How To Draw Professor Poo & Ploppy from Journey To Pootopia

I'm going to show you how to draw Professor Poo & Ploppy from the new hilarious graphic novel for kids Poo Crew Adventures - Journey To Pootopia by James Turner & me! Join Ploppy and his fearless guide, Professor Poo, as they boldly venture into the Secret Intestines of the Universe to discover answers to the most important Digestion Questions … Why do we chew? Why do we fart? Why do cows have so many stomachs? And … what will happen to Ploppy AFTER he’s been flushed?! If you’ve ever used the toilet, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU! https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/journey-to-poo-topia-poo-crew-adventures-james-turner?variant=40642344190030

'Better Than Batman. Steve May.'

(Illustration from 'Supernan's Day Out' by Phil Earle pub Barrington Stoke)

Is this is the BEST HEADLINE EVER?!?! : )

Thanks so much to LoveReading4Kids for featuring me in their Illustrators Spotlight this month where I describe what '4 year old me' might think of 'fifty something year old me's' life choices, influences & the essential mischief of being an illustrator, including drawing poo for a living for my new graphic novel with James Turner Poo Crew Adventures - Journey to Pootopia

https://tinyurl.com/4bfm4wt4

 

POO CREW ADVENTURES - JOURNEY TO POO-TOPIA

POO CREW ADVENTURES - JOURNEY TO POO-TOPIA written by James Turner and illustrated by Steve May Illustration & Animation.

Professor Poo and Ploppy, aka the POO CREW, are on a mission: to prove that POO is the most important substance in the Whole Entire Universe....

Will the succeed? Will they get flushed? Whatever happens, it's going to be a toilet trip to remember...

Published by Farshore Books on 1st August!

Read more in our news: https://tinyurl.com/5n9a7pue

Buy your copy here: https://tinyurl.com/ycyp4sx3

POO-BLICATION DAY! Poo Crew Adventures - Journey to Pootopia

I'm FLUSHED with excitement to announce that 'Poo Crew Adventures - Journey to Pootopia' by James Turner & me is published today by Harper Collins Childrens

It's a funny, fast-paced graphic novel aimed at 7-11 year olds filled with facts about the human body, digestion & various animal poo facts (did you KNOW that wombats do square poos*?!?)

My initial thoughts were "you want me to draw a book about WHAT?!?!" but I thoroughly enjoyed bringing the educational & anarchic together in this book - it's not every day you get to draw fatbergs the size of large bungalows, poo car hybrids & bacterial hamsters* amongst MANY other things!

James' text is so funny & challenging to illustrate & I really enjoyed the collaboration between us, not to underestimate the contribution of Liam Drane & Melissa Fairley (senior graphic designer & publishing director repectively) Also a big heads up to Caroline Thomson my agent at Arena for keeping me sane! 

The authors as poos.

"The hilarious new graphic novel series packed with facts – perfect for fans of A Day in the Life of a Poo, a Gnu and You, Bunny Vs Monkey, Dog Man and InvestiGators! "Poo is the most interesting and important substance in the entire universe!" – Professor Poo In an ordinary toilet, on an ordinary day, a small poo called Ploppy lands with a splash. Just an ordinary poo about to be flushed . . . But Ploppy is anything but ordinary. He's a TALKING POO! And he's about to go on the mission of a lifetime . . . Join Ploppy and his fearless guide, Professor Poo, as they boldly venture into the Secret Intestines of the Universe to discover answers to the most important Digestion Questions . . . Why do we chew? Why do we fart? Why do cows have so many stomachs? And . . . what will happen to Ploppy AFTER he's been flushed?! If you've ever used the toilet, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!"

Fatberg & poo-car!

Prehistoric poo-ing.

*I TOLD you wombats do square poos!

Three large elephants!

EVERYONE thinks farts are funny!

(*Aforementioned bacterial hamster)

Poo Crew Adventures - Welcome to Pootopia!

Very excited to receive my first copies of Poo Crew Adventures by James Turner & me! Mixing the educational, the anarchic & the downright disgusting this is a really funny fast paced graphic novel for kids published by HarperCollins Children's Books UK - if you’ve EVER had a poo this book’s for you!

‘Fart-out-loud hilarious … I loved every disgusting second of it!’ – Jamie Smart, creator of Bunny Vs Monkey

In an ordinary toilet, on an ordinary day, a small poo called Ploppy lands with a splash. Just an ordinary poo about to be flushed …

But Ploppy is anything but ordinary. He’s a TALKING POO! And he’s about to go on the mission of a lifetime …

Join Ploppy and his fearless guide, Professor Poo, as they boldly venture into the Secret Intestines of the Universe to discover answers to the most important Digestion Questions … Why do we chew? Why do we fart? Why do cows have so many stomachs? And … what will happen to Ploppy AFTER he’s been flushed?!

If you’ve ever used the toilet, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!

