Weekend Workpost: Comics Workshop!

One of the perks of my current job is the opportunity to try my hand at hosting my own stuff. This includes comics workshops, the second of which took place on Wednesday. The concept was getting French and German-speaking participants to write a short comic together about cultural differences they'd experienced in either Germany or France. The comics that came out of this were "bang on" (as the saying goes) and it was incredible to watch everyone putting together a comic.

I also got to expound a bit on different writing techniques I've observed and used in writing my own comics. I illustrated my points with samples of my own stuff (including a sneak-peek of something coming up in January 2013... shhhhh), as well as material by C. Spike Trotman and Natalie Nourigat (used with gracious permission).

All in all, it's something I could totally envision doing on a regular basis.

(The brilliant pictures on the wall are by my friend Sarah.)

Random Friday Post: Consider This A Fair Warning

This week Halloween happened and so I dressed up on Wednesday as Lisbeth Salander. I had to go to work in this outfit so I nixed the black makeup and dyeing my hair, but I did wear a fake nose ring all day and a shirt with the "ARMAGEDDON WAS YESTERDAY TODAY WE HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM" slogan. I plan on wearing this shirt on my flight to Stockholm on Dec. 21 (a day early, yes, but it's for effect).

One of the things I struggle with when I draw people is correct posture: as you can see, one half of Lisbeth is facing one direction, her legs and shoes are doing I-don't-know-what. I am attempting to fix this by drawing from life more.

[ Chumbawumba - Tubthumping ]

Identifying

To meet time constraints this week, this is an old comic from last year that I never posted (as can be guessed from my hair - it is now nearly shoulder-length!).

[ El Perro del Mar feat. Lykke Li - Change of Heart ]

Musiker-Auszeit Sketches

Just got back (give or take a few hours) from Gussow, Brandenburg, where I spent the weekend on a retreat with other musicians from my church. I made a point to pull out my sketchpads during downtimes and get ahead on my drawing.

Never sit next to me when I have a sketchpad or a journal handy, ever.

I have a hankering to just go and spend another weekend in the woods with an iPod and my writing tools, actually.

[ Sonic bonus ]

of boundaries

The sadness of
not being able to connect
makes me sorry
makes me sad

the thought of
paths to not tread
wistfulness
in heart and head

the knowledge of you knowing me
seeing things I don't want you to see
it takes away too much from me
I'd rather it not live

I try to be open and kind
and share a part of the divine
but I know all too well what's mine
and I can't let you draw the line.

Berlin, 10.2012

This Is ***ing Urgent

***

I'm still taking commissions! Details here.

[ Bonus sonore ]

Random Friday Post: Bedroom Sketch

A little inking exercise I did last week.

I've lived in this room for nearly two years. That hasn't happened since I finished high school. I like living in it.

[ Bonus sonore ]

***

I'm still taking commissions! Details here.

Also, I'm looking for a German musician who would be interested in collaborating with me on a comic-and-music project for a Franco-German grant. The application deadline for the grant itself is October 31st, 2012. More on it over here! Done and done!

Acting

As a disclaimer: I wrote this back in June. Always put a buffer on your emo comics, that's how I roll.

[ Musique de circonstance ]

It is a smörgåsbord of posts these days! Have a happy weekend, everybody.

***

Have you checked out The Help Claire Pay For Things Drive?

[ Bonus sonore ]

Thursday Workpost: Entrails

Visiting Lyon.

"But... these are cow guts!!!" "What do you think Currywurst is made of?"

My job's newsletter for October is out, and with it a cartoon introducing the Franco-German comics workshop I will be hosting on the 31st (scroll down a tad), possibly disguised as Lisbeth Salander. Holla!!

Incidentally, cow intestines are actually a culinary specialty in Lyon, one of the towns where I grew up and proceeded to come back to for college. I find Berlin's Currywurst to be just as appetizing.

***

Still doing that fundraiser for to not be flat broke at the end of the year! I draw Sherlock and John like it's nobody's business, so check it out. Also, it is possible to donate euros (and dollahs, pounds, kronor etc) by clicking on the "Buy me coffee?" button. I would be much obliged. Très obligée.* Etc.

* Not an actual expression.

