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John Baird's blog

"Make a Manga!" at Otakon 2009!

The Create a Comic Project (CCP) is coming to Otakon 2009! Accompanied by webcomic artists Kittyhawk (Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuuki) and Erin Ptah (And Shine Heaven Now), the project will be hosting two workshops - "Make a Manga!" - and a panel - "Manga, Literacy, and Children."

Earth Day? No! Estrada Day!

John Baird (Create a Comic Project), and Ryan Estrada have teamed up to release Create a Comic Project Presents: Climate Change. The 34-page comic book, which explores the various facets of climate change, is published through Lulu.com.

From the Classroom to Print: Create a Comic Project #1

The Create a Comic Project has taken its first foray into publishing teaching material with Create a Comic Project #1, aimed at both children and educators. The 26-page comic is written by John Baird, the Create a Comic Project’s founder, and illustrated by a bevy of comic artists, including Ryan Estrada, Emily Snodgrass, and Erin Ptah. It’s published not-for-profit through Lulu.com.

The Create a Comic Project Wins Grant

On June 24, 2008, the Create a Comic Project (CCP) was awarded a Small Neighborhood Grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven (CFGNH). The award will go toward sponsoring the Comic Making Tournament III, the CCP's major annual event where children wield their imaginations to make sequential art masterpieces.

Ron Paul Endorses the CCP

In a stunning move, 2008 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul has endorsed the Create a Comic Project (CCP). "The CCP is an excellent institution," said the Texas Congressman and OBGYN. "Great for parties! In fact, I'd join any party that had the CCP involved!"

Comics and Community Service 4: The Internet

The recent discussion at Fleen on the topic of offline and online cartooning has provoked some contemplation about what paradigm the next generation of cartoonists will have regarding their approach to comics and the potential influence comic-oriented community service projects like the Create a Comic Project (CCP) can have.

The Create a Comic Project Wins Award

On February 22, 2008, the Create a Comic Project and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) were awarded a $2,000 grant from the Association of Schools of Public Health to help celebrate National Public Health Week.

Teaching Guide in Need of Artists

The Create a Comic Project is in search of artists willing to contribute to a non-profit guide that will help others teach children about creating comics. The guide is being done in comic book form to make it accessible to all ages.

The guide needs artists willing to donate comic pages that can be used as teaching materials or draw instructional pages from scripts. A cover artist is also needed. The deadline for submitting art is mid-to-late February.

Comics and Community Service 3: Organizing

(Continued from Part 2.)

Once the decision is made to commit to a service project and the type of project is chosen, the next step is to organize it. This means finding a location, choosing a schedule, and advertising. There is no way to describe in detail every possible scenario that can be encountered at this stage - this is meant as a general guide so that others can fashion their own comic service program, like the Create a Comic Project.

Comics and Community Service 2: Choosing Project Type

(Continued from Part 1.)

Increasing the involvement of webcomic creators with community service projects will serve to increase positive public perception of the medium. There are many things that go into planning a successful community service project. The first thing to consider is the type of activity.