ELCAF 2019 kicks off  this week! We’ve been really excited to see all of the prep and new publications that exhibitors are posting up online. There are going to be some real treat to discover. To make life easier, here’s a handy PDF for you to see all the exhibitor’s that are attending, which days they’ll be there and where you can find them. And if you haven’t bought your tickets yet you can do so here.

The springboard meetings are back! Our hugely popular one on one portfolio reviews provide the chance for young creatives to meet industry experts, show their work or ask questions to gain insight into the professional creative industries.

Each expert is available for an hour, divided into 4 golden slots of 15 minutes each.

This year’s experts include:
Tom Haugomat (Artist and Illustrator), Anna Ridley (Commissioning Editor, Children’s books, Thames & Hudson), Andy Oliver (Editor in chief, Broken Frontier), Francesca Sanna (Artist and Illustrator), Chris Haughton (Artist and Illustrator), Lou Bones (Membership Manager, Association of Illustrators), Ali Hanson (Senior Creative, It’s Nice That), Ligaya Salazar (Artistic Director, ELCAF), Daniel Frost (Artist and illustrator), Leyla Reynolds (Art Director, Gal-Dem Zine), Jon McNaught (Artist and Illustrator), Sam Arthur (Co-Founder, Nobrow), Joe Pearson (Independent publisher, Design for Today) and many, MANY more!

Be sure to get in quick as spaces fill up fast. Booking is free and you can do it here.

We are thrilled to have Samandal, winner of the ELCAF Audience Award 2018, exhibit a collection of their works in London. Samandal are a Beirut-based publisher who have brought together works of Lebanese artists and small press in ‘Topia’ an impressive anthology of comics that will be on display at the exhibition. Find out more details about the exhibition and private view here.

The private view will be held on Tuesday 21 May, 5 – 7pm at Cass Art Islington Gallery Space. Join us for a drink.

The programme is up and running and the tickets are now on sale. We’re thrilled to have another incredible line-up of artists gathering in London to join us for a weekend of talks, workshops, books, and general festival cheer. Come one, come all! Buy your tickets here.

We’re launching another round of hoppy fresh ELCAF beer for 2019 courtesy of the fine brewers at Gipsy Hill. The artwork this year has been created by Jayde Perkin, winner of the ELCAF x WeTransfer Award, and Marcus Reed, creative director of Gipsy Hill. To celebrate, we’re launching the beer early with an event at their taprooms which includes music and workshops throughout the day. Running the different workshops will be Alex Barrow at OKIDO, Luke Healy (How to Survive in the North, Nobrow Press) and Katie Harnett (Monty and the Poodles, Flying Eye Books) as well as chats with our friends over at the AOI. For more info, check out the event page here.

The festival is fast approaching and we are looking for enthusiastic people to join our team! Volunteers play a crucial role in ensuring the success of the festival and we have various opportunities for you to get involved before, during and after ELCAF. If you’re enthusiastic about comics and illustration, like working with the public and don’t mind getting stuck in to all types of tasks whether big or small, see our opportunities page for more details.