Tag Archives: Book

First Zine Progress and Contest: Round Two!!

Related Posts: First Zine and Future Shop and First Zine Progress and Contest!!

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A few weeks ago, I finished the pen work for my first zine. I’ve been very busy recently, but hope that sometime soon I’ll be able to get this zine scanned, printed, and watercolored. Then, once The Flea plush toy is ready, I’m planning on opening my online store! :D

Here are a few closeups of some pen work for the zine:

Zine Preview 4

Zine Preview 5

Zine Preview 6

As I mentioned before, my first zine is an illustrated Pre-Raphaelite poem. The poem will remain a secret until closer to the zine’s release. But I’ll give one free copy to the first person who can correctly guess which poem it is.

I’ve realized that I made this contest a little bit too hard. Thusly, I added a few more hints (#4 and #5). Also, be sure to check the comments of my post First Zine Progress and Contest!! for even more hints. I will be shocked if no one produces the correct answer this time!

Hint #1: The Seven Deadly Sins.

Hint #2: The poem is not “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti.

Hint #3: More specifically than Hint #1 — The Seven Princes of Hell.

Hint #4: More specifically than Hint #3 — Mammon.

Hint #5: The poem was written by ONE of the three original Pre-Raphaelites — either William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, or Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

For a chance to win, either leave a comment below or (if you’d like to keep your guess secret from other contestants) shoot me an e-mail at gegallas@hotmail.com — subject “First Zine Contest.”

Best of luck!!

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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

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Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas


Comics I Admire: “Quarterly Stories”

Today, I am pleased to present Joshua Kemble and his new online graphic novel Two Stories.

I stumbled across the website Quarterly Stories whilst on my search for autobiographical/non-fiction webcomics. I’m not sure how I came across this amazing work, but I sure am glad I did.

Two Stories is an autobiographical graphic novel that deals with themes of “…life, love, loss, and depression.” As far as I can tell, the novel will consist of a series of short stories that are all autobiographical, but will be presented in various styles, tones, and genres (“serious to silly”).

Not only are Josh’s illustrations absolutely stunning, full of texture and movement, but his storytelling is powerful and compelling. For this first chapter, it is not just a story of attempted suicide, but more astonishingly a step-by-step examination of the protagonist/author’s thought process — a complex mind that makes connections (from Shakespeare to It’s A Wonderful Life and back to reality) and plays tricks on itself (“The Suicide Game” on page 4).

Josh is a Xeric Award-winning cartoonist who works as a freelance illustrator as well as an adjunct professor at Laguna College of Art and Design. With such an impressive background and body of work, I’m expecting Two Stories to be quickly snatched up by publishers. :)

The following images belong to Joshua Kemble.

QS Cover

QS Page 4

QS Page 7

For more Quarterly Stories and Joshua Kemble, please check out the following websites…

quarterlystories.com

joshuakemble.com

www.facebook.com/pages/Joshua-Kemble-Illustrations/130292550362837

Store: joshuakemble.com/?page_id=241

Numbwww.amazon.com/Numb-Lost-Love-Broken-Memories/dp/B002O746WA

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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

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Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas


First Zine Progress and Contest!!

Related Post: First Zine and Future Shop

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For the past month or so, in between working on Elias & the City of Cats and The First Reich, I’ve been sneaking in progress on my first zine.

Here are a few closeups of some pencil work for the zine:

Zine Preview 1

Zine Preview 2

Zine Preview 3

As I mentioned before, my first zine is an illustrated Pre-Raphaelite poem. The poem will remain a secret until closer to the zine’s release. But I’ll give one free copy to the first person who can correctly guess which poem it is.

Hint #1: The Seven Deadly Sins.

Hint #2: The poem is not “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti.

Hint #3: More specifically than Hint #1 — The Seven Princes of Hell.

For a chance to win, either leave a comment below or (if you’d like to keep your guess secret from other contestants) shoot me an e-mail at gegallas@hotmail.com — subject “First Zine Contest.”

Best of luck!!

