Inky Fingers

Congratulations Winter 2011 MCAD Comic Art Grads!

2011-12-16T19:42:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Guys!! You are an amazing and creative group! Below is the artwork, and links to their websites, if you all want to check out more of their artwork.

Andrew Herbst: eventuallythishadtohappen.com

.....cogitations, tribulations, whereabouts, and whatnots from life in between monsters...

Danielle Keller: missdaniellekeller.com

The artist also know as Lucid! 'Nuff said!

Carl Thompson: cargocollective.com/carlthompsonart/

Internationally published already? Looking forward to seeing more!

Ryan Maticka: cargocollective.com/ryanmaticka

Comicster, Zinster, Printer and Graphic Designer...I'm not sure he ever slept!

Jen Riehm: cheekyneko.blogspot.com

As nice a person as her work is cheeky!

Sean Hartman: theinternknight@gmail.com

Too busy with the band to make a website? Check out Angelic Blade on Facebook!

Nick Songco: slinger4372@gmail.com

Once more no website? How will we know if the dinosaurs survive the mammals attack?!?!?!

2011-10-17T20:55:00.001-07:00

Sarah Morean promoting MIX and looking as sharp as ever!

MCAD Alumni
Jesse Haller and Joe Rheault!

MCAD alumni Kelly Brown!

AND...alumni Anna Bongiovanni and Evan Palmer!

This past Saturday I took the above photos while at the MCBA Comic Book Party .
It was a great weekend for comics in the Twin Cities. Stephan Pastis and the North Central chapter of the National Cartoonists Society, were at MCAD on Friday. An overflowing crowd listened to Stephan do a fab reading of his work. Oh...and another amazing genius of comics Ben Katchor stopped by to talk to my students that day also!!! Ben Katchor did a great lecture at the Twin Cities Book Festival on Saturday, so I was jumping back and forth between those two events.
Stephan Pastis, cartoonist of Pearls Before Swine.

It has been an incredible whirl-wind of activity this past month! And I have a gallery show and MIX show of shows coming up quick. (That is a hint to check out the links.)

One last thing...you should check out the current crop of MCAD comic students at their blog...they are working hard and creating some great work. I will see about posting some of it soon.

Website

2011-09-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

It also seem I forgot to mention I have an improved portfolio site up, although it is linked off to the side. Ta Da BarbaraSchulzInk

I seem to be...

2011-09-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

...blogging much more over at this site: http://www.comicheads.blogspot.com/

2011-08-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

Page one nearly inked...I am waaayyyyy too slow this summer.

World Wide Mini-Comic Day today

2011-04-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

Mini-Comics Day is today (April 9th)! On Mini-Comics Day, participating cartoonists from around the world will write, draw, and print copies of a mini-comic, completing the entire process from start to finish in a day or less. Anyone in the world can participate!! In Minneapolis this is happening at the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts starting at 10 AM. For more details check out: http://www.cartoonistconspiracy.com/conspire/?p=3087

2011-03-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

I have a certain weakness for picking up cool old Sci Fi Paperbacks. This goes back to my childhood when I would fish out my father's from the attic back room in our house. I love the musty newsprint, the cover illustrations and the way these authors could tell a riveting, questioning tale in roughly 120 pages instead of todays standard of three volumes at 300 pages each.

Today I was at Half Price Books in Minneapolis, and found off to one side super nice, covers still glossy, binding completely solid, bagged old paperbacks for $1.00 each. I was in heaven, but told myself I could only buy what I had not yet read, and ones I knew were actually on my reading list. The HG Wells books above, Berkley Highland books from 1964 were too pretty to pass up. Maybe they are not on my "must read" list, but maybe they should be?

Lambda I. A Berkley Medallion Book. Anthology! I love Sci Fi anthologies, I have ever since my big brother gave me a set of the classic Science Fiction Hall of Fame anthologies waaaaay back when. This one edited by John Carnell is a collection of stories he put together from his English magazine New World's of Science Fiction!

But now these two, these two were the best find, Ray Bradbury that I had never seen before! Now I have always just assumed all Sci Fi heads have read at least some Bradbury. Lately though I have found out this is not true, not even Fahrenheit 451. This is a shame as he really is one of America's best Sci Fi, well really just best writers.

And so my day was made...save now I get to top it off with going out for an old fashion Fish Fry!!

Sketchy

2011-03-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

Teaser Sketch for an Oral History Project on Minnesota Comic Artists I have been working on this winter with the very talented Britt Aamodt.

