Wow! How could we be more honoured and flattered? The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre are Ents 24's Artist of the week on Facebook. Check it out.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
Monday, 30 July 2012
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Unseen Olympics sketch + new Facebook header
Here's our smashing new Facebook page header. Nice eh?
It now gives both of our Edinburgh shows equal parity (since, the truth be told, Boo Lingerie is currently outselling Chunky Woollen Nits at a rate of two to one, not surprisingly as no existing fan has ever seen us emerge before lunchtime before. Though that said, Chunky is outselling our 2007 debut show by a good margin already, so all looking good).
Now a little bonus, a script that we're way too busy to get round to finishing writing let alone recording and uploading (with Edinburgh starting on Wednesday, and me doing two days of comic workshops in London on Monday & Tuesday, I hope you can imagine just how much there is still to do). Just imagine the Socks' voices and enjoy...
R (The Sock on stage right): And now we present an Olympic opening ceremony for Aidan Burley MP
L (Left) : Aidan Burley MP?
R Yes, he called Danny Boyle's opening ceremony Leftie Multicultural Crap, and you'll remember he's the Tory MP who organised a party where people dressed as Nazis. So here's an Olympic opening ceremony just for you, Aidan.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
It now gives both of our Edinburgh shows equal parity (since, the truth be told, Boo Lingerie is currently outselling Chunky Woollen Nits at a rate of two to one, not surprisingly as no existing fan has ever seen us emerge before lunchtime before. Though that said, Chunky is outselling our 2007 debut show by a good margin already, so all looking good).
Now a little bonus, a script that we're way too busy to get round to finishing writing let alone recording and uploading (with Edinburgh starting on Wednesday, and me doing two days of comic workshops in London on Monday & Tuesday, I hope you can imagine just how much there is still to do). Just imagine the Socks' voices and enjoy...
R (The Sock on stage right): And now we present an Olympic opening ceremony for Aidan Burley MP
L (Left) : Aidan Burley MP?
R Yes, he called Danny Boyle's opening ceremony Leftie Multicultural Crap, and you'll remember he's the Tory MP who organised a party where people dressed as Nazis. So here's an Olympic opening ceremony just for you, Aidan.
L Hello, is that Kenneth Branagh as Isambard Kingdom Brunel?
R No, foreign name. It’s Noel Edmonds dressed as Lord Nelson
the man who repeatedly spoke against William Wilberforce’s Abolition of Slavery
Bills & kept slavery active for another decade.
L Are those hordes of miners and steelworkers and farmers and
suffragettes?
R No they’re the people who do the real work – bankers, and
hedge fund managers, and most importantly the accountants who help them put all
their money into offshore accounts in Switzerland – and if that’s not patriotic
I don’t know what is.
L Do I hear music by the Jam and the Sex Pistols & Arctic
Monkeys & Dizzee Rascal?
R You do not, you heathen. No, in Aidan Burley’s version it’s music by Phil Collins,
Simply Red, Phil Collins again and the Black & White Minstrels.
L Is this JK Rowling reading a bit of Peter Pan?
R No it’s Helen Bannerman, the author of Little Black Sambo, reading an excerpt from Tom Sawyer, the unexpurgated version with all the N words left in –
there, is that multicultural enough for you?
L Ooh look, all those kids beds are moving together to form -
R Isn't that lovely? A BUPA logo. And in a
dream sequence we see the glorious future where one day only people who can pay
for it get healthcare and everyone else can just die.
L Oh look it’s the Queen. Is she going to get into a
helicopter with James Bond?
R Yes, only in Aidan Burley’s version Prince Phillip comes
along and shouts things out of the window at foreigners.
L Is that Mr Bean?
R No, it’s Bernard Manning. Doing some hilarious jokes about –
ok look, it’s Freddie Starr dressed as Hitler. Bless.
L And on the screen are those clips of
Alf Garnett taken totally out of context?
R They are. In short there’s only one way to do the opening ceremony so
it’ll please Aidan Burley – look here comes film director Leni Reifenstahl
L And will we have a group of kids arranging themselves into a CND logo?
R We’d have kids arranging themselves into a logo alright,
just not that logo.
END
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Fringe Preview Retweet & Facebook Experiment Results
With only one Socks preview to go before Edinburgh (and one headline slot tonight in Nottingham, for which we might risk some Boo Lingerie material, who knows) the Socks have been delighted with the response, and indeed the audience numbers, for the preview gigs. But how did our Retweeting experiment go? Our Retweeting experiment, you ask?
