Curt's Coffee Cups

(Black marker and digital colour)

I did this for a fanzine article but sadly missed the deadline. So here it is, devoid of context, just because I like it.

Illustration Friday - The Letter A

(Black marker with digital colour)

Previously published here as "The Definite Article" just for the fun of it and now conveniently recycled for this week's Illustration Friday challenge - "The Letter A".

Map

Map

(Black marker, collage and digital colour)

While I'm waiting for the flood of comments on my recent suggestion, here's a contribution to this week's Illustration Friday brief - Map.

YouTubers

(Black marker and digital colour)

Michael Foreman Masterclass

Me and the Monster (WIP)
(Fine line marker and watercolour)

One Saturday in May I went to Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books based in Newcastle, where I'd paid for a Masterclass with Michael Foreman, the great children's author and illustrator.

It was great fun. Michael told his life story, illustrated with family photographs and pictures from his books. He's a good storyteller with a fund of stories from his life and it's clear that his childhood has informed much of his work.

The final part of the day was a workshop and Michael admitted this was the first he'd held for adults. That became clear when he asked us what we wanted to do, rather than giving us a project. What he eventually settled on was "Draw yourself as a child, then draw who you thought you'd be when you grew up".

I don't think he could quite get to grips with what I drew (see above). I had to explain that I never had any idea of what I'd be when I grew up, and that's pretty much how I feel today. When I grow up, I might have a better idea.

Not knowing what I wanted to be, I drew a monster next to me, because that was what I liked when I was that age (and, of course, I still do).

I didn't have time to finish the watercolour work, or even get the feet right, but in due course I will.

At the Gym

(Black marker and digital colour)

Back on the ..er.. treadmill, as it were. This is for the latest challenge from the Cartoonists' Forum Cartoon Competition. Caption Competition No 337 asks for a cartoon on the Theme: AT THE GYM.

Outdoors

Another week, another challenge from the 52 Week Illustration Challenge. 
Week 2 - Outdoors. Black marker and digital colour.

Fancy Dress

In yet another effort to push myself along, I've signed up to the 52 Week Illustration Challenge on Facebook. They also have a blog here. 

This week, the Challenge is FANCY DRESS and while I intended to hand colour my black marker drawing, I let things slide and ended up using the easy Photoshop alternative.

Must do better.

Pens of Yesteryear

I've been sorting out some of my drawing equipment and in the process uncovered the bottles of ink needed for two of my favourite drawing pens. One was a very small bottle of black Rotring ink for a marker pen I used to draw "Journey" below. I stood the pen up with its reservoir in the ink bottle but even after several hours the nib still wouldn't work, so I binned it (and the bottle).

Better results with the old bottle of Quink and the Osmiroid sketching pen. That's what I used for "Daily Star 3" below and it looks like it works really well. Hurrah. Looking forward to using it again.

Lush

Lush (Black marker and digital colour)

There are still lots of things preventing me from working on a regular basis, but today I digitally coloured this old (1994) drawing to submit it to Illustration Friday for this week's challenge - Lush.

Wheel

Wheelboat (Marker, digital colour)

You may have seen this before when I posted it in 2010.  It's some time since I've submitted anything to Illustration Friday and in the absence of something fresh for this week's subject - Wheel - I thought I'd enter this one.

OK! I'll talk!

This week's Cartoonists' Forum Competition entry using the fixed caption, OK! I'll talk!

Take Me Home

(Marker, coloured pencils in Japanese fanfold Moleskine)

My last addition to the Clare's Moly, part of the International Moleskine Exchange, moly_x_25.

Hope

I won second place with this cartoon in the Cartoonists' Forum Competition this week. The challenge was to produce a wordless cartoon on the theme of Hope.

My Moly

(Marker with coloured pencils in Japanese fanfold Moleskine)

My second addition to my own moly in the moly_x_25 Moleskine exchange as it begins its return journey round the loop..

Layer

(Marker, digital colour)

A small contribution to this week's brief from Illustration Friday - Layer.

Dreadroller

(Marker, digital colour, A4 cartridge)

The Dreadroller made a significant impact in the later years of the Great War.

Alien Wheeler

(Marker, digital colour)

Mankind's greatest gift to the Galaxy was the wheel.

Modern Wheelracer

(Marker, digital colour)

The popularity of modern wheelracing is considered to be over-inflated.

Wheelboat

(Marker, digital colour)

The rich man in his wheelboat. A common sight in Victorian England.