Three Podcasts and a Radio Show

In the last few weeks, three podcasts were released that I was featured on. I was really happy to sit down and chat with all of these folks. Here are the links if you want to give them a listen:

Edge of the City #136: A Photo Booth, an EP, and a Dep:

The Deep Field #4: Photoboothing with Meags

We Talk Comics Presents: Graphic Novel Spotlight


And I chatted with CKUA Radio in Edmonton over the summer but I thought I'd share it again because they've been rebroadcasting it.

CKUA's ArtBeat: Graphic Novelist Says "Save the Photobooths!"

Photobooth in Periodicals

You can find reviews/excerpts of Photobooth: A Biography in three fine Canadian publications this quarter- Broken Pencil, Geist and UPPERCASE. Pick 'em while you can!

And for the curious, there's a list of other reviews here.

CBC Radio Interview

I recently returned from two weeks in Nova Scotia where I had quite the magical trip, more on that later. On August 15th I was interviewed by Polly Leger for CBC Radio One in Halifax. We recorded it from within a photobooth and it's one of my favourite discussions I've had about the book so far. 

(I should note that the host mispronounced my first name, I'm pretty used to that. For the record it's pronounced "Megz" not "Meegs".)

Following Photobooth: A Biography

It's hard to believe that it's already been three months since my book came out. I'm overwhelmed by the incredible positive response to Photobooth: A Biography. Nearly every day I receive a thoughtful comment online or an email from someone who's read the book. The two kinds of comments that delight me the most are:

1. someone telling me that it's the first graphic novel/ comic that they've ever read and 

2. that after reading it, they immediately went out to find a photobooth to use.

I've been touring the book to different events in Canada and the USA. You can follow those adventures on Twitter, @MeagsFitzgerald and on Facebook at my illustration page, Two Hands Two Crowns.

Reviews and interviews have also been coming out on a steady basis. Here's a list of links to those:
(List updated on August 31st)

CBC Books- Writers to Watch
Comics Alliance

Publisher's Weekly

Robot 6 (Review)

Robot 6 (Interview)
Mental Floss
2D Cloud Blog
Photobooth Journal

Dominic Umile Blog

The Comics Alternative

Vue Weekly
Edmonton Journal

Edmonton Examiner
Cult MTL
Montreal Review of Books
Imaging Spectrum
Cult of Mac

Quill and Quire (in print only)
The Coast
Chronicle Herald 
Vice SPAIN
CKUA ArtBeat
CBC Radio One
UPPERCASE (in print only)
Broken Pencil (in print only)
Geist (in print only)

If you'd like to buy Photobooth: A Biography, you can get a signed copy directly from me here. In North America, many local comic book shops are stocking it or will be able to order it for you. And in Canada it's also available at Chapters and Indigo. Many libraries are also beginning to carry it, if your local library doesn't have it, ask if they can get it in!

Next week I'll be in Nova Scotia for four books events, the details are here:

Stay tuned for some big news and reviews that will be coming out soon and for the fall tour dates!

Chicago Events!

Yesterday I arrived in Chicago, where everything fun that I've ever wanted to do is about to happen.

First up, on May 31- June 1 is CAKE (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo!) This will be my first time tabling at CAKE, I'll be at the table for Conundrum Press. I'll be at table 52B with fellow comic artist, Dakota McFadzean. Chicago is known for having a great comics scene so I can't wait to make some new friends and buy lots of paper goodies.

The following weekend, June 6-8 is the International Photobooth Convention (IPC) hosted at A&A Studios. I'm one of the organizers for this year's convention and I'm really excited for all the programming we've put together. There's a good balance of events for photobooth artists, technicians, vintage photo collectors and for the general public too, who just like to have their pictures taken in these wonderful machines!


Lastly, on Thursday June 12th at 7pm, Photobooth: A Biography is having it's own book launch at Quimby's Bookstore! Quimby's is a pillar of the comic's community and they also happen to have a functional chemical photobooth in the store! I'm really excited for this evening, I'm working on a special presentation and attendees will receive a special treat!

RSVP on the facebook event!


After all that, I'm staying in town for a few more days for the Blues Festival and to laze around with friends. Let me know if you'd like to laze around!

Book Launches! D&Q and TCAF

This last week has been one happy blur. Photobooth: A Biography officially launched on May 8th at the Drawn & Quarterly store here in Montreal (thanks to them for hosting!) I was quite sick leading up the the event and may have told my sister "I think I'm dying" that very morning. But all in all the launch, which was for Conundrum Press authors went smoothly.

