There's something there that wasn't there before...

I have to go to bed since it's been a long day and tomorrow will be busy...but here is a cute (colour!) panel from my anthology piece for the Thing 2010.

As you can see - it features Christina in it.

In People I Know #9, you discover (indirectly) that Christina isn't actually her real name. How mysterious...

In other exciting news - the proof for People I Know #10 arrived... and it looks AMAZING! It might even be too fancy to be sold. I love it and I hope you do too. Oh - except they probably won't always look so fancy - it's just that this is the tenth issue and a bit of a milestone for me.

MCM Expo - A Very Long Blog

I should start off by saying that this has been one of the most draining months that I’ve endured for quite some time. This weekend was the pinnacle of it all and therefore pretty gruelling…but in a good (and slightly weird) way.

That’s because this weekend was the MCM Expo!

I’ve done a few events in my time but they’ve all been pretty low-key – a craft fayre here, a small press thing there. The UK Web and Comix Thing is probably as big as I get. So the Expo was a real eye opener. Talk about baptism by fire…and then talk about a bumload of cosplaying, Para Para dancing and hugging. Free hugging. Instigated by signs. Between strangers. Strangers that hug. For free...

So, I took the usual suitcase full of stuff to the event: comics, comics, comics. However, I tried some new and exciting stuff this time! For a start, all the printing was done by the Fallen Angel Media people, which meant that things looked pretty fancy and I had some thermal bound volumes as well as the regular stuff. I also made up packs of badges which were cute. There were felt owls too! And – the biggest leap for me – acrylic brooches! Also - People I Know #9!!!

So the last month/six months have seen me spend all my free time making some sort of item to sell. Obviously, nothing came together until hours before the event. They comics and badges arrived about 12 hours before I had to be there!

The ExCel Centre is huge and in the middle of nowhere. I don’t really know many people in the comic scene but I was lucky enough to bump into Howard on the DLR so I wasn’t too nervous – just sleepy since it was early on a Saturday morning and I’d been up late. I had to get about four (4!) different trains to get to the ExCel Centre and there were cosplayers on each and everyone of them. This should have made me immune to getting slack-jawed about it all later but oh no! I spent most of the weekend gawping at all sorts of ninjas, furries and zombie schoolgirls…

NOTE: Spotify is playing me an advert for the Conservative Party!?!

So yes. Cosplaying. Wow. I’ve never been in such a high concentration of lycra and swords in all my life. There were some incredible outfits – an eight foot ogre, an army of stormtroopers, Link from the Legend of Zelda! Siryn from X-Factor! A nice guy named Sam who wasn’t in costume but I’m putting him in anyway. I think my dream as a maker-of-comics is that one day I will go to an event and see someone cosplaying one of my characters. That would be awesome (and a little spooky). Imagine a room full of tearful dinosaurs, ninja toast and an inky squid schoolgirl!

Obviously some of the costumes were of people I didn’t know (Axis Powers Hetalia?) but seemed fun. Some were a little spooky. Some…well…wow…I would never have the courage to go anywhere as Slave Girl Princess Leia. But still, the effort that people put in was amazing. Special mention to the boy/girl Where’s Wallys. Good work guys! Oh and Cat Mage too!

BUT! There were quite a lot of costumes I was expecting to see and I saw NONE OF THEM! Why was this? Where were they? Here is a list of what I should have seen in picture form. If you were there and saw one of these costumes then let me know. Better yet – if you have a picture then I will give you a prize!

EDIT: Please add the following to the list:
Vampires
Werewolves
Ghosts
Greek myths

NOTE: I saw a Star Trek Furry – as in a furry wearing a Star Trek uniform. I texted my friend:

ME: Just saw a Star Trek furry…

FRIEND: Do you mean a Tribble?

ME: No. A fox in uniform

So yeah. The people were nice. I tried to convince the nicest ones to send me nice emails. Fingers crossed. Speaking of nice people – Howard and Philip were also selling things there. I was sat behind two girls who also turned out to be nice. One was called Lizz and one was called Bryony. Oh – and there was Fran next to me! Those girls were lovely. Thanks lovely girls!

What else?

Behind the Comic Village there was a stage with Japanese drumming and some Para Para dancing. I had my back to the whole thing but I could certainly hear it. Ouch and also wow. Wouch?

Also, on Saturday evening I went to a leaving party for a friend who is moving to San Francisco with his wife. I hope he has a nice time.

I’m really tired now and I need some sleep. I’m sure there are other things to write about…but I can do it tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone that came to talk to me and to everyone that organized the event. Here’s hoping that People I Know starts going places…

Stay out of trouble

TWx

EDIT: I just got this photo from the girl portion of boy/girl Where's Wally. It is amazing! All the kudos goes to them for making something so brilliant

MCM Expo: Here I come!

So...for the last month and a bit, I've spent pretty much *all* my free time making things for a stall at the MCM Expo - which is this weekend! I'm officially nervous (and a bit sleepy) since I haven't been to anything on this scale before. Urnk! Plus, I've got all sorts of new things to sell. You should come along and check them all out. There will be:

- the brand new issue of People I Know

- felt owl pals

- badge packs

- ghostly pictures

- acrylic brooches

- teeny comics of tears

- stickers!

