Sophia Draws Comics

New Comic & Tumblr

2012-01-07T22:09:00.003-05:00

I have a new comic up at gURL.com. Click HERE to check it out.

Also I started a tumbler page (sophiadraws.tumblr.com). I'm not sure if it's redundant or not, but I like the way my drawings look on it and I think it will be a good place to put daily sketches and ideas. Enjoy it HERE.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T21:16:00.005-05:00

Well now 2012 is upon us. And what does it all mean? Well, 2011 wasn't too shabby for comics making, but I hope I can be twice as productive this year. My plans so far for 2012 include tables at MoCCA (my 6th year!) and SPX. Also I am looking forward to wrapping up 'The Lettuce Girl' with its 3rd and final installment, as well as releasing a not-yet named mystery book. There will be anthologies and collaborations! Experiments and illustrations! I am looking forward to it all.

Here is a comic I did make recently, A cute piece for Gurl.com.

Not much else to report other than to wish all well and that I hope you are enjoying your plotting and planning as much as I am.

Happy 2012!

(requisite table shot from APE 2011)

COMICS FEST

2011-12-01T12:15:00.003-05:00

EVERYONE WHO CARES ABOUT COMICS SHOULD BE HERE ON SATURDAY!

RIP Bil Keane

2011-11-10T12:35:00.002-05:00

I know that we all love to make fun of it, but Family Circus was the stuff Sunday morning was made of for many of us. I always had a secret soft spot for it and I'm not sure why it never occurred to me before now that it may very well be because it resembled my own family in many ways: too many kids, an adorable mother, constant havoc. It was too precious by half which made it perfect fodder for critics and people who love to ape the nuclear family. In fact, when searching on-line for a panel to accompany this entry, I found just as many parodies as there were originals. But as sentimental as it is and as overly cutesy as it can be, it was genuine, heartfelt, sweet, and beautifully rendered. And it remains, rightly so, one of the great American funnies. RIP Bil Keane, the creator of all those circles, the father of all those children.

"There was something about the life on the other side of that circle that looked pretty good. For kids like me there was a map and a compass hidden in Family Circus. The parents in that comic strip really loved their children. Their home was stable. It put that image in my head and I kept it.
I’d always heard that great art will cause people to burst into tears but the only time it ever happened to me was when I was introduced to Bil Keane’s son, Jeff. As soon as I shook his hand I just started bawling my face off because I realized I had climbed through the circle." - Lynda Barry, New York Times Magazine

2011-10-30T18:09:00.000-04:00

Continuum.

2011-09-21T20:00:00.008-04:00

Long time, no blog.

I have been up to my ears in various non-comics projects and adventures for the past few months. Some to my delight and some to my chagrin. However, when I did make comics I was happy to have them featured on GUrl.com an amazing on-line magazine for teens. One explores the drawbacks of being liked for your looks, and another on the innies and outties of belly button piercing.

The next big thing on my plate now is preparing for APE which is rapidly approaching. For those attending please drop by to visit me and the venerable Dunja Jankovic at table 556. All plans are in flux so all I know is that I will have lots of comics to share, a mess of unnecessary, but amusing underwear, and that I am really excited to see old friends and meet new ones.

I know a lot of people have written about it, and I cannot imagine what I could say that has not been said so well by the people who knew and loved him best, but I feel I must mention the sad passing of Dylan Williams. I'm not sure how to express how important it was to me that someone like him thought my work was worth paying attention to, or how much I admired what he did for comics and for people who love comics. All I can say is that his death is a great loss and it is deeply felt.

♥

Sketchbook Monday on a Sunday

2011-05-01T20:51:00.003-04:00

Here is something I drew today. Isn't it a little gross?

Sketchbook Monday on a Tuesday

2011-04-26T21:33:00.002-04:00

Keep on keepin' on. Gotta stop posting sketches of lady profiles.

More MoCCA follow up and Time Out New York

2011-04-21T11:56:00.008-04:00

Hello!

First off, pick up a time out this week and grab a peek at the photo finish. I love it when the photo is black and white. The finished product always looks so nice in print. The link to the website is empty for some reason so I am posting it here:

In other news I got into Columbia! Well I didn't, but The Deformitory did. My humble thesis is now part of the graphic novel collection at Columbia University in the Butler Library. Here is an article about the collection by Karen Green who started it back in 2005. Getting to meet her was one of the highlights of MoCCA for me.

Want some photographic evidence that people are reading The Lettuce Girl Pt. 2? Well, look no further! Here the lovely Helena looks through my latest comic. Beautiful women everywhere agree: It is legible, if not edible.

Photo Credit: © 2011 Laura Broomhall

MoCCA Review & Etsy Update

2011-04-17T23:03:00.005-04:00

Well, another year, another MoCCA. And this one was quite a knock out. It went by so fast my head was spinning. There was a great crowd and great exhibitors and just a lot of fantastic energy and comics love all weekend long. I ♥ the MoCCA Comic Festival in a major way. I saw my favorite people, met some new great people, and scored some sweet books.

There I am signing a copy of my latest comic "The Lettuce Girl Pt. II". For those of you who couldn't make it to the show, but want (need/desire/can't live without) a copy, you can now order it on-line at my Etsy shop HERE. I also have onesies and underwear up for sale. Cute, cheap, adored by all.

As always after a big show like this I spend some time disoriented and sort of empty feeling after it is all done. For the past four months I feel as if every cell in my body has been primed towards this one goal: write, draw and bind "The Lettuce Girl" and now that it's done I barely know what to do with myself. And then I remember, oh wait here comes the other part of self-publishing: the distribution, the reprinting, the e-mailing and general administrative hooplah. Good thing I kind of like this part too. Also I may be attending APE out in California this fall which would make October my new deadline for the third installment. Can I get a what what?

MoCCA is Now!

2011-04-09T00:17:00.003-04:00

Come out to the Armory this weekend for MoCCA Fest! It's the best comic book convention of the year, and I will be there with the wonderful Anna Raff at table I-13. Drop by and check out my latest comic, the second installment of "The Lettuce Girl" (pictured below) and all the other fun stuff we'll have. I am so to see everyone's new and amazing work. See you there!

MoCCA Fest 2011!
A Fundraiser for the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art-MoCCA
Saturday April 9th and Sunday April 10th 11am-6pm

At the Lexington Avenue Armory
68 Lexington Ave (Between 25th &26th Streets)
New York City

Hazel and The Ula

2011-04-06T22:08:00.005-04:00

Sketchbook Monday on a Friday.

2011-03-25T19:26:00.004-04:00

I'm just dedicated to getting out a lot of old imagery. This is from an old sketchbook, January circa 2009, with a rapidograph.

Update!

