Fundraising for Gateways to Beyond

Gurukitty Studios is currently working on our 3rd anthology,Gateways to Beyond, and we have  launched a crowd funding campaign to help raise the funds needed to publish this book.

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gateways-to-beyond

The campaign has many perks and donation levels where you can get digital and physical copies of our new and previous anthologies, including pre-orders ofGateways to Beyond. If you are unable to financially support the campaign, thats okay, helping us spread the word is extremely helpful, as well.

If you could spread the word on your social media sites such as twitter and facebook it will greatly increase our chances of successfully funding our campaign.

Gateways to Beyond will have 23 black and white sci-fi comics from artists all over the world.
The wrap around cover art was done by one of the contributors, Jason Hart.

Sample comic pages from the anthology will be posted periodically on tindiegogo campaign. We will also be posting concept work and sketches.

Thank you for supporting Gurukitty Studios.

Submissions Closed for Sci-Fi Anthology

Submissions for the Science Fiction Anthology are now officially closed to the public!

We did get quite a few submissions this time and I will admit, I've been at it for a couple full days now and I'm getting exhausted reading through all of them.

It's not an easy thing to judge other peoples work (although for some people maybe it's too easy) and make choices about who will be included and who will not be.

We still haven't thought of a name for this anthology, but now that we know what the bulk of the submissions are kind of about it might be easier to come up with something. Science Fiction being a huge genre with quite a few directions it can go (Space travel/aliens, science experiments, time travel,  crazy viral epidemics, robots and androids, and so on) we didn't know what to expect.

Once we have made all of our selections and come up with a name for the story will will be putting out our usual cover contest call as well.

For quick updates, like us on facebook

Sci-Fi Anthology

Hello!

A quick update to let people know, in case you haven't liked us on Facebook, The anthology submission deadline has been EXTENDED!
That's right, so if you woke up this morning all bummed because you missed out, never fear, you now have until August 31st to finish your entry and get it in to us.
So, you have a whole 'nother month to get it in.

By the way, if you haven't already liked us and follow us on Facebook, that is where these kinds of quick announcements appear first, mostly because we can do them through our phone easier than updating the blog or website.

In case you are curious, yes quite a few submissions have been rolling in, but we haven't looked at them seriously yet. Mostly just downloading the files, logging and organizing.

So, that's all we have to say, so close all your blinds to block out that horrible sunlight to make your dark little comic caves and get back to work!

VanCAF and anthologies!

If you guys didn't get a chance to go to VANCAF this year, you are missing out! It is by far our favorite Vancouver area convention, the vibe is spot on and it's full of original creators! We spend so much of the day talking with other enthusiastic creators and would-be creators and they all seem to have a good attitude and community spirit! Also because it is free to attend, you get to see new faces each time and the flow of customers for exhibitors is constantly refreshing.

If you didn't check it out this year, be sure to come next year, you wont regret it!

In other news, submissions have begun coming in for the Science Fiction Anthology. If you haven't already started, I suggest you get on with it, because the deadline is still July 31, 13.
This anthology still doesn't have a name, but we will see what the majority of the submissions are before we name it because if we name it something spacey and we get mostly biological experiment type stories, then that wouldn't make sense.

A new Season

Well, this year started off very slowly and hectically. From January until now we've been so busy that we've barely had a chance to do anything.
We moved both our home and Studio in the beginning of February (I wont even go into details about how long and hard that was and how much went wrong) and 1 week after that move, we had to help the art store we work at move.
As you can imagine, that was a thoroughly exhausting month.

We've finally settled down and got most everything unpacked and we can start being Gurukitty's again!

Top of our priority is to get the remainder of the Indiegogo mail outs done. They were delayed because of issues with the printing, and we actually only got them all a few weeks ago, mid-move. So we are getting all those prints made and envelopes labeled and books signed and we will be mailing them out as fast as we possibly can!

This new anthology was actually a huge success, I haven't crunched the number yet really, but I'm sure we've sold more of this one than we have of Ghost Tales and we haven't even launched it at a convention yet.

Speaking of conventions, we are going to be at Fanexpo Vancouver in April, as well as Calgary expo the weekend after and that's going to be the start of our convention year. We are not going to be at at many cons this year, we are taking the most successful ones of last year and only doing them. 2012 was the year we saw for ourselves what conventions work for us, and now we will be more choosy.

Our next anthology is going to be announced very very soon (hopefully today) as soon as I've edited and worked on the write up a bit more and made some final decisions.

So, that's whats been happening and whats coming up!

New Items at the GK Shop

We have added a few new items in the Gurukitty Studios online store!
Here is a quick overview of some of the new things for this fall!

Previously only available in person at Conventions, we've now added the Daqueran New Reader Pack back into the shop.
This pack includes all available issues of Daqueran (1-6) and will be updated when the last chapter becomes available.

