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Jamie Tanner
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New York, NY
Projects by Jamie Tanner (1)
Jamie Tanner is Backing (6)
Recent Posts by Jamie Tanner
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #16Sifting & Scripting
This post is exclusive to backers.
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #15Casting Continues, Etc...
This post is exclusive to backers.
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #14"Casting" Call
This post is exclusive to backers.
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a project updateThanks Paige! Jon-Marc, I actually missed the spelling error until the editor at the literary journal pointed it out to me. So I fixed it in the ol' Photoshop - I still need to grab the white-out and fix the original art. Hmm, maybe I should go do that...
Anatomy of a Page: A Brief Digression
This post is exclusive to backers.
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #13Anatomy of a Page: A Brief Digression
This post is exclusive to backers.
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #12Ho Ho Hos
Hey everybody - just want to wish you all a happy holiday season. For your brief entertainment, here are a few recently completed commissions that are shipping out shortly (I hope their commissioners don't mind my sharing them!):
And as a quick progress update on the new book, here's a sketch of a character I'm working on. No name for this fellow yet, but I've got a few ideas about how he might fit into the odd story that's a-brewing... -
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a projectBest comment ever! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Chris Pitzer (and if you don't recognize that name, go to http://www.adhousebooks.com immediately for some of the best comics around (and some of my own, too))...
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a project updateGreat stuff, as always. Can't wait to read the book!
The schedule (and some notes on writing)
Hey everyone! The project is over, it's a success, and now we are into production mode. A quick note on the schedule, and then some long-promised reflection on writing. But before any of that:<...
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a project updateCongrats, David! Really nice cover - looking forward to reading the comic...
And time is up!
That's it. Our pledge drive has officially ended. We raised $1,200 to help cover the printing and shipping costs of this mini-comic. Thank you **so much** to all the backers. You should be getting ...
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a project updateThanks, Phil! (I'm glad, too...) Squid loves you too, Alex.
Week Two, now with bonus drawings...
Hey everybody! Just two weeks in and already almost a thousand dollars above the funding goal. So amazing - thanks again to all backers, and welcome to everyone who's come on board this week. Still...
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a project updateThanks Brittain!
Week Two, now with bonus drawings...
Hey everybody! Just two weeks in and already almost a thousand dollars above the funding goal. So amazing - thanks again to all backers, and welcome to everyone who's come on board this week. Still...
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a projectCharlie - thank you, sir! Good to have you on board (and even better to hear a new ISR episode). Quitting comics? Couldn't if I tried. But this way I'll make a new one relatively soon... Schnapp - get some sleep!
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a projectThanks Kelly! Your project looks really interesting. Man, there are so many worthy, inspiring projects on Kickstarter...
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a project update"Jamiepants" is on the case, never fear Mr. Meyer (and how did you know about my pants?)... Lewis, enormous thanks to you, the official tipping point (point = person) into goal territory! Stay tuned everyone, and keep circulating the links...
One Week In...
Hi folks. Just wanted to post a quick update to thank everyone for making the first week (or so) of this project so incredible. Just 8 days in and we're already 97% of the way there. Really unbelie...
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #11A Quick Check-in
Hey everyone - just wanted to check in, so you don't think I'd forgotten about you! There may not be a ton of stuff to show in this first month or two of work on the book, especially while it's still in the nebulous idea phase (and while I'm still spending much of my time signing books, drawing commissions, and packing envelopes), so I'll just try to pop in from time to time with little reports on what I've been reading or thinking about with regards to this little project...
A couple of ideas and images that have been cropping up in my mind lately that may work their way into this book:
-A man carrying his severed head under his arms. Walks into a bar, sits down, orders two drinks (one for his head, one for... him?). Just an odd image at this point, may fit into the "vampire" (or, perhaps more accurately, "undead") section.
-A disappearing woman. A frequently recurring theme in the books of one of my favorite writers, Haruki Murakami. The search for a missing woman could provide a thread to follow through the book, especially if I wind up adhering to the initial idea of three separate sections, each based on a different horror archetype. Plus I just like that phrase, "a disappearing woman". Hmm, maybe I can even take that literally - a woman who physically disappears (turns invisible? evaporates?)...
