1st Year Students In Londo

London here we come

Last week cartoon and Comic Arts newest intake went to London. 

The aim was to get them thinking about what comics are and introduce them to the many and varied ways that comics influence our society. 

The trip to London started off with a bit of culture and the students were sent into the British Museum to seek out where Comics or sequential art has been used through out history. 

Afterwards we headed off to see Comics in their now natural place, the Comic Shop, before heading to China Town for a meal.

The following day the students went to the Cartoon & Comic Museum in Russell Street to see satirical cartoonist work by William Hogarth.

 In the afternoon Gareth Cowlin Took them to Sommerset House to see the exhibition by the Association Of Illustrators, while I headed off to London ExCel arena to set up the stall for MCM.
Saturday saw the students in MCM exploring yet another element of Cartoon & Comic Arts and how its influence has reached out across the UK to include Games, Manga, Independent Comics and Merchandising. 

 Cartoon and Comic Arts first graduating students setting up base camp in the Nova Hotel. There were there running their own stalls and selling their work

Final Farewell

Gifts from the Crew

I think to call them sneaky is a little underhand, but both Gareth Cowlin and myself never expected what we received on the opening night of the degree Show. Unbeknownst to us, the gang had got together and produce a little surprise for us. I was totally gob smacked because I never expected it!

Here below are the gifts and the class of 2014 

Bryony (Nigel) Morey 

Alice (Give me pizza NOW!) Urbino

Millie (I've got a long neck and love snails) Harrop

Henrietta Looms (Our international student)

Claire (My hair is its natural colour now!) Smith

Jack (Let me run the award) Baker

Tom (Master Draughtsman) Stephens

Verity (I watch a lot of wrestling and I'll put you in a cross face chicken wing if you look at me wrong!) Hall

Esme (I'm a bad ass Manga girl and I do not smile in photos.... I glare!) Baran

London MCM
3rd Year Cartoon & Comic Art students take the show by Storm!

While the 2nd years were doing an organised trip to London Comic Con, the 3rd Years had other things on their mind. They were there to make money and see if they could sell their work which they produced in the last 2 semesters. 

Verity Hall & Esme Baran teamed up as they had worked on a selection of Family friendly Grimm Fairy tales. 

Esme also produced her own fantasy story Called "Undine Adventurer" which has gain a bit of interest in America and they are currently looking at producing a figurine of her character.

Verity's main book is "Like A Shark In A Swimming Pool." a tale of a young girl coming to terms with her sexuality. A brilliant read, if you get the opportunity, The comics are available at a string of Comic Shops up and down the country.

Millie Harrop teamed up with Illustration and Graphics student Emily Peacock to sell her Scrott Comic.  

This is truly one of the few pieces of student work that has made me laugh out loud. 
Also alongside Millie is Emily Peacock, illustrator and Comic Artist herself. 

I also think she performed one of the best pieces of advertising for a comic going. Let be honest if you saw this (Above), you would just want to pick the comic up and read it!! 

Jack Baker was back selling his next episode of the Guild of Winter series. He was sharing with Tom Stephens. 

This was Lex's first convention and she produced some of her digital prints for sale at the convention as well as her own individual artwork. 

 Alice Urbino and Claire Smith took the art of convention selling to a whole new level when they dressed in their Cosplay as Daria & Jane!

Claire had a good run on her comic "I work with Cats" based on her web series. Alice had to chapters of her comic "Dimension" which tells a story of a bloke who while relaxing slips down the drain in his bath and ends up in another "Dimension"

Look familiar anyone?

Image for Henrion Gallery Staffordshire University Stoke Site

Henrion Gallery 

Henrion Gallery Image. I asked Mark Garner Area Group Leader for Visual Communications to choose an image to represent the award. 
"the strongest ones are the ones with Speech bubble on them... without that they only work as images and don't really have any context----these ones are far more representational of CCA…..unless you put together a montage---which I think is what I would do with such diverse work…."
So this is what I knocked up. I think Mark is correct that we have such a diverse collection of people its hard to have one image that represents you all. I Choose Nigel Morey because it is quite dynamic, Claire Smith because is shows the draughtsmanship and also the process we under go as cartoon artist, and Verity Hall and Alice Urbino because of their different style and the use of panels and words. Finally Esme Baran work shows a different type or art in both colour and line work. I hope you all agree and appreciate that this was a very hard task and this represents the best solution to demonstrate the strength and styles of Cartoon & Comic Arts at Staffordshire University

20,000 Years Under the Sea

After a long wait,  20,000 Years Under the Sea has finally been published. Featuring work from Henrietta Looms, Alice Urbino, Lex Harford and Cheshire Morey.
The story is loosely based on Jules Vernes classic book,  but features a world where mankind has been chased by Elves and Dwarfs from the land for polluting it. This is the story of their return and how they seek retribution for their past mistakes. 

24 Hour Comic Day

24 Hour Comic Day

another year and another challenge. This one was specifically difficult as it was run in early October, so to some of the cartoonist it is/was a baptism of fire.
Needless to say I also took part and here is my contribution that was completed at 6.00 in the morning. You can clearly see where the lack of sleep kicked in and the whole world fell through the bottom!
We also had some good comics as well from the 1st year cartoon and comic arts students