These are approximate numbers for now using just the page counts. As some pages were actually two comics in one, there were more comics created than what's reflected here. I'll post a more accurate break down later.
Warm-up:
Comics: 52
Short form Pre-drawn:
Comics: 38
Kids: 10
Hybrid:
Comics: 34
Kids: 9
Short form Original:
Comics: 36
Kids: 11
Non-linear:
Comics: 10
Kids: 10
Long form pre-drawn:
Comics: 59
Kids: 12
Endurance:
Comics: 534
Kids: 12
Infinity:
Comics: 35
Tournament total = 798
The first tournament only had 363 comics, meaning that this tournament produced over twice as many! I am quite pleased with this result.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Template Update
The Templates page has been updated with 8 more OO templates. I also updated the drop down bar on the front page.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Comics and Community Service, Part 4
(You can read Part 3 here.)
Fleen has an interesting article here about a recent debate between "old school" editorial cartoonists and several well known Internet cartoonists. One line that stuck out: "One point that seems to be close to consensus is that the editorial cartoonists are boned in the internet age."
This got me thinking about what paradigm the next generation of cartoonists will have regarding their approach to comics and the potential influence comic-oriented community service projects like the CCP can have.
The classical view, represented by Ted Rall, is that giving away your product for free is bad, since it cheapens the value. The common Internet view, represented by Rich Stevens (a supporter of the CCP) and others, is that putting your work online is a cost effective branding approach.
(There also appears to be some who try and distinguish those who do "cartooning" with those who do "comics." Clearly, every artist who creates comics is also a cartoonist, though not all cartoonists do comics. Trying to separate comic makers from the field of cartooning - or worse, treating them as occupying "lesser positions" - is silly at best and purposeless elitism at worst.)
The key difference is valuation: Ted Rall says that the comic itself is the main commodity, while Rich Stevens says that the comic is a means to an end, which is selling the surrounding merchandise. I side with Stevens on this: a service oriented business model, where the core product is free and profit is derived from surrounding peripherals (ads, t-shirts, etc.), has proven successful in many new businesses (Google, for one).
Ted Rall is very clearly wrong when he says bringing things offline would improve matters. While wages may increase, this gain would come at the price of fewer cartoonists being able to release their work and a qualitative decrease in value as the diversity of viewpoints shrank to an infinitesimal point. Syndicates and newspapers have already come under fire for their lack of interest in appealing to broad markets - and it's broad appeal that has bolstered webcomicsto higher and higher levels of overall success.
Rall's idea is fundamentally anti-capitalist: a free market thrives on competition from many sources. He suggests that having a handful of major syndicates determining which cartoons see the light of day would be better than numerous small entrepreneurs presenting their work for all to see. That kind of "corporatism of cartoons" is to the detriment of both the creator and the reader, the same way the RIAA and MPAA's control of music and movies has been to the detriment of the entertainment industry.
Any decent comic program today should mention the Internet. Young cartoonists who want to get a head start on publishing experience would do well to seek their fortunes there. As one playwright said, "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." Unlike the traditional publishing world that values formal credentials and experience, the Internet community judges a person largely by content. On the Internet, no one knows if you're 50 or 15 - and they tend not to care.
Where I struggle with the issue is in how much of it to bring into the CCP. The comic project is first and foremost a creative writing program. So going on too much about publishing muddies the water.
I have made an effort to inform children that the Internet hosts the majority of all new comic creations and to promote them to post their art online free for all to view. It's why I have released all the artwork created by the students to the Creative Commons license. (One thing that keeps me from putting the CCP under the Creative Commons is I'm not sure if I could then still use webcomic art covered by traditional copyright.)
I also point out the many shining stars that have risen thanks to their Internet fame. Kazu Kibuishi is one such example: would any newspaper have ever printed Copper, arguably one of the greatest works of cartoon art since the turn of the century? Would the Flight anthology be a compilation well known to every cartoonist in the country without the Internet? (Seriously, if you ever meet someone who considers themselves knowledgeable about cartooning and they haven't heard of either Kibuishi or Flight, they're just pretending.)
