FREE COMIC BOOK DAY and…

Saturday May 5 is Free Comic Book Day ! It’s like Christmas with less nog!

Christmas is RUINED. If only there was something to read with Batman in it, some time in May...

But just in case FREE COMICS aren’t enough for you ravenous T-Dot funny book fans–it’s also the weekend of The Toronto Comic Arts Festival, where the best of the indy creators gather together and just commit art all over the joint. Bring splash guards for all the flyin’ ink and paint.

You want MORE?  Free Comics and a great comics convention isn’t enough?   How greedy are you guys?  Okay, just to calm down the insatiable maw I sense out there, The Comic Book Lounge & Gallery ( conveniently located at the same address as the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop) will be crawling with lots of great comics creators including Stuart Immonen, Kathryn Immonen, Gibson Quarter, Marco Rudy, Raffaele Ienco, Mike Del Mundo, David J. Cutler, Karly Macdonald and this long eared Ty-Bunny, signing autographs, doin’ sketches, and making FREE COMIC BOOK DAY the magical adventure that it is.

According to the plans I’ve heard, there will be face painting for the kids, a mini artists alley, and obviously–free comics!! And word has it that Toronto Batman might make an appearance.

There, I hope that satisfies you folks for a day of comics fun.   After that exhausting day is over, I’m going to put my feet up on the couch at the Comic Book Lounge…and…

WAIT!  THERE’S MORE?!?!?

After the Free Comic Book Day events are over,  starting at 8pm, I will be sitting talking with my guests about Canadians and the comics industry exploring the idea of “As Canadian as possible under the circumstances.” in a LIVE talk show.

The first person I thought of to be my first guest ever was Mark Askwith. I’ve known Mark for thirty years now? Wow–long enough that I’ve lost track. I met Mark back when he was manager of The Silver Snail comic shop. When Mark created the much-beloved and much-missed Prisoners of Gravity for TVO, I did the art for the opening sequence, and guested on it frequently. These days, Mark is a producer at Space:  The Imagination Station, producing Inner Space. That’s only some of his comics cred–there’s so much more!

And we’ve got Will Pascoe, director of an upcoming documentary about the Golden Age of Canadian comics superheroes. And we’ve got Scott Chantler, the award winning creator of Two Generals and Towers of Treasure! Not enough for you? We’ve also got Ken Lashley–as he says in his bio “[he’s] worked for them all, Lucasfilm, lucas arts, Hasbro, Mattel, Dc comics, Marvel comics, Fox sports..etc..” In the midst of his many projects, he’s doing covers for DC Comics at the moment.

We’re planning for roughly an hour–but if we’re having too good a time, we might go longer. And the audience isn’t allowed to be shy, as we will be taking questions! (But keep your questions relevant to the conversation.  No one gets to bring up our Mayor’s weight problems or the price of gas.).

When On the Couch’s inaugural episode is over, there will be an announcement of the Joe Shuster Award nominations. Then–

–an Industry Night Party to celebrate comics, Canadians, the Shuster Awards and anything else we can think of.  We will make you ACHE with fun.

Come join us for some of, or all of the day–and the night! We’re excited about everything we have planned for Free Comic Book Day and for On the Couch with Ty Templeton. (This will be the  first of hopefully many On the Couch episodes–unless there’s a death in the audience, or an armed rebellion, we’re coming back).

Ty the Guy OUT!!

Here now, your BONUS FREE COMIC BOOK MOMENT:

Isn't this cool? And it didn't cost you a dime.

Comic Book Bootcamp–A look at some of the ‘graduates’

It’s time to register for the next session of classes at TCW!   Writing for Comics Level Two is only available for students who have finished Level One. New and returning students can enroll in Ty’s Comic Book Bootcamp Part One!! Yayyy!

When Ty created Comic Book Bootcamp, it was  such a popular class that the first group of students begged him to continue–and he created Part Two.  After a student finishes Part One and Two, as Ty tells them, they’re able to take all the skills he’s taught them,  go off and create on their own.

Holmes Incorporated by Christopher Yao

Ty is helped in this belief by a lot of evidence…over the years, many local Toronto creators have taken his Bootcamps. They came in with varying abilities and backgrounds but with an enthusiasm for learning, and a drive to practice practice practice until their skills got to where they could look for professional work, or start creating on their own.

