White All Around Written by Wilfrid Lupano Illustrated by Stephane Fert 136 pages, Europe Comics Historical Fiction / Graphic Novels / Historical & Biographical Fiction Graphic Novels A harrowing and deeply affecting recounting of a series of events and issues revolving around the Prudence Crandall School’s announcement to accept “black students” thirty years before the…
There’s a big difference between a sketchbook and a portfolio. Growing up, I erased, scribbled over, and tore out my mistakes so that only my best work remained. I didn’t know any better at the time, but I could have gotten much more of out of my sketchbooks with a few simple tweaks. What I…
I’m happy to share that I FINISHED WRITING THE ROUGH DRAFT of my gritty sci-fi adventure novel last night! Clocking in at 175,000 words and exactly 700 pages, my sketchbook ideas are now fully fleshed-out characters, creatures, and technologies that make up a single, cohesive story. Is it perfect? YES! Just kidding. Among other things,…
I’m excited to share this Build Your Own Valentine Kit I illustrated for McNeil Printing. The kit comes with 4 blank cards, 4 blank envelopes, and 4 sheets of removable vinyl stickers. I’m giving away 2 Build Your Own Valentine Kits: 1 on Facebook and 1 on Instagram. ENTER TO WIN by commenting on my…
This is your LAST CHANCE to be the FIRST to read my next graphic novel—for free! There’s no catch. This is not a gimmick. I just want to hear your thoughts on my book before I send it to print. Sign up for my First Readers Club here or read on to learn more. NOTE: NEW READERS MUST APPLY…
Read part 1 here or keep reading to learn how I found and reached out to beta readers, and shared my all-ages graphic novel before it was published. Finding Beta Readers It might be somewhat easy to find people online who want to read a book for free, but I figured I would need to…
Read on to learn more about: Creating my 224-page rough draft in 3 weeks while stuck in bed Finding beta readers to proofread my graphic novel Setting up surveys and forms to gather feedback from beta readers Using reader feedback to revise my graphic novel Hi! My name is Jess Smart Smiley. I’m an author/illustrator…
Over the last 4 or 5 years, PEOW has quickly become one of my favorite indie comics publishers. Founded by Elliot Alfredius, Olle Forsslöf and Patrick Crotty, in Stockholm, Sweden, PEOW publishes a unique brand of beautifully-produced risograph comics from around the world. While the heavy shipping costs to the US have been cost-prohibitive for…
Really, is there any better way to celebrate the winter season than with my free winter wallpaper download “Hot Dogs in Winter”? I don’t think so! Click here to download “Hot Dogs in Winter” for your phone / computer by Jess Smart Smiley. Enjoy! Jess Smart Smiley
I teach comics workshops to children, teens, and adults. Most of my students are new to writing and/or drawing, and come with equal parts excitement and anxiety. I feel like my role is to make the creation process fun and accessible, while allowing the students to pursue whichever styles/genres/approaches interest them most. Week-long comics workshops…