APE next weekend!

APE is next weekend! If you're in the Bay Area don't miss this. I'm tabling with my buddy Jon Vermilyea and I'll have fresh copies of Nature Nurture, available in 2 color covers:

And only a handful of copies of my other screen printed books:

And a bunch of festival exclusive prints. It's gonna be an awesome weekend! Don't miss out. :)

Travelogue #1: Portland!

I had an amazing time in Portland! Here are some photos highlighting the trip:

 I traveled with Aya and Sara and had the best time! We had our first breakfast at Gravy, a favorite of mine since my first Portland trip. The roads were covered in cherry blossoms, it was gorgeous that weekend.

 We got together with Aya's studio mates/friends (Rabid Rabbit crew) and took a trip up the mountains to Timberline lodge, the lodge that appears in "The Shining"! It snows 11 months out of the year and we got to play in the snow and have a snowball fight in April. :)

 We then went to Edgefield where we hung out in front of the Little Red Shed (turns out to be a liquor shed/bar!) After warming back up in front of the fire pit, we got happy hour beer and tots and watched a $3 movie at McMenamins Theater.

To start Stumptown weekend off, we went to another favorite of mine for breakfast- Pine State Biscuits! Saturday started off a little slow at the festival but on Sunday it got a lot busier (to my surprise.) We also spotted the most adorable dog outside a vintage clothing shop right by our hotel! :))))

A trip to Portland isn't without a trip to Voodoo doughnuts! Anyone who knows me knows I'm not really a sweets person but I was curious about the Bacon Maple doughnut (from watching Anthony Bordain devour one on No Reservations) We ended up giving in to Rogue's Bacon Maple Ale to go with the doughnut, it was worth it!

We went to the after party at Pony Club gallery on Sunday night where we were able to catch the Ghost Show before it went down. The next day, I got to hang out with Kinoko! We had delicious vegetarian at Paradox Cafe and she gave me a tour of her school, PNCA. Afterwards I had really yummy warm cocktails at Tea Zone with the incredibly talented Angie Wang. It was the perfect last day before catching my evening flight home before heading to Toronto. Coming up- Travelogue #2: Toronto!

"Ghost Show" at Pony Club

I recently made some new prints for this show! "Ghost Show" at Pony Club Gallery in Portland. It opens April 5th (tomorrow!) so if you're in PDX area, you don't want to miss this. I got to meet some of the Pony Club folks when I visited Portland for the first time last year and they are total sweethearts! I'm heading to PDX again for Stumptown this year (more details about that soon) and I am definitely gonna stop by the gallery once I'm there later this month.

Here are some snapshots of the ghost prints on the rack:

my second time printing gradient!

4 step color process for "Boo"

APE and San Francisco Recap

San Francisco was beautiful as always! The weather was perfect this time around. APE was so much fun this year, I thought it was my 4th consecutive year but Jon Vermilyea told me it's my 5th?? I am completely losing track. APE is always awesome and I don't think I will ever stop exhibiting. Here is my recap of the trip, photo diary style:

I had the pleasure of hosting two lovely young ladies this time around. Pictured here are my friends Jess and Diana on top of a hill.

We got tacos at one of my all time favorite Mexican places, El Metate in Potrero/Mission area.

Here is Jon and Hilary playing some pinball at the Lasp Gasp warehouse.

Jess and Diana help me set up my table!

Post-APE dim sum with my ladies!

I did really well at APE! I sold out every advanced copy I brought of my new "don't follow me." I will have more copies available next weekend at Whitney Museum's very own Zine Day(!) as well as Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest coming up in December in Brooklyn, NY.

New book for APE "don't follow me"

Here are some quick photos of what I've been caught up with making during the past week.





About to catch my flight to LA shortly, and spending this weekend in SF! I will have advanced copies of "don't follow me" available at APE this weekend (fresh off the racks), along with the debut of "hot+cold". I will also have new prints available at my table, if you're in the Bay Area be sure to stop by!

October Events

Plenty of things going on in October! The show I was in at Alternative Cafe in Monterey is traveling to My Plastic Heart gallery in the Lower East Side in Manhattan! The show opens September 30th and runs throughout October.

Unfortunately I won't be able to make it to the opening reception because I will be in San Francisco exhibiting at Alternative Press Expo the weekend of October 1st and 2nd. It's going to be a great time as usual! I'm always excited whenever I visit my hometown, beautiful San Francisco. I have a different table placement this year, find me at table #540.

I'm also participating in a zine day at the Whitney Museum organized by Desert Island, which takes place October 15 Saturday afternoon. It's a kid friendly event and all the artists will have a special made print available for attendees to collect into a book. Not to be missed!