Courtesy of Catherine Read, a shot of the Socks' daytime preview in Derby on Sunday
We put out the invitation for various towns to Retweet our local shows, and then we waited to see how those Retweets turned into bums on seats. Here were the results
Beverley - 16 retweets = Sellout show
Bath - 8 retweets = More than half full
Manchester - 1 retweets = Smallest audience
Guildford - 14 retweets = Sellout
Bedford - 15 retweets = We'll find out tonight
The one show that bucked the trend was Derby, the daytime preview (photo of whch you can see above) which was a sellout despite us not tweeting it at all. So, on balance, maybe this experiment proves nothing.
Talking of promotional experiments, we've taken the gamble on a Facebook ad. We've set the limit at £5 a day, meaning that after less than a dozen people have clicked on the ad, it'll disappear. It hasn't resulted in any big upswing in ticket sales, which are progressing steadily as we'd expect. However the ad has had a noticeable effect on the "Reach" of the Socks' Facebook page, whatever that really means. Check this out:
A 5440% increase in reach? Surely that can't be bad. For the record, if Edinburgh ticket sales increase by a commensurate 5440% I shall be buying the moon with 4 hotels.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
Courtesy of Catherine Read, a shot of the Socks' daytime preview in Derby on Sunday
We put out the invitation for various towns to Retweet our local shows, and then we waited to see how those Retweets turned into bums on seats. Here were the results
Beverley - 16 retweets = Sellout show
Bath - 8 retweets = More than half full
Manchester - 1 retweets = Smallest audience
Guildford - 14 retweets = Sellout
Bedford - 15 retweets = We'll find out tonight
The one show that bucked the trend was Derby, the daytime preview (photo of whch you can see above) which was a sellout despite us not tweeting it at all. So, on balance, maybe this experiment proves nothing.
Talking of promotional experiments, we've taken the gamble on a Facebook ad. We've set the limit at £5 a day, meaning that after less than a dozen people have clicked on the ad, it'll disappear. It hasn't resulted in any big upswing in ticket sales, which are progressing steadily as we'd expect. However the ad has had a noticeable effect on the "Reach" of the Socks' Facebook page, whatever that really means. Check this out:
A 5440% increase in reach? Surely that can't be bad. For the record, if Edinburgh ticket sales increase by a commensurate 5440% I shall be buying the moon with 4 hotels.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
The Hairy Bottom - more comics by kids
Delightful as ever, the kids in my Comic Art Masterclasses in schools in the past few weeks have come up with these titles for the comics they've produced.
These comics, containing a strip by everyone in the group along with a caricature by me, were each produced in just a few hours (usually at the rate of two a day, though a good few of these have been all-day classes, allowing me to give the students a lot more of my attention and pass on all the more expertise so they can leave school and steal my job). They come from schools in Wymondham Norfolk, Weston Super Mare, Walsall, Chippenham, Halesowen, Backwell Somerset, and Clevedon.
The celebrities they chose for the "walking down the street and treading on a worm" demonstration that I always do were (and I have taken to saying "put your hands down if you're thinking of Simon Cowell" otherwise it'd be him half the time) were: Andrew Garfield, Keith Lemon, Steve McQueen (choice of the week), Labrinth (I tried to correct them on the spelling but they were having none of it), David Tennant, Johnny Depp, Harry Hill and Michael Jackson.
See these and many more in my Comic Art Masterclass archive.
Flipchart pages produced as part of the classes. I'm sure these all made some sort of sense at the time.
I'm Kev F, the comic writer and artist whose work appears in The Beano, Marvel comics, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf Smegazine, Viz, 2000AD and many points inbetween. If you would like to bring my Comic Art Masterclass to your school or art centre, drop me a line, a comment, a Twitter, Bat-Phone, whatever works. Click below to see more, including video and contact details.
RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVELS for Comic Art Masterclass students, teachers and librarians
These comics, containing a strip by everyone in the group along with a caricature by me, were each produced in just a few hours (usually at the rate of two a day, though a good few of these have been all-day classes, allowing me to give the students a lot more of my attention and pass on all the more expertise so they can leave school and steal my job). They come from schools in Wymondham Norfolk, Weston Super Mare, Walsall, Chippenham, Halesowen, Backwell Somerset, and Clevedon.
The celebrities they chose for the "walking down the street and treading on a worm" demonstration that I always do were (and I have taken to saying "put your hands down if you're thinking of Simon Cowell" otherwise it'd be him half the time) were: Andrew Garfield, Keith Lemon, Steve McQueen (choice of the week), Labrinth (I tried to correct them on the spelling but they were having none of it), David Tennant, Johnny Depp, Harry Hill and Michael Jackson.
