Atomic Sheep Christmas Story!

Yay, I can now announce this! I've hooked up with Markosia to put out an online serial, Atomic Sheep, which will be published on myebook.com. It's a really nice readable platform, and will allow me to update several pages at a time fortnightly, which suits my style better than page-at-a-time. The actual serial will be starting in the new year, and as an introduction, there's a short Christmas story available now!

Hope you enjoy it, and come back to read more when the serial starts! ^_^

Clicke here for the comic!

Christmas gifts!

Been a while! Busyness has been happening. Now that's it's Christmassy and I can breathe a bit, doing a little giftart. First pic is Ella from Emma Vieceli's Dragon Heir, and second is Juliet from Katherine Holden's FanDanGo (check them out!); third is an original gift for someone.

Glare-y Computer Screen...

I suppose when my computer screen has enough glare for me to do self-portrait sketches just by looking at it, I ought to re-arrange some furniture...

(Birmingham Roundup coming soon!)

IndieManga debuts at Birmingham International Comic Show!!

Okay, so it's been a bit quiet here lately. Has been non-stop for a while, and in the interim I've been at Greenbelt Arts Festival (doing live art/prints/interview), the Reading After Empire conference at the University of Stirling (presenting a paper), and at Alcon (doing a panel and workshop), as well as back to the MA grindstone. 

But I've also been working away with some excellent people on a project we've been getting ready for many, many months - IndieManga! 

This new small press group is debuting this weekend at Birmingham International Comic Show with our first book, and anthology titled Origins - the cover of which you can see below!

Be sure to bookmark Indiemanga's site for more news, articles, tutorials, and books! Short event reports to follow for the other things mentioned in this post, both here and on the Indiemanga site.

THE SITE!!

Little Thoughts will be moving into the Indiemanga house as well, so for anyone going to Birmingham who still needs a copy (yes, needs ^_~), we'll have some there. Looking forward to seeing some of you there!

Girls, sketchbook and sickening schmaltz

Sketches from London

Summer concerts in London - sketches from Joanna Newsom and the Proms!

Summery Watery Sketch

Happy Canada Day People!

Canada, you're pretty frickin' sweet and I totally love you. <3

In other "day"s, I didn't miss Bloomsday this year. I came across this fantastic project, 1000 Joyce Walks, which allows you to transpose the routes from one of several chapers of Ulysses onto your own city. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get in to town to do my own version on Bloomsday (June 16), but I will get to it, and sketchbook will come with me ^_^

Haddon Hall statue

The beautiful marble statues you find in stately houses here with all their crazy drapery are irresistable for sketching. This one is in the chapel of Haddon Hall on the tomb of Robert Charles John Manners, Lord Haddon, died Sept 28 1804. He looks like he was a child.

Digital painting from a pen sketch I did while standing in the chapel being pooped on by bats in the eaves.

Either/Or and Refugee Week

Hey all,

this past week was Refugee Week, which saw a lot of fantastic events around the UK getting people connected and motivated, and fostering education and understanding and all that good stuff ^_^

On Friday I went down to Loughborough University for a seminar on Women and Migration, which had a nice mix of policy and art-related groups present.

I thought it might be appropriate to post one of the stories from Little Thoughts (my mini-comic) - and if you're in London btw there are a few copies at Gosh at the moment! (Go! Buy! ^_^)

Refugee Action is a great group, so check out their website to learn more, keep up to date, and get ideas on what you can do to help. Their Refugee Awareness Project booklets ("Make Your Neighbourhood Nicer: How to Welcome Refugees and Asylum Seekers in 11 Easy Steps" and "Mobiles, Money and Mayhem: The Facts and Fibs About Asylum") are also gorgeous pieces of design as physical booklets, and are downloadable on their site.

http://www.refugee-action.org.uk/

Extra note: in the latest Geek Syndicate podcast (85) (www.geeksyndicate.co.uk/) there's a very very lovely little review of Little Thoughts, which totally made my day. Thanks David! ^_^

Oh yeah, final note - trying "normal" sized text (above) - even though I think the "small" (here) makes the blog much nicer looking as a whole, wondering if people are less inclined to read small text. Thoughts?

Reminder to VOTE FOR GEEK-GIRL!

Don't forget to add in your vote for Geek-Girl at Small Press Idol! I've ended up shifting from colourist to doing art for the zero issue of this project, and enjoying trying something different for me! Here's a pinup for the series, plus, check out this comparison from art to lettering! I've never had something I've done lettered by someone else, and I'm amazed how he's managed to do it without covering up the art or looking awkward - I finally understand the job of a letterer! ^_^ Lettered by Jaymes Reed. 

To check out the fully-finished, lettered pages, click on the link below--then click 'post reply' at the site and type a big 'YES' to vote for Geek-Girl, so I get to draw a cover (need votes to keep a cover slot for Mysterious Visions Anthology)! 

http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/ForumsPro/viewtopic/t=4296/start=260.html 

Bristol Roundup

Okay yes, this is supercrazy late. In all fairness though, I came back to MA evaluations and a photography exhibition (looked awsome, and we had 800 people through over the long weekend, so that's all good!)

Anyway! Obviously, I met loads of fabulous talented people at Bristol, so I definitely needed to post some links. Go look at at least some of them, otherwise you'll be missing out!

Firstly, I somehow ended up in the most awesome corner of the whole hall. Yes I did.

For starters, I had Caroline Parkinson as my tablemate, who brought her some gorgeous new work. Check out her recently redesigned site!

