Well no, it is rather a bruised and battered day for your scrumpy-loving author. It turns out balance is the first thing to go when full of cider - who knew? Anyhow - it's been a relatively active fortnight - the major thing being a journey up to London courtesy of the miraculous Jazz where we observed:
- a three-hour Stewart Lee live marathon
- a duck
- jars full of foetuses next to a gift shop - real-life ACTUAL mods
- a talking plastic tree
- extreme coincidence
Anyway - on with the art!
"Peak Fighters" a thing I did for TAB describing the noble art of battlin' up the top of stuff. Entirely digital and with some sneaky sneaky textures in there TO EMPHASIZE STUFF. Moon was originally going to be yellow but I think I thought the weird peaks and the yellow moon looked a little too much like an image from Nightmare Before Christmas. So I redified it.
Drawn by the fantastic Lorenzo Fiorini and coloured by me. There's still a touch of the 'gaudy' about it (the colouring that is) and I'm really not happy about the hair. Sigh. I'm doing another for him shortly - here's hoping I can improve on the things I'm not 100 percent about. Colouring is fun.
Digital sketches done for the various buyers of the digital version of my cosmic anthology, Dr WTF. If you're interested in a PDFtacular roam through time and space give me a shout and some pounds (two) and I'll also do you a doodle of your choice. Sound good? TO ME IT SOUNDS AMAZING.
Finally something done for Laurelio and the Sheffield anarchists. Neat. Although not my idea. Nor are the book covers my own. AND I DIDN'T CONSTRUCT THAT FONT. I'm a fraud!
Next fortnight you'll probably finding me moving to Bristol and preparing for (or coming back from) Glastonbury festival. Glorious.
First, let's just catch up with what my orrible hands and mind have been collaborating on, NORMALLY WITHOUT ME NOTICING.
This is, clearly, Dredd in the guise of Raymond Briggs's The Snowman. For the 2000ad art competition of May which involves interpretations of 2000ad characters as children's books. You can check the rest of the entries here - WARNING: The majority are better than this.
Here is something for phenomenal cat and extraordinary teacher of piano Richard "The Jenk" Jenkins - who recorded a new song with reputable man-about-town Dan Shandy ....
By the way, it should be noted that the idea of a keyboard zebra or Zeyboardebra (?) was thought up by my girlfriend Jasmine, who literally comes up with everything interesting.
More from the Jenk, who is the nicest man in Glastonbury - him and the extraordinarily effervescent Amie Pendarves have a jazz group goin' on and I recommend it for those not afraid of joyous soul, funk and jazzy boogie.
Little wild west image for the immutable TAB. Constructed entirely digitally and with a cheeky texture flung in there to make it look INTERESTING.
Crabcake... returning... MY DOK. What do you mean you've never read Crabcake, ARE YOU MAD?! I can't help you with your growing insanity but I can fill in your Crabcake needs.
Here, the partial fruits of my Spring Slog - page one of MAMMOTH JACK for Van Dom's Vanguard anthology. Look out for that showing up in the future. Click on those words to find the full image of the thing. Gorgeous. The script that is.
Finally - the cover of my portfolio that sat gamely on my table at the Bristol comic con.....
Here is Dave Thomson & I - flogging our wares and looking extremely sceptical. Bristol was my first comic event as a seller (his too) and I was entirely terrified. My travelling companion was Chris Nolan-Rennie, an artist in Dr WTF and a thoroughly excellent man. This weekend was entirely about slotting myself awkwardly into a glorious scene that I've been on the outskirts of for a billion years. The last time I went to a convention (and it was Bristol) it was 2001 and I was fourteen. Ten years later, I was there with my comic under my arm and a tardis full of jelly babies...
