1:00 – 2:00 Draw the Super Sirens with Mark Brill, Travis Bundy and Mark Monlux. All three are professional illustrators and cartoonists. Sit with them and get tips on figure drawing and character design.
2:00 – 3:00 General Question and answer. Do you have questions of what it is like to be a working cartoonist. Mark Brill is an in-house staff artist and can describe what it’s like to work for a company. Travis Bundy is Co-founder of Creators Edge Press, which has produced a number of different comics. Mark Monlux is a freelancer and can describe how he hussles to work with all sorts of business from individuals to conglomerates.
3:00 – 4:00 How to make a comic. Learn how to write a comic, the basics of staging a layout, and secret tips on how to make your comic both fun to read and look at. You will be shown how to make a 6 page comic out of a single 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper.
4:00 – 5:00 General Drawing, extra questions, tips, and did I mention drawing?

Please RSVP on our Facebook Page.

Melanie Anne Eggleston receiving the CLAW Student Scholarship for 2013

Each year The Cartoonist League of Absurd Washingtonians collects funds both from private donations and through its services to the community to bestow on one lucky art student. The dozen students that applied were reviewed by the CLAW membership via their applications that included previous history of awards, letters of recommendation, essays, and most importantly – samples of their cartooning skills. The competition for the scholarship was fierce with one vote deciding the outcome. The CLAW is please to announce that Melanie Anne Eggleston receives the vast sum of the 2013 CLAW Student Scholarship, $1,059.10, to spend on further education herself in the sequential arts.

The Tacoma Arts Commission recently awarded $255,000 to nine Tacoma-based arts organizations through its Arts Anchor Fund program, and $40,000 to 16 Tacoma artists through its Tacoma Artists Initiative Program. The Arts Anchor Fund program awards range in value from $20,000 to $35,000 each, and the Tacoma Artists Initiative Program awards are $2,500 each. Funding for both programs is for the 2013-14 biennium.

“The arts are an important economic driver and community builder for Tacoma, and assist in building our cultural identity,” said Robin Echtle, chair of the Tacoma Arts Commission. “Organizations and artists funded reflect and strengthen the rich diversity of arts and cultural experiences happening throughout Tacoma.”

Arts Anchor Fund Program Awards

The 2013-2014 Arts Anchor Fund program award recipients are: Hilltop Artists, Museum of Glass, Northwest Sinfonietta, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma Musical Playhouse, Tacoma Opera, Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, Tacoma Youth Symphony Association and The Grand Cinema.

In 2012, these nine organizations served 462,539 people, provided free admission to 76,021 people, and generated an estimated $8.82 million for the local economy.

The Tacoma Arts Commission established the Arts Anchor Fund program in 1995 to provide financial support to major local not-for-profit arts organizations that significantly improve the quality of life for Tacoma. These arts organizations serve Tacoma’s community through regularly scheduled performances, exhibits and events, and school and outreach programs.

Tacoma Artists Initiative Program Awards

The 2013-2014 Tacoma Artists Initiative Program funded artists are: Sean Alexander, Carla Barragan, Bill Colby, Alice Di Certo, Kyle Dillehay, David Domkoski, Oliver Doriss, Josie Emmons Turner, Sarah Gilbert, Erin Guinup, Meghan Mitchell, Mark Monlux, Kat Ogden, Scott Scoggin, Erik Steighner and Noah Struthers.

Funded Tacoma Artists Initiative Program projects include the choreography and production of a contemporary dance piece, creation and exhibition of two- and three-dimensional art, direction of a theatrical production, performance and recording of music, production and screening of a film, public reading of poetry, and production of whiteboard animation videos.

The Tacoma Artists Initiative Program was established in 1999 to assist artists with the generation of new work, and to share their talent with the public in a free and accessible format.

The Arts Anchor Fund program and Tacoma Artists Initiative Program are two of three funding programs administered by the Tacoma Arts Commission. For a complete listing of funding programs and information about the Tacoma Arts Commission, visit tacomaculture.org.

Monlux reports, “The title of my project is “© PSA RSA”.”

RSA is an acronym for The Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts. It was via the RSA that “Whiteboard Animation” was developed. The status of the RSA has led its acronym to be widely-used eponymy for “Whiteboard Animation.” Whiteboard Animation differs from traditional animation, as it’s a video, usually informative in nature, in which a human hand drawing cartoons, text and other graphics on a whiteboard is accompanied by narration.

My goal is to create two one-minute RSAs, Public Service Announcements on Copyright, specifically on two issues:
1. The difference between “having” and “filing” a copyright.
2. How an artist’s copyright is not sold with the physical work.
This is an era in which intellectual property is quickly becoming more valuable, even as it is infringed upon, and at a higher rate than previously. These public service announcements would be informative and useful to the general public, as we all have a desire to create.

I’m going to provide updates as this project progresses on this website. These postings will be announced via Twitter and Facebook. The stages currently blocked out:

1. Writing the scripts
2. Storyboards
3. Capturing the narration of the script
4. Music composition
5. Capturing the visual elements
6. Editing narration and visuals together
7. Premier announcement of video
8. Permanent post of video

I’m very excited to be doing this project. I appreciate all of the kind support I’ve received. And I hope you will enjoy being part of the process.