ASS4 - Project 2 - Self-publishing

Self Publishing

Research point Do some research into self-published comics, graphic novels, artist books or fanzines. Visit your local bookstore or find examples online. Find examples of self-publishing you find interesting or entertaining. Think about the form of this work. How has it been produced and what materials are used? Can you find examples of inventive use of paper, binding, folding or printing?

Self Published comics

    Whilst searching on the internet for self published comics I actually struggled to find many which is quite unbelievable. What I did find more of were artists who had made comics and they were waiting and setting up accounts to be put in front of publishers in hope of getting them published or promoting to get people to raise money so that they could self publish..  Here's two that I first found. 

https://mikemedaglia.com/2017/08/another-self-published-mini-comic/

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/exclusive-legion-ms-first-self-published-comic-book-needs-your-help-developing-the-film

I then found this website which advertises different peoples self published comics

https://store.silversprocket.net/collections/consignment-zines 

    However They are all digital, After looking for a while I discovered why. I have been looking for an actual handmade comic but in today's world self publishers create digital comics and upload it direct to websites such as amazon, reading apps for your phone and on there own websites when once purchased a PDF copy will be downloaded.  What is also interesting is that if you sell your comic on Amazon and someone wants an actual copy Amazon will then do all the printing for you (for a small fee) which is great and easy for the creator to continue to make more comics. I think comics have changed and are more digital them paper form unless its upon request, its a more cost effective way for the creator to get there comic out there. 

There were also many YouTube vlogs on how to self publish. Here below is one I found most interesting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-u6LSgRxPk

    I popped in Waterstones and they had a section for comics, I realised there were more comics that are massed produced such and marvel and X-men stories. 

    I had a look on Google Play for some comic apps and came across one called Web Comics. When I searched it was a lot of self published manga comics and when I mean a lot there was a lot - All by different artists but they all have the same style so none stood out for me. It is a very popular style of comic yet I prefer something more beautiful to the eye. Some of the manga comics I looked at looked as though they didn't spend too long on the illustrations and were very Photoshop basic comics.

Here below is an example of a Manga comic I came across:

    It is a typical style of manga the faces are created in the same shape and style to each other. You can see affects in the illustrations which tell me they are made in Photoshop, such as the fog/misty areas which I have tested out myself by using a transparent white paint on a layer to create this effect.

   The next app I tried was called ComiXology, This is were I found some wonderful comics that I was automatically attracted to by the illustrations:

Wonderful Wizard of OZ by L Frank Baum

   I really love the style of this comic. The illustrator has created a style which has used great lighting effects which creates mood and atmosphere in his work. I like that every line is sketchy and not neat, I find it to go with the farm theme in the story. He has used a digital program and created all his illustrations in it. You can see the digital brush strokes in his work. It is quite a silent comic meaning there is not much wording but his illustrations are so dramatic that there is no need for many descriptions. This comic is digital only ans has not got an option to be printed. This is helping the planet saving paper and also cost effective for the illustrator and writer.

Self Published Novels

On ConiXology I also found a few Novels which looked interesting:

The Abaddon by Koren Shadmi

    I picked out this comic as I thought it was very different with its use of limited colours and its traditional techniques that give the illustrations texture. The blues and reds give it a seance of a 3D image without 3D glasses, which is formed out of blue and red lines. 

   I think by looking at the illustrations it is hand drawn and them converted to a digital image to add the text in to the image.The illustrator has also created focus in his illustrations such as the hand knocking the door and the background with the door is subtly blurred to make the hand gesture the main focus. 

   The interesting thing about this comic is that usually in a comic your are watching the story with the characters unfold, but with this story you are aurally one of the characters and the other characters are talking and looking at you which makes you feel that your in the story too.

