[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-pop-up-festival-2012-the-comics-big-top-of-awesome":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"The big day finally came, and it was AWESOME! The Comics Big-Top of Awesome totally rocked London's \u003Ca href=\"http://pop-up.org.uk\">Pop Up Festival\u003C/a> and kids and adults alike were pumping character drawings and comics out of that pavilion. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_astrodog-b81acc53f6.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere was our amazing team: \u003Ca href=\"http://www.neillcameron.com/\">Neill Cameron\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://nanarealm.com/\">Nana Li\u003C/a>, me, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.garynorthfield.co.uk/\">Gary Northfield\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://jamielittler.co.uk/\">Jamie Littler\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.fumboo.com/fumbookids.php\">Jamie Smart\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://tozocomic.com/\">David O'Connell\u003C/a>. (You can see \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/487551.html\">the books they make if you click here\u003C/a>.) When Pop Up Director Dylan Calder offered me the chance to curate one of the festival venues and do anything I wanted, it could have been daunting, but it wasn't, because I knew I could get my awesome comics friends to come along and help me run it. And most of them do a lot of comics festivals and events, so they know how to work with kids and get them excited and eager to make up their own stories. Being able to draw and tell stories, combined with a sense of humour means this stuff comes pretty naturally to them.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_comicsteam-1fe097052f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd the day DID run amazingly well! All the creators had a good idea of which kids needed guidance making their comics, and sat alongside them, drawing and chatting with them. And besides the comics making that went all on day, we had a solid programme of awesome events! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_schedule-d75cdb6909.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nDavid O'Connell shot footage of one round of the COMICS BATTLE, a fiercely fought drawing duel: Gary Northfield vs Jamie Littler!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Clj-embed id=\"1777\"/>\\r\n\\r\nIt was fun coming home and seeing the tweets:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/jamieL_tweet-e57f97b45e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWhen Dave, Stuart and I arrived in the morning, the incredibly talented and dedicated art student team from Central Saint Martins had been working hard until site closing time the night before and the place looked AMAZING! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_backwall-86e9d656a0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for loads more under the cut!-->\\r\nThey'd worked with me on a layout for the venue, and as for decorating it, Neill Cameron and I came up with the idea of making it a comics circus theme, fellow Pop Up curator Candy Gourlay suggested the idea of the Story Wheels, and I asked them to make it bright and fit in as many animal characters as possible. And I was absolutely thrilled at what they came up with! (You can see more photos of the team - \u003Cb>Isa Caruncho, Chiahui Liao\u003C/b> and \u003Cb>Maddy Rita Faye\u003C/b> - on \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/489069.html\">my last blog post here\u003C/a>.) \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_setpainters-80ff42b8cc.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOur team was actually bigger than the seven adult comics artists, we had four more people on board, selling comics they'd made and drawing portraits: \u003Cb>Frankie, Katie, Staizie\u003C/b> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.zoomrockman.com/\">Zoom Rockman\u003C/a>. It was one of the first times the three girls from Winchester House School had sold their comics, and they were making a comics diary of their trip to London with their art teacher, fab printmaker \u003Ca href=\"http://www.tobias-till.co.uk/\">Tobias Till\u003C/a>. Zoom, age 11, has been making and selling comics for several years, and I heard that he'd even been flown out to Korea to talk about comics there! The guy doesn't let being young stop him, which is the height of awesomeness.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_younprofessionals-3c172b8335.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's Zoom giving a talk about comics on our stage. He's pulled his brother, Ace, out from the audience to show how he draws him. (Ace has featured in quite a few of his comics, although Zoom said it was tricky when his brother was younger because his teeth kept changing number and size.) \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_zoom_talk-598feb5426.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nZoom has \u003Ca href=\"http://www.zoomrockman.com/\">his own website and publishes his own web comic\u003C/a> (which is more than a lot of adult professionals I know manage to get around to doing!)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_zoom_rockman-9d42793dbc.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/zoom_tweet-d06b8bb5f5.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nMy biggest Pop Up debt of gratitude goes to \u003Cb>David O'Connell\u003C/b>, who made running the Comics Big-Top of Awesome possible for me. I tend to get bogged down in e-mails, and Dylan gave me a decent budget, so the first thing I did was ask Dave if I could hire him to take over the logistical details, e-mails and general admin. Dave's incredibly organised, and has run lots of comics events, self-published comics, run a \u003Ca href=\"http://tozocomic.com/\">weekly web comic\u003C/a>, and edited a \u003Ca href=\"http://inkpluspaper.com/\">comics anthology\u003C/a>, so he knows about working to deadlines and chasing people up to make sure things happen. It was such a relief knowing I could rely on him. THANK YOU, DAVE! He's a genuine, real-life superhero.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_david_oconnelldraws-f02e4e8807.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nPeople of all ages had great fun watching our creators draw. Neill Cameron got mobbed while drawing robots from his \u003Ci>Mo-Bot High\u003C/i> book. We'd posted a drawing schedule, but people forgot to check on him to tell him when to stop, so he just kept drawing and drawing until he went cross-eyed. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_neill_mobot1-95b40a1ee0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/neill2_tweet-ecd54b94a7.