If you're feeling particularly Viking-esque here's a video of me drawing Hack & Wack the Viking twins from my new collaboration with author Francesca Simon 'Two Terrible Vikings' which is available now!
Friday 5 February 2021
Drawalong-a-Viking!
If you're feeling particularly Viking-esque here's a video of me drawing Hack & Wack the Viking twins from my new collaboration with author Francesca Simon 'Two Terrible Vikings' which is available now!
Thursday 4 February 2021
Two Terrible Vikings - PUBLICATION DAY!
Well, almost nothing...
I've always had a soft spot for all things Viking & a spot of Norse mythology so this felt right up my street (fjord maybe?) you *might* just spot Hugin & Munin, Odin's ravens lurking throughout the book & I found myself looking at Runic script to see how a Viking might have written 'No Spitting' - nothing like doing your research eh?
I found myself regularly laughing out loud as I drew this which is testament to the brilliance of Francesca's prose. The book just romps along & especially as a formerly rather timid kid I immediately wanted to be in Hack & Wack's gang! Particular favourites were Bitey Bitey the twins' pet wolf & their friend Dirty Ulf - I had a ball drawing this book & hope it shows.
The majority of the book was drawn on my kitchen table during the first lockdown in Spring 2020 which was mainly a horrible, difficult time for me but I felt like I could live vicariously through the twins' joyous anarchic spirit which was a wonderful tonic.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed drawing it.
Anyway don't take MY word for it, here's a couple of nice reviews
Tuesday 19 January 2021
Trump issuing pardons on Zoom this morning...
Puddles...
Thursday 14 January 2021
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?'
Thursday 7 January 2021
Albert Johnson & the Buns of Steel - PUBLICATION DAY!
My THIRD collaboration with the brilliant Phil Earle Albert Johnson & The Buns Of Steel is published today by the lovely folk at Barrington Stoke. It's got giant robots, PLENTY of baked goods & jam grenades in it!
What an absolute riot this was to illustrate, Phil's writing is always very inspiring & I had a lot of fun drawing this I hope people will have a lot of fun reading it.
(I also love the fact that the title came from Phil's son who challenged him to get a book called 'Buns of Steel' published - and he DID!)
"This sparkling new story – brimming with Earle’s signature wicked wit and May’s anarchic illustrations – delivers slapstick giggles and guffaws on every page. Don’t miss the bun fun!
(Pam Norfolk - Lancashire Post)
Albert Johnson’s dad is a Master Baker, so Albert will become one too, right? Wrong!
Albert’s not interested in baking. He likes football. Cricket. Tennis. Or any other sport you could name. But Albert’s dad still needs help in the family bakery, so he builds a machine like no other: the Doughmaster 5000. It seems to have solved all their problems, until one night, Dad’s miracle solution turns into a rampaging disaster. It’s up to Albert to fix the mess – but will his sporting skills save him now?
You can see our previous 2 collaborations Superdad's Day Off & Unlucky Eleven here!
Monday 4 January 2021
Two Terrible Vikings by Francesca Simon - first peak at the cover!
Here's a peak at the final cover for Two Terrible Vikings written by the brilliant best selling author Francesca Simon & illustrated by me. I'm extremely excited about this series, this book was great fun to illustrate & I fell in love with a lot of the brilliant characters. If I catch myself laughing out loud when I'm working it's ALWAYS a good sign & Francesca's text is so funny & warm (despite all the snow inside) I think readers will really fall in love with Hack & Wack & their friends!
Two Terrible Vikings is published by Faber & you can pre-order it here
You can see the earlier cover here