Elf~Fin Leaks & Peeks 24

We're not going to say much about this one... only that it blew Julie away when she saw the full page just a few minutes ago. We're afraid you're going to have to wait until Elf~Fin: Hyfus & Tilaweed #1 comes out to find how and why the "sharps" feature in the full story.

Mermaid Artists 3 – Wayne Tan

Okay... we're being slightly misleading here, as Wayne is more a manga artist than a mermaid artist. However, we discovered this piece recently and loved it so much we wanted you to see it as well. I (Julie) met Wayne about a month ago at a three day marketing seminar. It's funny how we found each other in a space that held about 700 or 800 people but there you go! Wayne and I have since exchanged a few emails and I've seen his online portfolio which is dazzling.

Here's a little bit about him:

Wayne is the co-founder of the Australian based Doujin group AliceOverture (formerly known as Lilium Visuals). He is an artist with many years experience in Japanese anime art and is heavily influenced by Shounen Jump. He is able to vary his style in doing all kinds of work from realistic to cartoon and specialises in character & costume design.

As of late, he has chosen to take on some solo projects under the name of "Ikarisu" and his artwork can readily be seen in many of the Sydney anime conventions throughout the year. 

You can see his artwork too at Deviant Art. Here's a second Deviant Art gallery to check out as well. We'd love to see some of Wayne's sequential (comics) art. Hint! Hint!

Support the Caravan of Comics!

There's a band of resourceful and exceptionally talented Aussie comikers heading to Canada and the USA in April in what has been christened the "Caravan of Comics", and they need some cash to help them along the way. At the time of writing this blog post, they've raised around $1400 and they're wanting to reach the $4000 mark. There's still 29 days to go and we think they'll make it to their goal and beyond because both they and their work is much loved on the Aussie scene.

On board the caravan are David Blumenstein, Jen Breach, Andrew Fulton, Pat Grant, Michael Hawkins, Douglas Holgate, Sarah Howell, Ben Hutchings, Gregory Mackay, Mandy Ord, Matt Taylor, and podcaster John Retallick from the ComicsSpot in Melbourne.

You can contribute anything from $2 to $500 (or more if you're flush!) through the IndieGogo "Caravan of Comics" campaign web page or you can click on the widget underneath the video. We encourage you to read all about it and dig deep... these are truly remarkable comics creators with unique voices who will do Australia and themselves proud. CLICK HERE if you want to visit the Caravan of Comics website.

 

Mermaid Books 6 - Minnie Pearl and the Undersea Bazaar

Jozef's had this picture book for years but I just bought it the other day and added it to my mermaid collection. I re-read it and once again enjoyed the fantastical tale of an enterprising and resourceful young mermaid named Minnie who tries to save her parents' ailing undersea bazaar after an unscrupulous competitor named Manta Rae opens her own marine emporium.

The story is written by Aussie Natalie Jane Prior and illustrated by Cheryl Orsini. The artwork has a late 1920s to early 30s look about it in the hairstyles, costuming and underwater architecture. There are also some lovely little details in each of the illustrations if you allow yourself to explore them. Check out the new fashioned earrings on page 10, the cosmetics on page 8, and the "Beware of the Surface" teaching aid in the classroom scene on page 5.

Unfortunately, the book is not available through Amazon but you can get it through the ABC Shop website or you can check it out on the HarperCollins Australia website. If you'd like to see more of the delightful illustrations, check out Cheryl Orsini's blog here.