Kelly Howlett

NYCC

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:40:49 GMT

NOOOOOOoooooooooooooo!!!!! Howard Zinn cancelled!!!

I had a neat random exchange with someone in the Press Room, though. I was explaining my love for Howard Zinn to Arvid, saying,"There's this great publisher called Seven Stories Press, and they have this great series of pocket books that are the compilation of lectures and interviews."

Someone in the corridor said, "You're right. They are a great publisher. I work with them."

...so I got to have a fun conversation with a few strangers about our Howard Zinn fandom. Sometimes, I forget I'm in NY, and there are a lot of publishers here... and it's possible to just run into people that do stuff you've heard of.

The rest of the convention was really weird. I had a lot of fun. Working with Dylan is a lot like being on a scavenger hunt. However, it's strange not having a table. I'm not used to walking around... Free Range Kelly gets confused. It did give me an opportunity to gush at Celia Calle, who is freaking awesome. (and cute!)

Next month: Philly. Can't wait. ...and I'll have a table.

Eye Candy From Strangers

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:52:18 GMT

I got my books yesterday and they look really nice. There's a few illustrators in there that really blew me away, so I feel very honored to be included in the project. I have a few extra copies to sell at conventions, but I don't think I'm going to be selling them from my website. If you'd like a copy and don't plan to be at Wizard World Philly or Chicago, you should order one from the website: http://www.brandstudiopress.com/store/
You'll save $5 off the cover price by buying direct from them.

OOooh. I'm also TOTALLY excited that Howard Zinn is going to be a guest at the New York Comic Con in a few weeks. I told Dylan I feel a little strange being the Howard Zinn fan girl, especially since everyone else is gonna be all over Neil Gaiman and Stan Lee. Howard Zinn!!!

oh... and if you want an invitation to Dripbook.com, send me an email to kellyhowlett@gmail.com and I'll send one your way.

add me!

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:04:03 GMT

Just a reminder for people to add me on their other social network sites:
LiveJournal
MySpace
Etsy
Deviant Art

And now I'm also on:
Facebook
Dripbook

...and now I'm going upstate for the weekend. be back soon.

New Art Book

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:02:21 GMT

Woot!

Eye Candy from Strangers is an artbook I submitted to last year, and it's finally almost ready to ship. Here's a link: http://processjunkie.blogspot.com/2008/03/eye-candy-for-strangers-lives.html

still setting up in New York

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:41:53 GMT

I'm not quite set up yet in New York, but I'm blogging again. (finally) My desk was delivered last week, my new printer is finally here, and I finally have a semi-comfortable work area.

I didn't make it to Wizard World Los Angeles. My name was on the program, but I didn't have anything to sell. The original for "A Slight Resistance" recently sold, the few remaining original works I have are in storage in Green Bay, and most of my prints are sold out until I have my new printer operational.

To all my friends back home: I miss you! I miss The Attic so much. I do have to say, the art scenes in Green Bay and The Hudson Valley are like night and day. People here care about visual art. People in Green Bay care about football. ...and to be fair, that's great! Lots of people love football. Even bad football is probably still more fun than bad art. However, I'm really enjoying that here there's a fantastic gallery show/gallery walk/or art festival every weekend of the year. I can't wait to show here.

setting up

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:48:47 GMT

just a quick note... I just wanted everyone to know I got to NY okay. Seemed as soon as we got here, we had to turn around and drive three and a half hours back upstate for a funeral. Dylan's grandfather died. :-(

so, I'm here, I'm okay, I'm sorry for not updating sooner... and it'll be a little while longer until I've got my own computer set up and I'm back in the game.

oh... it also doesn't look like I'm gonna make it to Los Angeles. We'll see. I'm seriously bummed, but the timing is awful. I've got too much work to do.

last night

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:23:58 GMT

I wanted to apologize to people that didn't see me last night.

I was there... at titletown, upstairs... in a corner booth. I didn't realize the madison alumni would be there watching the badgers game, so the place was super crowded, and I had to flag down people I saw looking for me. I didn't spot everyone I needed to though, so I'm sorry to the people that drove out and then went home before the game ended. Once the game ended, the place cleared out, and my friends took up all the booths upstairs.

I'm still going to XS tonight. Then tomorrow, I drive to NY. I'm packing up my computer now... so I'll catch up with everyone again in a few days. See you then.

schedules....

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:18:06 GMT

This weekend... (last weekend in Green Bay)

Friday:
Comedy City show... 9pm
Kevin's house afterwards.

