Info Bites: 24 Hour Comics Day and Singapore Writers Festival 2012

Hello again everyone, it’s been a (long) while since I last updated this blog! I’ve been really (REALLY) busy for the past 8 months, travelling, drawing and whatnot! It’s been a crazy ride but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, though I do regret not making time to write about the comic-related things I’ve been up to. So this is me trying to make amends by kickstarting my writing engines again with an update.

24 Hour Comics Day

24 Hour Comics Day is just around the corner (like this weekend!) and will be happening on the 20th till 21st October worldwide. This year I’ve finally decided to take the plunge and commit to participating in the Singapore version of this event (since I’m still working here) but for those of you in Malaysia, there’ll be one taking place at the Balai Seni Visual Negara  organized by none other than Sarah Joan Mokhtar (about time too after the last one held back in 2007)!

 

The Poster for the Malaysian version of 24 Hour Comics Day

Both versions of the event require pre-registration so that spaces will be allocated for your participation, so please register quickly if you’re interested! I’ve not participated in one before but I am pretty sure that it’ll be a great experience as well as a good way to meet people who love comics!

The Poster for the Singaporean version of 24 Hour Comics Day

More information and details on how to register for 24 Hour Comics Day Malaysia can be found here on their Official Facebook Event Page while the 24 Hour Comics Day Singapore has its own pages for Rules (aka what to expect) and Registration.

Singapore Writers Festival

If you were like me a few days ago you’d probably be wondering what does the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) that will be taking place between 2nd till 11th November 2012 have to do with comics, and you’d be delighted to know (like I was) that SWF has a lineup of comic panels/sessions in their itinerary!  Here are some of the comic-related highlights that I am itching to attend, if possible (click on the links for details of each event):

Brand New Books: Lingua Comica – Graphic Novels from Asia and Europe

Panel: Comic Artists Capture Singapore (Featuring Sonny Liew, Oh Yong Hwee, Miel)

Workshop: The Making of a Graphic Novel (Featuring Khalil, Creator of webcomic and graphic novel Zahra’s Paradise)

Meet the Author: Jimmy Liao

I’m definitely attending the Lingua Comica book launch session even though it’s on a weeknight I need to grab a copy of each of the books, especially the ones containing Hwei and Sarah Joan Mokhtar‘s comics when they attended Lingua Comica, a comics exchange program by the Asia-Europe Foundation! I’m still trying to make a tough decision on whether to attend the workshop or the meet-and-greet session with Jimmy Liao (a very famous Taiwanese Illustrator, in case you didn’t know. Go brush up on him on Wikipedia!), as the last three items on the list (Panel, Workshop, and Meet the Author) are taking place on the same day with overlapping time slots! The pains of being an avid comic lover!

Well, that’s all I have for now (that is, until Comic Fiesta rolls around in December)! Till next time, keep drawing!

P/S: There’s loads of drawing competitions currently bring co-organized by Comic Fiesta in conjunction with Comic Fiesta 2012, so you should probably take a look at the Comic Fiesta Forums if you want to join in! (Yes, I’m lazy to write about them now, haw!)

Comics Are Cool! (Like we still need convincing?!)

If you’re already following me on Twitter, then you’d have noticed that I retweeted Zid’s tweet about Earthy 638′s upcoming event called ‘Comics Are Cool! @ Earth 638′.

 

The Comics Are Cool! Event Poster (So Cool! Haha!)

I remember that Earth 638′s shop used to be located in Damansara Jaya’s Atria Shopping Complex, but I guess they must’ve moved since demolition/reconstruction work on the complex began a few months ago. They’re now located at Lot No.31J-2 on the 2nd Floor of Kelana Mall and this event could be an ingenious way for them to draw supporters of the local comic scene to their humble shop once again.

They have a strong lineup of Malaysian artists gracing the event; Gilamon Studios (which comprises of Tan Eng Huat (who is slowly becoming a familiar face at comic events around Southeast Asia), Slaium, Lefty, and Michael Chuah), Alan Quah, Faezal Tan, and the list goes on. It’s going to be a great opportunity to rub shoulders with the who’s who in the Malaysian comics scene!

‘Traditional’ comic shops like Earth 638 are few and far in between in Malaysia nowadays (with the exception of The Mind Shop), so show your support by attending whether you’re a comic aficionado or creator. You probably won’t regret it.

