maudlin

dirty shitty things

2012-01-24T03:56:00.000-08:00

'Clean Coal' may be to some a dirty lie, but to me it is an endless excuse to poke fun at this silly idea that has yet to be proven in the actual real world on a commercial scale. Ever. In the actual real world, however, the increasingly desperate coal lobby is dreaming up more and more crazy, cost-ineffecient and often dangerous methods of capturing carbon dioxide and pumping it deep into the ground. Seriously, if you've had enough of doom and gloom just take a quick squiz at the the DPI's brochure entitled 'Putting the Carbon Back' or my personal favourite for Most-Shameless-Business-Name-Ever-Award Environmental Clean Solutions. I guarantee it, you will be ROFLing on the carpet with bitter tears streaming from your eyes.
On a more serious note however, the next few weeks will be make-or-break-time for the dodgy HRL project that has been limping along for the last 7 years. There is a rally (Feb 1, 12.30, Parli). You should go there.

year for hanging out with books

2012-01-03T21:13:00.001-08:00

Happy new year! I'm so excited! Why? Because 2012 is the National Year of Reading! Not that I need that as an excuse to spend time with my nose in a book, but somehow it seems to justify the little pile of Too-Many-Books-To-Possibly-Read-At-Once beside my bed. At the moment I am dividing my attention between Radical Melbourne, one of SLV's recommended summer-reads, and Janet Frame's The Carpathians. I've been on a bit of a Frame kick of late and have been trying to convince N to watch An Angel At My Table for the third time. Apart from the fact it is amazing, I just adore that scene where little-Janet has won a year-long membership to the Athaeneum Library, and she goes there and is overwhelmed by all these amazing books. Its a tearjerker, that's for sure, not to mention a reminder that libraries are super important and lovely.

keep whales in the ground

2011-12-26T16:11:00.001-08:00

When my dad was a young hippy dude in the 70s he wore two badges to his science lectures religiously: "keep uranium in the ground" and "save the whales". For the sake of brevity one of his lecturers suggested he combine the two into "keep whales in the ground". Tee hee. The badges have since been retired, but before becoming a washed up baby-boomer my dad didn't fail to pass on his passion for the environment to me. This year has been a big year for me doing hippy things, and while I'm not that into wearing 1-inch badges, I am into chronicling my exploits through the medium of sequential narrative. Yes that's right, I made a mini-comic about my year as a freshly minted activist. Its called Spirit Fingers and very soon I will make some more and take them to place where they may be exchanged for coins or swappage.

dreams of another...

2011-12-13T02:17:00.000-08:00

silly season

2011-12-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

This year N and I decided that after being christmas-shopping-zombies last year, running round trying to find salad servers, a whipper-snipper and explorer socks, this year we would MAKE everyone presents. I know, crazy right?
We started in earnest last week, and this weekend we're putting the finishing touches on all our little hand-made goodies. I was lucky enough to be gifted the Zakka craft book for my birthday, so I've had plenty of ideas for little things to make. Today, however, N surpassed all my efforts with these super-sweet hand-made wooden buttons! Yes, he made them! With his own two hands! I can't get over them, they're sooo sickly adorable Japanese shabby chic!

freedom

2011-11-18T20:19:00.001-08:00

There have been a few kinda scary uses of the word "freedom" this week in the pokies debate and occupy thingies. Maybe I'm getting old and cycnical, but I distinctly remember the saying went
"liberté, égalité, fraternité".

So many words, so little time...

2011-11-06T19:24:00.001-08:00

Just over 1 year ago I went up to Brisvegas for the inaugural Allen & Unwin / Queensland Writers Centre mentorship for Children's Literature. After a week of talking with editors, publishers, booksellers and other amazing writers, the idea was that I would go home, finish off my manuscript and resubmit. Well, at least that was the plan! Then I overloaded with uni, got an extra day's work, got involved in a campaign to end coal power in Victoria and lo and behold it was October again, and I still hadn't finished!
I had loadsa drawings, ideas and words, but I'd yet to sit down and finish piecing the darned thing together.
Then, amazingly, I sat down at a desk and finished it off. I know. Crazy. I just sat down and wrote. After doing 'plot-plans', brainstorming, drawing and boring my boyfriend to death about it, I worked out the suprising fact that writing is the way that books are written.
Huh. Who would have thought?

road trip!

