Another Playing Out linoprint

- Connor shows his age and gets stuck into making a 'crazy mask' whilst brother Kieran and mate Jamal look on with despair.

New look

Do you like the new masthead?
Ten points to whomever can name the inspiration.

It's part of my new 2012 sort your self out and get more professional and productive plan.

Bong Shop

Just spent 3 days carving at an A3 piece of lino. Blank Slate have agreed to publish my Playing Out comic as part of their Chalk Marks imprint, which means I finally have a reason to knuckle down and finish it. I'm planning to break up the narrative with 6 or 7 full page images done as linocuts; the above being one of them.

Merry Christmas 1964

Drawn from a photo of family friend Billy Browell entertaining the Medways in Bradford 1964, one image on a recently resurfaced roll of film taken by uncle John.
I drew this on a sheet from one of Grandpa Bob's old yellowing sketchbooks which I inherited.

Bodelwyddan Castle

I've realised that I spent pretty much all of this summer working on something, and then never got around to putting it up here, so here it is. This isn't all of it, but represents the main body of illustrations. Bodelwyddan Castle near Rhyl houses a selection of the National Portrait Gallery's 19th Century collection. Katy and I were asked to create a family portrait trail to make the experience more fun for kids. We devised loads of games, drawing and writing activities and open-ended questions, then Green Land Design did a great job of laying it all out and making it look like a neat desirable package.
I spent a lot of time researching the various figures portrayed in a number of the portraits, and collected images from their lives to work from. We then threw them together in an imaginary banquet, and let them show off about their various achievements and life stories.

Clockwise from the left - Ellen Terry, Amelia Ann Edwards, John Speke, Florence Nightingale, HM Stanley, John Gully, Grace Darling and James Brooke-


- and their accompanying images - (click to enbigger) -









combined to form this foldout poster 44 x 42cm -



To see the rest, including the kids activities and other nice drawings - please visit the delightful Bodelwyddan Castle and tell them I sent you.

This pen likes drawing girls -

Rejected design

- for John Rylands Library in Manchester, who were looking for a dragon to show kids and schools around. I seem to be doing a lot of 'tendering' for work nowadays which could all easily end up a huge waste of time and energy, thanks to the satanic bankers and smug Tories who've shafted the whole civilised society.
Got that off my chest.
(I'm not cross with John Rylands Library).

TeenWitch rides again!

Classic Paw Quality Comics' TeenWitch now available HERE to digitally downloadly for free.
In the pipes - Garden Funnies 1 & 2, plus Comical Animal vol.1.

Nibblers and Gnawers

Spotted on a classroom bookshelf recently. There were two copies. Pretty chilling if you ask me.

Meet the Owls

I've drawn a 2 page story, but you can't read it yet. It's very good though, with an amusing ending and everything.