Last weekend (13th of Feb) was annual Alternative Press Fair at the St Aloysius Social Club, 20 Phoenix Road, Euston (London). This year saw the ditching of the entry fee with just a request for donations at the entrance. The space also seemed easier to get round and for someone new to this scene. It’s freshing (and a bit daunting) to encounter all this print work and be unfamiliar with almost all of it.
The standard of work was really high with some excellent hand printed and quality digital piece’s for sale as well as a range of other crafty objects and tasty treats. As someone studying illustration it’s both inspiring and motivating to see what people are self publishing at different level’s.
Here’s a quick review of the things I picked up.
First up was StingRay magazine pushed into my hand for a discounted £1 by two enthusiastic young ladies! The writing is set to a fairly high standard and is definitely worth checking out. Issue two is open for submissions now on the theme of ‘travel’ for those interested.
Next up was Will Morris’s “The Apocalypse Club” containing two comic stories, the title (and first) story is a collaborative effort with Chris Bye the stand out of the two both graphically and from a narrative perspective. The graphic style is drafted to a high standard, with dramatic compositions and well crafted designs.
Then World War 3 – Illustrated issue #39 which is a larger American compilation of political comic work. Interesting and diverse I’ve only skimmed the surface but it looks to provide a solid range of topics and styles and I look forward to a more in-depth read as time allows.
Last was this lovely Valentine’s card by Rosie – sorry I can’t read the email address and no web address was listed. Please feel free to comment in the details. I like the whimsical nature of this piece and realistic pencil rendered dogs.
Hopefully next year I will have a few more pennies and be able to afford a few more things and maybe (even) have something to contribute myself!!
I’d love to hear any of your experiences of the fair this year or recommendations for other similar events going on in London so please feel free to add them into the comments!
Guthrie's Illustrated Blog! 