Meta Blotting

Partly autobiographical and partly fictive Blotting Paper draws on selected comics related reflections from my academic career including attempts to carry the comics flag within art and design education in both teaching and research. It also contains anecdotes relating to my Doctor Comics’s alias’s adventures. Printmaking has been employed as well as drawing, typography and handwriting as image-making techniques. The intention was to make a comic in an artist’s book type of format. This was then developed into a zine format, followed by the indie comics form and ultimately all of the various issues and formats were combined into graphic novel form.

Work clothes hung out to dry-photo © 2015 Michael Hill
Blotting Paper030
Getting closer.
A bit too much blur.
Development.
Early experiments.
BPtitle-05292
BPC1#1.3-3057
Issue#2Covers1-1R
Background texture-© 2011 Michael Hill.
Issue#2Covers2-1R
Colour overlay on background-© 2011 Michael Hill.
Issue#2Covers3-1R
Typographic design of title on overlay and background-© 2011 Michael Hill.
BP#2
The printed labels drying and awaiting attachment to the covers. (Photo-© 2013 Michael Hill)
Cover of Issue #1-© 2012 Michael Hill
Cover of Issue #2-© 2013 Michael Hill
Cover of Issue #3-© 2014 Michael Hill
Cover of Issue #4-© 2015 Michael Hill
Cover of Issue #5-© 2016 Michael Hill
Variant cover of Issue #2-© 2013 Michael Hill
Variant cover of Issue #2-© 2013 Michael Hill
Variant cover of Issue #2-© 2013 Michael Hill
DSC01389
My basic typographic box of tricks. (Photo by Louise Graber)
BPTypo#1
Working with rubber type (Photo-© 2013 Michael Hill)
Testing out some type.
Testing out some type.
Sumi-1R
A bowl of sumi ink and a brush
Hook-1R
Bench hook and roller on studio bench.
Sink-1R
Water, cloths, sink and block.
Feet-1R
Printmaking attire.
BPPaperSupplies#1
Paper supplies (Photo-© 2013 Michael Hill)
BPBrushes#1
The brush collection (Photo-© 2013 Michael Hill)
DSC01493-2
Bamboo baren, seals, string, brushes and finished card.
Tools#3
…and particular tools selected.
MoreDesk#3
Ink tests underway…
DipPen#2
Dip pen with nibs by Gillot and Muller with bottle of ink from Lamy.
Art Tools R
Linocut, type, roller, calligraphy brush and ink dish. (Photo-© 2014 Michael Hill).
ClotheLine#3
Art travel kit R
Packing my art bag for a location sketching session. (Photo-© 2014 Michael Hill).
Desktop#3
The art table has been established.
script book
Developing a first draft script design-© 2015 Michael Hill
Moleskin4571
Two small note books in which design ideas and thumbnails were developed.
Moleskin7574
The main note book used on the project wherein details of the character, setting and story were developed.
Moleskin1568
Notes and sketches for one of the memory sequences.
Moleskin2569
Thumbnails for a story sequence.
Moleskin3570
Model sheet for character design ideas.
Designs for Doctor Comics (pencil and ink drawings-© 2013 Michael Hill)
Designs for Doctor Comics (pencil and ink drawings-© 2013 Michael Hill)