You can pre-order it here

COVER REVEAL! 'Poo Crew Adventures: Journey to Poo-topia'

  

If you’ve ever used the toilet, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!

After my initial ‘you want me to draw a book about WHAT!?!?’ reaction I thoroughly enjoyed bringing the anarchic  & educational together in this absolute romp of a book. 

James’ text has been a laugh out loud joy to illustrate & I now know more about various digestion systems - humans to wombats & beyond - than I ever thought possible! 

This is being published in August by Farshore Books.

"Join small poo Ploppy and his fearless guide, Professor Poo, on a bold venture into the Secret Intestines of the Universe to discover answers to the most important Digestion Questions in Poo Crew Adventures: Journey to Poo-topia .

From creative POO-werhouse James Turner & Steve May, this brand-new graphic novel is FLUSH with facts about the human body and digestion."

Pre-order today: https://lnkfi.re/vuwLXT

Sammy And The Extra Hot Chilli Powder

 There's a nice write up about my new book 'Sammy And The Extra Hot Chilli Powder' on my agent's site here

Steve May masterfully illustrates the latest adventure by Charlie P. Brooks as we emBARK on a rip-roaring diamond heist adventure.

This week we celebrate the publication of Sammy and the Extra-Hot Chilli Pepper, written by Charlie P. Brooks with a stunning jacket and internal illustrations by Arena’s very own Steve May.

Setterpoo Sammy is a dog with an extraordinary sense of smell, in fact, she has the best nose in the business if you're a sniffer dog! She can sniff out ANYTHING - diamonds, watches, explosives and even parrots! But in an incident involving some extra-hot chilli pepper she completely loses her sense of smell.

This spells disaster for Sammy! Not only is she unable to smell her favourite treat (sausages) but also, she is 'retired' from the Border Security Dog Unit. But every cloud has a silver lining when Harry her handler finds a new home for Sammy in a small village called Bloomington with a little girl called Beanie and her mum. The pair soon become best friends and it's not long before Sammy's sense of smell starts to return. When mysterious events begin to occur the pair leap into action and become the village investigators. Mogpuss the cat goes missing, Farmer Gerard's eggs are stolen and then half of the villagers lose their broadband connection - DISASTER! But - in a dramatic turn of events, Sammy's expert sense of smell is needed back in London to help foil a dastardly plot to steal a precious diamond. She’ll have to use ALL her instincts to save the day!

 

Steve’s illustrations bring a comic magic to this brilliant read, from stinky bins, smelly socks and sausages to fish heads, burgers and stale eggs. Steve’s intuitive sense of humour and fun shine through and will ensure that this book really grabs the attention of a host of young story seekers. 

You can take a look at an extract HERE.

 "I love drawing dogs although I usually approach them with a fair amount of 'Steve May' artistic licence but this one required specific breeds so I enjoyed the challenge of drawing Sammy and her pals. There's also a wonderfully snooty cat cat called Mogpuss who was rather fun to imagine too!" - Steve May

Steve is a prolific doodler, artist, rock star and animator and has worked with the likes of Phil Earle, Francesca Simon, and Harry Hill alongside clients such as the BBC, The Economist and Discover Story Centre. Based in London, Steve works digitally and in pen and ink with a spontaneous freedom which joyfully leaps off the page. With many projects including the Dennis the Menace brand under his belt, his talent for creating chaotic attention-grabbing, cartoon style characters are unparalleled.

PUBLICATION DAY for Sammy & the Extra-Hot Chilli Powder!

Sammy & The Extra Hot Chilli Powder is published today!

It's written by Charlie P Brooks & illustrated by me & published by Harper Collins Childrens & was great fun bringing Sammy & her canine / human friends to life (there's a good villain in there too - they're ALWAYS fun!) 

I love drawing dogs although I usually approach them with a fair amount of 'Steve May' artistic licence but this one required specific breeds so I enjoyed the challenge of drawing Sammy & her pals. There's also a wonderfully snooty cat cat called Mogpuss who was rather fun to imagine too!

'A warm and brilliantly funny family comedy told from the perspective of Sammy the sniffer dog – perfect for younger readers aged 7 and up

Setterpoo Sammy has a BRILLIANT sense of smell. She can sniff out ANYTHING – watches, explosives, even parrots!

But one day, Sammy sniffs some EXTRA-HOT chilli powder and loses her sense of smell COMPLETELY. It’s up to Sammy’s Best Human Friend, Beanie, to help her get it back.

And when Sammy finds out that someone is planning to steal a precious DIAMOND, she’ll have to use ALL her instincts to save the day!'

 

Giraffe pop up!

How many injuries are caused by pop-up books with giraffes in them?

Do you ever think of that?

No, because you only think of yourselves.

Eek, Sheep!

 SUPER BAAAAAAAAD! My new collaboration with the MIGHTY Danny Pearson, 'Eek Sheep!' is out NOW! Expect wooly mayhem, seaside adventure & plenty of jelly!