The Serendipitous Tales of the Six Cosmic Apocalypses and the Tragic Death of All Complex Life

2011-03-16T23:35:00.000-07:00

People who know me, know I have a weak spot for beautiful hand printed comics. This is indeed one of those comics, in fact it might be one of the best screen printed comics I have seen. It is a shame that I think only three were pulled, I would have dropped a pretty dime to purchase one. Luckily it does exist on the web at: The Serendipitous Tales of the Six Cosmic Apocalypses and the Tragic Death of All Complex Life. Yes, it is by one of MCAD's comic students, and was done in a printmaking course. The artist is Danielle Keller, and you should check out the other comics and design work on www.missdaniellekeller.com/. The Lament of Miss Tidbits is worth the trip.

Winter Comic Grads

2011-03-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

A few poor snaps from MCAD Grad George Folz's Senior Show. You can see the full story of both here and here. If you go look, and really your should!, there are also some amazing studies and illustrations George has been blogging. Encourage him to get past his post graduation slump and start making comics!

2011-03-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

The amazingly talented Bart King Graduated from MCAD this past December, here are some snaps from his Senior Show. You can see better images at his website: bartaking.com. Do check it out, you can read some of his comics, gander at his beautiful ink line, and see his great prints and illustrations.

Screen Prints for MIX

2010-08-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

While I am still finishing inking my new comic for MIX, I have finished two screen prints, above is the first. Not having printed for a couple of years these have been a bit of a re-learning curve for me. Excitement is high in Minneapolis for MIX. It is a great month for comics here. The local City Pages just published their annual comics issue. The Lutefisk Sushi mini-comic box appeared at a great event last Friday night! Minneapolis' comic scene is shining this month.

2010-08-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

Warm up. Need to finish my mini comic for MIX this month. Need to warm up my drawing hand!!

Chicago's C2E2 this weekend

2010-04-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

I am busy packing and printing up a new sketchbook for C2E2 in Chicago this weekend. This is the first convention of the season for me, and the first one I will be traveling to outside of Minneapolis since 2008. I am very excited to be attending, and to be sharing an Artists Alley table with the very talented Brent Schoonover. Stop by and see me if you are there, I will have some of my remaining inked pages for sale, my mini-comics and the brand spanking new Samurai-Falconer sketchbook. The sketchbook will have a number of the images I have been posting here and in my Gallery, plus some newer material.

Minneapolis Indy Xpo

2010-04-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

Yet another comic convention...well yeah, but this one is an small press expo in my back yard of Minneapolis. Sarah Morean one of the organizers, wrote up a great article on what this show is trying to accomplish over at The Daily Cross Hatch. In talking with the organizers this past weekend the excitement is high for the show, with artists tables filling up fast. Check it out this next August if you like small press comics and or handcrafted books.

Lutefisk Sushi

2010-04-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

Danno Klonowski sent me the info on participating in the great Minnesota mini-comic get together, Lutefisk Sushi!!

What is LUTEFISK SUSHI? Lutefisk Sushi is a nearly-yearly art show that invites Minnesota cartoonists to create and submit 160 copies of an original mini-comic. These comics then get divvied up into 160 screen-printed bento boxes (hence the "sushi". This is the fourth one, hence the 'D').

Submissions are due June 15, but the fun starts in August when the actual gallery show opens at Altered Esthetics (http://alteredesthetics.com). The show features the sushi boxes, as well as original art from the mini-comics. Best of all, the show is NOT curated, so any Minnesota cartoonist who can print up 160 comics will get in the box, and in the past the boxes have just been BURSTING!
If you think interested, just follow these simple steps:

To get a mini-comic into Lutefisk Sushi:

Live in Minnesota
Submit 160 copies of a comic no larger than 6" x 8.5"
Meet the June 15th, 2010 Deadline

All submissions will be included in the box unless they run out of room in the box. In the event they do run out of room, submissions will be included in the order they were received- so submitting early is always a good idea. More information on How to Submit can be found at: http://cartoonistconspiracy.com/sushi/

Jubilee 2010

2010-03-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

Frankly I was always more of a Kitty Pride fan over Jubilee, but I was thinking, if she was all grown up wouldn't she just love the recent return to '80's fashion?

Mondays Belated Sketch Dump

2010-03-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I missed posting a new sketch yesterday, so I am throwing one up tonight! A sketch card left over from the last convention I was at, less cartoony and more comic book realism. More sketches at Studio.Schulz.

