True Story- a collection of diary comics

I’m very pleased with myself as I have had printed a 52 page book of my diary comics to date. It’s available in my online shop for £10 FREE POSTAGE

'True Story' is a 52 page collection of diary comics. Full of relatable ponderings and observations on family life, arty life and reflections on things I've done that will hopefully make you snorty laugh.

Some pages are lifted straight from my sketchbook and some are more illustrated narratives.

Contents:

1. Jobs I've had on my journey to becoming a rich and famous artist*

2. Things I've eaten and feel bad about now

3. Spa Day

4. Floatation

5. Praeter Rerum Serium

6. Date Night

7. How I start my day

8. Survival Skills

9. Birds

10. Woe Betide my Yuletide (part 1)

11. Woe Betide my Yuletide (part 2)

12. How Raymond Briggs saved my Christmas


BV Open Studios weekend- coming soon! April 17/18/19th.

Looking forward to opening the doors to my studio for the annual BV studio open weekend. Over 100 creatives work out of BV so a great opportunity for inspiration and having a good old nosy around.

Chuffed to bits that my illustration was used for the Gaol Ferry Bridge banner too!

17th - 19th April:
Friday 6pm-9pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am-5pm

37 Philip St, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4EA
(opposite the entrance to Windmill Hill City Farm)

https://www.bvstudios.co.uk/

Jobs I've had on my journey to becoming a rich and famous artist*

Spoiler alert- I’m still not rich or famous

Another instalment of ‘True Stories from the life of Kate Hazell’
This is not actually a comprehensive list of jobs, because some things are best left unsaid (like the time I worked at All Bar One and got a rash on my boobs from hiding my own tips in my bra. Karma.)
What’s the moral of the story here? I suppose it’s work hard and persevere! What’s the best/worst job you’ve ever had?

NEW WORK A-Z of Bristol print- a colourful look at my adopted city

To coincide with Bristol Harbour Festival 2025 I decided to create an illustrated A-Z of the city I call home, Bristol!

A homage and celebration of some of the best known elements of the city, as well as shining some light on a few of the lesser known places on the map.
I live in Knowle, South Bristol so the alphabet features a few extra places from that neck of the woods.

The artwork is all hand drawn and digitally coloured to create a colourful, humorous eye catching design.

Marina Market- Harbour festival weekend Saturday 19th July.

Next Saturday 19th is Marina Market where myself and fellow Dockyard Studio pals will be touting our wares. I’ve made a new A-Z of Bristol print and H is for HARBOUR FESTIVAL which is conveniently the same weekend.
There will be all sorts on offer including
@lucaslovesthis
@coffeeclubbristol
@screwy.art
@limbo_tapes
@talkclubcharity
And more!

Come and find us at Bristol Marina, Hanover Place, BS1 6UH
Saturday 19th July
11-4pm
Toot toot!

Private commission- Hand lettering for wintery wedding stationary

I had the pleasure of creating the wintery wedding stationary for Becca & Josh who got married in December 2024. Their table names were all after their favourite pubs. What a lovely job!

Sketch book pages- drawing for drawings sake.

Sometimes the only drawing I do is for commissions so it’s refreshing when I find time to get a sketchbook out and draw for the sake of it. However, as I’m used working to a brief, I often get stuck on what to draw so sometimes do the ‘daily drawing’ prompts to get things going.

I loyally pack a sketchbook every time I go away and 99% of the time it stays in my bag the whole time. Sometimes it comes out and it’s lovely stumbling across old sketchbooks with little snap shots of forgotten adventures! Here’s a random selection in no particular order from lockdown, India, Greece, France, and Wales.

I climbed up Snowdon at night for Samaritans (and almost made it to the top...)

On 16th October 2021, to raise money for Samaritans, myself and a group of about 14 people organised by my sister Jo , set off to hike up Mount Snowdon setting off at midnight. Disappointingly however, due to inclemently wild weather conditions we didn’t quite make it to the top. The amazing guides, quite rightly decided that it was too dangerous so at Clogwyn Station (about three quarters of the way up) we turned back. We collectively raised over £8,000 for a great cause so I’ll take that.

It was such an amazing experience and actually really fun and exciting (if you like 40mph wind and rain in your face). My brother Pete, aka Titus Twelve co founder of Limbo Tapes summed it up perfectly in his ‘Thrilling Trek Report’ (see below)!

I found it really exhilarating and wanted to try and capture how it felt and made this narrative illustration with pen, ink and pencil crayon. It follows the journey of seeing the dark silhouette of the mountain, the colours of the wet stones, a startled sheep and frog through to the street lamps on the return. I’ve tried to express the sensation of the relentless wind and rain using texture.

Considering it was pitch black, I remember it seemed quite colourful, what with head torches lighting up glossy waterproofs, wet grass and the flashy lights we had strung around us so we could tell who was in our group.

This illustration is part of my WINTER’S BRIGHT exhibition currently on show at Serchia Gallery Bristol.

“Thrilling Snowdon Trek Report:

If like me, you enjoy distant landscape silhouettes and the sound of boisterous wind, then the trek was off to a winning start.

We left Llanberis at midnight and walked quietly through the drizzly residential roads before tarmac turned to stone and grass, and we were heading up the invisible mountain.

The higher we hiked the wetter, windier and darker it got, and after a couple of exciting hours our waterproofs and balance were being tested by the 45mph gusts.

The visibility started to close in as horizontal rain and cloud met us higher up the track. After a couple more stops to do head-counts and check we were all good, we "sheltered" behind a train track embankment. A guide went ahead to measure the wind speed, knowing that the next section was where conditions would only intensify.

The right call was made at Clogwyn station that to go on to the summit was "No fun and a whole lot of risk to manage" as the wind speeds would be greater, with zero shelter.

Although certainly a shame not to reach the top, to be 3/4 of the way up a mountain at 3am, and be told it's too dangerous to continue because of the intensifying weather conditions, is certainly one of my favourite walking experiences I've ever had. Let alone life affirming encounters with nature.

Thanks again to everyone who chipped in and helped our team raise over £8,000 for Samaritans - LEGENDS.

Big up to the other trekkers and guides for being solid crew, and love to those who need the charity's services the most.

Till next time, Snowdon...”

PETE HAZELL 19.10.21

So close!

Quite colourful despite the darkness