Photo by Louis Rastelli

I really enjoy chatting to people while signing books. Everyone's got a story that has to do with photobooths. At the events in both Toronto and Montreal I was delightfully surprised to meet some people from the photobooth community for the first time. Here I am with photobooth fan, Carolina. 

Conundrum Press may have had the best table location at the Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF) which happened on May 10th and 11th. Being right at the entrance, I bumped into many friends from the days when I lived in Toronto. The weekend was of course tiring but so much fun! Here I am with Joe Ollmann and Dakota McFadzean, doing the signature Conundrum Press arm crossing technique.
 

Photo by Andy Brown

Photo taken by my dad, Kevin.

I'm one lucky lady. My parents, two aunts and my grandmother all came to Toronto to support me. (They flew from Edmonton and Saskatoon!) My brother, Tiegh and sister, Eryn also came to route me on. I was still recovering from being "deathly" ill, so it was especially nice to have my family there to help out. Here's my mom on the left, my aunty Annette beside her and my grandma on the right. (I somehow didn't get a picture of my aunty Suzanne who was also there.)

On the Sunday I spoke on a panel for Non-Fiction and History Comics. It was moderated by Brigid Alverson, who really knows her stuff. I was flattered to included amongst many great authors. It was really fun, even if I sounded nervous! You can listen to the audio from it here. http://www.thecomicbooks.com/Audio/2014-05-11-TCAF-HistoryNonFictionComics.mp3  (Thanks to Jamie Coville for recording it!)

Photo by my sister Eryn. I talk with my hands.

Another high point was getting to meet Jillian Tamaki and thanking her in person for writing a blurb endorsing my book last July. The blurb helped the book get some attention and it gave me a much needed ego boost, as Jillian's been one of my long time idols.

Photo taken by my proud grandma, Doris.

TCAF was a huge success, by mid-Sunday we sold out of all of the copies of my book. Thanks to my friends, family and members of the photobooth community who showed up! Also a huge thanks to Andy Brown, the mastermind behind Conundrum Press.

Around the same time as the launches, a few interviews and reviews have come out. So far all the press has been really positive and supportive! Thanks to everyone who's read it and reviewed it! You can read them here:

Fun Interview- Open Book Toronto
Thorough Review- Dominic Umile
Mini-Review + Interview- Cult Magazine

If you're interested in buying the book, you can call your local bookstore and ask if they're stocking it. If you'd like a signed and personally inscribed copy, you can buy it directly from me at my Etsy shop. I'll also be doing signing at events in Chicago, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Halifax, Calgary, Banff and Brooklyn (in that order, I know, it's a weird tour route) and I'll happily sign copies then. More details and dates for those will come soon.

Book Trailer for Photobooth: A Biography!

Pages from Photobooth: A Biography

Here are a couple spreads from Photobooth: A Biography! And you can check out the new website for the book here, where you'll be able to order signed and personally inscribed copies starting on May 1st. 

Copyright 2014 M.W. Fitzgerald

Copyright 2014 M.W. Fitzgerald

Montreal's Expozine

This past weekend was Expozine, a fair for indie and small press books, zines and prints. It was my first time at the event and I had fantastic time. I met so many great people and got to talk non-stop about my two favourite subjects: photobooths and comics. I even got to meet four other photobooth fans in person! 

I decided not to sell any of my own merchandise, instead I helped out at the Conundrum Press table. We put up a sign to promote my book's debut in May, which ended up being a great conversation starter (even if some people picked it up and mistook it for being a very large yet weightless book.)

The experience was very motivating! I still have many hours left of illustrating to go before Photobooth: A Biography is finished and Expozine was just the pick me up I needed. 

This photo was taken before the doors opened, it's misleading because the event was actually packed to the brim with attendees. I'm here with Dakota McFadzean, who's book Other Stories and the Horse You Rode In On launched this weekend. Photo by the mastermind behind Conundrum, Andy Brown.

The Big Screen and Business Cards

Holy Mackerel. The last two weeks I had my hands full with moving. Almost everything else got put on the backburner. I recognized that for professional reasons, it's essential that I'm in Montreal until the summer of 2014, so why not make my stay here a little more comfortable? My place is in a prime location and is fairly spacious. I'm quite happy with how my DIY projects for my new room have turned out and I'll post more about those later. For now, here's a picture of my new work space.

 In other news...on Friday November 1st, Last Vegas, a film starring Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline, opened in theatres. It's exciting because the film features a replica of a 1950s photobooth, which is used by the characters in a flashback to their childhoods. The booth was made by A&A Studios in Chicago last autumn. I hand painted all the signage on the interior and exterior and designed the wrap around graphic.  As a little Easter Egg, I included a strip of pictures of myself on the outside of the booth, just so I can say that I was in a film with all those stars.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'm definitely curious to see how my craftsmanship looks on the big screen. It was a really fun project to work on, I miss working with A&A Studios very much.

