Whitechapel - The Emma Vieceli Residency

The Emma Vieceli Residency

warrenellis — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 06:38:55 -0800

Emma Vieceli is one of the busiest creators most people don't yet know about. Founder member of comics collective Sweatdrop, Emma's done graphic novel adaptations of Shakespeare, created a series for the groundbreaking and fondly-remembered kid's comic THE DFC, taught and run workshops, had a piece in COMIC BOOK TATTOO and many other anthologies, and is currently running DRAGON HEIR as a popular webcomic.

She's a writer, an artist, a publisher, a teacher, an organiser (Comics Village at the London MCM Expo? That's her)... and a proper Essex comicker like what I am.

And she's very kindly agreed to sit in here for a week, talk about her work, answer questions on pretty much anything, post pretty pictures, drop links, and basically do whatever she wants.

(There are a lot of beginning artists here. I say to you: Em knows everything. Ask questions.)

Say hello to Emma now.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:29:21 -0800

Heeyyyyyy!
Essex comickers MASSIIIIIVE! *hi five*

Thanks so much for the lovely intro, Warren....though I had hoped to conceal my omniscient nature for a while longer XD

*ahem* Clearly I don't know everything, guys, but if you're a budding creator or just want to chit chat about some alternative routes into the industry over a virtual cuppa, then this is the place, and I'd love to hear from you!

Starting as an indie presser, and as someone who still keeps up the indepenent work alongside my contracted work (because I'm mad like that) I can certainly offer input on small press, working on your own projects and getting your work out there if you'd like. Along with the bits Warren has already mentioned (Shakespeare/CBT/DFC/dragon heir) I've also worked on My Little Pony (not with knives, Warren!), Princess Ai with Tokyopop, a Phonogram B-side with the lovely Jamie McGillen (Gillen and McKelvie), am a regular contributor to the wonderful ImagineFX magazine, have a pretty large project with Oni Press coming up this year, and am currently working with a French publisher on developing an original magazine project called Bella Nolita which is shaping up to look pretty cool!
I also have a couple of the standard I-wish-I-could-Tell-You-About projects in the pipes, including a small something with Marvel...so it's shaping up to be a busy year.

But it also, and more importantly for this thread, means I hope I have a wide enough spectrum of experience to be able to offer something of interest to you guys!

*starts boiling up the kettle*
So, who wants a brew? Let's get this tea party started ^_^

The Emma Vieceli Residency

chinklet — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:39:41 -0800

hey emma,

I just quit my job and am thinking of going back to school for a sequential art course with a focus on comic writing (my job was a creative suckhole). I've been slowly, neurotically working on a graphic novel script and getting back into sketching etc. but I was wondering if you have any other useful tips for someone getting back into the game besides practice and the usual suspects.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Samita Chatterjee — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:48:24 -0800

Helloo Emma!

Starting as an indie presser, and as someone who still keeps up the indepenent work alongside my contracted work (because I'm mad like that) I can certainly offer input on small press, working on your own projects and getting your work out there if you'd like.

I'd definitely like to hear your inputs on small press and getting work out there! How it was for you when you started off...

And I'd love to hear more about balancing contractual work with your own independent ones. Does it come down to taking on less contractual work so you have time for the other things etc? Does the contractual ones help pay for the independent ones? Or do the independent ones mostly pay for themselves? [I am worse than a beginner probably, sorry if the questions are lame, but Warren said...]

Glad you're doing this, looking forward to your posts!

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Samita Chatterjee — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:49:54 -0800

Oh yes, Chinklet's post reminded me of another question. A lot of people have a lot varied opinions re art school, what is yours?

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Ariana — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:51:07 -0800

Good morning, Emma! Speaking of events, organising and etc: Can I get you to pop up your tentative UK events schedule for 2010 (where Emma's gonna be doing wot) so it's here on the first page?

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Welland — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:51:58 -0800

What tips would you give anyone about to dive head first into creating a webcomic.

also milk no sugar I'm.....cough......I'm sweet enough...............sorry.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:02:37 -0800

Hi Chinklet ^_^
First off - wow - good for you! Sounds like changes are afoot! Best of luck with it all.

(EDIT - samita, I wrote all of this before realising other people had jumped in, haha..but the first part should answer your later question a bit! ^_^)

Art/comics education is an interesting talking point for me, as I come from a slightly weird angle on it. Personally, my training was in English Literature and performing arts. I spent a few years working in the theatre and television before I even dreamed that comics could be a career option! As a result, I stopped any form of art education before I even hit my GCSEs....so, my entire art education amounts to 'watching cartoons and reading comics' XD

Now, don't get me wrong: I know that had I gone through some form of specific training, I may well have moved faster and been more confident, so I'm not knocking it at all. But I always want people to realise that - whilst helpful - working into this crazy ol' industry can be done on your own merit, with no need of a certificate ^_^
The course will no doubt give you loads of experience and training though - and maybe even offer some helpful contacts, so I hope it all goes well!

Now, my advice is often towards artists more than writers, so I hope this helps you, but I'd say the key points I offer at workshops for really getting yourself out there:

1. Have a strong website - to artists I tend to say don't rely on DeviantArt and other gallery sites. Have one, sure! But to give off a professional feel, you should really look into having your own personalised domain as well. My own site is powered by Squarespace - which I recommend heartily! It looks to me like you've made a good start on your own space, so you're well away on that!

2. Network - that old chestnut! Thankfully, these days, networking doesn't even have to mean heading along to IRL events - though nothing can ever quite beat meeting people face-to-face for getting yourself embedded in their memory. We're networking right now, thanks to this forum...so being online, being on the right forums - this all counts towards networking.

3. As the great Wil Wheaton says: 'don't be a dick' :) This sounds obvious of course, but the flip side to the accessability and interactivity of the web is that there is also nowhere to hide! And though they say all publicity is good publicity, this isn't necessarily true. Being nice to people offers niceness in return. Karma is definitely at work in the comics industry, I think.

4. Be prepared to go it alone. I think many people dream of that big break of course, and hopefully you'll get yours! But there are different paths into the industry and, for a writer especially, showing that you can motivate, organise and push yourself will speak volumes to publishers. The slow and steady approach is more realistic than the meteoric rise to fame, and can offer a more satifying reward at the end of it in some ways. Self publishing and POD are great paths to go down while you wait for that magic moment...so be prepared to prove yourself. It's a really rewarding feeling!