2011-03-16T15:15:00.011-04:00

I have finished inking my comic....sort of. Technically all the pages are inked, but now I have to go through the slightly harrowing process of revising the work which requires a lot more inking, re-inking, and copious amount of designer white gauche. So I put it all on the wall where I can see it more clearly. Even within the making of this book there has been a very steep learning curve and I frown upon the early pages, the ones made before I relearned how to become wholly comfortable with my nib pen again. Revising those pages is particularly painful. Hopefully this process can be finished in the next couple days. I'm ready for the whole process to move on to scanning. Then printing, binding, and sharing.

If I can be almost embarrassingly honest, I will admit that it is times like this when I think to myself, "I'm not a liar. This is not just a bunch of talk. I actually make comics. I actually do what I say I do." And then after momentary self-satisfaction, I let the flood gates of self hatred open wide so I can get started on some real art.

Also I am in full fledged MoCCA mode. As should you be. So don't forget:

MoCCA Festival 2011!!
April 9-10, 2011
at the 69th Regiment Armory
68 Lexington Avenue New York City

Check out the new poster! And all other pertinent up-to-date information can be found HERE!

Sketchbook Monday + TONY

2011-03-13T21:41:00.005-04:00

It's not Monday, yet, but who cares? Here's a sketchbook drawing I liked. I drew it last January with my rapidograph. Also I had a Photo Finish in last week's Time Out New York. You can see the entire piece here and my art work (sans photo) is below.

I am almost done inking my comic. I am practically giddy with the idea that in a matter of weeks I will be holding my book, bound and printed, in my hands.

Update etc.

2011-02-27T19:59:00.014-05:00

These are some photos of what I have been up to in the past weeks. Measuring and tearing paper and a lot (a lot) of drawing and inking. After about a year of talking about it I have actually written, penciled, and am now inking the second installment of The Lettuce Girl. There is still so much work to do, but I can say with growing confidence that it will be done on schedule, i.e. on time for MoCCA. Actually I am hurtling forward at an almost dizzying pace. It helps I don't do much else except go to work and then come home to ink ink ink. My hands are at that stage where they are embedded so deeply with ink that no amount of washing does any good. Maybe I will post a gross picture of that too.
I have a couple other sub-projects in the works which will hopefully not be too neglected in the next month or so. So keep checking in for more updates, pictures, and pictures of pictures!
xo.

Sketchbook Monday

2011-02-15T22:19:00.005-05:00

Yeah, I know that it's not Monday. In fact, it's Tuesday. In fact, it's late on Tuesday. Whatever. My life keeps getting high-jacked.
But here's my sketch. And click HERE is a link to my latest Time Out piece.

Sketchbook Monday

2011-01-25T00:12:00.004-05:00

There are some artists who are really into sketchbooks and some who couldn't care less. I belong firmly in the first camp. I carry mine with me almost constantly and will spend hours on mindless doodling, which isn't really mindless at all is it? My best ideas have been unconscious scribblings done in classrooms and subway cars. My most beautiful gestures are always the ones I unselfconsciously render on a whim. When I am done with a sketchbook it is a wonderfully compact object in and of itself, which not only contains the architecture of my ideas, but a visual representation of my head-space during the time the book was kept.

I also find few things as pleasurable as pouring over someone else's sketchbooks, and inevitably, no matter how much I love a painter, I always love their drawings more. There's always something amazing about the stuff that's not supposed to count as much.
Yesterday I was cleaning out my closet and I found my sketchbook collection. I have saved dozens of books of my drawings since college and it's really awesome comparing the difference between them. While perusing my own books I realized that since I love it when other people post their sketchbook pages I should probably do the same.

And so every Monday, from this week forward, I will be posting a sketchbook page. I will try and keep it current, but today's will be one I liked the look of yesterday while I was cleaning up.

Date: Summer 2009

Christmas Eve Guest Cartoonist

2010-12-24T13:35:00.006-05:00

I am immensely proud that I am this week's guest cartoonist on my favorite comics website The Daily Cross Hatch. Please check it out HERE. It's a very very not-so-merry Christmas comic I made just for them. And all of you. Merry Christmas. Love and Joy. And for a good Christmas cry here is my all time favorite holiday song plus a picture of Rudolph.

Time Out New York - Photo Finish

2010-12-23T13:43:00.002-05:00

I had tons of fun with this one. It's in this week's Time Out. Pick one up!

Comic Con, Ink Plots and Rabid Rabbit

2010-10-12T21:11:00.009-04:00

Well o well o well. I attended my first New York City Comic Con last weekend. And, um ... wow? I always write about how overwhelming the conventions I attend are, but nothing compares to the spectacle I witnessed on Saturday. Other than just taking it all in, deciding what I am gonna be for Halloween, and helping man a table (not my own), I didn't really "do" much. But I have to say it really wasn't my scene. Maybe I didn't look hard enough, but after I leave an event my sense of intimidation usually goes hand in hand with a healthy does of inspiration. Though I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the exhibit space, the number of people, and the apparent body-confidence of today's rubenesque high-schoolers, I was underwhelmed by the comics I saw.
Maybe that's because I didn't see many comics. A lot of food vendors, a lot of video games, t-shirts and merchandise but not so many comics. Eh, they know whats up though. Consistently year after year I sell more under-wear and t-shirts than comics. This year at SPX I decided NOT to to bring my hand made undies, as I was worried it was taking away from how serious I am about comic booking, but I think my sales suffered for it. People will pay 20 bucks for a t-shirt but not 5 for a hand bound creator generated book.
That being said it was really quite incredible to see everyone dressed up and I tried to take a few pictures to capture the mood.

An accordion playing boba fett with an entrepreneuring fan-girl (she was selling cheap out of town cigarettes).

Confessors! I actually used to read (and love!) those books.

In other news there is a release date for the latest Rabid Rabbit. Yours truly will be featured in this, the latest effort of the Rabbit Crew. This one is gonna be big and awesome and, in my opinion, it has the best cover to date:

The release party will be at Dessert Island in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on the 28th of October. Rabid Rabbit events are always tons of fun so you should come out pick up a copy and rub elbows with some of the greatest indie talents in this city.

Also don't forget to drop by the SVA galleries for the Ink Plots show. It promises to be one of the most important group shows related to comics this year. Seriously, this exhibit has some heavy hitters and it's kind of mind blowing to realize they are all coming out of SVA. Details here. The reception is on Thursday starting at 5:30, but if you can't make that the show is already up and will be until November 6th. Hopefully I will see some of you there.

And last but not least I was in Time Out last week, which is always a thrill. They spelled my name right this time, but clipped my art a little so I am posting it in its entirety here:

You may also view it here.