* Move 1, Fig. 4: "Nouvelle mission: trouver le buffet" = "New mission: find the buffet."

[ Bonus sonore ]

***

I'm doing a fundraiser!!! It's over here.

Sturm und Drang

"Yeah, I think 'Sturm und Drang' is a pretty dodgy name though..."

"You mean Goethe's literary movement?"

"... I think I'm going to go hide. If it's not too late?"

Sturm und Drang is a restaurant in Frankfurt. This was not made apparent during the composing of this comic.

Frankfurt!

This past June I had the opportunity to delve once again into territory far from my Central European home and take a look at ... Frankfurt. It was an awesome weekend (though I barely got any real sleep) and I was able to connect with peeps and take in the sights. I'd do it again (for longer) if I could. So this is what the next few comics will be about!

The first night I got there was the European Cup semifinal against Italy, as well as some kind of Supreme Court decision on Obamacare, so we all watched the game and then got to see the news about America during halftime. (At first I misunderstood and thought the bill had been struck down. Which would have sucked.)

See you Friday!

***
Also: I am currently selling commissioned drawings and minicomics! More details on this post. Shipping to Berlin comes free with commissions!

[ Smashing Pumpkins - Today ]

hypochondriac ii

It used to be a thing of mine
to try to
return
to a state
of perfect
health
as much as possible


I know
circumstances
have changed
since then


I just want to never have to worry

Berlin, 30.9.2012

Commissions!

Hey guys! The end of the year draws close, and on my end that represents a certain need for money. So I'm going to announce a first of mine: commissions - or as I like to call it, The Help Claire Pay For Things Drive.

I'm currently offering three things: small sketches,  black and white illustrations and minicomics. Handily, if you place an order now, you will be sure to get it in time for Christmas!

For 10€ (plus shipping), you can get a custom sketch of anything you want: fandoms, my own characters, a crazy scene from the subway, etc.
The sketch is done in black PITT pen or brushpen on an A5 sheet of sketchbook paper, and it comes with a little thank-you note. Good if you like Rails programming jokes and Doctor Who. (I can do both.)*

For 25€ (plus shipping), you get a black-and-white pen-and-ink A4 drawing of anything that tickles your fancy, while remaining within the realm of the doable: i.e., no distorted-perspective shots of Jeremy Renner scaling Half-Dome with a scuba tank.
The drawing is penciled on an A4 sheet of Bristol board and inked with PITT artist pens, and also comes with a note. Good if you like Millennium fanart.

For both types of commissions, shoot me an e-mail at clairykin-at-gmail-dot-com and we'll go from there.

Also, my minicomics are still for sale here. This time it's 3€ + shipping for one mini. I have about 50 in stock currently; they make great stocking stuffers for trilingual Berlin/comic lovers. If their stockings are A5-sized and rectangular, that is.

Plus! For any art commissioned by Berlin-dwellers, there is a sweet deal on shipping, as there will be no shipping. I will deliver it to you in person, with my delicate hands.  Because Berlin. (Does not apply to minicomics).

So I hope to be able to do business with some of y'all in the coming weeks and draw some wacky fanart! Please take a moment to consider a black-and-white rendition of Ten, Loki and Katniss drinking lattes under the Fernsehturm. I thank you. And so does my snazzy drawing table.

*I once drew Sherlock and John bickering about Ruby programming. I have no fear.

***

That happens.

I wrote this months ago, but I could easily be telling this to the cold I currently have. Ha ha.

[ Bonus sonore ]

Weekend Workpost: Furry Critters

Here's the line art for some critters I drew for work last week.

I have two things to say about this fox. One thing is that he looks like a friend of mine. The other thing is that when I was little, I discovered Calvin and Hobbes and proceeded to draw a comic strip for three years about a fox named Foxy. (My family can testify that it made zero sense.) So it was like a return to roots drawing this fox.

[ Green Day - Kill The DJ ]

Random Friday Bonus Sketch - FDM2012

A little sketch I did during the aforementioned concert. Happy Friday!

The Backstage Experience

I took part in the Fête de la Musique this year as an organiser, which to me is a great honor. In fact I managed to feel honored until about 2 in the morning when my feet gave their notice.

June 18, 2012.

I'd like those two hours of my life back, please.