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBut man, were there some HAPPY KIDS afterward! Look what this guy got to take home:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_mobot2-ec40ff62e5.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOne of the coolest things was seeing kids who read \u003Ca href=\"http://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/\">The Phoenix Comic\u003C/a> seeking out their favourite creators and just getting to hang out with them. Here's \u003Cb>Esme\u003C/b>, who won a Phoenix Comic competition and somehow managed to get Jamie Smart to include a blue carrot in his comic, on her request. (Here she is with Jamie, pointing out the carrot.)\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_smart_esme-5c805ed574.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/jamieS_tweet-686ff6c2f5.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's my friend \u003Cb>Dulcie\u003C/b>, who spun the three Story Wheels and combined Mermaid - Sea Captain - Rubbish Dump to come up with her comic. She cheekily named it 'Sarah Stinker', which made me laugh.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_dulcie_mermaid-70a5753f9d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI got to see \u003Cb>Maisie Jones\u003C/b>, who recently interviewed me about making comics. (You can \u003Ca href=\"http://jabberworks.livejournal.com/488661.html\">read the interview and see her comic about visiting my studio here\u003C/a>.) \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_maisie2-38d19f6311.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nShe spun the Story Wheels and came up with 'Alien Footballer'. How cool is that!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_alien_footballer-4df736d9dc.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThe tent was divided into four zones: AWESOME IDEAS, where we had the Story Wheels and people could design the characters for their story. Then the AWESOME MAKING zone, where they drew their comics (which fortunately spread out in front of the venue, we wouldn't have had enough room inside the pavilion!). Then people designed bright cases for their books in AWESOME COVERS, and then took their finished comics to AWESOME PROS, where they got to have one of our professional comic creators review it with them, and collect Phoenix Comic as a prize. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_zones-cc3c6e08d3.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nCheck out he fabulous comics \u003Cb>Emir\u003C/b> made, two pages starring Sheepy and Catty:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_emir_comic2-f731385256.jpg\">\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_emir_comic1-3d3f3ec785.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's Nana Li taking drawing requests from kids.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_nanali_draws-7bf93f6287.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/nana_tweet-15e43e9d6a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's Gary's nephew \u003Cb>Thomas\u003C/b>, who stepped up to the challenge of acting as host for a round of COMICS BATTLE while I was drawing, took up the microphone and did a great job of whipping up the audience and taking armour and weaponry suggestions from them.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_thomas-797a97d771.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's \u003Cb>Martin Bazley\u003C/b>, who drew this excellent complicated comic, \u003Ci>Cliché Man\u003C/i>, in one sitting. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_martin_comic1-3eed254fef.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nA larger version of Martin's comic:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_clicheman_comic-3b5e9ccd13.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOne of the cool thing about the day was watching kids grabbing comics and reading them on the spot, quite transfixed. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_comicreaders-37f7f1c5ce.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI don't often notice kids this age browsing in bookshops, so \u003Cb>note to parents: if your kids are a bit reluctant about reading, GIVE THEM COMICS. And kids that love reading comics tend to start making them, too, and all of a sudden you have a literate kid.\u003C/b> It's not rocket science. (Although the comic might be about rocket science.) \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_comicsbigtop-b1ff9f5b48.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd strangely enough, you might find out that you like reading comics, too! Comics aren't just for kids.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_phoenix_kids-4b03aeab94.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOkay, this kid might be slightly young for The Phoenix Comic. But who's to stop him from picking up something so bright and shiny?\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_littlephoenixreader-9fed4053e5.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's Nana, talking comics with visitors:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_nana_tables-ea431837a5.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe had two flip charts on stage, and while the professionals were doing individual drawing sessions, it was fun seeing the other flip chart manned by kids, working side by side with the pros. Here's Ace, who can turn out LOTS of monsters at one go.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_ace_rockman-287591aff0.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI don't know who made this comic, but its character's resemblance to Mr Gum made me laugh.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_mrchewy-3fe2180325.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_kidcomic-e678b17756.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_kidcomic2-47a9527869.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd we had some more amazing comics artists drop in on his! Here's Beano legend \u003Ca href=\"http://www.laurahowell.co.uk/\">Laura Howell\u003C/a>, the first female comics artist to draw Dennis the Menace: \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_laurahowell_neill-8c99f1dd2f.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd the amazing \u003Ca href=\"http://ukcomics.wikia.com/wiki/John_Aggs\">John Aggs\u003C/a>, who left us with some great drawings!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_johnaggs2-d4d17f3fbc.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_johnaggs1-1a8855d51a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nJamie had a great time taking drawing requests; some of them were wonderfully silly, like this boy who wanted a sausage eating a cat. And he got it!