Wow! I thought I only had a couple of links to share, but I went on and on and on didn't I? On a closing note I have had a lot of crazy upheavals lately, not the least of which being that I am now working full time. I am so excited to be working and learning as much as I am, but I am going to have to be that much more careful not to lose sight of what I really care about which is drawing comics and doing my damnedest to make something out of my ambitions. I have a lot great projects coming up and I am excited to share new work in the next few months. Thanks for reading.

What I have been up to?

2010-09-20T22:20:00.011-04:00

So I have a whole back log of news and information and goings on.

First of all, I am very excited to share that I am now a featured cartoonist on Top Shelf 2.0. The first "Lettuce Girl" is posted in its entirety so go visit the site and give it gander if you haven't seen a copy yet.

Second of all, I have done a couple of "Photo Finish" assignments for Time Out New York since I last posted. You can see them here and here.

Now it is Fall and a new round of conventions has begun. SPX was a couple of weekends ago and tons of fun, as I was sharing a table with my friend J.T. Yost. As always, it is such a pleasure spending the weekend with talented peers and interested and informed readers. I attended two good panels, both moderated by the venerable Bill Kartalopoulos. One was a talk with one of my greatest heroes Jamie Hernandez and the other an enlightening conversation on teaching comics, which dealt with comics in academia. I had the pleasure of running into and catching up with cartoonists such as L. Nichols, Nate Bulmer, Brendan Leach, Box Brown, Jesse Reklaw, amongst others. I had a lot of great photo ops, but I forgot my camera so I am gonna steal this picture of the last moments of the convention off of J.T.'s blog:

That's J.T. and his wonderful little family. They are beautiful people.

I also got to meet Xavier Xerexes who runs the fantastic site ComixTalk and who reviewed The Deformitory last year. He is great guy and did cool short sets of interviews with creators all over the show. If you want to see mine go watch it here. I think I pulled it off with minimal awkwardness.

And lastly the page for the upcoming exhibit Ink Plots is now up on the SVA website. So check it out for any and all information. I hope to see some of you at the reception.

I think that's it for now, I have some more stuff in works so stay tuned for more comics and comics news!

Ink Plots

2010-06-30T11:18:00.009-04:00

I am excited to share the news that my comics will be featured in Ink Plots: The Tradition of the Graphic Novel at SVA, a show devoted to the graphic narratives of alumni. I am thrilled to be in this exhibit as I will be alongside some amazing artists. Check back for more details later in the summer. For now here are the basic details:

Ink Plots: The Tradition of the Graphic Novel at SVA
October 9 - November 7, 2010
Visual Arts Gallery
601 West 26 Street, 15th Floor
New York City

Lettuce Girl Review

2010-06-29T01:16:00.004-04:00

I was very happy to see today that my book The Lettuce Girl Pt. 1 was reviewed by Rob Clough for The Comics Journal. Reading his review got me excited about the work I am doing on the next installment and that is a very good thing. The more it develops the more eager I am to share the rest of the story with readers. You can read his very thoughtful review at TCJ right here.

Also I set up my Etsy shop. I just put up my comics for now, but ladies under wear and baby clothes are soon to follow. Please check it out and browse my humble inventory.

And here is an illustration of a lady in a turtle neck without a head. I can't say I don't relate a little right now. Have you ever been at once overwhelmed and terrified yet amazingly motivated and positive? Let me know if you've experienced this seemingly contradictory set of emotions all at the same time. It's a strange brew.

What is Up.

2010-06-15T10:59:00.007-04:00

Dear Blog Readers,

I have been away for a while and before I was away I was swamped, but, as usual, that doesn't mean that stuff wasn't going down. Here's the short list:

First of all I am proud to post the first Lettuce Girl review. Sheena McNeil reviewed it for Sequential Tart and I am glad to report she sounds interested enough to want to read more. Link to it here.

Also check out this belated, but much appreciated Deformitory review courtesy of Johanna Draper Carlson of Comics Worth Reading. It is the third one down.

I also wanted to share the last two "Photo Finish" features I have done for Time Out New York. On June 3rd a dog centric one, and in May I managed to work a baby into a strip here.

In Convention News I will be attending SPX this September on the 11th and 12th in Bethesda, Maryland . Not so coincidentally that it also the date of my official deadline for The Lettuce Girl Pt. 2. I am sharing a table with J.T. Yost like last year and I am very excited.

We will also be exhibiting together at King Con in Brooklyn this Fall, November 4-7th. For more info go to the website here.

I think that's in for updates and developments. Otherwise I am hard at work roughing out the new installment of The Lettuce Girl and plotting my life in general.

MoCCA Post!

2010-04-24T13:12:00.004-04:00

Well MoCCA has come and gone and I think I just got through what my friend J.T. refers to as the post convention blues. Well I am not sure if he calls them that exactly, but he was the first to describe accurately how and why this happens. You work and work at an almost dizzying pace, building yourself up into a state of near panic to get your book ready (and the postcards and the t-shirts) and then it all happens so fast! And it's thrilling and weird and you talk too much and sleep too little and try and do everything and inevitably miss out on connecting with the people you wanted to see or the panel you were interested and then ... it's over! And after a couple days of heavy napping there is a big void which was once taken up by the idea of MoCCA, and you fall inside the void, missing desperately the final stages of your last project and having no idea when or how you could possibly start the new one. Thus I have been wandering around all week wondering why I am so sad until I realized why. And knowing why made me happier.

O.K. so, "HOW WAS MoCCA?" I know everyone and their mother has now posted and blogged on the fair, so anything I say may have been said ad infinitum, but here's my verdict: It was good, but still flawed. I was really hoping that this year I would come around to The Armory, but I still yearn for the Puck Building. There were some amazing improvements this year, but the fact of the matter is that I am not sure the cost of the tables is entirely justified. It really squeezes out little people like me and apparently resulted in the remarkable absence of AdHouse Books and a Vertigo table. That being said, the place looked really great, the temperature was oh so comfortable, and they gave us popcorn.

At the end of the day it is a balancing act for the organizers and one they are clearly trying hard to get right. Despite any complaints it remains the best comics event of the year. It had the smartest panels, the coolest people and the best vibe.

Above is our table with it's cool "Lucy" frame designed and crafted by Anna Raff who has revealed herself to be something of a technical genius.

I find it difficult to sum up my personal experience at these things which is why I usually say "It was great! Everyone was great!". It was great though, but really intense. My new book The Lettuce Girl sold well and I only have a few copies left so I already am back to the presses! I got to sit next to some awesome neighbors who's work I really dig. If you have never read Chuck Forsman's creepy and strange Snake Oil books, I highly recommend them. Check them out. He was sharing with the talented Melissa Mendes whose comics will charm your pants off. You've been warned. I also got to meet their table mate Alex Kim whose books are beautiful. It was great catching up with Box Brown and J.T. Yost, Rachel Allison the venerable Josh Bayer, Brendan Leach, Nate Bulmer, You Byun and Matt Rota, most of whom had new books out. I happily ran into all sorts of people actually and the more I try to mention them all, the more I realize I cannot list the experience of being surrounded by interesting and interested cartoonists and afficianados for two busy and wonderful days. It's just the best and I can't wait for next year.

