Creator’s Roulette with Kriti Khare

Posted on February 5, 2020 by julian peters comics

What follows is my conversation with Kriti Khare on her website, Armed with a Book. In this round of “The Creator’s Roulette,” we discuss, among other things, the nature of beauty, poetry appreciation, India, and my upcoming collection of poetry comics:

I read Julian Peters’ Poems to see by in January and I was fascinated by his work. The book is a collection of poems, with illustrations: they are poetry as comics! Did you know that poetry and writing a comic are very similar? I had never thought of this before and Julian’s preface to the collection got me thinking more about how different art forms are related to one another. I reached out to Julian and it is an honor to host him as part of The Creator’s Roulette. I hope you enjoy this conversation about art and like the works by Julian that I have shared here.

On Beauty in Poems

Welcome to The Creator’s Roulette, Julian! You mentioned in your book that you created these comic strip accompaniments for these poems because you love beauty. What does a “beautiful poem” look like?

Thanks so much for having me!

Well, I think everyone loves beauty in one form or another. I guess by definition what is beautiful to us is what we love looking at (or reading, in the case of poetry). A beautiful poem for me is one that gives me a little shiver of pleasure in more or less the same place in the brain as does a beautiful piece of music, and makes me want to repeat the lines over and over to myself, in the same way that a good song gets us singing it.

What kind of poems do you find beautiful?

I am finding that as I read, I try to imagine or feel the emotions of it. Any poem that I can relate to and believe it portrays the emotions with words in a manner different than what I have known before, will stay with me. Continue reading →

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Rest on the Flight into Egypt

Posted on January 16, 2020 by julian peters comics

The Gospel of Matthew relates that soon after the visit of the Magi, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to flee with Mary and the infant Jesus to Egypt, where they would be safe from the murderous designs of King Herod.

This illustration was commissioned for and originally appeared in the December 2019 issue of Yawp! a magazine dedicated to the promotion of English literature in Barak Valley, Assam, India. https://www.facebook.com/yawplittlemagazine/?tn-str=k*F

The issue was centered around the themes of displacement and of migrant crises around the world.

Posted in illustration, india, watercolour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Interview in The English Dossier of St Gregorios College

Posted on December 23, 2019 by julian peters comics

I was very pleased to have my adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “Annabel Lee” (one of my very first ”poetry comics”, which is now nearly as old as the original poem), along with an interview, in the latest issue of The English Dossier, the magazine of the English department at St. Gregorios College in Kottarakara, India. Thank you to Professor Lancy Thomas Kurakar for  reaching out to me for this feature!

You can read the interview here: https://tedmagazinehome.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/ted-april-2019.pdf

Posted in comic book poetry, comics, Edgar Allan Poe, news, Poetry, Poetry Comics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

My first book of poetry comics now available for pre-order!

Posted on December 12, 2019 by julian peters comics

It has been over a year now since I published any new poetry comics on this site, which may have led some visitors here to the impression that I have moved on to other, perhaps more grown-up pursuits. Quite the contrary! 2019 has actually been my most prolific comics drawing year to date, in which I have produced no less than 18 new comics adaptations of classic works of poetry. These, along with 6 of my earlier works, will be published together in my very first book, Poems to See by: A Comic Artist Interprets Great Poetry (Plough Publishing House, 160 pages, hardcover). Publication is set for the end of March, but as of now the book is available for pre-order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/087486318X as well as from Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/poems-to-see-by-julian-peters/1134897412;jsessionid=01ABAD3BEF3CB092F07C293965491158.prodny_store02-atgap02?ean=9780874863185

 

You can also read a few early reviews on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47864492-poems-to-see-by

Sample images:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in comic book poetry, comics, illustration, news, Poetry, Poetry Comics | 7 Comments

“The Baron in The Trees” by Italo Calvino

Posted on November 25, 2019 by julian peters comics

“Cosimo was in the oak. The branches were waving, high bridges above the earth. A light wind was blowing; it was sunny. The sun shone among the leaves, and to see Cosimo we had to shield our eyes with our hands. Cosimo looked at the world from the tree: everything was different seen from up there, and that was already an entertainment. The avenue had a completely different prospect, as did the flower beds, the hydrangeas, the camellias, the small iron table where one could have coffee in the garden. Farther on, the foliage thinned out and the vegetable garden sloped down in small terraced fields supported by stone walls; the low hill was dark with olive groves, and behind, the built-up area of Ombrosa raised its roofs of faded brick and slate, and ships’ flags peeked out from the port below. In the background the sea extended, high on the horizon, and a slow sailing ship passed by.”

