NOTES FROM SAW
Here’s the place to check out everything that’s been going on at SAW including what we're learning, reading and drawing.
Austin Kleon - SAW PRO CALL Episode #1
Austin Kleon talked to us about everything! Come join us!
Roberta Gregory - 90s Mini-Comics Oral History Archives
Roberta Gregory is the legendary, groundbreaking cartoonist, the first woman to self-publish a full length solo comic, Dynamite Damsels in 1976 and she has continued to be involved in mini-comics and self-publishing through the 2000s. She's contributed to Gay Comix, Wimmen's Comix, Tits & Clits and is the solo author of Bitchy Bitch, Winging It, Sheila and the Unicorn and many more.
Carol Tyler - 90s Mini-Comics Oral History Archives
Per her publisher's website: Carol Tyler is one of the most enduring cartoonists of her generation. Debuting with the short story ""Un-Covered Property"" in Weirdo in 1987, she went on to contribute to other anthologies of the era like Street Music, Twisted Sisters, Wimmens Comix, Drawn & Quarterly, and Zero Zero.
Fred Noland - 90s Mini-Comics Oral History Archives
Fred Noland's specialty is visual storytelling, whether in animation, comics, or illustration. Noland’s comics have appeared in the New Yorker, Popula and the East Bay Express. His illustrations have appeared in LA Weekly, Nickelodeon Jr., Xbox Magazine, Revolver, Canoe & Kayak and more. He was the chief artist on the animated short series “Priced Out” which has been shown world-wide. His graphic novel biography about turn-of-the-century champion cyclist Major Taylor is scheduled for release from Drawn & Quarterly in 2025.
The Terrible Anvil - Feeling Bad After Pitching Your Graphic Novel - Episode 7
Eisner-nominees Jess Ruliffson and Tom Hart discuss how to pitch your book—and what to do when you get a deal! Learn about finding a literary agent and pitching to Big Five publishers; setting realistic expectations and boundaries around deadlines and money; and processing all the big feelings that come with publishing your graphic novel.
The Terrible Anvil - On Early Drafts in Episode 3
Episode 3 - On Early Drafts
We had THREE topics that were somewhat braided together:
A thought Jess had: Become more interested in DOING what you're doing than KNOWING what you're doing.
A quote I wrote down: "I often find myself writing long meandering first drafts, that drift around a bit before settling down into a state of baffling indecision." - George Saunders
The Terrible Anvil - Lean into the WORST with Episode 2
The Terrible Anvil: Episode 2 - Lean into the worst. In the Comics FLOW + PUBLISH group we asked around: how do you lean in when the going gets weird? What parts are EXTRA UNFUN, and how do you navigate it?
We spoke on all these topics, as well as the role of ritual and community in answering these three questions. We cooked up ideas on how to make a home there in the ruins, being okay with badly-drawn hands, what to embrace when we're working.
Upcoming SAW Pro-Call with Tessa Hulls - February 6
Our next Pro-Call is with Tessa Hulls! Come join us in our most affordable, online ongoing-community SAW FLOW + PUBLISH MEMBERSHIP GROUP (comes with a two-week free trial) to join in on MONTHLY PRO-CALLS!
We bring in comic professionals from all walks of life to guest speak (virtually) at SAW. These guest speakers give SAW students/members some insight from their personal experiences throughout their comics career and welcome questions at the end of each session. Come join us!
SAW Local: Happy New Year!
Welcome friends to 2024 at SAW! And a very special welcome to our friends here in Gainesville (I hope we’ll be seeing you in the space very soon!)
For folks who aren’t familiar with me, my name’s Emma, I’m the Assistant Director here at SAW. Since 2019 I’ve been helping founder, Tom, shape SAW across in person and online programs.
WHO AM I? WHAT AM I DOING??
Your Idea(s) Will Change Over Time
Nail down some thoughts on paper or a napkin. Everything counts. Gather everything together and look at it. What are the napkins telling you that you don't know? Sometimes we project a structure onto something early on that falls away later in service of the narrative. That is normal and good!
The Terrible Anvil: A podcast with Jess Ruliffson and Tom Hart
Jess Ruliffson and I are starting our live discussion series, The Terrible Anvil, tomorrow , Jan 11, 2024 in the Sequential Artists Workshop Flow Community and this post is an invite (you can sign up for a free 2 week trial here: https://learn.sawcomics.org/courses/comics-flow-group )
Too much dialogue? Just talking heads?
Conversation is a part of life. Let's bring readers into the life of our comics. It comes up a lot where people think maybe they have too much dialogue, too many “talking heads". It can happen, but it doesn’t always happen.
The famous way out of this is Wally Wood’s “22 panels that always work when some dumb writer has a bunch of lame characters sitting around and talking for page after page…”