Summit No. 11: InDesign Boot Camp

TOPIC: InDesign Boot Camp
MODERATOR: Kevin Cannon & Nick Straight (in absentia)
DATE: Thursday, February 2, 2012
TIME: 6 – 6:30 pm (right before the Cartoonist Conspiracy Jam)
LOCATION: 1618 Central Ave NE, Ste. 216, Nordeast MPLS

InDesign is the second cartoonist-friendly Adobe program we'll be tackling this winter. Unlike Photoshop, InDesign is probably the least well known of the big three design programs, which is too bad because there are tons of features inside that can help you create great looking comics. InDesign is what I use in my day job as a book designer/producer, and from what I can tell it has replaced Quark as the industry standard tool. But for your needs -- assuming you're an independent cartoonist -- you'll find it helpful when compiling pdfs and, although it's beyond the scope of this Summit, ebooks.

As with the previous Summit on Photoshop, we're going to assume that you've never used InDesign before. A half hour is not a ton of time, so we're just going to walk through the basics of the program and show you some of the key tools you'll need to know. As a framework for the talk, we'll be compiling a four-page comic into a pdf.

Our good friend Nick Straight was scheduled to co-host this event, but unfortunately he ran into a scheduling conflict. The good news is that he has produced some great print-outs that explain some of the stuff I'll be covering, including shortcuts, etc., and you'll be able to take that with you after the event.

As always, we’ll have Nordeast-themed beverages on hand, and you can grab a bite downstairs at Diamonds. The Summit starts right at 6pm, so come a little early if you want to grab a seat on what Jordan Shiveley calls “The most comfortable couch in Nordeast.” Then, after the Summit, wander downstairs and draw your heart out at the Cartoonist Conspiracy Jam (6:30-10pm)!

We will be filming the Summit for the archives, and in theory will post those videos at a later date. And if you have an idea for a future Summit, or would like to lead a particular discussion, let me know in the comments or send an email to nordeastcomics [at] gmail.com

BONUS: Follow us on THE TWITTER for updates on future Summits!

Some Shout-Outs on the Web

Autobio cartoonist and game show contestant Athena Currier gave a very nice nod to the Nordeast Comics Summit on her blog, and there are pictures! I'll steal one of them here, but you should read her whole post, as well as her awesome M/W/F webcomic, at ActionAthena.com.


Also, our good friends at City Pages did a little Nordeast name-dropping in the midst of an article about the Lutefisk Sushi Podcast.

If you like comics & Minnesota, then you should definitely be listening to the Lutefisk Sushi Podcast, the brainchild of Danno Klonowski. Danno is going around the Twin Cities producing in-depth interviews with local cartoonists. The interviews are wonderful because Danno spends lots of time delving into the background, influences, and inspiration of each of the cartoonists he interviews, and unlike most interviewers he has actually taken the time to read each artists' oeuvre beforehand, which often surprises the guests (myself included). I'm not sure whether to best compare Danno to Ira Glass or Marc Maron, but he definitely carries the weight and humor of both.


Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that the Nordeast Comics Summit is a sponsor of Danno's podcast, but that's only because of how much we love these discussions and how valuable they will be when people look back in thirty years and wonder aloud what the hell was happening in the Minnesota cartooning scene back then in the twenty-teens.

The next interview drops this Thursday. It's an interview with Ryan Dow, so you should be spending the next few days catching up with Ryan's Introspective Comics!

Videos: Photoshop Boot Camp

Part One:


Part Two:


Part Three:


Want more videos? You might also like Sarah Glidden's tutorial on watercolor, filmed live at the 2011 Mpls Indie Xpo.

Summit No. 10: Photoshop Boot Camp

TOPIC: Photoshop Boot Camp
MODERATOR: Kevin Cannon
DATE: Thursday, January 5, 2012
TIME: 6 – 6:30 pm (right before the Cartoonist Conspiracy Jam)
LOCATION: 1618 Central Ave NE, Ste. 216, Nordeast MPLS

To kick off 2012 we'll be hosting a series of Boot Camps to get you familiar with three digital tools that all cartoonists should know & love: Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator.

For these Boot Camps we're going to assume that you've never opened the programs before, so technology-phobes are encouraged to attend. Bring lots of questions because we'll have lots of answers for you.

First up is ... PHOTOSHOP, where we'll cover topics such as:

• How is Photoshop different than Illustrator?
• When should I use Photoshop?
• Photoshop is expensive -- what are some alternatives?
• What are layers?
• What's a pixel?
• What does DPI mean?
• How do I scan stuff and bring it into Photoshop?
• How do I resize a picture?
• How do I make a jpeg/gif/png?
• How do I color my comic after I've scanned it in?
• ... etc.

As always, we’ll have Nordeast-themed beverages on hand, and you can grab a bite downstairs at Diamonds. The Summit starts right at 6pm, so come a little early if you want to grab a seat on what Jordan Shiveley calls “The most comfortable couch in Nordeast.” Then, after the Summit, wander downstairs and draw your heart out at the Cartoonist Conspiracy Jam (6:30-10pm)!

As always, we will be filming the Summit for the archives, and in theory will post those videos at a [much] later date. And if you have an idea for a future Summit, or would like to lead a particular discussion, let me know in the comments!

