Lunarbistro.com is the
art, comics and sketch blog
of indigo kelleigh.
Hey! Did you hear? There's this comics convention going on down in San Diego this week?
Yeah, so I'm going to SDCC again, after skipping the last couple. I don't have a table, I'm not speaking on any panels, I don't even really have much of a gameplan other than catching up with a few old friends, camping at a couple booths from time to time, trying to catch a few panels (especially the SPACED panel and screening on friday!) and maybe buy a book or two from some friends.
In a perfect world, I'd have had Ellie started up six months ago and would be going to SDCC to promote the webcomic and to meet with potential publishers about a book deal. I think I'll have to save that for next year, though.
Hey, all:
Just wanted to spread the word that I'll be going to San Diego again this year, i just purchased my plane ticket and everything. I'll be there for the whole convention for once, starting on Preview night, and going through sunday. I'm not going to be exhibiting, though, just walking around and visiting with friends. If you're going to be there and want to meet up, drop me a line and let me know!
With any luck, I'll be toting around small postcards or Ellie Connelly preview minis!
Hey! so I spent way too much time yesterday getting myself set up on Twitter. So now, after months of reading my friends's incomprehensible twitterings, I can start throwing out my own! My twitterfeed (did I really just type that?) is at http://twitter.com/indigokelleigh.
I'm going to look into getting one of those little twitter boxes for the blog here too, at some point.
I've been pondering for some time now the possibility of throwing off the shackles of my day-job and following my dream of being a full-time contract illustrator and cartoonist. Every time I think of it, though, in my mind it always looks to be a few months away, always a few months away, at least.
Some developments occurred today that have made this possibility a dead-set reality, and as of this afternoon I am officially pursuing full-time contract illustration work. No more hemming and hawing. I've been putting it off too long, finding excuses to let the fear of it all get the best of me. I may not be sure that I'm ready to do it, but I'm going to do it anyway.
I'm hoping my new lifestyle (if I can really call it that yet) will allow me time to close out some long-running projects, like the 8-Bit Tarot deck, and a couple small comics projects I've had set aside. I also hope that I can refocus my efforts to making serious progress on Ellie Connelly, and would like to launch the webcomic within the month.
In the meantime, I'm going to complete a small illustration test for a potential client which, if things work out well, may provide fairly steady periodic work. I'm also going to need to redesign and update my portfolio, put together some promotional postcards, and start telling people that I'm available for commissions and contracts.
Hey, did I mention that I'm available for commissions and contracts? Check out my Portfolio! ;)
Just got tipped off on a 200-page adaptation of Hamlet by Neil Babra that looks absolutely fantastic. I can't wait to pick up a copy! This looks like an exhaustive adaptation, and according to Neil he included the entire play (based on a modern plain-English 'translation' of the Shakespeare), and even used several film adaptations for reference and inspiration for lighting, character acting and such. More info here.
Hey, Portlanders! This event is being coordinated as part of the all-out cultural assault that is The Month Before Stumptown (previously known as April):
24 HOURS!
24 PAGES!
1 ARMY OF CARTOONISTS!
1 UNFORGETTABLE EVENT!
Announcing the return of 24-Hour Comic Day... Stumptown style! At 10
AM on Saturday, April 5, cartoonists from all over Portland and beyond
will converge on Cosmic Monkey Comics for a marathon of comic-book
magic. Will YOU be one of them?
A 24-hour comic is exactly what it sounds: one complete comic story
(24 pages) completed in 24 hours. Writing, drawing, lettering, and if
you're really ambitious, coloring -- it's all gotta be done on the
spot. Similar to the ever-popular National Novel Writing Month, it's
an opportunity to celebrate your art form, get your creative juices
flowing, and enjoy the rare opportunity to have some company working
alongside you!
"But what," you ask, "will make THIS 24-hour comic event special?" How about:
So... CARTOONISTS! Ink-slingers and pixel-pushers alike! Step on up
and join the action!