Comics Page Process

2010-04-22T10:20:00.008-04:00

I find that when I get into a chat about comics, more often than not, I end up describing how I approach a page. So while I was working on "The Lettuce Girl" I took some photos along the way to at least partially capture my process.

After I have determined my story, the sequence of events, and the layout of ALL the pages, I draw out all the pages on regular cover stock with a mechanical pencil. Above is an example of a page. I draw close to the size I print at, and the above page measures 8.5x5.5".

Then when I have pencilled every page I photocopy them around 150-160% of the original size. As you can see the results are nice and dark.

Then I tape some very good paper (Strathmore Bristol board) on top of the photo copied page and turn on the light box! Thus illuminated i can see my original line work and then ink away.

After my hand does that spazy-clenchy-numbness thing I decide ~~that I am sick of inking~~ that the page is finished!

Then I scan it, futz with it, correct it, develop acrimonious feeling towards it, and then BAM!; It's ready for print.

New Comic: The Lettuce Girl Pt. 1

2010-04-07T21:25:00.007-04:00

This post is to officially announce that my new book The Lettuce Girl Pt.1 will be available to purchase at MoCCA Art Fest this weekend. If you are in New York or any where near New York, or if you love comics or even just enjoy comics from time to time this is the place for you to be this weekend. It will be amazing; the best exhibitors, best art and best panels on the east coast no doubt about it. MoCCA is my favorite convention, and if you've ever been you know why and if you are a first timer this weekend you are about to find out why.

Other than my new book I will also have a two page comic in Rabid Rabbit's new issue (Rabid Rabbit's Tall Tales and Magnanimous Myths). I was lucky to get a copy at the release party a couple weeks ago and it is beautiful and jammed packed with stellar work, so be sure to check that out too.

I will be sharing a table with a couple of my former table mates and two of my favorite friends/cartoonists Dunja Jankovic and Anna Raff. We all have new books and new stuff and are excited to share. So come by G13 which as far as I can tell runs along the back wall so we shouldn't be too hard to miss. Poster below with all the details. See you there!

A lot.

2010-04-02T16:15:00.004-04:00

Ok the funny thing about blogging about ones professional (mis)adventures is that the busier I get, the more I have to report on, but consequently I also have less and less time to do said "reporting". Nonetheless here's a quick run down on whats been up with me.

First of all pick up a Time Out New York! Not only is it the awesome "Free" issue but on page four is a Photo Finish piece by me. I really loved this one because it allowed me to both vent my frustration with hipsters as well as bad busking. Read it here.

The biggest Fish I have had to fry lately though is preparing my new comic for MoCCA. Other than my slight collection of short comics from last Fall, My Terrible Tearable Heart, I have yet to come out with a new comic since my thesis, The Deformitory in May 2008. Whereas I am still proud of my debut effort I am really excited to push a new book. It's a take on Rapunzel and its called the "The Lettuce Girl". Its the first installment of what I currently foresee as a four part story. I have been writing and rewriting it since around Christmas time and just finished inking last week. The guts are printed and I am working on the cover now. You can see a page in progress on my drawing table above. Do you like my beautifully organized work space?

Stay tuned, enjoy the weather and Happy Easter and Passover!

Panel and Tony

2010-02-24T20:48:00.003-05:00

Hello All!

Last week I did an illustration for Time Out New York's Photo Finish feature again. I enjoyed it maybe you will too over here.

Also I have been invited to speak at an event, Will Eisner's Ideals: A Panel Discussion on Comics and Society, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for a comics event. Please check out all the details here and here. If you're in the area come by!

Fat Jacks

2010-02-05T15:08:00.005-05:00

I know its a bit delayed, but as of last weekend I had yet to go out into the world to see if I could find my own comic in comic book stores. While roaming around my old neighborhood in Philadelphia I stopped by my former local comic book shop 'Fat Jacks' (where I used to buy up tons of Love and Rockets back issues) and lo and behold there it was, The Deformitory, on an actual shelf, next to other actual comics. Bonus pic: The Deformitory being read by an actual person!

New Year Linkabonanzamania

2010-01-18T14:03:00.004-05:00

Well what with Christmas, New Years, and my attempts to re-order my life I find that I have quite allowed my little blog to fall to the wayside. Here is a whirl wind tour of all that has been going on and what is going down.

First of all I did Time Out's photo finish feature for this weeks issue. You may see it here:

http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/i-new-york/81923/illustration-by-sophia-wiedeman-photograph-by-adam-feinstein-brooklyn

Second of all I never linked to the Photo Finish I did last December. You may view it here:

http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/i-new-york/81148/illustration-by-sophia-wiedeman-photograph-by-deirdre-mullins-east-village

Additionally I made my first ever "Year End List". Henry Chamberlain of Newsarama included The Deformitory on his list of comics that intrigued him in 2009 and I was honored indeed. Check out the whole list here:

http://blog.newsarama.com/2010/01/04/henry-looks-back-at-2009/

And my last link is to a review by the wonderful Rob Clough back in November for my mini My Terrible Tearable Heart. I am about two thirds of the page down right over here:

http://highlowcomics.blogspot.com/2009/11/minicomics-from-spx.html

Otherwise I have a few projects underway; a commissioned portrait, a new post card and my new mini which is still in the sketching stages, but if all goes well will be ready for MoCCA on April 10th. I lieu of suitable imagery from any of these project I will post a picture of my dog Roscoe who just turned 15 years old on New Years Eve. That yellow thing is a squeaky lion and was his gift. He's a good boy.

Time Out New York

2009-12-07T19:52:00.002-05:00

Yo! Pick up a sweet copy of the new issue of Time Out New York and check out the "photo finish". I did this weeks. Out tomorrow. xo.

King Con and Brooklyn Fest

2009-12-01T23:03:00.005-05:00

Wow, it would seem that by the time I come around to posting pictures and information on one convention another is already underway. I guess I just turn off my convention brain post show and don't turn it on again till I need it.
So I must admit I had mixed feelings about Brooklyn's First Annual King Con. I thought I had a table then I thought I didn't. Then by the time I had acclimated myself to the idea I found out (the week of!) that we did indeed have a table. Thus I felt a bit rushed and suspicious. However, once there, any misgivings I had melted away as the King Con turn out to be a fantastic little show. It was cozy and intimate and not intimidating at all. People were forthright and interested. As usual I met talented and friendly creators and readers and at the end of the weekend my table-mate J.T. and I were giving each other high fives for a show well exhibited.

