Invincible Summer

Dear Bertram Van Munster, cc: Amazing Race Producers

2012-01-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Van Munster & Associates,
As you can see, I no longer sport the "Tootie" hair-do that I had in my Amazing Race audition video.

I just wanted to let you know, in case it makes a difference.

Still eagerly awaiting your call,

Nicole J. Georges

p.s. In case you cannot find the tape, here it is:

p.p.s. Please note that my partner is Beth Pickens, not the senior terrier shown in the photograph.

Author photo (c) Ally Picard , Bloodhound Photography

Student Comic & Pet Portrait

2012-01-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

Hello There!
Above is a panel from a comic about reading, done by a high school student who shall remain anonymous. It was one of my favorite panels from my recent residency at Benson High School.

Did you know I teach workshops and residencies to children, high school students, & senior citizens? I do. I will post more student work soon.

In the meantime, here is a cat portrait of someone named Winston, looking very handsome.

In case you are curious, the pet portrait scene over here is a little rough. Meaning, I am booked up through April at the moment. April-June I'll be too busy teaching to portrait for your pets, but after that we can talk.
If you are desperately seeking a portrait for a gift, consider getting a gift certificate! I will hand draw a gift certificate for your loved one, informing them of the gift they are to receive. Then you can wrap it up, see the look on their face, and they can have the joy of bossing me around themselves, instead of you doing it on their behalf.
Consider it!

I am currently working on the Vanport comic for Dill Pickle Club, planning my trip to the Chicago Zine Fest, and training daily, JUST IN CASE we get called for an Amazing Race audition.

Take care, more soon,
xoxo
n.g.

Zinesters Guide to Portland

2012-01-04T23:02:00.000-08:00

The Zinesters Guide to Portland was just mentioned in The Oregonian, and indeed there is a pull quote in which I am saying that you have to be prepared to Punch Your Way out of The Goodwill Bins if you find a Mohair Sweater there.
So take a look!
Also there is a picture in the print edition that I drew in homage to my favorite breakfast restaurant, Juniors.

P.s. Christmas Present

2012-01-01T19:38:00.000-08:00

Jeb got me new bike tires for Xmas (with the help of Nate), and made me a hand drawn card. Here is a photo of the card:

Thanks, Jeb!

A Julie Klausner Holiday Card!

2012-01-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, Friends!

Here is a holiday card I drew for Julie Klausner, star of podcast, print, stage & screen.

Card seen here next to a walnut Santa Mouse, made by my neighbor Alice.

She is featured with her cat, Smiley Muffin, clad in a banner & wishing you a Happy New Year.

You can listen to her podcast here or on iTunes.
Highly recommended.

xoxo Happy 2012!!!

n.g.

p.s. The first thing I bought in 2012 was some french fries. Just so you know.

The Hairy Maiden, dog photos, Crafty Wonderland photos

2011-12-30T23:07:00.000-08:00

Tonight I used the Shark Steam Cleaner I got for my birthday (ahem, check your calendar for that one) at the art studio and let me tell you, it was gleaming after a steaming. I've been there for almost one year, and I'll level with you that though I have swept, I have NEVER mopped the studio.
So now it's clean, and I sat down to use some watercolors, which are apparently my new thing.
I made this Hairy Maiden for my friends at Dovetail Bakery:

Let's see what they think. Here is a plain version for us:

I'll try to have prints of this soon, in case you'd like a
Ms. Hirsute U.S.A. 1922 of your own.

Here is a close-up of my Crafty Wonderland booth. The doilies were a hot ticket item this year.

This is on the last minute of the last day, after a week of working with wild abandon which culminated in fourteen hours of selling. I am wearing an orthopedic mitt.

And lastly, these two jokers who come to work with me, glad to have a nice clean studio floor upon which to set their dog bed.

Good Night!

xoxo
n.g.

Pet Portrait- Chucho in black & white

2011-12-28T17:08:00.001-08:00

Here is a bonus drawing of Chucho the dog as the Virgin Mary.

Party Birds! Crafty Wonderland Photos!

2011-12-26T14:48:00.000-08:00

THIS was my favorite acquisition from Crafty Wonderland this year. A Party Bird! For only $5!

I recommend you check out this woman's Etsy shop , called Magpie Ethel, and get your own Christmas crafts to cheer up your life year-round.

And thank you to this very lovely lady, The Paper Mama, for posting photos & bits from Crafty Wonderland on her blog. I think she loved the party birds as much as I did.

I made ten pounds of garlic roasted brussel sprouts with "Jeb" yesterday, which was a very athletic activity. A lot of pan carrying, stirring, oven opening and closing, chopping, etc.
In the process, we ate too many brussel sprouts, which I did not know could happen to a person.

Also, do you ever play Pictionary? I LOVE IT. I make up my own words.

Hardest words from holiday Pictionary (meaning ones that we couldn't guess):
Inspiration (try drawing THAT!),
Irritable Bowl Syndrome (drawing included an angry person, & steaming pile of you know what) ,
and
Sesquicentennial (drawing included a sasquatch and a calendar, with lots of arrows).

I would like to nominate Chelsey Johnson for quite possibly the BEST Pictionary achievement, this being getting her team to guess the word(s) "Cultural Appropriation".
She drew a dude with a moustache & a flannel shirt.
Then drew Oregon, with a star on Portland.
This got her team to eventually yell "Hipster!" ,
THEN she drew a Native American headdress on him, and at the last
minute as the clock wound down, someone yelled "CULTURAL APPROPRIATION!!!!!!!!!!" .
It was a magnificent day for Pictionary players everywhere.

I hope you are relaxing this holiday Monday.
What did you eat? Did you get anything good?

xoxo
n.g.

Pet Portrait- Chucho as the Virgin of Guadalupe

2011-12-26T12:18:00.000-08:00

This was a Merry Merry Xmas present commissioned for the owner of Chucho by a dear friend of theirs.

Those are little pine cones and sticks floating around, btw.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

2011-12-24T15:18:00.000-08:00

And Merrrrrry Christmas from the B-52s!

Bad Roommate Zine UPDATE

2011-12-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Bad Roommate Zine contributors & wonderers,

The Bad Roommate Zine did not come out in August as planned, but it will come out!

The old plan (to have it debut in August) got waylayed by a new round of To-Dos for my graphic novel, and the sad passing of a friend.

I apologize, and have now enlisted Zinester Provocateur & Co-editor of Tell It Like It Tiz, Marc Parker , to help me put together & get it out there.

The new plan is to debut the zine at the Chicago Zine Fest in March!

Take care!

xoxo
n.g.

Post Cards, Photo, etc etc

2011-12-19T23:18:00.000-08:00

I'm the second shortest person in this picture.

Hello!
I can't WAIT for the Xmas season to be over so I can show you what I've been working on. Notably, a pet portrait and a holiday card.
But of course, these items must reach their intended recipients with the element of surprise intact, so until then, I just tell you that I cannot wait.

In other news, I'm working on the cover to my book as soon as the last pet portrait has cleared my desk.

What else- OH! Ooh La la! I believe I am going to TCAF this year!
I will tell you more about this later.

ALSO, I made some postcards. I think they are nice. There is a giant sort of disclaimer I included in the Etsy listing for them, because I find that random online shoppers (not you... ?) are a little less scruffy and/or forgiving than myself, and so I have a constant low-grade anxiety about letting them down.
Is this true? Who knows. But I've had someone fall out of their chair when the (gocco printed) greeting card they purchased from me arrived and was on a thinner stock than they'd expected.
So now, I either never list greeting cards or I do with a giant disclaimer.
If you're ever interested in a greeting card, let me know and we can talk.
But in the meantime, the postcards are nice! They are cute! I'd like them in my stocking if I didn't already have a box of them downstairs.

Here are the images from the postcards.

Here is a hand drawn bday card I included in a package for a customer.
I care! I'm scruffy, but I care.

Here are places you can get your last minute Invincible Summer calendar:

FROM ME, OF COURSE

LONDON:
Magma Books

EUREKA, CA:
Mae Henry

PORTLAND:
Food Fight Vegan Grocery
Land
Alberta Grocery CoOp
Crafty Wonderland Shop
Reading Frenzy
Powells City of Books (in the small press section)
Zim Zim

ONLINE:
Little Otsu
Buy Olympia

Thank you and good night.

xoxo
n.g.

Giraffe Doilies, Chicago Zine Fest & Wishbone's Cover Letter

2011-12-15T13:56:00.000-08:00

Hello!
Okay, I've officially purchased my tickets and will be traveling to Chicago for the Chicago Zine Fest this March!

In other news, Wishbone is looking for a job. Here's the cover letter for her resume:

Just kidding. She can't work. She's not old enough.
BUT , this is the laminated page that came with her when I got her from a rescue 3 years ago. It was like a little advertisement for her in their binder full of wayward dogs.

And lastly, here are two new doilies. Giraffes for you.

And of course they are for sale. The ones above are $40, the ones below are $60. The doilies are 12"x12" across. Very large! Suitable for framing. Original drawings!

They're chilling out on Etsy right now.

xoxoxo
n.g.

THANK YOU

2011-12-13T22:23:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who came by my booth at Crafty Wonderland and said hello. ESPECIALLY if you bought something. Of Course.

Now...... HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I still have some postcard packs left from the craft show for your purchasing pleasure. They are on my etsy page.

xoxoxoxo
n.g.

Crafty Wonderland Deals TOMORROW!

2011-12-10T00:26:00.000-08:00

Good Evening.

I'll be at Crafty Wonderland all day tomorrow (Dec. 10 {also Dec 11}) .
It is free & at the Convention Center, Portlanders.

It is also my BIRTHDAY.

If you come to my table at Crafty Wonderland tomorrow and say
"Happy Birthday, Please Give Me A free Postcard",
I will give you a free postcard.

(This is not the postcard)

Here are a couple of other deals that will be happening tomorrow:
-3 calendars for $30
-Free set of postcards with any purchase of $10 or more
- Advice for $2
- NEW Hand Drawn One-Of-A-Kind Doilies for $20 (or $25, I'm not sure) ,
and new GIANT (12 inches around) hand drawn doilies for $40

Soooo......

See you at Crafty Wonderland!
My booth is #105, f.y.i.

n.g.

Tattoos! The Book! Senior Citizens! A Mouse Band! & More

2011-12-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

1. WATCH OUR AMAZING RACE TAPE.

Help us! I don't know how, but I think that watching it is a good first step.

