Waffling

Here's my take on Picasso's numerous portraits of Sylvette David, with my apologies to both - it's only for fun. It wasn't supposed to be her at first - having drawn the face, figure and clothes I was just stuck for "good hair" and her famous ponytail popped into my head. From there I felt I should add some Picasso-esque ceramics given that they met in Vallauris, the lovely town in which he made his pottery. Sylvette is an artist herself.

Although the inspiring commercial illustrators of the mid 20th Century borrowed much from Picasso, I think the influence for this was also some Kaffe Fawcett paintings I saw in an exhibition a couple of weeks ago, here in Bath. I liked his still lifes of decorative china - like this one - more than the china itself, also displayed.

Also: check out Ryan Kelly's blog. He's awesome and I'm honoured and lucky that we're sharing art duties on Vinyl Underground. I haven't seen the fruits of his labour yet but will be sure to post some. I eagerly await The New York Four, the fourth-coming Minx book he's drawn too.

Beatnixed

I was too quick to scan this in and didn't realise I was unhappy with it until it was on screen. Originally she was bare-skinned under her dress, but it didn't really give her the confident sorta look I was after, it just looked crude. So I doctored her wardrobe on the computer and didn't bother drawing the background I had in mind. Still, at least we get to spend this time together, reader!

I drew this today.

Some recent reviews:
Steve Higgins at PLAYBACK:stl on Paris
Martijn Form at Comics Bulletin on Paris
Brian Cronin on Vinyl Underground issue 5
Win Wiacek on Meet John Dark

A two part interview with me by Broken Frontier's Bart Croonenborghs here and here.

My many thanks to these fine folks.

Going Underground

Been admiring Cameron's inks and Guy's colours on Vinyl Underground 5, in stores at the start of February.

I was accused of being a terrorist by a group of security types when I was photographing a tube station for this issue, it got a bit heated. I tried to explain that I was a cartoonist, but that just made them angrier.

Doodles

I'm not good at maintaining a sketchbook, but wish I was. Those hardcovers are intimidating. I'll doodle on A4 sheets of printer paper though, fill them up and then scrunch them up. I broke that last rule to scan and post these from yesterday evening. Ideally having them online will force me to improve - to search more whilst drawing - rather than absent-mindedly regurgitating the same generic faces and poses!

Original art

The following are drawn by the mighty Jonathan Edwards. They're pages from his comic Aunt Connie & the Plague of Beards which is available to buy on his website. They're cherished possessions which I hadta take out of their frames to scan for you (badly, given I didn't go so far as to remove the card mounts too). Jonathan once said to me "I'm getting illustration work from this magazine and I think the art editor would like your work too - send him some samples". I didn't get any work from the fucker but was touched by Jonathan's unselfish gesture. I guess he knew I was never gonna be serious competition!

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I was recently asked to draw Subvertman's better half and as it was being supplied digitally added some half-tones. Hadn't drawn her since '95. The Subvertman comics were collected in Punk Strips, which if you're Stateside and into punk rock, is available to buy from Marc Arsenault's Wow Cool. Marc has a cool blog there too.

That reminds me - when I was holiday a while back someone next to us in a restaurant was wearing a shirt with one of my designs on, a picture of a punk and copper drawn for Riot fanzine and reprinted in Punk Strips. I don't know who makes and sells them but should they read this - and I know it's a long-shot - perhaps they'd consider spreading the joy by donating a few for another thrilling competition ;)

Okay, I hope you had a good xmas reader, and I wish you a very happy 2008. I had good comics for xmas as it happens: the latest Scott Pilgrim and Adèle Blanc-sec, Aya de Yopougon, Tamara Drewe (the graphic novel of the year) and as crimbo presents to myself, The Last Call and Zombies Calling by fellow SLG-er Faith Erin Hicks. I also had perfume, but the less said about that the better.

As ever I'm behind with my correspondence but will endeavour to catch up asap.

Splash page

...from Vinyl Underground 4.

Why the sky is blue

Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter kindly interviews me about Paris here. I'm looking forward to reading the other interviews he'll be posting over the festive season. Anyway, here's *yet another* pic from the book, one of the "extras". Paulette starting the day with a good solid breakfast.
Also, my sincere apologies to anyone who's inadvertently come here in search of the origin of Rudolf's red nose (but thank you for staying longer than comic fans do), especially if you're a young 'un. Kids, I promise you that Santa doesn't look like he does in those images.

He actually looks like this:

Rudolf's red nose explained

Old pics for Metal Hammer to get you feeling Christmassy.

Ball Tampering

W.G. Grace, who according to folklore once stood his ground having been given out, saying "They came to watch me play, not you umpire". I was gonna put it on the back cover of Paris issue 3, but in the end didn't. I did actually draw the ball too, but seem to have misplaced it. There he is again, on the wall:

"Bloody kids"

Unused Paris related pics.

Femi from Vinyl Underground issue 3...

... slipping on a bar of soap. Inks by Cameron Stewart, colours by Guy Major.

Thrilling Competition

Here's a little bit of good-natured fun. The first 2 people to post the correct answer in the comments win a Vapid t-shirt, details of which are here. If you're one of the 2 winners, simply email me your postal address, wherever you may be, and specify the shirt type and size you want me to send you. As with all the images on this blog, click to enlarge if required.

If no one responds I'll be really upset, but you know, don't enter if you don't really want a shirt either, it is winter afterall.

Anyway, that competition was originally drawn 14 years ago, depressingly. Here's another old thing. The moral: at least he tried. Hmm, but look at the panel borders, they almost look deliberately wonky (but they're not).

Give To The Paw

Sketches for Bath Cats and Dogs Home, celebrating its 70th birthday and in need of financial support and dog walkers.

Slow News Day

I think Paris is out today, but I don't know.Also available to buy is the brand new edition of Andi's masterful Slow News Day, again published by SLG. And check it out - I'm lucky enough to own the original of this page from it. Pure class:

Unreadable Palms

Some more panels from the Mark Twain adaptation. The first is a view of Menton, on the Côte d'Azur. It so happened that I camped there shortly before commencing this story, in a beautiful orchard above the town. As soon as we arrived at our pitch some ripe fruit or other fell from a tree directly onto my head, allowing a nearby Dutch family to have a great chuckle at my expense. Which is fine.*
*As luck would have it, a night spent sampling the regions' rosé and the snoring that allegedly followed, would inadvertently redress the balance.

Lucky Millet...

A panel from Is He Living Or Is He Dead?, a strip I drew in '03 for Graphic Classics: Mark Twain. It's being reprinted in a revamped volume available on December 1st and features 36 whole pages of Rick Geary greatness.

The Pillage People

Paris is hopefully out next week, not this, as I incorrectly stated. Here's a panel from it. I'd like one of those hard boiled egg holders you see in French cafes. Infact I'd like two, the second would be ideal for displaying plums, lemons and other mid-sized fruits.
Staying with the continental theme, here are a couple of strips I've drawn for Metal Hammer, scripted by their managing editor, Alex. I don't know what Turisas sound like, but as you'll see, they dress as Vikings, complete with warpaint, swords, axes and so on. Not the most sensible group to parody, in retrospect.

ROM!

A drawing for Portland's Floating World comic store. I'm intrigued by Portland, how come so many cartoonists live there? Anyway, they're organising an exhibition and comic in honour of Rom, or more specifically, the writer of that series and others, Bill Mantlo. The original drawing, as well as tributes by loads of other cartoonists far better than me, will be available to buy from Floating World and proceeds go to Bill and his bro. Details here.

I wanted the focus to be on Bill's writing rather than simply the visual nature of the character, hence this take on the final scene of the final issue.