Sunday, 21 January 2024

Crack - the first kids comics of 2024


My first Comic Art Masterclasses of 2024 saw me travelling up north for a three day run in Cheshire Colleges, followed by a day in Enfield. My first classes since November, I soon remembered how to do it.

Ellesmere Port's branch of Cheshire College saw me working with sixth-form age students, as did all three days in Cheshire. For the second session I even managed to sell forty quid's worth of books after the class, a feat I didn't manage to repeat again during the week. Kids don't have money, but that lesson had lots of teaching assistants, who do.


Crewe came up with a couple of inspiring titles, which gave me some nice covers to colour that night in my hotel room. Grouping the classes close together means I don't have too much travelling every day, so I get time to do this colouring, and to forage, and even to watch a bit of telly.


Chester came up with a couple of callback titles, not only to the previous day's Crack, but to one from the end of last year, which was among the covers I showed them, entitled Shooting Someone's Nan. It is an unfortunate thing that, when I show them the previous groups' comics for inspiration, it can sometimes stop them thinking of anything more original themselves (hence the slew of Peppa Pig titles that I have had in previous years. I'm starting the year with a new, smaller clutch of comics to show them, which I hoped wouldn't narrow down their creativity).


Heron Hall in Enfield, which saw me doing a near five hour drive the night before, saw another callback cover to Shooting Someone's Nan. Whatever, I made it look good. And I was particularly pleased with how I managed to interpret Rocket Rat On Drugs.


I started the year as I no doubt mean to go on, trying my best to draw something on the flipchart if the school has provided their own flipchart, and not bothering if I have to use my own flipchart. Is that mean of me? Whatever. My paper, my rules.


The celebrities these eight groups chose to star in my demonstration strip - that thing I rattle through on the flipchart to give them the rudimentary tips and tricks to start drawing their own comic strips - were: Tom Holland, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Jun (a K Pop star, m'lud), Johnny Depp, John Travolta, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj.


My Books and where to get them:

Richard The Third Amazon - Etsy - Barnes & Noble - Waterstones
Findlay Macbeth - Amazon  - Etsy 
Prince Of Denmark Street - Amazon - Etsy - Kindle
Midsummer Nights Dream Team  - Amazon Etsy 
Shakespeare Omnibus Collection (all 3 books) - Amazon

Tales From The Bible - Amazon -  Etsy - Webtoons
The Book Of Esther - Lulu  - Amazon Webtoons
Captain Clevedon - Amazon
Tales Of Nambygate - Amazon  


No comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...