Category Archives: Opportunities

By Mjöllnir! little funny deadline approacheth! (July 20th)

The deadline for little funny is on the 20th… so you have less than a week to get yours in. Which is probably not a big deal, as it will probably only take you one evening of fun to get an issue together.

little funny, again, is a series of micro-comic booklets authored by anyone who wants to do one that will be sold out of a vending machine at the BIG FUNNY opening. It is easy, fun and inexpensive to participate… and all entries will be accepted. You can read all of the details about the project here.

All participants in little funny will be listed on the BIG FUNNY website, and we’ll eventually have scans of all the covers posted there as well.

Some people have been confused by the instructions… I tried to clarify them some more in the text. Additionally, here is a photo of two copies of little funny #8 by James Powell (the front of one and the back of the other).

Click to embiggen.

The Prism Comics Queer Press Grant

Prism Comics is offering a cartooning grant:

Every year, Prism awards a significant Queer Press Grant to assist in the publication and promotion of LGBT comics. The grant is funded by donors who are creators who want to help others who are just starting out, or fans who want to see more LGBT creators get published.

Grant Application Process

Grant proposals must be submitted in the form of an e-mailed request and must include the following items (as either PDF or JPG format files):

1) Cover letter that states the project title and why the project is of interest to LGBT comic book readers

2) Creator’s statement of purpose (separate from the cover letter)

3) Business plan and budget detailing how funds (in US dollars) will be spent and obtained, including an intended time period

4) Resume (for each contributor, if more than one)

5) Financial statement (for each contributor, if more than one) — use the form provided by Prism Comics and include attachments as required

6) Presentation of the work to date in 300 DPI JPG images.

When to apply:

Proposals are reviewed on an annual basis by the Prism Comics Board of Directors. Requests must be received by the deadline date to be considered at that review. Early application is encouraged. You will be notified by e-mail when your application has been received.

Deadline date: October 1st, 2009

NOTE: Incomplete applications will not be considered. Unsuccessful applicants may reapply for the following year. The grant awardee should expect a response within four weeks of the deadline date.

Please submit proposals and queries to grants@prismcomics.org.

Yoe Studios Hiring

Cartoonist/Editor Craig Yoe posted this job opportunity on the Comics Journal Message Board:

at yoe! studio we’re considering hiring an editor to help with all the many cool books we’re producing. i get that i’m dreaming, but…the ideal person would know and love comics history, be highly organized, have some editing/writing/maybe even design chops, be into working long hours for dirt cheap, live in the area of peekskill, new york and not be an asshole. or maybe we need a designer with a similar make-up—hey, we’re trying to figure this all out, too!
craig yoe yoecomix@hotmail.com

SUBMISSIONS NEEDED–Zine show at MN Center for Book Arts

Call for Zines

Minnesota Center for Book Arts will be hosting an exhibition of zines titled
³Independent Variables: Contemporary Zine Publications² from June 26 to
September 6, 2009 in the Open Book Lobby Gallery.

To participate in this exhibition, work must be received by 5 pm June 26. It
may be dropped off at MCBA¹s Shop desk or mailed (MCBA, attn: Jeff
Rathermel, 1011 Washington Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55415). Please include
contact information with your submission, including an email address.

Note: Work will handled by the public and will be fastened to the wall by a
cord. This may involve drilling into the publication to make a hole for
fastening. Do not submit work you are not willing to have altered and
handled by multiple readers. Works should weigh a pound or less.

We will do our best to exhibit all work submitted. Multiple works by a
single artist are permitted. If the number of submissions is great, the
number of works exhibited by a single artist will be limited.

Work will be available for pick up at the Shop desk the week following the
show. Work will not be returned by mail. Items not picked up by Sept 11,
2009 will be added to the MCBA archives and used for educational purposes.

If you have questions, please email Jeff Rathermel, MCBA¹s Artistic
Director, at jrathermel (at) mnbookarts.org.