Another issue with raising these points in the CCP is the risk of demagoguery: as William G once asked me, "Is the point of this to evangelize comics or is it to help people in need?" I speak of mentioning the Internet not to imbue kids with a sense of revolution, but to prepare them for the way things are. For example, you wouldn't teach a course on the US Constitution using books from the mid-1950's - you'd be missing 5 amendments! Likewise, you shouldn't teach kids about avenues of publicity for their comic idea as though the Internet doesn't exist.
The best way to counter Rall's out-dated economic model of cartooning is through education. Webcomic creators who've volunteered their time to help the next generation find their comic voice are in an excellent position to open the minds of their students to the concept of posting their art online. If this position of authority is used responsibly, the cartoon free market of the Internet can be preserved.
Fleen has an interesting article here about a recent debate between "old school" editorial cartoonists and several well known Internet cartoonists. One line that stuck out: "One point that seems to be close to consensus is that the editorial cartoonists are boned in the internet age."
This got me thinking about what paradigm the next generation of cartoonists will have regarding their approach to comics and the potential influence comic-oriented community service projects like the CCP can have.
The classical view, represented by Ted Rall, is that giving away your product for free is bad, since it cheapens the value. The common Internet view, represented by Rich Stevens (a supporter of the CCP) and others, is that putting your work online is a cost effective branding approach.
(There also appears to be some who try and distinguish those who do "cartooning" with those who do "comics." Clearly, every artist who creates comics is also a cartoonist, though not all cartoonists do comics. Trying to separate comic makers from the field of cartooning - or worse, treating them as occupying "lesser positions" - is silly at best and purposeless elitism at worst.)
The key difference is valuation: Ted Rall says that the comic itself is the main commodity, while Rich Stevens says that the comic is a means to an end, which is selling the surrounding merchandise. I side with Stevens on this: a service oriented business model, where the core product is free and profit is derived from surrounding peripherals (ads, t-shirts, etc.), has proven successful in many new businesses (Google, for one).
Ted Rall is very clearly wrong when he says bringing things offline would improve matters. While wages may increase, this gain would come at the price of fewer cartoonists being able to release their work and a qualitative decrease in value as the diversity of viewpoints shrank to an infinitesimal point. Syndicates and newspapers have already come under fire for their lack of interest in appealing to broad markets - and it's broad appeal that has bolstered webcomicsto higher and higher levels of overall success.
Rall's idea is fundamentally anti-capitalist: a free market thrives on competition from many sources. He suggests that having a handful of major syndicates determining which cartoons see the light of day would be better than numerous small entrepreneurs presenting their work for all to see. That kind of "corporatism of cartoons" is to the detriment of both the creator and the reader, the same way the RIAA and MPAA's control of music and movies has been to the detriment of the entertainment industry.
Any decent comic program today should mention the Internet. Young cartoonists who want to get a head start on publishing experience would do well to seek their fortunes there. As one playwright said, "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." Unlike the traditional publishing world that values formal credentials and experience, the Internet community judges a person largely by content. On the Internet, no one knows if you're 50 or 15 - and they tend not to care.
Where I struggle with the issue is in how much of it to bring into the CCP. The comic project is first and foremost a creative writing program. So going on too much about publishing muddies the water.
I have made an effort to inform children that the Internet hosts the majority of all new comic creations and to promote them to post their art online free for all to view. It's why I have released all the artwork created by the students to the Creative Commons license. (One thing that keeps me from putting the CCP under the Creative Commons is I'm not sure if I could then still use webcomic art covered by traditional copyright.)
I also point out the many shining stars that have risen thanks to their Internet fame. Kazu Kibuishi is one such example: would any newspaper have ever printed Copper, arguably one of the greatest works of cartoon art since the turn of the century? Would the Flight anthology be a compilation well known to every cartoonist in the country without the Internet? (Seriously, if you ever meet someone who considers themselves knowledgeable about cartooning and they haven't heard of either Kibuishi or Flight, they're just pretending.)
