Canada – Lucy Bellwood

VanCAF 2017 is Here!

It’s time, once again, for everyone’s favorite West Coast Canadian Comic Arts Festival: VanCAF!

Yes indeed, I’ll be appearing at the Roundhouse Community Center in Vancouver, B.C. this weekend from 10am to 5pm (both days). You can find the Bellwood Comics Empire at Table I2 in the Gymnasium. I’ll have a bunch of Baggywrinkles books, Life in Objects boxes, minicomics, and SUPER SECRET copies of Mappin‘ the Floor in advance of its official release in June! If you say the secret password, you can have one for free.

Photo Credit to Dan Turner from Free Comic Book Day in Berkeley—thanks, Dan!

If you’re attending with a young person who wants to learn more about making comics, they can come to a special comics-making class with myself and Mariana Yatsuda Ikuta on Sunday at 2:30 in the Arts and Crafts Room. There are free workshops for kids happening all weekend, so check out the schedule here and go draw with your favorite cartoonists.

I’ll also be moderating a panel called “Hash Out Your Cash!” with Steve Lieber, Hope Nicholson, Jeph Jacques, and James F. Wright (WHAT A LINEUP) on Sunday at 10:30am in the Performance Center. We’re gonna talk all about money which a topic I’m getting more and more jazzed about discussing with cartoonists, so I hope to see you there! (And be sure to check out the whole panel lineup on the VanCAF site.)

Okay, phew, that’s all for this weekend! I’ll see you across the border.

News

TCAF/VanCAF Recap

So. Wow. TCAF and VanCAF. Holy cannoli what an amazing couple of shows. Sold out of basically everything, met a ton of new fans and familiar faces, moderated my first panel, hung out with some incredible creators, ate delicious food, and just generally dissolved in a giant pool of happiness and gratitude that I get to be part of such a wonderful industry.

True Detective Season 3 — The industry is also goofy. Did I mention it’s goofy? Here’s me with gun-slinging comics rockstars Katie Shanahan, and Nicholas Kole photographed by Chris Cater — you can see more of his photos here.

Thanks to all of you who took the time to stop in, say hello, buy comics, and even follow up via email to let me know how much you’d enjoyed them — I’m really lucky to have such classy folks for fans.

Photo May 24, 1 18 15 PM — One of my favorite things at shows is seeing readers’ beautiful nautical tattoos.

If you missed it, the VanCAF panel I moderated on Building Comics Communities is available to listen to online:

And here’s a little gallery of watercolor commissions I did during the show! You can even buy a couple of them in my store right now.

I always have such a lovely time tabling at these two Canadian shows, and I couldn’t think of better note to end my spring convention rush on. If you’re looking for my upcoming appearances, check out the updated list to the left of this post. You’ll notice I’ve had to cancel CAKE in Chicago this weekend (I’m sorrrrrryyyyyyy), but I’ve also added some new stops to the summer/fall roster, so keep an eye out for me at a show near you.

For now, it’s time to get back to the studio after a long month of travel, business, house moving, and other nonsense. I can’t wait to DRAW!

See you guys next time,

News

VanCAF This Weekend!

Hey Vancouver! I’m headed back to Canada this weekend for VanCAF, which means more fun with Canadian pals and more chances for you come see some awesome cartoonists conveniently gathered under one roof FO’ FREE! You can find me at Table E7 in the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown on Saturday (10am – 6pm) and Sunday (11am – 5pm). Click the map below for a full exhibitor list and event schedule PDF!

I will also be moderating a panel all about building comics communities with some of my favorite pals. We’ll be representing casual meet-ups (Drawing Night), nonprofit organizations (Cloudscape Comics), professional shared workspaces (Periscope Studio), and online camaraderie (Shanahanigans Live). Here’re the details:

Drawing People Together: Comic Communities

Saturday, May 24th 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM

Hosted by: Lucy Bellwood

Featuring: Ed Brisson, Jeff Ellis, Katie Shanahan, Steven Shanahan

It can be hard making your way in comics, and nothing can be more valuable to a professional than the constant inspiration, energy, and networking that a community can provide. Come join comic leaders Lucy Bellwood, Ed Brisson, Jeff Ellis, and the Shanahan siblings as they discuss ways to connect with your peers and the benefit that comic communities can bring–both professionally and personally.

I can’t wait to see you all at the show. Bring yourselves, bring your friends, and bring your love for comics! Come say hi! I will probably look something like this:

SEE YOU IN VANCOUVER!

News

TCAF TCAF TCAF

Great news, Canada! You can find me slinging comics this weekend at the ever-so-fabulous Toronto Comic Arts Festival. It remains far and away my favorite show of 2013 and I’m sure this year will be even more excellent than the last. For starters I have so many more comics to share with you than I did last year! LOOK AT ALL THESE COMICS: GOLLY. Then there’s the stellar guest list, the super cool panels, and the FREE ADMISSION. Do I have your attention yet? GOOD, ‘CAUSE IT’S GONNA BE A PARTY AND I WANT YOU TO BE THERE. You can find me on the ground floor at Table 145 in the Toronto Reference Library from 9am – 5pm on Saturday May 10th and 11am – 5pm on Sunday May 11th so no excuses come say hello.

WOO!

Main, News

VanCAF This Weekend!

Get ready, Canada. There’s a wave of fabulous Portlanders headed your way this weekend for the impeccable show that is VanCAF!