Keep an eye in the general direction of your mailboxes - I'm starting to send out rewards, slowly but surely! Those of you who ordered commissions, I've got a bunch of them to do and they're taking a little longer than I'd anticipated, but I think they're coming out nice, so please be patient! Here's a look at some of the commissioned art in progress on my drafting table...
More to come soon. As always, if you'd like more frequent updates from me (though not specific to this project), you can follow me on twitter. Until next time, here are a couple of great in-depth interviews / conversations about comics from the excellent 300th issue of The Comics Journal, which I just read and includes many such conversations between outstanding cartoonists of different generations. Here are the two I liked the most:
David Mazzucchelli in conversation with Dash Shaw- Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp is easily the book of the year, and Shaw's excellent Bodyworld can be read online right now.
Art Spiegelman in conversation with Kevin Huizenga- Huizenga is one of the smartest cartoonists out there (his book Curses and his comic series Ganges are must-reads, if I do say so myself (and I do)), and if you don't know who Art Spiegelman is, well, then just turn off your computer and go read Maus. Seriously, go. I'll wait... -
Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #10Reading List, Inspiration & Early Sketches...
Hi folks! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I did - I have much to be thankful for, not least of which is your incredible support. here's an overdue update for you as I begin dipping my feet into the murky waters of making a new book...
First, a little bit of "business" - everyone make sure you reply to those info requests I sent just after the funding ended (check your email spam folders if this doesn't sound familiar; some people have told me their Kickstarter emails sometimes wind up in spam accidentally). I'm still missing a bunch of addresses, so make sure you let me know where you live - the funds are still processing, but I hope to start sending out rewards soon. If your reward is a commission, be sure to let me know the details of what you'd like drawn (if you haven't already, of course). I've got a bunch of these to do, so they may take longer than I'd like, but I hope to finish as many as possible before the end of the year. If it's urgent that you receive your reward by a certain date (say, for a holiday gift), just let me know and I'll do my best to get it to you in time. As always, if you have any questions or comments at all, please feel free to send me a message via Kickstarter or email me directly at jamietanner@gmail.com.
A bit more business - since funding ended, a few people have contacted me saying they'd still like to pledge and get rewards, and I'm of course more than happy to oblige! Since I can't accept funds via the Kickstarter project anymore, I've set up a storefront on my website for any new backers to pledge - http://www.jamietanner.com/kickstarter.html - if you happen to know anyone interested in joining the project, please pass that link along...
Okay, on to the fun stuff. This beginning stage in making a new book is one of getting inspired and brainstorming. One of the main ways I get myself fired up to create is by reading, reading, and re-reading. So today I'll share my current reading (and re-reading) list, and give you a peek at some of the things rattling around inside my head...
David Boring, by Daniel Clowes - One of my all-time favorite comics, by one of my very favorite cartoonists. A near-perfect graphic novel. So deceptively simple on the surface - gorgeous, polished art and a great main character make this book so compulsively readable. But under the surface, there's some absolutely masterful cartooning and construction. I find new details every time I read this.
Dear Julia, by Brian Biggs - A criminally overlooked gem of a graphic novel from the late 90s. When I read this in college it resonated with me so much. Something about the whimsical yet dark tone of the story and the graceful art inspired me tremendously, and continues to do so."Jon", by George Saunders, from his short story collection In Persuasion Nation. A story told from the point of view of a boy raised by a corporation to be a product tester and consumer tastemaker. Dark, dark satire that is somehow funny, sad and moving all at once. I don't know how Saunders strikes that tone, but it gets me every time, especially in this story. Once in a while, when I draw a story that has something like a weird reality show or mysterious corporation in it, I feel I'm treading on Saunders territory (in a much lesser way, of course).
The World Doesn't End, prose poems by Charles Simic. I'm not much of a poetry reader, but there's something really special about this little book (hey, the Pulitzer people thought so too). These poems are like tiny short story fragments or puzzles with pieces missing, or pieces that don't even exist (which is how I sometimes describe The Aviary). Here's a short one:
We were so poor I had to take the place of the bait in the mousetrap. All alone in the cellar, I could hear them pacing upstairs, tossing and turning in their beds. "These are dark and evil days," the mouse told me as he nibbled my ear. Years passed. My mother wore a cat-fur collar which she stroked until its sparks lit up the cellar.
