Zombies, Romans, Celts, etc

Currently doing a fun little job: a five page comic to promote Burn Zombie Burn, which will be downloadable via PSN next year.

Snatched a couple of hours on the above pic this afternoon while waiting for feedback on the roughs. Do please click on it for a sharper view.

Also, a couple of characters I was commissioned to design earlier this year for an animated kids' pitch are now moving about and saying stuff in a lovely "Attention Investors!" trailer.

Random Sketches 26/11/08

"I Was Built With A Smile On My Face..."

A bunch of 'jolly' robot designs for an imminent new illustration.

Birthday Motorcats

"...You!"

A card for my gal, who's having a birthday on this jollier than usual 5th of November. Don't worry - she is an adult, despite what you might imagine looking at the design. And, no she's not Suzi Quatro.
The frontal feline is based on a charming little kitten we bonded with on the summit of Lindos acropolis in Rhodes earlier this year.

Bad Radio

Here's something I forgot to post when it went live a few weeks back: "Bad Radio" - five pages of Weirdness in the Woods, written by Sam Costello and illustrated by yours truly for his excellent monthly horror webcomic Split Lip.

Sketched very roughly in pencil, with blacks and greys in Photoshop, retaining some of the pencil textures here and there and trashing them elsewhere. Huge fun.

Trial and Error

My website's had an extensive rebuild so that it'll more coherently house the avalanche of new illustrations heading its way over the coming months. Have a peek.

It feels good to be giving the old portfolio an overhaul, especially having spent a sizeable chunk of the last twelve months working on a comic strip pitch for The DFC - a pitch which, despite a strong start in the editorial enthusiasm stakes, is presently inert. Such is life. I'd been needing to get away from it for a while, do something else for a bit and go back to it with a fresher head - if anything can take it onto a new level, it's that... plus maybe spending at least a week watching nothing but kids' TV and films, reading nothing but kids' books and eating nothing but sweets. 'Bit of a no-brainer. It's a long time since I was ten, after all. Time to get a re-grounding. Be a sponge - soak it all up and knock it out into new shapes.

I'm happy with the concept of the strip (courtesy of my partner) and the look of it, even if my writing and dialogue have been a bit prosaic so far. It's partly down to aesthetic hesitance - not being entirely sure how you should approach the process, and not being entirely sure who you need to be aiming the results at. I'd like to think I'll be clearer on that front by the time I dive back in... So far, the bits that work best are when it touches on the kind of verbose silliness and surrealism abundant in some of my grown up comics. If I can combine that with a more universal feel, well, we might be onto something.

Little Red Riding Hood - Finished!

It's a kids' illustration for grown-ups, really, isn't it? Ah well. I'll do something a little cuddlier next time to balance it all out. In fact, no... I'm going to do a cuddly version of this very piece, and stick 'em side by side...