Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival will be a feast for the eyes

A day of live events in The Square on April 22 complements other activities including workshops, talks, exhibitions and a trail around the town. The focus of the live event will see 30 cartoonists from around the world set loose to caricature and cartoon to their heart’s content.

Also in The Square there will be the ‘Fast Food Takeaway Shack’ serving freshly made drawings, and a live cartoon performance ‘The Great British Cook Off Melodrawma’. People can join in, brew their own caption, get a taste for drawing in a hands-on area and visit the bookstall where cartoonists will be pleased to sign their work.

The ‘Eat, Draw and be Funny’ selling exhibitions at Bear Steps and Theatre Severn offer over 100 cartoons to tantalise visitors' taste buds. The exhibition at the Bear Steps, St Alkmond’s Square will run until April 29. Over 80 cartoons on the theme of Food & Drink will be on show, including Thomas Moore’s Gin Lane Revised which, according to organisers is a a 'must see'.

The exhibition at Theatre Severn runs from April through to late May and includes an auction of the ‘Worship of Bacchus’. Other ingredients that can be found in the FBC Manby Bowdler Gallery include animation tips, clips, storyboards and cartoon motifs.

Tim King, spokesman for the festival said: "On April 21 we are delighted to be hosting a second illustrated talk by award winning Private Eye cartoonist Tony Husband. Tony’s talk ‘From a Dark Place’ is a heartening tale of his son Paul’s journey through addiction. This will take place at 8pm at the Unitarian Church, High Street and the following day Hunt Emerson will share stories about his involvement with the Fortean Times, covering 20th Century occultist Dion Fortune and his own comic strip Phenomenomix. The talk is at1.30pm The Central, Claremont Street and tickets cost £5 on the door.

"An important aim of the festival is to provide an opportunity for people of all ages to get stuck in and have fun. Alongside what is being served up in The Square the workshops on Saturday will include two ‘Expressive Animation’ workshops lead by local artist Joe Coulman - 10am and 11.30am. People can come along and create your own animation to take home. It costs £4 per session. Angela Martin will help you create your own cartoon character and bring it to life in her ‘Fruit ‘n’ Veg, Pots and Pans’ Workshop at 10.30am – 12.30pm. Finally, Andy McKeown will run two ‘Drawing in Motion’ workshops at 1.30pm and 3pm which costs £4 per session.

"Last but not least the S-mile Trail is as tasty as ever, a coffee, cake and cartoon trail around town throughout April.

"We would like to thank our sponsors and look forward to seeing all on the day.

Tickets available for Tony Husband's talk are available from Pengwern Books, Fish Street, or on the door - £10, profits in aid of Red Rose Recovery and the Shrewsbury Cartoon Festival fund. Copies of the book written by Tony and son Paul can be purchased on the night.

More information about all the festival events go to www.shrewsburycartoonfestival.wordpress.com or pick up a leaflet from Bear Steps or Visitor Information Centre in Shrewsbury Museum & Gallery.