Thought bubble: Leeds Comic Con

It's been ages since I last posted but I've been very busy sorting out some short stories as well as entering competitions. I recently went to Thought Bubble the comic convention in Leeds. It was a very busy event and got to take a portfolio with me to submit to the 2000ad competition. I got it critiqued by Peter Docherty (who incidentally also looked at my portfolio in 2002 Bristol comic con), Conor Boyle and Tom Foster. It was all very constructive. I also met with a host of small press publisher and hopefully some work will come about through it.

I travelled up with a Charles Cutting , artist /writer of Kadath and artist for Steamhamer who was selling his work at Sloth Comics

Above is my submission for the competition. Although it didn't make the final the main points I need to develop more, as critiqued by Tom Foster, were the way the panels link to each other, specifically in page one 2nd to 3rd panel. The real world elements need to be better drawn and more space was needed for dialogue specifically in page 4.
Pete Docherty commented further on the finish and structure of my line work and where I need to improve. being more purposeful with one brush stroke instead of using many to convey a form and committing to the line work and making things less scribbly.

One of the main positives was that it was kept visually interesting with good varying panels.

Conor looked at different work The Teleguuth story and commented that I need more distance variation especially in the first 2 pages.

Further more I got to watch the artists mentioned and others at work which is always interesting and educational. At one point I watched Kev Walker work and before I knew it an hour and a half had passed.

Also by chance I met Neil R Williams, someone I went to Chesterfield college with, who's created his own comic Carcass and Slime.