Cartoon and And Comic Arts 1st UniQube Exhibition

UniQube Exhibition 

I think we all agreed that the UniQube exhibition was a good experience for the students, even if they didn't!

Above is the main UniQube organisation team along with staff so from Left to right back row - Sophie Jackson. Tina Challinor, Ben Bloss, Akka Moon, Adrian Tooth (Course Leader) Natasha Barton, Lucy Cutts, Kevin Gunstone (Visiting guest lecturer - Comic writer) Front Row - Gareth Cowlin (Leturer) Becci Such (PT Lecturer Independant comic artist AwkwartdBex) - Claire Smith (Lecturer - Independant comic artist TallyB) - Jason Brindley (PT Lecturer - Comic Artist Sevenhedd)

 

Kemo showing Comic Artist and External Examiner Jim Medway around the comic arts exhibition 

Here's the rest of the map cap groups?

And we're off!

Year 7 of Cartoon and Comic Arts 

Well what can I say... A bit later than planned I'm back writing my blog for the new incumbent students on Cartoon and Comic Arts. This year we recruited 30 students onto the award and in turn we became on of the biggest art and design courses at Staffordshire University.

Its been a bit of a mad summer, as we changed from faculty to schools and a lot of the management team and admin staff were redeployed, and basically we were left to drift.

Anyway, for some good news, we received 100%  in the NSS  (National Student Survey) for the course. I think over the years with us moving from new room/building/site to site 2 years of building work and having to use the back entrance etc It wasn't hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel coming once, we had settled in one location and the building works had stopped. 

So it's up to us to keep the momentum going, easier said then done, but here goes ....

Pub Quiz.  

Once again big Thanks to the Team at the Glebe who made us feel welcome. and we had a brilliant pub quiz. 

It was nice to see some 2nd years turn up and make the 1st years feel welcome, though we do feel that there was a bit of cheating going on somewhere doing the pub quiz. 

  We really must apologies to the 1st Year for the standard of the prizes they won. But well done for making it through the first week of Cartoon and Comic Arts 

To Infinity and Beyond!

To Infinity and Beyond!

The other day we had the results from the NSS (National Student Survey). I'm happy to write we received 100% course satisfaction from the students. Lets just say we've got the Champagne on ice ready for when all the staff return at the end of the month.  

But that doesn't mean we can rest on our Laurels. We've still got a long way to go at maintaining this and improving what we do. It is safe to say a lot of it is driven by the students, whose input into the design of the course often goes unnoticed. I think it is safe to say that every year we have added some thing and changed something to try and accommodate the students requirements, without undermining the integrity of what we teach. 

   

This year we are hoping to expand the course, not just with the number of students, but also with space and staff. Overall this will be the largest the course has been with 100 students all studying Cartoon and Comic Arts at the Stoke Campus. 

Welcoming a new 1st year (Level 4) allows us to have a revamp of the teaching space and give them an opportunity to add their mark in a similar vein that last years cohort did. So we're hoping for some really interesting things... again!

The one area that we would all like to see expanded is the Technology side of the award. The Cadman area where we are based seemed to have been left behind when technology  was introduced to the civilised world. But we are hoping little by little that the Connected University will make its way over to us.

Having said that, the main aim as ever is to instil the Cartoon and Comic Arts Mantra into the new students "DRAW...DRAW...DRAW!" We are also committed to make the CCA family as inclusive as ever and try to break down walls and have 2nd and 3rd year students working and mentoring the 1st years in more constructive ways .

At the same time we try and make the course as fun as every and encourage everyone to be a little part of something bigger. Hopefully the while on the course you make friends that will stay with you for the rest of your life!

It's fair to say that some of the ideas we developed last year, were great successes and we're hoping to build on them more than ever. The Film comic that we introduced was a great success and allowed 1st Year students to sell their work at the StokeconTrent event. The money it raised was consumed mainly by the 2 people in the top image (Sarah and Josh!) It was fed back into the course for the 1st year to take advantage of and have a great end of year party. 

Same for the drawing in the Ember Lounge, a chance for lucky diners to have a portrait drawn of them while they waited and ate their lunch. This seemed particularly popular.

So this year we have a lot to live up to, so there isn't a chance to rest and sit back and enjoy the success of last year, its all about making this year bigger and better!

