The Summer Reading Challenge - Story Lab

Here's some more of the Story Lab artwork I produced for the Reading Agency's Summer Reading Challenge which launched across UK children's libraries on July 14th 2012 - (click to enlarge as usual - there's lots of little details on this one!)

The Summer Reading Challenge

I spent a couple of months at the beginning of the year creating all the characters & scenarios for print and online illustrations and animations for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge – STORY LAB – for The Reading Agency, whose aim is to to get kids reading books.
The Campaign, launched on 14th July has wide press and TV coverage and is featured in UK libraries this summer encouraging kids to read 6 books over the summer holidays.
Here's a few pieces from the campaign

Cartoon Kid is July's poster boy!

I'm July's poster boy for my agent Arena Illustration's calendar - illustration was commissioned by The Times for their Campaign For Fun which searches for the most fun school in Britain*.  It features characters from Cartoon Kid, the series by Jeremy Strong, published by Puffin Books which I'm about to begin illustrating the 5th in the series - yay!

* It definitely wasn't the one I went to.

Troll pic-nic

Had completely forgotten drawing this & stumbled across it this morning - it was part of a story that I never finished writing a few years back...maybe I should finish it, watch this space...

Murder & Chips

I just received copies of the new Micheal Lawrence Jiggy McCue book Murder & Chips which I drew the front & back cover artwork for - (very pleased that they let me get away with my appalling 'Deadie's' Sauce' pun on the ketchup bottle too)
(thanks to Thy Bui at Orchard books for book design - you can order it here although I'd always urge you to get off your a*** & walk down to your local bookshop rather than buy it online )

Superheroes Exhibition launch party

Our hero with assorted superheroes
Our hero modelling a very fetching cape (photo Sarah McIntyre)



Photos © Tim Mitchell

Me with the Discover team (photo Sarah McIntyre)

Great launch party last week for the interactive Superheroes exhibition that I just finished working on with the lovely folk at the Discover Children's Story Centre in Stratford so here's a few photographs of the exhibition (& a couple of me looking silly too!)
Big thanks everybody at Discover for being delightful to work with & for all their brilliant work in making the exhibition work so well

Images courtesy of  Tim Mitchell, Arena Illustration & also thanks to Sarah McIntyre, monster illustrator extraordinaire who has kindly let me nick some  photos from her blog

More images here

Welcome to Alphabet City!

Animated intro for the interactive Superheroes Exhibition at the Discover Children's Story Centre featuring square jaws, a surfeit of cape-ery & a glimpse of a Super-Villain to boot! See it here

(thanks to Sam Hooper for some great sound design)

Hair gunk...

Love a bit of pomade me! (This is a tiny segment from a new book I've been drawing - but so tiny it won't make any difference if I show you but shhhhhhh!)

I used to have a hairdresser who suddenly overnight became allergic to all such 'product' (as they term it in the coiffeuring trade) very distressing all round - it'd be like me becoming allergic to pencils or something...

( see also 'Look mom, no hands' )

Meet the Superheroes!

These are the finished comic strips that go with the children's Superheroes exhibition that I've just finished working on. They introduce the superheroes A,E,I,O & U in their battle against the evil vowel snatching villain Y. (all superheroes need a good origin story!)
The exhibition (which makes me wish I was 6 years old again!) is at the Discover Children's Story Centre in Stratford & is open until the 4th November - more details here

ssssssnake...

(forgot his ssssssssatchel!)

Superheroes comic strips

Here's a selection of the comic strips I produced for the Superheroes exhibition at the Discover Children's Story Centre in Stratford, East London showing the origins of the main characters. The superheroes A, E, I, O & U are battling the dastardly villain Y who is stealing all the vowels from Alphabet City!

I was commissioned to design the superhero & super villain characters & the the urban environment the exhibition is set in (including lots of fun with signs & animals! : )I also produced some animated clips for the interactive parts of the exhibition

The exhibition opened on Sunday 1st April & will run until 4th November - I haven't had a chance to see the finished piece yet, looking forward to it loads.

You can find out more details on the Discover website

Superheroes Exhibition

The Superheroes exhibition I've been designing with the Discover Children's Story Centre in Stratford is opening this Sunday 1st April!

(To celebrate the opening of Superheroes on Sunday 1st of April the centre will be free all day. Book tickets on 020 8536 5555)

http://www.discover.org.uk/whatson/event/superheroes

Superheroes exhibition

Over the last few months I've been working with the lovely team at The Discover Children's Story Centre designing for an interactive Superheroes exhibition which opens on the 1st April through to the 4th November - I was at the centre yesterday & it's all looking great so here's taster of the display window...more to follow

Find out more here http://www.discover.org.uk/whatson/event/superheroes

...and stay out!

Happy 100th birthday!

THIS is what you'll get if you live to be 100. Gawd bless her & all who sail in her (who said 'off with his head'?)

(From 'Cartoon Kid Strikes Back' by Jeremy Strong with scrawls provided by my good self)

Cartoon Kid Strikes Back! OUT NOW!

'Cartoon Kid Strikes Back' the 3rd in the Cartoon Kid series written by Jeremy Strong & illustrated by myself is published today!
There's police elephants, hippo dinners,hamster family fun,cake chaos & much more!

Get out of your chair & take a walk to your local independent bookshop & buy one!

- or else be a lazy arse & you can get it on the interweb

More bears & chairs

In new improved colour©*

(*color for my American followers)

how to make a devil sandwich

...well, you never know - tuck in!

Bears with chairs

...plus added ice cream!

Hercules (cross version)

I was rooting around old bits of artwork & found this picture of Hercules fighting the Nemean lion which was drawn for the cover of a book called 'Hercules The Hero' by Tony Bradman but rejected for being a bit too aggressive - I re drew it but quite like this version too - I love a bit of Greek mythology me!