December 12, 2016

Darkness


WINTER! Eh? Eh?? Fortunately, 'tis the season and I'm off to California this month to flee Berlin's relentless lack of daylight. Could be worse.


November 29, 2016

Impulse


Told you it would be the longest campaign season ever. (The deadline is December 31, in case you were French and/or wondering. Also applies if you don't live in France.)


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I still have 5 x $20 slots open for A5 portrait sketches! They close December 1. Reserve your own at clairykin at gmail! They make good stocking stuffers.

November 15, 2016

Nothing



I wrote this comic in the week following the attacks in Brussels on March 22 of this year, and planned to post it this week in remembrance of last year's November 13 shootings in Paris. Those weren't the only times it has been relevant for me, and I know they won't be the last.


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In other news, Christmas is around the corner, so I am doing limited portrait commissions for $25. Drop me a line at clairykin at gmail if you would like one - orders close December 1.

I have also added For The Ones That We Love, my new zine collecting the English-language versions of fictional comics I've put out over the past two years, to my store. It includes this comic and other comics originally published in French and German in the BETON anthology zine. The Glücklich in Berlin sticker has also returned, and both are currently on sale.




October 18, 2016

Acquaintance



It's strikingly cold and gray in Berlin now and gets dark much earlier than it did a month ago - and after all this time I still manage to find this change of season comforting in its familiarity. Until the SAD kicks in and I need to switch the daylight lamp on, obviously.


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November is nigh, and that means conventions! Specifically, I will be tabling at Zinefest Berlin on Saturday, October 29 (only one day for me this year), followed by Thought Bubble in Leeds on November 5 & 6, in New Dock Hall, Table 112b. Please do drop by if you're in town!

September 14, 2016

It Begins



That sweet inexorable return to the long nights of winter.

August 23, 2016

Seasonal



Been awhile since I unpacked Them Feels, eh?



***
The time for buying plane tickets to Thought Bubble is nigh, so I am currently doing small commissions for $25! Details here.

[ Tegan and Sara - BWU ]

August 12, 2016

Friday Sketchpost: Characters


A recent sketch of some characters, some of which you may recognize from this comic. Happy Friday!


August 9, 2016

That Time of Year Again



To be fair, I'm a dual French-American citizen living in Germany, so until late October 2017 it's pretty much campaign season for me aaalllll the time.

***
I'm back from Stockholm! It was a great and refreshing ten days, and I am very grateful to everyone who was a part of the trip and made it possible. Vi ses.

July 19, 2016

Surprise (BETON #7)

"That's pretty cute actually, he just wanted to give you a present, didn't he?" "I don't give a crap, it was disgusting!!"


Issue #7 of the Franco-German comics zine BETON is out! This is the entry I contributed following the theme of "Fressen/Bouffer" (which is a particularly complex set of words to translate into English; in this case it pertains to when animals eat).


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In other news, I am off to Stockholm this weekend! It has been too long.

July 15, 2016

Friday Sketchpost: salt + sass #5



Last week saw the first anniversary edition of Salt + Sass, connecting and celebrating women working in Berlin's music industry, this time through an excellent conversation with Sasha Perera and Jen Ferrer of Friends of Friends. Here is to many, many more editions of Salt + Sass.

July 12, 2016

Augmented Reality



I have not played Pokemon GO yet, but the excitement has been omnipresent contagious.


***

It's mid-July once again, and that means there is a new issue of BETON coming out this Friday! Come on down to Neukölln's Raum B and have a drink with us to celebrate and pick up your copy, featuring a brand-new two page story of mine (and the short story debut of a character I have drawn many, many times over the past several years)!

It also means I am returning to my dearly beloved Stockholm two weeks from now for a weeklong visit! To offset the cost of traveling (as well as those of traveling to Thought Bubble in November), I have reopened the Traveling Tip Jar page, accepting donations either in exchange for personal art or simply via PayPal or Patreon.

June 30, 2016

Comic-Con


3G issues notwithstanding, I had a fun time at Comic-Con Germany! I am now back in Berlin for a couple weeks before taking off to Stockholm for a week.

