Happy Holidays!
Please enjoy my festive Yule Goat that I felt compelled to illustrate.
Merry Christmas!
Hourly SketchesÂ
As some of you know, I’ve been at Edinburgh Comic Art Festival exhibiting with Frisson Comics over the weekend (check out earlier posts for some reviews of the amazing goodies I bought)and I had Monday as a free day to explore Edinburgh.
Edinburgh is one of my most favourite places in the world to visit as it happens so I’ve been a few times and done the tourist stuff, plus me and Tom we’re both feeling rough and ready by the time we had to clear out of our Airbnb so we were a little bit at a loss as to what to do with our day. I decided it might be fun to try and do a small sketch every hour. Only trouble was I didn’t have art supplies, lucky this amazing shop exists (simply named Edinburgh Art Shop).
So I managed to start my first image at 12:56 and finished my last at 22:17 leaving me with 10 sketches throughout the day.
12:00 slot
A lovely portrait of Tom (I love drawing his nose) started in the Black Bull pub where I finally tried Haggis Neeps and Tatties (they were gorgeous)
13:00 slot
We were still in the Black Bull when my 13:00 slot seemed to be rolling in so I decided to practice still life (which I hate)
14:00 slot
It turned out we’d walked past the White Hart Inn which turned 500 years old this year which I felt a little bad about so I decided to give it a sketch (plus I’m awful at drawing buildings so it was valuable practice)
15:00 slot
One of my favourite places in Edinburgh (me being a massive goth n all) is Greyfriars Kirkyard. The graves there are all really old and weathered in really interesting ways. Obviously this was the perfect opportunity to draw something horrible. Quite happy with how this turned out actually.
16:00 slot
Today I managed to cross something off the bucket list, I finally went to a cat cafe, Maison de Moggy To be exact. Wow. What a fun experience, of course I had to sketch the beautiful bengal cat Marcel who visited my table đ
Some gorgeous images of some of the beauties.
17:00 slot
For my 17:00 sketch I thought I should try my hand at the castle, unfortunately the area I was in didn’t have benches facing the castle so I stood and drew it a while standing, overall though I’m quite happy with how this image turned out, it was at night so I got to go to town with my black pen which is also fun and I like the overall aesthetic achieved.
18:00 doesn’t exist because I was too busy đŠ
19:00 slot
Not as exciting as some of the other sketches but quite fun nonetheless, just sketched while we waited for our train in Starbucks. I quite enjoy sketching in cafes so it was a nice slot for me.
20:00
This is the sketch from the very beginning of our 4 hour train journey, the gentleman featured felt exactly how we did at this point of the journey!
21:00 slot
I decided rather than draw my surroundings of the train I should draw my amazing megalodon tooth I purchased from Mr Woods Fossil Shop. This shop is my favourite shop in the whole of Edinburgh, it’s full of beautifully preserved fossils and minerals and is worth a peak inside when you’re visiting, my megalodon tooth will be joining my other fossils on my studio window ledge of course.
22:00 slot (final)
At a loss again what to draw for my final drawing I decided to finish how I started and draw Tom, hard at work on a future Frisson comics project, which also meant I got to draw his awesome nose again.
Overall this was a fun little project to set myself, and was quite good practice for some of the stuff I don’t usually draw. Keep your eyes peeled because there will be more ECAF reviews coming as well!
Edinburgh Comic Art Festival-Panels Comics
My fourth round up of ECAF goodies! Today I’m looking at my purchases from Panels Comics: Meteor and Cosmic, though more so Cosmic as Meteor is on haitus.
I first came across Panels Comics in MCM Glasgow earlier this year, they were across from us (Frisson Comics) in the Comic Village which meant that I got to gaze at their lovely work all weekend, I ended up buying a pack of zines from them which I enjoyed immensely, they were experimental and full of interesting concepts. I started following Faye Stacey and Letty Wilson on Instagram and decided that next time I saw them at a convention I’d purchase some bigger books.
Both books I bought ended up being illustrated by Wilson. I was drawn to the retro colouring and the intricate covers of the books initially. Meteor is both written and illustrated by Wilson and Cosmic is written by Erin Keepers. I would like to say before I talk properly about Cosmic, that Meteor even though there is currently no new content is definitely worth a read, the writing is funny and dark and the art is full of beautiful details. It reminded me of Big Hero 6 in a way thematically (well if Big Hero 6 was set in a dystopian future and merged with Akira) If you can cope with the Firefly effect of needing more when you’ve finished, definitely grab a copy!