This week I received an exciting parcel in the mail. I ordered business cards from the British company, Moo. They're known for high quality, double-sided, colour cards, that can have up to fifty different images on one side. They're great for creative professionals because you can share a little bit of your portfolio with every card you hand out. I chose fourteen different images of my illustrations, my book and my photobooth art, so that they're tailored to the situation I'm in.

Next weekend is Expozine here in Montreal. My publisher, Conundrum Press will have a table and I'll be there promoting my book and handing out these new cards. Photobooth: A Biography doesn't come out until May, but it's never too soon to meet people and make some new friends in the same field.

All Work and No Play

I haven't written a post in almost two weeks. Normally when that happens it's because I'm insanely busy, but in this case, it's because the stuff I've been working on can't be shared publicly yet. Since June, when I received a grant which enabled me to work on my book full time, I've been putting in long days at my desk. And honestly, the last few months have had their high and lows. I feel privileged and grateful that everyday I get to write and draw and I don't really have a boss to report to (but instead a friendly and supportive publisher.) On the flip side, I'm almost always alone and most of my human connections take place online. In the grand scheme of things, I'm okay with this because I see it as a trade off. When my book comes out in May, I'll have a few very social months while on my little book tour. In conclusion, lots of work now for lots of play later.

Last month while I was at a party (a rare occurrence) I met a writer and we got to talking about our books. Not before long we discovered that we share the same fear. Occasionally, I'll feel doubtful about my work, especially if I haven't seen another human in a while and the food I've been eating is of the frozen variety. My reoccurring daymare (daydream+nightmare) is that I am in fact Jack Nicholson in The Shining and the "genius" book I've been working on is discovered to be nothing more than a mad person's ramblings. I was relieved to learn that this is a common fear and that the best thing to do is to just  keep on working... and maybe make some friends in the city you live in too.

Its actually been tough to keep the book underwraps. One of the main reasons I decided to pursue illustration as my primary career path over a life in the fine arts is because I feel that human relationships, collaboration and community are a big part of it. I like the accessibility of illustration and question a lot of the institutional constructs of what art is supposed to be. This is also why I chose to switch from making art for a gallery- which can only be in one place at one time, to making a book- that can be read by anyone, anywhere, at anytime. Connecting with an audience feels very satisfying, like inserting the last piece in a 5000 piece puzzle. As far as my book goes, I'm only about 3,467 pieces in and I should be getting back to work soon.

But after all that, I can't not-share something, so here is a newer Photobooth Portrait* of a booth that is still active in Berlin. (I made it in colour, though the version in the book will be in grayscale.)

copyright Meags Fitzgerald 2013

*The Photobooth Portraits are full page pieces that are drawn in a style that reflects the personality of the booth. These pages standout from the otherwise more comic-like, line based drawings of the rest of the book.

Over the Moon!

Last week was the week of good news!

Firstly, I found out that five of my works are runner-ups in Creative Quarterly most recent (33rd) competition in the student/ recent graduate illustration category. As a runner-up my pieces will be featured on their online gallery for four months in the winter.  

Secondly, on September 29th my  film LaCuna screened at the Edmonton International Film Festival and won the Jury Prize for Best Animated Short Film. This project was a huge time investment and is more experimental than most of my works, so the recognition means more to me than most accolades.

And thirdly, two professional creatives, who's work I deeply admire have written quotes in support of my book, Photobooth: A Biography. Illustrator & comicbook artist, Jillian Tamaki and author & CBC's host of Wiretap, Jonathan Goldstein both wrote some kind words for me. 

“Photobooth: A Biography is an impressive and ambitious project. A deep exploration of an unexpected topic that is in turn historical, journalistic, and personal.”
— Jillian Tamaki

“Fitzgerald has created something that’s more than candid personal memoire, more than carefully researched cultural history — she’s created a work brimming with that rarest of things: love. That I should use such a word to explain a young woman’s feelings for photobooths certainly sounds improbable and maybe even a little crazy. And that’s precisely why this book is so wonderful.”
— Jonathan Goldstein

Up top is my "author's portrait" and below is the book cover. More information can be found at my publisher's website. 

Couple Tidbits

Wow, it's been a while since I have updated my blog, which is definitely a reflection of how busy I've been lately. I've got lots of news that I'll be able to share at the end of August/ start of September. For now, here are a couple tidbits.

