C&C Week

It's been a great week!

And many thanks to our lovely contributors who helped us a lot in making such wonderful articles for everyone Here's the recap of the articles from last week.

Articles, Features and Tips:

ESTABLISHING THE INITIAL STEPS FOR A WEBCOMICESTABLISHING THE INITIAL STEPS FOR A WEBCOMIC

Hi I’m Andrea Dotta: a Pro comic artist and animator and one year ago I had the insane idea of making a powerful webcomic to show my works to more people as possible. Now I’m in a positive development towards my goal. If you want to do a webcomic, always do your best as their are millions of webcomics on the internet. 


In this article,  I  would like to share the things that I’ve learned this year so I hope you will get something from me.



 
WRITING
IDEA: There are no bad ideas, there are only ideas that are not developed.  To develop your idea, you need to be authentic - think of your real life experiences to give credibility to your story. If you need a sad story, think of a sad story in your life. If you want a happy story, think and say what i Imagination, Inspiration, and CurationAs deviants, we are serious about our craft, hobbyist or professional.  We study hard to become better at what we do. There are many great tutorials here and elsewhere on these kinds of craft based skills and techniques.  However, sometimes all that serious study and hard work gets in the way of our imagination.  Therefore, it is important to remember to establish a wonder filled mindset, actively seek out inspiration, and curate a library of inspiring content to reference in the future. This article explores some ways to do these three things, and I encourage you to comment and share even more tips on this for other deviants!
Inviting the Mind of a Child
“The point is to develop the childlike inclination for play.”-Albert Einstein
The biggest part of imagination is playing the part of Peter Pan.  You might be 99 or you might be 12, but it is often important to imagination to be in the head space of a 5-7 year old. I On Comics by David NamenadNote: This article was made by the awesome ~namenad so be sure to check his gallery for more comic goodness.

Part I
My name is David and I've been making the comic strip "The DaneMen" for the last 7 years.
It is a strange comic strip.
No story. No dialogue. No characters. 
Stranger still, every single person in "The DaneMen" looks exactly the same.
Visit this gallery for examples.
This article is meant to briefly give you some advice about comics, and for me to feel self-important.
We are already off to a great start.
First, some quick advice:
1. Read Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud.
2. Carry a small notebook with you everywhere.
3. Give yourself a deadline and keep to it.
4. Share your artwork with the world (probably via the Internet.)
5. Haters gonna hate.
That last one is more of a 

A Pocket Artist's Guide on How To Draw        A common struggle an artist stumbles upon on his way to a triumphant drawing style is when he is just beginning to draw. That is something I, a 14-year old writer learned after a year of practicing illustration, a field that is quite new for someone who uses a pen to write prose, poems, and stories, and not to draw.
      Probably like some of you here, I started drawing after seeing characters on the television and tried to imitate them. At first, I found any drawing I made so wonderful, brilliant, great, etcetera, etcetera… [Oh well..] until a passerby badmouthed my works. At first it was hard to believe that my highly treasured works were actually that bad.
       But when I looked again on my drawings, I realized that there is a lot more I can do to make things better than they were. Yet my interpretation of getting better was quite different. I bought lots of books on anatomy, perspectiv The Greatest Comic ArtistsComic world is filled with great amount of talented people. John Romita Jr., Frank Miller, Alex Ross, Mike Mignola, Frank Frazetta,  Bill Sienkiewicz are only few of hundreds of comic artists. In this article we're going to focus on few famous names who decided to join DeviantArt and share their wonderful work with us.
:iconadamhughes: *AdamHughes
website: http://www.justsayah.com
Adam's journey with comics began in 1985. He's best known for his Wonder Woman and Catwoman covers, however he also worked on Justice League, Ghost, Tomb Raider, Star Wars Legacy, Batgirl and many other projects. He works with both- traditional and digital mediums and his renderings of super heroines are well known for all comic fans.
  
:iconalexgarner: *AlexGarner
website: http://www.alexgarner.com/
Alex currently is a freelance artist but the list

Special Interviews:

Crafting your Story: From Ideas to ExecutionCrafting your Story: From Ideas to Execution – An Interview with Felipe Cagno
=FelipeCagno is a screenwriter and filmmaker from Brazil, who is also crafting his own comic project, The Lost Kids, with his amazing team. It’s really a pleasure and such an honor to have him for this interview and to share all his experiences with regards to his success in crafting his own stories and executing them into a feasible comic book project. With this interview, I am hoping that you will be able to get some ideas on how to turn your ideas into a reality while keeping things the most important things in mind.

