Blog / OFF LIFE

Let Me Illustrate

10 JAN 2013

Bristol’s Grant Bradley Gallery will be a hosting a near month long exhibition of illustrations in January. The exhibition aims to, “showcase the most interesting and exciting illustrators working in this field today,” and is set to feature a few OFF LIFE favourites.

grantbradleygallery.co.uk

Costa Book Awards

8 JAN 2013

We’d just like to say a quick and belated congratulations to Mary and Bryan Talbot for their victory in the biography category at this month’s Costa Book Awards. Their story ‘Dotter of Her Father's Eyes’ is the first graphic work to win at these prestigious awards and with positive reviews in publications from The Guardian to The Telegraph, it's being heralded as the kick-start of a new spike in UK comics interest. Good work guys!

Issue Three Submissions

2 JAN 2013

OFF LIFE is now accepting comic and cover art submissions for our Third Issue, which is due out the second week of February. As always we’re looking for comics that have a take on modern life and whether they’re colour, black and white, funny, dark, serious or surreal we’d love to see your work. Please email info@offlife.co.uk with the subject SUBMISSIONS with your work.

Le Altre Project

11 OCT 2012

Here at OFF LIFE we are all in favour of facing reality square in the eyes. Le Altre is a unique project through the Benetton UnHate campaign that wants to use the comic medium to undertake front line reportage of immigrant life in Italy.

"Comics have the unique ability to make the invisible visible. By creating a piece of reportage through comics, I hope to find an Italy that usually goes unseen, and share it on a global scale," says project mastermind Roberto Longoni. "The project would culminate in a book of reportage in comics, the documentation of my exploration of the life of immigrant women in Italy, their stories and experiences, the places dedicated to them and the laws that affect them."

Read more about the project and register your support...

http://unhate.benetton.com/unemployee-of-the-year/community/9343-roberta/project

Birmingham Zine Festival

3 OCT 2012

Now in its third year the Birmingham Zine Festival is shaping up to be a must-visit event for any fans of indie comics.

Taking place over 12th-15th October, the BZF is organised by small press stalwart Lizz Lunney and promises to create an exciting outlet for DIY publishers to showcase their work.

birminghamzinefestival.com

@BirmZineFest

Issue One down, Issue Two next!

1 OCT 2012

Last week Issue One was distributed in nearly 100 stockists across Bristol and London.

Featuring comics from Tom Gauld, Lizz Lunney, Rob Davis, Sean Azzopardi and many more the magazine was picked up by national media and shared across the Internet as the Digital Edition went live just days later.

With Issue One now birthed we're turning our attention to Issue Two (due late November) and want to receive as many submissions as humanly possible before the 1/11/12 deadline - so get drawing!

As always we've no set theme for the issue but comics should be based in reality and have something to say about modern life. Please see our submissions page for additional details or feel free to drop us an email with your questions.

Bristol Zine Fair

21 SEP 2012

This Sunday (23/9/12) Bristol's annual comic and zine fair returns for a second year to celebrate the world of DIY publishing.

Organised by Simon Moreton through his Bearpit comic group, the fair brings together artists, writers and makers from the South West for a one-day market of self-published zines, homemade comics, handmade books, alternative publications and all things in-between.

"Our hope for the zine fair is that it'll showcase the great range of publications being produced by artists and writers in the small press scene," says Simon. "The DIY ethos is central to what we want to support. It's all about taking the means of production into your own hands, making the things that are important to you and finding a way to share them. We'll have writing and art on sale from science fiction, autobiography and poetry, to photography, illustration, music, politics, and humour."

Featuring Graham Johnson, Katie Green, Lizz Lunney, Sean Azzopardi, Decadence Comics, Smoo Comics and MisComp plus many others this is one for indie comics fans not to miss!

The Bristol Zine Fair takes places on Sunday September 23rd between 12 - 6pm at Cafe Kino, Stokes Croft, Bristol. Call Cafe Kino on 0117 924 9200 for details.

And we are born...