On Science and Comics

Science finds itself in a tricky position when it comes to reaching out to the public.  To most people, science is seen as almost untouchable, a field that few can participate in or even have a say in.  There’s so much required knowledge, so much specialist training, so many facts and formulas, that to interact with and question science feels daunting.

From Hope Beyond Hype.

Stem Cell Comic - Colour

I'm currently putting in the colour for the comic on Stem Cell research I'm working on.  I've not coloured a project this big before, but it's been a lot of fun so far and I'm quickly getting used to the process.  I've been using a 64 colour palette to start off with, inspired by the advice of Tom Humberstone.  From there I've added more colours and shades as needed, but always while keeping an eye on limiting the palette.

Stem Cell Comic Preview

I'm currently working on a short comic about stem cell research for a client.  It's a fascinating subject, and I'm getting to work with a great team, including the lovely Edinburgh based sci-fi author Ken MacLeod, and my previous collaborator Jamie Hall.

Anyway, here's panel 1 from our story, which I'll be working on for the next few weeks.

Malaria Comic - Preview

© Edward Ross and EVIMalaR 2011

Here's another glimpse of the malaria comic I'm working on.  We've been fighting forward the last few weeks, trying to get inks done before the end of the year, and it looks like we're on track.  Meanwhile, comic artist Tom Humberstone is bringing my black and white linework to life with his fantastic colour work.

Above is an image of an infected Red Blood Cell bursting open to release the parasites into the blood stream.  Below is one of our more allusive images, illustrating our metaphor of scientists 'taking apart a clockwork parasite to see what makes it tick'.

© Edward Ross and EVIMalaR 2011

I'm very excited to see this project all coming together.  The hard work is starting to pay off!  In the new year we'll be wrapping up the artwork, finalising the wording of everything, and then getting covers and so forth prepared for the final comic.

Stay tuned!

Malaria Comic - First Glimpse

For the last six months I've been working on the pre-production of a comic for a malaria research network called EVIMalaR.  Along with my co-writer Jamie Hall, who I also worked on 'Parasites' with, we've been doing research, interviews and lots of script work.  We're trying to create a 20 page comic that does justice to the incredible complexity of the malaria parasite Plasmodium, and to the various strands of research and techniques being used to find out more about these single celled organisms.

© Edward Ross / EVIMalaR 2011

Just a couple of weeks ago, we finally sprang into action with the illustration.  I'm doing the linework, and I'm honoured to have the fantastic Tom Humberstone on board doing the colours.  I love the work he's doing - bringing to life this microscopic world with a rich, otherworldly palette.

Plasmodium parasites entering the bloodstream down a mosquito proboscis
© Edward Ross / EVIMalaR 2011

I'll try and bring more previews as the process unfolds.  It's been a welcome challenge for us, really exploring what we can do with comics to describe science.  And being part of the writing process has been fascinating, having to learn about and then retell really complex scientific ideas in an efficient and interesting way.

Solipsistic Pop Volume 4 and Why We Need Anthologies.

Anthologies are important.  When I first became seriously interested in comics it was An Anthology of Graphic Fiction edited by Ivan Brunetti, that really began to open my eyes to the true breadth of creative innovation being done in the form.  From within those pages I first discovered everything from the twisted worlds of Kaz and Gary Panter, to the unsettling work of Henry Darger, and the sweet and evocative autobiography of Jeffrey Brown and James Kochalka.

I mean, I knew about a lot of fantastic artists already - Dan Clowes, Chris Ware, Adrian Tomine - but this volume opened things up, bringing a whole range of artists together in one place, defining a moment in comics history, while delving back into the geology to show where we've come from.  Sure, I didn't like all of it - some of the artists I found to be too willfully obtuse and 'underground' for my liking - but that's not the point.  Anthologies are necessary because they open things up.  In a culture where increasingly we're asked to narrow our tastes down to a specific trend, and buy into niche fashions and ideologies while writing off others, the anthology threatens to push back against those narrowing influences, and challenge us with something new.

My encounter with Solipsistic Pop did the same for me three years later as Brunetti's anthology had.  It opened things up and showed me a whole mess of comics I wouldn't have encountered otherwise.  Tom Humberstone, editor of Solipsistic Pop, brings together artists from across the UK, working in a number of styles and with a number of voices, and is putting them in one place.  Each volume is like the ring in a tree trunk, an exciting and fascinating moment in UK comics history.  Through Solipsistic Pop I got to discover Luke Pearson, Kristyna Baczynski, Stephen Collins and Mark Oliver to name just a few.  And from there I went on to investigate more and more.

Drop in + Draw: Edinburgh

The Edinburgh League of Comics, founded by myself, Fumio Obata and Tom Hunt, have organised our first ever event.  We're bringing comics drawing happiness to the masses with a Drop in + Draw session.  Hopefully it'll be the first of many...

