Archive for the ‘ events ’ Category

Fetch… THE CUSHIONS.

(Quick round-up!)

Thought Bubble was great! It was my first time there, and the first time the comics festival covered the weekend as well. I had masses of fun and I really liked the attendees. I would say a huge number of them were A) younger than me and B) female. Very embarrasingly, I missed the first half of the first panel I was meant to be doing, which was about the then-newly released Nelson… though I did catch the last 20 mins of it and I’m not certain I would have been terribly useful anyway, everyone on the panel looked like they were doing a super job :)

On that note, Nelson is excellent! I’ve finally had a read-through and it is actually quite astonishing as a project. The thing that struck me overall was the vulnerability of Nel, and the emphasis on how quickly our lives rush past, the decisions we have to make in the blink of an eye, and the way memories can transform into stories – almost as if they’d happened to someone else – after a certain length of time. Have you read it yet…? Do you own it? You should! It’s a superb cross-section of the UK comics industry, and the book’s profits go to charity. Please consider supporting it – click here for the Blank Slate store page!

So a week after Thought Bubble (nearly typed ‘Bibble’, tee hee) it was off to Malta Comicon! This was my second overseas convention. We were all very well looked-after as guests, and were treated to some sight-seeing on the following week! We visited the War Museum and the Inquisitor’s Palace. I found the latter absolutely fascinating – I admit that the majority of what I knew about the Inquisition was down to hear-say and its representation in popular culture. So, to discover everything about the Maltese Inquisition was really eye-opening. ALSO! We visited Mdina on the final day, which, as was mentioned off-hand as we entered the city gates, was used as part of the set for King’s Landing in Game of Thrones. I promptly shat myself in excitement… and then my camera battery ran out. Damncakes. I *did* get a fat bunch of photos from the Inquisitor’s Palace however, so I gotta process those and get ‘em up on my Flickr at some point!

But yeah. Was sad not to spot either Jaime Lannister or Corto Maltese. They must have seen my fangirl aura approaching like a swarm of bees and hidden themselves (I don’t blame them).

So, really I’ve been so busy recently I’ve forgotten what my office looks like -_-; I absolutely have to cut down on events next year – my work schedule has really taken it in the face. Gotta try and catch up as much as I can…!

Speaking of work! Did you manage to catch Issue Zero of The Phoenix? :D I had one waiting for me when I got home! It was such a good read, and I’m so excited about January! Please tell me you’ve subscribed? You’ll be getting an awesome product and you’ll also be supporting the UK comics industry!

That’s about it from me… sorry for a non-pictoral post. I know it’s a bit boring :( I’m so squeezed for time at the moment!

Take care! Oh, and if you’re in the Melksham area, me, Emma Vieceli and Paul Duffield are signing and sketching for you at KOMIX on Saturday 10th! See you there…!

Events, reviews, interviews

(Well, that’s a… pretty descriptive title! Um… here we go!)

I’m very excited to be a guest at Malta Comic Con, which I have heard many good things about! I’ll be there along with good company. If you’re looking to go to the convention, I’ve been assured that they organisers are able to offer some great transfer and accommodation rates for travellers, so do give them a buzz on info@maltacomic-con.com!

You may also wish to check out the Co-Promotional Scheme the organisers are running, which looks like a great opportunity ^_^

In bookish news, I went along to the Turnaround warehouse recently to sign and sketch a pile of Fish + Chocolates! :D It was really interesting to see the inside of a distribution warehouse. For my sketch, I drew a unique potato smile in each one, haha! Look out for these special potato-ed editions! :D I wanted to collect a couple of things related to Fish + Chocolate here, too…

Interview for Fat Quarter Magazine: Bloody Mothers. I really enjoyed doing this one!

Review (in Spanish – use Google Translate) by Little Nemo’s Kat: Tortured Motherhood. Note that it also pimps Page 45, which is one of my fave comic shops and certainly worth the visit if you’re in or around Nottingham! :D

Sigh. Comic shops. Oxford used to have a Comics Showcase, but that shut down. There are a few floppies and random tankoubon in Truck shop on Cowley Road, but it’s not quite the same as having a COMIC SHOP. I think our closest one is in London. That’s depressing, guys. Really depressing.