There should be more stuff...but I can't think what. Bleh. It's late. I'm tired and I need to be on a 7am train tomorrow to set up and things. Boo hoo. But yeah - come along and say hi. I'll be in the Comics Village surrounded by much more talented people than me...

Stay out of trouble

TWx

People I Know #9 - IN YOUR FACE!

YEAH! I'm pretty sure that I've finished everything I need to do for the MCM Expo in terms of comics! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! not only that, but the cover for PIK #9 has just been finished - there's a version here for you to peep at - and this is my 90th blog entry.

Next up: a bumload of sewing. Also, some ice cream

TWx

Christina + PIK #9

I was meant to do the cover for PIK #9 this evening but I bought comics with a friend and was in a stupid mood instead. Result.

To make up for it I completed the back covers for some other stuff instead. Here is a picture of Christina taken from one of them. She's pretty much the star of the new comic in case you were curious.

To bed! For sulking!
TWx

UPDATE: I am going to listen to that Taylor Swift song about being a girl and wearing glasses. That will help!

UPDATE: It didn't help. U_U

Good New / Bad News

So yeah. I have a table...but I'm getting properly stressed out trying to get on top of everything I need to make. It's my own fault for being a little bit ambitious...but still, it wouldn't be awful if everything became super easy.

On the one hand, People I Know #9 is finished and just needs the covers made. Some other stuff needs to be reprinted. Plus I've just finished the front covers for two volumes of People I Know. The first has the awfully drawn but lovingly made PIK #1 - 3. The other has #4 - 6. They aren't fancy but a bit more attention was paid to the drawing. I hope they turn out as pretty as their covers which are pretty cute. The picture of Patty here is lifted from one of them. I figure maybe people will start reading this blog if I post pictures of ladies... Maybe I can have a Lady Wednesday or something and only pictures of ladies go up...

Speaking of web traffic - I registered a domain name! I have no idea how to make a website but that's totally a step in the right direction right?

Still need to bust out the sewing machine but I guess the printing is the priority at the moment. Will aim to get it all completed by Friday...

Fingers crossed.

Stay out of trouble
TWx

Weekend Weekend!

Bonjour!

So the weekend is about to pass me by. But all is not lost! People I Know #9 is all coloured in and I'm 90% sure I have a table at the London Expo! I won't believe it until I see it on the website but my pass has come through...so...yeah?

Anyways. Lots of stuff needs to be made. I've sent off the artwork to America (!!!) for the top secret project and am waiting to hear back from that. The other top secret project is still up in the air but I decided on the designs today. I need to do vector graphics or something but I don't know what that means. Maybe I can fudge it with a good ol' jpg. Everyone loves a jpg. They solve everything.

As for comics, I'm trying to see if I can collate the early (and sucky) issues of People I Know for the Expo and turn them into a fancy comic. It turns out that I made Issue 1 entirely on the photocopier so I don't have the pages scanned in or anything...which is pretty annoying. Bleurgh. I'm sure they'll turn up somewhere.

Once they are all sent to the printers then I'm breaking out the sewing machine. YEAH! I should stock up on spare needles now since I always seem to break a bumload.

I went on an adventure with a friend today and we visited the Alternative Village Fete. I took part in a competition where you had to name a cuddly cactus man. I named it Jean but I don't think I will win. Also, I bumped in a ZILLION (read: four) people I haven't seen in ages. Pretty spooky.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 turned out to be great...until it got to 2am where my friends and I realised that none of us could see properly. URNK

Right. Totally bed time.

Stay out of trouble
TWx

Productive!

Ahoy there!

I have some impressive news. Prepare to be impressed!

Right. So. I might might might have a table at the London MCM Expo! It hasn't been officially confirmed and what not - but if it happens then WOW!

On the boo hoo side - this means I need to make a load of new things to sell - and these things MUST to be extra fancy. I've emailed lots of interesting companies that might be of use.

But the really exciting/impressive news is that I have just worked my arse off and People I Know #9 is pretty much all sorted. Well - the rough copy was made, the proper pencils were pencilled and I finished 98% of the proper pen stuff this evening. I just need to draw my boxes and colour it all in. it will officially be the fastest issue completed since #1.

To celebrate, here is one of my favourite panels from the new issue. It won't be in colour - I just did that for fun. I'd love to have a whole comic in colour though.


*sigh*

Oh - it is almost Halloween. I made a picture with a ghost in it. The background is extra fancy for me - I had to scan two (2) different types of real paper to make it look like that. I hope you like it.

NOTE TO SELF: Write a goodbye letter to The London Paper.

NOTE TO YOU: If you want to congratulate me then that be very nice. Have just realised that I have spent nearly the last 48 hours hunched over Mister Computer and Mrs Desk. I also ate about 12 giant cookies. Bleurgh. Plus, when I go to work tomorrow, people will ask me what I did at the weekend and I'll have to make something up. Lame

Stay out of trouble
TWx