The Edinburgh League of Comics is pleased to present 'Drop in and Draw', an informal comics drawing event for kids and adults alike!

This free event, held on Saturday 7th of May in celebration of Free Comic Book Day, gives you the opportunity to hang out and draw with amateurs and professionals.  Gain insight from our resident Manga expert Fumio Obata, our webcomic whiz Tom Hunt, or our non-fiction specialist Edward Ross.  Play comics creation games like Panel Scrabble and ComicJam, create your own Comics Remix, or just spend an afternoon drawing whatever you like!

We provide the paper and pens (though bring your own if you want), you provide the inspiration.

The event is being hosted by Newington Library, Edinburgh.  Drop in any time between 1pm and 4.30pm on Saturday 7th May and join the fun!  For more details contact Newington Library on 0131 529 5536 or email the ELC at edinburghleagueofcomics@gmail.com

Autobiographical Comics and Constructions of Happiness

I was recently asked to write about my '100 Tiny Moments' project in relation to the concept of 'Construction of Happiness', which is an arts project by Astrid Bussink.  It's been a year and a day since I started the hundred days project so I thought it would be a timely moment to post the piece.  You can explore Astrid's project here.

Comics are simply the meeting of words and pictures.  But as the great comics autobiographer Harvey Pekar once stated “You can do anything with words and pictures”.  There’s something sweet and childlike about this philosophy - the idea that by matching words and pictures we can create a new more perfect artform, full of possibility.  It suggests that the comics artist is a pioneer, constantly able to reinvent visual language through new combinations of word and image.  Because comics utilise these two factors of visual communication (two factors, incidentally, that stimulate different sides of the human brain), the comics artist is free to shape representation in a way unparalleled by any other medium.  And when we shape representation, we can shape our own realities, constructing a vision of our world more perfect and more desirable than the real one.  As a result Comics are perhaps one of the artforms most suited to the construction of happiness.  

Buy a comic for Christmas!

Just a thought I've been having, but wouldn't it be great if more people got given comics as presents for Christmas?  Even better, why not buy a small-press comic for someone, so that not only do you end up giving someone something unique and a bit different, but also you can feel good about supporting an independent creator and not a high street chain.  As I've discovered going to conventions over the last few months, there is just a wealth of amazing work out there, and there's something for everyone.  Maybe we can all make a comics convert out of someone this holiday season! 

Below are a few recommendations I can offer from my own reading over the last year, that I think would make a good gift, even for those not used to reading comics:

Everything Dies by Box Brown - I can't recommend this one enough.  In fact I won't shut up about it really.  Brown's series is an inky delight - an exploration of the World's religions that is at once respectful, critical and darkly humorous. Available here.

Onion Soup by Dan Berry - Honestly, a wee treasure this one.  Dan's comics are delightful little experiments in what you can do to make a comic.  This one was based on a series of tweets made over the course of a cooking experiment that goes horribly wrong.  Truly hilarious. Available here.

The Signal by Paul Duffield - This one's a work of art.  It might be a slightly quick read, but it's an absolutely beautiful example of hand-drawn and digital art techniques by one of the country's most jaw-dropping artists.  One for the aspiring artist... a great example of the very best of what comics can be. Available here.

Chloe Noonan by Marc Ellerby - A monster hunting comic series that takes its cues from Scott Pilgrim rather than Buffy.  Strange, funny and sweet - indie comics for older kids, young adults, and everyone else, really. Available here.

Solipsistic Pop 3 edited by Tom Humberstone - It's a little unfair for me to recommend this since I feature in it, but it really is an amazing collection full of beautiful, mesmirising comics stories for an all ages audience.  An indie alternative to the Beano annual! Available here.

Hildefolk by Luke Pearson - I'm yet to get my hands on this newly released comic, but from the pictures it looks like a wonderful, warm hearted family-friendly comic book.  Luke's last two self-published comics aren't currently available to buy online, but I'd recommend them too! Available here.

Obviously there is loads more to choose from out there, so don't just take my word for it.  The above are just some of the excellent comics I've read in the last year, and ones I think will appeal to readers that may not yet have delved into the small press, or even comics full stop.

And obviously I've not read even a smidgen of what's available out there.  If you have your own recommendations, especially small press comics that would make good gifts, I'd love to hear about them in the comments.

Leeds Thought Bubble and Laydeez Do Comics

I've been back from the Leeds Sequential Arts Festival for over a week now but only now have I had a chance to have a proper think about my experiences.

All in all it was a fantastic weekend.  I have to say it was a much more close knit experience than my MCM trip in October, largely due to the fact the majority of creators and industry professionals were staying in the same hotel, going to the same bars and restaurants, and hanging around in the same hotel lobby.  The fact that out of convention hours we were all killing time in the same location made a big difference to the atmosphere.

