Donna Barr's Blog, page 12

Small But Fierce - 2015 Clallam Bay Comicon Con Report

The press release I sent out to my media list. I know other attendees are going to be putting up reports. Links welcome!

Here's one from Dara Korra'ti - a real beauty, with much better photos. 
Dara Korra'ti, Angela Highland, Charcoal Brown, Roberta Gregory, Bruce Taylor, Donna Barr. and Pierre Richard. 
CLALLAM BAY, WASHINGTON - The Fourth Annual 2015 Clallam Bay Comicon was small in size, but intense in spirit.
Held in the Lion's Club hall in Clallam Bay, Washington, July 11-12, with free admission, the convention was constantly abuzz with fans and newcomers talking directly to and buying from authors, or attending round-table panels and art classes.
Friday night - the Soul Ducks add a little
slice of Mardi Gras.All of the panels were well-attended, and most of them were interactive.
Linda Medley, whose classic and beautiful comics series "Castle Waiting" has continued for many years, graciously allowed other artists and fans to play with her selection of jewel-like ink pens and nibs.
Roberta Gregory, beloved author of "Naughty Bits," offered her "True Cat Toons" book at her table, and taught children and adults how to draw cats. Breakfast at the convention B&B -
the Winter's Summer Inn.
Donna Barr, known for "The Desert Peach" and "Stinz," did an instructional on the correct drawing of horses. This panel and Gregory's were filmed by Pierre Richard, for later sharing on the internet.
Dara Korra'ti, of the band "Crime and the Forces of Evil," bravely used the comicon to launch recently-composed songs - "I wrote this one last Thursday!" - much to the enjoyment of the whole hall.
We almost lost Dara at the parade!She also offered a panel on starting the kind of geekmusic festival she launched at the long-running sci/fi/fantasy convention Norwescon. This very busy and energetic woman added a third panel on writing music, specifically the very entertaining supervillain songs.
Angela Highland taught a fun and informative panel on how to self-publish a manuscript.
The show-goers enjoyed events at Clallam Bay/Sekiu Fundays, The Saturday night fish-n-chip blowout.including a fair, parade and Saturday's spectactular annual fireworks in Sekiu. They also enjoyed fish-n-chip feasts at the Clallam Bay Inn. Attendees even bought fresh-caught salmon at Jack Mackerel's Fish Company, to take back home after the show.
Saturday fireworks. Dara Korra'ti © 2015The Sunsets West Co-Op offered health-conscious foods for attendees with health concerns. Unique Junque sold inexpensive and warm and fashionable sweaters and jackets to attendees who had come in from much warmer places, and needed cozy clothes on this rainy summer weekend.
Comics authors and artists spearheaded self-publishing long before it was popular and respected, and were the original knowledge base when Amazon expanded its Createspace music print-on-demand system to include books.
Before the movies discovered comics, comicons were all about artists/authors and their fans and friends. They were more like friendly parties with books and toys. The Clallam Bay Comicon concentrates on independent productions of books, music and film. It has hopes that a small independent film producer may have DVDs at the show in 2016.
Steve Strout's comicom in Chimikum, and the North Olympic Library System's free mini-con on July 24 in the Port Angeles library main branch, are just two examples of small conventions that are building what is affectionately known as "geek culture" on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula.
Portfolio review by industry professionals helped new artists channel their future work and polish their work habits.
The entertainment industry is a growing center for independent entrepreneurs and jobs. Movies, comics, sports - anything that needs art and writing to add to the enjoyment - offers a way of making a living. Entertainers and their support industry not only buy from each other, they sell to each other.
Comicons are the best place to go to learn how to make a living in this future. Industry professionals are happy to help amateurs and newcomers, as well as redirect and network with experts in other fields. As just one example, construction people are not only paid to built sets, they're paid to renovate them for new projects or transport and store them - or even just to pull them down.
The 2016 Clallam Bay Comicon is already in the works. Details available soon in full at the link at www.donnabarr.com - which encourages people who would like to run the same kind of show to use this model. There is no charge for using or sharing the model.

Original show links: 2015 Clallam Bay Comicon


Full Link: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2014/07... Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...

