Archives

2012-06-04

Winchester School Garden p.2

Winchester School Garden page 2

Transcript

The preschool always plants peas, early enough so they can give them to the families at preschool graduation.

The first grade plants potatoes in the spring, then harvests them as second-graders in the fall.

Third grade has grown some big cabbages!

Fourth grade does a big unit on Native Americans; they planted the Three Sisters garden (corn, beans, squash).

Fifth grade planted “really funky gourds” and did a whole math lesson on measuring them and their growth.

The life skills prgram for cognitively delayed students cooks once a week, using graden produce with great results. Special educator Jane Cardinale chairs the Garden Committee, so the 30% of the school in Special Ed uses the garden a lot. “And that’s been really successful,” she says.

Pat Dorcas uses the garden for seventh-grade science, and does hyrdoponic gardening in his classes and the greenhouse. He teaches about food miles, asking students where their food comes from and how much energy it takes.

Page 2 of 4 of my piece from Sprouts, the new food-themed anthology from Trees & Hills. I’ve been wanting to do more nonfiction comics in general and especially some journalism-type comics, and for this one I finally left my cave to go interview someone – hooray! I’m already busy on another bit of graphic journalism that I hope to share soon.

2011-10-17

Folk Gospel Pearls p.1 of 2

Folk Gospel Pearls page 1

Transcript

I enjoy old-timey American folk music, but not so much the old-timey American Christianity in some of it. Singing along to folk gospel just feels wrong to me – which is too bad, ’cause it has some great tunes! Utah Phillips said, “The Wobblies [the Workers of the World union] liked to steal the hymn tunes – ’cause they were pretty – and change the words so they made more sense.” (e.g. “What A Friend We Have In Jesus” became “Dump The Bosses Off Your Back”) For now i just draw these irreverent doodles, like an oyster making pearls in reaction to sand grit…

From THE CHERRY TREE CAROL, a song that migrated from England to the Appalachians: “Then Mary spoke to Joseph / So meek and so mild / ‘Joseph, gather me some cherries / For I am with child”

In the comic, Mary says, “Joseph! Gather cherries, for I am with child!”
Joseph, startled, says, “What?! But we haven’t even – ”
“CHERRIES! NOW!” Joseph runs away.

Later, Mary shoves cherries from a bowl into her cherry-stained face while Joseph slouches exhausted. “Mm, thank you. Mlorf.” After eating all the cherries, she says, “Ah – Urp,” then suddenly vomits all over a horrified Joseph. (“BLARF!”)

Josephs stomps away. “I’m OUT of here.”
“What? No!”

(The actual story in the song, it turns out, is Joseph refuses because he thinks Mary’s cheated on him, so fetal Jesus commands a cherry tree to bend down and give Mary some fruit!)

Here is the first of two pages I made for the alphabet-structured Hot Tea, Cold Water #3, marking the first time in a couple of years that I’ve submitted to an anthology I wasn’t co-editing. The second page, as you might expect, has more doodles from different songs.

2011-10-06

Here in the Forest p.1 (of 3)

Here in the Forest page 1

Transcript

According to an old saying, the first Europeans in America saw forests so vast that a squirrel could go from Maine to Texas without ever leaving the treetops. (A squirrel leaps from branch to branch)

They changed *that* in a hurry (The squirrel unexpectedly leaps from a branch into a recently clearcut area. An ax-wielding settler strikes a dramatic pose, crying, “Onward! For Farmland and Firewood!)

By the mid-1800s as much as 70% of the land was cleared – but with the decline of farming, much of New England’s forest returned by the late 1900s (and has started to recede again under development pressure). (An old stone wall runs through a forest)

So what’s happening in the woods these days? Hiking, skiing, sightseeing, and similar recreational activities… (A person walks along a forest road)

…and some less-similar recreational activities. (A person on a four-wheeler roars past the walker – BRAAW)

Wood is still useful, so we still log – too often still in destructive ways. (A skidder – a large motorized logging machine – sits in a clearcut area)

WOODS anthology coverHere is the first of my three pages from the latest Trees & Hills anthology Woods.