Hello Felipe! First of all, thank you so much for giving us some of your time here on deviantART for this special interview for Project Educate
=FelipeCagno: It’s absolutely my pleasure, thank you for thinking of me, I’m flattered.
Regarding the Lost Kids comic book mini series, Tips and Tricks on Successful Character CreationTips and Tricks on Successful Character Creation – An Interview with Wanchana “Victorior” Intrasombat
 
Wanchana “*Victorior” Intrasombat is a very talented illustrator, focusing on cute, whimsical and very imaginative artworks from Thailand. He is also a very talented concept artist and he is also well known for his wonderful character designs. Currently, he is working as a 2D freelance concept artist, character designer and illustrator and has been an art director/visual developer for a Coca-Cola commercial in Thailand.
Again, I am much honored to have this great experience of having this amazing guy for Cartoons and Comics Project Educate Week. The interview will be all about his ideas on character design and creation, tips and tricks and on how to have successful illustrations by bringing your own characters to life.
Website |   Modern Day Cartoons: Insights with Arthur FongModern Day Cartoons: Insights with Arthur Fong


DeviantART community, I am very honored and very pleased to announce that for today, we will be having Arthur Fong, a visual development artist at DreamWorks Animation Studios. He is part of the team who made us giggle with The Croods and made us feel with so much awe in The Rise of the Guardians especially to all the Jack Frost Fans out there. The interview will be all about some insights on the modern day cartoons and to see how the persons behind the cartoon shows that we love work and how they put so much effort in making us smiles each time we watch such great movies and shows.
Website | Facebook
 © All images and artwork are copyrighted Arthur Fong
Images were grabbed from Arthur's website (with permission)
From Opportunities to a Steady Wonderful Career 
Samantha “Sam” Kallis is a Visual Development Artist at Sony Pictures Animation (Specifically for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2). She is also a part of the 2012 Nick Artist Program for exciting show projects such as “Spongebob Squarepants” and “Monsters VS. Aliens”. By being such a young professional, she encountered many opportunities in the past that helped her in building such strong foundations in achieving so many great things today, not only in her career, but also with finding something that she loves to do in order to be truly happy. With such an amazing and inspirational woman as Sam Kallis, I am very honored to present her for this interview as she talks about how to have the courage, the determination and the passion in fulfilling your dreams in life.
Website | Facebook |

First Place: =Armonah  

"Her breath was so bad I was looking forward to her farts."

_{=Armonah will receive a one year Premium Membership + 500 points}

CV Picks  

^JCROXAS' pick: "Mini horse to man: Hey buddy! PSSST! Whatever you do, don't pass out or you'll end up like me."  

by *Shango-ThunderStones

^KasumiCR's pick: "Is your breath always as bad as your fashion sense, or are you just trying to impress me?" 

by ~dparparita

_{the two winners will each receive 3-months Premium Membership}

On behalf of the Cartoons and Comics PE Week team, thank you so much once again for helping us make this week successful! See you again soon!

C&C Week

• Hello Sam! It’s such a great honor to have you here for this interview. Much thanks for responding to our invitation as you share you wonderful experiences in life through this interview. 
  

 Sam Kallis: Hi! Thank you for asking me to take part in Project Educate – I will try to make my answers as educational as possible!

• By being successful, I’m sure that people have a whirlpool of experiences as they try to reach their dreams in life. Some may be sad experiences but there are funny experiences too! What were some of the sad and depressing and the most fun experience that you encountered in your life when you were just starting in making your dreams come true and how did you deal with them?
  

 Sam Kallis: This is a difficult question for me because, as I look back, even my more depressing experiences seem colored by later successes. For example, even the disappointment of not being hired to work at a major studio upon graduating from Art Center seems less terrible now, because that experience taught me to persevere and trust myself. These are lessons I might not have internalized had I been met with immediate success. But, I suppose the two year period after I graduated of freelance work and rejection letters was fairly depressing – certainly I found freelance life very lonely. One of the ways I dealt with that was, I made myself a promise to keep a well-updated online sketch blog. Not only did the sketch blog hone my skills, keep me focused on drawing, and introduce me to new friends, but it also eventually led to the bulk of my freelance work. As far as the “most fun experiences I encountered” – well, drawing everyday for the sketch blog usually ended up in a fun experience!

    

• When an opportunity arises, some people might actually think about, “Oh maybe I should pass this time. I think I’m not good enough for this one.” or “There are better artists than me for this spot”. Are there any words of encouragement that you can give to some people who think that way? [or to “us” because I think that way most of the times too ]
  

 Sam Kallis: Every artist experiences self-doubt. It’s an inescapable part of being a working artist – but another inescapable part of making a living as an artist is developing a certain amount of business sense. Here I would like to quote the old saying especially popular in Hollywood: fake it ‘till you make it. By this I mean, have confidence in yourself, because if you don’t, no one else will. I never turned down a job because I didn’t feel like I was good enough. I have always trusted that I will be able to figure it out. Everyday in my job, I am asked to paint things I’ve never painted before or have no idea how to even begin to paint. That’s the wonderful and terrifying thing about being an artist – every project is a new puzzle to work out, and no two jobs are the same. There is no instructions manual for being an artist – every job requires new adaptations. It’s a little scary, but it’s never boring.

Don’t worry if there are “better artists for the job” – whoever hired you chose you – they had faith in you, so you should too. Just do as best a job as you can – work hard – you never truly know what you can do until you push yourself. The worst thing would not be getting fired, but rather, to miss out on a wonderful experience because you were too afraid to even try.

 

• Can you tell us more about your experiences with the Nick Artist Program? Were you scared or nervous when you applied? What pushed you to continue your application and how did everything turn out after the fellowship?
  