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_jamie_catsausage-7c35410dcf.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_jamie_capnbumface-93b85b183e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nMy studio mate, Gary Northfield, was doing his drawing session, so Jamie drew Gary drawing:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_jamie_draws_gary-2146097340.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_jamie_draws_gary2-51f4c8a4ba.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThis girl was a bit young to be drawing comics, but I loved her drawings. They were abstract, but they weren't scribbles, they were very carefully designed, almost like 1950s textiles. I think this chick might be one to watch.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_girl_drawing-961fb09b7a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's her drawing of a penguin:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_penguin-641eadf87b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI loved this guy's comic:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_dragon_comic-e204242d4a.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nJamie Littler and Neill Cameron:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_littler_neill-c0cb71ec53.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nMore Mo-Bots:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_mobots3-48e09266f3.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_littler_esme-1065ef5546.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nGary signing \u003Ci>Derek the Sheep\u003C/i> and doing his Derek face:\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_garynorthfield_sign-550150af47.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/gary_tweet-e6dcc09b7c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/#!/jreadsalot\">Jazzmine B\u003C/a>, who's been doing a lot of tweeting for Pop Up.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_jazzmine-9f0ae1d932.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd happy but very tired Director \u003Cb>Dylan Calder\u003C/b> with Pop Up trustee \u003Cb>Doug Wallace\u003C/b>, publisher at SelfMadeHero comics, who helped out at our venue. Thanks for all your hard work, guys!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_dylan_doug-cbb3f19350.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's writer \u003Cb>Jon Mayhew\u003C/b> with Pop Up trustee \u003Cb>Daniel Hahn\u003C/b>, also happy but very tired.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_jonathan_daniel-802df65a64.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThanks to everyone who ran the Guardian Bookshop, selling our books!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_guardian_bookshop-0bb42f01a1.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHeh heh, by the end of the day our robot was looking a little droopy. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_dave_sadrobot-9445d05825.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd the Story Wheels were holding firm, but we had to be a bit careful.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_storywheel-ee3b1ef371.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here are our fine comics artists by Regents Canal, having their well-deserved pints and spinning gently. Thank you so much, everyone! Everything went so smoothly and you guys were truly awesome.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_pub-ca88799817.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nLest you think the Pop Up Festival was just about comics, let me give you a peek into some of the great stuff that was going on around us! Fellow curator and writer \u003Ca href=\"http://www.candygourlay.com/\">Candy Gourlay\u003C/a> was running a Filipino-style FIESTA and had some amazing bamboo dancers performing!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_filipino_dance2-1a39dd47d9.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_filipino_dancerlady2-22be78a6e1.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_filipino_dancerlady-08fd48a2eb.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nTwo ladies were dancing and balancing glasses (of rum?) on their heads! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_filipino_dance8-2e41a4e0f3.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_filipino_dancerlady4-c3b1a66c33.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nCandy also ran a writer game show! You can read about it over on the \u003Ca href=\"http://popupfiesta.tumblr.com/\">FIESTA website\u003C/a> she set up.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_candyteam6-d312098152.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nOh, and did I mention she invited a band?\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_candyband-dbc54410ec.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI don't have any photos of \u003Ca href=\"http://www.marcussedgwick.com/\">Marcus Sedgwick\u003C/a>'s neighbouring vampire theatre, as it was all swathed in darkness, but every once in awhile we could hear the haunting strains of a Bulgarian folk song, \u003Ci>Pilentze Pee\u003C/i>, drift though the Comics Big-Top.\\r\n\\r\nI didn't get to see writer \u003Ca href=\"http://www.niiparkes.com/\">Nii Parkes\u003C/a>' events, but I caught waves of energy off him every time we ran past each other. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_niiparkes-3b7a8e3c1e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd here's writer \u003Ca href=\"http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l27/jabberworks/Festivals/popup_sarwat_talk.jpg\">Sarwat Chadda\u003C/a>, giving a talk in the big Central Saint Martins atrium, decorated with sculptures by \u003Ca href=\"http://www.herve-tullet.com/\">Herve Tullet\u003C/a> and the Archway kids he was working with.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/popup_sarwat_chadda-f43098c28d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWhat an amazing day! Thanks to all the organisers and everyone who visited and made it such a success! If you'd like to read more about the Comics Big-Top of Awesome, head over to \u003Ca href=\"http://neillcameron.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/big-top-and-you-dont-stop.html\">Neill's blog\u003C/a>!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Ca href=\"http://neillcameron.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/big-top-and-you-dont-stop.html\">\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/neill_tweet-7052d09840.jpg\">\u003C/a>","2012-07-01T20:53:00.000Z","pop-up-festival-2012-the-comics-big-top-of-awesome",[],"pop up festival 2012 - the comics big-top of awesome!",1776628722034]