Another issue with raising these points in the CCP is the risk of demagoguery: as William G once asked me, "Is the point of this to evangelize comics or is it to help people in need?" I speak of mentioning the Internet not to imbue kids with a sense of revolution, but to prepare them for the way things are. For example, you wouldn't teach a course on the US Constitution using books from the mid-1950's - you'd be missing 5 amendments! Likewise, you shouldn't teach kids about avenues of publicity for their comic idea as though the Internet doesn't exist.
The best way to counter Rall's out-dated economic model of cartooning is through education. Webcomic creators who've volunteered their time to help the next generation find their comic voice are in an excellent position to open the minds of their students to the concept of posting their art online. If this position of authority is used responsibly, the cartoon free market of the Internet can be preserved.
Monday, March 24, 2008
3/10/08 Workshop Thank You Note
I got a nice "Thank you" note from the Human Service Center the other day. I thought I'd share some of it:
"Thank you so much for coming to the HSCC and doing an activity with the kids...I hear it was a hit! The kids really enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed it, too. Please let me know if you want to come back this summer. Thanks!"
A nice touch on their part - one I hadn't encountered before or even expected to. Clearly, the HSC has experience in retaining new volunteers. I'll be getting in touch with them for summer volunteering later on.
"Thank you so much for coming to the HSCC and doing an activity with the kids...I hear it was a hit! The kids really enjoyed it. I hope you enjoyed it, too. Please let me know if you want to come back this summer. Thanks!"
A nice touch on their part - one I hadn't encountered before or even expected to. Clearly, the HSC has experience in retaining new volunteers. I'll be getting in touch with them for summer volunteering later on.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
3/8/08 Comic Tournament II: Pictures
The Tournament gallery has been given a massive update. Pictures from all seven events, the warm-up, and the award ceremony have all been added. The tournament gallery won't be updated again for a bit, probably not until next March assuming I can get another grant.
Last time, it took me almost 2 months to get the tournament photos posted. This time, I didn't have moving in the way. Also, I've started making greater use of Adobe Photoshop's macros and batch functions to get the photos processed faster.
Last time, it took me almost 2 months to get the tournament photos posted. This time, I didn't have moving in the way. Also, I've started making greater use of Adobe Photoshop's macros and batch functions to get the photos processed faster.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Templates Update
The Templates page has been updated again. Nine Tsunami Channel templates have been added.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Comic Making Tournament II: Template Breakdown
No numbers from the CMT II yet - a HW and a final have kept me from sorting all the papers I collected. I can definitely say that this tournament easily produced over twice as many comics as the previous one.
Here's a breakdown of which comics I used for each event. Compared to the number of different templates used in the first tournament, you can see a definite increase in variety. This paid off most with the Long-form event, which went much smoother this time.
Warm-up:
8-Bit Theater
And Shine Heaven Now
Awkward Zombie
Daisy is Dead
Faking Life
Girl Genius
Lil Formers
Narbonic
No Pink Ponies
Okashina Okashi
Piled Higher and Deeper
Planet Karen
Punks and Nerds
Questionable Content
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Shortpacked
Something Like Life
Tracy and Tristan
Tsunami Channel
Venus Envy
xkcd
Short-form Pre-drawn:
Annie
Chugworth Academy
Coffee Achievers
Demonology 101
Dicebox
Goats
Jellaby
Lil' Mell
Lovarian Adventures
Okashina Okashi
Phoenix
Questionable Content
Saturnalia
Seasons of Constancy
Skinhorse
Tea Club
Templar, AZ
Unshelved
Venus Envy
Zombies Calling
Short-form Hybrid:
Dinosaur Comics
Fans!
