Donna Barr's Blog, page 14
July 13, 2014
2014 Clallam Bay Comicon Fun Commences
The gang's arriving!The fun has started. First on Friday, with folks showing up and setting up the Lion's Club hall. A few of us were in the Fun Days parade on Saturday. But the real fun started that evening at the Fun Days fireworks.
The fog was so thick that we couldn't see the high, traditional blasts, but the fireworkers did themselves proud with ground work, including waves of red flame blasting up out the bay, reflected in the water below.
Cookout, loads of beach fireworks everybody got half price at the Nations. Too damn' much fun.
Panelists, dealers, musicians and fans. And cordite smoke.No, wait... people are already talking about "Next year?" Oh. Hell.Roberta Gregory and I hit the Zombie Challenge, and you'll see the two posts - two very frightened kids - at these two posts:
Roberta: "Here?"
Me: "Good and Bad Shit"
As usual, I had to show off my Ka-Blam Shirt.And whether I like it or not, I suddenly find myself with minions, all of them wanting to do cool things for next year's Comicon. So.... I guess we're doing it in 2015. Oy. Just call me Gru - and all these people "Jerry" and "Dave." What up?
Dara, and Kitting out a Sound Studio Cheap.The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...
July 4, 2014
June 18, 2014
Department of Horrible Secrets - Sex, Comics and Gaming
I've long realized that there's a corollary to Murphy's Law - "If anything can go wrong, it will." Barr's Corollary is: "And it will happen to me."
But that's so I'll FIX it.
It's no secret I think men are goofball, and often dangerously so. But more and more women - and men - are beginning to know that, and account for it. The Red Green Show made 15 seasons off of that. And it was guys writing that. Let's call it insider knowledge.
I've been over on Facebook making smartass comments about guys getting out of line - everything from our volunteer career military and their advertising catches to guys stoning another girl to death for having a Facebook account - and I'm unashamaedly a Feminist, because I ain't giving up my vote, not any time soon, no matter how hard anybody tries.
Anyway, there's this little group of trolls that evidently gives professionals in the entertainment industry a hard time - or try, anyway. They can't really, because those of us who are the real thing don't know anybody who care about them. We only know the People Who Count, and that includes among our fans. They're not easily fooled.
So, a dumb thing happened online - I'm a small-d democrat and will talk to anybody, even bad interviewers - and I was having fun looking silly, and drinking while I was at it, because I'm German and to us being inebriated is a sacred state, and that's as good excuse as any.
But then this particular group of trolls lost their minds over me being a Feminist. I think they got a little unnerved when I said every father of a daughter was a feminist, and not to cross those guys.
Then, about 3/4 of the way through the interview - and I totally blew it off as stupid - they started fixating on boy rape. We're talking intently making up nasty scenarios about raping a boy with a champagne bottle. I tried to steer the conversation away from it, but they'd locked their brains onto it, and if I hadn't been forgivingly inebriated, I should have just hung up on 'em.
I've been trying to figure out why this particular troll puddle is bothering me. I'm no big celebrity. Yeah, yeah, worldwide, for years, more and new people discover my work and love it, no matter what detractors - and they are few - try to say about me. My work and works speak for themselves. My tree has good fruit. So why bother with me?
I woke up realizing that this links into the way women and girls are treated in the comics industry. In every single society that despises and tries to lock up or control women or girls, the men are trying to get their hands on the boys. To use them, kill them, or have them available for sex. Look at all the patriarchal religions - if they're not backing the altar boys into the vestry, they're torturing baby penises to fixate the poor kids for the rest of their lives, or stoning any girl who has a Facebook account before heading back to their boy servants.
Are the full-grown things raping the boys in the back of the comic shops? Doubtful. But traditional superhero and gaming fans are teaching boys to hate and fear women and girls. The attitude spreads into society, as comics and gaming grow. Boys become increasingly vulnerable, as do girls, and the trolls who see women and girls standing up against that abuse as threatening their access to the boys. Why else go so insane over the mere approach of a girl to a game? Power doesn't even explain it; it's a sexual threat. No wonder this small group has lost their shit over me.
