Back in the queue

So, after 15 years, my comic strip, Back of the Queue, has reared its bumpy, peculiar head.

Back of the Queue started when I was in college, published in the Yale Daily News. It was (mostly) a light-hearted look at university life and bumbling through what is now coined as 'imposter syndrome'. But, as the stress of study mounted it became too difficult to maintain and the comics themselves ended in a blaze of glory.

Alas, I've now jumped into the foray of 'putting myself out there', entering my first novel writing competition and sending samples to agents. It's the first time in a while I feel that giddy exhilaration of the unknown; starting out towards something bigger. I've always enjoyed drawing comics as a way to express what's in my head. I've got a fairly dark sense of humour and drawing means I don't have to tell people what I'm giggling about with a stream of caveats.

Sending off my first competition entry was terrifying and the only way I could think to describe the feeling was, "It's like dropping your baby down a well and hoping it somehow makes it's way back up". You take this thing you love and let it go into the abyss of the wide-world, pitting it against hundreds of other people's beloved, possibly never to see it return with anything more than a "No thanks. Your baby ain't that cute." But still, despite the risk, you hope and drop that baby in.

So, Back of the Queue has returned. Not sure if it's a one off reunion or if more might be waiting to come out. I do have a few ideas for my other comic, Redshirt Dead, that are all sketched out. Perhaps I'll put the finishing touches on those. Who knows? Either way, keeping myself distracted while I wait on competition returns and procrastinating against finishing book edits could yield some interesting results!

Hope you enjoy!
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What not to wear - Lady of the Lake

What King Arthur myth is complete without a visit to the Lady of the Lake?

An early doodle - pen (2015)

As I'm working on the next draft of Age of Albion I'm clocking up lots of time doing sketches and crafting character details. I've already done tons of wee sketches in earlier drafts. But, I find it's particularly helpful as I'm redrafting to revisit the characters in drawing to make sure what's in my head is reflected on the page.

The Lady of the Lake in most Arthurian legends has a murky (pun intended) history. There are multiple stories that credit her as temptress or a heroine, a human or one of the fey folk. What is her true allegiance in King Arthur Returns? Well, you'll just have to see for yourself! But, she is definitely more fey than human.

Why does that look like that? What's it's purpose?

Not the Lady of the Lake

Some new doodles of the Lady -
pen on paper (2016)

Everything that I draw doesn't make it into the text. Too much detail and the writing becomes turgid and quashes the reader's imagination. You have to give just enough to convey an accurate sense of physical characteristics and personality but still leave some blanks for people to fill in themselves. A little mystery goes a long way!

However, drawing forces me to think about the choices I make about the various bits and bobs that a character wears (I'm a very visual person and need to 'see' things to consider them). When we, real people that don't just live in my head, get dressed in the morning we put on things that are of use to us in our day to day lives. Yes, this is fantasy, but it all needs to be grounded in the character's reality. Would the Lady of the Lake look awesome with a Lara Croft style gun belt on her thigh - the answer is always yes. But... why would she?

Who is the Lady?

Lady of the Lake -
pencil and ink (2017)

The Lady of the Lake has been swimming through my head for the last few weeks and I've been making lots of notes and sketches since finishing the last draft of AoA. I've picked up lots of details in the drawings that aren't necessarily noted in the text - like Pictish tattoos. Many of these details won't make it into the story because, while it's a cool idea, it's not necessary for the reader to totally grasp the character. And besides, this is MY version of the character. Every reader will have their own.

One big design feature is that she always looks like she's underwater, her hair floating about her. She also wears a dress made of tiny mother of pearl sequins.

There are details in some of the drawings I actually don't think the character should have. But, once I've drawn them, each incarnation makes the character fuller in my mind which ultimately adds to the authenticity of her interaction with other characters - just as our history and experience impacts ours.

From AnOther Magazine

A more etherial lady -
pencil on paper (2017)

It's fun watching the character come to life and drawing inspiration from various sources. For one drawing I came across the images of Tilda Swinton from AnOther Magazine which were too incredible not to draw (PS T-biggie Swins - if you want to play Lady of the Lake in the movie of my book... yes... Just yes! Or if you just want to you, ya know, swap numbers and hang out that's cool too). The pose is so dynamic and suggests movement even while static. Reinterpreting the silhouette of the dress begged for some interesting detail that would be relevant to a lake dwelling lore lady's dress (and before you ask, yes, you can get lake foam. So, boom). I don't know if this is what the final character design will be but it's still one of my favourite drawings of the Lady.

