I’m often asked who are the up and coming artists in the small press and indie scene here in the United Kingdom. In the sentence that follows I am currently using the words Ian and Ashcroft.
I first discovered his work after backing the excellent Kia Wordsmith issue 1 that was also written by the equally ace Dave West.
I’ve met Ian a few times over the last year or so and he was also a guest on the Awesome Comics podcast. He seems a modest guy with a truckload of talent and style and in my humble opinion that will get him far in this world of talentless blowhards. He also speaks with passion about his craft and comics in general. A man that excels at describing the written word into a mosaic of movement, action and beauty. There is a real flow and grace to his characters they have visual depth and a certain unexplainable mystery in their eyes.
Here are a few words that I had to say about Kia Wordsmith just as the Kickstarter was launching:
‘You can see that this is a labour of love in all the multi faceted pages, incredible detail and original layouts. It is a ballet of storytelling and combines all that we love in fantasy from the storytelling of books like The Sandman, Mage and Fables to the album covers of progressive rock bands in the 1970s that you could stare at all day! It is also a tale of growth and experience in a world that lives in the shadows of the fantastical and the impact of wartime. Impressive stuff indeed.’
It can’t be long before this guy is approached by the bigger comics organisations.
So why am I mentioning this now?
I have recently had the great pleasure of working with Mr Ashcroft on a two page short for volume three of the Little Heroes anthology. I had an artist fall out of the schedule due to the weight of other work and Ian stepped in at a moments notice and excelled.
The third volume is currently on Kickstarter and I urge you to give it a punt.
(Cover by Andy Hanks).
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/littleheroescomics/little-heroes-comics-charity-anthology-3
Here’s a little about what Aaron Rackley says about this anthology series and the charity it raises money for.
‘Think back to your earliest memory of hospital. Were you scared, bored, or confused? Perhaps you had no idea why you were there, or thought you had done something wrong.
Little Heroes Comics provides children in hospitals across the UK with comic making kits to provide a creative outlet and alleviate boredom during what can be a scary time.
The money raised on this Kickstarter campaign is to cover the cost of getting the anthology printed and for the delivery cost of future kits to children in hospital.
This is the second year of our fundraising anthology and we are excited to bring you our 3rd Issue! After the overwhelming success of Issue 1 (Strength) and 2 (Family), we are back with a series of creator-donated stories around the theme of Science.’
(By Matt Soffe - Just look at this - Wow!)
Not only did I have a blast with Ian on ‘My Mum and Dad Fight Werewolves’ but we were also lucky enough to get an artist and colourist who is also on the rise in the comics firmament. Matt Soffe is also plying his craft for Rebellion on 2000 AD at the moment. I consider myself extremely lucky!
So head over to Kickstarter and pledge to this worthy and much needed charity project. As well as our story there is also an amazing cover by my pal Andy Hanks that is getting loads of buzz (and quite right too). Also on board for this issue are Dylan Jackson-Gibbs, Rick Jackson, Ken Reynolds, Steve Tanner & Sasha Tanner-D'Cruz, Susie Gander, Lee Brandrick, Dave Hingley, Daniel Ferreira, Alan Bay, Rob Barnes, Helen Greetham, Craig Turl, Mitch Campbell, Cato Keefe, Drawn, Abby Hontiveros, Matt Vroom, Jason Doring and Saad Shehri.
You can find out more about Ian Ashcroft at over on Instagram at Ian.aschcroft.art
You can find Matt Soffe and his work for sale at https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/mygrimmbrother
Find out more about the Little Heroes cover artist over @Zootbot on Twitter and www.zootslash.deviantart.com
Many thanks for reading.
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