I'm really excited to say that my animation LaCuna is an Official Selection of the Edmonton International Film Festival and will be screened on Sunday September 29th, as part of their "In Our Own Backyard" programming. I made a simple website for LaCuna, www.lacunaanimation.com, and this short video on the Making Of LaCuna. Personally, I love to see behind the scenes stuff.

The Making of LaCuna from Meags Fitzgerald on Vimeo.

Right now, I'm putting the finishing touches on some material for my publisher, Conundrum Press' catalog, which is a preview of their upcoming books and recent backlist. For the catalog, I drew this "author's portrait" of myself.

Graphic Novel News!

I'm delighted to announce two pieces of excellent news.

Firstly, today I signed a book deal for Photobooth, A Biography, the graphic novel that I've been working on for the last year. Conundrum Press will be publishing the book as part of their Spring 2014 line up. I'm thrilled to be working with Conundrum, who've published several of my favourite artists/writers including Jillian Tamaki and Michel Rabagliati. The press is ran by Andy Brown, who has a soft spot for photobooths, so this partnership should work out perfectly.

Secondly, early this week I got a letter informing me that a grant application I wrote in January was successful! The Alberta Foundation for the Arts has awarded me the full amount I applied for, which will cover most of my expenses until I finish Photobooth, A Biography. I feel so fortunate to be able to treat this book like my job. I feel very grateful and quite happy.

I haven't shared any content from the book in many months, I'm supposed to keep it under wraps. But today is special, so in the spirit of the good news, here are two of the newer Photobooth Portraits.
 

Copyright 2013 Meags Fitzgerald

Desk Aerobics

I've been busy juggling three separate artistic endeavours lately, they are as follows:

1. LaCuna: My stop motion animation made of photobooth pictures is FINALLY FINISHED! I have officially applied to my first Film Festivals, it will be a few months until I know if my submissions were successful or not. To maintain exclusivity rights for festivals, I won't be sharing the animation online until next year, in the mean time I'm working on a trailer and I've made these two posters. I owe a mountain-sized thank you to Jason Michael MacIsaac of the Heavy Blinkers who composed LaCuna's original soundtrack.

2. Editorial Illustration and Promotion: It seems that trying to book illustration jobs is a full time job in itself. I've worked hard to revamp my portfolio and have been regularly sending it out to art departments. And I've had some success! Though that work is many months away from being share-able. I've also for the first time applied to illustration competitions. The objective is to be included in an awards annual or illustrator directory that is then distributed and used by art directors and other creative professionals. It will be a while still until I hear back about any of those, but my fingers are crossed.

3. Photobooth, A Biography: I'm working on my graphic novel around the clock, and I've finally got into a nice rhythm with it. Of all the things on my to-do list, its the one I'm most excited about. I've been sharing work with two friends, one who gives me feedback on the writing and another who critiques the artwork, but I won't be sharing any of it publicly, everyone will just have to wait a year for it to come out.

I know what you're thinking after reading that:

She must sit at a desk a lot.

You're right, I do! But fortunately for me I found a set of  light aerobics videos. They're keeping my joints alive. 

Given that I'm working hard on three things that I can't really share, my blog may be a little dry for material.  So! I'm going to switch up the content here a little; posting more old work that I haven't shared before, more photos of my collections and lists of my favourite people/things. 

At the base of the Mountain

I've been pull-my-hair-out busy, so I haven't had a chance to post in a while. I'm chipping away at my to-do list and making good progress on small illustration jobs here and there. But the real work is my graphic novel. I've been illustrating it steadily this month and feel like I have comparatively little to show for it. I've already spent a year on this book and when I look around, I still feel like I'm at the base of the mountain.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of this mountain and I see a pretty clear path up. It's just that now I'm accustomed to projects with quick turnarounds and I love that feel of satisfaction of when I finish a work. It will just be a while until I get that feeling with Photobooth, A Biography.

Here's a snippet of a page of a chapter I just finished (sans text). Now I've got to get back to base camp!

Cameras, Collecting & Chicago

Where to start?

Well, I arrived in Chicago almost two weeks ago and it’s been a whirlwind of activity. Finally things are starting to level out. I’ve got a good sense for the city and I’m starting to carve out a routine. Personally, it's been so nice to see some old friends here and I've had a lot of support, particularly from the improv community with settling in for these few  months. I’ve spent most of my time at A&A Studios, where I’m doing an internship. I’m helping out with a few projects at the studio, while still doing my regular illustration/ design jobs for Canadian clients. The studio is the perfect backdrop to work on my graphic novel, it's filled with inspiration- gems from bygones eras, analogue technology and smatterings of little collections everywhere.

