Jess Smart Smiley's Blog, page 10
March 3, 2018
“Making Comics: My Graphic Novel Process,” a craft essay by Jess Smart Smiley
New Comic
My name is Jess Smart Smiley and I make comics. My newest project is a square, interactive comic calledFantasy Quest, and it’s live on Kickstarter right now. (Oh, don’t worry—there are more plugs for Fantasy Quest to come—but let’s talk process first.)
Hamburger Style
The earliest comics I remember making were created by folding a blank sheet of 8.5 x 11” printing paper in half (“Hamburger Style”), and then adding words and drawings as I thought of them. (I’m sure there’s a stack of folded paper somewhere with half-finished “cover” drawings and blank interiors.)
Dad offered to make copies of some of my comics and drawings using a photocopier and my eyes were opened to the world of publishing.
Most of my early attempts at comics were lame parodies of the action comics I was reading at the time: X-Men became “X-Kids”, Batman became “Bratman”, and…
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February 24, 2018
New! Enamel Pins
These 3 limited-edition collectible enamel pins are part of a new comic I made called “Fantasy Quest“.
“Fantasy Quest” is an interactive adventure comic about a little redheaded girl named Sofi, who is awakened by a magical frog. The comic features mazes for the reader to complete, and each comic comes with 1 of 3 collectible enamel pins, and an original drawing.
“Fantasy Quest” is only available via Kickstarter for the next 11 days.
Learn more about the enamel pins, comic, and original drawings here.
((( jess smart smiley )))
February 13, 2018
New Interview on The Comic Vault
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Jamie Ryder at The Comic Vault, where I was asked about my new comic Fantasy Quest, puzzles, and the magic of mystery books.
February 12, 2018
2018: Year of the Comic
Thank you for being a part of my storytelling journey!
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to write and illustrate my own stories. Thanks to the encouragement and support of family and friends, I’ve been able to create 15 books for young readers over the last 5 years, starting with my first all-ages graphic novel, Upside Down: A Vampire Tale.
Over these last 5 years I have also participated in hundreds of events, including book festivals, comic conventions, writing symposiums, and (my favorite) visits to schools, libraries, and bookstores.
READING
Reading has always been very important to me. It’s a kind of practical meditation, where I’m able to center myself through the experiences or expressions of someone else, and I’m able able to take in little revelations on how to tell my own stories, using words and pictures.
Last year I created a photo album on Facebook called “Books I Read in 2017”. I have a GoodReads account, and there are other ways of cataloguing books we read, but I thought it would be fun to take a photo with each book I read, and make it available for anyone to see.
I was curious: how would the books I read throughout the year impact the stories I would later tell? I’ve already seen some direct influence, and I’m excited to find the ways these stories will weave themselves throughout the years to come.
UPCOMING COMICS
There are some amazing comics coming this year from my favorite creators, including:
FANTASY QUEST
I’ve been trying to do my part to make 2018 the Year of the Comic, and I’m beyond thrilled to know that my newest comic, Fantasy Quest, is already 50% funded on Kickstarter!
Fantasy Quest is an all-ages interactive comic I started working on near the end of 2017.
I realized I was taking comics too seriously, so I pulled back and tapped into my fifth-grade self, when my friends and I would pass comics to each other in class and make mazes on graph paper. That excitement of possibilities within comics and mazes swallowed me whole, and now Fantasy Quest is a celebration of comics culture.
Each copy of Fantasy Quest comes with 1 of 3 collectible enamel pins
Each copy of Fantasy Quest comes with an original drawing
Fantasy Quest is limited to 250 copies–when they’re gone, they’re gone!
Check Out “Fantasy Quest” on Kickstarter
UPCOMING EVENTS
February
12: Comics Workshop (via Skype)
15-17: Life, the Universe, and Everything symposium on science fiction and fantasy (Provo, UT). Full schedule available here
21: Comic Jam at Dragon’s Keep (Orem, UT) 6-7:30pm
22: Comics Workshop (via Skype)
28: Comics Workshop (via Skype)
March
7: Last day to get my new comic “Fantasy Quest” via Kickstarter
7: Comic Artist Badge for Girl Scouts at Dragon’s Keep (Spanish Fork, UT), 6-7:30pm
14: Comic Jam at Dragon’s Keep (Orem, UT) 6-7:30pm
20: Comics Workshop (via Skype)
SKETCHBOOK TOUR
Take a walk through my latest sketchbook, including pages that would later become my newest comic “Fantasy Quest“.
MAKE A COMIC THIS YEAR
Have you watched my newest video yet? I help a friend learn to make a comic this year, then share all the techniques, methods, and processes with YOU! Click to watch.
