Laydeez do comics Leeds July 2013

 Hi, my name is Charlotte Overton and I set up a company last year called ItchyPalm, the main business is Graphic Design and Illustration. However one of the things I love doing is illustrating typography. I sell items online, and within the JuJu shop in the Corn Exchange in Leeds. Comic books have always been a part of my life, starting with the Dandy and the Beano, working up to Batman, Catwoman, Superman, Watchmen and a large range of graphic novels including Love & Rockets by the Hernandez brothers.At all of the LDC evenings there is always a ‘ice breaker’ to get everyone in the mood and relaxed ready to enjoy the talks, some banter and some inspiration time. This time round the question was: If you were to write a book about yourself – what would you call it?Sarah is one of the founders of Laydeez do Comics and I found her and her work fascinating. ‘How can I tell my life story’, Sarah has used this question in her work and looked at her own family/life history and dug into the lives of other women to form inspiring and fascinating works of both illustration and animation. Sarah’s work I found captured a lot of emotion, for a person to be able to take what is inside themselves and present it as an animation creates a seamless piece of personality and art.Lydia described herself as Scientist and Illustrator combined. The science comic not only appeals to the comic book addict but the student within us all to learn more about the world and how things work. Her excitement of having something produced and used in real life was so clear and the audience was sucked into her enthusiasm and we were all dying to see (or get a peak) the finished product that would be featuring at the British Science Festival.Mel gave me the inspiration to collect and learn more about older comics and magazines that are currently (apart from Mel’s talk) don’t know much about. She talked about the magazines and comics for girls being full of aspirational items/story’s and inspirational texts and images. Mel was so lively and entertaining – her subject was inspirational but I’m sure with her personality and presentation of information – she could make anything interesting. She has a story for everyone.