Showing posts with label Katie Houghton-ward. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Katie Houghton-ward. Show all posts

Saturday, December 15, 2012

2012 in Review: Sarah Howell

Sarah Howell

What have been your personal cartooning/comics highlights of 2012?

It has been a massive year when it comes to comics stuff for me, there have been lots of great times, but if I have to name a handful they would be: starting Squishface Studio; starting the Ladies Drawing Auxiliary talk series at Squishface; teaching cartooning on a weekly basis; meeting Bill Messner-Leobs (co-writer of The Maxx) and his wife at a very pleasant comics meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Dave (Blumenstein) giving John Porcellino a copy of my comic when he met him at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival.
 
Who are some of the comics creators that you've discovered and enjoyed for the first time in 2012?

Organising Ladies drawing Auxiliary has introduced me to a pile of new creators that I wasn't aware of, or only knew a little bit about: Scarlette Baccini, Lily Mae Martin, Lee Lai, Megan Nairn, Leonie V. Brialey, Kate Moon, Adi Firth, Rebecca Hayes, Katie Houghton-Ward, and Lindsay C. Walker.
 
Also I read Jason Franks' work for the first time. I picked up The Sixsmiths from him at Sticky's Festival of the Photocopier. The Sixsmiths made me laugh and it captures the feeling of suburban Melbourne really well.

Probably my favorite international find was Englishman Luke Pearson. I read his Hilda and the Midnight Giant earlier in the year, and then picked up Everything We Miss from his publisher Nobrow Press while in Toronto. There is an influence from Chris Ware in Pearson's work, but his obvious love of the mythic makes his stories far more entertaining and moving for me.

What is something non-comics that you have enjoyed in 2012?

I watched Wings of Desire again, mostly so Dave could see Peter Falk in it. I came home the next evening to find Dave listening to the Director's commentary, which was fascinating. The film wasn't scripted, Wim Wenders had a framework of the opening poem and the idea of the angels wandering around Berlin (this is before the wall comes down), but everything else is pretty much improvised. I found his comments resonated with my own preferred way of working.

Breaking Bad. I find Breaking Bad emotionally very affecting. Dave often watches it late at night before bed and I have to put ear plugs in because it agitates me too much before trying to sleep. Again we listened to the director and cast commentary and it is very inspiring, the amount and quality of thought and intention that goes into achieving the emotional tension of the show.

Have you implemented any significant changes to your working methods this year?

Research and writing a script! I mostly drew silent comics in the past and never enjoyed writing a script because for me the images always develop first in my mind, so I would thumbnail script. Last year I found myself inspired to do a historical comic and started researching. I was confident that I could just thumbnail script again, and was quite resistant to writing one, but as my research notes progressed I just got to a point where I realised for clarity and speed I needed to write the sequences and dialogue out. Now I'm really enjoying the process.

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

More Squishface adventures, particularly Ladies Drawing Auxiliary. Mini Comic of the Month Club. Getting all nerdy at the National Archives and Old Parliament House in Canberra with the aim of getting a good chunk of my graphic novel done. Dave's comic about a fictional cult leader.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Paper Trail

The Caravan of Comics yoinked from caravan of comics.

The Caravan of Comics cartoonists have completed their jaunt around American and Canadian comic events. David Blumenstein recaps their adventures here and Matt Taylor writes about the caravan here.


Melbourne Publisher of fine comic books, Milk Shadow Books, have announced a book of Fil Barlow's Zooniverse on their publishing slate. Barlow has been regularly producing animations for the monthly loopdeloop animation challenge, Have a look at his work here.

 Mr Unpronounceable Copyright 2012 Tim Molloy

Tim Molloy has teased an image from his follow up to his first book with Milk Shadow Books, It shines, It Shakes And Laughs. Molloy's new book will collect previously published Mr Unpronounceable Adventures and feature new material.


Dylan Horrocks is the featured cartoonist on Comic Strip Tees with a character, Alice Brown, from his current web serial The Magic Pen. In a recent blog Horrocks noted Alice Brown would be a featured character in books two and three of The Magic Pen trilogy. I'm not sure but I think this is the first he has mentioned of The Magic Pen being a trilogy. Eagle-eyed comic fans will recall this Alice Brown image featuring in Dunedin anthology Dud a couple years ago. Comic Strip Tees are only available for a month so order yours now.


Colin Wilson is featured on episode ten from series two of The Living Room.

Khulan copyright 2012 Katie Houghton-Ward

Katie Houghton-Ward has teased an image from an upcoming installment of her series Khulan. Khulan debuted in the July 2011 issue of Heavy Metal with inks by Simon Morse. Morse commented this was likely his last comic work before fully going full-time in the tattoo world.

 
A new publisher in New Zealand, Faction Comics, are producing an anthology and are looking for contributors here.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Bits and Pieces

Comic writer and Milk Shadow Books maestro James Andre teams up with Ben Smith for a reading at The Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood, Melbourne this month. This is the first part of a series of readings of lower brow literature put on by Horror Sleaze Trash. Snazzy poster by Jase Harper.


An upcoming Melbourne Exhibition of works by Tim Molloy


Katie Houghton Ward talks about her work from Wellington, NZ


Click here for an Mp3 of Jim Woodring's recent talk at the Melbourne Writer's Festival. Link Expires 10 Sept 2011.


 Panel from Jim Woodring's contribution to the Drawn From Life free Newspaper produced for the Melbourne Writer's Festival 2011

A preview of Illustrator and political cartoonist Chris Grosz's graphic novel adaption of Kimble Bent: Malcontent adapted from James Cowan's novel. For those with short attention spans comics start around the 2.00 mark.




From Random House's release:

Kimble Bent: Malcontent vividly portrays Bent's life as a Pakeha Maori, his assimilation into tribal life and his observation of Hauhau war rites. Bent was privy to some of the fiercest and most infamous battles of the New Zealand wars, including Te Ngutu o te Manu and Tauranga-ika, and was acquainted with some of its most legendary personalities, such as master strategist Titokowaru and pacifist Te Whiti. He was there when von Tempsky was slain, and ran for his life with the Hauhau from Kepa's formidable kupapa forces.

Rendered in scraperboard, a bold black and white hand-drawn style, this exhilarating graphic novel is based on James Cowan's original book published in 1911, The Adventures of Kimble Bent.




Bernard Caleo and Jo Waite will be presenting a tribute to Tintin as part of the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2011. Composed of a Tintinesque paper diorama by Jo with imagined Tintin panels by other cartoonists floating over the landscape like hot air balloons. To see this collaboration get down to the Castle Window, 681 Brunswick Road, Brunswick, Melbourne 2nd-9th October.