Sara Dunkerton Illustration and Animation

Mad Apple Circus, Animated music video - Storyboards!!

2012-02-28T22:43:00.005Z

Another bit of animation news for you tonight!!

I recently completed the Mad Apple Circus storyboards for "Let the Jury Sing"

Here're the first few storyboarded sequences to this massively action packed and monstrously fast paced animation!!

The next task for this project will be to make an Animatic (motion storyboard) and match the duration of the sequences to the timing of the music!

Incidentally if any of you guys want to listen to the track I'm animating this for then you can do so right here: http://www.myspace.com/madapplecircus

It's the first song listed!

Walk like a Spider...?

2012-02-28T22:07:00.004Z

Remember this cheeky chappy??

Yup, it's Smooth Jason from the Hairy Heroes series I'm co-animating!

Today I have been busy trying to make this little guy walk!

Not so easy when all wants to do is nap.....

AND when he has 4 legs and 4 arms to move about....

But anyway here is the basic construction to a simple walk cycle for this guy. I used the characters from Dreamworks' Antz for reference as quite by chance Jason here has a similar body structure!

I'll continue to polish this clip into a fully formed, fully clothed little Jason. Strutting his stuff like only the smoothest of blue spiders can!

Oh and the piccies at at the top were done for Clive Pearce's Hairy Heroes website!

Check it out: http://www.tinhuttales.co.uk/#

Doctor Who: The Impossible Crossing Sneaky Peek

2012-02-21T21:36:00.002Z

Hey there Who fans!

Whose been dying too see more from our Doctor Who comic??

Well your patience is being rewarded with a sneaky look at Page 3, panel 4 of the Prologue!!

The 10th Doctor is doing what he does best, running!!

Thats 3 pages out of 5 for the Prologue ready for colour!

Stay tuned for another sneaky peek soon, and remember the whole thing is due out April 14th!!

Into the Woods PUBLISHED!!!

2012-02-17T17:06:00.010Z

I can now proudly say that I have in my possession a very shiny copy of Stacey Whittle's 'Into the Woods: A Fairytale Anthology'

I am so unbelievably psyched to be able to see my art in an actual book! From pencil sketches and digital files to a glossy, shiny, tangible something that you can hold and read and stuff!

It's incredible!

So let me share my joy with you with these few photos of the real thing!!

Cover art by Andy Bloor and Steven Howard

The contents page, and look! Red Riding Hood opens the book!!

And finally a quick snapshot of the first couple of pages of Red Riding Hood, words by Rich McAuliffe and pictures by me! :D

This will bring the count of my artwork published in books up to two now (the 1st being Sugar Glider Stories 2). And with Bayou Arcana WELL on it's way to completion, along with the Dark Harvest supplement due in May, my count shall soon rise!!

Stacey has herself blogged about her delight and pride at this wonderful creation we've all to put together under her guidance, as well as a whole load of notable stuff, which you can read right here!

Also Into the Woods has received it's first review by Luke Halstall of the Geek Syndicate. He said some very lovely things about Red Riding Hood:

"Red Riding Hood by Richard McAuliffe and Sara Dunkerton moves exciting through the story. Dunkerton’s use of light and dark is very effective. As the creative team slowly reveal the wolf, a chill will run down the reader’s spine using techniques such as the wolf’s eyes gleaming white as it is covered in darkness. Whereas Red is beaming in the light. Further the creative team have managed to implement their beats just right making every page turn all the sweeter."

You can read the full review here!

Now... I bet the question on your lips at the moment is where can you get your hands on a copy, right?!?

Well Into the Woods will be launching at Cardiff Expo on the 25th - 26th February, however if you can't make it there you can purchase a copy through Stacey's online shop!

Hope to have you join us in the Woods soon!

Mad Apple Circus - Sticker Design

2012-02-13T17:45:00.005Z

You remember that I'd been commissioned to animate a music video for the Bristol band, Mad Apple Circus??

The storyboards for 'Let the Jury Sing' are going well, however while going over them with Luke Wilson and Josh Chapman (vocals, guitarist, trumpet and a whole lot of music talent) Josh asked for a bit of extra help with a sticker design they'd had in mind, a sort of logo for the band!

He showed me his original doodle done on Paint and asked what I could do with it.

Well, the answer to that is right below!

A decision needs to be made about the black or red text, but soon you won't be able to go anywhere in Bristol without seeing this little guy stuck about the place!

If you want to see them live, here is a list of their upcoming gigs in Bristol!

24th Feb - MR WOLFS
9th March - THE PROM
10th March - MARLBOROUGH
7th April - THE CROFT
28th April - THEKLA (tbc)
2nd-3rd June - THE HAPPY PEOPLE PARTY
22nd June - THE PROM
7th August - THE FLEECE (tbc)
22nd Sept - FROG FEST

You can find out more info about the band and upcoming events on their Facebook Page!

FIRST LOOK at Doctor Who: The Impossible Crossing!!

2012-02-13T09:17:00.004Z

Morning Whovians!!

You remember the character sketches I was doing of the 8th, 9th and 10th Doctors? (click the links to be reminded!)

Well Alex Beedie and I have set the wheels into motion! He has finished the 1st draft of the script and I've begun to draw the first 5 pages of Issue One which act as a Prologue to the story!

We hope to launch this 5 page Prologue for Impossible Crossing to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, 14th April 2012!

The reasons for this will soon become clear... ;)

But, to wet your appetites I'll share the first panel for Page 1 with you:

Our story begins on April 23rd 1997, at New York Times Square...

Mad Apple Circus, Animated music video - Character designs

2012-01-22T19:04:00.003Z

Hey there Music fans!

I'm finally going to post up a bit of the initial character design regarding the Animated Music Video project I'm working on, amongst other things!!

First though I'll fill you in on all the background stuff.

Mad Apple circus is an original Big-band/Reggae/Ska-punk group from the deepest darkest suburbs of Bristol. You can usually find them making regular performances at The Prom and The Blue Lagoon along Gloucester Road (for any readers local and looking to hear them!)

Through a series of meetings with Luke Wilson-Tancock (Vocals, Guitar and Trumpet) and Josh Chapman (Guitar) we've discussed an animation to accompany one track titled "Let the Jury Sing". The track itself is 2 mins, 49 seconds long and is pretty damn fast paced! A LOT is planned to happen in those 2 mins, 49 seconds, so I shall have my work cut out for me!

Everything that happens in this animation will happen to one specific character, who'll be pulled through a variety of situations. This character is the Band's mascot, a Clown by the name of Bastardo! And so without further a-do I'll get on with the drawing bit!

Here are some initial character sketches for Bastardo the Clown!

These character sketches were based on your typical 50's Disney style, which the whole animation is to emulate, and various clowns and things from Dumbo and other animations I researched. However the largest factor to Bastardo's appearance is this lovely bit of artwork done by Luke's Dad!

You can find out more about Mad Apple Circus and the the other band members on their Facebook Page

The next thing to do on this project is to draw up storyboards and then fit those to the track with a rough animatic!!

Stay tuned!! :)

Hairy Heroes - more Smooth Jason studies

2012-01-17T12:48:00.005Z

Hey there Hairies!!

Here's another batch of Jason character studies for you!

I've covered every possible angle of this character so that there'll be plenty of reference for Laura and I to animate from, especially for Laura who'll have to animate another person's drawing! Always tricky, so I'm giving her as much to draw from as possible!

A Creator Interview with Yours truly!

2012-01-16T14:34:00.005Z

Hey Comics fans!

A little while back when Sugar Glider Stories 2 launched at Thought Bubble, Daniel Clifford (writer and co-creator) emailed me asking for my contribution to the creator interviews he was planning to post up on the Sugar Glider blog!

And (with a little poking and prodding) Daniel has FINALLY posted my interview!

But for those of you who are unfamiliar with Sugar Glider and my involvement you can find previews of my work here and below is the first page of Moving Day, the story I illustrated!

You'll find said interview right here - SugarGliderComics.co.uk

Enjoy! :)

Sugar Glider Stories 2, and all other Sugar Glider titles, are available to purchase online right HERE!! So grab yourself a copy!

"... make it a Fishnets Double!"

2012-01-10T16:59:00.004Z

Me: I'm sorry Lee, your christmas prezzie is gonna be kinda late, sooooo busy at the moment... By the way d'you know of any good pens for inking? I want to try a new technique for my comic projects.

Lee: Thats okay, try these dip pens *shares link* they should be good for drawing fishnets!! ;) *hint hint*

Me: Cheers Lee, I'll break them in by using them to draw your prezzie... if you don't mind waiting a lil longer!?

Lee: I can wait... but maybe make it a Fishnets Double!?! :D

So I did!

Black Canary and Zatanna drawn as a (very belated) christmas present for the lovely Lee Grice!

I used a combination of dip ink pens and brush pens to in this image. I plan on experimenting with integrating a bolder inked outline with my usual textured digital painting style for my current cmic projects: Alex's Doctor Who comic and the top secret project with Matt Gibbs! Playing around with the pens by drawing Lee's present gave me a chance to get a feel for them... and create something pretty for him too!! :)

UPDATES!! Bayou Arcana & Into the Woods!!

2012-01-04T21:56:00.006Z

Bayou Arcana: Due for release May 2012!!

Pre-Order NOW!!!

If my little arty snippets for the Bayou Arcana story "Promises" has wetted your appetite for more, not to mention all the recent exposure we've had due to the Guardian Article, then that'll be nothing compared to this glorious cover for the anthology done by the wonderful Jennie Gyllblad (who has also illustrated the story "Irons in the Fire" written by Corey Brotherson, for the anthology). Not to mention all the other stories lying in wait for you inside!

