CHRISTIAN COMIC ARTS SOCIETY :: A NETWORK OF CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP FOR COMICS FANS, PROS, AND AMATEURS

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Art Genre

Hello, everyone. Here's another question:

What is your favorite art style to do? 

(Sci fi, realistic, manga, abstract...Everything counts.)

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I need Sunday School advice

I can't find a better place to post this, but I need advice pretty soon. I'm teaching Sunday School to a class of kids roughly 1st-6th grade age (I go to a very small church) This Sunday. The lesson is about sacrificial love, and I like to plan my own lessons. I've been reading about how we need to talk about the crucifixion and resurrection other times than just at Easter, and I thought this would be a good opportunity (the curriculum we're using has several Bible story suggestions for each theme; surprisingly, that was not one of them). I usually show a video off of YouTube or read a picture book of our story. Does anyone have any suggestions for a video or book that wouldn't be too upsetting but not too babyish? Videos should be 10 minutes or less and available on either Daily Motion or YouTube. Books should take about 5 minutes to read and qualify for Amazon Prime delivery. Please post a link to the video or to where I can order the book from Amazon. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks!
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Cartoon Drawings

I am about to go back to figure drawing, as well as a painting class. So, really, I should be reviewing anatomy and things like that. But what I did instead was check out 30 comic book collections from the library and am drawing pictures from there. :) Working with charcoal is a great way to learn anatomy, but after months of it, I really love working with my Prismacolor colored pencils.

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Favorite comics

I'm wondering, what are all your favorite comics? (Manga is included.)

I like one called "Final Fantasy Type-0 side story: The Ice Reaper" Aside from the occasional uneeded comment and the mini-skirts, (Which I fixed. You gotta love ballpoint pens) It was really good. 

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A friend of mine recently reminded me that I need to be reading lots of comics if I am going to be making them.

So, one trip to the comic book shop later I discovered this wonderful all ages gem! Herobear and the Kid, by Mike Kunkel is absolutely glorious.

You can tell the artist is an experienced animator. All of the characters, even minor ones, have fun, well crafted designs. The art choice of leaving it all in black and white except for the herobear's red cape was smart and flashy. My eyeballs devoured this comic book over and over again, and I found myself wanting to make more fun cartoony art.

Story wise, it is pretty simple: Boy turns his stuffed bear into a superhero, goes and fights various villains. Appropriate for all ages. But the thing that really shines here is the art. Every panel on every page was carefully chosen; the posing and staging all communicate something.

My recommendation?: Get this book! You will not regret it. If you think making cartoony art is easy; think again. This is good quality cartoon art.

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Final Fantasy T-shirts

has anybody bought a Final Fantasy T-shirt before?

I'm wanting to get one, but I can't find a place that looks official. The one I got looks pretty bad. Does anybody know of a good place to get nerd t-shirts?

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How do you guys represent social media in your comics?

It is such a big part of our lives, it would make sense that it would be in our characters lives as well. but frankly, it is not as fun to look at.

A lot of it is text-heavy; and when there are pictures, it's the pictures that are interesting, not the format.

Any clues? Thoughts? Have you seen it done well somewhere?

I have a few pages of social media interaction in my comic and it is stalling me hard right now.

Three things need to happen:

1. My super hero character is following a number of villains on my fictional version of Instagram.

2. There is an online battle with the fans and villains to get old back issues of a rare comic book (that happens to be almost prophetic in that it spells out events before they happen in my story).

3. One villain tries to hack my hero's social media account and find out his secret identity.

Ideas appreciated!

Thank you!

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Inspiration through watching others

Make a place in your week for an inspiring biography/autobiography

 As a Christian, I have been a bit reluctant to do so because I want to keep my focus on Christ; however worthwhile lessons, encouragement and exhortation can come from the lives of everyday people living out exemplary commitments.

   I was reminded of this somewhat accidently as I was flying through the internet, looking for knowledge-resources-inspiration to make me better prepared for the upcoming school year as a high school teacher. I came across this youtube video, titled “Amazing Physics Teacher” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfW_2tzusyI    and spent 12 minutes of my short life watching an amazing life.  I am sharing this on this site because of what makes this man’s life inspiring.

I’m only sharing one of several lessons I got out of this video:   Insert the small words and gestures that tell people you care about them, without expecting reciprocation. Human life is a tapestry of many threads, our words and deeds. Doing our duty, our jobs, supports the lives of others; showing love and caring helps make their lives worth living.

 

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Christians, Storytelling & Subtlety

*I originally wrote this mostly as a reply to someone else's post, but I thought it was worth repeating in a blog.

