2024 London Artists Studio Tour

The London Artists' Studio Tour has been taking place in London, Ontario for over 30 years now, and I've particpated as an artist a couple of times before, but not for many years. Well, this year I thought I would take the plunge again, and I'm happy to be part of it once more.

This year there are over 31 artists who will be displaying their work at 28 studios around town. It's a juried show, but participants are a mix of emerging and established artists working in all different kinds of media from drawing, graphic design, painting, pottery, textiles and more.

This year the tour takes place:

• Friday, April 19 - 7:00 - 9:30 PM
• Saturday, April 20 - 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
• Sunday, April 21 - 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

The tour is free and it's self-guided. The best thing to do is to pick up a physical brochure around town and figure out what stops you'd like to go to, park and then hit a few at a time. There are 4 stops in Old North this year, which is great, but there are studio stops all over town.

The tour brochure is also available online, if you can't get a physical copy. It has a list of all the artists, a map of the studios and more, see: https://londonstudiotour.ca

What Makes the Tour Special

I really love the tour and have been going for many years. What makes it so special is that you are invited to come into an artist's space, and often it's in their home. You get a glimpse at their creative process, you can talk to them about their work and you can see what inspires them. One of my favourite things is seeing what paintings and pictures they have on their walls and what books they have on their shelves.

Artists have their work on display and for sale and I've been fortunate to pick up a number of pieces this way. All the proceeds go directly to the artist.

This is what I'll have at my Studio Stop:

• Original pen and ink drawings  
• Original oil pastel landscapes
• My comics!
• Some t-shirts
• Prints (I have a small quantity available)
• Greeting Cards of my landscape drawings and oil pastels

A Girl Walks Into the Woods - Now for Sale!

After a successful launch at TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival) last month, and a London debut at Forest City Comicon, it's time to get my new comic "A Girl Walks Into the Woods" fully out there into the world! You can now order it online below.

The comic has also gotten its first review in the London Free Press and it's a really positive one! Read the article by Dan Brown here: Latest from Tamblyn is powerful re-telling of fairy tale

"Visually, it’s stunning. Never has Tamblyn’s art been this rich. The splash page on which Red enters the woods is breathtaking. Tamblyn’s biggest influence as an artist is the legendary Jack Kirby and you can see the same attention to detail in her work."

High-praise indeed, although I wouldn't say Kirby is my biggest influence - that would be Jaime Hernandez, then probably Alex Toth. However the older I get, the bigger Kirby's influence is becoming over me and the more I love and cherish his work. Also, if my comics have 1/10th of the power that Kirby's does, then I'm a very happy person and it's a huge compliment!

A Girl Walks Into the Woods

A comic adaptation of poet Cornelia Hoogland's book "Woods Wolf Girl". Little Red Riding Hood like you've never encountered her before. A contemporary re-telling of the age old fairy tale.

26 pages (digest-size - 8.5 x 5.5). Black and white with two tone colours - grey and red. Saddle stitched, cardstock cover. Self-published. $10 USD + $5 USD Shipping.

 Stores That Carry the Book

 The comic can be found in these fine comic and book stores:

• The Dragon, Guelph, Ontario 
  
• Brown and Dickson, London, Ontario
• Heroes Comics, London, Ontario
• LA Mood, London Ontario
• Fourth Dimension Comics, Newmarket, Ontario
• The Beguiling, Toronto, Ontario
  

Select Interior pages

Comic Debuting at TCAF 2022 - A Girl Walks Into the Woods!

 As mentioned on my previous post, I have been in a marathon race to finish off my new comic in time for TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival) 2022.

I'm happy to say I got everything in just under the wire. All final files are at the printer (big props to fellow cartoonist Jacqueline Demendeev who did all the production for me and has been an my absolute hero)! I'm very happy with the outcome. Here's all of the info!

A Girl Walks Into the Woods

A comic adaptation of poet Cornelia Hoogland's book "Woods Wolf Girl". Little Red Riding Hood like you've never encountered her before. A contemporary re-telling of the age old fairy tale.

26 pages (digest-size - 8.5 x 5.5). Black and white with two tone colours - grey and red. Saddle stitched, cardstock cover. Self-published. 

Limited Prints Available

I'll also have a couple of limited edition prints from pages of the book available.

Apart from that I'll have a few other odds and ends at my table. Be sure to say hi!

Diana Tamblyn
Toronto Comic Arts Festival 2022 (TCAF)
June 18 & 19, 2022
Toronto Reference Library
I'm on the 2nd floor, table #236!

If you won't be able to attend the show, the book will also be available for purchase through the TCAF Digital Marketplace (I'll post the link once it's available).