And it just so happens that for those of you who cannot wait, Markosia have recently posted up a Pre-order page for our little comic!!!! Click Here!!

EDIT: Bayou Arcana is now available for pre-order from the above link!! Order before 1st April 2012 to get £3 off!!

Cover revealed for Into the Woods: A Fairytale Anthology!!

Stacey Whittle revealed the Into the Woods cover today!!

This beauty was illustrated by Andy Bloor with colours from Steven Howard, and they certainly have done a fantastic job!!

I of course illustrated the Red Riding Hood story for the anthology that this cover echoes, however collected inside are a whole HOST of original Brother's Grimm style fairytales to delight you!

Into the Woods will be launching at Cardiff Expo, 25th & 26th Feb 2012!!

Eagle Awards Nominations are open!!

My last bit of news is about the annual Eagle Comic awards!

For those who aren't familiar with the Eagles, they were introduced in 1976 and are the comic industry's longest established awards. The Eagles have been featured on the covers of leading US and UK titles across the last 30 years, and are unique in that they reflect the people's choice!

While registering my nominations, I was delighted to spot my name listed for "Favourite Newcomer Artist"!!!!

Without sounding like the typical Oscars kinda speech, I am genuinely thankful to those who put my name down to be nominated!

Being a complete newcomer to the comic scene, with only a year working on projects with amazing people, to just see my name listed there is a great surprise and an awesome feeling!!

So thank you very very very much!!!!

Remember, if you'd like to have your say over whose nominated then go ahead and complete the survey! And, y'know.... If you feel I deserve your nomination for Favourite Newcomer Artist, then my warmest thanks shall be extended to you also!! :)

Doctor Who Comic - A couple colour studies!

2012-01-03T17:26:00.002Z

Hey there Who fans, and Happy New Year!!!

I hope you all had a fantastic festive season, but the time has come to pack away those Christmas decorations, make and break New Years resolutions and wonder how on earth to shift all the extra holiday weight!

So while we're saying goodbye to 2011, lets say hello to 2012 with some colour studies of the 8th and 10th Doctors!

BAYOU ARCANA HITS THE PRESS!!!

2011-12-30T15:54:00.005Z

There was big news concerning Bayou Arcana yesterday...

We had a story in The Guardian newspaper!!! :D :D

Back in October a Guardian journalist got in contact with the legendary Nic Wilkinson (Slaughterman's Creed, Cancer Town and illustrator for Bayou Arcana story: Swamp Pussy) requesting information on Bayou Arcana to include it in an article about the UK comics world and female creators!

As some may know already Bayou Arcana appears to have a completely unique creator pairing to any other comic/graphic novel across the small press, indie or mainstream board!

ALL the illustrators are female and ALL writers are male!

The article was to be about the diversity of storytelling that is happening in independent comics and, in particular, how the stereotype of comics being a male dominated industry by both creators and readers does not apply to the exciting stuff being done in the indie world!

So here (for anyone that missed it) are scans of the article for you to read at your own pleasure!!!

Oh, and note art by yours truly featured at the bottom of page 2! :P

This isn't the only bit of breaking news regarding Bayou Arcana either!

I can now reveal that we have been working on a BA Facebook group, where everyone can view development artwork from all the creators involved, take a sneeky peek at some completed pages and stay in tuned with news and updates!!

You can request to join right here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/bayouarcanaofficial/

Hope to see you there soon!

Hairy Hero Smooth Jason - More character studies!!

2011-12-19T18:04:00.004Z

Hey there Hairies!

Here're more studies for Jason. I've started to draw up a more concise study of the character from all angles with colour, so Laura and I can use it as reference when animating!

I've got the Front and Back views for you now

I firstly drew Jason unclothed to get an idea of how his body shape, markings and how his anatomy could work, and then I set about dressing him.

The colour swatches along the bottom will allow Laura and I to pick and use those exact colours when we animate.

Now I bet you are all wondering why on earth Jason is blue... there's no such thing as a blue spider!!?? Guess again!

Jason is a Peacock Parachute Spider and the colours I used were taken directly from this photograph of the real thing!

Who knew spiders could be so pretty, right!??

Hairy Hero Smooth Jason - Character studies

2011-12-12T12:48:00.002Z

Hey there Hairies!

Today I shall introduce you to a smooth little customer. He's stylish, got an eye for the ladies, he's just a little bit lazy and can't pass up an opportunity to look himself in the mirror!!

He's Smooth Jason!

Jason here will be the first character that sees animation, his story will be the first that Laura, Clive and I adapt for your viewing pleasure!

Clive is working on the story backbone (which you can read here) Laura will be working on adapting the prose to script for storyboarding. And yours truly will be having fun playing with the characters!

So watch out for the next Hairy Heroes installment, with some 360 colour studies of Jason!!

Hairy Hero Pete Panther - Character studies.

2011-12-08T22:21:00.002Z

A little while ago a good friend of mine and fellow animator; Laura Bartle, got in contact with me about working with her on a possible animation commission!

It would be a series of potentially 13 animations based on stories written by Clive Pearce, titled Hairy Heroes!

Well after sorting out a few things with work I'm able to commit to the Hairy Heroes project!

So, without further a-do let me introduce you into this Hairy little world that Clive has created with the first character I've had a go at designing. The little light fingered arachnid; Pete Panther!

I shall be designing the characters (which as you must all have figured out, is what I love doing most!) and Laura will be working up storyboards (which is what she prefers too!!) So it's a perfect match!

I shall keep you posted on the progress we make! However if you want to learn more about Pete then click here to read his story!

You can also read a lot more of Clive's stuff on his full website: www.tinhuttales.co.uk

Also you can take a gander at Laura's fantastic animations on her Vimeo and YouTube channels!

Doctor Who Comic - 10th Doctor Character Studies

2011-12-08T21:43:00.002Z

Hey there fellow Whovians!

Heres is another batch of Doctor doodles for you!

This time everyone's favourite, and for me probably the easiest likeness to capture, the 10th Doctor!

As some of you may remember I gave a few hints, with some 8th Doctor sketches, as to what this Doctor Who comic could be about!

Well for those of you who have been trying to figure out it out I guess you can safely add the fact that this story is a multi-Doctor story into the equation!!

More Who stuff coming soon! :)

Dragonmeet Gaming Convention 2011

2011-12-03T14:00:00.006Z

Hey there Gamers!

On Saturday 26th November the Dragonmeet Gaming Convention was held at Kensington Town Hall, London. Dragonmeet is traditionally a major UK one-day convention with trade stands, demo games, Live action RPG and special guest panels!

If you dared to plunge it's dark and musty depths this year then you may have come across Dark Harvest's stand at the Cubicle 7 table, and a free limited teaser booklet for the next Dark Harvest book containing Resistance, the RPG intro comic I illustrated back along!

But for those that couldn't make it (admittedly myself included!) heres a little peek at what we all missed!

Above is a quick snap taken by Iain Lowson (writer of the comic and main contributor to the RPG) of the Resistance booklets and the current Dark Harvest book displayed on the Cubicle 7 main stand.

And below is a shot of the guys test driving the new Dark Harvest card game! Anyone who went along was able to put this prototype game through it's paces, give feedback and have a fun at the same time!

100 copies of the Resistance booklet were printed and brought along to Dragonmeet, and only 30 remained at the end of the day!

Those 70 lucky people who nabbed a copy for themselves now hold a full introduction into the deep, dark and dangerous world that is Promethea!!

But I wouldn't leave the rest of you out, here is a little taste!

Acknowledgments go to Iain who printed these booklets out at home, and stapled them by hand, to the guys at Cubicle 7 that went along, and mostly to everyone who tried out the DH card game and picked up a copy!

Thanks!!!

To be kept up to date with futher news and events check out the Dark Harvest Facebook page (and don't forget to click "like"!)

Also everything you could ever want to know about DH is available on the official website: www.darkharvest-legacyoffrankenstein.com

Doctor Who Comic - 9th Doctor Character Studies

2011-11-25T21:57:00.003Z

Hello Who-fans!

I've another batch of character studies for you!

This time I have been practicing my Eccie face! Though I reckon the most successful studies here are the ones of him doing his daft smile. Oh well!

Practice make perfect 'n all that! :)

Doctor Who Comic - 8th Doctor Character Studies

2011-11-23T20:34:00.004Z

Greetings Whovians!!

You may, or may not know that Doctor Who celebrated it's 48th birthday today!! :D

And so to mark this momentous occasion I thought I would post up the first of many Character studies for the Doctor Who comic project (that I've finally started) being written by Alex.

You may remember a couple of posts previously that featured a Doctor doodle or two, but here I have been refining the style and method for drawing the 8th Doctor that I can carry through an entire comic.

I kinda think I was getting the hang of drawing McGann in the end!

What d'you think? :)

The comic will be a total of 5 issues long, 22 pages per issue, and will be one of the longest projects I have ever taken on!!

I don't want to give too much of the story away now, but I'll give you a couple tidbits to keep you guessing! ;)

For the most part, the story takes place in the year 1912. It revolves around an epic moment in world history. And involves something in the 'Who' timeline that previously has only been speculated over!!

Stay tuned for more character studies coming soon!! :D

Bayou Arcana - Lettering Preview!!

2011-11-19T12:02:00.004Z

Howdy all Swamp Folk!!

As you well know Bayou Arcana, "Promises" has reached completion and I owe you lot something pretty!

So I thought, as you've seen the first page develop from pencils through to being coloured, that I would let you all see that process through to the end and post up Page One in all it's lettered glory!!

