Portfolio Review: One More Opportunity for Budding Artists

June 19th, 2013

PORTOLIO_REVIEWSAlong with our cartooning workshops and the short lessons that will be offered in Artist Alley at Kids Read Comics Celebration ’13, KRC presents another way to help you grow as an artist:

Bring a portfolio of your work and one of our professional cartoonist guests will look over what you’ve done. Many of these artists have teaching experience, and they’ll give advice on where your strengths lie and how to apply yourself in the areas that still need to be developed.

On Saturday and Sunday, you can go to the show table in Artist Alley (it’s just to the left as you pass the entrance to the library’s third floor), and we’ll arrange a time for you to meet with an artist who’ll go over your work with you.

The Puppetbenders return to Kids Read Comics!

June 19th, 2013


We’re excited to announce that the Aang and the Puppetbenders will be a part of this year’s Kids Read Comics Celebration!

Join us for the Kids’ Comics Revolution Awards Sunday, June 23 at 4:00 pm on the 4th floor conference room at the Ann Arbor District Library to see some of your favorite characters from the popular Puppetbenders series perform some fun and hysterical guest presentations!

We’re very grateful they could make it. KRCC wouldn’t be the same without them!

Art Lessons in Artist Alley

June 19th, 2013

FaceCan you see yourself as an artist? Would you like to learn more about basic cartooning techniques?

Kids Read Comics guest Ted Woods will offer short lessons (10-15 minutes) at the top of every hour from one till five o’clock on both days of the Kids Read Comics Celebration.

You’ll get an introduction to some drawing essentials, along with a handout to take with you.

Join Ted for any of these mini-lessons on Saturday or Sunday at Artist Alley table 43:

1pm–Drawing a head: how to draw men’s and women’s faces
2pm–Basic Shapes: how basic shapes are important to every drawing
3pm–Color: the color wheel, and how it affects your art
4pm–Drawing hands: how to draw men’s and women’s hands
5pm–Creating characters: some tips on creating your own comic book characters

When he’s not teaching, Ted will also sell sketches, drawn to order, of your favorite comics or cartoon character! Futurama 4

Guest Spotlight: Vordak the Incomprehensible at KRCC!

June 19th, 2013

Vordak photoUnstoppable villain Vordak the Incomprehensible (shown here on the path to world domination) makes an appearance at this weekend’s Kids Read Comics Celebration!

Featured in a series of exciting and hilarious books that provide unparalleled guidance for any kid who dreams of ultimate power and conquest — beginning with How to Grow Up and Rule the WorldVordak will be joined by his creators, writer Scott Seegert (on Saturday only) and artist John Martin.

Meet Vordak and put a little villainy in your life!

Programming Spotlight: Make Me a Robot!

June 18th, 2013

Make Me a Robot!

We’re just a few days away from the Kids Read Comics Celebration ’13, and if you haven’t checked out the programming page to start scheduling your day, you might want to get to it! With over 25 workshops and events scheduled over the course of the weekend, it promises to be an action-packed weekend of comics activities.

KRCC guests Lee Cherolis and Samantha Kyle will be leading a super-fun workshop called Make Me a Robot! where students will explore character design by creating their own robots. How would you design a good robot? How would you design an evil one?

The workshop will conclude with a special session where Lee and Samantha will draw the students as robots!

It’s a fun visual storytelling activity happening (appropriately) at the Robot Repair and Supply Store, otherwise known as 826 Michigan on Liberty Street!

Saturday, June 22, 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Rob Worley’s Scratch9: Free Poster at KRCC

June 17th, 2013

Scratch9The Kids Read Comics Celebration is not just fun and fantastic, it’s free! And among the freebies is the new Scratch9 poster that Rob Worley, creator and writer of the many-lived feline hero, will be handing out at table 33. Rob will have other great goodies as well, and you can find more about it on the Scratch9 website.

Several of the artists who’ve helped bring Scratch to life will also be on hand at KRCC. Be sure to visit John Martin, Joe Foo, Joshua Buchanan, Justin Castaneda and Mike Roll!

Programming Spotlight: The Kids’ Comics Revolution Awards Show!

June 17th, 2013

KCR Awards!

Wondering who kids chose for their favorites in the Kids’ Comics Revolution! Awards? Be the first to find out at the first annual KCR! Awards Show!

Sunday, June 23, 4:00 pm at the Ann Arbor District Library

(in the 4th floor conference room!)

Dave Roman and Jerzy Drozd will MC a fun ceremony presented by some of your favorite kids’ comics authors, including Raina Telgemeier, Rafael Rosado, Ben Hatke, and other surprise guests!

There’s still time to vote, too! Paper ballots will be available at the Ann Arbor District Library during Saturday’s events, or you can fill out the ballot online here!

Who will kids choose to be the winners of the KCR! Awards? Come to the Kids Read Comics Celebration ’13 to find out!

Programming Spotlight: Doodle! Scribble! Draw!

June 17th, 2013

The 5th Annual Kids Read Comics Celebration is chock full of interactive comics games designed to test your creativity! In addition to Dave Roman’s super-fun Comics Quickfire! events, we’re thrilled to have Mark Mariano’s Doodle! Scribble! Draw! game show on Sunday, June 23, from 1:30 – 2:30 pm!

You’ve doodled in a notebook when bored (or when you’re supposed to be paying attention to something else, like the teacher), right? Then you have the skills necessary to tackle the creative quests given by Mark Mariano and his group of KRCC guests! In this game show scribbling and doodling win the game, and the audience participates by adding random suggestions to the quests. It’s an immensely fun time, as evidenced by the video above and by this post on Mark’s website.

Only one session! Sunday, June 23, from 1:30 – 2:30 pm at the entrance to the Ann Arbor District Library Downtown Branch. No registration required, but show up early to secure your seat!

Click here for the full programming list! Read the rest of this entry »

Buzzboy Creator John Gallagher at KRCC!

June 16th, 2013

BuzzboyJohn Gallagher, writer and artist of Buzzboy and more cool stuff from Sky-Dog Comics, comes to the Kids Read Comics Celebration for the first time this year and we’re thrilled to have him! Meet John at table 21 in Artist Alley, and check out Buzzboy’s adventures online!

Someday he’ll be earth’s greatest hero–but first he needs to build the perfect cheeseburger!

Programming Spotlight: Ben Hatke!

June 14th, 2013

Zita the Spacegirl!Our special guests this year are Ben Hatke, creator of fan-favorite Zita of Zita the Spacegirl, and 10-year-old cartoonist Angelica Hatke! And this is your chance to make comics with them!

Ben will be leading our annual kickoff event Saturday, June 22, at 11 am. During this interactive talk Ben will walk through his process of making comics and share how to create characters readers care about, worlds that readers believe in, and dangers that set readers on the edge of their seats!

Then he and Angelica will lead two workshops over the course of the weekend where he’ll share the 3 secrets to making great comics! These sessions will start with an interactive talk, after which Ben will work with you to create a short comics story of your own.

The sessions will run Saturday and Sunday, 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm in the Multi-Purpose room at the Ann Arbor District Library Downtown Branch.

And don’t miss Ben in the Comics Quickfire! game show Sunday, 12:30 – 1:30 pm!

Click here for the full programming list! Read the rest of this entry »