It's a steal at $25.00 (value of all 6 comics by themselves totals $32.50)

This has been a very popular convention item so there isn't much stock available at the moment. If online interest grows we will consider carrying more volume.

Check it out in the shop

Next new addition is the Giants of Mainstreet Anthology by Cloudscape. Why is this in our shop you ask? Well, because Jayleen (Guru of Gurukitty Studios) contributed a creature for the Bestiary that was included in the book.

It is 152 Black and White pages, with art and stories contributed by Vancouver area artists.

Check it out in the shop.

Last and certainly not least, we've added a Pre-Order for Gurukitty Studios Second Anthology Once Upon a Time... Right now it is only a pre-order, books will ship when Available. When the books are in stock, this same link will become the store link for regular stock.

The pre-order is for the standard cover only, if you wanted the Variant cover, you missed your chance as that was only available in the Indiegogo campaign.

The Variant cover will be available again, someday, but only on special occasions.

Pre-Order your copy right now!
ETA: Winter 2012

See samples and more information



If we blast a little farther back you'll notice that we've added some digital comics to our online shop. Right now it's only a few Daqueran issues, which you can download and read on your Tablet.
Digital comics are not as easy to make as you might think and we've been working on Digital copies for future issues as well as getting the Anthologies available for digital download.
Soon soon. All in good time.
We've tested our digital comics on Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets.

Alright! Happy Thanksgiving Canadian Readers, and Happy fall!

OUAT Artist Interview - PATRICK MCEVOY

What is your story about?

A refugee in Ireland becomes obsessed about a mystery woman he’s dreamt about but he has to get through a dangerous threat to find her.

Where did you get your ideas and inspiration for your story?

I have Irish heritage and I find dreams fascinating so somehow the two merged into this story. I forget how I came upon this story exactly though it probably had something with me good searching(googling) Irish dream mythology. As far as how it turned into its current incarnation, I think the immigration issue is pretty relevant in many areas around the globe and thought it’d be an interesting way to make the story modern(ish).

What made you decide to do a story for Gurukitty Studios anthology project?

Also thanks to the wonderful good search/google search engine! I was looking for anthologies to submit stories to and Gurukitty popped up on the list. Gurukitty seemed cool on the site so I figured it’d be great to give it a try.

What other comics have you done? Tell us about them.

Most of my work have been short stories submitted to various anthologies, and those that haven‘t have been self-printed. The genres vary but many have been sci-fi/fantasy stories. Some recently (or scheduled to be) published stories include “Fangs”, a story about a vampire P.I.; “Streams“, about a woman finding an alien ship during a blackout; “Recovery Unit”, about a man and woman being the vampire version of an ambulance unit; “Flights”, about a teenager using a mechanical pigeon to send a note to a girl during a blackout; “Weapons”, about a couple developing a weapon to create peace but finding it may be obsolete;

Where else can people find your work? Are you included in any other publications or a website?

“Weapons” was printed in Pronto Comics’ first War anthology; “Streams” and “Flights” are both scheduled to be printed in Pronto Comics second Blackout anthology; “Fangs” was published in SlamBang; “Recovery Unit” is currently scheduled to appear in IF-X’s 2012 Halloween issue.

Prontocomics.com and pjm74.deviantart.com are sites that should feature some of my work.

 

OUAT Artist Interview - Becca Hillburn

What is your story about?

My story is a retelling of the classic Japanese fairytale, Momotaro.  In the original tale, a childless elderly couple couple desperately wish for a child.  The husband goes out fishing one day and comes across a beautiful giant peach floating down the river.  He takes it home, attempts to slice it up, and ends up slicing the little boy inside!  This child, whom they name Momotaro, bears this scar for the rest of his life, and goes on to become a man of Japanese legend.   My retelling is much simpler- an elderly couple in Occupied Japan recieve notice that their son has passed away.  The wife falls into a horrible despair, and the husband tries his best to cheer her up.  With the last of their money, he goes to a black market and happens upon a peach.  In better times, he, his wife, and their son would share peaches beneath the peach tree by their home, and he purchases it for her as a last resort.  As he returns home, the peach grows and grows, glowing in the cold moonlight, until he's doubled over with this happy burden.  His wife perks up a bit from her futon when he enters, and when he slices it, the beautiful baby inside is happily unharmed, and together they can start to make a new life.

Where did you get your ideas and inspiration for your story?

I've always loved mythology from all over the world, and I was introduced to Japanese folklore at an early age in my grandparent's copy of Childcraft.  Last December, I was fortunate enough to travel to Japan with a school group, and we were required to create an 8 page comic as part of the assignment.  This retelling was inspired directly by a trip tothe Meiji Era museum, which is full of scale models and life size replicas of Meiji Japan, so reference for this story was a snap.

What made you decide to do a story for Gurukitty Studios anthology project?
I've wanted to participate in an anthology project for awhile, and I love fairytales!


