COMICS + LIFE
Speech Bubble
A CELEBRATION & EXHIBITION AT
NATIONAL LIBRARY100 VICTORIA STREET, SINGAPORE 188064
100 VICTORIA STREET, SINGAPORE 188064
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WHAT
With a mix of professional seminars, talks, collectors display, book display and original works exhibition, Speech Bubble is a month long event that provides an opportunity for artists, writers, parents, children, teachers, illustrators, collectors, companies, to bond over the shared love for comics.
At Speech Bubble, we hope to foster the love for comics from an early age and to support the craft both locally and in the region. We want to encourage the exploration of the many possibilities comics hold and how they can be used in a myriad of ways be it for education and storytelling to therapy and even publication of corporate financial reports. See you at Speech Bubble!
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Our Speakers
WHO
Gary Choo
Gary Choo is an artist residing in Asia, his notable works includes Conceptual Art for LucasArt’s 1313, Monkey Island 2: Special Edition and CoverArt for Image Comics Liquid City 3. Currently he is a Senior Concept Artist at a local start up, Booster Pack along with other ExLucasArts members and he’s actively doing Cover Art for Marvel Comics.
Sonny Liew
Sonny Liew's The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye was a New York Times and Amazon bestseller, and the first graphic novel to win the Singapore Literature Prize. Other works include Malinky Robot and The Shadow Hero (with Gene Yang), along with titles for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, DC Vertigo, and Image Comics. He has been nominated for multiple Eisner Awards for his art, and for spearheading Liquid City, a multivolume comics anthology featuring creators from Southeast Asia.
Andrew Tan (Drewscape)
Andrew Tan (aka Drewscape) is a freelance illustrator and an Eisner-nominated comic artist from Singapore. He is the author of the graphic novel “Monster, Miracles & Mayonnaise” and the illustrator for the children’s book series “Sherlock Sam”. You can find his work in picture books, magazines and well as print ads. His website is Drewscape.net.
Felicia Low-Jimenez (Right)
Felicia Low-Jimenez has been a geeky bookseller for most of her adult life. She has bought books, sold books, marketed books, and now she is trying her hand at writing books. She loves to nap and eat chocolate. She spends most of her free time reading, and, when she can afford it, she travels, usually to look for beautiful bookstores around the world. Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong won the International Schools Libraries Network’s Red Dot Award 2013-2014 in the Younger Readers’ Category. Sherlock Sam and the Ghostly Moans in Fort Canning took third place in the Popular Readers’ Choice Awards 2013 in the English Children’s Books category.
Adan Jimenez (Left)
Adan Jimenez was born in the San Joaquin Valley in California to Mexican immigrant parents. He became an immigrant himself when he moved to Singapore after living in New York for almost a decade. He has worked for comic book stores, book stores, gaming stores and even a hoagie sandwich shop once. He loves comics, LEGOs, books, games (analog and video), Doctor Who and sandwiches. Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong won the International Schools Libraries Network’s Red Dot Award 2013-2014 in the Younger Readers’ Category. Sherlock Sam and the Ghostly Moans in Fort Canning took third place in the Popular Readers’ Choice Awards 2013 in the English Children’s Books category.
Cheah Sinann
Cheah Sinann is a former editorial cartoonist with The Straits Times, where he also produced the popular comic strip The House of Lim for eight years. His present cartoon strip Budi & Saltie, which highlights wildlife and environmental issues with wit and humour, appears in The Borneo Bulletin in Brunei. Cheah’s latest offering is a World War 2 story in the form of a graphic novel titled The Bicycle. It is a dramatic, action-packed tale of a friendship between a battle-hardened soldier of the Imperial Army of Japan and a young street urchin during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore. Cheah is based in Singapore, freelancing as a cartoonist, illustrator and writer.
