Just Stop Trying, People

Every once in a while, somebody tries to - I dunno - "hurt" me online, or at least my work. Which leads to the following conversation from a very nice reader of mine, Danny Sichel:

From Donny Sichel, email:

"So I'm reading the Terrible Webcomics megathread on Something Awful.

Someone posts a page of Stinz." (I dunno which page; Danny just said, "a page.") 

"Responses: "Somehow, I can't bring myself to hate this. It's not even pinging my 'fetish-sense'. Please post an example of this comic sucking, because so far I don't dislike it."

"What is this, Lil Abner with centaurs? I kind of like the oldschool feel of the art"

"I am really really happy this thread introduced me to Donna Barr

because she is a fucking genius"

"Can't stop my fascination with Barr's work. There's something so

incredible here I don't fully understand "

When I said I thought this was funny and gratifying, Danny, like the decent guy he is, tried to get it through my thick skull that somebody hated my work:

Danny: "It's still the 'shitty webcomics' thread. Your stuff is being a work of insane genius. A given page of the Afterdeath stuff may totally insane when seen out of context, but it's not *lousy* - the art is vivid and competent, and there's actually a reasonable storyline. And you're someone who genuinely enjoys what you're doing. Yes, there are people who produce webcomics but don't like making art. They see it as a tedious obligation that's necessary for the rewarding experience of receiving praise.)"

That made it even better. You see, I'm an original - I solved all the artistic problems myself, instead of being a fake and a copy-artist. I learned to write in colorful letters home to my family from the army and college. I still base everything I do on stuff I've seen, researched, or been told stories about - not something I cribbed and barely changed from somebody else's (too-often cribbed-and-changed) fake stories. I'm not one of those legion of comics people whose work you pick up and go, "I can't tell which writer or artist this is, because they all look the same." You see Donna Barr, you KNOW Donna Barr. Nobody else can actually copy me, although there have been some adorable attempts - and some ridiculous steals. I think of the well-intentioned as good puppies, and the bad ones as abused puppies.

However, the thought the, no matter how old I get, I'm STILL the class weirdo is something I've learned to live with and appreciate.

I just thought - since the last pages of Stinz are done by very practiced friends, perhaps they're being hated on - and getting the free publicity! Yay! Win-Win, Cin Cin.

Shortrun Maybe?

Shortrun needs a square thang.

REVISED. I AM going to Shortrun - and I'll be sharing a table with Roberta Gregory!

I MIGHT be at Shortrun in 2014. Everybody tells me I should be. In the meantime, the show needs a piece of art for the application, and this is the page they can retrieve it from (shut up, Grammar Nazis; if I can get over "transpire," you can learn to live with split infinitives. Welcome to English).

Heard many good things about Shortrun. I wouldn't expect loads of sales from it, but there would be a lot of My People there, so it would be another chance to visit.

So I don't have to hear Gary Groth ask me again, "Do we have to SNUFF somebody to get you to come to town??" 

Oh, and see if Fantagraphics has money for me, while I'm there.

If I did come, I'll be bringing fewer and fewer books. I'd be bringing the shortest runs ever - original sketches, done for you. No, don't ask me to break copyright, unless you can argue a very very very acceptable parody. And I only do Slash with my own characters, thank you. I'll even do Furry stuff, because they seem to have gotten their shit together, at last. And I still do the best boots and horses in the business.

"BIF! Bam! POW! I know NOSSING!"

NOT JUST A RIVER IN EGYPT - BRIDGED

However, I'm modifying this report, because as I've posted this, the guys in our industry have raged defensively against how women and girls are treated, and demanded to know where it's happening, so they can defend their colleagues and fellow fans. 

If this has made everybody so touchy they simply will not tolerate the abuse, whether on the internet or in business practices, our work (and I mean other comics professionals who have been demanding and pursuring action for years) is done. 

Or at least the Bridge of The Geese had been built for the boys.

BUT - from what I've seen of the industry response from the boys, in reality, for any problems with the hard cases, I'm calling the cops or the ACLU. I'd just as soon not be told, again, to suck it up like the black people do. No, I'm not kidding.

Calling the Cops on Conventions

Just sent this to Emerald City Comicon:

"I don't know if you remember my reporting some fan who was threatening to infringe on me and my table for the Emerald City Comicon convention, but you fine folks said, "Call us and we'll come a-running!" Your "Costumes are not Consent" posters are a beacon for everyone in our society, not just our community.

As you know, many women and girls in comics and other media cannot post on a forum, write a review or work with men in comics, without being called "bitches," "whores" or threatened with rape. For years, we've all been subject to some level of this abuse, from the mild to the full attack. Nobody listens to us.

Recently, a bunch of fan-boys began to lie about me, in an attempt to frighten and isolate me, as they've done so many other women. Those of you who know me are probably thinking, "No good can come of this."

However, I think it will. Bad things happen to me so I can fix them. If I'm bothered by these people at a convention, I shall simply call 911 and report "assault" - because that's what harassment is. I don't care if it's a dumb fanboy who doesn't know any better, or an industry professional who SHOULD. Enough of this abuse.