Now onto Cosmic, just wow. The story is centred around a young woman who wakes up in the centre of a crater with no memories but with a sense of purpose. The storytelling and pacing are phenomenally well done, the reader is introduced to the protagonist as she starts to learn about herself, Wilson art conveys the sense of wonder and innocence that the character must be feeling quite well. The story progresses in a fairly natural way, with the unnamed character learning about her environment and trying to find her way to the city.
The characters we meet on the way are likeable and as a reader I got very attached (a very SPOILER event happens in the story that I can’t elaborate on but left me feeling emotional and shocked)
Wilson’s beautiful artwork compliments Keeper’s intriguing tale perfectly. The aesthetic of the work and the intrigue at the end of the first issue has left me wanting to know more. As with NYX Cosmic will definitely be a regular purchase at future conventions (along with other works offered by Panels Comics)
Edinburgh Comic Art Festival- NYX in the Overworld
More summaries of my goodies!
I managed to grab the the first issue of NYX in the Overworld by Hari Conner at ECAF this year. It was hard to choose from all the lovely things for sale on her table (Hari is a talented illustrator and has a lot of really cool bags and accessories I’d love to own) but ultimately since I was at a comic festival I decided I wanted to take a chance on a new comic series!
I chose the first issue of NYX (there are 5 issues plus a spin off novel currently available) as I’m not always into this type of comic but I really liked the style of illustration on the cover and because I figured if I loved it there are more issues to buy so I wouldn’t be left hanging!
I’m very glad that I gave NYX a chance, the story is funny and engrossing, Conner manages to use the premise of ‘what if the rules of RPGs were applied to life’ in a way that isn’t intrusive to the story and actually adds depth to the characters journey.
The protagonist is a sweet character, they’re determined and sometimes a little naive (which makes it even better when they succeed). As an aside Conner explained to me that she purposely didn’t want the characters to have male or female pronouns which I quite liked and apparently it’s explained more in future issues.
LGBT characters are also discussed in the story without drawing attention to their orientation which is really cool to read.
A quality I quite like as a comic reader and artist is when the artwork improves throughout the comic. NYX starts off good and ends up looking great, you can see experimentation throughout the first issue which is cool and because each chapter is divided by the level of the character it can be read that the artist’s work is also levelling up!
As an aside this is my favourite joke so far!
I say so far because I will definitely be continuing with this series and watching it grow. The only real thing I’d ask for is the comic to get a colour print one day but I understand that this would bump up costs so it’s definitely a deal breaker. For now I can read the comic for free in colour here (though I do prefer a print copy). You can see more of Conner’s awesome work here go go go!
Edinburgh Comic Art Festival-Pushinka
Another review of an ECAF purchase. Pushinka by Aimee Lockwood, based on the true story of the daughter of the Russian space dog Streaks who was given to the Kennedys in 1961.
I’m not a massive history buff, and my knowledge of American history is a bit sketchy at best sometimes but this book really caught my attention and left me feeling a little teary eyed at the end.
I’ve previously bought comics off Lockwood because her art is so gorgeous, I love the traditional feel of her linework and her textured colouring. Pushinka is no exception, Lockwood sticks to a 60s USA nostalgic colour palette of red, white blue and orange alluding to to soviet colours subtly throughout, her linework captures the playful movements of Pushinka and adds a 60s advertisement kinda vibe Which plays into the propaganda that was happening at the time.
Overall this comic was a lovely read and is a great addition to my indie library, Lockwood’s other comics are definitely worth checking out (I previously bought North Coast Plagues which I also recommend)
Edinburgh Comic Art Festival- Kathryn BriggsÂ
Frisson Comics are currently exhibiting at the first ever Edinburgh Comic Art Festival with our first book and zines. While I’m here I’m doing some shopping for unusual comics to add to the collection. Of course Triskelion by Kathryn Briggs stands out.
I was immediately drawn to the fine art quality of her work, reminiscent of the likes of Dave Mckean and Bill Sienkiewicz (the artists who originally got me into comics)
Her work has a gorgeous mixed media approach, offering the reader a tactile engrossing experience in the work.
I had an intriguing conversation with Briggs when buying her comics about her work. She explained to me that she originally trained in fine art and transitioned to comics because it removed the barrier between art and viewer, she also told me that she’s interested in exploring the idea of a feminine hero through her work (the definition of which society currently can’t decide on). Her work actually contains snippets of philosophy adding context and depth to the work which I love.
Story wise the comic is based on three feminine characters and heavily based on Greek Mythology, with Circe and Athena being prominent characters. The story plays with traditional narratives and subverts the hierarchy of hero and villain, I’m intrigued to see where this goes with the next issue.
Only real criticism I have is that the issues are fairly short, but with the effort and imagination put into the production this is understandable, I think this series would definitely benefit from a compiled graphic novel release when finished!
