Cartoon and Comic Art - Semester highlights

Fig Taylor – Shared practical advice on portfolio development and career pathways in illustration and comics.

Fig Taylor is a UK-based illustrator and long-standing board member of the Association of Illustrators (AOI), including a period as Chair. Alongside her illustration practice, she is widely recognised for her advocacy work around fair pay, contracts, professional standards, and education in illustration. She is also an experienced educator, speaker, and mentor, regularly contributing to sector-wide discussions on sustainability and professional practice.

Andy Oliver – Editor-in-Chief of Broken Frontier- discussed trends in indie comics and opportunities for emerging creators.

Andy Oliver is the Editor-in-Chief and owner of Broken Frontier, a premier media platform dedicated to independent and small press comics. A leading advocate for emerging talent, he co-organizes the UK’s Small Press Day and directs the influential "Six to Watch" mentorship program. With over a decade of industry leadership, he is a frequent judge for major comic awards and serves as an Academic Support Librarian at the University of the Arts London

Hannah Berry – UK Comic Laureate (2019–2021); delivered an inspiring talk on storytelling and the cultural impact of comics.

Hannah Berry is an award-winning graphic novelist and scriptwriter who served as the UK Comics Laureate from 2019 to 2021. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, she is the author of acclaimed works such as Adamtine and Livestock and a founding member of the Society of Authors’ Comics Creators Network. She is a prominent industry advocate, notably leading the national UK Comics Creator Survey to improve professional standards and funding for the sector.

Josh Sims (CCA Graduate) – Made the longlist for the 1st Graphic Novel Award, showcasing alumni success and industry recognition.

CCA graduate Josh Sims was selected for the longlist of the First Graphic Novel Award 2025, a UK competition supporting emerging creators developing their first full-length graphic novel. The award is aimed at new and early-career graphic novelists and is assessed by an industry judging panel.

Josh’s work ’Turn Off The Machines’ focused on visual storytelling and drawing-led narrative, with an emphasis on atmosphere, tone, and sustained project development. His practice uses dense line work and cross-hatching, combining darker subject matter with elements of humour and warmth.

This recognition follows Gareth Cowlin, CCA lecturer, who was shortlisted for the First Graphic Novel Award 2023. The two results reflect continuity between staff practice and graduate outcomes within the Cartoon & Comic Arts course.

The course maintains professional links with the UK comics sector, including The Cartoon Museum. The award’s 2023 judging panel included Steve Marchant, curator at The Cartoon Museum, reflecting overlap between course-linked institutions and external industry evaluation.

TURN OFF THE MACHINES by Joshua Sims

A small toy elephant whose trunk is stitched to his chest wakes up in an abandoned library in an abstract, crumbling world. His task is simple: turn off six mysterious, failing machines. Each machine, however, is fiercely defended by its caretaker…

Josh’s website -- Welcome | poshyartstuff (joshsims.wixsite.com)

Instagram -- Poshy (@poshyartstuff) • Instagram photos and videos

First Graphic Novel longlist — First Graphic Novel

• Partnership with the Cartoon Museum – Students produced two publications that will be sold in Spring, giving them real-world publishing experience.

• Level 5 Collaboration with children – Students worked with younger audiences to create a comic book, which will be available in a bookshop in Spring, emphasising community engagement and applied learning.

• Winter Fair – Students showcased and sold their work, building entrepreneurial skills.
• Halloween Event – Focused on selling comics and themed artwork, encouraging creativity and commercial awareness.
• Ember Lounge Wall Project – Students contributed to a large-scale visual installation, promoting visibility of the course on campus.
• Staffs Union Pub Quiz & Pizza Day – Strengthened student community and networking opportunities.