Tag Archives: illustration

Creator Spotlight: CLARE THOMPSON

We’re onto our fifth week of creator spotlights! We’ve previously interviewed Kevin T. Rogers, Michela Cicconi, Erika Price and Allan MacRitchie to celebrate 3 years of Knock Knock zines (hurrah) This week we’re speaking to long time contributor and Frisson Comics collaborator Clare Thompson about her painterly approach to making comics and her love of mixing the organic with the synthetic.

Clare has been contributing to Knock Knock ever since way back in our second issue!

What got you into creating art? 

I didn’t start with the intention of trying to be “good” at art, it was more a natural urge that I had to observe and document things. Later I started taking drawing more seriously in the sense that I wanted to practice to improve my skills. Portraiture interested me most and I’d draw people from life whenever I could. My friends at school would give me magazine cuttings of their favourite celebrities to draw for them. I studied fine art at A-level and this was when I began creating observational paintings, usually in oils. This interest meant I started life drawing quite early, from the age of 16. At college, myself and a friend who was also interested in painting would go back and use the space to practice in free periods and after lessons, we would stay and practice most nights for an extra two or three hours until the cleaners finally kicked us out. Observational painting of a range of subject matter is an on-going practice that has been part of my creative work since.

Are there any creators who influence your work and how?

When I started out I began looking at approaches to portraiture. I didn’t know anyone personally who painted or made artwork professionally and art wasn’t as accessible online as it is now. I’d mainly see artwork by reading illustrated books or visiting galleries. Rembrandt’s work stood out to me mainly because of his amazing ability to use lighting and tone to capture expression. I was also influenced by some 20th century portrait painters, admiring the way artists such as Lucian Freud and Jenny Saville used directional marks combined with tonal work to add life to their paintings. I later took inspiration from the expressive portraits of post war artists Egon Schiele and Kath Kollwitz.  

I grew up in Liverpool and at 18 I took a year out from education and worked in a warehouse  to save up to travel. During this time I continued to paint and became interested in the idea of depicting urban realism, of finding stories, characters and compositions within the manmade textures and decay of the urban environment. At this point the artwork I was creating was quite strict and tight with a focus aiming towards realism. Over time I developed a more fluid experimental approach to creating illustrations but also continued to practice observational drawing and painting. I think this grounding in realism still forms the basis of most of the work I make now as well as incorporating other ideas.

Part of a university project, modern adaptation of “A Harlot’s Progress”:

When studying for my illustration degree I came across the work of urban painter Jock McFadyen, I really liked the way he chose to find interest in unlikely subject matter and admired his painting style and compositions. I also liked the work of Manchester painter Liam Spencer and learned a lot about painting from looking at his use of marks. I have friends who are also painters and I always find it interesting to find out about their creative process and watch them work.

The first graphic novel I read was the wordless book The Arrival by Shaun Tan and I have followed his work and collected his books since then. I love the fact that Tan can create imagery that is ridiculously ambitious in terms of the scale of his imagination but it never quite falls over the boundary into out and out surrealism, fantasy or sci-fi. It stays grounded with touches of the mundane and familiar, inviting the reader to question what the fantasy or surreal elements might be representative of in the real world. I also like that he is now showing all the observational painting studies that underpin his practice, I find it reassuring that people whose work I admire also consider observational painting an integral part of their creative practice. It was the imaginative and experimental work of creators such as Shaun Tan, David Weisner and Dave McKean that made me realise that it wasn’t always necessary to conform to conventional methods of creating books or to stick within a genre. It was because of this desire to experiment that the idea of self-publishing appealed to me.

Stormcaller illustrations:

The first book I published in 2017 was Stormcaller, a graphic novel which started life as a short story. It soon became clear when I was designing the book that the story would lose its impact if it was fully converted to dialogue and imagery as a traditional comic layout. I wanted to keep the text and use it as an additional mode of communication but was worried that people might think I was somehow cheating by not conveying every part of the story through imagery. It was reading hybrid books such as The Savage by David Almond and Dave McKean and later discovering the diverse range of experimental comics and zines being made by independent creators and having conversations with them (including you at Frisson!) that gave me the confidence to make my own creative decisions based on what I thought was the best way of telling the story.

