Mike Taylor is a longtime cartoonist best known for his zine Scenery, later titled Late Era Clash, which ran from 1994 to 2015. However, he’s been immersed in the comics scene and creating comics since he was twelve! He graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and has gone on to create the graphic novel In Christ There Is No East or West, which explores themes of the modern-day American psychological landscape using both abstract mark-making and mind-bending scenes created using analog art techniques. 

He still values traditional art with a minimum of digital adjustments today and lives in sunny St. Augustine, Florida.

Our next SAWburst is with Nicole Williams!

"Platforming Your Art" is a workshop dedicated to those who want to be seen for their art in its purest form. If you want to sell your art while also keeping it genuine and authentic to you, this course is for you!

Mark Newgarden has worked on a wide variety of creative projects in numerous forms including print, film, TV and digital media (from Cartoon Network to Microsoft). His work has been exhibited at such venues as the Smithsonian Institute, the Cooper-Hewitt, the Brooklyn Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the ICA in London and the Picasso Museum in Lucerne. He has won the Eisner Award and the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal, among other honors. He currently teaches at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.

DCAZ 2026 was one for the books!

Book Talk and Workshop!

Andre Frattino is the writer of WE ARE PAN: We Are Pan is based on the true story of Operación Pedro Pan, a joint effort between the U.S. government and the Catholic Welfare Bureau to evacuate 14,000 children from Cuba to the U.S. between 1960 and 1962.

At SAW, he will give a talk on his book and a short workshop on crafting historical narrative for comics.

David Kiersh is an illustrator and cartoonist with a love for personal comics. He created the comic strip Drop-In and published the books Afterschool Special and Dirtbags, Mallchicks and Motorbikes which he also wrote and illustrated. By day, he has worked as a planetarium narrator, children’s librarian and graphic designer.

His website, davidkiersh.com showcases his illustrations and comics over a period of twenty years. More recently, Dave has created and maintained a personal collection of obscure comics and related ephemera into the searchable site/archive comicartandbooks.com

You can check out his shop to help support his projects and encourage him on his journey to create more books, both handmade and heartfelt. Or visit his website for a deep dive into this exhaustive survey of his portfolio, most of which has never been published elsewhere!

SAW PRO-CALL with Janna Morishima June 9

Come join us in our most affordable, online ongoing-community COMICS FLOW + PUBLISH MEMBERSHIP GROUP (comes with a two-week free trial) to join in on MONTHLY PRO-CALLS!

We bring in comic professionals from all walks of life to guest speak (virtually) at SAW. These guest speakers give SAW students/members some insight from their personal experiences throughout their comics career and welcome questions at the end of each session.

Fiona Smyth is a feminist Canadian cartoonist, illustrator, and comics educator born in Montreal. She began creating comics while studying at the Ontario College of Art. She soon became immersed in the art world, creating paintings, murals, comics, and zines, and then went on to contribute her work to various anthologies. Her work has appeared in Exclaim! magazine, Vice magazine, and more.

She's been published by Seven Stories Press, Koyama Press, Annick Press, and Pedlar Press. She's received many awards for her work and is now teaching the next generation of cartoonists at OCAD and working on her next book.

Scribble Bot Workshop June 2 at SAW!

Hi! Welcome back to The Terrible Anvil! Tom Hart and Jess Ruliffson love to talk about making comic-making EASIER, and in this episode, we’re asking “What’s the worst that could happen?”

We're talking about the fear of failure and utter collapse of our mental understanding of our own self-esteem. We're talking about large and small audiences, and envisioning the "fiery crash" of those potential failures, finding that a lot of times, they don't actually hurt. But some do, and we talk about avoiding those! Finally we talk about how communities (like SAW) provide readers and support, and that's what art is about!

Here at The Anvil, we ask the tough questions…

Thanks for being here!

Megan Kelso is primarily a cartoonist but also teaches art and does freelance illustration. She graduated from Evergreen State College in 1991 and started her comic series Girlhero, which won her a Xeric grant. 

Her graphic novel, Artichoke Tales, was published by Fantagraphics along with three collections of mini comics. In 2004 she edited a comics anthology titled Scheherazade, that showcases the work of many female graphic novelists. You can find her on Blogspot and Instagram at megangirlhero.

Vanessa Davis is an illustrator and cartoonist currently living in Los Angeles. She is the author of Spaniel Rage (Buenaventura Press, 2005) (re-released in March 2017 by Drawn and Quarterly) and Make Me a Woman, (Drawn and Quarterly, 2010). She's currently working on her next book for Drawn and Quarterly and mentoring at the Sequential Artists Workshop.

In recent years she's taught at California College of the Arts, and was the art director and comics editor at Popula. She won the Terry Southern Award for humor from The Paris Review in 2017. Some of her other clients include: The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, SpongeBob Comics, Amplify Education, and Bento Box Entertainment.

A Creative Space for Young Artists!

Do you have a teen who loves comics? Whether they’re just getting started or already deep into creating their own stories, Comics for Teens is the perfect place for them to develop their skills, meet fellow young artists, and have fun!

This ongoing group is designed for teens ages 11-16 who want to practice comics regularly in a supportive environment. Each session offers a chance to learn, create, and share their work while receiving guidance from experienced instructors.

SAW PRO-CALL with Suzy Becker May 13

Come join us in our most affordable, online ongoing-community COMICS FLOW + PUBLISH MEMBERSHIP GROUP (comes with a two-week free trial) to join in on MONTHLY PRO-CALLS!

We bring in comic professionals from all walks of life to guest speak (virtually) at SAW. These guest speakers give SAW students/members some insight from their personal experiences throughout their comics career and welcome questions at the end of each session.

Diane DiMassa is a feminist and comic artist from New Haven, Connecticut, who began drawing 'Hothead Paisan: Homicidal Lesbian Terrorist ' in 1991 as a form of anger therapy. Hothead Paisan is a character who uses guns, grenades, guillotines and anything else that can be used as a weapon to avenge wrongs against women, creating a popular underground comic for lesbians, feminists and recovering addicts.

Tom’s Statement on AI Use at SAW

AI is not a neutral technology.

SAW will always be pro-human.

SAW will be largely anti-AI until at least 3, preferably 4 or 5 of these things happen:

1. Artists whose copyrighted work was illegally used to train are fairly compensated

2. Ecological costs are fairly mitigated

3. Substantial social Safety Nets are established nationwide, especially for younger and entry level workers whose lives are most substantially effected by displacement and replacement.

4. Substantial progress is made on distribution and amplification of human made culture.

5. The abhorrent biases currently in AI— namely, colonialist, white and male supremacist, are accounted for and significantly changed.

Tom and Jess on What Kind of Creator are You?

In this episode, Tom had a list of archetypes he wanted to run by Jess. Are you a Pantser or a Planner? Are you a Strong Finisher? Are you a Never Edit-er? Jess shared a sketchbook project that took her 4 years or 20 minutes depending on how you look at it. And we talk about how to not feel like a failure when your routines suddenly feel boring. What kind of creator are you? Thanks for being here!