I had an incredible time at this show last year, so I’m really excited to be heading up again to celebrate with all my Canadian comics buddies. I hope you’ll join us! That this weekend (May 25-26) at the Roundhouse Community Center (181 Roundhouse Mews) in Vancouver. The show is totally freeeee and runs 10am-6pm on Saturday and 11am-5pm on Sunday.

I’ll have brand new copies of Baggywrinkles #4 as well as Issues 1 – 3, True Believer, and Tales from the Fragment. Not to mention buttons and other goodies. You can find me at Table B4 alongside many lovely Portland creators. I’ve even made you a handy map so you can find me, Sam Alden, Ezra Butt, Terri Nelson, Dylan Meconis, Erika Moen, Amy Falcone, and Steve Lieber ALL IN ONE CONVENIENT LOCATION.

(If you want the bigger picture, here’s the entire convention floor map. Click to enlarge!)

In addition to tabling it up all weekend, I’m excited to be appearing on the Breaking Into Comics panel with Ed Brisson, Jesse Davidge, and Jason Turner! The conversation will be modered by Doug Savage, who will quiz us brutally on how we got started in the business of drawing funnybooks for a living. That goes down Sunday from 12 to 12:45.

ALSO: While you’re in Vancouver, be sure to check out the Maritime Museum’s exhibit on Tattoos and Scrimshaw, where you can find this ginormous poster I illustrated about common nautical tattoos! You can even buy copies of Baggywrinkles in the Museum’s gift store. Aw yis. I’ll probably be heading over there Monday to see the show in person, so if you want to tag along, come find me at the show!

Okay, I think that’s enough convention promotion for now. Phew! See you in Canada, friends.

Main, News

Waterlogged: Tales from the Seventh Sea

Really exciting news this week: Waterlogged, the 200-page anthology of nautical comics I contributed to last year, is finally going to print!

If you read this blog, I assume you share some of my enthusiasm for all things oceanic, so this is probably the collection for you. The stories cover everything from pirates and sailors to nautical mythology enthusiasts, plus the book itself promises to be gorgeous — I mean, just look at that cover illustration by Laura Bifano.

If you want a taste of the goods, you can read “Navy Ink”, the story I contributed in collaboration with Shannon Campbell, right here on my site. Just click the image below!

I was also thrilled when Cloudscape, the organization behind the anthology, asked me to do some chapter heading illustrations in the style of old tattoos. Here’s a selection:

They’ve launched an IndieGoGo campaign (with a super delightful video, I might add) and are hoping to have copies out by July. Unfortunately this means that I won’t have the book at my table for most conventions this season, but the sooner the campaign reaches its goal, the faster things will happen. To that end, check it out! Throw in some cash! Get amazing comics in return!

Relevant to that: if you’re interested in receiving a SUPER AFFORDABLE custom avatar commission from me, check out the Siren’s Avatar tier, where you can request a portrait commission from an artist of your choice. I’ve only made myself available for five slots, so hop on it if you’re interested. Other reward tiers include e-books, signed editions of the anthology, exclusive prints, and a jumbo pack of comics from all 30 contributors.

Phew, so that’s the biggest news this week. More to come soon!

Art, News

Vancouver Maritime Museum Installation

Some of you may recall I was doing some illustration work for the Vancouver Maritime Museum last month. Their Art of the Sailor exhibit opened this week, and Alina Anghel (of the Vancouver Trolley Company Blog) was kind enough to snap a photo of my giant poster on the wall!

The exhibit runs through October, so I’m really excited to see it in person when I visit for VanCAF in May. In the meantime, if you’re in the Vancouver area, be sure to stop in and check it out! There are a ton of educational and entertaining elements involved — including beautiful pieces of scrimshaw and many photographs of actual sailors showing off their ink. To learn more, check out this in-depth article on The Tyee blog.

I’m also excited to announce that the Museum will be stocking all three issues of Baggywrinkles in their store. There have been some delays, so they might not arrive for a week or two, but hopefully Vancouverites can pick up copies on site before too long.

More art to come soon!

Comics

New Comic – Navy Ink

Those of you who follow me on various platforms around the Internet will doubtless know that I drew a little silent, supernatural story for Cloudscape Comics last month. Their full, ocean-themed anthology won’t be out till next year (boo), but they’ve been kind enough to let me share the story with you here on my site (yay!). The drawings are by yours truly and the story was penned by Shannon Campbell, the brains behind VanCAF (where, incidentally, I’ll be exhibiting again next year!). But enough talk. On with the comics!

Main, News

VanCAF is Here! (And I Am Still Terrible at Blogging.)

News Item #1: I’M IN CANADA! As promised, I’ll be tabling at the first ever Vancouver Comic Arts Festival tomorrow and Sunday at the Roundhouse Mews in downtown Vancouver, B.C. I’ve made a handy map so none of you is in the least bit confused about where I’ll be located.

My fabulous tablemates are Sam Alden and Ryan Dirks, and we’ll be flanked by The Shanahan Siblings and Tony Cliff! I’m super thrilled to be seated next to such a bundle of talent. There are a load of other exhibitors (90 in total) and several panels to check out, so stop by and say “Hello.”

Did I mention it’s FREE?

New Item #2: I have been seriously rubbish at making sure this blog stays updated with all the Kickstarter news of the last few weeks, but I promise there’s a big post coming up with all the juicy gossip. In brief, I managed to graduate without falling on my face, I’ve spent the past week addressing and shipping HUNDREDS of envelopes, and I’ll be reprinting True Believer (already?!) next week!

That’s all for now! I’ll leave you with this extremely attractive portrait of me stapling the first limited edition copy at Gann Brothers printing last week.