Mental Blocks for NaNoWriMo participants who are mourning missed deadlines.
If Ian Gunn had been drawing today, I have no doubt he would have punned off emoticons — emotional conmen — but back in the 1980s and 1990s when he was drawing, we didn’t have emoticons, hence ‘Mental Blocks’.
Ian Gunn, creator of these silly illos (illustrations), was a beloved award-winning artist based in Melbourne. Cancer took him from us too soon.
Ian left a legacy including lots of great illustrations. Many of these illustrations are available for sale.
Victoria’s science fiction convention, Continuum, occasionally presents the Ian Gunn Memorial Award recognising the ‘unsung heroes’ of fandom: people consistently working in the background who never expect any recognition of their efforts. This commemorates Ian’s selfless efforts to reach out to others, encouraging others and thereby building the science fiction community.
K’rin Pender-Gunn, Ian’s widow, gave Dark Matter Zine permission to republish Ian’s artwork. Thanks, K’rin!
