ColleenDoran.com

I rarely post here, but if you are interested in nattering with me on a regular basis, my Facebook page is very active, and I blog at my webcomic page ADistantSoil.com.

Thank you so much for your support of A Distant Soil over the past year. Traffic on the comic is 35 times higher than when we started in 2009! I update every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and will continue the entire series on the site as well as at Image Comics!

Sometime over the next week or so, I will finish up my new graphic novel with Barry Lyga. Coming in at about 120 pages, it will be out from Houghton Mifflin late next year. This is the first major project on which I have done a significant amount of digital inking. I’m bringing it in behind schedule, in part, due to the painful digital learning curve (I’ve found it easier to learn to paint digitally than to draw digitally – not sure why.) But I have learned so many new skills, it is unlikely I’ll be doing much hand drawn art for comics in future.

The contract for another graphic novel showed up about a week ago, and these digital painting skills will come in handy. This will be my first fully painted work – cover to cover – in some 20 years. My last painted GN was a mixed bag of an effort, but I got such a great reaction to the work I did on Derek McCulloch’s short story for Tori Amos: Comic Book Tattoo that it ended up sending more work my way, including this graphic novel contract. I can’t tell you anything more about it at this time, except that it will be an adaptation of a short story by a major author from a respected publisher. I will both adapt and do all art.

In April I will finish up both Gone to Amerikay and Stealth Tribes, both for DC/Vertigo. This is almost 300 pages of hand drawn work. Gone to Amerikay is the most challenging project I have ever done, and I am extremely proud of it. Steath Tribes is a fascinating dark SF tale by Red and Transmetropolitan scribe Warren Ellis. It has some of my very favorite work, from design to finals. I absolutely love it.

With the exception of about a dozen pages of Stealth Tribes, all pages on both books are penciled. I will do nothing but inks for months. I am delighted with the work on both projects, and since all my books are very near the end, I am exhilarated, and frustrated, dying to finish them off and move on. Somewhere between completion and completed, there is the twilight zone of “For God’s sake, I can’t believe I have to render more windows on that cityscape. Please get me out of here.”

After that, you finish the book and feel terrible that it is finished. You want to go back over it all and do it better.

Since I have so much work, it is doubtful I will be able to travel. I am terrified of getting the flu and blowing my schedule. I might do a book festival or two, but I probably won’t be able to appear at any conventions next year.

Thanks for dropping by.

Irish literary magazine Verbal #31 features interview with creators speaking out on the Google Book Scheme. You may download a free pdf copy of the magazine by clicking this link.

Past issues also feature entertaining interviews with Stephenie Meyers and Neil Gaiman.

Sunday, June 27:

11:00 am – 11:30 am – Authors On the Pavilion. Barry Lyga with Colleen Doran: A Sneak Preview to His First Graphic Novel.
Barry Lyga’s first two novels, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl and Boy Toy both received excellent reviews and have established him as a rising force in the world of young adult literature. Now, his with his first graphic novel, published by Houghton Mifflin on the way, Barry and his creative partner on the project, Colleen Doran will be here to give a sneak peek at the book and to talk about the process of collaboration on a graphic novel.

American Library Association Meeting to feature major graphic novel programming. Clink linky for complete info.

Cross posted from A Distant Soil.com

Well, I just heard back from the editor, and it looks like my pin-up will appear in Marvel Girl Comics #2. Dang, that was a fast turnaround.

So, the work I was not originally slated to do will now be in an issue on which I am not solicited! Hah! Oh, this crazy world of comics!

Anyway, the release date is May 5. So ask for it at your local comic shop. I don’t know if it’s too late to get your orders in.

I’m really happy with the way the art turned out, and hope you like it too. It’s a painting of one of my favorite Marvel characters.

Thanks to Jeanine Schaefer for squeezing me in on this one! ‘Twas fun.

Cross posted from A Distant Soil.com

I’ll be at Wondercon this coming weekend and C2E2 two weeks later.

I am not bringing loads to sell. Only one box of books per show, and whatever art will fit in a the suitcase.

I am also not taking commissions. I am sorry, but my commitments to my current long-suffering commissioners and clients must be honored.

I really expected to be about three weeks further along on my work than this, but them’s the breaks. Too much volunteerism, not enough drawing. The sacrifices I make for my fellow creators! Excuse me a moment while I crawl down off my cross…

I will be working on my assignments while at the show, so will have no trouble taking the time to talk to you, do free doodles, and draw my assignments right there in front of your eyes. And I will only have the most generic, non-spoiler pages in front of you while I work, so I won’t give any plot points away. This will make my editors happy.

Here is my event schedule at Wondercon:

Spotlight on Colleen Doran
Friday, APRIL 2
3:30-4:30pm
ROOM 236/238
Moderator: Derek McCulloch, author of Gone to Amerikay, my current art obsession.

Creator Rights
Saturday, APRIL 3
12:00-1:00pm
ROOM 232/234

Also, there is a Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Live Art Jam on Saturday, which I believe is at 1 PM.

I don’t know if my Marvel Girl Comics piece will be out by the show, but I know some of you have those copies of Amazing Spider-Man #600. Happy to sign them for you. I may be able to bring one Absolute Sandman or one Absolute Death, but I dunno. I’m sure dealers will have some, too.

Please forgive me for not being able to make more of a splash and have more goodies for you. I will be available at my table to talk all you want, and I apologize to everyone who asked for commissions. I just don’t have the time right now.

All in all, I just hope this pimple on my nose goes away before next week.