Number 10

Why would I write and illustrate a parody of my own books? Why not? It was fun and I got to add things I forgot in the original series. Stay tuned for Number 11 next year. For more details visit: https://www.gessosquad.com.

And then there was 8 and 9

The marathon begins. I'm going through a semi grieving process over GESSO. I have two more books to finish. The last one will be done in February 2013.  I think I might be able to squeeze in # 8 before the end of 2012. That would bring my total to 10 published books this year. However the process to complete an entire book demands a lot of time and energy. It takes about on average 25 hours to complete one chapter as I'm doing the work of 5 people ( screenwriting, illustrating, inking, painting backgrounds, storyboarding, page and book layout. ) It's insane. I just finished the storyboard for # 8 and it felt like it took forever to get it completed. Perhaps because I just published two graphic novels back to back and I'm feeling a little burned out. I know it's time for a break when I get sick looking at my drafting table.  But then a week or two later, I start to miss my characters and I am sucked in again.  Let the late night drawing marathon begin...

Episode 25

This weekend I wrapped up episode 25 in graphic novel # 7. The time seems to fly by while illustrating it's fun to see my characters come to live in color and on paper.  This issue certainly has it's fair share of drama, explosions and crazy antics. All of this is bittersweet since it means the series finale is approaching. In the meantime, I can enjoy spending time with this group of characters a little bit longer. The first season ( Books 1 - 4 ) focused specifically on visual artists from all over the world and different mediums. During the second season  ( Books 5 - 7 ) I decided to focus on both artists and architecture. Architecture, according to art history, is considered to be a three-dimensional form of sculpture and visual art. Many of the primary locations my characters visit are historical landmarks which celebrate architecture as a form of visual art.

Pumpkins

The last few days I've been developing the storyboards for the 7th GESSO SQUAD graphic novel.  The chapters in this book are lengthy. My guess is the final comic will be about 100 pages.  The 1st graphic novel took 8 months to complete including revisions. All the others which came after were finished in 4-6 weeks. I spend 18-25 hours rendering each chapter from start to finish depending on the storyboard and screenplay.  I think it would be fun to have a Halloween release date for book # 7...so we'll see...

Book Awards Part 3

GESSO SQUAD: 1,000 Star Demons and a Rain God was in the 2012 Reader's Favorite Book Awards. Click here to see the results.

This morning I just finished the sixth graphic novel. Sometime at the end of the month it should be up on Amazon.com.

NYC ComicCon

Next year I will have enough saved up to get my own table at NYC ComicCon 2013. The cost of a small booth is $948 for the four day convention. Not sure yet if I'll commute or get a hotel room...attending ComicCon 2012 isn't an option right now for me financially, so we'll wait till next year....

Last week, I entered my first graphic novel into The American Library Association's Robert Sibert Informational Book Awards. The NAACP has a multicultural awards show every year honoring people in television, film and literature.

Earlier this week, I attended my first Toastmaster's International Meeting. They are a club who helps their members develop professional public speaking skills. Membership is affordable at $72 a year.  Participating in Toastmasters will help with my desire to speak at local schools about helmet safety.... We'll see....exciting things are happening....

Book Awards Part 2

Earlier this year, I entered GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume One into the Reader's Favorite Book Awards. I recently recieved an email from them saying I was a finalist. I get the results in September....Meanwhile, I've entered GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume One: 1,000 Star Demons and a Rain God into the Pura Belpre Book 2013 Awards. The Belpre Awards are associated with the American Library Association and are for Latino/Latina American Authors and Illustrators.

Number Five

GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume One is a finalist in the Reader's Favorite Book Festival. The winners will be announced in September.  I recently finished the 5th graphic novel in the series and it's now up on Amazon.com. Only three more to go until I finish all eight comic books.

New York Book Festival Results

Gesso Squad The Graphic Novel Volume One: 1,000 Star Demons and a Rain God won in the Comic Books category for the 2012 New York Book Festival. On June 22 the winners, finalists and runner-ups will recieve awards at the Grolier Club in New York.

National Indie Exellence Book Awards

I entered Gesso Squad the Graphic Novel Volume One: 1,000 Star Demons and a Rain God into the National Indie Excellence 2012 Book Awards Festival earlier this year. I received the results yesterday and as it turns out, we won the Indie Excellence Award in the Speciality Books Category. I didn't win a prize, but I'm happy with the results.  NIEA  posts a list of all the winners and finalists on their website.  They also advertise a list of the winners and finalists in Publisher's Weekly and Publisher's Daily with a banner ad linking to the site.

In September, I will get the results from the New York Book Festival and the Reader's Favorite Book Awards.

Adventures with bn.com and ComicCon...

GESSO SQUAD The graphic novel volume one: 1,000 Star Demons and a Rain god will be available on Barnes and Noble.com next month. This will allow people to not only purchase them online, but in stores too. I hope to get all of my book into Barnes and Nobles Stores. This, I think, should be a little easier since some of them are already being sold on the Barnes and Noble.com website.

I also plan to attend New York ComicCon this year and I hope to have my own book table...