2. Here is a photo from Lukas in Hamberg, Germany, who got a tattoo of the cone-collared cat from the 2012 Invincible Summer Calendar. Thanks for the photo, Lukas!
He & I agree that getting tattoos on her inner arm feels both disgusting and painful (disgusting being my word, as it kind of rattles your veins and yours truly has one big ole vein-phobia over here).

3. Next on the agenda, here is something that may or may not have happened to me today, in which someone revealed they'd been farting on me while I sat behind them.
I drew this comic in only five short minutes, but I just had to tell you about it.
Click to make larger.

I think that is all.
oh....

4. Cue the horns, mice:

I TURNED IN MY BOOK! (Again).
Again!
But for real this time! Like for real for real.
Woo Hoo!

And....

5.

Here is a pregnant butch comic by A.K. Summers , which is just great.

Okay that's it for real.
Have a nice weekend.
n.g.

P.s. My birthday is coming up. Here are some ideas for what to get me. It's a real shot in the dark/weird thing to steer strangers towards gifts, but YOU NEVER KNOW. Stranger things have happened.

If you are not a billionaire and live in Portland, come to my booth at CRAFTY WONDERLAND on December 10th and say hello! I'll be working there all day on my 31st birthday.

P.p.s. Thanks to the Mouse Band for providing the sound track to my book being finished.
xoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxox

We want to be on The Amazing Race !!!

2011-11-30T22:22:00.000-08:00

Here is our audition tape:

YACHTing on Youtube.

2011-11-30T15:17:00.000-08:00

Hey! YACHT has a new music video. Neat.

Check out my minorest of minor roles (and summertime Tootie haircut) in some YACHT-y youtube videos here.

Around the 4:00 & 4:40 marks

If life was narrated by Tyra, she would say
"In this never before seen footage, Nicole shows her stuff in a two minute long YACHT highlights video. A first in the History of Top Model."
My stuff meaning sitting in the background on a bed and chanting highlights of a tour through Italy, and later being in a music video for approximately 2-3 seconds.
I linked to this in my
European continent blog post, but here it tiz, embedded for your leisure.

Huzzah!

Small Fans

2011-11-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I've recently received a nomination for "Tiniest Fan", and her name is Ellie.

Ellie's Mom wrote and said:

"Ellie wants to touch these giraffes every time she passes them in the hallway."

Look at that small hand!

Thank you, Ellie & Moms. I am honored.

Also, I have my first hat-pasted-onto-owl submission from Sylvie in Portland (who is small, but I'm not sure how small, so until I have this confirmed, I'm going to guess {from photos and clairvoyance} she is about four years old). :

My friends were so torn when I asked whether or not the calendar owl should be wearing a mouse hat (like really, really surprisingly strong opinions on both sides) that I ended up putting a special "cut & Paste" mouse hat in the back of the calendar, so that everyone can make their own decision on the matter.

You can see the cut & paste area here, at the bottom of the calendar in this picture I snatched from Buy Olympia.

Okay. I think that's it.
Off to draw a dog as the Virgin of Guadalupe and a cat sitting "Like People".

What a life, over here.

Take care,

n.g.

p.s.
I once again horrified a room of teenagers today by revealing (both verbally and by example) that acne continues well into your thirties.
Sorry, students, but someone needed to tell the truth on the matter!

p.p.s. Did you know I am on twitter? Follow me: @nicolejgeorges .

House & Pet Portraits

2011-11-27T23:01:00.000-08:00

Here, have a house:

It's a panel from my upcoming book.

Secondly, more importantly,

PET PORTRAIT SLOTS ARE FILLED FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

If you would like to purchase a gift certificate for your loved one to receive a pet portrait in 2012, that would be lovely.

Here are some pet portraits from the recent past:

Take Care! Have a nice week!

n.g.

Sketchbook Diary Page

2011-11-25T22:17:00.000-08:00

If you have received an order this week with a piece of paper with a half baked drawing of a cat on it, you may be the recipient of a failed attempt at Smiley Muffin, the cat of Julie Klausner, whose rendition was a much more exciting use of my time than working on actual work this week.

Homemade Dog Food Comic

2011-11-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

From Muttley Crue.

True story.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T12:01:00.000-08:00

On this Thanksgiving, I give to you a livestream of the turkeys at Farm Sanctuary enjoying themselves in peace.

Watch live streaming video from farmsanctuarywg at livestream.com

More sad new from the land of cartoonists.

2011-11-19T10:27:00.000-08:00

Rosalie Lightning, the daughter of artists Tom Hart and Leela Corman, passed away in her sleep last night.
Here is a link to a page where Lauren Weinstein has started a Rosalie Lightning fund to help support the parents through this time.

It is an unfathomable loss.

Images shown are from the book Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa.

Interview, Camel Dog, Comics, Kitchen Nightmares

2011-11-18T21:01:00.000-08:00

Hello! It is a swingin' Friday night here at not-a-little House, and I write you from a cup of coffee and some leftover curry at what has become the calendar shipping station, i.e. My Dining Room Table.

I had hoped to be watching Kitchen Nightmares at this point in the evening, but realized I already knew everything that would happen on the show (A restaurant is troubled, Gordon Ramsey tastes the food and says "disgusting" {possibly finds rodents, rotten meat or infestation of another kind}, Gordon Ramsay goes toe-to-toe with a man who is in charge of restaurant, both men bark, Gordon's changes almost don't happen, somebody walks out but is then talked into coming back, troubled restaurant man backs down, accepts changes, customers say "This Is Very Good!", restaurant is momentarily saved, everyone thanks Gordon, troubled restaurant owner swallows his pride and shaked Gordon's hand with his head down in an act of gratitude and submission, Gordon barks hopefully into the camera, show is over) so I decided to sit here and write a blog post instead.

Side Note: Have you seen the Febreze commercial in which people are blind folded, forced to smell rotten pork chops that have been sprayed with Febreze, then guess aloud that what they're smelling is a latte or "fresh wood"?
The big finish (which I'll spoil here) is when they take off their blindfolds and step back in disbelief that they are in a moldy kitchen and not a Latte Land*.

*KC ref.

News:

1. Look at this dog.

2. I found out this dog existed while looking at the Facebook page of Wendi Mclendon-Covey, who has a photo war going on with her sister Shelley Mclendon, where they each post what they deem as horrifying photos, then tag each other in them.

Shelley was tagged in this photo.

Who is Wendi Mcclendon Covey? She was in Bridesmaids! She was on Reno 911! She and her sister told a story last night at Backfence about Shelley having a tail. It was a true story.

Here is a fan photo we took with Wendi, in which we all pretend to be old friends, all laughing at a great joke.

ANYWAY

Here is an interview I did for the IPRC blog, with accomplished writer and current Certificate Program student Amy Souza,
in which I reveal that I work all the time.

Here is a drawing of some early 70s Italian Food I did:

Here is a dog at an Occupy Wall Street protest who looks A LOT like Wishbone.

And here is another Muttley Crue comic from Good Dog Magazine, featuring Wishbone, Beija, and Jeb all in the same place.

In real life this scene is accompanied by whining and tap dancing and happens every day of the week, not just on Saturdays.

Take care and good night,

n.g.

R.I.P. Good Dog Magazine

2011-11-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

Sadly, Good Dog by Nomad Editions is being put to sleep.
Along with it, my bi-weekly Muttley Crue comic.

I will post some of the previous Muttley Crue comics here,
and perhaps work on finishing
some of the weirder ones that weren't fit for print.
(Nap on a dog bed, anyone? Anyone?)

Do take a look at Good Dog while you can. It's a nice dog magazine for your tablet or mobile device.
You can get a free copy on their site. The one that is currently available for free includes an article about freeze drying your deceased pet.

There are articles about grieving your lost dogs, and also a gallery of olde tyme dog photos.

Good bye, Good Dog. It was so nice working with you.

I wish I had a full length version of this poodle exercise video.

2011-11-12T17:28:00.001-08:00

Where to Buy Calendars in Person

2011-11-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

Hello! Do you want to know where to get calendars in Portland?
You can get them (thus far) in the following places:

Southeast:
Food Fight! Vegan Grocery
Zim Zim

North/Northeast:
Land
Alberta CoOp

Downtown:
Reading Frenzy
Powells City of Books

The places in bold have them as of 11/12/11.
Everywhere else will have them as of 11/15/11 .

You can always get them from my etsy shop, Spinstersummer.

And and and,
they will be $12 wherever you go.

If you'd like 5 or more, email me for a discount.

xoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoooooooooooooooooo

n.g.

Beija and the Calendar

2011-11-10T18:31:00.000-08:00

Good Day.
Things I want to tell you:

1. Calendars are here! I am about to bag them up for stores and stick them in envelopes for humans.

Here is a picture of every month's image. Just so you know.
Everything is (c) Nicole J. Georges. What a drag.

Secondly and more importantly,
here is a photo of Beija Georges, taken by Carli Davidson.

Image (c) Carli Davidson. Do not download.

Wonder who Carli Davidson is? WELL. She is an animal photographer (she has worked both with wild animals and pets).
One of her specialties, and my personal favorite, is her "Pets with Disabilities" project, which must be seen to be believed.
You will find on her page a photo of a chihuahua and his seeing eye pug.
With her permission I drew them for this year's calendar.
Look at her page! Get your pets over there! Get some prints!

That's all I'll say.

Did I post this yet?

It's the cover of a practice zine we did with students at the IPRC Comic Certificate Program.

I drew the picture. Jesse Reklaw did the lettering.

I think that's all I have to say. Since I am unabashedly procrastinating right now instead of finishing the final final edits for my book.
EXCEPT:

Do you know who Julie Klausner is? Check out her podcast.
She has saved me from a world of man-driven podcast listening.
It gets so hard to keep a giant block of salt in your mind in order to digest the comedy of the Adam Carolla podcast without consuming the horrible horrible politics.
Thank God for her.
And her beautiful hair.

Beija Stars in a Halloween comic

2011-11-08T19:39:00.000-08:00

This originally appeared in Good Dog by Nomad Editions.

Calendars Are....

2011-11-07T17:14:00.000-08:00

Almost Here!

Here is a photo of them from the printer.
They're in the process of being cut, folded, and stapled now.

I'll post as soon as they are here and ready to be sent.

n.g.