Will you be exhibiting at the Stumptown Comics Fest (April 26-27)?
Need a kick in the ass to produce some comics in time for the show?
Here's your chance!
Respond to cosmicmonkeycomics -at- earthlink.net or 503-517-9050 to RSVP!
Space is limited (we're capping it at 20 artists), so respond ASAP!
APRIL 5
10 AM TO 10 AM
COSMIC MONKEY COMICS (5335 NE Sandy Blvd)
24-HOUR COMICS DRAWPOCALYPSE
Hey, Portlanders! Tonight's first thursday, which of course means gallery openings across the NW and SW PDX areas. I'm actually taking part in one, the Meanwhile... show being curated by my friend Kaebel Hashitani, proprietor of the Sequential Art Gallery.
I'm providing a page of Ellie Connelly art, as well as donating a couple pieces from my private collection (not listed below)
Here's the listing for the Meanwhile show:
First Thursday, March 6, 6:00 p.m.PCPA and the Sequential Art Gallery present MEANWHILE...: An Exhibition of Comic Book Art, featuring artists from the Stumptown Comics Fest, a collection of comic book pages, covers and crossover art. Featuring artwork by Ryan Alexander-Tanner, Jon Ascher, Matthew Clark, Paul Guinan, Seamus Heffernan, Garret Izumi, Indigo Kelleigh, Carolyn Main, Kip Manley, Jenn Manley Lee, Larry Marder, Dylan Meconis, Erika Moen, Bill Mudron, Sarah Oleksyk, Jesse Reklaw, Craig Thompson, Jim Valentino and John C. Worsley.
The ArtBar and Bistro inside the Antoinette Hatfield Hall. 1111 SW Broadway at Main St. Portland, OR.
see you there!
Hey, my site remodel is complete!
It took me close to a month to design it, but only a couple days to make the files work. The most recent burst of enthusiasm and inspiration for the project came actually from my day-job, of all things. I was tasked last week with designing a couple blogs - one for our company, and one for our clients. Many hours were spent tinkering with css and html templates, learning the finer points of ExpressionEngine, and looking at about a bazillion other blogs for ideas and layouts. And oddly enough, when those two projects were done, I had a much better idea about what I wanted to do with my own site.
And so, here we are! The newly redesigned and redirected Lunar Bistro! One of the things that's different is that I won't be running episodic comics at the top of the blog anymore. I'll still be posting comics here and there when time allows, but they'll just be going up on the Comics page in their entirety. Any comics that are going to be posted episodically, like the current Circle Weave run, or the upcoming Ellie Connelly, will be done on their own self-styled sites. Which brings me to the next step of the redesign:
The Circle Weave needs a site update. Not a whole new style, I'm pretty happy with how it looks, actually, but I need to update the codebase, get the blog up and running again, and re-post all the comics using the new technique I've got planned. This new technique is the key to me running episodic comics in the future, actually, and was part of what was holding me up on this whole redesign.
The way it's going to work is this: each comic's blog will be set up using MovableType, with a category set aside for 'comic updates'. When I post a new episode to this category, it shows up at the top of the homepage, separate from the other regular blog posts, and also on its own separate rss feed. Since Circle Weave has already been posted, and is currently a 'dead' comic, I don't feel bad using it to experiment with this process. I want to make sure it's good and solid before I start relying on it for Ellie.
Which brings me to Ellie. I'm only 7 pages in, and none of it is fully colored. I'm not happy about my progress so far, but it's something. And when I think about it, it's close to seven weeks worth of updates, even if I just post it in black and white, or with simple colors for the time being. I can always go back later and update the colors when I have time. It's my hope that simply posting the work regularly and getting feedback on it will encourage me to continue working and pushing forward with the project.
So, I'm hoping to have the site up and running (meaning with new comics and all) in time for Stumptown in April.