LET’S MAKE COMICS!
And there you have it–a taste of 2018: Year of the Comic.
I’m so excited to get Fantasy Quest into reader’s hands, and I’ve been loving my visits with schools and libraries (in person and via Skype), but the biggest news is yet to come! (Cut to the chase by clicking here.)
Thank you for your support and encouragement.
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July 31, 2017
Teaching Comics Workshops at the Charles M. Schulz Museum
When I was given the opportunity to teach a set of week-long comics workshops at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA, I had no idea it would be such an important week in my life.
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This summer has been packed with teaching comics workshops for children and teenagers in my home state of Utah. I’ve visited libraries, schools, cafes, museums, and comic shops, sharing my love for writing, drawing, storytelling, and making comics.
In my comics workshops, we talk about story structure, experiment with a variety of different media, methods, and techniques for making comics, we design characters, come up with ideas, draw in our sketchbooks, cut and fold mini comics, create pass-along comics, and much, much more. We look at all the parts and pieces of comics, and how they work together to tell a story in the comics medium. It’s a great crash-course in making comics for the students, and it’s a practical reminder for myself of the craft that goes into making comics.
What better place is there to teach such a comics workshop, than at the Charles M. Schulz Museum!
Click to view slideshow.
On our first day of our comics workshops at the Museum, we created a comic all about ourselves, and included some of our favorite comics, as well as something we want to learn about making comics. We sat along the walls of the Bio Gallery to create our comics, surrounded by Charles Schulz’s own influences and his early drawings and paintings (including an actual wall mural from his home!).
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Later in the week, we created our own 10-frame zoetrope animations and talked about how time works in a comic, from panel to panel.
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After talking about how stories work in a four-panel sequence, we visited a gallery of original Peanuts strips artwork and observed Sparky’s use of panels, gutters, sound effects, and facial expressions/body language.
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Via the magic of YouTube, our classes were visited by special guests Stan Lee, Jeff Smith, Doug TenNapel, Bob Ross, and Fred Rogers!
Click to view slideshow.
I even got to meet my long-time internet artist pal, Denis St. John, and fellow artists, and Paige Braddock!
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Each class was 3.5 hours long, so we had plenty of time to make comics, enjoy the Museum exhibits, dab, sign books, draw derpy faces on the white board, and watch an incredibly touching video on the origins of the Museum and the Schulz Campus at large.
Click to view slideshow.
As fun and exciting as it was to teach these students in the halls of a master cartoonist and storyteller, it was meeting Mrs. Jean Schulz (Sparky’s wife) that transformed a fun and memorable week into an enchanted experience.
It was an honor to meet Jean, and Sparky’s legacy could not be in more capable hands.
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I’m excited to see what this new generation of cartoonists creates!
Want more? Choose from the following:
Visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum online
Read Jean Schulz’s blog
Sign up for my last comics workshops of the summer
(August 7-11 at Dragon’s Keep in Orem, UT)
June 1, 2016
Register for my Comics Workshop!
I’m happy to announce that I’ll be teaching a week-long comics workshop in June! Hooray!
I’m excited to share my love for telling stories, drawing characters, writing dialogue, and learning new comics-making techniques. My goal is to make comics fun for all ages and skill levels by providing fun and unique challenges that will help students better understand how comics work and how to make their own.
★To register youth ages 8-18, June 6-10 at Dragon’s Keep in Provo (UT), click here.
★To register youth ages 12-18, June 13-17 at Higher Ground Learning in Salt Lake City (UT), click here.
★To register ADULTS 18+, June 6-10 at Dragon’s Keep in Provo (UT), click here.
Sign up and let’s make comics!
September 29, 2015
**LAST CHANCE: MONSTER COLORING BOOK!**
*ONE DAY LEFT! *GET IT NOW!*
Last chance to pick up my Look & Find Coloring Book, available on kickstarter.Funding ends tomorrow night, so get it now!
September 8, 2015
⚡TAKE THE COLORING CHALLENGE!⚡
Think You Can Color All 10 Scenes?
Last week I launched my Look & Find Coloring Book, which features 10 colorable look & find scenes. With over 100 drawings on each page, the Look & Find Coloring Book makes a fun challenge for both children and adults.
Check out the Look & Find Coloring Book on kickstarter to take on the coloring challenge!
September 1, 2015
July 31, 2015
Happy Song for Your Weekend / You Are My Sunshine
I recorded this danced-up folk-rock version of “You Are My Sunshine” for my wife’s kindergarten class, and completely forgot to send it to her on time (classic Jess), so it was never used. For anyone that needs a fun little pick-me-up, here is “You Are My Sunshine“.
