ISSUE 50 - published DECEMBER 2024
As we close this year and move forward we are also changing things from the bkk UNZINE side.
Don’t worry, we are still on the artists’ side; we will do our best to continue solidifying this art community and promoting them, but something close to our hearts will take center stage: comics.
Also, we are changing the way we announce the themes for each month, instead of creating the poll at the end of each month and announcing at the beginning of the next to start receiving submissions.
We will announce the themes for the whole year of 2025 at once, so artists will have time to plan their submissions in advance.
bkk UNZINE is slowly becoming a comic magazine, meaning 80% of our content will be comics-related, showcasing our projects in comics, and the remaining 20% will be dedicated to the general art scene as we have done so far.
You will still be able to submit as usual but instead of bkk UNZINE being an art magazine that just so happens to feature comics, we will be a comics magazine that also features other forms of art.
Excited for next year!
CATAPHORS
by GEMSTONE
Three out of my five cats for this one. I will do the other two cats when I have more time.
Dumpling: Heart of gold. My oldest cat who loves any kitten as soon as they step inside the house.
Kaoru: Couch potato. This big girl will get comfortable and the turn into a log as she stays still.
Mousse: All bark and no bite. She was the one who had the longest street life so it is harder for her, but she is very sweet and will lick when she’s happy.
2D Artist
Gemma Smith likes drawing with pencils for most of her work, but she sometimes use pens and paint as well. Drawing is only a hobby for her.
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
by AKSHIT SETHI
Hi 🖐 This is my take on the metaphor-“Elephant in the Room”.
Thank you for seeing this. 🙏 I hope that you have a fulfilling day. 💛🎐Tc and Aloha. 🏄♀️✨
Illustrator, Animator
Akshit is an artist who likes to make character illustrations, animation, pixel art, etc. He hopes that the joy in making art never leaves us.
SPOILED APPLES
by SHEN
iPad Pro, Digital, 8.5” x 11”, Procreate
“One bad apple can spoil the bunch”—a metaphor that made me realize sometimes people are just a bunch of gaslighting, spoiled apples, and it has nothing to do with you. Some people refuse to change because the way they are benefits them. I reworked the text in this comic strip, keeping true to the original idea but shifting the tone. At the last moment, I backed out from sharing it. I wasn’t ready to reveal such a personal part of my life yet. Maybe someday I’ll move past this discomfort and find peace in sharing it.
Freelance Artist, Digital Artist, Animator
Shen is a freelance artist who considers herself an introvert. She enjoys reading books from authors all around the world. Currently she is reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi and is loving it.
GREEN NOTES
by WATSAK
This comic was done after the end of my first solo exhibition, the Birth of Maihua, which tells stories of how I came up with giving lives to these plant creatures from my Maihua story. It talks about the feedback boards which leave (pun Intended!) such an impression on me from people who visited my exhibition. Yingyai, the romantic sister of the 5 siblings, could not help but get inspired from it too and start her usual improvising of her emotions creatively.
I used Procreate to create this piece digitally.
Writer, Illustrator
Watsak is a comic artist and animator based in Bangkok. He is the creator of Maihua, a universe of plant-human creatures and friends who live in a giant tree condominium somewhere in Bangkok where residents of that building believe in them and would be able to see them. Currently, Watsak focuses on his storytelling in the media of comics and animation.
READ FIRST THEN JUDGE
by CHARTLAJAM
I’ve always said that I’m an open book but people seem to be obsessed with the cover too much that they hardly get over it. This is me framing myself as a Diva amulet with all the human reproduction symbols. It may lead you to one way but IF you want to know the real me, I suggest you read me, observe me, talk to me.
(ฝรั่งอ่าน “เดอ มัว“ คนไทยอ่าน “เดอ หมอย“)
Graphic Designer, Fashion Designer
Purely Bangkokian, Chartlajam moves everywhere throughout the year but is now back to Bangkok for good. She received a degree in fashion design but her main art skills are crafting jewelry and graphic design. For illustration, her comfort zone is the freehand pen sketching in her small sketch book.
DISCRIMINATION
by SKETCHMAN BORIS
This was drawn digitally in Clip Studio Paint.
I had this idea while discussing about something else and it just came fully formed in my head. What do you think?
Comic Artist
Boris Aravindabalan, aka “Sketchman Boris,” is the founder of bkk UNZINE art magazine. Growing up in India, Boris discovered his love for drawing and, combined with hours and hours of cartoons and movies, he realized that not only did he just love reading and watching stories, but he also wanted to have the same impact on others as the creators whose work he enjoyed had on him.
Interview with Writer, Comics Scriptwriter and Activist Frédéric Debomy
During the BKK Comics Art Festival #3 in October 2024, we exhibited pages from Myanmar, The Last Stand, published by Slowork Publishing, back in 2022. Shortly afterward, bkk UNZINE founder Sketchman Boris was invited to Taichung for the Golden Comic Awards and bought a copy of the book there. In wonderful synchronicity, we were then contacted by Frédéric Debomy, the book’s author, who was in Bangkok and expressed interest in connecting with us. Frédéric graciously visited our studio UNZINE 95 and sat for this interview.
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