Nick Brennan, highly regarded for his work with comic mainstays the Beano and the Dandy, has been holding workshops in the city for most of this week as part of the Void Gallery's open week.

No stranger to the city, Nick is also the man behind the gallery's Void Comix, a visual literacy tool first devised by Void and the artist around four years ago.

"My link with Derry started when, totally out of the blue, Void got in touch about their plans to produce a comic," the cartoonist told the 'Journal' this week.

"The idea was to produce something that would get kids involved in contemporary art through comics."

With characters children can interact with, and combining slapstick humour with intelligent ideas, Void Comix has proved highly successful since its launch and is now distributed to all libraries in the Western region.

Local schoolchildren have this week had the chance to learn the cartoonist's skill through a series of workshops. Tomorrow the Void Gallery workshops open to the public.

" It's about getting the kids interested in art, I get them focus intially on drawing cartoons but then we look at the wider exhibition at the Gallery to see how the techniques of cartooning cross over.
" For example we might concentrate on perspective in art, and see how it draws in with how we produced our cartoons.

" First and foremost it's about having fun, the children so far have shown a great enthusiasm and are eager to learn," Nick said.
The Comic Art workshops, costing £3 and and £2.50 for every second child, get underway at 12pm tomorrow. Anyone interested in booking a place should call Karen on 71 308 080.

From 12-2pm the workshop will cater for 8-11 year olds, while 12-14 year olds will get a chance to work with Nick from 3-5pm.
While the Truro based artist's career has spanned 20 years, it could have been so very different had it not been for his wife's encouragement to pursue his passion for comics.

Always drawing
" As a little kid I was always drawing, I remember my father complaining to my art teacher asking why I didn't draw something 'proper'.

" But I never thought I could do it, earn a living from my cartoons. I was working as an engineer for Rolls-Royce. It was my wife that made me do it, give it a go, after she saw some of my cartoons."

As well as proving to be the inspiration Nick needed, his wife also fills another vital role for the cartoonist.

" I am colour blind. When I'm working for the Beano or Dandy, the scriptwriters will send me their ideas and I'll start penning the cartoons in black and white."It's my wife who does all the colouring. I have had a few disasters when doing it my self."

Nick's workshops are an integral part to a week long series of events at Void aimed at involving the public with art.

All week, the 'Today you are an artist' event has been asking the public to make a piece of their own art in the Gallery. All artists who have exhibited in Void - including Turner prize winners and nominees - have also taken part.

At 7:30 tonight the artworks, which are currently on display in Void will be sold.

Tomorrow Void's Open Studio gives the public a chance to view the work of the gallery's artists.