Named after Merle “Ting” Tingley, London Free Press’ editorial cartoonist from 1948 to 1986, Tingfest is an annual celebration curated by TAP Centre for Creativity that showcases the work of past, present and future comic and graphic artists from Southwestern Ontario.
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While this festival is an homage to Ting’s work and influence on generations of artists, Tingfest is a rare forum for emerging and established artists to present their work to the public through a gallery show that is complemented with free events and programs.
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This year's festival takes place from Tuesday, April 15 to Saturday, May 10 with an opening reception on Saturday April 19, from 6PM-9PM, with a special performance by Willow Switch. You won't want to miss the party!
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The 2025 Luke Worm festival logo was created by Ting Artist Robin Henry.
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Check out this year's list of Tingfest events HERE
This festival is made possible with the generous support of Ontario Arts Council, The Government of Ontario, Downtown London, Heroes Comics, Tourism London, Western Libraries Archives and Special Collections, Chops Framing Supplies, Dundas Place, and London Public Library Central Branch.
2025 ARTISTS
Meet the artists at the opening reception on Saturday April 19, 6PM-9PM
plus a special performance by Willow Switch
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Archie Cromwell
Drawing started after my grandparents got custody of me. I think drawing helped me cope with the world as it fell apart around me. Learning from Institutes came later in life. In my early years I was just seeing and drawing what I saw. My influences were peanuts, krazy Katz daily cartoons. When the real spark hit me I was taking a cartooning course… and the teacher asked to talk to me after class, and told me I was a cartoonist and that I needed to pursue it. Forward to now and all the different artists you’re able to reach across the world that can motivate, teach, influence and even be your mentors without even knowing it. I love inking, telling stories through funny pictures.
Instagram: @archie_cromwell
Website: www.uglyjunior.com
Craig Sellars
Craig Sellars is a Freelance Illustrator, Concept Artist and Production Designer living in London, Ontario. He works primarily in film, television and video games.
With a focus on both early Visual Development and Concept Design for Production, Craig's recent projects include Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, Godzilla:King of the Monsters, Next Gen, The Tragedy of MacBeth, Pinocchio, Shogun, Rebel Moon and The Last of Us (S 1&2).
Craig's first narrative art book, "The Confidence Trick" will be released in late 2026.
website: https://www.greensocksart.com/
Dave Lapp
Dave Lapp is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design and the University of Western Ontario (B.A. Psychology). He has been teaching cartooning at the Art Gallery of Ontario for over twenty years. Dave has created four graphic novels, Drop In, Children of the Atom, People Around Here, and The Field which have been published by Conundrum Press. Dave’s work was chosen for the Best American Comics series for 2010, 2011, and 2016. His work has also been nominated for an Ignatz and a Doug Wright award.
Instagram: @davelappcomics
Emmanuelle Chateauneuf
Emmanuelle Princesse Chateauneuf is a gender-fluid first-generation Filipino-French prolific Canadian cartoonist living in Toronto. She is a graduate of the Sherry Walsh Academy of Dance Arts, where she trained for fifteen years as a semi-professional ballerina, competitive dancer, and competitive dance teacher and choreographer under the tutelage of esteemed performers such as Alan Kliffer (Second City, Asylum N.Y.C.), Jessica Star (Elton John, Muse Dance Company), and Shannon Mather (S.I.A., Alanis Morisette, Dancing With The Stars). During her time with the academy, Chateauneuf competed in over 20 dance competitions in North America and performed with the National Ballet of Canada in their travelling show for the Nutcracker in 2008. In 2012, Chateauneuf went on to study at Sheridan College in the Bachelor of Illustration program, where she then left in 2015 to pursue numerous successful private mentorships in comics and storyboards with artists Ramon K. Perez (Tale Of Sand), Michael Walsh (The Silver Coin), Connor McCreary (Kills Shakespeare), and Robin Nishio (Common Good). This resulted in numerous successful high-profile campaigns with ‘Kids In The Hall,’ Google, Disney, Tim Hortons, Gojek, BMW, The NBA, OLG, American Express, and more. The first woman in history to professionally draw Captain Canuck, her comic work also includes an N.M.A. nominated publication for The Feathertale Review, the 2022 Broken Pencil Winner for Best Fanzine, ‘The Same Rainbow’s End’ (2021-2024), and her first graphic novella made at the astonishing age of 18, ‘Queen Street’ (2017), which has received academic notoriety in Filipino comic studies.
Instagram: @Aquamanni
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Jenna James
Jenna is a self-taught artist specializing in graphite and acrylic paint. After moving to London just over two years ago, she’s been preparing to break into the vibrant local art scene. Through the cycling of schools, homes, and jobs, art has been a constant in her life, and the path she has wanted to pursue regardless of commercial success. From her small studio apartment, she creates illustrations which act as an intimate expression of her inner world. Her work is a vessel for the exploration of her interests in mythology, storytelling and character design while at times processing emotional conflict.
Instagram: @jenna_james_art
Merle “Ting” Tingley
Ting was editorial cartoonist for the London Free Press for over 40 years (1947-1986). His illustrations attracted a loyal following, not only in the Free Press but across Canada in more than 60 daily and weekly publications. His famous cartoon mascot, Luke Worm, is a widely recognized icon in the Canadian comic scene.
Well-loved for his caricatures of local politicians and business owners, Tingley was also admired for his ability to capture not only the essence of everyday moments but the important issues that challenge a community in a thought provoking way. His work is a record of the political and social events of our region and as such have become an important archive of the history of our city and has won national and international awards.
Ting’s work continues to inspire generations of comic artists in Southwestern Ontario. It is always a pleasure to rediscover Merle’s clever wit and commentary in the selected work for this exhibition. We hope you enjoy rediscovering the comics of your youth; and if you are new to Merle’s work that you enjoy discovering his brilliance as an illustrator.
Robin Henry
Robin Henry is a dedicated artist from London, Ontario with a focus on illustration, printmaking, and public art installations. With a passion for making art accessible, Robin's work has resonated with a wide audience, from international brands to small businesses and most importantly, a great many London punks.
Robin's artistic journey is deeply influenced by screen printing and their work is characterized by clean black lines, distilling concepts into images of illustrated iconography. Through their art, Robin often explores memories, experiences and emotions through the visual themes of botanicals, animal life, houses and cabins, doorways and portals to other places, and mountains with peaks and valleys.
Robin also does live screen printing demonstrations and workshops, sharing their passion with aspiring artists and inviting others to explore their own creativity. Robin’s work reflects a humble dedication to the power of creativity as a means of reflection, processing, meditation, and connection.
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Instagram: the.real.antler.press
Tanner Fisher
Spectral Visitor is an illustrator and front-end web developer from somewhere between the waking world and the dreamscape of London, Ontario.
His renderings are conjured through the ritual of stippling, transforming emptiness into apparitions and expressing personal experiences of living with common curses. SV’s illustrations translate well to screen printing, appearing on both paper and garments to decorate spaces and bodies. You may find him at one of the local witchcraft and occult night markets when the veil is thin—or in his basement, hiding from the world.
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He owns a reasonable number of fine-tip pens, and a modest collection of crucifixes.
Instagram: @spectralvisitor
Curious about our previous Tingfest artists? CLICK HERE