Comikaze24 2011 Instructions

[maggie]

Watch the Q&A thread, see the official rules, etc. but here are the basics to get you going as outlined by Troy last year.

1. Register - you should have already done this! Join the forums obviously too and optionally say hi!
Join Pulp Faction: http://forums.pulpfaction.net/
Register for the challenge: http://comikaze24.com

2. When you're set up and ready to go - i.e. pencils, paper, scanner and computer ready to go - check the Comikaze random items thread for this hours current words. These should form the inspiration for your story, or at least be
significantly included to demontrate that your story is not pre-written.

3. Start a new thread in the appropriate Challenge forum - e.g. if you comic is safe for general audience put it in the Comikaze 24hr Comic Challenge '10 - General forum. The title of the thread should be 'Your Name - Comic Title - Your City' (plus if it's a Manga entry add 'Manga' to the thread title - that's important if you want to be judged in the Manga category!)

4. Your first post indicates your intention to start the words you're using and from that point you have 24 hours to finish! Post your pages and progress as you go.

That's the basics - any questions fire 'em up here!

[Troy Kealley]

If you're new to the challenge heres some last minute tips:

1. Get a good nights sleep tonight. You wont get far if you were out till stumps at the local bar the night before the 24 hour challenge!
2. Prepare your work area in advance. Have your drwaing materials, paper, rulers etc. all gathered up and ready. clear the desk of other distractions (overdue homework, fruit branded mobile devices, dodgy hentai, etc)
3. Make sure you have an online repository for your pics. You can attach files here, but if it's not easy to load straight away people tend to skip your work. Photobucket is recommended for sheer ease of use and no file size restrictions. Simply upload your scanned page, click the IMG tag, then paste that into your forum post. Get in touch with us early on if you're unsure on any of this.
4. Have some healthy snacks nearby; you'll find it hard to concentrate when those jelly babies reach a critical mass in your stomach. Fruit like apples will help a lot. Obviously you'll need caffeine - avoid the sugary race sponsor drinks and instead have tea or coffee. Make sure you have a plan for light and quick to prepare meals along the way. Your stomach will thank you.
5. Stop and stretch where you can. A little walk every now and then will keep you going.
6. Shower before you start - your housemates will have a hard enough time with 24 hours of stink!
7. You need to get a page out every hour to stay in the race. your first page will judge this - and from there you'll need to cut back accordingly if you go well over time (no point having fully painted pages if you only get 3 done!) If you are falling behind, it's ok to grab some 'catchup' pages. But not too many pages of polar bears in a snowstorm please! I find that aiming for a smaller number of large panels per page is the way to go.
8. Take a little time now and then to see what other people have done so far - a little praise here and there helps everyone finish.
9. While we have an adult category - please remember there are limits to taste and we don't need to stretch the boundaries to be funny.
10. Have fun - that's an order!

[LauraSeabrook]

What's the latest I can start this year? I'm dead beat after a week of Drawing Day and working on my artist's book. I need a decent night's sleep tonight to have any chance of doing this.

Oh, still publicising the event on ComicDish and Comic Fury.

[maggie]

The official end is Monday at 11pm, so you just need to finish by then.
So... in theory... if you can do 24 pages in an hour, you could start at 10pm on Monday.

[Troy Kealley]

...and thanks for the promotion work Laura

[hannijules]

I'm completely wetting myself that this year I can rejoin the melee of the 24 Hour Challenge!

I've also created a thread at the Australian Cartoonists Association Forum for other professional cartoonists to watch me do it so they can get a feel for it. Perhaps next year, upon seeing my paltry efforts, they may wish to join me in the madness to outgun me (which won't be hard).
Being Deputy President may help the credibility factor. I dunno. Maybe.

Looking forward to starting Sunday evening!

[LauraSeabrook]

Are we voting this year as well? In previous years I never got around to reading the other strips until well after the event, but this year because I started late I got to read most of the other strips.

[hannijules]

It's been a few years since I did the 24hr Challenge and things seem to be a bit different nowadays so if I may ask a question or two:
What's the deal with voting and stuff? I can't remember if we voted back in the day or not.

And if it goes to vote, how do we do it and when?

Thanks heaps to all the organisers (Troy, Maggie, et al). It was a fun experience, as it was way back when.
Looking forward to next year - and I'm hoping to bring more professional cartoonies with me!

[maggie]

Troy will have the definitive answer, but I believe we're going with the same general model as last year: judges vote on categories and board members vote on peoples' choice. We have tried various ways in the past, some not as successful as other, but this is the simplest and easier to set up option (versus lots of polls, checking to make sure no ballet stuffing goes one, etc).

M

[hannijules]

Ahh good old 'ballet stuffing'... so much more fun than ballot stuffing.

Thanks Maggie

[LauraSeabrook]

[hannijules]

So what is the deal judging? I imagine with various judges in all parts of the world it takes some time.
At what stage does it actually happen, is what I want to know I guess.

Thanks again to all the organisers. Am still keyed up with energy from doing the 24hr. It's been a good reminder of what I can get done if I apply myself!

[Troy Kealley]

Sorry guys I have been inundated with work and a fair deal of family matteres these last two weeks so I haven't got things organised as yet. Rest assured I'll get the entries into order and kick off the judging ASAP. Again apologies for the wait.

[hannijules]

So uh...

[LauraSeabrook]