In short, check out this author/artist/amazing person
You can see more of her gorgeous work and purchase prints/art/book here
Watch this space for more reviews!
The Trade
My posting has gone to pot recently, partially because I’m currently working on the next book from Frisson Comics
The Trade Which we are now funding via Kickstarter.
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Like with our last book Take Only Photographs, Leave Only Footprints, we’re trying to create a unique horror experience for our readers, using inks and quills to get a very organic line and natural aesthetic to the story.
I hope if this is any interest you might check out our campaign or even share it for us! This book is a must for indie comic fans đ
Kickstarter Thursdays
I’m gonna try a new thing on this blog and try and keep up with it. Every Thursday I’m gonna try and review a comic I’ve bought on Kickstarter as well as do a spotlight on a Kickstarter I’ve backed recently or that looks cool! Obviously I might not always have a comic to review as its determined by Kickstarter deadlines but hopefully I’ll always be able to do a spotlight!
Without further ado….
Kickstarter review:
Cautionary Fables and Fairytales: Asia EditionÂ
I sprung for the package that got me the previous books as well which was a bargain really. The series focuses on traditional fairy tales and fables from different continents, so far we’ve had the European edition and the African edition which I have yet to read (though they look awesome, and might be the subject of a future review). The stories are told using the format of comics which is always an instant positive for me, with different artists and authors working on each story, some told with modern elements.
What drew me to this particular Kickstarter campaign originally was the cover art, I thought the style and colour schemes used were gorgeous plus I’ve always been intrigued by Asian cultures.
A massive kudos I have to give for this book is that usually when I see things refer to Asia it tends to be East Asia, mostly Japan, sometimes China that is included rather than Pakistan or India. This book has been very inclusive and has stories from all over the continent, I’ve learned a lot about mythologies that I don’t usually come into contact with in western appraisals of myths and legends.
The different styles of artwork adds to the eclectic feel of the stories, I was slightly disappointed it was black and white rather than colour but for the sheer amount of content in the book I can understand why this was opted for and the illustrations are gorgeous regardless.
If anyone is interested in a copy, you can buy it digitally or physically from here, for $20 it’s an absolute bargain, for the quality of content and artwork and sheer size of the book you should snatch it up!
Kickstarter Spotlight:
Enough Space for Everyone Else: An Anthology
Ok there are quite a lot of really cool Kickstarter projects on at the moment but this one stood out for numerous reasons (which I’ll get to) and it isn’t even 100% funded yet!
First of all, the artists taking part in this project are extremely talented, a look through the example pages left my mouth watering. I’m very much a believer in comics moving away from the traditional Marvel styles and story telling techniques to being more adventurous and diverse in appearance, this project promises just that.
Secondly, and this sealed the deal for me when I backed it, this project aims to explore new paths of space stories to follow, rather than sticking to the tired old space exploration/ colonisation stories this book is exploring new directions to take the space travel genre. People always say ‘if you don’t like it, make your own’ which is what these guys have done and this gets infinate respects from me, and means that each story will be new and exciting. Go, pledge now!
One of the main reasons I Kickstarter is that it allows projects that wouldn’t necessarily be made by mainstream means  to be created and in public awareness for those who need to see something besides what is provided in popular media. This project is a really good example of this.
If this post was interesting to any of you, and you have any suggestions for kick-starters that you think deserve a spotlight send me an email at katskivhittlkov@gmail.com or leave me a comment here!
New products added this week!
I’ve added some new products to my Etsy store
I’ve added the badges I designed in conjunction with the Kickstarter campaign for our comic. People who bought a physical copy received the whole set of pins for free, now people who missed out can get the set for just ÂŁ2 here
The creatures featured are:
Angler Fish
Honeycomb eel
Goblin shark
Giant Pacific octopus
Creatures of the Deep pin set
Made from upcycled brass and silver coloured gears with silver plated studs. Perfect for steampunk fans!
I’ve also added these lovely hand drawn cuttlefish earrings. I drew these on shrink plastic myself and I’m really happy with how they’ve turned out! Those of you who follow my blog are probably aware of my octopus obsession already, so I’m sure you can understand why I’d make these beauties!
Because I love biology so much I made these lovely animal studs. There’s a choice of Owl, Bear and Bull skulls and they all look really cool. Again these are hand drawn into shrink plastic by myself. I personally like the Owls the best!
MaleficentÂ
In the same series as my Ursula picture I’ve drawn Maleficent! I’ve decided to do a Disney villain series in the same style as they’re fun to do and a nice break between comic pages đ
Here’s Maleficent, the villain from Sleeping Beauty! Drawn digitally in Photoshop đ
