[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-comiket-pop-up-festival-comics-for-all-ages":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"This weekend I went to one of my favourite comics festivals, Comiket, just across the road from Liverpool Street station in London. And a few days later, I went to a meeting at Central Saint Martins art college to plan a comics festival for kids! So starting with Comiket, which had mostly grown-ups attending, here's one of my small-press heroes, \u003Ca href=\"http://mycardboardlife.com/\">Philippa Rice\u003C/a>, doing live collage drawing:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comkt_philippa_rice-7cfb339abe.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for lots more Comiket photos and links under the cut!-->\\r\nI did live drawing last year, it's quite nerve-wracking being on such a big screen! But fun, too... Here you can see an aisle of comics people selling their wares. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_aisle-1d4c229ec8.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's lovely John Allison...\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_john_allison-ddbdb05122.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n...who was offering sketches made on the spot! I liked the little sign he drew:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_john_allison2-996973189f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI came home with one of John's comics, \u003Ci>Murder She Writes\u003C/i>, which starts out featuring a children's book writer, but her chipper 12-year-old intern takes over the story as they go on a writer's retreat and there's a murder. It's a great story, really made me laugh. You can \u003Ca href=\"http://scarygoround.com/scare/?date=20111114\">read it online here\u003C/a>, and I really recommend getting a printed copy and John to draw in it next time you see him.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://scarygoround.com/scare/?date=20111114\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/john_allison_murder-e5a17218b8.jpg\">\u003C/a>\\r\n\\r\nSo here's the stuff I brought back from Comiket, a good deal of it self-published, or by creators who started out self-publishing: \u003Ci>How I Live Now\u003C/i> by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.megrosoff.co.uk/blog/\">Meg Rosoff\u003C/a> (Oh wait, that's not a comic, that's a World Book Night gift novel, but a cracking good read!), \u003Ci>Please God, Find Me a Husband\u003C/i> by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.simonelia.com/\">Simone Lia\u003C/a>, lovely postcard by \u003Ca href=\"http://mycardboardlife.com/\">Philippa Rice\u003C/a>, Caticorn stickers by Timothy Winchester, \u003Ci>Miss Moti\u003C/i> by \u003Ca href=\"http://kripakreations.com/Home.html\">Kripa Joshi\u003C/a>, \u003Ci>Murder She Writes\u003C/i> by John Allison, \u003Ci>People I know\u003C/i> by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.timothywinchester.com/\">Timothy Winchester\u003C/a>, \u003Ci>Goliath\u003C/i> by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.tomgauld.com/\">Tom Gauld\u003C/a>, \u003Ci>Sevillana\u003C/i> by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.sevillana.deviantart.com\">Marina Williams\u003C/a>, \u003Ci>Discovering\u003C/i> by \u003Cb>Elly Gay\u003C/b>, \u003Ci>Nine Lives\u003C/i> by \u003Ca href=\"http://kriskicorp.blogspot.co.uk/\">Kristyna Baczynski\u003C/a>, \u003Ci>Pocket Full of Coffee\u003C/i> by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.joedecie.com/\">Joe Decie\u003C/a>, \u003Ci>My Cardboard Life\u003C/i> by Philippa Rice (the third time I bought it; it makes such a nice gift), \u003Ci>Ladder\u003C/i> by Kristyna Baczynski, \u003Ci>12 Postcards\u003C/i> by Tom Gauld, \u003Ci>Cardboard Colin and the Wasps\u003C/i> and \u003Ci>Models Forever\u003C/i> by Philppa Rice, three \u003Ci>Glister\u003C/i> books by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.andiwatson.biz/\">Andi Watson\u003C/a>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_comics-45f4740eeb.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here are two of the fabulous \u003Ca href=\"http://www.comicafestival.com/\">Comica Festival\u003C/a> Comiket organisers: \u003Cb>Megan O'Donnolley\u003C/b> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.paulgravett.com/\">Paul Gravett\u003C/a> on either side of \u003Ca href=\"http://www.woodrowphoenix.co.uk/\">oodrow Phoenix\u003C/a>, all dressed in very subtle shirts. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_shirts-5487e6bfcf.