Above is a photo of J.T. manning the table. As you can see he's a little bundled up. That is due to what you cannot see; namely a frigid blast of air that blew against the back of our necks the whole weekend. That was probably my greatest complaint and, as I have said before, when your greatest complaint is the temperature that us a sure sign of a good show.

And this weekend I will be attending the newest convention on the scene: The Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival. Click the link to check out all the pertinent info. It is going to be amazing, packed with brilliant people, and most importantly...free! Its only on Saturday so check it out. I will be wandering around.

And my last little bit of convention info is that i will be exhibiting this spring at MoCCA 2010. This year its gonna be in April so I am interested to see how that will affect my favorite convention of all. OK! No more convention news...for now. xo.

APE recap and King Con

2009-11-05T18:59:00.008-05:00

Well I figured it was about time that I posted pictures info on the Alternative Press Expo from last month. It was a great show with a lot of amazing people and books to see. I loved the space and the general attitude of both exhibitors and attendees. Some personal highlights were meeting my table mate and fellow comics artiste Cat Lauigan, who is talented and charming as I had been led to believe. I was also sharing once again with Maria Sputnik which is always a pleasure. Plus she provided the knitted octopus for our table (see below) designed by Daniel Yuhas. If you need more cephalopod action specifically go here. Oh it may make my heart burst!
Additionally I had the pleasure of meeting cartoonists Minty Lewis and Damien Jay of P.S. Comics and The Natural World respectively. They were as nice as they are talented and I scored some really good books at their table. Definitely required reading.
The table next to us was home to the impressive Anteism and Islands Fold which was awesome as I like to think that I was made cooler by proximity.

Check out my pics!

Awesome APE space.

Decked out ladies checking out the panties.

Cat Lauigan manning our table. Please note the red octupus.

I had never been to California before so that was exciting too. I kept feeling like I was in a movie about California because well everything looked extremely California-y. After two days of conventioning I got to run around a be a tourist in San Francisco. My boyfriend and I did just about everything a typical tourist could think of; we went to Alcatraz, biked over the Golden Gate Bridge, rode a cable car, saw parrots on Telegraph Hill etc. and it was awesome. After San Francisco we wandered up the west coast hitting up Portland and Seattle before flying home East.

I could go on and on about APE and my West coast adventures, but I must look forward to the future! i.e. this weekend. Tomorrow you can find me at Brooklyn's King Con where I will be sharing a table with the fantastic J.T. Yost. I will be pimping The Deformitory as usual and My Terrible Tearable Heart so stop by and see what Brooklyn has to offer. The convention is at the Brooklyn Lyceum and will feature such esteemed guests as Jonathan Ames and Harvey Pekar. Please stop by, especially those of you who live a matter of blocks away and have no excuse not to. And when you do bring me a cup of coffee. See you there!

New Review

2009-10-30T18:59:00.004-04:00

While I was away Matthew Brady gave me a review on his site Warren Peace (cleverest title ever). You can read it here. Matthew offers yet another possible interpretation of Dolores's problem which reminds me again how an author can have little to do with what his story is "about". Its a very kind review and the rest of the site is very awesome as he looks at beautiful older Kirby stuff as well as a great variety of current graphic novels. Quality stuff people. Check it out.

Goddamned Dirty APE

2009-10-15T13:27:00.005-04:00

I am sure that joke is made all the time, but it just occurred to me. All right so this weekend is the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco. And I have to say I am really excited because it looks like a really awesome convention and secondly I have never been to California!
I will be exhibiting with fellow illustrator and cartoonist Cat Lauigan. For those of you who are attending please stop by table 151 to check out what we've been working on. We'll have lots of fantastic books and as usual I will be selling underwear. Trust me, its adorable.
Below is the cover of my new and humble mini-comic "My Terrible Tearable Heart". Come by and check it all out.

SPX & Forty Four Presidents

2009-10-11T17:58:00.006-04:00

Well Folks SPX came and went a couple weeks ago and apparently i was soooo awesome that I lost my blogging brain and have yet to get them back until now. But here is my SPX report! I Shared a Table with cartoonist J.T. Yost and I think we both came away from it very pleased with the weekend. The fair had a really good "vibe" for lack of a better word as the venue was comfortable and there was good flow. The biggest complaint was how utterly cold the place got on the second day. But if that's the biggest complaint at a convention then that's a good sign.
I met a lot of really cool people, including our table mate to the right Josh Neufeld author of A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge. I was really struck this time around at how truly nice most of the people you meet are.
Other things I love is seeing all the good new stuff out there and the big pile of reading material which satiates me for weeks afterwards. I regret not meeting more of the people I wanted to but I always feel like I don't "do" enough. Here is J.T. manning our weirdly located table below:

In other news my friend and fellow cartoonist Maria Sputnik has just released her hilarious book Forty Four Presidents co authored by MZA. You can check it out on Amazon.

Oh there's more! So much more. APE is coming up and I have a new mini (mini!) comic, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.

Dumgrop Mountain.

2009-09-22T20:11:00.005-04:00

Just a sketchbook drawing today. This is one that didn't make it into my latest endeavor.

TONY Link

2009-09-16T23:09:00.002-04:00

Here's a link to the photo finish feature in the current issue of Time Out New York: http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/i-new-york/78487/photo-finish

And for a little visual stimulation here is a drawing of my friend I made for her birthday party invites. It was a very fun job because she wanted the invitations to be like scratch-off lotto tickets where the invitees would have to scrape that fun foil stuff off to find out where when etc. I might post the invite itself after the party happens but in order to ensure a bunch of randoms don't show up I will wait on that for now.

oh weird its all sort of colours! I'll figure this out I swear. For now enjoy this psychedelic version.

Time Out New York

2009-09-15T10:25:00.005-04:00

I have done another Photo Finish for the good folks over at Time Out New York and its out today. Pick up a copy and check it out. It may not be as funny as anthropomorphic baby ice cream carts being eaten alive, but it holds its own.
And its in the SEX issue! Now that's an issue I can get behind. Or under. ha? Read it.

Good News & SPX

2009-09-11T15:20:00.004-04:00

I received a purchase order from Diamond Comics Distributors so you can officially anticipate my comic The Deformitory in comic book shops by the beginning of November. I can't describe how anxious I was while anticipating this order, but I can describe how I feel now: Awesome.

Also SPX is only a couple of weeks away! I have way too much work to do but I am fairly secure in my ability to squeeze it all in. Its horrifying but I gotta make it happen. I will be sharing a Table with fellow Xeric recipient and cartoonist extraordinaire J.T. Yost. Our Table number is W26B which seems suspiciously off to the side. Oh well. Viva la W26B.

Sequential Tart Interview

2009-08-31T18:20:00.003-04:00

Hey, I got interviewed! By Sheena McNiel for Sequential Tart and here it is! I hope I don't sound like too much of a jerk. I would like to think I am not a jerk. At least not when it comes to comics. But to judge my jerkiness for yourself please read THIS and have a happy Monday.