2011-06-09

A Common Resource p.1

A Common Resource page 1

Transcript

A COMMON RESOURCE copyright 2011 Colin Tedford

1. In 2001, the corporation USA Springs set its sights on Nottingham, NH, aiming to extract 430,000 gallons a day of the town’s water and convert it to profits.
[IMAGE: a tall robotic machine labeled “USA SPRINGS” strides down a curved road from the distance, toward a sign that reads, “Entering Nottingham”]

2. After initial approval from the town government, many residents objected on the grounds that the water bottling plant would drain the aquifer, draw pollutants into it, and damage wetlands.
[IMAGE: Angry protesters with signs. One speaks a word balloon containing a picture of a puzzled person turning on their sink tap and only getting a drip, and another picture of the robotic USA SPRINGS machine sucking water through a flexible pipe stuck in the ground. A man in a suit pilots the machine, and a rapidly-filling bag attached to the rear of the machine bears a dollar sign.]

3. Nottingham citizens worked tirelessly to learn the ins and outs of the regulatory system.
[IMAGE: Protesters trying to navigate a maze; the leader has a map and looks stressed.]

4. Unfortunately, they learned that the rights of corporations trump those of people, as their challenges were dismissed, or won and then overturned.
[IMAGE: The protesters, having reached a dead end in the maze, watch in alarm as the USA SPRINGS machine strides down a straight corridor through the center of the maze, just on the other side of the wall.]

Here’s the first page of my comic in WATER, the new Trees & Hills anthology. To read the rest, pick up a copy – it’s full of good comics!

2009-09-21

A Public Service Announcement

A Public Service Announcement page 1 (cropped)

Whoah, what’s going on here?! It looked like a sort of dull installment of Spinning World, and then it got all – all sexy?

This is most of the first page of my contribution to Big Sexy, an anthology I haven’t yet mentioned that I’m co-editing. The remaining pages are way sexier than anything heretofore shown on my little website, so if you want to see the rest you’ll have to get a copy of Big Sexy (to do which you’ll need to be a legal adult). It debuts this weekend at SPX (I’ll be there), and shortly thereafter will be available through Offshore Comix online and gradually through local retailers – a mere $6 for a whopping 92 pages!

Here’s the intro I wrote for the collection:

A society’s sexual art can reveal a lot about that society beyond the “basics” of what turns its people on – which I think is why some of us have such difficulty finding pornography we can enjoy without reservations. Modern mainstream porn is the porn of a sexist, racist, class-divided society.

We want something better.

The comics in this anthology express a variety of sexuality’s many aspects: social, solitary, fantastic, realistic, straight, gay, serious, humorous, and more. What they share in common is their spirit. The artists have each drawn on their interests and values to bring us something positive. They have presented sex in ways that make sense to them.

Together they present us something we hope is much more inclusive and enjoyable than the narrow visions so often sold to us as “sexy” – a Big Sexy, with room for everyone.

2008-09-15

Beach Hum preview

Beach Hum panel 1

Here’s a sample panel of a one page comic I submitted to the Always Comix “Activity” issue. I sent it in at the very last minute and haven’t heard back, so I’m not sure if I made it in; if I didn’t, I’ll post the whole thing later. If you’d like to see the whole thing, you can buy it from the Always Comix folk at SPX, or right after that at the Philly Zine Fest. I won’t be at SPX (sad!), but I will be at the Philly Zine Fest. I will also have a table at the Winchester Pickle Festival September 27, so you should come check that out; just be careful not to get pickle juice on the comics.

2008-05-19

Cupcake Fate

Cupcake Fate excerpt

Here is a sample of “Cupcake Fate”, the 1-page, 48-panel multi-path comic I submitted for Secrets & Lies. Where will it all lead?

Secrets & Lies debuts at MoCCA June 7 & 8, but you can (and should) get a copy early by attending the release party 8pm May 31 at the Main Street Museum, 58 Bridge Street in White River Junction, VT. The same party celebrates the release of Colleen Frakes‘ Tragic Relief book, which should quell any doubts you may have about going. I plan to go, and so should you!

Earlier that day, I will be tabling at Broke: The Affordable Art Fair in Peterborough, NH’s Town Hall (1 Grove St.) from 10am to 4pm. The fair intends to promote innovative, affordable art outside of the traditional gallery system. It is part of the “Thing In The Spring” 3-day arts event, which will also feature concerts, movies, and more.

The weekend after that, I’ll be tabling at MoCCA in NYC, where Trees & Hills will debut its Swingin’ Hits music-themed anthology (I have a comic in it and a piece of music on the bonus CD). I should have a new minicomic out in time for either Broke or MoCCA. Whew! After that, things should quiet down for a while.