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Very happy that Squishbook: Make comics with Squishface Studio and friends! has been Highly Commended in the Children’s Literature category of the 2025 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards!

We might make a sticker to go on the book, but it will be a bit smaller than this.

Thanks very much to the good people running the Awards at the Wheeler Centre, and the judges who chose to give us this lovely (and unexpected) honour. I'm not sure how many micro-published books have received it.

Thanks and congratulations to the people who made the book and who are therefore all Highly Commended: Alex e Clark, Alex Pavlotski, Ben Hutchings, Briar Rolfe, David Blumenstein, Ive Sorocuk, Jin Hien Lau, Jo Waite, Nicholas J. Johnson, Patrick Alexander, Sarah Howell, Scarlette Baccini and Warwick Holt.

Thank you to the many libraries, festivals, schools and bookshops across Australia and New Zealand who had us come visit over the past year! Thanks to the grade 2s at Kensington Primary [now going into grade 4] who gave us their questions and drawings for the book!

And thank you to everyone who has bought Squishbook! You can get the book directly from us, or, if you're a school or library you can also get it thru our library distributors, ALS Library Services and James Bennett Online (and if you're teaching comics, be sure to check out our Squishbook teachers' resources too).

Our excellent stockists include:

ONLINE STOCKISTS

Cockatoo Comics (Sydney, NSW)

Brunswick Bound (Brunswick, Vic)

Collins Booksellers (Warrnambool, Vic)

Eltham Bookshop (Eltham, Vic)

Hobart Bookshop (Hobart, Tas)

Red Kangaroo Books (Alice Springs, NT)

Impact Comics (Canberra, ACT)

National Library of Australia Bookshop (Canberra, ACT)

BUY IN-STORE

Readings Kids (Carlton, Vic)

Readings St Kilda (St Kilda, Vic)

Sticky Institute (Melbourne, Vic)

All Star Comics (Melbourne, Vic)

Greenlight Comics (Adelaide, SA)

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Thank you to James at ALIA Graphic for calling out Squishbook as one of their top reads of 2024!

"a ridiculous and ridiculously engaging book that gives advice, examples and laughs in roughly equal measure" is another nice quote for us to cross-stitch and hang over the mantelpiece.

ALIA Graphic is the graphic novels/comics gang within the Australian Library & Information Association -- they're the librarians who do a lot to spruik comics (and especially Australian comics) as an important part of a library's collection. If you're a librarian, subscribe to their emails -- you get notified about notable newly released GNs you might want to get on your shelves.

AND: we agree Squishbook would be a nice book to consult if you're a library worker organising a comics workshop… but we want to remind you that there's also a free set of teachers' resources for Squishbook you can make use of!

Thanks also to Nat Karmichael of Comicoz for naming Squishbook his Best Original Australian Comic of 2024!

"Sharing comics with young people, making comics for young people, showing young people how the process works. This is THE best 'how to' book on the process of making comics. EVER."

This is a big call but we'll take the compliment!

Thanks to Nat for the accolade -- and for coming out to wish us luck when we came to Brisbane last year for a workshop at Avid Reader. It was much appreciated!

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Big school holidays at Squishface!

There's a lot happening at Squishface Comic Studio in Jan. We wanted to stack the month with a lot of events. Mostly for kids, but also for large kids (adults).

Squishface Comic Studio 14th birthday party! Sat Jan 4, 10am-2pm, free entry It's Squishface's birthday! Coaster drawing and cake! Yes, we're an awkward tween! Deal with it, Mum! OMG you are SO EMBARRASSING!

Squishbook workshop at Squishface Comic Studio! Wed Jan 8, 11am-12pm, $5 to bring up to 4 children Finally, we're running a Squishbook kids workshop at Squishface Studio! Bring the family.

Artists-in-residence at Artery in Hobart Sat Jan 11, in-store residency from 12pm, then a Squishbook workshop from 2:30pm We're going to hang out and draw at Hobart's finest art store/framer. Join us! If you want to bring some kids to the afternoon workshop, just let the Artery team know: info@arterydirect.com.au or call (03) 6234 3788.

