March already?

Still no sequential art I can show, but I’ve been doing a few covers for small presses as freelance.

I’m deep into the first bit of SOME DID REST at the moment, inking the second half of the chapter and prepping files. It seems like script revisions never end, and I’m just lucky that the ones I’m thinking about right now won’t result in what I’ve drawn so far going into the trash. My days are spent hunched over my lightbox, drawing rubble…

Things are coming together for IN MAPS & LEGENDS, though I still don’t have anything I’m allowed to share. Soon, though! I’ve even tricked collaborator Mike Jasper into doing a few pages of thumbnails. Poor guy doesn’t realize he’s been swindled into doing the least enjoyable part of comics for me~ ;) We’re both eager to move forward with the story.

Fellow Cleveland Institute of Art grad and comics guy Kevin Czapiewski is teaching a continuing education class called The Art of Comics right now at CIA, and he recently asked me if I was interested in stopping by and getting involved. He’s got a great curriculum planned, and those who sign up go through the process of building a comic from a script and series of thumbnails all the way to a finished story.

I’m hoping to help out with next week’s session, where Kevin’s talking about how time can be portrayed in sequential art. He plans on teaching the class again during the summer, so I’ll be sure to post more info when I have it so anyone local can take a look. Who says Cleveland doesn’t have a comics scene?

And while you’re at it, take a look at Kevin’s long-scrolling webcomic, SPOILERS! We’re both what you get when you combine fine arts majors with a love of comics.

I also recently did an extensive update to the list of literary agents who represent graphic novels, going through it to fix links and remove names of those who are no longer in the business– as well as adding a few agents. So take a look if you’ve got a graphic novel ready to query. (But please– I’m not an agent! Queries that come to me don’t get you anywhere!)

It’s the last week of the November Zuda competition, so if you’re interested in voting for IN MAPS & LEGENDS, now is the time to take a look!

Remember, vote, rate, fave and let us know what you think. :) I threw together a new sketch of Kait this morning as some extra encouragement.

November’s been a crazy month, with a lot of support pouring in from all over. Mike and I have done a couple in-depth interviews about the Zuda process and IN MAPS & LEGENDS.

Robot 6: Zudist Colony- Talking with November’s Zuda Contestants
Hypergeek: An Interview with Michael Jasper & Niki Smith

And a new review:
MPD57: In Maps & Legends

I’ve been keeping busy with projects outside of Zuda too. The script for SOME DID REST is in the early stages of revisions, and I recently went to the launch party for Faber Castell’s new line of coloring books, which I was invited to be a part of this spring. My book is out on Amazon now, so pick up a copy for any horse-loving kids you may know.

I’ve also updated the list of literary agents who represent graphic novels, so if you’re trying to get your comic published, be sure to take a look. There are a handful of new agencies, and almost all of them are open to queries.

Remember, vote, rate and fave! If the Zuda site confuses you, it’s all cleared up here.

My WIP finally has a title! None of the many characters have names yet, but that’s another matter entirely, right? In any case, the project is now going by Some Did Rest. I’ve spent the last few months outlining and doing research, and I’m finally nearing the point where I can start writing the script. I’ve done enough background work now that I’m hoping this next phase will be a bit quicker.

Some Did Rest is a very different work than Highwater… there are still some teenage characters, but this is distinctly a much more adult story. The structure is also very different and less straight-forward, and the style looser and grittier. And on that note, I’ve updated the project page with some new concept art and character sketches. There are a lot of visuals I want to bring into the final pages, and I’ve yet to figure out just how I want the pages to be laid out… I have a few ideas, but you’ll have to wait to see those. :)

I’ve been working on a new short project to keep my hands busy while Some Did Rest is still in words-only phase. This one is a collaboration, with a fellow FinePrint client, Michael Jasper, doing the writing! It’s fully pencilled already, and I should hopefully have some teaser images to post once the pages are inked and colored! It should be good.

Also updated is the list of literary agents who represent graphic novels– there are now 50 different agencies on the list! Take a look, and feel free to drop me a line if you know of anyone I’ve missed, or if you have any questions I can help with.

I’m having a lot of fun with my WIP. I’ve got a growing pile of library books next to my feet, documentaries watched, and a long list of research books still waiting to be checked out and brought home. Quite a few of the documents I’m slogging through are heavy with numbers and graphs, while others offer interviews, giving a human side to the situations I’m exploring. But the books and articles that explore my WIP’s main premise are still a long ways off, a decade or two at least. Nothing to do but watch and see how things develop. It’s all heavy conjecture, right now… and I’ve been diving in head-first. There’s a definite line between intimidating and exhilarating, and I have to tread carefully if I want this to come together the way I think it has the potential to.

But as I’ve been doing research, the rough shape of the story has been coming together: it still could change, and nothing’s in stone, but I’m at least the point where characters are emerging. And I’m so happy to be able to say that! There’s nothing quite like figuring out the faces and postures of a cast. They may not have names yet, but they have birthmarks, histories and personalities. Check out some of the new faces here.

Also, the list of literary agents who represent graphic novels has been updated with Jon Sternfeld of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency. Whether he takes graphic novel queries is unknown, but he represents at least one (signed in April 2009).

A few quick updates! I recently offered to design mock-up book cover designs for people interested on my Twitter account, and a few people took me up on it. I’ve added the results of the design exercise to the gallery section. All of the covers were put together pretty quickly as an exercise as I work on other projects, with no more than an afternoon or two working on and off on each. The cover for seen here took the longest, but after a few false starts it’s the one I’m happiest with! The Grey Knight is a dark fantasy novel by one of my fellow FinePrint clients (yay!), Chris Finch, and has a bunch of really appealing visuals… ultimately I went with the city of Highbranch, since I had read about it on his site a month or two ago, and had been drawn to it even then. The cover for Hanging by a Thread came from a concept belonging to C. L. Steele (“a graphic novel about coming out as a lesbian after marriage”) while Jupiter’s Goat was pretty much just a phrase I liked. ;) I have a few more ideas in mind, so I may update again with those soon.

Also, the list of literary agents who represent graphic novels has been updated! Brenda Bowen has joined Sanford J. Greenburger Associates, and you can read an article about what she’s interested in at Publishers Weekly. Take a look if you’re a graphic novel artist/writer interested in finding an agent.

“Bowen will represent authors and illustrators of children’s books for all ages (preschool to teen) as well as, in her words, “graphic novelists, animators and maybe a surprise element or two.”

Welcome to the new and fancied-up niki-smith.com! I’ve given the site a complete overhaul, with more info about past and future projects, including my recent focus: a graphic novel called Highwater. I’ll be posting some concept sketches for my next WIP sometime soon, so readers can follow along as I explore this new story.

I’ve also been keeping a list of literary agents that represent graphic novels up to date, for any aspiring comic creators out there. The list is up to 43 different agencies so far, and is still growing.