Currently reading: George Sprott, by Seth. Like the aforementioned Clowes book, Seth's elegant, deceptively simple drawings make this feel like a light, fun read. Meanwhile, the narrative and form of the story go off in all sorts of interesting directions and tangents. Makes me feel like so much is possible in comics (because it is!)...So, how does all this reading apply directly to the book I'm starting? Hopefully the next example will demonstrate that a bit:
Danse Macabre, by Stephen King. Read this one about a year ago and one passage about certain archetypes of horror fiction stuck with me, so I went back and re-read it. King talks about three classic horror novels - and the monsters in them - as the foundations of the modern horror story. The three archetypes are the Vampire (as in Dracula), the Werewolf (as in Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde) and the Thing Without a Name (as in Frankenstein). He also mentions a sort of hidden fourth archetype, the Ghost (as in The Turn of the Screw).Now, I'm not setting out to make a horror book, necessarily, but I do like the horror genre. I never set out to tell a story in a specific genre when I sit down to write, but more often than not my comics wind up being an awkward, uncomfortable hybrid of horror and comedy (well, sort of). So when I read that passage about archetypes, it immediately seemed like a great way to organize a graphic novel - in three "acts", if you like, or three chapters / stories, each one centering around one of these archetypal themes or monsters. And in between those three sections, a framing or connective ghost story. Do I have these specific stories in mind yet? No, I don't. But this seems like as good a place as any to start. Will I adhere to this exact structure? Probably not. But again, a good place to start. Chances are one of those sections will take on a life of its own and balloon in length to fill up the whole book. Or maybe it won't - that's part of the fun in making a new book (for me, anyway); seeing where the story takes me.
I'll leave you with one element I know will be in the book, a character "based" on a very generous backer of this project. I don't know exactly the role this character will play in the book yet, but I've started doing some sketches to figure out how I'll draw this gentleman, known for now only as the mysterious Blackwell...
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #9Success! So, now what?
Hello backers! So, funding is over, and thanks to you, it's been a resounding success. Thank you thank you thank you! So, what next, you ask?
Well, first off, there's the matter of money - you should all be getting email from Amazon letting you know that your card has been charged. I noticed that there have been errors for some backers - I assume you will receive some sort of notification to let you know what you'll need to fix, but I'd recommend you make sure that the credit card info you have on file with Amazon is correct and up to date. I'm told that it should take around two weeks for all the funds to be processed and transferred to me. Once it is, I'll start shipping out all the rewards that are ready to go, like books, prints, etc.
This week I'll be contacting you all to get your addresses and the specific details of your chosen rewards. Some of you will have a few options to decide between, so start thinking about it! For example, if you've chosen a page of original art, you can choose a page from The Aviary or one from the new book, yet to be made. If you chose a commissioned piece of art, you'll be able to specify just what you want me to draw for you - this can either be a very specific, detailed thing, or it can just be a vague suggestion of what you'd like to see, or you can leave the content to me. Your choice!
If your reward is the little blank sketchbook / journal, there are 4 different covers for you to choose from - take a look and think about which one you'd like:
Again, I'll be sending specific requests for info to everybody, so it should be pretty self-explanatory. But as always, feel free to contact me directly with any questions.Next up, the final bonus drawing giveaway! The total number of backers wound up being 130, so I selected three random numbers between 1 and 130. So the corresponding backer number (based on the order in which they pledged) determined the winners. So, congrats to Fay Yu, Eric Dienstfrey, and Rafi Nemes, who will each receive one of the drawings below:
(Fay, Eric, Rafi - if you have a preference as to which drawing you get, just let me know, either by message or by commenting on this update. Otherwise I'll just pick one and send it to ya.)So, if all goes well, rewards should start shipping out by early December, which is about the same time I'll really be able to start working on the new book in earnest. I'm already working on ideas, brainstorming, reading & researching. My hopeful plan is to figure out a basic idea for the book in December and January, then spend February through May working hard on the art and finding the final shape it'll take. I'll of course be posting numerous updates as I go along, so stay tuned! Once it's all done and scanned in, I'll set up a special web page for backers to read the finished book - you will all be the first people to read it!
