Edward Ross: comics and films

Filmish Review in 'Comic Heroes' + Solipsistic Pop 4 Reviewed by FPI

2012-01-18T14:40:00.001Z

Another great review has come in for my series 'Filmish', this time from comic book magazine 'Comic Heroes', which is from the folks who create SFX magazine. The magazine are big on supporting the small press, and my work features alongside some other top picks from the UK scene, including Andrew Waugh and Sean Azzopardi.

From the review:

"If Scott McCloud was a movie geek, this is the comic he would make. [...] Educational and entertaining - never the easiest trick to pull off - with breezy artwork and an unpretentious wit, Filmish will fact you 'til you can be facted no more." - Rob Power

'Comic Heroes' issue #10 is available, as they say, in all good newsagents.

Also today, Solipsistic Pop 4 was reviewed over on the Forbidden Planet Blog. My 'Maps To Live By' was one of the contributions that were mentioned:

"Lovely, sentimental work yet never saccharin sweet" - Richard Bruton

Solipsistic Pop volume 4 is a must buy, available here.

Edwin Morgan Poem Illustration - In The Snack Bar

2012-01-17T09:27:00.002Z

Here's the outcome of a recent commission by an old school friend to illustrate an image based on the poignant Edwin Morgan poem 'In The Snack Bar'. I like the bald guy in the background, happily chewing on a burger.

The poem itself is below...

THE SNACK BAR
A cup capsizes along the formica,
slithering with a dull clatter.
A few heads turn in the crowded evening snack-bar.
An old man is trying to get to his feet
from the low round stool fixed to the floor.
Slowly he levers himself up, his hands have no power.
He is up as far as he can get. The dismal hump
looming over him forces his head down.
He stands in his stained beltless garberdine
like a monstrous animal caught in a tent
in some story. He sways slightly,
the face not seen, bent down
in shadow under his cap.
Even on his feet he is staring at the floor
or would be, if he could see.
I notice now his stick, once painted white
but scuffed and muddy, hanging from his right arm.
Long blind, hunchback born, half paralysed
he stands
fumbling with the stick
and speaks:
‘I want –to go to the-toilet.’

It is down two flights of stairs, but we go.
I take his arm. ‘Give me-your arm-it’s better,’ he says.
Inch by inch we drift towards the stairs.
A few yards of floor are like a landscape
to be negotiated, in the slow setting out
time has almost stopped. I concentrate
my life to his: crunch of spilt sugar,
slidy puddle from the night’s umbrellas,
table edges, people’s feet,
hiss of the coffee-machine, voices and laughter,
smell of a cigar, hamburgers, wet coats steaming,
and the slow dangerous inches to the stairs.
I put his right hand on the rail
and take his stick. He clings to me. The stick
is in his left hand, probing the treads
I guide his arm and tell him the steps.
And slowly we go down. And slowly we go down.
White tiles and mirrors at last. He shambles
uncouth into the clinical gleam.
I set him in position, stand behind him
and wait with his stick.
His brooding reflection darkens the mirror
but the trickle of his water is thin and slow,
an old man’s apology for living.
Painful ages to close his trousers and coat –
I do up the last buttons for him.
He asks doubtfully, ‘Can I- wash my hands?’
I fill the basin, clasp his soft fingers round the soap.
He washes, feebly, patiently. There is no towel.
I press the pedal of the drier, draw his hands
gently into the roar of the hot air.
But he cannot rub them together,
drags out a handkerchief to finish.
He is glad to leave the contraption, and face the stairs.
He climbs, and steadily enough.
He climbs, we climb. He climbs
with many pauses but with that one
persisting patience of the undefeated
which is the nature of man when all is said.
And slowly we go up. And slowly we go up.
The faltering, unfaltering steps
take him at last to the door
across that endless, yet not endless waste of floor.

I watch him helped on a bus. It shudders off in the rain.
The conductor bends to hear where he wants to go.
Wherever he could go it would be dark
and yet he must trust men.
Without embarrassment or shame
he must announce his most pitiful needs
in a public place. No one sees his face.
Does he know how frightening he is in his strangeness
under his mountainous coat, his hands like wet leaves
stuck to the half-white stick?
His life depends on many who would evade him.
But he cannot reckon up the chances,
having one thing to do,
to haul his blind hump through these rains of August.
Dear Christ, to be born for this!

By Edwin Morgan

A Bigger Canvas - Parasites Exhibition and Banner in Glasgow

2012-01-10T11:37:00.000Z

Last year I was commissioned to produce an exhibition and a banner for the Wellcome Trust Centre For Molecular Parasitology in Glasgow. It was an amazing challenge, boiling down some very complex science into digestible, family friendly information. Working with my collaborators Jamie Hall and Kat Lloyd, we pulled together the exhibition, which was on show at the Glasgow Science Centre throughout the Autumn of 2011.

It was really interesting working at this very different scale, and having to take account for the very specific benefits and drawbacks of the medium.

And below is a photo of the banner I designed for them in place at Glasgow University. It's pretty cool seeing something I illustrated is the size of a building!

Malaria Comic - Preview

2011-12-19T16:04:00.000Z

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'.

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!

Maps to Live By - Making of

2011-11-11T09:35:00.001Z

Solipsistic Pop vol. 4 is just about to be released to the public. We received our advance copy the other day and I have to say it's more wonderful than I imagined. Editor Tom Humberstone has crafted a top class anthology, and the artists involved have all pushed their work into new and interesting places. It's on a par with any comics anthology I've ever seen, reminding me of the quality seen in the pages of Best American Comics or RAW, and it showcases a breadth of talent that evinces the healthy state of U.K. comics today.

I'm really proud to be a part of it.

I thought it would be nice today to talk about the making of my own piece for the anthology. For most of my comics career so far I've been creating documentary style comics, mostly about film theory and parasitology. It's an exciting niche to work in, but one that trains certain tendencies and neglects others. My work up until this year had generally been very un-sequential and has had very little storytelling in it. This year I decided to work those other muscles, first with my wordless piece for Paper Science 5, and then with this, my short story Maps To Live By.

The story was sparked off when I met up with Tom in May while he was planning this fourth volume of the exemplary anthology. Over a game of the Battlestar Galactica Boardgame (honestly, it's amazing) he talked about his idea for the volume. The theme of maps struck me straight away, as well as his insistence that the artists should explore more complex formal and narrative themes than in the previous kid friendly edition.

I started to see in this a story of my family's complex maps: my Grandfather's childhood in India, the son of a Scottish man and an Indian woman; my father's childhood in Scotland, with his Anglo-Indian father and Swiss mother. It wasn't just the idea of physical maps of course, but those deeper, more complex maps we experience: the maps of race and culture and identity that we're expected to read, follow and understand every day. It was the idea of receiving a map you're not sure what to do with, or a set of maps that conflict with each other, and show you there's no simple route to follow.

This family history I'd explored before in my autobiographical project '100 Tiny Moments From My Past, Present and Future', and it was a theme that I felt and still feel has more to be said about it. These are ideas and debates that sit right at the heart of my family's experience of the world, and I wanted to look at them through this comic book lens.

I immediately knew as well that this story needed to be told by both myself and my father, Peter. It's his story at the heart of all this, and his voice that told the tale to me. These events have been part of the family oral history. Very little of this is written down, and what was interesting is that as we compared notes with the documentation that does exist, we found that not everything added up. Thus, this story is not so much a factual reconstruction of events, as a continuation of that oral history, complete with those half-truths, grey areas and convenient fabrications that exist in every family's story of itself.

The writing process was a fantastic experience. Peter and I would meet up with these half formed ideas and chip away at the scenes we'd imagined. We work well together, and it was amazing confronting all these pieces of family history, and getting to know each other better in the process. I'd say the writing of it was more like sculpture than anything. We started by trying to put it all into words, soon finding that a better way was to piece together the pictures and words simultaneously.

We actually moved the writing into the physical space, printing off the sketches I'd done in Photoshop and re-arranging them on the carpet, re-writing them as the pieces slowly sifted together.

Then, I'd work up a more finalised composition of panels and content..

Before moving on to the digital pencilling process. A lot of these images were based on real family photos, hopefully giving the scenes an air of authenticity.

Finally I inked and coloured the piece.

I don't want to give too much of the piece away, so I'm going to leave it at that. It was certainly the most complex and challenging comic I've ever written, in so many ways. From the layouts and narrative structure, through to the content itself, I've tried to do my best to live up to both the nuance and complexity of the story we took on, and to the quality of the artists on show in this latest edition of Solipsistic Pop.