 Sam Kallis: The Nick Artist Program was one of the best experiences I had as an artist after college. It really is a unique opportunity – I got to work on “SpongeBob SquarePants,” which was amazing because it’s one of the last shows still on TV that paints their backgrounds by hand with actual acrylic paint; and I also worked on their new show “Monsters vs. Aliens,” based on the Dreamworks movie of the same name. I was mentored by some of the most talented artists in the business; and the Nickelodeon campus is truly one of the best places to work… And did I mention it was a paid fellowship? So, yes, it was quite magical!

I was definitely nervous when I applied, but I also had been working really hard in the two years since college on a number of really exciting projects, so I definitely also felt very ready for the job. I knew that my portfolio had never looked better, and I also knew that I was ready for the rigorous television schedule. I was very nervous, but I also felt confident.

After the fellowship, I left Nickelodeon to work on the feature film “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” for Sony Pictures Animation as a visual development artist, and I absolutely love going to work everyday!   

• Your ADVENTURE! Timelapse Art for Art Attack! Soul Pancake is very inspirational. Not only that we were able to know how you work, but you even mentioned about the importance of Adventure in the life of an artist. Again, why do you think that being adventurous is important? And what is the most exciting adventure that you encountered as an artist?
  

 Sam Kallis: Well, I’ve always believed, and I said in the video, that the life you lead informs the art you make. If you don’t have any experiences to draw from in your mental library of memories… then it is my opinion that your art will, in turn, be a little life-less. Now, when I say adventure, I don’t mean you need to go sail across an ocean or anything – a road trip would suffice! Or even an adventure in your everyday life – make a new friend, try a new restaurant, sign up for a class! As for me, as cheesy as it sounds, the greatest adventure I’ve had so far has been falling in love – but that’s a whole other story!

• What are some of the most memorable opportunities that you grabbed before that helped you a lot in getting such significant experiences that you need to have a steady and wonderful artistic career?
  

Sam Kallis: I’m not sure if it’s an opportunity, but definitely going to conventions like CTN or ComicCon have been memorable… They helped me form lasting friendships that eventually lead to jobs. I think the best thing you can do for yourself as an artist is to get out of your studio, go outside, and make some friends! So many artists today don’t realize that the biggest factor in getting work, other than your skill, is networking (sometimes it’s an even bigger factor than skill, unfortunately).

 

• What are some of the philosophies in life that you keep in heart and mind that you think can also play a significant role in the lives of the artists who are reading this interview now?
  

 Sam Kallis: Whenever I was feeling “down” or in a rut, my mom would always say I needed to find a way to “shake up the universe.” This could be a big change or a small change, or maybe just a shift in perspective, but it had to be something to shake the dust off your life. This philosophy definitely served me well as an artist. When I was feeling depressed about not having my dream job in a big studio, my mom suggested I move out to where the studios were anyway – even without the job. This change of pace (or rather, place) was exactly the motivation I needed. Somehow being in the shadow of Disney’s giant hat building and Nick’s slime gate inspired me to keep chasing my dreams.

• What are the things that you usually do to keep your creative juices flowing? 

 Sam Kallis: I’m going to sound like a broken record, but usually the thing that best shakes me out of a creative slump is to go outside and find a new thing to experience. When my fiancé and I first started dating, we made this (really) long list of things to do in Los Angeles. Even though both of us grew up here, there was still so much the city had to offer that we hadn’t seen or done. We try and do at least one thing from the list on the weekends. It’s been over two years and we still haven’t crossed everything off the list! The one other thing I will say, is that I have found that looking at other animation or cartoons does NOT work in getting me out of a rut. I end up just reproducing what other people have drawn. I think this is why my favorite artists are usually people who make art that looks nothing like mine.

• How does it feel to work in a very big animation studio and to help produce such great animated movies/shorts/shows that help many people to be always young at heart?
  

 Sam Kallis: In short – I feel blessed. I truly have no complaints; everyday I am paid do what I love, and everyday I am surrounded by talented, kind and brilliant people.

  

• Are there any things that you wish to tell before we end this interview?
  

 Sam Kallis: I’d like to share a quote by artist Gary Panter – the quote is regarding art and style, but I think it also says something about growing up in general… “Don’t worry about a style. It will creep up on you and eventually you will have to undo it in order to go further. Be like a river and accept everything.”

C&C Week

Modern Day Cartoons: Insights with Arthur Fong

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DeviantART community, I am very honored and very pleased to announce that for today, we will be having Arthur Fong, a visual development artist at DreamWorks Animation Studios. He is part of the team who made us giggle with The Croods and made us feel with so much awe in The Rise of the Guardians especially to all the Jack Frost Fans out there. The interview will be all about some insights on the modern day cartoons and to see how the persons behind the cartoon shows that we love work and how they put so much effort in making us smiles each time we watch such great movies and shows.

Website | Facebook

 © All images and artwork are copyrighted Arthur Fong

Images were grabbed from Arthur's website (with permission)

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• Good day Arthur! First of all, thank you so much for giving us this wonderful opportunity of having you for this interview. I’m very sure that the deviantART community is very excited to read your insights, experiences and sharings to us  
  

Arthur Fong: Thank you for having me! 

