Category: Comics

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Workshop Round Up: 2 Schools, 2 Libraries and a Museum!

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It’s been a busy but fun time lately running loads of comic workshops.

I’ve started a project through Apples and Snakes.  Poet and writer Inua Ellams and I are working with pupils of City of London Academy and Highbury Fields School, both in Islington. We’re developing a poem and a story that will be visualised and turned into a printed booklet.
We’ve got a few sessions to go and so far the children’s work looks extremely promising…

Here’s some great characters designed as a warm up for the City of London Academy kids..

CityIs2 CityIs1Next up was last Tuesday’s half term holiday workshop at Walthamstow Library.  Here’s some more character designs from them…Walthamstow1 Walthamstow2 Walthamstow3 Walthamstow4That last one also includes a happy cat character I asked the kids to create, alongside some other possibilities…Walthamstow5 Walthamstow6 Walthamstow7 Walthamstow8 Walthamstow9Next up, was a fabulous visit to the lovely Higham Hill Library…
Higham1 Higham2 Higham3These children learnt how to craft comics and told some fantastic stories…
Higham4 Higham5 Higham6 Higham7 Higham8Finally I made a return visit to the fantastic Cartoon Museum,  which has this wonderful space to teach…
CartoonMuseum1Visiting the museum on the day were the Crystal Palace Community Development Trust (Art Group).  The teenagers had lots of emerging talent which they used in my Manga workshop…
CartoonMuseum2 CartoonMuseum3 CartoonMuseum4 CartoonMuseum5Phew!  Lots more workshops to come soon…

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Quick tip for unblocking story plots

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When you’re stuck working out a plot, sometimes the best course of action is to get physical! 

Moving bits of paper with key beats on them seems to unblock ideas in a way that staring at a computer screen can’t.

Plot-Pieces
Incidentally, what you see above is the second half of the plot for Rosie and Jacinda #2 coming later this year…

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Purley Manga Club – Comics Writing Workshop

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I had a great time on Saturday, meeting kids at the Manga Club in Purley Library and running a workshop there on writing comics.

I’d heard good things about the club as my friends Chie Kutsuwada, Inko and Karen Rubins have all run workshops there before.  It’s enthusiastically run by Jayson Arago.  He’s created a perfect fun environment for kids to meet and talk about their passion for Manga, Anime, Cosplay and gaming.

Here’s the space ready to go….

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How many libraries offer folders full of Manga reference material, eh?!

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I wanted to talk about developing original ideas for stories.  The kids had fun using their skills to write six different endings for the same newspaper strip.

There were a lot of Pokemon references (no bad thing in my book)…

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The pic below illustrated the obstacles characters must face in their stories, and how finding solutions makes the story!
One boy in the group added the Health Points bars – nice touch!

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To end the workshop, the children all made their own comic pages.  The stories were based on their own Saturday mornings, often with a few fantasy elements thrown in…
They had a really good grasp of visual language.  I love the tummy rumbling here, an effective way to show the character’s wants and needs.

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This story below was a beautiful poetic take on not having enough time to get things done…

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There were some great Mangaka in the group…

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Thanks Purley Manga Club!  Stop on by at my table when I’m at a con some time!

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Christmas Comic Workshop in Blackheath

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I was up 5am this morning to head out into the frost and make my way to Blackheath.  A chai latte and pecan muffin woke me up in Greenwich and I was ready to roll, running two comic workshops at Blackheath Bluecoat Secondary School.

I was met by the school’s fantastic librarian Caroline Fielding who helped me guide the school’s Year 9 through a speedy two hour workshop on making comics.

We looked at…

  • Idea development
  • How even the simplest drawings can communicate ideas
  • How placing an image in a different context can change its meaning
  • Editing stories and picking key moments to depict in comic panels
  • Creating characters based on ourselves, but not necessarily looking like us

Despite some of the kids’ insistence that they couldn’t draw, everyone did some wonderful comic work…

After group-developing some Christmas themed ideas, each participant drew their own series of images, creating a fabulous Christmas atmosphere on the page…

XmasComic01 XmasComic02 XmasComic03 XmasComic04

For the record, the image above does not show Lucy the Octopus but instead shows a derpy squid.

Next up, the talented Year Niners developed their own narratives based on what they think they might be doing on Christmas morning.

Some great work here.  You can tell which kids have a Manga influence…

XmasComic05 XmasComic06 XmasComic07 XmasComic08 XmasComic09 XmasComic10 XmasComic11 XmasComic12

It was a fascinating insight into the psychology of each of the students, seeing how they chose to depict themselves, from stick people to animals to floating eyeballs with tentacles and a bow!

After the workshop, Caroline created a fantastic display of some of the amazing work done…
XmasComic13Thanks very much Blackheath Bluecoat Secondary School – you did some excellent comics!

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Thought Bubble 2013 Round Up

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I had a fun-filled weekend heading up to Thought Bubble Comic Con in Leeds.

Thanks to everyone who came by my table to say hi or pick up some Tempo Lush goodness!

TB2013-01I was glad my tower of bear boxes didn’t collapse…TB2013-02 It was great doing commissions for nice folk that stopped by.
Some Lucy the Octopus style portaits…TB2013-03 TB2013-04 TB2013-05 TB2013-06…and Mike & Sulley from Monsters Inc!TB2013-07 TB2013-08Being stuck behind a table for a weekend is made lots of fun by all the cool people than visit!
Here are Hayley Charlseworth and Sarah Turner. Sarah is taking part in WASP 2014 with her webcomic Folklore.TB2013-09Here is, comic creator and video maker, Dan Lester‘s friend Schmurgen Jonerhaffs.TB2013-10The friendly smiles of Alex Hern, Molly Muldoon ( who runs the Dr Who blog, Confused Companion) and Aaron Tavaler who interviewed me for The Big Smoke Podcast which he runs with Karim Flint.TB2013-11Two talented creators and awesome buds Sally-Anne Hickman and Francesca Cassavetti.
TB2013-12Even talented creators have to eat.  Dinner at Wagamamas with (L-R) Van Nim, Sally Jane Thompson, Zarina Liew, Paul Shinn (my roomie!) and me…
TB2013-13Plus (L-R) Saul Taylor, Francesca Dare, Jess Cave, Andy Poyiadgi and Elliot Bagget.
 TB2013-14Richard Carter and Chantel Beaven.
TB2013-15 Ah yes! Here we have myself sitting alongside Mike Medaglia. I was very happy to pick up my copy of his new Avery Hill Publishing title, Seasons, complete with bookmark, bookplate and portrait…
TB2013-16 TB2013-17 TB2013-18 Had much fun on the train journey home playing Mariokart with Van Nim, Paul Shinn and Zarina Liew (who seemed to be having the time of her life).TB2013-20Just about recovered from the weekend now!

If anyone missed picking up any Lucy the Octopus comics or other Tempo Lush stuff you may want to visit my online shop!

Cheers!

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Thought Bubble this coming weekend!

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Looking forward to meeting lots of comic lovers at this weekend’s Thought Bubble Convention in Leeds.

Thought Bubble Comic Con
Saturday 23 – Sunday 24 November 2013
New Dock Hall
Armouries Drive, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS10 1LT

Come and find me in New Dock Hall at Table 140, and check out the other wonderful creators there too!

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