PLAYBACK:stl Review!

2009-08-28T12:55:00.006-04:00

Happy Friday Everyone!

One of these days I will post something that is neither review nor Deformitory related, but until that day here is another review, this time by Sarah Boslaugh for PLAYBACK:stl. She's given it a positive review (yay!) and offered up a new interpretation of Delores's lobster claws. Sarah speculates that it is a metaphor for the creative dilemma, one that feeds and betrays you, which I enjoy. :) This is coming on the heels of Rob Clough's interpretation that the claws can be seen as a metaphor for the nature of addiction. You can read Sarah's review HERE.

Also I got a shout out over at "Comics and ... Other Imaginary Tales" (here). Its not so much a review as a review of reviews? Whatever it is I appreciate the write up. :)

Enjoy your weekend, thanks for reading!

High-Low Review

2009-08-26T20:11:00.002-04:00

Hey there young fellas!
Rob Clough has reviewed The Deformitory for his blog High-Low and he seemed to appreciate and enjoy it. He gives a thorough and accurate description of the plot and I have to say I happily agree with his criticism of my art work. Also I was reviewed alongside some artists I really admire as well as others I am looking forward to reading. Its the last in line about two thirds down the page right HERE. Go Summer Go Comics. xo

The Onion A.V. Club Comics Panel Review

2009-08-22T20:51:00.005-04:00

Hullo All! The Deformitory has been reviewed in the A.V. Club's comics panel. I am pretty excited about this review becuase first of all they liked it and second of all The Onion and its sister site The A.V. Club have been my culture go to for many years now. The review can be read about 1/3 of the way down the page right HERE. Thanks for checking it out and thanks to anyone who is keeping up the good word about my book this month as August is a crucial juncture for The Deformitory to get orders. Have a great weekend!

Art Patient Review!

2009-08-10T12:51:00.002-04:00

Happy Monday!

I have been reviewed by Delos Woodruff on his excellent website ArtPatient.com. It's a very thoughtful review so check it out here. Also I think he's pro-heart monster.

Previews!

2009-08-03T19:13:00.006-04:00

Hello All!

Ok it is officially August which means that comics book shops across the nation have a copy of Diamond's August Previews featuring my comic book...that's right, you guessed it... The Deformitory! Needless to say this is a very exciting time for my book and also very important. If my comic gets enough orders then Diamond will pick it up and anyone can potentially swing by their favorite store and pick up a copy (provided that store ordered it). So if you support the book, mention it at your neighborhood comic shop, talk it up, drop a line about it on you blog, whatever. The more help it gets the better chance it's got and all this self-publishing rigmarole will not be in vain. Actually the experience thus far has been invaluable so it never really could be, but I really want The Deformitory to go all the way. So make sure your seller knows about it! Go Heart Monster!

(this is a brown heart monster I painted last week in walnut ink. Say "Hello")

Midnight Fiction Review!

2009-07-26T11:40:00.004-04:00

Happy Sunday! Richard Krauss has reviewed The Deformitory for Midnight Fiction. Its a good one so give it a look see here and enjoy Richard's excellent site.

Monsters!

2009-07-24T17:16:00.004-04:00

#1

#2

Hello all. I just felt like posting some art work today. So I dug these up. I did these as an exercise last winter and I was very happy with the result. Here's how you do it: draw as many panels as will fit on one page and then fill them up with anything. And don't stop until you are done. The End.
(Click the pictures for a better view.)

Optical Sloth Review!

2009-07-23T14:19:00.003-04:00

Kevin Bramer of Optical Sloth has reviewed The Deformitory and here it is! for his site. The more reviews I get the more I realize that there are two schools of folk: people who dig the Heart Monster being included and those who find it superfluous. Kevin seems to dig him. Awesome.

TONY BALONEY!

2009-07-22T22:22:00.003-04:00

Ok some people are having trouble scrolling through the piece on the TONY website so I am posting the jpeg of my Photo Finish feature here. You're welcome. hahaha.

Time Out New York Piece

2009-07-21T14:22:00.003-04:00

Hello hello my gentle readers.
I am featured in Time out New York's East Village issue this week which is pretty exciting. I love it when my comics are in issues I'm most interested in (eg, The Free Issue, the East Village issue etc). My brother called this photo-finish the "most disturbing yet" and that, I believe, is a very good thing. Pick up a copy and/or check it out HERE!

Pop Damage Review

2009-07-16T09:16:00.003-04:00

Hello All! I promise to post something related to new work very soon (hopefully later today) but for now here is a review from Andrew Wright of Pop Damage, a great on-line magazine. Read it HERE. :)

Comics Waiting Room Review!

2009-07-15T08:32:00.002-04:00

Good Morning! Marc Mason has reviewed my book for his website Comics Waiting Room. You can read it here. I like the difference between my book's cover and the other he reviews in tandum with The Deformitory. My cover could not scream "INDIE!" enough. Anyways check it out.

Eye on Comics Review

2009-07-08T23:27:00.003-04:00

I am pleased to share another review. Don MacPherson has read and written about The Deformitory on his wonderful site Eye on Comics. I have to admit this one makes me especially happy because Don has has been particularly sensitive to what I attempted to communicate in my comic.
Here it is.

Sequential Tart Review!

2009-07-06T14:53:00.005-04:00

Sheena McNeil of Sequential Tart has been kind enough to review my book as well. Click here to read it!
She responded very well to my Heart Monster which I am happy about because he's not going anywhere any time soon. She is the latest of many people to feel the the ending is abrupt or sudden and left feeling as if there is more which I find interesting. Sometimes I wonder myself if I should continue winding the thread that is the Deformitory. For now I think not, but its an idea that has occurred to me before. More soon.

ComixTalk Review

2009-07-05T22:55:00.003-04:00

Xaviar Xerexes of Comixtalk.com has reviewed my comic and it is here for your reading pleasure. I think it's very thoughtful and helpful for me personally and he seemed to like it as well. Check it out!

Review!

2009-06-29T19:49:00.005-04:00

Hello!
Well I had a good day today because it was spent almost entirely in front of my drawing table which makes me happy. The cherry on top of my hard work sundae however is the fact that I got a review as well. And I am happy to say its a good one by Andrea Speed for Comixtreme.com. You can read it HERE.

Do you belong in New York? THE QUIZ!

