Exquisite Corpse

The new Dicks story is finally under way. Here is a panel from page 2.

2000AD Forum Monthly Challenge

Biro seems to be one of my favourite mediums at the moment

Peter Pumkinhead

Here's the process I went through to do this little 3 pager for White Cat Press.  The web comic follows the misadventures of Peter Pumkinhead, who has just recently barfed up a skull.

Here are the pencils.

The inks.

The colour - water colour (and a bit of white gouache) over the original inks.

And the finished product - inks and colour merged in PS with a bit of touch up.

Gone Fishing 10

Again, it's been a while... I've started a new drawing course in Sydney so what with home duties, travel and homework there has't been much time for comics. I have managed to sneak in a panel hear and there though. Here is page 30 in progess.

Gone Fishing 9

It's been a while...

Things have been happening but not so much on Gone Fishing. I am 25 pages into 40 so the end is in sight and the main monsters have been introduced: the werefishmenthingos!

Gone Fishing 7

As I've moved along through this crazy world of art I've come to realize that white out is your friend and just as much a drawing tool as an erasing tool. I use white out over white paint or ink primarily because it's faster but also because it suits my style. I am intending to get the gouache and sponge out later on, though.

Zarjaz

I have been lucky enough to get to do a Dredd strip for English 2000AD fanzine Zarjaz. The script was by Karl Stock and should be coming out Oct/Nov.

Here are some sample panels:

Some Fishing

A crab.

Some more fishing and a distraction

Work progresses on the next Dicks story 'Gone Fishing' with these rough inks. Strange fish, giant spider crabs what could be in store for our undead heroes?

Also, here's a distraction inspired by Bisley.

Gone Fishing

Gone Fishing is the title of my new Dicks comic coming out through Milk Shadow. Here is the first page.

More Dredd

Some more fun with Dredd.

Dredd is aging and is around 70 years old but he still has to look strong taught rather than soft and flabby. Not an easy thing to do. I don't think I made him look his age, though in 100 years or more a 70 year old may look 55.

He-Man's Blood

A bit of fun with Skeletor.

Time for more Dicks

It's been a couple of years now but I am finally ready to embark on a another Dicks adventure. The story is called Gone Fishing and involves monsters (what a surprise). In preparation I've been doing a few sketches...

I'm trying out new techniques and working in a way that is more fluid. By which I mean more natural to the way I sketch. Only the first drawing had any preliminary pencilling so the final pages will be tighter than these sketches.

Over most of my career as a comic artist I feel I've not really been true to myself, trying to achieve a style that doesn't come naturally. I've learnt a lot from doing that but I've always felt that my work never quite got there, always fell short. I hope this new old approach will work out.

2000AD Submission

I've just sent off my third submission to 2000AD. My first was exactly 10 years ago. I hope that in that time I have improved and addressed the problems they identified and that it will be enough to get me that first contract.

I realise there's a flaw in the submission process in that (as I understand it) editors are looking for reliability as well as talent. You can't prove reliability in a submission and talent... well, that's up to them. The best you can do is as soon as you get rejected is submit again.

Anyway. Quite a while ago now I read through the submission guidelines and it seemed that this time they wanted submissions like the Americans do with pencils, inks etc. I found this strange as 2000AD doesn't often break up the art process with usually just a writer, artist and letterer. Anyway, I had been told previously by Mark Chiarello, in showing him my work, that I was a penciller not an inker. So having had several rejections as an inker I thought I'd try my luck and submit pencils. On completing the pencils (to a script they supplied) I looked up the sub guidelines again and found that they had changed back to completed art. Bummer.

I don't usually do much pencilling because I feel stifled when appling the inks and my work ends up stiff and lifeless. I didn't feel like starting all over again as I had other things to get on with so I inked over the pencils and I'm not displeased with the result. Things definitely would have turned out differently going about things the usual way but one always learns thing doing things differently.

You be the judge.

Holed Up written by Richard McTighe can be found and downloaded here and is a fantastic little script.

And now the inks.

Fishman Partial Inks