Yep, it's Comiket time again! Organised by Comica London, the Comiket is an independent comics market where you get to meet loads of amazing creators who are selling their work. This time it's taking place at The Lightbox in Woking to tie in with their The Story of British Comics So Far: Cor! By Gum! Zarjaz! exhibition. The market is free to get in and there'll be loads of amazing exhibitors there.. plus me! Things kick off at 10.30 am. This time I'll also be taking part in the live Drawing Parade so do come down if you want to see me draw a robot, a bear, a dog or possibly all three. I haven't decided yet..
New sequence for Makers of Monsters! Plus more Afanc & Thought Bubble this weekend!
Writer Mark Pembrey and I have been busy putting together a new 6 page sequence for Makers of Monsters (formerly Better Beasts), our graphic novel in progress! And you can see it all by clicking the pic above... There's even some new character studies up there too. You can read a little bit more about the project over on Mark's website here. I'll try and post the full synopsis at some point soon.
There's also been some new Afanc activity over afanc-comic.tumblr.com! There are new characters and everything, including a dog called Mr Cuddles..
And what are you up to this weekend? Going to Leeds perchance? Then do swing by the always fantastic Thought Bubble Comic Arts Festival and say hi! I'll be selling my wares on table 41a in the Royal Armouries Hall. See you there!
The Afanc returns for Brighton Illustration Fair!
That's right, he's back! All new Afanc strips such as this one are again appearing over on afanc-comic.tumblr.com. Please check them out and like/reblog/cuddle or whatever you clever social media kids do to show appreciation! Thanks so much. You're tops.
Not only that but I've also collected the first 14 of these brand new strips into Afanc Issue No.3! Most of these strips aren't even on the web yet, that's how fresh they are. And guess what? You can grab a mega-exclusive copy at the FIRST BRIGHTON ILLUSTRATION FAIR at the end of the month! I'll be there on the Sunday 31st along with the awesome Adam Moore so do come along if you're in town. You know you wanna....
See you there!!!
2014 round up...
Hey, Happy New Year! Hope you had a great Christmas. It's been a bit quiet on here recently but all for good reason - 2014 was pretty busy... Firstly, there was Better Beasts, a graphic novel proposal written by the multitalented Mark Pembrey and illustrated by moi. Based on the lives of early palaeontologists Gideon Mantell and Richard Owen, Beasts was well received by those who read it and even got on the long list of the Myriad Editions First Graphic Novel Competition! Mark is currently sprucing up the script for the next few chapters ready for me to resume artwork duties in early 2015!
Following hot on the heels of Better Beasts there came a commission for Llangorse's favourite son, the Afanc. The lovely people who organised the first Llangorse Lake Big Swim and Triathlon needed a mascot to feature on their racing t-shirts and prize medals, I was honoured when they chose my interpretation of their local legend for the job. Here are the two designs I submitted featuring our furry friend in action and below the final t-shirt (sorry about the creases) and medal!
Next up, character illustrations for crime writer extraordinaire Phil Viner. Earlier this year Phil launched a new website to coincide with the release of his second novel, Summer of Ghosts. He wanted the site to feature his lead characters drawn in a pulp, noir comics style. Here you can see Tom and Patty. The website in all its glory is here. And do check out Phil's fantastic books, including The Last Winter of Dani Lancing.
And then the biggy, Think Like Churchill; an app that takes the form of a graphic narrative from the clever people at Touchpress (who hired me for the job of illustrator) and Hodder & Stoughton. If you own an iPad or iPhone, do give this thing a look. Using a mixture of comics and animation, the reader is taken through some of the biggest decisions Winston Churchill made throughout his life. At crucial points within the narrative the reader/user is asked what they would do in Churchill's shoes! Some of my favourite illustrations from the app below. A big thank you to Touchpress for commissioning me and big shout out to all the great people I worked with over the past 5 months: Josie Gardiner (Producer), Ned Pennant-Rea (Writer/Researcher), Matt Aitken (Designer), Matt Gibbs (Editor), Warren Dockter (Historical Consultant) - you're all amazing.
Think Like Churchill images © Touchpress
So what's coming in 2015? Well, I've just completed two extra chapters for Think Like Churchill so hopefully you'll be seeing them soon. Then there's more Better Beasts to come and possibly some other projects with Mark too! Oh...and I think it's about time the Afanc made a come back...
...watch this space for updates!
New Afanc adventures...
..such as this one are happening over on afanc-comic.tumblr.com. So go sniff 'em out!
Feathered fun
A new Afanc strip! Tried to loosen up and break free of the rigid four panel format of previous efforts. Experimented with a dip pen in places and regretted it. I do like using dip pens but I don't think they suit the look of this project. Some day soon I'll have to come up with something that does suit using a pen. Hopefully something with spaceships and robots. Until then please continue to enjoy these historical shenanigans.