Without further a-do, I give you "Promises", Page One!

But thats not all I've got for you!

As I've done before, with showing you how I draw and put a page together (click here to be reminded) and how I colour (click here), I'll now show you how I lettered "Promises"!

Step 1: First things first I set guides on the page (the light blue lines) to mark out the safe zones to place text, so nothing will be chopped off when printed.

I then type the text for each speech bubble and position it where I reckon it flows best. Using the oval Shape Layer tool I draw white circles behind the text, then with the Direct Selection tool I tweak the shape of the circles to fit the text using the bezier handles, as can be seen on the top speech bubble of this picture.

Step 2: With one shape layer selected at a time, and making sure the "Add to Shape Layer" option in the toolbar at the top is highlighted, I draw in three new Anchor Points using the Pen tool for the tail of the speech bubble. The Anchor Points I then tweak using the bezier handles with the Direct Selection tool, as seen on the last speech bubble on this picture.

Step 3: As I wanted to integrate the speech bubbles into the page and make them feel like part of the art work, I needed to somehow introduce a texture to the Shape Layers I'd created. Problems is with Shape Layers, although their vectorized and useful for making a perfectly clean and smooth bubble shapes, they cannot be selected or filled with anything other than a block colour!

So what I did was to right click on each bubble Shape Layer in the Layers palette to bring up the set of options in this picture. I selected "Rasterize Layer" which turned the Shape Layer into an ordinary customisable Layer like any other, but kept the clean vectorized qualities of the Shape Layer!

(For the B+W comics I've lettered - Dark Harvest: Resistance and Red Riding Hood, I wouldn't use Steps 3 or 4, but leave the bubbles as block white Shape Layers and proceed to Step 6!)

Step 4: I then chose a suitable texture with which to replace the currently white bubble, in this case an old paper texture, and positioned it on a layer behind.

With the white bubble now as a regular Layer, I can use the Magic Wand selection tool to select the outside of the bubble. With this selection still active I then choose the old paper texture layer in the Layers Palette on the side and then press the Delete key.

Step 5: What this has done is deleted all the extra space the texture had around the white bubble (as you saw in the previous step, it was just a square of texture behind it) making it now an old paper bubble, exactly the same size and shape!

I then get rid of the white bubble layer.

Step 6: The final touches!!

I add an outline by double clicking the bubble layer in the Layers Palette to bring up the properties window. Then tick the bottom box on the left marked "Stroke", choose a line width of 3px and click Ok. The "Stroke" effect appears as a little drop-down menu on the actual layer itself, as seen on the right in the Layers Palette of this picture!

Lastly to add a little bit of transparency to the bubbles and integrate them into the page a little more, I change the layer opacity to 80%.

Repeat that process for all 6 pages and there you have it! One lettered comic! :D

I'll update you all on any news regarding Bayou Arcana's progress to print as of when I receive it! So watch this space!! :D

Sugar Glider Stories 2 - Launching at Thought Bubble!

2011-11-18T14:43:00.009Z

Hey Hey People!!

If you should so happen to find yourselves in Leeds for Thought Bubble's comic convention this weekend (19th - 20th Nov) then you might just want to pootle over to table 126 and pick up a copy of Sugar Glider Stories 2 from the lovely Daniel Clifford!!

And "why would I want to do that?" I hear you ask!?

Well, aside from the obvious fact that Sugar Glider is AWESOME, if you buy a copy then you shall own my very first published comic story!

Oh yes people! I can (finally) reveal that I had a role on the creative team for Sugar Glider Stories 2!! :D

^ Sugar Glider Stories 2 preview poster. Individual floating panels by artists involved (including me). Design, composition and centre illustration by Jack Couvela.

Back in July, during the completion of the last few pages of the Dark Harvest intro comic "Resistance", I was also busy beavering away on SGS2!

I was asked ages ago by Daniel "Stan Lee of Small Press" Clifford if I would be interested in illustrating for his second collection of short stories centered around his and Gary Bainbridge's Sugar Glider series.

I instantly leaped at the opportunity!

And even when Daniel emailed me while I was feverishly working on Dark Harvest (with about a week till the 21st July, Strip Magazine deadline) and he gave me the option to illustrate one of the scripts for Sugar Glider Stories 2, with only a couple of weeks to complete it in... If I wasn't too busy...

I said "Hell Yeah!! I can make time!!" :D

And so "Moving Day" became mine to illustrate!

^ My panel from the preview poster shown above.

Building up to the launch of SGS2 Daniel arranged for several creator interviews to be conducted by Gavin Jones, the co-host of The Sidekick Cast.

You'll find them all right here on the Sugar Glider website!!

But to celebrate the launch of SGS2 (and did I mention, my very first published comic!?!) right here on my blog, here're some art goodies from "Moving Day" for your enjoyment! :)

So why is Babylon in a grump about hefting some boxes around? And why is Red Kite shouting his Super-pants off at Barn Owl?

Your going to have to grab a copy of Sugar Glider Stories 2 to find out!! ;)

Oh! Don't worry all of you who are unable to make it to Thought Bubble, the comic will be made available to buy online (along with the rest of the Sugar Glider series) here via Daniel's shop!

Into the Woods: A fairy tale Anthology - Red Riding Hood

2011-11-14T13:09:00.004Z

Hello again Folks!

In my previous post, when I said I'd be able to show you some art from Red Riding Hood very very soon, I didn't realise how soon that would be! Haha! :D

With a thumbs up from Stace, I'm pleased to say that you get a double whammy of art reveals today! You lucky people! :)

So without further a-do, here're a couple panels from Red Riding Hood...

(These're actually my personal favourites too!)

Into the Woods will be launching at Cardiff Expo, 25th & 26th February 2012!!

Dark Harvest: Illustrations of the Legacy of Frankenstein.

2011-11-14T12:22:00.002Z

G'morning Prometheans!!

Sorry for the lack of activity on here of late, but if you had read my last post then you'll all know that I've been working frantically to reach the finish line on Bayou Arcana, Red Riding Hood and the Dark Harvest Illustration commission!

Well from here on in folks, I'm happy to say that I can start cashing in some of those promises I made in the last post!!!

Red Riding hood is, as you'll know, FINIIISHED!! And I'm pleased to say that some art from that will be revealed very very soon! So stay tuned! :D

Bayou Arcana "Promises" is also FIIIINIIIISHED!!!! It's lettered and the complete files as preferred by Markosia have been handed over to Jimmy Pearson to be collected with the other stories. The deadline for all BA stories is January next year, so you'll have a while to wait till you can see the real thing, however I've requested that I blog a lettered page to keep your appetites wetted! ;)

And finally, the last bit of Dark Harvest (for the moment) is also... yup, you guessed it.. FIIIIIIIIINIIIIIISHED!!!!!

And here are some long awaited sneaky peeks!!

These images are cropped sections of larger illustrations that will be appearing alongside short stories from the Dark Harvest mythos, in the second published book!

Jelly Baby!? (& Update!!)

2011-10-15T20:09:00.007+01:00

Hellooo my lovelies!!

Boy, have I been busy!!

In my last post I told of how I'd just finished all the art for "Promises" and was well on the way to finishing Red Riding Hood!

Well, since then I've not only completed all art for Red Riding Hood, but I've completely completed it! Yup, all 5 pages are drawn, toned and lettered ready to print! Thats another comic under my belt, Oh Yeah!!

I'll post updates of the whole Into The Woods anthology as of when I hear more news, and hopefully'll be able to show you some RRH art if, I'm allowed!!!

So stay tuned!!!

Progress on Bayou Arcana "Promises" at the moment is pretty much where I left it with you last time.. I'm currently waiting for the word on wether or not licenses for fonts need to be bought, or if we can use the free Blambot.com fonts... I'm not at all good with the legal stuff so I'm making sure we've covered all out bases before going ahead.

But I'm ready and raring to make a start on the lettering as soon as I get a green light! And maybe, just maybe a lettered page might be revealed! :)

At the moment though I've been catching up with a commission thats been put on the back-burner for quite some time now...

Before Dark Harvest's Iain Lowson involved me in his idea for the RPG intro comic: "Resistance", he approached me about four 1/4 B+W Illustrations for the next Dark Harvest book! I took on the commission and completed the roughs (which you can see here!) and then had to put it on hold while I completed "Resistance" in time for the deadline!

Currently I've just finished the 2nd illustration and will tackle the 3rd next weekend.

I'm also in talks with Iain about possibly giving you all a sneaky peek at said illustrations once all four are complete! So defiantly watch out for that!! :D

Lastly I have been collecting images and researching like a crazy person!

All in readiness to start a couple of very exciting projects that are waiting patiently in the wings. Once I've finished all current Bayou Arcana and and Dark Harvest commitments I shall be totally set to scribble away to my hearts content!

One project is a collaboration with my Bayou Arcana writer, Matt Gibbs. and the other I briefly mentioned before (click here to be reminded) was a team up with my boyfriend, Alex Beedie on a fab Doctor Who Story!!

So with the promise of LOADS of artwork to come, I think it's only fair that I doodle something for you now!!

This quick sketch was inspired by a morning spent listening to Alex watching a youtube video featuring clips of Tom Baker saying "Would you like a Jelly Baby?" in various episodes, and then an evening spent taking screen shots of Paul McGann in the Movie. Which resulted in a MASSIVE craving for Jelly Babies!!

So much so that I had to rush out and by a bag to be able to concentrate on drawing!!!

Bayou Arcana - THE FINAL PAGE!!!!