That said, the comic shops I’ve been to recently have all been THE SHIT. If notions of gloomy, pungent, cramped, un-woman-friendly comic shops still lie in the mind of the public conscious… it can slope off into the corner now. I don’t think I’ve been to a poor comic shop for years.

In other news, I’m still working hard on The Lost Boy for The Phoenix! I’m having lots of fun. I hope it will be as much fun to read! :D

Various updates

Hello! Paul and I have just returned from having a week-and-a-half break in Winchester, following the end of Freakangels. It was nice and relaxing… we got to do a lot of things that generally we are not able to do (like go outside). I actually got a small tan on my left hand. (Seriously).

I took a couple of photos with my “real” camera, which I should process at some point… in the meantime, I did take a few with my iPhone and put them through instagram, which you can see here: http://web.stagram.com/n/autojoy ^_^

I have updated the list of places which are carrying copies of Fish + Chocolate in my shop, which also includes Plan B Books in Glasgow, owned by my university mate Peter! Once again, I am very happy these shops have supported F+C, so if you’re looking to buy a copy and you’re within reach of one of these places, do consider purchasing from there ^_^

I’ve also updated the list of events I am confirmed to be at this year, on the bottom of the front page of my site :)

That’s all! I hope to provide you guys with some more news soon ^_^/

Cake Trousers

Got back from a great MCM Expo on Sunday! It was very tiring, but very fun. Thank you very much to everyone who stopped by our table and chatted or bought copies of our stuff! It’s such a great event to exhibit at and/or go along to… many thanks to the organisers for a smashing MCM once again! ^_^ Paul and I have a hotel booked for October MCM as well, so should be exhibiting there too, if all goes to plan. We will also both be at Thought Bubble, 2011 B.C., and, hopefully Caption as well, in our very own Oxford. I’ll update the front page of my site with those details soon, too ^_^

Everybody has been so nice about Fish + Chocolate! Actually, to be honest it is a little overwhelming. If you know me, you know I’m a little bit insecure… so it’s simultaneously lovely and bewildering to have positive comments about my book! I know it’s terribly unprofessional to say that I’m really very insecure, but eh… it’s the truth.

By the way! You should be able to pick up copies of F+C at the following stores: Page 45 in Nottingham (from next week onwards, most likely), Red Garden Manga in Reading and all Travelling Man stores. If you can’t find the books, please ask the friendly staff ^_^ I’m very happy that these stores are supporting F+C, so if one of them is your local store, please consider purchasing from there! \^_^/

In further F+C news, Let me show you THESE…! :D

Mary & Prisca! Isn’t this just beautiful?! I’m a big fan of Sammy Borras‘ cartooning skill and her comics. I got to meet her at Bristol Comicon a couple weeks back, which was awesome. Thank you so much for this beautiful drawing, Sammy! Your cartooning looks so effortless and beautiful <3

An illustration of Maria, by Fred O’Rourke! I just love it – the soft pencil lines give the illustration a really gentle and peaceful feel. Thank you so much, Fred! Fred is on the same course I went to at university, so we’ve had a good natter about that at recent events ^_~

~*~Trivia time!~*~ The bridge in Matryoshka is based on the bridge near our flat! It’s got lots of unused rusty pipes underneath it, which at the moment houses amorous pigeons. You can hear them cooing away if you walk underneath it.

That’s all! \^_^/

In defense of the Punch

Want to start off by saying that I really, really liked Sucker Punch. Everyone seems to hate it, which is a real shame. I thought it was creative, and smart, and easily my favourite film of 2011, though it be only part-way through the year. I’m looking forward to getting it on BD so I can have a few more watch-throughs… I feel like it’s one of those films you’ll get even more out of on repeated watchings! You know… I didn’t even realise the actor playing Blue was Oscar Isaac. Such a chameleon. I’ve seen him in a few things now and I think he’s absolutely the shit. Totally love him!! <3 So, Paul and I had our exhibition opening last weekend! It was really nice, thanks so much to MCM's Comic Village, Matt Sheret and Orbital Comics for setting it all up, and huge thanks to Faye Yong, Fehed Said, Emma Vieceli and Andrew Ruddick for helping us arrange and hang the show. I updated my website with some new illustrations, a couple of which were printed in *HUGE* to hang at Orbital. It was kinda cool...! Private commission of an OC, Monday. Monday is actually a ghost-girl! This was super fun to draw:

Denica & Max playing some card game in some alley-way somewhere:

Twins. Who aren’t actually twins, I imagined them as the same girl, but illustrated twice as if she had taken different paths in life… that’s sort of hard to explain… er, so mainly I refer to her as twins… ^^;

Well, that’s all! In terms of projects, I’m settling Fish + Chocolate down into its new stable with SelfMadeHero, and working on a couple of other things as well… also, I’ve decided on what I hope to be my next “big” project. I hope I can pull this one off.