My top hotel memory was playing 1980s boardgame classic Heart-throb with Liz Lunney, Timothy Winchester, Philippa Rice and my table buddy Luke Pearson.  Fun times!

 

Luke Pearson sitting with his comics.

The one day convention was very enjoyable, but perhaps the single day is too short to entirely justify the costs of attendance.  The atmosphere on the MCM convention floor was ultimately much more electric with so much stuff going on and with all the artists coming in every morning to sell.  Three days in London offered a much better chance to get to know others than the single busy day of Thought Bubble.  I really missed out my chance to properly explore the Thought Bubble floor during that one day, a big disappointment.  Still sales were pretty strong, and I can't complain since I had loads of fun across those two and a half days.

Me buying a miniature copy of Filmish from 

Philippa Rice's convention diorama.

On the Sunday I gave a presentation of my work on '100 Tiny Moments' to a group of comics artists, academics and members of the public at the 'Laydeez Do Comics' event, run out of Leeds Art Gallery.

I discussed my experiences of going through that fairly intense 100 day creative process, and looked at some of the themes that emerged as the project progressed.  It was an interesting experience, seeing how a new audience reacted to the work, and giving my first public presentation of work.  The group seemed to respond really well to the project, though it turns out explaining the 'future' element of the autobiographical project was harder than I had foreseen.

"Wait, how many children do you have?" I was asked at one point.
"Two... Oh you mean now?  Uh, none." I responded, to some laughter.

The other artists and academics presenting work were really lovely and supportive, and it was interesting getting an insight from women working in the Danish comics scene.  I was really moved by the work of U.S. artist Maureen Burdock, who is using comics to deal with some deadly serious issues, filtering the horrors of sexual abuse and gendercide through a children's book aesthetic.  I strongly recommend you look into the important work she is currently doing.

Comics Stall at the Screen Bandita Birthday.

I'll be running a comics stall in Edinburgh this Sunday alongside Ross Christie at the Screen Bandita's 'birthday party' which is taking place at Rhubaba Gallery in Leith.  It should be a fantastic night, with found footage projections, artwork, live music and drink.  You're encouraged to bring along your own 8mm reels, gramophone records, instruments, and curios to help make the night a strange and unique one.

The artists on sale at the stall currently include Lizz Lunney, Philippa Rice, Timothy Winchester, Freak Leap, Luke Pearson, Ross Christie, Malcy Duff, Magda Boreysza (Toasty Cats), Kristyna Baczynski, Paper Science and myself.  There will also be crafty things from Eleni Kalorkoti.

Come along and pick up some hard to find small press comics from some of the U.K's top artists today.

Date: Sunday 28th November 2010
Time: 7.30 onwards, Free Entry
Venue: Rhubaba Sudios, 25 Arthur Street, Edinburgh

MCM London Report

Last weekend Mary and I hopped on a train and journeyed down to London to attend the MCM Expo, where I'd booked a stall to sell comics alongside the fantastic Luke Pearson.  For all three of us this was our first convention, and the first time any of us had run a stall selling comics.  The whole weekend was an amazing experience, meeting dozens of talented comics artists from across the country, and witnessing the full-on madness of a convention where over 40,000 people attend over the course of a weekend.

Most amazing was the huge number and variety of cosplayers you could watch walking around the hall.  Dressed as anime and manga characters, superheroes and computer game icons, these people were amazing to watch go by, even if I didn't recognise 80% of the characters on show.

 Riddler and Penguin at MCM. Photo © Mary Campbell 2010

100 Tiny Moments Book - OUT NOW!

The '100 Tiny Moments' books arrived the other day and now have been hand numbered, assigned a badge and packaged.  They look beautiful, and I'm proud as anything to have my first 'proper' book out.  You can buy it over to the right of this page. 

I'll also be selling it in person at the London MCM Expo this weekend.  Please come along and check out my stall (table C87), which I'm sharing with the super-talented Luke Pearson.  I'll be selling '100 Tiny Moments' as well as a lovely printed version of my 'Simple Knot' story.

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For those who didn't follow the series, '100 Tiny Moments From My Past, Present and Future' was my response to the 100 Days challenge - to do one thing, once a day for one hundred days to make yourself a better person.

I decided on creating a series of autobiographical comics examining my life - from memories, through current events, to imagined futures.  Over 100 days I created 100 comics, and in that three month sprawl you really can see a change in me.  From those early, scruffy attempts through to the increasingly complex and lovingly created pieces that emerge in the weeks that followed, there's a story to be read between the lines and panels of these comics.

It seems long ago now, but it was a fantastic project to be a part of.  Working to that kind of schedule is tiring and draining, but it does get results.   I learned a lot in that 100 Days, and I think it shows.

If you've not read the strips, you can still read the whole series here and see if you like it.  I hope if you enjoy the project you'll be able to support it by buying a copy of the book.