[ Bonus sonore ]

First steps in language animation.

"In my suitcase I have a a bike...a pen...a pencil case...and...and...his mom."

***

Guys, let me introduce you to a small part of my Franco-German world*. "Animation linguistique" ("language animation") is something that was conceptualized in the early nineties by a research project of the University of Bielefeld and the Franco-German Youth Office (OFAJ/DFJW), which more or less is to French/German majors what Mountain View is to programmers (I'm guessing). The focus was on how some kids would attend binational youth events and come back hankering to learn French or German, whereas others would return nonplussed after clamming up all week. A set of guidelines for loosening things up was put together, and "language animation" - group games involving verbal or nonverbal communication -  was included as one of the tools used by camp organisers. It's therefore one of those terms that are mainly understood by initiated members of a given professional environment. (I'd use a fancy word for that but it's nearly dinnertime as I write this.)

Language animation is something I do on occasion as part of my current job, and is an opportunity to interact with the young'uns of local Berlin schools and impart the awesomeness of French. Which they then use to make references to each other's moms.

* Only one of the many idiosyncratic people groups which I am proud to call my own.

[ More German young'uns ]

Second only to David Tennant.

[ Bonus sonore ]

[ Bonus sonore ]

3/6/2012

In June, like a slim amount of the French votership, I voted in the so-called legislative (parliamentary) elections that followed on the heels of the presidential ones. I ended up being at the French embassy for what feels like every other week for two months. The party I voted for didn't make the second round,  and the new president ended up getting his majority in parliament. Watch your butt, capitalism.*

*This is a joke, I think Hollande has as much communist blood in him as a package of Oreos.

[ Auditory bonus ]

June 1, 2012

Je suis allée sur un coup de tête visiter mon ancien taf ce matin, en partie parce que j'avais ouï dire que mon ancien chef s'en allait. Je suis même montée dans les bureaux et me suis un peu baladée, et je trouvais que c'était presque comme si je n'étais jamais partie -- le "presque" venant bien sûr du fait que les gens étaient surpris de me voir, et que j'ai fait exprès de ne pas rester plus de quelques minutes. // J'ai la sensation que le plancher des choses se barre sous mes pieds. // Dans le métro j'apprends que des ateliers au Tacheles ont été évacués hier. Les bonnes choses n'ont-elles donc plus d'importance? // Après le boulot, je suis revenue faire un tour à une soirée dans la cour de mon ancien taf. Ca a apporté une sorte de contraste à ce que je ressentais: entourée d'amis vs. toute seule. C'est rare, une boíte qui te donne le sentiment d'être en famille. // "C'est diiingue!! Hug au-dessus du bar!" Je suis allée à la fête d'anniversaire de The Cheese Mountain Tragedy, où j'ai rencontré Josh Bauman. Il était enthousiaste quand je me suis présentée. :)

***

By the by, my fellow countryman (sort of) Josh Bauman does a daily diary strip called Caffeinated Toothpaste, and he has a Cintiq. Both are awesome to behold.


Au fait, mon (en quelque sorte) compatriote Josh Bauman dessine une BD autobio qui s'appelle Caffeinated Toothpaste, tous les jours, et il possède une Cintiq. Les deux sont des trucs de oufs.

[ Death Cab For Cutie - Doors Unlocked and Open ]

I came back to die with my city

I'm baaack! Hoo-boy, I walked up and down the northern suburbs of Stockholm, discovered Phad Thai, met with peeps, took a zillion iPhone pictures and did a whole lotta writing. Stockholm (like Sweden in general) is one of my favorite places in the world, it's a shame the winter there is psychotic and I go more crazy the earlier the sun sets.

Anyway, here are a few things I dropped into my sketchbook while I was there:

One of the main things I was looking forward to was Stockholm Pride. I didn't actually see much of the festival or the parade itself (walking at Berlin's CSD was enough), but I did get graciously invited to a garden party up the hill from Mariatorget, where I got to meet cool people, drink Spanish beer and wonder if that was, in fact, a pretty well-known person standing over there with a glass of punch. It was an awesome party (or "best gay bar in the world", as someone put it.)

This picture translates the way I felt about interacting in environments where mostly Swedish was spoken. (Not to brag, but I haven't felt like this in years.) Translates roughly as "Not understanding exactly what's going on... That is my problem."