Pages

The great thing about online book retailers it that books can be previewed online. On Amazon.com there are book previews of GESSO SQUAD graphic novels volumes one thru three. To check out the preview of 1,000 Star Demons and a Rain God  go here: http://www.amazon.com/Gesso-Squad-Graphic-Novel-Volume/dp/147507462X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335991228&sr=8-1.

Part One Finale

GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume Four: Adaro and the Singing Bowls has arrived and is on Amazon.com. It's been fun seeing my characters come to live in color through these graphic novels. Now I get to start writing Part Two which will consist of fifteen more "episodes". Only four more graphic novels to go until the series finale...stay tuned.

New Arrivals

I just published GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume Three: Sky Balloon and the World of Flutes. It should become available on Amazon.com sometime before the end of the month. GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume Two: The Lizard, the Vampire and the Woodblock Print is now available on Amazon.com. I divided up Volume One into three separate parts. Think of it as a sort of try before you buy option.

A full version of GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume One: 1,000 Star Demons and a Rain God (162 page count) will be available on Amazon in the next few weeks. Below are links to each.

GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume One: 1,000 Star Demons and a Rain God (Part 1)

GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume One: 1,000 Star Demons and a Rain God (Part 2)

GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume One: 1,000 Star Demons and a Rain God  (Part 3)

GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume Two: The Lizard, the Vampire and the Woodblock Print

Contests and Cameo Appearences

Recently, someone asked me if a character from my GESSO SQUAD series, Dr. Brent Winsor, was really an alternate version of myself. I laughed when I initially heard this...As far as I'm concerned, just because one of my characters has short black hair and glasses doesn't me she is an secret version of myself. To prove this, I'm going to make a cameo appearance in my third Gesso Squad Graphic Novel.

I've also entered GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume One: 1,000 Star Demons and a Rain God (February 2012) into two book contests: The New York Book Festival and the National Indie Excellence Book Awards.  I will get the results from both sometime in June and July....

A small test

Let's see how many people are reading this blog...

I'm in the process of selling my books on Barnes and Noble.com and maybe getting them into Barnes and Noble Book stores. From reading the directions on the bn website, it seems fairly easy. They just need your ISBN and a copy of your book plus other information. I've also considered sending extra used copies I have at home to Powell's Books. They offer the option to sell your used books online as well in their stores. I have no control over the book prices on Lulu. However, I think one way to get people to buy more books could be to sell them used which would lower the cost. Especially since the Graphic Novels are all being printed in color and can get a little expensive. I think selling them Barnes and Noble and Powell's is a good idea.

Lulu Coupons!
Get 20% OFF on Gesso Squad Books  Enter Code: SWEET and save up to $200 dollars on lulu.com. Offer expires February 23, 2012
OR
 Get 25% OFF on Gesso Squad Books: SALTY and save up to $400 dollars on lulu.com. Offer expires February 23, 2012.

New Book and Lulu Coupons!

GESSO SQUAD The Graphic Novel Volume Two: The Lizard, the Vampire and the Woodblock Print has arrived! Visit us online: https://www.gessosquad.com.

See lulu coupons below:




1. Get FREE Ground Shipping until January 31, 2012. Enter Code WHOASHIPPING. Save up to $50! This offer ends at 11:59pm on January 31, 2012.

2. Get FREE Ground Shipping until January 31, 2012. Enter Code WHOASHIPPING305. Save up to $50! This offer ends at 11:59pm on January 31, 2012.

3. Save 20% on Gesso Squad books at www.lulu.com. Enter code SHADOWHOG - Save up to $150! Offer Ends at 11:59pm on February 3, 2012.

4. Save 20% on Gesso Squad books at www.lulu.com. Enter code SHADOWHOG305 - Save up to $150! Offer Ends at 11:59pm on February 3, 2012.

Ink and Paint

I haven't been logging how many hours it takes to create one graphic novel from start to finish.  With the second volume due out soon, I have some idea of how long it takes to "render" one chapter. Technically, I'm doing the work of multiple people which includes: drawing, inking, painting, image and page layout.

Here's the rundown for Chapter 6:

1.  1 to 2 hours to convert orignal text from the chapter book into a script.
2. 2 hours to storyboard from original screenplay.
3. 12 hours to sketch, ink and paint all the characters and backgrounds
4. 5 hours for scanning all of theses images  ( a total of 87 images including drawings and paintings ) into Adobe Illustrator.
5. 9 hours for compositing all of these images together. Assembling the image layout and adding all the diaglogue.
6. Less than 1 hour to assemble the page spreads in Adobe InDesign.

Chapter 7 is on it's way to completion. So far the first two chapters in Volume Two are 20-22 pages in length. My guess is Chapter 7 will be no more than 25 at the most. The lower page count for this edition will make it much cheaper than Volume One, which was at 163 pages....

After Volume Two is complete, I may take a break from the drawing and painting. I've considered changing the format of the 2nd chapter book...possibly writing it in script format. Doing so would elminate the time of converting all the third person narrative into a screenplay....

Gesso Squad Graphic Novel Volume One: 1,000 Star Demons and a Rain God was entered into the Eric Hoffer Awards. I'll get the results in Mid-March.

One day, I'll get paid to illustrate and write these books. After Volume Two, there are eight more graphic novels...