2009-06-19T13:03:00.002-04:00

I feel that the very fact that I took the, quiz at all is suspect, but I am procrastinating and have nothing better to blog about so here are my results:

DO YOU BELONG IN NYC?
Yes, but sometimes you wish there were a better option.
You do love New York, and you fit in here better than you have anywhere else. You're committed to the city, and you take advantage of all of its amazing food, culture, nightlife and arts. But you have nagging doubts about this relationship. Spend your whole life here? Not sure about that. Sometimes you wonder about that farm in your fantasies or even just a smaller city. But in reality, you know there's nowhere better. Click here for suggestions about how to really enjoy NYC.

Do you belong in New York City?

If you need to kill 15 minutes do the quiz. My advisor (I suppose I should now say former advisor?) David Heatley did the awesome illustration for it. Off to do something real! ha.

Official MoCCA Post

2009-06-16T11:26:00.002-04:00

So MoCCA was really cool. Some personal highlights: Finally introducing myself to Gabrielle Bell. Also meeting Ron Rege Jr. And introducing myself to Evan Dorkin. Again! But I had a slightly more proper chat with him this time around. :)
I also got to see J.T. Yost fellow Xeric winner again. Check out his awesome work here and here. Also here is his books page: birdcagebottombooks.com. And I got to see Box Brown who I am also a huge fan of. I think that was it for Xeric peoples representing at MoCCA this year. If not, I am sorry I missed the others.
To be honest the new venue was very different from the Puck building. The Armory is really cool, don't get me wrong, but it definitely does not have the charm of the Puck. Plus it was just as unbearably warm as last year. I suppose it was a more democratic layout but it was also colder and more overwhelming in a way. It felt more "convention" than "festival". But I guess that is what happens when things get bigger. And MoCCA certainly seems to have exploded.
Regardless it still maintained its open and positive vibe and I am getting much better at introducing myself and just stepping up and talking about my work. Practice practice right? So yeah, MoCCA gets an A!
Festival updates: other than SPX this September I am plotting to show up and exhibit at APE this fall so anybody in San Fransisco let me know if you will be around in October. It would be my first foray into California. I'm really hoping it will work out.

Post MoCCA Glow and Link

2009-06-08T10:57:00.002-04:00

I had a really good weekend at MoCCA and cannot wait to speculate upon it and post pictures. I promised to post the link to my Time Out piece so here it is:
http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/i-new-york/75051/illustration-by-sophia-wiedeman-photograph-by-sietske-van-t-hooft-chelsea
Heather, I hope that's the one that made JG laugh. :)

Come to MoCCA and Pick up a Time Out!

2009-06-02T23:49:00.003-04:00

Hello!

I will be featured again in Time Out New York's Photo Finish feature this week. I think I may have said this last time, but I really like this one so take a peek either in the magazine itself or on-line. I will post the link in the next posting.

Also if you are in New York this weekend swing by the always amazing MoCCA Art Festival. I will be there with Dunja Jankovic, Anna Raff and Maria Sputnik. I am honored to be sharing a table with such talented women and it will be well worth it to check it out. We are at table 403. I am very excited (if not freaking out a little bit) about the convention this weekend. It is always a very rewarding experience and I hope to see you there!

Diamond Distribution!

2009-05-21T19:18:00.003-04:00

I got distribution! OH MY GOODNESS! Maybe I should play this a little cooler. Ahem. Whatever, I am totally thrilled! More details to follow, as right now I am actually don't know entirely what this will entail or when my book will be in comic shops but I am very relieved. I hear self distribution can be a nightmare. WHOOO HOOOO!!!

Sketch Book Comic

2009-05-06T11:11:00.002-04:00

Stumptown Comics Fest Part Duex

2009-05-01T10:22:00.006-04:00

Ok, so this is the post to fill in the the blanks of the previous post. In terms of comics I have only ever exhibited a MoCCA Art Fest before and was not sure what so expect at Stumptown. I think the most enjoyable aspect was that I was sharing a table with people who actually lived in Portland and so it was a lot easier to converse with the the neighboring tables and make friends since everyone seemed to know everyone. The Portland comics scene is thriving and it was exciting to meet such a concentrated group of comics readers, artists, shop owners etc. To actually live among it must be a heady rush indeed. I think that while in New York there may be more comics people in general it is so spread out and there is no real core. What I perceived in Portland was that is was a very close and supportive community. I am sure you could say that about any thing when comparing NYC to Portland but it was nice to experience.

Here is a picture of what was to the right of our table; the awesome Floating World Comics table. Jason Leivian is the owner of this wonderful shop and yet another awesome person I met. Sean Christensen is the masked guy and he was also really cool. Read his comic Miranda Baby. Its bizarrely wonderful. Oh and that is Lisa again. It was good and overwhelming as those things should be and I hope I can swing it next year as well.

Stumptown Comics Fest Part One

2009-04-29T11:17:00.007-04:00

Ok so by now I am sure everyone and their mother has blogged about their experience at Stumptown, if everyone and their mother did attend and have blogs. Seriously though, I was getting all mad at myself, thinking "This is gonna be old News Sophia if you don't get a'postin right now!" Then I remembered, I have no conclusive evidence that anyone beside my boyfriend has ever read this thing (and I was hovering over his shoulder at the time whispering "look look, I blogged") so I am letting myself off the hook. :) So without further ado here are some pictures of the festival.

Above is a picture of our table. Behind the table is comic artist Dunja Jankovic. I know its hard to tell with the mask. Anyways the poster you see is the poster for Komikaze, the amazing comics collective based out of Croatia. Check them out at komikaze.hr. Its is very good stuff. These people aren't effing around. Dunja stuff is on their site as well as her own, tripica.org
So we had a lot of cool Balkan comics and international stuff in general. We also had the lovely Maria Sputnik's comics. Her book 44 Presidents is coming out this fall as well, so look out for it as it is hilarious. Here she is with Lisa Magnum making masks!

Lisa was amazing and largely responsible for the presence of the Komikaze comics as well as other Balkan comics and french publications. It was a good time over all. I especially just enjoyed meeting all the great people and artists there. I met Gail Simone and embarrisingly gushed about how she changed my life. Amd I met Chris Baldwin author of Little Dee and Bruno which was a thrill as well. I also sat a little down from The creator of Madman Mike Allred, but I was too shy to meet him. Hopefully I will remedy that if I ever do see him again. More Tomorrow.

Pick up Time Out New York!

2009-04-23T14:43:00.005-04:00

Hey, I have to do a big Stumptown Comics Fest post, but I thought I would drop a TONY post first. Once again my work will be featured in Time Out's Photo Finish. I have a soft spot for firemen ever since my trip to Paris (long story) so I really enjoyed this one. It is already on-line so click the link to check it out or pick up a copy at you local bodega! LINK! XOXO!

Website update!

2009-04-15T00:40:00.004-04:00

Thanks to the help of my good friend Eric Collins (oobust.com) my website is now updated. I do have bigger plans for my site down the line, but right now I am soooo very very happy with it. So visit away at SophiaDraws.com More soon!
xoxox

Buttons!

