Hasta La Ideas

Graphite artzine Tiny Pencil’s second issue is a comic-themed collection of mini-zines featuring artwork by 25 illustrators.

Tiny Pencil is a bi-annual publication devoted to graphite illustration. Each issue, artists are asked to respond to a theme using only pencils and paper. The theme for the inaugural edition was forests (you can read our blog post on it here), and the second issue was inspired by comic and activity books.

The new issue contains three A5 zines, packaged in an illustrated box designed by Kristyna Baczynski. Each features a cover illustration by Jerwood Prize Drawing nominee Eleanor Taylor and includes games, activities and sketches.

“The themes for the zines are mammals, monsters and Mars. We have everything from a monster game involving dice by John D. Kilburn, a martian explorer comic from Viviane Schwarz, [who was shortlisted for a V&A Illustration Award], and a catalogue of ancient mammals from Yoko Tanaka.

“There are also colouring-in pages by Tom Hubmann… a creature crossword illustrated by Nick Sheehy, a ‘make your own monster’ by [children’s book and comic illustrator] Sarah McIntyre and lots more – it’s 72 pages, so there’s a lot to play with,” says editor Amber Hsu, who set up the magazine with fellow illustrator and graphite enthusiast Katriona Chapman.

While issue one was a one-colour affair, the second edition of Tiny Pencil features cheerful two, three and multi-colour illustrations and comes with a free pack of Derwent pencils.  “Because it’s an all-ages issue, and it’s summer, we wanted to do something a bit different. Some of the artists involved were doing some interesting things with coloured pencils, so it made sense to experiment with it,” explains Hsu. “It’s meant to be accessible for younger readers, but the artists were really encouraged to make the pages their own, so it appeals to our inner kidults as well,” she adds.

It’s another beautiful collection of illustrations, and the interactive games and activities should appeal to graphite and comic fans big and small.

Tiny Pencil issue two costs £12.95 and is available to buy at tinypencil.com

Want to learn a new skill? Hone your craft? Or just switch off that Mac and do something a little less boring instead for a while? Then our August issue is for you with details on workshops, short courses and a host of ideas to reinvigorate the creative mind. You can buy the August issue of Creative Review direct from us here. Better yet, subscribe to make sure that you never miss out on a copy – you’ll save money too. Details here.