I definitely recommend ordering a copy when it comes out, so keep your eyes on the website here or on my twitter, since I'll no doubt talk about this once it's out.

I should also finish by saying thanks to everyone who helped in the making of this short comic, which was such a big undertaking: Mary and Margaret for checking it over and making sure it made sense, Tom Hunt for his input and advice on the story, and Anita for digging around the family history.

Malaria Comic - First Glimpse

2011-11-02T12:35:00.001Z

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.

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.

Music themed illustration

2011-10-13T16:46:00.000+01:00

I've been so wrapped up in various projects that I've had nothing much to post here for a while. Thought I'd show some work in progress today though, just to show everyone that I am indeed doing things. I'm pretty pleased with this image.

This is some work I've been doing for Edinburgh based musician Will Pickvance. I previously illustrated a flyer and poster for him.

Maps To Live By - A Solipsistic Pop 4 Sample

2011-09-02T15:27:00.003+01:00

Lots on the go at the moment, but far and away the most personal and challenging project is my piece for Solipsistic Pop 4, which I wrote alongside my father, Peter.

Based on family history, it is without a doubt the most demanding comic I've written, both in personal and technical terms. I thought it would be nice to share a little of it today, since for too long I've been working on things yet to be finished. I have to say it's been nice getting back to drawing more personal work, it being almost two years since I made '100 Tiny Moments'.

Please help fund this project and order your copy for when it comes out here.

Solipsistic Pop Volume 4 and Why We Need Anthologies.

2011-08-13T13:06:00.003+01:00

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.

Unlike Brunetti's anthology, Humberstone's is a curated, commissioned collection - each work in there has been made specifically for the anthology, playing to and challenging the volume's theme and tone. Like musicians in a band, these comic artists play off each other, and push themselves to live up to a really high collective standard. For the artist, they're no longer working in isolation, but instead have their work up there with some of the best and brightest from the UK comics scene.

Furthermore, I think it is through anthologies that we really get to show off how exciting a comics scene we have in the UK. From the charming pop-culture geekery of Marc Ellerby's Chloe Noonan and Adam Cadwell's Blood Blokes, through to the comic form journalism of Darryl Cunningham's Psychiatric Tales, or the David Lynchian horrors of Malcy Duff, we've got a really vibrant independent scene, and in anthologies we can display a unity and collective ambition that is less convincing when done alone.

For me it was a huge moment being invited to be in Solipsistic Pop 3, and an even bigger one to be invited back for volume 4. Each issue challenges me to do my best work and make something that goes well beyond what I have previously done. Over the next few weeks I'll hopefully be able to put up some of my work in progress, and you should definitely keep an eye on the Solipsistic Pop website for previews of other artists' work.

Logo by Katie Green.

And to say it again, anthologies are necessary. If we're going to keep our minds open, and find new work, they're a great place to go, and a good thing to support. Solipsistic Pop is currently taking pre-orders and is looking for support to get off the ground. The fourth volume is going to be much more challenging and ambitious than ever before, and it's well worth heading over to the funding page to find out more and show it your support.

Beyond Solipsistic Pop there's a lot more cool stuff out there, and more and more awesome anthologies on the horizon. David O'Connell's Ink + Paper and We Are Words + Pictures' Paper Science series are a couple of exciting examples. It's a really exhilirating time to be a comics artist, and if we support and spread the word about these collections, everyone benefits. As the UK comics scene grows, so will anthology series like Solipsistic Pop, and in on their shoulders new upstarts will push us ever forward. New creators will be spurred forward like I was, seeing work collected together that isn't shy about being ambitious, challenging and creative.

Yeah, so in other words, go buy!

Rob St.John

2011-08-06T21:39:00.000+01:00

The final musician portrait for the upcoming Screen Bandita folk and film event. I've been drawing the performers for a information flyer that's going to get handed out on the day. This final artist is Rob St. John, a Scotland based musician who you can find out more about here.

Now I need to pull these illustrations together in the flyer, styled around the event's themes of maps, landscapes and place.

Cath & Phil Tyler

2011-07-25T16:10:00.000+01:00

More folk musician portraits for the Screen Bandita event. These artists are Cath and Phil Tyler, folk musicians from Newcastle.

Alasdair Roberts

2011-07-24T11:51:00.000+01:00

This is portrait two for the Screen Bandita event in September. The musician is Alasdair Roberts.

Wounded Knee.

2011-07-22T22:36:00.001+01:00

I'm illustrating another flyer for my awesome-good friends at Screen Bandita, a sequel to a job I did for them almost two years ago. Some of the very first illustrations I posted on this here blog were from that job, and it's a bit of a strange, sentimental, return-to-sender type moment for me doing it again. It really makes you think...

I'm illustrating four bands/artists who'll be playing alternafolk in time to amazing Scottish Screen Archive footage at the event, which will be in Edinburgh later this year. I'll post details soon enough, but right now here's an image of Drew Wright, A.K.A Wounded Knee, whose music you should listen to.

Bits and Bobs

2011-07-11T16:57:00.001+01:00

It's been a busy few weeks and there's a lot of 'work in progress' at the moment. But here's some cool stuff in the meantime.

I did another Drop In + Draw with the Edinburgh League of Comics, which went surprisingly well after a faltering start on the first day of the event. Doing a comic book drawing session in a Shopping Mall had its pluses and minuses - benefits being that we got to take comics drawing to an interesting new location and give kids a chance to do some drawing who might otherwise not always get the same kinds of opportunities. The downside of course was that most people were there to shop!

Still, it went very well in the end and our Sunday session was packed with people who had come out especially. You can read more about the event at the ELC Blog. I drew this stuff while I was there:

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Meanwhile, Patrick Tobin has written a lovely and insightful review of Filmish for 'Multiversity Comics'. It's well worth a read if you're interested! From the review:

Where most academic film writing is a closed (and often locked) door, Filmish is an open invitation, and all the better for it. [...] Filmish exists in one of the spaces between nerddoms, where ideas from different media and disciplines can freely bleed into one another and create something unique.
-Patrick Tobin

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And in other news, Paper Science 5 arrived in the post. It's the newspaper format comics anthology edited by Matt Sheret that's just a beautiful collection of absolutely top class comics work from UK based creators. And I'm in it too, with a short piece called 'Dust', my first ever wordless comic story.

You need to buy yourself a copy, or better yet a subscription to a whole year's worth of tasty comics. Go here and do that now!

Filmish: On Set and In The Classroom.

2011-07-01T09:20:00.000+01:00

Filmish is popping up everywhere! Recently I heard from Peter Redrup, a teacher in an English secondary school, who wanted permission to use Filmish to teach his A-level students about Laura Mulvey and point of view theory. I thought this was a lovely idea, so with my permission he printed out the whole essay and put it up for his students to read.

Filmish in the classroom.

Then just this morning I heard from film student Thomas Shawcroft, who is studying at Arts University College at Bournemouth. He's currently on set shooting a short film called When You Are Here, directed by Doug Rollins. Anyway, he sent me this photo of them reading Filmish on set!


Ronaldas Buozis (d.o.p) / Thomas Shawcroft (focus puller)

It's really nice to see Filmish out there in the world, especially when it's being used to educate and inspire! If you are a teacher/lecturer and you're interested in using Filmish in the classroom, please send me an email. And if you've got any photos of yourself reading Filmish in an interesting place or context, I'd love to see them!

(edward.m.a.ross[at]btinternet.com)

New Cinephilia at Edinburgh International Film Festival

2011-06-08T14:10:00.003+01:00

I have been invited by the good people of Project: New Cinephilia to give a short presentation of my work on Filmish at their day-long symposium on film writing and criticism that is taking place during this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival. The project's aim is to look at the way we watch and discuss films in the modern age, and how cinephilia plays a role in all that.

It looks like it will be an exciting and eye-opening day, with presentations from some of the top thinkers and writers on film, including Yoram Allon (editor Wallflower Press, International Film Guide), Matt Lloyd (programmer of Glasgow Short Film Festival) and Adam Woodward (editor, Little White Lies) amongst many others.

I'm going to give a short talk about writing comics about film, and discuss the kinds of ideas that drive me.

If you're a cinephile and interested in attending, the EIFF synopsis is below:

"What does it mean to be a cinephile in the 21st century? Film culture is constantly in transition, and at this day-long symposium writers, curators, and cinema fans are invited to participate in a series of presentations and interactive sessions mapping the current landscape for film criticism, appreciation and evaluation."

