Intro to Let’s Make Comics Hi! My name is Jess Smart Smiley and I make rad pictures with my bare hands. I have written and/or illustrated 18 books for young readers and created a variety of work for DisneyPixar, DreamWorks, Cartoon Network, BOOM Studios, and more. Through in-person and Skype visits to schools, libraries, and…
When I was given the opportunity to teach a set of week-long comics workshops at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA, I had no idea it would be such an important week in my life. This summer has been packed with teaching comics workshops for children and teenagers in my home state…
I’m happy to announce that I’ll be teaching a week-long comics workshop in June! Hooray! I’m excited to share my love for telling stories, drawing characters, writing dialogue, and learning new comics-making techniques. My goal is to make comics fun for all ages and skill levels by providing fun and unique challenges that will help students…
55 years ago saw the publication of Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird”, a novel I was required to read in seventh grade, and hated. I was used to reading epic fantasy and sci-fi novels, so this slice-of-life piece of historical fiction revolving around social issues in a time I knew little about was not…
“He was a 32-year-old inmate who bludgeoned his own mother and sister to death. She was a 60-something mom with a successful life on the outside. What could have possibly made her fall for him?” Read Jessica Pishko’s full story at http://narrative.ly/stories/marrying-a-monster/.
New illustration for the Portland Mercury’s article “Pushing for a Pipeline“.
THE SHORT VERSION I’m working healthier! THE LONG VERSION My approach to working over the last week has been healthier than ever. It’s had such a deep effect on me that I’ve made a series of major decisions that are already affecting my life and work. For those of you that may not know:…
I fell apart yesterday/Just before I caught your smilin’ face I was just a little late/I knew that I might have to wait for you You bring me back I’m stompin’ like a hurricane/I don’t know when I’ll be back again It’s never been like this before/And now I know that when it rains it…
“As my fiancé’s life slipped away in front of my eyes I stood by, shocked that the cops didn’t perform CPR. When I saw the same thing happen in the Eric Garner chokehold video, I wanted answers.” THE NIGHT MY FIANCÉ DIED—AND THE QUESTIONS THE NYPD WON’T ANSWER I was recently asked to create an…