I think if you are a Christian and a storyteller, you don't have to turn your writing into a superficial representation of Christianity. A good story is a good story, and it does its job whether you emblazon crosses all over it or not. 

I remember when I worked as the Acquisitions Editor for a small Christian publishing house in Chicago, we were often sent piles of trite, unimaginative Christian manuscripts by authors wanting to get published. It was always a retold bible story, or a prairie romance where a midwestern woman falls in love with a pastor (seriously!), or (MAYBE) a desperate attempt to copy CS Lewis's Narnia books or Screwtape Letters.

There was/is a desperate lack of imagination in the Christian world---and to an extent a fear of the imagination. So many people are afraid to think outside the box for fear of what their fellow Christians might say, because it does not beat everyone over the head with basics, in the same ways they've already heard it told 10,000 times before.

And yet, we serve a God who created the world and everything in it. Drink that truth in for a second. Not only that, we were made in his image---in the image of the One who created all the vast varieties of everything in existence! God burst forth with wild creative energy, and we are meant to be like him.

We are redeemed, forgiven, and loved---we should be the boldest wildest most imaginative people out there. There is no need for mediocrity among God's people.

Jesus talked about farming and fishing and a woman who lost her money, and only later did he explain to his disciples what his stories meant in relation to God.

In the same way, you can tell stories with super heroes, or spaceships, or dragons--with no overt mention of God, and yet God can certainly use it (think about The Hobbit, for example!). The pharisees in the church won't like it, but who cares? Let them criticize your work unjustly, and he will honor you.

I try to emulate CS Lewis: Some of my work is back-door evangelism, like Chronicles of Narnia, knocking on the door of the heart before reaching the head. I also do some projects that are more like front-door evangelism--some overtly Christian stuff mainly for edifying other believers. 

My superheros--that is all back door stuff. Completely subtle and under the radar; not directly marketed as a Christian Comic--but the spirit of Christ who dwells in me leaves his mark on my work.

BTW: I'm going to re-release my superhero comic in about a month or so. I will let you know when it is out. There are no crosses or direct mentions of God; but lots of deep theological truths are at play in the core of the story. I hope that you like it.

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SDCC 2017

3448618268?profile=originalHi everyone!  I will be having a table at SDCC for the first time!  I hope that if you're there, you can stop by and say, "hello!"  I'll be in the Small Press Area at N-06

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Christian Comic Arts Society to Deliver the Best In Talent,
Themes & Topical Discussions of Faith at the Largest Comic
Book & Pop-Culture Convention in the World

CCAS Partners With Upcoming 2018 Faith-Driven Film,
CANAL STREET 
and Leading Hip-Hop Community Rapzilla.com
to Showcase Major Talent at Comic-Con International

San Diego, CA – The largest pop-culture entertainment event in the world, COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL: SAN DIEGO 2017 kicks off this week with sellout attendance of more than 125,000 per day with hundreds of thousands more attending related events in downtown San Diego.  The CHRISTIAN COMIC ARTS SOCIETY (CCAS) is honored to partner with CANAL STREET and RAPZILLA.COM to deliver top talent, projects, and compelling events open to all Comic-Con attendees.   

Christian Comic Arts Society in partnership with CANAL STREET will be hosting three events as part of the official Comic-Con programming, and will exhibit throughout the convention in the Small Press area #P-08. 

Red Guerrilla Productions’ Faith-Driven film CANAL STREET is directed by Rhyan LaMarr and features Bryshere Y. Gray (Fox’s “Empire”), Mykelti Williamson (FENCES), Mekhi Phifer (DIVERGENT), Kevin Quinn (The Disney Channel’s “Bunk’d”) and Woody McClain (BET’s “The New Edition Story”) leading an all-star ensemble cast. The film releases at the top of 2018. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6183104/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Rapzilla is the Hip-Hop community for Christians, attracting people with a passion for faith and Hip-Hop culture. Their film crew will be shooting exclusive content at Comic-Con in support of CCAS and CANAL STREET.  Rapzilla has a dedicated, largely millennial audience, generating 2.3 Million page views per month from 300,000 unique visitors, 75,000 email subscribers, 132,000+ Facebook Likes and 127,000+ YouTube subscribers who devour their Hip Hop lifestyle coverage of music, movies, books, events and causes.   