2011-10-28T04:06:00.001-07:00

This weekend is going to be all about my boy, my bike and my book. We're road tripping up to Castlemaine, courtesy of V-Line, before hopping on our bikes and heading south to Daylesford where the weekend will be spent. Although, the prospects aren't looking promising as I write this, with rain pouring down, and N on the veranda, cursing, with my bike in pieces. Fingers crossed we make it!

awoooo

2011-10-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

Ever since my true-love bought me Pablo Holmberg's delightful Edén back from the USA earlier this year I have been percolating, slowly, softly, some ideas about a strange place all of my own, constructed only in sets of four square panels.

bon temps!

2011-10-04T00:16:00.000-07:00

N and I just returned on the o'ernight train from Newcastle: sleepy, stiff and satisfied. From the moment we stepped into the home of Newie's finest activists we were made to feel welcome, and it was a shame we didn't get to spend more time hanging out at their inner-suburban californian bungalow compound-cum-activist lair. But there was a festival to enjoy, and a city full of grand broken-down buildings to explore and grumpy service-people to annoy!
Despite warnings from some locals we actually managed to enjoy our time at TINA - though some of the events we went to were pretty average, there were many that were simply stellar, and made the long journey worth it. The zine fair too exceeded expectations (mine were pretty low to start with, after being billed $20 for a stall). To help justify the cost I decided I would lower myself as a zine-maker and do some 'crafts' to sell... I made these super-twee mushroom chains, and someone actually bought one!

who am i kidding?

2011-09-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

In less than 2 weeks I will be a qualified Librarian. As well as making comics, I'm finding cooking elaborate dinners is an effective way of distracting myself from my studies.

safety first

2011-09-23T06:45:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is Moving Planet day and I'm facing the dilemma of what to wear! Every time I get on my bike I feel the weight of this responsibility: try hard to look normal or try hard not to die? It usually ends as a compromise between the two. Tomorrow I'm lucky enough to be on team Bikezilla, which is pretty much where its at as far as pedal-powered travel goes. So's... I guess I'd better look my best. Who said lycra can't be attractive?

wound up

2011-08-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

I gotta new wind-up radio last week (yes, it has a little handle!) So, I've been tuning into 3CR, which is Melbourne's coolest radio station in case you didn't know, and getting an education (it has a comics show, need I say any more?) I was lucky enough to catch a broadcast earlier in the week by Karen Healey, speaking at the Tights & Tiaras conference at Monash Uni this month. You should definately listen to it, even if you hate super hero comics (like me!) And if that gets you going you could read Karen's now defunct (but archived none the less) blog: Girls Read Comics & They're Pissed.
Who knows... maybe I'll even try reading Wonder Woman?

forest place

2011-08-22T02:53:00.000-07:00

At the weekend we went up to Toolangi, to witness the shameful logging that has been ripping right through the heart of this gorgeous wet rainforest. Some of the brave folk who have been risking their lives to stop the logging going on briefed us on the woeful situation. Toolangi, which missed the brunt of the Black Saturday fires by a hairs breadth, forms some of the only remaining habitat for the now critically endangered Leadbeater's possum. Volunteer surveyors have found two live leadbeaters nests within the coupes, but due to the absurdity of the Government's guidelines it is their habitat which is protected, not the actual possums themselves. And "habitat" according to government guidelines must cover an area at least 3 hectares - the coupes conveniently cover only 2.

The situation is made all the more upsetting for those who braved the fires two years ago, because once the forest is logged it will be replanted with highly flammable eucalypt saplings, increasing fire risk in the future.

