SPC Lecture an Astonishing Success.

My lecture at SPC's Seminole Campus Library was extraordinary fun. Arrived at 10:30 to set-up - It was the first time since college that I gave a lecture with projector-assist and the screen dwarfed much of the conference room wall. Seeing the comics and the characters larger than life that was thrill in itself. The crowd was perhaps 20-30 attendees in size, composed of SPC students, a member or two from Pinellas Park Art Society and some curious visitors. Toting the camera along would have been a pain in addition to the laptop and equipment I needed to showcase, so for photos I relied on a member of the audience with a mobile phone camera.

Started off with a bit about me and my background. 1.) My comics originated at Streamwood High School when I attended art club and provided images for the School Newsletter. 2.) My greatest influence was Larson who produced the Far Side Comics, 3.) I was introduced to Japanese Manga in Eckerd College and fell in love with the expressive faces and simplistic design.

Got rather philosophical for a while while I discussed the two main characters of my comic series - Kayla and Nikki. Identical twins whose personalities and dreams are polar opposites, but ultimately the software that I use was the star of the show - as it should be. I gave the audience a crash course in how I use Smith Micro Manga Studio to produce a comic page - from start to finish
Start with a simple pencil sketch.

1. The sketch gets scanned into the PC
2. Then Manga Studio transforms the pencil sketch into a digital outline.
3. The outline gets filled with color and shading.
4. A photo background is added in using layering tools
5. Then dialogue is inserted with word balloons.

The audience seemed to be impressed and amused which was the goal. and I decided long before to go unscripted. I don't want to bore people by reading from a page in a monotone voice. Once the series is complete this July 6th there should be a vote on which of the provided comics is best in show. I'm hoping that I gained some more readers and that some of the new information I've gained might lead me to get published.

Thanks for reading!

 

(2 C More Art got to www.themindscapeartfoundry.com)