Chasing Churchill.

I went to the Bristol Comics Expo today it’s now become a staple event in my convention calendar. The event is held in two different hotels, the Ramada and the Mercure.

Above is the table of indie artist, Aneurin Wright.

Ian Churchill has been on my “must get a sketch off him list” for some time. I’ve really liked his artwork ever since his earlier days on books like Cable, Avengers, X Men and Superman. He’s been a busy man over the past year; he’s been working on his own title, Marineman over at Image Comics. MM is also up for a prestigious Eisner award.

That's the man himself....

Sometimes artists take ages to get a sketch done and Churchill is no exception. I got up early in the morning just to catch him but I got beaten to the post by bunch of German comic fans who hunt artists like a pack of Wolves. They beat me to it fair and square. I was quite miffed that I didn’t get first or second in line and I ended up being the fourth in the queue. Waiting for someone to draw you a sketch can be quite frustrating and I’ve seen people walk off in sheer frustration when the line gets long. When artists have a stall they either put people on a list, or you have to wait in line. Ian was doing a first come, first served basis.

To make the time up, I spent the time talking to our German neighbours. Without mentioning football or even the war; we just looked at each other’s comics and sketchbooks and talked about what conventions we’ve been to. I’ve got to admire their passion and commitment and in all fairness, I enjoyed talking to them.

I tried to get a sketch off Ian last year at the event but it came to a toss up between Chris Claremont and him in the end, it was Claremont who won. I thought I’d try at Thought Bubble but he was sick. Then came Kapow but he told me he wasn’t doing any illustrations.

Okay fair play. I almost spent the entire day at the Mercure Hotel and between the time he began pencilling in my book, I had managed to get four sketches from separate artists and the time just flew by.

Ian was charging £10 for a head sketch and £40 for a full figure. I settled for the latter, it was worth the wait and he's a great person to talk to. If you want Ian to draw something for you: GET THERE EARLY.

This is the sketch that Ian did for me. Believe me, I spent a while waiting for this one..

Posted: 15/5/2011
Categories: Comics / Conventions

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