New Senior Citizen Zine, Dog Comic

2011-10-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to the library reading last night!
There should be a podcast of it up on the library's website soon.

I've got a skill that I'd like to share with you.
That skill is procrastinating really hard by burning up time on the internet.
Anytime you see a blog post by me, please be assured that it was never on my to-do list. Just a semi-productive diversion from whatever I was actually supposed to work on that day.

In line with that, here is a photo of a drawing I did for the IPRC once. Don't mind the rippy tape spot at the bottom. There were green heathered ringer shirts with this dude on them. I can't find mine for the life of me.

This photo is on this "Muss My Hair" blog.

Also- I have a few copies of the new "Tell It Like It Tiz" zine that we do with the seniors at the Marie Smith Center.
Snag one off Etsy if you like reading sassy conversations.

Also, Beija is now partially deaf. Did you know? Here's a comic about it that originally appeared in the online magazine Good Dog

. Now you do.

p.s. Wishbone can still hear.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2011-10-10T17:45:00.001-07:00

Please feel free to share!

Portland- Save on calendar shipping. Everyone Else- save on other stuff.

2011-10-07T11:54:00.000-07:00

Hello! I realized this morning (thanks to Felice), that I can figure out a way for Portlanders to not pay shipping on calendars.

If you live in Portland and would like to pre-order a calendar, I can offer you free shipping by offering a pick-up location, and also hand delivering some by bike.
If you live within 5 miles of North Portland (give or take), I will deliver your calendar by bike.
If you live outside of that, or are able to pick up, I believe I'll have your calendars ready and waiting at either The IPRC or Reading Frenzy downtown (9th & Oak). I will email you when the time comes and let you know where and how to pick up.

SO:
If you go to Etsy , you can put in the coupon code "Portlandprice" to get your free shipping.
BUT PLEASE include in the notes section whether you'd like pickup or delivery.

P.s. Note- All of the animal dudes you see in this post will be in the calendar. The tapir, the piglets, and the dogs.
Now about those dogs- This is a drawing of Diego and Kona, which was inspired by & drawn from a photograph taken by Carli Davidson.
Diego lost his eyes at age 3, and had Kona as his seeing eye pug for eleven years.
I am very appreciative to Carli for documenting their story and allowing me to portray them in ink.

Invincible Summer 2012 Calendar Images.

2011-10-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

Buy Issue 20 split with Clutch HERE

2011-09-14T23:12:00.000-07:00

Hello. The newest issue of Invincible Summer, my annual split with Clutch, is here!
You can get it on etsy at my shop, Spinstersummer.

R.I.P. Dylan Williams

2011-09-11T15:47:00.000-07:00

Post Revised: 9/14/11

This is a classic Dylan face.

Hi Friends.
I'm sad to say that my friend Dylan Williams passed away yesterday.

I taught with Dylan at the IPRC's Comic Certification Program, where he helped design curriculum, organized workshops, and taught World Comics.
I've been trying to figure out a good way to say that Dylan wanted to be part of this comics program in order to dismantle the comics program. If you knew him, then you know his taste went towards unconventional comics and art. The weirder the better. He didn't want our comics program to suck the weird out of anyone's drawings by teaching them our opinion on "The Right Way" to draw comics.

He leaves a huge hole in our hearts and in our school.
There's no one else quite like him, and we were lucky to have had his influence while we could.

I will keep Dylan's influence with me forever.
I will think of him every time I go to the Paradox Cafe, every time I sit in front of a class at the IPRC , and every time I attend the Portland Zine Symposium.

I don't know what else to say. I've been walking around like a leaden zombie this week, so apparently more places and things remind me of my friend than the three listed above.

We can't fix this, but there are a few things to do in the meantime.
One is to buy something from Sparkplug. This will help Sparkplug live on as much as possible, and could help to support his wife Emily.

The other isn't done yet, but some people are considering starting a foundation to provide support to artists and students in his name. If you're interested in helping with this, you can email me : nicole at nicole j georges dot com.

Wait- there's a third I just thought of- DRAW COMICS. Please make comics! Forget about panels and rulers, be as free as you want to be. I think Dylan would be really happy to know there were more weirdos out there doing sequential art in his honor.

Take care,

n.g.

p.s.
I've included some recommended Sparkplug published & distributed titles below.

Find them all by clicking here

Twitter and Calendar

2011-09-04T22:57:00.000-07:00

Hello there.
I'm working on the 2012 Invincible Summer Calendar now.

Also, I broke my pact with Kirk Read and joined Twitter.
You can keep track of when the calendar is ready for pre-order or order via twitter, or on here.

I had a long conversation with the writers and artists at the Radar Lab about the helpfulness of the It Gets Better Project.
Here is my It Gets Better comic that was in the Portland Mercury a few months ago.

I didn't realize until after it was published that in the end it looks like I turned out to be a tall butch. Not true. I'm the one with black hair in the last panel. My bad. Oh well, you can imagine that Jeb is the grown up me if it makes more sense.

Also, in case you wanted a virtual front row seat to the most excellent moment of my snorkeling life, Chris Vargas has edited our sea turtle encounter into this one minute, twenty four second video. Strap on your water socks and dive in!

Keep your eyes out for: Sea Fans, What I think is a school of Blue Tang Surgeonfish, and the for-real dorkiness that is snorkeling gear.

NEW SPLIT COMIC WITH CLUTCH

2011-09-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Hello, Issue 20 is here!

You can order it on my Etsy page.
If it's not there, send me an etsy convo and I'll post another.
Take care.
xoxo

p.s. if you got one at the Zine Symposium and are wondering,
I LOVE COMICS MADE BY KIDS. This is why I spend all my time working with students, helping them create their own zines & comic books! Okay! Ol-e!

Did I ever show you these pet portraits?

2011-08-26T21:42:00.000-07:00

A trio of pet portraits!
I even got to meet this trifecta of furriness.

If you want to see all the portraits I've done (give or take) in the past year or so, click on the label Pet Portraits below, or click here.

xoxo
n.g.

This, That, The Other. (Doilies, Retreat, Sparkplug)

2011-08-25T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hello!

1. It is the end of summer, and I am selling a batch of hand-drawn one of a kind Dog Doilies on my etsy page. They range from $12- $24, and for this you are buying a piece of original art. Which is neat. Here are a few examples, with links.

and Fun-Loving Yorkie
2. We are turning in my book to the publisher on September 1st. Knock on Wood Knock on Wood.

3. Thank you to the Radar Lab for offering a free, tropical residency for queer writers and artists.

4. There is a new Clutch/Invincible Summer split, AND a new copy of Tell It Like It Tiz (the oldies zine). Neither is in my clutches, but both will be SOON!

5. Sparkplug Comics founder Dylan Williams is a friend of mine who has fallen seriously ill. As he is a comic book purveyor and not an office-man, he has no health insurance.
A great way to support Dylan and Sparkplug would be to buy something from them!
I suggest:
Passage by Tessa Brunton
(I love Tessa's comic In The Tall Grass, which you can buy from Sparkplug. My copy of Passage is on its way to my house as we speak.)

or

Whirlwind Wonderland by Rina Ayuyang (I haven't read Whirlwind Wonderland YET but I hope to soon).

6. I can't think of anything else. I'm starting a podcast soon. I'll tell you all about it.
In the meantime, here's Beija:

Tattoo Talk, or "Tat Chat"

2011-08-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Have you ever wanted to get a tattoo of one of my drawings? I say do it. Just do it, and then send me a picture.

I am not trying to be presumptuous.
Maybe you hate my art and you just visit my blog to feel superior. Maybe you think tattoos are for circus freaks.
Whatever your vibe is, I thought of this post because someone posted their giant , beautiful back piece on my FB wall, and my very humble owl is sitting in the center.
This made me want to do a tattoo round-up.

Here it is:

It's not creepy, it's nice.

Speaking of tattoos & not being creepy, I have a tattoo based on art by my friend Ryan Jacob Smith, who recently moved back to Portland. Check him out!
(below is an example of his art, not of the thing I have)

Also, my tattoo artist Dan Gilsdorf has just relocated to San Francisco for the year and is taking walk-ins. Make wait-listed Portlanders jealous by strolling in there and getting some of the nicest work from Dan on the spot! He'll be working Mondays and Tuesdays at Black Heart Tattoo in SF, & Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at Freddy Corbin's Tattoo 13 in Oakland.

Look at how nice he is!

Okay. Take care and keep your tattoos covered in sunscreen this summer!

n.g.

p.s. Do you want me to draw a custom tattoo for you? If so, check out the pet portrait page on my website. The same prices and process applies. It's a little expensive and takes forever, but I am happy to do it.

p.p.s.
On a very non-tattoo note, I wanted to tell you about my new favorite thing to get in the mail, that being chocolates from Lagusta's Luscious.

Look at how nice she is!

Lagusta is located in New York and makes "heartbreakingly delicious and painstakingly made by hand" vegan chocolates which you can order by mail or receive in person!
She is also a feminist and has an entire line of chocolates named after her feminist heroes. Can you get better than that? Oh, you can. You can add this to the pot:
All our chocolate is organic and fair trade, and more than 95% of our fresh ingredients are certified organic. We are a completely vegan business using 100% post-consumer recycled paper and packing materials. We compost all kitchen scraps, use all eco-friendly cleaning products, and generate almost no waste! We make all our chocolates in our lovingly renovated chocolate shop, carefully built with the most eco-friendly materials our budget could buy. We walk the walk!
So....
I recommend to you the rosemary sea salt caramels, the furious vulvas, and any of the truffles. Bon Appetit!

Breaking News: Formerly landlocked Kansan leaves the continent, blogs about it

2011-07-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

Hello from Portland,
city of giant tomato plants, cabbage-eating-aphids, and two geriatric dogs, one of whom sits in the kitchen while I am away and the other, the basement.

Before I left on my trip abroad, I posted a photo of Beija on Facebook and wrote "Au Revoir Beija
". The lesson I learned in this is: If your dogs is 14 years old and you make any mention of the word "goodbye" (or get a tattoo of her name for that matter), everyone will assume your dog is dead and start freaking out.
I had to tell everyone Beija was not dead, and that I was just bidding audieu online. Okay.

So after years of being landlocked and only crossing the border to see Canada and Mexico, I traveled to Europe (in particular Italy and England) to visit Jeb (who was on tour in Italy with YACHT) and Beth (who is staying in London).

I wanted to show you some comics & food highlights from my trip.