Lookin’ forward to Bristol and MCM in the month of May! ^o^/~

Orbital Comics Exhibition 1st May – 26th May

I’m happy to announce that MCM Expo’s highly sucessful and enjoyable Comic Village will be sponsoring an exhibition of work from me & Paul at Orbital Comics! We’ll be showcasing large prints of our illustrations, comics and original linework. I’ve done a couple of new illustrations that haven’t been seen before, too. I will have copies of Fish + Chocolate available, and Paul will have his work, Signal, available as well. We’ll be bridging our work with work from Freakangels, since we both work on that together! :)

So yeah, dates! The private view evening is from 7pm-9pm on Saturday 30th April, and both Paul and I will be there. It’s a free event with drinks and nibbles, so do come along! It would be nice to see you all! If you are unable to make the evening, the exhibition is open to the public from 1st May – 29th May, and of course both Paul and I will be in the Comic Village at MCM Expo.

I keep any events I’m definitely attending up-to-date on the bottom of the front page of my site, so check them out and I hope to see you there! :)

Click to embiggen…

NYCC

I have a lot of stuff to catch up on in terms of blogging. I’m very behind ;3; Probably the next few entries will be a bit scrappy, but I want to get stuff down, at least. So!

Typically, I got a cold on the plane back from NYC so that, coupled with the cold I had before leaving for the trip, and the actual trip itself, means I’m about a month behind work ;_; I honestly think my immune system is having a laugh. (And then choking on its own phlegm).

I need to say, quickly, that New York Comicon was awesome. Everyone in NYC was so nice O_O; It made me feel like I wanted to be more polite than usual, haha. Also: I’m a real home-person… I stress if I leave the house for long periods of time, even, but I actually felt sad coming home from NYC. I liked it that much there. I really hope I have the chance to go back again!

Neither Paul or I had much of a chance to look around the convention (or NYC itself), but what we did see was great. We had a tiny amount of time to do like an obstacle course race round the Artist’s Alley… which in itself was staggering. The art there was like being in some kind of sweet-shop. It would be good to go there as a punter one time, so we could just look around.

Talking is less interesting than looking (I think), so here’s some pics under the cut…

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I has a light

It’s drawing things like this that makes me realise how much one needs to know about the human figure in order to parody it effectively. (In my case, I don’t know it well enough X’DD)

Made for the CPCBF! I had a lot of fun at the Festival last year. I’m unable to get to it this year, though I’m so pleased it’s going ahead, and I hope it becomes a regular annual event! (Especially since both last year and this year I was able to draw some really fun monsters! :D)

If you’re able to get along, you should check it out! ^_^/

TSM launch!

I think the party went really well! \^_^/ Many, many thanks to those who helped put on such a cool show! I was really happy that it was in Oxford, as so many people who wrote/drew/made/produced The DFC are Oxford-based. So I felt like it was a real proper DFC celebration!

We raffled off a large print of one of the original DFC covers of The Spider Moon, and also of course we had the auction… I was VERY happy with the result! We raised a lot of cash for Mind and also, in a rather cool twist, the winning bidders turned out to be the lovely folk at The Story Museum, which is about 10mins walk from our flat! If you live nearby you should keep an eye on this place. It certainly looks awesome. Oh, I love Oxford so much :D

Lots of my most favourite people were able to come along, so it was just such a cheery event! In a total surprise, some friends from Devon drove all the way up for the evening. It was super-awesome as I’ve not seen those guys for such a long time. My editor for The Spider Moon (a.k.a. Lovely Ben) was able to come as well, which was super-awesome too!

Here’s some pics that Paul took under the cut…

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