Tuesday, March 17, 2015

CAR CRASH COMMISSION DRIVE COMPLETED!



I am elated and relieved to announce that I've managed to raise the $5,000.00 needed to replace my car. It's been only twenty three days since my accident, and twenty two days since I opened the commission drive to raise the funds, but with the last commission received today (thanks, Motz!), I can call this a successful rebound--and I have so many of you to thank for making this happen.

From the start of this mess, I had friends, family and fans popping up everywhere to commission me, to spread the word about my commissions drive,  to share their concern for me and to show their support in personal ways. As wholeheartedly as I can express it, I am touched, humbled, and ever appreciative of everyone who helped me turn this tough situation around.

And as quickly as my car was taken away from me, it has been replaced! Thanks in good measure to my friend Steve Nemzek for driving me around from car lot to car lot to find the perfect car for me (note: this is the second time Steve sacrificed a day off to help me buy a car--he was there back in December to help me find Smuggler's Blues, may she rest in pieces)--I am now the proud owner of a 2008 Chevy Cobalt, which I have dubbed "CLUTCH CARGO"--named partly after a cheesy cartoon character from the 60's, partly because I found the car and bought her in a "clutch", i.e. really damn quickly, and because it has ample cargo space in the trunk for my convention gear. 
     

Once more, all my love and appreciation to you all, for everything you've done and for all you mean to me. And to those who are waiting for their commissions to arrive, rest assured I'm happily plugging away at them, and hope to have these wrapped up no later than early May. You've given me some wonderfully fun things to draw, and I appreciate that aspect of all this, too!

All the best to you, my friends! Here's to a great Spring and Summer for us all!

--Jay

Thursday, March 12, 2015

AUTHOR, AUTHOR...

If you're familiar with my work, you probably identity me as a cartoonist--and thank you for that. I'm worked a long time for the distinction. But it may slip your definition to think of me as a writer. With only one exception, I've always written my own comics, and I'm as proud of that fact as I am the art side of it. My friend Alicia VanNoy Call is also a writer and artist, and called upon myself and others to answer some questions about their writing. For anyone interested, here's what I had to say:



1. What are you working on right now?

I'm writing the script for issue #2 of BODIE TROLL: FUZZY MEMORIES--the newest Bodie Troll mini-series. Writing may be overstating a bit. I have the plot in a notebook and tumbling around in my head. I just need to take the next step and put it to paper. I'm also writing the next gag for NECRONOMICOMICS, though the term 'writing' is even more overstated in this case. I haven't a clue what I'm doing yet, but it'll come to me.

2. How does it differ from other works in its genre?

I think the main reason BODIE TROLL differs from other all ages comics is that many (though not all) all-ages comics on the mainstream market these days are based on existing properties--toys, cartoons, and such. BODIE, by comparison, is just from me, my interests, my emotions, my experiences. That makes Bodie a tougher sell to new readers, I think. But it allows me to keep BODIE more personal, and to do things the way I feel is best for my comic without a corporation telling me what to do and how to be most marketable.

Having said that, I am a contributing artist on the MY LITTLE PONY comic book, which is based on a toy, and does fall under corporate scrutiny. but I am pleased to say that I haven't experienced any pressure or interference in what I've done on that book at all. It probably doesn't hurt that I'm not the book's writer, who is much more in the gaze of the licensor. Plus, my style naturally jibes with the established Pony style, at least enough to please the licensor while maintaining my own artistic identity.

3. Why do you write what you do?

I entered the comics industry with my sights set on continuing the bawdy humor traditions of the underground comics movement of the 60's and 70's. I maintained that status quo on my first graphic novel, DEAD DUCK, for a few years. Gradually, I came to realize that that sort of humor wasn't really who I was. I was a shy, emotional person who loved stories with characters you could really love and root for. That changed my whole perspective on what I wanted my professional identity and creative output to be. That's why I created BODIE TROLL.  

4. How does your writing process work?

The spark of an idea comes first, and never when I'm trying to find it. I'll be on a walk, in the car, even in the shower, wherever it's least convenient to grab a piece of paper to jot down my inspiration. Once I do get it on paper, the development process comes slowly, often in the form of loose scribblings devoid of any proper sentence structure, spelling or punctuation. Doodles follow--LOTS of doodles, that will sometimes wind up in my notebook, but mostly in a separate sketchbook. The best ideas come to me when I'm in a diner, ideally ones with paper placemats that are blank on one side. Most of my comic creations started on placemats. All this rough development eventually gets piled into a typed script that also has very little proper script form initially. I write in a stream of consciousness, trimming away the fat, adding more fat, scrapping whole sections of story that I'd previously thought were brilliant, until I find the best way to tell my story. Inevitably, chunks of dialogue will get changed when I'm drawing the actual comic page, if I find a gag that's funnier, or a name or word that seems to fit better than what I'd originally written. There is no straight path or set formula for my writing. It's a very organic process that, inexplicably, works for me every time, and always within the constraint of a set page count and whatever deadline I may have.
 

Monday, February 23, 2015

CAR CRASH COMMISSION DRIVE

I was in a serious car accident this past weekend. A young man ran a red light and hit my passenger side. I walked away from it with only a couple bruises, but my car, which I just bought two months earlier, is totaled. I've done the whole insurance thing, and the bottom line is, any money I would get from the kid's insurance won't even scratch the surface of replacing my car. I don't have the time or inclination to fret over legalities or financial retribution. What's done is done, and I have a life and a career to keep functional. To do that, I need a new car. So, I am opening up a commission drive that will specifically go towards this need. Here are the details:
  • The commissions will be black and white inked commissions drawn at 8.5 x 11" in size.
  • I will draw one or two characters in each piece, depending on which you prefer.
  • Subject matter is up to the client, though I would prefer these be of an "all ages appropriate" level. Caricatures, familiar characters from all areas of pop culture, and especially my own characters are fair game.
  • The rates will be: $110 for people in the U.S., $120 for people outside the U.S. This will cover cost of shipping.
  • I would prefer to take these commissions without there being a strict deadline for their completion. If you needed one by a specific time, let me know and I'll try to accommodate.
  • I am accepting all payments through my PayPal account, which can be accessed at: fourpanelhero@hotmail.com. I ask that any orders be sent through the "friends/family" option to avoid service charges.
  • Anyone wishing to discuss this drive or place an order should reach me at jayfosgitt@gmail.com

I have just over $3,000 saved up right now. So my goal is to bring in a minimum of fifty commissions so I'll have at least $8,000 to put towards a car. I'm putting this out on all my other social media sites as well. If you can join in, fantastic. If you can't, I certainly understand, and won't hold it against anybody for declining. We're all in a financial pinch these days, and I don't want to inconvenience anyone.

Feel free to spread the word on this offer. I'll keep people posted on its progress, and will let everyone know when and if I reach my goal.

Lastly, I'll remind collectors that I have original "My Little Pony" and "Bodie Troll" pages for sale at Comic Art House​'s website, which you can reach through the links I've provided. Any sale in the coming months will help put me back behind the wheel and keep me coming to comic conventions.

As ever, thank you for all your support, no matter what form it may take.

--Jay

Thursday, February 12, 2015

COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN!

Before I dive into some new comic deadlines, I'm opening up my commission list. Let me know if anyone's interested!

I should mention that I'll be attending the MSU Comics Forum on Saturday, Feb. 21st. Anyone who commissions me now and plans to attend can pick up their pieces at the event and forgo cost of shipping!