1. Sketchbook pages about the 24 hour trip there (click to enlarge):

I landed in Milan and at my first show of the tour found this:

2. Italian Food Highlights and lowlights

COFFEE: even from a machine in the hotel lobby you have delicious espresso with crema. It is what you get anytime you ask for coffee. I was in hog heaven.

ROADSIDE FOOD: When you stop at a "My Chef" or "Autogrill" in Italy, you will be treated to DELICIOUS olive bread sticks, pasta, some vegetables, possibly focaccia, and always olive oil with balsalmic vinegar in the dining area. This was a food highlight for me after years of touring in the U.S. where ketchup packets and the smell of Subway are the hallmarks of our road food.

PEOPLE FEED YOU. When you are touring Italy, it is customary for your hosts to both house and feed you.
Highlights of this: many courses of delicious food and wine, always finished with espresso.

Lowlight:a delicious but dubious pesto which, after a little post-dinner detective work, appeared to include "fromaggio".

LOWLIGHT: Getting charged $11.00 for two espressos when Jeb & I were set free in Milan with our unwieldy Italian. Damn you, service charge for sitting!

HIGHLIGHT: Eating redemptive gelato (senza latte) for $2.50 and taking a photo with my filthy Food Fight tote bag in front of the Prada store.

HIGHLIGHT: Swimming in the Adriatic Sea

NOW ON TO LONDON

ENGLISH BREAKFAST: Often including vegan sausages. Shown here is breakfast from a hotel with butter-soaked mushrooms but otherwise vegan fare (I hate the word fare).

HIGHLIGHT: BANGERS AND MASH AT THE S&M CAFE.
Kind of like long , sausage-shaped veggie burgers. Delicious ones.

MIXED BAG: SAF RESTAURANT
I went to Saf in London for a late dinner with six people.
If you ever go there, I recommend coming early (our top three choices from the menu were sold out). I enjoyed their drinks (including quinoa vodka) , appetizers (Ex:Caviar Blinis- Beetroot and fresh herb caviars served on sourcream, sweet potato blinis with chives and shallots), and my dessert (chocolate orange torte). Here are some entree details:

BEAUTIFUL, BUT WEIRD, TACOS
This taco trio arrived soggy, with each shell heaped full of a salsa or bland guacamole only. The side salad was delicious.

BLACKENED TOFU
This was the stand out dish from our table. The plating was lovely, and the tofu had all the flavor that I was missing from my sad risotto. Speaking of the risotto....

It's main selling point (from the waiter) was that it was "filling". That feature was missing from the very dainty tofu dish, but when you are fine-ish dining, do you really need it to be a giant hearty vat?

Anyway, the risotto was missing something. Most definitely salt. When we received some salt it was locked inside a hellish and non-functional grinder, maddening each risotto-haver at the table as we ground and ground the salt to no avail.

The longer the risotto sat around, the more oatmealish it became. It was a large, heavy portion that, though complex on it's own, could have benefited from some flavor diversity and something to lighten it up.
I think this risotto deserves to be a strong side, and not a weak main course.

My last meal abroad was this strict vegetarian snack provided by Delta, with it's own sterile grape holder and totally not vegan gelato (first ingredient: skimmed milk). In case you're wondering, there is a very decent mini baguette with vegetables and vegan pesto shrouded in that foil.

I leave you with this buck toothed fellow from the Natural History Museum in London.

Over and out,
n.g.

p.s. Here is a video of Italian highlights.

p.p.s. Here is an interview I did with Radar Productions about my upcoming writer's retreat in Mexico.

Update & Pet Portraits

2011-07-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hello out there!

I am about to go out of town, so my Etsy shop will be on vacation mode.
Here's some news:

I am happy to have the COVER of the Bad Roommate Zine in my clutches.
The cover was completed by the very lovely Lily Pepper.
As for the zine itself,
it will NOT be out by the Zine Symposium, but it WILL be out soon. I am still collecting everything, but as of now I have EXCELLENT submissions from the likes of Carrie McNinch, Laura Moulton, Lisa Eisenberg , J.T. Yost, and more.

Here are a couple of pet portraits I've just finished.
I won't be accepting pet portrait orders again until the fall, as I toil over the last bits of my book (yes, still!).

I'm not going to be at the Zine Symposium this year, but I will be represented!
I believe Tugboat Press will be peddling the latest Invincible Summer/Clutch split,
and there will be a new new new issue of Tell It Like It Tiz, the zine I do with senior citizens.

Take care!

n.g.

p.s. Don't forget to take a look at my weekly dog comic, Muttley Crue, in the Nomad Editions magazine Good Dog .

Diary Vibes

2011-06-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

CLICK ME TO ENLARGE!

What's Going On

2011-06-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hello People!

1. We moved!

The dogs & I moved into a much larger house (compared to my Little House, which rang in at 596 square feet). It is not the house shown here.

2. Keep your eyes out for my short "It Gets Better" comic in this week's Pride Edition of the Portland Mercury.

3. I'm drawing a comic about the great Vanport flood for the Dill Pickle Club.

4. I'm also working on this year's split with Clutch.

5. I've started wearing a weird orthopedic mitt on my drawing hand, called a Wrist-O-Prene. Drawing to follow.

Here's a photo while you wait.

6. Am so close to the graphic novel finish line.

7. Am conceptualizing a podcast. Stay tuned.

8. I'm teaching at the IPRC's Comic Certification Program this summer and fall. Check it out, aspiring cartoonists!

9. Please be a fan of my Invincible Summer page on Facebook! Much better than strangers personally befriending my on there!

10. Submit submit submit to the BAD ROOMMATE ZINE by July 1st!
And if you're lively, stop by the Bad Roommate Storytelling Night at Mississippi Pizza July 2nd. Here's the info:

Hosted by Nicole J. Georges with special
guest cohost and longtime cohabitator STS.
Featuring
Kirsten Kuppenbender
Laura Moulton
Diane Gasperin
Lisa Koluvek
Cooper Lee Bombardier
Erin Fairchild
Valentine
and more TBA.

with a chance to tell your own bad roommate story
Open Mic
and
a contest for the worst tale of cohabitation.

This is your last chance to submit your story for publication in the Bad Roommate Zine!

$5, promptly at 9p.m.

Take Care!

xoxo
n.g.

p.s. Here's a cell phone picture of my new cattoo, done by the tattooing genius Dan Gilsdorf.

Dan will soon be in San Francisco, so lucky you, go and get something nice from him.

p.p.s. Do you like Light Rock? Then perhaps you will enjoy California Lite, by the very near & dear Katy Davidson with her band Key Losers! You can listen to it here for free (I think), and then buy it on your own.

Mood Barometer from the studio

2011-06-01T16:43:00.001-07:00

The Way Of The Paw

2011-05-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I've started doing a canine comic for a digital dog magazine by Nomad Editions .
It's not out yet, but in the meantime I asked a group of middle schoolers what I should name my new comic.
Here are their ideas:

One Dog Too Many
Four Legged Masterpieces
A Dog's Bark
Barked Up The Wrong Tree
Dog Days
In the Eyes of a Dog
A Dog Goes To Space
It's a Dog Eat Dog World
Hot Dog
Dogs, Dogs, Dogs, So Many Dogs So Little Time
Man's Best Friend Or Not
Doggy Days
The World of Dogs
The Eastern Paw
The Way of the Paw
Tuesday Treats
The Reel World Of Dogs
The Reanimation
Man's Best Friend
Two-Paws-Up
Doggy Dish
It's a Dog Thing

I also received a verbal (true) story about a dog who got shot, was put in a dog morgue freezer, and who then wagged his tail & was actually alive.

If only I could make a different comic to go with each of their ideas!

I ended up going with something totally different,
and as of now the comic will be called Muttley Crew.

Here is a sketch of one that didn't make the cut:

In other news,
We didn't get beamed up to outer space yesterday during the Rapture!
Woo hoo! I did have a dream that I turned into crystally glass bits with the rest of the planet during the rapture and it felt GREAT.

I am in the last weeks of finishing my book (again), so forgive my poor penpalship, bloggership, friendship, etc.

Take care, Reader friends!

n.g.

New Studio!

2011-04-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,
After 4 years of working in the closet nook of Little House, I've moved to greener pastures along the Willamette River!
Break a cyber champagne bottle in honor of my new studio!
I'll be sharing it with zinester and co-author of the Tell It Like It Tiz senior citizen zine/project, Marc Parker.

The dogs even like it here.

For a little perspective, here is my old drawing space:

...And my new drawing space:

Very psyched.

xoxo
n.g.

Stumptown Comics Fest Nametags

2011-04-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

I had some fun at Stumptown this year, getting to table with my great friends Alec Longstreth, Claire and Tugboat Press.

I have some photos from a panel I was on with Trevor Dodge, Diana Schutz, Brian Michael Bendis ,and Patrick Rosenkranz.

Here's a photo in which you can catch a glimpse of Brian yawning as I spoke.
These photos were taken by a very patient 6 year old who sat through the entire 2 hour panel on college-level comic classes without so much as a whine or a sniffle.

How People See Me, part I

2011-04-12T15:48:00.000-07:00

Here is some feedback from two people, circa 2008.

One is a portrait by my friend (writer, blogger, comedian) Tara Jepsen, drawn while on vacation in New York City.

The second is a quote from a drunk guy to me at El Rio in San Francisco, California.

Enjoy!

n.g.

Oldies Harass Marc

2011-04-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

As you may or may not know, I've been doing a zine workshop with senior citizens for the past four and a half years. We go weekly, and in recent years the most consistent volunteer & closest friend to the seniors has been my friend Marc. The ladies LOVE to give him a hard time. Read on.

Click to enlarge.

OH! By the way! Marc is going to be my new studio-mate!
After four years of working in the closet nook in my home, I'll be packing up and moving in to a historic building on the Willamette River. Photos to come.

We hope to get a new issue of our senior citizen zine, Tell It Like It Tiz', completed before the 2011 Portland Zine Symposium.
Cross your fingers!

xoxo
n.g.

How to Cross Stitch

2011-04-10T20:51:00.001-07:00

I did this how-to comic a couple of years ago for Modern Seamster magazine. Click to enlarge!

Food My Dog Family Eats

2011-04-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

Hello! Stay tuned as I post new bits & pieces I found in my comic artist/hoarder spring cleaning today!