As usual, all the cool things happen when I’m not back in Malaysia, but it’s cool (pun unintended). You can find more information on how to get there and such (like the launch of Malaysia’s 1st Indie Comic Wall) on the Official Comics Are Cool! Facebook Event Page. Viva Comics!

Minor Edit: Changed the Poster image to the latest one to display more information.

Info Bites: Weekend Fillers

Hey all! As usual, long time no update, my apologies! Just wanted to pop by and inform you all about the two events I know that are lined up for this and next weekend.

First off: Fusion of Passion Showcase

 

 

In conjunction with MASIF 2011 (an acronym for ‘Music, Arts, Style, International Festival’), Galeri Petronas is hosting the Fusion of Passion exhibition which features canvas-printed artworks of various Malaysian artists, including those of the graphic novel persuasion. Artworks by some of my favourite local artists such as Zid, kiDChan, Hwei, and Quartz (just to name a few) will be on display there, which is such a pity as I won’t be able to attend this exhibition before it ends!

 

One of Zid‘s artworks on display – ‘The Amazing Race’

This exhibition will come to a close on the 25th of September (this Sunday), so if you’re looking for something to feast your eyes on this weekend perhaps a trip down to Galeri Petronas at KLCC isn’t such a bad idea.

Next up: 24 Hour Comics Day Singapore

 

 

After a pretty long drought since the last 24 Hour Comics Day held in Malaysia back in 2006, our neighbours down South have have picked up the slack since 2010 with their own version of the event…and it will be happening again really soon! The Singapore 24 Hour Comics Day will be held on the 1st of October and sadly, all the places for the on-site drawing area at the Goodman Arts Center have been taken but don’t let that put a damper on your spirit! The Singapore 24 Hour Comics Day is still open for registering home participants, which means you can still take part in this event no matter where you are, from the comfort of your own home!

 

Participants from last year’s Singapore 24 Hour Comics Day (Picture taken from Singapore 24 Hour Comics Day website)

I know what’s the next question running in your mind: What are the benefits of participating from home? Well, for one, registering for this event (even though you say you will be taking part regardless) is the first step in making the commitment to participate 24 Hour Comics Day since from my own experience, you’ll be more likely to give it some serious thought instead of just ‘accidentally’ forgetting about it altogether! You can register to be a home participant here then take a look at the other participants that will be joining you on this journey (My name is somewhere in the home participants list…haha).

They also have a Google Group for this event for participants-to-be to exchange tips and carry out discussions. It seems that there’s some kind of collaboration going on between writers in Indonesia who want to liaise with artists to produce a comic for 24 Hour Comics Day there too, so some of you might want to give that a try!

Also, just a final shoutout to all of you to buy Craig Thompson’s latest book, Habibi, which was just released on the 20th of September to raving reviews. I’ve not gotten my copy yet, a terrible act that I will remedy once I post this entry and head off to enjoy my weekend!

With that, I hope that you’ll have some fun-filled weekends ahead, and till next post (really soon, promise!), I bid you adieu!

Info Bites!

Heya, it’s been pretty busy (as usual) since my last update here (another long hiatus! *sigh*)! I’ve compiled a few bite-sized chunks of information here into a single post, which I suspect will become a norm in the future (I’ve even created a new category for it in anticipation, haha!).

Without further ado, ta-daaaa~!

What I’ve Been Up To

Having been in Singapore for almost a year now, it’s funny how I only managed to meet up with Zid a few weeks before he left Singapore to return semi-permanently to Malaysia. I thoroughly enjoyed his company in those last few weeks, and the best thing was that he pointed me to a pretty nifty activity held by the Organization of Illustrators Council Singapore (OIC): their monthly Portrait Day held at the Market of Artists and Designers (MAAD) in the RedDot Design Museum.

OIC Singapore’s July 2011 MAAD Portrait Day Poster

For a 10SGD fee, the OIC will provide you a seat in the portrait drawing area, where interested ‘posers’ will sit in the designated chairs for 20 minutes while the artists get busy drawing their portraits. Apart from being good life drawing practise (no matter what art background you come from), you may be able to earn back the participation fee you’ve paid (or more!) as you are strongly encouraged to hang your completed artwork in a browsing area where the ‘posers’ can choose to buy them for 10SGD a piece. Interesting concept, no?