Freshmen 15
Ghastly's Ghastly Comic
Krakow
No Rest for the Wicked
Okashina Okashi
Punks and Nerds
Resident Phreaks
Rob and Elliot
Sluggy Freelance
Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuuki
Long-form Pre-drawn:
Applegeeks
Copper
Cosmobear
Dr. McNinja
Flight
Endurance:
And Shine Heaven Now
Applegeeks
Awkward Zombie
Chaos Punks
Chugworth Academy
College Roomies From Hell
Cool Cat Studios
Demonology 101
Dreamland Chronicles
Dr. McNinja
Flight
Flipside
Ghost Hunters
Hate Song
I Come From Mars
Ice
Jellaby
Krakow
Lil Dee
Lil Formers
Mac Hall
Marilith
No Pink Ponies
Okashina Okashi
Penny & Aggie
Penny Arcade
Piled Higher and Deeper
Planet Karen
Punks and Nerds
Rob and Elliot
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Sluggy Freelance
Stubble
Tsunami Channel
Venus Envy
World of Orenda
Zombies Calling
Here's a breakdown of which comics I used for each event. Compared to the number of different templates used in the first tournament, you can see a definite increase in variety. This paid off most with the Long-form event, which went much smoother this time.
Warm-up:
8-Bit Theater
And Shine Heaven Now
Awkward Zombie
Daisy is Dead
Faking Life
Girl Genius
Lil Formers
Narbonic
No Pink Ponies
Okashina Okashi
Piled Higher and Deeper
Planet Karen
Punks and Nerds
Questionable Content
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Shortpacked
Something Like Life
Tracy and Tristan
Tsunami Channel
Venus Envy
xkcd
Short-form Pre-drawn:
Annie
Chugworth Academy
Coffee Achievers
Demonology 101
Dicebox
Goats
Jellaby
Lil' Mell
Lovarian Adventures
Okashina Okashi
Phoenix
Questionable Content
Saturnalia
Seasons of Constancy
Skinhorse
Tea Club
Templar, AZ
Unshelved
Venus Envy
Zombies Calling
Short-form Hybrid:
Dinosaur Comics
Fans!
Freshmen 15
Ghastly's Ghastly Comic
Krakow
No Rest for the Wicked
Okashina Okashi
Punks and Nerds
Resident Phreaks
Rob and Elliot
Sluggy Freelance
Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuuki
Long-form Pre-drawn:
Applegeeks
Copper
Cosmobear
Dr. McNinja
Flight
Endurance:
And Shine Heaven Now
Applegeeks
Awkward Zombie
Chaos Punks
Chugworth Academy
College Roomies From Hell
Cool Cat Studios
Demonology 101
Dreamland Chronicles
Dr. McNinja
Flight
Flipside
Ghost Hunters
Hate Song
I Come From Mars
Ice
Jellaby
Krakow
Lil Dee
Lil Formers
Mac Hall
Marilith
No Pink Ponies
Okashina Okashi
Penny & Aggie
Penny Arcade
Piled Higher and Deeper
Planet Karen
Punks and Nerds
Rob and Elliot
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Sluggy Freelance
Stubble
Tsunami Channel
Venus Envy
World of Orenda
Zombies Calling
Templates Update
The Templates page has been updated with the 5 new blank templates. These are much more dynamic than the others, being designed for lessons in full page layout, as opposed to the more rigid 2x2, 2x3, and 2x4 layouts used by comics. More templates will be added soon.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
3/13/08 Pictures
The Workshop gallery has been updated again. Pictures from the 3/13 workshop at Braddock have been added. 30 pictures in all with a panorama of the room from later in the workshop. As you can tell, I love using the stitch assist function on my digital camera.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Site Updates
The About page has been updated. Both the New Haven Register and New Haven Advocate articles have gone offline, so I removed the links. I've uploaded PDF versions of both articles so you can still read them. I added the ASPH announcement about the "This is Public Health" winners. There's also a link to this from TwinEnigma. What could that be for? More later.