You can book tickets here.

And you can find out more about Project: New Cinephilia, and read some fascinating essays here.

Mary's MCM Experience

2011-06-01T17:29:00.002+01:00

This is not the regular voice of Edward Ross, this is his partner in crime, Mary Campbell, who has just spent the weekend at the MCM Expo in London, selling Filmish and Eddie's other work.

This was only my second Expo, but my hopes were high going in, based on my last experience, which involved meeting lovely people, getting great new comics, and having fun spotting the costumes I could recognise among the cosplayers.


In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight...at MCM!

I knew this Expo would be different, as I was going it alone while Eddie partied hard in Wales (Only kidding! - see post below). It was an experiment really, to see if the creator was needed to sell their own work, or if the work could sell itself. Over the first two days it seemed as if the creator needed to be there, as sales were not going as well as last year. But after a Saturday spent freaking out about what a disaster the convention was going to be, I went home and had a good nights sleep, then came in on Sunday morning with an new table plan and a positive attitude. I stood up, I was smiling, chatting to people, singing Bon Jovi, generally being welcoming - and sales went really well.
I learned a valuable lesson that day... don't expect a comic about film theory to sell itself!


My new plan - badges everywhere!

It was lovely to see people who were fans of Eddie's work already, and just wanted more, or to see people who latched onto the idea immediately - "A comic about film theory, that's just what i've always wanted!" These people brightened up my day, and were always fun to talk to. Other fun people to chat to were the comics creators there to sell their work. For a comic geek like me it is great hearing about the process behind a comic, exciting new projects on the horizon, or recommendations for new comics to read.


The excellent Howard Hardiman, who taught me the sign language for "Living On A Prayer".

From these excellent people I got a wide variety of comics loot. Although I couldn't buy something from everyone I wanted to - I would have gone bankrupt - I did pick up some great comics and artwork, which kept me busy on my train ride home. All purchases were much enjoyed, but a special shout out has to go to the two titles that left me begging for more... the next Lengths and Blood Blokes cannot come quickly enough for me!


Top left to bottom right - Joe Decie, TpCat, Adam Cadwell, Jess Bradley, Timothy Winchester, Howard Hardiman, Philippa Rice, Sean Azzopardi, Louis Roskosch, Luke Pearson, Philippa Rice (again!), Warwick Johnson Cadwell, T'Sao Wei and Philip Spence. What a haul! Not present is John Allison's Giant Days - a comic so great it is already a present for somebody, and an amazing print from Joe List that is being flattened under a heavy pile of books!

Also purchased was this fab drawing from the lovely John Allison - me and Eddie with superpowers! If only it were true...

And with that I will stop rambling excitedly and let normal service resume as soon as possible...

Hayfever Report.

2011-05-31T16:12:00.002+01:00

So, on Friday I journeyed down to Hay-On-Wye in Wales to join up with Ted Brandt, Anne Holiday, Tom Humberstone, Becky Luff and Anna Saunders for a weekend of Drop In + Draw at the Hay literary festival. As part of the kids' Hayfever section of the festival, we had a much younger crowd than we did at Latitude last year, which had a very diverse range of ages taking part.

Still, all the kids were fantastic and really into the whole comics creation thing and we saw some amazing comics created over the two days we were there, including a Beyonce Lumberjack, some sort of Lady Gaga wardrobe dilemma, battling pirates and a guide to democracy in the animal kingdom.

As ever, the greatest part is meeting the kids who are showing those first sparks of interest in comics, and seeing a profound grasp of comics storytelling that they've learned without realising it. It's a pleasure encouraging them to keep going with comics, and showing them that although teachers or even parents might think it's a waste of time, spending your time drawing comics is a wonderful thing to do.

All in all it was a great weekend. The festival is a really lovely place, with a totally placid atmosphere at odds with my previous festival experiences. Caught some stand up from Josie Long and a gig with the spectacular Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. And most of all, it was a real pleasure catching up with Tom and Anne, and meeting for the first time the extremely talented and lovely Ted, Anna and Becky.

Finally, my favourite moment from the weekend was turning round during the afternoon on Sunday to find someone drawing this...

by Helena.

London Smog and Hayfever...

2011-05-24T19:20:00.000+01:00

The Edward Ross Comics Roadshow will be appearing this weekend simultaneously at MCM Comics Village in London and the WAW+P Comics Classes at Hay Festival in Wales.

Mary will be selling my comics on my behalf and enjoying the fun of MCM during the three days of the convention - this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (27th -29th May). There will be copies of my usual stuff, including the still quite new Filmish #3 and 100 Tiny Moments, as well as some shiny new postcards.

The whole thing's a bit of experiment to see if it's possible to sell comics without the artist in person, and if it doesn't work out, at least Mary gets a fun holiday out of it. If you're in London that weekend, I truly recommend making a day of visiting MCM. It's geek paradise, with loads of computer game booths, movie promotion stuff, cosplay, and most importantly dozens of fantastic comics creators selling and talking about their work.

Meanwhile I'll be with We Are Words + Pictures teaching comics to young folk at Hayfever, the kid-friendly spin-off of Hay festival. After the success of Edinburgh's recent Drop In + Draw and the fun we all had at Latitude last year, I'm very excited by this one, and it'll be a pleasure to work alongside comics experts Tom Humberstone, Anna Saunders, Ted Brandt and Anne Holiday spreading the fun of comics!

We're there for the first weekend of Hay, the 28th and 29th of May. If you're there, drop by and join in! The blurb for the event is:

Create your own comic book character
Make stories with words + pictures
What would a character that you made up from scratch look like? Would they have a beard or tentacles or tiny pointed feet? Would they be tall or chubby or have piercing blue eyes? Well, the We Are Words + Pictures team are here to help you decide and put your ideas into practice. With established comic artists and illustrators on hand we’ll get you designing your very own comic book character and developing a story for them to feature in.

Project Parasite II - Malaria

2011-05-23T10:13:00.000+01:00

I've been a bit quiet over the last few months since the release of Filmish 3, for which I can only apologise. I can now announce that I have been commissioned to create a second parasitology comic, this time by the European Virtual Institute for Malaria Research (EVIMalaR), and the preparation for the project has been eating up all my spare time.

You can still download our first comic for free here. This time round we've got much bigger plans, with a 16 - 24 page comic envisioned as the final product. There's room this time to really get down to the complex, interesting details, as well as give more scope to discuss various angles of the disease, including its history, biology and its social impacts, etc.

What's cool too is that we're creating a 'modular comic' - so while it will be available as a printed, complete item, we'll also make it available as a resource to teachers, lecturers, students and charities when they need to explain or illustrate a given concept that has been covered in the book. So for example, if a charity needs to explain to funding bodies why research takes a long time, or the social impact of malaria, they'll be able to take those specific chapters or illustrations and provide them on their own.

Last week my collaborator Jamie Hall and I travelled to the EVIMalaR conference in Heidelberg, Germany to begin research. We met with scores of researchers working on some of the many facets of malaria research, from those investigating the Plasmodium parasite, to those looking at the mosquito vector.

In the coming months I'll be working on this full time, as we move through research and writing to illustration. As we go forward, I'll be posting details of our progress, and some samples of the work in progress.

And don't worry, I'll still be keeping time aside to work on some other projects, including more Filmish and some short comics pieces for anthologies and self-publication.

Drop In + Draw Report

2011-05-21T10:47:00.001+01:00

I think we can call it a success! To celebrate 'Free Comic Book Day' on the 7th of May me, Tom Hunt and Fumio Obata organised a free comics drop in workshop for Newington Library in Edinburgh. The idea was to get people together to draw comics, share ideas and learn from each other, with the three of us on-hand to offer advice and encouragement to budding comic creators.

Bolstered by some amazing coverage in the local press, tweets from comics folk and Scottish creatives, and mentions on the Forbidden Planet blog, we had people streaming through the doors from the start. All told there were about 50 people who attended.

Just a taste of how busy it became.

And what was great is that we had such a mix in ages and interests, from wee kids just happy to conjure up fantastic worlds in comic-book form, through to older kids and teenagers showing a heck of a lot of promise and skill, and on to adults interested in pursuing their passion for comics further, or keen to get back into a medium they'd left behind years ago.

Fumio talks about his work and his European and Manga influences.