*Note: Beija does not eat as many kale stalks as she used to, as Jeb pointed out a certain gastrointestinal issue they were causing. Ahem. BUT! she still comes running for broccoli stalks.

STUMPTOWN COMICS FEST

2011-04-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hello!
I will be at STUMPTOWN COMICS FEST next weekend.
I'm sitting at table C-16 with Clutch/Tugboat Press & Alec Longstreth (Alec shown here, in 2009)!
Come see me and buy something. I'll have prints and zines, etc.
I'll try to wear a booth babe outfit but no promises.

I'll also be speaking on two panels on Saturday:

The IPRC Comics Program Info Meeting
and a Teaching College-Level Comics panel.

IF YOU ARE WOMANLY & a comic artist,
come to this :

Drink & Draw Like a Lady: West —
Things From Another World - Hollywood
4133 NE Sandy Boulevard, Portland, OR 97212
Friday, April 15th
8p.m.-midnight

That's all I have to say for now. I was just cleaning out my pantry room (again????) and found almost a literal ton of unpublished comics which I will slowly scan and post for you here.

Take care. Have a nice Sunday.

xoxo
n.g.

Terrarium Fever, Amazing Race, Sister Spit & More

2011-03-23T09:54:00.001-07:00

Hello!
1. I made a terrarium. I went to a terrarium-making birthday party for a friend and came home with my very own fishbowl full of flora, complete with miniature house and mushroom. I can now space out and stare at the terrarium's landscape every morning instead of just staring at the cereal box.

How about a close up?

We've got some Irish Moss in there, and a little moss blob to the left, in the back yard of the ceramic house.

The terrarium is made of a fishbowl, some rocks, charcoal bits, dirt, more rocks, and tiny hand selected plants. I am obsessed! My friend Jenny is a terrarium expert and sometimes will even sell you one already made.
Easy!

2. I finished this pet portrait of a lovely dog named Restaurant last week, and had it resined (as always) with the ladies at Robot Candy.

Thanks to hand model Katy Davidson.

Tiz the last portrait I'll finish before completing my book! (knockonwoodknockonwoodknockonwood)

3. CONFIDENTIAL TO WATCHERS OF THE AMAZING RACE:
Did you see the Amazing Race this week? It was brutal and amazing that the "Dating Goths" U-turned the people right behind them: The vicious cheerleaders! Jaime and Cara could be so nasty, I was of course glad to see them go, BUT I found out that the Goths'd had 11 (ELEVEN) hours to get from the pit stop to the mandatory flight in China, and their fellow race-mates were miffed that they were given only a 30 minute penalty for missing a mandatory flight. What do you think?
Also, what's with the "you're still racing" pit stops? Are these in place so the producers can keep favorite teams racing even when they come in last? I'm so confused.

4. NEW Advice Column Up (for adults only), covering questions about placenta etiquette, cougars, radiation and more.

5. I'm reading with Sister Spit on Monday! Also, I'm reading at SmallPressPalooza on Monday! Two shows in one day. Different things at each show. Please come out! Monday March 28th. SmallPressPalooza is at 6 at Powells, Sister Spit is at 8 at Holocene.

6. A little spotlight for you on some of the people on the Sister Spit (/Mister Spit) train coming to Portland:
Amos Mac and Mari Naomi

Amos Mac is a photographer and co-founder of the trans male quarterly magazine Original Plumbing (OP to you).

He does brilliant portraits and author photos, and took this photo of me a couple of years ago as part of The Creamcicle Project for our friend Rhiannon Argo, in which I look much more dissatisfied than I do in real life.
......Right?

MariNaomi is an artist from San Francisco who has just released a book called Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume Ages 0-22, and has been keeping a fantastic comic tour diary here.

They will be joined by Michelle Tea, Ali Liebegott, Myriam Gurba, Kirk Read, Blake Nelson, and special guests Matilda Bickers and Chelsea Starr.

Get tickets for Sister Spit here.

Over and Out.
Good Day.

p.s. Wishbone got ten (10!) teeth removed exactly two weeks ago. Way to go, Wishbone!

In Case You're a Vegan Addicted* To Nutella Like I Am...

2011-03-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

THIS WILL DO.

*I'm a dry Nutella-holic

12-14-2009

2011-03-11T21:02:00.001-08:00

It seems important to note that these are comics drawn whilst leading zine and comic workshops with students. Children.

So you will find nary a curse word or the usual foul mouthery I may draw on my own time.

Clean as a whistle!

I have before encountered teachers who get self conscious about the grating voices they adopt when disciplining or having to sternly explain something over and over again to students. I was feeling a bit of this on the diary day shown.
Having to remind someone that they need to respect you / themselves/ their paper/ their friends is a drag.

12-8-09

2011-03-11T20:59:00.000-08:00

Most of my favorite blogs post comics on a regular basis.
With the advent of my scanner finally working, I am going to try & post comics from days of old, and eventually some new things.

Just click it a couple of times, you know...

Seniors React to Placenta as Food

2011-03-07T21:39:00.000-08:00

So, some of my friends in San Francisco have something called Food Adventure Club.
They are shown above, marveling at an exotic and deadly fruit.

Food Adventure Club's motto is: Making your gastronomic dreams a reality.

They've eaten Durian Fruit, learned to make croissants and toured an oyster farm, to name a few.

Here's a snippet from their by-laws:

4. Adventures should be balanced to achieve harmony between difficult and benign adventures.
a. For example, simpler, gentler Adventures that have an emphasis on cohesion-building (ie canning fruits, visiting a beehive) should follow gross, controversial, or destructive activities (ie eating roast guinea pig, live octopus, or human placenta.)

Did you catch that last example? Human Placenta?
Indeed!
After one missed opportunity (possible formaldehyde exposure), this group of savvy individuals have chanced upon a (volunteered) human placenta to eat and also try as a supplement.

I do not live in San Francisco, and as you can see most of these adventures are far from the vegan realm, BUT I had placenta on my mind after a recent visit with a food adventurer.

I took this topic to the Senior Center where I volunteer, and asked our Zine Group if they'd ever heard of the practice of ingesting one's own placenta.

I wasn't trying to horrify , shock or disgust the old ladies. These are the same people who talk to me about buying "Brown Beef" (horse meat), eating "Hog Ball" (something from the inside of a hog's stomach) and roasting possum or squirrel for dinner as kids. Who knew they'd be squeamish!

Read on for their reactions.

(if you click twice, the comic will be large and legible)

If you'd like to know more about Food Adventure Club,
please visit their facebook page . You may also read recent articles about the "intrepid gastronauts" "pushing the boundaries" on Coca Cola Night here, via the post and courier Post and Courier.

I Hooked Up My Scanner

2011-03-04T20:00:00.001-08:00

click to enlarge

So now you may enjoy comics without my having to drive far and wide to scan them for you.

Drawing From Memory Documentary

2011-02-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

Check out the kickstarter for this sweet documentary, including
Yours Truly
Liz Prince,
Ariel Schrag,
Vanessa Davis,
Lucy Knisley
Erica Moen
and more!

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS- Bad Roommate Zine

2011-01-29T19:35:00.000-08:00

Call for Submissions:

True Stories About Bad Roommates
for a zine about.... BAD ROOMMATES.

Your stories may be written or drawn.

Edited by Nicole J. Georges and published in time for the 2011 Portland Zine Symposium

I have had approximately 25 roommates since moving out of my parents' house at age 17.
I have lived with aggro alcoholics, fire setting bike messengers,
food-stealing bulimics, morning wood walker-arounders, and more neglected cats than I care to mention.

There is nothing I hate more than a bad roommate,
and nothing I love more than to talk about them after the fact.

So please, tell me your favorite story!

I know someone who had a roommate so concerned with being green that he kept a reusable rag on the toilet to rinse
& use as his own personal alternative to toilet paper. It was stained!
We can't let this information die with her memory! Someone's got to record this for the history books!

That person is me.

I'm looking for personal narratives, true stories, lists, charts,
and comics about your worst roommate experiences.

GUIDELINES:

You should keep the roommates anonymous (give them a pseudonym or other disguise),
and you yourself have the option to submit anonymously if you so choose.

If you are a comic artist and you would like to contribute but are looking for ideas of what to draw
(in order to not have your well-rendered former cohabitants track you down and kill you)
please consider illustrating someone else's bad roommate story.
A friend of yours or a friend of mine!
Email me for details if you need a story.

Deadline: July 1st 2011
No late submissions will be accepted

Send submissions to: nicolejgeorges at gmail dot com

The final size will be half legal.

Writers:
Your story can be as short as a paragraph.
The limit is 2 pages.
Please paste your submission into the body of an email AND attach it in a document.

Comic Artists:
1-4 pages, black and white, 7" wide by 8.5" tall
600 dpi
Submit large files via sendspace or pdf

Please include a short (2-5 line) bio with your piece if you are not going the anonymous route.

Artists will be contacted by August 1st if their submission is selected.
Those selected will be featured in the publication, and may also be promoted on the Invincible Summer blog
and receive a free copy of the issue in which they appear.

Feel free to pass along, and I look forward to reading your salacious stories!

A Recent Commission

2011-01-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

Hello! Check out these guys having coffee & donuts. I drew them for a friend, who shall remain nameless because I can't remember if the unnamed person has given it as a surprise gift to their partner yet. Ahem.

Also, NO PET PORTRAITS OR COMMISSIONS UNTIL THE SUMMERTIME.

I'm up to my gills in book editing and teaching ,
where teenagers flip their hair at me and said "Wha!?!?" when I ask them not to talk over me.

Wow!

Have you seen Summer Heights High?
I really like it.

That is all.

Take care & enjoy the rabbit and cat.

n.g.

Last Call for Calendars!

2011-01-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

Hello out there!

I have less than 1 box of 2011 Calendars left as of today,
so if you'd like one, please jump onto etsy and snatch it up!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

I'm Setting up snowmen ,

Sending off otters,

and taking pet portraits to the holiday galaxy of Robot Candy (owners of tiny reindeer, and purveyors of fine coasters and switchplates) to get resined before the big day!

Happy Anniversary, Beija Georges!

2010-12-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

Good Morning, friends.

Thirteen years ago today I worked a grueling shift at Toys R Us then drove to the Wayside Waifs Shelter in Kansas City, Kansas and picked up 6 month old "Roxie", the dog you now know as Beija, who was to be a Christmas gift for my high school boyfriend.

