Apartment Hunt: In-Depth Review!

I met Tim Young this past MoCCA Fest, and he not only interviewed me at the show, but also did an in-depth review of my comic "Apartment Hunt" for his "Deconstructing Comics Podcast!" (Click here to listen!)  Tim lives in Japan, so now some people in Japan know about my comics!  It's a fair and balanced review, and I think it comes out slightly on the positive side, which is great considering Tim and his friend were pretty harsh on the first 2 comics!  They start talking about mine at 22:45. 

Tim and his friend were very spot-on in communicating visual details in words.  I appreciate that Tim liked my clear panels and style!  I totally understand about getting confused towards the end, and maybe I could have explained the 3rd girl differently.  Yes, I could have made a 24-page comic going into every detail of the hunt, but that seemed boring to me, and I think the shortness better conveys the urgency of finding an apartment in NYC.  But I'm super glad they both wanted MORE story!  The sequel will have slightly more pages, though not as many as 24, but this review is great to think about while making it!

Ah, they caught me on the size!  I was hoping people wouldn't notice it...  Originally, "Apartment Hunt" was supposed to be a quarter page in size, like my other mini comics (The Misfortune Cookie, The Lucky Penny, etc) that are drawn at 8.5x11 size to scale down to 1/4 size.  But when printed, the text was just too small, so I printed at half page size, which lead to that white space on the top and bottom.  Although for the sequel, I'll have to make it the same "wrong" size to match the first story.  To answer their question, I printed it at Staples.  I never photocopy my work, as the quality wouldn't be as sharp! 

Thanks again, Tim, and everyone please check out the Deconstructing Comics Podcast!

The post-vacation-blues are a real thing. 

Comic Strip Story Hour TONIGHT!

TONIGHT at 8pm at Carmine St. Comics, I'll be reading my Apartment Hunt comic aloud as it's projected onscreen!  If you missed the NYCC kickoff event where friends and I read it in Gotham City Lounge, now's your chance to catch the action!  There's a great line-up of female artists, as the theme for this reading is "Total Babe," including JENNIFER HAYDEN (The Story Of My Tits) and AATMAJA PANDYA (Travelogue, The Bell Blues).

Carmine St. Comics is at 34 Carmine St. in the Village!  Take any train to West 4th.  It should last about an hour or so, I think I'm on in the beginning of the hour.  I'll also have copies for sale if you haven't gotten an Apartment Hunt comic yet!

This and That

So back when I was in Motor City Comic Con, a guy came up to my table and was like "I'll write an article about you if you draw me with a penguin."  Here's the drawing, which he absolutely adored, and here's the article!  http://annecarlini.com/ex_interviews.php?id=1309  Sometimes the bartering system DOES work!  Interview by Russell Trunk of Exclusive Magazine.

Ah last time I blogged it was about Special Edition, which was great!  My friend and fellow cartoonist Warner helped man my table when I couldn't be there on Sunday.  I took a bus, then cab across town (cabs were hard to catch at the west end... maybe this is a sign I should get Uber) to draw at the annual FD Day for a few hours.  FD is short for Familial Dysautonomia, and I draw a weekly comic strip for their organization.  I was even drawing and eating on the cab on the way back to Pier 94 - a super busy day!  But I like the excitement.

Haven't posted in awhile because the current apartment hunt has been such a time sucker!  Literally every single night this month, Molly and I have been going to Brooklyn for hours.  The sequel is practically writing itself.  I think the end is in sight though.

Apartment Hunt Hot Off the Press! MoCCA Fest THIS WEEKEND!

I've just finished printing my newest comic:  "APARTMENT HUNT!!"  I made this comic to warn people of all the crazy stuff you may encounter while apartment hunting in NYC.  Based on a true story!  You may find it helpful if you'll be on the hunt yourself.  Be one of the first ones to get a copy this weekend at MoCCA Fest! 

I'm sharing table 416 with Nadia Burgess on the 4th floor (Blue Zone).  This year, the fest is 3 floors, and I'm on the top floor.  Please make sure you come up to see us and all the great cartoonists on the 3rd and 4th floors!  You won't want to miss out on a hidden treasure you may find there!

MoCCA Fest is at Center 548:  548 West 22nd Street in Manhattan.  See you there!

MoCCA Fest this Weekend!

I'm excited to exhibit at MoCCA Fest again this year!  I'll be tabling again with my friend Nadia Burgess both days April 11th and 12th from 11AM to 6PM.  MoCCA Fest is at a new location this year, across town at Center 548 near the Highline park in Chelsea - West 22nd St. between 10th & 11th ave.  Only $5 admission - very affordable! 

They have lots of awesome guests and festivities going on this week end the weekend as well: Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Scott McCloud, Raina Telgemeier, and lots of great international cartoonists too.  The Society of Illustrators has coordinated a "Comic and Cartoon Art Week" this week with screenings, presentations, sketch nights, and great networking opportunities!  See more on the Society's website.

I'm almost done with my newest comic, "Apartment Hunt," to premiere at MoCCA Fest!  It's crazy how much work goes into even a short story.  This one is based on real life, and has by far the most text of my stories. 

See you this weekend!

What the Font?

I turned my handwriting into a font!  My friend and fellow cartoonist Simon Fraser recommended this last year, and I finally got around to doing it!  I've been told that the computer fonts I use as a short-cut on my mini comics don't fit with the hand drawn comic.  The current comic I'm drawing ("Apartment Hunt") has LOTS of text, so this is a good time to test it out.

There are free sites that turn your handwriting into a font like http://www.myscriptfont.com/  Print out the sheet, write in the boxes, scan, upload, and voila!  It did take 2 tries to tweak some weird letters, but the final result is awesome!  I'll save tons of time but it'll have the warmer look of writing by hand!  Also thinking about making an Aer Head font.  I do pride myself on the fact that that comic is all done by hand, but as I get busier and time slips away, it's best to utilize tools like this!

If you're in Jersey tomorrow, check out the Super Heroes for Hospice show in West Orange!  If you're in Philly on Sunday, check out the Philly Zine Fest at the Rotunda!

Yeah this happened.  Luckily I'm pretty sturdy (also survived a freaky skiing fall last winter).  Pissed me off though.  See, these kind of New Yorkers give all the other ones a bad rap.