Solipsistic Pop 3 Launch Party Details

“This is a carefully considered, lovingly crafted and utterly covetable compendium, a confirmation of the pleasure of comics in printed inks on quality paper stock [...] Don’t have any second thoughts about purchasing this”

-Paul Gravett

Solipsistic Pop 3 will be launching in London at The Black Heart in Camden on November 12th.  There'll be comedy, music, and free sweeties with every purchase of the new book!  I'll try and make it down, but will have to wait and see.

Date - Friday 12th November
Venue - The Black Heart, 3 Greenland Place, Camden, NW1 0AP

Doors - 8pm - 12.30am
Entry - £3

Further details of the event can be found here.

Solipsistic Pop Preorder!

(Cover image by Marc Ellerby)

Folks, the time has come for you to pre-order your copy of Solipsistic Pop 3, released this November.  I've had a look and have to say that it's looking absolutely amazing.  Every artist involved has delivered some of their best work to date, and there is so much excellent stuff in there that I can't wait to get a copy in my hands.  You can pre-order now from the Solipsistic Pop website. 

Solipsistic Pop 3 Preview

I've just finished my contribution to Volume 3 of the Solipsistic Pop anthology series.  You'll be able to see the full piece when the collection comes out in November.  In the meantime here's a little preview.

We were asked to work with two spot-colours (black and Pantone 485 U) which get combined in the printing process to produce a whole range of different tones.  Used to just picking my own colours, it was interesting and eye-opening to be creatively constrained in this way.  I think by far it made my work better, and the final look of the piece is far more cohesive as a result.  I think it's an approach I'll take far more in the future, limiting myself to a carefully selected and considered palette.  I can't wait to see what the other artists come up with.

Josie Long T-Shirt Design

I was asked, along with some other UK artists to design a T-shirt for Josie Long's upcoming tour.  I think four or five designs will be on sale at her gigs, including mine.  They'll be one-colour screenprints, I think dark blue ink on gray material.

Image © Josie Long 2010

Josie Long

Went to see comedian Josie Long in the Edinburgh Fringe the other day.  Excellent show, all about space, breakfast and doing good.  I'm working on some images for her at the moment, and thought I'd post up some work-in-progress.

You can get tickets for her show here.

Will Pickvance and Friends Flyer Design.

I was recently asked by Edinburgh based musician Will Pickvance to design a flyer for his upcoming Fringe show.  He asked me, having seen my work illustrating him for the Screen Bandita's 'Eruption of Kilauea' event.

"International pianist and entertaininer Will Pickvance raises a merry Hell bang in the middle of St. John’s cavernous crypt for an enchanting two hours of candle-lit carnival.

Stride piano outbursts one minute, heart-breaking laments the next, Will invites concert violinists, todays’ troubadours, the talented, the skilled and the thirsty to entertain you with Festival Vaudeville and Helium Karaoke.

With different acts each night, selected from the cream of this year’s Festival, you never know who you’ll be sharing a table with.  Come and see the Albert Hall squeezed into your local pub."

The visual idea came quickly, based on Will's descriptions of his mad, chaotic, carnivalesque shows, and the revelation that Will often wears a grotesque pig mask for parts of his act.  I developed the idea from an initial sketch (seen below) and then drafted it out properly, before inking it (partly with a new brush pen I'm experimenting with).

However, this first version wasn't quite doing it for Will, or for me.  After some tinkering, we came up with the image below.  The crowd is now full of interesting characters, instead of gray silhouettes, and the addition of a major female presence balances out the image better, and adds more visual variety.

Also, spot the little cameo!

Will's show should be quite an event, and I'm excited to be going to see it, having already illustrated it blind.  Check out the poster for details, or visit www.mostentertaining.com.

Latitude Report

This weekend I was at Latitude festival with Tom Humberstone, Philippa Rice, Anne Holiday and Matthew Sheret.  It was a We Are Words + Pictures event, and we were there to give passers by a wee chance to do some comic drawing, as well as providing access to WAW+P's extensive library of small-press wonders, all from our event tent situated amongst dozens of other arts events that the festival was playing host to.

The event went down really well I think.  It was great seeing the huge amount of work that came out of it, from children and adults alike.  People seemed really engaged with the whole idea, and one or two children told me they had been inspired to pick up drawing again, having had previously lost interest or confidence.  We were able to give the young folk some advice and encouragement to keep drawing, and guidance to parents on how to foster their kids' interest in comics.  We all worked very well as a team, and it was wonderful getting to hang out with other comic artists and chat about what the future holds for all of us.  All in all, a great success!

At the same time, I got to do some drawing of my own, borrowing Tom's pens to do some brush pen experimentation, and Philippa's glue to do some My Cardboard Life fan art!  And then there were the bands of course, a personal favourite being Saturday night's Belle and Sebastian show.