2011-10-03T10:45:00.003+01:00

This is it! All 6 pages of "Promises" are drawn and coloured!!!!

The deadline for all the Bayou Arcana stories to be collected is January, so that leaves me plenty of time to letter at my leisure! :)

As far as my two week holiday goal goes, I'm very nearly there.. only one more page of Red Riding Hood to draw and tone before that comic is ready for lettering too!!

Once both those comics are all completely completed I'll have 4 short stories under my belt! Whoop Whoop!!

Right now though I'll leave you lot to wonder over why poor Alice is so sad! :P

Here's your sneaky peek at page 6!

Enjoy! :D

Dark Harvest, winners of the Create A Character competition!!

2011-09-26T23:45:00.004+01:00

Hey Prometheans!!

The winning characters for Dark Harvest's Create A Character Competition have just officially been put up on the DH website for all you to view stats and specifics and use in the RPG!!

To view the page for Richard's Character: Senior Mechanician Smylzo Kaldu Click here

And for Johann Sitorius created by Mike, Click here

Bayou Arcana - Page 5 preview!!

2011-09-25T17:49:00.003+01:00

Howdy all swamp folk!!

I'm now very close to the end, only one more page left to draw and colour before all the art for "Promises" is complete!!!

I've got some time off work for the next week or so and am hoping to reach the end of not only this comic, but Red Riding Hood too!! (I've only 2 pages left to complete for RRH!!)

That'll then leave only the lettering to finish up whilst I make a start on developing visuals for another couple projects waiting in the wings!

But for now though here are a couple panels from page 5 of "Promises" to tie you over!

Doctor doodles - 8th Doctor

2011-09-18T00:32:00.003+01:00

I've drawn this little sketch of Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor in light of a project thats waiting in the wings till I have more free time.

Alex Beedie, my boyfriend, has had a superb idea for a Doctor Who story rattling around in his brain for far too long. It's high time he got it out on paper, and he's currently doing so in the form of a comic script!!

Who better to illustrate it other than the artist he currently has sitting in the same room as him!? Being a Writer/Artist couple and big Who fans, it makes sense that we should work together on this. We've plans to publish this as a free download online...

So look out for more to do with this project in the future!

Dark Harvest, Create a Character: Johann Sitorius

2011-09-13T00:43:00.002+01:00

This post marks the 2nd winning character of the Dark Harvest Create a Character competition. Created by Mike, I present Johann Sitorius!

Johann is a wonderfully complicated character; a Scientist researching electrical engineering, within the same field as Nikola Tesla, under the employ of Frankenstein's people. He's both fascinated and appalled by the medical advances under Frankenstein's reign.

He carries around pocketfuls of delicate electrical tools, Tesla Coils and a Keuffel and Esser Co. slide rule.

The original sketch for one of these drawings here, and a sketch for the previous character Smylzo Kaldu, shall be winging it's way to both Richard and Mike.

Well done guys for creating such fantastic characters and I hope I've managed to capture your visions with my drawings!

Happy Birthday Malwina!!!

2011-09-13T00:36:00.003+01:00

This is just a little sketch I did for one of my best friends at work, it was her 21st birthday a few days ago.

Shes a big Wall.E fan!

Dark Harvest, Create a Character: Senior Mechanician Smylzo Kaldu

2011-09-02T11:53:00.005+01:00

A while ago Dark Harvest held a Create a Character Competition, inviting fans of the RPG to send in ideas for an original character to be officially integrated into the RPG cast!

Two winners have been selected and I have been asked to take their characters and bring them to life on paper! The final character concepts will be published on the Dark Harvest website and a print of my work will be given to each winner!

So without further a-do, I present to you the 1st winning character: Senior Mechanician Smylzo Kaldu!

This fantastic character was created by Richard, who went into such brilliant detail in his description (and even sourced some very very helpful images) that it wasn't at all hard to visualise Smylzo Kaldu.

So easy in fact that I came up with 3 sketches! In each sketch he is holding one of various effects his carries around; a deck of loaded Tarot Cards, a large handmade Masterwork watch, a custom case containing his Watchmaker's Lathe, and a silver Maria-Theresa Austrian Thaler coin.

Women in Comics Spotlight!!

2011-09-01T18:31:00.002+01:00

A while ago I got an email from the lovely gals at GirlsReadComics.com asking for me to answer a few questions for a possible Spotlight feature in the future!!

Being only a year out of uni and keeping busy with various comic projects, it's awesome to be on the upcomming UK female comic creator's radar!! And so I was really flattered to be asked to contribute some words.

I became aware only yesterday that they had posted up my Spotlight mention on the website!! :D

You can check out my little claim to fame right here!

Bayou Arcana - Page 4 preview (& a quick update!)

2011-08-27T14:14:00.006+01:00

Hey folks!!

Apologies for my recent blogging absence, please don't take the momentary quiet as a sign of unproductivity... Quite the opposite in fact!!

During the final week or so working of on the Dark Harvest comic I was also beavering away on another small project... Which is now complete, however I can't tell you about it yet!!! :(

The news will be officially announced soon and I'll be sure to splurge full details on this mystery project for you all!

Also I've been working on getting some finished pages of the Red Riding Hood comic under my belt. I've currently got one page out of five complete, but as of yet am unable to share peeks until Editor, Stacey Whittle gives the word!

BUT!!! I have been working on something that I CAN show you a little bit of!! :)

It's been a while since your last taste of "Promises", the short story for the Bayou Arcana anthology, and with the last post I mentioned that I'd no longer be posting up full pages!

However I do have a couple of panels to share to keep your appetites wet (and not give too much away!)

Here we have pencils for panel 2

And a coloured panel 3

I've two pages left to draw and colour, and then the whole 6 pages to letter. So you can expect a couple more previews of upcoming pages!

ALSO, I've been asked by Dark Harvest's Iain Lowson to step up with some artwork for winning characters created and submitted to the RPG's Create a Character competition!

The final illustrations will be published on the Dark Harvest website and also signed prints will go to the winners!!

You'll be pleased to know I'm allowed to fully blog each step in the process, so there'll be plenty of new things to look at!

Dark Harvest: Legacy of Frankenstein. Resistance page 1!!!!

2011-07-21T08:23:00.005+01:00

It is done!!!

The comic is finished and the deadline for the Strip Magazine's Spotlight Challenge Competition has come to a close!

So as promised, here is the first page to Resistance in all it's glory!

I've really enjoyed working on this comic and I sincerely hope that you Dark Harvest fans out there enjoy it as much too!!

Not to mention any newcomers to the Dark Harvest fold!! This is after all an intro to Promethea!

For details on when you'll be able to get your hands on the rest of this comic and many more grizzly tales from Promethea (some of which will feature yet more of my work!!!) visit the Dark Harvest: Legacy of Frankenstein website!!!

Dark Harvest - Sneak Peek Number 4!!

2011-07-14T08:12:00.003+01:00

Morning Prometheans!!

Quite a shoot up for you today! Your last panel sneak peek too before the Strip Magazine, Spotlight Challenge competition deadline, and the full page reveal!!

Here it is Panel 2 from page 6!

Stay tuned for next weeks full page and the finishing line of this short comic!!

Dark Harvest - Sneak Peak Number 3!!

2011-07-07T10:43:00.005+01:00

G'morning Prometheans!!

Another thursday, another sneaky peek at what I've been busy getting up to!!

I've skipped right ahead for this weeks panel!

Here is something hot off the production line, something I only just finished yesterday! You are looking at Page 5 - panel 1.

Theres not long to go now! Stay tuned for next week's reveal!!

Into The Woods: A Fairytale Anthology

2011-07-05T18:52:00.006+01:00

Greetings to all you Fairytale Folk!!

You may know already that I'm illustrating a Red Riding Hood comic, written by Rich McAuliffe, to feature in Stacey Whittle's Fairytale Anthology!

(If you don't then click here to get clued up with some character designs!!)

Anyway, the wonderfully wicked Whittle has posted a long awaited blog with info on who else is involved and the creative team ups!!!!

So find out all you need to know right here!!!

Dark Harvest - Sneak Peak Number 2!!

2011-06-30T08:22:00.003+01:00

Has a week gone a by already!?

Well, your due your next Dark Harvest installment aren't you!!

This is panel 1 from page 2. A resistance fellow watching the progress of the train.

Watch out for next week!!

Dark Harvest - Sneaky Peak!!

2011-06-23T00:09:00.002+01:00

Hello Prometheans!!

It's exactly 4 weeks today until the deadline for "Resistance", the Dark Harvest RPG intro comic!

This short 6pg comic will be entered into John Freeman's new Strip Magazine Spotlight Challenge competition! Where if it wins, it will be published in the magazine due to out in October!

The comic will also feature alongside a host of new tales from Promethea, in the second Dark Harvest: Legacy of Frankenstein book, due out in April next year!

With 3 pages complete, I thought it was high time you lot got a peek at what I've been getting up to in secret! So to wet your appetites I shall be posting up some teasers!!

Each Thursday, starting today, I'll reveal a random panel from a completed page until the deadline on the 21st July where I'll post up a full lettered page for your enjoyment and celebration of my first completed short comic!!! Yaaaay!!! :D

So without further a-do, here is the 1st of 4 panels for your viewing pleasure!

This is Panel 2 on page 1, a close up of the fearsome Promethean military steam train...

Stay tuned for next Thursday's sneaky peek!

The Wolf in Grandma's clothing....

2011-06-21T19:47:00.004+01:00

No Red Riding Hood story is complete without the wolf!

So I present to you the character that I'll probably have the most fun drawing!!!

