Dale was a member of APA-5 from late 1998 thru mid-2006, serving as the group’s Central Mailer for two years. The group continues on, and you can find more information about this Amateur Press Association on their web site - including information about the publication, and the group of artists who contribute to it every month. ( http://www.apa5.com )

The Comic Creators Network of Kansas City has an active schedule of publishing, workshops, conventions (and parties!) ... and even if Dale isn’t able to participate as often as he’d like, don't let that stop you! (http://www.kcccn.com )

Jeremy Rizza is a former classmate of Dale’s from his KU art school days, and one talented illustrator, to boot! He has a really cool website which shows off both his illustration and cartooning abilities. Check it out and thrill to the online comic stories of “Rowdy Joe” Rasputin, Two-Fisted Spiritualist, a wealth of info on the mythological characters Jeremy used in crafting those tales, and his Civil War re-creation diary (among other fun features)! ( http://www.jeremyrizza.com )

Grant Goggans started creating his own comic stories at virtually the same time Dale did, only he drew his inspiration from a DC superteam rather than a single Marvel hero like Dale did. Check out Grant’s GMS Legion comics and website to see the scope of the epic he’s developed by staying focused on one series instead of bouncing from idea to idea like Dale has done. ( http://www.geocities.com/gmslegion )

Scott McCloud is probably best known for his books Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics, but this site has lots of comics to read, including a cool online Zot! adventure. ( http://www.scottmccloud.com )

Brent Erwin’s Small press Comics.com bills itself as “the Small Press Comics community for Artist, Inker, Colorist, Writers and anyone publishing Small Press or Mini-Comics”. A pretty thorough resource for both readers and creators. ( http://www.SmallPressComics.com )

Matt Groening said Tom Tomorrow’s “This Modern world” strip “will both fuel your rage and make you laugh at the sneaky bastards in power.” It’s true! Check out new and old strips, as well as Dan Perkins’ blog, and more. ( http://www.thismodernworld.com )

COMICON.com bills itself “the world's biggest comic book convention” - and with more than 150 exhibitors, it may well be! ( http://www.comicon.com )

(To find more web pages from talented small press cartoonists, be sure to check out the contributor links on the Watusi page of this site.)

Scott McCloud is probably best known for his books Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics, and he explores the potential of the medium (especially in the online environment) on his site. An essential stop (as are his books) on any comic creator’s journey. ( http://www.scottmccloud.com )

Hans Presto made this page dedicated to comic book lettering, including lots of technical and theoretical info for both hand and computer methods. Also features a great essay on “The underappreciated art of lettering” by Augie De Blieck Jr. (from CBR, Dec.1999). ( http://hans.presto.tripod.com/links005.html)

The folks at AAGH!- the original comic art gallery present the anatomy of a comic book. Check this page out for a thorough description of what goes into a published comic book. While you’re there check out some of the original comic art they have for sale. ( http://www.destinyone.com/artinfo/creation/creation.html )

Brent Erwin’s Small press Comics.com bills itself as “the Small Press Comics community for Artist, Inker, Colorist, Writers and anyone publishing Small Press or Mini-Comics”. A pretty thorough resource for both creators and readers. My favorite is Mike Hall’s “Brute Force” column. ( http://www.SmallPressComics.com )

Hosted by Dale Martin with Sean Bieri, John M (Mejias), and Nate Higley, this Sunday morning workshop was designed to let some creators who have used different techniques - stencil, silkscreen, woodblock prints, gocco, tip-ins, stamps, etc. as ways to add color to their comics - share some of their methods. It was a chance for these artists to show samples of comics & equipment, do demos of some of the creative ways they have added color to their comics, as well as answer questions from the audience of about 40 (Dale neglected to get an actual head count, though).

Dale started off with a brief introduction, showing off some samples ranging from simple highlighter coloring, to woodblock prints and silkscreened comics. He then shared his stenciling technique (using Apple Barrel Plaid craft paints (it covers smoothly, though some colors are less transparent than others), a Speedball foam roller, and unbaked Aleen’s shrink film material for stencils (it’s fairly flexible, clear enough to see through, but sturdy enough it doesn't need a frame)), which allows for a nice “pop” of color without the expense of full-color copying, and doesn't bleed through even 20# bond. Dale’s practical tip: Be sure to give yourself plenty of space to lay out your freshly-stenciled copies. While they dry pretty fast, you can’t just stack them as you go. He then shared Justin Madson’s technique and testimonial for color tip-in plates: “The color part of the book is a sticker I printed out on my HP inkjet printer. I buy full-sheet sticker paper and print out as many as I can fit on one page. Then it’s just a matter of careful cutting and placing it on the Xeroxed cover. It’s an inexpensive and simple way to give my covers the pop of color. And, since I started using color on my covers, my sales have increased dramatically.”

Sean Bieri then talked about the wonderful world of Print Gocco! After showing off some amazing samples of his own comics and the new Brunetti/Onsmith-edited Gocco portfolio, he gave a hands-on demo of his Print Gocco machine. This device can take any laser print, photocopy or drawing (anything with graphite, including India ink) and turn it into a self-contained silkscreen-like master, even allowing for multiple colors with the same impression! In the space of just a few minutes, Sean took a laser print, used it to burn a screen, inked it up, and pulled a couple of prints.

Next up was John M, who showed off some of his fully-silkscreend comics, and talked about ways to silkscreen at home - even without a darkroom! He gave a rundown of supplies, an explanation of how to burn a screen, mocked the printing process, and even gave vital pointers such as “use a friend” (since it works best as a 2-person operation) and “shut the cats in another room while printing”! He provided a step-by step handout of the procedure, too!

Rounding out the session was Nate Higley, who shared a different stenciling method – using spray paint! In addition to comics and patches, Nate showed off banners and t-shirts that his stenciling method could be applied to! Again, he shared some practical tips: it works best in a wind-free area (such as an empty garage), album jackets make good stencils, cheap spray paint works really well, and use masking tape (not duct tape) when taping large stencils together. We then adjourned outside where Nate sprayed a quick demo of a 2-color stencil! He also provided a handout of techniques, tips, and references.

A big thank you to all the panel participants for their lively and fun – and informatitive - presentations, to Bob Corby for letting us give this workshop (and the second day of panels) a try, and to all those who attended and asked questions during the presentations.

Lawrence ArtWalk is the annual self-guided tour of artists’ studios and art galleries in Lawrence, Kansas. This site (designed by event organizer John Wysocki) gives a sample of the wide range of artwork featured in that fun event as well as information on ArtWalks from 1999-present. ( http://www.lawrenceartwalk.org )

La Strada dell’Arte is an annual street painting festival featuring more than 250 artists who create vivid chalk “paintings” – pastel murals on asphalt “canvases”. While the event is held each October at Kansas City’s Union Station, you can view work from past festivals at their website right now! ( http://www.lastradakc.org )

Each summer the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival offers two FREE Shakespeare plays (using the same cast, switching plays every night, no less!) in Southmoreland Park (Cleaver Blvd., 47th & Oak, KCMO). Since the group’s inception they’ve been “committed to entertaining and educating audiences about theater, the performing arts, and the works of William Shakespeare.” ( http://www.kcshakes.org )

Get a taste of the town Dale calls home at the Lawrence Public Library’s community information page. This award-winning site is a community service of the Lawrence Public Library. It contains info on the arts, local history, neighborhoods, and more! ( http://www.lawrencepubliclibrary.org )

The Lawrence Trade Organization conducts a local currency program in Lawrence, keeping local resources invested in the community, thereby bolstering the local economy. ( http://lto.lawrence.ks.us )

Can’t remember who that one guy in that old movie was? What famous film was Peter Breck in before “Big Valley”? Just want to waste a lot of time? Then hop on over to the Internet Movie Database! Look up your favorite films or actors (or incredible obscure ones) ... and it’s great for tv show trivia, too! ( http://www.us.imdb.com )

Quantum Leap is one of Dale’s favorite t.v. shows, and he catches the repeats more often than he should. Find out all kinds of details on the show at The Quantum Leap Information Kiosk: “the best online source of information about Quantum Leap and its stars.” ( http://gcalvarez.tripod.com/ql.html )

All material, unless otherwise noted, ©2001-2005 by Dale Martin. Rev 6/06
Contact: grizmart@juno.com