So, yeah, that's my plan. This site will continue to be my general comics/art/sketch blog, and if I manage to start regularly doing stuff for Illustration Friday it'll go here as well. And there will always be updates about the comics I'm working on, or wanting to work on.
Hey, all! Here in Portland we have a number of regular cartoonist gatherings, where we sit around and talk, draw comics, and talk about things like drawing comics. Tonight is the Drink & Draw, started by Les McClaine. It's at the Rose & Thistle on Broadway, starting at 7:00pm. I know, it's saturday night, but let's face it - you're a cartoonist! You're going to be hunched over your drawing table anyway, so why be alone while you're doing it? Come to the Drink & Draw, and have a beer, at least!
Mostly because there hasn't been a lot of creative output lately. Ellie has kind of run aground on my fear of messing it up, but I think I might be about over that now, and am hoping to make some progress on it in the coming weeks. The 8-Bit Tarot has had trouble finding the time to be worked on, and I'm getting more and more worked up about the Stumptown Comics Fest - the registration deadline has just been extended a couple weeks until the end of August, so we're definitely in the home stretch now. Last night I actually started to do some coloring on the first Ellie page, just to see what it might look like. I'm kind of happy with it, but I need to work on it some more.
Oh, and I DID get my Dream of the Rarebit Fiend book, and it IS extremely massive and worth every penny. If I had the money I'd buy a few more to give to the libraries.
This book has been getting a lot (A LOT) of buzz lately, and it seems for good reason - a print collection of over 300 of Winsor McCay's classic Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend comic strip, plus a DVD of EVERY Rarebit Fiend strip, including the ones that didn't get printed here. This is easily the most comprehensive presentation of this work ever, and it was wholly designed, compiled, restored and published by one man. There have been a few collections of this comic over the years, but I don't believe that any have come as close to being a complete package as this.
It may seem a bit pricey, but consider that it's handbound and limited to 1000 copies. I already ordered mine, and will post a review when it comes in.
Hey, all:
Just a reminder that I'll be in New York for MoCCA this weekend. I won't have a table or anything, or a big sign with my name on it, so you pretty much have to know what i look like to find me, but if you do, be sure to ask for a copy of the Ellie Connelly and the Curse of the Moon's Eye 4-page preview I'll be bringing with me! It's super cool, and has errors in it that will need to be corrected before the book is done, so, yeah! Seriously, I haven't been this excited about a new project in years! I'll also be happy to draw pictures of people in the Ellie style, if you give me a few minutes and can sit still. I'll be back on Monday, and will start posting the panels from the preview at that point. So, I'll see you there! (maybe)
In a last-minute decision, I've registered a table for myself at this year's Olympia Comics Festival, which takes place in about a week, on Saturday, June 9th. I was planning on driving up anyway for the show, to hang out with some friends and see what's shaking, and decided in the end to take part in the Festival as well. I'll be bringing copies of my Chutney Point books, The Night I Flew, and the few remaining Circle Weave books I've got (for what it's worth). As a special treat, I'm also bringing the pages of Ellie Connelly and the Curse of the Moon's Eye that I've got completed, and if you ask to see them, I'll happily oblige. So come on up, the guests this year are Ellen Forney and Ivan Brunetti, so it aims to be a fun show.
Yeah, I temporarily took down the 'Current Comic' part of this page. I was getting tired of having the tail end of the 'Breakfast at the Lunar Bistro' story up there for so long. I am going to be starting to post 'The Night I Flew' soon, but until then I thought it was best to just hide the section. I did rearrange the Comics page a bit, though, and hopefully you can see how it's all going to go down, with separate areas for longer works and for minis and short stories.
One of these days I'll set up the forum. possibly. And I'm thinking of swapping out the rocket on the homepage with something else. Not sure what yet. Any suggestions?
earlier this week, I commented on the death of Johnny Hart, a cartoonist whose work never really meant a lot to me personally, but with whom I felt a sort of kinship-by-craft. Though he was a Brother of the Benevolent Order of the Brush & Bristol, I didn't feel like I had a lot to say.