5. Storytelling . You say you are getting 'back into' sketching, so I'm guessing you've drawn comics before? This may be obvious to you, but - to me -comics is all about storytelling. I see a lot of new artists keen to show off their skills, but they can get so carried away with the pretties that the storyflow and pacing gets lost somewhere. I'd rather see passionate and clear storytelling than perfect artwork that I can't follow - and many publishers are the same way. ^_^

Woah - I've already gone off on one! I'll stop now, haha. I really hope that's helped - but if it's something more specific you're after, or I've missed the point, feel free to ask more! ^_^

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:15:55 -0800

I'll jump to Ariana first as thath requires the most leg work, haha. Me and schedules don't mix well, as I discovered just yesterday when i realised I'd booked myself for 2 mad days straight after each other in February ;_;

Okay, so - let's see: Emsie's 'potential' convention calender:

Bolton - Midsummer Night's Dream Investigation - 27th February
Hi Ex - Inverness comic con - 27th/28th march <----I'm hoping to make this one, but it's not definite
Minami con - 16th/18th April
Bristol Comic Expo - 22nd/23rd May
London MCM Expo (like I could miss THAT! haha) - 29th/30th May
Nemacon - 18th/20th June
SDCC - 22/25th July
NYCC - 8th/10th October
BICS - 16th/17th October
London MCM Expo - 30th/31st October
ThoughtBubble - 19th/21st November

Most of those are positive, a couple are tentative. A lot depends on how my workload turns out this year...I tend not to plan too far ahead, so that's already an impressive list for me. There are a lot of smaller events and workshops in between, but they tend to be more private booking things. Let's stick with cons and events! ^_^

The Emma Vieceli Residency

kellysue — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:23:42 -0800

Hiya Lovely!

I've got a couple for you--I know we've talked before about the pros and cons of the manga stigma when it comes to getting work outside traditionally Japano-centric publishers. I just did a spate of interviews in support of the Sif one-shot and one of the questions I really tripped over was "How has your exposure to manga influenced your work?" Because of the incredibly diversity within that category, I felt like I was trying to say how working in comics had influenced my work... in comics. I wonder though, if I were a visual artist, would my answer be different? Are you able to articulate what it is about a particular visual style that reads "manga-influenced?" There's so much more to it than the irksome "big eyes" fanboy answer.

And on a more, um, Actor's Studio bent--What scares you, Emma Vieceli?

Mwah,

Kelly Soup

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:40:59 -0800

*sips tea*
Okay, continuing ^_^

Samita - Not lame questions at all! Don't worry ^_^ This is a space to chat, so don't feel bad about asking any questions!

Small press is phenomenally rewarding. There's nothing quite like the feeling of holding a comic in your hands that you know you and you alone have created! We don't do it for the money, but for the kicks. Indie press and Sweatdrop is where I get my 'fix' :) We used to joke that you're not a real comicker unless you've turned up to an event with papercuts on your hands because you were stapling your latest issue that morning, haha. There are so many events out there to help indie pressers get their work seen now. Combined with the internet, these events become lifelines for creators. Always expect to start small of course, but I can certainly recommend forming or joining a collective like Sweatdrop. We're pretty big now, and a registered publisher, but that's because we've been going for 8 years...when we started, we were ust a group of creators who wanted some support and motivation. Having people egging you on and pushing you harder is a HUGE advantage when you're working alone. Of course, even if you're not in a group, these days the internet and forums like this offer the same camradery in many ways. ^_^ The more events you appear at, the more hits your site gets, the more your name is known and the easier job you'll have of networking.
Running a webcomic version of your title is a method that's catching on now, and I'm trying it out with Dragon Heir of course. It's all about getting your name, and your work, seen.

Balancing work/hobby is HARD. I make no bones about this: you will not have a lot of time for much else if you choose this path ^_~ I have a VERY patient husband, haha. Much as I'd love to say the indie stuff pays for itself, it doesn't. Not yet. Of course, my aim with DH is to release the book version this year, and - as it's all mine - I will take 100% of the profits....so there's potential there. (If I was working POD (print on demand) I wouldn't even have to spend out on printing, buuuut I'm picky and have a certain printer in mind...so I'll take the hit for the sake of my book looking exactly as I want it.) However, paying work still has to take a front seat in life. Not that I'm complaining much about this as I've been very lucky. I learn a ton from working with publishers, and it's all fantastic experience that I can use to power my indie work. It helps that most of my contractual work has been stuff I've enjoyed as well ^_^ But yes, balancing is hard. I tend to work on sweatdrop work in between contracts or while I'm waiting for editor feedback. Sometimes, I'll spend all day working on contract pages, and then settle into an evening's comicking on SD work after it...0_o
But hell, it's all comics and I love it ^__^

Welland -
*proffers tea*
I feel funny talking about webcomics as it hasn't yet sunk in that I have one, haha. :) TBH, Dragon heir is a comic, online. Not really a webcomic. In a recent Sweatdrop podcast we got talking about how in the coming year there may need to be a categorisation between webcomic and digital comic, as - to me - a webcomic is something short, punchy and episodic. It may be funny, it may be serious, but it should be something fast and digestible and preferable standalone each time...Dragon Heir is none of the above, haha. It follows more of a (dare I say it) Freakangels vibe. An ongoing story, clearly designed for print, but available to read online. What I would maybe class a 'digital comic'.
So , i guess first things first is - are you making a webcomic or a digital comic? :)

Both require a good host. I've found smackjeeves to be very easy to use, but prefer hosting on my own site.
Both also require some really strong hooks. In webcomics, I'd say humour and quotability become really important. Something people can show their mates or talk about. Something people can connect to. Be wary of diary-style webcomics. Creators like Marc Ellerby and Adam Cadwell do these really well, but it can also be dangerous ground to write a comic about 'me and my friends and our injokes', as many people out there just won't get it.
Digital comics, the sort you need people to come back and read more chapters of, present a whole different challenge. I definitely think longer chapters work on these overall...freakangels again is a good example of this and I followed suit for Dragon Heir. Also, character becomes extra important. If your readers don't care about the characters, they won't come back. Characters are the guides to a story, so - more so than in a book - digital comics need characters that can grab readers and make them want to come back.
Mirror your updates! I find posting links places like twitter and LJ when Dragon Heir updates really helps me pull in some hits.