Kevin Huizenga This Thursday at MCAD

2010-03-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

The Annual MCAD Mini Comic Expo is excited to have cartoonist Kevin Huizenga speaking this Thursday March 25th! The Comic Art students of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design will have their comics and prints for sale from noon to 6:00 pm, and Kevin will be giving a lecture in Auditorium 150 at 1:00 pm.

Kevin Huizenga has found acclaim for his comics Ganges, Or Else and a collection of works, Curses. Each was included on Time Magazine's list of the Top Ten comics of 2005 and 2006 , respectively.

Never Say The End

2010-03-17T00:32:00.001-07:00

Well, I suppose I could say it now. There were indeed two last character sketches to post from the samurai proposal, you can check them both out at my GALLERY. The concept and themes for this story came from the poet Alex Ness, check out his blog, he has several books in the works from various publishers.

Someday perhaps we really will see this project fly.

This weeks Sketch Dump.

2010-03-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

I placed a couple more character sketches in my gallery site. These should be the last of the samurai proposal sketches that I will be posting. Perhaps this project will still one day be realized.

Adaptation and Evolution of the Comic.

2010-03-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

"Humans have evolved no special adaptation for reading comics. Comics on the other hand have been gradually designed, culturally, to appeal to evolve..."

For those of you who enjoy academic discussion with your comics here is an interesting article by Brian Boyd, a University Distinguished Professor in English at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, posted in the Evolutionary Review.

Sketch Dump Continues...

2010-03-10T12:56:00.001-08:00

More quick sketches placed into my gallery blog: studioschulz.wordpress.com

These were one hour pencil to ink sketches, for character reference and compositional studies. The plus side of these three being that I LOVE to draw and ink birds. One of my favorite subjects. In truth I was thrilled last year when I was able to ink an educational book on species adaptation, as you guessed it, it had birds.

Sketches at studioschulz.wordpress

2010-03-08T23:24:00.000-08:00

After a long hiatus, I will be loading more sketches into my portfolio site: http://studioschulz.wordpress.com/
There are a few new images up already, character sketches for an unrealized samurai project that I did waaayyyy back in 2006.

All over but more to come.

2010-03-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

Last week kept me fairly busy posting educational articles to the Will Eisner Week blog. For those not in the know Will Eisner Week is an ongoing celebration promoting graphic novel literacy, free speech awareness and the legacy of comic art legend, Will Eisner. Sponsored by the Will & Ann Eisner Family Foundation and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. I have had the great honor of working with the Eisner Estate as Chair of WEW for the past two years. Check out the site, for the past two years we have contributors from Tom Kaczynski, Ivan Brunetti, Jim Keefe, Karen Green, Sarah Witty, Paul Karasik, Diana Green, Dr. Frenchy Lunning, and Diana Schutz.
Willeisnerweek.com

Tim Lane at Scott Elder Gallery

2010-02-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

Scott Eder Gallery in NYC is currently running a showcase of artists from Hotwire 3, a great comic anthology from Fantagrpahics. Tim Lane is featured in the book and the show. I met Tim as he was graduating from MCAD, and his work blew me away. It is easy to understand how his first book, Abandoned Cars, a collection of graphic noir-ish short stories, has sold out (back in print shortly).
So worth checking out.
“[Tim Lane] makes illustrations in that Brill Cream-soaked, hard-boiled, noir style with heavy hatching circa R. Crumb.” – Juxtapoz

Matsumoto

2010-02-14T13:35:00.000-08:00

Marvelous Coma has a good article on a favorite Manga artist on mine, Taiyo Matsumoto. I am currently reading his newly translated book GoGo Monster. I find his work surreal, fun, and intelligently introspective. His book Tekkon Kinkreet was translated into a great indy animation, great stuff. His work is an ultimate melting pot of Japanese, European and American comic art.

Zak Sally on Inkstuds

2010-02-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

I missed posting this last week...Zak Sally talks about his comics and music on my favorite comic radio show Inkstuds. Zak is one of the cartoonist I get excited to read. Great show, great cartoonist...check them out.

MCAD Comic Alumni at Marvel

2010-02-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

One more proud teacher post!! Nikki Cook, MCAD Comic Art alum is featured in Marvel Entertainments GIRL COMICS, out March 3rd. Nikki has been doing work for DC Entertainment/Vertigo, Image Comics and Boom Studios (upcoming).

More MCAD Alumni...

2010-02-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

Brent Schoonover did this interesting comic project for the University of Nebraska on Viruses...more interesting, you can download it to your iPhone. brentschoonover.com.
Brent's cover for Boom Studios comic Toy Story.