When the next fire comes, we'll know who to blame.

new zine deluxe

2011-08-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

I was very excited this last week to sell-out (not in the bad sense) at Sticky once again. It does, in some ways, make me feel entitled to make zines instead of doing boring things like my homework or my share of the dishes. And that is what I have promptly done, with an old story and some old bits of fabric and my printer and my sewing machine. Adeline the Awful is a story I wrote a while back and drew some pictures for more recently, and it will be very soonly available for a reasonable price - and, I must add, in limited edition! The edgings have been hand cut and sewn, and with poor sewing skills like mine, its simply an offer that cannot last!

trunky

2011-07-23T02:25:00.000-07:00

Sad news this week, with VicForests (the State Government's logging arm), smashing up pristine forest at Sylvia Creek, despite opposition from locals and greenies alike. Boo! What a bunch of meanies! I was in the mood for drawing trees this week, but this stinky news made it all the more pertinent.
The forest forms part of the ever-dwindling habitat of Australia's cutest marsupial and also Victoria's faunal emblem: the leadbeaters possum. VicForests bozos claim they have left a habitat "island" within the forest (in light of conservationists concerns, not their own black hearts), which they say will ensure any possums in the area survive (they also say there are no possums in the area, which may give you some insight into their skills of reason and analysis).
Anyway, I'd like to see how well folks here in Melbourne would survive if VicForests, say, smashed up a few hundred hectares of freeways. Starvation anyone? Rant ends here!

salty

2011-06-18T01:03:00.001-07:00

Its been a while, so this afternoon I set aside for drawing and drinking steaming cups o' coffee. I think I forgot how nice it is to just draw, cut, ink for no reason and no purpose. With winter setting in I hope there will be more of it!

Beach babes

2011-05-21T01:36:00.001-07:00

This is the gorgeous view from my desk at the Queenscliff Neighbourhood House, where I have been hanging out the last little while, drawing pictures and drinking copious amounts of peppermint tea (I have a cold).
The 'Cliff is my hometown, and I've been invited back as a part of the local council's Sea of Words. Being invited back home, and also, Queenscliff being a nautical town (as you might have guessed from its appropriately themed writers fest), I brought my copy of Dylan Horrocks' awesome Hicksville along for a read today... and simply couldn't help myself! There is a lighthouse outside my window!! If it wasn't located within the grounds of the local naval base I would be scrounging about there right now in search of some hidden treasures.

(apologies to Dylan Horrocks and people who like nicely photoshopped pictures)

mini zinesters

2011-05-16T02:18:00.000-07:00

This is the amazing stash of zines I picked up today at Queenscliff Primary School. I've been at the school the last couple of days, introducing the kids to the concept of zines and running a mega-workshop on how to make them. Today we worked the photocopier and after lunch held a super zine swap! I have to say I was blown away by the talent - with titles like Angry Eggplant (grade prep), Splice Mice (grade six) and My Dad Smells (grade four) making it a very competitive swapping field!

(Angry Eggplant)

(Splice Mice)

(My Dad Smells)

montañas

2011-04-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been dreaming of the land of the long-white-cloud - reading too much Janet Frame and listening to way too many of N's old records. So cause we cancelled our trip there I'm all blue skys, and cumulus clouds and mountains doing suitable high altitude things (wearing scarves, feeling lonely).

Nano-test!

2011-03-24T05:44:00.001-07:00

Can you make a better comic than me? I bet you can! Friends of the Earth will be releasing a super new report on the hygiene-gone-mad "silver nano" technology, and are looking for someone to do a bit of light comic relief. If you're keen the deadline is Monday at the latest- email me and I will send on a fact sheet on the serious issues you can convert into comedy gold... I mean silver!

**Update** Deadline is now Tuesday!

he's behind you

2011-02-27T16:52:00.000-08:00

It's the last day of summer and how happy I am that it is a little chilly and I can already feel autumn coming on! The last week of summer (as in last week) was a busy one for me and my new HP Laserjet 1600. Together we achieved the creation of a total of almost 90 zines, most of which have found their way to Sticky with a small portion being posted off to Format in Adelaide, my first foray into that westerly state. Alongside a re-print of Flora there was a batch of Happy Crap, Sooky Cloud and Evil Mushroom as well as a new comic Dreamwalker, which has wasted most of my black toner. Props to Friends of the Earth for letting me use their super guillotine too!

try again!

2011-02-13T17:48:00.001-08:00

Though I have been known to willingly (perhaps over-willingly) participate in Valentine's Day festivities in the past, this year I wish to commemorate the date with That Hurt!, a new zine of tattoo ideas for the broken hearted. Prototypes of TH sold out at Saturday's mega-zine fest, and this week I will be printing up a fresh new bunch which will promptly be available at Sticky for those in need of some needy-needled nymphs to cheer them up post-V's D.