If you have been a long follower of my Blog or have explored it's ancient depths, you'll know this isn't the first time I've had a dabble in drawing wolves. And I must say that it was good to get back into the swing of drawing such a beautiful Canine.. even with the Granny specks and bonnet!

If you haven't seen the wolves previously mentioned, then you can find them all (and all from the project they pertain to) right here!

RRH - Character Studies, number 2!

2011-06-18T15:12:00.005+01:00

Here's your second lot of character studies for today!

Introducing Mr. (very hunky) Woodcutter!

This guy is of course our love interest for Red (can you blame her??) but he has a more significant role to play all of his own...

Rich dropped Oliver Goodwill's name for a reference here, and he's sporting some very traditional woodsman-like clothing.

Red Riding Hood - Character Studies

2011-06-18T14:40:00.004+01:00

When I heard that Small Press Big Mouth's fabulous Stacey Whittle was putting together a Fairy tale Comics Anthology I just HAD to put myself forward!!

Sinister little tales, enchanted forests and magical beasties? Count me in!! :D

The story that caught my eye was Rich McAuliffe's riff of Red Riding Hood, granted a tale that has seen many an incarnation, but none with such humor and simple twisted irony as Rich's version!

So without further a-do, let me introduce you to our leading Lady.

I give you Miss Hood herself!

Rich used the typical setting from the traditional Red Riding Hood tale, so Red is wearing a kinda standard peasant girl style dress and of course her cloak and hood!

For reference I was pointed in the direction of Alicia Witt; a young, stunning red haired beauty is what was required for this story!

Promises - Page three Colour!!

2011-06-14T18:10:00.003+01:00

Righto folks, this is it.. this is the last full page your getting! :P

From now on I'll only be posting up odd panels from the remainder 3 pages (both sketches and colour) to show Promises' progress!

Once all 6 pages are done to this stage I'll set about lettering. Stay posted 'cause I might be persuaded to put up a couple lettered pages!!

Promises Page 3 - Sneak Peek!

2011-06-11T22:27:00.004+01:00

I'm just over halfway through colouring Page 3 of Promises and here is panel 2 in it's full coloured glory!!

Another panel that makes for quite a nice illustration on it's own!

Another Sugar Glider pic...

2011-06-04T16:37:00.002+01:00

Yeah, I kinda drew another one...

Inspired by a Batgirl pose this time. I could draw Susie mimicking Bat-poses all day, it's so much fun! :D

Sugar Glider

2011-06-04T12:09:00.005+01:00

Let me introduce you to a Small Press heroine with Big ambition!

Susie Sullivan is just your average teenager from Newcastle. She goes to college, does sports and fights crime in her spare time! She is Sugar Glider!

Sugar Glider is another comic I've been asked to illustrate for, the ongoing series written by Daniel Clifford and illustrated by Gary Bainbridge has since spawned a small anthology collection exploring the untold stories of the characters who have appeared (and have yet to appear) in the main story arch.

I have been asked to draw for one of these stories to be collected into a second anthology collection: Sugar Glider Stories 2!

So here is me just having a quick play with the character, who you may notice, is sporting a rather Batman-esq pose.

Happy Birthday Lovely Lee!

2011-06-01T00:06:00.003+01:00

A little something for Small Press, Big Mouth's Lee Grice on his birthday! :D

Dark Harvest - Intro comic!!!

2011-05-28T15:26:00.004+01:00

As well as being commissioned to do the four illustrations as shown in the previous post, I was offered the opportunity to illustrate a 6 page comic that acts as a kinda introduction into the world of Promethea!!

Here're the roughs for the first 3 pages!!

Click here to find out all you need to know about Dark Harvest!

Dark Harvest: The Legacy of Frankenstein

2011-05-28T15:00:00.004+01:00

So a couple weeks ago I was commissioned by the lovely Iain Lowson to do four Illustrations for his RPG called Dark Harvest: The Legacy of Frankenstein!!

To wet your appetites here are the roughs for said illustrations!

You can find all you'd want to know about the RPG right here: www.darkharvest-legacyoffrankenstein.com

Promises - Page three Pencils

2011-05-27T18:40:00.002+01:00

Page three's frames feature a kinda swampy/mossy tree motif to match the Panel their framing!

I should warn you folks now that this shall be the last WHOLE Bayou Arcana page that I post up!!

Once I've got this page all coloured up you shall only see glimpses of odd panels and things from the remainder 3 pages, gotta keep the mystery now! :P

I hope to also be posting up development stuff for the other projects that I'm currently involved in, so you shan't have a shortage of pretty things to look at! :D

Finally up for your viewing pleasure, my Octopus Esting!!!

2011-05-22T19:18:00.006+01:00

HERE IT IS!!! My E4 Esting via youtube!!

With absolutely no word what so ever from E4 about wether or not my entry will ever be put up on the website, or in fact has actually be received, I have decided enough is enough!!

It has been FOREVER since I completed and entered it , and sent numerous follow up emails regarding wether or not it will appear on the website or has been accepted into the competition at all!!

I CAN'T wait any longer to share it with you all!

So here he is, the one, the only showering Octopus!!

Promises - Page two Colour!!

2011-05-18T13:06:00.006+01:00

And here's how I coloured it!

First I select a couple of textures, these are jpegs I've made, scanned, found, even google searched! For this scene the primary colours would be the rich chocolaty brown and wood panels of the dining room inside The Charon.

I then pick a flat background colour for it all to sit on, this acts as the colour for the gutters and bleed. This dark brown was used as the background colour for page 1 so I just re-used it for this page too (continuity!!!)

The textures are then brought in and layered behind the pencil sketches, which are set to the Multiply blending mode. The levels of the sketches are altered slightly to make them darker and more visible, and the textures have a blending mode put on them to combine them.

Here the brown paper has the wood texture layered over using the Soft Light blending mode, this makes the wood grain appear more subtle. The wood is also erased at 60% or so opacity around the figures to give them a lighter base to "paint" onto.

(Erm.. I must have got a bit mixed up with my layers on the bottom block of panels and painted onto the texture layer... whoops!)

Next I build up the colour. It's difficult to show you the exact process in which I do this as I try to use as little layers as possible to save disk space/loading and saving times... (My laptop is quite old now and will probably burn out opening a massive file!!)

But I'll try my best to talk you through the method... I use a Chalk Blender brush set to 25% opacity, 50% flow to block in the colour on a layer underneath the pencils, and practically paint in shadows/form as anyone would paint on paper! I vary the opacity of the brush constantly to make some areas lighter some darker, but ultimately by not using a 100% opacity I'm allowing colour from the base textures to show through and so make the colours I add into the picture look like they belong!

For example the Actress Margaret Belmont, her red dress in this setting would look a browny/yellowy red in the candle lit wood paneled room. If I were to use that red in 100% opacity I'd need to do some serious blending work to make it look like she isn't just plonked into the scene. By gradually building up layers of colour in a 25%/30% opacity the brown texture shows through and the hard work is done for me. It's very similar to watercolour painting in a way... only if I screw up I can press undo!

Next I used a Chalk Pastel brush on a separate layer, on top of the pencils, to scatter in some highlights that can sit on top of the darker pencil line. The brush'll be set at a higher Opacity something like 70/80%. The non-uniform stroke of the brush makes the highlights look more dappled and natural and not too shiny!!

Unless of course I want bits to look shiny, in which case I'll use good 'ol Chalk Blender at 90% or so.

Sometimes also the pencil line can be too dark for the highlighted area, if this is the case I'll simply erase it out and use the painted highlight to define the edge.

Then over the top everything done so far yet another texture is layered on. This one is a Greyscale natural paper texture, set to the Colour Burn blending mode and a 20/30% opacity. This subtle layer just ensures that any of the colour blending that I did in the characters etc, doesn't look too polished and flat compared to the background. It makes it feel like the colours have been painted onto a heavy weight paper, and just grounds them within the image a little more.

Next I choose a texture for the frames, In this case I went for a kinda distressed orangey/gold number so it stands out more amongst the rich browns (and kinda looks like a gilded victorian portrait frame!). Then I have to erase the texture out around the frame outline, which is fiddly considering I decided to make things hard for myself in adding lots of twiddly bits!!

And then the same as with the characters, I add some highlights and make it all look shiny. And the final cropped page is as you saw it at the top of the post!!

(Also a note on the frames... more will be added to this page but at a later date, as they will contain text!!)

Page two, panel re-design!!

2011-05-10T15:33:00.003+01:00

Here are the pencils for a re-design of the 1st panel of page two.

Previously it was a bird's eye shot of the table, but dropping the angle to Waldrip's POV down the table works much better on the page!

Promises - Page two Pencils

2011-05-07T21:39:00.003+01:00

Page two of Promises is all drawn up!!

Featuring framed...

... and un-framed versions. Though I think I might just stick with the frames as they proved to look quite effective in page one!!

Here also, for a better look are the three larger panels as I drew them.

I'm a sucker for little details. Note in panel 1 how Alice is melancholically pushing her food around the plate. Waldrip is surrounded by extra little plates of food and greedily feeding that massive appetite of his. And the Priest Morgan McKenzie, who has not touched his cutlery is drinking deeply from his wine glass (he's the one with the opium/drink addiction..)

Chugging down the Arcana

2011-05-07T16:56:00.005+01:00

This is the first panel from page 1 of 'Promises'.

I thought it might be quite nice to show the whole picture in colour, everything that lies behind the overlapping inset panels...

It makes for quite a nice stand alone illustration, I reckon.

Promises - Page one Colour!!

2011-05-06T01:06:00.003+01:00

So here it is, the first page of Promises in full colour!