Just my thoughts...but I hope they help ^_^

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:24:58 -0800

Heyyyyyy, Kelly Soup *hug*
- I need to have a mull over that one, haha. I'll come back to you on it *twitch twitch*. I can't believe they still asked you that in reference to Sif. Especially as a writer! But then, I guess as a writer who's worked in manga before, you must only know how to write Giant Mecha, right? ^_~
It's okay, guys - I'm joking, I'm joking!!
But seriously, it's a good question and one I'll totally come back to ^_^

In the meantime, I thought it may be cool to share some linkies/piccies with you guys so that you have something to browse whilst you savour your virtual cuppa:

1. for those of you wondering what this Dragon Heir thing is I keep mentioning - here's a link to the latest chapter online. You may want to jump to the webcomic link at the top and start from the beginning if you've not read any before^_^

2. If you like prints, I haz some prints for sale over at my site. Here's a linkie ^_

3. To take a look-see at some of the projects I've been/am involved with - feel free to peruse my scrapbook. It's kind of a pictoral resume with links to view/purchase most projects. Not entirely up to date, but almost! Click the totally random semi-naked woman ^_~

4. ComicBook signature is a rather nifty project that allows you to buy customisable, personalised sketch books from several artists - myself included.

5. SHHHHHH - utterly cheeky little tease of what the art on the Bella Nolita comic is looking like...it's something a little stylish and funky and I'm really liking it. See what you think ^_^

That'll do for now, methinks. On with the questions ^_^

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Paul Duffield — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:57:52 -0800

Hello ^___^/
I have but one burning question... can I have Blankets back? XD

The Emma Vieceli Residency

mimi-evelyn — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:42:23 -0800

What's the hardest thing you've ever drawn and why?

(I'm going for broke hereXD)

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:27:32 -0800

*new round of tea*

Paul - LOL touche - yeah, alright XD We'll do an exchange of that and Silent Hill when you guys are here, haha! Damn. I'm gonna have to buy a copy now >_<

Mimi - Hullooooo!
Ooooh, hardest thing? hmmm. I find backgrounds really challenging, but mostly that's a patience thing. I'm really bad for that. In fact, if you take a look at the teaser shot above of the French comic, that building took faaaaaar too long to draw XD Buuut, that's about my patience threshhold more than actual difficulty maybe.
I remember this shot from Much Ado About Nothing frustrating me a lot because of the angle as well as the complicated (for me) structure.

Otherwise - This may sound funny, but actually, My Little Pony was really difficult! haha. I was working from a style sheet and the characters had to look so spot-on to it that they were a real challenge.
In broader terms, I'd say parts of the Manga Shakespeares were really difficult in that I had to come up with ways of bringing out a subtext visually...very tricky in some cases.
I know in myself that I can technically apply myself to anything, any of us can, often what holds us back is our patience, and mine is awful. I get frustrated if I spend too long on one thing. I need to teach myself to spend longer on things XD XD

The Emma Vieceli Residency

steevo — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:16:08 -0800

Hi Emma,

Thanks for coming through and offering ideas and proffering teas.

How personal of a journey is it from amateur to professional in a line of business like yours? In other words, do you think everyone gets there in their own way or is there a pretty set path to making some money with your art or writing or both? My guess is somewhere in the middle, but its the details that I'm really after.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

helloMuller — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:32:16 -0800

I keep thinking of something to ask, but I can't come up with anything useful. So, in the meantime — Hi Emma!

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Jeff Owens — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:26:20 -0800

Thanks for doing this!

In an earlier post, you talked about diary-style comics, and what to stay away from. I know you cited Ellerby and Cadwell as good examples, but as someone doing a daily auto-bio comic that is dangerously close to what you described, do you have any advice on what could make the life of a "normal" person fun to read?

Hopefully this isn't too much of a rehash of the previous question.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

adaengine — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:09:39 -0800

Hi Emma! Thank you for answering these questions.

I hope this one doesn't sound too general or dumb, but what are your thoughts about story pacing (or developing a pacing technique as a comics writer)? I write with an artist friend--go small press!--and one of the things that I find the most difficult is coming up with a consistent pace for each issue. How do you manage it? And also, in the cases when you find yourself drawing from someone else's script, is there anything you wish you could tell the scriptwriter ahead of time to make the artwork process go more smoothly?

Thanks!

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Welland — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:27:23 -0800

Thank you for the advice Emma, I would say Digital comic as it is a rolling story.

Cheers for the brew, I've said it to you many times before but Dragon Heir is Ace and was well worth the wait and stupid computer faults (on my end not Emma's).

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:38:00 -0800

Ah, a new day in Emma’s olde tea shoppe. *fires up the kettles*
Who’s for a new cuppa?

Steevo –
Oh, I think everyone takes their own little side-paths and shortcuts, but essentially I see the journey as having two main roads; very similar to any creative journey to success:
One is very short. Some people are lucky enough to be grabbed off of DeviantArt/art college/blogs/portfolio reviews and straight into an editor’s office. It can happen and it equals a crazy fast career start. The downside can be that I’ve seen people on that road get bored or frustrated quickly. It can all be taken for granted too easily, I suppose.
The other is to go the path of indie press, self publishing, attending events and selling your wares and generally building slowly towards your goals. This is the path I took without even knowing it. Like many on that road, I was comicking for fun and for a hobby, not quite realising that I was in fact working towards any larger aims. The result is that when I did realise ‘holy cow, I think I should quit my day job’, it was a magical and surreal moment that has never quite passed me by.

Aiming for the first path is fine, but can lead to disappointment and heartache before it yields the goods. The second path means that, whether or not you’ve ‘made it’ yet, you’re creating and you’re selling and you’re achieving goals. I’d always push people towards the second (as is probably obvious, haha) as there is no downside at all to honing your craft and working under your own steam. And then, if you want to dip into the second road, you have something complete to show a publisher – which counts for a lot! GET EXCITED AND MAKE THINGS is the message here ^_^
But as to the personal journey, I think probably everyone in the industry could pin point the start of their journey as being thanks to one particular conversation or a friend who encouraged them, or a stranger who told them something positive. We all have our own starting blocks, you know? :~)

HelloMuller –
Hey, Tom! ^_^ You want some tea?