I've updated the Video gallery to include all the recent video links.
I've updated the Video gallery to include all the recent video links.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
3/8/08 CMT II Video
Another CMT II video is up:
Warm-up and Introduction
This is the first of several long videos that will be made from editing down the ~4 hours of steady recording of the whole tournament. What I do is trim a lot of the dead air time when the kids are just writing comics and focus on the highlights. Since YouTube limits me to 10 minutes and 100 MB a clip, this sort of editing is necessary.
Warm-up and Introduction
This is the first of several long videos that will be made from editing down the ~4 hours of steady recording of the whole tournament. What I do is trim a lot of the dead air time when the kids are just writing comics and focus on the highlights. Since YouTube limits me to 10 minutes and 100 MB a clip, this sort of editing is necessary.
3/10/08 Pictures
The Workshop gallery has been updated with pictures from the 3/10 workshop at the Human Service Center. 30-some pictures in all including a stitched together panorama that shows you the room I held the activity in.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
3/13/08 Workshop
The 3/13 workshop, the first the Braddock Carnegie Library, was another success. I can see why it was recommended to me that I volunteer there. It's a small library with only a handful of staff and is situated in what's clearly an economically struggling area of Greater Pittsburgh.
Along with the Human Service Center, I'll be considering starting a summer comic project there. One program Braddock has that caught my eye is where kids create their own zines on various topics, which are then displayed on the shelves alongside regular magazines. A workshop where the end goal is for kids to make their own comic books that are displayed by the library has a lot of potential. I may do this for the HSC, as well.
The numbers:
Kids: 11
Comics produced: 129
Average comics per student: 11.7
Series used: 14
8-Bit Theater
And Shine Heaven Now
Applegeeks
Chaos Punks
Coffee Achievers
College Roomies From Hell
Dr. McNinja
Lil' Formers
Narbonic
Okashina Okashi
Questionable Content
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Skinhorse
Unshelved
Pictures and videos will be forthcoming.
It hasn't been since May-June 2007 that I've had three major CCP events so close together. It's nice to be active like this again. The next CCP activity: National Public Health Week in April.
Along with the Human Service Center, I'll be considering starting a summer comic project there. One program Braddock has that caught my eye is where kids create their own zines on various topics, which are then displayed on the shelves alongside regular magazines. A workshop where the end goal is for kids to make their own comic books that are displayed by the library has a lot of potential. I may do this for the HSC, as well.
The numbers:
Kids: 11
Comics produced: 129
Average comics per student: 11.7
Series used: 14
8-Bit Theater
And Shine Heaven Now
Applegeeks
Chaos Punks
Coffee Achievers
College Roomies From Hell
Dr. McNinja
Lil' Formers
Narbonic
Okashina Okashi
Questionable Content
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Skinhorse
Unshelved
Pictures and videos will be forthcoming.
It hasn't been since May-June 2007 that I've had three major CCP events so close together. It's nice to be active like this again. The next CCP activity: National Public Health Week in April.
Two Comics Join!
Two big names in webcomics have recently joined the CCP: Diesel Sweeties by Richard Stevens and Scary Go Round by John Allison!
I'd originally asked Richard for permission to use DS. He then mentioned the CCP to his friend John, who also gave me permission. This is another reason why webcomics are such a great resource for this sort of learning activity: the connections between artists are strong and, as several comic historians have noted, far more so now than in the early days of independent publishing.
I'd originally asked Richard for permission to use DS. He then mentioned the CCP to his friend John, who also gave me permission. This is another reason why webcomics are such a great resource for this sort of learning activity: the connections between artists are strong and, as several comic historians have noted, far more so now than in the early days of independent publishing.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
3/8/08 Comic Tournament II Videos
I've uploaded the four short videos I shot of the second tournament. For the tournament, I used two cameras: one I carried with me for photos and another that remained stationary on a tripod. I took these with the camera I also used for photos, allowing me more dynamic shots.
