Residency #139
OCTOBER 11 - 31
(Application Deadline: May 21, 2010)
Comic Book Workshop / Graphic Novels Residency

PAUL POPE , graphic novelist

A comics reader since the age of four, Paul Pope (b.1970) has gone on to a successful career in the visual arts which stretches across a wide spectrum of related disciplines-- comics, print-making, clothing and costume design, and fine illustration. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential cartoonists of his generation.  His art style blends the graphic and narrative traditions of comics from Europe, Japan, and the United States.  "At his best," writes The Comics Journal, "Pope's drawings, loosely and densely rendered with long, sinuous brushstrokes, have the grace and fluidity of Asian calligraphy."

In the mid-90s, Pope burst onto the American comics scene with the charmingly odd and delightful science fiction hit THB, garnering many fans and award nominations along the way.  Soon after, he was hand-picked by Japan's largest publisher, Kodansha, to be part of their experimental "World Manga" project, and for the rest of the decade Pope was creating a number of new projects expressly for the Japanese market. Pope has the singular distinction of being the only American cartoonist to have been trained and to have worked in the mainstream Japanese manga system for over half a decade. Oddly, after six years of work for Kodansha, in which Pope produced hundreds of pages of material, only about a dozen pages have ever seen print.

Since then, Pope has created a number of original, largely science fiction-oriented stories for the comics market, both here and in Europe.  His Vertigo series HEAVY LIQUID made Publisher's Weekly list of the Top 100 Books of 2001.  His follow-up, the sexy, near-future noir-romance, called simply 100%, was nominated for the coveted Plume Award for Best Graphic Novel. His next book, BATMAN YEAR 100, earned Pope two Eisner Awards. His first artist's monograph, simply titled PULPHOPE, was published in 2007 by Adhouse Books. During this time, Pope also worked on a number of projects with Italian clothing company Diesel Industries. In 2008, DKNY Jeans launched 2089, Pope's own capsule clothing line.

Currently, Pope is working on a long piece of comic book fantasy fiction for young readers called Battling Boy, a project which is also currently in development at Paramount Pictures.  He is also working on a number of short projects for French publisher Dargaud.

Paul Pope lives and works in New York City, and claims his goal is to create "World Comics, 21st-century comics, stories set in the comics medium, which can reach out and speak to people everywhere."

* For more information on Paul Pope please visit http://pulphope.blogspot.com/

Residency statement:

Before I decided on a career in comics, I had 8 years of university training in the studio arts and art history. I spent years thinking I'd have a career in painting or possibly academics. During my free hours, I privately read and enjoyed comics. Comics are a love I developed as a child and which I kept to myself, since I found a lot of inscrutable hostility toward the medium in my academic environment. Despite this, thanks to my art education, I developed countless skills and ways of thinking which continue to affect and inform my work as a writer and as visual thinker--even now, after almost 20 years in the business.

While it is certainly true that formal arts training is not required in order for one to work as a professional cartoonist (I can think of dozens of excellent cartoonists who are completely self-taught) I have often been able to rely on my time as a serious student of the arts in order to solve visual problems and develop interesting ideas. Training and study often help shorten the distance between effort and goal, and in this spirit I am primarily interested in sharing some of the fundamental lessons I've learned with a group of bright people who may not have--for one reason or another--studied at an art school or university.

I believe one of the greatest benefits a student of the visual arts can learn during his/her time at school is a sense of process-- a deeply intimate and individualistic method of working, added to a wide proficiency with the various tools of picture making. A personal working process is something we as artists all share and must understand, whether our interest is primarily in the superhero genre, humor, or something else. I am interested in helping my Associates develop and enrich a personal sense of how and why to work, and to share ideas which can benefit all of our future work.

