Our November cover artist Jenny Mure talks creativity and comics

Tell us a bit about yourself…

I'm an illustrator and comic artist working mainly on sci-fi and fantasy work, and character design. I grew up in Mansfield, went to uni in London, and then found myself back in Notts, where I share an artist studio with some mates in Hockley.

What is the story behind the cover?

I was really stoked when the folks at LeftLion approached me about doing a Ned Ludd piece! Initially I thought about imagining a modern day look for Ned, but I ultimately ditched that, as I wanted him to be recognisable, and there was something powerful about a folkloric figure out of time encouraging the rebels of today. The items that the hands are holding are supposed to represent the tools people can use to get their message out; a phone broadcasting the scene, a spray can to spread a message with the city as a canvas, and the placard is probably obvious! I'd been stuck for a background but they wanted to keep a burning lace mill from the history of the Luddite movement and that really tied the whole thing together. The colours came from a photo of a vivid sunset over the Market Square I took some time last year.

What inspires you as an artist?

I take a lot of inspiration from mythology and folklore from all over the place! I'm especially fond of stories that are smaller in scope, or from worlds that don't really exist anymore, whether that be an Arthurian tale or a story from working on the railroad in the early American west. I grew up in a pretty creative family of illustrators and poets, and my dad loves to play folk tunes (often the more darkly comedic the better!) so I think I have that to thank for a lot of my creativity.

Tell us about some things you’ve worked on in the past…

A couple of years ago I put together a comic anthology called Badlands with a group of about eleven other artists. I gave everyone the word ‘badlands’ as a theme, a limit of two to twelve pages to work in, and waited to see what they came up with. It was a lot of fun and we got a bonkers mix of stories; from the tale of a tragic office worker who believes he's a cowboy, a pair of knights looking for their friend in a nuclear wasteland, to the worst Megabus journey of the apocalypse. It was really good fun and I'd love to put another one together when I can find the time.

Do you have any tricks for getting started and staying inspired as a creative?

I guess it feels obvious to say but surround yourself with the kind of wonderful, singular art that makes you excited to make something. The stuff that lights you up and you could talk at any moderately willing victim for hours on end. Don't let yourself fall into the trap of thinking creatives are a ruler to measure yourself against, we're all our own beautiful little weirdos with ideas inside that only we can bring into the world.

If you could sit down and chat with any artist in your field, who would it be and what would you talk about?

I think Taiyo Matsumoto, he's a manga artist who's worked in a wide range of genres. His artwork has this amazing energy to it that you can just feel off the page (seriously check out Ping Pong if you get a chance, it's bonkers) and he's got a real compassion for all the characters he creates. I think I'd want to talk about how you get so into a character's head, but realistically comic artists are sad sacks and we'd probably end up talking about pens for a good chunk of that time.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell the LeftLion readers?

I'll be selling comics at the Thought Bubble festival in Harrogate on 16-17 November. It's a really great weekend, so if it hasn't happened by the time you're reading this I'd definitely recommend popping up if you've got even the faintest interest in cool indie comics, and hopefully I'll have a new book out by then too!

@slowedmountains