Eden Bachelder was one of Ty’s first students. She’s an artist who works in oil and acrylic paints, leather and many other mediums.  After taking Ty’s Bootcamps  she participated in  Bootcamp Comics (writing and pencilling The Three Kinds of Sex), and  Holmes Incorporated #1, (pencilling Nightclubbing with writer Kathleen Gallagher).

Holmes Inc. #1 Nightclubbing pg 7, by Eden Bachelder

Eden does other freelance work (she illustrated a government colouring book I lettered for her!).  Here’s a sample of Eden’s cartooning work (this one is called Citizen Chauvelin Adjusts Himself“).

Eden Bachelder

Christopher Yao is at work on his creator-owned comic Fauntkin. He has participated in both Holmes Incorporated comic books,

Holmes Inc. #1, Welcome to Holmes Incorporated, art by Christopher Yao, story by Greg Dunford, letters by Keiren Smith

and recently, drew The Adventures of Y Guy, a mini-comic that Toronto Cartoonists Workshop produced in-house for the YMCA of Greater Toronto (which is currently being reprinted).

The Adventures of Y Guy, pg 3, art by Christopher Yao, script by Kathleen Gallagher, colours/letters by Keiren Smith

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The Adventures of Y Guy is the first paid comics work of another former Bootcamper—Kathleen Gallagher. Kathleen wrote stories in each of the Holmes Incorporated issues (Night Clubbing with Eden Bachelder on art, for #1, and Eight Seconds to Mayhem for #2 with Danny Setna on art).

Adam Gorham was an artist on Holmes Incorporated #1 after taking classes with Ty (The Fingerless Prince with writer Heather Emme).

Holmes Inc. #1, The Fingerless Prince pg. 3, art by Adam Gorham, script by Heather Emme, letters by Keiren Smith

Adam’s first work was The Vampire Conspiracy and he is currently working on Teuton, an ongoing comic series he co-created with  Fred Kennedy.

Teuton, Vol. 2 Trolls attack, art by Adam Gorham

Daniel Wong took Ty’s Bootcamp a couple years ago and signed up for Fit to Print’s Holmes Incorporated when he was finished. His story, The Family Name was chosen as the first story for the issue. Pages like this were the reason why:

Holmes Inc. #2, The Family Name by Daniel Wong, script by James Cooper

Daniel is busy working as a freelance illustrator, recently finishing a commissioned story written by his Holmes Inc. collaborator, James Cooper (who is continuing to write comics, write and direct short films and writes Bagged and Bored for Tdot Comics). That work isn’t published yet–but I’m sneaking in a page here.

Old Haunts pg 4, art by Daniel Wong, script by James Cooper

One of the hardest working students to ever grace a Bootcamp has to be the one, the only Gibson Quarter! When other students were asking how to find their first work, Gibson was busy networking and finding his own here and abroad. He’s worked with Alan Grant for his Wasted Magazine, pencilling Grant’s War on Drugs. (Grant started Wasted Magazine through his company Bad Press; sadly, it’s now defunct).

Wasted, California pg 5, pencils by Gibson Quarter, script by Alan Grant

Gibson was one of the first students to take a Bootcamp course, and one of the very few who got to take all three versions. Having finished Parts 1 and 2, he was able to join in on the fun with Holmes Incorporated. He pencilled Flight Plan (for writer Robert Pincombe) for Issue 1, and Polarized for Issue 2 (written by Sam Ruano).

Holmes Inc. #2, Polarized, art by Gibson Quarter, script by Kathleen Gallagher

Gibson is a workhorse, so I couldn’t possibly list everything he’s done.  He’s worked for FutureQuake Magazine, producing both a cover and interior work for Issue 15. He pencilled The Gutters with Ryan Sohmer, drawing #244. He’s in the current issue of Undertow #2 from 7th Wave (which is on the stands NOW. Review HERE. You can buy a copy from The Comic Book Lounge & Gallery, the comic store sharing space with…Toronto Cartoonists Workshop!). Gibson’s currently finishing up the pencils and inks on a story for Heroes of the North–to find out what’s next for him make sure you check out his art blog.