***

For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas


The Liebster Award: 2nd Nomination!

My head is spinning from all these award nominations!

Thank you so much to Eszter (felteddreams.wordpress.com) for nominating me a second time for the Liebster Award! Don’t forget to check out Eszter’s amazing felt/embroidery/quilting creations.

To view the post from my first nomination, click here.

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Rules

  1. Post eleven facts about yourself.
  2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you and create eleven questions for people you’ve nominated.
  3. Choose eleven people to give this award to and link them in your post.
  4. Go to their page and tell them.

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Eszter’s Quetions

1. What inspired you to start blogging?

Well, I started this particular blog to keep track of my various creative projects and to organize my thoughts a bit.

2. Is there one thing you wish you could change about yourself, what would it be?

I’m never good at answering this sort of question. Even if I could magically change something about myself, I don’t think I would.

3. If you could meet someone famous who is still living who would it be?

This is a really tough question because I don’t want to jinx my chances at Cannes.

4. What was the most interesting class you ever took in school?

Another tough question since I went to New York University: Gallatin School of Individualized Study and took a number of amazing courses including “Dante’s World,” “Virtue and Villainy: Melodrama,” and “Globalization: Promises and Discontents.” The most life-changing class I ever took was “Yellow Peril: Documenting & Understanding Xenophobia” taught by the amazing Jack Tchen. For this class, I wrote a painstakingly researched 25-page paper (plus 5 pages of works cited) about Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Girls. Jack’s new book Yellow Peril: Understanding Fears of “the East” and What We Can Do About It is coming out at the end of February, so check it out if you’re interested!

5. What did you want to be when you were little?

I think I always wanted to be a comic book artist/graphic novelist/mangaka since I was in elementary school up through high school graduation. I drifted away from comics/graphic novels/manga in college, but as you can tell from The Poet and the Flea have regained my passion.

6. If you could decorate your work-space however you wanted, what would be your feature color?

Well, when I moved to San Francisco, I really got to decorate my workspace and I wouldn’t really change a thing (other than that it sometimes gets way too hot and there’s no air-conditioning). My room is mostly made of various shades of blue with splashes of yellow, tan, and salmon. It’s pretty funky!

7. If your life were a book, what would be the title?

Radiant Pessimist™ (this will also be the name of my future production company — I have Laurence Harvey to thank for that one).

8. What one happy memory do you have always coming to mind?

I don’t really have one memory that always comes to mind. But I recently thought of a childhood memory (when I was maybe six or seven years old) that I really hadn’t thought of for a long time — me and my dad bobbing in the ocean off of Kiawah Island. I remember that my nose was really runny, ha ha ha.

9. Do you prefer to read actual books or use an E-reader?

Actual books, hands down! It’s just not the same experience with an e-reader. The tactile feeling of a book, the smell of it, the typography and placement on the page, the action of turning from page to page… I really have a hard time reading on my iPad.

10. If you could keep only one item from your wardrobe, what would it be?

I’ve only worn it once, but the skirt of the prom outfit my grandmother made me. She died September 2011, so I’m extremely reluctant to let it go.

11. If you win some millions in lottery, what would be the first thing you buy?

I wouldn’t “buy” anything per se. I’d rather fund a full-length film of either my own script or that of a close friend.

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Nominations

Can’t I just nominate all my followers? You’re all so awesome and talented! :)

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My Questions

I liked the questions I wrote last time, so I’ll use them again…

  1. What is the strangest dream you’ve ever had?
  2. What is/was your favorite subject in school?
  3. When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  4. Who is your role model?
  5. What is your favorite holiday?
  6. What is your least favorite vegetable?
  7. What is your guilty pleasure?
  8. Are you an optimist or pessimist?
  9. What are your short-term goals/New Year’s resolutions?
  10. What did you last eat?
  11. Do you have any special and/or bizarre talents?

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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas


Internship at Zest Books!

zestbooks-60_600

Disclaimer: I do not own this image!!