Do you have a favourite piece of horror media?

For me, horror works best when elements related to fear, fantasy or the paranormal are used as metaphors or to provoke an emotional response that deepens the impact of the narrative’s context. I think some of the films by Guillermo del Toro do this really well and The Devil’s Backbone is a personal favourite. Not sure whether it would be technically classed as horror or comedy but I also loved the originality of the Inside Number 9 series’ from Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton.

Do you have any projects coming up? 

I’m working on a few different things including a long-term solo graphic novel project, a set of printed collections of painting studies documenting treasures from the natural world and a drawing project exploring spaces within the architecture of Chester where I live. I’m also interested in the possibility of starting up a zine that focuses on the approaches and processes of different artists but I’m still working out the logistics of that! The project I’m closest to finishing is illustrations for Blue Collars Issue Two. This is a collaboration comic series written by Tom from Frisson. It is a story set in an alternate dystopian future, a new industrial revolution where totalitarianism reigns under the guise of philanthropy. Issue 2 begins by following the story of Katja and Marek, immigrants to this society who are struggling to help someone in need. Issue Two will be available to order on Kickstarter from the end of May.

Your work has a very painterly style more reminiscent of a fine arts background, what materials do you enjoy using the most?

I suppose it depends on the piece and the look I’m trying to achieve really. I will probably always enjoy pencil drawings and painting in oil because it was what I did most early on and training this way has given me a practical and tactile understanding of colour mixing and tone that feels quite natural now though I am always practicing and trying to improve. I’d say I’m most comfortable with my images when they look like they are made of something real whether that’s paint or paper or objects so it’s rare that I’ll produce a fully digital image.

Watercolour and ink give a beautiful translucency and atmosphere that you can’t achieve in any other medium. There is a sense of handing over control when it comes to these materials that doesn’t happen with opaque paints unless you dilute them. It’s never possible to know exactly what the finished piece will look like so it is the perfect medium for experimentation. For my illustrative work I mainly use ink and watercolour. Collaging fragments together is something that I started exploring a couple of years ago and have gradually been experimenting with more and more. I find that contrast between organic, fluid marks and the controlled, sharp edges and structure created through collage visually interesting and it also has the potential to add another layer of meaning or expression to a piece. I enjoy playing with surface layers in my painting studies and using collage is an extension of this.

It is usually the case that any interesting elements that I choose to add into my illustration work have started life either in painting studies or pieces I created for no purpose. When you take away the focus of the end product and just make art for it’s own sake I think it becomes easier to have new stylistic ideas that can then be used in narratives. That’s why I find it so important to do both.



Your work tends to focus on the interplay between the organic and the synthetic who or what inspires these themes in your work?

Yes! I’d say that is a contrast I often use. I think as creators we are always looking for shorthand or symbolic ways to describe and represent the experiences we are having and the world we are living in. We are organic beings but the majority of us in the West live in synthetic, manufactured environments that are more fragile than we choose to believe. I often wonder how many times in history civilisations have risen and fallen again.

As a child I was intrigued by the industrial revolution initially because of the imagery and artefacts I’d seen. I am visually interested in technology from this time because it was still possible to see how things worked through normal observation. Growing up in North-west England there were plenty of places to go and learn about this era and I was interested in finding out what it was like for people then. I knew that Liverpool was the birthplace of the first steam engine which was the seed of industry, manufacturing and of Western civilisation and capitalism as we know it. It was also a major port and point of trade during this period and was home to some of the wealthiest families in the world. But it was the realisation that this was also built on the exploitation of others; the slave trade and the children and labourers in the textile industry, that made me realise there was another side to the story. I read personal accounts written by people at the time and I think that this was the first time I became aware that to some, often those in positions of power, people are a resource to be used. The fusing of the mechanical with the biological, human form can be seen as symbolic of this.

Illustrations from my ‘Man and Machine’ series:





What scares you the most? 

