A TALENTED young illustrator from Inverclyde has told how a volunteer stint with a local comic group paved the way for his exciting career in the arts.

Kai Cockburn, 23, got involved with Greenock's Magic Torch Comics five years ago, by first giving up his time to help them and then being taken on as an employee.

The project has just won lottery funding of £67,190 for a 'Storyworks' scheme which will see 200 young people now follow in Kai's footsteps by attending workshops over the next two years to create comics, games and stories.

Kai was 18 when he met Paul Bristow, Magic Torch Comics director, while he was presenting an illustration workshop at his school.

Kai said: “I’ve loved drawing for as long as I can remember, but I’d never considered art would be a viable career option for me until I got involved with Magic Torch Comics.

"When I met Paul that day at school, he noticed me drawing and asked to see my sketch books.

"He said my art was amazing, and that was the moment I think I got that initial spark of confidence to follow my passion.”

 

 

Kai had already signed up for a product engineering degree at university when he started volunteering with Magic Torch, but halfway into his second year of the course, he made the brave decision to leave and enrol in an illustration diploma.

He said: “A career in art or anything creative just hadn’t really been presented to me as an option when I was in high school, it was always classes like maths, science and technology which were pushed as the subjects to start a career in.

"I had a massive sense of expectation coming from all around me to go down a more ‘traditional’ education and career path, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was making choices based on other people, rather than myself.

“I had so much anxiety around whether leaving university was the right thing for me or not, but within weeks of starting my illustration HND at college, I knew I’d chosen the best path for me. It was the first real decision and biggest one I’d made for myself as an adult and that sense of independence and achievement was awesome.”

Paul says he remembers meeting Kai and knowing instantly that he had a brilliant talent.

Greenock Telegraph:

He said: "It was great to be able to offer a few projects and opportunities to give his work a chance to shine.

"And it's been amazing to see how his style has developed, and confidence increased to the point where he is one of the freelance artists we work with regularly.”

Kai graduated from City of Glasgow College in 2022 and now works on a freelance basis in illustration.

He said: “My decision to follow my heart absolutely paid off. I love what I do now and it gives me so much joy and excitement. I have Magic Torch Comics to thank for my career in illustration. There’s no way I would have been confident enough to pursue my passion had I not met Paul and the team.”

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Paul says that the National Lottery Community Fund and Young Start award money will allow Magic Torch Comics to uncover more new talent.

He said: “With our new project, we’ll be working with young people across a range of opportunities. There’s still comics, but also game books, audio drama, escape room games, lots of additional ways to tell and experience stories.

"Over the two years we’re going to work with 200 young people and we’re looking forward to finding more young people like Kai who have a passion and talent for stories that we can encourage.”

Announcing today’s new funding, The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland chair Kate Still said: “We’re thrilled that Kai has such a bright and exciting future in front of him in a career he’s clearly so passionate about.

"That’s what Young Start is all about, improving the futures of young Scots from all over the country."