FRIDAY
I bumped straight into Dr WTF contributor Mike Bunt (artist of "The Secret of Comedy") and his extraordinary posse - and I proceeded to sit there and babble away as if I was watching the end of the world through a telescope. Overawed but powerless. The lettering machine Jim Campbell was the first to approach and say hello - seeing his bluntness on the forum made me anticipate severe grumpiness but he was extraordinarily chatty and had much to say on the hot topic of the "Crossbar I" in lettering. I'd never had an involved discussion about lettering comics before. This was a brave new world. A brave new world and a bar more expensive than Dubai. Seriously, each round seemed to cost about eighty percent more than I anticipated. I hate you Ramada. It was then I spied Richmond Clements and decided to run up to him excitedly (because a man who's flown down from Scotland needs noobs all up in his face). He introduced me to his chatting companions - Michael Carroll and John Higgins. URG. Michael Carroll, who designed the Dr WTF logo (as well as writing a recent run on Judge Dredd and a series of excellent books - seriously, click on his name back there), was charming and disarmingly interested in my tiny little small press anthology. Mr Higgins was involved in a conversation with Mr Clements about some such but I was so incredibly in the deep end of starting to feel quite overawed that I slunk (?) away to the bar to buy another seven billion pound drink. So overawed was I then that I instantly forgot my pin number and near locked my card. Out to the smoking area with me, where I had an animated discussion with NatWest. A familiar man watched me throughout as I explained "I had forgotten my pin number out of excitement". Only when the mess had been sorted and I wandered aimlessly back to Bunt and co did I realise it was Henry Flint. Balls. The night wore on - and the long-travelled Mr Thomson and his companion arrived (from SCOTLAND). I believe I met ... Dandontdare - ? I think - it became a slight blur. The final unfortunate comic thought (before taxi, garlic bread, and a hell of a lot of pin-number guessing ensued) was willing myself to talking to Bryan Talbot at the bar. I was under the impression I would wing it and it would work - however my mouth produced ultragash and all I said was that he was very good - and then proceeded to list everything I owned by him - followed by a reinstatement that he was very good. Gracious he was, although terrified was I.
Saturday
After a brisk start my companion & I made our way to the con and sheepishly put together our table - cue alternate view - !
It was... amazing, to say the least. Rooms stuffed with artists, writers, floggers - all vying for attention, appreciation and sales. Costume'd gadabouts trawled the walkways - in all manner of guises -
Who goes that far and doesn't bother wearing a wig? That's a level of non-commitment I'm not even willing to think about. We sold a lot of Dr WTFs that day - thanks to the astounding level of artwork and the extraordinary loveliness of 2000ad forum folk. The most interesting purchase was to Johnny "I'm David Knight" Alpha (Writer of Dr WTF's "Quarry Planet") ...
Those aforementioned boarders mostly congregated around a table hosted by these lovely folk -
My two mentors - Mr Dave Evans & Mr Richmond Clements - editors of Dogbreath, Futurequake & Zarjaz - the premier British small press anthologies. Mr Evans was the man who gave me my first constructive criticism - and commissioned me to appear in Futurequake way back in...
*works it out*
the past. Don't click on that!!! Needless to say, he's the reason I was sat at the table down the way and flogging my own stuff. A glass raised to the man - as long as it's within his limit!
The sketches I got that day were from Kev Crossley - a supremely underrated bod who's portfolio brimmed with all manner of glorious physical goodness. I mean, the WHOLE THING was hand-drawn.
After the show, Chris & I took our ill-gotten gains into Bristol - seeking cider! We supped mightily at The Apple and The Orchard - finding many excellent apple-tinted beverages. Also we bumped into an extraordinary bistro, some fantastic houseboats and Aardman animation studios - before raggedly returning to the Ramada bar close to midnight. A lot of the big names had depleted after Azerbaijan's now-famous victory and only the dedicated remained. Bunt and a reduced posse, a slightly-squiffy but still-terrifying Bryan Talbot, a knackered Clements & Evans - The wonder group of that evening were LIZ & CONOR BOYLE, KERRIN and THE EMPEROR. Liz and Conor are extraordinarily lovely folk and contributors to Dr WTF (Liz wrote 'Canine' Conor drew 'Berlin') - Kerrin is a hilarious boardman who looks like an amazing mix between Eddie Izzard and Oliver Reed - The Emperor (Dr WTF writer of "The Secret of Comedy") stood as sober witness to the dregs of an evening where many MANY a man was presumed to be Charlie Adlard and I backed out of an impromptu meeting of great writing minds (Cornell, Ewing & Williams) I MUST DASH. More pizza, more taxi and a tiny bit of Doctor Who before sleep took poor Chris & I.
