The Bathtub Of The Devil

Even Beelzebub himself likes a good soak!
 

This is available as a signed print (or treat yourself to the original artwork!) in my Ko-Fi shop

World Book Day 2025 at Dallington School

Had a lovely day talking about books, drawing, reading with the kids from Dallington Primary School in Clerkenwell for World Book Day this year! I kicked things off with a whole-school assembly, sharing insights into the world of illustration while the kids challenged me to draw various animals & foodstuffs including a cat eating fishfingers & a capybara eating chocolate (never drawn one before, I was fairly pleased!)

I then conducted draw-alongs with all the classes who drew some great pics from our graphic novel Journey to Pootopia (one pupil also drew a rather brilliant portrait of me too!)

I always love the energy from primary school visits, if you'd like me to come & visit your school please get in touch info@stevemay.biz

A capybara eating chocolate

Some of the pupils' drawings

(a rather wonderful portrait of me drawn by one of the children! : )

 

Breakfast Comic Strips

As an exercise I’ve been drawing automatic 'breakfast comic strips' this week - no preplanning, just seeing what comes out.

I usually have extremely vivid dreams & have been suffering from awful anxiety & dread when I wake up in the mornings so this has just been a way to distract myself & to force myself out of it. No rules, but none of them been allowed to have taken more than about 30 minutes to draw (because I have lots of PROPER work to do!) They're extremely variable in quality but I thought some people would be interested to see them. They probably say a lot about my subconscious & obsessions but I'll leave that for you to work out!

Tuesday 10th September

Wednesday 11th September

Thursday 12th September

Friday 13th September

'Better Than Batman. Steve May.'

(Illustration from 'Supernan's Day Out' by Phil Earle pub Barrington Stoke)

Is this is the BEST HEADLINE EVER?!?! : )

Thanks so much to LoveReading4Kids for featuring me in their Illustrators Spotlight this month where I describe what '4 year old me' might think of 'fifty something year old me's' life choices, influences & the essential mischief of being an illustrator, including drawing poo for a living for my new graphic novel with James Turner Poo Crew Adventures - Journey to Pootopia

https://tinyurl.com/4bfm4wt4

 

Skater Dogs!

 Skater Dogs!!!! Available NOW as a an artprint on my Ko-Fi

#SkaterDogs #Dogs #DogsOnSkateboards

Poo Crew Adventures - Welcome to Pootopia!

Very excited to receive my first copies of Poo Crew Adventures by James Turner & me! Mixing the educational, the anarchic & the downright disgusting this is a really funny fast paced graphic novel for kids published by HarperCollins Children's Books UK - if you’ve EVER had a poo this book’s for you!

‘Fart-out-loud hilarious … I loved every disgusting second of it!’ – Jamie Smart, creator of Bunny Vs Monkey

In an ordinary toilet, on an ordinary day, a small poo called Ploppy lands with a splash. Just an ordinary poo about to be flushed …

But Ploppy is anything but ordinary. He’s a TALKING POO! And he’s about to go on the mission of a lifetime …

Join Ploppy and his fearless guide, Professor Poo, as they boldly venture into the Secret Intestines of the Universe to discover answers to the most important Digestion Questions … Why do we chew? Why do we fart? Why do cows have so many stomachs? And … what will happen to Ploppy AFTER he’s been flushed?!

If you’ve ever used the toilet, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!

You can pre-order it here

Caterpillar Soup and Flying Frogs

This came out a couple of months back & was a rather nice job to illustrate & I was given a great amount of freedom to draw some weird & wonderful stuff for a non-fiction book!

Caterpillar Soup and Flying Frogs by JD Savage from Oxford University Press, shows 7-8-year-olds some of the weird and wonderful changes animals go through and the utterly odd things they have to do first - from dwelling underground for 17 years sucking tree roots, to partially turning into living soup with a memory.

'The Readerful imprint is designed to motivate children to read more, choose a book to read by themselves, boost their vocabulary and develop their knowledge of the world around them - including, I hope, a sense of wonder and curiosity about the nature marvels all around them.'

My 'get up & go' just got up & went!

 "My 'get up & go' just got up & went!" 

(pen, ink & wash on A6 300gsm watercolour paper)

"There's Some Days You Just Can't Get Rid Of A Bomb"

 As you might have noticed, Batman has become rather a theme in my work of late, but I think he's always been a recurring motif in my drawing since I was a kid. He's always there lurking under the surface somewhere! 

Ghost Pants!

 

Happy International Panic Day!

Happy International Panic Day everybody! Your cast iron excuse to run around screaming for no discernible reason!

Witch Hunt! (Merry Walpurgis Night!)

 It's a witch hunt!

Merry #WalpurgisNight (also known as 'Walpurgisnacht' and 'Night of the Witches', is a pagan festival celebrated each year on 30 April.)

Happy birthday to the inimitable force of nature that is Iggy Pop!

 I can't explain how much poorer my life would have been without the presence of James Osterberg - otherwise known as Iggy Pop. If you haven't witnessed him live you're missing one of the most joyful things in life! I must have seen him about 7 or 8 times over the last 35 years or so (I first saw him in 1988 for the first time & was worried he might be a bit 'past it' but he just gets better & better!)

Happy birthday Iggy!

COVER REVEAL! 'Poo Crew Adventures: Journey to Poo-topia'

  

If you’ve ever used the toilet, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!

After my initial ‘you want me to draw a book about WHAT!?!?’ reaction I thoroughly enjoyed bringing the anarchic  & educational together in this absolute romp of a book. 

James’ text has been a laugh out loud joy to illustrate & I now know more about various digestion systems - humans to wombats & beyond - than I ever thought possible! 

This is being published in August by Farshore Books.

"Join small poo Ploppy and his fearless guide, Professor Poo, on a bold venture into the Secret Intestines of the Universe to discover answers to the most important Digestion Questions in Poo Crew Adventures: Journey to Poo-topia .

From creative POO-werhouse James Turner & Steve May, this brand-new graphic novel is FLUSH with facts about the human body and digestion."

Pre-order today: https://lnkfi.re/vuwLXT

Night Terrors

As those of you who follow me on other social media you'll be aware of my sleep struggles so with a cheeky nod to Francisco Goya I've been drawing a few in tired desperation in my sketchbooks which you might enjoy (more than I do!)

 

Happy Year of the Dragon!

 

More Batman...

I like a little Batman sketch now & then, here's a few recent ones...

Batman on his summer holidays

Moody pensive Batman

 

An Important Message From Batman Concerning This Festive Period!

 

Tree's up

A Haiku 

Christmas tree is up,

Cat observes it eagerly,

Christmas tree is down.

Werewolves