Jeff Owens –
I just looked at your most recent comic (the $200 one?) and it looks like you’re already avoiding the major pitfalls. ^_^ Though that’s a panel about you, the sentiment is one anyone can relate to – boy, can we, haha! The key is to make a personal diary comic, but to pick up on the things in your life that you know readers would relate to. This is why reference and parody webcomics like Penny Arcade are so successful. You guys have a job a bit like a stand-up comedian, I suppose. Make it punchy, catchy and relevant. The worse diary comics I’ve seen are the ones that literally play out someone’s life on paper and include personal jokes that were funny to that group at the time, but mean nothing to someone who doesn’t know the people involved, you know? Marc (ellerby) has found himself in a rare position where, as readers have followed his and Anna’s story for so long, he can actually start slipping in more personal points, knowing that the majority of the audience is already familiar with his life.
Of course, there’s also the side to diary webcomicking that is very personal and for your own consumption and if other people don’t like it, they can piss off ^_~ If you want to make a comic for yourself, you totally should! But if you want other people to connect to it, it’s worth considering the mass appeal of your content.
Hope that helps!

Continued in next post.....

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:38:10 -0800

....and *sip*

Adaengine –
Oh, wow….good questions. And woo yeah – go, small press!
Pacing – ookaaay. How to not blab on about this for aaages? Haha. I’m a huge fan of comic pacing and open page layouts, especially in black and white comics. The single biggest (and probably most obvious) point to consider is filmatic eye. When you’re making a comic, you’re making a film with words, not a book with pictures. It’s something visual, and dramatic, so the pacing needs to follow suit. Consider that you are the director of the story. You have the camera, the crew, the actors…think about when (if your story was played out on screen) you’d zoom in, pull out, slow pan, quick edit. This should help your story flow naturally on the page. Smaller, close panels indicate fast movement. Larger, spaced panels slow the action down. Diagonals add a touch of drama, space can denote a pause…that sort of thing.

As you’re working with an artist, the process has to be shared, unless you trust your artist to take on the director’s eye and are happy to let them play with the page? Sometimes when I work with writers, I make it clear from the get go that my page layouts can be quite unusual and are they happy for me to play with them? As a result, scripts I work from will sometimes have a brief description of what happens in each panel, but will leave me free to decide how to place and pace those panels. Sometimes, I get no direction at all, just the script (as with the Manga Shakespeares). It’s all down to what you, as the writer, want from your pages. Every comic is different and I fully appreciate that people working in colour are paying more to print, so will not necessarily have the luxury of slow pacing. Sometimes simple can work best. But yes, consider the filmatic eye. To show what I mean, here are a few pages - hope they make sense:

1.This page (Much ado about Nothing) uses a lot of space and gives the feeling that this is an important and peaceful moment. The pacing here is, obviously, slow.

2.Not so happy. this one (dragon heir: reborn) uses equally spaced length-wise panels, giving the sensation of fast edits between the moments...all taking place in the time it takes the character in the top panel to launch himself. It's darker, it's more full. See the difference? ^_^

3.This is an example of a fun spread. (Dragon Heir, issue #9 - text blurred just in case, haha) You can see how there's nothing limiting you to staying within conventional panels. Whatever tells your story is the most important thing.

These kind of layouts won't work for everyone, but they're examples of the extremes and the fun you can have with pages.

Welland –
Awww, thanks again, hon. I’m so glad you finally managed to get onto it!!

Kelly Soup
I finally hit on it!! What manga influence has given me over anything else.....other than the fun I have with page layouts, I think it's about the simplicity of lines. I'd be mad and blind to say that 'no, I like manga, but my work is not influenced by it'...but I still maintain that my work is also influenced equally by the Dylan Dog series and Marvel and Vertigo and - well, everything! So why does the manga influence show through more than the others? And I think it's in the simplifying of lines. I was so drawn to that, so it makes sense that it shows in my work. I like clean and elegant lines. I like breaking things down into their basic elements and building from that. I don't feel the need to draw something in full if it doesn't add to the story directly, as it may end up pulling back my pacing. When I'm working for myself or very open publishers, my pages are all about telling the story and guiding the readers' eyes in the smoothest way possible, and I think largely that's something I picked up from manga and manwha in my early days. Of course, as always, the lines are blurred and who's to say that Tintin or Asterix didn't inspire me in the same way? But that's what I've come up with ^_~

And what scares me? Being alone, being lost (I have no sense of direction, haha), not being able to breath (which is obvious of course, but...), and spiders XD

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:49:01 -0800

Still considering page layouts and feel I should add something :)
Often, as an artist, you may find you're working in an environment where the script already has strong ideas of how the story is paced, in terms of panelling. These cases are a great opportunity to challenge yourself. What you do within the panel is of course as important as how you place the panel ^_~
This page is one from a set of Runaways samples I did a while back for Marvel and shows that, working within the script spec, I decided to try out some diagonals and chose carefully when I would zoom in, when I would zoom out, and where I would crop...so that filmatic eye still comes into play within more conventional panelling.
You are the director. ^__^

ACK - I feel like I'm spamming my own thread~! Quick, someone write something, hahahah XD

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Seantaclaus — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:56:35 -0800

Still considering page layouts and feel I should add something :) ...

Spot on with that. It's articulated into words something that I've never quite managed to process from the subconscious into actual coherent thought until you posted it here. Thank you for this insight.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

marcellerby — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:49:29 -0800

Essex comickers represent!

Thanks for the plugs, Emsy! I've got a question you.

As someone who works for companies both in England and the States, in terms of publishing, what do you think of the current English scene? Are we flogging a dead horse? Are we getting better at promoting homegrown talent? What are we doing wrong?

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Will Couper — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:52:20 -0800

I've nothing witty or intelligent to add.

With that in mind my question runs thusly: going to be doing any more TV (or TV involved) work?

