The Comics Experience Blog

CE Publishing Opens Call for Submissions – January 5-18, 2015!

Posted on by Nicole Boose

Comics Experience Publishing has begun a call for submissions, open to all qualifying members of our Creators Workshop! During the submission period, eligible Workshop members have the opportunity to submit pitches to be considered for inclusion in our publishing program. The submission period is open as of Monday, January 5, and will continue for two weeks, ending Sunday, January 18, 2015.

comicsexperience-logoOur latest Live Workshop on December 16, 2014 addressed the topic of submitting to our publishing program. The Live Workshop is an online discussion held for CW members in a live, online forum each month. In the December 16 session, CE founder Andy Schmidt spoke with participants about how to make the most of their Creators Workshop memberships, and about specifics and guidelines for CE’s first call for submissions.

Qualified members of the Creators Workshop are welcome to submit pitches for consideration to the publishing program during the open submissions window. Full details about eligibility are available to Workshop members on our online forum!

And while our submissions process is open only to Workshop members, we invite everyone to learn more about our publishing initiative on the Publishing section of our site. Here, you can read all about our upcoming projects – including our debut title, Creature Cops: Special Varmint Unit – and our alliance with IDW Publishing!

To learn more about our Creators Workshop, please visit our page here. The Workshop provides members with the opportunity to post their work, give and receive feedback, engage in discussions about the comics industry, participate in Live Workshop sessions, and more!

Thanks and best of luck to all those submitting pitches during our open submission window, January 5 through 18, 2015!

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If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you’ll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!

Posted by Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

Instructor Robert Atkins Featured in “America’s Army” Video Interview

Posted on by Nicole Boose

Comics Experience art instructor Robert Atkins appears in a video interview about his work on the America’s Army comic project – the official free comic of the United States Army. In the video, Robert talks about his background, his work as an artist for comics and product packaging, and his involvement teaching at Comics Experience!

atkins-bio1The video shows Robert working in his studio, and discussing his career – from his time as a student at Savannah College of Art and Design, to his professional work with Tsunami Studios and IDW, where he worked on G.I. Joe with writer Chuck Dixon and editor Andy Schmidt. Robert also talks about his teaching experience, and the benefits of sharing his knowledge with CE students.

Robert offers other insights into his work – the appreciation for military service that he gained from his father; the importance of accuracy when drawing military comics; the materials he uses for reference in his comics and packaging art, and more!

Robert’s video on America’s Army is available online here. The comic series is available FREE online from IDW, or at armycomics.com.

Our thanks to Robert for offering this glimpse into his work — and for mentioning Comics Experience! To learn about Robert’s upcoming CE courses, visit the course pages below.

Introduction to Comic Book Art – starts 2/11/2015

Introduction to Comic Book Inking & Rendering – starts 4/2/2015

Introduction to Figure Drawing & Anatomy – starts 4/8/2015

Introduction to Perspective & Environments – starts 8/5/2015

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If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you’ll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!

Posted by Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

Special Holiday Offer: Creators Workshop Gift Memberships!

Posted on by Nicole Boose

Comics Experience is offering a special 3-month gift membership to our Creators Workshop! This offer is available ONLY until January 3, 2015.

comicsexperience-logoFor a one-time payment of $75, you or your gift recipient will receive full access to our Creators Workshop for 3 months. It’s the perfect opportunity to share the Workshop with a friend, OR to try it out for yourself!

All Creators Workshop members receive access to:

  • Monthly Workshop meetings held LIVE online,
  • Art and Writing Critique threads, where members exchange valuable feedback on their work;
  • Exclusive forums dedicated to discussing hot topics in the comics industry.

See our blog posts here and here to learn firsthand about what our members have gained by being part of the Workshop: friendship, creative collaboration, career building, and more!

This offer is available ONLY until January 3, 2015!

To purchase your gift membership now, use the special PayPal button on our temporary Gift Membership page!

Thanks and Happy Holidays from Comics Experience!

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If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you’ll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!

Posted by Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

Episode #83 of the Comics Experience “Make Comics” Podcast Posted!

Posted on by Nicole Boose

CE_podcast_logoA new episode of the Comics Experience Make Comics podcast has been posted! Each episode provides ~15 minutes of advice on all aspects of creating comics and breaking in to the industry.

Join Comics Experience founder and former Marvel and IDW Editor Andy Schmidt and his co-host Joey Groah as they discuss making comics!

Subscribe to our podcast via iTunes! Or check out the latest episode below or on our Podcast page!

Episode #83, “Making Comics During the Holidays”
Andy and Joey talk about making the most of making comics during the holidays, including planning time to *not* make comics.

List of All Episodes

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If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you’ll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!

Posted by Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

New Year, New Courses: Comics Experience in 2015!

Posted on by Nicole Boose

CE is gearing up for 2015, and for our next slate of courses to help YOU make comics!

comicsexperience-logoThis New Year, CE will shine the spotlight on our Introduction-level courses, while unveiling some great new offerings for first-time and returning students!

  • ALL courses are taught by working comics professionals who have also demonstrated an outstanding aptitude and enthusiasm for teaching.
  • Each course is held LIVE online, allowing students to view the instructor’s desktop, and interact with one another in real time.
  • Courses include access to an online forum where students can share their progress and engage in discussion throughout the week.

We’ll be rolling out these and other courses in 2015. Follow the links to learn about coursework, instructor bios and more!

And be sure to check back often for upcoming posts with instructor commentary, additional course details, and other special info you won’t get anywhere else!

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Introduction to Comic Book Coloring
Mondays, February 2 – March 9, 2015 | Instructor: Chris Sotomayor

Introduction to Comic Book Art
Wednesdays, February 11 – March 18, 2015 | Instructor: Robert Atkins

Introduction to Comic Book Writing
Wednesdays, February 11 – March 18, 2015 | Instructor: Andy Schmidt

Comic Book Lettering & Production
Mondays, February 16 – March 30, 2015 | Instructor: Dave Sharpe

Professional Techniques: Writing Great Dialogue & Captions
Mondays, February 16 – March 16, 2015 | Instructor: Justin Jordan

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If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you’ll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!

Posted by Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter

THREE CE Alums Featured in Outré #4 – Now Free Online!

Posted on by Nicole Boose

Comics Experience Creators Workshop member Glenn Møane has released the fourth volume of the free online comics anthology Outré. In the latest installment, three of the four stories are authored by writers with ties to Comics Experience’s courses and Creators Workshop!

Art by Giles CrawfordOutré was founded by Glenn Møane and publishing partner Magnus Aspli in order to “deliver a thoughtful and unique product with superb quality in art and storytelling.”

Each issue of Outré is offered free of charge online, and features four short comics stories centered on a single theme. Issue 4’s theme is Silence, while previous issues have focused on Responsibility, Hopelessness, and Xenophobia. This is also the second consecutive issue to feature the work of creators from the Comics Experience community!

Outré #4: Silence presented a unique challenge to the creative teams involved: to tell an 8-page story without dialogue or captions. CE alums and Workshop members Bret Bernal, Devon Wong, and Lex Wilson are among the creators who rose to the challenge, with each of their scripts illustrated by a different art team. Check out each team’s approach at the Outré #4 page here!

Previous issues are also available for free at the site, along with more information about the anthology and its founders.

Congrats to Glenn, Bret, Devon, Lex, and all their collaborators!

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If you want to make comics, write, draw, letter, and color comics, or improve as a comics creator, you’ll find like-minded friends and colleagues in our online workshops and courses. We hope to see you there!

Posted by Nicole Boose
nicole@ComicsExperience.com
Twitter