Part 12: Lee Andrew Wright the Inspiration for this Series - The L.A.W. GraphicNarrativ Seminar Series

In life we are fortunate to have friends. There are friends who shape you in ways you would never have considered before. Someone who presents their wisdom to you in such a manner that you want to attain that wisdom for yourself, Lee Andrew Wright was such a person.

I have dedicated my work on Graphic Narratives and Storytelling to him because of our many conversations about the craft and the way a good old yarn can help us see the full power of ideas. I have had a life that my dear friend Lee Andrew Wright was never afforded himself. Simply put, without him, there would be no me.

I have two things I'd like to share here about him.

First the lyrics and a link to a song that sums up our relationship even to this day, even though Lee has long since passed away. Secondly I print for the first time my Eulogy to him from his funeral back in 2011. I love you Lee and I always blessed you with roses even though I never gave them to you in your lifetime. I hope my work is a lasting tribute to you. Rest in Power my dear friend X.

THE WHOLE OF THE MOON
The Waterboys 

I pictured a rainbow
You held it in your hands
I had flashes
But you saw the plan
I wandered out in the world for years
While you just stayed in your room
I saw the crescent
You saw the whole of the moon
The whole of the moon

Hmm, you were there in the turnstiles, with the wind at your heels
You stretched for the stars and you know how it feels to reach too high
Too far

Too soon
You saw the whole of the moon

I was grounded
While you filled the skies
I was dumbfounded by truth
You cut through lies
I saw the rain dirty valley
You saw Brigadoon
I saw the crescent
You saw the whole of the moon

I spoke about wings
You just flew
I wondered, I guessed and I tried
You just knew
I sighed
But you swooned, I saw the crescent
You saw the whole of the moon
The whole of the moon

with a torch in your pocket and the wind at your heels
You climbed on the ladder and you know how it feels to get too high
Too far

Too soon
You saw the whole of the moon

The whole of the moon, hey yeah!

Unicorns and cannonballs, palaces and piers
Trumpets, towers and tenements
Wide oceans full of tears
Flags, rags ferryboats
Scimitars and scarves
Every precious dream and vision
Underneath the stars, yes, you climbed on the ladder
With the wind in your sails
You came like a comet
Blazing your trail too high
Too far

Too soon
You saw the whole of the moon

 

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Michael Scott

The Whole of the Moon lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc

 

YouTube link for this song  here

Lee Andrew Wright 17/01/1964 - 30/06/2011

FAREWELL AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH 
Karl Anderson Foster 21.07.2011

"We should go carefully through this world for we can never be sure of our influences on others."

I want to tell you about my friend. Lee was unique, he truly was, intelligent, funny, stubborn, brave and very wise.

I met Lee way back in 1984 at Amersham College (just up the road there). We didn't get on that well at first but as Lee was a great conversationalist we soon found common ground.

Over the years we talked about many things, music, films, art, politics and women. We shared much and laughed a lot.

Back in 1985 Lee told me I was a lucky man. At that point I had never felt lucky, quite the reverse in fact. I wasn't really sure what he meant by lucky. Was I luckier than him? He had spent a great deal of time in hospital and suffered pain daily and I thought that was the deal. I couldn't have been more wrong. Lee never complained to me about his life, he was simply encouraging a friend to take their rightful place in the world. Wise words indeed, I got a lot of support from Lee.

Lee was fiercely independent and wanted to live his life on his own terms. I think he achieved this in part. I think you would agree.

I am proud to have known Lee and feel blessed to have felt his love.

There is an immortality for all of us. Lee lives on in everyone of us. When we remember him, we should do so with a smile on our lips.

Part 10: Making It Masterclass - The L.A.W. GraphicNarrativ Seminar Series

 

During the 10th lecture I took the class through my own work in the field of cartooning and satyrical explorations. Six examples of my The Rubber Duck and the Neon Chicken series was analysed by the class and we were able to discover new forms of content/ concepts that could add to my work or lead in other directions.

Example below of The Rubber Duck and the Neon Chicken Part 1
'Immigration with Michael Howard.'

After the Class analysed the work, the slides below were used to stimulate this exploration further.