Eartha by Cathy Malkasian

Again as the previous graphic novel, there is a limited pallet. I am attracted because I think the limited pallets create striking images and also it has a sense of theme and atmosphere to them. I really like these illustrations in this one they look very delicate in the way they have been drawn but are very powerful images. The blues and browns compliment each other which makes it easy on the eye and what I admire are all the little details within each scene. Like the previous one I looked at, this also has been drawn then edited in a digital program by tweaking the images and adding the text to help tell the story.

Fanzines

    Fanzines are a new thing to me, I have never heard of them until now. They are books created by people based on things they love, interested in or following a hobby. Here's some more info links I looked at:

https://www.blurb.com/blog/zines-and-self-publishing/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanzine

   This was a fanzine which I was attracted the most to. Its about a love or interest of Mushrooms. On each page there is a line drawing of different mushrooms shes came across and has built up a book of interesting images to enjoy.

Mushroom Fan Book

https://roxannebee.tumblr.com/post/141972625136/mushroom-zine-48-pages-of-mushrooms-on-a6

    So far in my research I have found self published comics but they are mainly digital I want to find some that are handmade just like the above fanzine book so I am going to look on the internet again and see what I can find. 

Enamel Metal Book Of Bugs

http://suebrownprintmaker.blogspot.com/2012/01/enamel-experiments_29.html

 This is very unusual but I like it a lot. Sue has used enamel metal to create this book. Instead of the use of folds in paper this book has hinges with screws to make it in to a concertina book form. The images appear to be delicate while the book looks sturdy I Love the contrast. Simple use of colour just black and white has created images which are clear and very interesting. The book cover and the back of the book have been cut out to create a image of bushes which when close you can see the insects through it. Sue works with metal for her own style and is always experimenting.

The Miniature Book

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/05/the-mini-book-of-major-events-by-evan-lorenzen/

   A book does not have to be big just like the one above made by Evan. He creates miniature books which are very tiny. He even binds them by using a traditional way of stitching a book together. They are small but each book has its own great meaning. The paper he uses for the books is torn around the edges and I think this gives his little books character. 

A Madman's Book 

https://www.behance.net/gallery/7604265/A-madmans-diary

   I was wowed when I came across this book. Its is all made out of paper using paper cuts to tell a story of a prisoners diary that the artist had found and read when he was young. He was then inspired to create a book from it. He says about the book that he tries to capture the scary feeling he had whilst reading the book, I think he has done just that with the black silhouettes. I love the book cover which is a case that looks like a jail with the iron bars created on the front. I like how its a zig zag folded design and that each scene is individually cut out to tell the story.  A lot of thought has gone in to it  and its great that it is all handmade.

My Thoughts From My Research About Self-Publishing

   From doing this research it has opened my eyes that there is more that goes in to creating the actual book then I first thought. I think the design of the book can also enhance a story its telling and also help create the atmosphere. I also like that there are different ways to bind a book and that there are no restrictions to your own ideas. In glad that I found traditional ways of makings books as well at digital types as I think each have there own personality. I think it's quite exciting to create a book and finally show it to the world for feedback for your next one on what to improve in. I also like the art books such as the Mushroom book it's a great example of how explorers can note down their discoveries and subjects in different books. I have enjoyed this research and looking forward to now creating my own book to see what I can come up with.

Exercise Self Publishing 

Exercise: Self-publishing Develop a small self-published book based on an idea from your sketchbooks. Produce a small photocopied fanzine or a one-off artist’s book. Look at your sketchbooks for ideas of work that could be developed into a self-contained narrative or collected together to form a publication. For example, it could be a character you have developed, a particular style of working or a series of drawings on a similar theme. How would you title your work and how does this title feed back into the development of your idea? Once you’ve finished your publication, reflect on it in your learning log. What sort of audience do you think would be interested in your work?

   To start off, I had a look through some of my sketchbooks and scrapbook and thought about what I could do. I did some mind maps in my sketchbook to help me decide.

   I decided to create an art book based on insects. I have always been interested in them and thought this would be a great opportunity to use my creativity and have a chance at really studying some of them.