In other exciting news, last week Hairy Bloke got its first review, it was so nice it made me blush.

shitty day

2011-02-06T17:19:00.000-08:00

No I didn't stand in a poo, but today has been a really shitty day! Sticky Zine Fair is in less than one week and the (supposedly super) HP LaserJet 1600 my uncle gifted me has given me nothing but troubles. Halfway through printing a ream of Happy Crap and Sooky Cloud zines it has, ironically, decided to give up on life. Shitty printer = sooky girl.

feliz navidad!

2010-12-20T13:52:00.001-08:00

Who are the coolest zine distributors in the whole of the Toowoomba region? Why Smells Like Zines of course! This very super distro stock copies of my zines Hairy Bloke and Defend Your Tweedom as well as an awesome array of QLD only zines that are otherwise unavailable down south. The Smells are offering free postage for all zine orders placed before Christmas, which again = coolest! feliz navidad y una oferta muy cool!

Regardez Moi!

2010-12-12T21:23:00.000-08:00

Anna Brown has been running round Australia, taking snaps of 'Strayan comics people for almost a year! (Well, not the whole time, but she has been doing her project over the year, so props to her for sticking to it for so long!) She is going to be collating them into some kind of an exhibition-form-thingie at some point in the future, juxtaposing each artist's image with a drawn self-portrait. What a cool idea. The above is the result of my attempt at drawing myself, and below, one of the photographs Anna took. Unfortunately she took the pictures after my ill-fate fringe adventures, about which I had almost forgotten (as you will see by my drawing, I am now sporting an awesome side-fringe most emo-kidz would be jealous of).

dreamwalker

2010-11-28T23:00:00.000-08:00

I painted this for my friend Isabelle (aged 2 and a "halp") for her new "big girl room" (she's been turfed out due to a newly arrived little brother). I thought it was a little bit too scary, but when presented with it she wasn't scared at all. In fact she laughed at it. Kids. Huh.

have you ever spent some quality time with a duck?

2010-11-16T23:15:00.000-08:00

Today I got a leaflet in the mail from the wonderful folk at the Coalition Against Duck Shooting. They're asking all Melbournians (the real ones, who live in the actual city) to vote Green this election in as a protest against the Brumby Government's inaction on the issue of duck hunting. Go duck people!!
Anyway, the flyer reminded me of a comic idea I had been playing around with a while back entitled Duck Season. It's basically a story about spending quality time with a duck. Duck's are really cool animals. Have you spent some time with one lately? Do it. You'll be rewarded in feathers.

Au Revoir!

2010-10-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today, due to my fear of flying, I am boarding a train to Brisbane. The journey will take two days, but once I arrive I will be lucky enough to be a participant in the QWC/Allen and Unwin Children's Manuscript Development Program. Yay! My shortlisted story is entitled "The Girl Who Lived In a Suitcase" and I have been working hard on some inky illustrations to go with the text. The program runs for 5 days. The return train trip runs for 4!

floral

2010-09-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

It's spring! I keep forgetting because it's been so cold, and I've had the sniffles and as such have been spending quite an amount of time in front of the heater. But, in front of the heater is the best place for making zines, and I have concocted a new one! It's about flowers and love, and all things springly, with a little rain and mellow sadness thrown in for good measure. It's called Flora and available at Sticky from now!

hairy bloke

2010-07-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

buoyed by sales ($18) of tweedom i have re-jigged and re-printed an old zine idea - "Hairy Bloke Magazine" - and will be heading down to sticky-town today to set it free.

twee-sale

2010-07-14T02:56:00.000-07:00

the lovely folk at sticky are doing my work for me and selling the last reprints of "Defend Your Tweedom"- the slightly autobiographical story of Melbourne's quasi-twee musical happenings also known as a "scene". This original is a pretty hap-hazard, time-limited comic story, but has formed the basis for a larger work which I am working on right now. Yes, it is literally sitting on the couch right beside me. It will look way prettier. The story-arcs will be more developed. Some characters will be completely merged into one-another in the event I am sued for libel.

always keep a spare key...