•   As a person, do you also love watching cartoon shows/movies? What’s your most favorite cartoon show ever since and why?
  

Arthur Fong: My Mom loves to tell me the story of how I got lost at the mall at the age of 2.  She panicked, called security, ran everywhere, just to finally find me sitting in front of a television set, watching who knows what type of horrible infomercial they had at the mall.  But yes, I love cartoons and always have even as I got older.  One cartoon I obsessed over as a kid was Pokémon (gotta catch'em all!).

 

 

• People tend to compare modern day cartoons to the cartoon shows that they used to watch in their younger years and the former tends to be viewed in a negative light. What do you think is pushing them to have such ideas towards some cartoon shows that we have now? 

Arthur Fong: My opinion is based off of absolutely nothing, but I feel technology has played a huge role in changing the animation industry.  When cartoons still had to be drawn on paper and painted on cels, it was still considered a form of art that audiences can appreciate.  With the age of computer animation, there is no longer a need for someone who is passionate and skillful enough to craft such a cartoon, only someone who understands the software.  The art form is not completely lost today, but we do see far less of it.

•  For many people, cartoon shows can give them lots of inspirations and can even influence them as they continue life. In your own opinion, what do you think is the best influence that a cartoon show can offer to its viewers?
  

Arthur Fong: Most cartoon shows are already doing a great job of influencing children and/or adults in a positive way.  "Adventure Time" is a great example of something so whacky even adults can enjoy (some adults), but still teaches the basic lessons of: lying is bad, sharing is good, conquer your fears, etc.  

 

• From your personal experiences, what is the greatest impact that a cartoon show gave so much in your life that you are still cherishing now?
  

Arthur Fong:   That Belle can love a Beast.  And I continue to wait for my Belle.  

•  What is the life behind one of the biggest producers of animated movies that we have in our time? What were your feelings when you first stepped in Dream Works, not as someone who will be watching their animated movies, but as someone who will be working with them for the billions of cartoon lovers all over the world?
  

Arthur Fong: Oh you know, coffee breaks and Street Fighter.  Actually I'm completely terrified.  And still as terrified as I was when I first step foot onto the studio.  It is impossible to even begin to explain the type of talent within the walls of DreamWorks Animation.  But I do not let that affect my work.  Instead, I am inspire to grow as an artist and reminded I still have so much to learn.  

 

•  How do you see and envision the animated movies and shows 10 years from now?
  

Arthur Fong: I do think we will be seeing less and less 2D animated movies and shows in the future (at least produced in the United States or at a large studio).  Right now, there are only a few studios dominating the animation industry, but because of the pace technology is growing, I wouldn't be surprised to see a rise in smaller studios that can produce the same quality of work in the years to come.  

•  I’m pretty sure that most of the people who work in the cartoon industry were influenced with their love for cartoons which helped them choose a career in line with that. And somewhere out there, there are some people who also share the same love and passion and who have big dreams in stepping into the cartoon/animation industry one day (some of them might be reading this too!). Any thoughts and words of inspiration that you can give to them? 

Arthur Fong: Don't force it.  The more badly you want it, the more likely you will miss greater opportunities that may be knocking on your door.  I told myself at the age of 12 that I will become an animator at Disney.  In the next 8 years, I did absolutely nothing related to animation.  And all it took was a few signs to point me back in the right direction.  But along the entire way, any job I took up, whether it's folding clothes at a retail store, wiping tables clean at a restaurant, sanding fiberglass at an autobody shop, I always gave 110%.  So when the dream opportunity came for me to prove myself, I've already developed a dynamite work ethic.  

•  Any tips and tricks that you can share to everyone that you usually do in order to keep your creative juices flowing?
  

Arthur Fong: You won't become a great artist by spending 12 hours in front of a computer or in a room playing video games all day.  Go out and socialize, travel, see the world, breathe nature, listen to people, volunteer, try new food, seek new adventures, be a friend, be a foe, pretty much anything but art.  The more you experience life, the more your stories and ideas will translate fluidly into your work.  

•  Any last words that you wanted to share? 
  

Arthur Fong:  I wish I started a deviantART account long ago.  It’s too late I guess.  I post most of my work and updates on both my Facebook and Blogger.  Stop by and say hello!  Thanks for reading my nonsense!

 

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Special Sneak Peek:

Here's a sneak peek of "Ze Idiot": a graphic novel that Arthur Fong and Christophe Lautrette are developing. So be sure to check their blogs from time to time so you will be updated with the release of this 'i-know-it's-gonna-be-awesome' graphic novel from these two amazing artists!

 

  y

C&C Week

Tips and Tricks on Successful Character Creation – An Interview with Wanchana “Victorior” Intrasombat

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• Hello Vic! Thank you for responding to our invitation for this interview. I’m very sure that many are excited to read your sharing, tips and tricks on successful character designs.
  

*Victorior: Thanks so much Jude for this interview and I really appreciate this opportunity for me to share my experiences in illustration and character designs. I hope that this interview will be useful to anyone who is interested in designing their own characters and illustrations in general or just getting started in this field.