Eirliani Abdul Rahman
A former political counsellor at the Singapore High Commission in Delhi, Eirliani left a 10-year stint with the Singapore Foreign Service to serve as director for campaigns at the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation. Aside from working with the Foundation, Eirliani also founded her own NGO, Young Adult Survivors & Kin In Need (YAKIN). She has written a book chronicling the true stories of 12 survivors of child abuse from around the world, and is presently working on a graphic novel, curated and created by children for children. Eirliani also hopes to be the first Singaporean Woman to walk to the South Pole.
Jerry Hinds
Originally from the UK, Jerry has lived in Singapore since 1997 and beyond his career in Advertising & Design, has been President of the Association of Comic Artists (Singapore) (ACAS) since 2006. Via his indie-press proprietorship, Nice One Entertainment, he has co-published and worked with various creators, including Tom DeFalco (exMarvel Comics editor-in-chief). He spearheaded the 2010 MDA backed IGNITE! graphic novel initiative, and beyond his current ACAS curriculum building and teaching duties, is wildly busy creating 'Singapore's 1st World of Supaheroes Universe - SupaCross!’
Julian Kam (Lefty)
Lefty (Julian Kam) is a comics artist of Major Zombie comics and a co-founder of Gilamon Studio. He worked as a senior art director for Gempak Starz. He currently resides in Penang, working in various projects for the island and teaches part-time at The One Academy.
Favian Ee
Favian worked as a VFX artist on Hollywood movies for 6 years, but his first love has always been visual storytelling using the comics medium. While doing his own business, he used this medium in corporate projects (including marketing and branding), and created a range of illustrated stationery. He continues to use comics to journal his travels and in his urban sketching work, notably in his blog Sketchpacker Diaries.
Karen Tan
Karen Tan is an Associate Director with IPP Financial Advisers Pte Ltd, with more than 20 years of experience in an advisory role in the financial industry. She has been assisting professionals and business owners in financial planning and investment advisory. Her clients include CEOs of Public Listed Companies, Investment Bankers and Award-winning business-owners. Karen has been consulted by various media on financial matters, including Channel News Asia, The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao and Berita Harian.
Professor Dr. Mulyadi Mahamood
Professor Dr. Muliyadi Mahamood received his PhD in Cartoon Studies from the University of Kent, England and has written extensively on art and cartoons. His books include The History of Malay Editorial Cartoons 1930s-1993, Kartun dan Kartunis di Malaysia (Cartoons and Cartoonists in Malaysia) and Gila-Gila: Gaya dan Tema Kartun (1978-2008). Besides sitting on the international editorial board of the International Journal of Comic Art, he is also a consultant and advisor for several organisations, such as the National Visual Art Gallery and the National Art Gallery. He is currently teaching History of Art and Art Criticism at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Malaysia.
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Date And Time
EXHIBITION 3-30 SEP 2016
03
Sep
Sep
11:00AM
Multi-Purpose Room
Jerry Hinds
Digital Production and Editing (Workshop)
This workshop explains and demonstrates the importance of communication, when creating comic books. Editor to Writer, Artist, Inker, Letterer & Colourist. Convenient shortcuts to everyday tasks, and how to avoid making common mistakes often found during the comic making process.
1:00PM
Multi-Purpose Room
Sonny Liew
Under the Surface (Talk)
Comics combine images and text to tell stories. In doing so, it has evolved a language of its own, one with similarities to other forms, from prose novels to film and television, but which is also unique in its own limits and possibilities. Join Liew as he wonders whether we can make good comics with bad drawings and other strange notions.
3:00PM
Multi-Purpose Room
Eirliani Abdul Rahman
Co-creating a Graphic Novel for Children (Talk)
Keen to learn more about possibly Singapore's first graphic novel curated by children for children? Done in partnership with the Singapore Art Museum, on the sidelines of their annual children's art exhibition 'The Imaginarium', Eirliani who is Executive Director of an NGO YAKIN (Youth, Adult survivors & Kin In Need) will speak more about the creative process, and what she hopes to achieve with the comic book.
