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Commando

downthetubes is pleased to offer an exclusive discount on a subscription to DC Thomson's Commando comic, entitling readers to save 50% by ordering using our special discount code! Follow this link to DC Thomson's subscription page. When prompted, enter this unique code COMDT - then make your payment and your subscription will be up and running!

The price quoted of 50% discount during first three months at £11.75 then £23.50 thereafter is for UK only. Although the offer is not restricted to UK delivery (you need a UK bank account), the price increases for overseas delivery although the offer of 50% discount over first three months is the same.

* Saving by Direct Debit only. First quarterly payment discounted by 50% at £11.75 and £23.50 per quarter thereafter. UK bank accounts only. One year discounted subscription rate costs £82.25. Saving of £52.15 based on the yearly cover price of £134.40

Online Art
Board Supplies


Comic art for the major US companies such as Marvel or DC is drawn on special art board that includes 'blue line' indicators so the artists draw to the correct size proprotional to the final US comic book art size. Artists contracted to the companies are provided with this board, although I am not sure if this is still supplied gratis, as it was in Paul Neary's day as Editorial Director at Marvel UK, or if they have to pay for it.

Page measurements apparently vary slightly from company to company, so using ordinary Bristol board and a ruler may be a better option for the aspiring artist than seeking down this specialised board.

2000AD is now published pro to US comic book size.

BlueLine
There is a type of Bristol board called BlueLine which features these the official comic page measurments printed on it. It's solicited through Previews and, therefore, most comic shops should be able to order it. Some artists don't like it.

Bristol Board
• Most art supply shops in Belfast sell Bristol board in A3 20 sheet blocks.

Art Supplies

Great Art Supplies
Gerstaecker UK Limited / Great Art, Normandy House, 1 Nether Street, Alton, Hampshire GU34 1EA
Telephone Order line 0845 601 5772 (Local call rate)
Described as Europe's largest and brightest catalogue for art materials, this company says "Whatever your angle - whether you're an art student, leisure painter, art teacher or professional artist - we're sure that you'll find that we are full of all the supplies you need." They publish a variety of catalogues for each country -- one artist I know orders material from their French rather than UK edition.


London Graphics Company
16-18 Shelton Street, Covent Garden London WC2H 9JL
Tel: 020 7759 4500 Fax: 020 7759 4585
London Graphic Centre was established in 1973 as a specialist graphic materials supplier to the London Design and Advertising market.


Dip Pens

Hans Presto
This Swedish (with English translation) site apparently stocks and sells just about every dip pen ever made. It also has sections on Lettering, Comics and Handwriting. (thanks to artist Kev Hopgood for this one)

Comics Artists T


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Ferdinando Tacconi
Online 'Men at Arms' Gallery: www.ultrazine.org/ultraeventi/mostre/tacconi/online

Art by Ferdinando TacconiItalian artist Tacconi died in 2006. He began producing art for the British market through the studios of Roy d'Ami in the 1950s, including Jet Morgan, based on the famous radio show, which began a life long friendship with the show's creator and the strip's writer, Charles Chilton, drawing Journey Into Space in Express Weekly, which is currently being reprinted in Spaceship Away.
Tacconi also also drew Jeff Hawke for the Junior Express, one episode of Riders of the Range for Eagle and various works for Fleetway, including contributions to Comet, Buster, War Picture Library, Air Ace Picture Library and others.

Bryan Talbot
Official: www.bryan-talbot.com

One of the best comics artists in the UK, whose brilliant art has graced many a DC Comic, 2000AD and whose own titles include One Bad Rat and the eagerly-anticipated Alice in Sunderland, due to be published by Jonathan Cape in the UK in 2007.
His best known work,
The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, developed over several years, has been optioned as a movie by Benderspink (see related news story)
First created in 1978, and described by fellow comics creator Garth Ennis as "one of the all-time great epics of the medium", Arkwright story took Talbot more than 12 years to complete, first serialised in various comics and magazines in England before being wrapped up in a series of comics published by Valkyrie Press. A sequel, Heart of Empire, was published in 1999 by Dark Horse.

Audio drama company Big Finish have also adapted the story, starring Doctor Who's David Tennant as Luther Arkwright.