  

 

• I know that you’re getting this comment from many people already but your works are really brilliant and wonderful! Where do you usually get your inspirations and ideas when making your illustrations?

*Victorior:  I normally have the inspiration from everything around me: situations, people, animals, stories that I meet and encounter and some of my inspirations are from the awesome paintings/animations/movies that I get to see from other artists or in other studios. What I mean is, the inspirations of my illustrations can come from everything and I always have them combined with my personal attitude, my imagination and my dreams in life.

• What do you think are the best things to consider when designing a character? Can you share some of the things that you usually do when developing a character and bringing it to life afterwards?

*Victorior:  There are so many things to focus when I design a character and it actually depends on what the character is for. For example, if the character is for a mobile-phone screen, there's no point of designing it to have lots of details as it has to be clear and the shape and color must be proportional to the scale of the mobile-phone resolution. For me, the most important thing to do when designing a character is to give the character its own personality. I always think that the character must be able to present its personality even if you can only see its head. The character will become more attractive and be able to explain his life through its own personality.  

*Victorior: For the process of my design, it normally comes with the topic and then research because it will hep you to have a clear direction, especially with the details that you can’t imagine and guide you further in developing the character. Then, I start with the sketch and the continuous exploration with shape and line as this process will lead me to the art and visual styles that I can think of. But, defining the character's personality isn't enough because lots of character designs are already presented out there. Your characters need to be unique and an interesting visual sense is also important. Provide your character with the best expression to make it stronger. Then take time until you finish the final rendering and your job is already done.

•  Did you ever have some moments in your life when you’re not happy with your character designs that made you depressed and sad? If yes, how did you deal with it or what should one person do when experiencing those kind of moments in their artistic lives?

*Victorior:  I have to say that the characters that I make never made me sad, but I often get disappointed with what I have done with the design as it could possibly be different from what I expected and imagined. But when that moment comes into my life, it doesn't and shouldn't destroy my spirit because I believe that it will bring me more power to make it better in the future. I think you can see this situation in the positive way. No one can succeed with just one image or just a design alone. When you were kids, I believe that your drawing was not so perfect and sometime made you disappointed but you are still drawing up until now..what I mean is, keep doing with what you love even if sometimes, it makes you feel sad or disappointed as this is part of the creative process.

• Expressions and emotions are very relevant and significant when designing a character as they give more life and value to them. Can you give us some tips on how to handle expressions and emotions in drawing?

*Victorior: I can say that life drawing, life sketching or just do a series of quick live drawing everywhere with your little sketch book. This simple practice helps me a lot to capture peoples' expressions and emotions. And another thing would be, you can be inspired by capturing the very essence of expressions from the movies with the sense that, you would want to learn from them. It only means that by looking at references, it will definitely help you a lot.

  

 

• What are the careers/job opportunities that are available to character designers and concept artists? 

*Victorior: There are lots of  job opportunities for character designers and concept artist,  such as in the field of animation, game development, illustration, movies, commercials, apps for Iphone/Ipad. It looks like all careers  in the multimedia and entertainment industry  require concept artists and maybe character designers too.

• What are the things that you do to keep yourself creative as always? And what are some of the good ways to practice character designing?

*Victorior: I love to see character designs, illustrations or paintings a lot and I usually spend around an hour just checking and seeing different kinds of arts. It always gives me the inspiration to do my personal paintings. I love to create something new and the good way to practice character designing is by watching  animated movies or cartoons, etc - or as long as it talks about everything about characters in general. It will give you the inspiration and the style. Study the shapes, colors and expressions of the characters and after that, you have to start your own. I suggest you can be inspired with some aspects from the characters that you love and learn from that and after that, do your best by doing your own characters and practice  again and again (more practice).

  

 

•  What movie/cartoon shows/etc that you think has a good set of wonderful and effective character designs and why do you think so?

*Victorior:  I love the characters from different animated films such as the characters from Pixar, Dreamworks, Blue sky..and more. They are so attractive with the expressions, lines, shapes and personalities. I love the character from the movie "Up" the most as I love the sets of shape that defines the personalities of the main character which even makes it an even stronger and effective character design.

•  Any last words that you want to say before we wrap things up?

*Victorior:  I want to say thank you for this opportunity that you gave for the interview and share some of my experience about character design and concept art industry. Keep drawing everyone!!

 

C&C Week

Part I

My name is David and I've been making the comic strip "The DaneMen" for the last 7 years.

It is a strange comic strip.

This article is meant to briefly give you some advice about comics, and for me to feel self-important.

We are already off to a great start.

First, some quick advice:

1. Read Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud.

2. Carry a small notebook with you everywhere.

3. Give yourself a deadline and keep to it.

4. Share your artwork with the world (probably via the Internet.)

5. Haters gonna hate.

That last one is more of a warning than advice.

Second, I cannot tell you how to make a popular comic strip, because I don't know.

I'll leave that to The Oatmeal.

Remember, there's a word for people with a "formula for their success.

That word is "pornographer."

Haters gonna hate.

Third, when it comes to inspiration, there is so much I'd like to say, but I'll try to constrain myself.

