Teen health flyer

For my brilliant sister, Nurse Helen.

Map of the Heavens

Inspired by Urania's Mirror, a Victorian children's educational stargazing kit, in the Parker collection of Birmingham Library.

Death to Vinyl!

 (click to enlarge)

My latest sign, 120 x 82cm, bemoaning the sad fact that most signs are either digitally printed onto or digitally cut from stickyback vinyl. It always looks so noncommittal to me, as if you don't really intend to keep your shop open for more than a year or so. A good handpainted sign shows that you plan to stay, and are serious about your enterprise - you MEAN it!

New Signs

 This one says 'Toilets', and is for The Beagle over there in Chorlton,

and this one's for Kodie, who is pretty well into cars and that. I'm learning that the script lettering is much easier than the straight, no fuss stuff, and 'S' and 'O' are a struggle to get looking right. got a long way to go with this business.

This one is for the remarkable Alex Potts. Quite pleased with the colours straight onto the raw varnished plywood.

The Fair - Observer/Comica competition entry

 Click to enlarge, and please leave honest comments as I've not shown this to many people yet. I think it was a bit ambitious, and maybe not super clear in that it may need re-reading a couple of times. It's based on the premise that every fairground has a bunch of bloody art students spoiling it for everyone else.

I want to be a signwriter now, instead of a comic artist.

(click to enlarge)

Recently completed for the recently opened Beagle pub/food place in Chorlton. I've not been up there yet, but the menu looks amazing, as does their beer list. Both these signs are 160cm wide, and I LOVED doing them. Been slowly amassing the right brushes (Handovers, and Wrights of Lymm) and a good range of One-Shot lettering enamels, then finally had this excuse to get stuck into a nice project.
Painted 'The Beagle' in a very traditional almost canal boat style, and then 'Old School Wild Style' (my sarcastic distain for 'spraycan art' and equally traditional grafitti style vandalism) in a more gypsy caravan / rustic fairground feel.

Had a warm up by painting our house number, jigsawed clumsily out of marine ply -

This is what I want to do from now on. Just letting you know, in case you have a drab shopfront, canal boat, vintage commercial vehicle or fairground ride that needs freshening up.

In Other news, Playing Out might be progressing towards it's eventual printed book state - I'm told January.

sneak preview

Playing Out

(click to enlarge)

Feels good to have this all signed sealed and sent off, and I'm very excited to see the finished product, sometime in November. Blank Slate have a little preview here, and I'll keep you updated on whatever kind of launch we arrange.
 Also worth mentioning - I've done a short list of the 5 best kids comics for the Forbidden Planet blog.
 Need to knuckle down and get my next story for the Phoenix into shape, set in the charming village of Yeardsley Brumpton. This is always the hardest part - constructing something credible out of a dumb joke and then carefully structuring it to fit the 4 pages allowed. Drawing isn't that much easier, but at least I can have some music on then.

Cut-out figures

I made these for a rained-off event in Preston's Winckley Square. Of course I'm sure you all recognise Col. Nicholas Grimshaw, Ann Agnes Crofton and Edith Rigby. I've enjoyed making these, and using One-Shot lettering enamels, and am playing with the idea of making a load of big cut out cat people for exhibition.
Coming up - I'm on a panel next Thursday in Sheffield at the Children's Media Conference - comics and kids literacy, and that sort of thing - looking forward to it.

Comical Animal 8 coming up at the end of next week too, so I'd better think of something to put in it pretty quick.

Chip Charlton & Mr Woofles of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Here's your one and only sneak peek at what I'm working on for The Phoenix comic - a 4 page standalone adventure story about a new recruit and his dachshund partner. I've been very excited about doing this, and nearly have it all coloured and ready to send off.
Shall update you once I know which issue it'll be in.