Sunday, 22 February 2015

Tales From the Deep!

Drawn Chorus Collective recently put together a graphic novel anthology that I was part of.
We had some amazing reviews from some very important people and a great launch event at Hackney Pirates.

My contribution was the "The Tale of the Aquarium". I decided to put a bit of a spin on the 'normal' styles of graphic novels and create my story in papercut. 
You can judge for yourself...



 To find out how it ends you'll just have to order it yourself!
The first print run has now sold out... but keep an eye on our website as more copies will be on their way soon!




The next day, none of the fishermen would be able to agree on just what the stranger had looked like.’

A storm shakes the very foundations of a small fishing village. The wind howls and batters the windows of a local tavern, bringing with it a bizarre wanderer from out of the gloom. He offers them a wager. As the night draws on, he spins his tales, each one more fantastical than the last - an extraordinary world populated by mermaids, monsters and strangers from the sea.

By the end of the night the fishermen are unsure of what is real and what is imagined, what is true and what is false, and just what came to pass on that stormy night.

A cornucopia of stories, Tales from the Deep will take the reader on a journey through a richly imagined world, brought to life with drawings, paper cuts, and watercolour from the award-winning illustrators of the Drawn Chorus Collective.




" 'A mysterious storyteller enters a seaside tavern and begins telling tales of the sea…' So begins a spellbinding swirl of lost loves, submerged urges and drowned memories in this brilliant new anthology from some of the most promising new comics talents around."
Stephen Collins, Guardian cartoonist

"This… anthology gave me a sense of the wonder that I remember on first reading fairy-tales, with artwork that consistently achieves… other worldliness, drawing you into a strange dream… [the way] only the best combination of story and art can do."
John Higgins, comic book artist and colourist for Watchmen


"A lovely package... This is exactly what [all] comics should be doing - taking the medium into exciting places."
Richmond Clements, Forbidden Planet International


The book weaves together a collection of 10 dark and stormy sea tales featuring the illustrative talents of;


 NADINE SCHERER
ZANNA ALLEN

Plus regular guest artist to the collective...
MARTIN URSELL



Wednesday, 18 February 2015

Meow!

A pet portrait of some fabulous felines created for a very lovely mother of the bride.

I'm also often asked how I put my collages together.
Here are a few process pics...

First, I draw out my design to scale.I then use this as my guide. I trace the shapes and use a scapel to cut the shapes I need. 
I layer these shapes to build up a character...




And voila! The most marvellous mousers you could wish for.


Sunday, 8 February 2015

Busy times...

A bit of a break on the blog. I haven't forgotten you all, or given up on illustration.
I'll update here with some of the things I've been up to over the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, here are some pics of an invitation I created for my dad's wedding. It has our dog, Alfie (you may recognise him from some of my earlier work!) and my dad's fiance's dog, Stanley. They are both big on walking the dogs and the card works a bit like a ying and yang sign, interconnecting and overlapping in the middle.



I also made the cake...





Belated congratulations to the groom and bride!