'A community is thrown into chaos as a flock of hungry sheep take over the local town and cause mayhem! All the people want to do is live in peace once again, but who will be brave enough to stand up to this wacky woolly army?'

You can order a copy here!

(I TOLD you there'd be plenty of jelly!)

 

(You might just find a certain illustrator lurking on the cover too if you look carefully!)

Grunt The Beserker - behind the scenes...

 I was just searching through some old files & found some of my preliminary sketches for Two Terrible Vikings & Grunt The Beserker my second collaboration with the brilliant Francesca Simon which I thought some of you might be interested in seeing the process around creating the cover

This was my very first version which I cleaned up a bit...

...to this which went over to the people at Faber - we all thought it looked a bit too scary so I gave it another go & rejigged the format to make it a bit clearer

I decided it would be less cluttered if Hack & Wack were separate from the terrible Grunt Ironskull so I doodled this in the back of my sketchbook...

...which turned into this...

It was thought that this version was too similar in colour to the first book so I decided to create a more brooding sky which I think works much better on the final book cover (see above)

For the back cover we'd decided to show Hack & Wack's pet wolf Bitey Bitey being menaced by Grunt's hound Muddy Butt - I drew a couple of versions - I rather liked the front on version but the final version works better with the text

Here's the final version...

Publication Day For 'Two Terrible Vikings' - 'Grunt The Beserker'

 "The world’s very worst Vikings are back to dash our hopes and fail our expectations!"

I'm extremely pleased to say that Hack & Wack, the WORST Vikings in the village are back in the second of the Two Terrible Vikings series Grunt The Beserker which is published TODAY - 3rd February by Faber Childrens!

In the new book the twins are forced to attend school & EVEN WORSE a fierce & stinky beserker warrior moves in NEXT DOOR!

How will the twins & their friends outwit Grunt & his vicious dog Muddy Butt?!?!

This is my second collaboration with the brilliantly funny Francesca Simon & was an absolute riot to return to draw the terrible Viking twins Hack & Wack along with their friends Dirty Ulf, Twisty Pants, Elsa Gold-Hair & of course Bitey Bitey their pet baby wolf!
In this new book I also got to draw the terrible (& rather stinky) Grunt The Beserker, his huge vicious dog Muddy Butt, Pecky Pecky the fiercest chicken in the Viking world & a plethora of angry puffins too! 

I frequently found myself laughing out loud when realising Francesca's hilarious text which is always a VERY GOOD THING!

Pop into your nearest independent bookshop & say hello or you can order a copy from here

Grunt the Beserker...sneak preview

 Psst...here's a glimpse of the brilliant bookmarks to go with the publication of the SECOND Two Terrible Vikings books - 'Grunt the Beserker' written by the brilliant Francesca Simon & illustrated by me. 

(If you look closer you can get a sneak peak of the cover of the book which is published on Thursday 3rd February by Faber Childrens)

Buck 'n' Bronco Hit The Road - Publication day!

 YEEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAA! My latest collaboration with the brilliant Guy Bass Buck 'n' Bronco Hit The Road is published today - April the 1st by the wonderful folk at Barrington Stoke & it's no joke  - this is a fib, it's FULL of jokes (& the odd farting horse too shhh! What a riot this was to draw - 'BRING THE HAPPY!' (™) You can order it here

Buck 'n' Bronco are mascots at the Happy Ranch theme park.

It's their mission to Bring the Happy (TM) to your day!But when Happy Ranch is demolished to make way for a futuristic new park, Buck 'n' Bronco find themselves without a home and without a job.

They head out on the road, determined to prove they've still got what it takes. Can Buck 'n' Bronco Bring the Happy (TM) out in the real world, or are they doomed to be yesterday's mascots?

'This story really is the most tremendous fun. Packed full of laughs and with some wonderful toilet humour, it will be a sure-fire hit with younger readers – and their adults.'  - Jacqui Sydney 

'With heartwarming themes of friendship, mutual support, shared adversity and the importance of being prepared to embrace change, Bass and May’s inspirational and anarchic comedy hits the spot perfectly for readers young… and not-so-young!'  (Pam Norfolk - Lancashire Post)

(I told you there were farting horses!)

BUCK ‘N’ BRONCO Hit the Road!

Howdy pardners! You have to be FOOLS* to miss out on BUCK ‘N’ BRONCO Hit the Road!** my latest collaboration with the brilliant Guy Bass which is out on 1st APRIL published by Barrington Stoke!

*see what I did there?

** might contain horse farts.

'When the Happy Ranch theme park closes down to make way for a futuristic new adventure land, park mascots Buck and Bronco are out of a job and out of a home.

While Buck thinks its time for them to spread their wings and take the show on the road, Bronco wants nothing more than for their life to be exactly as it was ...

Can the pair discover new meaning beyond the park and recapture the fame they once had? Or are they destined to be yesterday's mascots?'