Tom and Fumio set up an impromptu lecture area and gave talks about webcomics and Manga respectively. A number of keen people took time out of drawing to listen, taking away some great encouragement and knowledge from the two.

All in all it was a great afternoon, and people were I think very pleased with the event. I got to chat with some interesting people of all ages, who share a real passion for comics. All most people need is some encouragement, to see that it's actually quite easy to get starting making and distributing comics, and to see that they are not alone in thinking comics are a great thing to do. I hope we provided that.

(You can read Tom Hunt's look back at the event at the Edinburgh League of Comics blog.)

Filmish Reviewed by Good Comic Books.

2011-04-19T13:47:00.000+01:00

There's been another glowing review of the Filmish series, this time by Joe Innes at Good Comic Books.

"I guess it’s true for every medium, that the best of things are made out of love. Edward Ross is clearly a huge fan of film, his enthusiasm for the subject breaches the paper it’s confined to and made me want to take a class in Film Theory and Criticism. He’s tapped into something incredibly powerful, and harnesses the comics medium to its full potential. Wonderful."

You can read the full review here.

Drop in + Draw: Edinburgh

2011-04-19T12:03:00.003+01:00

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

Filmish 3: Celebrating Chaplin.

2011-04-15T21:04:00.000+01:00

Today, April 16th, marks Charlie Chaplin's 122nd birthday. The following extract from Filmish 3 is a celebration of Chaplin's work, and a look into his relationship with comedy and the challenges he faced in an ever changing world.

You can buy Filmish #3 from my shop.

'Dust' Preview

2011-04-11T16:47:00.001+01:00

I've been working well ahead of schedule to produce my submission for the summer special of Paper Science, the comics anthology produced by the fantastic We Are Words + Pictures. I've tried to create something that breaks as many of my own bad habits as possible, with a focus on visual storytelling, page layout and colouring. It's been totally great working on something a bit different, and having the space to do so without a deadline looming has been really refreshing.

If you haven't already signed up for a Paper Science subscription, you really should. Some of the most exciting comics artists in the U.K. are currently creating work for the four issues that are due out this year. The first of those issues is out soon, with work by the fantastic Luke Pearson, John Allison, Timothy Winchester, Andrew Waugh, Adam Cadwell, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey, Joe List and Dan Berry.

Comics @ Sci-Fi London 30th April - 1st May

2011-04-11T09:59:00.001+01:00

I'll be back down in London for the Sci-Fi festival over the May Bank Holiday Weekend, where I'll be participating in a panel discussion about 'Comics and Moving Pictures'. There's a whole weekend of events planned, including a number of panels and discussions, a drop in comics class with Tom Humberstone and WAW+P, film screenings, and comics stalls.

Flyer by Tom Humberstone

The discussion is on Sunday 1st May at 3.30pm at the BFI Southbank. I'll be chatting with creators Martin Fisher (Battle among the stars), Huw J. Davies (Freeman, Garth) and Roger Mason (2000AD, The Mice). I'll also be selling comics and hanging around all weekend.

Full details can be found at the London Comics Festival website.

Filmish 3 Reviewed in The Skinny

2011-03-31T23:03:00.001+01:00

Filmish issue 3 has been reviewed in the Skinny, getting a ★★★★★ review. You can read the review at The Skinny website.

Filmish 3 at London SPExpo, March 12th.

2011-03-09T11:33:00.000Z

I'll be at the London Small Press Expo this Saturday (12th March) sharing a table with Luke Pearson. I'll be selling copies of Filmish 3 along with some ace new badges, 100 Tiny Moments, Filmish 2 and some of the last ever copies of Filmish 1. Grab them while you can! Luke's going to have some copies of his NoBrow spectacular Hildefolk so come buy a copy from the man himself.

In other news, with Filmish 1 running out, I've decided to release it as a pay-what-you-want digital download. Please let people know about this. My hope is that it'll give a lot more people a chance to read Filmish who wouldn't normally have access or take a chance on it.

Click here to download your copy!

Also Filmish 3 will be out soon! I've put a pre-order button in the new shop section of the blog. Go pre-order your copy now and you'll get a free badge along with your copy!

Filmish Issue 3 Teaser 4.

2011-02-09T17:42:00.000Z

Above is a panel from Filmish 3. I've moved almost entirely into illustrating in the computer, which has allowed me to be be a bit more adventurous and at the same time create much more refined images. It'll be interesting to see these images in print, and how they actually compare to the largely hand-drawn issues 1 and 2.

Filmish Issue 3 Teaser 3.

2011-02-02T19:38:00.000Z

Another little image from Filmish 3. I'm done drawing Chaplin for now...

Filmish Issue 3 Teaser 2.

2011-02-01T20:55:00.000Z

Another image from today's illustratin'. I added some colour too...

Filmish Issue 3 Teaser.

2011-02-01T15:36:00.000Z

Finally, I've started the illustration process on Filmish issue 3, with the intention of having it ready for my attendance at the London Comic and Small Press Expo on March 12th. Here's a little taster from today's illustrating, Buster Keaton in The Cameraman.

You can still buy issues 1 and 2 through my blog, so grab them now in preparation for issue 3!

Parasites of the World.

2011-01-25T17:20:00.001Z

I've recently been working on some designs for the Wellcome Trust Centre For Molecular Parasitology, which has been quite a fun and exciting wee start to the new year. I'm getting a real fondness for drawing parasites and other microscopic things.

The above is an image of a Plasmodium parasite, responsible for malaria.

I've also been working on the script for Filmish #3, and drawing should commence in the next week. Yeah!

Autobiographical Comics and Constructions of Happiness

2010-12-02T10:39:00.004Z

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.

A comic character’s face can be as basic as a few lines, an almost blank canvas onto which we can project ourselves or others. But with a few lines, we can also create an ideal self, a simple, perfect alternate. For my project ‘100 Tiny Moments From My Past, Present and Future’ I illustrated one hundred autobiographical comic stories over the course of one hundred days. The characters I drew were far from realistic, but instead perfect projections of the world around me. The comics version of me is an idealised iteration: with an oversized head and big eyes he looks more like a bearded baby than he looks like the real me. It is a childlike interpretation of the self, a mirror-phase reflection that helps me understand who I am.

Problematic is the fact that our comics equivalents can come to develop powers beyond our own. In superhero lore comics characters possess God-like abilities we could never dream of, but even in the autobiographical strip such mutations can occur. In condensing and caricaturing reality, you have to select what parts of that reality you wish to interpret. For brevity you discard inconvenient elements so that a conversation full of stutters, and hems and haws become sharp and witty exchanges. Your real life self could never deliver such sentiments with the same timing and eloquence!

For all this egoistic revisionism of life, there’s something sweet too about how you can construct your happiness in a comic. Comics, like any art, allow us to reflect on our lives, and think about our futures. In my comics I was able to look at my relationship with my girlfriend and build a portrait of it that reflected the good and hopeful things within it, hopefully whilst avoiding too much sentimentality. How much this portrait resembles our actual relationship, I’m not even sure myself, so entwined are my experiences of those 100 days with the creation of the comics. I do know though, that like my self portrait, these strips reflect my relationships as I think of them and wish them to be.

Within ‘100 Tiny Moments…’ there are stories where my take on autobiography is to project into the future and take a look at my hopes and fears for what is still to come. These comics show me as an old man, in poor health and confused by the world around me, or as a parent playing father to imagined offspring. I predict my death more than once: by unexpected nuclear strike in the near future, by heart attack when in my late forties, and by unexplained causes in my later life.

There’s perhaps something morbid about these comic strips, but for me they are the perfect construction of happiness. Looking to the future, and dealing with the fictional pain and joy that we all live through was a cathartic experience. To imagine the world shortly after my death, where life goes on and I slowly fade from memory, for me this is in many ways a celebration - of life and of the fact that I am part of the ongoing chain of human existence, even if to me no God or spiritual world sits on the other side to make life mean anything other than what it is.

I spent 100 days constructing a document of happiness part real, part imagined. There is something ‘true’ in this autobiography, even if it isn’t all 100% accurate to real life events. To attempt such anyway would, I think, be false. Like the documentarian trying to suggest that their presence is unseen and uninfluential, to suggest that your autobiographical comics have not been constructed is to miss the fact that in drawing pictures and writing words, our choices act to construct our vision of reality.

