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Welcome to my currently stalled blog. Please pop by my Tumblr for the latest artwork and news.

You can also follow the Roller Grrrls progress here.

Andy Murray cover for the Sunday Mail.

On Tuesday last week I was asked by editor Jim Wilson of the Sunday Mail to contribute a cover for the Sunday Mail. He wanted an inspiring image of Andy Murray before the Wimbledon final. Of course, he still had the quarter and semi-finals to win but that was a sure thing, wasn't it? I called my colourist Yel Zamor and explained the opportunity we had for some seriously national [Scottish] mainstream exposure!

Well, the Wednesday quarter final proved a close and bitterly fought game to the end with Andy just winning in the last game. Were we going to be paid if he lost? It was best not to think about that. The London Film and Comic Con loomed ever closer and we had a Friday morning deadline. I woul dbe at the event from ten that morning with little access to internet to do any corrections.

There were two sketched versions. Both made reference to Superman and in particular, Alex Ross' classic imagery [including his homage to Joe Schuster's classic cover] I preferred the aerial shot of Andy Murray serving over Wimbledon but Jim went for the Saltire reveal, and I understand why. It was ALL about Andy and we needed to focus on that.

Yel Zamor did a wonderful colouring job [as always] considering the win/lose nature of Andy's games till the final. In the end the Sunday Mail ran with our cover and also made a double-page spread of the image as a pull out poster. We heard of fans posting them up on walls and fridges on the Sunday Finals Day! It was a real treat to work on the cover and the 285, 000 circulation [even seen in London City airport on my return from LFCC] was better than most comics.

Some more Roller Grrrls character trailers.

The Roller Grrrls project that I am working on with Anna Malady has been unfortunately postponed over the last few months due to work and schedule commitments and personal distractions. Back on the series for a July release of the first episode. Here are some new teaser trailers for the characters. We have around thirty principal and secondary characters in the story and this format is proving to be a good way of introducing them to a new audience.

Life Drawing: Under The Skin [Perfect Spiral]

When I am not drawing comics or working on storyboards for the film and games industry I can also be found teaching with my wife Dr. Mhairi Stewart as part of our Perfect Spiral venture. We have both had experiences holding independently run workshops at schools, libraries and universities, and hosting public events but decided to bring our skills together as a team. Mhairi brings the science and I bring the creative and arty side to the lessons. The cross curricular aspect to the Perfect Spiral classes are definitely proving popular and we have already worked with the Glasgow Science Festival, Scottish Book Trust, Bute Astronomical Society and many other bodies.

Last weekend we ran our new favourite class Life Drawing: Under The Skin for the Glasgow Science Festival. It was a free event held at the Hunterian Zoology, Glasgow University and even with the draw of the West End Festival parade and the sunny weather outside, our workshops were filled with children and parents/guardians all excited about drawing and learning. The demand for the classes had been so great that we were encouraged to offer a follow-up evening class on Tuesday and decided to make that an adults only night. Some of the specimens were more graphic than the public event at the weekend and other items were especially fragile [over a hundred years old and rarely put out on show] Most of the specimens are also unable to be put on display as there are so many of them archived in the building. Maggie Reilly, the curator of Zoology at the Hunterian, Glasgow University was especially generous with her time and allowed us access to some amazing pieces.

I have included some of my own photos of the evening and a link to the Life Drawing: Under The Skin specimens [photos taken by Timothy Drysdale] which I hope you will enjoy and be inspired by. The cuttlefish and Hammerhead shark skeleton specimens are my favourite and I will no doubt be referencing them for future horror or sci-fi work.

For details about the Perfect Spiral please click here.

Roller Grrrls cover and spread sketches.

Been a while since I posted any Roller Grrrls work. Here are some sketched ideas for the cover and a double-page spread. The main concern for both layouts was the number of Grrrls in the series. Each team has fourteen characters and we have three teams. Only George Perez could pull off such a cast heavy group shot. I decided to split the characters over the two images instead. Tiered levels [either from physical steps or perspective] helps to make the scene less of a line-up. Prioritising main primary characters over secondary ones is a wee trick too. Overall I am pleased with this initial pass but it needs more tweaking before committing to inks.

