Laydeez do…CRIMEZ!

Comic book cover. Title is Crimes by Women. Image shows woman showing her leg to three soldiers
Crimes by Women #7 June 1949. Published by Fox Feature Syndicate.

Laydeez are doing CRIMEZ!

Come spend time with fellow comics enthusiasts as we work together to commit… we mean, solve a crime.

For the first Laydeez Do Comics Dundee event of 2020 there will be a talk by Dr. Laura Findlay on her work with crime comics, followed by a comic making workshop that involves a crime scene, and a wine reception with nibbles as per usual.

Friday 13 March 2020 from 6-9pm

We hope to see you there!

Laydeez Do Comics Dundee events are open to all 18+
in DCCS, Unit 10, Vision Building

Happy New Year from DCCS!

Happy New Year! Comics Club returns next week!

From Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th January 2020. 

Come and make comics at our FREE after school COMICS CLUBS
Tuesdays 4.30-6pm (10-13 year olds)
Wednesdays 5-6.30pm (14-17 year olds)

Unit 10, The Vision Building, 20 Greenmarket, Dundee, DD1 4QB

Everyone welcome
All materials provided
No experience necessary

We are currently running a waiting list for the Tuesday club. Contact DCCS Coordinator Damon Herd at d.herd@dundee.ac.uk for details.

The Dandy January 6th 1968
The Dandy © DC Thomson

‘Tis the season to draw comics

Comics Club is now on Christmas break and will return in January.
Comics Club for 10-13 year olds returns 4.30-6pm on Tuesday 14th January.
Comics Club for 14-17 year olds returns 5-6.30pm on Wednesday 15th January.

In the meantime we are very happy to share some Christmas drawings created at the last comics club of the year. We have 5 to share over the next few days. First up is this cute drawing by Aphra which is encouraging us all to celebrate peace over the holidays!

PS It’s always the season to draw comics!

Manga style drawing of girl doing a peace sign with her hand

Dundee Comics Prize 2019

waterworlds poster for dundee comics prize with undersea artwork by helen robinson
Art by Helen Robinson

The theme of the 2019 Dundee Comics Prize is ‘Water Worlds’. We encourage submissions that explore our relationship to the sea, rivers and waterways through the medium of comics. Suggested themes include, but are not limited to, climate change, pollution, underwater worlds, and our relationship to the aquatic environment more generally. Any genre or approach will be considered.

There will be a series of events in Dundee in November 2019 as part of the Being Human Festival, including talks, performances, and the launch of the comic. The theme of the Festival this year is Discoveries and Secrets.

Entries to the competition should take the form of 3 pages of completed comic art. The prize is £300, plus publication of the story. Runners-up may also be published if suitable.

The deadline for submissions is 15th November 2019.

The announcement will be made at the launch of the comic on Thursday 21st November 2019 in Dundee Comics Creative Space at 6pm.

The comic will be published by UniVerse. The aim of the competition is to nurture comics talent. Anyone can enter and the submission can be in any style, in black and white or colour, but the work must be finished to a high standard (lettered, inked, etc), and must be a complete story, suitable for publication at A4 size. The work must be original, and it must not have been already published already elsewhere. High resolution quality electronic files are requested (do not send us original artwork). The prize is awarded to the creator or team who produce the work. If the comic is collaborative the members of the team share the prize money equally. All winners (including runners-up) will be asked to provide a short account of how the comic was created, along with any relevant photos and sketches that can be used on a website or in the publication. The decision of the judging panel is final.

All queries and submissions should be sent to Professor Christopher Murray at: c.murray@dundee.ac.uk

Please send large files via wetransfer.

Information about Being Human is available here.

Art by Helen Robinson.

Comics Club autumn season

COMICS CLUB is now running until the end of the year – from Tuesday 22nd (4.30-6pm) and Wednesday 23rd October (5-6.30pm) until Tuesday 10th and Wednesday 11th December.

We will then take a month off over Christmas and start up again mid-January 2020.

We are currently running a waiting list for the Tuesday club. Contact DCCS Coordinator Damon Herd at d.herd@dundee.ac.uk for details.

bob autumn
Art by Rebecca Horner. Autumn variation by Damon Herd.

Events in DCCS this week

As you may know, Comics Club is on holiday this week. However, there are several exciting public events taking place in DCCS this week!

Wednesday 16th October 1.15-2.45pm
DUNDEE REMIX COMIC WORKSHOP
– a Festival of the Future event
Age 8+ years [under 14 years to be accompanied by and adult]

Art by Norrie Millar

What does a future Dundee look like to you?
How different will the city and people look in 2050?
What would you like to see?
This workshop will give you a chance to create your future Dundee vision in comic strip form using simple techniques including drawing and collage. Learn about the magic of creating comics while imagining Dundee years from now.

No experience necessary and materials will be provided.
For information and booking click here.

 

Art by Millie Strachan

Thursday 17th October 5-6pm
IDENTITY IN COMICS PANEL
– a Festival of the Future event
Age 14+ years recommended
This event is FREE but must be booked in advance.

Rebecca Horner, comics artist and colourist and lead workshop facilitator at Dundee Comics Creative Space will be joined by special guest Katie Whittle from Comics Youth for this discussion. Comics Youth is a Liverpool-based organisation that supports marginalised and disadvantaged children and young people across Merseyside through comics-focused workshops – themes very close to the heart of DCCS. Other special guest are Dundee based comics creator and researcher Olivia Hicks and up-and-coming comics maker Millie Strachan.