The Lady's history is growing in my mind and will help me fine tune her interactions in the book. It will also make a difference to how she engages in future stories.

I'm doing a series of drawings of other characters, so watch this space. This is one of my favourite moments because it's causing me to fall in love with all of my characters again. By learning more about them I can make the tapestry on the page richer and hopefully pass on that passion to the reader.


Hope you enjoy!
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Arbea or Albion

It’s been a hectic summer and early autumn. I got my UK citizenship, started a new job and just finished the run of the show I directed, Sunshine on Leith! So, now that that's all over and done with there will be a large chunk of time where worrying about the future and the show used to be. So, it’s time to turn back to my worlds of fiction!

Sold out performances of Sunshine on Leith in Edinburgh

I’ve just finished polishing the outline for Emersus Project Book 3. I also have ideas for the second instalment of the Age of Albion series bumping around in my brain bin. But which do I pick up first? What is the decision making process version of writer’s block?

One of the best lessons that I got from write a novel month last November is that, when I put my mind to it, I can turn out a fairly decent draft in a short time. So, feasibly I could just blast out Emersus book 3 and keep going. There are so many characters in Arbea that I miss and I’m keen to see how they get to where they’re going, new characters and creatures to discover and even some returning faces that I can’t wait to meet again! I’ve managed a few sketches of one of the new feline friends we’ll see in Book 3.

But, after a lovely trip to the highlands in August, I feel the call of Arthur and Merlin again. The picturesque landscape of the highlands, the misty lochs and verdant glens themselves conjure up ghosts and phantasms as easily as a haar rolls out across the shore. There are pixies and giants and were-beasts tramping through my imagination and they’re fighting to get out. And of course, more trows!

So, who wins? Well, first things first. I need to finish the edit on the first Age of Albion book, King Arthur Returns. That will be my November. It will be a year since I churned out the first draft and I’ve only made it half way through a first edit. The story is great and the characters deserve a proper showing before I move on the next anything. Then I think changing up the process and blasting out a draft of the third Emersus Project book will be in order. After that I can go back and do the drawings and character designs in the rewrite. I’m also toying with the idea of doing a new edition of Black Star, the first Emersus Project book, with new illustrations and edits that will make the story richer.

Sometimes it’s hard having so many ideas kicking about in my head. They all want attention and I can’t do it all at once. But, now that I have an idea of the road ahead I’m feeling excited for the journey. Gemmy and Sem are ready for action again and I can’t wait to properly introduce you all to Ash and Ana our new heroes from Age of Albion!

Hope you enjoy!
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Dino might

So, how does one get around on the island of Rheza? Well, get yourself one of these:

Maza - the dinosaur bird

Better than a Ford raptor, the mazatotl (or maza for short) are the transport of choice for the Rhe'zans.

The word mazatotl literally means 'stag bird', but the maza are more like a utahraptor vs an emu vs a bald eagle than an actual stag. They're very aggressive birds and are hard to tame. The Rhe'zans believe that it's only through mutual respect that one is allowed to ride a maza. As all birds of prey are regarded highly in Rhe'zan society so the maza is the pinnacle of that respect. It's a fierce hunter, a fast and true steed and pretty deadly.

The resemblance is uncanny

Maza mowhawk

I've been sketching the maza a lot. I wanted it to look fierce but also plausible. I went through phases where it looked a bit like a peacock and a griffin Some of my initial drawings were a bit too fluffy with downy tail feathers and 70s Storm from Xmen mowhawks.

Ultimately what helped settle it was the description in the book that says the maza looks just as much lizard as it does bird. So, I stopped looking at pictures of eagles and buzzards and started looking at my favourite creatures: DINOSAURS.

some early sketches

Despite what Jurassic Park tells you, the velociraptor was actually a puny little pack-hunting punk that was indeed vicious but nowhere near as big as what you see on the screen. The steed-sized bipedal dinosaur that actually did exist was the Utahraptor. I drew (hehe get it) a lot of inspiration from this feathered predator but kept the facial features of a more modern bird of prey. I also kept the equally deadly emu feet. I thought about using ostrich feet but they are too gross. Seriously, they look like when pigeons get those clubbed feet from stepping in tangled thread or gum.

