This week we recorded the penultimate episode of THE TERRIBLE ANVIL, this time discussing scripts, dialogue, and writing for comics!

The words we use and how they are arranged on the page can guide readers' understanding of our comics and influence how they feel about a story and its characters. But how do you pick the right words? How much is too much dialogue? How can you make sure readers understand your text the way you intend?

This week on the Terrible Anvil we talked about CRITICISM!

Criticism and rejection are inevitable parts of the creative process—so how can we make them more bearable?

It was a privilege to have cartoonist Carl Antonowicz speak at the Sequential Artists Workshop about his journey through comics and performance art, among his many other creative endeavors!

ABOUT CARL:

Carl Antonowicz is a Tulsa-based illustrator, performer, writer, director, cartoonist, and calligrapher. He dabbles in medieval history, the occult, theatre, and any of a number of other enterprises. He is currently enjoying his third year in the Tulsa Artist Fellowship.

Carl earned his Master's of Fine Arts in Cartooning at the Center for Cartoon Studies in 2011, and his Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts and English Literature from Austin College in 2008. He recommends both institutions highly.

This week we talked all about creative collaboration!

Comics can often be a solitary endeavor, but you'll find lots of ways to collaborate with other people—be it editors, writers, artists, colorists, copy editors, designers, publishers or co-creators!

Collaboration in any art form can be a great way to breathe new life into the creative process. They can be scary or uncomfortable if you're used to having total control over your creative projects, or this shared control might feel liberating.

Either way, there's lots to gain from working with others on a shared project, from morale boosts and accountability systems, to practical knowledge sharing and the creative alchemy of multiple minds coming together.

But how do collaborations happen? How do you make them successful? How can you maximize fun and minimize pain in the process?

There's lots of advice in this episode, but the core of it is to establish clear communication and boundaries and to have a shared goal with your collaborators.

This week on The Terrible Anvil, we talked about BACKGROUNDS!

We talked about the link between last week's topic, EXPECTATIONS and backgrounds—what we THINK backgrounds should look like, as well as what readers might expect…

This week we got rather philosophical here at the Terrible Anvil podcast!

We tackled lots of big ideas, but circled back again and again to finding joy in the hard parts of comics (and within the confines of capitalist markets).

We also discussed drawing inspiration from the world around us—zooming out can get us out of our heads and give our work room to breathe.

But our power to tell stories comes from within us too!

We go over ways to tap into our own creative energy, even when we've reached a state of burnout. Finding ways to reignite the joy of our creative process can lead us to more sustainable art practices—especially when we're working on dark, heavy topics.

In this episode we talk about some of the most social fun one can have as a cartoonist: TABLING! Read on for tips about navigating comics conventions, zine fairs, and press expos of all seasons and sizes.

Learn about attending conventions to share your work, expand your network, have fun, and see what's out there in the world of comics.

We’re honored to have had Tessa Hulls as a guest speaker, sharing her history with comics, the process behind Feeding Ghosts, and more!

David Lasky is the creator of Boom Boom, Urban Hipster, Don’t Forget This Song, and more.

He has worked as an artist, colorist, co-writer, and teacher for many years. Lasky moved to Seattle in the early 90s, soon becoming part of a circle of young self-publishing cartoonists like Ed Brubaker, Jason Lutes, Jon Lewis, Megan Kelso, and Tom Hart. In 1993 he received a Xeric Grant to self-publish Boom Boom, which pushed the boundaries of comics, blending graphic form with history and surreal cartography. Throughout his career Lasky worked to revitalize over- and under-used comics genres and tropes with the spirit of early alternative comix. Lasky won an Eisner Award for Don’t Forget This Song, a graphic biography of The Carter Family, and has been nominated for multiple Ignatz Awards.

Eisner-nominees Jess Ruliffson and Tom Hart discuss how to pitch your book—and what to do when you get a deal! Learn about finding a literary agent and pitching to Big Five publishers; setting realistic expectations and boundaries around deadlines and money; and processing all the big feelings that come with publishing your graphic novel.

This week we talked about navigating social media to promote your work and make money as a cartoonist—from networking and building your audience, to avoiding burnout and fielding harsh feedback.

The internet can be a lovely way to connect with friends and family, make new connections, support fellow cartoonists, and publish your comics. There are great benefits to serializing a webcomic or routinely sharing your work.

But social media can also be a source of pressure, discouragement, and creative doubt.

Do you need to move to NYC and gain a million followers on Instagram to be a commercially successful artist? Do you have to work tirelessly on gaming the algorithm to get your work seen? Do you have to monetize your comics at all?

Read on (or listen in) for answers to questions like these and more!

Tom Hart is the founder of The Sequential Artists Workshop and the subject of our beta test of the 90s Mini-Comic Oral History Archives.

He is the creator of Hutch Owen, Love Looks Left, Wodaabe and many mini-comics in the 90s and after. He is also the NY Times #1 best-selling author of a graphic memoir about his daughter, Rosalie Lightning…