Everything's gonna be cool this Christmas

In view of the approaching festive season, and in the absence of any half decent creative Christmas-y ideas, I've made up some cards using a few sketches of the Avengers I dug out of my sketchbook.


Looking at the master file above (which I trimmed into four neat cards), I suddenly like the idea of doing some sort of wallpaper border in this style. I do seem to like making work for myself....

Speaking of work, whilst I slave away on Grinning Mask No. 2, the Forbidden Planet Blog recently ran a very nice review of the first issue. Hurrah for them I say. You can check out the review here. All good, constructive and a bit flattering stuff.

RT

Little Things (that keep us together)

Sketchbook time again folks.....



It's Ben Grimm. How ridiculously therapeutic is the Thing to draw? There's something about all of the scales that make him quite soothing to sketch.

It's a mean looking Doomlord - no doubt planning the destruction of the human race or something like that? Despite spending years reading Eagle as a kid, I couldn't quite remember how his nose went? Oh well, it turned out alright.

I would absolutely love to draw a Doomlord story......

RT

Rough Steez

Digital pencils in progress....

Careful with that axe, Eugene

Rough layouts time today folks. This is a quick layout of a page for a strip that I'm working on at the moment. What makes this slightly different from my other comic strips is that I plan to do this one (start to finish) entirely in Photoshop.

It should be an interesting experiment if nothing else.....

RT

Character sketches

Sketchbook character studies for a new project I'm hoping to have a good go at in the coming weeks.

I've also started layouts for my PJANG strip AND even started working out the next issue of the Grinning Mask. What a busy gent I am....I just need someone to invent an extra day between Saturday and Sunday to give me some more time in the week to keep up with stuff.

By the way, I've finally posted out the copies of issue 1 of the Grinning Mask that I promised to the folk who missed the first printing. Watch the skies folks, watch the skies....

RT

Joe Kerr

A sketch of the Joker for you all to take a peep at.



I even took the time to ink and colour it. In this age of Photoshop etc, I haven't used pencil crayons for ages and quite forgotten how much I like using them.

I should be starting on a script for Rol Hirst's very lovely PJANG comic this week. I'll post work in progress here as I get stuck into it.

Toodle pip

RT

I'm in pieces, BICS and pieces....

Well, what a top weekend that was eh? Lots of comics, catching up with folk, and a few drinks to boot.

I was there with the Midlands Comics Collective and we had a stall positively heaving with goodies. You can see my box of comics in the middle of the stall below...


What a super looking stall eh? Even better was the sight on mid morning Sunday...

Yeehar. I'd sold out of comics - howsaboutthatthen? I did give a few away to folk etc, but fully expected to be taking a good many copies home with me. I also got rid of all of the copies of Nu Earth that I took with me. How exciting.

I even got asked to do some sketching. I've got to admit that this was fairly nerve-wracking, and I've got fresh respect for the professionals who sit there sketching all day. I felt like apologising all of the way through my drawings for them not being very good.

Happily the Grinning Demon (no relation) from Mainstone seemed chuffed with my work and have seen fit to post my sketch of the Scarecrow on their blog below...

(The Grinning Demon Blog)

I get to be on the same page as Sean Phillips!

So all in all, a top weekend. I'll be getting some more copies of the Grinning Mask printed up this week and will (hopefully) get the copies posted out that I've promised to folk real soon.

Until next time.....

RT

All done....

Hurrah. My comic - 'The Grinning Mask' is now all ready to go to print. With but a week to spare for BICS. Like I say, if you're about and fancy paying a whole pound for a copy then pop by the Midlands Comics Collective table at the show.


If there's anyone out there in internet land who fancies a copy then let me know and I'll look to sort something out.

RT

Inking ahoy....

Phew. Where does the month go? I'll tell you where, sat at my drawing board inking this comic for BICS.


Still looking good for getting this together in time. More info and stuff to follow.....

Stay cool won't you?

RT

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH

Afternoon folks,

I've now finished all of the pencils for my BICS comic project and am getting on with the inking. Hurrah for me. If you're at BICS this year and feel like supporting a starving comics artist, do pop along to the Midlands Comics Collective table and get yourself a copy of this. Check out the rest of the stuff on the table as well - by the sounds of it, there should be plenty of goodies there in time for your delectation.



