To focus my work and draw up any future proposals for grants and such I have decided on my project's mission statement:
I aim to create an accessible graphic novel that addresses problems that people face in their day to day life and lets them know that they are not alone in their feelings and experience. I will do this by writing a story that focuses in on a group of young adults many of whom are members of the LGBT community. Themes tackled will include but are not limited to: * Dealing with the pressures of being a community leader * Coping with the loss of loved ones * Dealing with addiction problems * Defining relationships and what they mean to us * Dealing with debt and unemployment * Being a survivor of sexual assault * Social justice and social understanding * Polyamory and alternative relationships * Suicide * Living beyond labels that we are given/own * Modern evolution of social interactions The story and subject matter will be inspired by interviews with community members but will not be in a biography/autobiography format. Research done will lend its way to help identify how people in similar situations have situations have responded and find things they hold true to their personal experience of the world in order to create beautifully broken characters that real people would be able to respond with. Because of this it is not entirely a work of fiction, instead it blends elements of many peoples experiences and my own narrative lending itself to a more organic work.
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Happy Canada Day Weekend. A friend invited me to an upcoming event called the Awesome Foundation. 10 people get together monthly and donate 100 each to fund a local cause they vote on. Several finalists are chosen and at a final event party the finalists projects are presented, questions asked of the finalists, and the winner determined.
Now that I have enough writing done to start in on the project I think I'm going to really focus this weekend on producing the first pages of the comic so I can give a proper proposal with samples of both the writing and art. In addition I would also have to submit details on why the money was needed. I had to really reflect on how I want to shape the project. Because I want this to be accessible I have opted for a online webcomic with the possibly of publishing after enough work has been collected. As an author I scribble notes in books and as an artist I like to do all my pencil and ink work using traditional mediums. Colors would only cost me time sitting at my computer. So I sat down and broke my costs down. Online Hosting Space: 60$ for a year Domain Name: 20$ Art Boards: 20$ for a pack of 25 x3 for the first year of comics Technical pens- 4$ each x 30 for the first year T square - 15$ India Ink - 20$ for a pot x2 for the first year Ink Brushes - 30$ Drafting pencils- 4$ each - 30 for the first year Font rights- Adding it up we come to 465$ which is almost half of the grant for the basic art supplies. I would also need sketchbooks, notebooks, and other miscellaneous art/writing materials but those would be incidental and on a case by case basis. Then I remembered the costs of conducting interviews. Most people want to meet in public settings and as they are giving me their time, stories, and thoughts I treat the beverages and snacks or offer them money in thanks. This amount is usually small coming around 10-20$ an interview. This begins to add up when quantity is considered. I will continue interviews through the course of the project and currently have 10 scheduled over the course of the next month. Even if I only conduct 40 interviews, averaged, the cost comes out to 600$ on the project in interview costs alone. The bigger base of experience I can draw from means I can better connect with viewers addressing their truths and shared experiences. I will be posting another update on comic content later but will try and focus on funding on this post. Hopefully this grant works out as it would cover many of the costs starting out. Hoping is good but preparing for other means of taking this project to fruition is good practicality. I will do some research into other arts funds both local and offered by organizations like the Ontario Arts Council. One more option would be to set up a patreon account where people can donate on either a per month or per page basis. This option is a higher risk option as funding isn't a guarantee and I would have to establish a reward system giving higher donors the option of bonuses like mailing original pages, custom art, or unflattened versions of completed pages. I will find a way to make this project work no matter the path I take as it is becoming a really heartfelt honest exercise that I feel could really help people, as something like it could really have helped me in the past. |
AuthorMy name is Patrick Brant. I am member of the LGBT community looking to share my skills as an artist to contribute meaningful work that has the possibility of helping people. This blog will focus on the production and process of that work including the accomplishments and challenges I may face. ArchivesCategories |