Last weekend, Ellie and I decided to go down to London to East London Comic Arts Festival (ELCAF). An event including the term ‘comic arts’ would never have previously appealed to me as I just thought this would be about comic books which I don’t really have an interest in. However, since experiencing thoughtbubble festival last year and really enjoying it, I thought this might be a good thing to go to as well.
ELCAF was packed full of creatives which made it a great atmosphere. Everyone was so friendly and the professionals were happy to talk to us about their work and seemed interested in what we were doing too which was really nice. We got talking to Kristyna Baczynski who was keen to talk to us about her work and how our studies were going. We also spoke to Jon Boam who had previously done a workshop at college, and Pete Fowler who we recognised from the Made You Look documentary.
On a side note, it really struck me how many of these people are actually really shy and some conversations were a little awkward. It really highlighted to me how interpersonal and conversational skills can really work to your advantage in this industry. Thats not to say that those who are a bit quieter won’t do as well, but I think at events such as these it really stands you in good stead if you are a ‘people person’. I think I have come a long way with my confidence since being at Leeds College of Art and this is something I need to maintain and keep improving on. I was painfully quiet and shy as a child and I am so happy I forced myself to talk to people and speak up in my later school years. University is a big step in itself and moving to a city where I don’t know anyone has definitely helped me to be more confident when talking to new people. I think my job as a student ambassador is helping me to work on these skills while still remaining professional - its all good practice!
It really was a great day, tiring but inspiring I would say! Half of me wanted to go home and make things and the other part of me just needed sleep.
A lot of things caught my eye but I had to hold myself back from spending a small fortune. I did pick up a few bits and pieces though.
The ‘Pages on a Theme’ book by Kristyna Baczynski reminded me that I really do need to keep drawing over summer. I love the idea of drawing around a theme and cramming a page totally full of pictures. This might be something I try over summer to keep my drawing skills going.
The black and white postcards by Iselle Maddocks caught my eye, probably because I like working in monochrome so much. You can’t tell from the pictures but the postcards were printed on really nice stock which made the product feel so much more complete and professional. I think stock is something I need to consider in more depth next year as I want to produce products of high quality. Sometimes a poor material choice can really let an image down.
The Freddie Mercury zine by Kim Clements really made me laugh. I think I need to be less afraid of doing something that I might think is a bit silly. I also bought Mike Medaglia’s book ‘One Year Wiser’ which has an illustrated meditation for each day of the year. I think this is a concept which would have tied in nicely with my applied illustration module but really, I’m just hoping it keeps me sane through third year!
No comments:
Post a Comment