Will

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Jeff Owens — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:25:26 -0800

@emsie - Thanks so much for the thoughtful response! Very inspiring words. I've been trying much harder this year so far to make it more accessible to everyone, and it's nice to know I'm doing at least somewhat of a good job of that.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:22:29 -0800

Seantaclaus
Hey, that's fab! It's good to know I've been of some use ^_^

Marcellerby
Wooo Marc! Essex massiiive secret handshake!
And oooooh, toughie. From my viewpoint, we are totally on the right track and moving fast. When I started out with Sweatdrop, there were very few publishers in the UK opening their doors to comics, no competitions for (admittedly more manga style) artists to enter, few magazines to rely on, and fewer publicised events.
Now, we actually have to pick and choose between which events we attend - there are that many. We have mass-geek events right here in the UK that can pull in over 30k people in a weekend, and comics are a part of that. We have publishers like Walker books, Penguin, Puffin, Random House all looking towards sequential art. We have dedicated lines like SelfMadeHero and the DFC library working exclusively with UK illustrators. We have Neo magazine promoting home grown 'manga', we have ImagineFX really turning its hand towards comics and supporting the industry. The Japanese embassy opened its doors to UK manga styled artists and continues to support creativity here. We have 2 sequential art degree courses now available in the UK. The Arts foundation recognised Graphic Novels as being worthy of a 10k award this year (well done again, Kate!). We even see papers like the Guardian and the FT running reviews and previews of graphic novels and comics. We're seeing more and more crossovers from comic to film, from book to comic, from film to comic - because sequential art is now recognised as a valis storytelling format. ^_^

Maybe part of the 'old scene' is fading. It's possible we're seeing an evolution here in the UK though...comics are still a taboo word in some places, sure, but say the words Graphic Novel and suddenly you see how much things really have changed! So yes it's all positive as far as I can see ^_^
There will always be a element of 'exotic is better', but I see a lot more support and camradery amongst the UK scene these days than I saw when I started...though admittedly I came from a different side of the industry.

Will Couper
Hey Will ^_^ hahah, ummm...not on the cards, no. I never say never. I mean I never thought I'd be doing TV again when the Anime Network gig was offered, so who knows? But Going back to Television is certainly not something I have on my to-do list anyways ^_^

Jeff Owens
You're very welcome - and keep at it! ^_^

The Emma Vieceli Residency

helloMuller — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:22:28 -0800

HelloMuller –
Hey, Tom! ^_^ You want some tea?

I'm more of a coffee man myself, but I'll gladly have a cuppa (no milk!).

Anyway — think I've got a (possibly weird) question:

What is the reaction of Japanese manga readers to your work, or OEL Manga in general? Do they like/appreciate it as proper Manga, or do they shove it with the rest of US/Western comics?

The Emma Vieceli Residency

adaengine — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:26:55 -0800

When you’re making a comic, you’re making a film with words, not a book with pictures.

Thank you, thank you. That all helps immensely. I do work with an artist who is a very good "director", and what I'm trying to do on my end is learn to think more cinematically when I'm writing it in the first place, so that the script lends itself more naturally to what she will eventually be doing. So thank you so, so much for the examples. That really helps.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

steevo — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:05:40 -0800

Emma - Thanks for your answer it was a definite help and

GET EXCITED AND MAKE THINGS is the message here

I'm working on it, I swear!

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Jeff Owens — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:04:41 -0800

*raises hand*

I has anothar kweschun!

Are there any places you would recommend sending a copy of a POD auto-bio comic to for review?

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:16:57 -0800

Morning, all!
*dishes out the Whitechapel mugs and sachets of sugar*

*sip*

Let's get this day started ^_^

Tom - *proffers tea* No milk, just like I have it! :)
Now, you've asked an interesting question because it's one that forces me to bite my tongue a little, haha. I'll answer it in two parts and try not to rant, and naturally NONE of the ranting that may escape is directed at anyone ^_^:
The thing is, I don't necessarily want my work to be seen as 'proper manga' in the western sense. If you use the word manga to denote comics - then my work is manga. even if you go as far as to say manga is comics inspired by Japanese comics - yeah, I could class as manga. If you use the word manga to denote comics from Japan - then my work is not manga. Get me raving about this in the pub and I'll go on for hours! XD I am an English creator making comics. They do have a fairly strong manga influence in the linework, of course, but I'm not Japanese and I just want my work to be accepted for what it is - storytelling through sequential art, no matter what tag or box people want to put it into, you know what I mean? If anything, the 'manga' tag over here in the west can hinder as much as it helps. Lines like 'well, we love your work, but it's a bit too manga for us' kill me a little inside every time (incidentally, I've also heard 'your work's not manga enough for us' 0_o)...and I know I'm not alone. What the hell IS manga anyway? I mean, are we suggesting that Akira, FLCL, tekkonkinkreet and Pokemon all look exactly the same and can be defined by saying 'oh, that's manga style, that is'? That's like saying Scott Pilgrim, Civil War, Charlie's War and Snoopy can all be shoved into one artistic category. It all baffles me and - as I say - I'm sure we could all natter on about categorisation for HOURS! So...I'll stop there on that, hehe.
But to the main question:
I was lucky enough to go on a book tour to Japan when Hamlet first came out. Myself, Sonia Leong (romeo & Juliet) and Emma Hayley (the publisher) were blown away by the response we got. This was in a time when, here in england, 'manga' was still the adopted and not entirely accepted sibling of comics, who got shoved into separate corners of bookshops and cons; when OEL creators apparently were all 'faking being japanese and should start drawing proper stuff'...but, in Japan, a place where they had every right to look at our stuff and say 'why are you trying to emulate some of our comicking style?' we found that they honestly didn't care!
Because we were in the place where 'manga' just meant 'comics.
I went to the Kyoto manga museum, and guess what was in there? Watchmen, Gambit comics, Snoopy - all alongisde Japanese work. When a taxi driver saw our work, he said 'oh wow, you do manga, like snoopy' - Snoopy was the first example of manga he could think of, and why not? Over here, your average non-comic-reader woud probably also think of titles like Snoopy or Tintin as examples of comics. So, at least as it was at the time, and in the circles we spent time with, in Japan, we didn't need to be accepted as 'proper manga', because so long as we did comics, it was 'manga'. Of course, some might have said 'this almost looks like some Japanese shoujo style'- and they'd be right...but it wasn't as if they saw the Japanese comic style as something that needed entirely separate categorisation.