Then on the one side, we had as neighbours the amazing trio of Jamie McKelvie, Marc Ellerby and John Cei Douglas! (I missed picking up a copy of John's gorgeous minicomic Buffalo Roots, but he was kind enough to send one to me! It's beautifully done)

What's more, on the other side, I had Thomas Plaskitt, whose work is some of the most thoughtful and inventive I have ever seen, ever. It will be to your detriment if you don't check out his work. I came home with a copy of his minicomic Dreams, which is packed with surprises and oddities - it's seriously a wonderland.

Moving on from this fabulous little corner of the world I ended up in, I had as my roommate the lovely Blossom, and got to see some of her new work - exciting stuff!

A couple of minicomics I picked up that I really enjoy:

If you want breakfast in bed eat in the kitchen, by Cliodhna Lyons

Hazy Thursday by Oliver Smith

Also lovely to see some Emma and Sonia from Sweatdrop, to (briefly) meet the very talented Kate Brown, (also briefly) meet the Geek Syndicate guys,  and to see the very cool John Aggs and meet illustrator David Andrews. 

Had a lovely chat with Yosh from Yokaj Studio. Also, couldn't help doodling on one of their doll templates for their onsite Yokaj Doll contest, which won and has been turned into an adorable icon on their bbs. Go look, it's cute ^_^

Oh! And finally, for something that is not comics (gasp!), go check out The Polaroid Press, Matthew Sheret's art and writing project featuring weekly updates of polaroid art and flash fiction. Gorgeous site design and earthyy, atmospheric writing.

Whew!

Little Thoughts - MiniComic preview!

Okay, here we go! This is the minicomic I'll be bringing to Bristol with me. It's 24 pages, and features four short stories - Tango, Joined, Either/Or and Distance. Here's a sneak peak at the cover, and the first two pages of Tango.

Bristol poster

Okay people, Bristol con is next weekend! If you're there, come and say hi - I'll be very findable because this monstrosity will be attached to my table somewhere in poster size! Worth checking out the full size version to hunt for monsters, birds, ghosts and guitars!

PS - Don't forget to vote for Geek-Girl in Small Press Idol - voting is still open this weekend! Scroll down to previous two posts for voting links and instructions!

Geek-Girl illo

Don't forget to give Geek-Girl your votes! 

http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/ForumsPro/viewtopic/t=4163.html

Voting stays open until May 4th for Round 2, and remember that you can vote every day!

Vote for Geek-Girl!

Voting is open on Round 2 of Small Press Idol! I've jumped on board as colourist on Geek-Girl, so go support it! Better still, you can vote every day until voting closes, which would be super-helpful! Thanks in advance ^_^

Voting instructions be here:

When 'Little Miss Popular' Ruby Kaye lands a pair of super-tech glasses in a game of Strip Poker, she's granted flight, super-strength, and--due to a flaw in the glasses' programming--super-klutziness.

 

Ruby Kaye is GEEK-GIRL!

 

To check out our entry and Vote, click on the link below, then scroll to the bottom of the page and click on 'Post Reply', where it will ask you to register.

 

Once you've done this, it will bring up a comments box; if you want to leave any comments, please do, but in order to vote you just need to type 'YES'. Without a "YES" it will just be looked at as comments...not counted as a vote.

 

Voting runs until May 4th, and if you’d like to vote more than once, you can, as long as you don’t vote more than once in a day.

 

Click here:  

 

http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/ForumsPro/viewtopic/t=4163.html

(Btw, the lovely promo illustration is by Matt Olsen over at http://www.flexible-elf.com/ )

Sketching! A foresty...thing...

News post

So Bristol International Comic Expo is almost here! If you happen to be there, do come and find me - I'll be sharing a table with the very talented Caroline Parkinson.

Sneak peaks at what I'll be bringing will be cropping up here over the next couple of weeks.

In other news, I'll be having a photography exhibition, Now and Then: The Wirksworth Regeneration Project,  at the end of May in conjunction with the Wirksworth Heritage Centre, combining new photos with archive material. I'll post sample photos here sometime during May.

And finally, I've been helping out with some colours on the character art for Geek Girl, which has moved on to Round 2 at Dimestore Productions' Small Press Idol. Check it out here, and, should you be so inclined, support it when voting opens! 

MA development peak

Some of the work I've been developing for my MA, around themes of migration/globalization/diaspora/hybridity.

Photography post - Cumbria

Bits and bobs

Rose from Street Fighter :

A dancing robot (...) :

A WIP - almost done, I'm thinking it needs a little more contrast :

Next stage WIP!

This one sort of changed approach mid-way, making my layers a confusing mess! But it's been good practice, and is almost done! Here's another WIP preview shot - not the full pic here. I think I may need to fractionally lower her right eye.

Momiji / Don't Panic design contest

Momiji dolls and Don't Panic have a design contest on at the moment. Please consider voting - for me would be nice (^_~) , but there's some tough competition!

Here's a little preview of mine:

I have two sets up, which you can check out here:

Sai, Twig and Evie

Lily, Pax and Miki

Don't forget to vote!

Pepper Project and Parable

Yay for alliteration! Just sent in my entry for the Pepper Project (http://pepperproject.imaginaryfs.com/) :

Also of note, the Parable blog has been featuring interviews with the contributors, which are a great read. Mine is up at the moment, for anyone interested. www.parablecomic.com

Happy Valentines/Chocolate/Capitalism Day!

Happy Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day!

WIP

WIP - not done yet, but I'm pleased with it so far.