Sunday Workshops update!

We've nailed down some more details for Sunday's day of workshops/lectures at Mohawk College's Fennell Avenue campus: The event will take place in the i-wing, rooms i131, the Rotunda and i109. There will be sandwich board signs placed outside with day-glo orange arrows on them pointing the way from the west parking lot to the entrance to i-wing. Once you're inside, its pretty much a straight line from the door to the Rotunda. Parking is free. Attendance is free, so don't be shy; c'mon down!

Here's our tentative schedule for Sunday:

9:30 - Leif Peng (that's me!) advertising cartoonist...



"I'll be showing a variety of cartoon mascot assignments and other illustration jobs I've done over the years and telling some interesting, sometimes oddball, often amusing stories about what creating cartoon characters for advertising clients can be like. I'll also show a step-by-step demo of how I create my illustrations with a digital tablet and stylus (that's right, there are no 'real' pens, paper or paint involved in making my cartoons)."

10:30 - Paul Gilligan, creator of "Pooch Café"...

"I’ll give a short run-up to how I got to where I was when I began doing the comic strip, and then I’ll focus on that: how I got a strip syndicated, how I do the strip, a bit about the business, I’ll focus on that more than the illustration biz since there are others who are more currently entrenched in that than I am. I might talk a bit about the movie process and I’ll talk a bit about animated show pitches as well."

11:30 - Mike Cope - Animator & gag cartoonist for Reader's Digest and many others...

"I've had 12+ years of experience facilitating cartooning workshops and animation courses for kids of all ages, so I'll share some of the insights I've gained and lesson ideas that I've implemented at area schools, libraries, and recreation centres. I’ll also bring copies of the new “NetTrekkers Comic Yearbook #2” (published by LesPlan Educational Services Ltd.) that I illustrated, through which students explore Canada via exciting comic adventures."

12:30 - One hour lunch break - the doors will be closed while we grab a bite!

1:30 - Sandra Bell-Lundy, creator of "Between Friends"...

"Where do you get your ideas?" is a question commonly heard by comic strip cartoonists. I'll present a light-hearted Power Point Presentation full of selected Between Friends cartoons and give the inside scoop that provoked the strip idea. I'll share influences, anecdotes and will also address how reader reaction has sometimes affected the direction of some of my more serious story arcs involving such topics as infertility and domestic abuse. I'll also include time for a Q & A."

2:30 - John Martz, award-winning indy comics cartoonist, ChickaDEE artist, founder of "Drawn!"...

"I plan on showing a slideshow of images and videos that demonstrate my workflow and how I take an illustration from brief to finished product using digital tools."