Deadpool Breaking Bad, pencils by Gibson Quarter, inks by Guillermo Ortego, colours by Keiren Smith

You’ll notice that all those mentioned have participated in one or both issues of Fit to Print’s:  Holmes Incorporated. The next Fit to Print will be starting up soon (looking at end of April/beginning of May?); in order to participate students have to completed at least Comic Book Bootcamp Part One.

Holmes Inc. art by Gibson Quarter, colours by Keiren Smith

This is just a quick list of some of the creators who’ve taken Ty’s classes–just think, next time I write this list up…YOU could be on it.

Keiren

Jerry Robinson 1922 – 2011

Jerry Robinson passed away yesterday, just a few weeks shy of his 90th birthday.  He was the last surviving member of the group of four men who created the mythology of Batman :  Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Dick Sprang and Jerry Robinson.   Jerry was Bob Kane’s first ghost artist, and probably the most important of the Batman artists of the Golden Age.

Along with writing partner Bill Finger, Jerry Robinson created the Joker, Alfred the Butler, Robin, the Batcave and a host of other important parts of Gotham City while Bob Kane watched from across the room and pretended to be the one doing it.  Though Kane spent his life lying about the huge contributions that his partners made, comics historians did eventually see through the nonsense, and Robinson lived long enough to get his due as one of the seminal creators of our industry.   There was at least THAT justice.

Batman and Robin, keeping the cartoonists' drawing table safe, thanks to Jerry Robinson!

I had the rare chance to meet him a couple of times over the years, at awards ceremonies and conventions, etc, and Jerry was delightful and awe-inspiring company whenever I was fortunate enough to be around him.  I’ll never forget the first thing he said to me, though:  When I told him I was a Batman creator, writing and drawing the characters he helped create, he reached out to shake my hand and said (with a twinkle in his eye) “Where’s my cheque?”

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jerry Robinson…my world would not be the same without having shared the planet with you for the last forty-eight years.  You gave me a childhood filled with unbridled joy and fun and I cannot conceive of who I would have turned out to be if you’d never been there before me.

Ty the Guy OUT!

Here now, your Bonus Jerry Robinson moment:

I have a bunch of images of Jerry Robinson on my computer because I recently had to draw his portrait for a project about Bill Finger (see the top of this column for the drawing) but I went searching for a photo of the man to adorn this blog post and was astounded to discover the first two or three images of Jerry that pop up on google search are photos of Jerry posing in front of one of my drawings of the Joker.  Why Jerry would pose in front of MY drawing of his character, rather than one of his own drawings, is baffling to me, and I assume the photographer didn’t know he’d matched up the wrong artist.  But I am humbled and honoured to have Mr. Robinson and I share a few photos like that.

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NOTE:  For those in the Toronto area:  The Toronto Cartoonist Workshop Faculty Art Show for its instructors is tomorrow night, Friday December 9!  I’ll have at least one framed image of the Joker up on the wall, but I’ll make a point of bringing the original art for my portrait of Jerry with me to show off as well as sharing the wall with fellow instructors LEONARD KIRK, DAVE ROSS and ERIC KIM.

Come on down and see how comic book artists live and work, but don’t feed us, we have a very specific diet and might become ill with real food.

587A College Street (at Clinton), Toronto, 7-10pm

Unseen Sketchbook land. Dredd! Batman! Headless nudes!

Hey internet.  I’m actually drawing something in my lap as I type this, I’m so busy finishing up something that should have been done yesterday, but I wanted to pass along a couple of these images from sketchbooks past.

The school at which I teach (Toronto Cartoonists Workshop) is having a faculty show in a few weeks, and it’s been suggested I put together a sketchbook for the event, since I’m one of the few guys on earth who doesn’t have one available at conventions.

Wife insists we do this, I concede, and much scanning is planned.  So I’m posting a very small sample from just the first scanned book out of the twenty or thirty sketchbooks I have in my studio.   This will take time, in between my other gigs, to sort out anything worth looking in this vast wasteland of nude/figure studies and odd doodles, but I’m told someone might want to look at some of these pages, so I present a few of them before they get collected up in the book.   We’re just at the start of the winnowing process, so I have no idea whether or not any of these pages will make the final cut.