 

Week One of New Year

Its been all go at Cartoon and Comic Arts 

So Many apologies for how little has been posted since September and the start of the academic year. This year we saw 38 new additional Cartoon & Comics Art Students. Since then we've had an action packed 5 weeks start to the year and here is a few high lights from week One. 

above is the new first year students who all turned up in September. The class was as ever bigger and better than previous years 

One of the projects we set the students in the first week is to do a self portrait, this is basically to get them to introduce themselves in the best and easiest way possibly, through their drawings. By doing this the rest of eh cohort understands the individual and what they like and also realise what their drawing style is like. 

Its a great way for lecturers to introduce themselves to the class and also for the class to introduce themselves to one another.

There are also several events happening during welcome week which seem to attract students on the CACA award. Such as the strange animals unit.

We also take the students to do a pub quiz at a local establishment The Glebe.

This year we did something different as we invited other levels to join in to take part in eh quiz and become the level 4 mentors. It's always nice when you are walking around the university if you see a friendly smiling face from other students on the award.

A view of the lads in the centre with Gareth Cowlin reading his presentation off his mobile phone... and saving the environment.... apparently!

Tony and Paul from the Level 6 pass on their expert knowledge of comics to the level 4 students

Kale and the Level 4s helping of hindering them?

Becci added a bit of Manga Knowledge to the quiz and probably a bit of professionalism.

      

Lawrence looking unsure about the Manga questions, good job the first years are there to help him out!

Mark Garner does his best impression of Bruce Forsythe ... Good Game Good Game!

Winners and losers and all friends  

Higher than a four or Lower? 

T

Stoke Con April 2015

Stoke Con April 2015

It seemed to have gone from strength to strength. Only a few months ago I heard that a couple of guys (Terry and Rob) who worked at 6 Towns Radio had come up with an idea to hire out Staffordshire University Student Union and Brindley building and hold a convention with people from film, TV and comics.

Rob Legar is a shinning light to organisation. His ability to pull this together with Terry Bosson the people of Stoke on Trent to participate in this brilliant event is a testament to the internet and word of mouth.

In September 2014 1000 people queued on a sunny sunny morning to be part of something new, this year over 2000 people came and experience the same event. This time Cartoon & Comic Arts tried to help and organise the event. To say it was a learning curve is an understatement.

Queues for Stoke Con 2015 far exceeded expectations with over 2000 people turning up to be part of the event . 

Above Award Leader for Cartoon & Comic Arts Adrian Tooth who helped to organise the Brindley building and the visiting cartoonist and comic book artist.

Some of the star who attended had already been such as Colin Baker who played the 6th Doctor. But Alongside him was Simon Fisher-Becker from the new series of Doctor Who

  

Other Guest included Red Dwarf stars Danny John Jules (Cat) Chris Barrie (Arnold J Rimmer) Robert Llewellyn (Kryton) and Norman Lovett (Holly)

The Cartoon & Comic Arts Award ran an artist alley, where students were allowed to sell their work and also a range of visiting professionals were their as well.

Above is a range of the visiting comic book artist who came to Stoke Con. Top Right, Co Founder of Viz Comic and also a comic in his own right Simon Donald. Top Right  Marc Jackson and Paul McCaffery both of which work with David Lloyd on Aces Weekly. Below and centre, Lee Townsend and Jon Haward, both MarvelUk artist. 

Above at the other end of the artist alley there was John Charles from MarvelUK and cover designer for 2000AD and David Lloyd from V for Vendetta and Aces Weekly digital Comic. 

Close up of John Charles working on a commission 

Simon Donald 

Jason Brindley from 2000AD was a hit with the punters as he has just had his work published in the Judge Dredd Megazine. Copies of his work and signed issues of the comic were flying off his table. 

                        

Student Kieran Hayes also turned up to show off his caricature skills and was drawing people at the convention 

Here Adrian Tooth stands in for Jason Brindley... I wonder if they will notice the difference? Jason also works at Staffordshire University on the Cartoon & Comic Arts Award.  

Gareth Cowlin, satirical and gag cartoonist for Private Eye (and others) is taken by surprise

The convention provided an opportunity for the Staffordshire University to plug their awards as well as Cartoon & Comic Arts 1st Year students were given their chance to work on a stand selling their work. 

As you can see above the event was packed, this was even with the addition of the Sir Stanley Matthews Sports Hall.