#dcabf

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be profiling some of the tablers at the DC Art Book Fair.

For profile #6, we’re profiling Chris Scott of the comic book Two Ton Rock God from PG County, MD. He’s a data analyst by day and a comic artist by night. His book is a concentrated burst of illustrated adrenaline that celebrates blackness, robots and rock music. ChrisJamesScott.daportfolio.com 

Why do you draw: I can trace my need to draw ALLLL the way back to the first time I saw the opening credits to Thundercats. It was breathtaking and it melted my 3-year-old brain. Been hooked on art since.

Why is your book cool: Simple: Brown folks rocking out. Season that generously with futurism and sci-fi. Presto! THAT'S the lifeblood of Two Ton Rock God. I really just think it's a synthesis of all the things that mean the most to me. I hope that enthusiasm is evident with each piece in the book.

Advice for aspiring artists: Just get out there and fall on your face. You'll learn so much about yourself and be all the better for it.

We are very excited to host Bookish Baltimore, a nomadic artist bookstore and hub for the literary and book-making arts, at the DC Art Book Fair. 

Catch their bookshop-van at the front of Lab 1270 on Saturday and peep their goods. www.bookishbaltimore.com

In this piece we interview Bookish Baltimore’s Shannon Partrick and Chris Zickefoose, who describe themselves as “artists and writers by day, wild by night.”

Any advice for aspiring art-book makers? 

Publishing art books is a labor of love. Publish what you are excited about.

Tell us something about yourself. 

[Shannon] I have been living in a blanket fort for the past week. 

What’s the coolest part of your work? 

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be profiling some of the tablers at the DC Art Book Fair.

For profile #4, we’re featuring Ursula Minervini and Jonathon Poliszuk of Pellinore Press, an indie publishing shop. http://www.pellinorepress.com/ The duo is based in Baltimore, MD. 

What do you do? 

We keep a lot of different jobs in addition to the time spent making our own prints, comics, and other artwork. Ursula teaches printmaking at Towson University and Maryland Institute College of Art. Jonathon is a freelance art installer, packer and framer. Jonathon also helps manage Velocipede Bike Project, a community bike shop. We both also accept custom letterpress printing and edition printing jobs, mostly working with other artists.

What makes your art book/ zine/ comic cool? 

Our covers are printed from woodcuts!

Advice for aspiring art book makers

In addition to developing your images and storytelling, give careful thought to design and production choices. A book is a tactile object as well as a container for information. Elements such as papers, printing techniques, binding style, and the scale of the book have a huge impact on how the content will be received.

Fun fact about YOU

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be profiling some of the tablers at the DC Art Book Fair.

For profile #3, we have Dayanita Ramesh from Washington, D.C., the artist behind Girl Comix: http://dayanitababuramesh.com/

Day job / night job - Social Media Associate/Illustrator at Media Matters / Girl Comix

Why you make art books/ zines/ comics - I've been drawing since I was a little kid and discovered zines/comics in college. I make them because I love the idea of creating your own world/universe with your own rules. I also think zines/comics are among the most accessible mediums where you can reach a lot of different people and really whisk people away somewhere special.

Why you think your art book/ zine/ comic is cool - I think my stuff is cool because I combine politics and surrealism/weirdness and because you don't see a lot of oddly shaped brown lady characters with leg hair in art.

Advice for aspiring art book makers - Read a lot, look at as much art as you can (all kinds of art), always carry a little notebook because ideas can come to you at weird, unexpected times, and be observant of what's around you because you never know where you'll get an idea from.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be profiling some of the tablers at the DC Art Book Fair. 

Today we’re meeting Robin Ha, a cartoonist from Falls Church, Virginia. She’s the maker of Cook Korean! A Comic Book With Recipes http://robin.megaten.net

What’s your full time job? Cartoonist 

Why do you make art books/ zines/ comics? 

Ever since I started reading comics when I was 6 years old, I was hooked by comics. I think comics is the most wonderful medium to tell your stories.

Why you think your art book/ zine/ comic is cool:

I love the freedom of creating your own zines and comics, and also   collaborating with the people I love. Everyone has different tastes and story to tell, and zine and comics is a fun, casual and creative way to share it with a lot of people.

Advice for aspiring art book makers: 

Just do it!

What’s next? 

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be profiling some of the tablers at the DC Art Book Fair. 

First up is Martin Graff, maker of The Face Zone, a trippy art book http://www.thefacezone.com/ that serves up wit and wisdom for “just seconds or minutes of your time,” he says. 

This video shows what his art book is all about: 

What’s your day job? 

By day, I'm a high school English teacher at West Potomac High in Alexandria, VA. The rest of the time, I'm a creator of surreal daydreams to trip your imagination.

Why do you make art books and zines? 

Our times beg for an authentic, resonant voice to break through the clamor and clutter with art that inspires us to notice the world through creative eyes, to ask deeper critical questions, and to enjoy the ride along the way.

Advice for aspiring art book makers? 

Less is more.

Fun fact about YOU?