Thought Bubble 2011

Thought Bubble is a creative season, a wedge of the year that works me into a frenzy of activity.
It is always the highlight of my creative year both productively, working to release new content for the festival, and socially, meeting and talking to more excellent people in the festival week than cumulatively across the other fifty-one of the year.

This year was super special, as I had the honour of being Thought Bubble's first Artist In Residence. Fun and fulfilment abounded in Leeds Central Library, as marvellous Matt Sheret (Writer In Residence) and I explored and ingested the amazing surroundings, working together to write a comic for next year's Thought Bubble Anthology. Check the Thought Bubble blog posts (1, 2, 3 and 4) for details of our daily updates and progress.

For the festival I exhibited a collection of my comics and illustration work at Travelling Man, Leeds. I also installed a golden forest made from scavenged cardboard into their window display. One of the best comics shops around, and certainly full of the best people.



There are so many highlights... It was a blinding week.
Meeting and talking with Richard Starkings was a great honour. Such a cool, kind creative. I had the delight of having my TB table opposite his. The staring match lasted 2 days...

I also had the extra privilege of being rendered in modular form as part of Adam Cadwell's Lego Hunt!

An unexpected breakfast with Tim Sale, discussing the finer points of muesli and yoghurt was unreal.
The amazing John Allison was my table neighbor and chortle captain, along with the stupendous Tom Humberstone. Great to speak with Darryl Cunningham, Warwick Johnson Cadwell, Jane Richardson, Timothy (the amazing) Winchester, Felt Mistress and Ellen Lindner. So many more people, but I shan't make you scroll down any longer...

A huge part of TB was the buzz around Nelson, Blank Slate Books' new release which I have 5 pages in, and meeting all the other creators/publishers associated with it. Very exciting to see my pages in print and also see that The Observer had given it a great review on TB Sunday, as they picked my pages to mention by name.

Plus seeing my pages in the Thought Bubble Anthology (Image) and Solipsistic Pop 4 in print for the first time too.

A huge thank you to Lisa and Clark (and all the incredible TB staff) for having me on board and making it so flippin' awesome again. Big thanks to all who stopped by, talked and bought comics, too. You're all the best and see you soon!

Thought Bubble!

Come say hello: I'm at table 149 in Saviles Hall.

Also I'll be speaking on the Paper/Science panel at 12.10 in the Alea Cinema Room today.

Tomorrow, signing copies of NELSON at 13.30 on the Blank Slate Books table.

Here's my (other) new book The Lunch Date, ready to roll, with wrapping paper in tow:

It's Thought Bubble time!

Pinned Up

Have your lapels been feeling lonely? Has your upper chest area been neglected?
Worry no longer!
6 badge designs now exist and will be for sale at Thought Bubble (this weekend!) and on my Etsy shortly.


Also, my first post as Artist in Residence is up on the Thought Bubble Blog today, with pictures from my installation and art exhibition "Comics, Creatures and Curios" at Travelling Man, Leeds.

Thread Thirst

Here's a promotional comic made for the excellent Thread Thirst.
A bit of a dream job, as nature and magic are at the heart of all they do... I couldn't feel more at home making pictures and stories with them.

Their store is back online and looking great.
Go, enjoy, bookmark: http://www.threadthirst.com

(You're likely to get an A6 postcard of this comic when you order some goodness, too. Hubba)

Solipsistic Pop 4

It's one of the publications I most admire, and it's back with a new issue for 2011... hello, Solipsistic Pop 4!
This issue's theme is 'Maps' and the contributor list is brilliant once more. See here for more details.
I have a three page comic included, entitled 'ATOLL'. Here's a little teaser:

The anthology is Tom Humberstone's most ambitious yet. All the sneak peeks and previews have looked incredible and I am highly anxious to get my paper-loving eyes and hands all over it.

You'll be able to buy a copy very soon.

Another Week, Seven Days

Much drawing, designing, colouring and cutting - and so a new book is born... A pictorial biography.
16 illustrated pages, highlighting an event a day for one week.
Available at Thought Bubble 2011, and online in my Etsy store for you cool international types.


A year consists of fifty-two weeks, 2011 is no exception.
This book is a pictorial biography extracting seven days from the solar cycle.
One week preserved, fifty-one weeks archived in the vague vaults of recollection.

Paper Science 6

Thought Bubble is fast approaching, and with it an Artists Residency and a number of anthology releases featuring my work.
So here's the first of a few posts regarding the most exciting time of year - Comicsmas.

Paper Science 6
The sixth installment of We Are Words + Pictures' comics paper is out now!

On the theme of 'employment' there is another awesome line up of artists fronted with an excellent cover by Joe List.
Delighted to be the feature artist in this issue. With a whole 4 pages to play with, I created 'Looking Up'. It is a story about Al, an archivist by profession, optimist by choice, who has an unexpectedly eventful lunch break. Based on a true story.

The paper will be available at Thought Bubble on the WAW+P stall and my own stall too, as well as online now in my Etsy store and the WAW+P shop.

Ready Deady Go

Antigravity electric skulls? Why, right this way!
New edition of posters, as promised now on sale in my Online Shop.

Dig them bones.