These sketchbook pages were supposed to be all free and breezy, but I’ll be darned if this strip didn’t take a heck of a lot of planning. Oh well. I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out, and I’m sure they’ll become more off-the-cuff as I go.
I just wanted to send a quick shout out to everyone who stopped by at the recent New York Comic Con. It was quite a thing, wasn’t it? I got more of a chance to check out the show than I did last year, and the scope of it all really blew my mind. People… and stuff… EVERYWHERE! I know I was just one little speck in the sea of it all, so I really appreciate everyone who made it a point to drop by and say hello. So… Thanks!
Also, I’ve posted a bunch of photos of the show over on the Neil Jam facebook page.
In what feels like forever ago, I bought a sketchbook. I’ve never been a “sketchbook guy.” I tend to doodle and plan out “the Jam” mostly in whatever random line-ruled notebook that is within reach. The plan with the sketchbook was to try to get in the habit of creating comics on the fly, without having to rely on the same rigid setup and parameters I’ve been mired in since I initially learned how to do it way back when. As opposed to sitting at my table crafting out each strip steady-handedly on a sheet of bristol board, the sketchbook offers the opportunity to draw any type of comic, anywhere and at any time. I want to be more versatile, y’all.
I don’t intend to quit doing the traditional strips on bristol board. I’ve only just completed the first page in my sketchbook, so there is no telling how often I’ll be getting back to it or what kind of groove I’ll ultimately find myself in. The point I’m trying to make with all this is that if you see a new strip that doesn’t look like all the others you’ve seen so far, now you’ll know why.
Neil Jam’s taking the Big Apple by storm! That’s right, this weekend I’ll once again be on hand at the New York Comic Con. Now please pay attention to the specifics: Like last year, I’ll be situated within the Anime Fest Artist Alley portion of the show. The Anime Festival is somewhat separate from the “meat” of the show, so you’ll have to remember to look for me there. But fear not, as It shouldn’t be too hard to find. It’ll be upstairs on the fourth floor of the building in a space that overlooks the main show floor. Last year there was an enormous sign pointing people towards the Anime Festival area. I don’t anticipate anything less this year.
So please come say hi. I’ll be doing my usual thing– being nice, signing books, dishing out fun original artwork (a record amount of Neil Jam Icons!), and whatever else I can think of. Let’s make it a weekend to remember!
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(…If you’re scratching your head about why you have to look for me in the anime portion of the show, it’s simply because the main “Comic Con” artist alley is nearly impossible to get into (I haven’t had any luck), not to mention a lot more expensive. And hey, a Neil Jam’s gotta do what a Neil Jam’s gotta do!)
Welcome to the second installment of Custom Characters, a regular feature where I’ll be showcasing the results of my do-it-yourself vinyl figure creations. Today I would like to introduce you to The Munk.
The Munk was made using a Doodle Budz figure with acrylic paint and a semi-gloss finish. If he looks a little familiar, that’s because he was designed to be a more fully realized version of the very first character I ever tried my hand at (who I now lovingly refer to as Munk Jr).
I feel like I’ve come a long way since little Munk Jr, and feel like the sky is the limit for the Munk family and beyond. So stay tuned to Custom Characters, as we’ll be rolling more out in due time. Thanks for visiting!
Just wanted to send a quick shout out to everyone who stopped by last weekend’s Chicago Comic Con. I’ve managed to get into a comfortable groove at that show over the last handful of years, and this year was more of the same. So I’m just gonna keep it simple this time and say thanks. It was great meeting and talking with all of you. I hope to see y’all again soon!
This weekend I’ll once again be setting up shop at Chicago Comic Con. I’ll be bringing with me all the usual goods– Groovy Neil Jam books, hella-cool Neil Jam artwork, and my beautiful Neil Jam smile. One lil’ procedural difference about this year is that I will now be able to accept credit card payments, for your convenience and mine. But really, If you’ve talked to me at the show before, you know the drill. And if you haven’t talked to me before, well then that will be your task this weekend!
My table (as seen on the map below) will actually be located towards the very back of the artist alley. Being in the back is bad in the sense that it is in the back, but it is good in the sense that it should be easy to remember where I am– in the back! I’ve made it a mini tradition to tie balloons to the table for that purpose as well, so I’ll probably be doing that again to double ensure that you’ll be able to find me.
It should be a good time, y’all. I hope to see you there. Let’s make it a weekend to remember!
It was my intention to post a strip at some point on Monday, and again today (Weds) and so forth, but you see, we had a little something called a power outage early Monday morning, and it is still ongoing. It has been quite frustrating, as drawing new stuff, and more importantly, scanning and posting new stuff, has become nearly impossible. So, to cut to the chase, when the power comes back on, business will get back to usual here. Lets just hope that happens sooner than later!
UPDATE (7/15)
Well, the power came back on today (Fri), just in time for the week to be over. That really sucked. If anything, I learned that I should have a better plan in case something like this happens again. That way we won’t all be stuck in limbo, doing nothing. Oh well. Live and learn, right? We’ll start fresh on Monday.
Welcome to Custom Characters, a new feature where I’ll be showcasing the results of my do-it-yourself vinyl figure creations. As I’ve written about recently, I’ve really gotten the bug to make these things, as they are such a great medium to create some crazy looking characters. Today I would like to introduce you to Cringer.
Cringer was made using a Doodle Budz figure with acrylic paint and a semi-gloss finish. Being my first official custom figure, I think he turned out pretty good and I’m happy with the results. In addition to the figures themselves, I’m also somewhat of a novice with the paints, so I’m learning a lot as I go in every which way.
I hope to make Custom Characters a regular feature, as I’ve got more figures coming down the pipeline. Aside from doing them just because they’re fun, I’m not exactly sure what the end result will be with these guys. I’ll probably bring some with me to conventions, and may also put some in my Etsy shop. I suppose only time will tell. But for now, just enjoy the show!
Hail to the Neil Jam version of Barack Obama!