I have a recurring nightmare of standing in front of an open window at night. Instead of a night sky dimmed by light pollution and clouds I can see the planets looming as gigantic orbs in the sky and every detail and crater on them is visible. I can see huge chunks of rock flying around them and through the sky. It’s like there is no distance or visual barrier between the Earth and space and I feel overwhelmed with a sense of being tiny, vulnerable and subject to the elements. The panic usually wakes me up and I tell myself it was just a dream but what scares me the most is that I know deep down that it isn’t. Living in modern society lulls us into a false sense of security that we are safe and detached from the reality of nature. A reality we haven’t even come close to understanding.

What’s your favourite piece that you’ve submitted to Knock Knock? ‘

One of the positive challenges of creating work for Knock Knock has been the format, creating something to say that is meaningful in a short form. (As you can probably tell from the length of my answers, I don’t find that easy!) This forces me to think creatively and edit down thoughts to the essence of what I want to express. I also see it as an opportunity to experiment with stylistic ideas.

I have always found it useful to use loose parts (small objects, cut out paper etc) as reference and to build compositions for story-boarding, but recently I’ve been focusing on the idea that this transient process can actually be expressed as the final illustration or be incorporated into it in some way. My recent wordless book Junk DNA was an expression of this idea amongst other things! Junk DNA was composed purely through the arrangement of objects so it may look visually like a completely different process from the rest of my illustration work but the pieces I have created subsequently including the one-page comic for the recent Pestilence issue have followed on directly from the same line of thinking. The idea was to compose the images by collaging ink drawings together as I mentioned earlier. Rather than drafting and re-drafting the editing occurs in the removal and replacement of component parts and so the working process is revealed in the image itself. I would say that this idea of showing creative play and process is a thread that runs through most of my work. Visually, I don’t like things to be too finished or perfect and I think that stems from the enjoyment in being able to see how something has been made. So I’d say the piece for the Pestilence issue would be my favourite as it represents a culmination of ideas that I intend to carry on using in future work.

You can keep up with Clare’s work and projects through her website here.You can also follow Clare’s process on her Instagram and Facebook Page.

Grab Clare’s fantastic art and books at her Etsy!

Don’t forget you can catch up with our previous zines in our zine archive!

Creator Spotlight: ALLAN MACRITCHIE

We’re coming up to week 4 of our artist spotlights celebrating 3 years of Knock Knock zines! We’ve previously spoken to some of our regular contributors to Knock Knock including Kevin T. Rogers, Michela Cicconi and Erika Price, this week we’re turning our spotlight onto macabre comic maker Allan MacRitchie. Allan has been contributing to Knock Knock since issue 4, and has experimented with comics, strips and even a fake film review. Read forth to catch a glimpse of Allan’s creative process and influences!

What got you into creating art? 

My parents are both creative and they encouraged me to start drawing. I also loved telling stories so comics became the perfect way for me to combine words and pictures. It’s only been in the last five years that I started making comics seriously and I’ve been self-publishing and tabling at conventions since 2016.

Are there any creators who influence your work and how?

Mike Mignola and Charles Burns use a lot of black ink and I do too- mainly to hide all the mistakes in my drawing. Also you can’t make horror comics without admiring/fearing Junji Ito.

Do you have a favourite piece of horror media?

Too many to list but off the top of my head: The League of GentlemenAnd Then Emily Was Gone by John Lees and Iain Laurie and Ari Aster’s Hereditary.

Do you have any projects coming up? 

I’m three pages into the second volume of Grave Wax– a supernatural mystery written by Heather Palmer and drawn by myself. Volume 1 was set in an isolated Highland town surrounded by creatures from the darkest corners of Scottish folklore. Now we’re moving the action to Glasgow where there’ll be murder, conspiracy and cults. If you’re a fan of Hellblazer check it out!

Your work has a very distinctive style, is there anything in particular which inspires your creative process?

I like to adapt how I draw to fit the tone of each story. Every time I make something I usually learn something from it that I can use for the next project. And the more I make the more I’m inspired to create new stuff.

Your stories tend to be very influenced by folklore, what is it that draws you to these types of tales?

I love monsters and mythology is full of them. Nothing fires up my brain more than great creature design.

What scares you the most? 

Opening up to people and exposing the horrible, blackened being that lives inside me. And yet here I am doing this interview.

What’s your favourite piece that you’ve submitted to Knock Knock?