Saturday:
TitleTown Brewery... 9pm until midnight? Still tentative.
If you have something better in mind, let me know.

Sunday:
XS... 10:30pm

So, those will be the places I'll be this weekend if you want to come and hang out and say hi before I go to NY. Give me a call, feel free to set something up with me, stop by one of those nights, whatever... but I leave on Monday.

Convention Schedules...

Looks like I'll be exhibiting in Los Angeles in March
Just attending the NYC con in April
Exhibiting at Philly in May, and Chicago in June...
However, those aren't confirmed and I'll keep everyone updated when I know for sure.

I hope I see some friends this weekend!

weirdness at my house

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 22:49:53 GMT

This afternoon, while on the phone with Patty, I get a text message from my roommate Leah, "Jesus loves a winner, and he loves hoagies, too."

I take this as a hint to get off the phone, stop hiding in my room, maybe have lunch. I go to the kitchen, open the fridge, and she has taped a crucifix to my sandwich.

I'm going to miss it here.

the deal with moving... and a sketch

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 08:53:59 GMT

Looks like I'm leaving on the 11th... as far as the party goes, there's nothing official planned... Everyone wants different days, so what we'll do instead is just broadcast where I'm going to be the weekend before I leave, and hopefully people stop out and say hi. It's no biggie if you can't make it. It's not like I'm never coming back, I'm just not sure when. I'll post the times and places early next week.

Also wanted to clear up some stuff.
1. I'm not actually going to be living in NYC, but just slightly upstate. I'm near all the pretty mountains and waterfalls, and thankfully train stations that can get me to Grand Central in under an hour.
2. I'm not moving out there to further my art career. SURE, it would be nice if that also happened, but let's be honest. I'm stupid about a boy, and airfare is getting expensive.
3. Shut up! I'm allowed to be stupid about a boy. Dude, you saw his Tiger Beat cover. He smells good, too.
4. He hates it when I call him "the boy". Seriously hates it. I'm sorry. sorry.
5. I'm not leaving because I -hate- Green Bay... but I -hate- Green Bay. Well, not really, but I could use the change of pace. I've become one of those old people that talks about all the cool places that no longer exist, and what they used to be before that. I'm stealing this from Kevin, but I'm like the farmer giving directions, "Go past the old Wyrzykowski place, and about three miles before it dead ends, take a right."

and in a completely unrelated note, here's part of a sketch I did a couple days ago. Hmmm... can't remember what I was upset about... I'm sure it was because my stock is down. OH, I remember. Subzero temperatures. Possibly the Cowboys game. (not really the cowboys game)

from a recent project

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:51:24 GMT

sometimes I like to draw on envelopes

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:13:21 GMT

sometimes I like to doodle on the envelopes I mail my orders in....

clarification on an ebay item...

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:32:00 GMT

Found this on ebay...

Let me just clarify - That is NOT the original.
*I* have the original. It's hanging above my desk right now.

That seller is selling a professional quality inkjet print. The seller probably picked it up from me at a convention, because it does appear to have my signature.

but again, it's NOT the original. If you're interested in the original, make me an offer. I may auction it off soon. I don't want to take it with me to NY.

some announcements

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:03:46 GMT

My book, Substrate, is now available in Manhattan at Jim Hanley's Universe. It's also still available for purchase online at Etsy.com and my website.

And it seems like everyone already knows, but I'll make it official: I'm moving to New York. Yup, I'm taking a break from Green Bay. Maybe as soon as next month. No word on if I'll be having a going away party, but I will be auctioning off some original works before I leave, so I'll keep everyone posted on that.

I just got back Sunday from my latest visit out there. Other than going to Central Park and The Met, Dylan and I completely hid out. We played a lot of Lego Star Wars, which I highly recommend. (Sorry New York friends! I'll be out there again soon! (especially you, Yat!)) I've had quite a bit of time off, so I'm ready to get back to work. ...well not really, but I have no excuse for NOT working. :-)

Also... I'll leave everyone with fun airport stories and pictures...

Sunday there was some heavy fog that canceled my flight home, so I made the choice to wait five hours and hope that the last flight of the night wasn't grounded as well. I have to say, if you're going to spend five hours at an airport, DTW is a good one to do so.

I love airports. I'm not a big fan of waiting around or going through security, but I love that every time I go to a nice airport, I feel like I'm in the future. Moving sidewalks, the tram, brushed aluminum sculpture things, that big dark tunnel with the loud ambient music and the lights that change color along with the music... I like that everything in an airport is modern.