For information and booking click here.

 

Thursday 17th October 7-8.30pm
Speech Bubble – SPOOKY COMICS!
Speech Bubble is a Comics Book Club for 18 years and over held at the Dundee Comics Creative Space on Thursdays (fortnightly) from 7-8.30pm. All are welcome.

It’s time for a spook-athon! Spooky, spoopy, or just plain scary – we want some comics that deliver chills and spills. So settle in for an evening of seasonal, haunted, ghostly and ghastly comics… but don’t settle in too close to the chairs….

More info on the Speech Bubble FB page.

 

Friday 18th October 3-5pm
HOW TO GET INTO THE VISUAL EFFECTS INDUSTRY
Age: 10 years+

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) VFX and animation studio staff Amy Backwell and Bimpe Alliu will talk about how to break into the VFX industry and showcase the work of ILM in blockbuster films and TV shows.

The talk will be followed by a concept design workshop where you can create your own characters and designs.

Free, booking essential. For information and booking click here.

 

Friday 18th October 6-9pm
Laydeez Do Comics Dundee
Laydeez Do ZINES Dundee

The leaves may fall and nights become colder as autumn comes, but LDC Dundee is still here to brighten your nights!
Our 18th October meeting is all about ZINES! Join us for:
* A talk about this most DIY of mediums by Dr. Damon Herd
* A zine-making workshop led by Olivia Hicks, comic creator, doctoral student at the University of Dundee, and experienced zine-maker/zine-instructor/zine-queen.

Everyone over the age of 18 is welcome!
Light drinks and refreshments shall be served! Any questions/comments/concerns, message us! 🙂

More info on the LDCD FB page.

So come on down to DCCS this week and enjoy some great events!

 

IDENTITY IN COMICS PANEL

Art by Millie Strachan

A FESTIVAL OF THE FUTURE comics panel.

Rebecca Horner, comics artist and colourist and lead workshop facilitator at Dundee Comics Creative Space, will be joined by a special guest from Comics Youth for this discussion.

Comics Youth is a Liverpool- based organisation that supports marginalised and disadvantaged children and young people across Merseyside through comics-focused workshops – themes very close to the heart of DCCS.

There will also be some local comic creators as special guests!

Age: 14 years+

FREE but places can be booked at the eventbrite page.

DUNDEE REMIX COMICS WORKSHOP

dundeedecides crop
Art by Norrie Millar

A FESTIVAL OF THE FUTURE comics workshop

What does a future Dundee look like to you?

How different will the city and people look in 2050? What would you like to see?

This workshop will give you a chance to create your future Dundee vision in comic strip form using simple techniques including drawing and collage. Learn about the magic of creating comics while imagining Dundee years from now.

No experience necessary and materials will be provided.

Age: 8 years+ (under 14 years to be accompanied by an adult)

Tickets £3 

To book a place visit the eventbrite page

More Comics Classes for adults

Poster advertising the Comics and Other Media module

Would you like to learn more about comics? Too old for DCCS Comics Clubs? Then you can sign up for the University of Dundee’s Humanities For All modules. 

Comics and Other Media (short course) starts on Saturday 25th January 2020 9.30am-12.30pm and runs for 5 fortnightly sessions. It takes place in DCCS and is taught by DCCS Coordinator Dr Damon Herd. The module combines a critical history of the comics and other media with practical exercises and assignments. The module content covers:
Comics and Literature
Comics and Film
Comics and Performance
Comics and Art

Students will also get the chance to make their own comics with some fun, creative exercises to start them off. No experience necessary.

The module can be taken on its own or as a continuation of EN11008 – Introduction to Comics.

The course is open to the public and University of Dundee students. Funding can be covered by SDS Individual Learning Accounts (ILA).

For more information email Damon at dherd@dundee.ac.uk or check out the University’s website where you can also book your place.

Great War Dundee – Comic Launch

Great War Dundee comic cover featuring Ian Kennedy painting of a Scottish soldier
Art by Ian Kennedy

On Friday 20th September from 10am-4.30pm V&A Dundee are hosting a FREE all day event inspired by the First World War. This joint Scottish Centre for Comic Studies and Great War Dundee (GWD) event pulls together many of the threads of the GWD projects that have taken place since 2014, and commemorates the GWD project officially drawing to a close. The event will cover topics such as the presentation of the First World War in comics and games, and attendees will get an opportunity to develop their own comic strips.

The Great War Dundee comic will also be launched at the event. The comic contains a story written by legendary comics creator Pat Mills, who worked at DC Thomson before creating the hugely successful British science fiction comic 2000AD. In the 1970s Pat Mills started work on one of the most acclaimed war comics of all time, Charley’s War. The artist for the ‘Ragtime Soldier’ story is Gary Welsh, one of the University of Dundee’s recent graduates. The other strips included in the comic are ‘The Women’s Toon’, written by Erin Keepers and Hailey Austin, with art by 2000AD artist Anna Morozova, and ‘Casualties of War’, written by Calum Laird and drawn by Elliot Balson. All these creators are graduates of the comics programme in Dundee. Ian Kennedy provides the cover artwork.

For more information and to book tickets please see the Great War Dundee eventbrite page.

There will be a signing with Pat Mills from 6.30-8pm in Dundee Creative Comics Space. No tickets are required to come along to this.