-Italo Calvino, The Baron in The Trees, translated by Ann Goldstein

Posted in illustration, watercolour | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

South American Memories

Posted on September 10, 2019 by julian peters comics

In the last year I’ve gotten into a habit of mainly posting my one-off drawings and paintings to Instagram, reserving this website for completed comics or comics-related announcements. I have just now realized, however, that as a result of this I have left no record here of my epic trip this past January to the “Cono Sur” of South America: Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, three fantastical and enchanting countries that I miss very much. Here, then, are a few of the sketches, either in pen or oil pastel, that I made on location of these places, many of which felt to me oddly familiar, like a reworking and jumbling together of various memories of the kind that occurs in dreams, held together by a tenuous logic that snaps apart upon waking.

Cerro Bellavista, Valparaiso, Chile

Extremely long and steep staircase in Valparaiso

Port of Valparaiso

Houses on stilts in Castro, Chiloe Island, Chile, looking like a Newfoundland of the South

Interior of the Iglesia de San Francisco in Castro, Chiloe, a huge church made entirely out of wood.

Street in Montevideo, Uruguay, with the brownish Rio de la Plata in the background (although admittedly it is not quite that brown, the exact colour eluded me this time)

51260317_482130068987160_775319460390109184_nA steady hand on the tiller of the Presidente Sarmiento, an 1897 Argentine naval cruiser moored at Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires. Photo credit to my Porteña guide in Buenos Aires and up-and-coming Borgesian autora, Belén Debuchy.

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A Private Audience

Posted on September 6, 2019 by julian peters comics

A Private Audience

 

Posted in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot | Leave a comment

Registration open for my Fall classes at the Visual Arts Centre!

Posted on August 29, 2019 by julian peters comics

This beautiful visual rendition of Harold Monro’s beautiful 1914 poem “Overheard on a Saltmarsh” was created by Linda Dyer, a student in my Fall 2018 Drawing and Illustration class.

I’m excited to once again be teaching two classes at the Visual Arts Centre in Westmount this Fall: “Illustration de bande dessinée/Comic Book Illustration” on Thursday evenings from 7pm-10pm and “Dessin et  illustration/Drawing and Illustration” on Friday mornings from 9am-12pm. Classes begin on September 26 and 27 respectively and go for 12 weeks. They will be taught in both English and French. Here are the two brief course descriptions that can be found on the VAC Fall/Winter program:

Dessin et illustration/Drawing and Illustration

Begin your exploration by illustrating a simple phrase or poem, and progress toward a more involved comic or graphic project. Learn basic skills of illustration, from initial sketch and design, to addition of ink, line, wash, and watercolour. A unique voice and style emerge as you see your own stories come to life on paper. Materials include ink, watercolour, charcoal, etc. Prerequisite: some basic drawing skills.
Materials not included. https://www.visualartscentre.ca/register/?action=course_detail&course_id=5396

Illustration de bande dessinée/Comic Book Illustration

Combining images and words, comics are an exciting, accessible means of storytelling and self-expression. Learn basic illustration skills, including expressive figure drawing, inking, layout, character design, and storyline, which will then be brought together in the creation of your own short graphic book. The development of a unique voice and style will be encouraged. Prerequisite: some basic drawing skills.
Materials not included. https://www.visualartscentre.ca/register/?action=course_detail&course_id=5397

Registration for courses at VAC is now open! For more details and/or to download their full Fall/Winter program, go to https://www.visualartscentre.ca/school-of-art/

Posted in bande dessinée, comic book poetry, comics, illustration, montreal, news, Poetry, Poetry Comics, watercolour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Le cheval de bleu” by Marcel Cremer

Posted on June 3, 2019 by julian peters comics

“Le cheval de bleu” [The Horse of Blue] is a children’s play originally written in German by the Germanophone Belgian author Marcel Cremer (1955-2009). A new French-language production of the play, a collaboration between Théâtre de la vieille 17 and Voyageurs Immobiles, Compagnie de création under the direction of Milena Buziak, premiered last weekend at the Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins theatre in Ottawa. This premiere was paired with the launch of an illustrated print edition of the play published by Lansman Editeur (Carnières-Morlanwelz, Belgium). I did the illustrations, some of which appear below (click on images to enlarge).

Cheval de bleu 1Cheval de bleu 2Cheval de bleu 5Cheval de bleu 6Cheval de bleu 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“Rimbaud Warriors” by Richard Gaitet in stores now!

Posted on May 29, 2019 by julian peters comics

Richard Gaitet’s “Rimbaud Warriors,” out today from Éditions Paulsen, recounts the author’s journey by foot from Charleville, France to Charleroi, Belgium, retracing the route taken by Arthur Rimbaud in the fall of 1870. It was during the course of this adventure, the second of his great escapes from his family home, that the sixteen-year-old poet found the inspiration for what would become some of his most famous poems.

Wrapped around the bottom half of the classically French off-white, minimalist cover is a bright red book jacket featuring a drawing of the “Tintin of poetry” by yours truly. Another of my drawings appears inside. Click here for more information on “Rimbaud Warriors” on the Paulsen website: https://www.editionspaulsen.com/rimbaud-warriors-2054.html

 

Posted in Arthur Rimbaud, bande dessinée, illustration, news, rimbaud | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment