2013 Calendar

It's almost 2013 and you may be finding yourself in need of a calendar!  Well, luckily I made this one:


I created this calendar for the 2013 Quickest Flip Compilation Calendar.  Which is pairing a 12 song cd (a song and artist for every month) with a screen printed copy of the calendar I made.  You can check it out and order the limited edition print and cd here: http://www.quickestflip.com/calendar/

It's really crazy seeing something I made printed and not having done it myself!  It was a fun process and this is a picture of what the screen printed poster looks like along with a picture of the cd.  Very cool!

The Quickest Flip is a really awesome project geared towards inclusion in the arts.  Also, check out the Quickest Flip magazine, which I have a comic in issue #1!

Sometimes the Sky Explodes

 My new book Sometimes the Sky Explodes: The Story of a Hamster Named Yams is now available at my Etsy store and very soon at Quimby's! Click here to pick up a copy through etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/116835568/sometimes-the-sky-explodes-the-story-of
It is a story of an overweight hamster named Yams who goes on an adventure when he gets free from his cage.
Here are a few peeks at what it looks like:

Also, I have gone down the rabbit hole of having a tumblr.  I will still make blog posts here but the Tumblr is more just for comics and drawings that I do to keep me on my toe and have things to put upt here.  Please follow me!  http://leslieperrine.tumblr.com/

For the December fundraiser for the Chicago Zine Fest we are having a donation campaign where you can get really awesome gifts for donating.  Jaclyn, Heather and I made this video for it which I am particularly fond of:

Please consider donating here: http://www.indiegogo.com/czfbff 

Feeling Funny in our Fins

I can't believe it's already the end of November.  Totally crazy.  I've somehow been more busy than I've ever felt with not having a steady job or income.  Also very scary.  But I've been trying to focus on a lot of projects and getting stuff done (obviously not blog posts..)

In October I took a trip out West to visit some close friends.  It was a great trip and it made me fall in love with the West Coast all over again.  

I worked on some postcards for the 31 postcard challenge while there here is my second (and inevitably last...) batch of postcards:

While there my incredibly talented friend Nina showed me around the print shop at UofO.  This was my first time ever screen printing!

It was really awesome, and I had no idea what to make..so in a pinch I created this little dude:

I actually ended up really liking the old blobfish and decided I'm going to make a series of prints about sad sea creatures.  So stay tuned for those!  

Mr blobfish also inspired a new comic so here that is:  

Hope everyone had a wonderful thankful time and hopefully you'll hear from me again this year!

Crunching Leaves

I'm so excited for it to be fall.
In honor of October my amazing friends Heather and Jen have created an event called 31 postcards in 31 days.  Since it's fall I decided to make my postcards all be my favorite fall things, here is a peek at the first batch:

I can't wait to send them out to everyone!  I just have to stock up on some postcard stamps now.

I've been doodling a lot and trying to work with watercolors more.  Here is a little doodle I did awhile ago..


Mostly I'm excited with the work time I have now with my new schedule that I can start working on bigger projects again.  Well..after I get back from a trip out west!
I wanted to make a personal comic again instead of one about sea creatures.  I'm still trying to get the hang of water coloring..

here's a look at what my beautiful pot rack looks like in real life!

Keeping Perspective

Chicago Zine Fest 2013 has started planning again.  Our kick off fundraiser is tomorrow night!  I'm really excited about it.  I drew this flyer to promote it.

I haven't had much of a chance to draw or write lately due to the teacher strike and working a lot of extra hours and also picking back up on Zine Fest stuff.  That should change in October!  I plan to get a lot of work done.

Today I got a message from someone who bought my book on etsy telling me that she bought it for this little girl named Stella who is living with a fatal brain tumor.  Her mom actually writes a blog about her life here: http://stellabrunermethven.com/   It's kind of incredible the way the internet has allowed us to share our lives with each other.  I'm really touched and honored that this little girl is going to read my book.  And I am wishing the best for her and her family.
Sometimes, I should reread my own book and remember it's all about keeping perspective.

cuttlefish

sometimes, all you can do is draw a sad comic.

Bad Zine, Everyone's Fault

Tonight is the kick off reading for the zine reading tour I'm going on for the next 10 days.  The reading tonight is at Quimby's at 7pm.
Here's the poster I made for the tour:


Our schedule for tour looks like this:
7/20 - Chicago, IL @ Quimby's Bookstore--1854 W. North Ave (7pm)https://www.facebook.com/events/175225279276546/?ref=ts
7/21 - Grand Rapids -- MI 622 Benjamin (7pm) https://www.facebook.com/events/150581748399489/?ref=ts
7/22 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Cyberpunk Apocalypse - 1200 Boyle Sthttps://www.facebook.com/events/178421965621407/?ref=ts
7/23 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wooden Shoe Books & Records -- 704 South St
7/24 - New York, NY @ Witch Beach --1414 Lincoln Place (6pm)https://www.facebook.com/events/233804223406969/?ref=ts
7/25 - Atlantic City, NJ
7/26 - Baltimore, MD@Red Clover Collective -- 603 E. 30th st.https://www.facebook.com/events/159738297493861/?ref=ts
7/27 - Washington, DC@The Dollhouse https://www.facebook.com/events/466431220051596/?ref=ts

