Donya Todd and Dan Berry talk comics, including artistic intuition, sexism and smoking. Donya is the author of Death and The Girls, out soon from Blank Slate Books and is the editor of the Bimba anthology.
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Will Morris
Will Morris talks to Dan Berry about paper, looking, drawing and reveals some shocking information about a beloved tv show. Check out Will’s website, the WebTrip site and his book The Silver Darlings.
Richard Short, Karrie Fransman and Posy Simmonds
This show was recorded live at the Illustrato.rs Lineup show at the Mall Galleries, London on the 4th May.Dan Berry spoke to Richard Short, Karrie Fransman and Posy Simmonds about their work, their approach and the challenges in creating long-form work.
A word of warning though – this was recorded in an art gallery, so the acoustics were terrible. The recording is actually better than the live sound on the day though. Big echoey white walls may be great for hanging art, but they aren’t so good for reproducing those soft intimate Make It Then Tell Everybody tones that you’ve grown accustomed to.
Jim Guthrie
The first non-comics guest to the show, musician extraordinare Jim Guthrie and Dan Berry talk about the overlaps in the creative process, advertising and Jim’s long awaited new album, Takes Time. The tracks featured in this episode are Bring On The Night and The Rest Is Yet To Come from Takes Time, and Hug Me Til I’m Blue from the extended edition of Now More Than Ever.
Live! London! Short! Fransman! Simmonds!
This Saturday, the 4th of May there will be a live Make It Then Tell Everybody as part of the Illustrato.rs Lineup event at the Mall Galleries just off Trafalgar Square in London, next door to the ICA.
I will be joined by the wonderful Richard Short, Karrie Fransman and Posy Simmonds, author of Tamara Drewe and Gemma Bovary. We’ll likely be chatting about the blurred lines between comics and illustration, but who knows where the mood will take us.
The event is free, but has limited places, so arriving early is advisable. Plus you’ll want to get around the Independent Comics Fair which is also part of the Illustrato.rs Lineup show. Oh, it’s Free Comic Book Day too. So the best thing to do would be to set aside the whole day so you can dedicate your full attention properly to comics for the day.
Interview on The Beat
I don’t know if anyone is at all interested, but I got interviewed by Steve Morris over at the Beat.
A comics lecturer and creator, Dan Berry both writes and draws his own work — such as the forthcoming The Suitcase from Blank Slate Books. But on top of that, he’s also launched a podcast fairly recently, in which he sits down with a number of writers, artists, creators, in order to talk about creation, process, and publishing. Make It Then Tell Everybody is the name of the show, and it’s quickly become one of the must-listen comics podcasts available. Informative, fascinating and warm, it also has some belting pastoral theme music.
That’s a nice thing to say don’t you think? Read the whole thing here.
Isaac Lenkiewicz
Isaac Lenkiewicz and Dan Berry talk about brushes both analogue and digital, The Simpsons and Jump Man.
Prints!
As part of the ongoing effort to cover the costs of the show, I present to you this hand made 3 colour screen print designed by Kristyna Baczynski;
What is it for? Well, this is a relatively inexpensive way for me to offer something other than an email of thanks for a donation to the show.
These prints are part one of a longer plan to bring out more beautiful Make It Then Tell Everybody items designed by the wonderful Kristyna Baczynski. We’ve got some very cool stuff planned, watch this space.
Eleanor Davis
Eleanor Davis talks from the comfort and security of a blanket fort to Dan Berry about hard work, getting better at art and the challenges of longer format work and living with another creative person.
Ryan Andrews
Ryan Andrews and Dan Berry talk about Ryan’s work, Totoro dung, Dragonball, his life in rural Japan and the difficulties of weaning yourself off Photoshop.
Marc Ellerby
Marc Ellerby talks autobiography, process, digital comics, self promotion and how to choose a convention with Dan Berry.
Dustin Harbin
Dustin Harbin and Dan Berry talk at length about doing art better, what the proper collective noun for a group of Voltrons is, how conventions work and the Holiday Olympics. We will return to this conversation in a few months. There’s a lot of stuff we didn’t get to.
Isabel Greenberg
Isabel Greenberg talks to Dan Berry about her very recently finished book, her working process and thoughs on festivals, shops and comics in general.
Joe List
Joe List talks to Dan Berry about what he does, his approach to comics and showing at conventions. Joe was part of the very first Make It Then Tell Everybody and is my second repeat guest.
INJ Culbard
INJ Culbard and Dan Berry get philosophical about criticism, the idea of the ego and the artist and some solid practical advice on streamlining a creative process. Go and check out Deadbeats from Self Made Hero with Chris Lackey & Chad Fifer and the New Deadwardians with Dan Abnett.
Level Up!
A while ago I asked if people would help support the show financially by donating £1 each time they enjoyed an episode of Make It Then Tell Everybody. It doesn’t require a lot of money per month to cover the ongoing costs of hosting the site and the podcast files, but it’s a slow steady trickle out of my own pocket that I was hoping that my listeners would help me cover.
Well, people certainly did that. You listeners have been very generous with your donations and it means that I’ve been able to afford some new equipment with a drastically reduced burden upon my own pocket. The show was previously recorded on a Zoom H1 portable recorder that I’d sit equidistant between myself and the interviewee/my laptop, which while perfectly adequate, didn’t give me the flexibility or control over the quality of the show that I want. I toyed with the idea of running a kickstarter to try and pay for this equipment, but I’m not entirely convinced that it would have worked and the idea of trying to fulfil incentives alongside every other thing on my long to-do list sounded like a frankly crippling hassle.
So, I’ve taken the donations and splashed out on some new equipment, taking solid advice from my audio wunderkind brother Simon. He plays ‘Simon’ from the very funny comedy podcast Tim & Simon. It should mean that the production quality of the show will increase. For the Skype call interviews I’m still limited by the quality of the connection but everything else, it should be just grand.
For the nerdy or the interested, I’ve got a Tascam DR-40, two Rode M3s, a couple of desk mic stands, a couple of pop shields and wind guards, all the appropriate cables and nice padded case for it all.
What I’m trying to say is thank you. If you want to continue to help support the show, please donate. It helps me out. If you come and see me at any of the festivals I’m appearing at, I’ll happily chat and sell you some MITTE merchandise (Currently in development – keep an eye out, it’s going to be really nice stuff)
I really want this to continue to develop. I’d like to do more interviews in person, live shows and other stuff that is currently just a gleam in my eye. I can only really do this with your help, so thanks!
Stephen Collins
Dan Berry speaks to Stephen Collins about the requirements of doing a weekly strip for the Guardian, what is and is not funny, backing out of dead ends, the Beyonce Train and an enormous beard that is also evil.
Robert Ball
Robert Ball talks to Dan Berry about his very recent leap into the world of freelance illustration from a high profile branding design job, the difference between analogue and digital illustration and of course DANGER.
Philippa Rice
Philippa Rice and Dan Berry talk styles, making money on the internet, the value of a re-tumbl, mean streaks and what would happen if she was banned from every comics show.
Kate Brown
Kate Brown talks to Dan Berry about the highs and lows of drawing comics and shares with us an indespensible tool for cartoonists; The Flowchart.