Participate in little funny: a BIG FUNNY Sideshow

little funny

little funny is intended as a prominent “sideshow” to the upcoming BIG FUNNY project. little funny will be a series of mini-comics sold in an old cigarette vending machine at Altered Esthetics during the month of the BIG FUNNY show. No entries will be rejected provided they follow the specs (these comics need to be a specific size to fit inside the boxes in the vending machine).

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

  1. DOWNLOAD THE TEMPLATE. The template includes a little funny logo on the front and back covers. One double-sided copy makes three copies of a 10-page accordion style micro-comic (or, alternately, 3 different issues).
  2. Email us at webmaster (at) cartoonistconspiracy.com for an issue number. little funny will be a numbered series. Make sure to put your number on your comic. If you choose to do multiple issues, you’ll need a number for each different issue.
  3. Draw your comic. Make sure to sign your work and include your contact info on it if you want to.
  4. Make copies of it. Copy, fold and staple them.
  5. We request a minimum of 18 copies of each comic submitted (which is 6 double sided xeroxes). More is great, and you can send us as many as you wish. Mail your copies to:ALTERED ESTHETICS
    1224 Quincy St NE
    Minneapolis, MN 55413

    In addition to the comics please include your name, address, phone number and email address.

DEADLINE FOR PARTICIPATION IS JULY 20th.

THINGS TO NOTE:

  • Each participant will receive one vending box of minis… how many minis are included in a box will depend on our level of participation. No box will contain all of the minis. Each participant will be responsible for picking up their box some time during the month of the show, or for making special arrangements if they can not attend.
  • Participants names will also appear on the BIG FUNNY website as being a part of the little funny show.
  • These comics can be by a single artist or be collaborative.
  • You can do as many issues as you wish… if you want to do more than one, just ask us for another number.
  • Comics may be color, or black and white, or on colored paper, or decorated with glitter glue, or painted or whatever the hell you want to do as long as you stick with the basic template.
  • Two sets of all the comics will be kept for the Conspiracy archives.
  • All proceeds from the comics will go to support the gallery, Altered Esthetics, which is a non-profit, community and artist centered gallery. You can read more about AE here.
  • Submissions will not be returned.

BIG FUNNY DEADLINE IN TWO LITTLE WEEKS (May 1st)

Things are moving fast… we are now two weeks from the BIG FUNNY deadline (May 1st). From the estimates we have received, it looks very likely that we will be able to do the whole publication in full color… so I hope participants will all strongly consider taking advantage of it!

Unless you make posters, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to get printed at such a huge size and in color… I can’t wait to be dazzled by what people do with it. It will be quite a unique publication… please do let all your cartoonist/poster artist/printmaker/designer/illustrator friends know about it, and encourage them to participate.

Specs and other information for the project can be found here on the BIG FUNNY website. There is also a text-only version of the information here.

I urge you to carefully read ALL of the information there before digging in, as the specs are particular… and we would really hate to have to reject people’s work because people didn’t follow the specs.

Here is a description of the project in the words of local hero Kevin Cannon at the Big Time Attic blog:

So I was over at the watercooler today, and a co-worker leans over his cubicle wall and says, “Hey Kev, what’s this ‘BIG FUNNY’ all the kids are talking about?” So I say, “Well, Doug, check the BTA blog in a few minutes and I’ll tell you!”

So here’s the scoop:

Minneapolis cartoonists have a tradition of curating a yearly show at the Altered Esthetics gallery in Nordeast Minneapolis. Last year we mounted Lutefisk Sushi: Volume C, which was a huge hit, had a ton of great contributors, and had an absolutely packed opening night party.

This August we’re doing something a little different: Big Funny, a nod to the glorious & wacky full page (and often full color) newspaper comics of the turn of the century). Where Lutefisk Sushi asked participants to create mini-comics and gathered them all up in a BOX, Big Funny is asking people to draw a 15.5″w x 20″h comic strip (color or bw) which will then be printed in a big fat NEWSPAPER.

