LICAF LIVE - More Programme Details | Lakes International Comic Art Festival

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF) has revealed further details for LICAF LIVE – a free online festival of comic art wonders from across the world taking place 9th – 11th October 2020.

Replacing its physical Festival in Kendal in the Lake District this year, which regularly attracts some 15,000 comic fans, LICAF has brought together some of the biggest names and rising stars from the comic art world, including creators, writers and artists from all genres of comic art. to share their creative talent.

The festival is accessible online at www.comicartfestival.com and is free for all participants. The festival is bringing together over 55 comic creators from countries including Finland, Italy, Czech Republic, France, Japan, Iceland, the UK, US and more.

The online festival LICAF Live features live draws, international comic collaborations, films, daft comic challenges, masterclasses, discussions, expert talks and showcases the latest technology in our future of comics strand.

Plus, there’s a packed and extensive Little LICAF strand, offering comic workshops and advice for budding youngsters, schools and the next generation of comic artists.

Announced guests include Charlie Adlard, Yomi Ayeni, Sayra Begum, Hannah Berry, Paul Cornell, Gemma Correll, Robert Deas, Hugleikur Dagsson, Elyon’s, Dave Gibbons, Dave McKean, Luke McGarry, Ken Niimura, Paul Gravett, Marc Jackson, Nicola Jennings, Chie Kutsuwada, Sarah McIntyre, Junko Mizuno, Sean Phillips, Tanya Roberts, Julie Rocheleau, Martin Rowson, Posy Simmonds – and many, many more.

Festival Director, Julie Tait said: “It’s a fantastic line-up and we’ve been blown away by the support from comic creators, publishers and the partnership support from Lenovo. LICAF LIVE is providing an opportunity to introduce some artists and writers to the Lakes Festival experience for the very first time, and already prompting ideas for further international collaborations. We can’t wait to share some of our amazing content and see how our audiences react to our live comic events.”

LICAF LIVE’s packed events programme will include…

• Showing Off – a range of live draws and challenges including creators from locations as far-flung as Japan, Finland and the United States

• Drawing on Japan – with Junko Mizuno (USA/Japan), Ken Niimura (Spain/Japan), Emma Vieceli (UK) and Petteri Tikannen (Finland), who will draw on their inspirations from Japan to create an original piece of art for LICAF LIVE

• Pass the Panel – multiple artists are challenged to create a collaborative story. Taking turns, each of them will draw a panel of a new comic story, passing from one to the next until the story is complete. The finished strip could be tragic, silly, profound or hilarious. “The only thing we can safely predict,” enthuses Festival Director Julie Tait, “is that watching it take shape will be utterly mesmerising!”

• Live Cartoon Challenge with Luke McGarry – Live from Los Angeles and featuring special cartoonist guests, no challenge is too great for this award-winning, go-to designer and cartoonist

• “Comics Up Close” Comic Creator Interviews – live and recorded, including “Desert Island Comics” (five comics, a favourite snack and a luxury item – what would you take to a desert island?); “Through the Comics Keyhole”, where comics collectors – Dave McKean, Peter Hansen and more – take us into their homes and show us their prized possessions; Thinking Comics, a host of lively presentations by some of comics’ leading thinkers, with Hannah Berry, Elyon’s, Paul Gravett, Bobby Joseph, Pavel Kořínek, Pierre Lungheretti, Benôit Peeters and John McShane; and “Comics, Clouds and Kendal Mint Cake”, examining why the Lake District is such a great place to inspire artists, and to read comics, with Steven Appleby, Yomi Ayeni, Stephen L. Holland, Bryan Talbot – and Czech artist Vojtěch Mašek, presenting “Raymond Comes to Life”, a special comic created whilst in residence for a month in Kendal in 2019

• Infinity and Beyond: from digital comics to Virtual Reality and beyond – a special section of LICAF LIVE devoted to how technology is pushing the boundaries of comics

• The Virtual Comics Clock Tower, promoting creators, publishers and retailers – specifically supporting independent creators. There will be no charge to those creators chosen to be included in the virtual marketplace

• A Different View – LICAF Live is very excited to be presenting a number of online exhibitions, offering artworks, films and curator insights from international artists Igort and Toy_Box, plus Weirdest Comic Book Panels of All Time and Coronacartoon of the Year

• LITTLE LICAF LIVE, designed especially for kids (12 and under) and families – a wonderland of workshops, downloadable resources such as colouring projects, readings and more, with Chie Kutsuwada, Inko, Marc Jackson, Stephen L. Holland, Kev F. Sutherland, Steve McGarry, Sarah McIntyre, Metaphrog, Tanya Roberts, Joe Wos and a Biographic Comic Competition, too, with support from BEANO comic

• Special Announcements will include the new Comics Laureate for 2021/23 and the winner of the LICAF Space Comic Challenge

• The launching of key books such as LICAF’s own project, Breakthrough anthology – and announcing the winner of the Myriad First Graphic Novel Competition

• Interactivities – quizzes, personality tests, exhibitions, audience participation events – and the VIZ Shopping Channel (no, really!)

• The Live ‘Big Comics Pub Quiz’ – with virtual Festival goers able to compete by yourself or form a team. Suitable for comics fans of all ages, with rounds ranging from Disney characters to the history of comics, to Outer Space, there will be prizes for the winners, plus the immortal accolade: Comics Cleverclogs 2020!

• “Daft as a Brush” – cartoonists from Denmark, Iceland, the UK and the United States – Gemma Correll, Hugleikur Dagsson, Björk Matias Friis, and Zoom Rockman, each tackle five crazy cartoon challenges, both live and pre-recorded, for your delight and delectation!

• Free Creator Workshops to provide more support for aspiring creators and for existing creators to expand and refresh their practice. Join comics creators Steven Appleby, Jason Chatfield, Ben Cullis, Joe Kelly, Joe and Luke McGarry, Tom Richmond, Lucy Sullivan, Tom Ward and Emma Vieceli to discover the tricks of the comic creating trade (Registration required, see the website for details)

• The Virtual Comics Clock Tower is online at licafclocktower.com

ANNOUNCED LICAF LIVE GUESTS

• Check out guest profiles here on the Festival web site

Charlie Adlard, Steven Appleby, Yomi Ayeni, Sayra Begum, Hannah Berry, Jason Chatfield, Paul Cornell, Gemma Correll, Ben Cullis, Hugleikur Dagsson, Robert Deas, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Francis Desharnais, Elyon’s, Claire Fauvel, Duncan Fegredo, Björk Matias Friis, Dave Gibbons, Paul Gravett, Peter Hansen, Stephen L. Holland, Marc Jackson, Jibé, Igort, Inko Ai Takita, Chie Kutsuwada, Bobby Joseph, Joe Kelly, Pavel Kořínek, Lucie Lomová, Pierre Lungheretti, Vojtěch Mašek, Luke McGarry, Joe McGarry, Steve McGarry, Sarah McIntyre, Dave McKean, John McShane, Metaphrog, Mark Millar, Junko Mizuno, Bill Morrison, Ken Niimura, Sean Phillips, Benoît Peeters, Eric Reynolds, Tom Richmond, Tanya Roberts, Julie Rocheleau, Zoom Rockman, Martin Rowson, Posy Simmonds, Glen Southern, Lucy Sullivan, Kev F. Sutherland, Bryan Talbot, Petteri Tikannen, Toy_Box, Emma Vieceli, VIZ, Tom Ward and Joe Wos

• The Virtual Comics Clock Tower is online at licafclocktower.com

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LICAF LIVE - More Programme Details

ANNOUNCED LICAF LIVE GUESTS

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