BONUS: Follow us on THE TWITTER for updates on future Summits!

Summit No. 9: GAME SHOW TIME!

TOPIC: GAME SHOW TIME!
MODERATOR: Steven Stwalley and Kevin Cannon
DATE: Thursday, December 1, 2011
TIME: 6 – 6:30 pm (right before the Cartoonist Conspiracy Jam)
LOCATION: 1618 Central Ave NE, Ste. 216, Nordeast MPLS

It's our last Summit of the year, and to celebrate we thought we'd shake things up a little around the ol' Attic. So on Thursday, December 1, please join us for what I can only imagine is the world's only comics-themed game show. The questions will range from arbitrary who-would-win scenarios to fun facts about famous MN cartoonists, and we even let you weigh in on some cartoonist-themed dating advice. The point of this is to have fun, but if you learn a little something on the side, that ain't so bad.

Six contestants will be picked randomly at the beginning of the show. If you'd like to be one of them, send your name to nordeastcomics [at] gmail.com by December 1. You can also enter your name in person on Dec. 1 if you arrive by 6pm (but please come a little early!).

Prizes. Prizes? Yep, everyone who puts their name in the hat will receive some sort of prize. Each of the six contestants will receive a gift card to Wet Paint Art, and the WINNING TEAM (did I mention the contestants will be split into teams?) will walk away with a $150 gift card to The Source.

And if you don't want to play, but just want to stand back and watch, well you're welcome to do that too.

As always, we’ll have Nordeast-themed beverages on hand, and you can grab a bite downstairs at Diamonds. The Summit starts right at 6pm, so come a little early if you want to grab a seat on what Jordan Shiveley calls “The most comfortable couch in Nordeast.” Then, after the Summit, wander downstairs and draw your heart out at the Cartoonist Conspiracy Jam (6:30-10pm)!

As always, we will be filming the Summit for the archives, and in theory will post those videos at a [much] later date. And if you have an idea for a future Summit, or would like to lead a particular discussion, let me know in the comments!

BONUS: Follow us on THE TWITTER for updates on future Summits!

MIX Recap and Sarah Glidden videos

Thanks to everyone who came out to MIX two weeks ago, and ESPECIALLY thanks to everyone who packed into the workshop room during the two Nordeast Comics Summit events. One of the MIX volunteers told me that the two Summits had two of the largest audiences of all the workshops, and I'm not surprised given our two extremely talented hosts.

On Saturday Gordon McAlpin walked us through his process of creating characters in Illustrator for his online strip MULTIPLEX. Unfortunately the video I recorded turned out poorly and had to be scrapped. But good news -- Gordon has agreed to teach a similar Summit this spring! So if you missed his MIX talk, stay tuned because you'll have another chance.

On Sunday Sarah Glidden talked in detail about how she creates watercolor comics, as seen in her latest graphic novel HOW TO UNDERSTAND ISRAEL IN 60 DAYS OR LESS. Again, there were some technical snafus during the first part of her discussion, but that was cleared up once I moved the camera closer to her canvas. Check them out here:

Part One:


Part Two:


Part Three:


Thanks to everyone who came and asked great questions during the two workshops!

Quick note that the next Summit is on Thursday, December 1, at 6pm in Big Time Attic. Zander and I have been busy clearing space in the studio so there's a lot more room to stand and mill around. Stay tuned for more details on upcoming Summits, or follow us on twitter: @nordeastcomics.

Summit No. 8: Creativity -- Why Do It?

TOPIC: Creativity -- Why Do It?
MODERATOR: Maxeem Konrardy
DATE: Thursday, November 3, 2011
TIME: 6 – 6:30 pm (right before the Cartoonist Conspiracy Jam)
LOCATION: 1618 Central Ave NE, Ste. 216, Nordeast MPLS

A few weeks ago there was an uproar over whether, in a new series of paintings, Bob Dylan had copied several famous photographs. While pundits roared, I couldn't help thinking that non-creative types clearly have no idea what the difference is between flat-out copying, and that more subtle art of lifting that we, especially as cartoonists, do every day. Cartoonist Maxeem Konrardy is going to come in and take that idea a few steps further, exploring, as he puts it:

"What is plagiarism and what is just borrowing? Why do we judge creative efforts as 'original' or 'unoriginal' and how can we be sure we're right? Why does copyright exist and does it serve creativity or hinder it? As creative people, we borrow from one another all the time - but sometimes it seems to go 'too far'.

Maxeem will discuss his theory that the measure of creativity in comics can be translated as 'personal effort in properly communicated context' and will try to answer:

"If everything's already been done, what is creativity?"

Come with questions, come with ideas, or just come to listen. As always, we’ll have Nordeast-themed beverages on hand, and you can grab a bite downstairs at Diamonds. The Summit starts right at 6pm, so come a little early if you want to grab a seat on what Jordan Shiveley calls “The most comfortable couch in Nordeast.” Then, after the Summit, wander downstairs and draw your heart out at the Cartoonist Conspiracy Jam (6:30-10pm)!

As always, we will be filming the Summit for the archives, and in theory will post those videos at a [much] later date. And if you have an idea for a future Summit, or would like to lead a particular discussion, let me know in the comments!

BONUS: Follow us on THE TWITTER for updates on future Summits!