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI finally got to meet Yorkshire-based comic artist \u003Ca href=\"http://kriskicorp.blogspot.co.uk/\">Kristyna Baczynski\u003C/a> after hearing lots about her. Here's a sketchbook she drew on her lunch breaks while she was working a full-time office job. She printed it up into booklets, titled, appropriate, \u003Ca href=\"http://kriskicorp.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/lunch-date-x-18.html\">\u003Ci>The Lunch Date\u003C/a>\u003C/i>. (Oh, and as someone pointed out on Facebook, there's a Stan Lee lookalike over her shoulder.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comkt_kristyna_baczynski-bb805b75df.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's \u003Ca href=\"http://surrealistetiquette.blogspot.co.uk/\">Elliot Baggott\u003C/a>, who's just about to graduate from Wimbledon art college and who interned with my studio mate \u003Ca href=\"http://fleecestation.co.uk/\">Ellen Lindner\u003C/a>, folding lots and lots and lots of mini comics. I got to see the comic he's working on for his final degree show:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_elliot-6a3e8a0aea.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere are \u003Ca href=\"http://www.greatbeastcomics.com/creators/\">Marc Ellerby and Adam Cadwell\u003C/a>, who have just launched their own new publishing house called \u003Ca href=\"http://www.greatbeastcomics.com/\">Great Beast\u003C/a>. (\u003Ca href=\"http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2012/the-great-beast-rises/\">FPI article about it over here\u003C/a>.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_marc_adam-5e8fa27191.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI almost never go to a comics fair without buying one of Brighton-based creator \u003Ca href=\"http://www.joedecie.com/\">Joe Decie\u003C/a>'s comics. Here he is with \u003Cb>Mike Medaglia\u003C/b>, who's part of running the \u003Ca href=\"http://thinkingcomics.blogspot.co.uk/\">Gosh!p book club\u003C/a>, a great place to meet up with other creators and find out more about interesting comics. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_mike_joe-01ce5bb4a2.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://andiwatson.biz/\">Andi Watson\u003C/a> at the Walker Books stand, signing my \u003Ci>Glister\u003C/i> books, next to a life-size cutout of his Gum Girl:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_andi_watson-b04267af35.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's \u003Ca href=\"http://warwickjohnsoncadwell.blogspot.co.uk/\">Warwick Johnson Cadwell\u003C/a> with the poster for Season 2 of his Passenger a Day drawing project. WJC captains a boat on Chichester Harbour and every day, he draws one of the people who come aboard. I have his Season 1 poster hanging right over my drawing desk in the studio.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_wjcadwell-33f13b6aef.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI absolutely love WJC's work, I think his drawings are some of my all-time favourites. Here's the drawing he did in the Comiket live drawing session: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_wjc_drawing-d915df75de.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe lovely \u003Ca href=\"http://www.emmavieceli.com/\">Emma Vieceli\u003C/a> took a turn on the Drawing Parade. She's appearing again from 25-27 May in London at \u003Ca href=\"http://www.londonexpo.com/\">MCM Expo\u003C/a>, which got 60,000 visitors last year, largely teenagers in full costume. (And You can \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/458548.html\">see a \u003Ci>Vern and Lettuce\u003C/i> comic I made from our recent trip to the Paris Manga & Sci-Fi Show\u003C/a>.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_emma_vieceli-98b9ebe2dd.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd it's always great to see someone exhibiting for the very first time! Here's Kiwi creator \u003Ca href=\"http://www.sevillana.deviantart.com\">Marina Williams\u003C/a>, with her strategically placed cupcakes that stopped me in my tracks. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_sevillana-c5b0ef5323.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://kripakreations.com/Home.html\">Kripa Joshi\u003C/a> signing one of her \u003Ci>Miss Moti\u003C/i> books: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_kripa_joshi-be0b952639.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI've quite recently met \u003Ca href=\"http://craigscomicland.com/\">Craig Conlan\u003C/a> (right) and he has the most lovely god-daughter (niece?) named \u003Cb>Belle\u003C/b>, who's a huge fan of my \u003Ci>Vern and Lettuce\u003C/i>. Hurrah! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_craig-edca0180df.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThere weren't many kids at Comiket, and it was great to see her.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_sarah_belle-7424952846.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nSpeaking of kids, one of my favourite things at these events is to see kids who've taken the initiative to get their own table and print up comics. It's usually adults at the tables, but every so often you get a table entirely staffed by kids. Here's \u003Cb>Zoom Rockman\u003C/b> and his friends.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_zoomtable-3b03d8f848.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOh, awesome. I'm just checking out his work: he's ten years old and he already has \u003Ca href=\"http://www.zoomrockman.com/#\">a website and webcomics\u003C/a>! This guy will go far.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/comiket_the_zoom_-5a588af41d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\\r\nWhich brings me on to the second event. I think kids would LOVE to have a comics fair like Comiket aimed more toward them, more of a family kind of place. And since kids don't usually have a lot of money, even if there were comics for sale, the focus would be more on them making comics than buying them. Which is what I'm hoping will happen at this summer's \u003Ca href=\"http://pop-up.org.uk/\">Pop-Up Festival\u003C/a> in King's Cross, London, on \u003Cb>Saturday, 30 June\u003C/b>. I've been invited and funded, with ten other creators, to curate a marquis, and I'm turning it into a comics festival. I asked the super-organised \u003Ca href=\"http://www.scribblehound.com\">David O'Connell\u003C/a> to help me with the logistics of it, and on Tuesday, we curators went to Central Saint Martins art college, who are hosting the festival on their site, to select and be selected by students whom we're hiring to do set design work and make the tent look FABULOUS. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"1515\"/>\\r\n\\r\nHere are a few of the curators, presenting their ideas to the students: \u003Ca href=\"http://www.marcussedgwick.com/\">Marcus Sedgwick\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://james-mayhew-author-illustrator.blogspot.co.uk/\">James Mayhew\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.candygourlay.com/\">Candy Gourlay\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.lauradockrill.co.uk/\">Laura Dockrill\u003C/a>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/pop_up_CSMmtg_3-4d67a38dba.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://myswordhandissinging.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/thanks-to-sarah-mcintyre-over-at.html\">You can read Marcus's post about it over on his blog.\u003C/a> Here are some reps from the Society for Storytelling presenting their concept. Our festival will be funded, but we're still looking to build the financial base, so if you can consider donating £25 to the \u003Ca href=\"http://email.stephenwalker.co.uk/t/r-309BA191850E379D\">Friends Scheme\u003C/a>, that would help make this event really fly.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/pop_up_CSMmtg_1-c27b53bc87.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe selection process was quite fraught! After we talked about our ideas, the students showed us their work, and we all had to pair up without getting into fights about who got which student. But it actually worked out very well, and I'm very excited about the two set designers who will be working with me and Dave, \u003Ca href=\"http://mydearisabel.com/\">Isa Caruncho\u003C/a> and \u003Cb>Chiahui Liao\u003C/b> (Oo, \u003Ca href=\"http://harkavagrant.com/\">Kate Beaton\u003C/a> t-shirt!):\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/pop_up_CSMmtg_4-b5aca85e0b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nExciting times! Here was \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/456987.html\">my earlier, explanatory post about it\u003C/a>, and I'll keep you posted on what we get up to, but in the meantime, families, mark your diaries for \u003Cb>30 June\u003C/b>, this festival's going to be AWESOME.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/pop_up_CSMmtg_2-43389d7606.jpg\">","2012-04-26T06:46:00.000Z","comiket-pop-up-festival-comics-for-all-ages",[],"comiket + pop-up festival: comics for all ages!",1776628721713]