Featuring first, the variation with the framed inset panels. Which now that is it coloured up seems to work quite well I think!

And the way the page would look without the frames....

Now on to page two!! :D

Promises - Page one Pencils

2011-04-29T18:00:00.003+01:00

Here're the panels, featured as separate illustrations in the previous post, brought together to form the first page of Promises!

Admittedly, at the moment the page seems a bit messy and the borders to the panels a tad indistinct, but hopefully the boundaries and gutters will become clearer with the colouring!

Also here is a version with a kinda victorian inspired frame motif around the inset panels. I had an idea to frame the smaller panels in this way throughout the comic, starting with them looking all ornate and fancy and then progressively deteriorating, becoming cracked and mossy, matching the pace of the story.

You may notice that the frames are actually themed to what they are framing! Inset panels 1b and 1c specifically have a smoke/chimney stack and water/wave motif!

This kinda helps separate the panels a bit more than the first version with something a little bit more of interest than just a plain border.. Hopefully it doesn't distract too much from the pacing of the story, I'll be trying versions with and without this framing.

Feel free to let me know which you prefer though!

BA Promises - Page one progress!

2011-04-28T01:30:00.004+01:00

Now that all the pages for Promises have been roughed up, I had to think of the next course of action in drawing up the final pages. I'd already decided it would be best to draw the panels separately at a larger scale as single illustrations, and then compose the page within Photoshop, re-sizing the images respectively.

But to do this and have all the single panels come together with no stretching or gaps I would need to do some serious measuring.

So here is how I've done it!

I marked out and measured up the layout for page one to scale - 17cm x 26cm

I then drew a kinda exploded diagram of the page showing the panels as separate boxes, and did some maths to figure out the measurements to which I would be drawing each panel at.

I'd decided to draw at 1 and 1/4 scale (so a 1/4 larger than it will end up being...)

Then it was a simple matter of marking out those boxes at the larger scale, and drawing inside!

All that is left to do is bring each panel into Photoshop, with the initial in scale layout as a base template and re-size the panels to fit on top!!

Bayou Arcana 'Promises' - A few page roughs!!

2011-04-26T11:41:00.005+01:00

I've finally gotten round to roughing layouts up Promises and it's lookin' good!!

The story is completely planned out now and approved by Matt, so I have the green light to get on and draw this thing for real!! Whoop! :D

Here're the roughs for the first three pages to wet your appetite:

Octopus E Sting, Slow progress....

2011-04-15T16:11:00.003+01:00

The Showering Octopus (as I have dubbed him) has been successfully uploaded and entered into the E4 E Sting competition!!!

In fact this was the case as of exactly a week ago today... I was hoping to be able to post a link for you guys to FINALLY be able to view the finished animation by now!! However I'm still finding myself at the mercy of E4's website admin, and when they get round to publishing The Showering Octopus (along with a few other people's entries, some who uploaded theirs over a week before me!) onto the website...

Rest assured, the moment it is up for public viewing you will be the first to know! (Here's hoping it's worth the wait!!)

Skottie Young - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

2011-04-07T19:31:00.011+01:00

I finally bought this comic after picking it up to admire the illustrations on numerous occasions, I knew nothing about it and decided that even if the story turned out to be nothing special at least it'd be something pretty to look at!

It turns out that not only is the story, adapted from L. Frank Baum's original novel by Eric Shanower, far more enchanting than the film (with Judy Garland) that I am most familiar with, but the art really really brings it to life!

Skottie Young invokes this fantastic energy to his characters and fantastical environments, that can make the straw stuffed Scarecrow look full of life and the Tin Woodman have as much heart and anyone!

The palettes that colourist; Jean-Francois Beaulieu chooses for the Emerald City, the Wicked Witch of the West's domain, the Good Witch of the South's kingdom and of course Dorothy's Kansas (amongst many other poppy fields and forests) are not only brilliantly vibrant but have a fantastic watercolour feel and texture, which as you may have noticed feature in some of my work too!

So without further ado, here are a few photos of my favourite pages and panels!

A few covers for the single issue comics

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Written by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Eric Shanower

Illustrations by Skottie Young. Colours by Jean-Francois Beaulieu

Published by Marvel

RRP: £12.00-ish

Octopus E Sting, IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!!

2011-04-06T19:16:00.005+01:00

IT'S FINALLY OPEN!!!!

E4 have Launched their E Sting competition!!!

Can you believe it... After spending last summer making this animation to only find out (after numerous unhelpful emails) that the competition was not going ahead for 2010, E4 have finally launched it for 2011!!

You can find all the development drawings, colour concepts, bits of animation and the roller-coaster communications with E4 about their sluggish launch right here!

Of course this means that I have got the hard part all done and dusted, and once I've sorted out the last niggly bits of animation and added a sound bed, it'll be ready to upload well within the closing date in July!!!

So please, please, PLEAAAAAAASE!!! When the time comes, vote for me!!! :D

Sainsburys Commission

2011-04-02T21:14:00.006+01:00

When you can't find me beavering away in my sketchbook, you'll be sure to find me hard at work at my local Sainsburys, and it seems that the two are starting to combine!

Last week my Duty Manager showed me the company sent "illustrated" guidelines for service on the self scan tills, I use the term illustrated very lightly... it looked like they had raided clip art and mashed it together with some text on Microsoft Word!!

So I was asked if I could produce something better, that would brighten up the staff canteen, and to make the task more fun I decided to caricature members of staff!

Marvel vs DC Commission!!

2011-04-01T12:43:00.004+01:00

A couple of weeks ago, when I had a freak out over my copy of Photoshop not re-installing, a friend of mine came to the rescue and restored the program to full working order!

So from one geek to another John, Happy (belated) Birthday and THANK YOOOOU!! :D

Boat trip down the Bayou - Sketch

2011-03-30T19:40:00.003+01:00

Here's a little preview sketch of what I'm currently working on for Bayou Arcana.

Now that all the characters are good to go and the Charon is ready to start steaming along, I decided to have a little play with ALL the elements I've been developing so far thrown into one picture!

The fastest ferry on the Arcana!

2011-03-29T11:32:00.002+01:00

Just a few sketches of reputedly the fastest ferry on the Arcana river; the Charon!

The middle and last sketches are the ones I'll be going for I reckon.

Last, but by no means least...

2011-03-27T22:33:00.003+01:00

The final character for "Promises" (and I promise that he really is the last to design!)

I introduce to you the Captain of the fastest ferry boat on the Arcana River!

Matt's description for him was: "Courteous but solemn, The Captain is unnerving in a way hard to describe - he has wrestled with his demons and literally stuck a bargain, but is saddened by every soul he delivers. Think tall and strong, but kindly, pocked cheeks hiding behind mutton chop whiskers."

His likeness is based on actor; Alun Armstrong.

The clothing for this guy was a bit of a no brainer... Peaked captain hat and a big 'ol greatcoat! There wasn't much to research here, making him the quickest character to design.

His greatcoat is buttoned up against the changeable swamp climate and shows signs of long weathering, as do his ruddy cheeks and hardened features. A light coloured scarf, hardy boots and of course the hat top off the Captain's outfit.

Back to BA with Morgan McKenzie

2011-03-26T23:14:00.009Z

Hey everyone, firstly apologies for the huuuuuge gap between posts!!

My blogging absence was due to some infuriating and scary technical difficulties. My laptop decided to completely conk out on me, and once I'd got it fixed Photoshop decided to not re-install!!

As you can imagine, I started to panic! But to cut a long story short, a computer savvy friend of mine came to the rescue and returned Photoshop to perfect working order!

So I am finally back in business!!! (much to my profound relief!!!) And without further a do I shall pick up where I left off; Bayou Arcana character No. 8 out of 9: Morgan McKenzie - the Preacher.

Matt's description of this guy was: "Caught between repenting and sinning, Preacher McKenzie places the blame for his alcohol and laudanum addiction everywhere but himself. Think snakelike, all bones and no meat, his Preacher's collar loose like a shackle round his neck, his eyes sunken in sallow sockets."

His likeness is based on a combination of actors Mackenzie Crook and Brad Dourif.

Fitting Morgan with the right clothes to really emphasize his skeletal frame and state of ill health really gave me some grief, as the Priest's garb of that era masks a lot of the wearer's figure. I discovered that finding the balance between his posture and the robe's size on his body was quite a challenge.

In the end I decided to grant myself a little artistic license and cut the robes closer to his frame. His greying hair hangs thin and lank over pale, papery skin. He handles his crucifix in a hesitant fashion, the weight of his addictions ever present in his mind.

We're almost there with the BA character line up, only the Captain of the ferry left to design and then the ferry itself!! Then I can get on and finally do some layouts! Phew!

David Petersen - Mouse Guard

2011-02-25T16:09:00.004Z

It's been a while since I've shared some of my inspirations with you all, so I'm going to tell you about my recent introduction to David Petersen's Mouse Guard.

I'd spotted Autumn 1152 on my many excursions to the local Comic book store, but had not heard anything about it and left it standing on the shelf. However since working with Matt Gibbs on the Bayou Arcana story, he highly recommended it and for good reason!

The artwork is just gorgeous!! The colour palettes, the angles, the luxuriously large panels and the texture in the images are SOOOOOOOOOOO sumptuous, it just leaves you craving more! So much so that I devoured Autumn 1152, reading it cover to cover in one sitting, then hurried to my laptop to buy Winter 1152!