3:00PM
Children’s Area Treehouse
Felicia Low-Jimenez and Adan Jimenez
Creating Your Own Heroes by AJ Low for Ages 7-12 (Talk)
What makes a hero special? Is it their superpowers? Could it be because of their awesome costumes? Why do they need secret identities? Join the authors of Sherlock Sam as they analyse the secrets behind super cool heroes!
5:00PM
Multi-Purpose Room
Julian Kam (Lefty)
Comics and Entertainment Art (Talk)
How is comics still relevant in the world of high-tech entertainment? It is fine for art students aiming to become a great concept artist, character designer or animator, but if you are one who always has stories in your head which are craving to get out, the most practical way to do it is through the comics medium.
06
Sep
Sep
6:30PM
Multi-Purpose Room
Favian Ee
Cartoons, Comics: Uses and Applications (Talk)
Many people think of comics as entertainment, children’s books, or superhero stories like Marvel’s and DC’s. But comics is simply a way of telling stories, a way of saying something using visual and literary cues. There are many ways that cartoons and comics can be used for other purposes from branding and marketing to public awareness, from teaching to journaling, and more. Let’s look at some of them!
07
Sep
Sep
6:30PM
Multi-Purpose Room
Cheah Sinann
At Wit’s End: Cartoons and Deadlines (Workshop)
This workshop will explore the ultimate challenge a cartoonist for a publication faces - coming up with a good idea in a specific time frame. Deadlines can be a year, a month, a week, a day but in the world of a daily cartoon strip creator, he or she must consider the work is needed yesterday. Mental block, stress, pressure - all these situations come into play and knowing how to deal with them is the key.
09
Sep
Sep
6:30PM
Multi-Purpose Room
Andrew Tan (Drewscape)
How to Draw Comics the Non-Marvel Way (Talk)
So you aren’t interested in working for Marvel or some big comic publisher with their own house rules. You want the freedom of writing your own stories and drawing in the style you prefer. So how do you get started? Indie comicbook artist, Drewscape will walk you through his own comic creation process- from ideas to drawing and getting it printed. He’ll share about the tools and illustration techniques he uses, as well as personal insights on what makes a good comic.
16
Sep
Sep
6:30PM
Multi-Purpose Room
Gary Choo
Digital Illustration in Steps (Talk)
Gary will present some of his painting pipelines for digital illustrations, pro tips and work experience.
17
Sep
Sep
11:00AM
Multi-Purpose Room
Karen Tan
Financial Planning for Freelancers (Talk)
Pursuing your creative dreams can be a daunting challenge - how can you do what you love and pay the bills at the same time? Join financial consultant Karen Tan for a frank look at financial planning for freelance comics creators and other creatives. Whether you are just starting out on your career, or looking to transition from full time work to self-employment, this talk will provide an introduction to the concepts and tools that can help you achieve financial independence and security as a freelancer.
24
Sep
Sep
1:00PM
Multi-Purpose Room
Felicia Low-Jimenez and Adan Jimenez
Write What You Know… Heroes and Villains! For Ages 7-12 (Workshop, limited to 30 students)
In this one-hour long writing workshop, the authors of the Sherlock Sam series of children’s detective novels will help kids create their very own super-powered heroes and dastardly villains! Children will learn the basics of creating exciting characters to use in their very own stories.
3:00PM
Multi-Purpose Room
Jerry Hinds
Crash Course in Constructing Characters (Workshop)
Golden ratios are the name of the game! This simple workshop provides all participants with an insightful grid template - essential for creating original characters of all genres. Key tips on creating bodies from scratch will also be shared.
5:00PM
Multi-purpose Room
Professor Dr. Muliyadi Mahamood
The Development of Themes and Styles of Malay Comics (Talk)
How do history, culture and politics influence the form and content of comics? Join Professor Dr. Muliyadi Mahamood as he explores the unique themes and styles of Malay comics from the pre-independence days of the 1940s, through to the post-independence and contemporary eras. Through an examination of comics published in major national newspapers, such as Berita Harian, Berita Minggu, Utusan Malaysia and Mingguan Malaysia, Dr. Muliyadi sheds light on the development of the comics medium in Malaysia and Singapore.