2009-04-01T21:54:00.005-04:00

Here they are! My new adorable 1 inch buttons. I'll be toting these suckers around for as long as supplies last. I fantasize that one day my ever evolving website will have a proper "shop" page where I could sell little bags of buttons amongst other things, though I think that's a ways off.
Anyways, I think little buttons are one of the happiest things on earth and I hope to hand you one. I should figure out how to make them myself, as I hear it is easy and fun, but for now I use an awesome company called Busy Beaver Button Co. If interested check them out at BusyBeaver.net.
Tomorrow, Stamping!

Love is a Peculiar Type of Thing

2009-03-31T15:51:00.000-04:00

Hello! Ok, today I am pleased as punch to announce that my friend, and fellow Xeric Grant winner, Box Brown has announced that his book, is good to go! And by good to go I mean that Love is a Peculiar Type of Thing is printed and will be available in June at a comic book store near you. Here's the link:
http://boxbrown.com/book/
Those of you from Philly may recognize his work for TLA Video store front on 4th and South. And those of you with excellent taste in web-comics should be reading Bellen! Its kind of one of my favorite things. Seriously, check it out. And make sure that your local shop is picking it up this summer. Go self-publishing!

2009-03-25T22:22:00.000-04:00

We'll eat you up, we love you so.

Rubber Stamp

2009-03-20T18:52:00.001-04:00

So one of my favorite things to do is think up merchandise to promote my comics and art work. I think that my cartoons actually lend themselves very well to merchandise (Stickers buttons etc). I am not always comfortable promoting myself, but this is a really fun way to do it, one that feels sweet and that I am comfortable with. Handing some one a button makes them happy and that makes me happy, and then everyone is soooo happy, and then maybe they get so happy that they give me a job. So in anticipation of the upcoming conventions I am in full on "cute crap" mode, ordering and making stuff to sell and hand out. One such item is a rubber stamp I am having made at Casey Rubber Stamps in the East Village. It is a great little store with all these cool old fashioned stamps and you can have one custom made for you based on whatever you want. I am having this guy made:

Heart Monster Mania! I am very excited. With this stamp I can make my own stickers, stationary, and match-books! Adorable and efficient. Just like Heart Monster himself.

New Monster!

2009-03-19T00:48:00.000-04:00

Meet the new monster, Dumgrop! And as always, Heart Monster. I thought up the former while talking to my boyfriend on the phone. I was staring at the wall. Jeeze I better start coming up with more interesting posts. haha. Whatever. Since when did I claim to know what I was doing?
xoooxooo
-S

TONY

2009-03-18T00:01:00.000-04:00

Once again I will be featured in TONY this week in their Photo Finish Feature, so if anyone is interested you should pick up a copy. I really liked this one.
Something more fun to follow tomorrow.
-Sophia

Heart Monster

2009-03-06T17:19:00.000-05:00

Felt like posting a Heart Monster from my sketch book. So here he is. Say "hi!". See that wasn't so hard was it? You should always be polite. Even to monsters.

The Conventions!

2009-03-03T14:26:00.000-05:00

Hello All,

For the last two years I have exhibited at MoCCA Festival, the Museum of Cartoon and comic Art's annual comic convention. This year I am pleased to say that I will again be exhibiting along side my friends and fellow artists Dunja Jankovic (tripica.org) and Anna Raff (annaraff.com) and a potential fourth...keep tuned for updates. I am very excited as it is always a great weekend with fantastic people and panels. Check it out here. Oh and the picture is from MoCCA 2007 and those are my friends Matt and Eric (and that is what a table looks like when ten plus people try and exhibit on it).

New for me this year is Stumptown Comics Fest. I will be flying to Portland in April to exhibit there as well on the 18th and 19th. I've never been to Portland and I am excited to expose myself to the awesome scene that seems to thrive there. More later as the festivals roll around, but that's my convention schedule thus far!

My First Review

2009-02-16T14:59:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to provide a link to my first review ever by Henry Chamberlain for Newsarama. :)
I have to admit that it is very strange to hear someone else talk about my work but kind of cool too.

Oh. My. God.

2009-02-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

Be still my beating heart! Seriously this is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me. Ok I exaggerate. However, what is this site about? Me drawing comics. And pray tell how did I become injected with the passion to draw comics? From reading comics. And how did I discover at the tender age of twelve the joy of reading comic books? One show is responsible for those first forays into the world of comics, beyond the funny pages of my youth and that show was The X-Men animated series. No not the revamped crap they thought up recently, but that early nineties gem of a show. It captured my pre-teen heart and probably has had a deeper impact than I realize. Anyways they are releasing the entire run on DVD April 28th and well, I'm beside myself. Check it.

Beet It!

2009-02-11T12:37:00.000-05:00

This has nothing to do with comics or monsters but here is a beet I painted for a friend. I think it looks luscious so I decided to share.

What?

2009-02-09T10:54:00.000-05:00

I've been called sensitive more times than I care to remember. I have been told I take things too personally. I won't deny that this is all true. For instance just the other day I tried to rip my horoscope out of a magazine because I found it insulting. However anyone who knows me knows that of all the things that piss me off and "get my goat" the surest way to make me see red is to call me "Sophie". No offense to any one named Sophie. It is a very pretty name, but its just not my name. I know its a silly thing to get excited about but I do. Its something I haven't been able to let go of yet. Maybe I should try harder. See below. har.

or here.

2009-02-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

Just in case anyone is interested you should pick up a copy of Time Out New York this week. They have a feature called Photo Finish where they ask illustrators to finish reader submitted photographs, and I did this weeks. Its always fun, and you should check it out!

xo
-s

Xeric Etc.

2009-02-02T23:30:00.000-05:00

Hi,

So far I am not doing a very good job at the whole blogging thing mostly because I am finding it hard to get used to the notion of anybody being interested in what I write, especially since I know that no one is really even aware of my blog. However, I am attempting to embrace the concept of unabashed self-promotion and steady self-confidence...all in the spirit of comics, art, and monsters. So here goes:

I am happy to announce that I found out last December that I am a recipient of a Xeric Foundation Grant for my graphic novel/masters thesis "The Deformitory". I applied for the grant last fall and needless to say I am thrilled and consider this excellent news for "The Deformitory" as well as my current endeavors. So getting "The Deformitory" printed up is what occupies my efforts as of late and I am excited to send it off to the printer this week.

More soon. <3

Bag Monster

2008-12-10T11:45:00.000-05:00

My brother made me a sculpture and I made him real.

Seminal Monsters

2008-12-01T11:12:00.000-05:00

Here's a page from my current sketch book of a monster I drew. This post is to commemorate the full on initiation of my next project: a book of Monsters. Here goes. Heh.

2008-11-21T08:41:00.001-05:00

Hello world.