THE BOSTON COMICS ROUNDTABLE: a community of comics creators, meeting weekly since 2006.

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  • “Showcase Your Comic”

    “Showcase Your Comic”

    We are starting a new activity for our weekly meetings that we hope to repeat regularly. Next Week Starting at 6:30pm (2/18 Thursday at the Cambridge Main Library “Community Room” SubLevel 2).

    Bring your most recent comic (Printed or Online). Talk about it and show us your art for 2 minutes. We will have the projector setup* so everyone can see them at the same time and bring copies to sell. Your presentation will be followed by a brief Q&A.

    We hope to help everyone familiarize themselves with your comics and explore the diversity of work created on our community.

    *If you want to use the projector to show your comic art please:

    • Upload here (include #showcaseyourcomic so it will not be posted).
    • Or Email your art here.
    • Or bring it on a USB drive.
  • Presenting Muqtatafat!

    Presenting Muqtatafat!

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    Celebrate the publication of Muqtatafat, the first anthology of independent comics from the Arab world published in the U.S.

    Edited by Boston and Cambridge-based team of Anna Mudd, A. David Lewis and Paul Beran, and published by local Ninth Art Press, Muqtatafat presents to North American readers a glimpse of the vibrant and diverse world of Arab comics, featuring 15 artists from Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and elsewhere. Political, personal, satirical and whimsical, these comics present unusual insights into the creativity and culture of the Middle East.

    At this event, the editors and publisher will discuss and display the contents of the book, describe the process of its publication, and give an introduction to the world of Arab comics in general, including the legal and censorship problems facing Samandal, the groundbreaking Lebanese comics journal, for which all sales of Muqtatafat are a benefit.

    THURSDAY FEB 4, 6:30 PM AT THE CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY, 449 BROADWAY, CAMBRIDGE.

    FACEBOOK EVENT: https://www.facebook.com/events/678183148988279/

  • Submit to Boundless + The Midnight Oil!

    There are many opportunities to publish floating around here at the Boston Comics Roundtable of late. If you’ve got work or ideas, consider submitting!

    The Midnight Oil

    The Midnight Oil is our new bimonthly newspaper showcasing contemporary cartoonists. It will be released to the general public in the Greater Boston Area, creating a great chance for cartoonists to get their work viewed by a wider audience. The submission guidelines are as follows:

    • We are only accepting 1 page comics at the time. If there is something you are considering being serialized email us with the first two pages and an outline/thumbnails for the remaining story. Please note that the story will be printed 1 page at a time bimonthly.
    • Image size is 10.5″ x 13.5″ with a live area of 9.75″x12.5″ Full Color CMYK
    • We currently can’t do full bleed, so please plan accordingly.
    • Please send files with a minimum of 300 dpi File formats we accept – JPEG, TIFF, PNG, PDF (please make sure your pdf is print ready if you submit in this format).

    The deadline to submit to the inaugural is rapidly approaching on Monday February 1st, so get those submissions in! See more information about The Midnight Oil on their website here. Questions? Feel free to contact the editor at midnightoilmag@gmail.com.

    Boundless

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    The deadline to submit pitches to Boundless, our upcoming science anthology, has been extended to Friday February 5th. The anthology will celebrate, explicate, and infuse science into stories about our (current or historical) real world and/or into the fantastical worlds of possibility, fiction, and speculation. We encourage anyone and everyone to submit from any and all backgrounds. Never written a comic before but have an amazing idea? Are you a scientist with an amazing idea? Don’t hesitate to show us your work! Some guidelines:

    • For your pitch, send a developed synopsis (1-2 paragraphs) or script and/or thumbnails along with a link to a portfolio or examples of the artist’s work that will be attached to the story.
    • We will accept examples of previous work, websites with portfolios, or samples of the story under consideration as evidence of story concept.
    • We welcome those who write and draw and also collaborations between artists, writers, and scientists. Show us that you have the chops for both the story and the art, or if you are a scientist with a great idea ask us for assistance linking up with an artist/writer.
    • Length: 1-10 pages long
    • Specs: 5.25” x 8” trim size, 5.75” x 8.5” bleed

    For more information about Boundless and what we are trying to achieve, please see our website.

    If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact as at boundless@bostoncomicsroundtable.com.

  • January Comics Courses at the Boston Comics Workspace

    January Comics Courses at the Boston Comics Workspace

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    This past June, the Boston Comics Roundtable began a new project in collaboration with Whatever Floats Your Boat Studios (media artist Heide Solbrig): launching a new studio space, the Boston Comics Workspace, located near Inman Square in Somerville’s Taza Chocolate Factory building (561 Windsor Street, Studio 306A, Somerville, MA 02143). In this space, we are building a comics community center, encouraging creativity and art production in Boston, and would like to invite you to join us.

    This winter we will offer courses for comics enthusiasts, 15 and older, with artists/instructors from the Boston area, as well as guest lectures from visiting artists. These courses are great ways to start making comics, continue a practice that you have begun on your own, or get back into comics creation after a while away. Our first classes began in September—and they were met with great enthusiasm. Beginning in January, we are offering two new classes at the workspace: Introduction to Comics 1 and Comics Autobiography & Non-fiction Storytelling. The courses will be 8 weeks and offered at the low price of $185 plus the cost of materials. For more information, please see the course descriptions below.