Sunday
Apart from this sight, Sunday was a slow and sober affair. Barely any Dr WTFs were sold and browsers were pensive or uninterested. Such as it was - I spent most my time harvesting sketches of Doctor (s) from fellow panellers - you can see the results over on the Doctor WTF Facebook group . My eternal regret is that I didn't get a Doctor from Sean Phillips who WAS JUST OVER THERE - and from Nich Angell who was super lovely and basically a bit of a con beast. Coneast?
Right. That's Bristol over with. If you weren't someone that I met or weren't involved, and you stuck with the whole thing, I'm bloody grateful that you read it. It took ages to write but it's basically been the pinnacle of my comic life so far - it deserves that kind of report really.
Also, it was my birthday on Tuesday. My endlessly excellent lady Jazz got me tickets to see a Stewart Lee stand-up marathon in London next weekend which should be EXTRAORDINARILY BRILLIANT if not clever, cynical and endearing. I love that man. He shouldn't pile his website with negative reviews though, eh? Silly sod. My main man Chris bought me Michael Palin's Around the World in Eighty Days and I spent the afternoon doodling and watching his adventures. Which is possibly the most calming bit of television ever recorded - a world were everyone is a bit silly and very human AKA the world we live in. Reassuring.
Other lovely men bought me quantities of cider and I have been slowly ingesting them and writing EXTREMELY lengthy blogs.
Sigh. Finally - I have put together the last ever Owen in Rock - with the now-familiar Richard Jenkins inputting a jazz corner - GIVE IT A LISTEN BY CLICKING ON THESE CAPITAL LETTERS HERE - thank you for all the requests and listens you beautiful bunch -
There'll be LESS in a fortnight. Thank you so much for reading it all if you have. Have a coconut.
I have been drawing other things. Not many things though - largely self promotion and jam.
MAYBE I SHOULD DRAW JAM TO PROMOTE MYSELF.
...let's just let that go now, shall we?
Oh also before we pop on I'll just slap up a panel from THE OTHER THING I've been drawing this fortnight -
Watch out for a page of the Mammoth Jack epic - (written by Dirk van Dom) in Temple APA later this week. Very pleased to be drawing things that will get seen by people again. Also horses - but I barely draw them. Chunky legs.
"A Younger Sun" for The Weekly Themed Art Blog (or TAB) - the theme was dinos/monsters and I longed to draw a Brachiosaurus. They are my favourite dinosaurs because they were awesome and also they had long awesome necks and they were green.
THEY WERE FUCKING GREEN. They didn't have a feathery spine, wikipedia. THEY WEREN'T GREY AND BLOTCHY THEY
WERE
FUCKING GREEN.
I'm not writing a thesis about it, I'm not discussing it with anyone. I'm not telling you how I know they were green. Clue: It involves time eggs. Also - who knew the atmospheric composition was different in the Jurassic era and humans couldn't breathe it?! I certainly didn't. Nearly died.
This was, I believe, for a young man called Daniel Madley who became eightieth like for the ever-swelling Dr WTF Facebook page. Do pop along - ! Someone suggested I added Christ into the mix and I was like NO WAY Jetsharks I can believe, Invisible Bears I can believe - but Jesus?! You must be out of your cake.
Profound apologies for my second TAB this fortnight - specifically to the superlative mind of Henry Flint who I desperately aped to produce this testicular monstrosity. Shakara is in his little ship there and he's plunging through a giant eye made up of giant eyes. Instead it looks like a pierced ball sack. Sorry. I recommend Henry Flint.
"That Darn Masterchief" aka "Achievement Unlocked" aka "I can't draw licenses very well" - for Richmond Clements - who became the ONE HUNDREDTH LIKE for Dr WTF. A million thank yous - much beyond my shaky paltry Master Chief. I never understood Halo. It's like - there's this planet, and like, you're shooting, and like - then you're not. What's the deal with that. - and as for my Doctor Who anthology - it's in it's final stages and the digital version goes on sale
NEXT WEEK (PROBABLY)
Very exciting - and the print version? Well just turn your pretty eyes downward...