Philly photos + PACC

I had a great time in Philly! Here are some photos from my trip:

My friend Megan in awe of the Philadelphia train station architecture.

The next day we stood in line for Philly cheese steaks from Pat's and Geno's, which are across the street from each other. Here I am standing in the long line which stretched out into the middle of the road! Blocking traffic at some points. The verdict was split between the two places, you can't go wrong with either, also cheese wiz is the best cheese!

Here we are walking through Independence Square.

View from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, watching people reenact the Rocky scene.

My table at Philly Alt Comic Con! Me and Jess behind the table, Diana is on the side sporting my tote bag. :)

The view behind my table.

Heading into Monk's Cafe for some Belgium fare with my friends Deo and Pete for our last dinner in Philly!

Lastly, here is a photo of show taken from the PACC blog post. Go there for more great photos and a good bucket list of what the festival is all about.

Super DIY, super fun.

Philly Alt Comic Con 2011!

I am currently preparing for my trip to Philly Alt Comic Con (PACC) next weekend and I am so frikkin' excited about it! I am going through a lot of firsts this year, this will be my first time stepping into Philly (not just passing by it like when I went to Lancaster back in 2008 for a gallery show of mine) and I'll be road tripping with a group of friends. I will have a full table with plenty of books and prints available. I'm predicting it's going to be a crazy outta control good time, possibly this kind of good time:

Recap: TCAF and Toronto!

my table at TCAF!

I had an amazing time in Toronto!! I met sooooo many new people, ate so much amazing food and experienced some new beers. Toronto is definitely a place I want to revisit again and again. :)
TCAF was an incredible time. It reminded me of Brooklyn Comic Fest a bit, except larger scale. The free admission definitely makes a huge difference. This festival had a diverse and friendly crowd without being overwhelming the way Brooklyn Fest was. My tote bags did surprisingly well, I'm used to only selling maybe a few, but I actually ran out of all the Lemon + Lime totes that I brought, I even had a few people asking for them after they ran out! :O
My comics and silkscreen books also did really well. I found TCAF a more enjoyable festival than Stumptown, but this is my first time exhibiting both events that have evolved so much over the decade. I would love to do both festivals again if I get the chance!

Having tex-mex brunch at Sneaky Dee's! With Irme, Taylor and their friends Agatha and Laura (pictured below)

The Dunking Donuts of Toronto, or as they call it, "Timmies" This was Deo's dream come true.

Exploring the Distillery District where we had a sake tasting, some artisanal gelato, and a cheese sampling at a place that imports from Quebec! Plus we strolled around with the cutest dog in the world, Murray!

Embarking onto Kensington Market! Where we had family style tacos at "El Trompo"

Post-TCAF karaoke-ing! Pictured here are Hellen Jo, Calvin Wong, Ryan Sands, and Jen Wang.

This is the infamous Canadian dish called Poutine, consisting of french fries slathered with gravy and topped with cheese curds!! This is the classic. Next time I visit I want to try poutine with pulled pork on top...or bacon....! The accompanying drink is called a Ceaser, which is Canada's bloody mary, except it's spicier and more savory, the extra ingredient is clam juice! yumm yum!

Photos above (basically all the good looking ones) taken by my close friend Deo, he is the best traveling companion!

Portland recap + TCAF

I'm tabling at TCAF this year for the first time and I'm so excited! I'm also stoked about visiting Toronto Canada for the first time, I am getting there via 11 hour bus ride (!!!) and I might have a buddy traveling with me to explore Toronto with. (yippeeeee!!!)

outside of Guapo comics and coffee

Portland was AMAZING.... I had the best time, thanks to some new friends who were incredible hosts. Stumptown was an interesting convention, I've never seen so many pirates in one place, although Amy (of Pony Club) mentioned to me that the pirate thing was something new this year. Anyway, the screen-print posters were a hit. You can now find some of my prints at Pony Club Gallery!



Here I am at my table, photo taken by Jen Vaughn. She did a great recap of the fest on The Beat. One guy bought my new "hot + cold" book as a wedding present for his friend who, if I remember correctly, is an architect getting married to his other friend who is a poet. I thought it was very touching! And yes, my books can make a great wedding present! :)

Portland is all kinds of wonderful. There were instances where I could see myself living there, even! But instead I think I will visit there, a lot! Here are some highlights of my trip:

some of the yummiest biscuits n gravy I've ever had at Pine State Biscuits on Belmont!

Bicycle fencing :)

any coffee lovin' town is my kinda town!

All the way North at Cathedral Park, where the grass is so tall...

Walking through Irving Park on my way to Mississippi St.

For more photos of my Portland adventure check out my flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jentong/sets/72157626557067668/