It's all brain-melting, isn't it? I talk myself in circles and no doubt contradict myself all the time when this subject comes up, partly because there are so many valid opinions out there that I agree with on all sides...but, for me - the way the Japanese hosts back then treated us and treated comics made me feel very happy.
And I feel that in the west, things have moved on vastly. We're seeing so many more varying styles in comics, mainstream and indie...and that's awesome! ^_^
I don't know if that answered you or helped, Tom, sorry - went off on one again! It confuses me so ^_^

Adaengine and Steevo - great stuff - so glad I helped! ^_^

Jeff Owens - hmmm...well, I've never really sent comics out myself, but I suppose the usual suspects would be some of the online comic blogs - several of them seem to do reviews of mainstream and indie comics: Forbidden Planet International, HyperGeek, Newserama...those sort of spots. I'd recommend heading to a few comics shows and getting chatting to people there - that will give you a far better idea of who might want to review your work than I could. It's always good to have some face-to-face time before you send your work along ^_^ Sorry I can't help more with that one!

The Emma Vieceli Residency

helloMuller — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 09:36:49 -0800

That was an awesome answer Emma. Both answers hit it right on the head!

The Emma Vieceli Residency

hmobius — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:35:15 -0800

Hi Emma,
Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed both Manga Shakespeare books you've done (so far?). Two questions for you on them.

1. Hamlet is set in a Cyber-Denmark. Was this done deliberately for a more 'Manga-sensibility' as it was one of the first two to come out? And did it feel strange at all setting out the more famous bits of prose in either of them?
2. Are you doing any more? If so, when are we likely to see it? If not, which one would you most like to do?

OK, that's five questions really, but they're shortish. Cheers.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:07:33 -0800

Morning, all ^_^

Tom - oh, wow - fantastic! I was worried I'd just ranted, haha.

hmobius -
'Ello ello. First off, thanks very much! Glad you liked them ^_^
1. There was a deal of that, yes...I'd say so. Also, because the series was already advertised as modernising the stories, we needed a situation in which Denmark could be at war with its neighbours. Bizarrely, it would have felt almost even less real setting it in modern times. It did feel strange, for sure, especially as a Shakespeare nut! Though, on the flip side, the communication system we had in future-hamlet really helped with characters who were supposed to enter, speak and leave, haha! With Much Ado, I said early on that I wanted to be able to set it in a real setting and period...I felt much happier with it. However, no matter my initial reservations about the Hamlet setting, it did its job as something that caught attention. And I did have fun designing costumes that were a mix of Shakespeare and space-age.

2. I don't think so, at least not for a little while. I love Shakespeare and I love Selfmadehero, but as someone who's already done two plays, it's time to step back a little. I got to tackle my two favourite plays and I'm very happy that I did. I'm not sure I could even say which other play I'd want to draw...I'm happy reading the amazing work coming out of the line. ^_^
I'm going to have a very busy year working to release Dragon Heir in its new collected form, doing a series for Oni and possibly something for Penguin....so you'll certainly be seeing new work from me, even if it's not Shakespeare! ^_~
I expect DH to be out by mid 2010, and then 2011 should see some new shinies. If you're French, or buy French magazines, you'd also be able to see my work in Bella Nolita magazine ^_^

Okay, chaps! Just two days left in here...ask me your questions! Throw 'em at meeeee!

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Paul Duffield — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:30:19 -0800

Hey ^__^
I've thought of a proper question!
If you had infinite time/resources (someone was paying you as much as you need for as long as you need) to write & draw a comic, what would it be like? What sort of format would you choose if money wasn't an object? How long would you stretch to on each page? Do you think it'd be something you've written already or would you come up with something new? This is something I often ponder myself, and it's a nice little fantasy to indulge in at the least :D

The Emma Vieceli Residency

helloMuller — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:31:26 -0800

Not at all!

Its indeed interesting how the term Manga gets interpreted here in the West, like you said.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Aurora Borealis — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:08:09 -0800

Ok, I pondered this question for a long time and I'm still not sure if I'm able to word it right in a succint manner sooo...

What forms of self-promotion would you suggest to someone who's interested solely in creator owned work and has the advantage of living in a much cheaper country (500$ a month is more than enough to live above the poverty line AND afford additional things and medical insurance etc.) but has the disadvantage of not being able to push the work personally on cons and has difficulty approaching people/organizing self?

I'm thinking here miniseries, oneshots, graphic novels, limited series both as a webcomic and POD/indyplanet offering... and well, so far my efforts were rather disjointed.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:12:46 -0800

Paul -
ehehehe. Well you know damn well what my subject matter would be XD I'd do a three book series chronicling the life of Richard III. Woop woop!

Although format here isn't an issue, I'd probably be boring and stick to trusty A5ish graphic novel format and probably even keep it black and white. I think book-sized GNs are so readable and convenient, and the black and white would reflect the subject matter really well. If I DID want it coloured....I'd be getting someone like YOU or KATE to do it, hahah ^_~ (then I'd realise, shit - they should be drawing this bugger, not me...haha)

The other option of course would be a full colour, glossy Dragon Heir complete volume. At this rate, I'll have rerborn done soon, but I'm sick of the time delays between issues because of slipping it in between work contracts...I'd love to just relax and finish the series for real. The moment I get to the end of Dragon Heir will be a joyous one indeed! THis bloody story's been haunting me for 16 years now!!!

And geeky option number three: I'd love to dive into the storyline on Billy Kaplan (wiccan) and Tommy (speed) of Young Avengers and their relationship with their 'mother'. I have some awesome scenes in my head that I'd love to play out...but I have it on good assurance that my fangirl dreams may well be played out in issues to come, so I'll sit patiently for now. But yeah, there are certain existing characters I'd love to play with: Wiccan/Speed/Wanda/Quicksilver, Gambit, Fables, Dylan Dog...*dreams*

Sooo - any publisher/people-with-too-much-money out there who like the sound of these...just, y'know, drop me a line ^_~

Tom -
It's worthy of pub discussion ;)

The Emma Vieceli Residency

SigridEllis — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:37:45 -0800

Emma --

I sincerely and devoutly hope you get to do the Billy and Tommy and Wanda story someday! That would be amazing. (And if not you, well, I just hope someone gets around to it soon.)

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:27:18 -0800

SigridEllis -

Aww, thanks so much. I think it's highly unlikely, haha. But I'll be waiting for Marvel to do their thang with the characters - their story need some special attention, eh? ^_^

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Paul Duffield — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:31:13 -0800

@Emma
:D Awesome, I had a sneaking suspicion that might be your chosen subject! I totally agree that the traditional format is the most readable, and you can always get heavy paper stock and hard-cover it up to make it look awesome. I don't think colour is intrinsically better either. If I was rich, I'd fund it!

