Nick and I have both donated zines to be sold at Egaku: Draw for Japan’s Art Fair this weekend. The fair is at Jaguar Shoes, 32-36 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, E2 8DA on Sunday 3rd April, 12 - 8pm. From the website:

a one day event to raise money for the Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. Onsale will be zines, prints, ceramics, original drawings, books and much more, from some of the most renowned illustrators and designers of today – Rob Ryan, Nobrow, Okido, Anorak Magazine, Jean Jullien, Laura Carlin, Frinton Press, Peepshow, Hato Press, Lazy Oaf, Winged Chariot & many many more.

All proceeds will go to support charities and aid agencies helping Japan deal with the aftermath of the recent earthquakes and tsunami. Sadly, we won’t be there, but do pop along if you can and buy some art - it’s for a good cause, and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed with what you find there.

Over the last month or so, I’ve been busy scribbling away at pencils for Smoo #4. As I’ve said in a previous post, this issue is more an illustrated essay/piece of prose than a comic, but nonetheless I hope you’ll all still like it. Plus, I’ve certainly enjoyed drawing it to date, and I guess that’s something. Anyway, I had hoped to have the whole issue completed before we head to the Small Press and Comic Expo in London, but seeing as I leave for the big smoke on Friday afternoon, I doubt this will happen. That said, I’ve pencilled nearly all of the 40 pages that will comprise the issue, and probably should be ready for release sometime in April. In the meantime, here is a gloriously lo-fi scan of one of the pencilled pages. More news soon.

Speaking of London, good friend, and culinary wizard Bianca (of food blog ‘A Pinch of Salt’ fame), has made us some bunting for our table. Looks awesome. We’ll look dead smart, if nothing else. Have a peak:

Also, I’ve hastily thrown together a contribution to the new Bristol-based zine ‘Bearpit’, which Nick has been diligently organising. My contribution is lacking, certainly, but from what I’ve seen of everyone else’s pitch, it’s going to be a great zine nonetheless. Should be out very, very soon.

Finally, just for you lovely Tumblr users, I’ve added an ‘ask me a question’ facility on this blog. This means if you are curious about anything, want to find out what I think I’m playing at, or otherwise contact me, you can now speak your brains. Oh, the joy of technology.

While drawing Smoo #3, I ended up going back to pages I thought I had finished, scrapping them, and then redrawing them. This was a pretty new (and unenjoyable) experience to me: although I intuitively knew that this was what proper folks called ‘editing’, I had previously planned my comics to the point where I  knew just what was happening on each page, and was happy to get scribbling. Smoo #3, on the other hand, was a little more ad hoc, and I was coming up with layouts as I started to pencil. I’m not so sure I like it that way and consequently, things went awry. In fact, if I’m honest, I’m sick of the sight of these later pages, even now, given the distraction to which they drove me. Naughty Simon, rushing things.

Anyway, the first image below is the original page I had drawn for Fake Blues Pt. 2. I quickly figured it lacked the impact or dynamism it needed, and with curse words and a sense of panic, I decided to do it over again. The second image is the page as it finally appeared in Smoo #3. Of course, looking at it now, I can see how to improve that version, too…

As you may or may not know, I have of late, and wherefore I know not, worked myself into a little bit of a state over Smoo #4. See, what happened was, after Christmas, I sat down and started to come up with ideas, started thinkin’, sketchin’, tryin’ – but nothing seemed to come out right. Then I got all full of artist’s/writer’s/procrastinator’s block and thought I’d throw an existential tantrum (albeit a polite, internalised British one) instead. “Oh, comics”, I thought forlornly, “what a fickle mister/master/mistress/boss you are”.

So after wrestling with those great (read: tiny) creative demons that besiege the bedroom cartoonist/writer, I’ve decided Smoo #4 isn’t going to be a comic at all. Nope. So although it’ll undoubtedly be full of the glorious wishy-washy, plaintive, navel gazing musings we’ve all come to expect (and hopefully love), the next issue will actually be a collection of writing and illustration. But why the change, you ask? Well. Minicomics are, undoubtedly, a great chance to improve your comic-writin’ and comic-drawin’ chops: I believe this fully. But I’ve always thought of Smoo as a zine, rather than as solely a comic, so I thought it’d be a nice opportunity for me to try something a little different, and not put (entirely self-generated and needless) pressure on myself to do something I wasn’t really feelin’.

That said, I reckon it’ll end up looking pretty similar to the story ‘Sicily’, from Smoo 2 ½, so it’s not going to be such a drastic change, and, if I get it done in time, the new issue will actually also probably come with a free mini-minicomic, too. So, I’m not jumping ship – I love comics just too darned much for that - just trying something new. It makes sense and I’m a lot happier knowing that the next thing I’m making I’m making for the right reasons.

Anyway, I hope it will be done in time for the Small Press and Comics Expo in London in March. I’ll post some process pics as I go along.