The Adventures of Billy from the Nightmare Issue I was trying to emulate the style of Winsor McCay’s Dream of the Rarebit Fiend and it’s possibly the darkest thing I’ve written so far. Also Family Dinner, from the Gourmet Edition, which Heather wrote about an aristocratic cannibal family. It’s gross. So much so that I look at the art and think, “I can’t believe we did that.”

You can follow more of Allan’s twisted works and artistic process through Twitter and Instagram.

You can also grab issues of Grave Wax (and we highly recommend you do) on Etsy

Catch up on Later issues of Knock Knock in our archive!

Creator Spotlight: MICHELA CICCONI

Week 2 of our continuing creator spotlights, last week we spoke to Kevin T. Rogers, this week we are interviewing Italian artist Michela Cicconi. Michela has been contributing stories, comics and illustrations to our Knock Knock horror zines since issue 2 in 2016. We instantly fell in love with her dark humour and unique style.

What got you into creating art?


You know when you’re a kid, you draw a lot, especially before learning to write? I basically kept that up (I can read and write). There wasn’t a time in my life when I haven’t been drawing or
painting. Growing up, that proclivity towards drawing evolved as my interests changed, incorporating art and comics, but what remains is the will to create something with my hands.

Are there any creators who influence your work and how?


That has actually always been one of my weaknesses. I appreciate art in different styles and means of expressions, but there isn’t one specific artist that mainly influenced me. I look at different ones, from time to time, looking for inspiration. I love the works of Alphonse Mucha, just to give you a name. I find ideas in books and music, when I work, I often listen to the CDs of Caparezza (Italian musician) on repeat, that keeps me focused.

Do you have a favourite piece of horror media?


I love horror movies, especially those involving malefic presences, devils, anything related to demonic possession and Satan toying with humanity. I basically consume every piece of crap with a slight resemblance to Omen.
In comics, I love the work of Ted Naifeh, that combines a dark atmosphere with a beautifully crafted sense of wonder.
One of the books that really made an impression on me as a kid was Vinegar Street by Philip Ridley, a bit claustrophobic, apocalyptic and distressing. Just my type. Add years of reading Bram Stoker and Anne Rice, of course.


Do you have any projects coming up? 


I’m going to bring my art prints (mainly linocuts) and comics to an independent maker’s fair in a short while. I hope to be able to finish a new series of four prints inspired by an early project I made on fantastic places. I am currently exhibiting only in Italy but I would love to go overseas, maybe to fairs, when I get the chance!
Other than that I’m really only hoping to get out of allergy season with my sanity intact.

Is there anything specific to growing up in Italy that has inspired your work or the horror comics you have contributed to Knock Knock?


You might have noticed that I didn’t mention any Italian book or movie answering about my favourite piece of media. I love Italian comics but mostly comedic and adventure ones, and they really are great.
Growing up in Italy, you hear many stories, very often. They go from ancient history to modern narrative but there is always a common need for recording what happened, what has been told or even just imagined. Anecdotes are told, re-told and changed to please the audience, it isn’t really important that they fit the truth.
Considering the history of Italian theatre, the oral tradition of telling stories to amuse people around us isn’t that surprising. That also connects to the sense of lost grandeur, of the good old days, of an empire dissolved (you might relate to that). In short, we look at the past.
That directly influences me when I imagine a story, classic myths and fairy tales mix with the fun of imagining infinite what-ifs and my own fears. All the stories I’ve done for Knock Knock are based on
legends or real places. Italian fairy tales, with their repeated stereotypes, the woods, the devil (as in evil being trying to outsmart you) are also part of my set of references.

You have a penchant for print making, what is it you like about that medium?


First, my BA is in Graphic Arts, as printmaking, that is my background. Printmaking, of course, allows you to make several originals of your artwork, that allows for larger distribution. Also, I’m kind of obsessive, I love spending hours carving a tiny piece of wood or linoleum and the all process (almost magical) of inking up, printing and finding out if you created a masterpiece or wasted good paper. I seldom know in advance.


What scares you the most? 

I’m easily scared. I fainted when they tried to take a drop of blood to check glycemia, I see shadows moving when I’m alone, I’m scared of people’s judgement (and of my judgement of them), I’m scared of dying, of meaninglessness, and I really, really dislike wasps.
That being said, I love horror, I love reading and telling stories about all the above, I think it’s the same for most people.
(They really had to work hard to get that drop of blood; my veins are under my control).