From the Class - Cartoon Strip concepts 

1. Marine life - marine creatures experience 

2. Missing Dad - missing father has not been seen for days but is easy to locate. Staring a Dad and their daughter 

3. Two people dumb stuff people say. Idiotic comments set against London backdrop in Primrose Hill movie set moment on a bench

4. Alien dude dressed in a suit to blend in with human life and to hide in our midst. Returns home and not the same again

5. A day in the life of and art students

6. Eating all the time - sweets for my sweets

7. True it is! Waffles out of a toaster, Flat mate saying waffle’s are ready, Waffles became alive and were never eaten

8. Northern independence animation

9. Satyrical post in comedy show

10. Northern football teams start the war then the rest will follow 

11. Preserve the experience - walking the dog

References

McCloud, S. (2010) Understanding comics. 1. HarperPerennial ed.; [Nachdr.] edn. New York: Harper Perennial.

McCloud, S. (2000) Reinventing comics. 1. ed. edn. New York, NY: Perennial.

McCloud, S. (2006) Making comics. New York, NY: William Morrow.

Madden, M. (2005) 99 ways to tell a story. New York: Chamberlain Bros.

Queneau, R. (2012) Exercises in style. New York: New Directions.

Part 9: Artist Presentation with Q&A - Frances Castle. The L.A.W. GraphicNarrativ Seminar Series

 

During the 9th lecture of the series we looked at the work of Frances Castle. She took us through her journey in the creation of her opus Stagdale. Her dedication to research and graphic storytelling is at the heart of her process. It was a detailed lecture that showed clearly why illustration is a fabulous occupation.

 

Frances explained that having her own publishing company allowed her to promote her Graphic Novel series. Her story shows us how life repeats itself via flashbacks to the 1970's where we are introduced to the new world that our protagonist Kathy inhabits. This is followed by flashbacks to the 1930's where we are introduced Max and his ordeals during Kristallnacht and as part of the Kindertransport. Thanks to Frances for sharing her work with us over at the London College of Communication.

All work set out below is copyright of the Illustrator & Author, Frances Castle.
© Frances Castle 2022.

Frances has worked as successfully freelance illustrator for many years. This career follows on form her time working for games design companies. Frances is also a musician and publisher and it through her label Clay Pipe Music that she was able to publish her graphic novel series, Stagdale.

It's through her interest in family history and the historical significance of London that she began working in a narrative format that owes a lot to comics and storyboards.

With work of this kind in her portfolio it led to a major publisher became interested in her developing a project with them about two distinct time-periods that connect two very different children via the discovery of a dairy/ journal that was hidden in a house they had both lived in. The way that life repeats or mirrors itself. After the development of the concept period the project did not take root and wasn't progressed to the publication stage.

Frances felt the project still had potential so decided to continue to develop it for herself and to publish the outcomes through Clay Pipe Music. She changed the time period and gender of the boy (who was originally for the United states) to that of a girl and to set that time period in the mid 1970's. The German boy remained the same as this part of the story was already firmly established and researched. Frances uses a research technique that relies on selecting images that help her to craft/ weave her drawings into a believable story.

For Stagdale, Part 1 you can see her process above. Taking its lead from old photographs for reference, revised drawings and compositions. Colour testing and establishing and  a consistent look for rural England in the mid 1970's. Every detail is examined and reflected upon to see if it fits her intentions for this story.

For Stagdale, Part 2 you can see her process above. Supporting the truth of a dark period in human history through the use old photographs for reference, revised drawings and compositions. Colour testing and establishing and consistent look for rural Berlin at the end of the 1930's. In Part 2 she shows the moral core of the narrative and takes us through the flashback into the heart of darkness. Again, every detail is examined and reflected upon to see if it fits her intentions for this story.

Stagdale, Parts 1 & 2 come with a limited edition Flexi disc that contains music that is evocative of the time periods that the graphic novels are set in.

Stagdale, Parts 3 & 4 are on their way, check out Clay Pipe Music for further details.

References

Foster, K. (a) 'Stagdale Part 1', . 

Foster, K. (b) 'Stagdale Part 2', .

Kaelberer, A.P. (2017) Kristallnacht. Raintree Uk.

Samuels, D., Greiffenhagen, I. and Leoprechting, B.v. (1993) Kindertransport. München: Pegler.