I told folks who attended my workshop at the Chicago Zinefest that I would post my presentation on my blog for easy perusal, so here it is! Web-only viewers miss out on my witty banter and actual explanations, but…that’s cool. If you attended the workshop, feel free to comment with helpful suggestions or links to your work. Y’all were amazing, thank you so much!
–jb
That and moving and getting ready for this lil Zinefest Saturday (11-5 at St. Stephens Church in Columbia Heights). I’m also reading at the Bad Zine Everybody’s Fault Midwest-Invades-the-Capital event at the Dollhouse on Friday. Come give me a hug and say goodbye.
After that, you can catch me at FemmeCon in Baltimore, doing a workshop and showing some arts, and then at the Philly Feminist Zinefest with all the zines. I’ll have Doykeit #1 at the D.C. Zinefest and I will definitely have a new Femme a Barbe in time for the Philly Feminist Zinefest. The new Sassyfrass remains elusive. We’ll see.
JB
Lately I’ve just been carrying around a watercolor set, sketchbook and a paintbrush and busting out sketchy little comics and doodles whenever I have a moment, not really about anything. My fingers are itching for when I have time to work on bigger things!
I’m also still blogging over at Lazy Femme, and am in the process of doodling these little “Dear Abby” heart author portraits. They aren’t very consistent so far, but I do like both of them.
JB
I’m frightening myself a little with the reference pics I’m gathering for my new comic project.
jb
Things are moving too quickly as usual, but I think it’s time that I got back into the swing of this whole blogging thing. I’m moving to New Jersey at the end of the summer to start a PhD program at Rutgers, wish me luck! I drew a follow up comic about it for Shareable, which posted today. The original grad school angst comics are being published in a real live book that you can buy if you want. The fact that Cory Doctorow may have read one of my comics makes me squeal a little, nerd heroes and all that.
In the meantime I’m busy planning the D.C. Zinefest and building my freelance/ illustration portfolio. I tumble a lot, for better or worse. After a lot of bellyaching, I decided to take a hiatus from Curmudgeon while I focus on other projects, and I feel pretty good about the decision.
Also I’m seeing the Carolina Chocolate Drops tonight, which fulfills all my dreams, and so I leave you with this live performance of Milwaukee Blues, which may capture an iota of the rapture that I will experience this very eve.
jb
So my Curmudgeon co-author Foster and I are not all about Valentine’s Day, unless it’s actually Lupercalia, but we do want to show our love to everyone who shows us theirs. For the month of February, everyone who donates a dollar to Curmudgeon will get secret e-cards from Foster and I, that I will not show the Internet. Then you can like, forward them to your sweeties and they will appreciate you so much.
In the meantime you get this crappy paint guide to finding our donations page:
Help us keep the Curmudgeon lights on and contribute to Foster’s top surgery fund! Bristol board and feeding unicats gets expensive.
Thanks for your love, webcomic readers of the universe.
<3 jb
p.s. You can also still buy anything your heart desires from my Etsy store.
Featuring your two favorite lumpy zinesters! Pick up a copy on Etsy.
Interview Clothes is a cut and color paper doll zine by Jami Sailor and Jenna Bee, with 2 dolls and 10 outfits, in the tradition of American Girl magazine…and effigy dolls. Don’t cut our heads off! Jami says: “yes, my feet look like clubs. and my knees like cinnamon rolls.” JB says: “stick me in my union suit and pose me watching Roseanne reruns while guzzling black coffee.”
Since Foster and I are both applying to graduate school (in addition to being students and having “real” jobs), we are taking/requesting guest artists for Curmudgeon. If you are interested email me at two.curmudgeons@gmail.com.
You will be in the very solid company of Noel Heimpel, the artist behind the fantasy webcomic Ignition Zero, which you should absolutely check out, in addition to his amazing strip for Curmudgeon this week!
–JB
I had the opportunity to review Richard Sala’s The Hidden, and it has appropriately posted on Halloween. Go check it out!
–JB
dedicated to Julia of A l’allure garconniere
This comic is an only-slightly dramatized version of how my mother and her talented fashion-forward friends give me a makeover approximately once every two years, to varying degrees; the most recent to mark a new period of job hunting this summer. There is a lot to be said about the feminist and capitalist implications of “upkeep” (and tying professional acceptance or acceptable personhood to constant consumption) and the class privilege associated with “looking employable” which I will get into another time. In my mama’s estimation, this also means a commitment to appropriate femininity which becomes a sort of game of concessions, compromises, and dinner table nagging (Mom, I haven’t shaved in like 8 years it’s time to drop it).
the before shot bow chicka wow wow
On a practical or personal level, I am very excited to have a haircut for the first time in over a year (and feel neutral about having my entire face waxed) and have been engaging in a lack-of-space-driven project of getting rid of any clothes that are: falling apart, don’t fit, originally belonged to my dad in the eighties, started out as part of a Halloween costume, never see the light of day (or night), or were thrifted or swapped for truly inexplicable reasons (cheap! free!).
I am paring down my wardrobe into three categories: things that will last forever and can be worn in many situations, gym bro clothes, and things with sequins and/or overalls. I am also working on repairing or altering clothes and shoes that I love but are busted (rather than getting new ones or letting them languish).
Also, it is an absolute fact that people I don’t see on a regular basis often don’t recognize me when we meet, because I never look the same. For whatever reason, I apparently morph like three times a year.
after! (now i am holding a kitten)
There was a serious moment somewhere between throwing away the patched up, raggedy-ass shirt that I have worn at least once a week (usually way more) for the past three years or so, and dropping off my dry cleaning, in which I made a commitment to getting up five minutes early to put clean clothes on.
In this moment I acknowledged that I have entered a future where I do things like go to the doctor (instead of ignoring injuries), get haircuts (instead of growing my hair out awkwardly between shavings) and cook balanced meals (instead of melting cheese on things).
And this, Julia, is why I am looking fly.
<3 jb