All of these videos are from the Endurance event:
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Videos from the other camera will be longer in coming, as I need to edit them for time.
All of these videos are from the Endurance event:
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Videos from the other camera will be longer in coming, as I need to edit them for time.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
3/10/08 Videos
The four videos from the 3/10/08 Workshop have been posted to YouTube:
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4 - "Inspire!"
The last one is just a very short clip of one of the students being silly.
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4 - "Inspire!"
The last one is just a very short clip of one of the students being silly.
3/10/08 Workshop
The 3/10 Workshop, the first at the Human Service Center, went well. The facilities are quite nice and the staff is friendly and relatively easy going.
The numbers:
Kids: 8
Comics produced: 92
Average comics per student: 11.5
Series used: 9
Chugworth Academy
Flight
Lil Formers
Mac Hall
Okashina Okashi
Planet Karen
Punks and Nerds
Questionable Content
Shortpacked
I also used the five new blank templates so kids could draw their own. There were two halves to the workshop: a warm-up pacing exercise and an exercise in matching words to the images using the 6 questions. The Can of Inspiration was quite helpful to several of them.
I'd originally been told to expect 5-6 kids, so getting 8 was a bonus. They were generally well behaved, except for a couple who liked to talk more than draw (there are always a few kids like that). Pictures and video were taken and will be uploaded soon.
Based on this workshop, I can definitely say I'll be volunteering to participate in HSC's summer program, which will have me putting together a 10-week comic program for 15-20 students. It'll be nice to get back into doing weekly sessions instead of these stand alone workshops.
The numbers:
Kids: 8
Comics produced: 92
Average comics per student: 11.5
Series used: 9
Chugworth Academy
Flight
Lil Formers
Mac Hall
Okashina Okashi
Planet Karen
Punks and Nerds
Questionable Content
Shortpacked
I also used the five new blank templates so kids could draw their own. There were two halves to the workshop: a warm-up pacing exercise and an exercise in matching words to the images using the 6 questions. The Can of Inspiration was quite helpful to several of them.
I'd originally been told to expect 5-6 kids, so getting 8 was a bonus. They were generally well behaved, except for a couple who liked to talk more than draw (there are always a few kids like that). Pictures and video were taken and will be uploaded soon.
Based on this workshop, I can definitely say I'll be volunteering to participate in HSC's summer program, which will have me putting together a 10-week comic program for 15-20 students. It'll be nice to get back into doing weekly sessions instead of these stand alone workshops.
Gallery Update
The Tournament gallery has been updated with some more pre-tourney photos of the prizes. I'm still working on getting images and video of the tournament itself ready for upload.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Comic Making Tournament II: Prelim Report
Some early thoughts for right now; I'll have more detailed analysis later on.
The second tournament was a run away success! About 20 kids participated, with several walking in and out during different events for an average of 10 - 15 at a time. This was higher attendance than the first tournament, which by the end only had a handful of participants. One reason for the higher turn out is the time spent advertising: fliers for the event had been circulating for about 3 months, giving plenty of time for word of mouth to spread. I'll follow a similar method next time.
I'm still tallying the template totals, but early indicators is that the totals will completely blow away the first tournament. The variety of comics used is also staggering: nearly every comic that's part of the CCP (60+) was represented in the tournament. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time for clean up, so I ended up losing a few templates, plus the overall ranking sheets and satisfaction surveys. Those were the only casualties, though.
I managed to record nearly the entire tournament. I'll spend time sifting through the ~26 gigs of video for highlights to post to YouTube (I told everyone I was going to post the images online - no objections from the parents). Some 180 pictures were taken of all the events and the award ceremony. Those will also be sorted through and posted in good time.
Of the new events (hybrid, non-linear, and the card game), non-linear was the most popular and will definitely be coming back. Hybrid went well, though I'll shrink it down a little to give more time for other events.
