Ahh...Blacksburg.

I must say one of the best things about moving back to the East Coast is getting to return to my old hometown, Blacksburg. While I've lived in many different places and in very different settings, I do have to say Blacksburg is more home to me than any town I have ever lived in.

Right now I'm still traveling - currently in North Beach, MD, and will be spending tomorrow in NOVA to catch up with old friends and family, and then Tuesday I'll be driving up to Philadelphia to visit a college buddy. Wednesday marks my arrival back in Brooklyn.

Blacksburg was short but too bittersweet. It's a little difficult emotionally to be bombarded with friendly old faces and their most sincere gestures in less than a 24 hour period and then have to say goodbye to it all so quickly again. I wish I could have stayed longer, but right now freelancing doesn't really afford too much time away from working.

The booksigning went well (otherwise, I would have cried, seriously). The night before I was so anxious and excited that I was only able to get about two hours sleep. One of my students from last fall came with a friend and doodled in sketchbooks for nearly two hours straight (very talented kids). A few of my old teachers from Elementary and Middle school stopped by, as well as some family friends, and the doctor who saved my life last August when I was suffering a most severe case of tonsillitus and had to have surgery. Several friends, new and old, also made it a point to show up and give their support. If any of you are reading this, I want you to know that I'm extremely gratuitous for your continued support and friendship. Please know that if you're ever in need of a couch in New York that there is one waiting for you in Brooklyn.

And while I don't want to beat the dead horse - I really do want to stress how important my rapport with my supporters and fans are. My main priority when it comes to my work is being able to reach my audience on a personable and intimate level. Without that response and reassurance that I'm succeeding in reaching people with my message, humor, point-of-view, ..I mean, seriously, why draw these nutty cartoons? My own amusement really isn't enough for me.

It's 2AM and time for bed. I will be picture blogging some photos of my time in Blacksburg soon. Special thanks to the EasyChair Bookstore for hosting the event and for being continuously supportive of my work. I hope we can do it again soon.

Peas,
Vanissa.

Sausage Party

Last night I spent about two hours waiting in the cold on 34th and Madison for the annual Ringling Bros. Elephant walk. It was SO cold. I had just worked out right beforehand, so I didn't feel that bad at first, but after about an hour or so, my fingers were frostbitten and I was risking a serious case of hypothermia.

My buddy Keith and I were out there like two photography nerds well equipt with three cameras. The cold, however, sucked all the battery life out of the cameras, and by the time the elephants walked by, we only successfully captured one shot. PATHETIC!!!!!

Peta people and other angry citizens who are anti-circus/anti-animal-jail were running down the streets following the elephants, screaming, "FREE THE ELEPHANTS!!!" It was quite a sight.

Keith and I gave up shortly after and headed to chinatown for some late night grub. Ah. I am really starting to love New York.

Anyway, down to business.

Other than freezing from time to time and overcoming various strands of the flu, things have been moving forward. The Blacksburg signing at the EasyChair Bookstore is this Saturday, March 25th, at 1PM. I'll be in town from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. I hope to squeeze in as much play time as possible with all my friends...I can't wait!! Huckleberry Trail, Bollo's, The Underground, The Cellar, Mish Mish, CrossRoads....El Guadelupes'...Ahh..deliciousness.

I'm currently working with a friend of mine to make Romance 101 and Friendship 101 a little more published-looking. So far, I've received two dummies from my partner, Hoyu, and they're fantastic. Most likely these beautiful copies will be available in April.

SHOWS! The Bar 4 show is STILL not certain. :( But I'm working on it.

However, I do have a spot in a collaborative show at Capone's in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on the 11th of April, thanks to my girl, Jessi Robertson, the genius head of the Local Correspondants. Details will be posted soon.

PROJECTS. I've got two new ones. They're secrets for now.

To my Blacksburg fellows - see you real soon.

Booksigning Flyer:
Click on the picture to enlarge, and then click on it again to enlarge even more.

New New New!!!

Hi friends. Sorry for the lack of updating lately. There's been *A LOT* going on here in the city, and I haven't had much time to breathe. I'll have to try and list everything in an organized manner. I swear my head is about to explode.

There are plenty of new developments, and things are going in the right direction..auugghh my head hurts.

New Developments.
1) Bar 4 Show: For local friends and fans, I will be having an opening *soon* at Bar 4 in Park Slope. I'm not sure when it will be, we're still in the early stages of planning, so keep checking back on the status of this.

2) Website: I have a new domain name. It is PigmintArt.Com. There will be a website soon completely designed by me. Clicking there now will forward you to my new portfolio website which is....

3) Portfolio:Pigmint.CarbonMade.Com. Props to Jason Nelson for the site and a big thank you to him too, for having me on board his site!

4) Friendship 101 Online Sales: As announced already, Friendship 101 is in print and selling. Right now it is available at my portfolio site in the "About" section, as well as on my MySpace page. Romance 101 is also available.

5) New CafePress Store: I recently upgraded from using CafePress's free store service to their premium account, which means my stores are now all merged into one, and a lot more organized. Please visit my new store at CafePress.Com/PigmintArt. There are a few new sections (my friend Greg's band, Maybe The Welders is a new one), and there will be more new sections added over time. So, keep your eye out! And, if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.

6) The Pigmint Rep Team: This is an idea I have had for about 3-4 months now. When I was 18 I followed the band Guster religiously, and back then they were very, very grassroots. They had a very strong following, and the way they spread their music was through their Rep Team. Basically what a Rep does is promote the work of the artist. For Guster, I sold cds, made them money, and sent them their profits. In return I would get into their shows for free, get free mailings that included goodies like stickers, posters, and tshirts, etc., etc. The Pigmint Rep Team would be similar to that.

Right now I am looking to recruit reps in major cities. I currently have contacts in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, and of course, Las Vegas. I'm looking to expand by number of reps and by cities (haha yes, I have plans to take over the world).

I will have to post again a more detailed version of the responsibilities of a rep and how it will work, but it will be something along the lines of this:

Ordering books (currently Romance 101, Friendship 101) in bulk and sell them to potential Pigmint fans, setting up consignment deals in local comic stores and book stores, and helping with grassroots production and promotion.

In return.....I haven't exactly worked this part out yet, but it will include something like mailings, freebies and discounts on items, and a chance to meet..me! Ahhhaa, I'm so cheezy.

7) Easy Chair Booksigning, Blacksburg, VA: It's been nearly 6 months since I've been home to Blacksburg, VA, and I'm itching for a return. I have been conspiring with the Easy Chair gang, and plan on returning for a booksigning event that will take place at the Easy Chair Bookstore on 101 South Main St., at 1PM on Saturday, March 25th.

Much thanks to Russell, Anne, Chris.....Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I currently need Blacksburg reps, and QUICK, for advertising this event!!!

I'm really excited for the visit, because I miss my friends, and I miss the cozy, small town feel of the Burg. I also can't wait to have wings at The Underground. YUMMMMMM.....

_ _ _

So that's it for most of the news. I'm exhausted just from posting all of that. Thanks for reading, and have a great March 1st!

Peas,
Vanissa.