Wednesday 9 June 2021

Pet Portraits - A Trio of Spaniels

 Hey Everyone!

Summer seems to have set in for good, after a few unpredictable weeks of the forecast being the polar opposite to what the weather was actually doing! I swear every time I tried to time a dog walk with a break in the rain I got showered on, and when I layered up in my waterproofs It was bright sunshine!

Though the change in weather is pleasant for us, we do now need to be more mindful of the temperature for our furry friends! I've been keeping to walking Lupin early in the morning and later in the evening when it's cooler. At home he has nice shady spots in the garden as well as cooling mats or damp/frozen towels to lie on. You can also give your pet frozen treats to help them cool down!

Today's pet portrait features a trio that have no problems keeping cool, they're the coolest bunch around!
I'd actually completed this pet portrait over a year ago, though it feels like last month! It was commissioned as a gift, now covid restrictions are easing up, it's only just found it's way to it's forever home!
So, let me finally introduce you to the triple trouble; Lily, Daisy and Honey



This pet portrait is A3 in size and coloured in a traditional style using pencils!

If you've got an inseparable pack of pooches like this, then get in touch for a group portrait of your pets!

Friday 4 June 2021

Law of the Wild - More Character concepts!

 Hey Everyone!

Since my last post announcing the new comic project that I'm working on (click here if you missed it!) I've been sharing some more sneak peeks of pencils and inks on social media, so I thought it was high time I introduced you all to a couple more of the characters who have featured in them!


The first character I'm going to share concepts of today was actually the first character I drew! Though he doesn't play a big part in the story, mixing an aquatic animal with a cast of land mammals was always going to be a design challenge. How I decided to draw this guy would ultimately influence the design of the rest of the cast! I mean, do I draw a human shaped bodies with animal heads and tails? Or do I draw and animal shaped bodies that stand on two legs, wear clothes and talk? 

If you're familiar with my previous work on MULP: Sceptre of the Sun, then you'll know that I favour the latter of those two styles... So when then script called for a Great White Shark character, I wondered if it'd be possible to draw him as a real Shark would look, but on land and wearing a suit!

As ridiculous as that sounds, I'm pretty happy with the outcome!
So without further a-do, let me introduce to you our King of Crime, the Mob Boss, Godfather, Kingpin and cruel Loan Shark.. Bruce!

Bruce's design was inspired by and mixture of Marvel Comic's Wilson Fisk (Kingpin) and the character from Shark Tale that Robert De Niro voices (Don Edward Lino), with a good dose of Bruce the Shark from Finding Nemo.
Because our Bruce operates on land, I needed to make a Shark's survival out of water plausible if he was going to look like an actual Shark! The collar around Bruce's neck was inspired by the breathing apparatus that Abe Sapien wears in Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy adaptation, allowing the amphibious Abe to walk on land for extended periods. The idea behind Bruce's collar is that water flows through the tubes from a tank on his back, over his gills, allowing him to breathe on land. I also saw him getting about in a huge motorised wheelchair (Professor X style) flanked by lackies and henchmen to do his dirty work for him, however this detail doesn't appear in the comic.

The final player in our cast of miscreants is Bunky the Chimpanzee.
Bunky is Sebastian's faithful flunkey. He's a cheeky chappy, streetwise and quite rough around the edges, but with a good heart for a petty criminal!



Inspiration for Bunky's design came partially from DC's Detective Chimp character but mostly I heavily relied on real life reference photos of Chimpanzees, those guys have enough charisma that practically draws themselves! 

As I mentioned before, I've been sharing sneak peeks at the progress of this comic over on my various social media outlets! 
Here's a little look at these characters on the page.


Head on over to Instagram, Tumblr or Facebook to keep up to date with the latest look at Law of the Wild!


Wednesday 26 May 2021

Pet Portraits - Bolin and Asami

 Morning Everyone!

Sorry for being a bit quiet on here recently! 
I've been meaning to share this commission with you all for a while but work has been getting in the way. But, I assure you, it's worth the wait!

I don't know if any of you recall a themed pet portrait I did waaaaaaay back in 2017!!?
I was commissioned by our pal Tom Curry to draw his friend's pet cats; Mako and Bolin, as their Fire and Earthbending namesakes from the Legend of Korra, sequel series to Avatar the Last Airbender.
Okay, it was 4 years ago. I won't blame you if you don't remember, so click right here to check it out!

So 4 years later (having binged all of Avatar the Last Airbender during Lockdown, and now currently watching Legend of Korra myself!) I was approached by Tom's friend to draw an updated portrait of their Avatar cats!
Now I'm all clued up on the lore I was so psyched to have another go at drawing these guys! Sadly I learnt that poor Mako passed away, however Bolin is not on his own as little Asami has joined the family.
Without further ado; here's your boy Bolin, showing off his Earthbending skill, and introducing Asami for the first time, with her lightning gauntlet!




This portrait is A4 landscape and coloured using Copic Markers!

Do you have a pet named after your favourite fictional character or person? Would you like to see them drawn as their namesake? Get in touch and I could draw a portrait like this for you!



Friday 14 May 2021

Sector 13; the 2000AD Fanzine - Law of the Wild!

 


Hey Everyone!

In my last post I hinted at some comics work I've been quietly working away on, so let me take the time to give you lot a bit of background on what this project is all about!

During the first Lockdown last year I was approached by Peter Duncan about contributing some material to an extra special edition of his all ages anthology SPLANK! It was Peter's intention to showcase the wealth of British comics talent with a special bumper issue of his comic during the time when COVID 19 meant comic conventions and fairs had to be cancelled, as well as collect donations for NHS charities to help those who needed it most during this difficult time.
I took Peter up on his kind offer and used it as an opportunity to revive my own anthropomorphic, autobio comic strip; Paws for Thawt! 