Moderating a Panel with Seth

On top of this, I'll be moderating a panel on Seth, one of Canada's best cartoonists on Saturday!

Seth Spotlight: The Art of Multimedia
Saturday, July 18, 2022, 10:00 AM
Toronto Reference Library, Learning Center 1 

One of Canada’s preeminent cartoonists, Seth discusses his career trajectory and latest work with fellow cartoonist and curator Diana Tamblyn. 

This panel takes a deep dive into Seth’s work and contributions to the comics medium from his early autobiographical confessional comics, the launch of Palookaville, original graphic novel work (Wimbledon Green, It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken), to his diverse array of design work including model building, anthology and collection designs (Peanuts, Elephant and the Projector), and multiform works (Omnis Temporalis).

Creating Artwork During the Pandemic and the Race to TCAF 2022

Men in Suits

It's been awhile since my last post! I have been working for years on a very large project about Canadian scientist Gerald Bull. I had been on a section of the story that is all men in suits in  the 1950s and 1960s in offices. This is a big challenge to present in a visually interesting way, and I found myself hitting big stumbling blocks here.

To help get me through it and to provide me with some variety, I started another project - a comic adaptation of poet Cornelia Hoogland's stunning book - Woods Wolf Girl. These visuals were organic forest scenes featuring a female protagonist - Little Red Riding Hood. It was a huge artistic release for me.

The Pandemic

Then during the pandemic, I hit a wall. I was unable to do anything creative for at least a year. I know some people were more productive during this time period, but not me. It was just too stressful a time, and I could only put one foot in front of the other.

What ended up to help pull me out of the mire, was a local comics group I'm a part of called "Comic Time". It's a group cartoonists who get together sometimes to talk comics. Over the pandemic we zoomed and drew and it was really great to have this small community. 

TCAF Application

Still work was coming slowly. I find I tend to need a hard deadline to drive myself to complete a project. So when TCAF (the Toronto Comic Arts Festival), announced they would be having an in-person festival in the Summer of 2022, I decided to apply. I've been at the show a number of times, and it's one of my favourite comic shows. If I got in, it would be the kick in the pants I would need to finish "A Girl Walks Into the Woods", my Little Red Riding Hood Adaptation.

Then - in March, 2022 I got the email that I was in for TCAF! That meant I had to have something new on my table for June 18! I had about 3 months to complete my comic, so I ramped up like I haven't in YEARS. It was a TON of work - I'm very slow and comics are SO laborious! But honestly, it's been refreshing and somewhat thrilling to be fully creating again. PLUS I really like the outcome - rare for me. Files are in to the printer, nothing like making it JUST under the wire.

More to come with full info and images on the comic! 

Words and Pictures: Cartoonists of Southwestern Ontario Media Coverage

Guest curator and veteran graphic novelist Diana Tamblyn talks about this upcoming exhibition at Museum London, featuring 12 artists from the region. The exhibit runs from Sept. 15 to Jan. 13.

Southwestern Ontario comic creators featured in Diana Tamblyn-curated show at Museum London, Dan Brown, London Free Press, September 4, 2018
"There is no greater supporter of comic creators in Southwestern Ontario than Diana Tamblyn."

Museum London shines spotlight on SW Ontario cartoonists in new exhibit, CBC London radio interview, Afternoon Drive with Chris della Torre, October 2, 2018
SW Ontario is a hotbed for cartoonists. So says Diana Tambyn, guest curator of "Words and Pictures: Cartoonists of SW Ontario" at Museum London.

A Celebration of Draughtsmanship, Herman Gooden, October 7, 2018
"...a dazzling celebration of the comic book in all its convention-busting styles and forms. "

(Left to right): Diana Tamblyn, Joe Ollmann, Jesse Jacobs, Willow Dawson, Nov. 3, 2018,
Kristin Lee, Gazette

Wordsfest: London's growing comic culture, Kristin Lee, The Gazette, Nov 6, 2018
"Everything from mainstream DC and Marvel superhero comics to indie comics like Scott Pilgrim to small newspaper comic strips comes from the same place: the imagination. No matter how fantastical or meaningful, comics create an escape into an extraordinary realm."

Museum London marks Remembrance Day with artist's talk, Joe Belanger, London Free Press, Nov 8, 2018
"Museum London will mark Remembrance Day with an artist’s talk (Scott Chantler) about capturing his father’s war experiences in a graphic memoir."

Celebrating the craft of cartoons at Museum London, Whitney South, Tourism London, Dec 19, 2018
"Often overlooked as a dismissible or disposable aspect of pop culture, comic books have fought hard to find their place in the world of fine art"

 (Jennifer Bieman/The London Free Press)