Thanks again, everybody - I couldn't do this without you! Talk to you soon...
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #8Inside The Aviary, Part 2 - The Call Of The Quiet Bird-Man...
"The good thing about writing books is that you can dream while you're awake." -Haruki Murakami
"...stories are found things, like fossils in the ground...
Stories are relics, part of an undiscovered, pre-existing world." -Stephen KingOne of the most common questions I've gotten since starting this project is "So, do you have any idea what your new book is gonna be about?" (or some variation on that theme). The answer is "Yes, I have many, many ideas." The answer is also "I have no idea at all." And both are true...
To elaborate on those answers, I'd like to talk a little about The Aviary's main "character" (if you can really call him that), The Quiet Bird-Man. How he came into being, and how he became the strange glue loosely holding together the various stories flapping around inside The Aviary.
Some nine months or so after finishing The Social Circle of Professor Winterbottom (see Part 1 if that doesn't ring a bell), I again resorted to a kind of binge cartooning to produce some new comics. I set aside a weekend to make a new story, again grabbed some random images from my "archive" for inspiration, and set about improvising a new comic. At the end of two long days, I had pencilled the 40 pages which now appear as the first story in The Aviary, called (simply enough) The Quiet Bird-Man. The random images I was working from included things like ocean liners, architecture and mermaids, but it was an old advertisement that sparked the first page of the story:
Why did that doll became an odd bird-headed man in fancy-dress? I don't exactly know. A simple answer would be that I just felt like drawing it that way. And as simple as that sounds, it hints at why I'm leaving this project so wide open as I dive into making a new book. Making comics isn't just a matter of writing a story and then illustrating it in a series of images. Well, it can be, but those aren't the sort of comics I'm interested in making here. I'm interested in cartooning, where images have room to inform and inspire the narrative, and vice versa. So a simple impulse to draw a bird's head on a doll led to a bird-man in old-fashioned formalwear, which led to the accompanying text calling him a "sterling example of dignified repression", which would inform the course of that whole story. And the way I happened to draw his big round eye gave me the idea for the doll's "blinking-eye mechanism ("sure to delight"), which would become the Quiet Bird-man's sole method of communication with the other characters. In that first story, the Bird-man was a doll that would lead its owner on a strange journey...
After completing that comic I went on to create a few seemingly unrelated stories. But I continued drawing that Bird-man, and I found myself wanting to draw him into another comic. This time (in Funnyman) he would appear to one character in dreams, walking like a man, leading that character on an uncomfortable journey into his subconscious...
Still later, I found that the Bird-man seemed to work his way into many of the comics I was making, connecting them in a way I hadn't initially imagined. So I sort of followed where he led and began to see a larger shape to the stories that would eventually become The Aviary. Here he is again, appearing to a prisoner of war at a traumatic moment...
And here he is again, making a surprise appearance in another improvised comic (Barry Pago, Crime Scene Photographer, pencilled in one 20-hour session) - a surprise even to me at the time, the idea to have him appear occurring more than halfway into this story's creation - this time as a ghost, urging one character towards a dark fate...
The more I thought about the Bird-man (and thought about potential ways of drawing him), the more I was able to explore the world of The Aviary and find things I would not have if I had just sat down and wrote out a story to illustrate. So that's what I'm hoping to do over the next six or so months of this project - take the time to explore a new little world in words and pictures, and find a story to tell that I couldn't find any other way. And thanks to you, I'll be able to - I hope you're excited to be along for the ride!
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a projectBest comment ever! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Chris Pitzer (and if you don't recognize that name, go to http://www.adhousebooks.com immediately for some of the best comics around (and some of my own, too))...
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #7Squid Winners...
Hey folks - just a super-quick update to announce the winners of the original art giveaway for The Squid. How did I pick the winners? Well, I just assigned a number to everyone who entered the contest based on the order in which they contacted me to enter. Then I went to a random number generator online (the imaginatively named random.org) and had the site pick four random numbers (actually five, as it picked one of the numbers twice). Seemed like the fairest way I could think of. So, the winners are:
Josh Wilson
Christine Lambert
Anita Dienstfrey
Daniel BullockCongrats - in addition to the reward you've already selected, you'll be getting a Squid page as well. Thanks to everyone who entered!
