Wednesday 13 December 2023
More Batman...
Tuesday 12 December 2023
Friday 6 May 2022
Supernan's Day Out - behind the scenes
In celebration of the publication of Supernan's Day Out, the sequel to Superdad's Day Off & the 4th collaboration between me & the brilliant Phil Earle I thought I'd share some of my process & initial sketches for the book.
They liked this version so I added a bit of colour...
A few more sketches of the clifftop hotel being drenched by a tidal wave & my first sketch of Gladys, Nan's best friend
Monday 2 May 2022
PUBLICATION DAY FOR SUPERNAN'S DAY OUT!
'An unexpected family secret has hilarious consequences in this action-packed story from Phil Earle and illustrator Steve May - perfect for superhero fans. Plane crashes, robberies and fires were not what Stanley was expecting on a day out at the seaside with his nan and the other residents of her care home!
Nan doesn't know about his superpowers, so Super Stan can't step in to help as it would blow his cover. Luckily, though, another mysterious superhero seems to be on hand, saving the day.
But who could it possibly be?'
This is the sequel to Superdad's Day Off & is full of colourful hilarious action. It's my 4th collaboration with Phil & publisher Barrington Stoke & I always relish our projects.
I loved illustrating this book & it was huge fun relating the antics of Stan & his nan & reimagining a seaside town which was part Hastings (my hometown) part Blackpool with a tiny smidgeon of Coney Island in the mix somewhere. Being brought up by the sea reading superhero comics the British seaside resort & superheroes are subjects very close to my heart so in Supernan I had to opportunity to indulge myself in both so that's a bit of a bonus!
Nip down to your favourite bookshop & tell them me & Phil sent you (or alternatively you can order a copy here)
Thursday 30 September 2021
The Incurable Oaf™
My spirit superhero. (Hark! Is that Marvel & DC Comics on the phone I hear?)
MORE made-up comics you say? Go here!
Friday 17 July 2020
Friday 21 April 2017
Superdad's Day Off
"Stanley is a normal little boy, whose dad just happens to be the greatest superhero on the planet. Six days a week, Dad saves the world from disasters, aliens, and bad guys. Friday is his day off and he always spends it with Stan. But one Friday, Dad and Stan meet a series of people desperately in need of Dad’s help! Soon Stan finds himself saving a lion stuck up a tree, rescuing a monster truck from a ditch and taking on shark-infested floodwaters. That’s right: Stan is a chip off the old (superhero) block!"
Was an absolute blast to illustrate & I'm pleased with how well it's come out, here's a few bits & pieces from the book.
Tuesday 21 February 2017
Superdad's Day Off (sneak preview)
I'll write & post more once it's published. I've got previous form with superheroes so was BIG fun to illustrate!
Tuesday 23 August 2016
Monday 22 August 2016
Friday 1 July 2016
Fat Batman With Balloons
Friday 13 May 2016
Happy Superhero Day!
(This is a clip from my film X&Y from a few years back - you can see it in its full glory here!)
Tuesday 16 February 2016
Monday 20 July 2015
Doomed Franchises #1 Wilbur the Friendly Toast Boy™
Wednesday 7 January 2015
Thursday 17 January 2013
Zombies - before & after
It's always nice to get the final copy of a book sent through!
It suddenly inspired me to look at the stages this cover went through from my (rather maximalist) original rough (top) to my final artwork (less zombies, less superheroes) to the final book where the (decidedly more minimalist) zombies seem to have acquired a rather fetching shade of green!
WHAM-BAM-JELLY-AND-JAM! - Cartoon Kid - ZOMBIES!
I just received my copy of the new Jeremy Strong Cartoon Kid book - Cartoon Kid Zombies!
It's got falling trousers, dancing hippos, talking cakes, police elephants (naturally!) toilet paper mummies & lots of other zombie based shenanigans that Casper & his superhero friends encounter - what more do you need?
It's been a lot of hard work & a lot of fun working on these books & this looks like this will be the last in the series which is a shame (especially as I can draw some of the characters in my sleep by now!) & I've grown quite fond of them.
WHAM-BAM-JELLY-AND-JAM! Anybody can be a superhero! (as long as you stick your pants on the outside, I ALWAYS do!)
You can buy a copy from here but I'd suggest getting one from your local PROPER bookshop - who knows what else you might find?
Friday 22 June 2012
Cerberus the hound of hell (or a hell of a hound)
Sunday 22 April 2012
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