londonprintstudio Comic Workshops continue

Comics interns at the londonprintstudio, funded by the John Lyon's Charity are still running free comic workshops tailored towards 16-20 year olds, as a youth project.

Working under the mentor-ship of artist Karrie Fransman, the project is also offering the chance to have work created during these sessions exhibited at londonprintstudio.

The interns - Abraham Christie, Jade Sarson, Lily-Rose Beardshaw, Merlin Evans, Shamisa Debroey and Susan Yan Mach - are also woking on the production of a comics anthology in March entitled Parallel Lives, featuring comics made by them and the youngsters they're teaching. (More about anthology here

- The dates of upcoming workshops are listed here http://londonprintstudiocomics.blogspot.com/2011/10/workshop-dates.html

londonprintstudio offers five internships in comics for 21-25 year olds

Al Davison at a londonprintstudio comic workshop

Do you enjoy telling tall tales or scribbling stories? Do you love reading graphic novels, comics or picture books? Then look no further - londonprintstudio is offering five carefully chosen 21-25 year olds the chance to:

• Run comic workshops for 16-20 year olds
• Receive mentoring from top professional comic artists, anthology makers, screenwriters, print makers, comic publishers and art educators
• Develop your own artistic comic projects with supervision from mentors and feedback from your fellow interns
• Be introduced to the London comic scene, attend events, give presentations, network and meet publishers, editors and creators in the comic industry
• Take part in editing, planning and creating work for a comic anthology publication and a comic exhibition at londonprintstudio.

The course is run by professional comic creator Karrie Fransman, whose comics have appeared in The Times and The Guardian and who is currently working on her first graphic novel due to be published by Random House.

The internships run for two days (14 hours) per week for  six months. Interns will receive a travel and food expenses budget for two days per week. All londonprintstudio staff and volunteers are required to have a Criminal Records Bureau Check.

The deadline for return of application form is Monday 5th September 2011, with interviews set to take place on Tuesday 13th September 2011. The intrnships will then start on Tuesday 20th September 2011

• For job description and application visit: www.londonprintstudio.org.uk/F13-intern.html

• For more information on the project visit: www.londonprintstudiocomics.blogspot.com

Imagined Cities: New londonprintstudio exhibition

Imagined Cities, a new exhibtion at lononprintstudio, opens this week (17th June) and features the work of a number of great British comic artists including Al Davison and Karrie Fransman.

The exhibition will launch with a party on 16th June - more details on Facebook (although it's listed as 'Private View' it's also been classified as a Public Event).

From mad bird gods to man-eating women, from a run down Northern suburb to an Eastern block city; the work you will see in the Imagined Cities exhibition showcases the varied imaginations of some of the best young, British comic artists.

This exhibition is the culmination of a six month internship run by the londonprintstudio where five interns (Rachel Taylor, William Goldsmith, Isabel Greenberg, Freya Harrison and Joe Kelly) mentored local teenagers, ran workshops and created an anthology. 

Their work, and that of the 16-20 year old students, is displayed alongside professional British comic artists who have acted as project mentors: Al Davison (Vertigo), Ellen Lindner (Whores of Mensa), Karrie Fransman (Random House) and publisher SelfMadeHero. 

The book also features a foreword from Posy Simmonds, creator of Tamara Drewe.

• Imagined Cities runs at the londonprintstudio from 17th- 25th June. More information: www.londonprintstudio.org.uk

• Imagined Cities preview Blog

londonprintstudio offers Free Comic workshops for 16-20 year-olds

londonprintstudio is running free workshops in 'Comics and Comic Production'   this year for 16-20 year olds on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 5-7.00pm, led by industry professionals and comic interns.

Part of the londonprintstudio comic collective project, artist Karrie Fransmen tells us it's funded by the John Lyon's Charity so it's an excellent opportunity to pick up some tips and trick of the trade.

The first workshop is on 18th January with a session from screenwriter Ben Davies on developing characters, narrative and story arcs and there are events coming up with Woodrow Phoenix in February and Al Davison in March.

Call 020 8969 3247 to book a place or pop in. There is a £5 booking fee but it will be entirely reinbursed when you turn up.

From scores of high quality applicants, a group of young graduates - Karrie Fransmen, Isabel Greenberg, Freya Harrison, Joe Kelly, Rachel Emily Taylor and William Goldsmith - were chosen to showcase the best of young British comic talent at the londonprintstuido.

For six months they will be interning at the studio, working on an ambitious comics anthology and running workshops for young members of the local community.

• There's more information about the project at: http://londonprintstudiocomics.blogspot.com - or join this Facebook group.

That's Novel new London comic exhibition

THAT’S NOVEL: lifting comics from the page is a new exhibition at londonprintstudio which opens on 22nd October 2010, featuring the work of several artists including Charlie Adlard, Ho Che Anderson, Darryl Cunningham, the late John Hicklenton, the Metaphrog team, Pulp Theatre and many more.

The exhibition surveys today’s innovators in the comics medium with a special emphasis on the British-based cutting edge. Through original and digital artworks, printed books and specially-conceived projects on and off the page, this exhibition gives visitors the chance to discover where comics are going next.

New directions include searingly frank autobiographics about illness and the final exit from John Hicklenton, acute social documentaries, narrative street art, craft-based and 3D storytelling, global manga, a visionary expansion of the zombie genre and sinister secrets within a gutted childhood dolls house.

"The future is graphic," say the organisers. "With continuing acclaim from the worlds of literature, art, cinema and beyond, graphic novels have proved that they are truly innovative, interactive contemporary storytelling experiences through sequential art, with or without additional words. More and more are being adapted successfully to the big and small screen and attracting fresh audiences, from Scott Pilgrim to The Walking Dead."

"Graphic novels, and their related forms of manga from Japan and bandes dessinées from France and Belgium, are liberating the comics medium from the confines of safe conformity and well-worn genres. Now at last it’s possible to realise the full potential of comics through fascinatingly diverse, complex, often provocative narratives, for adults and for all ages."

This exhibition shows the full potential of comics through fascinatingly diverse, complex, often provocative narratives, for adults and for all ages.

londonprintstudio is developing its work with a number of artists working in the comics medium. John Phillips, Director of londonprintstudio said ‘This is a very exciting show. The quality of the images produced in graphic novels is outstanding from an artistic viewpoint. It’s wonderful to work with popular artists who reach out to all kinds of audiences.’

The exhibition is the major element of this year’s Comica, the London International Comics Festival (www.comicafestival.com) and is curated by Paul Gravett.

In addition to these principal artists, a large range of original artworks by other graphic novelists will be on display. Many artists in THAT’S NOVEL will be taking part in a programme of talks, panel discussions, masterclasses and workshops invited guests from Britain and abroad. They will also be collaborating with londonprintstudio to produce special printed works related to their graphic novels for display and sale. As a result, the exhibition is as much about demonstrating and celebrating the processes of making and printing comics in innovative ways, as it is about presenting the finished artworks and their final book forms. 

Artists are collaborating with londonprintstudio to produce special printed works related to their graphic novels for display and sale.


• THAT'S NOVEL: an exhibition at londonprintstudio, 425 Harrow Road, London W10 4RE. Nearest tube station Westbourne Park. Opens 22nd October and runs until 18th December 2010. Web: www.londonprintstudio.org.uk