Artists sought for EU-funded Climate Change comic

By John Freeman on November 17, 2018

Paisley-based environmental organisation The Surefoot Effect has announced a search for artists to work on a 20-page comic, with a deadline for submissions at the end of this month.

The winning art team will be paid €5000 for the completed project, working to an established brief with a science fiction flavour.

The Surefoot Effect has found that people respond to different approaches in taking up action on Climate Change, and one of its many current programmes is “Illustrated Climate“.

Along with partners Volontariato Torino from Italy, the Centre for Education and Entrepreneurship Support (CEES) from Poland, and E.N.T.E.R Network from Austria, Surefoot has secured €170,000 worth of funding for an Erasmus+ two-year project with a focus on communicating aspects about climate change and other environmental issues at the local, national, European and international levels.

Co-funded by the Erasmus + programme, the first part of the project will see the creation of an interactive online platform where participants will be able to learn about different topics related to a deterioration of the global environments.

These will include basic knowledge about climate change and other environmental problems, as well as potential solutions to these issues based on some of the outcomes of the Intellectual Outputs of the Erasmus+ project ‘A Tale of Two Futures’.

Climate justice, environmental ethics, and corporate social responsibility will also be part of the curriculum.

The second part of the project aims at illustrating the main themes covered in the platform with the aid of 50 stills and a 20-page graphic novel created by European artists.

Surefoot will also use these visual components as a dissemination tool.

The Environmental Learning Illustrated project aims to encourage people to learn about environmental problems and sustainable solutions to these problems.

“This fun and innovative format might make it easier for participants of the programme to learn core themes, especially for those without a scientific background of the subject,” the organisation argues on its website.

The Surefoot Effect equips people, groups and organisations in the UK and Europe with skills for sustainability and resilience. Their approach is values-based and transformational.

• For more details visit illustrated-climate.eu | The full Call for Artists appeal submission process and requirements are here (PDF)

• Find out more about the Erasmus+ project ‘A Tale of Two Futures’

With thanks to Steve Marchant for the heads up

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.