2016 Clallam Bay Comicon Panels and Events

Panels are held at the round tables at the front of the hall, in front of the dealers' space. To add or change, contact me at donnabarr01 at gmail dot com. Panelists are not required to have a dealer's table. If you'd like a table to use as a home base for all your stuff, they're only $25 ($27 with paypal).
SATURDAY SCHEDULE, JULY 9:
9:00 am: Hall opens for set-up
10:00 am: Show begins. Those wishing to participate in the Fun Days Parade, gather on Weel Road, at the south entrance into Clallam Bay
11:00 am: Fun Days Parade
Noon to 1:00 pm: Lunch break
SUNDAY SCHEDULE, JULY 10:
10:00 am: Hall opens for set-up
Noon to 1:00 pm: Lunch break
5:00 show closes. Dealers and panel participants please put away tables and chairs and clean the Lion's club.The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...

2016 Clallam Bay Comicon

Information to be added soon. Stay tuned!

NOTE: I am the ONLY Comicon staff and Chief Peon. No one else has any access to comicon decisions or obligations.

Facebook Events Link HERE.

In the meantime - here's the link for the 2015 Clallam Bay Comicon, so we can still see what we did!

And in the full link to the 2015 show - so I don't lose it! http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2014/07...

Tables: $25 (27.00 through Paypal). Contact me here.The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...

Seattle Pride 2015 - the Flaming Torch

Bremerton Ferry, fairies, and allies.Last week, Lady Liberty was carrying a Flaming torch. 
Of course, there are a lot more pages with great photos from Seattle's 2015 Pride Parade, but here are mine, from my IPod. My selfies were the best ones, so you're stuck with me. I haven't included moments with friends, just a general report. 
I threw myself out of bed in Clallam Bay at 2:00 am on parade Sunday, and headed East at 3:30. It was still dark, and the sun was only hinting a rise as I headed into Port Angeles an hour later. The sky was red and orange and purple and blue and apple green. At Port Angeles, Mount Baker stood out dark purple against orange. At a rest stop on the east side of town, the sun suddenly topped the trees. I turned to look and saw the forests and mountains colored with sunlight bands of gold, pink and yellow. Everything was Rainbow.

Dykes on BikesI raced another three hours and a 1/2-hour walk, all the way to the Bremerton ferry. Which filled up with people in their sparkly best. It was like the WTO and anti-war marches, when Bremerton sent its population over to join in. But this time, there was much more joy, and better costumes.
The Dykes on Bikes led the way of course - the Women Came First.
Remember when there were about eight of them in the parade, and about two businesses - and both of them bars? And the whole parade took about 20 minutes by Volunteer park? 

More bikes on 4th.This time, the businesses and city organizations that showed up made it look like a really fun economics summit. Police, firefighters, sheriff's department, T-Mobile, Starbucks, you name it. Everybody was there. Even the handful of Fundy Haters were wearing glitter and holding up fancy signs; they couldn't help themselves.
I cheered and waved for an hour and a half. Then I had to take a break, wandering down to third to grab a bowl of pho at my favorite little Vietnamese-food shop. After a lot of chicken soup, hot peppers and purple basil, I stepped out onto the street to hear that the parade was still going in.
Taking photo of a photographer.Hoping to catch up with some of the entries I'd missed, I followed the parade to Denny - quite the feat, ducking around happy celebrants, their dogs, and the food booths and beer gardens. At the end of the parade route, I found an open curb and sat down and enjoyed the rest of the parade, for at least another two hours. WOW.
Intent young man behind me.



Favorite moments: the very cute black Seattle policewoman in her blues and bill cap, looking quite sexy and so happy she could burst, interacting with a crowd that just wanted to hug her. 
Sheriff's department deputy overjoyed to walk down the street in her uniform with her loved one's hand in hers. 

