Our students recently participated in a challenge to create a series of ‘Exquisite Corpses’. The ‘Exquisite Corpse’ is a collaborative drawing exercise first adopted by surrealist artists as a way for them to create interesting and inventive designs.
We took the students on a trip to the Tate Britain, National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery. They were asked to copy parts of the paintings on display that would then be used at a later date to invent their ‘Corpses’. See the results of the drawing trip and final designs below.
We’re back again with new projects by our talented graduates, starting with CORBAN WILKIN.
Following the success of their acclaimed graphic novel Grand Theft Horse, Corban and the writer Greg Neri published The Time Traveling Dinosaur Detectives of Antarctica in 2020. It was illustrated for Giant Screen Films to accompany their IMAX documentary on Antarctic Dinosaurs.
The Time Travelling Dino Detectives of Antarctica is a comic about the true story of the dinosaurs that once lived on the Antarctic continent and the scientists working to find and understand them.
ALEKS KSIAZKIEWICZ graduated from Middlesex in 2019 and is now working as a Graphic Designer between Derby & Nottingham, doing freelance Illustration projects from time to time. They mainly work with promotional & editorial projects, social media content as well as marketing.
Recently Aleks worked with Artcore, S.H.E.D UK & Derby University. They’re also an ambassador of YAC Collective and have now formed Not Yet Collective with other Derby & Nottingham based artists.
Graduating in 2017, JOHANNA GOUSSET now works as a freelancer in illustration and animation, also teaching animation at a university in Namur (Belgium). Her latest animation came out last month and included 13 different musicians from around the world.
Johanna is currently working on a children’s book based in Richmond Park with the author Mike Thexton, who she’s been working with for the past 6 years and published 4 books with already. Their new book will be published by Lanista Partners Ltd.
She also continues to sketch live during concerts whenever she can, including via Zoom when Covid doesn’t allow better. Here are a couple of sketches she did from last year’s Stu Larsen’s zoom concert.
On top of all this, in October she also participated in Inktober with 31 watercolours of various plants and animals.
Graduate AMPER COOPER-DAVIES recently worked with Swarm Dynamics on their animation, JANE AND THE DARK CLOUD. Following Jane and Dan, the short film (featuring a voice over by Josie Long) explores ideas of system change, brighter futures and shows what a truly system changing Green New Deal could look like in the UK and beyond.
Swarm Dynamics is a cross-disciplinary organisation that harnesses arts and effective communications to help engage wider audiences on sustainable futures – focusing on systems level solutions. Drawing on the interdisciplinary talents of artists and experts, they promote rapid transformations towards zero carbon economies, and inform awareness and action about solutions.
This summer our course hosted an online webinar discussing studying Illustration at Middlesex University and how to prepare yourself for working as a professional in the industry. the talk gave viewers a look at current student work as well as touching on the practises of our staff and graduates;
The webinar featured lectures LOUISE WEIR and MARTIN URSELL, graduating 3rd year student LOU KISS and 2nd year student THOMAS ATKINS plus our former GAA and high flying graduate SHAZLEEN KHAN.
We are delighted to hear that 2020 graduate TYRELL OSBOURNE is one of the up-and-coming comics creators to be selected for Self Made Hero’s Graphic Anthology Programme. The programme is designed to find, develop, publish, and promote emerging comic-book artists from diverse backgrounds from across the UK. As well as receiving mentoring, feedback and masterclasses to help them create a graphic short story over the 12-week programme, the chosen participants will have their outcomes included in Catalyst, an anthology to be published by Self Made Hero. Amount the mentors is our Children’s Books and Graphic Novel’s MA lecture Woodrow Phoenix.
2021 graduate LOU KISS as recently been commissioned to work on a number of projects including producing a series of editorial projects for one of the leading Hungarian (political) magazines; 168 Óra. The latest issue’s theme was ‘hatred’, taking a look at Hungary’s increasingly tense political situation and the rise of smear campaigns, political character assassinations and weaponisation social media in the run-up to the coming elections;
Graduate CHARLOT KRISTENSEN is one of the artists to be featured in illustrator Dapo Adeola’s authorial debut HEY YOU! Published by Penguin, this groundbreaking picture book is a lyrical, inspirational exploration of growing up Black, written by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola, and brought to life by some of the most exciting Black illustration talents working today;
And there’s more work from Charlot in the pipeline- next autumn will see the release of Bessie the Motorcycle Queen, a picture book about Bessie Springfield, the first African-American woman to ride across the United States solo, and was one of the few civilian motorcycle dispatch riders for the US Army during World War II;
We are delighted to share the news that graduate and Visiting Lecturer BEN HENDY is now a fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. Ben, who has taught printmaking and bookbinding on the course, specialises in creating textured, finely detailed lino-prints and has been helping co-ordinate events for the society.