Congratulations Ed!

2010-02-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

I was excited to see Ghost Comics, edited by Ed Choy Moorman, was honored by Rob Clough in his Top 50 of 2009 over at The Comics Journal. Ed just graduated from the Comic Art Program at MCAD last year, and actually put this benefit book together during his very busy Senior year. Check it out if you haven't, it is an amazing collection of Mid-West, and Minneapolis comic artists both young and seasoned.

What? Another Blog?

2009-10-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

Well not really. I built a WordPress blog as part of a class demonstration I am giving tomorrow. Nothing fancy, but a clean, simple way to create a gallery of ones work!
http://studioschulz.wordpress.com/

2009-10-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

FallCon came and went here is Minneapolis, it was fantastic as always. I managed to get TWO new books out on the table this year and took nowhere enough photos I am afraid. I did manage to get the few below.

2009-10-11T21:34:00.001-07:00

Zak Sally and his son SpideyIsaac. The matching style in hats was too darn cute.

2009-10-11T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hagrid and Cynthia Martin! Hagrid's Monster Book enjoying my new Mini's very much. Excellent taste that one.

Minneapolis Fallcon 2009

2009-10-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

This Year Favorite costume award, from my point of view went to this excellent Penquin, who was very much in character all day. The nose was great, and actually flesh tone...bad photo color above.

Oh for more time to the day.

2009-09-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

If only there were more time in the day! I have been so busy since the school year started I have not had much time to work on my new comic, the above slice of a panel I inked over a week ago. Perhaps tomorrow I will finish all my paper work early and will be able to sit at my drawing board.

Finished the Dark and Stormy comic!

2009-09-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well, actually it was finished quite a while ago. I did just send off the clean pages to the printer though! Which also means they are cleaned up in time for my own mini-comic edition available first at the MCBA Fallcon Comic Book Celebration this October 10th and 11th. Above is a small slice of a larger panel from page three. Hopefully in short order my new web-site will be up, and I will have this comic completely digitally presented there. Short order hopefully means sometime in October.

The Archer

2009-05-20T20:53:00.001-07:00

Another quick character sketch from the samurai proposal listed somewhere below in this blog. Ta da...behold The Archer. A more modest, happy kind of guy, not too happy with his(?) current job.

More Sketchy

2009-05-13T21:15:00.001-07:00

Anna B. has been drawing up TONS of women in black, given hers are nuns, still it seemed too much fun, so I sketched this up one day in class.

Sketches

2009-05-05T22:51:00.000-07:00

More sketchbook work.

What a Swipe!

2009-05-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

I penciled this up as a character/costume exploration and composition study a number of years ago. This was for a project proposal that never fully materialize, I believe the writer is still working on it though. This past winter I found the thin sketchbook I had filled, and began to ink the drawings. Normally I do not use photos to this degree, but for quick concept work, it is fun to do. I wish I had the photo credits, it was pulled from the internet years ago, and I have lost the source.

2009-04-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Just a quick sketch I did after watching Seven Samurai again. Brush and playing with copic markers 'cause all the cool kids at school are doing it.

Kelly Brown and Joe Rheault

2009-03-24T19:10:00.001-07:00

I was excited to see a couple of former students of mine, Kelly Brown and Joe Rheault, posting some new comics at comicvolt.blogspot.com. I always liked their work at MCAD, and this stuff looks amazing, you should go check it out.

2009-03-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

Page one and two from "Dark and Stormy Night." My ode to Charles Schulz. I've always loved the strips of Snoopy writing his great novel atop his dog house, and I thought this would be a great device to let me play with a loose and cartoon style. I started this 4 page mini last fall, and just have a couple finishing touches to do on the last two pages. I am doing this on very rough paper, and yes, using actual zip-a-tone.

MOMEntum at MCAD Concourse Gallery

2009-03-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

Ahh! The opening is Tonight Friday Night! The show is up and it looks fabulous. We have also hung a small selection of Senior and advanced Junior Comic Art in the downstairs corridor gallery.

2009-02-26T18:05:00.000-08:00

Lots of great stuff coming up at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, (were I am teaching).

This Sunday for Will Eisner Week, we have lectures on Will Eisner by Christopher Couch, and on the Comic Hero by Frenchy Lunning, AND a special screening of Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist! 1 p.m. in the Main Auditorium.