June 21, 2016

Speechless




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Will you be at Comic-Con Germany in Stuttgart this weekend? I will! In the Comic Zone, table 127, to be precise. I have never been to Stuttgart and am looking forward to visiting. Please do come say hi!

June 7, 2016

Le foot



Another even-numbered year, another international championship! Or as I like to call it, another opportunity to work out whether to call it "football", "soccer", "socc-ball" or just "le foot" when discussing it in English.

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My Patreon campaign is now a monthly campaign! The rewards have remained the same, but the pledge levels have changed: anyone pledging $3 per month or more has access to personal updates and works in progress, while $15 a month gives you a monthly postcard, $25 unlocks access to my monthly digital sketchbook, and $40 a month get you all three!

If you like my comics and would like to help me keep making more of them, pledging even $1 a month is a great way to make that happen. You can find more information on the campaign right here.

May 31, 2016

Procrastinating





In the defense of Berlin-based procrastinators, lately the weather has felt like the gross soul-draining version of a sauna, so.



***

Two pieces of big news from Clairikine HQ!


First off - I illustrated a guide to post-clubbing activities for Electronic Beats, which will be of interest for anyone in severe need of readjusting to the world after a night in the club!

Also, changes are afoot over at my Patreon campaign! Next month I will be switching over to a monthly donation model instead of the per-comic model I've had in place for the past two years. Folks will be able to pledge at $1 or more per month, with rewards beginning at $3 per month* - these include, as before, access to personal updates, works-in-progress, plus monthly postcards and a monthly digital copy of my sketchbook at the highest tiers, with a couple other reward ideas in the works for the coming months.


If you like what I do, and you would like to see more of it, please consider making a small donation when the change is live (TBA)! It would mean the world to me, and the more donations I receive through Patreon, the more I can focus on writing and drawing my own autobio and fictional comics.

If you would prefer to support me through a one-time purchase of customized art or original comic pages, or even just a one-time donation, I am also planning a fundraiser to help pay for travel costs to Stockholm this summer and Leeds (Thought Bubble) this winter. Watch this space! You can also let me know in the comments below if and what you would be interested in obtaining during this fundraiser.

* I would have it lower, but I live in the Euro Zone and must account for the current not-awesome exchange rate with the dollar.

May 24, 2016

Summer Wardrobe


Summer! Along with winter, one of basically two seasons in Berlin. The other seasons get about three weeks, tops.


May 17, 2016

Surrealism



In case you missed it on Twitter. (Also, not the first time television and the current French PM have crossed paths on this blog!).


May 13, 2016

Friday Sketchpost: #rpTEN Sketchnotes

Last week I had the great joy of attending this year's edition of re:publica, a Berlin-based conference on tech and culture. As every year, it was both informative and entertaining, and I sketched some of the talks I attended, in addition to doing a sketch note recap of every day.

If you're near Dublin, the next re:publica will take place there in October as part of a partnership with the Digital Biscuit festival! Otherwise, I recommend keeping your eyes figuratively peeled for Early Bird tickets to the next Berlin edition come November.






























May 6, 2016

TV Habits

A four-panel black and white comic with the title "Various TV-Watching Habits of Mine". Each panel depicts Claire with short hair, a black T-shirt and jeans sitting in an easy chair and watching TV on a laptop sitting on their bed. First panel: the caption says "Guessing dialogue." Dialogue coming from the laptop says "I thought about what you'd said..." Claire interjects "...so I called her." Dialogue coming from the laptop says "...So I called her." Second panel: caption says "Reacting. Claire laughs: Huh-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAA" Third panel: caption says "Guessing plot points". Claire points at the laptop and says "Called it. Knew it. Called that too." Fourth panel: caption says "Reacting", again. Claire sits up gripping her face, eyes wide, yelling "NOOOOOO NO NO NO NO NO NOOO". A tiny thought bubble coming out of the laptop says "OMG".
Writer brain never rests, even and especially not when it's watching TV.

It's warm and sunny in Berlin! Happy weekend, everybody.

April 19, 2016

Est-ce que... (BETON #6)


"Why didn't I leave ... Why did I give everything ..."
"Can I... forgive?"

