Pet Portraits - Shield Maiden Tilly

Hey Everyone,

This blog hasn't seen much action in a while and I've probably got a couple con write ups from last month to catch up on! With that holiday season approaching up I hope things will hot up on here but for the time being I'd like to share with you this pet portrait commission!

Requested by Maria for Andy's birthday, this cosplaying couple had recreated Ragnar Lothbrok and Lagertha from the TV show Vikings with massive success!
So much so that Maria thought that Tilly the cat might feel left out! So to join their epic cosplay photos on the wall I've drawn Tilly in her very own Vikings cosplay.

 
 
This commission is A4 in size and coloured using Copic Markers.

You can check out Maria and Andy's cosplay right here:
https://www.facebook.com/DragonriderCosplay/
https://www.facebook.com/andyvalentinecostumes/


*** OPEN FOR CHRISTMAS COMMISSIONS! ***

Original art can make a great and personal gift for someone; be it a portrait of their child, a loved one, or a furry friend, or something else altogether! December is now only a month away and the holiday season soon catches up, so get your christmas commission requests in early!
Just drop me an email with your request to: sara-dunkerton@hotmail.com

Frome Comic Con 2017

Sunday 13th August saw the return of Frome Comic Con!

Once more the town was transformed! The Three Swan's pub hosted a Harry Potter themed House Sorting, The Archangel was turned into a Star Wars themed virtual reality bar, there were video games, Doctor Who themed spaces, Ghostbusters in the Library, a dealer hall in the Cheese and Grain, and of course all us writers and artists exhibiting at the Black Swan Arts round tower!

Having attended solo last year, Matt was able to join me with Knight and Dragon, and MULP issues #1-4!

Exhibiting alongside us were of course that fantastic duo Lizzie and Conor Boyle, who being local to Frome invited us to join them for the second year running. They had all their Disconnected Press books on their table.

Owen Watts made a reappearance, bringing with him all volumes of The Psychedelic Journal of Time Travel and doodles of angry carrots!

And another familiar face returned to The Black Swan Arts with The Red Mask From Mars, Vince Hunt! Accompanied by Shaun Doble, creator of Descending Outlands!

We were also joined by a few new faces to FCC! Dani Abram and Ian Matthews came along with copies of Worry Wart and Razarhawk #1-2, love those two!

The lovely Sam Webster came along with copies of Joe Cape and Unfamiliar Skies! He also brought his ADORABLE children who were both dressed up like characters from My Little Pony!

They were at Cardiff Expo, they were at the Swindon comic book signing, and there they were again at Frome Comic Con! They're everywhere! Gavin Mitchell and Emily Owen, that brilliant couple responsible for art on Trolltooth Wars and the critically acclaimed zine about mental health Brain Shoodles.

Nothing but fantastic times can be had when you are around this lovely lot. It was great to see so many people venturing into to take a look at all that was on offer. 

We had a few familiar faces returning to get the latest issues of MULP after buying #1-2 from me last year along with a host of new readers, who I hope will enjoy everything that they picked up! thank you all for stopping by!

I believe that compared to last year Frome Comic Con has taken everything to the next level! The cosplay was on point, the dealer hall in the Cheese and Grain was buzzing, and there were competitions and raffles galore! It really does prove to be a fantastic day out for the whole family whatever your interests!

(Photos below are kindly provided by John and Dan)

 

 

Any convention where I get to hug a 7ft Chewbacca is instantly a success! Thank you everyone who helped put on this brilliant event and of course massive huge thanks to Lizzie and Conor for inviting us! I can't wait to see what Frome pulls out next year! 

Paws for Thaws #6

My Boyfriend borrowed my book for our holiday to Rome, little did I know he's one of those people...

Follow Paws for Thawt on:

https://pawsforthawt.tumblr.com/

https://www.instagram.com/pawsforthawt/

(Sorry for not posting any Paws for Thawt last tuesday by the way, I was camping in a muddy field in Derby!!)

Paws for Thawt #5

I love to watch scary films, but the only time I get to watch them is when the boyfriend is out for the night. He's not a fan...

Follow Paws for Thawt on:

https://pawsforthawt.tumblr.com/

https://www.instagram.com/pawsforthawt/

The Incredible Comic Shop signing - Swindon 2017

A couple of weekends ago (I'm catching up with my blog posts slightly!) Matt and I took MULP to Swindon!