The card game had mixed results - it's not very suited to large groups. I'll probably use the card game as a classroom activity rather than a tournament activity in the future. It has potential as a stand alone activity, though I need to work on a quick and succinct manner to explain its rules.
The prizes did well. The tote bag was the most popular item, along with the t-shirts and mug. "Jellaby" was the most sought after book. The grand prize for largest overall score was the complete "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman in a shiny box set. Most of the kids had seen "Golden Compass," so this was a good choice.
I kept to a "1 prize, 1 kid" policy (except for 1st place, which I allowed multiple awards for) to keep things fair and give everyone a shot at a larger prize. For the next tournament, I have some prizes left over that'll be used again. Additionally, "Little Dee" volume 1 came in Saturday and 3 webcomic shirts I ordered still haven't come in.
(Sorry for the delay in posting. I would've posted last night, but my flight out of Bradley was delayed due to the storm. I finally flew out this morning, having had to stay in a hotel with no Internet access.)
The second tournament was a run away success! About 20 kids participated, with several walking in and out during different events for an average of 10 - 15 at a time. This was higher attendance than the first tournament, which by the end only had a handful of participants. One reason for the higher turn out is the time spent advertising: fliers for the event had been circulating for about 3 months, giving plenty of time for word of mouth to spread. I'll follow a similar method next time.
I'm still tallying the template totals, but early indicators is that the totals will completely blow away the first tournament. The variety of comics used is also staggering: nearly every comic that's part of the CCP (60+) was represented in the tournament. Unfortunately, I didn't have much time for clean up, so I ended up losing a few templates, plus the overall ranking sheets and satisfaction surveys. Those were the only casualties, though.
I managed to record nearly the entire tournament. I'll spend time sifting through the ~26 gigs of video for highlights to post to YouTube (I told everyone I was going to post the images online - no objections from the parents). Some 180 pictures were taken of all the events and the award ceremony. Those will also be sorted through and posted in good time.
Of the new events (hybrid, non-linear, and the card game), non-linear was the most popular and will definitely be coming back. Hybrid went well, though I'll shrink it down a little to give more time for other events.
The card game had mixed results - it's not very suited to large groups. I'll probably use the card game as a classroom activity rather than a tournament activity in the future. It has potential as a stand alone activity, though I need to work on a quick and succinct manner to explain its rules.
The prizes did well. The tote bag was the most popular item, along with the t-shirts and mug. "Jellaby" was the most sought after book. The grand prize for largest overall score was the complete "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman in a shiny box set. Most of the kids had seen "Golden Compass," so this was a good choice.
I kept to a "1 prize, 1 kid" policy (except for 1st place, which I allowed multiple awards for) to keep things fair and give everyone a shot at a larger prize. For the next tournament, I have some prizes left over that'll be used again. Additionally, "Little Dee" volume 1 came in Saturday and 3 webcomic shirts I ordered still haven't come in.
(Sorry for the delay in posting. I would've posted last night, but my flight out of Bradley was delayed due to the storm. I finally flew out this morning, having had to stay in a hotel with no Internet access.)
Friday, March 7, 2008
Comic Making Tournament II: Final Preparations
It's the night before the tournament and I'm now in New Haven. All the major template groups have been finalized and even some preliminary photocopying. Final tasks include sorting out the panels to use for the hybrid event and those to use for the card game, finishing up a satisfaction survey, and getting together an accessory item for the card game event.
When I get there, I'll have about 1 hour to get ready. In that time I need to photocopy the template groups, the card game rules, and survey. Then I need to setup the camera (I've got one that'll be recording the whole tournament), tables, and supplies. I'm prepping for 20, though I expect fewer.
According to the librarians, they've asked a reporter from a local paper to be there. So if I'm lucky there may be another news article on the CCP, which would be helpful in securing a second small grant.
And when I get back the fun continues: the 3/10 and 3/13 workshops have gotten final confirmation (it always help to check the week before just in case a site experiences unexpected problems). I'll be prepping for those Sunday, using a revised version of the 12/29 workshop design.