Funniest phrase announcing an entry (the mopeds that followed the BOD): "Vaginas on Vespas!"
As for level of shouting, music and general hoo-hah, I couldn't hear a note from the smartly turned-out Seattle Police Pipe Band. I never thought I'd actually witness a pipe band drowned out.
Most surpised: saying "Happy Pride" to three cops and finding out I was the first one to say it to them.
Our friends the Sex Workers.Funniest moment: when the cops, directing vehicles from the end of the parade separate holding area from pedestrians, directed the pony players to prance their cart after the trucks and school bus and fire engines ("It has wheels. It's a vehicle"). 
Most enlightening moment: talking to the sex workers. Mindless prohibition always leads to general hell.
Best refreshment: the Episcopal Church's bread and wine at the end of the parade (very nice grape juice and a wonderful chewy, crusty sweet bread). Yes, I drank from the general chalice. Friends can tell you I'll get myself in trouble Joining In The Experience. Nothing but happiness, this time.
I'm sick and exhausted and I have a blister between my toes, but I don't care, I was there. Happy Pride!The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...

Color Afterdead and Win Fame and Acclaim (?)

Download and color!Talking about the coloring-books-for-adults trends over on Facebook. People said we should post pages for coloring. So I'm posting this one, from Afterdead. Download and/or print and color away! 

Then send me a bitty jpeg or link so we can admire. AND CHANGE THE FILE NAME IF YOU SEND IT TO ME. So I don't replace and erase mine by accident. 
Format the name as:   "Afterdead Coloring book - Your Name.jpg 
I hearby give you permission to use or share your colored version any way you like, so long as you tell me, and add:     Donna Barr © Actual Year.
The page is about the long-dead Peach, accompanying the extremely-wounded pilot/teaching aide he's care-taking, to visit the pilot's girlfriend, who is GeStaPo - and therefore, of course, a Vampire. Don't ask why the Reich made that a qualification. It's probably on a par with the State law that makes it a crime to keep an elephant in a basement - somebody did something stupid, or something seemed more convenient.
Explanations welcome. I sometimes think my characters talk to my readers more than to me. Are you buying them beer??The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...

Coloring Afterdead

Now coloring the formerly black-and-white pages of Afterdead, on ComicFury. 
One of the gamer-favored moments of the old days when I was first starting out, illustrating Traveler, was a graphic depiction of removing bits of shrapnel from live intestines. 
This panel is the descendant of that illustration. Now in color.
I just realized, seeing it in the small form, that it looks like a map.The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...

Shortrun 2015 art

Posted for Shortrun 2015 - we hope! Applying for tables, now. Chose this little IPad piece because it has the light-heartedness and fun style of Shortrun.


The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...

Look Away! Nothing Happening Here!

Posted because you'd need a password to see my DeviantArt Account for mature content. Nobody should be confused.


The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...

Book about Bison - and Other Things

Bison sketchBeen thinking about this concept for a while. Here's the first rough sketch, marker noodling and first watercolor wash:

It's obviously the Paleolithic New World bison. There's a reason for that.

It's always complicated getting a project started. Children's Book? I don't think it's a comic book.

I know people say it looks like I don't even pencil before I draw, but there's a lot of background research before I get into a book, and I can move forward quickly.
Watercolor bison
Here's a more completed watercolor with marker detail:

I'll probably do a digital version, too.

There are a bunch of stories with a specific theme, with different animals and people. Don't quite know if I'm going to stick to one style - or fool with several. These days, there's so much artistic freedom, anything can happen.The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...

Clallam Bay Comicon Guests

Since I have no admission fee, and tables are only $25, there's not much we can offer "guests."
BUT - since I've been in the biz so long, most of my friends are noted authors. The Clallam Bay Comicon is getting a rep as - what? - a relaxicon? Anyway, it's attracting fun professionals who just want to hang, network and go to the beach to watch fireworks while - if we're lucky - noshing on my home-smoked salmon. So here is the first guest for the 2015 Clallam Bay Comicon!
Roberta Gregory: 
Legendary comic creator Roberta Gregory will attend with a good selection of her decades-long career, including several Bitchy collections, Winging It and everything in between. If you are not familiar with her work, you will find something for almost every taste in comics. Every book you buy gets a drawing by Roberta inside. Featured is True Cat Toons, her comic collection illustrating the true cat stories of ordinary folks and their less-than-ordinary cats, and if you buy a book from her at the CBCC, you will get a color drawing of your own kitty inside. So bring a photo! For more info see truecattoons.com and Robertagregory.comThe Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...