Tag Archives: Books

My Sister the Freak Volume 1 Books

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Dani

I recently got a bunch of My Sister the Freak Volume 1 books in the mail. They look awesome! Thanks to Ka-Blam for the printing job.

This book marks a big milestone for me. It collects the first four issues of MSTF together in one volume to create one full graphic novel. It represents over a year’s worth of work and the completion of my first major writing/comic project. I’m so happy to see this story all together as it should be read.

The book is over 100 pages. Nearly half the book is bonus material, including a peek into my process, activities, and a super guest art section.

I have been slowly but surely getting all the preorders signed, sketched up, and mailed out. Thanks so much to everyone who preordered the book – I could not have gotten the printing done without you!

Every person that took advantage of the preorder is receiving a full-color watercolor sketch. Here is a sampling of some of the sketches I made for the orders already:

Thanks for waiting so patiently while I get these all done. I should have them all mailed off within the next week or so.

Here’s one book that already has a happy home!


[Captain Bacon for Mike!]

If you receive your copy, email or tweet me some pics. I love seeing ‘em!

The book is still available in my store. New orders won’t receive the watercolor sketches, but I’ll include a pencil sketch (and I’ll sign the book too of course!). There is limited quantities available. Once I get all the preorders mailed out, I’ll have to figure out just how many I have left. If I run out, you can also order it from IndyPlanet, who can print it on-demand.

And if you don’t want to spend $20, you can also get the digital copy for much cheaper here.

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Books to be Published by Stan Lee’s Kids Universe!

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Dani

I am so thrilled to announce that two of my books will be published in 2012! MONSTERS VS. KITTENS and ONCE UPON A TIME will be the first two books to be released by the Stan Lee’s Kids Universe imprint of 1821 Comics.

Stan and 1821 announced plans for the imprint over the weekend at New York Comic Con. It got some coverage by some impressive outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Galleycat. (And who wouldn’t be tickled to see a photo of their own drawing next to Stan the Man’s head? Awesome.)

Monsters Vs. Kittens will be the first book up. I can’t share a whole lot about it just yet (but I think the title pretty much indicates its awesomeness!). Once Upon a Time started as a self-published project that I shared right here on this blog. You can check out the process posts and webpage for more info.

The website for Stan Lee’s Kids Universe is up with an article and teaser image, where you can catch the first small peek at some character art for Monsters Vs. Kittens. I’ve put up my own dedicated page for MvK here. There’s not much there yet, but you can bookmark it for future updates and images.

Can’t wait for 2012!

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My Sister the Freak Volume 1 Now Available for Preorder!

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Dani
My Sister the Freak Volume 1 cover

After over a year of updates and drawing pages on my webcomic My Sister the Freak, I’m finally able to print and share a complete book with all of you! Volume 1 will contain all four chapters of MSTF so far in one nice paperback edition. Right now, it is going to be about 100 pages. Nearly half of that will be bonus material like process stuff, extra images, activities, etc. The book features a GREAT collection of guest art by some very generous and talented artists. I can’t thank them enough for contributing. I will be featuring them all on the webcomic site in the coming weeks.

PREORDER HERE: http://store.danidraws.com/my-sister-the-freak-volume-1

The preorder will help greatly with printing costs, and I also want to make sure I order enough for dedicated fans and readers of the comic. As an incentive, I am including some limited-time gifts for those who take advantage of the preorder. Here’s the deal:

    All orders received by August 31 will receive an original full-color 5″x7″ painting featuring an MSTF character of your choice. They will be rendered in ink and watercolor on heavyweight bristol paper. Preorderers will also receive the ebook version of Volume 1 for FREE.

If you haven’t read My Sister the Freak yet, you can read it in its entirety online at mysisterthefreak.com.

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15 Steps to Freelance Illustration Review

Posted on June 15, 2010 by Dani

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Are you a new art school graduate who needs help getting an illustration business up and running? Are you an experienced illustrator looking to recharge your career? There’s a great new resource available today that I highly recommend for you.

It’s called 15 Steps to Freelance Illustration. It’s an ebook by Thomas James, creator of the awesome illustration website and podcast Escape From Illustration Island.

I’ve had the chance to read the entire book, so I can personally confirm that Thomas has made an invaluable resource for all types of illustrators out there. In the book, he outlines 15 steps to starting an illustration business. The process is simple yet thorough, covering general stuff like finances to current issues like social media promotion. I like that it outlines a set of necessary goals in an easy and doable manner. This is essential for new artists who are at such a critical stage of their careers. Experienced illustrators will also find plenty of helpful info for revamping their existing business.

In addition, buyers will receive a workbook that takes the goals outlined in the book and gives specific assignments to help accomplish them. It’s a great supplement to an already solid resource.

Given that there is a general lack of business education among art students (read Thomas’s Open Letter to Art Schools – a great read), you can’t pass up such a great resource like this one when it comes around. Most beginners are left stumbling and fumbling their way through the start of their careers. Many do not succeed. However, you’ll improve your chances greatly if you read and follow 15 Steps.

15 Steps to Freelance Illustration is on sale starting TODAY. Those who buy the book within the first week get a special introductory price, so be sure to check it out as soon as you can.

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Book of the Month: Making Comics

Posted on August 13, 2008 by Dani

This book is several years old and tons of artists and websites have recommended it already, but I’m going to put in my two cents anyway in case you happened to have missed this gem.

Making Comics by Scott McCloud is just what the title suggests – a book about making comics. What makes this book especially fun is that entire book is written and drawn in a comic format.

Even if you’re not interested in drawing comics, it still has a lot to offer about storytelling and basic art principles. Any illustrator can learn a ton from this book. McCloud explains all the topics simply, yet interestingly, and includes different exercises and techniques to help the reader absorb the concepts along the way.

You can get a good idea of the format of the book on Scott’s website where he has posted a small sample, called Chapter 5 1/2. It expands upon Chapter 5 in his book “Tools, Techniques, and Technology”. It includes a tutorial and notes that cover optimizing color art for the web.

Continue reading →

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Book of the Month: Dr. Seuss and Mr. Geisel

Posted on July 5, 2008 by Dani

Drseussmrgeisel

In 1936, Ted Geisel wrote his first children’s story, called A Story That No One Can Beat. But he had trouble getting it published.

Twenty-seven publishing houses rejected Geisel’s story, deemed “too different” for children’s books. Frustrated and fed up, Ted started walking back to his New York apartment and decided to return to his career as a magazine humorist and cartoonist. He planned to burn the manuscript when he got home.

That’s when he ran into an old colleague from school who just got hired as a juvenile editor three hours earlier.

A Story That No One Can Beat was subsequently published as And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, the first in a long list of children’s titles from the legendary Geisel – aka Dr. Seuss – a list that includes The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears A Who!, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. Along the way, he completely transformed the face of children’s publishing and became the best-selling author in the field ever.

Continue reading →

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Book of the Month: The Art of Kung Fu Panda

Posted on May 9, 2008 by Dani

Artofkungfupanda

This month’s recommendation is The Art of Kung Fu Panda because I am so excited to see the movie this summer. I don’t really have a lot more to say except nerdy stuff like the character design is really cool and the animation looks awesome – two good reasons to look into getting this book, which is set to be released on May 13.

The movie itself comes out on June 6, and you can be sure I will be there opening weekend – hopefully in an IMAX theater. I haven’t been a fan of some of the recent Dreamworks movies, but my hopes were kindled by early praise from animation expert Jerry Beck, who shares some of my opinions.

Links:

“Prepare for awesomeness!”

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