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

Breakfast Comic Strips

As an exercise I’ve been drawing automatic 'breakfast comic strips' this week - no preplanning, just seeing what comes out.

I usually have extremely vivid dreams & have been suffering from awful anxiety & dread when I wake up in the mornings so this has just been a way to distract myself & to force myself out of it. No rules, but none of them been allowed to have taken more than about 30 minutes to draw (because I have lots of PROPER work to do!) They're extremely variable in quality but I thought some people would be interested to see them. They probably say a lot about my subconscious & obsessions but I'll leave that for you to work out!

Tuesday 10th September

Wednesday 11th September

Thursday 12th September

Friday 13th September

Mr Dilly Presents - Journey To Pootopia

James Turner & me got to be among one of the 'Magnificent 7' authors for a Mr Dilly Presents event on the 12th September which went out to schools from Canada, Nigeria and the Baleareic Islands! 3,000 kids tuned in during the live show!

Along with authors Swapna Haddow, Anna Fargher, Justin Somper, Lucy Strange & Lisa Williams We got to talk about our new book Journey To Pootopia & some of our influences & favourite childhood books too. I also got to do a Professor Poo drawalong for 3000 kids (& managed a few doodles too!)

You can watch again here

 

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)

Skater Dogs!

 Skater Dogs!!!! Available NOW as a an artprint on my Ko-Fi

#SkaterDogs #Dogs #DogsOnSkateboards

Caterpillar Soup and Flying Frogs

This came out a couple of months back & was a rather nice job to illustrate & I was given a great amount of freedom to draw some weird & wonderful stuff for a non-fiction book!

Caterpillar Soup and Flying Frogs by JD Savage from Oxford University Press, shows 7-8-year-olds some of the weird and wonderful changes animals go through and the utterly odd things they have to do first - from dwelling underground for 17 years sucking tree roots, to partially turning into living soup with a memory.

'The Readerful imprint is designed to motivate children to read more, choose a book to read by themselves, boost their vocabulary and develop their knowledge of the world around them - including, I hope, a sense of wonder and curiosity about the nature marvels all around them.'

My 'get up & go' just got up & went!

 "My 'get up & go' just got up & went!" 

(pen, ink & wash on A6 300gsm watercolour paper)

"There's Some Days You Just Can't Get Rid Of A Bomb"

 As you might have noticed, Batman has become rather a theme in my work of late, but I think he's always been a recurring motif in my drawing since I was a kid. He's always there lurking under the surface somewhere! 

Ghost Pants!

 

Happy International Panic Day!

Happy International Panic Day everybody! Your cast iron excuse to run around screaming for no discernible reason!

Witch Hunt! (Merry Walpurgis Night!)

 It's a witch hunt!

Merry #WalpurgisNight (also known as 'Walpurgisnacht' and 'Night of the Witches', is a pagan festival celebrated each year on 30 April.)

Happy birthday to the inimitable force of nature that is Iggy Pop!

 I can't explain how much poorer my life would have been without the presence of James Osterberg - otherwise known as Iggy Pop. If you haven't witnessed him live you're missing one of the most joyful things in life! I must have seen him about 7 or 8 times over the last 35 years or so (I first saw him in 1988 for the first time & was worried he might be a bit 'past it' but he just gets better & better!)

Happy birthday Iggy!

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

Night Terrors

As those of you who follow me on other social media you'll be aware of my sleep struggles so with a cheeky nod to Francisco Goya I've been drawing a few in tired desperation in my sketchbooks which you might enjoy (more than I do!)

 

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!'

 

Happy Year of the Dragon!

 

More Batman...

I like a little Batman sketch now & then, here's a few recent ones...

Batman on his summer holidays

Moody pensive Batman

 

An Important Message From Batman Concerning This Festive Period!

 

Tree's up

A Haiku 

Christmas tree is up,

Cat observes it eagerly,

Christmas tree is down.