The major question this whole critique raises though is whether through creating constructions of happiness it is possible to create actual happiness. Does a representation of possibly faked or exaggerated happiness produce happiness in the real world? For my readers, I think it did to an extent - as with all art, the viewer experiences and engages with art, and when that art touches a nerve or reflects a truth, that viewer may find a moment of happiness is seeing something they have experienced reflected back at them. For me, I think too I managed to generate some real world happiness. From an artistic perspective, the act of creation, and especially the resulting attention from people reading and appreciating my work, brought a lot of pleasure. Then comes the pleasure too of analysing your happiness (or lack thereof) by constructing images of it. By drawing strips about my early relationship with my girlfriend, I open that memory up. It becomes a story that has been told, more real and more fresh for being immortalised on paper - past happiness is brought into the present, and preserved for the future.

Check out Astrid Bussink's project at: www.constructionsofhappiness.com

Buy a comic for Christmas!

2010-11-30T20:55:00.001Z

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

2010-11-30T15:12:00.001Z

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.

2010-11-25T10:40:00.000Z

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

We Are Words and Pictures Radio

2010-11-05T10:49:00.002Z

Image © Sean Azzopardi

On Monday after MCM I recorded a podcast with Mike Leader for WAW+P Radio discussing how I got into comics, my work on Filmish and the 100 Tiny Moments project, and my experiences at MCM. You can listen to the podcast here.

MCM London Report

2010-11-05T10:42:00.001Z

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

Ultimately the event was perhaps not most geared towards the small press comics scene: the event was largely attended by an audience more interested in manga and cosplay than by idiosyncratic small press wonders. And what wonders there were for those who took the time to explore the Comic Village. We bought 26 comics over the weekend, and would have happily bought more.

For my own comics it was a pretty successful weekend, making me back travel and table costs, with a healthy little profit on top. Most of all I learned a lot from the experience, and will be all the more ready to peddle my work come Thought Bubble later this month. It was really rewarding making each and every sale, especially when I managed to sell '100 Tiny Moments' to people previously unaware of the project, but willing to part with a fair bit of cash to get to know it.

All in all a great time, and I have to recommend the experience to any small pressers out there who haven't yet. It's a great chance to meet and chat to your contemporaries, and have a proper insight into how your comics sell, and to whom.

Finally, have a look at our awesome haul!

From top left to right:

-The Adventures of Julius Chancer: The Rainbow Orchid by Garen Ewing
-Signal by Paul Duffield
-The Happy Prince illustrated by Tpcat
-Cross Country by M.K. Reid
-Dark Places #1-3 by Steve Dismukes
-Freak Leap by Joe List
-Dull Ache 1 and Some People by Luke Pearson
-Onion Soup by Dan Berry
-WJC Comic No1 by Warwick Johnson Cadwell
-The Hourly Comic by Joe Decie
-Badger, Badger: Then and Now, Polaroids From Other Live Vol.2 and The Lengths by Howard Hardiman
-Tozo: The Public Servant chapters 1-3 by David O’Connell
-The Everyday and Hourly Comic Day by Adam Cadwell
-Cardboard Colin and Paper Pauline by Philippa Rice
-A Lonely Raven by T’sao Wei
-I Love Dinosaurs and They Love Me by Lizz Lunney

100 Tiny Moments Book - OUT NOW!

2010-10-27T13:42:00.000+01:00

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.

---

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

2010-10-21T10:43:00.003+01:00

“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.

Please Give Blood.

2010-10-17T12:24:00.003+01:00

In the Blood Donor's waiting room I was struck by the idea that it shouldn't just be little kids who make 'Give Blood' posters. Here's my effort - why not make your own?

A Simple Knot.

2010-10-12T11:10:00.000+01:00

A new comic for you, by me! Click to embiggen:

This was my entry for the 2010 Graphic Short Story Prize. Hope you like it.

The Professor and the Trypanosome.

2010-10-12T10:54:00.000+01:00

I just recently did a portrait of a retiring professor who studies some of the parasites I covered in the Parasites! comic. This was the first image I've ever drawn entirely in the computer, using my new Intuos tablet.

I set the Photoshop pen up to draw like a pencil, before going on to 'ink' the image on a separate layer once I was happy with my pencils. Using the techniques I use to draw on paper I was able to achieve a piece of work as good as, if not better than I would normally produce through drawing on paper and later scanning into the computer.

100 Tiny Moments Book - Preorder.

2010-10-11T16:12:00.006+01:00

"There is imaginative and poetic potential in the small details of life that surround us, and very small details can encapsulate the most important things about life"

- Josie Long, in her introduction.

Almost a year after I began work on the 100 Tiny Moments project, and finally the comic is ready for print. I have brought together all 100 strips from the project, with an introduction by comedian and '100 Days' project leader Josie Long.

I am selling 100 copies of the book: each one is hand numbered and comes with a different 100 Tiny Moments badge. You can pre-order your copy now through paypal and I will pop your copy in the post when the book is released at the end of October. Just order your copy from the 'Shop' section on the right of this webpage.

'100 Tiny Moments From My Past, Present and Future' - 116 pages, black and white. Available for pre-order now. The book will also be available to buy from me in person at MCM London (29th - 31st October).

A Simple Knot.

2010-09-21T21:25:00.001+01:00

Here's a little preview from something I'm working on at the moment. The short comic is inspired by this phenomenon. I'll post the whole story soon.

Solipsistic Pop Preorder!

2010-09-21T21:22:00.000+01:00

(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

2010-09-05T14:06:00.001+01:00

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

2010-08-20T11:49:00.001+01:00

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

2010-08-11T16:43:00.001+01:00

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.

Free Parasites!

2010-08-05T17:26:00.003+01:00

I have acquired a stack of copies of the Parasites! comic I did with funding from the Wellcome Trust, and have arranged that I can send out copies for free to anyone who is interested. All you need to do is send me an email at: edward.m.a.ross [AT] btinternet.com with your address details and I'll stick a copy in the post for you. It's all funded by the Wellcome Trust Centre For Molecular Parasitology, which is why it's free.

Also, anyone buying anything from my blog in the foreseeable future will receive a copy as well. Woohoo!

Alternatively you can still download it from the Wellcome Trust here. [27.9MB] You can read about the project here.

Will Pickvance and Friends Flyer Design.

2010-07-26T13:09:00.002+01:00

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

2010-07-20T15:32:00.000+01:00

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.

Filmish #2 and Parasites Write Ups.

2010-07-09T15:59:00.000+01:00

In case you missed it, Matthew Sheret wrote a little about both Filmish #2 and Parasites! on his blog.

We've also had some attention for Parasites! at the Nobel-Lindau conference which Jamie recently attended. People apparently love the parasite/comic hybrid we created! Read Jamie's blog post here.

Appearances 2010

2010-07-03T09:24:00.000+01:00

I'll be making my first two appearances as a comics artist this year.

Latitude Festival - Thursday 15th to Sunday 18th July.

I've been invited to help out with We Are Words + Pictures' comic drawing workshops and drop-in and draw events at the festival. We'll be there from Friday to Sunday so if you're there, come on by.

Come and join some of the UK's finest small press illustrators and help create a unique comic to celebrate Latitude 2010. Drop in to polish up on your drawing skills, relax and take inspiration from our library of 'zines and comics or help fill pages with colourful characters, tall tales and fantasy lands while we spin a yarn in the Suffolk sun.

We Are Words + Pictures are a group of illustrators and writers creating comics throughout the UK. Since 2008 they have worked with the ICA's Comica Festival, Brick Lane Market and comedians Josie Long and Robin Ince.

Thought Bubble: Leeds Sequential Art Festival - Saturday 20th November.

I've also booked a table for my first ever convention, the one day Leeds Comic Con. I'm going to have to work hard to have more stuff to put on my table, which is a good thing I think. If anyone fancies sharing a table, just get in touch and we'll see what we can do...

Parasite on Parade

2010-06-18T13:48:00.000+01:00

Here's a little video we made of the giant trypanosome, free comic event. Enjoy!

The event was a resounding success I'd say. The comic is still available for download here.

The Wellcome Trust Blog

2010-06-16T09:50:00.000+01:00

I was asked to write about the process of making a comic about tropical parasites by the lovely people at the Wellcome Trust Blog. My guest post can be read here.

Filmish Reviewed in 'The List'

2010-06-16T09:46:00.000+01:00

Scottish events magazine 'The List' has reviewed issue 2 of 'Filmish' in their mid-June issue, giving it 4/5. The review is not currently available online, so here is what they have to say:

"Just in time for the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh-based comic writer Edward Ross returns with the second installment of his comic treatise on film theory. The second issue is more ambitious, with Ross devoting the entire title to 'Sets and Architecture', using movies like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Metropolis and Blade Runner to illustrate his points. But it is perhaps the inclusion and dissection of films such as Die Hard, James Bond and the Bourne series and the relation of their protagonists to their surroundings that is the most illuminating.