We received an invite from Sarah Harris to attend a Small Press signing event at The Incredible Comic Shop along with the likes of Matt Garvey (Cordelia Swift, The Ether), Vince Hunt (Red Mask From Mars, The Awesome Comics Podcast), Nick Prolix (The Sheep and The Wolves), Gavin Mitchell (The Trolltooth Wars) and Emily Owen (Brain Shoodles).

With a line up like that it was guaranteed to be a great day!

As usual, our table was sporting Knight and Dragon, MULP: Sceptre of the Sun issues #1-3, and the brand new issue #4 which had launched at Cardiff Independent Comic Expo the weekend before! As well as my portfolio with original artworks from all four issues of MULP.

It was fantastic to see so many people come by to take a look! The store was large enough to have all of us set up towards the rear with our banners and books, leaving the regulars enough room to pick up their weekly pull list and then mosey on in further to see what was going on. Which was the whole point! This event was great in drawing in people who regularly only read the Big two and discover the wealth of talent that is Small Press Comics! It really did feel more like a mini convention!

Sarah and the guys at The Incredible Comic Shop did a great job in organising and publicising the event, so much so that there was rarely ever a quiet moment and most who came over to take a look stopped to chat with each and every one of us there!

Sarah had also stocked a few shelves with a hand picked selection of Small Press titles that, along with all four issues of MULP and the books from everyone else at the signing, are now available to purchase from The Incredible Comic Shop!
So if you only picked up the first issue or so of MULP and you want more, thanks to Sarah you can now buy the rest from your own local comic shop!

It really was an absolutely brilliant day! I think my face in this photo sums up how much fun I had!

The event may have only lasted a few hours during the store's opening times, but a steady stream of people filtered through and came away happy and enlightened to Small Press. A huge thanks to everyone who stopped by to chat and buy our books. I really do hope you enjoy them enough to visit the store again and pick up the other titles on offer!

The shop staff were fantastic, very welcoming and interested in everything we had to offer. A massive thank you for having us there and for stocking our books also! You guys were great!

And the biggest of thank yous to that wonderful technicoloured master of Small Press, Sarah Harris! You absolute legend! Not only for getting us all together, single handedly brining Small Press to Swindon, but for organising such a successful event, which I really do feel more places aught to adopt. AND for supplying us with lunch and homemade cookies!

Here's a little video taken at the signing by The Incredible Comic Shop's very own John as posted on the store's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheIncredibleComicShop/

Pipedrem Comics Show Report: Swindon Small Press Signing

Alex Thomas of Pipedream Comics also wrote a lovely round up of The Incredible Comic Shop signing. It was lovely to see you there Alex, thanks for stopping by!

DowntheTubes.net - MULP issue #4 In Review

MULP: Sceptre of the Sun issue #4 had it's first review thanks to the lovely Jeremy Briggs of downthetubes.net 

"MULP: Sceptre Of The Sun issue 4 imperils our heroes as never before whilst setting them up for the final part of the story when hopefully they, and we, will finally discover exactly what the Sceptre  of the Sun is as Matt Gibbs and Sara Dunkerton bring this delightful tale to its conclusion."

Thank you once again Jeremy for the review! Read the full review, along with reviews and sneak peeks of all previous issues of MULP, by following the link.

Paws for Thawt #4

When I go for a run and I'm super pumped, I feel like I'm flying... 

and then I get overtaken and lapped by everyone else in the park!

Follow Paws for Thawt on:
https://pawsforthawt.tumblr.com/

https://www.instagram.com/pawsforthawt/

Pet Portraits - Ace and Nova

Morning everyone!

I've got a traditional pet portrait commission that I'm happy to be able to reveal today.
These beautiful pair of pooches are Ace and Nova, Nova is the Doberman and Ace is a Vizsla!
What a pair of photogenic dogs, these two are so gorgeous they practically drew themselves!

This commission is A4 in size and coloured using Pencil colours.
If theres a dog lover you know who'd love a portrait of their best friend like this one here, then please get in touch: sara-dunkerton@hotmail.com

Cardiff Independent Comic Expo 2017 - MULP #4 Launch!

Saturday the 8th of July saw the return of Cardiff Independent Comic Expo and the launch of MULP: Sceptre of the Sun issue 4!