Well. Obviously things between she and he did not work out, and so today I celebrate my 13 year anniversary with one Beija Georges, once billed as a dachshund sharpei mix, now known as a beagle corgi sharpei.

Happy Anniversary , Beija!

P.s.
Yes, those are bongos.

A Food Tour of Maui

2010-12-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

Shown: Pina Colada at the South Shore Tiki Lounge in honor of my Birthday. We'll visit them again later.

Mele Kalikimaka and Hello!

I recently turned THIRTY (30) and was taken to Hawaii as a giant gift from friends, family & my sweetheart, "Jeb".

I have many beach photos, but wanted to share with you my food diary !
We were able to eat like kings ( or like Oprah, if you will ) whilst there.

Try not to turn off your computer in a jealous rage, but I also went to Hawaii in June on vacation.

I was totally blindsided by the food costs my first trip, and so offer you this advice from my second:

1. BUY WHAT GROWS IN HAWAII

Nevermind if you eat kale every day in the Northwest. Once you're on the Island and you see $5 imported bunches of kale, you'll understand the need to look local.
Also, consider how much gas it takes to jet all your produce over there from the mainland. Forget it! There are so many things growing on the Island on groovy sustainable farms, it's worth it.

2. BRING SOME STAPLES WITH YOU

Have I been accused of food hoarding by tour mates in the past? Perhaps.
BUT, the money you save on buying something stupid, imported & and overpriced like granola in Maui can be spent on awesome fresh local foods like avocados or PINEAPPLES! Pack some brown rice, peanut butter & granola in your luggage and get ready to party!

3. BUY SAUCES TO CART AROUND WITH YOU

I got a small bottle of Braggs, some garlic chili sauce, and oil at the beginning of our trip and did not regret it for a second as we traveled from place to place whipping up salad dressings and peanut sauce wherever we went.

If you want to get miserly (like myself), get some Ziploc bags at the end of your trip and bring the sauces home with you in your checked luggage (insert Michelle Tea calling me crazy here). Leave the oil in Hawaii, though.

4. WHERE TO SHOP

Mana Foods in Paia : The best natural food store on the Island, in my opinion. Giant selection, amazing hot bar and live food deli, fresh squeezed juices and groovy baked goods.

Longs Drugs: Not food, per se, but a great place to get cheap macadamia nuts for your family before you split town. Seriously half the price of Safeway's nuts. Beware the slippery slope of purchasing too much from their giant selection of Made-In-China souveniers. There's a whole Island full of souveniers that directly benefit the island, local shops, or artisans, so please don't waste all of your money here on plastic leis.

Whole Foods in Kahalui: If you're so hungry after getting off the plane and you can't make it until you get to Mana Foods, totally stop here and keep your eyes alert for LOCAL produce. Hana Farms lettuce, avocados, local pineapple and apple bananas. I like getting staples at Whole Foods, because their store brand beans and milks are organic and inexpensive.

People's Front Yards - Hana
Don't blow your avocado wad in the city, because once you get out into the country you will find many front yards with wood boxes of avocados for 50 cents, limes for 25 cents, and tiny coffee cans in which to put your money. You will also find roadside leis handmade by families for a billion dollars less than the stupid ones at Safeway.

Safeway - I did get sauces and some weird staples here.

Controversial: I was NOT a huge fan of Down To Earth, the other natural grocery store here. They have a decent hot bar, but in general if you're looking for groceries, get out your scalpel and bathtub of ice, because you're going to have to trade some vital organs in order to afford their groceries.

On to the food!

As luck may have it, we ate mostly raw and gluten free whilst on this vacation. This was sort of unintentional, as we are neither raw nor gluten free at home. It just happened that the most delicious options were usually one or the other.

First off- Joy's Place Live Nut Burger.
$10.50 , a blend of nuts and other mysterious live ingredients wrapped in a leaf.
This was moist, delicious and deceptively filling.
I got something called the Indo Crunch Wrap here, also, which was pan fried tempeh with sprouts and raw veggies smothered in peanut sauce and wrapped in a rice paper skin. This was delicious, filling, and totally portable.

We went to Joy's Place not once, not twice, but THREE times, and maybe I spent my future children's college tuition on the food, but it was worth it as I had several once-in-a-lifetime meals, in addition to their Chaifee (pronounce Chai-Fay, even though the root words are chai and coffee... go figure), which is an iced drink with cold pressed coffee and chai.

P.S. If you enjoy people watching and want to see The Most uptight, anal retentive and possibly eating disordered raw, soy free, gluten free, etc etc people, sit at the bar at Joy's Place and just cast an ear as well tanned ladies come in and harangle the friendly counter staff for up to twenty minutes at a sitting inquiring about the garlic/soy/live content of any given food item before either giving up entirely and going outside to eat paper towels, OR ordering sauce free pieces of chicken wrapped in leaves for twenty dollars. Yum!

P.P.S. The staff here are knowledgeable, friendly, kind and endlessly patient.

P.P.S.S. For these reasons, I could never work there.

Next Up: Day to day eating!
We got a pomegranite, Jeb brought some granola from Portland (what can I say, we're thrifty), and we jammed on granola & fresh fruit (with soy milk) every single morning before attacking the ocean with snorkels in hand.

BEST FOODS TO MAKE WHILST VACATIONING IN HAWAII:

1. SALAD ROLLS -
These are great to eat on the beach, in the car, in the hotel room. Many of the ingredients are interchangeable for other recipes. Toss the lettuce around, use peanut sauce as a dressing for future salads, whatever. You'll also feel somehow superior when you see people pay $8 for their own single salad rolls as you freely chomp on a dozen.

2. TACOS / BURRITOS
Portable ingredients that need only some local fresh avocados , salsa & limes to blow your mind. Avocados & limes can be found for 50 cents / 4 for a dollar (respectively) in front of people's homes in Hana. The avocados here are giant, often green with thin skins, and amazingly buttery.

3. SALAD
Duh.
We brought brown rice over in our suit case both times, like the hoarders we are, and had awesome salads with beans or nuts, brown rice, pomegranite seeds, and dressing made from fresh limes, pineapple juice, local garlic and some Braggs. Kazam. Again, Highly Portable,and a great way to jam as many local produce items into one bowl at the same time as possible.

With my excellent luck at talking trash, I'm sure he'll find this, but I have to tell you about our night at the hostel in Hana.

We were totally prepared and making this giant feast of salad & tacos, when a weary bike traveler who'd just bicycled from Wailuku to Hana (a full day trip, like 20 miles of winding roads and hills with traffic over a cliff!) rolled in with the weirdest groceries ever, including frozen vegetables and dried mung beans procured at Hana's mini- mart. Never having mung beans, we oohed and ahhed, wondering how one would prepare them. He was starving the ride (or so I imagine), and cooked them only a little while before adding them to his dinner of warmed frozen vegetables, which he bravely ate in their entirety.

We offered him some guacamole, a good deed which didn't go unpunished as he forced on us tasted of the mysterious mung beans.
"Have a bite"
I took a bite.
"Take a bigger bite than that!"
he commanded, and then to Jeb-
"TAKE A MOUTHFUL".

Our previously mellow Canadian friend became aggressive as he encouraged us to join in his culinary misery. The mung beans were terrible, hard and undercooked, and we got out of there as soon as possible, retreating to the living room to watch National Lampoon's Summer Vacation after our long day of hiking, swimming and cooking.

Now, Friends, you get to enjoy photos of the Coffee Stand I was crowing about in issue 17 of Invincible Summer!

Here are some quotes from theThe Laulima Farm Fruit Stand Yelp Page :Trippiest GMO-FREE ZONE on the Planet
and
Just dig the vibe and soak up the mana. This is the real fantasy island with a critical spooky core.

Granted, this is one reviewer's take, but these two sentences are pretty accurate.

The Laulima Farm is an organic farm off the Hana Highway (but past Hana), and they operate a little fruit and coffee stand with a deep hippie vibe. If you want to work here, you just show up and see if they need anybody, then see if you fit in. That's it.

This is the home of the amazing and delicious Chiller, the drink made of coffee, cane juice, and coconut milk all grown within a mile of the stand and blended together with a bicycle powered blender! Yum!

I had the second most delicious beverage of my life here (the first being The Chiller), which was a Ginger Blast made of ginger, cane juice, and coconut milk.
It was a real WTF moment. Something that sounds so weird but was so delicious and warmed my actual, physical (grinch sized) heart.

We met many trippy people at this fruit stand as I encouraged Jeb to visit it three times (that's THRICE to you) on our journey.

We met hippie guys and gals, pasty tourists like ourselves, and laid back Maui-dwelling millionaires who were just chilling out and having some freshly cut salads at their bar.

Another Quote from Yelp:
This place is very calm, peaceful, beautiful and defines the word "Zen". You can walk along the paths in the garden to see where your food is coming from.

If you are the egg-eating sort, you will be happy to know that though many of their baked goods are vegan, the ones that do include eggs are "from Happy Chickens". This may be one of the only places in the world where I'd actually believe it.

Lastly, back in Kihei the tourist area, we began re-acclimating ourselves to the foods we know best- those processed and fried with the evil friends wheat and soy.

This brings us to the previously mentioned Tiki Bar,
which boasts a powerful vegan menu!
(Well, powerful considering you are at a tourist bar in the middle of a strip mall).
Check out this little piece of their manifesto (not included: info about their free range cows and freshly caught Maui fish) :
Our oil “Whole Harvest Smart Fry” is 100% cold expeller pressed soybean oil used only for cooking our French fries. It contains no harsh chemicals, no solvents, no trans fatty acids, no hydrogenation and no cholesterol. Our veggie dogs and burgers are made from soybean and wheat protein. They are low carb, low calorie and low fat. Our vegan chili is made with 3 types of beans, 3 types of chili, 3 types of onions, corn, tomatoes, herbs and generous portions of our veggie burger patty.

Shown here: Veggie Dog , fully loaded from the self service garnish bar, and french fries with the addition of veggie chili (which harkens back to the days of Ottos Malt Shop in Kansas City, where I lived off of free Veggie Chili Fries as a teen vegan ages 16-19).

And with that as our final meal, Shaka Santa and I bid you farewell, and Mele Kalikimaka. Take Care!

xoxo
n.g.

I'LL BE AT BOOTH 138!! VISIT ME PLEASE!!

2010-12-11T00:53:00.000-08:00

CRAFTY WONDERLAND Super Colossal Sale!!!

