Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Sept 27, 2014 19:02:26 GMT -6
The first Creative Women’s Conference will be held Saturday in Denton, Texas; it’s organized by David Doub of Dusk Comics, who had been thinking of starting up a show for a while: “Then it dawned on me that there is a segment in the creative field that at best gets only a ‘women of comics’ panel. I wanted to help with a positive message and educate aspiring creators on [what steps to take to enter the industry as a creator].” He also wanted to provide a haven from harassment and “fake geek girl” accusations.
www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20140926-saturday-conference-to-showcase-creative-women-in-comics.ece
The area’s first Creative Women’s Conference is scheduled for Saturday at Denton’s North Branch Library, showcasing some of the best local female artists and illustrators in the comic book industry.
The conference, which is set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., will have several guest speakers, including Halo Sama, an illustrator and toy maker; Eliamaria Madrid-Onofre, a comic artist and actress; Kristen McGuire, a voiceover actress with FUNimation; and Apphia Yu, writer of the award-winning Jisei murder mystery series.
David Doub of Dusk Comics, a local comic book business, is running the conference. He’d always wanted to run his own show, he said, but realized the industry is overrun with comic book conventions like Dallas Comic Con, anime shows like Akon and science-fiction/pop-culture shows like Whofest.
“Then it dawned on me that there is a segment in the creative field that at best gets only a ‘women of comics’ panel,” Doub said. “I wanted to help with a positive message and educate aspiring creators on [what steps to take to enter the industry as a creator].”
Another reason Doub felt the need to offer a conference that focuses on women working in the industry is because of recent problems with harassment at comic/anime/sci-fi conventions and in the creative industry.
One of the major discriminatory issues facing the specialty industry today, he said, is the “fake geek girl.”
“Fanboys,” Doub said, complain that some of the women who attend comic book or sci-fi conventions do so — not because they’re fans of the comic book like The Avengers or a television show like Doctor Who — but because they want to participate in “cosplay,” a type of performance art where artists create costumes and accessories to represent a character from an anime show, comic book or video game.
These “cosplayers” sometimes merge two characters into one, creating unique characters like The Avenger Playboy Bunnies, featuring attention-grabbing outfits.
But there wouldn’t be cosplay if it weren’t for superheroes and fantasy heroes to inspire them.
Doub says that he hopes by offering a conference that showcases some of the women behind the superheroes, aspiring creators and fans will see that some women do appreciate and love the industry as much as they do.
Madrid-Onofre, for example, is co-hosting an illustrators panel with fellow comic book artist McGuire and Sama.
Madrid-Onofre is primarily a traditional artist who loves comics, and she’ll be offering several key pieces of advice to aspiring artists.
“If you have a thought, write it down and then draw it,” she said. “If something makes me happy I’ll draw it, and if something makes me angry I’ll draw it. It keeps the creativity alive.”
McGuire is the creator of Enchanted, a comic book geared to teenage girls, and her piece of advice to aspiring artists is simple: “Practice. Practice. Practice.”
The Creative Women’s Conference is a free event. Cosplay costumes are optional.
www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20140926-saturday-conference-to-showcase-creative-women-in-comics.ece
The area’s first Creative Women’s Conference is scheduled for Saturday at Denton’s North Branch Library, showcasing some of the best local female artists and illustrators in the comic book industry.
The conference, which is set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., will have several guest speakers, including Halo Sama, an illustrator and toy maker; Eliamaria Madrid-Onofre, a comic artist and actress; Kristen McGuire, a voiceover actress with FUNimation; and Apphia Yu, writer of the award-winning Jisei murder mystery series.
David Doub of Dusk Comics, a local comic book business, is running the conference. He’d always wanted to run his own show, he said, but realized the industry is overrun with comic book conventions like Dallas Comic Con, anime shows like Akon and science-fiction/pop-culture shows like Whofest.
“Then it dawned on me that there is a segment in the creative field that at best gets only a ‘women of comics’ panel,” Doub said. “I wanted to help with a positive message and educate aspiring creators on [what steps to take to enter the industry as a creator].”
Another reason Doub felt the need to offer a conference that focuses on women working in the industry is because of recent problems with harassment at comic/anime/sci-fi conventions and in the creative industry.
One of the major discriminatory issues facing the specialty industry today, he said, is the “fake geek girl.”
“Fanboys,” Doub said, complain that some of the women who attend comic book or sci-fi conventions do so — not because they’re fans of the comic book like The Avengers or a television show like Doctor Who — but because they want to participate in “cosplay,” a type of performance art where artists create costumes and accessories to represent a character from an anime show, comic book or video game.
These “cosplayers” sometimes merge two characters into one, creating unique characters like The Avenger Playboy Bunnies, featuring attention-grabbing outfits.
But there wouldn’t be cosplay if it weren’t for superheroes and fantasy heroes to inspire them.
Doub says that he hopes by offering a conference that showcases some of the women behind the superheroes, aspiring creators and fans will see that some women do appreciate and love the industry as much as they do.
Madrid-Onofre, for example, is co-hosting an illustrators panel with fellow comic book artist McGuire and Sama.
Madrid-Onofre is primarily a traditional artist who loves comics, and she’ll be offering several key pieces of advice to aspiring artists.
“If you have a thought, write it down and then draw it,” she said. “If something makes me happy I’ll draw it, and if something makes me angry I’ll draw it. It keeps the creativity alive.”
McGuire is the creator of Enchanted, a comic book geared to teenage girls, and her piece of advice to aspiring artists is simple: “Practice. Practice. Practice.”
The Creative Women’s Conference is a free event. Cosplay costumes are optional.