And I'm sending a copy of this letter to the Seattle Police Department, and posting it on my blog, http://www.donnabarr.com 

I doubt this will frighten Emerald City; they might welcome the backup."

And I did send it to the Seattle police, with a comment that I'm not asking for assistance now, but want to head off incidents before they happen. I've requested comments and guidance from the Seattle Police - and the best police know, and are proud, that they are public servants. 

Dumb boys mess with my liveried servants, will they? They want costumes - they can have some REAL ones to deal with.

Emerald City 2014

Ka-Blam adds the right touch, as usual.

Another great Emerald City Comicon. And, as usual, wore my Ka-Blam Tshirt, to show off who printed my lovely reprints of Stinz and the Desert Peach! 

Does it get any better?

Didn't post a lot of photos of Emerald City, because they're all over the interwebs! 

Hire the Artist - RATES

Donna Barr is a professional artist who works in her own style. Please view her art gallery at DeviantArt to choose ONLY THREE pieces you absolutely love, to give her an idea of what you want. Do NOT send her illustrations of other people's work. William Blake is dead, and you'll pay as much as you'd pay an anime artist if you want her to copy that style. No barter, please. And only one person gets Friend Prices - because she's done so much for the artist. Email for further details. Note: once a job has started, this blog posting acts as a contract. "Artist" refers to Donna Barr. Contact

Basic prices (Including shipping, handling and insurance) (DIGITAL THE SAME AS TRADITIONAL):

For any single-color (B&W, etc.) traditional illustrations, in any non-paintbrush media (ink or pencil):

       $175 per 8.5 x 11 illustration. 

     $50 per quarter page.

     $25 spot illustrations.

Color or paintbrush (acrylic or watercolor) per 8.5 x 11 illustration:

     $310 per page.

       $95.00 per quarter page

     $65.00 for spot illustrations.

Hand-lettering per page: $175, in addition to art.

Comic pages:
     Black-and-white comic-layout pages are $275 apiece.
     Full color comic-layout pages are $450 apiece.

Payment shall be for 50% up front, to start the illustration. The final 50% must be paid after approval for the art to be delivered, both as hard copy (paper, etc.) and high-resolution scans.

Copyright: 

The artist retains copyright if the artist completes both writing and art. If the client is the writer, the copyright belongs to both the writer and the artist, and any future handling must be negotiated at the time. Legal differences will be settled under the copyright laws of the United States, in whatever jurisdiction is most convenient to me.

Undelineated project Fee: $80 per hour.

I will NOT investigate from your work in lieu of carefully-thought-out exact descriptions of the specific illustrations. If you insist I do so, There is a $100 reading fee for short stories, $200 for poem, and $1500 for novels. 

Research: Please send a carefully-chosen packet of research materials for your project if you don't wish to incur the research fee of $80 an hour.

Full book layout for print-on-demand publishing: (not including book-length editorial services): $750. Layout can include upload and publication on any print-on-demand site the client prefers (ie., Lulu, Createspace, etc), as well as distribution programming. Whole payment up front.

Teaching you how to self-publish: $350. Whole payment up front.

Year of the Horse

The Chinese Man leads the way

This year's film of the Clallam Bay Dragon Dance is too much like last year's. So I'm just posting a couple photos. 

The "Chinese Man" is very odd. Sue Heiny, of the Three Sisters Clallam Art Gallery, wore it last year. She talked a young man into doing it this year. 

It's the usual silliness, and if it hadn't been for Sarah Grafstrom, who posted her Golden Dragon head on Facebook Friday, I wouldn't have gotten myself together in time to make this quick cardboard horse head. 

Whineeee!

And bake up some quick 5-Spice Peanut sugar cookies. Yes, I cook with whatever I have in the cupboard. 

Thu, our favorite Vietnamese hairdresser, was in Vietnam this year, so she didn't provide her usual fabulous Vietnamese dishes, but the feast was pretty great.

Music afterwards, with some hard-driving guitar work, and the funniest version of one of the Dylan songs I ever heard (Oh, I can't think of the name). Sarah was, "This song is too long!" so they tempo'd it up to about five times as fast, with a drum-set driving behind them. I laughed so hard.

I can count with my hoof, too.

Met a very nice young man who was also a fan of Jeff Bridges and loved the animated movie, "Surf's Up."  You know how you see so many old farts (like me) hanging only with their own age? I dunno. I love all the new stuff, and this generation of kids and young men and women are just too cool. And fearless and funny. 

See? That brain damage that ruined my memory came in handy; I live in the moment. It's more fun! 

Um... Sarah threatened to choreograph a dance routine with me for the next party. I can't sing or play a musical instrument - and the only one I could hear, the highland war pipes, put blisters on my tongue as I tried to blow up the bag - but Sarah and I are the funniest dancers in town. Those of you who saw me dancing at conventions KNOW that.

Be afraid.