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:50:02 -0800

Hell yeah! And then we could all dress in period costumes and go on a Diccon road show to promote it; selling the book after reinacting key moments and battles....haha, it would be awesome! :)
Hard cover....mmmmmm....... one of those soft, squidgy ones, whatever they are! and it would have a suede texture, and a colour plate embedded in the cover, and stressed paper for the pages, and gold lined sheets and......*drooool*

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Paul Duffield — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:56:56 -0800

@emsie
:D:D~~~~ I was having similar fantasies... Kate and I approve, heartily, if not indeed, verily.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Jeff Owens — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 23:48:18 -0800

@emsie - No need to apologize! That actually was quite helpful. Of the three places you named, Newsarama is the only one I had heard of, and I hadn't even thought about having them review it. Thanks, again.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:06:20 -0800

Okay, so - it's last day *palm blinks red*
And I'll be off early tonight to, funnily enough, celebrate my husband's actual 30th birthday!

I've really enjoyed this week, thank you to those of you who've been asking questions. Those who haven't - you still have today, so ask away! :)

*brews up a storm*

The Emma Vieceli Residency

sneak046 — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:24:23 -0800

What's your favourite tea? Mine is Qi Ginseng Green tea, bought from what my girlfriend charmingly refers to as "that hippy shop".

(sorry, I couldn't think of a better question..)

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Aurora Borealis — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:26:52 -0800

Was my question from yesterday omitted for a reason or was it because I posted right before you did?
(it's the second-last post on the previous page)
I'm hoping for the latter but I'll understand if it was the former.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:58:12 -0800

Aurora - oh, I'm so sorry!! Looks like our posts went up at the same time and then the page turned over...I totally didn't see your question...I must have looked very rude!

Okay, so - you can't get to cons easily and we're looking ideally at less face-to-face marketing? Obviously if you can pluck up the courage (and believe me, we all know how hard it can be), then nothing can substitute for meeting people. But there are other ways.
Firstly, the internet is your friend, which you'll no doubt know already. It seems you hosted a comic at drunk duck - good move. You have a DevArt account - also good move, and you have a personal blog with a very funky and eye catching logo - so you're well away. Getting people to click on and look at your blog is going to be high priority. If you do have a bit of money to spend, you could look at paying sites to advertise you with a banner. there are sites that offer services like this (eg http://advertiser.cubics.com/) where you can have your link advertised on a selection of sites. I've never tried it, so I can't say how succesful it would be, but it's worth looking at if you have the finance.

Do you have a friendly local or even not so local comic shop? Dropping flyers and advertising into comic shops can attract a few curious eyes to your products.

You mentioned POD. Obviously using sites like LuLu is great as they can offer amazon listings - always helpful to link to.

Twitter is WIN. If you're not already on it, it's well worth trying to build a little list on there.

What's your ultimate goal here? To be an independent publisher producing your own work and direct selling/ to be an independent publisher using a distro company/ to be picked up by a publisher?
Each path has a slightly different approach of course. Sweatdrop went for years with option one as we just wanted to enjoy ourselves with no pressure. We were able to sell at cons of course, but we also managed to get small batches of books into book and comic shops by doing workshops and building a relationship. Without getting out there, being indie will be tricky, but all the more reason to ramp the online networking and spread some linkage.
Path two can take time to work towards as your rep will matter a lot. Sweatdrop finally decided recently we'd attempt to get distribution with Diamond - and that's after 8 years of building the group, with a body of work from several members....not that we're the only example to go by of course, but it gives an idea.
Option 3 will, again, be very tricky without any face-to-face, but I'd suggest looking at comics you feel your work could fit in with, check the publisher and get thee to the internet. Accessing publishers is a lot easier these days, and you can but ask, eh?

Maybe, as you say things feel disjointed right now, consolidate your efforts on one push. Choose your medium, your project and go all out on that one avenue. Make flyers for it, Prepare a GN, offer prints that promote it, do an online push, maybe a behind-the-scenes making of....basically put all efforts into pushing your one best product, rather than splitting your time over several?

I hope this covers what you needed!

Sneak -
What better question than a tea related one? ;) I like all sorts, but - when it comes down to it - i'm happy with bog standard tesco teabags XD For a more refreshing brew, I picked up a tin of oolong from my local chinese supermarket - very smokey and mmmmmm.

The Emma Vieceli Residency

DC — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:00:26 -0800

Hi Emma
I have a friend who makes "manga".
So I have a bunch of questions he asked me to do. He’s a “manga” artist.
How can he draw attention from editors like SelfMadeHero?
Do they accept art submissions?
And a more generic one, what advices can you give to a non uk/us artist or writer (this applies to me) pitch himself into the comic business?

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:33:25 -0800

Hey, DC ^_^

Is your friend in the UK? SelfMadeHero are always on the lookout for new creators, but tend to limit it to UK-based artists. Their publications are mostly adaptations or biographies, at least at the moment...but they accept all sorts of artwork styles and their work is very varied. They attend most UK events and are happy to chat to creators and check out portfolios if they have time. So, tell your friend to head along and say hi. That's the single best way of getting in touch with them and they're lovely people. If he's very much into the 'manga' style, it could be worth him checking out competitions like the Neo Magazine one and Manga Jimann, run by the Japanese embassy over here. They're great practice and a way to be seen.

Most publishers work along similar lines - ie, go meet them at events, say hi. Get to know the company and what they do and like. Read their publications before diving in and pushing your own on them. It's really important to have an idea of the editor/publisher you're approaching, rather than just seeing them as a 'way in'. Consider what they publish: whether your stuff would fit, whether editor A maybe better to approach than editor B, that sort of thing. They're all people too, and they all have personal tastes and specialist areas, so you should consider this. The wonderful thing about the net is that so many editors and publishers are right there, very easy to find and contact! ^_^

As to the more generic question, eeep - that's a biggie! To the bullet point machine! Hope some of these help!