2010-06-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

I tried to make me go to rehab...

2010-06-14T15:31:00.001-07:00

This month I am doing comic rehab. That involves uploading a 4-panel comic every 4 days for the WHOLE month!
I've gone with the theme of 'doing things in public'. Running out of options the past week has been filled with attempts to get over many of my most personal hang-ups in public.

the adventures of garbage girl

2010-05-31T00:13:00.001-07:00

first two pages of garbage girl, what i am working on for a zine for matt emery.

IQ test

2010-05-23T01:28:00.000-07:00

Whenever my parents venture down to the big smoke for a visit I get into the silliest of moods. I find myself reverting to the seventeen year old that left home some years ago, as soon as their bright yellow volvo pulls into sight. Much to the dismay of everyone else who has to endure it. This weekend the silly mood lingered once Ma and Pa had taken to the road, and I made this IQ test- an introduction to the Stick and Stone strip I am working on finishing before the month is through. Put your stupidity to the test and try it!

meet stick & stone!

2010-04-26T23:25:00.001-07:00

The new stars of a strip to for Brendan Halyday's upcoming kid-comic-zine extravaganza, currently titled "FUNAPPALOOZA".
Fun!

please

2010-03-12T23:47:00.000-08:00

don't swing too high

2010-02-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

zine fair

2010-02-12T14:58:00.001-08:00

my eyes hurt. my fingers are clipped and staple worn. its that time of year again: target 168.
the rules: make one zine in 168 hours. print it out 35 times. hand it in at the sticky zine fair today: 3pm, degraves st underpass.
this year i made a zine called "defend your tweedom". its basically about last week, when i got angry at my friend tom because he was trying to be tough and rock and roll.

holiday activity

2010-01-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

this is what i did with my new years day, inspired by the amazing elephant brooch sported as a neck decoration by a girl in the final credits scene of Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

stocking filler

2009-12-27T22:02:00.000-08:00

here is a sneak peak at the pelty pin-ups who will adorn the first edition of "hairy bloke" zine- coming to a zine stall near you in the new year!

Submit your uke art!

2009-12-14T23:15:00.000-08:00

The 1st Melbourne Ukulele Festival (MUF) kicks off late Feb 2010, and to take it out in style I have offered to help organise a ukulele art show. All you need to do is submit an idea for a customised uke by January 15 to ukeart@gmail.com and we'll give you a uke to get decorating! Ukes can then be sold throughout the festy with all procedes going straight into your pocket!
There are a limited number of ukes so first in gets best dressed!

crazy scrabble

2009-12-04T14:21:00.001-08:00

i am sorry

2009-11-26T01:05:00.000-08:00

this is the story of a remorseful lumberjack.
he's sorry. the cloud is upset.
together they cry and a leaf grows.
this is not what happens in real life,
but its a nice way to pass the time.
xo

Neil vs Neil

2009-11-16T22:49:00.000-08:00

hongos en cohetes

2009-10-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

Mariachi

2009-10-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

snooze

2009-08-18T02:40:00.001-07:00

Its Tango Time

2009-08-01T18:33:00.001-07:00

This year's Tango anthology is themed "love and war", so, with love hearts and arrows i have drawn the battle of love between two little cupids. Submit to Tango now!

Lifted Brow

2009-07-03T20:28:00.001-07:00

Its so very nice to see literary high browers TLB printing the somewhat silly "Senor Refrito's Activity Page" in the latest installment of their lovely magazine. This installment of Senor Refrito includes: Arctic Colour In, What's In the Pants? and What Disease is that? Partake and test your GENRUL NOLIG!

STICKAHZ

2009-05-31T01:26:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, oh yeah! I got the sticky stuff!
Courtesy of eckersleys sticky paper and free tazer printing at my papa's work i have stickers!! Including: happy crap, singing skull, weeing cloud and heart kebab. They debuted at the freeze fest that was the Emerging Writers Festival Page Parlour and raised a few eyebrows with the crowd of mostly people who accidently showed up, and were like : WTF is going on?