Matt and I were bringing the smiles (and copious giggles) with our all ages array, including all four issues of MULP and Knight and Dragon, and I also had my portfolio displaying the original artworks for the covers and splash pages within all four issues.

This was a fab little con to go to, being just over the bridge from Bristol made it perfect for us to rock up for the day. And what a day!

It was great to see a steady trickle of people filtering through the hall, adults and children alike! Thank you for all of those who stopped by to chat, and I hope that anyone who picked up Issue 1 enjoys it enough to continue the adventure!

It was also awesome to catch up with everyone as usual (you guys are the best!) and even better to know that we'd be seeing a few of you the following weekend at Swindon's Incredible Comic Shop book signing!

Special shout out to event producer and grand master of all things fabulous, that Iz McAuliffe who was certainly the lady of the hour come the end of the Expo. She put on a fab show, bringing together a wonderful pool of talent, as well as engaging panels and retro gaming areas. Huge thanks to her for having us there!

Along with the launch of MULP #4 we have also been excited to showcase the wonderful pin up art for the latest issue, provided for us by the amazingly talented Jennie Gyllblad!

I reserved Jennie months in advance to do this pin up for us, she and I have been friends since we went to uni together (you may actually see her featured in the very first few posts of this blog!) I just knew my beloved bird-brained mate would be perfect for this issue's pin up. And I was right! Those feathers in her mixed media illustration were provided by her budgie Ruffles!

Check out Jennie's work (some of it NSFW) on her website: https://jenniegyllblad.co.uk/

And her autobiographical webcomic Jenspiration: http://jenspirationcomic.tumblr.com/

Pipedream Comics: CICE Indie Round Up

Alex Thomas of Pipedream comics has put together a round up of some of his best bits features at Cardiff Independent Comic Expo, including a lovely insight into the 4th issue of MULP

 "As we have come to expect from MULP, Gibbs brings together all the classic elements of 1930s pulp adventuring, from crazed natives to jungle temples and fedora wearing heroes which is then brought to life by some utterly magical artwork from Dunkerton – especially in the mountain top jungle temple scenes which are just breath taking and supremely detailed!"

Thank you so much Alex!!

Downthetubes: MULP #4 Preview

If anyone wanted a little sneak preview of the 4th issue, then that lovely Jeremy Briggs provides you with one on downthetubes.net. Go and check it out!

MULP: Sceptre of the Sun issue #4 is now available in supporting comic shops in the UK! 

Themed Portrait - Rory and Arlo

Morning Everyone!

I've another portrait commission to share with you all!
Similar to a previous portrait done quite recently, this one is for a little boy who loves dinosaurs.
Little Rory's favourite film is The Good Dinosaur, so I have drawn him in a slightly caricatured style with the main character Arlo.

 

This portrait is A4 in size and coloured using Copic Markers.

If you know someone who would love a portrait of themselves with their favourite cartoon character just drop me an email: sara-dunkerton@hotmail.com

Paws for Thawt #3

Constantly being reminded of how vertically challenged I am...

#shortpersonproblems

Follow Paws for Thawt on:
https://pawsforthawt.tumblr.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pawsforthawt/

Themed Portraits - Bunny Chariot

The summer commissions are rolling in and here's another one that I can now share with you!

John, Rose and their pets have regularly featured on this blog, this time John commissioned a portrait of Rose for their 1st year wedding anniversary, only with a slight unexpected twist!

John wanted Rose dressed in elven armour with a bow, riding a chariot drawn by their lionhead rabbits Mufasa and Sarabi! So, y'know I was happy to oblige this rather bad ass anniversary portrait request.

Happy Anniversary you two!!

This commission is A3 in size and coloured using Copic Markers.

If you know anyone celebrating an anniversary who would like a piece of original art to commemorate the occasion, then please get in touch: sara-dunkerton@hotmail.com

Paws for Thawt #2

D'you remember when everyone was finding out what their Patronuses would be on Pottermore? 

I was really disappointed to discover what mine was...

Here is the second of my little anthropomorphic, semi-autobiographic comics, updated on tuesdays!

Follow Paws for Thawt on:
https://pawsforthawt.tumblr.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pawsforthawt/

MULP: Sceptre of the Sun issue #4 Launch!

It's that time again!!