See these and many more in my Comic Art Masterclass archive.
Flipchart pages produced as part of the classes. I'm sure these all made some sort of sense at the time.
I'm Kev F, the comic writer and artist whose work appears in The Beano, Marvel comics, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf Smegazine, Viz, 2000AD and many points inbetween. If you would like to bring my Comic Art Masterclass to your school or art centre, drop me a line, a comment, a Twitter, Bat-Phone, whatever works. Click below to see more, including video and contact details.
RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVELS for Comic Art Masterclass students, teachers and librarians
Monday, 23 July 2012
No it's the Spider-Man theme not... oh never mind
I discovered something in my Comic Art Masterclass today (at Summer School in Backwell) which I don't suppose should be that surprising. Kids don't know that the Spider-Man theme song - "Spider-Man, Spider-Man does whatever a spider can" - is the Spider-Man theme song.
They think it's the Spider-Pig song.
Maybe this isn't the case across the board but it was with today's group of 8 to 11 year olds. I was singing a parody of the Spider-Man song while doing a drawing on the flipchart and a conversation ensued that led to the above conclusion. "He's changing the words of the Spider-Pig song". And why should they know that Spider-Pig was a parody of Spider-Man? They've all seen The Simpsons movie, and are still young enough to think it was any good, whereas the only place they'd have heard the Spider-Man theme was right at the end of the credits for the first Spider-Man film from 2002, which was before most of them were born.
Sigh.
I'm Kev F, the comic writer and artist whose work appears in The Beano, Marvel comics, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf Smegazine, Viz, 2000AD and many points inbetween. If you would like to bring my Comic Art Masterclass to your school or art centre, drop me a line, a comment, a Twitter, Bat-Signal, whatever works. Click below to see more, including video and contact details.
RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVELS for Comic Art Masterclass students, teachers and librarians
They think it's the Spider-Pig song.
Maybe this isn't the case across the board but it was with today's group of 8 to 11 year olds. I was singing a parody of the Spider-Man song while doing a drawing on the flipchart and a conversation ensued that led to the above conclusion. "He's changing the words of the Spider-Pig song". And why should they know that Spider-Pig was a parody of Spider-Man? They've all seen The Simpsons movie, and are still young enough to think it was any good, whereas the only place they'd have heard the Spider-Man theme was right at the end of the credits for the first Spider-Man film from 2002, which was before most of them were born.
Sigh.
I'm Kev F, the comic writer and artist whose work appears in The Beano, Marvel comics, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf Smegazine, Viz, 2000AD and many points inbetween. If you would like to bring my Comic Art Masterclass to your school or art centre, drop me a line, a comment, a Twitter, Bat-Signal, whatever works. Click below to see more, including video and contact details.
RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVELS for Comic Art Masterclass students, teachers and librarians
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Socks in Batman's back yard
It's hard to write about a whistle-stop tour without using cliches like whistle-stop tour. To be honest I'd have to Google "whistle-stop" to be entirely sure of its derivation and its relevance. To be honest, this string of dates has involved a lot of stopping but not a great deal of whistling. But, for the purposes of brevity, lets just say the Socks are in the middle of their whistle-stop preview tour and things are going well. Check out the adoring fans.
That's right, they turned up with finger puppets and everything and wanted their photos taken with the Socks. For a moment we were star struck. It turned out they were just at the Splendour Festival in Nottingham as part of a hen weekend which included finger puppets, and had never seen the Socks before. But they're now devoted Socks fans, after a cracking 20 minute mid-afternoon set, and took away business cards wanting to book the Socks to appear at another wedding next year, so result. Yes, this was the Socks first open-air festival gig of the year since Adelaide, and it went swimmingly. And took place in Batman's back garden.
Wollaton Hall outside Nottingham was used as Bruce Wayne's mansion in The Dark Knight Rises and is, this weekend, home to the Splendour Festival. Reminiscent of the Ashton Court Festival in Bristol, there was stuff taking place all over the grounds of the stately home - I managed to catch a bit of Bjorn Again and a veggie burger before shooting off - including the comedy which had a courtyard to itself and a very good and appreciative audience. The Socks did their best family-friendly stuff and loved it. We even managed to wear the wristband:
Then it was off to Guildford's Electric Theatre to play a Boo Lingerie Edfringe preview, into which we also threw some Best Of material, this being the Socks first ever show there. In all they got a 75 minute show and loved it. Having been originally planned to play in the main auditorium, in which we would have rattled around a bit, we moved the show to the cafe bar area which we then packed with punters with standing room only, making for a perfect atmosphere. It also gave rise to this lovely sign, suggesting the only people who would be admitted were "Falsetto customers". All drinks to be ordered by yodelling.