   I started to look at them and to pick out some I liked. As there are so many types I decided to pick out insects that can fly, that I thought were beautiful and also have wonderful patterns on them. I decided on the 6 above in the photo. 

   I then mind mapped further to ask myself questions and decide on the backgrounds, style of the book, how it will be bind together and the design of the front cover.

My key outcomes  and  design ideas:

1. To draw the insects in a line drawing style.
2. I wanted a zigzag art book format which was different to what I have seen out there. After some thinking decided to create pages that were in shape of petals and once stuck together and they are all opened out it would form a flower. The flower is a visual natural thing that we think of when we think of insects. The flower will compliment the meaning of my art book.
3. For the backgrounds of each petal I will add patterns and colours to them from each bug. So for example the butterfly would have the detail of one of its wings  and the same colours as the butterfly I am studying.

   Here are some of my finished line drawings, I then cut these out with a paper knife. I think they have come out really well and I like using different mark makings to add pattern and textures that I could see while observing.

The next step was to create my zigzag flower book.

   I thought it was going to be easy, but I found out that it was actually quite complicated. I needed a perfect circle to work around and then measure the circumference and work out how to evenly spread 6 petals around so they are all equal and the same size to from my book. Here are my templates below:

I created the design on my mac to give me a perfect circle to work with.

   I then did a few trials and once sorted out the correct petal sizes, I needed to add tabs onto the shapes which would then be glued together to form my flower zigzag book.

Here above are some of the petals cut out Each one is a different colour which represents the main colour of each insect.

After doing some designs in my sketchbook and thinking up names for my book I decided to go with the below cover:

   I think its a quite clever as its a line drawing of an insects wing and because |I am keeping the colour of the insects all black and white  through the book then I thought the cover illustration must be too. This gives the book a style theme through it. The title of the art book is called 'Mini Beasties of flight' which gives the viewer a little insight to what the book is about and the illustration of the wing compliments the title and theme.

   I them began to create each petal adding details with various tools such as pens, colouring pencils, paint, foil leaf and inks. Here are the images of each finished petal below:

   Each time I did two I then glued them together and left them to dry. Once dry I then got a ruler and pen  knife and scrolled down the edge lightly so when bending the pages it was easier and more precise to do.

Here below are the final outcomes:

Here below is a video of the are book opening up:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtUW-kiveY8&feature=youtu.be

Conclusion and Overall

  I had so much fun creating this art book. I felt I could let loose a little as was free to express my self especially the backgrounds of each bug.

   I stuck the bugs on with double sided tabs to make them have a little lift from the background. This meant I was still adding a bit of my paper style to it by cutting them out too.

   I really like the fly petal as i got to try out using leaf foil. I Didn't realise how messy that stuff its but I thought the out come was very effective and showed the colours of the fly well. I also liked the blue leaf beetle. The colours of his shell were very interesting and I think I captured him well.

How would you title your work and how does this title feed back into the development of your idea? 

   I think my tile works well it describes what the book is about and I have called the insects 'Mini Beasties' it is a good word play, as people usually find insects hideous or jump when one comes to near contact.  The second two words 'In Flight' tell the viewer what type of beasties they are, flying ones. I then decided to create the cover as an insect wing which I described earlier, to compliment the title. The viewer can put them both together to understand what the book is about.

What sort of audience do you think would be interested in your work?

   I think the audience it would be aimed at would either be for education for children and young adults but also for the entomologist who have an interest in insects. I also think that other artist would want is as a art keepsake for inspiration for themselves. 

Final Words

  I think overall I did a great job on the book. I think my design of my book opening out to become a flower was quite clever and you can tell i really thought about the concept.

   If this was a final piece and perhaps if I have more time I could do a back cover giving a brief paragraph what the book is about and also on the back of each petal I would of like to have given the viewer some facts about each of the insects. I think this would of totally finished my book. I really like my designs I created and it was fun to see the outcome and show some of my friends who thought it was a great idea too.