Residency #139
OCTOBER 11 - 31
(Application Deadline: May 21, 2010)
Graphic Novels/Sequential Art Residency

CRAIG THOMPSON, graphic novels

Craig Thompson's book BLANKETS (2003) was pivotal in ushering in the age of graphic novels to the literary world. It won numerous comics industry awards: two Eisners, three Harveys, two Ignatzes, and has been translated into twenty languages. His debut book GOOD-BYE, CHUNKY RICE (1999) won a 2000 Harvey award for Best New Talent; and his CARNET DE VOYAGE (2004) documented travel through Europe and Morocco, promoting BLANKETS, and researching the forthcoming HABIBI. Since late 2004, Craig has been consumed with work on HABIBI, a 700 page Arabian Nights-esque epic, which will reach completion in 2010. Outside of graphic novels, Craig has drawn endless children's comics and illustrations for NICKELODEON MAGAZINE and NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS. And he received a 2007 Grammy nomination for his album artwork for Portland band MENOMENA.

Born in Michigan in 1975 and raised in rural Wisconsin, Craig has lived in Portland, Oregon for the past twelve years. He blogs at http://blog.dootdootgarden.com

Residency statement:

The two biggest challenges in graphic novel-making are the lack of editorial feedback (from a literary industry inexperienced with graphics or a comics industry conditioned to serialization), and the hermetic isolation required to commit to such a project. I'd like to break through these barriers, offering editorial insight on still malleable projects, and a social camaraderie

I'm looking for creators intent on both writing and drawing their books and committed to a longer form work of 100 pages of more.

These books could be fiction or nonfiction, but preferably narrative (rather than abstract or experimental), though it needn't be limited to genre conventions of comic books or prose books.

We will meet at least two hours a day, share storytelling concerns with myself and/or the group, experiment with drawing tools and techniques, participate in practical exercises like figure drawing (reference poses in each other's projects), and simply play at the beach.

Application requirements:

Applicants should submit a proposal for a graphic novel: an outline of the narrative, and samples of finished comics pages (from previous work or the current project).

But artists will benefit most if they can bring a finished first draft in an edit-able form to the residency. This could be in typed screenplay format, though I favor a hand-drawn thumbnail which includes text AND image, and is drawn legibly so others can read and offer comments. In this form, we can discuss narrative individually or as a group, hone preliminary craft like reference poses, or dive into finished artwork.