Courtesy of Sara Thornton on Facebook, a photo of the Guildford gig
So we've had Thursday in Bath a success, Friday night's Manchester preview and Sitcom Trials show both excellent, a festival slot in Nottingham and a preview in Guildford both perfect, and today we have a 2pm afternoon preview in Derby. It's good to be busy and, er, we'd better get going.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
That's right, they turned up with finger puppets and everything and wanted their photos taken with the Socks. For a moment we were star struck. It turned out they were just at the Splendour Festival in Nottingham as part of a hen weekend which included finger puppets, and had never seen the Socks before. But they're now devoted Socks fans, after a cracking 20 minute mid-afternoon set, and took away business cards wanting to book the Socks to appear at another wedding next year, so result. Yes, this was the Socks first open-air festival gig of the year since Adelaide, and it went swimmingly. And took place in Batman's back garden.
Wollaton Hall outside Nottingham was used as Bruce Wayne's mansion in The Dark Knight Rises and is, this weekend, home to the Splendour Festival. Reminiscent of the Ashton Court Festival in Bristol, there was stuff taking place all over the grounds of the stately home - I managed to catch a bit of Bjorn Again and a veggie burger before shooting off - including the comedy which had a courtyard to itself and a very good and appreciative audience. The Socks did their best family-friendly stuff and loved it. We even managed to wear the wristband:
Then it was off to Guildford's Electric Theatre to play a Boo Lingerie Edfringe preview, into which we also threw some Best Of material, this being the Socks first ever show there. In all they got a 75 minute show and loved it. Having been originally planned to play in the main auditorium, in which we would have rattled around a bit, we moved the show to the cafe bar area which we then packed with punters with standing room only, making for a perfect atmosphere. It also gave rise to this lovely sign, suggesting the only people who would be admitted were "Falsetto customers". All drinks to be ordered by yodelling.
Courtesy of Sara Thornton on Facebook, a photo of the Guildford gig
So we've had Thursday in Bath a success, Friday night's Manchester preview and Sitcom Trials show both excellent, a festival slot in Nottingham and a preview in Guildford both perfect, and today we have a 2pm afternoon preview in Derby. It's good to be busy and, er, we'd better get going.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
Friday, 20 July 2012
Kev F video at BRIT School
And this just in, video of part of my Comic Art Masterclass at the Brit School in Croydon (where Jesse J & Adele & Rizzle Kicks went):
I'm not saying it's the most exciting clip ever, but at least it doesn't give away any of the really good bits. In fact it looks pretty dull, and reminds me how Midlands-y my accent can sound, but whatever, it was a delight to be there, it's a fantastic school with the most incredible facilities and I'd love to go back some time.
I'm Kev F, the comic writer and artist whose work appears in The Beano, Marvel comics, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf Smegazine, Viz, 2000AD and many points inbetween. If you would like to bring my Comic Art Masterclass to your school or art centre, drop me a line, a comment, a Twitter, Bat-Phone, whatever works. Click below to see more, including video and contact details.
RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVELS for Comic Art Masterclass students, teachers and librarians
I'm not saying it's the most exciting clip ever, but at least it doesn't give away any of the really good bits. In fact it looks pretty dull, and reminds me how Midlands-y my accent can sound, but whatever, it was a delight to be there, it's a fantastic school with the most incredible facilities and I'd love to go back some time.
I'm Kev F, the comic writer and artist whose work appears in The Beano, Marvel comics, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf Smegazine, Viz, 2000AD and many points inbetween. If you would like to bring my Comic Art Masterclass to your school or art centre, drop me a line, a comment, a Twitter, Bat-Phone, whatever works. Click below to see more, including video and contact details.
RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVELS for Comic Art Masterclass students, teachers and librarians
Thursday, 19 July 2012
Great unfinished material - The Locog Song
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre are so busy wth their current schedule of preparing their two Edinburgh shows Boo Lingerie and Chunky Woollen Nits (both of which get more previews this weekend in Bath, Manchester, Nottingham, Guildford and Derby) that, sadly, there's been no time for making videos for the fun of it. Which is why some things have ended up never being made.
For example the Locog Song. It's sitting here as some half-finished notes, but it's a topical song based on the Olympics and by the time we get a moment to do it it'll be out of date, so you'll just have to imagine it and fill in the funny bits yourselves.
