Let's Comics 2012

This is the first visual for a series of promotional materials for the International Festival of Comics Beirut 2012. It's function is to get artists/students under 30 to apply to the Let's Comics workshops that form the first phase of the festival. The official statement is as follows:

The Syndicate of Professional Graphic Designers & Illustrators in Lebanon (SPGIL), the Italian association COSV and the International Festival of Comics Beirut are pleased to invite you to the 2012 Comics Workshop.

Send your digital sample work or portfolio to:
letscomics2012@gmail.com

or a hard copy to:

1) COSV
Sammout St. Najm El Din Bldg -5th floor
Furn el Chubbak-Beirut
Tel: 01/288717
From 10.00am to 3.00pm

or

2) SPGIL
National Museum Square
Behind Volvo Company
Moukarzel Bldg – Ground floor
Beirut-Lebanon
Tel: 01/616771
From 10.00am to 3.00pm

(photocopies are accepted)

Don't forget to specify your full name, age, city of provenience, email, fixed and mobile telephone number, and to choose your workshop:

BEIRUT: 21/04 - 05/05 - 19/05 , COSV or SPGIL

BAALBEK: 15/04 - 29/04 - 13/05, Daari association

TRIPOLI: 28/04 - 12/05 - 26/05, Azm Centre

SOUR: 02/06 - 16/06 - 30/06, Cutural Movement Center in Lebanon -Tyr

(all workshops are for free)

APPLY BEFORE APRIL 13 2012!

On a personal note, I'd like to say that apart from the occasional exception, my experience with the workshops I've applied to in Lebanon over the years hasn't been all that great. It's always apparent that a lot of effort goes into organizing them but my theory is that all the effort gets misdirected. Being one of the people helping out with the organization this year, I'm sensing the same hesitation (or lack of interest) that I'd normally expect from myself when it comes to these things. Having said that, here's my appeal to the two or three people reading this post:

I like the guys over at COSV. I've worked with them for a few years now and they've helped me out a lot early on in my career (they still do) so when they asked me to help instruct the workshops, I automatically agreed. I'm going to be instructing the Baalbek workshop and co-instructing the Beirut one. For my part, I can say that the intention is to avoid any lofty aspirations and focus on what's doable in a three day workshop and when I say "instruct," I'm using the word very loosely. The idea is to get out of the way and hopefully just give people the chance to draw or tell a good story. With any luck, enough people meet each other at the festival this year and we give the comics medium a much needed kick in the right direction here in Lebanon...