Fantabulous and Press!

So if you've got a copy of Giant Robot Magazine (issue #46), mosey your way to page 28 and you'll see the Sprout ad on the same page as the interview with Tai Kim and his ice cream shop.

I sure could go for some ice cream.

AsianWeek has been nice enough to want to do an interview for Sprout! Look for that interview soon. Hopefully I was articulated enough that I didn't make myself sound like a monkey with a microphone.

MC Monkey King. Hmmm... [scratches chin]

Keep them submissions coming!

Marketing and other adventures.

Hello folks! So, you can find some Sprout postcards at these fine stores in the Berkeley, CA area:

- Comic Relief on Shattuck
- East Wind Bookstore on University

If you know of any other stores in your area that would want to carry some postcards, let me know (alex [at] wanderingpanda.com) and I'll send you a stack to leave!

In other news, the 1/3 vertical ad should be in this month's issue of Giant Robot Magazine. As soon as I get my grubby hands on a copy, I'll scan it and post it here.

Keep drawin', kiddos. Can't wait to see what y'all come up with!

Teams

I've also been asked this question a few times. If you want to work in a team of two, three or however many people, that will be fine. As long as you meet the submission requirements. In this case, as long as one of the writers or artists are Asian American, we should be a-ok and good to go.

Aces? Sweet.

Multiple Entries

So in the midst of receiving submissions, I realized something. I love reading 'em. That's for sure and to encourage people to try their hands at creating something they haven't yet, maybe 'cause they're afraid to try new techniques or whatnot, there is no cap to how many submissions you can make!

That's right, send in as many comics/stories as you want that fulfill the other requirements.

If you want to submit just one story? Go for it. You've got a dozen ideas in your head and you can pen them all by the submission deadline, send them in too. The more the merrier, don'tcha think?

Sprout Lives!

I was having some trouble these past few days deciding the fate of this project. Then I realized that it would be silly/stupid of me to give up if I didn't even try. So I've organized a three-issue ad campaign with the lovely folks at Giant Robot Magazine (thank Kiyoshi!) as well as created the artwork for the postcard that I'll be sending out to people, schools, organizations, companies and stores (see above).

Tell your comicker friends about the project! Thanks!

Another point. Ouch!

A friend of mine, who's MO seems to be bustin' my chops, raised a very important question regarding Sprout this morning during an online conversation. She asked me the whole goal/point of this project is.

It took me a while to actually get down something that not only was 100% true, but something I believed in as well.

Not to say that there's anything wrong with building bridges or doing math all day, but an Asian American shouldn't be expected to only do those things. I want everyone to know that we are able to do more than that; we are builders of worlds and architects of stories. This project is for the dreams of dreamers, to let other Asian Americans out there know that they aren't alone in their want and need to create.

So let's share our creations and grow together.

Woo!

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know that we're still here. Once the end of March rolls around, the site will be jumping much more with artist profiles and the whole nine and a half yards.

Holler! Keep them submissions comin'.

It's like a seed...

Good afternoon everyone!

Yes, I decided to make sure that this page gets an update of some kind or else people would think that the project had gone kaput!

We're still kicking and still awaiting more submissions from you talented comickers out there. I understand that the theme, "sprout", may be a little difficult. But let's try to look at it from a non-literal-prototypical sense, yes?

You don't need to literally draw a comic about a plant growing. Why don't we talk about a "sprouting" friendship? Or perhaps imagination and ideas that "sprout" from interactions with people! Why not talk the creation of a gigantic spaceship from scratch? The possibilities are potentially endless! Sort of.

There is a page maximum, after all. [grin]

If you're getting stuck on how to get things laid out in panels, why not check out this delicious article: Composition: How-to Make Pictures.

And if you've got questions, I'm sure I've got answers (hopefully right ones).

Supporters

This is where we will post the names of supporters of the project! Thanks again!

Maila Phillips

Prizes for Accepted Submissions

I've gotten a few e-mails lately about what the "prizes" are for having your comic piece accepted for the publication. Let's do a fancy run down, shall we?

You get two free copies of Sprout when it releases

You may purchase more copies of Sprout at the discounted printing price (which will disclosed to you later)

You will be honoring us with your talent and sharing it with the comics community even more

So does that sound like a good time? I hope so!

Head over to the Submission Guidelines for more info! Keep working on those pieces, folks!

Donations!

That's right! Even though our funding comes from different sources, a project of this magnitude can't possibly happen without your support! We are currently accepting donations via PayPal. Just click the button below to donate!

Incentives
In addition to supporting a publication that will bring you some of the finest Asian American comic talent in the nation, we at Sprout have decided to add a little incentive to donating to the project!

If you donate any amount, your name automatically goes to the Supporters page with this bronze icon so people can know who has been so generous to help see Sprout through.

If you donate $2.00, you will get your name in the Supporters section with this silver icon and also a 1" button/pinback featuing the Sprout logo! Make sure your PayPal addresses are up to date!

If you donate $15.00 or more, you get your name in the Supporters page with this gold icon, a free 1" button/pinback with the Sprout logo and a free copy of the book when it releases next year!

Thanks from Sprout!

A little more about Sprout...

Hi everyone!

It's been an interesting week. Talking to folks, planning and hours of sitting at a desk with Vitasoy in my hand.

I want to make sure everyone has an idea of the angle behind Sprout.

There's plenty of us Asian American comic creators out there who love the medium and love to tell stories. I want to expose their creations to a bigger and wider audience.

So that's what Sprout is about.

The only thing limiting us is our imagination.

Submission Terms

It is very important to understand the terms when you, the creator, submit a piece to Sprout. Please understand that when you submit, you are accepting all of the terms set within this legal and binding Agreement. This agreement pertains to all Work(s) submitted to Sprout and all subsidiaries.

1. Ownership of Submissions. All submissions sent into Sprout will remain property of the original creator.

2. Reproduction of Submissions. If a particular comic piece is accepted by Sprout for publication, the only rights that Sprout will hold is to have the selected comic piece reproduced, any number of times, in any current Sprout publication, future Sprout publication, advertisement or for review (outside magazines, websites, etc.) free of charge to either party (creator or Sprout). Sprout will not hold an exclusive reproducing right to the submitted work. Basically, Sprout can print your comic as much as it would like in Sprout publications, but you can do whatever you would like with it otherwise (send it to other things, put it in your portfolio, etc.).

3. Acceptance. A submission is not guaranteed to be accepted into the Sprout publication. Creators will be notified if their piece has been accepted into the publication one month (30 days) after the submission deadline (March 30th, 2006). The creator will have 14 days to reply to accept the inviation for publication, otherwise their invitaiton will be passed to another creator.