Educational and entertaining, his clean, simplistic art helps to draw you through various aspects of what could be confusing and complex ideas if they weren't so nicely translated into comic form. This comic is available from Edinburgh's Filmhouse and via edwardmaross.blogspot.com and we can only hope there's more to come."

(Henry Northmore)

Parasite Project

2010-06-11T11:04:00.002+01:00

A few months ago my friend Jamie approached me with an idea he'd be harbouring of participating in the Glasgow West End Festival to help raise public awareness of the work he and his colleagues do researching tropical parasites at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology.

The plan was simple, but definitely crazy: to build a giant trypanosome float for the festival's parade, and to hand out comics to explain what was going on. It would be like a Chinese dragon, a 7 meter long parasite held aloft on poles, twisting its way through Kelvingrove park amongst the colourful floats and costumes of the parade.

The idea fell by the wayside for a while, and it soon reached the point where we were at risk of not having enough time to get something made. And that's when we decided to get to work on it.

With funding from the Wellcome Trust I was able to get on board New York artist Rachel Morris to design the cover and a diagram for the back, giving me breathing room to focus on creating the internal comic goodness.

The writing process was definitely a challenge, mainly due to trying to balance clarity with the complexity inherent in the subject. We wanted to introduce our audience to three major parasites studied at the Centre: Plasmodium, Trypanosoma Brucei and Leishmania.

Our hope was to avoid condescension, over-simplification and anthropomorphism, while remaining engaging and accessible to a large audience. I think what we came up with might be a struggle for young children, but a wide audience will hopefully be able to engage with it.

Since we started work the project has expanded in scope. From our original plan of 500 copies, it has been increased to 5,000 at the behest of the department, who I think have seen our work as an excellent opportunity to get the word out about what the department is doing.

I'm really excited to see the outcomes of our efforts. The work Rachel has produced is brilliant, and gives the comic a really enticing first impression. And inside we've done six full-colour pages that I'm really pleased with.

If you're in Glasgow on Sunday 13th June, come along and say 'hi'. Details of the parade can be found here. You'll be able to pick up a copy there and then. Otherwise you can download a copy for free here.

Filmish Issue 2 OUT NOW!

2010-06-05T12:59:00.002+01:00

The comics arrived back from the printer last night and were hand numbered while watching Lethal Weapons 1 and 2. And now I'm pleased to announce that Filmish Issue 2 is on sale now.

The issue explores film's fascination with the world built around us, taking a journey through famous and much loved classics like A Trip to the Moon, Metropolis, Blade Runner and Die Hard. You can read an excerpt here.

With the first 20 online sales I'll be giving away a free Filmish badge made by Ikioma.

If you fancy the whole set of 4 you can buy them for £3.

If you live locally you can pick up a copy from Filmhouse, Avalanche or The Fruitmarket Gallery. I'll try and get some copies down to London in the next week or so...

Another Day, Another Parasite.

2010-05-27T17:02:00.001+01:00

Here's part of today's work on Parasites!

Parasites!

2010-05-26T15:26:00.005+01:00

Another project I'm currently working on is a short, full colour comic with my friend Jamie, dealing with his subject of expertise: parasitology. We're creating an 8 page comic to be handed out for free at the Glasgow West End Festival in June. The comic is designed to let people know a bit more about the types of parasites that cause malaria, leishmaniasis and sleeping sickness. In the fair there's going to be a giant trypanosome (cause of sleeping sickness), kind of like a Chinese dragon and these comics will give people a little explanation and context.

I'll post more as it progresses, but in the meantime a little lineup of our parasites...

From left to right: Plasmodium bursting out of a blood cell; Trypanosomes swimming in the blood, and a wee gathering of Leishmania.

Even more exciting is the front and back cover being designed and illustrated by talented New Yorker Rachel Morris. I'll post her work here at a later date...

Filmish Issue 2: Sets and Architecture.

2010-05-25T17:42:00.001+01:00

The second issue of Filmish is now finished and almost ready to go off to the printers. It'll hopefully be in Edinburgh shops and available online a week on Friday. In the meantime here's a little taster, plus a lovely review from The Skinny.

Solipsistic Pop

2010-05-24T12:22:00.000+01:00

The lineup for Solipsistic Pop Volume 3 has been announced, and I am pleased to say that I am one of the contributors to what will no doubt be an amazing collection of UK comics. More details will follow in the coming weeks and months as we approach the November release. The press release follows:

Solipsistic Pop 3 is due this November with a launch party in London taking place before an official release at the Leeds Thought Bubble festival.
Contributions from: Krystina Baczynski, Becky Barnicoat, Adam Cadwell, Warwick Johnson Cadwell, Franceasca Cassavetti, Stephen Collins, David O’Connell, Rob Davis, Joe Decie, Marc Ellerby, Anne Holiday, Tom Humberstone, Linzie Hunter, Mark Oliver, Octavia Raitt, Edward Ross, Philippa Rice, Anna Saunders, Julia Scheele, Matthew Sheret and Andrew Waugh. For more information on the artists, please click here.
Details on the book and previews will follow over the coming months, but for now we would like to announce that Solipsistic Pop 3 is being built as a UK alternative comic anthology that is accessible and appealing to children and young adults. Inspiration for the book is equal parts RAW, DC Thompson, Panini and McSweeneys. More information soon!

'Filmish' in Paper Science.

2010-05-22T12:42:00.001+01:00

As previously reported, some of my work featured in Paper Science issue 2, which was released on Free Comic Book day. By all reports it was a successful release and of the 500 printed, all have been given away. However, you can still download the collection free here. I thought I might as well post my contribution here while I'm at it, though don't let that stop you downloading the whole thing: there's spectacular work in there.

Click to embiggen.

Filmish #2 Sample.

2010-04-29T20:10:00.000+01:00

I've been working hard trying to get a second issue of 'Filmish' together in time for the upcoming Edinburgh International Film Festival. It's going well, if a bit slowly. Here's a wee sampler to get you excited! Click on it to enlarge:

Paper Science 2.

2010-04-29T20:04:00.001+01:00

The hard working folk at We Are Words + Pictures have brought together some of the finest comics talent in Britain for the second issue of Paper Science. It's a newspaper format anthology that they're going to be giving away for free at Orbital Comics in London on the 1st of May (which is Free Comic Book Day). I've been lucky enough to have been included in the collection, with a full colour version of my Food on Film "Filmish" essay. If you're in London you should pop in and grab your copy.

Their words follow:

Saturday May 1st is Free Comic Book Day, and to celebrate We Are Words + Pictures will be once again releasing the talents of UK comics press on you all with a new edition of Paper Science.
Sporting a brand new cover by Philippa Rice, we’ll be setting ourselves up in London’s Orbital Comics, with 500 free copies to distribute to anyone who comes in. We’ll also be running a Drop In + Draw day there, featuring Tom Humberstone and Mark Oliver as well as the Mobile Library.
This new edition of Paper Science has been created with the generous assistance of Newspaper Club. They’re printing us a 16page, full-colour edition of 500 in time for the event. We’ll also be offering a print-ready PDF of the paper on this site on Saturday under a Creative Commons license, for you to read onscreen or to take to a printer. You can knock up a run wherever you are, just let us know.
We Are Words + Pictures are joined in this madness, in order of appearance, by Philippa Rice, Francesca Cassavetti, Joe Decie, Octavia Raitt, Becky Barnicoat, Daniel Locke, Anne Holiday, Matthew Sheret, Tom Humberstone, Luke Pearson, Adam Cadwell, Geof Banyard, Mark Oliver, Liz Lunney, Douglas Noble, Kristyna Baczynski, Anna Saunders, Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, Sean Azzopardi, Edward Ross and Marc Ellerby.

Comics In Shops!

2010-03-16T23:03:00.000Z

On my travels down south for the 100 Days finale I managed to tour some lovely comics shops in London and Manchester. Now stocking my work are Orbital Comics and Gosh! in London, and Travelling Man and Good Grief in Manchester.

'Filmish' in situ in Orbital Comics.

and then on the shelf in Travelling Man.

and also in Good Grief!