What other comics have you done?
I've done several mini comics, which are available in both digital and garage print format.  I'm working on an autobiographical series right now, as well as preparing for my Masters thesis, which is a reimagining of stories involving little people, heavily inspired by classics such as The Littles, The Borrowers, The Indian in the Cupboard series, and Gulliver's Travels.

Where else can people find your work? Are you included in any other publications or a website?
My work is online at www.nattosoup.com, and I have a process/inspiration/tutorial blog (www.nattosoup.blogspot.com)

OUAT Artist Interview -Table Flip Studios

What is your story about?

(Aileen) It’s about a very well-known fairy or forest nymph in Philippine Mythology. There are actually quite a lot of versions/stories about her and she is well-loved by many. 

(Lindsy) There were some versions where Maria was actually kidnapping men and forcing them to be her husband. We were mostly drawn to this version we used for the Anthology because it showed a little more of Philippine history.

Where did you get your ideas and inspiration for your story?

(Aileen) I first heard about this story from my great grandmother. She likes to tell me about all sorts of stories she heard from her parents when she was growing up. I don’t think it ever bore me!  

(Lindsy) Art wise, it was mostly experimental. I did look to Veral Brosgol and Emily Carroll for influence and it was fun trying to translate my usual American-manga style into something more streamlined! 

What made you decide to do a story for Gurukitty Studios anthology project?

(Aileen) The first time we did a story for Gurukitty Studios was for the Ghost Tales anthology. Lindsy saw a retweet with the info and we decided to check it out. And the rest is history! For this anthology, we felt that we should submit as well since we actually like working with them! 

(Lindsy) Ghost Tales was an enormous joy to work on and it really pushed Aileen and I to properly work as a team since it was pretty much our first proper project together. We were very determined to work with Gurukitty Studios since our last experience was amazing and we all got along so well!

What other comics have you done? Tell us about them.

(Aileen) We have an on-going webcomic series :EPOCH Files (http://epoch-files.smackjeeves.com) 

(Lindsy) Aside from our sci-fi webcomic, we’ve done work for other anthologies and have been working closely on other projects that we’re super excited about!

Where else can people find your work? Are you included in any other publications or a website?

(Aileen) My blogger, http://grimcirco.blogspot.com has all the links of my side projects, on-going & future comic projects Lindsy & I are working on. 

As for other publications, we are published on the Indie Ladies’ Comic Anthology and Ink’d Well Comics this year and Gurukitty’s Ghost Tales Anthology last year. 

(Lindsy) I’ve pretty much left a small digital footprint on a lot of sites, but I frequent more to my DeviantART (shenli.deviantart.com) and my blog (lemuinabox.blogspot.com).

How did you come up with your cover design?

(Lindsy) Unlike the previous cover I made for Ghost Tales, this cover didn’t come to me in a stroke of inspiration. I had to search and look up different book covers and come up with concepts for days. I know I wanted to give it a kind of ‘classic’ look, but had no idea where to start. Working in a library definitely played a big part. We have a lot of books that are fairy tale-esque and I remember running into a few cover designs that struck me as perfect for the anthology.

OUAT Interview - Jayleen Weaver

What is your story about?

A family of penguins who suffer a tragedy, and have to band together to make things right.

Where did you get your ideas and inspiration for your story?

From an old folk tale I think it was called “The wolf and the Seven Little Kids”. I just prefer black and white animals to ones with colour, so adapted it to an Antarctic tale.

Concept art By Jayleen Weaver

What made you decide to do a story for Gurukitty Studios anthology project?

Well, being one half of Gurukitty Studios, it seems like it’s an obligation for me to participate… However, I love doing short stories and the anthology compilations we do are really just so we can publish our short stories right away, ha!

What other comics have you done? Tell us about them.

I’ve done a story called “One Day to Live” that was a life story of a fly, I collaborated with Donut and Bevan to create the “Ghosts in the Capitol” story for the Ghost tales anthology.

I’m working on 2 comics right now, “Conflagration” – which is years away but will have some chapter as web comics and some as print only. My big focus now has been “Hello, Albertosaurus”, which is a Graphic novel Memoir of the time we went to Drumheller Alberta with our Dad. It’s 8 chapters, full colour (coloured with markers). You can actually have a cameo in it if you get one of the Indiegogo perks! Check it out!

Other anthologies I’ve been in are Ink’d Well comics “fearsome fables” and Cloudscapes “Giants of main street”

I also have a few other short comics in the midst. 

Where else can people find your work? Are you included in any other publications or a website?

Gurukitty.com

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2987832/

twitter.com/marker_guru

facebook.com/gurukittystudios

twitter.com/gurukittystudio

I participated in a childrens book called “a world of stories” as an illustrator, I did animation for several companies in Vancouver for shows like “Bobs and Lolo –get on your feet” dvd, and Class of the Titans TV series. I’ve also done other freelance animation for numerous other companies. You might also see my logo designs on a law firm and a hotdog stand in the city, as well J