Ah, the big dark tunnel with the loud ambient music and the lights that change color. Fun. Here are some pics:

Also, when I decided to get some food, I chose a place on the opposite side of the concourse. I saw a gate that said "Madison" and it caught my eye because the gates for Madison and Green Bay are usually next to one another. In that moment, I heard someone call my name. Nick, a friend of a friend, shouted my name and reintroduced himself, as we had only met once in July at a bar in Madison called "Le Tigre". So, I suddenly had a friend to help me wait out my layover.

Nick started talking to an older man about the book the man was reading, a war novel about Pearl Harbor. The older man recommended another war book before Nick asked me what I was reading.

Me - "oh... this book "Come In Alone" by Warren Ellis. It's about the comic book industry."
Older man - "The Communist Machine?!?!?"
Nick - "No, comic books. COMIC books."
Older man - *looking relieved* oh!

About then is when the girl's basketball coach from my highschool sat down with us...
It was just a bit surreal.

oh, also...
I've been scolded for not updating enough... especially since I have been having more adventures. I'll be better, or at least I'll try.

hottest roommate ever...

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 07:00:33 GMT

Something I'm working on... not finished, but I like it like this.

I've been way depressed lately. The kind where I want to shut off my phone and hide in my bed all day. Still, in another week, I'll have dealt with the worst of the darkness, and in another I'll be in NY again. Can't wait.

UWGB literary magazine launch party tonight

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:41:24 GMT

Here are the pages from my interview:

Party tonight at 6:30pm at the Christie Theater in the University Union building.
Copies of the magazine will be available for free to students... and only $1 to non students. That's kind of ridiculous. You should give them more than a dollar. It's 80 pages of full color goodness.

I'll also be there with a small selection of prints and copies of Substrate for sale.

Paraphrased conversation between me and the boyfriend...

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 22:56:51 GMT

Me- "what are you doing today?"
Dylan- "I have to photograph people in Anime costumes at a convention. How about you?"
Me- "I've got a deadline coming up quick, only it's too short notice to get reference for it."
Dylan- "Can't you get your roommate to pose for you?"
Me- "I doubt it. It's an erotic poem."
Dylan- "What are you gonna do?"
Me- "I dunno. I guess I'll browse some porn until I find something."
Dylan- "Well, if you ever need reference shots of action figures, I'm your man."
Me- "We have awesome jobs."
Dylan- "Yes, we do."

new book out soon

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:14:18 GMT

December 10th is the launch party for University of Wisconsin - Green Bay's literary magazine, Sheepshead Review. They've published an article about me, including some of my most recent work.

I believe copies of the issue are free, but I'm sure they would appreciate a donation. If anyone really needs me to grab an issue for them, let me know. I do plan on trying to get scans of the pages to put up on my website.

7:00pm in the Christie Theater... I'm told there will be cake, but that could be a lie.

crazy long NYC post...

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:35:27 GMT

so much to tell...

Okay... first... sketch on the flight to NYC:

I had my portfolio review at DC, and the more times I tell people about it, the more negative my take on it becomes. No one said anything bad about my work. Everyone I talked to said I was talented. I think the worst criticism I received was when Bob Schreck told me to work on my hands, but then pointed at a piece and said, "you nailed them here though."

There were the obvious things... no men, no backgrounds... this wasn't considered too much of a problem though. The problem became the question, "what is it that you want to do?"

I've been told by a lot of art directors, "I love your work. I just wish I could use you for something."
So, I'm failing at something major. I need to show publishers how to utilize me. It's really my job to show them how. This made me think a lot about trying my hand at coloring. It seems to click with me, so that's something new I'd like to take a crack at.

Also... I'd just like to say, I completely adore the people I've met in the comic book industry. I wished I lived closer to some.

So DC bought me lunch. :-)
And I also happened to walk past Random House... and I thought about how different it is to be in the middle of where things happen. Not much happens in Green Bay.

Later that night, I caught up with Dylan and Patty took us to the Shooting War launch party at Sutra Lounge.

Who's Dylan and Patty, you ask? I met Patty at San Diego this year. I'll be collaborating with her very soon. I met Dylan in Chicago this year. He's my snazzy new boyfriend. He's the staff photographer at Wizard Magazine... as seen here:

Yeah. I made that. He just looked too pretty in that picture for me not to photoshop it. I adore him.