2010-12-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Super Colossal Holiday Sale is upon us!!!
shoppers at Crafty Wonderlandshoppers at crafty wonderland
That's right! This weekend is your chance to shop from over 200 of the NW's most talented artists and crafters! This is the perfect place to find the best handmade gifts for everyone on your list (including the ones who are super hard to buy for) - and you can feel good about supporting local artists at the same time! For a sneak peek at what we have in store, pick up this week's issue of The Portland Mercury - our event program was inserted into each and every paper!

The show will also feature:
*Goodie bags for the first 150 shoppers each day!
*Free craft projects in our DIY Area hosted by Collage (schedule below)
*Craft-related book signings courtesy of Presents of Mind (schedule below)
*Recycled gift wrapping area sponsored by SCRAP
*The Community Warehouse Lounge (they are looking for donations of small household items - see below for more info)
*Our friends at Supportland will be swiping cards and spreading the local love!
*Space to take a seat and enjoy some food and drinks during the event (yes, there will be a bar!) Vegan and vegetarian menu options will be available.
You don't want to miss this - it's going to be HUGE!

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Sale!
TWO DAYS! Twice the fun!
Saturday and Sunday, December 11th + 12th - 2010
11am - 5pm each day
at the Oregon Convention Center
777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd., Hall C
Portland, OR 97232
Free Admission! All Ages!
Goodie bags to the first 150 shoppers!

Be sure to bring lots of cash!
No matter how well stocked the ATMs at the Convention Center are, they seem to run out of cash during the weekend of our sale! Not all of our vendors accept credit cards, so you'll want to be prepared with plenty of cash.

Details and vendor information at:
www.craftywonderland.com

Thanks and hope to see you there!

Birthday Present!

2010-12-10T13:04:00.001-08:00

Hey Everyone- It's my Birthday!
Here is my present to you to thank you for your support and readership:
get 10% off in my etsy store by today only by putting in the
coupon code: happybirthday at checkout .

Have a nice December 10th!!!

xoxo
n.g.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-28T18:13:00.000-08:00

I know it's a little late, but...
Happy Thanksgiving!!!

The dinner may be over, but it's never too late to Adopt A Turkey!

xox
n.g.

Calendars Have Come Home To Roost

2010-11-12T21:05:00.000-08:00

They are a lovely torquoise color and were printed with care by Pinball Publishing.

I'll be driving around delivering them to stores for the next few days, and sending off a giant batch at the post office on Monday!

Get in on it!
These are going to be limited edition.

Okay.
Good night.

Beija dressed as Yours Truly

2010-11-10T23:38:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not know, a lot of my recent work revolves around preserving and depicting the dignity of animals in the wild (versus the lack of dignity they experience in the world at our hands) .

That said...
Sometimes you take out the camera to get a photo of your part sharpei's face melting onto a pillow.

And then you add a pair of glasses....

And the next thing you know, your dog is in full Nicole drag.

I'm sorry! (Not sorry, would do it again). It's just so easy as she gets older to do things like this!
I promise that the other 364 days of the year, Beija retains a little dignity around the house. No booties or jackets, just a sporty bandanna and all the food she can eat / steal from Wishbone.

And with that, I say Good Night.

Mailing List

2010-11-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

NOTE: THIS PHOTO IS NOT OF ME

Hi Everyone,
1.
I am in the process of trying to corral my mailing list right now.
If you have received more than one email from me about this I dearly apologize.
Gmail thinks I'm a spammer, so I can't tell how much of my mail they are sending or trashing.
All I want is a reliable way to send mail to my email list!
I promise not to send you anything about "Hot Singles In Your Area" or "Penile Enlargement" .
More news on this as it comes.

2. I am reading at this benefit for In Other Words on Thursday.
In Other Words is our local nonprofit feminist bookstore-turned-community center.

3. Calendars are at the printers

4. I am going to be tabling at Crafty Wonderland this year!
Saturday and Sunday, December 11th + 12th at the Oregon Convention Center.

5. For Halloween, I went with a trio as The Shaggs. I was Dot.
Morgan coached me on how to properly conjure their spirit for photographs: "Just pretend like your dad is right outside of the photograph yelling at you to smile". See Morgan's brilliant performance below:

6. Calendars should be back from the printers by November 12th! Get in on it!

OVER AND OUT,

n.g.

Writers In The Schools Invitation

2010-10-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

Hi there-
I wanted to show you this invitation I created for the Writers in the Schools (WITS) fundraiser coming up in December:

This is the rough, preview version so I apologize for the weird white parts,
but the info is still the same, in case you are interested in checking them out! Tax deductible donations all go to bringing professional writers into all Portland high schools. Very cool!

xox
n.g.

2011 Calendars available for Pre-Order

2010-10-29T11:50:00.001-07:00

Introducing...

THE INVINCIBLE SUMMER 2011 ANIMAL CALENDAR

(more photos coming soon)

**********************************************************
Dear Friends,

As you may or may not know, I put out calendars each and every year, featuring animals (and sometimes humans) of every sort.

This year's calendar features:
2 Fennec Foxes
2 Unhappy cats
2 contented cats
5 springtime skunks
2 cuddling deer
2 dressed up dogs
1 singing dinosaur
some pencil-toting birds
1 t.v. watching squirrel
and
1 bed bummer

It is office or kitchen sized (6.25" X 5.25" pages) and will be on thick natural off-white paper with one interesting color of soy-based ink.

Please note : They are not printed in black & white!
The images are printed in a bright blue color
( color images coming soon) .

TO ORDER, PLEASE VISIT MY ETSY SHOP
.
It is expected to arrive in my hands by mid-November, at which point I will pack it up and ship it off to you.
I truly appreciate any and all pre-sales, so thank you very much.

*********************************************************
P.s. If you have a store or distro and would like to make an order of 10 calendars or more, please contact me!

My 2011 Calendar Is Coming! With Cats!

2010-10-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hi There.

I am at home drawing cats for the new Invincible Summer Calendar.
Cat lovers rejoice! I have heard you calling and am going to answer your pleas!

There will also be dogs, maybe a monkey, a bummer, cuddling fawns, a squirrel watching tv, and more!

I am very behind on calendar work this year, so please please wait for me!

It should be out in mid-November *I Think*.

More details as they come.

In the meantime, here is a drawing of a cat dressed as "Prince Charming" from a cat fashion show.

xoxo
n.g.

GOOD NEWS, and some Good Pet Portraits

2010-10-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

First thing's first:

I'm very very happy to announce that
my graphic novel will be published by Houghton Mifflin in 2011.
!!!!!!!!!!!!

Very psyched.

Secondly:

I have been so busy that I haven't finished the 2011 Invincible Summer Calendar yet.
But I will! Have faith.

Thirdly:
Here are some recent pet portraits.

Not to be needy ....

2010-10-02T13:27:00.001-07:00

But please please comment!
I wonder who reads this blog and it would be so helpful.

Thank you.

n.g.

Look at what we found in the pantry

2010-10-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hi There.

I have one of the best interns in the world - one Lindsey Huerta, Organizing Expert.
She did a bang up job of organizing my pantry room, which I would like to show you.

BEFORE

AFTER

(Note: the before picture may or may not have been from google image searching the word "Hoarders")

I can actually walk in there!
If you look at the upper left corner, you can see a box of Masters & Original Drawings.

Here are some things I found:

A SIGN FROM WHEN I WORKED AT THE FEMINIST BOOKSTORE & WOULD BRING BEIJA TO LOUNGE WITH ME BEHIND THE (GATED) COUNTER.

SOME COMICS DRAWN IN-CLASS WHILST TEACHING AN AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM IN GRESHAM

CLICK TO ENLARGE

THE PHONE NUMBER OF A REALLY FORWARD GUY I MET IN KINKOS ONE NIGHT, WITH ACCOMPANYING QUOTE ...(NA= narcotics anonymous) .

AN AUTOGRAPH FROM DAVE OF DAVE'S KILLER BREAD

TEENAGE MISOGYNIST COMIC DRAWN FOR BITCH MAGAZINE

PRICE LIST FROM A 2006 ART SHOW AT THE HALF & HALF

SELF PORTRAIT FOR AN ART SHOW AT READING FRENZY (2008?)

Thank you, Lindsey Huerta!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diary Comics Assignment

2010-09-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,

I am teaching at the IPRC's Comics Certificate Program this semester, and thought I'd let you know about our current assignment. Perhaps you would like to do one on your own.

Students are tasked with drawing their own diary comic this week.
They will also be bringing in examples of a favorite & least favorite comic with an explanatory paragraph.

Some of the diary comic artists we are reviewing are below.
Click on the links to find out more, read their work, etc.

Good luck! I hope they inspire you.

Email me your best diary comic this week & I'll post it here!
(Unless it is horribly offensive of course)

VANESSA DAVIS

JOHN PORCELLINO

JAMES KOCHALKA

JULIE DOUCET

LIZ PRINCE

Midwestern Adventure

2010-09-23T13:48:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone. I'm looking for a way to procrastinate right now from my (actually very fun) job of drawing dogs and invitations.

So I thought I might tell you about September.

1. MIDWEST

I went to the Midwest & performed in Columbia at the Rag Tag Theater,
afterwhich traveling to a friend's house where I learned (in the midst of a game) that if she had to pick her last meal, it would be Fiddle Faddle. Do you know that that is? Kind of like the poor man's cracker jacks.

I also went to Chicago and Iowa City, where I did not perform but did table with my stuff at Casiotone for the Painfully Alone / Otouto / Key Losers shows.

Otouto is one of my new favorite bands, who've traveled here from Australia and are currently touring the US with Casiotone (on his very last tour ever).
Someone said they sound "like Dirty Projectors covering the Blow".

Onward.

1.5. KANSAS CITY REVIEWS

CHINA TOMS felt wrong for the first time in the 13 years since I started eating there. The dining room was empty and hot, sort of muggy and the soy sauce container appeared not to have been cleaned since I dined there in high school. Bummer.

GENGHIS KHAN is always right.

BROADWAY CAFE even better than before. If only it were closer to our hotel...

LA QUINTA INN in Lenexa, Kansas, featuring a very very friendly front deskman who recently immigrated to Kansas from Zimbabwe, and whom I would befriend if only I lived there. He was so much nicer than the people at...