The Big Funny gallery show this August will have original art from the Big Funny newspaper, as well as vintage turn o’ the century comics (thanks to collector extraordinaire Steve Stwalley). You’ll also be able to get your hands on the Big Funny newspaper — right now we’re thinking it’ll be 48 pages.

Interested in having your cartoon grace one of those pages? Here’s a quick guide to get you started:

1. Read through www.cartoonistconspiracy.com/bigfunny. That should answer most of your questions.
2. Create your comic. Keep these specs in mind:
* Art should be 15.5″ (wide) x 20″ (high)
* If you’re doing color, make it 300 dpi
* If you’re doing black and white, make it at 1200 dpi
* You can submit more than one cartoon
* All submissions must be DIGITAL
* [This is a truncated list to get you started — PLEASE read the info on the Big Funny website!]

3. Content: This show is a nod to the old-timey comics, but your comic can be any style, theme, etc. Just try to be funny (it is called Big Funny, after all)
4. Deadline is MAY 1, 2009

Unlike Lutefisk Sushi, this is a juried show, which means that some comics won’t make it in the show. This has less to do with us being art snobs, and more to do with the complicated nature of putting a physical newspaper together on time and on budget.

We’ve already got a few submissions in (which, for a month before the deadline, is pretty outstanding), and they look great, so keep ’em coming!

If you have any questions, please read the Big Funny website. If you still have questions, please leave them in the comments section, and we’ll answer them there.

Here’s a BIG FUNNY chicklet for your website or blog:

Altered Esthetics 5th Anniversary Show This Friday (April 17th) In Minneapolis

Reposting as a reminder… hope to see you all there!

The Cartoonist Conspiracy is immensely fortunate to have found Altered Esthetics gallery to collaborate with. A non-profit, community and artist centered gallery, we have collaborated with them on the Eric Lappegard Benefit and Lutefisk Sushi Volume C, and this Summer we will be working with them to put together Big Funny (submissions due May First!).

Mark your calendars, because next month is Altered Esthetics fifth birthday, and to celebrate they are having a party/art show/fundraiser April 17th!

They are requesting wood-themed art donations for their fifth ‘wood’ anniversary. Find out the details of how you can donate art to them here.

One other very cool way you can contribute is by donating art to be in the Art Vending Machine
… mini-comics seem made for this.

Please consider donating art, and please let them know the Conspiracy sent you!

Celebrate Ae!

alteredesthetics.org/fiveyears

April 2009 marks our fifth birthday! We’re having a giant celebration to commemorate the occasion, in conjunction with our Spring Fundraiser.

Please join us on April 17, 2009 for a celebration and fundraiser featuring:

– A wood-themed art exhibition and silent auction
– A raffle with awesome prizes and goods from local businesses
– Live music
– Refreshments
– Wood themed games
– Awesome company
– And more!

Schedule of Awesomeness
5:00pm: Raffle, Silent Auction, Games, DJ
9:00pm: Silent Auction and Raffle ends, winners announced
9:30pm: Live music begins, festivities continue, the people rejoice.

BIG FUNNY Deadline in One Little Month (May 1st)

Things are moving fast… we are now a month from the BIG FUNNY deadline (May 1st). From the estimates we have received, it looks very likely that we will be able to do the whole publication in full color… so I hope participants will all strongly consider taking advantage of it!

Unless you make posters, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to get printed at such a huge size and in color… I can’t wait to be dazzled by what people do with it. It will be quite a unique publication… please do let all your cartoonist/poster artist/printmaker/designer/illustrator friends know about it, and encourage them to participate.

Specs and other information for the project can be found here on the BIG FUNNY website. There is also a text-only version of the information here.

I urge you to carefully read ALL of the information there before digging in, as the specs are particular… and we would really hate to have to reject people’s work because people didn’t follow the specs.