I think for the next little bonus reward, since we're getting so close to the end (only 5 days left to fund the project!) I'll try to level the "playing field" even more. The total amount is really close to $7000 - if the total goes over $7000, I'll give away 3 more bonus drawings to backers. These three backers will be picked in the same random manner, but this time there's no need to contact me to enter, and there's no minimum reward - I'll just pick from all you wonderful people who are already backing! So try to spread the word about the project if you can - just a few more days to go, and every little bit helps!
Coming up next: an answer to the question "so, do you know what your new book is gonna be about?" and a few words about birds...
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a project updateGreat stuff, as always. Can't wait to read the book!
The schedule (and some notes on writing)
Hey everyone! The project is over, it's a success, and now we are into production mode. A quick note on the schedule, and then some long-promised reflection on writing. But before any of that:<...
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a project updateCongrats, David! Really nice cover - looking forward to reading the comic...
And time is up!
That's it. Our pledge drive has officially ended. We raised $1,200 to help cover the printing and shipping costs of this mini-comic. Thank you **so much** to all the backers. You should be getting ...
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #6A New Comic, A Bonus Art Contest, A Few Notes On Rewards & Come See Me In Brooklyn This Weekend...
Hey everyone! Inside The Aviary part 2 is still in the works (expect it later this week), but in the meantime, a quick update to let you know about a variety of goings-on...
First - want to hear a little more from me about this project? Well, I've done a couple of interviews lately. You can listen to me babble over at Fanboy Radio, or you can read a Q&A I did with Kickstarter over on their blog - the people who run this place are really nice, it turns out! In the course of the interview, they asked if I'd like to do a sketch or short comic for them and I happily obliged with a brand new 5-page comic called The Squid - you can read it right here. The story grew out of a bonus reward drawing I did for the wonderful backer who made the pledge that put this project over its initial funding goal. So I've decided to keep the extra rewards going - I'll be giving away the other 4 pages of original art for this story in a little "contest". Want to win one of these pages as an extra reward for being a backer? Here's how it'll work:
Who can enter? Any backer who has pledged $30 or more.
How do you enter? Just let me know you want to, either by posting a comment here or by sending me a message or email. Easy! (Note: if you're a backer at a lower amount and want to bump your pledge up to $30, that's fine too of course!) Next Monday, November 9, I'll pick 4 random backers who've entered the contest, and you'll each get a page from The Squid in addition to your chosen reward!While we're on the subject of bonus rewards, the most recent one (for making the pledge that put us over $6500) goes to a backer known only as "Brian" (though I'm pretty sure I know who this gent is - hi, Brian!). Brian gets the original art of my last Inktober drawing:
For all my fellow New Yorkers, this weekend (Nov.7th & 8th) I'll be at the new King Con in Brooklyn - one of the items I'll be selling is a super-limited edition mini-comic of all 31 of my Inktober drawings (plus The Squid story). I'm only going to make 31 copies of this, and I'll only be offering them at this convention, so if you want one, stop by and see me! One exception: copy #1 of this little book will go to the backer who pledged immediately after $6500, Michelle Schrad, who was aiming for that bonus and has been a big supporter of this project over on twitter (speaking of which, you can always follow me...). So thanks, Michelle - hope you like the mini!That's about all the news for now. Before I go, a few notes about rewards just to clarify some possible confusion. The funding period ends on November 14, and after that the pledges are processed and transferred to me. I'm told it takes up to two weeks - as soon as it all goes through, the ready-made rewards (like the blank books, signed Aviaries, art prints, etc) start shipping out. If you've selected a reward like a commissioned piece of art or a page from the new book, those will be sent as I complete them - don't worry, I'll be in touch with everyone when funding ends to get your requests and let you know when you can expect your stuff! I'll be drawing the commissions for backers in the order in which they pledged to the project. If anyone already knows what they want for their commission or would like to make sure they get it by a certain date (say, for a gift, perhaps - original art makes a great gift!), you are more than welcome to contact me right now and let me know what you want me to draw for you. That way I can get started on it even sooner.
Okay, that's enough outta me for now - more soon! Thanks everybody! Just 10 days to go - keep circulating the links...