The rest of the week was pretty much spent with the boyfriend type guy. We even went upstate and caught up with his family and some friends of his from high school.

... so... hilarious story. This guy walks up to Dylan at a bar, and says hi... Dylan introduces us, and this guy says to me, "You know Dylan was a DORK in high school."

I thought this was the lead in to a story, but he just walked away. It was like a random drive by cock block. I wished I had a chance to say "you know we met at a comic book convention, right?" or tell him about the Larping and Ren Faire stories we traded on the drive.

I told my friends at home about this, and we started talking about how much fun it might be to wear an inappropriate costume at a Ren Faire. Like Sailor Moon... or Star Trek. We about died of laughter at the thought of getting a group of us to dress in Star Trek Uniforms at Ren Faire and pretend we were an away team or on the Holodeck or something.

This led us to look up the Geek Hierarchy.

You'll notice, BAMM!! Published Science fiction/fantasy writers/artists are on top! I am right where I like to be!

And I can't conclude this post without thanking Kevin, Yat, Emi, and Pete because they're awesome. Especially Yat. Thanks for letting me stay at your place, Yat!

Sketch on the flight back:

Back from NY

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:36:45 GMT

When I left LaGuardia, it was 56 degrees. When I arrived home in Green Bay, it was 16, and everything was white from road salt. Gah.

So... I'm swamped with homework tonight... and will be in school all day tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll have time this weekend to make an update about the trip. I've got a couple sketches from my flight.

Still in NY.

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 22:19:55 GMT

Yesterday, I had the best time over at the DC offices. I had lunch with Bob Schreck and Patty Jeres, and later got to meet Joan Hilty, Mark Chiarello, and Angela Rufino. Loved everyone, and got some good feedback. Right now, I'm at Wizard Magazine, typing away at Dylan's desk while he's shooting photos in the photo pit.

I've seen some amazing art so far this trip, mostly on the walls of the offices I've visited so far. It's incredibly fun. I'm not going home for another week, but I'm already super excited to paint. I'm glad to have this time off, though. I was really getting stressed out with school and all the other craziness.

It's also really nice to know I'm coming back out here in December.

some updates...

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:19:07 GMT

This time next week, I'll be in NYC... woot! I'll get to see a ton of friends, and even visit the offices of DC Comics and Wizard Magazine.

I realize my website is still all messed up for people using Internet Explorer(exploder)...and I'm afraid I can't really fix that until I'm back from my trip, but I'm gonna put some stuff up on my Etsy store then as well. Everyone familiar with Etsy? There's some really cool stuff there, and it's easy to use. My store is here: http://kellyhowlett.etsy.com (but nothing is up right now)

In other news, my awesome printer died. I'm gonna have to buy another one, which won't be as bad as I originally thought. It was a $500 printer, but I found something actually a little better for $300 after rebate. I'll probably be ordering that once I get back from my trip as well.

No new art to report... but I framed A Slight Resistance today, and will be hanging it up at The Attic soon.

I'm a bad blogger.

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:19:44 GMT

I've been meaning to post for a while... I just never do.

I've been at my desk almost literally all weekend, working on homework for my clinical anatomy, physiology, and pathology class. Next on the agenda is working on my portfolio, which I need to update before I go to NYC. Then, business homework. Then making a dent at the inbox. Nothing will be completed tonight and that's frustrating, but I do feel very productive. I just wish I had more to show people.

I am... insanely jealous. My friend Sheri asked me if I wanted to see Tori Amos with her and I said I didn't have any money. Today, she emailed me pictures... of her with Tori. She got to meet her! *jealous* I should have gone, but then again, the medical bill sitting on my desk says I'm a bad person if I don't pay it. Stupid preventative medicine.

gah. back to work.

life and work...

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 21:14:02 GMT

I just got my notes for the next trimester of classes, and it appears I have an obscene amount of work to do. It seems if I want to go to NY twice in the next two months, I'm going to have to bring some of it with me. This is really annoying to me, because I already haven't touched any artwork in a few days and I miss it badly. I also have a very important project I'd like to focus on, but I've got other deadlines ahead of it. *sigh*

-swamped-
...and I owe SO many people emails.

Okay, I'm off to caffeinate myself and get started on this new workload.
I'll be back later this weekend with pictures.

my kevin bacon factor

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 02:02:26 GMT

so... check this out... my own page on the internet movie database: http://imdb.com/name/nm2804254/