Only January, and I can already check #10 off my New Year’s resolutions list (New Year’s Resolutions, Anyone?). I have finally gotten an official internship in a field of my interest. :)

At the end of the month, I will start working at Zest Books, a publishing company focused on readers in their teens and early twenties!

Last week, I had an interview with Ann (Marketing and Editorial Associate) and was hired for the internship on the spot. It’s a small office in a really cool building/neighborhood and, on first impression, extremely friendly staff.

For this internship, I really feel like I’ll be able to utilize a number of my skills (writing, editing, social media, Japanese language & culture, etc.). I might also have an opportunity to do some freelance illustration work for them as well, which would be absolutely amazing! Plus, the internship is only a couple days a week, so I’ll still have ample time to continue my independent projects like The Poet and the Flea. Most of all, I’m excited to learn everything I possibly can about the business side of publishing!!

One really cool aspect of Zest Books is their Teen Advisory Board. They have a number of teen readers who work as interns and help the publishers figure out what kind of books teens would like to read/see published. According to Ann, the current Teen Advisory Board is really into anime/manga and Doctor Who — so I think I’ll get along with these kids just fine! :D

Zest focuses on non-fiction titles, from memoirs to how-to books. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been really looking into their titles and have found a number of books that pique my interest. I’ve complied a list of my favorites below, so check them out!

  1. Super Pop
  2. Dear Teen Me
  3. Dead Strange
  4. The End
  5. The Look Book
  6. Reel Culture
  7. The Dictionary of High School B.S.
  8. Uncool
  9. Indie Girl
  10. Crap

Anyway, I’m really looking forward to starting this internship and will share my learning experience with all of you. Wish me luck!!

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For more Zest Books…

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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas


Brief Update

★ Don’t forget to check out my graphic novel, The Poet and the Flea!

A new page every Wednesday!

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Here is a brief update on my current creative projects and endeavors…!

Friday, December 21st

  1. I’m Going To Cannes!!!
  2. Started to fill out some paperwork for Cannes.
  3. Applied to a few more fellowships/internships.

Saturday, December 22nd

  • Family bonding day! Adventure in Chinatown and North Beach.

Sunday, December 23rd

  1. Worked on The Flea script.
  2. Saw “Royal Treasures From the Louvre: Louis XIV to Marie Antoinette” at the Legion of Honor.
  3. Date night with Wes!(*´▽`*)

Monday, December 24th

  1. Filled out some more paperwork for Cannes.
  2. Worked on applications for a few more fellowships/internships.

Tuesday, December 25th

  1. Brunch/linner with family.
  2. Worked on applications for a few more fellowships/internships.
  3. Signed up with two illustration communities: IllustrationMundo and The Little Chimp Society.

Wednesday, December 26th

  1. Worked on applications for a few more fellowships/internships.
  2. Worked on The Flea script.
  3. Bought a copy of Professor Risley and the Imperial Japanese Troupe by Frederik L. Schodt.
  4. Went to see A Royal Affair, a film I’ve been dying to see for months! I just adore Danish films as well as Mads Mikkelsen, so this was quite the treat. The acting, costumes, and script were just amazing. I hope everyone who likes period pieces has a chance to see this.
royalaffair

Disclaimer: I do not own this image!!

Thursday, December 27th

  1. Mailed out paperwork for Cannes.
  2. Trip to the de Young Museum. Saw a wonderful Toulouse-Lautrec piece. Looking forward to upcoming exhibits: “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and “Rembrandt’s Century.”
  3. Worked on The Flea script.

Friday, December 28th

  1. Worked on applications for a few more fellowships/internships.
  2. Went to see The Nutcracker with family (“Note on The Nutcracker).

Etcetera

  • The Poet and the Flea: 63 pages of written script (1 page of script = 4-6 illustrated pages), and about 36 pages (1-24, 27-30 completed, and 25-26, 31-36 in progress) of illustrated work.
  • The First Reich: about 1-10 pages of illustrated work in progress.