MCAD: 2501 Stevens Ave., Minneapolis, MN

2009-02-15T23:09:00.000-08:00

Being rather behind on work, and awaiting new work to arrive tomorrow, I thought I would post a couple pieces of art from my very talented students. First up: Anna Bongiovanni!

Sketches

2009-02-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

Pen & brush pen. 3.5 x 4.5 inches

Ink Wash on colored stock. 18" x 24"

In cleaning up my studio this past month I uncovered tons-o-sketches, and so it begins...

Groundhog's Day

2009-02-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

I obviously did not see my shadow on Monday and ran around town completely forgetting to post this. The above is an old comic I drew back in '99 for a friend, taking the text from one of her yearly GH Day cards she always sent out. I only finished inking it this past fall. Why such a long time lapse? Well, I guess I lost touch with Irene before I finished it, misplaced it for a few years, uncovered it but had little interest in finishing it until now. Now it becomes my visual ode to bad twenty-something relationships. Fun times.

MPLS 24-Hour Comic Day Challenge!

2008-10-18T16:30:00.001-07:00

The Challenge? To Create a 24 page comic in 24 hours. In town, the ComicHeads at MCAD, (Minneapolis College of Art and Design,) are hosting an event on campus, and Downtown the International Cartoonist Conspiracy are hosting another. I participated by merely taking some photos viewable at the MPLS 24-Hour Comic Day. Above Sean Lynch works on his piece at MCAD.

2008-10-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

2008-10-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

2008-10-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

I had a very good week, first getting to meet Jamie Hernandez Saturday night. Love and Rockets was/is a major influence in my life. When I went off to college, I had pretty much written off any serious consideration of pursuing a career in comics, and I may have never returned to it if I hadn't found the early work of Jamie and his brother Gilbert. So, yeah, getting to meet Jamie was big for me.

End of last week, I was excited to find the book to the left. This came out three years ago, I missed it when it came out, and I had given up finding a copy, when a trip to the newly relocated Dreamhaven Books and Comics turned up a pristine copy. It does appear to still be available at Typocrat's website though.

It's a beautifully executed book, stunning, and a dark look into ones own potential for horrific actions.

Fall Con 2008

2008-10-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

So the Twin Cities Fall Con has come and gone. My good intentions of capturing it on film fell flat a half hour into the show as I tried to stay up on conversing with everyone who stopped by my table. The lines to get into the show were awe inspiring.
I did manage to capture two of my favorite costumes.
Fall con has an ever growing Justice League group that needs to be seen to be believed, sorry you just have to come to witness them roaming the hall.

Mini One

2008-10-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

So I produced my first mini comic since college really, it is out this weekend at the Hot Ink show and at Fall Con, both in Saint Paul, MN. The odd part of this one is I drew it eight years ago, and just finished it up now. My drawing style has changed since then, so it is interesting to see the merging of styles in the finished piece.

2008-10-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

So I have been busy since I started this Blog, then forgot all about it. This Friday though the above comic show opens. I am excited to have my work shown in Hot Ink! This show showcases the current and emerging Twin Cities underground or art comic movement. Other artists include:
Kevin Cannon
Zander Cannon
Will Dinski
Tom Kaczanski
Reynold Kissling
Lars Martinson
King Mini
Tyler Page
Evan G. Palmer
Brittney Sabo
Zak Sally
Myself, Barbara Schulz
Tim Sievert
Andy Singer
Tom Spence
Steven Stwalley

It Opens in Saint Paul, this Friday, October 3 at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, with a Members Party at 7 P.M., and at 8 P.M. for the general public. More info at:
http://mmaa.org/

2008-06-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

2008-06-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

Stage Two. Okay, I am inking this up on this very nice Fabriano Artistico hot press paper, and primarily inking with my #2 Windsor Newton Series Seven brush. The paper gives me a slick brush line, but has just enough tooth so I can rough in drybrush easily also. I like to warm up inking hair, and Steve drew some great heads of hair here. I'm starting to place in the large areas of black to pull together the composition, but I stop that to try out a different style of outlining the figures than I used on Steve's pencils in the past. I was outlining in a nib like angular style, which we decided wasn't quite right, so here I am going for a smoother look.

2008-06-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

My students have been asking me what I am up to this summer, so I thought I would post the process for one of the portfolio prints Steve Kurth and I are working on for the Wizard World Chicago Con. This is my first step of studying the black composition before I begin inking a page. I do this quickly on a small sheet of paper with a thick marker, looking for where the light source is coming from, and making sure all the important information in the drawing will be clear.