To the tune of The Beatles 'Taxman' it goes something like:
We want everything to be a success
So we gave the security contract to G4S
And it's turned into a charade
They originally wanted to staff it with the unpaid
If you run a business anywhere near
we're copyrighted the word "London" and even the year
Cos I'm the Low Cog, yes I'm the Low Cog, and you don't get much lower than me.
...etc. Well, you can see where that was going. All in all, you can probably live without that one. Onwards and upwards, Boo Lingerie previews ahoy!
Thursday - Bath Rondo Theatre
Friday - Manchester Lass o'Gowrie
Saturday - 2pm Nottingham Splendour Festival (20 min slot)
- 8pm Guildford Electric Theatre
Sunday - 2pm Derby Bar One
Do please spread the word to anyone you know who could make any of these gigs. After that we're just two gigs away from Edinburgh, for which ticket sales are looking fantastic, thanks everyone.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
For example the Locog Song. It's sitting here as some half-finished notes, but it's a topical song based on the Olympics and by the time we get a moment to do it it'll be out of date, so you'll just have to imagine it and fill in the funny bits yourselves.
To the tune of The Beatles 'Taxman' it goes something like:
We want everything to be a success
So we gave the security contract to G4S
And it's turned into a charade
They originally wanted to staff it with the unpaid
If you run a business anywhere near
we're copyrighted the word "London" and even the year
Cos I'm the Low Cog, yes I'm the Low Cog, and you don't get much lower than me.
...etc. Well, you can see where that was going. All in all, you can probably live without that one. Onwards and upwards, Boo Lingerie previews ahoy!
Thursday - Bath Rondo Theatre
Friday - Manchester Lass o'Gowrie
Saturday - 2pm Nottingham Splendour Festival (20 min slot)
- 8pm Guildford Electric Theatre
Sunday - 2pm Derby Bar One
Do please spread the word to anyone you know who could make any of these gigs. After that we're just two gigs away from Edinburgh, for which ticket sales are looking fantastic, thanks everyone.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Comic Art Masterclasses update
As we approach the end of the school year (in most of England & Wales, I realise Scotland, posh schools and the Olympic boroughs have already broken up) I have the last few of my Comic Art Masterclasses to do before busying myself with the Edinburgh Fringe, and it has been another busy half year on that front.
Having worked in schools too numerous to list (and having typed that I realise I am now going to have to list them, see below*) I continue to find the work I do with pupils has a real and tangible educational value. The feedback I get from teachers, parents and, of course, pupils shows that I continue to get them excited about reading and writing, I get them motivated creatively, and it gives a boost to the rest of the work they are doing at school. The comics they produce and take home with them attest to this beautifully, are a lovely memento for me of the schools and the groups.
Comics produced by the pupils in my Comic Art Masterclasses. Each pupil takes home a copy of the comic containing a strip by every single one of them plus a caricature by me. The titles are all their own invention.
I continue to work towards making something of my academic findings and my teaching methods, possibly turning them into a book in the near future, and I continue being asked to speak on the subject at Writing Conferences and teachers events, which further develops my thoughts.
Today on Twitter I chanced to ask the author Michael Rosen where he stood on comics as a literacy tool:
Me:@MichaelRosenYes Quick question, where do you stand on comic strips as a literacy tool?
Michael Rosen: @falsettosocks Utterly brilliant means of telling stories.They frequently use print in inventive and highly varied ways.
His response and retweeting of our exchange led to a number of folks popping out of the woodwork in praise of comics in literacy:
Neill Cameron:
@MichaelRosenYes @falsettosocks I wrote a quick post yesterday about some of the benefits using comics in the classroom Neill Cameron blog
I'm Kev F, the comic writer and artist whose work appears in The Beano, Marvel comics, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf Smegazine, Viz, 2000AD and many points inbetween. If you would like to bring my Comic Art Masterclass to your school or art centre, drop me a line, a comment, a Twitter, Bat-Phone, whatever works. Click below to see more, including video and contact details.
RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVELS for Comic Art Masterclass students, teachers and librarians
Having worked in schools too numerous to list (and having typed that I realise I am now going to have to list them, see below*) I continue to find the work I do with pupils has a real and tangible educational value. The feedback I get from teachers, parents and, of course, pupils shows that I continue to get them excited about reading and writing, I get them motivated creatively, and it gives a boost to the rest of the work they are doing at school. The comics they produce and take home with them attest to this beautifully, are a lovely memento for me of the schools and the groups.