Read an interview with Bryan Talbot on the Forbidden Planet International site, conducted in July 2006

LUTHER ARKWRIGHT LINKS
• Buy
The Adventures of Luther Arkwright via Amazon.co.uk
• Buy the Big Finish audio drama The Adventures of Luther Arkwright from Amazon.co.uk
• Buy Heart of Empire: or, The Legacy Luther Arkwright via Amazon.co.uk

ALICE IN SUNDERLAND LINKS
In 2007, Jonathan Cape published Bryan Talbot's Alice in Sunderland, a funny and poignant, thought-provoking and entertaining, traditional and experimental, whimsical and polemical graphic novel. Alice in Sunderland is a heady cocktail of fact and fiction, a sumptuous and multi-layered journey that will leave you wondering about the magic that's waiting to be unlocked in the place where you live.
Read an interview with Bryan Talbot on Panel to Panel about Alice in Sunderland

• Buy Alice in Sunderland from Amazon.co.uk

Joseph Talbot
Official: www.josephbloggs.com

Creator of Oneironaut as his final project for the MA in Electronic Media at Oxford Brookes University, is the story of a place - the Dreamscape - and the people that inhabit it.
Jospeh is a web designer.

Judge Dredd, drawn by Dave TaylorDave Taylor
Blog: d-taylor-comics-music-ford-mustangs.blogspot.com

Artist, drummer, wannabe astronaut, Dave studied art at the Birkenhead school of art (now a home for old folk!) and music at the Mable Fletcher school in Liverpool. He became a pro drummer in 1986 doing some studio work and touring, then a a pro comic book artist in 1989 working for Marvel UK on titles such as Warheads (which I edited) and Gene Dogs, which I wrote (no, no, not Jean Dogs, a parody Dave came up with just to scare me during the creation of the latter book). He started working for DC in 1995 and became a regular Batman artist for some time. He started working for 2000AD in 2004, but has also worked on games design and more.

Darren Taylor
Blog: mycvstuff.blogspot.com
Art: www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=4090
ComicSpace: www.comicspace.com/darren_taylor

UK artist Darren taylor, whose strips include This Life! has worked professionally as a spot illustration artist, worked in the Games industry as a Concept Artist and in films asworking as a Storyboard Artist.

Dylan Teague
Official: dylansdrawingboard.blogspot.com

Dylan's work includes illustrations for SFX Magazine, 2000AD and more

Stuart Tipples
Official: www.drawing-monkey.co.uk

Comic book artist and illustrator and one half of the creative force that is Monkeys with Machineguns.

Bill Titcombe
Anybody interested in the work of Telegoons and TV Comic artist Bill Titcombe might be interested in this info about him on the Telegoons web site: www.telegoons.org/FAQ.htm#O
Just one of those great little nuggets of fun on the web!

Alex Toth (1928-2006)
• Official: Tothfans.com

US comics artist Alex Toth died at his drawing board on 27 May 2006; he was 77. His career in comics is legendary and he also designed characters for many animated TV SF series in the 1960s-70s -- including Space Ghost, Jonny Quest, The Herculoids and Cambria Productions' space opera Space Angel, one of several cartoons to use the company's synchro-vox system, combining live-action lips with animated drawings.

Hsiao-chen Tsai
Official: usscatastrophe.com/zettwoch

Tsai was born and raised in Taiwan. She moved to the Bay Area seven years ago to escape her mom's "lifetime mothering policy" as well as to pursue a larger audience for her drawings of cute creatures doing bad things. After several years of burning out from her many crappy jobs performing various robot-tasks, she finally found her Double Happiness: lovely husby and sweet kitties.

Bill M. Tracer
Official: billmtracerstudio.50megs.com

Available for commission work, Bill's an experienced 3D artist (Bryce). "While Bryce may have a rendering engine slower than most, I've always consider the beauty of the end results, worth the wait," he argues. He enjoys using his 3D graphic tools to create images of an astronomical, science fiction, and / or fantasy nature. Check out his gallery page for samples of his work.

Ron Turner
Ron Turner Flickr Gallery

Ron Turner is easily one of the most identifiable artists of the 1950s and 60s, whose work graced strips such as TV Century 21's The Daleks, Rick Random, Nick Hazard, Thunderbirds and many more.

Tim Twelves
Official: www.the12s.com

Tim works in both traditional and digital media as well as photography. He mostly uses Photoshop to develop his work p roducing comics for FutureQuake, Heirograph, Shriek! and Hard Words and working with wonderful writers like Nick Andreychuk and Andy Winter. Go straight to his comics work gallery





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