With the launch of MULP: Sceptre of the Sun issue #4 is just around the corner Matt and I are very excited to share with you the cover art for the 4th issue in our 5 part pulp adventure series!

Our intrepid rodent explorers have come a long way since the start of their adventure, and this cover hints at just the tip of the iceberg of perils that lie in wait for them after the cliffhanger events of issue 3!

So when and where can you get your hands on issue #4!? 

MULP: Sceptre of the Sun issue #4 will be making it's convention debut at Cardiff Independent Comic Expo on Saturday 8th July 2017 at the Cardiff Masonic Hall! Doors open to ticket holders at 10:00am, with tickets available on the door from 10:30am.
Both Matt and I will be there with copies of all previous MULP issues as well as copies of the fantastic Knight and Dragon.

Geek Syndicate: Comic Con Countdown, Exhibitors at CICE 

Barry Nugent from Geek Syndicate has been rounding up his pick of the creators exhibiting at Cardiff Independent Comic Expo on Saturday and he gave us a very lovely mention!

"I loved the first three issues and have been waiting for issue 4 to launch and it is set to do so at CICE this weekend. As I typed this post up I feasted my eyes on the cover for issue 4 and it’s a beauty. Sara Dunketon’s artwork on this series has been sublime and you can see the hours upon hours she has poured into this series in every panel."

Thanks Barry, you are a gentleman and a scholar and an Indiana Mouse Nuge is the least I could do! Click the header to read the full article.

Matt and I will also be attending a small press comic signing at The Incredible Comic Shop in Swindon on the 15th July 2017, thanks to the brilliant Sarah Harris who invited us and organised the whole event!
As well as all 4 issues of MULP: Sceptre of the Sun, there will be a whole host of indie creators showcasing their work, so come along and meet us all!
The signing is from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at The Incredible Comic Shop, 21 Brunel Plaza, Brunel Centre, Swindon, SN1 1LF

Comicocisy Preview!

The guys over on the Comicosity blog have kindly covered the launch of issue #4 have posted up a 5 page preview! Click the header to check it out to get a taste of whats to come!

If you can't make it to either Cardiff Expo or The Incredible Comic Shop for the signing, never fear! Issue #4 will be hitting the shelves of supporting comic stores from the 19th July 2017!

Click here to see a full list of shops that stock MULP: Sceptre of the Sun

Paws for Thawt: An anthropomorphic, autobiographic comic!

At the end of May I finished all the art for issue #4 of MULP: Sceptre of the Sun!

I decided to take a little break to work out some idea I've had mulling around my head, if you follow my Instagram you may have caught a sneak peek or two!

Well, I think I'm ready to start properly sharing what I've been up to this past month!

I give you the first in what I hope to be a fairly regular series of anthropomorphic, semi-autobiographical comic strips!
I'm thinking of calling it Paws for Thawt!


Apparently, even when I draw for myself I end up drawing mice!

Follow Paws for Thawt on:
https://pawsforthawt.tumblr.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pawsforthawt/

Max's Dinosaur Adventures

Hey again!

Here's another commission I've had stowed away for a little while and can now finally share with you all.

Meet Max!
Max loves dinosaurs. And is a huge fan of a TV show called Andy's Dinosaur Adventures.
So what better a birthday present for this young paleontologist than a portrait of him in his favourite Dinosaur onesie as the star of his favourite show!

Happy Birthday Max!

This portrait is A4 in size and coloured using Copic Markers.

If you know a small person like Max who would love a portrait like this then just drop me an email: sara-dunkerton@hotmail.com

An Even Bigger Fish - Pen and Ink portrait

All's been a bit quite on the blogging front while I've been beavering away on MULP: Sceptre of the Sun issue #4, but never fear!
I shall be able to share some peeks into the latest issue soon, so watch this space!

For now though I'll share a commission that I'd completed a little while ago.

You may remember a similar Pen and Ink portrait of this fine fisherman a while back? (If not you can view it here!) Well that was the largest fish that Jon had caught, until he hooked this 34lbs beast!

This portrait is A4 in size and done using pen and ink, with an ink wash to render.

If you're a budding fisherman, or participate in other sports, perhaps you or someone you know would like a portrait to commemorate thier achievements like Jon!
If so then get in touch: sara-dunkerton@hotmail.com