So, after ditching the peacock like feathers and head and tail plumes the maza came together as a pretty deadly and kick-ass addition the world of Arbea. Next animal to come out of my creature shop will be the gorek which also appears when Gemmy and Sem arrive on Rheza.


Hope you enjoy!
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Final drawings

Well folks, here it is: The first completed drawing for Spirit Shear

The guys away on summer holiday

Come explore Garz Isle

Sem gets a makeover

It's not just the first drawing I've completed but the first illustration in the book! This time Gemmy and Sem are on adventure away from home. To get there they'll have to travel the length of the country. And, while Gemmy practices using his powers electromagnetically levitating a penny Sem sleeps with her face pressed against the window.

The other two are scenes from the book. They're all in varying states of completion. But, much like the writing, I'm drafting them and getting them to a fit state then moving on to the next. I'll then go back and edit and improve to bring them more to life if I can.

It's going to be a long trip and an even longer summer for me doing drawings and editing the book. Let's hope I don't look as exhausted as Sem by the end of it!

Hope you enjoy!
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Buy Book 1, 'Black Star' on Amazon in the UK and US
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Outlined in ink

Being a comic book kid I love the look of a nice crisp pen ink drawing and I've finally found the drawing pen for me!

Every artist has a favourite brand of pen/pencil that just 'gets them'.

I'm a Staedtler HB pencil man. Always have been. Always will be. But recently, as I've been doing more refined ink drawings with the light box, I've not quite found drawing ink pen or marker that has the kind of control and creates the type of line I like.

Enter the Mitusbishi Pencil Co Uni pin marker.

Sem ready for a fight

Sem's hair a tangle
of tresses!

It comes in 0.05mm, 0.1mm, 0.2mm, 0.3mm, 0.4mm, 0.5mm and 0.8mm and draws like heaven. It goes on smoothly but has grip (unlike a regular marker). It dries quickly and crisply and you can even erase pencil under it without incurring the wrathful smudging! According to the site it's water and fade proof but I have yet to test the validity of that.

As far as I'm concerned these are the pens for me and I've already gone ahead and bought a stock of them! After some experimenting I've found .2mm works well for drawing and using .05 and .1 for detail. The .05 has been particularly handy when drawing the details and fine lines in hair to really give it the depth and body I want. But, I love all the widths. 

Mercy and Gemmy saying "see ya' later"

I've begun using it to do figure studies for the final illustrations. I can't wait to break out the light box and really get stuck in to making some of the final illustrations. For this book I've planned 12 and, unlike Book 1, they'll be action shots of the characters in scenes from the book, not just portraits. 



Enjoy!
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Christmas colours

So, I've rounded Chapter 9 and my goal is to at least get the first 10 done by Christmas. Shouldn't be a problem between all the holiday parties (Thanksgiving tomorrow, Channukah on 18th, Tree trimmings, food prep and gift making and wrapping).

But, one thing I need to do by week end is get this Holiday card finished and off to the printers!!

Now that Hoba is designed and sorted the actual character work has begun. In Gemmy's world their holiday colours are Gold/orange (for light), Purple (for wisdom) and Green (for spring). So, it's been fun designing holiday themed clothing that would look festive in their world and ours.

Mhetli and Sem's holiday outfits

Mhetli is more in the spirit and Sem pretty much does her own thing.

It's been fun using more traditional means of illustrating. One thing I've really enjoyed is using the light box and doing final drawings in ink. I have the filthy hands to prove it!

They produce suck crisp clean final drawing that are beautiful in themselves.

I've still been doing digital colouring in photoshop but have been using a 'marker' technique to get closer to Kishimoto-sensei's style. But, hey, I've still got to be me. :)

Here are the ink drawings of Gemmy and Hoba for the card as well:

 

Enjoy!
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Introducing Semjanine Grimm

So, I've decided that all the final drawings will be portrait style. I want there to be consistency when flipping through the book.