Be open and vigilant.

"Vigilant" means looking everywhere all the time.

"Open" means lower the bar. Come up with more ideas than you need.

Good ideas are everywhere, but they rarely come fully formed.

I've had fragments of ideas ripening in my notebook for over a year before I understood how to use them.

Recently, I heard a podcast about inspiration that does the job nicely. 

Check it out.

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Part 2

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"Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better, but the frog dies from it." --E.B. White

What follows are some of my ideas on how comics work.

Early on, I developed a 1-2-3 approach to comics. 

Most of my early strips were 3 panels. 

As I saw it, a good comic consisted of three stages:

1. Premise - the character and their situation

2. Complication - what action does the character take

3. Conclusion - the ironic result of the character's action

Let's look at an old comic of mine "Lunch Money".

1. Premise: A beggar is hungry.

Is this comic funny? Did you understand it?

The riddle is simple.

In the first panel, we understand that the man is catching a mouse.

In the second panel, he gets a bite.

In the third panel, he glances disapprovingly at a computer mouse.

My theory is that it is actually pleasurable to unravel this riddle.

Part 3

C&C Week

Crafting your Story: From Ideas to Execution – An Interview with Felipe Cagno

• Hello Felipe! First of all, thank you so much for giving us some of your time here on deviantART for this special interview for Project Educate
  

=FelipeCagno: It’s absolutely my pleasure, thank you for thinking of me, I’m flattered.

• Regarding the Lost Kids comic book mini series, how did it all begin? Was it something that you were planning on making ever since? Or was the idea sprung randomly from your imagination that led you to creating that one? 
  

=FelipeCagno: Well, no, it wasn’t something I always planned to do, the idea actually came out of nowhere one night when I was driving but at the time I thought it would make for a terrific movie.
 
So I started developing a feature film screenplay and worked on it for about two years until I was comfortable enough to show it to two Creative Executives I was working for at the time. They read it and coincidentally had the same thing to say, which was to encourage me to adapt the screenplay to another medium because this movie would be too expensive, no studio would produce it unless it was based on a book or comic or toy line.
 
That’s how the comic book series was born, I just took my movie screenplay and adapted into this new format.

   

 

• The way I see your team, and the way I see your progress for the Comic Book project, I can definitely say that it is really successful and with so many more plans in the future, not even the sky is the limit for your imagination, passion and determination as a team! Can you tell us more about your humble beginnings and how you dealt with everything from scratch that made your comic book project a success? 

=FelipeCagno: Wow, first let me thank you for such kind compliments, I appreciate your words and I still don’t see it as a success because there is still so much to happen with it hopefully but I really am proud of it and the work of everyone involved.

Producing the Lost Kids was a very long journey with lots and lots of challenges along the way, some failed attempts but you just learn to pick yourself up and try again, if you are really passionate about it.

I always knew I had a good story in my hands, a story I was very keen on telling people and that’s why I kept going, I kept trying. But most importantly I had the good sense of realizing that it all starts with a good script. No matter how shiny or how awesome the artwork is, if you don’t have strong and compelling characters, then your comic is not going anywhere.

That’s where I most invested my time and energy, developing the script, having people read it and go at it with their worst critiques. Compliments don’t help you get better, criticism does. You cannot take it personally and it has to be about the work. Obviously you also have to filter everything you hear, usually if more than one person raise a concern then I will definitely think there is something that needs to change.

 

  

Creators who are adamant about not receiving feedback or arrogant to think their story is above criticism will not go very far. I had as many people as possible reading my Lost Kids drafts and I would start from scratch whenever was necessary and I read tons of books on Screenwriting, I enrolled in Screenplay Competitions, I really struggled to learn the craft.

If the Lost Kids is is any way successful is because I was open to listen to people around me and what they had to say, you never know where good ideas will come from.

• A lot of writers out there are dreaming of having their stories illustrated by artists too. And I know that your team is composed of lots of amazing artists from different parts of the world. Can you give them some words of advice that they can use when looking for artists who can help them illustrate their stories and eventually, turn it into something big like the Lost Kids? 

=FelipeCagno: First and foremost respect the artists you want to bring in on your project, which means listen to their ideas, bring them into the process, collaborate with them and do not expect them to work for free, that’s key. They are not your “free employees”, they are creative people that can bring a LOT to the table.

 I see a lot of writers out there looking to partner up with artists promising them profit share or splitting everything 50-50, whatever, that’s not the way to go unless you and a good friend kickstarted the project together from the get go.

 If you want to bring an artist into a project YOU created, pay them. 

They will work twice as hard as you but unfortunately without the same passion because the project will always be your project and you should be mindful of that, they are taking a risk on you and nobody can be more passionate about your own story than yourself. 

So at the very least get artists paid for their time and talent.

  

Also, and it’s natural, people will get disappointed along the way or will start losing that initial burst of excitement, it’s up to you, the writer/creator to do your best to keep morale up. So always be courteous, respectful and collaborative with your artists and they will respond to you but if along the way an artist makes a mistake or just doesn’t feel like working on your project anymore, do not get offended, just try putting yourself in their shoes. What does it feel like working on someone else’s project?

