Tag: No Mine! Studios

Upcoming Events and News

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

Good morning!

It is a lovely rainy day in Tacoma. I returned to teaching high school half-time this month (game design and animation, as well as Photoshop), so I am just now getting back into preparing for all the exciting events coming up. I also have news about the South Side Animation Club, so grab your tea and let’s get started!

Upcoming Events

GeekGirlCon 2023

I am excited to return to this year’s GeekGirlCon! I was invited by Maddy of Foulplay Games to moderate the panel: “DIY Gaming: ‘How to Self-Publish and Promote Your Own Games”. We’re on at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 7, in the America Room! Get your GeekGirlCon passes today!

Tacoma Film Festival

My micro-animation “Yeetcosystem” was accepted into this year’s Tacoma Film Festival! Come check it out on Tuesday, October 10 at 7 p.m. as part of the festival’s larger animation block!

Tacoma Arts at the Armory

Third time’s the charm! This year, I’ll be returning to Tacoma’s free community event, Arts at the Armory, on November 11 and 12 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Come say hi, see the progress on my game, and get some No, Mine! Studios buttons and stickers! Some of my favorite Tacoma artists will have their work on display at the Armory, too, so put this in your calendar now!

South Side Animation Club/ South Side Animators

Based on programming needs and feedback, I am announcing a change in direction for the South Side Animation Club.

The all ages South Side Animation Club is on a temporary hiatus due to a number of factors. Wednesday nights are just a hard time for families to meet, especially with school, work, and other obligations. Wednesdays also conflict with the wonderful Tacoma Artists Meetup group. They meet weekly, so check them out! Moving forward, we need access to a venue that would be available on Saturday mornings and is near major buslines if we’re going to stay accessible. If you have suggestions or connections for restarting the all ages club in January or later, please email nominestudios@gmail.com. No, Mine! Studios will have a table and game demo at the Arts at the Armory event on November 11 and 12 that is all ages (including adults!) appropriate, so please feel free to chat with me about this program.

For adults interested in creating animation, we will return virtually on Saturday, November 18 at 10 a.m. Pre-registration for South Side Animators is required. There is no cost to attend and the meeting is open to all regardless of geographic location. The new format will give us a chance to discuss topics like techniques, funding, and technical issues, and share work. With that said, this virtual gathering is a safe space. Material which is sexist, racist, homophobic, ableist, etc. is not permitted or tolerated, and will result in a ban from the group. By signing in to the meeting, you agree to abide by these terms. Click here to pre-register. The South Side Animators virtual meetings will be scheduled for the third Saturday of the month moving forward.

As always, thank you for supporting a small, mom-owned studio, and I hope to see you at one of the above events!

Suzanne

Your feedback is requested!

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ 2 Comments

Hi Animators,

I have some news, but more importantly, a whole lot of questions for you.

Our host, The Grand Cinema, is welcoming us back in person in September from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 12 (the second Wednesday of the month). However, due to two scheduling conflicts, we need to make alternate arrangements for October and November, whether that is simply moving the meeting to another week (1st or 3rd Wednesday), exploring virtual options for these months, or another option (like taking a break for October and changing the venue for November).

This leads me to another issue I have been weighing since the start of this club: how do I make an all ages animation club where professionals, amateurs, and hobbyists feel welcome? I originally made the age range “all ages” so as it to make it possible for animators with caregiving duties to attend, but I also want to make a space for kids who are interested in/ serious about animation to get their questions answered and to form connections. Do adult animators feel welcome at this gathering? If not, why not? Should I separate the club into two age ranges with two separate meeting times? Is there enough interest in a more formal class for kids? Would parent artists interested in making animation be able to attend if I institute an age limit on one of the meeting times?

To help me figure out what will make the South Side Animation Club as accessible, useful, and enjoyable as possible for animators in the Tacoma region in terms of dates, times, and meeting location (virtual vs. in person), it would be great to get your feedback! To complete the survey, please click here. If you have difficulties opening this link, or if you have thoughts on the issue of whether to make a separate meeting for kids and adults, send me a message to nominestudios@gmail.com. If you want a more formal class for yourself or your kid(s), let me know!

If you live outside the region but would like to participate if there is a virtual option, please email nominestudios@gmail.com with the subject line: “I want a Virtual Animation Club Option!” In the body of the message, include your name, age, location, a link to your portfolio if applicable (not required), and times/ days that would work best for you. If you are a parent/guardian emailing on behalf of your kid, please let me know. If you are under 18, please have your parent/guardian email for you.

Thank you!

Suzanne

See you tonight!

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

The South Side Animation Club returns to The Grand Cinema from 6 – 8 p.m. on August 9 (tonight)!

Animators looking to collaborate, work on projects, or showcase your progress, this is for you! This meeting is free & all ages; children are welcome with adult supervision. Some general supplies such as newsprint and light tracing boxes will be provided for shared use, but feel free to bring laptops, tablets, sketchbooks, tracing paper, pens/ pencils, or anything you need to work on your own project. The Grand is providing a projector and screen so that we can share works in progress, so please consider bringing a USB drive with your work if you’d like.

Indie game devs, writers, voiceover actors, composers, sound designers, and more, you’re welcome, too!

Thank you to The Grand Cinema for hosting us, as well as the City of Tacoma Arts Commission and Office of Arts and Cultural Vitality for sponsoring the Animation Club as a 2023 Community Arts Project.

See you at The Grand, and bring a friend! 🙂

Suzanne

Announcements

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

Good morning, and happy Thursday!

I have some fun announcements to share, so let’s get started.