Comics produced by the pupils in my Comic Art Masterclasses. Each pupil takes home a copy of the comic containing a strip by every single one of them plus a caricature by me. The titles are all their own invention.
I continue to work towards making something of my academic findings and my teaching methods, possibly turning them into a book in the near future, and I continue being asked to speak on the subject at Writing Conferences and teachers events, which further develops my thoughts.
Today on Twitter I chanced to ask the author Michael Rosen where he stood on comics as a literacy tool:
Me:
Michael Rosen: @falsettosocks Utterly brilliant means of telling stories.They frequently use print in inventive and highly varied ways.
His response and retweeting of our exchange led to a number of folks popping out of the woodwork in praise of comics in literacy:
Neill Cameron:
(This is a very good blog showing Neill does comic workshops in a very similar way to myself. I would be happy to recommend him for schools or art centres I'm unable to do)
Sophie Fox:@falsettosocks @MichaelRosenYes My 7yr old became a fluent reader by findng my old Beanos, He's now just finished the 4th harry Potter book!
Di Cameron:@falsettosocks @MichaelRosenYes The @phoenixcomicuk is partly funded by anon backer whose son learned to read from comics. GREAT stories.
Robert Wright:
@soph_fox @falsettosocks @MichaelRosenYes Son got 80s comic @InkwellYork; less spandex more racial/political comment pic.twitter.com/K9oCImjV
Just some of the thousands of one-minute caricatures I have done of pupils in my Comic Art Masterclasses in the past few months. They each take home the original caricature, along with a copy of everyone else's in the comic.
Sophie Fox:
Di Cameron:
Robert Wright:
Oliver Armstrong: @soph_fox @falsettosocks @MichaelRosenYes yeh i read dandy from very young. great fun. comics are amazing. under rated(by some) art form.
Ellie Ness: @falsettosocks @MichaelRosenYes I use a comic unit to help struggling readers as well and it leads up to an Access 3 Media Fiction award.
So, an interesting discussion that I will happily dive into further when I have the time. Meanwhile I think I shall just create a Twitter account for my Comic Art Masterclasses so as not to confuse people who are just wanting to follow the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, and look forward to the schools I'll be visiting next term. (Update: the new Twitter account for schools & comic fans is @KevFComicArtist
Just some of the thousands of one-minute caricatures I have done of pupils in my Comic Art Masterclasses in the past few months. They each take home the original caricature, along with a copy of everyone else's in the comic.
(*For the record this year so far I have taken Kev F's Comic Art Masterclass to schools both primary and secondary in Bristol, Taunton, Chandlers Ford, Newton Poppleford, Colchester (First Site Arts Centre), Bruton, Llangatock, Bridgwater, Basingstoke, Salisbury, Blackburn, Chippenham, St Albans, Norwich, Wymondham, Fowey, Bath, Rochester, Strood, North Beckton, Ealing, Cork, Dungarvan, Waterford, Llangynidr, Birmingham, Croydon (The BRIT School no less), Swindon, Porthcawl, Kilby, Blaby, Countesthorpe, Bourne, Thurlby, Morton, Edenham, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Hanwell, Stratford, Weston Super Mare, Clevedon and Halesowen. I know. )
I'm Kev F, the comic writer and artist whose work appears in The Beano, Marvel comics, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf Smegazine, Viz, 2000AD and many points inbetween. If you would like to bring my Comic Art Masterclass to your school or art centre, drop me a line, a comment, a Twitter, Bat-Phone, whatever works. Click below to see more, including video and contact details.
RECOMMENDED COMIC BOOKS & GRAPHIC NOVELS for Comic Art Masterclass students, teachers and librarians
Monday, 16 July 2012
Socks go Electric - it's Previews Week
Flatttered. The Electric Theatre Guildford, where we'll be playing this Saturday, have made us the logo on their Facebook page this week. Like so...