SUPER 8 MOTEL in Lenexa, Kansas, which featured a muggy room of bad smells and a la-z-boy chair speckled in who knows what sort of invisible debris (see photo). The bed had a couch pillow masquerading as a sleeping pillow, which I exchanged for an unleavened cotton-clad matzoh to lay my head upon.

HY VEE GROCERY STORE in Lenexa, Kansas had an amazing salad bar with delicious fresh fruits, no lie. The salad bar also had some classic midwestern fare (like Oreo pudding and glazed strawberries) which I decoded for a very curious and mystified Jeb.

THE GROCERY STORE IN COLUMBIA MISSOURI was a land unlike we've ever seen. Where "garlic" is a specialty item kept safely in the back room, "canned pumpkin" is an unstocked delicacy (leaving one to make sweet potato waffles in lieu of), and broccoli is charged at $3.50 a head, no matter if you have a head or not.

WINSTEADS on the Plaza in Kansas City held up to the test of time, serving a small gravy boat of french fries and a frosty chocolate coke. The waitress had amazing false eyelashes, and I only lamented the lack of table-side juke boxes.

FUD is a new vegan restaurant in Kansas City, where I had trouble wrapping my head around the idea of no table menus, only a chalkboard and a thorough verbal description from the waitress/owner of the restaurant.

I dined on vegan nachos with "jack fish" (phish?) (made of jack fruit), Wild Rice meat, cashew cheese (very nacho cheese like, no lumps), and a generous helping of guacamole. BUT LO! As I finished the first layer of nachos, the owner came out and instructed me that I needed more cheese. In a stupor I agreed and she whisked my plate away, only to return it with the 2nd tier of chips replenished! More cheese & guacamole! Had I died and gone to a vegan heaven ? Perhaps. But I needed a nap after eating what was possible 3 pounds of jack fish.

COLUMBIA MISSOURI READING

2010-09-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

Zine Symposium Photos, New Zines, more!

2010-09-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

DUDES!
I just posted 8 original dog doily drawings on Etsy, as well as my 4 new zines!

I'll be posting more doilies and some hand-drawn tote bags this week.

The next message I think needs to be emphasized a few times:

SUBSCRIBERS BE PATIENT, WE ARE ASSEMBLING YOUR PACKAGES THIS WEEK.
SUBSCRIBERS BE PATIENT, WE ARE ASSEMBLING YOUR PACKAGES THIS WEEK.
SUBSCRIBERS BE PATIENT, WE ARE ASSEMBLING YOUR PACKAGES THIS WEEK.
SUBSCRIBERS BE PATIENT, WE ARE ASSEMBLING YOUR PACKAGES THIS WEEK.

******************************************************************************

In the meantime, while we all wait for more doilies and thick subscription packages in the mail, here are some photos from the Symposium:

I was manically driving all over town to get Gocco supplies after messing up the one and only bulb/screen set I had whilst trying to make the cover for the new Dogs & Doilies Zine! (Thank you Mr. Bland)

On day 1 of the Symposium I met a dog. A small shih-tzu puppy who was very docile and had very human-like hair!

I hosted Zinester's Feud (think Family Feud) at Floating World Comics.
Sample Questions:
NAME THE MOST POPULAR METHOD OF BINDING A ZINE
NAME SOMETHING THAT MAKES A ZINE LOOK BADDDDD
NAME THE AVERAGE PRICE OF A ZINE

DAY TWO
I tabled with Meredith & Claire of When Language Runs Dry, the chronic pain zine.
Pictured: Meredithto my right and "My Acquaintance" Jeb to my left

End of Day Two

Note: I also had my "ASK NICOLE, AMERICA'S SMARTEST GIRL" sign out and was giving advice at the Symposium for $1.
I'll be posting the questions and answers on my advice blog very soon!

xoxoxoxoxoxoox
n.g.

Nicole J. Georges | Sister Spit.mov

2010-08-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

Reading about my first job as a karaoke jockey. Recorded in San Francisco on the first day of the 2010 Sister Spit Tour!

WARNING: ADULT LANGUAGE
NOT FOR MINORS!!!!

Nicole's Dress | Sister Spit.mov

2010-08-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

New Advice Post

2010-08-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

New Advice Video is Up!

FOR ADULTS ONLY

A video from our live advice stage show at the Bedlam Theatre in Minneapolis, featuring special guest Leo Plass can be found HERE.

So Much News!!!

2010-08-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

Hello there! I have news!

Firstly,
Lookah here-
ANOTHER new issue!

What color will it be? Maybe purple. Maybe a Lavender Menace.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

TOMORROW, August 22nd 11a.m. - 2 p.m.
I'm tabling at an Open House for Potentials Yoga Studio
200 NE 20th Ave.
I'll be selling some art, some zines & books-
but there will also be
LIVE MUSIC - ART - FOOD - RAFFLE
Sample Yoga Classes - Free Yoga CD

So. If you're around, please stop by and say hello.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

LAST THURSDAY, August 26th
Zinester Social at Dovetail Bakery
3039 NE ALBERTA ST.
5 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Come buy some of my comic wares, check out tables by Zine Symposium Symponistas, eat some vegan pastries, drink some Magic Kombucha (the champagne of Kombucha, made from artesian well water for pete's sake), and hang out! Chew and chat, why not?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ALSO!!!!

I am going to be hosting a round of Zinester's Feud on Saturday night around 8:30 or 9, BUT you should come when it starts to get some complimentary beverages and see the other rounds, right? Or to join a team!

Calling all zinesters! You're invited to the PZS Zinester's Feud at Floating World Comics...

Who: The Portland Zine Symposium
What: Zinester's Feud
Where: Floating World Comics, 20 NW 5th Ave.
Why: To support PZS and show what you know about zines!
When: August 28th, 7:30-9:30pm
Facebook Event Here

The 10th Annual Portland Zine Symposium is here! Help us celebrate and support the 10th Annual Portland Zine Symposium, after your first day tabling or attending the symposium, spend your Saturday night battling it out with other zinesters for prizes! We'll be having at least two feuds, so get together a team of 4 or 5 knowledgeable zinesters and try for one of the two grand prizes. Sign up will be available at PZS during the day or at the event. We'll also be serving complimentary beverages for everyone's enjoyment!

SEE YOU THERE

Zine Symposium! See you there!

2010-08-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

New Issues!

2010-08-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Issue 17 is home from the printer, Issue 19 is at the printer,
and Issue 18 is almost there!
Everything is going to debut at the Portland Zine Symposium this year.

You can pre order issue 17 here.
Issues 17 & 18 are different than I anticipated last year when I looked into my crystal Zine ball.
Issue 17 includes diary days from my solo writer's retreat to the forest, an article on homorobics, recipes for salad rolls & a coffee chiller, a portrait of my bedroom, ranting about the weather, a comic about what life is like to be Wishbone, a spell to keep your house safe, some experimental comic "strips", and more!

Issue 18 is being compiled right now, but is looking like the student-friendlier of the two. It includes very simple diary comics drawn whilst doing comic workshops with elementary and middle school students this year. Topics include dogs , getting a new car, Beiber-obsessed middle school girls, and what it's like to try and become a babysitter as an adult.

I still have an interview with comic artist Alec Longstreth romping around in my files, but found I had so many diary comics and drawings from the past 2 years that I couldn't fit him into these issues.

If you are a subscriber, your final package will include issues 17 & 18, and the free comic book day comic Dope Flounder. If you haven't received your button &/or card yet, you'll be getting that too.

I'm hoping to get subscription packets out before the Symposium, but if not, then expect it soon thereafter.

Issue 19 (the 2010 split with Clutch) is not included in 2010 subscriptions, but I'll have it on Etsy after the Symposium.

COMING SOON:
2011 Subscriptions featuring the 2011 calendar, issues 17, 18 & 19 & Dope Flounder for $20.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxooxo
n.g.

p.s. Wishbone's back is back in action!

Recent Pet Portraits & Commissions

2010-07-31T12:10:00.001-07:00

Assistant/Intern Wanted

2010-07-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

I need help!

Wanted:
Unpaid Intern/ Assistant
2-5 hrs week
Minimum 10 week commitment
Duties include:
Filing
Data entry
Database maintenance
Packing orders
Shipping
Etsy maintenance
Zine stuff like folding and stapling
Merchandising!

Work would occur downtown and in North Portland.
Must be open to working around dogs.
A real go-getter is a must.

I will gladly write you a letter or recommendation and/or act as a reference upon request!

Please send a resume and cover letter to nicole@nicolejgeorges.com
by August 15th, 2010.

Thank you thank you!

This is where I spend my summers

2010-07-18T12:56:00.001-07:00

The Portland Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls

Donate or come by some time. You would be amazed.

RIP Harvey Pekar

2010-07-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

Print Sale Ends Soon!

2010-07-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Dudes,

The Wishbone Sale is only on until the end of this week!
If you want cheap prints, get in while you can before I hike prices to their normal state!

xoxo
n.g.

Two, Nay THREE New Prints

2010-07-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

Apparently, I'm going buck wild with new prints.

Ostriches

and a Self Portrait

Check them out!

Did you Know Audrey Hepburn had Pet Deer???

2010-07-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to start drawing this.

SUPER SALE for Wishbone!

2010-07-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone.
I am having a SUPER SALE at my Etsy Shop. The sale consists of my most popular prints for sale for $8 and $12 , as opposed to their normal going rate of $10 & $20.
They are archival, and come in a classy bag with some thick green paper behind them. Signed? Of Course!
Thank you note from me? Indeed!

All proceeds from the SUPER SALE go to benefit the spinal health of my sweet dog Wishbone.
My vet bills = your gain, my friends.

Check it out and Thank You Very Much!

Autumn Comics Course at the IPRC

2010-07-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,

Coming This Fall!
10 Session Comics Program for youth ages 8-18 at the IPRC,
taught by seasoned zinester & graphic novelist Nicole J. Georges.

In this workshop, students will meet once a week and learn not only the basics, but also the intricate details of creating comics for themselves & their adoring fans.

We'll Cover Basic layout, character development, learning to love your drawings, readability, details & humor, essential tools & more!

Students will learn the basics of self publishing, and will leave as accomplished comic artists with their own mini-comic in hand!

The price for ten 2-hour sessions is $375.

Before we confirm this workshop, we need to know if there's enough demand to fill the class. If you, your kids, or anyone you know is interested, please drop a quick email to justin@iprc.org

See you there!

*Pig & Tiger(c) Nicole J. Georges