When I get there, I'll have about 1 hour to get ready. In that time I need to photocopy the template groups, the card game rules, and survey. Then I need to setup the camera (I've got one that'll be recording the whole tournament), tables, and supplies. I'm prepping for 20, though I expect fewer.
According to the librarians, they've asked a reporter from a local paper to be there. So if I'm lucky there may be another news article on the CCP, which would be helpful in securing a second small grant.
And when I get back the fun continues: the 3/10 and 3/13 workshops have gotten final confirmation (it always help to check the week before just in case a site experiences unexpected problems). I'll be prepping for those Sunday, using a revised version of the 12/29 workshop design.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Gallery Update
The Tournament gallery now has some pictures of the templates I'll be using. Not all of them will be used, of course, but it gives you a good visual of just how many templates I've made for this.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Comic Making Tournament II: Countdown
Days to the tournament: 4
Days until I get on a plane to fly over there: 3
As time grows short, I've been getting the templates organized and ready for the 7 events. According to the New Haven Library, I should expect ~20 children as they've been heavily advertising the event to local schools. I'm also receiving some PR help by the Dixwell-Yale Community Learning Center and PACK, a parent-child program run by the tournament's main sponor, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
Each event will have groups of templates, with each group having different templates. The number of templates in each group varies by event. The breakdown right now:
Warm-up: 4 groups of 6 templates (4 1 panel comics, 1 4 panel, and 1 full page)
Short form pre-drawn: 5 groups of 4 templates
Short form hybrid: 5 groups of 4 templates
Short form original: 5 groups of 4 templates (including 5 new blank template designs)
Short form nonlinear: varies (each student gets 5 panels at random and makes 1 comic)
Long form pre-drawn: 5 groups of 5 templates
Endurance: 5 groups of 60 templates
CCP Infinity: N/A
In all, about 389 different comic templates will be used, plus 8 different blank templates. I'm going for maximum diversity and so far I've incorporated nearly every comic series I have templates for (including Cool Cat Studios, which I got to at the last minute). Assuming I get 20 participants, it's possible (though unlikely) for the event to produce over 1000 comics.
One area of concern: the weather. Friday and Saturday are my arrival and departure days. In New Haven, there's going to be rain, which should only delay the flight at most. However, Pittsburgh is going to be experiencing snow Friday afternoon, which could interfere. I'm hoping I don't have to deal with a canceled flight.
Days until I get on a plane to fly over there: 3
As time grows short, I've been getting the templates organized and ready for the 7 events. According to the New Haven Library, I should expect ~20 children as they've been heavily advertising the event to local schools. I'm also receiving some PR help by the Dixwell-Yale Community Learning Center and PACK, a parent-child program run by the tournament's main sponor, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
Each event will have groups of templates, with each group having different templates. The number of templates in each group varies by event. The breakdown right now:
Warm-up: 4 groups of 6 templates (4 1 panel comics, 1 4 panel, and 1 full page)
Short form pre-drawn: 5 groups of 4 templates
Short form hybrid: 5 groups of 4 templates
Short form original: 5 groups of 4 templates (including 5 new blank template designs)
Short form nonlinear: varies (each student gets 5 panels at random and makes 1 comic)
Long form pre-drawn: 5 groups of 5 templates
Endurance: 5 groups of 60 templates
CCP Infinity: N/A
In all, about 389 different comic templates will be used, plus 8 different blank templates. I'm going for maximum diversity and so far I've incorporated nearly every comic series I have templates for (including Cool Cat Studios, which I got to at the last minute). Assuming I get 20 participants, it's possible (though unlikely) for the event to produce over 1000 comics.
One area of concern: the weather. Friday and Saturday are my arrival and departure days. In New Haven, there's going to be rain, which should only delay the flight at most. However, Pittsburgh is going to be experiencing snow Friday afternoon, which could interfere. I'm hoping I don't have to deal with a canceled flight.
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