To Do:

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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas


Brief Update

★ Don’t forget to check out my graphic novel, The Poet and the Flea!

A new page every Wednesday!

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Preview to upcoming post, “Experience of EBABZ (East Bay Alternative Book & Zine Fest)”:

EBABZ-1

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Here is a brief update on my current creative projects and endeavors…!

Tuesday, December 4th

  1. E-mails, e-mails, e-mails…!
  2. Sent out some more fellowship/internship/job applications.
  3. Worked on the second rough draft for Elias & The City of Cats.

Wednesday, December 5th

  • Under the weather!

Thursday, December 6th

  1. Was supposed to go on a date with Wes, but I caught a nasty cold. (;へ:)
  2. E-mails, e-mails, e-mails…!

Friday, December 7th

  • Recovering from cold!

Saturday, December 8th

Sunday, December 9th

  1. Today, was nominated again for the Very Inspiring Blogger award! Updated information on this post.
  2. Hired to do a small freelance translation job (English to Japanese). Began working on first assignment!

Monday, December 10th

  1. Worked on The First Reich.
  2. Worked with client on translation job.

Tuesday, December 11th

  1. First day of cat sitting!
  2. Sent out some more fellowship/internship/job applications.
  3. Worked on The Flea script.
  4. Received e-mail informing me I have a phone interview, yay!!
  5. Worked with client on translation job.

Etcetera

  • The Poet and the Flea: 53 pages of written script (1 page of script = 4-6 illustrated pages), and about 36 pages (1-24, 27-30 completed, and 25-26, 31-36 in progress) of illustrated work.
  • The First Reich: about 1-10 pages of illustrated work in progress.

To Do:

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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas


The Liebster Award!

What!? Another award!?!? Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Thank you so much to Denise of Photos and Vibes by Deni for nominating me for this award!

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Rules

  1. Post eleven facts about yourself
  2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you and create eleven questions for people you’ve nominated
  3. Choose eleven people to give this award to and link them in your post
  4. Go to their page and tell them

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Eleven Facts about G. E. Gallas

I’m going to cut corners a little bit since I already answered a ton of questions about myself for other awards. So check out more than eleven facts about me on my posts Reader Appreciation Award and Very Inspiring Blogger Award. (^-^;;)

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Denises’s Questions

1. What makes you laugh?

I laugh at any number of odd things, especially at awkward situations I may find myself in. Oh, I can keep myself endlessly amused.

2. How do you like to spend your spare time?

Spare time? What spare time?

3. What’s your favourite book?

This question is impossible to answer. Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces is practically my bible (I mentioned I’m a Jewish atheist, right?). I’m also quite fond of Robert Graves’s I, Claudius, Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo, Yukio Mishima’s Spring Snow (Haru no Yuki), E. L. Doctorow’s Ragtime, etcetera, etcetera. My bookshelf looks frighteningly like a Penguin Classics library!

4. What inspires you most?

Artists who are extraordinarily dedicated to their work inspire me the most.

5. If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be?

Wouldn’t change a thing!

6. Has blogging an impact in your real life?

Hmm, let me think about that one — not sure yet.

7. Would you meet in your real life someone you’ve met on the internet?

I have already met in real life a number of people I’ve met on the internet.

8. What do you find annoying?

Hypocrites — they are the bane of my existence.

9. Do you blog often?

Yes, I suppose so.

10. Which place of the world would you like to visit?

I would love to visit all over Scandinavia!

11. If you win, how are you going to celebrate on the blog sphere?

A celebratory post?

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Nominations

  1. randomheadshots.wordpress.com
  2. twistedworldofgravitation.wordpress.com
  3. lichtyears.wordpress.com
  4. hopethehappyhugger.wordpress.com
  5. lunajoonok.wordpress.com
  6. anelephantcant.me
  7. ohmyomiyage.wordpress.com
  8. terabia.wordpress.com
  9. creatingmiranda.wordpress.com
  10. angrygaijin.wordpress.com
  11. sommerstein0411.wordpress.com

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My Questions

  1. What is the strangest dream you’ve ever had?
  2. What is/was your favorite subject in school?
  3. When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  4. Who is your role model?
  5. What is your favorite holiday?
  6. What is your least favorite vegetable?
  7. What is your guilty pleasure?
  8. Are you an optimist or pessimist?
  9. What are your short-term goals/New Year’s resolutions?
  10. What did you last eat?
  11. Do you have any special and/or bizarre talents?