What I learned from the Lost Kids is that it’s best to put together a talented team and spread the work than it is to pile it all up on the shoulders of one or two artists, as talented as they might be.

 That way people won’t get bored of working too long on the same project, the excitement won’t fade and they will produce really high quality art. Most artists like to mix it up, they are too creative and that should be a positive quality and not a negative one, think about it when setting up your stories with them.

• With so much happiness that the project is giving the whole team, I’m sure that you encountered problems in the past that made you even stronger as a team. What were the big problems that you encountered before and how did you deal with it as a leader of the team? 
  

=FelipeCagno: Like I mentioned before, the big problem I had to work around was keeping people excited about working on the Lost Kids.

Because it is such a massive endeavor, over 200 pages, people were getting overwhelmed or just having their passion fade along the way because no matter how much they worked, there was still so much left to do.

And that can be very daunting. I never realized that these artists didn’t have much of a connection with the characters or the story nor they were doing it for money, being an independent comic book, the pay was relatively below industry standards.

  

So for an artist to work on the Lost Kids meant they were either giving up their free time or they were giving away better paying jobs for it. What kept them going was the excitement and like with anything you do for too long, it starts to fade away.

The only way I found to solve this was spread the work and see if they could get it done before their passion faded. I mean, even I felt my passion slowly slip away with time as the work never seemed to end, luckily I stuck with it, I was really stubborn and kept on going, despite all the challenges. The difference is that the Lost Kids was MY baby and I wasn’t ready let all that time, money and energy invested amount to nothing.

Another personal problem was working with a limited budget, I wish I could pay people better so they could focus only on the Lost Kids and see it as a real job instead of something they were doing on the side. I think that when artists can completely live off their art, they are far happier people and happy people means better work.

One more reason to get artists paid… they will feel accomplished and in turn your comic book will be their true accomplishment, not just some hobby.

           

• Aside from the Lost Kids project, do you also find some extra time in writing stories for other things? Like if you just feel like writing, do you take time until you get a new and exciting story that you can share to everyone? Where do you usually get your ideas when you write?

=FelipeCagno: Yeah, definitely, I write all the time but as of late no comic books. I do have a next comic book project but it will take a little while. I have written three screenplays these past couple of years and I shot one of them, it is my first feature film called “Bala Sem Nome” or “A Bullet With No Name”.  

I’m currently in the process of writing a Romantic Comedy and I have a really cool, fun and adventurous outline just waiting to see the light of the day as well, it is a screenplay in the veins of Indiana Jones.

Writing is a craft like any other, it’s very important for people to realize that as much as you need talent to write, that’s just a small portion, you need to study and you need tenacity. You don’t see people trying to architect buildings and houses without going to school for it or at least reading a lot about the subject. 

 What I do first is pick a genre to explore, either Comedy or Sci-Fi, Adventure, whatever it is I feel at the moment and then I put down a very rough outline of where I want to take this story and why do I want to spend months with it, I develop a Theme and what I want to say with my story.

Then comes the Characters’ Development where I write complete essays for each character, their arcs, desires, fears, physical and emotional traits, the whole works.

Only then will I spend time developing a more thorough Outline, usually between 5-10 pages (for a feature length screenplay). Then I give some trusted people to read and have them give me feedback and ideas to make it better. 

I repeat this process a few times, especially listening to people and having them contribute ideas, like I said before in this interview, you never know where good ideas will come from.

Oh and it also helps a lot to watch a LOT of movies, read as many books (and comics) as possible, browse DeviantArt and just absorb ideas from what other talented people have done. Tarantino is very adamant about this process and I couldn’t agree more with the man.
 

• Your profile tagline says, "Greatness from Small Beginnings” and I believe that every big and successful dreams do really start with the first step. Any words that you can say to those who would like to start in venturing into bigger comic book projects? What should they be expecting in the process or what do you think is the most crucial part that one should consider when starting their own comic book projects? 
  

=FelipeCagno: Oh man, they can expect a lot of setbacks, frustrations, happiness, excitement, good days and bad days, it is really a roller-coaster of emotions to tackle big projects. You just can’t give up along the way. The Lost Kids is too big, and I mean, really its size, it’s over 200 pages. 

Looking back now, I should have started with something smaller and build from there but I guess jumping right into it was a great learning process as well. There are some things I would have done differently with the Lost Kids but I’m very very happy with the end result, no matter what.

  

 

I think my one advice to people starting their comic books is start small, it will be a lot less stressful and the end result won’t be too far away because sometimes you might lose faith in your own skills and project because you cannot see the finish line.

Start working on one issue, maybe 30 pages, then another, and another, always building up. What I did on the Lost Kids was insane and it took me a lot of patience and even more focus to keep my eye on the ball and thinking of the end product, even though it was so far away.

It took me two years to produce this comic book… that’s a lot of patience, haha.

• What is the future of the Lost Kids? Are you going to have newer projects soon? 