I've done a new drawing of Sem. I really like this one. She's a rough and tumble girl. She's supposed to be as able as any man on a playing field so she's not meant to be dainty looking, and that's what I like most about her.

Sem - pencil on paper

Sem - digital render

Enjoy!
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His name is Daryn

So, my amends are done and I'm giving the book one more rest and sending out to two or three more people. I'm starting to feel like it's nerves sitting on it as everyone I've shown it to now has pretty much said it's good and to just go with it. :-/

Anywho, I've set 1 November 2013 (Themo Day) as the publication date on Amazon.

In the mean time I'm finishing up drawings for the book and continuing to work on the cover. More on that to follow.

As the drawing spree continues I found the perfect inspiration for Tricky in Book 2.

Firstly, I've named him Daryn after a friend who was going to name him and couldn't come up with a name for me. But, his name is Darren so it felt fitting. :)

Secondly, I met a guy who, from the moment I started talking to him, I knew he was Daryn! When I'm writing and drawing, as most writers do, I draw inspiration from my real life. And characters really come alive for me once I have features, personality traits or characteristics to latch on to. For me, my mate's eyes and nose really told a story to me that was kindred with what I'm trying to achieve with Daryn.

I've made pages and pages of sketches. Here's just one of the many. At this stage I drew from memory what I thought I wanted Daryn to look like (middle) which was not right. I then redrew and redrew. Then, in the top right corner, I did a pencil drawing of my mate whose features I wanted to borrow.  From there I did the drawing in top left then another front on (below drawing top right).

I tend to sketch in ink but when I did the drawing of my mate I did it in pencil because I have a different sensibility when I draw in this medium - I pay much more attention to the shadows and shapes of a face. Of course there are features to Daryn that have no bearing on reality. Below isn't the final drawing, but it's much closer to what I'm looking for and I added some colour to help bring the character more into focus when I start writing Book 2 again. So here's a better look at Daryn.

Daryn - Ink and digital render

I better get back to drawings on Book 1!!

Enjoy!
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Arm yourself

On the go with the second round of edits and have had a wash of inspiration for drawings. I've even started powering through the outline of Book 2.

Maester Arms - pencil on paper

I really like this drawing. He's turned out looking a bit like Bruce Willis and Mills Lane love child. I think he's coming out looking the right combination of hard man with a horror behind the eyes.

Enjoy!
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Drawn together: Caricatures

I've been working on making caricatures for friends. I'd only ever really done them when I was much younger or just as quick doodles in books that I've made for private consumption. I've not really taken the time to craft them in a much more finished way.

The most fun part is trying to figure out people's defining lines and characteristics. If you draw every single line on their face they look over drawn. It's a matter of drawing over and over again, subtracting superfluous detail until you find which ones give the impression of the person. Some people are easier than others.

Shuggy

 

Pencil drawing 

Pencil/digital rendering

These are my first attempts at doing some more finished full colour versions. One of the hardest parts is actually getting the colour right! People are much shinier and redder than you'd like to portray on paper... especially the peely-wally Scots!

Kade

Pencil drawing

Pencil/digital rendering

Iain

Pencil drawing

Pencil/digital rendering

I've made my first passes drawing of my "brothers" as I know them well enough and (hopefully) won't be offended. It's been really fun. I also learned from an early age, don't show women their caricatures unless you're prepared to get brained. They don't like it.

I then made the mistake of asking what my distinguishing features are. The answers I got were my glasses, my 'hampster-esque' cheeks and my 'asymmetrical' head. Well, I did ask.

Final drawings: Pencil perfect

I'm embarking on a final edit of Book 1 this spring. And as I do, I realised I need to do some final drawings. There are a few that are done, like those of Gemmy when he's transformed and Gravander. These characters were so clear in my mind that they came out on paper right away. But there are some characters that need to be defined. For example, I've never quite had Nereth's face in my head. And some that just need a proper portrait done like Sem who is clear in my head I've just not done her justice in drawing (So far the only one that I've liked I did in 2010. Might just redraft it into a final).

The final drawings in the book I think will be the simple black and white pencil drawings. I like the dreamy quality of pencil on paper. It allows your brain to fill in the fantastic while suggesting reality.