You can see more progress on Roller Grrrls on our Facebook page

Retro Post_Batman.

A cover for Batman:Legends of the Dark Knight from a few years ago. Very pleased with this image and continues my focus on headshots and faces as the primary element of the cover. It's an approach that is also seen in my Dredd pics too.

The Halifax Bruising Banditas logo design

 And now for something a little bit different...



I was asked by Liz Markey of the Halifax Bruising Banditas to design a new team logo for them [incorporating the original brand logo] for their new bout strips. We decided on a masked derby player in the style of my Roller Grrrls project and making it fun. The target was a late addition in the day as we needed a background and it kinda made sense and made for a great design element. The fist tattoo is another nod to the original logo design and works very well in the context of our character.



Overall I am delighted to be part of the team bout design process. Taut Clothing did an amazing job finishing off the tops and Sue Perman is seen here modelling the finished design.  The group shot also shows how Bad-Ass the girls look when they are bouting together!

Han Solo. Sketch.

Incendiary.US. Sketch+colour

Monster designs.

The Devil Doll_Sneak peek!

 The Devil Doll. First draft concept design work of the character for the Grindhouse series written by Alex De Campi [for Dark Horse Comics] Having a lot of fun with this book already. The head twists {exorcist style] to reveal the teeth and mouth of the Devil Doll. A truly twisted (sic) creation by Alex and I love her for it.

An Old-school approach to the character was decided upon as the Devil Doll's mouth had to look proportionate to the girl's head [hidden under the hair] None of that liberal Get Out Of Jail For Free CGI nonsense where anything goes [an easier chosen route as there are no boundaries to restrict design, size or shape] We had to consider a make-up and prosthetic aesthetic [with accompanying limitations] similar to Rob Bottin's wonderful work on The Thing and it seems scarier that way somehow.

Leto. Sketch.

Luke Skywalker_layout and sketch.

Another wee sketch from LSCC. I quickly thumbnail an idea/pose, then layout the sketch in biro very quickly to plan out the details. The brushpen is used to finish the piece [using the transparency of the paper to edit where necessary] Some minor background details are added for context. All in, about 20 minutes.

Joker_sketch.

A wee sketch of the Joker from Paris Manga. I loved doing the shirt pattern but reckon that  this texture is not going to appear again. Too fiddly!

Batman_sketch.

A sketch from the Paris Manga weekend. Played around with the familiar Batman profile sketch (a favourite on the circuit) and added another visual motif with the bats and moon. Might work this up a bit more when I have time but an interesting and fairly positive experiment. The fan was delighted.

Leto. Portrait.

Leto. Portrait. A small study from The Irons: Hybrids. Some minor photographic reference for the coat.

John Constantine. Sketch.

Psylocke. Sketch.

Vampire request. Sketch.

Silver Surfer. Sketch.

Another Dredd. Sketch.

Wondergirl. Sketch.

Vampire Mermaid. Sketch.

Punisher. Sketch.

Roller Grrrls. Sketch.

Pippa Middleton. Sketch.

Chewbacca. Sketch.

Star Wars.

Star Wars prints for a portfolio. Colours by the talented Yel Zamor (the Rainbow Wrangler) Further images will be added. Classic Star Wars to follow including Luke and Leia.

Goodbye, Emmanuelle.

Goodbye, Emmanuelle.

My small tribute to Sylvia Kristel who passed today at the age of 60 after a long battle with cancer. A truly alluring woman, her death cannot be understated. She defined a new sensuality for a whole generation over 40 years ago with this one image.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19990457

Midnighter. Sketch.

Batman. Sketch.

Judge Dredd and Mega City One. Sketch.

Princess Leia... in the gold bikini. Sketch.