5th June 2008
After a tooth-and-nail ebay bidding war I've secured myself one of these:
It's a fairly standard version of the legendary Gocco kit, the self contained screenprinting outfit from Japan, where sales have dwindled steadily since its heyday in the late 70s and 80s. The advent of affordable desktop publishing in the 90s sounded a deathknell for the Gocco, which was marketed as an easy way to make birthday cards and the like. This month the manufacturers, Riso Kagaku, ceased production of the Gocco after 31 years, although a concerted effort is being made to lobby the company to maintain production for the European and American markets, where the kit is proving immensely popular with the New Craft movement. Unlike other home screenprint kits, the Gocco allows you to make screens photographically from photocopies and to print multiple colours with a single screen. This video explains how it works and how to use it. A bit of googling reveals quite a few artists producing awesome work with the kit. When mine arrives, and if I can get it to work, I'll post the results.
2nd June 2008
I've just stayed up far too late reading It's Nice to Have a Friend Such as Yourself , a self-made book by artist and illustrator James Nash. I'm not usually a one for comics, but this is great. Every day James draws an encapsulation of the day's events. They're short, beautifully executed in a loose, simple style that still shows exactly what's happening, and they're very funny. This book covers the whole of 2007 (yep, every day- that's value for money) including the end of a long relationship, a cancer scare for his mum, touching interactions with his family, intimations of the end of youth, dates and flirtations, gigs and records by the dozen, the simple pleasure of tea, lie-ins and oversleeping, a throat infection and an over-affectionate dog. It's Nice to Have a Friend Such as Yourself avoids all the pitfalls a public diary can fall into; the entries, while always personal, have a resonance for us all, and, as tough as life sometimes gets for our hero (and he's not too proud to grumble about it) we're never subjected to self-pity. Honestly, one of the best books - of any kind- I've read this year. If my copy looks a little crumpled here, that's because I've read it, and so's my girlfriend. You can read more about James here and here. You can find this book here at joemclaren.com at the bottom of the shop page or at Gosh!, Dave's Comics and Platform Clothing in Birmingham. or you can email him at jamesnash61@hotmail.com.
all ŠJames Nash 2008
After a tooth-and-nail ebay bidding war I've secured myself one of these:
It's a fairly standard version of the legendary Gocco kit, the self contained screenprinting outfit from Japan, where sales have dwindled steadily since its heyday in the late 70s and 80s. The advent of affordable desktop publishing in the 90s sounded a deathknell for the Gocco, which was marketed as an easy way to make birthday cards and the like. This month the manufacturers, Riso Kagaku, ceased production of the Gocco after 31 years, although a concerted effort is being made to lobby the company to maintain production for the European and American markets, where the kit is proving immensely popular with the New Craft movement. Unlike other home screenprint kits, the Gocco allows you to make screens photographically from photocopies and to print multiple colours with a single screen. This video explains how it works and how to use it. A bit of googling reveals quite a few artists producing awesome work with the kit. When mine arrives, and if I can get it to work, I'll post the results.
2nd June 2008
I've just stayed up far too late reading It's Nice to Have a Friend Such as Yourself , a self-made book by artist and illustrator James Nash. I'm not usually a one for comics, but this is great. Every day James draws an encapsulation of the day's events. They're short, beautifully executed in a loose, simple style that still shows exactly what's happening, and they're very funny. This book covers the whole of 2007 (yep, every day- that's value for money) including the end of a long relationship, a cancer scare for his mum, touching interactions with his family, intimations of the end of youth, dates and flirtations, gigs and records by the dozen, the simple pleasure of tea, lie-ins and oversleeping, a throat infection and an over-affectionate dog. It's Nice to Have a Friend Such as Yourself avoids all the pitfalls a public diary can fall into; the entries, while always personal, have a resonance for us all, and, as tough as life sometimes gets for our hero (and he's not too proud to grumble about it) we're never subjected to self-pity. Honestly, one of the best books - of any kind- I've read this year. If my copy looks a little crumpled here, that's because I've read it, and so's my girlfriend. You can read more about James here and here. You can find this book here at joemclaren.com at the bottom of the shop page or at Gosh!, Dave's Comics and Platform Clothing in Birmingham. or you can email him at jamesnash61@hotmail.com.
all ŠJames Nash 2008