The Dredded Sketchbook begins.

From the nineties, when DC had the rights to Judge Dredd – I was working on a  Dredd pitch right around the time the series ended.  The script was written, or at least plotted, but it got stopped before any art was done.   Dredd figures abound in sketchbook pages of this period, either because I was thinking about him a lot, or because I was hoping to draw the script I was writing, I honestly can’t remember.  All my 90’s sketchbooks have Dredd pages in them somewhere.

Saw a guy wearing this on the history channel and HAD to sketch it before it left my head.  Back in the crusades, apparently, knights would wear candles on their helmets in crown formation, so they could raid the heathen locals at night, and because it was scary as fuck.   It’s not so much the sketch that pleases me about this doodle, but the idea that occurred to me as I was drawing it;  it looked like  a halo, and perhaps that was the actual purpose all along?

The typical thought stream of a sketchbook page.  I’m doing a warm up figure drawing and I see something on the history channel about hand paintings on the outside of caves being a universal image found all over the world, and I start to wonder if it began with bloody hand prints, made by early hunters, and almost without asking it to, my hand draws a sketch of a caveman killing the bunny.   Let’s hope there are no psychiatrists looking in at the blog today.

Speaking of cave-men.

Met this guy in an elevator at a Star Trek convention in Niagara Falls, sketched this in my book as soon as I sat down in the hotel room.  There was something about the crazy Klingon eyes and the double chin that made it all magical to me.

Last year for Christmas, my wife asked me to do a drawing of Batman for a neighbourhood kid as a present.  I treated the gig like any professional job and did three sketches of the idea for approval from an editor in my sketchbook.  (I think my wife stepped into the role).  My editor picked the Batman in the rain one, but I’ve really come to LOVE that dropping cape shot, I think because Batman’s mask is an almost perfect ying/yang balance of black and white in simple shapes.

Here’s the rainy shot in its final form, by the way.

So very Christmas-y.

Ty the Guy OUT!

Here now, your sketchbook BONUS moment:

Nudes and Judge Dredds.  It was bound to happen.

Toronto Cartoonists Workshop. Holmes Inc. Issue #2

Hey.

As some of you might recall, last year, the school I teach at (Toronto Cartoonists Workshop) put out their first issue of an all new adventure comic series “Holmes Inc.”  It was a wonderful experience for all concerned. lovely to read, well reviewed, and enjoyed by all who got a copy.  (I think there are still a few available…we’ll get to how to order one in a minute…)  Impossible as it was to believe, most of the work in the issue was from heretofore unpublished,  first time comic book artists and writers, ready to burst onto the scene and kick Joe Quesada and Jim Lee around the block a few times with their upstart-y enthusiasm and skills.

Anything with exploding aircraft and wheelchairs on the cover can’t be all bad, right?  And I THINK it had something to do with Sherlock Holmes and his descendants fighting world crime in the 21st Century.

Well, it’s starting up again…for issue #2.  In just a few short weeks, the gears start gearing and the submissions start submitting.  If you have graduated from any of the TCW classes (especially comic book bootcamp, storytelling or writing) and want to join in the fun for round #2 then head on over to the TCW homepage and let the king of TCW, Sean Menard, know that you want to play too.

TCW’s phone number is 647-328-1656 and the email is: info@cartoonistsworkshop.com

I hope to see some of the newer students head out this year, as well as welcoming back some of the creative studs and studdettes that helped make our first issue so good.

Oh, and if you can’t live another moment without your personal copy of issue #1, called “The Best Sherlock Holmes Comic Book Ever” (by my mother and some of my neighbours), then let Sean know your troubles when you contact him, and he’ll get one out to you.  A measly six bucks for 52 solid pages of tomorrow’s superstars is a pittance to pay.

Ty the Guy OUT

Here now, your Sherlock Holmes Comic Book Moment:

It’s…it’s…NOT Melvin!

A New Year, New Classes!

Yes, it’s that time again…time to tell you the glories of the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop, and all it’s classes.

TCW has expanded it’s selection of children’s art classes, and there are now classes available after school, and on Saturday and Sunday. Kids’ workshops will run for nine weeks. Classes for adults run in the afternoon, late afternoon, and early evening, and will run for seven weeks.