For a starter, I've redone my sketch of Gemmy in his school uniform. There's something about the original that I like as I think in the new version he's a bit too gawky. What do you think?

Gemmy uniform, 2011

Gemmy redrawn, 2013

Gemmy... finally - pencil on paper

Here's a new drawing of the girls as discovered in the lab. I like the concept of the two standing together, Lauta, brash and ready, protecting yet teaming up with Ilä. But I will definitely need to rethink it. Small inconsistency, they don't get their haircuts until well after they're out of the lab and would not be wearing their suits. They both have long matted hair at the start. Below is what the drawing should really be. I like Lauta's ferocity in the second also, her proportions are better (FYI - her body is meant to look slightly distended. It's one of her physical 'defects').

Ilä and Lauta

The girls as first encountered - Pencil on paper

Enjoy!

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Tripping in the archives

So, sometimes when nothing is happening in the world of creation I take a trip back.

Here are some drawings I made in 2000 for a story board class at Uni. I don't remember the full details of the idea but it was going to be a short film about the seasons. It's crazy to see my Alphonse Mucha influence even then.

Spring - Pencil on paper

North Wind - pencil on paper

A lot of my sketches that I have from back then are colour copies of the originals. But these are the original pencil on paper drawings (apparently I didn't have any fixatives when I first cut them out of my sketch book). But, I'm glad I kept them safe and am scanning them for posterity.

Enjoy!
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Fan boy

I've been thinking a lot about 'fan art' - fan art being your own interpretation of someone else's characters or art - not just straight copying. The hoity-toity professional in me thinks, 'how sad a thing it is to do fan art?' but then I realised, don't we all start out as fan artists?

As a kid I remember spending hours copying the art of my favourite cartoons and comics until I could draw the characters perfectly from memory. It was a point of pride that I could draw Darkwing Duck flawlessly. Then as I got older I began copying the styles of my favourite comics. It started with anime and the art of Akira Toriyama and then gradually moved back to comic book art. It was the work of Chris Bachalo on Uncanny X-Men #356 in the late 90s that brought me back to Marvel (I remember seeing this issue on the comics rack in Walgreens and just needing to buy it). From there I found inspiration in the likes of Joe Madureira (AoA), Humberto Ramos (Runaways and X-Men), Carlos Pacheco and Salvador Larroca (particularly Xtreme X-Men and his pencil with no inking style) that kept me coming back to Marvel and subsequently some their side projects ('Out There' and 'Battlechasers').

This drawing of Gemmy (before he was even Gemmy) was inspired by/ripped off from X-men #76 cover, 1998.

Ballpoint pen & colour pencil - '98

In particular, it was Bachalo and Pacheco's treatment of Marrow (originally created by Madureira) as a character, and the darker edge she brought to the X-Men that I responded to. Bachalo's cartoony style particularly worked with the exaggerated grotesqueness of her powers as well as some of the other newer X-Men like Maggot.

It was with Marrow that I ventured into my first proper 'fan art' and entered a competition to showcase her new look. I totes should have won but did not. Here's one that was not entered in the competition because it was of her 'old look' before she got control of her powers.

Pencil on paper - '99

Later, it was artists like Tony Diterlizzi (Spiderwick Chronicles, Wondla) and D. M. Cornish (Monster Blood Tattoo) who peaked my interest as author/illustrator and made me see that it's possible to be both (I've found that I don't have the patience or sensibility to draw graphic novels).

So, once I did my Mr Onion drawing it made me think, what other artists and images currently occupy my artistic mind?

At the moment, one of my favourite cartoons is Adventure Time. It reminds me of being a kid (I remember creating characters very similar. I think Pen Ward may have got a hold of my sketch books from middle school). The stories captivate and entertain me as I think most little boys have adventure time in their head, escaping to worlds where you flit between braving dungeons and rescuing princesses. So, I've been playing around sketching and reinterpreting my favourite characters from the show (also I can play some of the songs from the show on my uke). Here are some sketches of Finn and Jake and Princess Bubblegum and Marceline the Vampire Queen (drawn with my bubblegum scented pencil). Might finish them off later on.

Finn and Jake

Bubblegum and Marceline 

Enjoy!
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