Graduate and GAA SHAZLEEN KHAN is currently running a kickstarter to fund the printing of the third volume of their award-winning webcomic BUUZZA!!. The campaign met it’s goal in 15 hours and is still going strong!
BUUZA!! is a comic about found family, diaspora and religion, set in an urban fantasy 90’s middle east and central asia in which a misdialed number leads to an unexpected, long distance romance. It is available to read on both tapas and webtoons and was the winner of Broken Frontier’s best webcomic of 2019.
Shazleen was also invited to speak at the fifth annual Open the Door festival as part of a panel with graphic novelist Kate Charlesworth (Sensible Footwear) about the importance of representation and seeing yourself in comics and graphic novels, and about how queer visibility helps with finding and creating a sense of community.
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As well as providing the promotional artwork for this year’s digital Glasgow Comic Con, Shazleen will also be part of a panel discussing webcomics on Friday June 18th;
Graduate DIONNE KITCHING worked with Pooleyville to illustrate PASS THE PARCEL, a public art project in Milton Keynes by Walter Jack Studio. As well as Dionne’s illustrations the piece also features short stories in response to the artworks, interviews with the artist and photographs;
‘For the first time in comics format, Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs will be a journey through Freddie’s life; from his childhood in Zanzibar, through his formative years in England, to becoming the rock star known and loved by millions around the globe. The story is told in his own words, with each chapter giving a glimpse into the many facets of his life.
Written by Tres Dean (All Time Low Presents: Young Renegades), ‘Lover of Life, Singer of Songs’ will give true insight into the many experiences that helped shape the young Farrokh Bulsara and his compelling existence, both on and off stage—that was the life of Freddie Mercury, Lover of Life, Singer of Songs.’
Graduate ELLA GINN recently worked with creative agency Hue & Cry to create this floral, wood cut style design for Trash and Treasure’s Spiced Botanical Rum;
Graduate and GAA SHAZLEEN KHAN recently illustrated the cover for Amra Sabic-El-Rayess’ YA novel THE CAT I NEVER NAMED. Published by Bloomsbury, this memoir tells the story of a Muslim teen struggling to survive in the midst of the Bosnian genocide–and the stray cat who protected her family through it all.
Graduate MIKE O’BRIEN was one of the artists selected to work on Canterbury Cathedral’s BECKET 2020 project. As part of their celebration of Thomas Becket Mike was commissioned to create a graphic novel with writer Liam J. O’Driscoll adapting the story of Ralph de Longvilla as told in one of the cathedral’s Miracle Windows;
You can read the full story HERE. This comic, along with a number of others will be released in a graphic novel by the Cathedral later this year.
Here’s a look at some recently released and upcoming books featuring work by BA and MA graduates;
Graduate JAMES OSES (who now teaches on Middlesex’s Foundation Course) recently illustrated British Cheese on Toast, a new release from HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP featuring over 100 recipes of the classic dish by Steve Parker.
As well as our Illustration BA, Middlesex also runs an MA specialising in Children’s Books and Graphic Novels. This year sees the release of graduate FLORIAN GROSSET’SThe Chagos Berayal which she wrote and illustrated as her Final Major Project for the course;
Through the book Florian examines the poverty and discrimination suffered by the Chagos Islanders when their eviction by the British enforced US military control of their Indian Ocean home. It charts the present-day diaspora of Chagossians, their fight for the right to return through protests and court cases, and the different strategies still being used to keep them away from their land.
The Chagos Betrayal is available for pre-order now.
Also available for pre-order is the latest picture book illustrated by 2013 graduate DANIEL DUNCAN;
Written by Mara Rockliff and published by Penguin Random House, The Girl Who Could Fix Anything tells the story of Beatrice Shilling, a woman whose brilliance and mechanical expertise helped Britain win World War II through her ingenious engineering.
In this post we’ll be looking at some recent publishing announcements from our graduates;
2019 graduate ISHAA LOBO (Who recently signed with Andrea Brown Literary) will be illustrating Viking’s 2022 release THE MYSTERY OF THE LOVE LIST. Written by Sarah Glenn March, the book tells the story of a lonely porcupine looking for love;
Alumni and Graduate Academic Assistant SHAZLEEN KHAN will be illustrating middle grade graphic novel SAVING SUNSHINE due to be published in 2023 by FIRST SECOND BOOKS;
Finally 2020 graduate ROBIN RICHARDSON is now being represented by Maria Vicente on behalf of P.S LITERARY AGENCY so hopefully we’ll be hearing some more announcement news soon!
mdx illustration 