advice

and a workshop announcement

Hi! I️ gave a speech to graduating illustration students at Parsons last weekend. It was a long list of advice. Was this the type of graduation speech a graduate would like to hear? I️ have no idea.

But maybe it’s the kind of speech you would like to read. It’s advice for making art - rather than for building an art career. It’s stuff I️ wondered about when I️ was 22 but understand better now (there’s a lot I️ still don’t).

First, a Workshop announcement:

At the risk of a couple of horrible sleepless nights anticipating the zoom feeling (and the total joy of doing the thing itself), I’ll be teaching a comics-drawing workshop to paid subscribers on Substack Live on July 31, 2 pm EST. Bring something to draw with, and something to color with.

When I️ was teaching comics this semester, I️ had students imitate a different person’s style every week. If you feel up for reading a book, I’d like to ask you to imitate Katie Fricas’s style in her magical newish book Checked Out - so if you have time to read it before class, do! (Reading the book is in no way mandatory, don’t worry).

And an Event

And, I’ll be in conversation with Bess Kalb (!) June 10th at the Center for Jewish Culture in Crown Heights, 7 PM, for this event for Lilith Magazine. Please come!

As always you can find my prints and books on my website, here.

And thank you as always from the bottom of my heart (does anyone else feel like such a toad when they say thank you? It’s not that I’m not grateful, on the contrary) for subscribing to this newsletter. OK, here goes. A long, long list of pieces of….

Advice for making art.

The biggest parts of being a working artist are learning how to manage your own time and your own feelings.

There’s a difference between imitating someone’s art for bad reasons and imitating it because you’re trying to figure out your own style.

You’re not born with a style. It’s your job to figure out a style that suits your way of thinking.