World Menace (Book) Day 2015

I've been pleased to illustrate a special edition of Diary of Dennis the Menace written by the very funny Steven Butler especially for World Book Day (or World Menace Day as Dennis has decided to rebrand it!) 

A few weeks ago I also took part in a Puffin Virtually Live event where the audience got two Stevens for the price of one, (myself & Mr Butler!) tips on dressing up as Dennis for school on World Book Day itself & I explain how to draw your very own Gnasher! Lots of fun! 

Here's a sneak preview of Dennis' Blobzilla costume I drew for World Book (I mean Menace) Day...

(design by Mandy Norman)

Monster Facts #13

Monsters don't generally let the 'this is extremely uncomfortable' factor get in the way of a good hiding place.

More Monster Facts? Go here

Jesus is tempted in the wilderness

Every Shrove Tuesday we are reminded how Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the devil with a pancake (or something like that)

Fat Tuesday...

Fat Tuesday - mind that lard!

The Economist Feb 7th - An Investor Calls

 I was commissioned to produce these illustrations for The Economist for an article called 'An Investor Calls' about the impact of certain hedge fund activists on businesses - you can read this far more eloquently in the original article
My idea of 'activist' was rather different to what the article was actually speaking about but once I'd been put onto the right track (no V for Vendetta masks et al!)  I had decided to make the activist female in the original roughs but was informed that all the activists the journalist had researched & spoken to were men so this was duly amended in the final illustration - here's a before / after for your edification

Bash Street Bandits - Puffin Virtually Live

Had great fun this afternoon drawing for the Puffin Virtually Live event for the publication of the new Diary of Dennis the Menace book at Sadlers Wells with charming Dennis the Menace author Steven Butler & former Blur Peter presenter the lovely Helen Skelton. (ok, it's very childish of me but that's BLUE PETER! So cool!)

I got to demonstrate to the audience the fine art of drawing Dennis' best friend, the one and only Gnasher with some great audience results too! (might be out of a job if I'm not careful!) Here's a couple I managed to get photos of.

Dennis the Menace - Bash Street Bandit!

Somebody out there is OUT-MENACING THE PRANKMASTER GENERAL! Dennis the Menace has to use all his super secret agent detective skills to find this Bash Street Bandit & prove to everybody that he's the most menacing menace of all Beanotown!

The 4th book in the Diary of Dennis the Menace series 'Bash Street Bandit!' written by Steven Butler & illustrated by me is out today (Thursday 5th February)
There's some detective work...

...& a healthy dose of burping & farting

Tiger pants

Nothing as joyful as pants on a tiger in its natural habitat!

Tyrannosaurus slide!

NB Dinosaurs are not too hot on sharing or taking turns (& watch your ice cream!) 

A guide to the creative process

Beards, craft beer, posh coffee.

Some pensive beard sketches - am not mentioning the h*pster word.

Here be dragons...

Some very dragon-y sketchbook pages

Heels of Glory

Just had the pleasure of re-visiting my design for 'Drag Action Musical' Heels of Glory for the lovely Tricity Vogue which is on for 2 nights at the Chelsea Theatre on Wednesday 28th & Thursday 29th January. You can buy your tickets here

Monster Facts #12

Monster Fact: THAT'S what happens when you fiddle with your belly button kids! (where the hell did you think tentacled beasties lived huh?)

Collect the series!

January blues

Happy birthday Bowie & Elvis!

If Bowie had done the 'Vegas years'... : (

Unlikely bird superhero hybrid awaits Marvel movie adaptation

Come on, they're making adaptations of EVERYTHING now. Patience my friend...

Kimono dragon!

A friend of mine said that his son & him had been discussing the existence of the Kimono dragon & wondered if I knew anything about it.

I did.

Of COURSE they exist!

Animated merry Xmas!

Oh Christmas tree!

The Cheeseboard of the Devil

Demonic dairy products

Steve May - Artist's Q&A for Arena Illustration

I had the pleasure of being (gently) interrogated recently by the Booksniffer for the Arena Illustration site about life the universe & drawing things for a living - read the Q&A here

Malevolent menace (with raygun) part 2

This is going to be some lucky kid's present this year (the picture, not the raygun!)
(Dennis the Menace & Gnasher © D C Thomson Ltd)

Malevolent menace with raygun

I was moved to draw this...

After spotting this...

...and imagining the aftermath (am thinking this is by Davey Law but it's not credited)

'insert generic indie band here' & other drawings...

I'm enjoying this dip pen & sepia ink right now - no other reason

Pleased!

Cats & pizza

With reference to my previous post, don't feed your cat pizza kids!

Pizza time

NB This is an humorous picture for the purpose of amusement. Please refrain from feeding pizza to your pets.

Why witches have black cats...

The Haunted Pipe & other stories...

Just in time for Halloween (what do you mean you've never read the Haunted Pipe?!?!)

Behold, the donut truck!

I was heartened to see a group of NYC cops all eating donuts on my first & only visit to Staten Island many years ago thus fulfilling a cliché for me. The truck was not being driven by a cat much to my consternation - this is called artistic licence*

*also known as 'fibbing a bit'

BOO!

Matching coats