I cannot recommend enough a visit to Good Grief if you're in Manchester. It's one of the loveliest comics shops I've ever visited, a slim wee room filled with cool stuff, zines and artwork. Go, now!

100 Tiny Moments: The Best of Days 68-100

2010-03-16T09:52:00.000Z

So the Hundred Days project wrapped up with a show/exhibition in London on the 10th of March, and now it's all over. It was a great show, with some fantastic final work from Josie Long et al, and the Hundred Days exhibition was pretty much the 8th Wonder of the World, full of amazing art and curiosities. I managed to pick up some lovely souvenirs, including a new word by Chrissy Williams, a lego stegosaurus by Daniel Weir and a pretzel postcard by Kellee Rich.

Looking back at the project, I'm pretty sure it made me a better person. I set out with a few self-improvement goals in mind:
1. To improve my discipline, and show myself that it's not that hard to work towards a goal a little each day.
2. To work on my art, and try and get to a level of quality that I'm more happy with.
3. To show other people my work, and try and decrease my fear I have of doing so.
4. To be more open with myself and others about my life and about personal matters.
5. To have a completed comic after 100 days.

Well, I'm definitely more disciplined, having forced myself each day to draw a comic, no matter my mood. There were days that were definitely a struggle, days where the quality dipped due to a lack of energy and inspiration, where I wished I could just give up and watch TV. But then, there were days where I was close to giving up and a spark of inspiration allowed me to create work that I am really pleased with. And I am pleased with the level of quality I managed to achieve, especially in the last 20 days, when I really tried to push myself further, and to avoid lazily resorting to a four square-panel structure. Looking back at some of the early strips can be a little painful in comparison. I managed to show people my work, and have become more confident about the concept of that, helped as well by the fact that people seemed to really respond to my honesty and openness. And of course, by sticking with it, I've come out the other end with 100 short comics.

Above: This comic was a bit of a turning point for me. It was a day with a bit of extra free time, and I was presented with a story I knew I wanted to tell. Instead of the usual mad dash to come up with an idea late in the evening, I had a lot more time to mull it over, and the opportunity to make more of the layout than I usually would. I realised quickly that it wasn't necessarily easier to create a simple four panel layout, and what extra time I might spend discovering the best layout of panels would be offset by the satisfaction of a good looking layout. This story was also interesting for its notable lack of dialogue, though I now wish I'd had the confidence to have absolutely no speech there whatsoever.

Above: This, and its prequel, were strips I had planned in my head for a while. There is something sad about the idea that as we grow older we get left behind by culture and society. I don't like to think it, but there is always that chance that one day my views of morality and propriety will be considered outmoded, bigoted even. This was a strip, I have to admit, I was a little worried about being misunderstood. Being called a bigot is no small thing, and that label hangs heavily over my future self's head. I don't like the idea of it one bit, and feared that people would interpret the offpanel action as something specific that we accept in modern times. Quite the opposite, what might make me and others bigots in the future is something we probably can't even imagine right now, or at least something we think we could never condone.

Above: As the project wound towards the end, I think I became a little fixated on death. This was at once to do with the looming end of the project turning my thoughts towards themes of mortality and endings, and the fact that I was increasingly aware of those gaps in my history that I'd left. I think this is one of my most visually beautiful and poetic strips, and one that relies both on pictorial and textual elements to achieve its full effect. Also, at this point I knew how I wanted to end the project, and the "Ashes Part I" title was a deliberate foreshadowing of "Ashes Part II", the third to last, though spiritual end to the 100 Tiny Moments.

Above: This was another strip that I knew I wanted to do for a long time, though it took me a while to muster the courage to tackle. I think I took a bit of a risk using actual photographs, but when I set out to begin drawing I realised there was no way I could capture this once vital human being who I had never met. There was something so wonderful and tragic in those photos that I knew I couldn't capture. The alternative universe ending to that strip was also quite hard to write, but I think an important choice. Showing that other world only highlights what we have lost.

Above: These last two strips were I think a good end to the project. The idea of my passing into insignificance offsets the egocentrism of the whole project by suggesting that every one of us is only significant for a tiny moment in history. We will impact on the lives of our friends and family, our children and theirs. And we might be remembered beyond that if we're very lucky. But that doesn't matter, and turning to dust doesn't scare me. I hadn't originally intended to end with the final present day conclusion, but I think it was a good choice to return to that heart of the strip.

I'll leave the final word to the eloquence of Chrissy Williams, who discusses her feelings on the project on her blog. I can't think of a better summary of what this project was for me, as well as the very thematic heart of "One Hundred Tiny Moments From My Past, Present and Future", than this:

"We affect other people, so what we do affects them. Small things accumulate into big things. This means that small things matter."

100 Tiny Moments: The Best of Days 34-67.

2010-02-06T15:02:00.001Z

The Hundred Days project has just passed the two thirds point and I thought it would be another good moment to reflect on some of my favourite comics from the last 33 days.

Above: Sometimes memories just spring to mind out of nowhere as I sit staring at the blank page. This was one of those, a memory that's often recalled, unexpected but fondly received. As the weeks have passed I've tried more and more to experiment with the layout of my page, but it's only ever possible when time allows it. It's interesting to look back too at how what I'm currently reading informs my illustration, and there's more than a hint of Alison Bechdel in this piece.

Above: This was a memory I knew I wanted to deal with right from the start. I guess that day it just seemed like the right time. Setting pencil to paper, I knew that the chances of this working were pretty low, what with the challenges of capturing awesome natural beauty with my limited skill. I decided on a simple visual technique in the end, less realistic, more expressive and suggestive.

Above: Something I've wanted to avoid is becoming too self-reflexive with the strip. For me, a comic commenting on itself closes itself off from being universally interesting, and limits its significance in the longer term. But when an act like drawing an autobiographical comic becomes such a big part of your daily life, at times it needs to be commented on. I only hope that I haven't crossed that invisible line and stepped too far into self-reflexivity.

Above: Some comics are a joy to draw. There's not that many opportunities to draw slimy, creepy monsters in an autobiographical comic, so when that gift presents itself, you have to just go with it.

Filmish Reviewed in The List.

2010-01-25T15:33:00.002Z

Filmish has been reviewed in Scottish listings magazine 'The List'. It's exciting to see the first ever review of my work.

"Edinburgh-based cartoonist, comic writer and filmmaker Edward Ross releases this sharp and wryly amusing ‘wee collection of comic book essays on film theory’. This isn’t hard academia (and doesn’t pretend to be) but an engaging look at the basics of film theory with the visual comic format making concepts even easier to understand. Reminiscent in style to Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics, Ross guides us through ‘Monsters!’, ‘Point of View’ and ‘Food on Film’.
Instantly appealing, the simplicity of the black & white art keeps the flow of ideas clear and uncluttered. It’s a fantastic primer and would be nice to think that this 24-page initial release might just be the start of a whole series dissecting film theory into easily digestible chunks in Ross’ own humorous style."
- Henry Northmore

100 Tiny Moments From My Past, Present and Future.

2010-01-04T13:10:00.004Z

Things are going well with my 100 days pledge. Unfortunately it means other projects are showing signs of neglect. You can see all the comics over at 100tinymoments. Here's some of my personal favourites from the past 34 days...

Above: The first tiny moment where I flash forward into my future. It's strange, but visualising your own demise is quite enjoyable. It's the catharsis of it, I guess. Stop worrying, start imagining.

Above: One of my most favourite, but maybe others found it less entertaining. I just like the visual simplicity of it, the lack of pretension and the sense of fun. The last few days have not quite presented me with such small joys, and I guess I'm a little jealous of my past self.

Above: One of my most moving strips, and a big departure from others, it being entirely digitally painted over an old photo. Day to day it's hard to maintain such a high standard, and I don't think I've met this one since, at least on a visual and technical level.

Above: A piece of New Years Eve sentimentality. A vision of the future not involving my death or decay. I featured some of my friends in the pictures: Jamie got beardy, Tom with a scar and a son, Adrian looking just the same and Pete with middle-aged chubby cheeks. I dunno, it just makes me happy looking at the future this way, even if it'll probably turn out so different.

Filmish: The Net Widens!

2009-12-07T17:21:00.004Z

Just to let everyone know that my first comic 'Filmish' is now on sale in Edinburgh at Filmhouse, Avalanche, Word Power Books, Deadhead Comics and Elvis Shakespeare. Go, now! And buy!

My comic is now also on sale online: just check the sidebar. £4 including p+p.

One Hundred Days...

