Arttoon on the Road – Three Events, Three Very Different Experiences
It has been a fantastic few weeks on the road, taking my artwork, prints, books and live drawing to three very different events across Scotland.
First came Kirkcaldy Comic Con, followed by Dundee Comic Con, and then I headed back home to East Kilbride for Blackheart Market. Three events, three very different audiences and three completely different atmospheres – but all three were great experiences. I've also been introducing new artwork at each event, adding more characters and ideas to my growing collection of Fan Art.
And, as always, I wasn't just there to display my artwork. I was drawing throughout the events too, creating cartoons and caricatures and, at Blackheart Market, taking things in a much more monstrous direction!
Kirkcaldy Comic Con – Spider-Man and Dr Doom Arrive
The Arttoon road trip began at Kirkcaldy Comic Con, and I arrived with two brand-new pieces of Fan Art – Spider-Man and Dr Doom.
Two very different Marvel characters, but both instantly recognisable and both great subjects for my Arttoon style. Spider-Man is one of those characters who has been part of popular culture for generations. From the original comics through to the many films and different interpretations, there is something wonderfully timeless about the character. Then there is Dr Doom – a completely different proposition. Powerful, imposing and visually distinctive, his armour and iconic mask make him a fantastic character to interpret as artwork.
Bringing both pieces to Kirkcaldy gave visitors something new to discover and gave me the opportunity to see how people reacted to two very different additions to my Fan Art collection.
But the artwork wasn't the only thing happening at my table.
I was also drawing cartoons and caricatures live, creating artwork for visitors while chatting about the characters and pictures on display. That's one of my favourite things about taking my Arttoon style to an event. People don't just get to see the finished artwork – they can watch something being created right in front of them.
A blank piece of paper becomes a face, a character and eventually a finished caricature.
That's Arttoon on the road.
Dundee Comic Con – Enter Freddy Fazbear and David!
From Kirkcaldy, it was on to Dundee Comic Con, where I continued the journey with even more new artwork.
This time I introduced David from The Lost Boys and Freddy Fazbear.
David couldn't be more different from Spider-Man or Dr Doom. As one of the iconic vampires from The Lost Boys, he brings a completely different atmosphere to my Fan Art collection.
I've always loved the visual character of The Lost Boys, and creating my own interpretation of David was a chance to explore that darker 1980s vampire aesthetic.
Then there was Freddy Fazbear from Five Nights at Freddy's.
Again, a completely different world – but that's exactly what makes Fan Art so much fun.
My artwork can jump from superheroes to vampires, video games, Horror, Rock Legends and films, all within the same collection. Dundee had that fantastic Comic Con mixture of fans, costumes, characters, creativity and plenty of enthusiasm, and once again I spent the event talking about artwork and creating cartoons and caricatures for visitors.
For me, live drawing is an important part of what I do.
I've always believed that art shouldn't just be something you look at hanging on a wall. It can be something you experience, something you can watch being created and, most importantly, something that can make you smile.
And there were certainly plenty of smiles at Dundee!
East Kilbride Blackheart Market – Things Get Monstrous!
Then came something completely different.
It was time to head back to East Kilbride for Blackheart Market, an event celebrating Horror, Gothic and Alternative Culture. This was the perfect opportunity to explore the darker side of my artwork. I brought along my Horror artwork and prints, but when it came to the live drawing, I decided that ordinary cartoons and caricatures weren't quite going to be enough.
Instead, I got monstrous!
My inspiration came from Leonardo da Vinci and his fascinating studies of exaggerated and grotesque faces, often referred to as visi mostruosi – monstrous or grotesque heads.
So, rather than simply drawing traditional caricatures, I started creating my own strange and exaggerated monstrous heads.
Huge noses, wild expressions, strange features and all sorts of wonderfully weird faces began appearing on the paper. It was great fun and, given the Horror and Gothic surroundings of Blackheart Market, it felt completely at home.
It also showed another side of what I can do with live drawing. A caricature doesn't always have to be a realistic representation of someone's face – sometimes you can take an idea and push it somewhere completely unexpected.
And at Blackheart, I definitely pushed it!
Three Events – Three Different Sides of Arttoon
Looking back at these three events, what I really enjoyed was how different each one was.
Kirkcaldy Comic Con saw the introduction of Spider-Man and Dr Doom, bringing two new Marvel-inspired pieces to the Arttoon collection.
Dundee Comic Con brought David from The Lost Boys and Freddy Fazbear, adding Horror and gaming to the latest wave of new Fan Art.
And East Kilbride Blackheart Market allowed me to explore something much darker and stranger, with my own take on Leonardo da Vinci's visi mostruosi.
Three events.
Three different atmospheres.
Three different audiences.
But throughout all three, I was doing what I love – creating art, meeting people and having fun with creativity.
That's really what Arttoon is all about.
Whether I'm creating Fan Art, painting a landscape, drawing a caricature, producing a cartoon or coming up with something completely bonkers, the philosophy remains the same:
Tell a Story with an Image.
Come and See Arttoon on the Road
And this is only the beginning.
I will continue on the Road and keep travelling, bringing original artwork, new Fan Art, prints, books and live drawing to Comic Cons, markets, art events and other venues.
So if you see Arttoon advertised at an event near you, come along and say hello!
You can see the artwork in person, discover what's new, have a chat about art, pick up a print or book, and you might even catch me drawing live. If you can't make it to an event, follow Arttoon online and keep up with what I'm creating, where I'm exhibiting and where I'll be heading next.
There will be new artwork, new events, new videos and plenty more Arttoon adventures along the way.
Don't just follow the art – come and experience it.
Follow Arttoon, keep an eye on the events calendar and come and find me on the road.
See you at the next event!
Coming Soon, very soon!
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