British Broadcasting CorporationThe Walking Dead illustrator Charlie Adlard has created a new book to raise money to save a local arts centre.
The collection of sketches, entitled Coffee Shops, contains sketches of three cafes in his hometown of Shrewsbury.
All proceeds will go to The Hive, which has been under threat of closure due to rising bills and difficulty obtaining state funding.
“I think arts centers like this are really important because obviously they are part of the community and a lot of people wouldn’t have access to something like this without a place like the Beehive,” Mr Adlard said.
“Guess what, this is not a comic book,” Mr. Adlard said of “The Coffee Shop.”
“I thought it would be a great thing to start drawing again this year, and I also love coffee, so I thought I’d combine two of my favorite things.”
The book is composed of portrait sketches of locals in cafes as well as landscapes and poetry.
Mr. Adlard worked for 16 years on comics such as “The Walking Dead,” as well as “J.A.D.” and “The X-Files.”
The walking dead became The TV series aired in 2010 and aired for a total of 11 seasons.
Mr Adlard drew the book while sitting in three local cafes – Csons, The Coffee House and The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse.
All proceeds from this book and any subsequent artwork will be donated directly to Save the Hive.
“I have always been with [The Hive] A long, long time. I used to come here and paint for beginners, so I know the space and I know what it does,” Mr Adlard said.
The Hive is an independent charity providing arts and wellbeing support to more than 50,000 young people.
Katie Jennings, chief executive of The Hive, said: “We are a haven in the storm for children who need that space. They have a safe and welcoming space where they can come and be creative. , they can be themselves.
The arts center launched the campaign two months ago with a target of raising £50,000.
“We’ve reached the point where we’re really facing closure and have to look to the local community for help,” Ms Jennings said.
Ms Jennings added that funding from state agencies such as the National Lottery was difficult to come by because they were swamped by other organisations.
The campaign has received more than £40,000.
Mr Adlard will hold a book signing at the town’s Soden Collection gallery on Saturday from 11:00 to 16:00 BST.