Finally - the third TAB entry is my interpretation of Judge Anderson. A bit Bibi Andersson, a bit ... androgynous ... stern and not at all busty or nipply or any of that shit. It genuinely irritates me. I mean - this shit is what makes the glorious unique world of Judge Dredd that little bit more bland. SHE WOULD AT THE VERY LEAST WEAR A BRA.
SERIOUSLY. PUT ON A BRA ANDERSON WE'RE TRYING TO STOP A DEATH CULT FROM KIDNAPPING THE DAUGHTER OF A WEALTHY INDUSTRIALIST.
IT'S NOT EVEN COLD IN HERE. HOW ARE YOUR NIPPLES PUSHING THROUGH LEATHER?!
Right, little finger off shift - little mind off rant, little bum off the chair - and back to the donkey violence - !
I must say, I intentionally didn't go to Kapow! convention in London this weekend because it seemed quite horrendously shallow to bring the leviathan American con format over here - replete with the vacuous stars of screen and blockbuster dullcomics. I see now that I was being very silly. Although Millar seems like a douche. Anyhow - I didn't go and I missed encountering some genuinely nice internet folk in real life, and copped out on staring gazedly at some of the best artists in British comics. And any platform for them is not a terribly bad thing at all.
I was extremely proud to be part of an amazing comic - written by Mr Mark Howard (WHAT A CHAP) and co-drawn by the fantastic Davey Candlish, El Chivo, Filip Roncone & Lee Bates - with letters by the EXCELLENT Jim Campbell. This was then auctioned off by 'Genre for Japan' and we raised fifty quid! Many thanks to the kind wallet of author Toni Kelner and Wayne Simmons for calling us all to arms. It was an amazing auction featuring some of my favourite artists and writers - and we collectively earned over eleven thousand for Japan! Crikey.
I urge you to do or give. Japan still needs help.
Although the modest Feistmouse was extremely embarrassed by this pictorial birthday tribute, it was my pleasure to produce it. Do check out his Sun & Moon stories in Dogbreath, or visit the man himself on DeviantArt - or march into Portsmouth Ink and place down your arms bellowing "I COMMAND YOU TO TATTOO ME, FEIST". He is a true fella.
Drawn for The Weekly Themed Art Blog - on the subject of non-2000ad British Comics - this is my tribute to Jimmy and His Magic Patch. A Beano story in which a boy had his torn shorts repaired with a CHUNK OF MAGIC CARPET and thenceforth voyages across the winds of time. A majestic concept and one that was treated with such an appealing old school silliness that I've always gone back to it. I mean, so much time travel these days is all about the mystery of the mechanics - I loved it when it was like "look, he's travelling time - fucking deal with it" BUT WHY "Magic shorts is why, NOW SHUT UP THERE ARE DINOSAURS".
The first of two photo-traces I did this fortnight. I'll go into my anxieties over the method in the next one - but this was a brilliant concept for the brother of Lowri Ann Davies who is clearly an insanely silly child and deserves as many comics as the world can throw at him. I have no opinion or interest in Aston Villa or football - twas a requirement of the brother and nothing more!
My second was for Mother's Day/My Mother's birthday which fell on the same day this year. It's a portrayal of my grandmother who was a powerfully brilliant lady and will be remembered. Here though I must explain that I find the idea of photo-traces very cheap. People seem very impressed and excited in them - and they are the simplest and best way to capture a likeness. The awesome Staticgirl said that she thought mine were justified and contained enough of my personality to carry them through - and even though they take me as long as any picture to draw and colour - if not a little longer - I feel like I've got to the final image through a shortcut. Will do more observational drawing.
Finally - and WITH NO TRACING (disappointing without, isn't it) I pay tribute to the marvellous madcap doodlings of our Pal in Canada; Liam "Ghostpockets" Byrne. Who remains one of the nicest and most enthusiastic artists I've ever met on the internet. I urge you to seek him and his work out - it's fucking glorious.
Another fortnightly update on my going-ons and adventures. I'm considering making them a little more frequent - BUT WHO HAS THE TIME?!
This is 'Junkyard Dog' an image for Mr Mark Corbett of Shoot the Moon - for becoming seventieth (!) like for Dr WTF on Facebook. Are you reading this and haven't liked it? THEN YOU ESSENTIALLY HATE ME. I don't mean to be needy BUT IT'S JUST HAPPENED.