I'm also getting a bit fed up of drawing screaming faces. The more astute amongst you may have noticed that this is a horror comic - much in the EC tradition.


I think that I might draw some more 'Archie and the Sweep' for some light relief.....

RT

Inks (at last)...more to follow.

Slow, slow, slow

Afternoon folks.

It's been a busy couple of weeks what with my brother getting married, me doing the best man thing and a trip to my see my girlfriend's family. This general business means I've not had much chance to do much of this here blogging.

Hopefully, now things are on a bit more of an even keel I can get back to it. I'll probably look to start inking my BICS comic project this week, but in the meantime I'll stick some sketchbook stuff here. C'est voila, it's Rogue Trooper and the oddest of Marvel groups, the Defenders.



Until next time.

Archie and the Sweep

A departure from my pencils. A quick cartoon based on the adventures of our friend's baby and his fascination with our cat.

Yet more pencils.....

.....in progress.


I've just finished pencilling page twelve of a hefty-and-rather-ominous-sounding twenty one, of my BICS comic / project.

Behold ye a couple of snippets for folk to take a peep at.


Right then. Back to it.....

Pac Man Paintings

...Like it says above, Pac Man Paintings.

This is a set of acrylic on canvas paintings that I've recently finished as a pressie for my brother and his computer room. Now I've handed them over to him, I figure that it's safe to stick a few piccies here.


I'm really pleased with them now they're finished. The perfectionist / computer nerd in me had quite a job making sure that the colours were as close as I could get.

Hope you like them folks. I may get another set together in time for BICS and try and sell them on the Midlands Comics Collective stand?

They call me the Creeper...

Ta-da. Finished Creeper sketch. Inking done with a Pentel brush pen, and quick colours in Photoshop.

I'm determined to spend some time practising my inking inbetween the frustrating hours spent pencilling this pesky comic.

By the way, if anyone out there hasn't yet read it, I strongly urge you all to check out 'The World of Steve Ditko'. A great collection by everyone's favourite Objectivist comic book artist.

That's all for now folks.

Messy, messy pencils

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that I'm a bit of a messy penciller. This doesn't make me a bad person though.

Yep, this week has been yet more pencils for my comic (the very same comic which I could do with coming up with a title for).
Despite being a messy penciller, I'm nothing if not methodical. I know folk who jump about a script, tackling pages in any old order. My preferred method of working is to pencil an entire story start to finish before even thinking about the inking. I'm afraid that readers of this blog may have to put up with a couple of weeks of pencils therefore before they get to see any inky stuff.

As well as the comic, I've been doing some painting as well as dipping into my sketchbook. I'll post some piccies of the painting when it's safe to do so, but for now I'll post a quick sketch of the Creeper. I plan to ignore the slightly dodgy anatomy and use this for some much needed inking practice...

Until next time chums.....

Another week.....

.....another post.

Right then, so what have I been working on this week then?

I'm currently working on a comic of my very own which I'm hoping to get together in time for the British Comics Show. There's going to be a few late nights ahead to get it together, but if nothing else, I'll be a few pages better off in my portfolio.

Anyway, it's all scripted and laid out, and I'm currently wading through pencils.





Fun, fun, fun eh? I'll post more stuff as the weeks progress...

As a final treat this week, I'll post an inking sample to balance up the pencils. Yep, it's everyone's favourite mutant. These are my inks over Joe Ward's pencils, and is my first foray into digital inking using my Wacom tablet. As test pieces go, I'm quite chuffed with it.



Once again chums, any comments criticisms etc will be gratefully received.

RIP Frank Sidebottom / Chris Sievey

Dragged into the 21st century....

Howdy y'all,

I've finally decided to join the technological age and start my own Weblog - get me eh? Anyway, this page will act as somewhere to publish bits and pieces that I'm working on at the mo. Hopefully, it'll also keep me producing stuff on a semi-regular basis. Any comments etc will be most appreciated.

As a first issue free gift for you all, I'm going to attach five pages I've just put together for Will Kirkby's rather splendid Nu-Earth fanzine. If you like the look of this, then let me know and I'll get a copy of the fanzine to you.

Cheers folks,

Your chum,

Ryan.