David Chelsea@@http://dchelsea.com/@@ perches at a desk with headphones on and a black pen in his hand. He stares down at his tenth page. Only 14 more to go. It has been nine hours since he first began, but he is still less than halfway finished with his newest creation.
This sort of intense concentration is part of Chelsea’s creative process.
Perhaps that is why he says he currently holds the world record for the most 24-hour comic books ever made. This past Saturday and Sunday — from noon to noon at the Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts (DIVA) — Chelsea was in the midst of creating his 13th 24-hour comic.
But Chelsea was not the only artist racing the clock. DIVA housed 12 other artists of various skill levels and ages to compete in the national 24-Hour Comics Day@@http://www.24hourcomicsday.com/@@. Every Oct. 1st, thousands of amateur and professional comic book artists across the world sit down in coffee shops, homes, studios, comic book stores, etc. and create original comics from scratch. The average comic book contains 24 pages. Thus, the artists must create a page an hour.
Reasons for participation vary. Richard Owens, digital marketing coordinator at Imagination International Inc.@@not finding his info@@, started doodling a comic one day when he was working at an art supply company. Owens was addicted to coffee, and it often would get him so energetic that he would chase customers out of the store with his chattiness. Thus, Owens began drawing his comic, “Things to Avoid” — the first thing being coffee.
But this past weekend, the 24-Hour Comics Day let Owens revisit his comic with corrections to make and new ideas. Owens, who had been at DIVA since eight that morning, told himself he was just going to finish one page and then go home. But around 7 p.m. the motivation and focus had kicked in, and Owens hoped he could get to at least page eight.
“Typically with the creative process, people like to give excuses to why they don’t do it enough,” Owens said. “There is no more excuses, you are being held in a bubble of support.”
David Chelsea originally began writing 24-hour comics after ceaseless artist’s block. He had started comics he couldn’t find the time or energy to finish. After hearing about the 24-Hour Comics Day, Chelsea decided he would give it a shot.
“I thought, ‘Why don’t I just sit down for 24 hours and get it done?’” Chelsea said. Then Chelsea and a group of his friends sat down with some coffee and munchies and began the session.
Since that time, his comics have ranged from a guy climbing a building to insomnia to snow angels; even a 24-hour comic about him creating all his previous 24-hour comics by weaving in old themes and characters. Chelsea will often put magazine clippings in a sack and pull out items that he can spontaneously work into his comics. He also weans himself off coffee a week before he does a 24-hour drawing@@drawing or comic?@@ and doesn’t reintroduce the substance into his cycle until he reaches page eight.
This weekend, his comic was based off of the novel “Moonwalking with Einstein” by Joshua Foer, which discusses the topic of memory palaces. Chelsea illustrates how he uses his own memory palaces to remember the things he has to do in a day, like pick up his daughter from a flute lesson or his grocery-shopping list.
DIVA and Ken O’Connell@@http://art-uo.uoregon.edu/faculty/emeritus/oconnellk@@, a University professor emeritus in the art department and president of Imagination International Inc., hosted the 24-Hour Comics Day. O’Connell also participated by drawing a comic based on a series of childhood memories.
In 2004, 24-Hour Comics Day started after artist Scott McCloud challenged his friend to create a comic in 24 hours@@http://www.scottmccloud.com/5-about/index.html@@. Over the years, the national day has gained recognition across the globe@@Would it be a national day if it is held across the globe?@@.
The participants are given tips on how to logically divide up their time: when to take breaks, when to eat, when to brush your teeth, etc. The only stipulation is that partakers cannot come in with any work done beforehand. They can only have conjured up a mental idea and, if need be, brought references to help them along the way. Everything is done by hand, except the addition of digital wording to their word bubbles if the author choses.
“You have a devoted time and space,” Owens said. “I get to finish what I started.” O’Connell’s company supplied the artists with coffee, snacks and Copic markers @@http://copicmarker.com/@@to assist the artists throughout the duration.
Chelsea’s work, along with that by the other artists from Eugene’s 24-Hour Comics Day, will be displayed at Eugene’s First Friday art walk on Oct. 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m@@http://www.lanearts.org/communityarts/firstfriday.php@@. Everyone is encouraged to go and view the comics these artists managed to finish in a day’s time.
David Chelsea, artists come together for 24-Hour Comics Day
Daily Emerald
October 1, 2011
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