I've been going crazy trying to finish my book/zine for tour..and I did just in time.  It's a short story about a fat hamster named yams and it's called Sometimes the Sky Explodes.  I actually wrote it a long long time ago when my friend Nina and I did a story/drawing swap and we both kind of failed on the other side of the swap so I decided to finish it up myself.  This is what it looks like:

It's my first time doing all watercolors for the images of a book and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.  

As always, Bum was a big help preparing for tour.

I'm really excited to go out with Xavi again and this time adding in Jen and Heather.  Heather runs Stranger Danger Distro

Jen is putting a new zine out also that I designed the cover for!  It looks like this:

 

Tour ends with the DC Zine Fest which I can't wait to table at!! If you're on the East Coast--come say hi!

cake!

Tonight I'm doing my first ever "comic reading" at this benefit for CAKE  The Chicago Alternative Comics Expo--which is taking place next weekend June 16th&17th and I'm very excited to attend.  

The reading tonight is at the Hungry Brain at 9pm, come support me and CAKE!

In other news summer is shaping up nicely.  I'm going on another reading tour starting July 20th, so stay tuned for dates and venues having to do with that!

My book Stella's Big Wish was featured on this really awesome online magazine Make It Mag--check out my interview and write up, it's pretty awesome!  http://www.makeitmag.com/#/leslie-perrine/4563508976

That's all for now, hoping summer gives me the time to actually make a new book...so far it's just packed with fun.  I guess I'm not complaining!

Dealing with Sharks

At a coffee shop playing Dinosaur Jr, not a bad way to spend a gray Sunday afternoon.  I'm ready for summer.  Ready for warmth and excitement.  I'm tired of spring.  Tired of gray days and heavy hearts.   I'm lucky I have such awesome friends who support each other and are open with each other even when things are bad and scary.  It makes me proud but also sad and frustrated with the people who try to threaten that or take it away.  So I made a comic about it.  Sticking with the sea creatures for now.



I'm also hosting a reading this week at the Read/Write library that my friend and former tourmate is reading at.  Here is the flyer I made for it:


This week is my 30th birthday, so I'll be suddenly in my 30's, which I'm excited for.  I definitely thought being 30 would look different..but I'm not worrying about it too much.  I'm sure you'll read my comics about it in the future!

better things

I'm finally back in the swing of making things!  There's always a good couple week decompression time after Chicago Zine Fest happens that I don't want to do ANYTHING..but I think that has luckily passed.  Zine Fest was amazing.  It's hard to imagine doing something of that magnitude again every year but every year I think "how could I not?!"

Recently my best friend since first grade Jamie Walsh, started a website called The Quickest Flip it's a really awesome curated space to sell art.  I have a page and so do a lot of other really talented people.  Jamie decided to make a publication by the same name with an open call to artists.  I just finished my submission for it which is a one page comic.  This is my first time doing a 3-panel style comic and coloring a comic so I'm pretty excited about it!


I also finished another comic that was supposed to be for a free comic book day comic my friend Neil Brideau was putting together, but due to personal stuff I missed the deadline.  Welp, here it is anyway:


I usually hate the spring.  When it was super warm out it was helping me forget that but alas, real spring seems to be creeping in.  It seems like the time when people leave and although it's the time of flowers blooming and trees budding it always seems the opposite in my life.  Ah Mr. Eliot you're so right "April is the cruelest month."
What can you do but paint pictures, make mix cds and snuggle with cats to feel better?

back from the dead!

Hey!  I've been in Chicago Zine Fest lock down mode--but I'm back!
Exciting stuff is happening.  Mostly that it's Chicago Zine Fest  week!!

Because things aren't crazy enough, I'm doing a reading tonight to benefit CZF which features many amazing zine readers and zinesters in bands playing.  So excited about it!!

Show starts at 6:30 tonight, 814 W 18th street, tell your friends!

CHICAGO ZINE FEST kicks off Friday at 1pm at the Conaway Center at Columbia College!

I've been working on this since August, so I'm pretty excited about it happening.

Check out the floor plans of Exhibitors online here

I will have some things set up at the organizers' table on the 8th floor table #45. 

This will be the first time EVER you will be able to buy my new book Stella's Big Wish

I'm really excited, I had them printed through Lulu in the end which is making them cost a bit more ($7) but I think they're worth it and really glad I have copies to sell now!

To finish out the weekend we're having a karaoke afterparty next Saturday night that should be a blast.

Here is the flyer I made for it:

I can't wait for next weekend--I hope to see everyone there!!!!