Here’s the Event Photos of the July 2011 OIC Session at MAAD I attended. I’m glad to say I managed to sell a piece of my art, much to my own amusement, as that was the only piece I chose to draw straight from my imagination instead. It’s this piece if you’re interested to know (please don’t laugh!).

It seems that the July session I attended will be the last of its kind being held on Saturday afternoons at the RedDot Design Museum; from now on the OIC intends to have the RedDot sessions on Friday nights, and are trying to find a new location for the Saturday afternoon sessions. Looks like the OIC Portrait Day will be bi-monthly from now on, so keep checking the OIC WordPress Blog for updates on when and where the next sessions will be held!

 

What I’ve Heard

I stumbled onto this piece of information as I was browsing my tumblr page. Many thanks to Eisu for bringing Womanthology to my attention!

The Preview Cover of Womanthology. Looks darn pretty to me!

A little background information on Womanthology: Womanthology is ‘a large scale anthology comic showcasing the works of women in comics’, to be created entirely by 140 women of all experience levels. As you can see from their Kickstarter page I’ve linked above, they’ve already reached their targeted amount, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still contribute since: 1. The more money they get = the more copies they can print and 2. Malaysian artists Aimo and Hanie are part of the project! From the lineup of artists taking part in this, I’ve got a good feeling that the result’s gonna be pretty awesome!

 

Upcoming Events

Dongeng (Fairy Tales) Publicity Poster

Dongeng (Fairy Tales) – A Solo Exhibition by kiDChan
Come mid-July, a solo exhibition by the prolific kiDChan will be held at Saito College in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, entitled: ‘Dongeng (Fairy Tales)’. You can visit their Facebook Event Page for more information if you’re interested to go there and have a gander at this wonderful artist’s works (free entry). There are slots where kiDChan herself will be there to do CG demos and such, so do keep an eye out for that. KiDChan does more illustration work than comics, but she still dabbles in comic work now and then. Definitely a trip worth making if you’re in need of artistic inspiration!

STGCC 2011

Singapore Toy Games and Comics Convention 2011 (STGCC 2011)
If you have extra moolah to spare or are super kiasu about being at the major comic events in South East Asia, then make your way across the Causeway to attend STGCC 2011, taking place at Suntec City’s Convention Hall in Singapore on 20th till 21st August. As usual, there’ll be loads of things going on at the event, such as the sale of event exclusive figurines, Guests of Honour appearances (CB Cebulski!), and the artists alley, just to name a few. All the information you may need (online ticket purchasing, event location, event schedule) can be found on the STGCC 2011 Homepage, though I must say that it’s a visual assault when you’re navigating the site.

That’s all for now, stay well, stay safe, and stay CLEAN! Till next time!

Projek Harapan

With the recent tragedy that struck Japan and the inane incidents that followed in Malaysia, the people over at the Mandarin Comic Society, Comic Fiesta and The One Academy came up with a very quick and brilliant idea to raise funds to help the victims of this natural disaster: Projek Harapan.

 

Projek Harapan’s Poster

The project, set up about a week after the earthquake struck, was a rallying call to Malaysian artists to contribute artworks that would be ultimately displayed at an exhibition at The One Academy’s Gallery as well as get compiled into an artbook aimed to raise funds for Japan. The deadline for submission has already passed but you can view all the submissions that made it in time in the photo albums on Comic Fiesta’s Facebook page. Despite the deadline being really close to the date of announcement, the response was overwhelming; submissions kept pouring in after the deadline in the form of comments with links to art on Comic Fiesta’s Facebook Wall even after the initial 300+ received (and mine’s in there somewhere as well *coughcough*).

I got the insider’s scoop that the amount of submissions baffled even the organizers, who initially only expected a humble total of about 50 submissions at most. As such, they are now forced to select only the outstanding submissions from the pile to be included into the final artbook, which will be sold at the Projek Harapan Exhibition which will be held on the 2nd of April 2011 from 10am to 5pm at The One Gallery, The One Academy of Communication Design, 28 Jalan PJS 11/28A. All donations and proceeds from the sale of the artbooks will go directly to the Japan Fund unless stated otherwise. Some established local artists like Lefty, C2V, and Tan Eng Huat have also contributed to the project, so if you’re a fan of theirs you should grab a copy to add to your collection of their works!

