How to enter the Richmond comic scene right before a pandemic
January 13, 2022
When I moved to Richmond in 2019, I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to “blend in” to the local arts scene. I didn’t really know any artists in the area … or at least, ones that were making little doodle comics like I was at the time. I was determined to not let my Bachelor in Fine Arts go to waste (ha,ha) and I started googling COMICS RICHMOND.
Okay, some pretty cool places pop up when I put it in now. Velocity Comics (@velocity_comics) is closest to me - I popped by when I first discovered it and noticed they have an amazing indie comics section (nowadays, I have a couple comics sitting in here!!).
Maybe it was here that I saw a flyer for Richmond Zine Fest, and that kind of lit a lightbulb in my head that I could try to peddle my little comics in person and possibly meet other artists in the area (oh, how pre-pandemic days were different).
I was really ready to make a fool of myself. At the time, I wasn’t really sure what sort of art I wanted to make. The only thing I could do consistently was little dude - a daily comic that poked fun at whatever stress I was dealing with. It was relaxing and relatable, and more importantly, easy to do. I compiled some of these into A Day in the Life (you can still read some of these if you doom scroll on my instagram). I also put together a smaller art zine with a Linocut cover- The Book of Stressful Monsters. Along with these, I brought my portfolio of woodcuts and original art.
The @Richmond Zine Fest was ENORMOUS. I did not expect it at all. Hundreds of artists jammed into a hot library. I was pleasantly surprised that many people wanted my little zine and a lot of others were eager to page through my prints. I even sold a couple of original pieces. It was amazing, and totally exhausting. My one regret from this time is that I didn’t leave enough time for me to roam around meet other artists. I resolved to change that!
I then attended Comic Arts Richmond (@comic_arts_richmond), which was a game changer for me. I met Amy (@amy.lovvik), my now best friend and fellow artist who has helped me through my art woes over the years. I tabled with the incredibly motivated and talented Chauer (@dedkitty_studios). I met one of the organizers, the skilled Christine Skelly (@skellyscribbles). I really felt that I had squished myself into an amazing community, and that I wanted to create something great to share with Richmond.
My final effort that year was the first annual RICE (@rice_rva) at VCU. It wasn’t as successful for me, but I took the time to talk and trade with other artists. I was building a network and still follow a lot of the comic creators I met at that time. I am really, really grateful I had these opportunities before the pandemic hit.
So, in 2022, my art feels a lot different from back then. It is constantly changing, but the only thing that stays the same is a strong desire to stay with the comics community even as it shifts online. I recently returned to RICE after things opened up, and had a much better experience. I have NOICE (@noicenorfolk) coming up, where I will be tabling with Christine Skelly, so things are coming full circle a bit. But my motivations have changed.
My goal for NOICE (which is an incredible convention I had the pleasure to attend in the past) isn’t to make some sort of monumental achievement in time to sell. This is what I had set for myself each time in the past.
It may be my last convention in Richmond for a while, and I want to really connect with the community and other artists there before I go. I plan to focus on talking, following, and collaborating. I want to ask people what they like about my comics … what they want to see. This is really what fuels the indie comics community, I’ve realized. Hope to see you there, or at another convention to chat in the future.
<3 Shannon
Artist’s note: If you can’t come to NOICE, you can still get my comics by getting them in an awesome bundle on my web store.