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!

You can also get some more draw-along action from the Book Trust where I'm showing you how to draw Bitey Bitey, the twins' pet baby wolf! Click here

You can even get a SIGNED copy from Daunts bookshop here

Two Terrible Vikings - PUBLICATION DAY!

I'm very excited to announce that my first collaboration with the brilliant Francesca Simon (bestselling author of Horrid Henry among many other things!) Two Terrible Vikings is published today 4th February 2021 by Faber.

It follows the exploits of the terrible twins, Hack and Whack, who are PROUD to be the best worst vikings. Along with the wonderfully named Bitey Bitey the baby wolf nothing stops the marauding pair as they steal boats, loot a birthday party, track a troll and sail off to raid Bad Island with their friends Twisty Pants and Dirty Ulf.

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

“As joyously anarchic as Horrid Henry himself, these two little boy and girl Vikings will have your children laughing out loud.”

- CRESSIDA COWELL

“Viking twins Hack and Whack make me thank Thor and Odin and the whole Norse pantheon that I don't have to play with them in real life! A treat for kids who wonder what could happen if they broke every possible rule, but so ridiculous that they'll forget to try because they're laughing too hard. Steve May's illustrations burst with wild energy; I genuinely guffawed at his drawing of a pin-the-tail-on-the-ogre game. A wonderfully absurd, anarchic romp.”

- SARAH MCINTYRE

 

Trump issuing pardons on Zoom this morning...

Listening to Radio 4 this morning hearing about Trump's last day in office I sketched this on my kitchen table this morning & figured I'd colour it in. I like a bit of colouring in! Here's before & after for your edification...

 

Puddles...

 Wisdom from Anorak Cat!

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?'

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!

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