What’s your favourite piece that you’ve submitted to Knock Knock?


I have to say it’s Il Corvo e la Strega (The Witch and the Crow) from summer issue 2018. It was fun to draw and fun to write, and, even if it’s not strictly horror (it suggests horrors to come), it’s the comic in which I was able to convey the mood I wanted.

You can see more of Michela’s work as well as her process on instagram: @MichelaCicconiGraffica

You can also check out her original Lino prints, labels and other beautiful artworks on her Etsy.

You can read our previous zines in our zine archive here.

New Project: Blue Collars by Tom Smith and Clare Thompson

Blue Collars is the latest comic created in collaboration with C.P. Thompson press. It is an 8-10 issue sci-fi series set in an alternative future.

Blue Collars

The story is written by Frisson Comic’s Tom Smith and illustrated by the creator of Stormcaller Clare Thompson.

The entire comic will be created in Clare’s unique signature style of inks and watercolours.

You can check out the campaign for issue one on Kickstarter here!

Happy Birthday Frisson Comics!

Frisson Comics have been creating our unique brand of horror for 2 years now! To celebrate we’re offering 10% in our Etsy store until the end of the week as well doing spotlights on our creations!

To get 10% use the code: HAPPYBIRTHDAY

For our first spotlight we’re starting all the way from the beginning with our first book, Take Only Photographs, Leave Only Footprints.

The story was written by Tom after we had a harrowing few days after a trip to the beach, hearing dripping noises around our home. After searching for a leak we found live barnacles that we brought home from our trip not realising that they were still alive. In real life we saved the barnacles, the story however explores what would have happened if we hadn’t.

It’s quite a melancholy story overall with some very dark humour, exploring our responsibility to the world around us. It was a story greatly influenced by the work of Junji Ito and Cronenberg.

You can find issues on our Etsy at the moment, if you choose to grab a copy you’ll also get a free poster and 10% off with the code: HAPPYBIRTHDAY

Knock Knock Occult Classics is here!

Occult Classics
Knock Knock Issue 8

 

Our 8th issue of Knock Knock has arrived! We’re so proud of this edition, it’s a whopping 64 pages of high quality horror content from extremely talented contributors from all over the world! You can grab a copy on our Etsy store or you can subscribe to our Patreon to receive issues as they come out!

As usual, our last issue, Tech Noir is now up to read for free in our zine archive!

Tech Noir Edition

 

Knock Knock Tech Noir

Tech Noir Edition

 

Knock Knock Issue 7 is finally here! Coming to a con near you.. (or you can read the PDF immediately if you become a Patron here)


Because our latest edition of Knock Knock is now available, you can catch up on our last edition for free in our zine archive! 

Knock Knock issue 6

Subscribe to our zine on Patreon!

 

Summer of Love 2017
Summer of Love 2017

Frisson Comics are now on Patreon! You can subscribe here to receive our Horror Zine every 3 months, support our creations and receive regular  Patreon exclusive updates!

Knock Knock issue 6

Physical zine subscriptions start from as little as $2 a month plus extras! As always even without subscribing on Patreon we will continue to post our previous issues for free here

Thank you everyone for showing us your ongoing support!

Knock Knock Issue 7- Tech Noir call for submissions

We are taking submissions for our 7th Issue of Knock Knock- a horror compilation! This time with the theme of Tech Noir, details can be found on the poster above!

We’re really excited to see what horrible stuff you guys create!

Submissions or questions can be sent to our email frissoncomics@gmail.com

Knock Knock – Creature Feature

 

Knock Knock issue 6

 

Knock Knock Issue 6, our Creature Feature has officially been released, and it is our biggest zine yet! We were really lucky to get so many beautiful, creepy high quality submissions this time around. We are very proud of this volume!  It’s coming soon to our Etsy store!

The cover by Katie is inspired by 70’s horror poster and Art Nouveau.

Details coming soon on our next zine callout, you can now read our 5th Issue, our Summer of Love edition for free here,  as well as our previous issues.