***
This is my contribution to issue #6 of BETON, on the topic of Voyage/Reise! Check out these fine folks' website to order yourself a copy and freshen up on both your French and your German.

Also, last weekend was Comic Invasion Berlin and it was awesome! Thank you to everyone who came by, bought comics, chatted about TV shows, brought me coffee, offered hugs and generally made it what it was - a great weekend full of cool comics and the cool people who make them and read them. Until next time! I am sleeping forever now.

April 13, 2016

Frühling



It's finally here! I will be tabling at Comic Invasion Berlin this weekend -- go through the left entrance, turn left and walk a few feet, and you will find my table (right next to Ash Pure's, as tradition has it)! I will have zines - including Master of Survival #3 and Clairikine - Round 2 - plus "Glücklich in Berlin" stickers, postcards and original comic pages!

Also, there is a special secret menu this year!
  • Bring me a copy of BETON #3, #5 or #6 to sign, and I will rap something for you! (There will be a BETON table outside - even if it rains).
  • Guess who my favorite character is in House of Cards, and you will get a free postcard! (Only valid if you guess at the convention).
  • I will draw something in your sketchbook for a donation!
See you there!!!
[ Tegan and Sara - Boyfriend ]

April 8, 2016

Friday Sketchpost: Creative Mornings Berlin with Susanne Koelbl, 8.4.16

This morning I attended a most excellent talk given by Spiegel foreign correspondent Susanne Koelbl at this month's Creative Mornings Berlin on the topic of "Risk".




Have a great weekend!

April 6, 2016

Milchkaffee


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It's been a busy week! I've been in the Tagesspiegel! And on FluxFM with Marc Seestaedt to talk about Comic Invasion Berlin! And in Comica London's write-up of the Berlin comics scene that is Comic Invasion's raison d'être!

Speaking of Comic Invasion Berlin, the Satellite program is in full swing with comics events nearly every night all over the city, and the main festival is two weekends away. I will be selling goods there! Come say hi!

March 29, 2016

Lent


I'm pleased to report I spent three out of four Easter weekend days in my pajamas this year.


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Now that Daylight Saving Time has arrived in Germany, it's time for Comic Invasion Berlin's Satellite weeks leading up to April 16-17's main event! The Satellite kickoff + exhibit opening is this Friday at Colonia Nova in Neukölln and I will be there for a beer or two - come on down and say hi if you are so inclined!

March 15, 2016

Q+A Comics! (Part 3)




OMG, get a load of that mullet. I wore one off and on for like three years. (It looked pretty good in person!)
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Heads up: I talk about autobio comics, how I got into comics and how I currently make a living in this week's episode of the Comic Invasion Berlin podcast (in German)! Exciting times!

March 11, 2016

Friday Sketchpost: Salt + Sass #4

Following up on last week's post, here are my sketch notes from this week's edition of Salt + Sass! The conversation between Melissa Taylor and Avalon Emerson was most excellent and wonderfully moderated by Electronic Beats' Elissa Stolman. Looking forward to the next edition!



March 8, 2016

Transmission Failure


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I illustrated a post about 15 German words you need to know on the Travels of Adam blog! Check it out, I drew the saddest piece of bacon you'll ever see in your lifetime.

March 4, 2016

Friday Sketchpost: Salt + Sass #3

The next edition of Salt + Sass is this Tuesday! In anticipation of this fine event connecting and celebrating women in the music industry, here are my sketches from December's instalment at Soundcloud HQ in Berlin. Happy weekend!

February 23, 2016

Q+A Comics! (Part 2)


Speaking of ComicInvasionBerlin (full disclosure: I'm on the team this year), the yearly CIB comic contest is now OPEN to artists living in Berlin or Brandenburg, with March 11 as the submission deadline. Details and application guidelines here!


February 16, 2016

Q & A Comics! (Part 1)


I opened the floor to Twitter a couple weeks ago for some questions to answer in comic form so I can keep the updates coming while holding down a handful of big deadlines this month. This is part 1 of 2! Stay tuned next week for... part 2!

Halfloves - It's Easy To Love ]