Aww, Casey is the sweetest!
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This year’s trek to Toronto was 4 days of fun which involved lots of food eating. And lots of comics. And then more eating…
Apparently coming for more days does not make for a more leisurely trip… it means more stuff gets packed in 
For example, this frozen yogurt “bar” where you can pick whatever flavours you want and combine them into your huge bowl!
There was also much assembling of mini-comics over wine:
And partying with various fellow geeks!
TCAF itself was lots of fun. Saturday was pretty intense. Waves of people came. Mostly for one particular person at our table. But we each had our little moments of awesome.
Plus, this giant pencil got us a lot of attention!
At the end of Saturday I only had 3 OTE books left. Yay!
And on Sunday I completely sold out of On The Edge books! Even my children’s book sold – only one left by the end of the day!
A big BIG thank you to everyone that came by! From the guy that spent his last American 5 dollar bill on me (whoa!) to the silent dude who made a beeline straight for my book and bought it with nothing but a shy smile (that’s right I remember you, cause I was like that once.) It’s little moments like that that make the day totally worth it.
And – did I mention sushi? No? Well here’s a random picture of sushi:
It’s almost time for TCAF! I’m pretty stoked, since I skipped it last year. Fun, Friends, and Comics – Woo hoo!
If you’re in Toronto, stop by and say hi! Or buy a book. Or both! Yes. Both.
I’ve always been somewhat inspired by advertising. I’ve done a bit of marketing work in my day (in games), but I’ve always had a weird side obsession with ads and how they affect people ever since taking one of those “new media” courses in high school. I love Mad Men, not only because it’s just an awesome show but because it shows the graphic designers in their element. I still remember the very first episode of Six Feet Under, there was an ad for embalming fluid which for some reason I thought was hilarious at the time (NSFW?).
The best ads though, are those vintage ads from eras gone by that advertise things we would never imagine advertising today.
There’s a nice line up of good ones here, but I thought I’d share with you some of my favourites. Enjoy!
I think I just got through the 2 busiest weeks I’ve ever had in recent memory and I don’t know how I’m still alive!
I recently went back to freelancing and took 2 jobs, which I thought I could juggle, on top of comics and a craft festival I signed up for waaay back in January. OMG was I wrong! Everything sort of collided at the same time, due dates and all, and I almost imploded and was surviving mostly on coffee for about a week. But a little voice inside me said to simplify, and so I did. I think things will work out.
New rule, never take on projects that I don’t really want to do.
On the opposite note, there’s no time like TCAF to have another book! Realizing that the remaining “strip” comics had no place to live, I decided to compile them into book 2, so now all of the strips can be owned in book form. Also within, are some sketches and bonus comic “Stroke With Fur”. Here’s the cover:
TCAF is gonna be a blast! Hope to see people there! And hope to be drinking. Lots.
A mission statement… Of sorts…
I’ve been mulling over the question since I started this again, whether it is possible to make a webcomic entirely for fun.
Think about it. No more agendas, no rules, no restraints. Without the expectation of money, or a following of any kind. No trying to decide how many ads I can stuff into the sidebars. No more trying to get the attention of a publisher. Is it possible?
When I first started On The Edge back in 2002, before I even had my own internet access, I was drawing it purely for fun, and sharing it with friends. Then In 2003 I began posting them on Livejournal to share with a few more friends, and eventually it evolved into its own website. The word “webcomic” began floating around and some people started making money, and at some point it started to feel like, if you’re posting comics online it must be a business. You must follow these rules! You must get popular! You must make money! It felt like a race, one of those big marathon races where a few people lead and the rest sort of float in the middle somewhere. I felt like I had to update 3 times a week because that’s how it’s done. It has to be gag-a-day because that’s what people want, and damn it it had better be funny – or else! I felt pressure. It lost the fun. One could compare it to high school. Yuck!
Even today, when I search the topic of making webcomics online the majority of articles I find are on how to make money making webcomics, or how to make a popular webcomic, complete with lists of rules and regulations to solve these age old mysteries. Why do I need these rules? Who are they to tell me what size to work in, or that I should update a certain amount of times per week? I realize in the end, that the pressure is all my own, but who isn’t influenced by their peers right? Who doesn’t measure themselves against the highest bar and want it? That for me was the problem.
So i decided. Phooey to rules and regulations. Screw the pressure. You will find no update schedule here. If I do update it will be on a Monday, because I feel like that’s the day when people need the most cheering up. I know I do! The best way to know if a new comic is up will be through facebook. Or by checking back 6 months from now.
I’m going back. Back to when I just drew some comics, made them look as nice as I could, for the fun of it, for the practise, and because my imaginary friends talk to me in my head and I need to write and draw what they say. And I will continue to show them to you, my friends. Because it’s fun. Is it possible? Am I a hypocrite? Will this experiment in fun and nonsense succeed?
I guess I’ll find out.
