Saturday, 12 September 2026

Book Sales September


Just a few of the many faces I drew, out of just under 200 drawn across two days at the Cardiff Showmasters comicon. The deal is "you don't have to have it if you don't want it, let's see how it comes out..." and a minute later, when I've drawn it, "it'd be two quid, or free with anything on my table." The pile of pictures in the Couldn't Afford Two Quid club was reassuringly small.

Live events / classes et al  = x books + x comics (£x)
(August 136 + 32, £1665; July 98 + 20, £1141; June 111 books + 17 comics, £1313; May 72, £862.90; April 185, £2111.54; March 181, £2153.41)
D2D -  x books ($x)  
(Aug = 14, $12.33; July = 84*, $27.65; June = 4, $5.42; May = 7, $8.09; April = 12, $13.54; March = 54, $74.79)
Etsy - x books (£x)      
(Aug = 4, £23.77; July = 7, £56.97; June = 1, £7.99; May 6, £50.95; April 2, £8.98; March 4, £32.96)
Lulu - x books (£x)   
(Aug = 4, £5.03; July 2, £1.43; June 4, £7.79; May 6, £12, April 6, £6.91; March 7, £6.11)
Blurb - x book, £x     
(Aug = 1, £1.26; July = 0; June 1, $1.68; May 0, April 0, March 1, 61p)
Podcast downloads - x    
(Aug 205, July 188, June 259, May 278, April 164, March 96)
Blog views  - x  
(Aug 201,519, July 293,000, June 497,446; May 365,397, April 340,000, March 300,000)
Youtube views  - x, subs x    
(Aug 2032, subs 4982 ; July  3555, subs 4977; June 2070, subs 4973)

*******

LIVE SALES

Sat Sept 12 - Cardiff Showmasters - 25 books + carics (£335)

3 x Romeo col
1 x Richard col
3 x FM
2 x MNDT
1 x Omnibus
5 x Space Elain col
9 x Colouring books:
- 6 x Doctors (sold out)
- 2 x Cult TV
- 1 x Punk

Sun Sept 13 - Cardiff day 2 - 16 books, 2 comics + carics (£267)

1 x Romeo bw
1 x Richard col
1 x Richard bw
2 x PODS
1 x MNDT
1 x Tales From Bible col
8 x Colouring books:
- 3 x 2020s (sold out)
- 2 x Cult TV
- 2 x Bowie
- 1 x 80s Superstar 
2 x Shakes comic

Sat Sept 19 - Hi Vis Kings Heath - 39 books, 2 comics (£468)

4 x Romeo col
4 x Richard col
3 x Richard bw
2 x FM (sold out)
2 x PODS
6 x MNDT
2 x Omnibus
2 x Elain col
2 x Kids: Pigs
2 x Kids: Sausages
3 x Kids: Poopy
7 x Colouring books:
- 2 x Bowie
- 1 x Cult TV (sold out), Punk (sold out), Euro vol 2, 70s, 80s Superstars 
2 x Shakes comic


more to come


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Tuesday, 8 September 2026

AI at Yorkshire Sculpture Park furore

Hev & I enjoyed a fab day out at Yorkshire Sculpture Park at the weekend, seeing lots of marvellous art and enjoying summer weather (which we're constantly thinking will be the last day of the summer). As part of the day, I noticed there was AI art on show as a part of a show in one of the galleries. So I posted about it on Facebook. Oh dear.


 I wrote: 

I hate to be the person who claims there’s AI art on show at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, but there’s AI art on show at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Update: There’s been an instagram post from the artist, included below.
Update: Turning off comments now
These sculptures by Annie Montgomerie are pleasant and very clearly hand made, but they’re standing on plinths decorated with AI that (to my eye) screams AI. Check them out.
See the gibberish words on the mouse behind M for Monkey? The crazy ear on the rabbit behind A for Alpaca? Or the mutated dog behind D for Dog? If those aren’t generative AI art I’ll be amazed.
All works are on sale, for thousands of pounds, at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, a respected art establishment. Today in AI.


This got lots of responses. In fact, if I'm reading this chart below correctly, my post was viewed by 181,700 people and has, somehow, earned me $23.51, and I do not know how, or whether I'll actually receive that. 


This was not, of course the reason I posted it. I posted it to draw attention to AI art in places where I, possibly self-righteously, don't think it should be appearing. I also hoped Yorkshire Sculpture Park would be made aware of it and perhaps mark it as AI art. This is I think my position: AI art is a tool people will use, and we should be told when they have. I don't like it, but I can't stem its tide.

What I didn't want was a pile-on onto the artist. It turns out it was the artist's daughter that supplied the AI plinth art, and the artist posted on Instagram in response:


Annie Montgomerie Art

There has been a lot of unkindness about the display blocks for my exhibition at YSP. When I was creating this exhibition I experienced some very hard situations and had a complete breakdown. I’m still recovering now with anxiety and depression. The comments about ai has snowballed this morning. My daughter kindly helped with the display and I wanted them to look like vintage picture blocks. I am so sorry if I have offended anyone with the ai used (this was used only for the blocks and not the posters or anything else). Please accept my apologies and please no more hate comments. I will not use ai in my displays in the future. My actual work takes days to make with every intricate detail coming from my hands and heart.

Some of the posts on my Facebook did become quite vitriolic, and as ever the views are polarised. You can see the whole post and comments here:



Hopefully the affair has blown over now. I am sorry that my post seems to have led to a spate of online bullying of an artist and her daughter, and I hope that this will stop. 

Hopefully Yorkshire Sculpture Park will address the situation, label AI art accordingly, and perhaps comment on their position on the inclusion of AI art under their remit.

Meanwhile onwards and upwards. I'll keep spotting AI art, and peoples opinions on it will remain divided.

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Thursday, 3 September 2026

Kev F's Comic Art Masterclasses - Autumn dates 2026

Sunday Sept 27 - Marlborough Literary Festival. 11.30 and 1pm - BOOK NOW

October 3rd 2026 - 10am - 12 midday at Kendal Library, Lake District - a FREE CLASS! Part of The Lakes International Comic Festival. Spaces are strictly limited, so book fast.

Kev F's Comic Art Masterclasses are a fun workshop for pupils aged 7 and up, drawing on my many years working for everyone from Beano and Marvel comics to Doctor Who and Red Dwarf to my current work adapting Shakespeare for kids. After two hours, everyone goes away with a comic containing a strip by every one of them, and a caricature by me.

More dates to be announced, watch this space!



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