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #5Inside The Aviary, Part 1: Comics, Canines & Cocktails...
Hi folks! As a little sneak preview of the sort of thing you'll likely be seeing as work on the new book gets going, over the next few updates I'm going to go behind the scenes of my first book The Aviary. Today I'll be talking a bit about the first story I drew for the book (though it actually appears third in the final collection), The Social Circle of Professor Winterbottom...
To begin, let's turn the clock back a ways, to the spring of 2001. I'd been living in Brooklyn for close to three years, had an absurdly low-paying job at a stock photography archive, and hadn't really drawn any new comics since graduating from art school in 1998. Much like now, I was frustrated that I spent all my time making ends meet (and just barely, at that) and could never seem to make the time for drawing comics, which for some odd reason I've always considered my "calling", if you'll forgive a little hyperbole. I had recently discovered Scott McCloud's 24-hour Comic idea / constraint / challenge - basically, one writes and draws a complete 24-page comic from scratch in 24 consecutive hours - and decided to give it a try. If memory serves, when Memorial Day weekend rolled around, I sat down at my drafting table and set to work. As a starting place for inspiration, I grabbed some random photos I had in my tiny "archive" of reference materials (less necessary these days, what with these internets, but still great to have around) and started making up a story. After an hour of making notes, I had a story that would be waaaay too long to finish in 24 hours. Frustrated, I decided to abandon this convoluted mess, grabbed some small scrap illustration board lying near my desk, picked out a handful of different photo reference, and started drawing a new story directly in ink...
Those are a few of the random images I was looking at. That dog on the left for some reason became a liquor-loving socialite scientist named Professor Winterbottom, and faux old-timey silliness ensued. I wound up breaking the rules of the 24-Hour Comic by splitting the work into two 12-hour sessions (more or less), but when that weekend was over I was thrilled to have made a new comic. Drawing a large part of it directly in ink without planning made things a little rough - just look at how our title character changed shape over the course of the story:
Let's fast-forward a little bit. Over the next few years, I would resort to similar binges of cartooning - a few long weekends a year would be spent cranking out the idea for a new story. The stories were self-contained at first, but then connections started to suggest themselves. Characters from old stories seemed to want to appear in new ones. I began to see that all of these comics I'd been making lived in the same strange little world. Our canine professor and his compatriots turned up in later stories, usually drinking and chatting away. Here they are in a story called Unraveled Bandages:
And here they are again in a story toward the end of The Aviary, called Amber (fun fact: Amber was the title of my convoluted, aborted first attempt at that 24-hour comic I mentioned earlier, ideas and characters from which would find their way into various nooks and crannies of The Aviary...):
When I eventually decided to collect all of these connected stories into the one big book that would become The Aviary, I realized that the goofy little comic I had drawn way back in 2001 was in no shape to be included. The characters looked different, the drawing was sloppy, and the original pages were actually drawn smaller than the final book would be. So the only solution was to redraw the whole comic...
As you can see, those scraps of paper I'd drawn the first version on were a totally different shape than the final book would be. But I still liked the narrow vertical compositions of the original, so to make the story more at home in the new format but still keep that verticality, I added a little old-timey border around the panels, which fit the tone of the story nicely. Re-drawing gave me the chance to make the characters visually consistent, add the occasional little detail, and just make the whole thing cleaner. Here's a few before-and-afters for ya...
Aaaand that'll about do it for now. You can read the whole story in The Aviary, of course. Thanks, everybody! Just a little over 3 weeks left to go until funding ends - keep sharing the link to this project with everyone you can. The more, the merrier. If you're not a backer yet and like what you've just read, there's lots more on the way, so join us!Next update: Inside The Aviary, Part 2 - The Call of the Quiet Bird-Man...
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #4Week Four - More Bonus Action & Original Art
Hi everyone! Week 4 - one month in, one month to go until funding ends and I get to serious work on the new book. As Bon Jovi might say, "Whoa, we're halfway there!" (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Bonus rewards time: so, my not-so-keen detective work revealed that it was Mr. David Shapiro who bumped up his pledge amount to put us over $6000. He'll be getting that drawing of li'l Bird-man with an odd balloon (see the update from Week 2). As bonuses for Morgan Miller and Matt Madden, I did a couple of small, postcard-sized watercolors - here, have a look:
For backer #100 - Ryan Hipp - I drew this rabbit gentleman:
There'll be more of these to come - we're getting close to $6500 (amazing!), so whoever bumps the total up over $6500 gets the next one. Also coming soon: a little behind-the-scenes post about my first book The Aviary to give you a little taste of the kind of thing you'll be seeing as work on the new book progresses. That should be up sometime this week, so stay tuned...
