Thought Bubble 2011

Thought Bubble is a creative season, a wedge of the year that works me into a frenzy of activity.
It is always the highlight of my creative year both productively, working to release new content for the festival, and socially, meeting and talking to more excellent people in the festival week than cumulatively across the other fifty-one of the year.

This year was super special, as I had the honour of being Thought Bubble's first Artist In Residence. Fun and fulfilment abounded in Leeds Central Library, as marvellous Matt Sheret (Writer In Residence) and I explored and ingested the amazing surroundings, working together to write a comic for next year's Thought Bubble Anthology. Check the Thought Bubble blog posts (1, 2, 3 and 4) for details of our daily updates and progress.

For the festival I exhibited a collection of my comics and illustration work at Travelling Man, Leeds. I also installed a golden forest made from scavenged cardboard into their window display. One of the best comics shops around, and certainly full of the best people.



There are so many highlights... It was a blinding week.
Meeting and talking with Richard Starkings was a great honour. Such a cool, kind creative. I had the delight of having my TB table opposite his. The staring match lasted 2 days...

I also had the extra privilege of being rendered in modular form as part of Adam Cadwell's Lego Hunt!

An unexpected breakfast with Tim Sale, discussing the finer points of muesli and yoghurt was unreal.
The amazing John Allison was my table neighbor and chortle captain, along with the stupendous Tom Humberstone. Great to speak with Darryl Cunningham, Warwick Johnson Cadwell, Jane Richardson, Timothy (the amazing) Winchester, Felt Mistress and Ellen Lindner. So many more people, but I shan't make you scroll down any longer...

A huge part of TB was the buzz around Nelson, Blank Slate Books' new release which I have 5 pages in, and meeting all the other creators/publishers associated with it. Very exciting to see my pages in print and also see that The Observer had given it a great review on TB Sunday, as they picked my pages to mention by name.

Plus seeing my pages in the Thought Bubble Anthology (Image) and Solipsistic Pop 4 in print for the first time too.

A huge thank you to Lisa and Clark (and all the incredible TB staff) for having me on board and making it so flippin' awesome again. Big thanks to all who stopped by, talked and bought comics, too. You're all the best and see you soon!