As was required by my stay, I went to the movies a few times -- most notably to see The Dark Knight Rises. Needless to say that Bane killed it. Oh, and Blake? Yes. Shortest three hours of my life. BOOM! alltså.

(c) S.K. Webster / Clairikine

And since I am currently reading Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy (in Swedish), I also got my picture taken in iconic spots from the book. The first floor here is where the Millennium offices are supposed to be. The other iconic spot was the yellow pathway where a character gets mugged. Not going to put that out there right now.

In addition to this, I began watching Doctor Who*, amassed a small treasure trove of used CDs** and DVDs to further cement the fact that I need to buy more shelves,  and I squee'd like a teenager when the Spice Girls appeared during the Olympics' Closing Ceremony.*** And then I had to explain to my 17-year-old sister why this was a cultural milestone, and I proceeded to buy a used copy of Spice and play "Wannabe" for her in the car. She still didn't get it.

Updates continue Tuesday! Ha det så bra.

* I started at Ten. Because everyone only talks about Ten anyway. Right?
** Placebo's self-titled debut, baby!!!
*** I also squee'd at Muse. Because, you know. Muse.

Edit: Yes, a piece of Bane's mask is missing. It's hot down in Hell, so this is a lighter version.

[  MOVITS! - Fel Del Av Gården ]

Newsletters

(Also it's Julia Robbs' birthday! Commission her. She rocks.)
See you next week!

Le matou revient

"Wander-Kater Felix" ("Felix the migratory tomcat") made German headlines recently by breaking out of an animal shelter he'd been transferred to in Lower Saxony and hiking all the way back to Berlin, where he was originally from.
"Wander-Kater Felix" ("Felix le matou migratoire") est récemment devenu célèbre en Allemagne lorsqu'il s'est évadé d'un refuge en Basse-Saxe pour être retrouvé des mois plus tard à Berlin, d'où on l'avait transféré.

[ Bonus sonore inversé ] 

Over spring of this year I started listening to Finch's Say Hello To Sunshine on a regular basis, which probably tells you something about what my mindset was like. One of the tracks is called "A Man Alone", and I associated the theme of it in my head with the general ambience of Max Andrew Dubinsky's short stories (collected in We Can't Go Home Again), which I also bought and read during this period.
I am a big fan of both Max and his wife's various endeavours, and if you want to have a look at something very big, Max' next project should go live at this address in a couple of weeks.

Courant printemps de cette année, je me suis mise à écouter l'album Say Hello To Sunshine de Finch en boucle, ce qui vous en dira certainement un peu plus sur mon état mental de l'époque. Un des morceaux s'intitule "A Man Alone", et dans ma tête j'en ai associé le thème avec l'ambiance générale des nouvelles de Max Andrew Dubinsky (réunies dans un petit volume intitulé "We Can't Go Home Again"), que je m'étais également procurées pendant cette période.
Je suis une fan conséquente des différents projets de Max et son épouse, et si vous voulez jeter un coup d'oeil à quelque chose d'énorme, le prochain projet de Max sera en ligne à cette adresse d'ici deux semaines à peu près.

[ Finch - A Man Alone ]

Rest times

As my impeccable timing would have it, posts resumed just in time for me to go on vacation, ha ha. Tomorrow I am taking off for my yearly Avkoppling in Sweden (att koppla av = to relax), so here is a picture of my young alter ago Anaé, doing something I have long been yearning to do. Brief cartoons will be here to keep you company while I ride the T-bana, drink chai lattes and pet my cat. See you in three weeks for more diary comics!


Comme je possède un impeccable sens du timing, j'ai repris les posts juste à temps pour partir en vacances, ha ha. Demain je pars effectuer mon "avkopplage" annuel (du suédois att koppla av = se détendre) en Suède, donc voici à juste titre un dessin de mon jeune alter ego Anaé qui comate comme j'ai ardemment désiré le faire. En mon absence, des BD brèves sauront vous tenir compagnie pendant que moi je prendrai le t-bana, boirai des chai latte et ferai des câlins à mon chat. A dans trois semaines pour plus de journal en BD!

[ Coldplay - Charlie Brown ]