, rejection. And there is some success in simply having made the attempt, because that, in and of itself, is no easy task. 

The other good thing is that my rejection included notes. Some kind soul at Universal Uclick Editorial took the time to give me a really good critique. You'd think criticism would be hard to take, a difficult pill to swallow, but strangely it's just the opposite. Not only do I totally agree with the critique, but again I feel a certain pride at having gotten it via this process that artists go through. I haven't really been a part of that process as much as I'd like over recent years, but it's one I respect and enjoy a great deal. Engaging in it with industry professionals makes me feel like I'm actually doing this thing — whatever this thing turns out to be — in a real and earnest and tangible way. 

Moreover, this reviewer had some really encouraging things to say. He or she liked my drawings and storytelling and was really positive about the parts of the strip that I liked best myself. Hearing things like this from an essentially anonymous industry professional — someone who looks at this kind of thing all the time, with no motivation to sugarcoat anything —  has really helped affirm for me that my work is decent and worth pursuing. That really means a lot to me. 

Of course I'm a little bummed by being rejected. But I see now why people recommend focusing on process rather than goals. The process of seeking syndication has been incredibly edifying, challenging and rewarding for me. It's forced me to try harder, to push myself and to think really hard about my work. It's given me a much clearer understanding of who I am as an artist. And it's made me a better cartoonist on every level.

Taken all in all, it's really hard to be that sad.

U.S. Kolinsky Sable Brush Shortage

If you've been shopping for a new Winsor & Newton Series 7 lately — or any other decent Kolinsky Sable brush — you've likely noticed that everyone's darn near sold out. At Dick Blick you'll see something like this:

You may have observed that "Brush Shortage" notice at the top of the screen. But the truth is that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department is responsible for the disruption. It seems they've changed the requirements for the import of certain animal products, including the Kolinsky Sable used in our favorite brushes. While brush manufacturers comply with the new requirements, no new brushes for us.

You can read the full story here. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a timeframe for when we can expect to see the return of Kolinsky Sable brushes the the U.S. Time will tell, I suppose.