2009-12-03T15:34:00.006Z

I'm currently participating in 'One Hundred Days To Make Me A Better Person'. Every day from the 1st of December for 100 days I'll be illustrating a different tiny moment from my past, present or future over at my Tiny Moments blog. I'll post any stand-out efforts here, but the whole thing can be witnessed unfolding at the blog.

Filmish: Comic Book Essays on Film Theory

2009-11-18T10:44:00.003Z

I've finally finished work on "Filmish", a comic that I've been working on that uses comics to discuss different film theories.

It's on sale from Edinburgh Filmhouse from Thursday! Drop in and grab your copy!

Godzilla.

2009-11-04T16:34:00.002Z

I borrowed a Wacom Tablet to see how they worked. I decided to colour a panel from Monsters! as practice and this is how it turned out. I had to re-draw the bottom half of Godzilla with the tablet, and once I got the pressure sensitivity working it became obvious that this can be a very useful tool!

Film Theory Comic: Coming Soon.

2009-11-02T18:14:00.004Z

I've been working on a new film theory comic over the last few weeks. The inking is done and soon it'll be ready for printing. I'll be collecting it together with my other theory comics in a wee book that will go on sale in Filmhouse and possibly elsewhere before the start of December.

Here's a little taster that I coloured for the pleasure of your eye cones.

The Eruption of Kilauea.

2009-10-31T12:17:00.003Z

The Screen Bandita event last night was excellent. A great mix of bands, each with their own interpretation and unique sound. And the films were strange and spectacular, a real find! I especially loved the main event, The Eruption of Kilauea 1955, which was just amazing to watch. Lava is very cool.

Thank you to everyone for their kind comments on my work. It was so nice meeting all the artists who I'd been drawing over the last few weeks.

Raise Your Hem Unite: Red

2009-10-19T13:00:00.003+01:00

Couldn't resist doing one last image on the 'red' theme.

Raise Your Hem Unite

2009-10-19T12:36:00.003+01:00

The final colour image for the Screen Banditas event. Each band member was drawn separately but they seem to unite pretty well in the same image. The original pictures were taken by Evi Tsiligaridou on Portobello beach in Edinburgh, right near my childhood home!

I'm looking forward to the event:

The Eruption of Kilauea and Other Treasures.

Venue: St Cecilia’s Hall (Niddry Street, Edinburgh)
Date: 30th October 2009, 19.30
Tickets: £4/£3 (Can be bought on the door or in advance at Edinburgh Filmhouse.)

Raise Your Hem.

2009-10-12T20:43:00.003+01:00

Various projects on the go at the moment, but nothing to put on the blog just yet. Still drawing those Edinburgh bands for Screen Banditas. Will have the rest of Raise Your Hem to post tomorrow. I tell you now though, drawing a double bass is tough!

Also working on a new film theory comic. I won't be putting it all up online, as I've got something special planned, but maybe I'll stick up a sampler in the coming days.

Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

2009-10-05T16:23:00.002+01:00

A favourite current technique is to scan in crumpled paper textures to give an image a bit of tangibility. It looks really good on this image. It looks a bit like I just found the picture in the bin and stuck in online.

I love their name by the way...

Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

2009-10-05T15:57:00.002+01:00

The last band for the Banditas event: Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Raise Your Hem: Red.

2009-09-30T17:36:00.001+01:00

The red design version. Was thinking of doing a series of images of the band: the person in silhouette against a different colour background, with their instrument foregrounded and lit up.

Raise Your Hem.

2009-09-30T17:29:00.006+01:00

An image for the Screen Banditas event, 'The Eruption of Kilauea and Other Treasures'. One member of the band 'Raise Your Hem'. More of the band still to come! I used a ripped up piece of corrugated card to create that interesting sand texture.

Will Pickvance Red

2009-09-29T14:46:00.001+01:00

Will Pickvance.

2009-09-29T14:09:00.004+01:00

Another image for the up and coming Screen Banditas event. This is of the Edinburgh musician Will Pickvance.

Zorras Red.

2009-09-25T10:10:00.004+01:00

Another version of the Zorras image.

Zorras Unite.

2009-09-23T12:35:00.009+01:00

I'm working on something for Screen Banditas at the moment and I'll be drawing portraits of a number of Edinburgh bands. Here's the first one, and although the final will be in black and white, I thought I'd try giving it a little colour. It's the Zorras.

The original it is based on is here.

Living In The Dark

2009-09-14T21:00:00.000+01:00

Last year I designed the album art for a friend's band: Pheonix Street. Below is the concept I mocked up for them...

And here's what they ended up with. It's an epic image that took a lot of tweaking to get right. I was a little disappointed to see the final product in a sense, since CD cases are so bloody small! It would look amazing as a vinyl sleeve. Click on the image to see it nice and big!

The song the cover was inspired by is a really claustrophobic, mournful song, their title track. I think I managed to capture a sense of overwhelming painful memory with the piles of scrap paper, photos and trinkets. I found all the polaroids amongst my parents old photographs and had always wanted to do something with them. All these weird test images from their years of professional photography.

Photographs © Peter Ross and Margaret Drysdale 2008.
Cover art © Edward Ross, Tom Sharrock and David McRae 2008.

In The Mood For Love

2009-09-14T20:49:00.000+01:00

An image based on the poster for the Wong Kar-wai classic In The Mood For Love. I used found textures around the house for the clothing, bacakdrop and skin. Photoshop allows us to add so much visual depth to an image.
I've been meaning to do a series of these, but I've not been able to decide on another poster to use. It's such a simple and elegant initial image that captures the tender and wistful relationship of the two characters perfectly.

Monsters!

2009-09-14T20:41:00.002+01:00

Another comic for the Filmhouse. I'm pretty pleased with this one.

I actually recently read that Cronenberg denies the A.I.D.S. allegory in The Fly. But since the Death of the Author I can say what I like! Would have loved to have done a Jurassic Park as fear of genetic engineering bit... I do love drawing dinosaurs.

Wisconsin, 1895.

2009-09-14T20:14:00.000+01:00

The documentary Wisconsin Death Trip is one of the most atmospheric and unique American films I've seen in years. With our view of the Old West so shaped by cowboy movies, it's a revelation to see a film that shows us the day to day moments of melancholy and quiet pain that normal people lived. The idea inspired a short comic, that's still forming in my head. I managed to draw a first page though...

An example here of me using the computer for good rather than evil. All my colours are done in photoshop. In this case, I also used the program to tweak the composition, and the original hand drawn images were really just props that I later moved around in the computer. I think it turned out really well, and sets the tone for the story to come nicely.

Reel Iraq

2009-09-14T19:53:00.000+01:00

The second comic I did for the Filmhouse. I was less pleased with this one. Time and space constraints meant I could only do a six panel piece. Not really enough room to do justice to a country's entire film history pre-2003.

If you think that King Faisal II's hair looks bad, you should have seen him when he was wearing his Admiral's hat. This was an instance where I did quite a bit of computer fixing, but really ultimately to the detriment of the image. For example the gunbarrel effect in panel 4 just looks bad: an airbrush effect that doesn't work with my thick black lines. Sometimes keeping the image with some blemishes intact can work in your favour.

Food On Film

2009-09-14T17:24:00.002+01:00

Earlier this year I illustrated a wee 4 page comic for the Edinburgh Filmhouse (www.filmhousecinema.com). The comic went out to the cinema's members with the monthly programme.

The comic itself was based on my Undergraduate Dissertation, examining the role of food in Far East Asian horror movies like Dumplings, Gozu, Oldboy, Lady Vengeance and 301/302. I've got a real love for Asian horror, and highly recommend checking out the work of Takeshi Miike or Park Chan-wook to those who haven't already.

Some Older Work.

2009-09-14T17:16:00.001+01:00

A sample of some of my older work: a story that fell by the wayside called Bus Stop Boxer. I colouritised it today as an experiment. Turned out okay I think...

You can see I'm drawing inspiration here from one of my favourite all time comic artists Chris Ware. His use of muted colours in Jimmy Corrigan are on show here, as well as the diagrammatic style. This kind of thing is only really possible in comics, and something I'd like to see more of. The way Ware can interlink characters, histories, those tiny moments in peoples lives through his elaborate, eloquent paneling is just amazing.

One day I'll get this story started up again...

Blog Time.

2009-09-14T17:04:00.000+01:00

About time for a blog I'd say. I'll start posting up some of my work soon...

2000-01-01T00:00:00.024Z

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