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

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  • SPX 2015

    SPX 2015

    The Small Press Expo, “North America’s premiere independent cartooning and comic arts festival,” will be taking place this weekend on Saturday September 19th (11 am to 7 pm) and Sunday September 20th (Noon to 6 pm) at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel and Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland. A small contingency of Boston Comics Roundtablers will be in attendance, so if you are heading to Maryland for the weekend, do stop in and say hello!

    Artists EJ Barnes (Table K6A), Eric Boeker (Table D5A), and B. Doug De Rocher (Table B2B) will all be displaying work in the exhibitors hall.

    EJBARNESEJ Barnes is a professional artist and art teacher in Cambridge. She has published many of her own comics as well as contributing to such anthologies as Hellbound, Inbound, and Colonial Comics. She has also exhibited and sold her work across the country. You can find more about EJ Barnes’s work at www.ejbarnes.com.

    Eric Boeker is the cartoonist behind the weekly, Gen-X, zombie sitcom comic “Commute of the Living Dead,” which can be seen online as part of Dig Boston’s Sunday Comics Project and at www.commuteofthelivingdead.com.  He is also known to draw giant monsters and cute animals wearing dashing hats, when under extreme duress.

    mm_coverB. Doug De Rocher is from Cambridge, Massachusetts, now living in Somerville, MA. He creates comics using cut paper collage. De Rocher uses paint samples, found papers, and some higher end art paper to create his pages. He received a M.I.C.E. grant for his comic book Monarch Monkey and Other Stories and has been published in a number of anthologies including Show and Tell and Greatest of All Time. De Rocher has also shown art in the Doodle juried show at the Nave Gallery.

    Also our very own Dan Mazur will be featured on a Saturday panel entitled Creative Collaboration in cover_20color_202f_20resizedjpg_originalComics Collectives taking place from 12:30 to 1:30 pm in the White Flint Auditorium. The SPX description of the panel is as follows: “Build a Comics Collective in your hometown! Local creators Andrew Cohen (DC Conspiracy), Monica Gallagher (Bmore Into Comics), Emily Gillis (Square City Comics) and guest Dan Mazur (Boston Comics Roundtable) discuss the fun and friendships to be found in a comics collective! Moderated by Matt Dembicki.”

    Mazur wears many hats in the Boston comics community. He’s the creative force behind Ninth Art Press, the “unofficial publishing arm” of the BCR, co-director of M.I.C.E. (Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo), and an acclaimed author, cartoonist, and comics scholar. Most recently he is known for the compendium “Comics: A Global History.” His latest comic, “The Jernegan Solution,” can be purchased here!

    It promises to be a fun weekend for all manner of independent comics creators and enthusiasts! For more information about SPX, please see their website: http://www.spxpo.com.

    *Featured image is ©Gemma Correll and SPX.

  • INCANTATIONS The Art and Comics of Catalina Rufin

    INCANTATIONS The Art and Comics of Catalina Rufin

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    (Cambridge, MA – September  15, 2015) dwelltime’s fourth event in the dwelltime art fridays series will open an exhibition featuring local artist Catalina Rufin on October 2, on view until December 4. “Incantations” will feature 8 pages of “Space Explorer Stephanie,”  a charming, all-ages tale of a young girl’s dream trip to the solar system, where she overcomes obstacles and learns more about herself. Rufin is also showing six other illustrations, some related to her other comics, some stand-alone illustrations.

    Join the Facebook Event:

    https://www.facebook.com/events/366890470148172/

    About Catalina Rufin:

    Catalina Rufin was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1993. She is a cartoonist, illustrator, and zine-maker from Arlington, Massachusetts. She graduated in 2015 from the New England School of Art & Design with a BFA in Illustration.

    Artist Statement:

    “My work has an overall sense of wonder in one’s natural surroundings. My aim is for people to feel hopeful and happy after reading my comics. In many of my stories, I relay my own experiences a person with Asperger’s, and on the journey towards self-love. I’m influenced by Celtic history and mythology, science fiction, and fantasy.”

    More about Catalina Rufin’s comics at

    http://cargocollective.com/catalinarufin

    About dwelltime:

    dwelltime is a coffee bar & bake shop owned and operated by 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.

    About dwelltime art friday series:

    dwelltime is committed to feature local artist working on a variety of media. Reclaiming the historical space as a vibrant part of the community where coffee and art welcome everyone. For More information about dwelltime and upcoming shows please visit:

    http://dwelltimecambridge.com/

    Opening Reception:

    Friday, October 2, 2015 4:00 to 6pm
    dwelltime
    364 Broadway St, Cambridge, MA
    Free and open to the public.

  • 24-Hour Comics Day 2015

    24-Hour Comics Day 2015

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    BOSTON COMICS ROUNDTABLE PRESENTS: 24-Hour Comics Day

    This year’s 24-Hour Comics Day will take place on Saturday October 3rd, marking the annual attempt of comic artists worldwide to create and complete a 24-page comic in 24 consecutive hours. Pioneered by artist Scott McCloud, the project is a fun and exciting challenge to the creative process! This year the Boston Comics Roundtable will be hosting a 24-Hour Comics Day community event at the new Boston Comics Workspace located at 561 Windsor Street, Studio 306, Somerville, MA.

