Hi Folks,

This is an experiment that I want to try: Get a handful of great cartoonists together around a few beers or a couple cups of good coffee and do a “comic jam.” My interpretation of a comic jam is when one cartoonist starts off drawing the first panel, then a second cartoonist spontaneously draws the second panel carrying on the narrative from the first panel, then it’s on to the next cartoonist to evolve the story. This process of spontaneous creativity is similar to “jamming” in music, hence the name “comic jam.”

This experiment is not an original idea thought up by myself, comic jams are practiced all over the world by cartoonists and comic artists. I’d like to encourage this practice as much as possible because it’s a fantastic way to practice cartooning and get us cartoonists out of the dark corners of our studios and into some kind of a social gathering, feeding off each others creative energy.

The comic that has been created out of the jam can be published as a ‘zine and handed out to friends and family. This is cartooning at its raw essence: To create a narrative using words and images and to publish it for other peoples’ enjoyment.

Comic jam essentials:

• A handful of cartoonists
• Paper
• drawing pens
• A venue
• Some kind of hot or cold beverages

‘Till next time, keep jammin’!

Tyron