The healthiest superhero company in comics is Prism Comics. They unabashedly admit the joy of men being sexual with one another. Gay comics authors produce images of happy, joyful sex, with no threats to anybody. They're not turning any kids who come to them into woman-haters. In fact, they wish more women would sign up for their booth full of happy people. And they admit what the superhero genre is about, after all - boys admiring full-grown, sexy men. Not pederasty, damnit - but the admission that, when they were kids, they loved those costumes and those muscles.
In fact, I've seen lost children show up at the Prism booth at conventions, and wait until their adults get found. Kids feel safe at the Prism booth, because nobody's making anybody hate on anybody, or exclude them, for whatever reason.
No, I'm not sharing any names or projects of the abusers. Let them fade back into their own small group. Nobody who counts cares about what they do; we're too busy having fun. But parents might want to stop just dropping their kid off at the comic shop. You never know if they're going to a bad one.
I hope I've fixed that - and I'm using the word like it would scare a dog.
The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...
But that's so I'll FIX it.
It's no secret I think men are goofball, and often dangerously so. But more and more women - and men - are beginning to know that, and account for it. The Red Green Show made 15 seasons off of that. And it was guys writing that. Let's call it insider knowledge.
I've been over on Facebook making smartass comments about guys getting out of line - everything from our volunteer career military and their advertising catches to guys stoning another girl to death for having a Facebook account - and I'm unashamaedly a Feminist, because I ain't giving up my vote, not any time soon, no matter how hard anybody tries.
Anyway, there's this little group of trolls that evidently gives professionals in the entertainment industry a hard time - or try, anyway. They can't really, because those of us who are the real thing don't know anybody who care about them. We only know the People Who Count, and that includes among our fans. They're not easily fooled.
So, a dumb thing happened online - I'm a small-d democrat and will talk to anybody, even bad interviewers - and I was having fun looking silly, and drinking while I was at it, because I'm German and to us being inebriated is a sacred state, and that's as good excuse as any.
But then this particular group of trolls lost their minds over me being a Feminist. I think they got a little unnerved when I said every father of a daughter was a feminist, and not to cross those guys.
Then, about 3/4 of the way through the interview - and I totally blew it off as stupid - they started fixating on boy rape. We're talking intently making up nasty scenarios about raping a boy with a champagne bottle. I tried to steer the conversation away from it, but they'd locked their brains onto it, and if I hadn't been forgivingly inebriated, I should have just hung up on 'em.
I've been trying to figure out why this particular troll puddle is bothering me. I'm no big celebrity. Yeah, yeah, worldwide, for years, more and new people discover my work and love it, no matter what detractors - and they are few - try to say about me. My work and works speak for themselves. My tree has good fruit. So why bother with me?
I woke up realizing that this links into the way women and girls are treated in the comics industry. In every single society that despises and tries to lock up or control women or girls, the men are trying to get their hands on the boys. To use them, kill them, or have them available for sex. Look at all the patriarchal religions - if they're not backing the altar boys into the vestry, they're torturing baby penises to fixate the poor kids for the rest of their lives, or stoning any girl who has a Facebook account before heading back to their boy servants.
Are the full-grown things raping the boys in the back of the comic shops? Doubtful. But traditional superhero and gaming fans are teaching boys to hate and fear women and girls. The attitude spreads into society, as comics and gaming grow. Boys become increasingly vulnerable, as do girls, and the trolls who see women and girls standing up against that abuse as threatening their access to the boys. Why else go so insane over the mere approach of a girl to a game? Power doesn't even explain it; it's a sexual threat. No wonder this small group has lost their shit over me.
The healthiest superhero company in comics is Prism Comics. They unabashedly admit the joy of men being sexual with one another. Gay comics authors produce images of happy, joyful sex, with no threats to anybody. They're not turning any kids who come to them into woman-haters. In fact, they wish more women would sign up for their booth full of happy people. And they admit what the superhero genre is about, after all - boys admiring full-grown, sexy men. Not pederasty, damnit - but the admission that, when they were kids, they loved those costumes and those muscles.