Comic-Con events include: 

Friday, 07/21/2017, 8:30-10:00pm Christian Comic Arts Society Mixer in Room 26AB

Join the Christian Comic Arts Society as they partner again with Geeky Guys for God for this annual mixer. This is an opportunity for Christian professionals, fans, artists, and writers to intermingle, socialize and network.  There will be a trivia game and prizes will be awarded to those attendees who know their geek trivia. Panelists will include Scott A. Shuford – moderator (FrontGate Media), Joe Queen (Geeky Guys for God), Dan Lynch (“Bibleman”) and special guest Adam Key, Producer/Writer from the forthcoming movie CANAL STREET, and other special guests.

Saturday, 07/22/2017, 7:00-8:00pm Spiritual Themes in Comics in Room 4

This will mark the 20th year that the Christian Comic Arts Society has hosted the Spiritual Themes in Comics panel at Comic-Con.  As spiritual themes continue to be explored in movies like WONDER WOMAN, comics, science fiction, and fantasy, panelists will delve into and examine how spiritual themes influence the entertainment industry and how the reality of spiritual beliefs impact the culture’s perception of spiritual influences.  Panelists include B. Dave Walters (Electropunk), Travis Hanson (Beanleaf Press), Buzz Dixon (Serenity), Scott Mercano (Diablo Publishing), Adam Key & Kevin Quinn (CANAL STREET) and Geoff Strout - moderator (Faithful Creative). 

Sunday, 9:30-11:00am, Open Meeting of the Christian Comic Arts Society in Room 28DF

Join the Christian Comic Arts Society, Geeks4God, and Geeky Guys for God as they host this Sunday morning meeting.  It begins at 9:30am with worship by Brendan Prout, Sam and Leia Hornedo, and Josh Sims. Christian professionals in the entertainment industry will discuss their faith and how it influences their professional lives, their decisions, and the creative process. Panelists include Sergio Cariello (Action Bible), Rhyan LaMarr & Woody McClain (CANAL STREET), Kelly Fellows (Next Gen Foursquare Leader), Carmi Greene (Actress), Scott Zambelli (Topps- Transformers, Lucasfilm - Star Wars) and moderator Ralph Miley (CCAS President). Room 28DE

Also, as in years past, CCAS will be featuring book signings and giveaways throughout the weekend at their booth, #P-08.   

For more information on the Comic-Con International: San Diego, go to: http://www.comic-con.org

ABOUT CHRISTIAN COMIC ARTS SOCIETY 

Christian Comic Arts Society (CCAS) was formed in 1984 to locate and link Christians interested or active in the comic book/graphic novel medium. CCAS sponsors comic industry activities at various comic conventions across the country, and Alpha Omega, the APA of Christian comics.  The goal and purpose of CCAS is to support Christian professionals, hopefuls and enthusiasts within the Comic Book and related industries by providing opportunities for: 1. The sharing of the Christian message and our Christian faith, primarily within and through the comic book industry and art form. 2. Mentoring, training, friendship and networking. 3. The collaboration on and creation of visual storytelling. The CCAS is governed by a volunteer board which includes Ralph Miley (New Creation,) Holly Knevelbaard (Illustrator,) Clint D. Johnson (“FaithWalker”,) Luis Serrano (“Samson The Nazirite/Rooted Chronicles”) and Scott A. Shuford (FrontGate Media) along with numerous volunteers from the comic industry and the Church. For more information on the Christian Comic Arts Society, go to: www.ChristianComicArts.com, Facebook.com/ChristianComicArts, or Twitter.com/ChristianComics

ABOUT CANAL STREET

In 2017, America needs a hard detour. Canal Street is a story about our America and the reasons for deep-seated fissions within it. The film sets the table for a much-needed national discussion by appealing to themes of family, friendship, and forgiveness through its multi-cultural ensemble and genre-spanning music. The music, under the leadership of Amir Windom (DESPICABLE ME 2, COLLATERAL BEAUTY) serves as the perfect soundtrack moving us in emotion and music toward unison.  The film speaks to what the majority truly want, and what is needed to turn fear into a minority.  Follow CANAL STREET at @canalstreetmovie on Twitter, www.Facebook.com/canalstreetmovie, canalstreetmovie on Instagram and on the web at http://www.CanalStreetMovie.com.


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For more information or interviews, please contact

Lori Heiselman – FrontGate Media
714-553-5181
Lori@FrontGateMedia.com

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My Public Art Exhibit

I can't say much about this.  After considering for some time the two sets I did this year, this one in paper(12 pieces), and another in cedar(4 pieces), I realize I'm making stories, like panels in a comic.  But they don't read linear like a comic.  So...

How'd I get here?  Got no idea guys.  No idea.  I know God had a lot to do with it.  As for me, I can't think of any planning I said 10 years back that was this direction.  God is good.

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