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

The Economist - Eclipse of the PLC

Ruminations on the difficulties of the public limited company for The Economist magazine (I know, I just draw the pictures. my old man was an Economics lecturer though, does that count?)

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.

Cerberus the hound of hell (or a hell of a hound)

 

I had the delight last week of seeing some very talented kids at the Discover Childrens Story Centre drawing their versions of Cerberus after some superhero / Greek mythology related drawing workshop shenanigans. Have been pondering the disadvantages of owning a three headed dog since then... imagine the food bills : (

Cat with balloon

Yeah, yeah claws & balloons don't mix etc. etc. They certainly do in MY world!

Celebratory dinosaurs

Pictorial evidence to prove dinosaurs went to birthday parties

'insert war here'

Not so smug™ now huh? (interesting fridge)

Was deliberating about how to make a a drawing of a fridge interesting & seemed appropriate on a day like this

Glass half-full

Butcher's Dogs

'When it gets too hot for comfort
And you can't get an ice cream cone
T'ain't no sin to take off your skin
And dance around your bones'

Tom Waits

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...

Aminals...

Crittur of indeterminate species

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 )

Elephant jazz

Infinity

My dad taught me how to write the sign for infinity.
One night when I couldn't sleep I attempted to count up to it thinking it was like other numbers.
It wasn't.

Skellington Keys

Nefarious robber-type goings on...work in progress (click to enlarge as usual)
(for an earlier version see here )

Eyeball man

Spotted & drawn in pub in South London pub. I don't know if Eyeball is a band, but if it isn't, it bally well should be! Who wants to join?

Rock star hair

Drawing somewhat inspired by Dave Hill of Slade's '70s haircut, A stunning (if rather unwise) barnet that of of late I've become become rather obsessed with for reasons beyond my understanding. There's a certain rather brilliant home-made quality to '70s British glam rockers which makes it all the more endearing...

Happy St George's Day!

(I have contributed to suitable dragon-cruelty charities & will politely draw a veil over the fact that Saint George never actually set foot in England...shhhhhhh!)

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!)

Topiary haircut

I always ask for the 'bird' at the hairdressers

Badges!

I visited the Superheroes exhibition this morning - it's all looking really great, the folks at the Discover Children's Story Centre have done an amazing job, photos to follow. Today I got to wear a cape, sit in a Super Car & got given badges & comics too - yay!

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

Noises...

A page of obscure noises

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

'Look Mom, no hands!'

...this would be very ruinous to my career.

That's all.
(maybe eschew the pork mittens next time?)

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