In fact, I've seen lost children show up at the Prism booth at conventions, and wait until their adults get found. Kids feel safe at the Prism booth, because nobody's making anybody hate on anybody, or exclude them, for whatever reason.
No, I'm not sharing any names or projects of the abusers. Let them fade back into their own small group. Nobody who counts cares about what they do; we're too busy having fun. But parents might want to stop just dropping their kid off at the comic shop. You never know if they're going to a bad one.
I hope I've fixed that - and I'm using the word like it would scare a dog.
The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...
May 31, 2014
Just Stop Trying, People
Every once in a while, somebody tries to - I dunno - "hurt" me online, or at least my work. Which leads to the following conversation from a very nice reader of mine, Danny Sichel:
From Donny Sichel, email:
"So I'm reading the Terrible Webcomics megathread on Something Awful.
Someone posts a page of Stinz." (I dunno which page; Danny just said, "a page.")
"Responses: "Somehow, I can't bring myself to hate this. It's not even pinging my 'fetish-sense'. Please post an example of this comic sucking, because so far I don't dislike it."
"What is this, Lil Abner with centaurs? I kind of like the oldschool feel of the art"
"I am really really happy this thread introduced me to Donna Barrbecause she is a fucking genius"
"Can't stop my fascination with Barr's work. There's something soincredible here I don't fully understand "
When I said I thought this was funny and gratifying, Danny, like the decent guy he is, tried to get it through my thick skull that somebody hated my work:
Danny: "It's still the 'shitty webcomics' thread. Your stuff is being a work of insane genius. A given page of the Afterdeath stuff may totally insane when seen out of context, but it's not *lousy* - the art is vivid and competent, and there's actually a reasonable storyline. And you're someone who genuinely enjoys what you're doing. Yes, there are people who produce webcomics but don't like making art. They see it as a tedious obligation that's necessary for the rewarding experience of receiving praise.)"
That made it even better. You see, I'm an original - I solved all the artistic problems myself, instead of being a fake and a copy-artist. I learned to write in colorful letters home to my family from the army and college. I still base everything I do on stuff I've seen, researched, or been told stories about - not something I cribbed and barely changed from somebody else's (too-often cribbed-and-changed) fake stories. I'm not one of those legion of comics people whose work you pick up and go, "I can't tell which writer or artist this is, because they all look the same." You see Donna Barr, you KNOW Donna Barr. Nobody else can actually copy me, although there have been some adorable attempts - and some ridiculous steals. I think of the well-intentioned as good puppies, and the bad ones as abused puppies.
However, the thought the, no matter how old I get, I'm STILL the class weirdo is something I've learned to live with and appreciate.
I just thought - since the last pages of Stinz are done by very practiced friends, perhaps they're being hated on - and getting the free publicity! Yay! Win-Win, Cin Cin.The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...
From Donny Sichel, email:
"So I'm reading the Terrible Webcomics megathread on Something Awful.
Someone posts a page of Stinz." (I dunno which page; Danny just said, "a page.")
"Responses: "Somehow, I can't bring myself to hate this. It's not even pinging my 'fetish-sense'. Please post an example of this comic sucking, because so far I don't dislike it."
"What is this, Lil Abner with centaurs? I kind of like the oldschool feel of the art"
"I am really really happy this thread introduced me to Donna Barrbecause she is a fucking genius"
"Can't stop my fascination with Barr's work. There's something soincredible here I don't fully understand "
When I said I thought this was funny and gratifying, Danny, like the decent guy he is, tried to get it through my thick skull that somebody hated my work:
Danny: "It's still the 'shitty webcomics' thread. Your stuff is being a work of insane genius. A given page of the Afterdeath stuff may totally insane when seen out of context, but it's not *lousy* - the art is vivid and competent, and there's actually a reasonable storyline. And you're someone who genuinely enjoys what you're doing. Yes, there are people who produce webcomics but don't like making art. They see it as a tedious obligation that's necessary for the rewarding experience of receiving praise.)"