I'll leave you with a few photos from my home studio / office, a tiny little room that I've lined with lots of prints and art to brighten the place and inspire me while I work (you can catch a glimpse of some in the project video if you look close). Below are just a few items: two by Evan Dorkin - a commissioned drawing and a page of original art from an issue of Pirate Corp$! / Hectic Planet, an old favorite of mine - and art prints from the always-inspiring Chris Ware and Dan Clowes. Talk to you soon...
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #3Week Three / Inktober
Hey everybody - just a quick update for week 3 of funding...
Since last week, we've gone up over $6000! Strangely, I'm not certain just which backer tipped it over that amount - I suspect there may be one of you out there who bumped up your donation amount a little bit? If this is the case, and you deliberately raised your donation to push the total over $6000, send me a message or an email and the little Bird-Man with balloon drawing from the previous update is all yours. And just in case my math is a little screwy (which is probable), I'll also be giving bonus drawings to the backers who pledged just before $6000 (Morgan Miller - hi, Morgan!) and just after (Matt Madden, a fine cartoonist himself - thanks, Matt!).
I'm also thrilled to welcome backer #100 (!) to this little adventure - Ryan Hipp, a bonus reward will be headed your way as well (and as soon as I draw it I'll post it here).
Lots more to come soon. In the meantime, if you'd like to see some new art from me on a daily basis, I'm participating in an illustration event called Inktober. As a great way of warming up or keeping the ol' drawing muscles in shape, I'll be doing a new drawing directly in ink each day in October. You can follow these as they're completed over on my twitter or flickr. See below for a few odd examples. Thanks! Talk to you soon...
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a project updateThanks, Phil! (I'm glad, too...) Squid loves you too, Alex.
Week Two, now with bonus drawings...
Hey everybody! Just two weeks in and already almost a thousand dollars above the funding goal. So amazing - thanks again to all backers, and welcome to everyone who's come on board this week. Still...
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a project updateThanks Brittain!
Week Two, now with bonus drawings...
Hey everybody! Just two weeks in and already almost a thousand dollars above the funding goal. So amazing - thanks again to all backers, and welcome to everyone who's come on board this week. Still...
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Jamie Tanner
Posted project update #2Week Two, now with bonus drawings...
Hey everybody! Just two weeks in and already almost a thousand dollars above the funding goal. So amazing - thanks again to all backers, and welcome to everyone who's come on board this week. Still plenty of rewards to go around, so keep circulating that link. I've got a few extra rewards I'm thinking of adding down the line, too, so stay tuned...
Speaking of extra rewards, below are a couple of bonus drawings I'll be giving away. One is for Mr. Lewis Winter, whose pledge put us over the top of the funding goal - Lewis, let me know which one of these you like, and I'll add it to your rewards (unless you'd prefer something a little different, in which case I'll whip up another for ya). The other will go to whoever pledges the amount that bumps us up over $6000. I plan to give away more of these (and maybe other stuff too) as we go on. 91 backers right now - whoever becomes backer #100 gets a bonus drawing too!
(Note: These are 6"x9" - similar to what I'm offering as "The Commissioner" reward, just a bit smaller. "Commissioner" drawings will be around 9"x12", and will of course be of whatever subject you like.)
Thanks everyone, and keep checking back for more. In the meantime, from our Creativity / Inspiration department, here's a terrific talk on doing creative work by Merlin Mann (which I'll certainly be listening to again in preparation for making the new book), via the invaluable Sound of Young America podcast. Talk to you soon...
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Jamie Tanner
commented on a projectCharlie - thank you, sir! Good to have you on board (and even better to hear a new ISR episode). Quitting comics? Couldn't if I tried. But this way I'll make a new one relatively soon... Schnapp - get some sleep!