Today, though, I wake to learn of the death of one of the most influential authors of my life, Kurt Vonnegut. His work (specifically Cat's Cradle) awoke in me a wonder and awe of life and the world, showed me that it's okay to want to be who you want to be, and to live life by your own rules. In 'God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater', his title character offers a blessing to some newborn babies which about sums up life on this planet better than anybody since Shakespeare:
"Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies -- 'God damn it, you've got to be kind.'"
There's so much more I want to be able to say about Vonnegut's work, and its influence on me. Unfortunately I have always suffered from a really lousy memory, and any immediate impressions I drew from his work have long since faded. I know I didn't read everything he wrote, but I know that what I did read was damn worth the time. I wish I could memorialize him as well as Jon Morris has, but I really don't have the words.
The best thing I feel I can do to honor his memory is to go back and re-experience his work, and to finally pick up the ones I never read for lack of time or money. So, to Kurt Vonnegut, congratulations on your Big Day, and thanks for the books.
Hey, all! I've got a piece going up in this month's Portland Draws show at City Hall. The poster is by Shannon Wheeler, one of the dozen-plus artists being included (follow the image to see the full details of the show). I'm planning on being at the opening reception thursday with daughter in tow, assuming she's feeling better.
The piece I chose is the one-page strip I'm going to be contributing to the Missed Connections anthology being put together by Julia Wertz and friends. Here's a sample:
I'm overall very pleased with this piece, but will be redrawing the last panel before it goes to print. So, this show at City Hall will be your only chance to see the original last panel before I get it home and paste the replacement over the original in the frame. The show's up all month, do drop by!
so, I was informed on the bus the other day that the Wii code I posted in my blog a few weeks back was actually incorrect, so, apologies to anyone who tried to use it. The correct number is:
4943 3867 0956 9450
And if you've added me via the WiiFriends site, please email me to let me know which one you are! I'm not going to add anymore friends from there to my wii until I know who it is, just because it takes so much time, and half the numbers I added the last time never actually added me, so it was kind of a waste. The site is supposed to be working on a profile feature to be able to share more info, like the kinds of games you like to play, that sort of thing. That'll be nice.
And someday when I actually bother to set up my forum here, I'll share wii and NDS stuff, maybe try to organize some online MarioKart game nights or something.
I received an email from BitPass on Friday letting all of their merchants know that as of January 26th they'll be ceasing operations, after which they'll be taking steps to refund all unspent money in buyer accounts and paying out all the merchant accounts. I'm really disappointed to see this, as it always struck me as having the potential to be a very successful service, and one which I myself was looking forward to using more. The only thing I currently have up through BitPass is my strategy board game Dol-Dai. You can still get the download for $1 on my Games page. After the 26th, I'll be considering new ways to market this and future games.
Hey! I finally got around to expanding the site a bit, and now the 'Store' link at the top of each page is live, just in time to be a little late for Christmas! All I've got on there right now are the Chutney Point comics (both the trade paperback collection and all 7 individual issues), and hard copies of The Night I Flew, though i'm hoping to add more over time. If there's something you'd like to see me put up for sale, please let me know! There's a good chance I'll do it. For example, I'll be adding my buttons before too much longer, and with any luck by the end of 2007 I'll have the Tarot deck available from there as well.
So, yeah! Welcome to my new home-on-the-web! Lunarbistro.com will be a general clearing-house for all the stuff i've got going on in my head. I'll be using it to post game ideas, sketches for upcoming stories, and even updating it with regular comic content. The links above don't work yet, so don't bother trying to click them. In a little bit I'll begin posting my most recent graphic novel, Chutney Point, 3 pages a week, while I work on my new graphic novel. I hope you enjoy, and check back often!
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