    For interested artists, we will be providing a comfortable place to work as well as food, refreshments, and good, diligent company to commiserate with throughout the 24-hour period, all for the low price of $24 (that’s only a dollar a page!). Additionally, admission includes one printed and stapled copy of your finished comic. Beginning at 12:00 PM on the 3rd, the event will continue until 12:00 PM on the 4th. Space is limited so we will be reserving spots on a first-come first-serve basis. If you are interested, please see our event page at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/24-hour-comics-bcr-tickets-18566829888.

    We hope to see you on the 3rd! Should you have any questions about the event, please do not hesitate to contact us.

    When: Saturday October 3rd at 12:00 PM
    Where: 561 Windsor Street, Studio 306, Somerville, MA
    Admission: $24

    Facebook Event.
    Google Event.

    Contact Information:
    Olivia Li                                                                
    olivia@lovianart.com
    www.bostoncomicsroundtable.com

  • Creator Talks: Levon Gyulkhasyan

    Creator Talks: Levon Gyulkhasyan

    Levon Color Poster Social

    BOSTON COMICS ROUNDTABLE PRESENTS: Creator Talks, with Levon Gyulkhasyan on Jumbo Comics, A Tool for Building Communities

    The Boston Comics Roundtable’s Creator Talk series will continue on Sunday September 20th with artist Levon Gyulkhasyan discussing the use of giant comic strips in public spaces. Held at the new Boston Comics Workspace at 561 Windsor St., Studio 306, the event is free and open to the public, though a suggested donation of $5 is welcome. The talk will begin at 2:00 pm and is sponsored by Ninth Art Press.

    Comics need not only be on the page. There is a new dimension of comics in which giant comic strips are installed in public spaces. One such initiative, Jumbo Loop Comics, was spearheaded in part by Gyulkhasan and resulted in installations in many locations in Armenia and France. The large panels feature life size characters and act to engage those who behold them, giving a sense of involvement in the plot. The project also made paint and brushes accessible, encouraging passersby to color the strip and thereby become a participant, spreading awareness and enjoyment of comics. The giant strip can be wrapped around trees or poles, forming a ring, where the end of the story logically continues to the beginning, making it a never ending story.

    Gyulkhasyan’s talk will cover the creation of these jumbo comics and how it affects communities, focusing on the process and challenges one may face.

    About Levon Gyulkhasyan
    One of the activists of comics development in Armenia, Gyulkhasyan was involved in works of the French Association pour la promotion de la bande dessinée en Arménie and a participant of exhibitions, workshops, and anthologies. In a team, he took part in 24-hour comics in Angouleme, France, which he then introduced in Armenia. He also was an initiator of Jumbo Loop Comics, seven of which were installed in public spaces in Armenia and France. With friends, Gyulkhasyan launched weekly comics making workshops using constraint as a means of advancing comic creation. After moving to the United States, he continues this activity in Boston.

    When: Sunday September 20th at 2:00 PM

    Where: 561 Windsor St., Studio 306, Somerville, MA

    Facebook Event.

    Google Event.

  • Roundup: Creator Talk with L.J.-Baptiste on Comixscape

    Roundup: Creator Talk with L.J.-Baptiste on Comixscape

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    ©Olivia Li
    L.J.-Baptiste’s Creator Talk covered the intricacies of webcomic publishing.  He showed some very early character sketches from the beginnings of Comixscape, when it was called Toonatics, citing early influence from shows like Looney Tunes.
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    ©E. J. Barnes
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    ©E. J. Barnes
    He talked about how he developed Tyler, the main character of Comixscape, from a fairly stereotypical creation of L.J.’s childhood into the kid he is today on the page. Comixscape originally began as part of DigBoston‘s Sunday Comics Project, and L.J. decided to migrate it to its own site and eventually put together a team of animators, voice actors, and other production staff to produce the first few pages in animated format (starting here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1KicfjwHbY).  He has also been working with a long-time collaborator to pitch several animated TV shows to studios in California.
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    ©E. J. Barnes

     

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    ©E. J. Barnes
    Comixscape currently updates twice weekly; L.J. did go on hiatus for a time in order to create all of chapter four as a buffer. The new pages have just begun to be released.  L.J. showed a selection of his original pages and also brought copies of Comixscape #1 to sell.

     

  • Art Framing Workshop

    Art Framing Workshop

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    Are you a comics artist with pages you want to display in the upcoming MICE Art Show, in a gallery, or at home? Then you’ll need to frame that art! You could go to a framing store, but you’ll get better and more inexpensive results by learning to frame your art yourself. Good framing can preserve your art, enhance its sale value, and make your studio walls look great.

    The Boston Comics Roundtable will host a hands-on art-framing workshop led by artist EJ Barnes on Sunday, September 13th. She will cover such topics as how to prepare art for framing, where to buy frame pieces online for maximum flexibility and value, and what sort of hangers galleries prefer. Barnes will also show her special technique of displaying word balloons on comics art even if you added your lettering digitally.

    This workshop is FREE to all, though a suggested donation of $5 is welcome. Barnes will begin her demonstration at 2:00 PM. This event at the Boston Comics Workspace is sponsored by Ninth Art Press.

    About EJ Barnes

    Barnes is a professional artist and art teacher in Cambridge. She has published many of her own comics as well as contributing to such anthologies as Hellbound, Inbound, and Colonial Comics. She has also exhibited and sold her work across the country. You can find more about EJ Barnes’s work at www.ejbarnes.com.

    • When: Sunday, September 13, 2015 at 2:00 PM
    • Where:
      Boston Comics Workspace
      561 Windsor Street, Studio 306,
      Somerville, MA.
    • Facebook Event.
    • Calendar Event.