Although the characters are furry mice and the unusual square format of this graphic novel gives it more of a children's book vibe, do not assume that for one moment this is at all Disney!! The characters and the story are nothing short of EPIC!! Despite their world being so small, the mouse characters face dangers both predatory and treasonous, with battles and courage that could give Aragorn and Helms Deep a run for their money!

Petersen does such a great job with both artwork and writing that you cannot help but let this band of Guardsmice into your hearts!

So without further ado, here are a few select pages photographed from Autumn 1152 and Winter 1152!

Mouse Guard: Autumn 1152 (vol: 1)

Story and art by David Petersen

Titan Books

RRP: £12.99

Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 (vol: 2)

Story and art by David Petersen

Archaia publishing

RRP: $24.95 (Winter is hard to come by in England, and for cheaper prices I recommend searching Ebay!)

Small Press, Big Mouth!!

2011-02-23T19:37:00.002Z

Lovely Lee Grice, one of the guys involved in the Bayou Arcana project, has posted up a great intro to what Bayou Arcana is all about on his blog; Small Press, Big Mouth!

Featured is a word from James Pearson (the Arcana's daddy!) not to mention tasty morsels of concept art from a few of the illustrators involved, including yours truly!

Check out the post HERE!!

Nibblers, Grazers and Thieves!

2011-02-22T10:53:00.002Z

Nibblers, Grazers and Thieves, the three Bakery Fiends!

Nibblers munch a bit and leave the rest on the shelf...

Grazers eat the whole thing and walk off...

Thieves make off with a couple bags!

But none are a match for the vigilant Baker!

Inspired yesterday by talks in work of what really goes on in the Bakery!

Gideon Forbes

2011-02-21T22:18:00.004Z

The final one of three characters left to design for our Bayou Arcana story; Gideon Forbes, a Banker!

Matt gave me this description to work with: "Young and ambitious, Forbes is willing to put what principals he has to one side to rise through the ranks and secure himself a future. Think waspish and well turned out with an easy smile, but without any light in his eyes."

His likeness is based on actor Aidan McArdle.

Gideon's outfit is based on this fantastic illustration on the front cover of an 1890's Gentleman's fashion book, the brown check suit really caught me for his character.

Slick, stylish and clean cut, thats how I imagined Forbes to dress. He's incredibly sharp witted and quick with mountains of confidence and the arrogance that comes with it. He's smooth, charismatic and can with a single sentence separate an honest person with their hard earned cash!

A Varmint's World

2011-02-11T19:50:00.005Z

With all my Bayou Arcana character sketches recently, I feel I've been neglecting that little town in vermont home to the Varmint.

Following correspondence with Don after my last post featuring the Varmint, he mentioned that the character designs were getting a little too complex for the art style he wanted to be referenced. So I've taken a step back from character designs and am trying to suss out the Varmint's world.

Then once I have the environment sorted hopefully it'll be a simple matter of adapting my previous designs to fit the setting!

The art style Don has asked me to base the illustrations on is American Folk Art, apparently very very popular over there, with artists such as Warren Kimble being the most popular!

Here is an example of what I was trying to achieve the look of -

As you can see from these pics, American Folk Art is pretty flat and two-dimensional, with little perspective. With my adaptations of the style for the Varmint stories I have tried to keep these aspects but train them for a modern setting that is timeless and more familiar for children to identify with.

So first up then is Emma's House... (Emma is the main character in the stories)

Can you spot the Varmint hiding??

This is Emma's town, or part of it at least... Can you spot which house is Emma's?

Eleanor Brockridge

2011-02-07T18:45:00.003Z

Today's character is Lady Eleanor Brockridge, wife to William Brockridge from the previous post.

Matt's description for her was; "Younger than her husband but just as bitter, Eleanor regrets a life wasted, wedded to him, and their families fading fortune. Think elegance faded and beauty aged, and instead of embracing the years trying to mask them under makeup and jewellery."

Her likeness is based on a combination of Kate Vernon's hair, nose and face shape, with Cristine Rose's eyes, mouth and cheekbones. I imagined Eleanor to have heavy lidded eyes and a tight lipped mouth to extenuate her distain toward her marriage and sour demeanor.

Eleanor's dress design is very typical of our 1890 time period; high neck, padded shoulders and embroidered details, all of which I feel make Eleanor look elegant but much older than the other women in the story. Like her husband her stern appearance has an air of dwindling wealth clinging to past glory, a dusky lavender dress matching the muted colours of her husband's clothing.

William Brockridge

2011-02-06T01:35:00.004Z

Meet Lord William Brockridge.

Matt's description of this guy left a lot of room for exploration: "A former Confederate Colonel, Brockridge is a worn and bitter man, a relic of an old ideology. Think grizzled and stern, but hollow with age. An eye lost in battle is covered by a patch, the other broods under bushy brows, lips hidden under a thick handlebar-moustache."

His likeness is based on good 'ol Edward James Olmos!

For Brockridge's clothing I researched typical jackets etc for Confederate Colonels of the Civil war thinking that Brockridge would be proud of his younger more successful days, wanting to relive them in a way and hang onto that old ideology. He'd wear medals of achievement on his chest at any occasion to mark his past victories. But underneath all that past glory his clothes appear old, faded and musty, revealing his present financial state to be waning.

Margaret Belmont

2011-02-04T16:24:00.004Z

This next character is an Actress; Margaret Belmont.

The description Matt gave me of her was; "Fiery and flirtatious, Belmont craves adulation, defining herself by the opinions of others. Think attractive and seemingly at ease with herself, she tries to be larger than life to attract the attention that sustains her."

The visual reference I had to her appearance was Jodie Foster; small, slim and sharp. I decided to go for Jodie as she looks these days, so Belmont looks a little past her prime and showing her age slightly. She's still flirty and attractive but with an undertone that shes having to work a little harder to keep the once effortless good looks that got her into the acting business. This also sets her apart from the natural innocent beauty of Alice and makes us feel like she would do anything for fame!

Dress wise I thought a vivacious scarlet and black lace number would best suit our Miss Belmont! The design was based on an 1890 walking suit, the bottom of the dress is hitched up for better movement, so the boots are visible.

With her busy lifestyle and need to uphold a public face where ever she goes, I imagined her looking both fashionable and stylish but practical.

Beauty and the Beast

2011-02-03T23:53:00.005Z

This is me just having fun with practicing characters and putting them together, here Alice and Waldrip are set up like they are about to get a photo portrait done.

Edwin P. Waldrip

2011-01-31T20:21:00.004Z

Governor Edwin P. Waldrip is as his name sounds, a large and pompous man who has stepped over many people to get into the position of wealth and authority that we see him. He is also Alice's guardian!

Matt gave me this description of him to work with: "Waldrip defines the words bombastic, callous, egotist and pompous. Although a jowly and Jovian looking man, he is in reality remorseless and ruthless with the weapons he has - wit and wealth. Think corpulent and pudgy, but with steel in his eyes and downturned mouth."

His likeness is based on actor Ian McNeice.

For Waldrip's clothes I researched upper class men's fashion in the 1890's, and eventually came across a photo of a Governor/Congressman called William McKinley and based the style of Waldrip's jacket, shirt and tie on him.

With the colouring I hoped to achieve an impression that exudes wealth and style; a rich gold waistcoat contrasting against Royal and Navy blues. This guy obviously has the money to splash out on fancy clothes in the hight of fashion and likes to show off his wealth and power.

Young Love - 100th post!!!

2011-01-30T17:20:00.007Z

What a way to bring in my 100th post than with a touching image of Alice and Jackson!

Once sketching up the preliminaries for these two I just had to have a go at drawing them interacting.

Theirs is a forbidden love and bound only for a sorrowful and bittersweet end... BUT they do look cute together, don't they!!? :D

Theodore Jackson

2011-01-29T21:38:00.009Z

This young chap is Theodore Jackson.

More commonly known as Jackson, he is a member of the ferry's crew. Matt describes him as being "strong, with a good heart, but easily led, Jackson doesn't fully understand the work The Captain and his crew perform. Think handsome and striking, with an easy smile and honest intensity to him."

His likeness is based on actor, Noel Clarke!

Finding accurate pictures of how working African Americans dressed in 1890 was really quite difficult! I've tried to cobble together bits and pieces from various periods in the century that Jackson, being poor and working class, might have dressed. The hat is the only shady area, but I thought it added to his rather happy-go-lucky character to have a soft peaked cap at a jaunty angle!

The sepia-like colours I've used I hope play up the contrast between Jackson and the richly dressed and coloured upper-class passengers, and show instantly the social divide and segregation that was true of this period in America's history...

Alice Coulson-Swift

2011-01-26T22:31:00.006Z

Meet Alice Coulson-Swift, the descriptions that Matt gave me of her are;

"Headstrong but lacking confidence, Alice is a contradiction of emotions. Out of the shadow of her odious Guardian, Waldrip, she blossoms into a woman, around him and her elders she retreats into girlhood. An understated beauty whose red curls fame porcelain skin."

Matt envisioned her likeness to be based on actress Deborah Ann Woll, so I have used her as a reference!

After sketching out my initial ideas I just had to quickly add in a light wash of colour. I envisioned Alice to wear very light colours, mostly white to underline her innocence and purity. Her dress is a mixture of Victorian fashions, I felt the exposed neckline and bare arms added to her subtlety and grace.

I have a feeling I'm going to have lots of fun drawing and designing Victorian dresses for the women!!

That little Varmint!!

2011-01-15T17:04:00.004Z

Last week Don came over to discuss the few drawings I'd previously done of the Varmint character. He also dropped round a book and some photos, along with a cuddly toy that he'd picked up several years ago that reminded him of what the Varmint might look like!

Here's the beast varminting around while I try and re-define my character sketches.