Ty will be teaching Writing for Comics, on Monday evenings (January 10-February 21) and  Professional Layout and Storytelling for Comic Books and Graphic Novels on Tuesday evenings. Comic Book Inking:  4 Perspectives will run on Wednesday evenings, and I believe Ty will be teaching the first two classes (check with Sean Menard).

To the best of my knowledge, there are still spaces available in all TCW classes (all you savvy Christmas shoppers, saving their bucks and waiting to see what’s left after the holidays!), but they go fast this last week, so contact Sean Menard NOW! NOW! NOW! at Toronto Cartoonists Workshop and get in the class of your choice.

Ty is not the only instructor at TCW (hence that whole “4 Perspectives” idea behind the inking course!). Others, this semester, are:

the inimitable Leonard Kirk—Cover Design and Layout, co-taught with…

Kalman Androsofszky

Scott Caple—Basic and Fundamental Drawing

Eric Kim—Manga Dojo Level I

Joseph O’Brien–Screenwriter’s Workshop:  Basic Training (Joe is fitting this class in before he goes off to watch filming of his latest screenplay, announced last year at Cannes, and produced by Guillermo del Toro. So–yes, Joe knows of what he teaches)

J. Bone–1/4th the Perspective for Comic Book Inking

Sam Agro–another 1/4th for Comic Book Inking

Craig Yeung–making a full 4 Perspectives for Comic Book Inking.

Kids’ Workshops will be taught by

Eden Bachelder—Acrylic Painting

Ruzya Karpinec—Cartooning for Kids, Flipbook Animation

Walter Dickinson (the man who founded TCW)–Drawing Rodeo

Dave Lapp–Cartooning and Illustration for Kids

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Keiren

NEW CLASSES!

Ty just finished teaching his second class for the week, last night, and has a meeting today to talk to the man behind TCW, Sean Menard, about plans for future classes. But, classes for the next term have been announced!

Check out the listings at the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop’s website…and see what you’re interested in. There’s a heckuva lot of choices available. Ty will be doing Part 2 of his Comic Book Bootcamp, and a new course:  Drawing the Human Figure from Memory. Leonard Kirk has liked teaching at TCW enough to sign up for another tour of duty–he’s heading up, Penciling the Comic Book Page. LEONARD FRIKKIN’ KIRK!

Geordie Miller will be back and will teach Life Drawing for the Comic Book Artist.  I’ve not met Mr. Miller yet but hear from students that they are loving this class and eager for more.

Mr. Sam Agro will  lead students in Show Me a Story:  Fundamentals of Storyboarding. The man knows what’s he teaching–he’s paid his rent by storyboarding everything from the Droids tv show to some of the Saw movie series. (Seriously–check HERE)

Dave Lapp is teaching not one but TWO classes for kids:  Cartooning and Illustration for Kids. These are on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Gotta say–our youngest son is loving his class with Dave and highly recommends him. I’ve only run into Dave briefly, but lurking in the halls when I drop the son off has led me to believe that he is amazing with kids–has a great rapport with them. Our son barely talks out loud to most strangers–when I’ve left him the last couple of weeks, he’s been chatting up a storm and telling Dave everything he can think of!

Last but definitely not least is Manga Bootcamp with Eric Kim. I find while chatting with comic creators, store owners and employees*, that there is still a lot of resistance to manga and anime…I will say that my kids love it, and most of their friends love it. While people worry about the future of comics, a lot of the discussion is around North American mainstream comic publications–because manga is still going strong. For those of you with an interest in making your own–this is the course to take. (*not meaning my son who works in a comic book store–he’s actually the “Japanese buyer” for the store, and for good reason. He completely and utterly bows to Christopher Butcher, manager of The Beguiling’s superior knowledge of all things related to manga/anime, but he’s in there trying)

I’m not going to give you links for all these amazing instructors–all the bios and links you’ll need are on the Toronto Cartoonists Workshop site.

Wow, I got all the way down here without putting a date. NOVEMBER 2!! New classes start November 2, just a few short weeks away, so check out the website NOW NOW NOW before spaces are filled.

Toronto Cartoonists Workshop new classes