That made it even better. You see, I'm an original - I solved all the artistic problems myself, instead of being a fake and a copy-artist. I learned to write in colorful letters home to my family from the army and college. I still base everything I do on stuff I've seen, researched, or been told stories about - not something I cribbed and barely changed from somebody else's (too-often cribbed-and-changed) fake stories. I'm not one of those legion of comics people whose work you pick up and go, "I can't tell which writer or artist this is, because they all look the same." You see Donna Barr, you KNOW Donna Barr. Nobody else can actually copy me, although there have been some adorable attempts - and some ridiculous steals. I think of the well-intentioned as good puppies, and the bad ones as abused puppies.
However, the thought the, no matter how old I get, I'm STILL the class weirdo is something I've learned to live with and appreciate.
I just thought - since the last pages of Stinz are done by very practiced friends, perhaps they're being hated on - and getting the free publicity! Yay! Win-Win, Cin Cin.The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...
May 29, 2014
Shortrun Maybe?
Shortrun needs a square thang.I MIGHT be at Shortrun in 2014. Everybody tells me I should be. In the meantime, the show needs a piece of art for the application, and this is the page they can retrieve it from (shut up, Grammar Nazis; if I can get over "transpire," you can learn to live with split infinitives. Welcome to English).Heard many good things about Shortrun. I wouldn't expect loads of sales from it, but there would be a lot of My People there, so it would be another chance to visit.
So I don't have to hear Gary Groth ask me again, "Do we have to SNUFF somebody to get you to come to town??"
Oh, and see if Fantagraphics has money for me, while I'm there.
If I did come, I'll be bringing fewer and fewer books. I'd be bringing the shortest runs ever - original sketches, done for you. No, don't ask me to break copyright, unless you can argue a very very very acceptable parody. And I only do Slash with my own characters, thank you. I'll even do Furry stuff, because they seem to have gotten their shit together, at last. And I still do the best boots and horses in the business.The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...
April 22, 2014
April 17, 2014
Calling the Cops on Conventions
Just sent this to Emerald City Comicon:
"I don't know if you remember my reporting some fan who was threatening to infringe on me and my table for the Emerald City Comicon convention, but you fine folks said, "Call us and we'll come a-running!" Your "Costumes are not Consent" are a beacon for everyone in our society, not just our community.
As you know, many women and girls in comics and other media cannot post on a forum, write a review or work with men in comics, without being called "bitches," "whores" or threatened with rape. For years, we've all been subject to some level of this abuse, from the mild to the full attack. Nobody listens to us.
Recently, a bunch of fan-boys began to lie about me, in an attempt to frighten and isolate me, as they've done so many other women. Those of you who know me are probably thinking, "No good can come of this."
However, I think it will. Bad things happen to me so I can fix them. If I'm bothered by these people at a convention, I shall simply call 911 and report "assault" - because that's what harassment is. I don't care if it's a dumb fanboy who doesn't know any better, or an industry professional who SHOULD. Enough of this abuse.
And I'm sending a copy of this letter to the Seattle Police Department, and posting it on my blog, http://www.donnabarr.com
I doubt this will frighten Emerald City; they might welcome the backup."
And I did send it to the Seattle police, with a comment that I'm not asking for assistance now, but want to head off incidents before they happen. I've requested comments and guidance from the Seattle Police - and the best police know, and are proud, that they are public servants.
Dumb boys mess with my liveried servants, will they? They want costumes - they can have some REAL ones to deal with.The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...
April 2, 2014
Emerald City 2014
Ka-Blam adds the right touch, as usual.Another great Emerald City Comicon. And, as usual, wore my Ka-Blam Tshirt, to show off who printed my lovely reprints of Stinz and the Desert Peach! Does it get any better?
Didn't post a lot of photos of Emerald City, because they're all over the interwebs! The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...
March 19, 2014
Hire the Artist - RATES
Donna Barr works in her own style. Please view her art gallery at DeviantArt to choose three pieces you absolutely love, to give her an idea of what you want. Do NOT send her illustrations of other people's work. William Blake is dead, and you'll pay as much for her to copy anime styles as you will for her own style.