    To sign up, or to find more information, please visit http://bostoncomics.com/education. Also feel free to contact our Education Coordinator Heide Solbrig at education@bostoncomicsroundtable.com.

    Introduction to Comics 1: Comics, Cartooning and Storytelling.

    Students will learn the fundamentals of cartooning and various approaches to visual storytelling by looking at the work of published cartoonists. Each student will be given the tools to develop their own narratives and begin to establish their own visual style, which they  can  carry  into  further  comics  projects.  By the end  of  the  course,  each student will have a working knowledge of character creation, page layout, and visual storytelling.

    Section 1:
    Duration: January 14th to March 3rd
    Thursday, 6:00pm-9:00pm
    Instructor: John Carvajal, M.F.A.

    8 week course: $185.00 + $15. Materials fee.
    John Carvajal is a graduate from The Center for Cartoon Studies. His work has been
    published in various publications including Compositional Studies and The Cambridge Historian. He has exhibited his work internationally and currently lives in Norwood, MA. You can see some of his work at jacarvajal.com.

    Comics Autobiography & Non-fiction Storytelling: Comics, Graphic Novels & More.

    Have you ever wanted to tell your own story in comics form? Do you have an unusual family story, off-kilter philosophical approach to the world, travelogue you’d like to tell in pictures? Are you an artist who would like to see your drawings become a story, a character, or a visual poem? These days autobiographical and journalistic comics are an important  and  popular  new  comics  genre.  Comics  artists  like  Joe  Sacco,  Alison Bechdel,  Guy  Delisle,  Linda  Barry,  and  many  more  have  invented  a  new  visual language for telling truthful stories about the world. In this class on non-fiction comics storytelling we will look at how some of these innovators built non-fiction worlds while also exploring the ways that comics and autobiography have migrated online on such sites  as Tumblr,  Instagram,  and  Twitter.  Tell your  own  story  and  find  a  platform  to present it to the world!

    For the first half of the class we will focus on drawing and writing for genre, technique, and story construction, while the second half of the class will focus on students’ own projects with an eye to creating an online presence with your own story world, linked to the Boston Comics Round Table’s other online platforms. This should be a really special course that kicks off Boston’s newest, hottest comics space and educational venue!!!

    Section 1:
    Duration: January 12th to March 1st
    Tuesday, 6:00pm-9:00pm
    Instructor: Heide Solbrig (Ph.D., M.F.A.)

    8 week course: $185.00 + $15. Materials fee.
    Heide Solbrig is the author of The Dandelion King, a graphic memoir about the 1970’s and has taught media art, film and communication at Wheaton College, Emerson College, Bentley University, UCSD, and SFSU. To see examples of her work, please go to www.dandyking.com and www.hydafloats.com.

    Contact Information:
    Heide Solbrig
    education@bostoncomicsroundtable.com
    http://bostoncomics.com/education

  • John Carvajal Comic Art Show

    John Carvajal Comic Art Show

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    The last comic-art centered Dwelltime (now Barismo) is going up today, featuring the amazing art of John Carvajal. (http://jacarvajal.com/). Featuring 7 amazing watercolor comic pages and 1 water-colored cover. You can stop by admire the original art on the walls are purchase John’s full color comics while enjoying some locally roasted, responsibility sourced tasty tasty coffee. We will be announcing a reception at some time in the next two months so check back soon. 

    This show will be up till the beginning of February 2016.

    About the Artist
    John Carvajal is a cartoonist, illustrator, and painter. His work has been published in multiple anthologies including Maple Key Vol. 2, Strangelet Vol 1.1, and a collaboration with Aaron Humphreys in Compositional Studies Vol. 43.1. Aside from his illustrations and paintings, he is currently working on his first long form graphic story.

    Comics Available for Sale!
    • Sunshine State
    • de aqui alla
    • Dust

    More about John Carvajal’s comics at
    http://jacarvajal.com/

    About Barismo:
    We’re located in the historic F.B. Hubley Auction Gallery building at 364 Broadway. Originally a small grocer, Hubley opened as an auction gallery in the 1940’s and operated until 2008. We signed a lease and began working on the space in June 2011. Working with our developer, we were able to save the tin ceiling and maple floors, and restore the facade to its original historic condition.

    Facebook Event here!

  • Comics Winter Solstice Extravaganza: A Holiday Sale!

    Comics Winter Solstice Extravaganza: A Holiday Sale!

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    Comics Winter Solstice Extravaganza: A Holiday Sale!

    Please join the Boston Comics Roundtable on Sunday December 13th from 2 to 6 PM for our Comics Winter Solstice Extravaganza. The event will take place at the Boston Comics Workspace, located at 561 Windsor Street, Studio 306, in Somerville. Are you looking for a gift for that special someone? The BCR is here for all of your holiday needs! Anthologies will be available for sale at a special discount. There will also be ample work from our members. We will have light refreshments and goodies for sampling plus plenty of fun games and stimulating conversation to be had. Come celebrate the winter season with us! We hope to see you there.

    Google Event.

    Facebook Event.