LICAF announces first creative “Fellows”, Guy Parsons and Liza Dangerfield
LICAF, the power house behind this coming weekend’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal, have announced illustrators Guy Parsons and Liza Pink Dangerfield to as part of its Fellowship programme, delivered in partnership with Cumbria Arts & Culture Network’s “See It to Be It” programme.
IllustratorGuy Parsons, whose clinets include Lakeland Arts, Trash Free Trails and Fwolk Zine, joins LICAF with a passion for bringing creative communities together, and is looking forward to getting behind the scenes of the Festival, exploring how arts festivals are run and how creative expression can help connect people and communities.
Guy’s work champions wildlife, folklore and anything a bit rural. He says his practice is inspired by long countryside walks, fauna and environmental activism.
Liza Pink Dangerfield, who’s also Student Ambassador at York St. John University, joins LICAF as a community illustrator, with a particular interest in the organisation’s work with children and young people. She’s also part of the team behind Penrith Zine Fest, founded by Jess Autumn Bell, so LICAF are excited to share their experience of producing an arts event in Cumbria.
A lot of her personal work is people based reportage in a palm sized sketchbook but don’t let that fool you; she also works large scale creating immersive installations. In her work, you can find a nostalgic feel that often centres around nature.
This year’s Penrith Summer Zine Fest, in August, hosted fourteen local artists in Penrith Library Meeting Room, and had over one hundred visitors throughout the day. The team are back at the Library for their Winter Zine Fest on Saturday 5th December.
“We’re so pleased to have them both with us and can’t wait to see what they get up to during the Festival,” says Festival Director Julie Tait.
The Lakes International Comic Arts Festival (LICAF), working in partnership with Cumbria Arts & Culture Network’s ‘See It to Be It’ programme, announced two Fellowship opportunities earlier this year locally, looking for young people based in Cumbria to express interest and submit an application.
Cumbria Arts and Culture Network (CACN) wasawarded funding of £175,000 by Arts Council England as part of a brand new project to help more young Cumbrians build careers in the creative industries.
Working in partnership with theatres, museums and arts organisations as well as careers and education providers across the county, CACN is delivering ‘See It to Be It’ over the next three years.
The LICAF Fellowship programme aims to offer an opportunity to learn about key aspects of the planning and delivery of a vibrant arts festival which attracts thousands of comic art fans to the region, and features acclaimed UK and international comic artists from over 20 countries.
The Fellowship involves ten days of hands-on training taking place in the run up to the annual weekend festival this weekend, celebrating all aspects of the comic art form.
Guy and Lizza are working alongside the LICAF team to learn key aspects of festival planning and delivery, including event programming, technical production, PR and marketing, volunteer management, venue liaison and more.
Over the past few years, as we’ve regularly reported, LICAF has expanded its support for the Ninth Art beyond its annual Festival into directly supporting comic creators here in the UK through partnership programs, both locally and nationally, international outreach across the globe, publishing, and other projects. The Fellowship Programme is one of its latest projects and a clear signal of expanding its commitment to promoting comics and creators locally, including its work in Barrow.
• LICAF is online at licaf.co.uk
• The Lakes International Comic Arts Festival (LICAF) will take place in Kendal from Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th October 2026. Tickets are on sale now
You can view all this year’s Festival events on the Festival’s website at licaf.co.uk, view the programme online here on Issuu, or download a PDF version here
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who MagazineandOverkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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