Looking forward to our gig there, which is part of our big preview mini tour, which goes:
Thursday - Bath Rondo Theatre
Friday - Manchester Lass o'Gowrie
Saturday - 2pm Nottingham Splendour Festival (20 min slot)
- 8pm Guildford Electric Theatre
Sunday - 2pm Derby Bar One
Do please spread the word to anyone you know who could make any of these gigs. After that we're just two gigs away from Edinburgh, for which ticket sales are looking fantastic, thanks everyone.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
Looking forward to our gig there, which is part of our big preview mini tour, which goes:
Thursday - Bath Rondo Theatre
Friday - Manchester Lass o'Gowrie
Saturday - 2pm Nottingham Splendour Festival (20 min slot)
- 8pm Guildford Electric Theatre
Sunday - 2pm Derby Bar One
Do please spread the word to anyone you know who could make any of these gigs. After that we're just two gigs away from Edinburgh, for which ticket sales are looking fantastic, thanks everyone.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
Monday, 9 July 2012
Top 10 Stupid Celebrity Baby Names - Scottish Falsetto Socks
Brand new from the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, in celebration of the birth of Kourtney Kardashian's baby Penelope Scotland Disick, a rundown of the Top 10 Stupid Celebrity Baby Names.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
Who's best at Retweeting? Bedford, Guildford, Beverley, Bath or Manchester?
Who's best at Retweeting? Bedford, Guildford, Beverley, Bath or Manchester? A good question, and the experiment has already begun.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre have sent out tweets to the good people of the above towns, promoting their preview shows coming up in advance of the Edinburgh Fringe. Getting one of our promotional tweets retweeted is a delight, warms the cockles of the heart, and hopefully decreases the likelihood of anyone in the town in question missing out on a chance of seeing Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show before it's quite ready yet... er, that is before anyone else.
Preview shows are unique experiences, especially with the Socks where, over past years and indeed in the past month, these shows have allowed us to try out new material which we only find is funny (or not) when an audience reacts to it. Already this year audiences in Harrogate and Brighton have given the thumbs up to some surprising material (eg Bucket List) and thumbs down to some too (The Beetle routine, most of the Frankenstein routine, that opening song, the Poe routine - all seemed like good ideas at the time) and of course there's brand new stuff unveiled every time. Often we'll get right the way to Edinburgh with material that eventually gets trimmed, cut or radically transformed (did anyone catch Macbeth in 2008 (before it was replaced with King Lear during the first week in Edinburgh)?, the overlong Western routine (that whole "bury my heart at wounded knee" piece? I still love that) or the James Bond routine in 2009*? If you caught the previews back then you were privileged indeed. Sure the finished Edinburgh show is what we're working towards, that's what the reviewers come to see, but the journey there is an experience in itself.
So, anyhoo, who retweets best? Here's the score so far (Monday 9th July)
Beverley - 16 retweets
Bath - 8 retweets
Manchester - 1 retweets
Guildford - 14 retweets
Bedford - 15 retweets
The original tweets are all below, so if you want to help spread them around, please be our guests. As long as there's an @falsettosocks in there somewhere, we'll hear about it. Loving you all - ♥ The Scottish Falsetto Socks
Scottish Falsetto Socks do a Friday 13th Socky Horror Show, Beverley July 13 http://kevfcomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/scotti … Please RT if you ♥ Socks
The Scottish Falsetto Socks play a special preview at the Rondo Bath July 19 http://kevfcomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/rondo- … Pls RT if you ♥ Socks
Scottish Falsetto Socks special #edfringe preview in Manchester July 20th http://tinyurl.com/SocksManc Please RT if you ♥ Socks
Scottish Falsetto Socks play special show at Guildford Electric July 21st http://kevfcomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/socks- … Pls RT if you ♥ Socks
Scottish Falsetto Socks play horror-comedy #edfringe preview in Bedford July 27 http://www.bedfringe.co.uk/2012_shows/soc … Pls RT if you ♥ Socks
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
* PS: The Captcha I had to type in to upload the RT image above was "shaken not stirred." What are the chances?
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre have sent out tweets to the good people of the above towns, promoting their preview shows coming up in advance of the Edinburgh Fringe. Getting one of our promotional tweets retweeted is a delight, warms the cockles of the heart, and hopefully decreases the likelihood of anyone in the town in question missing out on a chance of seeing Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show before it's quite ready yet... er, that is before anyone else.
Preview shows are unique experiences, especially with the Socks where, over past years and indeed in the past month, these shows have allowed us to try out new material which we only find is funny (or not) when an audience reacts to it. Already this year audiences in Harrogate and Brighton have given the thumbs up to some surprising material (eg Bucket List) and thumbs down to some too (The Beetle routine, most of the Frankenstein routine, that opening song, the Poe routine - all seemed like good ideas at the time) and of course there's brand new stuff unveiled every time. Often we'll get right the way to Edinburgh with material that eventually gets trimmed, cut or radically transformed (did anyone catch Macbeth in 2008 (before it was replaced with King Lear during the first week in Edinburgh)?, the overlong Western routine (that whole "bury my heart at wounded knee" piece? I still love that) or the James Bond routine in 2009*? If you caught the previews back then you were privileged indeed. Sure the finished Edinburgh show is what we're working towards, that's what the reviewers come to see, but the journey there is an experience in itself.