Here, the first of two drawings for the Weekly Themed Art Blog images what it would be like if the Judges were in Tron. Thrilling thought. So thrilling I am now dancing.
This is the image for the 'editor' page of my Dr WTF anthology. It's me drinking out of a cup. I want you to guess which pun I've made/nicked from Joe Quesada. Actually don't. Don't guess. Just be quiet.
Dennis at sixty - I loved the Beano as a child (but scandalously I actually read the Dandy more - they had fucking Smasher!) -- Raise a glass to the nation's most treasured bully. That isn't Thatcher. OHOHOHOHO SATIRE.
Finally another image for the Weekly Themed Art Bloggity Blog. It's my favourite ever game. I bloody love it - so evocative, so heartbreaking, so fucking fantastic I'm going to cut short this blog and go and play it. But first...
The magnificent twelve stories in my anthology - go on - go and like it on Facebook. GO ON.
Interesting title. But it bears no relation to the blog at hand.
Just rushing in to update y'all on my various goings on over the last fortnight. It has rushed by and today has rammed me full in the face. Now I lie, spread-eagled with my fang'd jaw agape. My lifeblood and bits of skull scattered across the unforgiving tarmac.
This has nothing to do with a particularly resonant dead badger I saw on my road yesterday. When I came back from work it had gone. Who had taken it? For what nefarious purpose? I may never know.
Before we go on I'd like to further drag down the tone to briefly mention a chap who died this week - a regular fixture of Glastonbury high street - permanently at an easel painting the buildings. I was desperately sad to see the flowers and paint brushes stacked up at the side of the road.
My personal pleasure button is in-universe continuity. The weak-ass Simpsons-style Marvel DC stuff gets me down. It's boring. Oh that's the same Batman that's been roaming the streets since 1939?! Fuck off. Seriously. From the moment I picked up 2000ad ten years ago I was swept into a world of imagination and gloriously psychedelic consistency. Rooted in to their own insane universes.
At the end of Dead Eyes when Indigo Prime showed up? HELLO. When Lobster Random was unmasked after D'Israeli's insane run on The Vort? INDEED. When Hammersteins showed up in Savage? When recently it turned out that all Ian Edginton's universes were connected?
ALRIGHT THEN.
Although how do you express continuity?
I just drew a stand-off in an unconvincing cake. Sorry.
This is a trace of a photo for my friend Arthur's birthday. I have a horse - ? Sorry I don't know why I wrote that but I'll leave it in as an insight into my brain. It's fairly scruffy and not very good but it looked quite shiny on paper. For a much better image see the original photograph - tracing is bad.
These two were for the Weekly Themed Art Blog - which you can also join in with on Facebook and observe the INCREDIBLY AMAZING stuff by other artists who are SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER than me.
Well - that's it then. I'll update ye when I have more stuff - and may I remind you to listen in to my adventures through time on Glastonbury FM Fridays 8-9pm and repeated Saturdays 5-6pm. Or just shuffle on over to MixCloud and listen WHENEVER YOU WANT. Say whhaaat.
Oh - and do 'like' Dr WTF on Facebook if you haven't already. It may seem outwardly to have fallen quiet - but the letters are nearly complete and the thing will be together and printing this time next week (HOW EXCITING).
Hello chaps - sorry for the long break in blogging BUT I HAVE BEEN BUSY.
Well - not busy, but y'know.
Busy.
Dr WTF?! Is coming along nicely (also if you click on the name there you can join in the Facebook group and keep track of it all - lots of lovely teaser images and the like). Do support us!
Don't NOT support us. No no no.
Anyway the primary reason I've come here today is to share with you what I've been up to. Crabcake 3.
Despite how it may appear I do have a plan. Well - no, I don't think any of us truly have a plan. I think the majority just bimble along like a hermit in a storm. There is no reality - only what we sculpt with our beautiful ignorant brains. What do you know about dermatology? Next to nothing I'm sure but some base their lives on it.
Sorry - what the fuck am I talking about. Carry on - ! Oh and don't forget my radio show is on every Friday from 8 to 9 pm - !
Sorry if these images are massive I can't think how else to do it -