Squishbook workshop at Bentleigh Library Wed 15 Jan, 11am-12:30pm, free entry but please book Hey Glen Eira, join us for some Squishbook action!

Comics workshop at Diamond Valley Library Fri 17th Jan, residency from 10am-4pm, manga workshop at 11am, free entry but please book Sarah will be artist-in-residence at Diamond Valley from 10am-4pm, and at 11am will be running a One Piece-inspired manga workshop!

Squishface Summer Workshop Day with Sarah Howell, Lily Mae Martin and Ariel Ries Sat Jan 18, 9:30am-12:30pm, $30 per workshop or $75 for all three Really excited about this. A huge morning of skills sharing from three amazing artists who coincidentally have also been Squishfacers. Suitable for all ages.

Manga workshops at Hyphen Wodonga Library Gallery, Wodonga, Vic Mon Jan 20, 8-12s session: 11:30am-12:30pm, 13-16s session: 1:30-3:30pm We're running some manga-inspired workshops at Hyphen! No booking link yet.

Squishbook workshop at Campbell Turnbull Library, West Brunswick Thu Jan 23, 10:30-11:30am, free entry but please book Great to be back in Brunstown for some Squishbook action! Maybe all the Brunswick kids we used to teach will bring THEIR kids along!

Squishbook workshop at Squishface Comic Studio! Fri Jan 24, 11am-12pm Can't make it to our Jan 8 workshop? Here's another one to close out the school holidays with.

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Some pics taken by Dave and Ben (and others?) at the pub after #scampcomicsfestival in Sydney! Fun fun fun thanks SCAMP team!

Helios-81N adapted to a Sony NEX-F3

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David, of course, took most of his pics of Emerald Hill Comics Festival on film, so look forward to a few of them in 3 months time. In the meantime, here's some shots we got on Sunday. THANK YOU to all the exhibitors and attendees, it was pretty big for a small test show! What we've heard is: steady crowd all day, good to great sales and a nice vibe/lighting in the venue (we were also lucky with weather).

We'll definitely be doing another one soon. Sooner than a year away. Let you know dates when we have them.

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We're back!

Haven't posted in a long time. Homecooked Comics Festival has gone to bed, but Emerald Hill Comics Festival is our new event, and it's on this weekend.

Since we ended Homecooked, Victoria doesn't have any comics festivals focused on local work (as far as we know)! We're glad to start a new one. It's an experiment to run a festival in our new space at Studio Hall, and we hope it will have legs.

Join us! We have a great lineup of artists and retailers from Melb, Vic and around Australia.

Come and meet: Sticky Institute, Angie Spice, Peter Lane, Daniel Reed, Khale McHurst, Nhu Duong, Bruce Mutard, Mirranda Burton, Jo Asscher, Cockatoo Comics, Amplified Press (Owen Heitmann), James Steeth, Nem, Alien Mandy, Roger Stitson, Neale Blanden, Ira Francis, Steven Christie, Squishface Studio, Eli Abidin, Andrew Pilkington, David Mahler, Andy_drws, Reimena Yee, Ann Li Khaw, Stephanie Luo, Tree Paper Gallery, Gestalt Comics, Sabina Wills, Alex Smith, Stephen Cox, Benji Bajorek, Helen Graham, Ive Sorocuk, Zander von Stiegler, Jess Wilson (Dubblu)

WHEN: 11am - 4pm, Sunday 15th September WHERE: Studio Hall (319-327 Dorcas St, South Melbourne: on the grounds of St. Kilda South Port Uniting Church, next to the Port Phillip Men's Shed)

Entry is free!

More info.

Join our Meetup page for updates on the festival and other Squishface events.

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A few pics from this year's Homecooked Comics Festival at Northcote Town Hall! There are just the ones David took on digital, look forward to a few more 35mm film shots later hopefully. Hope you had fun, we did!

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Pixel wee-wee fun from David

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Hope St Timelapse

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Monster in the Kitchen

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Christmas is just around the corner, so why not enjoy this tender nativity scene. 

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Please support Squishface Studio’s newest publication - the informative and wonderful Australian Idiot. https://pozible.com/project/the-australian-idiot-issue-5

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The final biscuit. Maybe I’ll do more! It’s very fun.