This project may seem trivial and self-serving at first, but I think it’s a great outlet for those who can’t afford significant donations to contribute to a deserving cause. So if you have the time to spare on Saturday this weekend, do hop on down to The One Gallery to show your support!

For more information (like the list of activities being held) or enquiries, you can visit the Projek Harapan Facebook Page.

Review: Lat’s Kampung Boy The Musical

Today I finally got to catch Lat’s Kampung Boy The Musical and boy I must say, I thought it was worth every single cent I spent on the ticket! From the elaborate sets to the time-line accurate costumes (approved by my mom who tagged along, and she was born in that era!) and superb acting, it was a visual treat for a casual Lat-lover like me, so I can imagine the elation of the hardcore Lat fans out there who have already attended the musical.

Lat and his father, portrayed on stage (Image taken from Lat The Musical’s Facebook Fan Page)

Note: I didn’t take any pictures during the performance (as the audience were requested not to do so) so the pictures accompanying this post are from the Lat exhibition around Istana Budaya.

LAT Kampung Boy The Musical

Before I begin this entry, I would like to say that my heart goes out to all the people in Japan who are currently suffering from the after-effects of the earthquake and tsunami. You are all in my prayers.

Amidst the depressing updates flooding my Timeline on Twitter, this little gem managed to pop up, courtesy of cziplee.

The Poster for The Musical

Apparently, there is going to be a musical based on our most well-known (and loved) cartoonist Lat’s Kampung Boy! I missed the news coverage it got in The Star, or else I would’ve sounded the alarm much earlier. The musical features many talented and prominent local actors and actresses, namely Sandra Sodhy, Douglas Lim, and my personal favourite, Harith Iskandar. Tickets are going for RM30 up to RM230, which is quite reasonable considering the relative fame of Lat and his works.

LAT Kampung Boy The Musical will be staged at Panggung Sari, Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 16 March till 3rd April 2011, so grab your tickets quickly at ticket2u.biz or at Istana Budaya’s Box Office. Lucky for me though, as I happen to be making a trip back home before the end of the Musical’s run!

EDIT: I just attended the musical today (27th March 2011) and found out that the musical has been extended to 5th April 2011 due to overwhelming response. If you’ve not gotten your tickets yet, now would be the best time to do so!

Galeri Chandan’s Sequential Narratives

After a long while of silence (e.g.: new job in a new country), I finally mustered up the drive to start posting again. A good thing too since this piece of news is pretty exciting to me!

Photo taken from Sireh’s Facebook photo album

Galeri Chandan, located at 15 Jalan Gelenggang, Damansara Heights, will be home to a comic art exhibition aptly named ‘Sequential Narratives’ that will take place between 19th February to 18th March 2011. I got wind of this exhibition through Facebook, and my curiosity was piqued by the teaser photos posted. All I can say is this: Even though it’s about comics, don’t expect all the exhibits to be 2-dimensional! What’s more, a few of my favourite local artists (Sarah Joan Mokhtar, Zid) are taking part so it’s all good. Though I’m currently not in Malaysia, I am thinking of making a trip home just for this. Hey, it’s not like we get that many gallery exhibitions dedicated to the comic artform in Malaysia, right?

You can access the Sequential Narratives exhibition website here for the full list of participating artists as well as photos and videos of the exhibition.

P/S: Galeri Chandan is on the ground floor of a double-storey bungalow unit, so do not be alarmed when you end up at a residential area!

Drawing Day 2010

Eeeps! I totally forgot to pimp this year’s Drawing Day and as it turns out, it’s TODAY!

So what’re you waiting for? Go out there and doodle! Do it on scrap paper, tissue paper, any paper or surface you can find! Just draw, draw, draw! Keep the passion alive!

Flippin’ Bubbles!

About a week ago I saw a link being promoted on my Facebook feed by Sarah. Intrigued, I clicked on it only to find a rather vague description about an event organised by a group called BubbleFlip calling for local independent artists to rally for their intro session to be held at Austin Chase cafe, The Gardens MidValley, with (surprise surprise!) Sarah as a guest speaker. Not knowing what to expect, I decided to attend the event to find out what it was all about. (They had my attention at ‘Comic Artists’.)

BubbleFlip’s Introduction Session Poster