I incorporated Don's suggestion for the Varmint's colouring to be more red, white and dusky blue, he is after all an American animal!

I also tried to make him look a little less like a Red Panda and more a new animal entirely that has a blend of Panda, Raccoon and Tabby cat.

The Varmint is the cause for various little every day annoyances, like a sock that has gone missing...

And he is always there, just out of sight. Especially when there is food to be had!

The One-eyed Raccoon

2011-01-14T18:06:00.004Z

Here is my first stab at the One-eyed Raccoon character featuring in our Arcana story.

This little guy was created by James Pearson, he is the form that the Devil takes on the Bayou.

With this character the only reference I was given was to which eye was missing. So to make this guy feel more sinister and malevolent I decided to approach him with the idea that the devil's spirit is animating the corpse of a Raccoon.

I wanted to try and make the Raccoon look extremely ragged and emaciated with bare bone showing between threads of fur and flesh. The only aspect that should look alive is his left eye, (and occasionally a red glow in the hole of his right socket when he's at his most evil!)

Night

2011-01-11T13:04:00.005Z

Colour concept number 3: Night time!

This is the same sketch used for the Dusk concept but rendered for night.

Dusk

2011-01-08T19:51:00.005Z

Colour concept number 2: Dusk on the Bayou.

This has become less of a colour concept and more of a full blown illustration... I knew I'd get too carried away! But I've found swampy Bayou trees as much fun to draw and my trademark forest Fir trees!

Also for your viewing pleasure, the original sketch! I actually scanned this one in, rather than photographing the pages, to be able to render it properly in Photoshop. It took 3 scans and 2 joins to piece this double page spread together!!

I should invest in an A3 scanner...

I'll use this sketch again for the next colour concept which shall be set at night.

Fireflies

2011-01-07T20:06:00.008Z

The first of a few colour concepts for Bayou Arcana!!

Plus the original sketch thrown in...

Bayou Arcana

2011-01-07T14:57:00.003Z

Along with The Varmint from Vermont, my other very exciting project is Bayou Arcana!

Bayou Arcana will be an Anthology collecting short issue comics from a variety of writers and illustrators. The basic concept is the creation of one man; James Pearson, but the writers and artists involved can take his Arcana universe and shape it to anything they like within their short stories!!

When Matt Gibbs approached me with an idea of teaming up to create a story within this project I made no hesitation in getting involved! So While Matt is writing up the first draft of the script I'm exploring with what I can do with our portion of the Arcana River and it's inhabitants.

I started off sketching from images sourced from google, anything and everything I could find that resembled a swamp or bayou. I made sure to keep these sketches quick, loose and free, spending about 30 - 45 mins on each. Oh and apologies for the quality of the photos, although the sketchbook I'm using is very very lovely it's slightly too big for the scanner..

Here I've started to tighten up a bit and think more about the gnarled shapes of the trees and the Ferry that features in our story.

I'll be working up some coloured sketches next, so stay posted!

Also to visit Matt's Blog, Click here!: http://mattgibbs.blogspot.com/

Octopus E Sting, UPDATE. (It's been a while!!)

2011-01-03T19:54:00.006Z

Okay it's been absolutely aaaaaaaaaaaages since anything has been heard about the 2010 E Stings competition. Evidently as it is now January 2011 there was no 2010 competition despite the responses to my emails.

I've postponed the finalization of the Octopus animation for the launch of the competition. It is pretty much done, all that is left to do is add transparencies to certain layers and edit in the sound (but any backing music/jingle will have to wait till E4 launch and make available any usable sounds).

So I thought I'd email them again expressing my disappointment at receiving misleading information and the lack of any news on the website, despite continued interest from other people who comment on the site.

This was the reply I got:

Dear Sara,

Thank you for your email regarding E-STINGS on Channel4.com.

I can confirm that there will be another E-STINGS competition in 2011, but unfortunately there are no confirmed dates as yet. We would advise for you to keep an eye on the website for further details.

We apologise for any disappointment.

Again still rather vague on the details, and you can be sure that if nothing goes ahead I'll be having some strong words. I would rather wait till the competition launches to reveal my finished animation, but if worst comes to worst then I will not be able to wait any longer to share it with you all!

So please, don't think I've given up on the 'ol Octopus! He WILL get his debut in the near future!!

Alex Ross - Mythology

2010-12-29T18:50:00.006Z

Although when I read a comic illustrated by Alex Ross I find it slightly surreal, his photo realistic paintings are indisputably beautiful, which is why I had to buy this book when I saw it! His comic covers and posters are defiantly where he shines brightest I reckon, and they really are quite magnificent works of art.

This book also gives an insight into some of Alex's pencil studies and character/cover designs.

Not to mention some awesome comic layouts, which I always love looking at. I like seeing how the pro's plan out their comics and the similarities and differences in the way they do it. Jim Lee's for example are really quite sketchy and loose, but Alex Ross' are pretty developed and almost fully formed. It all helps to inform they way in which I could approach creating my own comics.

Now, here is the bit I found most interesting, how Alex achieves his photo realism!

He is reinforcing my firm belief that you should always source your art from real life, no matter how fantastic the subject. You can apply as much artistic flourish and creativity as you like, but for an audience to believe what they are seeing it must have some grounding in the real. (This can be true for animation too!!)

Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross

Pantheon Publishing

RRP: I think I got it for around £15 - £20

The Varmint from Vermont

2010-12-23T23:22:00.009Z

I've been at the new flat for over a month now and have gotten to know my Landlords pretty well, their a lovely old couple who have been very kind and helpful towards my boyfriend and I, what with this flat being our first n'all.

I graduated on Nov 16th,and they were very keen to hear about my course when I told them I'd studied Illustration.

It just so happens that Don (the husband), is in the book business and has written a series of 6 children's books and needed an illustrator! Of course I offered my talents at once!

So here are the first few designs for a character that is known as the Varmint!

The Fruits of Labour - On set photos!!

2010-12-18T21:26:00.003Z

It's been a while since I've had any come back from the Fruits of Labour shoot, things on set must have been pretty darn hectic. But here are a couple of photos that I've been sent showing my illustrations and how they were used in the film!

Once the film has been finalized in the editing process and is ready for public viewing I shall be able to see my work in it's full glory and obtain my own copy on DVD, and with permission take screen shots featuring my work in full!

Jim Lee - Icons

2010-12-17T15:44:00.007Z

Jim Lee is one of my heroes, it was his amazing art work in Batman: Hush that got me properly suckered into comic books in the first place.

This awesome collection of pencil sketches, comic layouts, inked and final coloured artwork really gives an insight to the way this master works! Not to mention plenty of pretty things to inspire!!

Batman and Superman

Green Lantern and Green Arrow

Gen13 and Wildstorm

Here are some examples of undeveloped layouts and finalized pencils, also a comparison of the pencils with the final inked and coloured page. You can really see what the inker Scott Williams and colourist Alex Sinclair bring to Jim's work.

Jim even designed a Google banner!

Icons: The DC comic and Wildstorm art of Jim Lee

written by Bill Baker

Titan Books

RRP £24.99

Bernie Wrightson - Frankenstein

2010-12-10T14:02:00.005Z

I've decided to make this a regular thing where I post up photos of what inspires me! So I thought it only natural to follow Dracula with Frankenstein!

This book was given to my by a fantastic friend of mine when he discovered I was looking into Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein illustrations for my 3rd year uni project, and I can tell you I would not have been able to reach the development of my own illustrations had I not seen this book before hand!!

Wrightson's rich and detailed line work is just so beautiful and greatly influenced the visuals for my Wolfsbane comic idea. His adaptation of Frankenstein captures the essence of the story so well, much better than the dumb monster with bolts that we are so familiar with! This book really is a great treasure of mine!

Frankenstein

Written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Illustraited by Bernie Wrightson

Dark Horse Books

RRP Unknown (as it was a gift...)

Christmas is officially here!

2010-12-10T13:54:00.003Z

Drawn on the 9/12/10

My boyfriend, Alex and I decorated our flat for our first Christmas there!

He being as big a geek as I am, could not resist putting a picture of David Boreanaz as Angel on top of the tree!

Our Christmas Angel!

Misty Morning

2010-12-10T13:46:00.003Z

Drawn on the 6/12/10

The view out of our Living room window before I left for work!

Stops and Starts

2010-12-10T13:30:00.001Z

Drawn on the 5/12/10

Here is a typical Sunday morning at work....

Anne Yvonne Gilbert - Dracula

2010-12-03T22:39:00.019Z

I was walking past this children's books shop, which I've never really paid much attention to before now, and this book caught my eye. I just had to go inside and take a look at it, and upon browsing it's pages, I had to buy it!

And I'm going to share with you the reason why!

These Ilustrations by Anne Yvonne Gilbert reminded me of Bernie Wrightson's Illustrations for Frankenstein, the Illustrations that I studied initally before developing a style for my third year uni project.

They have a fantastic combination of subtle colours and the same type of hatched line work which I used within my wolf illustrations!

The single and double page illustations just work so well compositionally with eachother and the text, it's like both elements are harmonized to make each double page spread a thing of beauty!

Even when the story calls for Journal entries or letters to be depicted, the illustration intergrate the change of writing style to some lovely effects!

Here are more examples of the illustrations and text workng in harmony, one is isn't imposing on the other, they are both intergrated seamlessly!

So if you like this then check the book for yourself!!

Bram Stoker's Gothis Classic: Dracula

Adapted by Nicky Raven

Illustrated by Anne Yvonne Gilbert

Templar Publishing

£14.99 RRP