Here is a description of the project in the words of Kevin Cannon at the Big Time Attic blog:

So I was over at the watercooler today, and a co-worker leans over his cubicle wall and says, “Hey Kev, what’s this ‘BIG FUNNY’ all the kids are talking about?” So I say, “Well, Doug, check the BTA blog in a few minutes and I’ll tell you!”

So here’s the scoop:

Minneapolis cartoonists have a tradition of curating a yearly show at the Altered Esthetics gallery in Nordeast Minneapolis. Last year we mounted Lutefisk Sushi: Volume C, which was a huge hit, had a ton of great contributors, and had an absolutely packed opening night party.

This August we’re doing something a little different: Big Funny, a nod to the glorious & wacky full page (and often full color) newspaper comics of the turn of the century). Where Lutefisk Sushi asked participants to create mini-comics and gathered them all up in a BOX, Big Funny is asking people to draw a 15.5″w x 20″h comic strip (color or bw) which will then be printed in a big fat NEWSPAPER.

The Big Funny gallery show this August will have original art from the Big Funny newspaper, as well as vintage turn o’ the century comics (thanks to collector extraordinaire Steve Stwalley). You’ll also be able to get your hands on the Big Funny newspaper — right now we’re thinking it’ll be 48 pages.

Interested in having your cartoon grace one of those pages? Here’s a quick guide to get you started:

1. Read through www.cartoonistconspiracy.com/bigfunny. That should answer most of your questions.
2. Create your comic. Keep these specs in mind:
* Art should be 15.5″ (wide) x 20″ (high)
* If you’re doing color, make it 300 dpi
* If you’re doing black and white, make it at 1200 dpi
* You can submit more than one cartoon
* All submissions must be DIGITAL
* [This is a truncated list to get you started — PLEASE read the info on the Big Funny website!]

3. Content: This show is a nod to the old-timey comics, but your comic can be any style, theme, etc. Just try to be funny (it is called Big Funny, after all)
4. Deadline is MAY 1, 2009

Unlike Lutefisk Sushi, this is a juried show, which means that some comics won’t make it in the show. This has less to do with us being art snobs, and more to do with the complicated nature of putting a physical newspaper together on time and on budget.

We’ve already got a few submissions in (which, for a month before the deadline, is pretty outstanding), and they look great, so keep ’em coming!

If you have any questions, please read the Big Funny website. If you still have questions, please leave them in the comments section, and we’ll answer them there.

Here’s a BIG FUNNY chicklet for your website or blog:

Altered Esthetics’ Fifth Anniversary!!!

The Cartoonist Conspiracy is immensely fortunate to have found Altered Esthetics gallery to collaborate with. A non-profit, community and artist centered gallery, we have collaborated with them on the Eric Lappegard Benefit and Lutefisk Sushi Volume C, and this Summer we will be working with them to put together Big Funny (submissions due May First!).

Mark your calendars, because next month is Altered Esthetics fifth birthday, and to celebrate they are having a party/art show/fundraiser April 17th!

They are requesting wood-themed art donations for their fifth ‘wood’ anniversary. Find out the details of how you can donate art to them here.

One other very cool way you can contribute is by donating art to be in the Art Vending Machine
… mini-comics seem made for this.

Please consider donating art, and please let them know the Conspiracy sent you!

Celebrate Ae!

alteredesthetics.org/fiveyears

April 2009 marks our fifth birthday! We’re having a giant celebration to commemorate the occasion, in conjunction with our Spring Fundraiser.

Please join us on April 17, 2009 for a celebration and fundraiser featuring:

– A wood-themed art exhibition and silent auction
– A raffle with awesome prizes and goods from local businesses
– Live music
– Refreshments
– Wood themed games
– Awesome company
– And more!

Schedule of Awesomeness
5:00pm: Raffle, Silent Auction, Games, DJ
9:00pm: Silent Auction and Raffle ends, winners announced
9:30pm: Live music begins, festivities continue, the people rejoice.