Flat Fee: $80 per hour.
OR:
For single figures, in black-and-white line illustrations, ink washes, with white highlights:
$100 per 8.5 x 11 illustration.
$25 per quarter page.
$15 spot illustrations.
For full color:
$250 per page.
$62.50 per quarter page
$35.00 for spot illustrations.
Hand-lettering per page: $50, in addition to art.
Each illustration or page comes with 2 roughs, one very rough, one detailed. The client MUST make full requests for changes, of any sort, before each rough is finished. Additional roughs are $15 per piece.
"Comics" layout:
Full black and white comic-layout pages are $250 apiece.
Full color comic-layout pages are $350 apiece.
The artist retains copyright if the artist completes both writing and art. If the client is the writer, the copyright belongs to the client.
Payment shall be for 50% up front, to start the illustration. The final 50% must be paid after approval for the art to be delivered, both as hard copy (paper, etc.) and high-resolution scans.
Full book layout (not including editorial services): $700. Layout can include upload and publication on any print-on-demand site the client prefers. Clients are expected to understand publishing, or to ask before the project starts. The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...
Flat Fee: $80 per hour.
OR:
For single figures, in black-and-white line illustrations, ink washes, with white highlights:
$100 per 8.5 x 11 illustration.
$25 per quarter page.
$15 spot illustrations.
For full color:
$250 per page.
$62.50 per quarter page
$35.00 for spot illustrations.
Hand-lettering per page: $50, in addition to art.
Each illustration or page comes with 2 roughs, one very rough, one detailed. The client MUST make full requests for changes, of any sort, before each rough is finished. Additional roughs are $15 per piece.
"Comics" layout:
Full black and white comic-layout pages are $250 apiece.
Full color comic-layout pages are $350 apiece.
The artist retains copyright if the artist completes both writing and art. If the client is the writer, the copyright belongs to the client.
Payment shall be for 50% up front, to start the illustration. The final 50% must be paid after approval for the art to be delivered, both as hard copy (paper, etc.) and high-resolution scans.
Full book layout (not including editorial services): $700. Layout can include upload and publication on any print-on-demand site the client prefers. Clients are expected to understand publishing, or to ask before the project starts. The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...
February 2, 2014
Year of the Horse
The Chinese Man leads the wayThis year's film of the Clallam Bay Dragon Dance is too much like last year's. So I'm just posting a couple photos. The "Chinese Man" is very odd. Sue Heiny, of the Three Sisters Clallam Art Gallery, wore it last year. She talked a young man into doing it this year.
It's the usual silliness, and if it hadn't been for Sarah Grafstrom, who posted her Golden Dragon head on Facebook Friday, I wouldn't have gotten myself together in time to make this quick cardboard horse head.
Whineeee!And bake up some quick 5-Spice Peanut sugar cookies. Yes, I cook with whatever I have in the cupboard. Thu, our favorite Vietnamese hairdresser was in Vietnam this year, so she didn't provide her usual fabulous Vietnamese dishes, but the feast was pretty great.
Music afterwards, with some hard-driving guitar work, and the funniest version of one of the Dylan songs I ever heard (Oh, I can't think of the name). Sarah was, "This song is too long!" so they tempo'd it up to about five times as fast, with a drum-set driving behind them. I laughed so hard.
I can count with my hoof, too.Met a very nice young man who was also a fan of Jeff Bridges and loved the animated movie, "Surf's Up." You know how you see so many old farts (like me) hanging only with their own age? I dunno. I love all the new stuff, and this generation of kids and young men and women are just too cool. And fearless and funny. See? That brain damage that ruined my memory came in handy; I live in the moment. It's more fun!
Um... Sarah threatened to choreograph a dance routine with me for the next party. I can't sing or play a musical instrument - and the only one I could hear, the highland war pipes, put blisters on my tongue as I tried to blow up the bag - but Sarah and I are the funniest dancers in town. Those of you who saw me dancing at conventions KNOW that.
Be afraid.The Little Store: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2007/04...
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