Hitachi Data Systems at VMworld

I was recently commissioned to produce 5 single panel comic illustrations for Hitachi Data Systems, as part of an online promotion for their participation in VMworld 2014 Europe, "the global conference for virtualization and cloud computing", which was being held in Barcelona. I was sent the script and scenarios for the five comics, which I was very pleased about, because my first thought when I heard they wanted some IT-based comics was "How many jokes can I get out of turning it off and on again"?!? After working up some draft sketches, the dialogue was tightened up and some of the ideas reworked slightly, before I went on to produce the finished images. I'm very pleased with the final result, and happily, so was the client!

COMICS!

Next month, I'm going to have a table at the Comica Comiket in London (1 November) and the Thought Bubbles Comic Art Festival in Leeds (15–16 November), selling my comics. I'll be blogging more about that nearer the time...

I'm currently busy putting together a new comic collecting various comic strips and one page comics that I've drawn in recent years, plus a couple of longer works. I've just finished an illustration for the cover, and really wanted to share it because I was so pleased with how it turned out (I'm allowed to blow my own trumpet every once in a while, right?)...



And for a quick bit of Process, here's the rough sketch I jotted down on my break at work on Friday evening, when I suddenly came up with the idea for the cover...

Tempo Lush Tales

So one of the Secret Projects I've been working on recently has been a 12-page story for Tempo Lush Tales the new anthology comic created by Mr Tempo Lush himself, Richy K. Chandler. All the stories in the anthology have been written by Richy and illustrated by a cavalcade of artists including Matt Boyer, Francesca Cassavetti, Martin Eden, Tim Hassan, Steve Horry, Inko, Chie Kutsuwada, Mike Medaglia, Aaron Murphy, Van Nim, Karen Rubins, Keara Stewart and me! The book is being released next Friday and there will be an epic book launch for not only Tempo Lush Tales, but also three other books that Richy has been involved in creating: the second volume of Rosie and Jacinda, the third collection of Richy's webcomic Lucy the Octopus, AND a pre-school children’s comic/picture book Bang! Crash! Whizz!. Phew!

The launch will take place at Gosh! Comics, 1 Berwick Street, from 7-9pm on Friday 3 October, and there's a Facebook event set up here. Come along! It'll be fun!! And I might even scribble in your book!

Anyway, all of which is leading up to me sharing a sneak preview of the story I've been working on, called The President Of West Tibia...



What happens next? Well come to the launch, buy a copy of the book and find out! :)

Happy Birthday Sarah!

It was my friend Sarah's birthday the other week and she had some drinks which I was a bit late too, so the bar had stopped serving by I arrived. Fortunately we went to another bar! Here's a card I made for her...

Happy Birthday Janice!

It was my friend Janice's birthday a few weeks ago (exactly one week before mine!). This year Janice started doing a pole dancing class and got very excited when she managed to hang upside down, which gave me the idea for this drawing...

Bon Voyage Jing...

I've been pretty busy with "Secret Things" lately (which I'll eventually be able to post online), but luckily I've still got a couple of things that I can share with you now, staring with a couple of cards that I've made and didn't get around to uploading!

My friend Jing left London recently to go back to Singapore, and here's a card I made for her before she left...

ANGRY BIRD!

I've been fairly busy with work since I got back from holiday, but one interesting thing I've noticed from my Twitter Feed which is quietly chirping away in the background on my laptop, is that a lot of the people who were apoplectic a few days ago at the news of the upcoming release of a new Royal Baby, are now chomping at the bit at the prospect of new iPhone.

I made a quick comic about it. I was slightly pushed for time because of my other work, so might revisit it at a later stage, but think it gets the main point across...

Zombeavers

On Thursday night, my friend Mel invited me along to a screening of Zombeavers as part of Film4's FrightFest 2014. The film sees a group of college kids facing a hoard of zombie beavers (and I don't think that's a spoiler as it's IN THE TITLE!!!). And even though I left the cinema wondering what I just watched, I enjoyed it. It's big dumb fun, and sometimes that's enough!

Sketch Dailies: #HELLBOY

These illustration prompts by Sketch Dailies are a good exercise, and a welcome break from my commissioned work. Today's subject was #HELLBOY...

Sketch Dailies: Mystique

The latest Sketch Dailies illustration brief as part of the #7DaysOfColour theme was the blue-skinned Mystique from the X-men comics and films. Here she is feeling blue about missing out on a magazine cover shoot to another cyan-hued female...