New arrivals

Look what arrived today! I may not have any new goodies ready yet, but having sold out of this old perennial I've decided to reprint a second edition – complete with barcode – so I can reach a wider audience. And the table plan for Comiket has finally been posted. I will be seated with Sean and Sally Anne, with all their exciting new wares, on table 5 tomorrow in the Studio Theatre at Central St Martins. Come and say hi!

Springfest

Spring is here at last. At least I think so. Saturday I will be joining my fellow Dessinators Sally Anne and Sean at a table at Comiket, this time relocated to Central St Martins behind King's Cross. For more information about exhibitors click HERE through to the page Liz Lunney has cleverly set up on facebook.

Springing back into action

OK. I'm back. First more Angouleme report: before it all evaporates, I will mention some more highlights. Comes, master of black and white compositions and tales of witchcraft in rural Ardennes, was celebrated with an exhibition and saluted with a standing ovation at the closing ceremony. But as I check the Angouleme website for a link to his artwork, I find that we have just lost another great. There was a fascinating lecture from Jean Pierre Dionnet about mysterious italian fumetto artist Devi, a chance to catch Vuillemin in the flesh being quizzed about press cartooning , lovely nibbles and drinks at the opening of Brecht Evens'La Boite a Gand exhibition, and much hilarity at the polling booth when exercising our right to vote. Disappointments included the Spirou documentary and the Uderzo exhibition ( not enough original artwork among the blow-ups of pages and giant fibreglass models). And I never found my sketchbook. However I will move on. And draw more sketches. Like this. I will be appearing at Comiket next month, and have applied for table space at MCM London, along with my good friends The Dessinators.

Sketchless

A terrible thing happened on the way back from Angouleme. Somehow my sketchbook went missing. I have not entirely given up hope but it is fading fast and I have no sketches to post. This year had been particularly magical as I got the chance to cast my vote for one of my all-time heroes of the pen to be the next President of the Jury, the incredible Willem. And not only had I had the chance to shake his hand, and subsequently have a few beers in his company, he had drawn in said sketchbook, examined it, and I had made several sketches of him. However he won the prize (Hallelujah!) and so he will be back next year. Though in his capacity as King of the Festival he may not be as free to mingle anonymously again.

Apart from this upsetting hiccup, the festival was as usual a joyous five days of exhibitions, talks, meeting old chums and new, with a lot of sketching and a bit of selling. And Hugo finally made the trip and joined me for two and a half days of boulimie BD. I will report in more detail in my next post.

Dessinators are go

It's been a while – I won't go in to the events of the last few months, suffice to say, Angouleme is upon us, and we are once again heading to foreign parts to spread the word of the London comics. We are now The Dessinators, a name which I believe will stick. Sean, Sally Ann, Dan, Oliver and I will be manning the table as usual. This year we will be flanked by none other than Paul Gravett, Peter Stanbury and the Comica Festival gang on one side, and the lovely Italians of Passenger Press on the other. Come and pay us all a visit in the Alternative Press tent. I have been preparing for the trip, as my kitchen bears witness.

Comiket Fall 2012

A great time was had at the Bishopsgate institute, Sally Anne and I squished up behind our table with the brilliant Doug 'Strip for me' Noble. A parade of talented individuals live drawing on the podium started with Alison Bechdel followed by Ellen Lindner, both on loan from the USA, and included a very glamorous Stephen Appleby, Line Hoven and her amazing scraperboard, Tobias Tak's nightmarish creatures and many more who are listed here. Jess Cave baked an amazing comic cake to which I contributed the top right hand panel, which was so awesome that my camera actually broke in my attempt to record it. Hence the only picture I have of the whole event.

Drink was taken at the Gun in the excellent company of Tom Oldham, Richy K, Gary Northfield and a host of others. Many thanks to Paul Gravett and Peter Stanbury and all the organisers for putting on another successful day. And now a personal message to the person who bought two of my comics and left them behind on my table: please contact me so I can post them to you!

93 years