So, anyhoo, who retweets best? Here's the score so far (Monday 9th July)
Beverley - 16 retweets
Bath - 8 retweets
Manchester - 1 retweets
Guildford - 14 retweets
Bedford - 15 retweets
The original tweets are all below, so if you want to help spread them around, please be our guests. As long as there's an @falsettosocks in there somewhere, we'll hear about it. Loving you all - ♥ The Scottish Falsetto Socks
Scottish Falsetto Socks do a Friday 13th Socky Horror Show, Beverley July 13 http://kevfcomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/scotti … Please RT if you ♥ Socks
The Scottish Falsetto Socks play a special preview at the Rondo Bath July 19 http://kevfcomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/rondo- … Pls RT if you ♥ Socks
Scottish Falsetto Socks special
Scottish Falsetto Socks play special show at Guildford Electric July 21st http://kevfcomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/socks- … Pls RT if you ♥ Socks
Scottish Falsetto Socks play horror-comedy
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
* PS: The Captcha I had to type in to upload the RT image above was "shaken not stirred." What are the chances?
Socks interviewed by The New Current
A nice find for first thing on a Monday morning, the Scottish Falsetto Socks have done an interview with The New Current. Enjoy (click to read)...
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Socks Edinburgh Preview Tour Map
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre have 6 previews of Boo Lingerie coming up between now and the end of July. If you can't make it to the Edinburgh Fringe in August, then you cannot afford to miss one of these shows in Yorkshire, Bath, Manchester, Guildford, Derby and Bedford. Check out the interactive Google Map:
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
"Spooky puppet show" - do they mean us?
They surely do. Or rather Joanne O'Connor in today's Observer surely must when she writes...
Eclectic, colourful, frenetic and inspirational, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (3-27 August) is the perfect trip for teenagers with low boredom thresholds. And frankly they are the only ones with the stamina to do it justice. A spooky puppet show, all-female Roller Derby and Comedy Club 4 Kids (like an adult club, but without the rude bits) are just some of the family-friendly highlights of this year's programme (edfringe.com). Keep costs down by visiting the free shows, picking up same-day tickets at the Half-price Hut and by opting for self-catering, although you'll need to move quickly to bag a good deal. Homeaway.co.uk still has about 50 apartments to rent during the festival. Prices for a two-bedroom flat a 15-minute bus ride from the centre start from around £660 per week. Alternatively, youth hostels can be a good budget option for families. Four nights in a family room at the smart and friendly Edinburgh Central hostel costs £440 for four (syha.org.uk).
Of course there's an outside possibility she might be referring to some spooky puppet show other than The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre in Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show, but we find that hard to believe. Such a shame we've already finished the posters and flyers. "Vaguely referred to in passing by the Observer" would have looked so good on there.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.
Travel clinic: the Edinburgh Fringe
The dilemma Please help me to persuade my husband and teenage daughters that a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe needn't be a) "expensive" or b) "boring". I've wanted to go for years but they are resisting the idea. Caz, by emailEclectic, colourful, frenetic and inspirational, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (3-27 August) is the perfect trip for teenagers with low boredom thresholds. And frankly they are the only ones with the stamina to do it justice. A spooky puppet show, all-female Roller Derby and Comedy Club 4 Kids (like an adult club, but without the rude bits) are just some of the family-friendly highlights of this year's programme (edfringe.com). Keep costs down by visiting the free shows, picking up same-day tickets at the Half-price Hut and by opting for self-catering, although you'll need to move quickly to bag a good deal. Homeaway.co.uk still has about 50 apartments to rent during the festival. Prices for a two-bedroom flat a 15-minute bus ride from the centre start from around £660 per week. Alternatively, youth hostels can be a good budget option for families. Four nights in a family room at the smart and friendly Edinburgh Central hostel costs £440 for four (syha.org.uk).
Of course there's an outside possibility she might be referring to some spooky puppet show other than The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre in Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show, but we find that hard to believe. Such a shame we've already finished the posters and flyers. "Vaguely referred to in passing by the Observer" would have looked so good on there.
The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre present not one but two new shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012: Boo Lingerie - A Socky Horror Show every night at 10.40pm and Chunky Woollen Nits - The Family-Friendly Hour at 11am. Tickets are now on sale, book now!
See all other Socks tour dates in the Scottish Falsetto Socks Gig Guide.