New Shoes

2009-05-19T01:38:00.000-07:00

I was making an application to use Strip Space yesterday when I found this little strip hidden within the depths of my usb stick... I made it months ago while we were on the road, but in a weird coincidence last week I bought some brand spankin' new doc martens (the 90s is back I tell you!)... and this happened. Exactly this. I stood in dog shit. New Shoes. Dog Shit. SHIT.

Target 168: EUROVISION

2009-05-17T00:28:00.000-07:00

Target 168: Eurovision has fought against the flu for my attention this weekend, and has somewhat won out, being only slightly more pleasant! The idea is to create a zine about your assigned eurovision participant nation in just 168 hours (starting Saturday morning and finishing on Thursday, when zines shall be hurriedly rushed to Sticky!)
This target is organised by the fabulous Sticky Institute. My country is Malta, and being half-maltese, I'm putting in a full half-hearted attempt! The image here is nowhere near as messy as what my comic/zine has ended up looking like (being inked largely on my knees in front of the telly) but it tells the story of my passion for Eurovision which gripped my adolescent mind when my second cousin twice removed came second for Malta in 2002!

couple bang

2009-04-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

hairy: bangs swap cards

2009-04-12T04:35:00.000-07:00

I spent the easter weekend at my parents house. It was boring. So made some trading cards of people with some serious bangs issues. Does anyone wanna swap? For keeps?

Slightly belated tango...

2009-04-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

It was a little ironic that my enjoyment of the Tango anthology was belated by my extended stay in the country that invented that very passionate dance- Argentina! But now I am back and finally have my hands on a copy and it looks just great! Congrats to Bernard and co. My entry is on page 51 in which two cupcakes have an existential crisis as they near the end of their shelf life... umm... yeah...

ILCW

2009-02-18T13:54:00.001-08:00

We had a super fun time! Thx for organising it Sticky!

Sold out!

2009-02-15T12:58:00.000-08:00

I went to my first ever zine fair on Saturday with my pal Raji, in the degraves street underpass in Melbourne... and I sold out! I couldn't believe it, I thought we'd sell absolutely nothing, but apparently the financial crisis has not effected the market for photocopied whimsy one iota. I was also sold out of my custom made 'prickle bush' and 'something fishy' valentines day underpants... geez... didn't get any close ups of them either!!

i wear my heart on my t-shirt

2009-02-07T18:01:00.000-08:00

"I wear my heart on my t-shirt 2" is mark II of this awesome exhibition at the Booroondara Town Hall Gallery... I made tees for the last one, and have collated some old designs to bring to the second one (including "bling", "prickly heart" and "cactus sound" as seen above)... which I'll be dropping off right on the deadline, tomorrow morning before work! The exhibition runs 11 Feb- 7 Mar. Read more at: http://townhallgallery.blogspot.com

2009-02-07T01:37:00.000-08:00

I made a comic to sell at international literature conspiracy week! Its exciting! And starts on Monday! I scanned this while we were staying at Uncle Ernesto's place in the barrio of San Felipe (which is in Lima, Peru)... it came out kind of funny cause the scanner at the only locutorio within 5 kms was like made in 1983 or something, out of straw... It was a really cool locutorio though, and the counter-girl was laughing so much while she scanned this and showing it to all the other customers... she thought I was crazy, but it just goes to show that comics are the international language of talking!

sail

2008-08-11T02:03:00.001-07:00

sail
Originally uploaded by maudita

for this weeks illo friday... ernest in a boat

10 years ago

2008-08-10T00:40:00.000-07:00

Sifting through my favourite melb crafty blogs I came across this awesome concept... 10 frames to tell what you were doing 10 years ago in 1998. I was thirteen then... so long ago!

nordic

2008-08-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

we had a lovely talk in our writing for children class this week on the amazing Swedish-Finn children's writer and illustrator Tove Jansson. I hadn't heard of Jansson's work before, but this week has involved a veritable binge on her 'Moomins' series written during the 50s. Her paintings are exquisite, classic, block coloured works with a unashamedly nordic feel.

The Girl Who Lived in a Suitcase

2008-08-01T01:51:00.000-07:00

This is the image which has inspired my Prof Writing and Editing homework piece... suprisingly called 'The Girl Who Lived In a Suitcase'!

Birdbrain

2008-07-31T14:01:00.000-07:00