In two years time, Pompsicle has gone from a day dream to sparsely attended studio sessions, to a well loved staple of the Sacramento alternative art scene. Thanks to a grant from the Sacramento Arts Commission (SMAC) we were able to document it all (or at least as much as could be fit in 54 pages) in a full color art book released December, 2008.




The only thing missing now is the documentation of the process of this documentation, ha-ha. So here it is: how Naked is Boring! came to be, the release, and how you can do cool stuff like this too!

THE MAKING OF

About this time last year Pompsicle was in full swing at Coolcat Gallery. Word about our sessions was really getting out there and somehow we were squeezing a model and 10-20 artists into the "cozy" space. One of the artists to frequent Pompsicle was Noah Kocina. He, like many of the Pompsicle "regulars" has become a good friend. Noah was aware of grant opportunities for arts groups in Sacramento, and being that Pompsicle was a group that created art, he suggested we develop a project and apply for a grant. So we did! The requirements for an Artscapes grant are pretty open but we quickly decided a book of selected art from Pompsicle sessions would make the most sense. Noah did an awesome job of plugging through the paperwork involved in applying and we were off. Thanks Noah!

I think the biggest hurtle to get over in this kind of project is making final decisions on what the book WILL be and WON'T be. Making it all cohesive and flow well is tougher than it sounds. Luckily for me, Avery King volunteered to co-design this book. His input on these issues and all the technical aspects of laying out a book and making it "print ready" was invaluable! Thanks Avery!

It was great to see how much enthusiasm Pompsicle attendees had for this book project. I really liked looking through the artwork as it was submitted. Usually Pompsicle sessions end and I need to begin "striking the set" and taking care of business. I wouldn't get a chance to see everybody's sketches so this was my first chance to see it all together. I guess this book is now everybody's chance!

PRINTING

We had a lot of ideas on how this would be printed. I was hoping to keep the money local but it turns out getting quality books made in very small runs (and quickly) is not an easy thing. Luckily the print-on-demand, digital printing industry has really blown up and getting 100 perfect bound, full color books printed and shipped in less than 2 weeks(!) is very possible. If you are looking to print 1-100 or so copies of a book, comic book, etc. I definitely recommend www.lulu.com.

THE RELEASE PARTY



We really wanted to have a kick-butt book release party and art show when the book was done. From the beginning I had my eye on The Sacramento News & Review building. They have been interested in the goings on of Pompsicle since nearly the beginning. They also have a direct line to the type of people who are interested in Pompsicle and lets face it, a prime location for the 2nd Saturday art walk. It's great that they were happy to host us for their December '08 Monthly Mosaic.


live music from Brian Hanover!







We had to have live modeling and drawing going on during the release, right? Cover model, Strawberri resurrected her personae: Strawberri Cyanide to start off the night. Pompsicle superstar, Steffie took the spotlight that night too.



With cool models surrounded by artists in back, original sketches on the wall and the book available on the way out, I think we did a pretty good job of illustrating what Pompsicle is all about. Naked is boring!

THE GRANT



If you would like to know more about Artscapes Grants and SMAC go to www.sacmetroarts.org. They have a lot of great programs and the folks there are incredibly helpful and were happy to hold my hand through the process whenever needed.

You should know, to take part in a grant program you'll need to be able to deposit a check made out to a business name. which means at least having a DBA and a business bank account. These are things you can take care of after you've been awarded the grant and they are not costly. This was new territory for me but if I figured it all out, you can too!

ENDPLATE

Copies of NAKED is Boring! are still available at BenWalkerArt.com and Pompsicle.com.

Thanks to all who modeled and to everyone who contributed artwork for Naked is Boring! And thanks to everyone who loves drawing at Pompsicle. We'll see you at it's next incarnation.




Your pal,

Ben Walker