Graphic Novel/Comic Here We Come! (by sarah)

As anyone who follows me on social networks will have seen, I have been promoting a kick starter for a Comic Book Convention in Cheltenham. Today is their last day - they have reached their funding goal and are ready to roll but there is still time to book a ticket today and get all the fun extras 🙂

For the kick starter click here.

I am quiet excited about this - the convention will happen next year and there will be a comic book/graphic novel show casing on my stall 🙂 There will be The Little Books and prints of my art work and stuff like that, but the thing I am really excited about is the graphic novel/comic book I have been working on for the last few years.

The whole series started as The Punk In Pink and was a seat of your pants writing madness I did for NaNoWriMo. I started the graphic novel in the April after my first NaNo as part of a script writing challenge run by the same people - I decided to go for a graphic novel script but as always found that doing a straight story board worked much better for me than scripts. The novels started off in the middle of the story where as the comic starts at the beginning of Punk's story or as she is known then Punku.

Since then the stories have grown and there are three stories series plus the graphic novel work and short stories and flash fictions set in the same universe which I have been posting on Magenta Monster.

Anyway - basically I am going to be working on getting the art work sorted for the first 'comic book' Revolations which is the first part of Babbel (which is the story arch and will make up the nice hard back graphic novel type thingy).

I will be doing my own Sponsume (like a kickstarter - I did one for my sci-art thing a couple of years ago), to raise money for the initial printing run. I know a few of you are desperate for me to do more wiggly pet stories but I'm not sure it is fair to do two such projects at once but I am open to suggestions!

Exams and Nature and Crazy Ideas (by sarah)

Today I had my exam or timed assessment for college - we could take a sheet of notes and the case study in with us. I had extra time for breaks due to the ME and separated pelvis and a nice chair to sit in, but the dyslexia stuff (due to me not getting stuff sorted (or paid for) in time) was not taken into consideration - so there was no easy writting extra time nor use of a computer which will impact my results.

The break time was needed as my stupid arm decided to go into spasm about half an hour in, the break time allowed me to massarge it and get it sort of ok to continue writing. After each break I could write again and the stretching was needed in order for me to not be in stupid amounts of pain at the end. I had also taken pain killers and stuff to help me through.

That over I began to reflect on the day and the course etc... I had arrived early and went and sat down by the campus lake and watched the birds and took some photos on what I keep thinking of as a PDA but is actually a tablet computer. It was lovely and carming and I took some accidental arty shots and looking at the birds it reminded me of the 100 birds in 100 days challenge I did last year and I suddenly thought - ooo I could do a flower one!

So that is what I have decided to do!

Starting today!

I'll be posting them over on Orange Monster.

Cheltenham Comic Book Convention – for 2015 (by sarah)

I am very excited about the potential of Cheltenham having a comic book convention in 2015, so really really hope this kick starter works out!

They need 5500 by the beginning week of March and are over the 1500 mark. You can by your tickets to attend on the kickstarter or like me buy a stall. Kickstarter only takes your money if the target amount is made so if they don't the extra money I'm not going to have a stall to sell my things at.

Of course I would have loved a pair of the shoes they are offering as a reward but alas and alack, I am not rich!

There are some funky peeps from the comic book world down as guests (as you would expect!) and there will be professional stalls etc...

Apart from the fact that this is a social or community venture, I am excited about this because it gives me a deadline. I have stuff that can go on the stall anyway - namely The Little Books but I would like to run a save the Wiggly Pets campaign and/or get the first part of the Punk comic / graphic novel out there.

So yeah that's the plans 🙂 London peeps etc... you would be welcome to stay at our house if you came up for this - as part of the kick starter you can buy tickets - did I mention that already? 😉

Also cosplay stuff!

Father and Daughter Soldering (by sarah)

Jeany got an electronics kit for Christmas - her and Al had a great time building it. It was a little musical instrument which she now keeps making me play! I got a different musical thing which Al is going to help me with. I believe this is all his cunning plan to get us both good at soldering as there are now off the shelf units to do the kind of LED lighting I wanted to put in at The Bakery. We've been eyeing up our living room 😉

Plans are to give her a bit more formal programming training now too.

p.s she did do most of the soldering herself but this bit was tricky and she was helping hold things in place.

Knitting 2014 (by sarah)

So last year I knitted 2 bears, most of a creeper cuddly, heart coasters, tinsel, holly and the such like, I also made a pattern for my bucky ball but I haven't published it anywhere I as want to test it first - if anyone is interested let me know please 🙂

I tend to put the knitting stuff up at Ravelry.com I am 5affy on there if anyone wants to friend me 🙂 I do tend to be a bit sporadic with it though. I want to catch up and put all my knitting challenges on Salaric Craft but am so far behind now that is a major undertaking so we shall see.

Actual knitting wise I want to finish stuff off - there is the berry bear blanket which is for Mary and was supposed to be for her birthday - if I push the boat out maybe I might finish it in time!

I'm still knitting Jeany's Christmas present - a creeper scarf so I want to finish that first along with her creeper stuff toy which pretty much needs sewing and stuffing!

There is a science knit concept I am working on as part of my Science Communication course right now which is having to take priority. But if I can pull it off as an actual working thing is going to be awesome!

I'll be doing some quick knits like roses etc... to pop on etsy. The trouble is I get Wednesday whilst Mary eats her lunch after mini mice climbing to knit and maybe Thursday during film night plus odd bits here and there but it is all moving forward nicely and I learnt two new technics over Christmas.

Alaric is still clicking away at my tea cosy 🙂 And of course he is in charge of making the pockets for the berry bear blanket - but I think he has the sewing bug as I keep finding the sewing machine out and things fixed!

Jeany still loves finger knitting - so much so that I have given up on the concept of buying tinsel every again! She has just started with a knitting nancy peg doll so we shall see how that goes - she was rather taken with a rainbow or crazy loom thing she saw at a friends party over Christmas so I think she maybe saving her pennies for that at the moment.

I am also still working on my upcyle knitting loom to make upcyled shopping bags - we shall see 🙂