=FelipeCagno: After two years of hard work, we are finally getting ready to launch the Lost Kids min-series, so that’s pretty exciting, I can’t wait to see how people will react to it. I just hope that we can deliver a top quality comic book that audiences can enjoy and get involved and get to know these characters and get be lost along with them in this grand adventure.

Then maybe who knows I will adapt it back to a film script and get it in movie theatres. That’s the ultimate dream… Baby steps, that’s the way to go, let’s see what can we do with this comic book first

Keep an eye out there, I’m lettering the books right now and we should be ready to release the Lost Kids next month.

And as for new projects, I’m really focusing on building my film career here in Brazil, I plan on shooting my second film later this year and a third in 2014. In the mean time I do plan of getting another comic book out there but it will be something a lot smaller than the Lost Kids, probably around 40-60 pages.

       

• Any last words that you wanted to share and tell to everyone?
  

=FelipeCagno: I really would love to thank you for the opportunity and thank everyone who are still with me reading this last paragraph, I know I talk a lot but thanks so much.

Also, biggest advice I can give anyone is to keep at it, the best way to tackle dreams is to be stubborn about them. There will be a lot of times where everything will go wrong, those are the bad days but for every bad day there will be five good ones, so just hang in there.

Oh, and stay in school! Haha, I always wanted to say that!

 

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And check out these awesome artworks made by other artists for Lost Kids!

   

 

             

             

C&C Week

 Hello dear deviantART community! Welcome to the Project Educate Week for the Cartoons and Comics gallery. The goal for this week is for us to see the world of cartoons and comics in general: from its rich history, tools and trade, the age of webcomics, crafting your own story and being able to make such wonderful and effective characters and be opened to lots of opportunities for this field.

And now, I present to you the schedule for this week's event:

April 15, 2013

Welcome to Project Educate
 Say Whaaat?! - Caption Contest Rules

 April 16, 2013

 A Pocket Artist's Guide on How To Draw by =Purouty

 April 17, 2013

 On Comics by ~namenad 
 Crafting your Story: From Ideas to Execution: An Interview with =FelipeCagno

  April 18, 2013

 Imagination, Inspiration, and Curation by ~novemberkris
 Tips and Tricks on Successful Character Creation: An Interview with *Victorior

 April 19, 2013

 Establishing The Initial Steps For a Webcomic by ~andreadotta
 Modern Day Cartoons: An Insight - Special Interview with DreamWorks Animation's Arthur Fong

 April 20, 2013

 The Greatest Comic Artists by `jussta

 Caption Contest End 

 From Opportunities to a Steady Wonderful Career - Special Interview with Sony Pictures Animation's Samantha Kallis

 April 21, 2013

 Caption contest winner announcement and Cartoons and Comics PE Week Recap

We are hoping for everyone's participation by participating in the contest and  most especially, joining us in the discussions prepared by our awesome contributors! 

May we have a happy and educational week ahead

Features by ^JCROXAS

     

  

  

   

 

   

 

  

 


^JCROXAS

The CR Team
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Features by ^JCROXAS

   

  

  

   

   

  

 

Features by ^KasumiCR

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Past features

Cartoons and Comics DD Roundup - January 2012

Cartoons and Comics DD Roundup - December 2012

Cartoons and Comics DD Roundup - November 2012 

Cartoons and Comics DD Roundup - October 2012


^JCROXAS

The CR Team
Want to Volunteer?
Current Contests
Community Projects
Previous CR Newsletters
Official CR Chatrooms

Features by ^KasumiCR


^JCROXAS

The CR Team
Want to Volunteer?
Current Contests
Community Projects
Previous CR Newsletters
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Heh, so i know im late but better late than never guys! :'D Happy happy new year! so what's your wish or dreams or fancy stuffs that you want to achieve/receive/attain this year? i have some in mind but i would really like a decent, serious and first time relationship in my whole life (okay it'll come [i hope]) im so loveless... it hurts </3 

Commissions: OPEN

So i decided to open the commissions since i took a month off from my work to do some further studies with anatomy. And since i have no work for a month, then ofcourse, i will not have any salary. So in order to save for this month and to give some money for my family, then i decided to open simple commissions that i hope you will like. Details on my profile

Jude

Thanks everyone! Enjoy 2013! let's start 2013 right!

    

 

 

Features by ^KasumiCR

Jude

This collection is not just an ordinary collection for me. Do you know the feeling whenever you see something and you'll immediately have an indescribable feeling just by looking at that thing? It happens rarely on my part and that's why, I need a collection so I can collect and check them from time to time so I will remember the great feelings whenever I see something that makes me smile These artworks gave me some of my deepest feelings towards an artwork, mostly mixed: sadness, happiness, eager joy, etc. Name it, and i have it

This is going to be my year ender feature, but before anything else, I'd like to thank you for such journeying with me through 2012! And I wish you the best of everything from now onwards I love you all! 

Edit: while making this, I intended to write something on the featured deviations, but i was thinking that, i think it's much better if the pictures will personally tell you their stories to you   Let me know your thoughts below

So these are the deviations that made me smile/cry/feel something big time the moment I started this collection. Enjoy

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Which one's your favorite? :'D And any thoughts/reflections from there? Share them below

PS: The next feature will be on December 28, 2013