Irina Richards

Future Creatives Teacher (UAL Short Courses)
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I am a freelance comics artist and educator with a strong interest in comics research. I have authored several small press comic titles as a member of Sweatdrop Studios, UK’s first original comics collaborative. My work-in-progress was shortlisted for Laydeez Do Comics Prize in 2019.

My passion for comics has led to collaborations with other creative professionals, academics, museums, libraries, and schools. In my practice, I strive to challenge and expand the boundaries of comics and embrace the versatility of this art form. I have recently started teaching “Comics, Graphic Novels and Beyond” as part of UAL’s short courses programme, Future Creatives. I am currently in my final year of MA Education (Artist Teacher Practice) at Oxford Brookes University, where my projects focus on aspects of using comics in education.

I am currently working on a small-scale project that investigates using comics as data, as opposed to comics as data presentation/communication method. I have also recently worked on a collaborative project with a researcher from Newcastle University and two other comics artists, organised by Applied Comics Network.

Research keywords: Comics in education, Arts-based research, History and heritage in comics, Poetry comics, Visual literacy, Manga Comics in museums and galleries