- Initially - Create because you want to and because you have a passion for it, not because you want to make money. Then, if you do end up with a career, you'll appreciate it all the more! ^_~
- if not working with a publisher, create your own stuff. Print it. Sell it. Love it.
- Network - online if you need to, but look into events in your area and get along if you can. I'm sure Portugal must sport some events! Or travel if needs be.
- Have a professional blog to track your work and to let others do the same
- never underestimate the reach of the industry. It has eyes and ears everywhere, so always present yourself as best as you can. You never know when a cross word can come back and bite you. Professionalism is VITAL!
- Always remember that there are people better than you and there are people worse than you. Keep a level head and don't feel over confident or chastise yourself too much either.
- Remember that comics are, first and foremost, about telling a story.
- Keep a neat portfolio of maybe no more than 20 of your most recent pieces. Never force it on people, but if they ask to see it, it's good to have one up to date.
- If you're working for yourself, set yourself deadlines and be sure to hit them. You'll learn a ton and be in good practice for when contracts come a'knockin'.
- Try testing yourself, especially if you're an artist. Sometimes, draw something totally unusual for you, don't stick to your comfort zone.
- Both as an artist and writer, be realistic. If you feel that one discipline is letting your work down, or just that you need some more input, consider collaborating with someone. I know I love working with writers! Collaborating can teach you loads and is good fun.
- Grab a table at an event and try selling/promoting your work. Even if just for fun. It's a great experience and you'll get so much feedback, both good and bad, that you can take on board!

And generally, be friendly and relax! This isn't just an industry but a pretty close-knit one; full of some wonderful people with the potential to become not just colleagues, but very good friends. Take your time, it's not a race. Get to know people, be friendly - and, when the time is right, let them know about your work. Jumping the gun can be fatal! Appreciate what others do and they'll appreciate you. As a creator myself, there's little that puts me off someone as quickly as when they approach me at a con, don't even glance at my work, and shove a portfolio at me. It's not like I can employ them anyways, you know? I love seeing people's work and, if we've been chatting at the table, I'll usually ask to see what they do if I'm not too busy, but we need to have a bit of banter first, you know? :)

I have no idea if I've hit the points you needed, feel free to specify if you need more, but I wish you and your friend every luck going forward! Get excited and make things! ^__^

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Aurora Borealis — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:30:37 -0800

@emsie: Thank you for answering!

I can't get to any cons simply for the reason that I live in a non-english speaking country with almost no comic book scene/market. The nearest comic book store is half a country away (I think we have like... three total or so, haha).
Yes, got a site and devart and an old comic on drunkduck, starting a new one in the next few days. Got no twitter though *adds it to the list*.

POD: I was thinking more of Ka-Blam/Indyplanet/Comicsmonkey. I have a couple of larger color projects and decided to keep all my short stories color (I can take flatting in small doses) and Lulu is simply way too pricey in color.

What is my goal? Hmm, I'll have to think about that one. I think my goal is... umm, hard to tell to be honest, haha. I guess for me "making it" is being able to live from my creations without having to resort to work for hire. Also, I'm drawn towards POD because low sales do not equal a huge unpaid printing bill, haha. (or a basement full of unsold books). But yeah, I'll have to define my goals beyond that I think.

Ok, I'll stop here, after all, it's not my thread. Haha.

Again, thank you for your answers, pointing out what I'm doing right and what I could do more to progress.
*runs off to harass people to visit his site*

The Emma Vieceli Residency

DC — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:57:16 -0800

Wow thanks for your awesome answer!
I should have said my friend is also Portuguese with one published book (http://htx.deviantart.com).
I’m sorry for the trouble of writing such a long reply, I should be more specific. I’ve started with some of the things you said (attending events to present anthologies I participate) but some of the advices you said to me and Aurora I’ll get to them when I have the chance, especially my poor abandoned blog. While I can publish short comics in anthologies, I’d like to start taking steps to present my small amount of work abroad.
Also, how and when did you decided you wanted to do comics for a living, that moment when you got the ‘click’ from comics as a hobby to start looking for professional work?

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 04:00:03 -0800

Well, it's Sunday and I've really enjoyed this week - thanks for making me feel so welcome, everyone!
Let's see what I can fit in today ^_^

Hey DC -
Well, I don't know that I could pinpoint a moment. I guess I always would have wanted to, if I'd even considered it a valid career option, you know? haha. But I do remember distinctly the day I quit my day job and drove home to begin life as a freelancer. I felt so surreal on that drive home. Kept thinking 'woah. I don't have a job.....or I do....but I don't..I'm scared. But this is exciting!' XD Very scary time. It was actually illness that pushed me into finally losing the day job. I always wonder if I'd have had the guts to make the move without that.

So - before I go, chaps - a quick reminder to check out my site here:
www.emmavieceli.com
to keep up with what I'm doing.
And to check into the Dragon Heir thread right here on Whitechapel every Monday to keep up with the story. Freakangels on Friday, Dragon Heir on Monday - yay! ^_^
In fact, this Monday is looking likely to be a double chapter, as it's a pretty important scene!

I'll be spending the coming months cooking up a short something with the lovely people at Marvel, making some magic with the Scribes of Oni Press, hopefully delving into darkness with the fiends at Penguin Publishing, providing some oolala - vampire style - with Bella Nolita and, of course, working away in the sweatshop that is Sweatdrop to bring more Dragon Heir and a brand new SD anthology later in the year - keep an eye out for that one.
I'll also be workshopping like crazy for a few months as it seems that more and more schools and libraries are cottoning onto this awesome comicking world of ours!

Thanks so much for having me, guys. Please do check in on me and my work when you can. Maybe I'll catch you at an event in the near future...talking of which - I should go spend some more time planning this May's Expo ComicVillage! ^_^

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Seantaclaus — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:44:43 -0800

@emsie - Thank you for gracing us with your time, conversation, and answers!

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:06:54 -0800

You're most welcome!

And, to mark the end of my residency here, I leave you all with a bumper, double chapter of Dragon Heir!

Enjoy! ^_^

The Emma Vieceli Residency

Samita Chatterjee — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:33:30 -0800

Thank you, Emma! :)

The Emma Vieceli Residency

emsie — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:53:37 -0800

You're very welcome! ^_^
I guess all that's left is for me to thank Warren for inviting me to take up residence in this thread! Thanks so much, everyone. And Warren - thanks for letting me run wild. You're a gentleman and a scholar.

Keep creating, guys!
Ems ^_^

The Emma Vieceli Residency

warrenellis — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:27:06 -0800

THANK YOU SO MUCH, Em.