***

For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas


Note on the Taishō Period

For many years, I have been fascinated by modern Japan — everything from the Meiji period (1868 – 1912) to current day. One of my favorite periods is a rather short one known as Taishō (1912 – 1926). What strikes me most about Taishō is the amazing blend of Japanese and Western aesthetics.

I think my interest in Taishō really began when I read Yukio Mishima’s novel Spring Snow (Haru no Yuki). This novel is actually a period piece — published in 1969, but set around 1912 – 1914. Mishima gives a detailed look at the Japanese class system of the period through a romantic tragedy (although I’m not sure Mishima saw this story as such).

My interest in Taishō developed further through a series of college courses on modern Japanese literature. I even did a project involving costume designs for a Taishō-set short story, involving research on fashion of the period from Kimonos and beyond.

I also find advertisements from this period interesting. Actually, the Shiseido ads from the 1900s through the 1930s are really remarkable! You can find out more about these ads on MIT’s Visualizing Cultures website.

Anyway, I just wanted to share a number of my favorite images:

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following images!!

tumblr_mcptv9biHv1rbhny0o1_1280

tumblr_m9h9zhZnS61qapqaxo1_500

tumblr_mbv3u3OreQ1qzdi2go1_500

photo_4

1925 shiseido

tumblr_lwzx07jN3B1ql8xvyo1_500

sh01_1925_e008_poster2786

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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas


Brief Update

★ Don’t forget to check out my graphic novel The Poet and the Flea!

Here is a brief update on my current creative projects and endeavors…!

Monday, November 26th

  1. Recovering! (Details here.)
  2. Did some more research on fellowships/internships/jobs and sent out some more applications.
  3. Worked on some upcoming blog posts.

Tuesday, November 27th

  1. Didn’t get The Chronicle Books Winter/Spring 2013 Design Fellowship. Depending on how things go, I’ll try reapplying for the Spring 2013 Fellowship!
  2. Signed up with Amazon Studios. Going to try submitting one of my full-length scripts privately and see what happens!

Wednesday, November 28th

  1. Finally, the premiere of The Poet and the Flea!!!
  2. Sketched out a few new rough designs for Fluffernutter.
  3. E-mails, e-mails, e-mails…!

Thursday, November 29th

  1. E-mails, e-mails, e-mails…!
  2. Did some more research on fellowships/internships/jobs.
  3. Worked on the second rough draft for Elias & The City of Cats.

Friday, November 30th

  1. E-mails, e-mails, e-mails…!
  2. Sent out some more fellowship/internship/job applications.
  3. Worked on the second rough draft for Elias & The City of Cats.

Saturday, December 1st

  • Date with Wes! We ran all over the city today. Activities included calendar shopping (“Aw, look at the corgis!”), eating very tasty meals, and going to see the film Hitchcock (while not brilliant, was thoroughly enjoyable).
  • Take a look at the super cute calendar I bought. You can get it here!

Disclaimer: I do not own this image!!

Sunday, December 2nd

  • Did some more research on fellowships and jobs and sent out some more applications.

Monday, December 3rd

  1. My sister Sydney’s birthday is today! So check out her amazing costume designs: sydneygallas.com.
  2. Worked on the second rough draft for Elias & The City of Cats.

Etcetera

  • The Poet and the Flea: 52 pages of written script (1 page of script = 4-6 illustrated pages), and about 36 pages (1-24, 27-30 completed, and 25-26, 31-36 in progress) of illustrated work.
  • The First Reich: about 1-10 pages of illustrated work in progress.

To Do:

***

For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.

***

Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas


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