We will have daily weekday meetings as a group in an informal setting, using reading materials I will provide as a starting point for discussion. I will be sending some reading material to Associates in advance which will be required for the residency. We will discuss the ideas and theories of some artists working in comics and some from the history of fine art, filmmaking, and fiction writing--all of which are disciplines which lend themselves to comics.  All Associates are expected to read the material and participate in discussion. Associates can expect some group drawing each day. During this time, we will be using and considering analogue drawing tools--pencil, pen, brush and ink-- in order to develop a few short projects. There will be a weekly group critique for each of these short projects, primarily intended to help Associates learn how to speak about their own work and about others' work and how to offer and accept constructive criticism. We will have a live model for a few sessions focused on figure drawing and we will have a couple of guest speakers. If possible, we will visit some working artists in their studios in the area. I will demonstrate some of my drawing and writing techniques and share some of my knowledge of drawing tools.  Associates are welcomed and encouraged to bring their own personal work, and I will be available for one on one discussion regarding personal projects as well. We will not be using computers. Associates will not be able to use their cell phones or be online during meetings nor be able to take photographs or screen captures in the workshops. Students are expected to bring their own art supplies and are welcomed to use their favorite tools for some--but not all--projects. A list of recommended drawing tools will be provided.

Application requirements:

Applicants are required to submit the following:

~A short personal biography (1 page) including your age, gender and schooling. If you have had any specialized schooling, training, or area of expertise, I would like to know this. Associates must be at least 21 years old and the residency is not limited to college age participants. Anyone with a serious interest in making comics and who believes the residency will benefit their advancement may apply.

~An artist's statement (1 page). Please include your particular interest in comics/cartooning and a brief description of the type of work you intend to do in the future.

~A brief statement of likes and dislikes (again 1 page). I would like to know:

            a.) which types of comics/manga/bandes dessines you like/dislike,

            b.) which artist's tools you like/dislike,

            c.) which types of books and films you like/dislike. This is not a litmus test--there are no wrong answers-- I just want to get a sense of your tastes and interests.

~Samples of finished comics (roughly 10 pages to 20 pages although you could send more). I want to see finished work from at least 2 separate projects, preferably complete short stories or self-contained sequences or scenarios. I'd like to see work in more than one genre if you can provide that. But be sure to send the work you're really interested in or which you're particularly happy with, not work you think I'd like to see. Subject matter doesn't matter, it can be anything you want to make comics about.

~Samples from your sketchbook (at least 10 to 20 pages). Any media is fine-- color, B&W, pencil, marker, etc-- the wider the variety, the better.

~Samples of any thumbnails, scripting, or any other prep work you naturally do in the process of making a comic (10 to 20 samples).

All submission materials are to be sent as digital files, preferably PDF format. 150 dpi RGB or Greyscale .tif or .jpg files are fine.

Please answer the brief attached questionnaire:

Please answer these questions spontaneously, without doing any outside research or review. I'd just like to get a better sense of who you are. There are no wrong answers, most of these questions pertain to your tastes and interests. If you don't have an answer to something or a firm opinion on this or that, just say "I don't know". Thanks:

1. Outside of school and your comics, have you written any fiction or non-fiction? Do you like to read prose fiction or non-fiction?
2. Would you say you have a good awareness of the history of American comics?
3. Off the top of your head, could you name 5 artists who worked in comics before 1980? Do you have a favorite?
4. Could you name 5 artists who work or worked in newspaper comics?
5. Could you name any contemporary cartoonists from Europe? Do you have a favorite?
6. Could you name any contemporary manga artists from Japan? Do you have a favorite?
7. Do you read European comics?
8. Do you read any manga?
9. Do you regularly draw in a sketchbook or write in a journal?
10. Have you ever drawn a live nude model? Do you have any objection to it?
11. Would you say you have a good working ability to drawing with brush and ink? If so, how long have you used a brush? What types?
12. Which magazines or websites do you regularly read in order to get comics news?
13. Which magazines or websites do you regularly read in order to get news of current events?
14. Do you go to comic book conventions or festivals? If so--which ones?
15. Have you ever sat through a portfolio review with a professional editor? If so, could you briefly sum up their message for you?
16. Have you ever had your work published? If so, where?
17. How long have you been drawing?
18. Do you have any interest in discussing the process of silkscreen printing? Have you ever made a silkscreen?
19. Do you like to go to museums? Do you have any favorite "fine" artists, either living or dead? Film directors?
20. Would you think it could be useful or beneficial to watch a film or films as a group and discuss it afterwards as it may relate to comics? Do you have a recommendation for such a film?
21. Do you have a copy of my book PULPHOPE?