First things first, South Side Animation Club returns to The Grand Cinema on Wednesday, August 9 from 6-8 p.m. It is a free and all ages opportunity for animators of any skill level. Come hang out with us as we work on individual and collaborative projects, network, and showcase our work in various stages of production, from concept to finished piece. Children are welcome with adult supervision. Thank you to everyone at The Grand Cinema for making this possible!

Second, I am excited to announce that I’ll be moderating a GeekGirlCon panel created by Maddy from Foul Play Games! More details will be shared once our date, time, and location are confirmed, but I’m excited to lead the discussion with others creating their own paths in the game industry. GeekGirlCon is a wonderful event, and this will be the third year I have been invited to be on a panel there.

Finally, I have been working to get back into the swing of daily drawing, which as other parents know is not always the easiest when kids are home from school for summer break. [As if the pandemic didn’t drive this point home, I know…] For the month of August, I’ve set myself the task of drawing and posting a new dino/ dino adjacent illustration every day on my Instagram account. Artists, join the challenge and let me know what kind of work you create! If you haven’t followed No, Mine! Studios on Instagram, I would love your support.

Also finally (this time I mean it), one of yesterday’s illustrations is available on my Redbubble shop, along with several other works you may or may not have seen. Check out the shop and let me know if there is anything that you’d like me to add there!

Picture of spiral bound notebook with illustration of chicken in a green dino suit.

Finally finally (third time’s the charm), thank you for supporting a small, Tacoma-based, woman-owned business and indie artist. I appreciate you!

Have a wonderful day!

Suzanne

10 year anniversary of No, Mine! Studios

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

Ten years ago today, I created the website for No, Mine! Studios. The history of this studio has everything to do with my journey as a mom just as much as it does with being an artist.

In June 2013, I graduated with my Master’s degree from the University of Washington Jackson School of International Studies with a 15-month-old Izzy on my hip. I had discovered I was pregnant with Izzy a week before I traveled to Ufa, Bashkortostan, for a Critical Language Scholarship. After losing my first pregnancy in Greece in early 2011, I didn’t think I could get pregnant again. When I started experiencing worrying symptoms beyond the unrelenting morning sickness, I made the decision to leave the scholarship program early and return to the States. I couldn’t risk a second loss. I went to school in the fall, took a break for winter, and then returned to school less than 6 weeks after Izzy was born (and only four weeks after he came home from the NICU). A few months after that, I was on a plane to do thesis research on guerrilla art in St. Petersburg and Moscow. When I returned a few weeks later, I quickly resumed commuting from Tacoma to Seattle every day for school via bus.

I didn’t know what to do post graduation that would allow me to stay closer to my little one. I interviewed for a few positions, but given the cost of childcare for kids under the age of 4, it didn’t make sense for me to return to a “normal” job based on the salaries being offered (despite having a Masters degree in hand). I didn’t have family to fall back on for support beyond my coparent.

With normal avenues seemingly blocked, I decided to take the leap and start figuring out ways to make art a career. Thank you to those who have supported me in this journey. And thank you most of all to Izzy, my now 11-year-old, for giving me a reason to embark on this journey in the first place.

Suzanne working and Izzy helping: January 2014. Photo by Tim Kapler.
Toddler headlock/ a.k.a., what working from home looks like. Photo by Suzanne Skaar.
Picture of child in hoodie hiding behind table. On the front of the table is a large banner which reads "No, Mine! Studios; Suzanne Skaar; nominestudios.com; @nominestudios". A row of pixel art dinosaurs runs along bottom of banner.
Getting set up for Arts at the Armory 2021. Photo by Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.

To ten more years and beyond!

Suzanne

South Side Animation Club Meeting May 2023

~ Suzanne Skaar ~ Leave a comment

Exciting Announcement!

Because the weather has been in our favor lately, we are holding the next South Side Animation Club outdoors!

Join us on Saturday, May 20 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Wapato Lake Park (6500 S. Sheridan Ave
Tacoma, WA 98408). The exact location will be posted on the website (https://www.nominestudios.com/) and Instagram (@nominestudios) once we set up, but we should be easy to spot! Bring camping chairs, blankets, sunscreen, snacks, and cold drinks (non-alcoholic per club and park rules), as well as a sketchbook, pencils, pens, watercolors, or whatever else you would like to work with outdoors. I’ll bring some supplementary art supplies to share (colored pencils, sharpeners, loose flip book supplies). [As this month’s meeting is outdoors, it will be relatively technology free except for what attendees choose to bring.] Wapato Lake is a wonderful setting to work on background art as a group, but as always, everyone is free to work on their own projects and encouraged to share progress with the group.

For those who sign in on Saturday, we’ll have a drawing for some mini-door prizes halfway through the session. We’ll announce the drawing winners at the meeting.

The South Side Animation Club is all ages, free, and intended for artists of all mediums and skill levels with an interest in making animation: digital and traditional animation and stop motion, sound design, writing, directing, and more.

Children are welcome when accompanied by guardian. Please note: We are unable to provide supervision for unattended children. Thank you for understanding.

Please refrain from smoking/ vaping near the club meeting spot out of respect for individuals with respiratory and other conditions. We also still encourage masks and/ or social distancing as appropriate to keep our group as accessible as possible.

This Community Arts Project is made possible with support from the City of Tacoma Office of Arts and Cultural Vitality and the Tacoma Arts Commission. Please feel free to email any questions you may have about the club to Suzanne Skaar at No, Mine! Studios: nominestudios@gmail.com.

Thank you for your support, and we hope to see you this Saturday!

Suzanne