Anthony, the President of A&A has let me loose on a beautiful Model 11 they have in the showroom. He put colour paper and chemicals in the machine for my visit. I’ve used a lot of colour machines that have been converted to B&W but never the other way around before, so it’s been a nice treat. I’ve been experimenting with the exposure, filters, acetates, magnifying plastic, mirrors and backgrounds. You can see a selection of my shots at my flickr.

Originally the plan was that Anthony would teach me how to service a chemical photobooth, the plan has since evolved so that together we'll re-build one. It’ll be the best way for me to learn the ins and outs of these machines. This is the booth we are starting with, there’s not much there and I’m sure I will get very messy figuring this thing out.  I have no doubt that it’ll make interesting content for my book.

Speaking of the book, I’m happy to say that Julia Caron has signed on as my editor. Julia is the journalist who produced the CBC Radio story about photobooths in the spring.  She is an excellent writer and we know from the radio story that we work well together. 

And lastly, I’ve got some fun news to share but I should keep my lips sealed for another few days as the last details are finalized. But for the sake of intrigue I'll tell you that it involves a plane ride, an all-nighter, a couple of photobooths and probably some kissing too.

Back from Europe & At the Dartmouth Comics Arts Festival

I'm back! After putting the blog aside for three whole weeks I'm back at the keyboard. Why was I away for so long you ask?

Well... first of all I was in Europe researching photobooths until August 10th. Lots of friends have asked me "how was the trip?" And it was amazing but it was also a business trip. It was less romantic and whimsical than people seem to think, truth was that it involved a lot of time on trains and many frustrating language barrier moments. That said, I'm so happy I went, it was so great for the book and good for refreshing my outlook on life in general.

The other thing that has kept me busy was the Dartmouth Comics Arts Festival (DCAF). This was the first year of the festival and no one was quite sure what to expect. Fortunately it was a huge success both from the artists' and fans' perspectives. I got to sit behind a table and talk to people about photobooths all day, so that was pretty great. Some people even recognized me from the CBC story I helped with about photobooths that has gotten a lot play across Canada in the last two months. 

Everything that I had at my table at DCAF I'm now selling at my Etsy shop. The items include a Second Edition of the Concept Art Booklet (I revised it to include my trip to Europe), a new Photobooth Portrait of a rare booth I got to visit in the Netherlands and the last few tote bags I have. 

And lastly... I've been busy with preparing to move and tie up loose ends here in Halifax. I have less than 9 days left in this city and a whole lot of work to do and an amazing bunch of friends to visit with. I've got a few illustration jobs on the go as well, just to add an extra layer of challenge to it all.

Over the next few days I'll be posting updates from my Europe trip, so stay tuned for that.

Autumn in the Windy City

While I was at the Photobooth Convention in May, I met many wonderful people. Amongst these people were Anthony and Andrea Vizzari who own A&A Studios in Chicago. A&A is a really interesting business, they refurbish vintage photobooths and either preserve the mechanical elements for chemical photos or convert it to digital. These high quality booths are for sale and available as rentals for events. They also operate a shop which sells vintage cameras and related paraphernalia. They have a really creative team of people working with them and are leaders in the grassroots photobooth movement.

So… it makes me insanely happy to get to work with them this fall. I’ll be doing an internship in Chicago from September to December, working on special projects. We are still developing/finalizing said projects but it seems like I will get to use my illustration, design, sewing, bookbinding and crafting knowledge, all while being in the midst of photobooths. Needless to say, this is a dream job and I’m sure the experience will provide me with some great insights for my graphic novel.

In the meanwhile, I’m planning my European Photobooth Expedition. It’s shaping up with only a few details to still confirm. I also hope to fit in quick trips to Toronto and New York in the fall, which should mostly complete the research for Photobooth, A Biography.

This coming week I’m going to visit Newfoundland with my parents and sister. It’ll be my first time and it’s also the only Canadian province I haven’t been to yet. With my new ties to Auto-Photo (the company that makes and services photobooths in Canada) I have secured the locations of 4 photobooths along our route that are not yet documented for Photobooth.net’s Locator feature. I’m happy to visit these gems before they are gone. And generally, I’m just happy and grateful for all the new experiences!

Concept Art Booklet is Ready!

Since I got back from the first leg of the Photobooth Expedition (Los Angeles & Montreal) I have been working away at the concept art for Photobooth, A Biography and it's finally ready! The people who contributed to my IndieGoGo campaign and selected the Combo Pack perk will be getting one in the mail shortly. For anyone else interested in having a copy, you can buy it now on my Etsy page, Two Hands Two Crowns.  It's $15 Canadian plus shipping. Every copy is hand bound and the pages are printed in rich black.