The free digital download for SPLANK went live on May 28th 2020. If you missed the launch post you can read more about it here!
I can also happily say that since this issue of SPLANK! my Paws for Thawt webcomic has kept going strong! I'm continuing to post weekly updates on the Paws for Thawt Tumblr and Instagram pages so give them a like and a follow to stay up to date!

Anyway, you're probably wondering what all this has to do with this latest project and Sector 13!?
Well, after my involvement with SPLANK! Peter introduced me to the 2000AD Fanzine he is Editor for and presented me with the script for a short anthropomorphic he thought would be a perfect for for my illustration style!

Sector 13 itself is a strictly non-profit 2000AD tribute comic founded by the Belfast-based fan group of the same name. What started as a compilation of articles and photo stories featuring the groups cosplayers, has turned into a high quality A4 sized publication teeming with talent from the British indie comic's scene! You can read more about Sector 13's story and get hold of previous issues over on Peter's website: BOX OF RAIN
Or check out the Sector 13 Facebook page for regular updates and news!

The story that I'll be working on for this next issue is called "Law of the Wild" written by the fantastic Ed Whiting!


Ed has written stories for Sector 13's pages previously, making his debut with his 50's throwback Futureshock story "Lethal Weapons" April this year! Ed has also produced his own self published comic "Bigger Fish", a 44 page gritty crime story set in the New York of the early seventies. Bigger Fish is available from Get My Comics (follow the indie tab and then look under B for £5.99) https://getmycomics.com/Release/Indie

"Law of the Wild" is a quirky anthropomorphic, sci-fi based, hard boiled detective story! It combines sci-fi body swapping ideas with the seedy criminal underbelly of a noir detective story, all told with quirky anthropomorphic characters! It's so much fun!! Here, to wet your appetites for what's to come, I'll share some character sketches for two of our main characters! Colt Winchester is this story's super cop! A gruff, no-nonsense detective who's not afraid to get his hooves dirty in the fight against crime! He's a horse by the way!


Inspiration for Colt came from a combination of Bojack Horseman and one of my favourite anthro comics of all time; Blacksad by Juan Díaz Canales (writer) and Juanjo Guarnido (artist). Seriously if you haven't heard of it check it out! It's incredible! 


Next up we have this villainous venomous viper; Sebastian Ssstan! Sebastian is our story's criminal mastermind, highly intelligent and superior, he might get away with his heinous criminal operation if it weren't for Colt's meddling!
Sebastian was mostly inspired by the Disney characters; Sir Hiss (Robin Hood) and Kaa (Jungle Book) with a nice dash of the stereotypical Supervillain aesthetic.






If you liked to look of these guys, then keep your eyes peeled for the reveal of more character concepts soon!

Don't forget to give the Sector 13 Facebook page a like in order to keep up to date with upcoming news and sneak peeks for this story and the rest of the issue's content, as well as any snippets I might share on my own social media!

Monday 10 May 2021

Pet Portraits - Westley the Dachshund

Morning you lot!

How are we all doing? 
I hope you all managed to enjoy the weekend, despite the crazy weather!?

When I'm not trying to dodge sporadic showers while on dog walks, or on my commute to and from work, I'll be working on a new comics project! This exciting lil strip will be featuring in the 2000Ad fanzine, Sector 13!
Some of you may have seen lil snippets and teasers on my Instagram and wondered what I'd been up to, well I can confirm that this strip is in the works! Keep an eye out for some panels and sneak peeks on here soon!

Today however, I'll be sharing a portrait of a very sweet lil pooch from the US!
This adorable lil long-haired Dachshund is Westley!

Westley's Full-Body style portrait is A4 in size and coloured in a traditional style using pencil.
This portrait was commissioned as a gift to Westley's owner, if you have a friend who's pup means the world to them then a pet portrait would make the pawfect gift! 


Friday 30 April 2021

Pet Portraits - Doris the Golden Retriever

 Hey Everyone!

It's the end of April already! When did that happen!?
Does it still feel like, despite lockdown easing, the days are still slipping away from us!? I don't know about you, but during lockdown the days all merged into one and went by without notice. This time, now things are slowly returning to normal, it feels like my days a fuller and I've more things to do! Which still makes the time fly by!

Still, I'm thankful to be able to slow down and appreciate our green spaces while out on dog walks every day. What makes those times extra special is when Lupin gets to play with some of his friends...
One such friend is actually the subject of today's post!


Let me introduce you to the most gorgeous Golden Retriever!


Doris is the sweetest, softest girly ever, her and Lupin love playing together! Her headshot type portrait, like most of the others, is also A4 in size and coloured in a traditional style using pencil colours.

As a little bonus, here're some photos of Lupin and Doris having a good ol' play sesh!



Monday 26 April 2021

Pet Portraits - Meg the Jack Russell

 Hey Everyone!

I hope you all had lovely weekends!?

They say that great things come in small packages, and that couldn't be truer of this little lady!
Let me introduce you to a big personality in a small pup, it's Meg the Jack Russell!
Meg is a hell of a character, loud and sassy, she makes sure she's not overlooked. Now she'll be centre of attention with this pet portrait!

 

As with all the pet portraits posted previously (try saying that 10 times fast!) Meg's Headshot type portrait is A4 in size and coloured traditionally using pencil colours.

If you've got a pup with big personality that deserves their very own portrait, then please get in touch!