Postcards!

Just arrived from the printer. 16 new designs. Plenty of Creature Action. I'll be selling them at fairs, markets, shops and my Etsy shop. There will be nice gift packs. I'll post more about it soon. In the meantime, here's one of the designs:

Saint John's Bayou

I've been drawing the buildings here in New Orleans for a while now, and I'm starting to feel like I'm getting somewhere. New Orleans architecture is Old, and features a lot of patina, sagging wood, creeping vines and plain old rot. As a result, houses here tend to look like tired, twisted old creatures. What's been most interesting is finding a path away from completely naturalistic renditions towards a more abstract and decorative style, a style that brings out the character of a building.

I found a lot of help in looking at the work of Nigel Peake, an illlustrator with an architectural background. I love his focus on lines and patterns, and his beautiful colour palette.

This is the first house I've finished and am happy with. It's available in my Etsy store.

Blue Garden

This print is now available in my shop. Click here.

White Foxes

This is my latest Feral picture. It was the most complex one so far. I wanted the background to be really dense, and it required a lot of work. As usual, it's done with a fineliner, colour pencils and infinite patience.

When I draw these pictures, I come up with a general idea of the image, and then, while drawing and gradually conceiving of the details, I start to spin a story around it, trying to work out what exactly is happening. This one is a mystery even to me, as I can't settle on a single explanation. I'd like to think that there is a transformation in the works: the foxes are really spirits, and they are in the process of a magical ritual, changing a human girl into a fox. Or the opposite: a fox is becoming human, before venturing on a mission into the human world. Maybe the girl was raised by foxes, deep in the woods, and her fox family is watching over her while she sleeps.

Like the other Feral prints, White Foxes is available in my shop.

Black Cat

Not only do I have a sparkling new shop, but I've started making some old favourites available as prints. This old cat, is back by popular demand. It's as scratchy and sinister as ever. 

Red Foxes

Hi everyone. I just finished a new print from the Feral series. In case you haven't noticed, the fox is my favourite animal, its only rival being the flying fox. So I'll probably do a few more fox themed ones.

As usual, it's up on my shop.

Willow Baby: A Preview

I've just finished the illustrations for a new book that's set to be published by Paravion Press. It's called Willow Baby and it's a fairytale-style poem written by violinist and story-teller Max Baillie. It's the first in a cycle of 5 poems. Here's a little taste. 

I normally work with fineliners, which produce a very steady line, but for this book, I wanted a look more akin to a woodcut, so I used a japanese Pentel brush pen. It lets you make hair-fine lines as well as thick. generous ones, and it gives you less control, which can be a good thing. For the colours, I used Cretacolor AquaMonolith watercolour pencils.  Here, in fact, is the colour scheme: 

I chose autumney colours, warm and sort of faded. And as you can see, I'm big on patterns, whether it's the surface of water, high grass or tangled hair. 

A date is yet to be set for the book launch, and I will of course post about it when I know. But in the meantime, you can find more of Paravion's publications here, and see Max's  website here.

Bears

Two recent plates. I've been told they're unsettling, which is fine with me. "What are the bears doing?" was the question. I think of the bears as some kind of protective spirits. Or make up your own story. They are available at The Shop, on Royal Street in New Orleans.

New Plates, June 2012.

These are for sale. Please contact me if you are interested.

Laptop Design

A recent private commission. The owner of this laptop wanted a design based on an old sketch of mine of the Seine river in Paris. I used Porcelaine Pens, which are normally intended for ceramics, but work well on most smooth surfaces. The range of colours is narrow, but I was able to achieve a nice, impressionistic effect by layering and a creating a dense texture. I'm really pleased with how it came out.

Toastycats 6 Review

The Forbidden Planet International Blog has a review of the new Toastycats.

Snapshots: EDINBURGH

My film A Game of String will be screened as part of Snapshots: EDINBURGH, an evening of puppetry and moving image curated by the Manipulate Festival, on the 3rd of February. More info here.

Hot Off the Press: TOASTYCATS 6

The new Toastycats is out! This is the wordless issue. And maybe the death issue too. We visit some familiar creatures, and a fox sees something special in the sky. 

What you won't find in this issue is The Seed. I have decided to continue that story separately as its own thing. Don't worry. 

Toastycats 6 is available to buy here. 

And a little taste:

What Am I Holding?

Is it the almost finished new issue of Toastycats? Yes. I just received the proofs from the printer today. All systems are GO.

Owls

3 brand new owl plates. Medium sized china with gilded edges. They are available at The Red Door Gallery in Edinburgh and cost £100 each.

Fierce Dragon Pony

First drawing of the year.

The Voice of the City

A recent illustration job for Paravion Press. This is a short story called The Voice of the City, by O. Henry. Like all Paravion Press publications, it comes in the form of a small, exquisitely designed chapbook, and it's part of a series of 3 books about New York City, the other 2 being works by Maxim Gorky and Walt Whitman. 

Paravion gave me free rein with this project, and I conceived the illustrations as a series of snapshots of ordinary life in the city. The images do not reference the text explicitly. Instead, they address the question which the story poses: What is the essence of the City? 

The story was written in the early 20th century, but you will notice that the clothing and objects in the images are contemporary. I made that jump because it underscores the universal quality of city life. Almost a hundered years later, New York is still New York.    

You can find The Voice of the City and other books by Paravion Press here.

Badges for Friends

A couple of portrait badges made for friends.

                         
                            
           
                            
                           

Toastycats in Texas

The Austin Chronicle has an article on Toastycats that made me blush.

Laika in Litro

My comic Laika is featured in the latest issue of Litro, a free magazine available around London. The whole issue is dedicated to comics and graphic fiction and includes interviews with Adrian Tomine and Shaun Tan.