Category Archives: Sketches

You get my thoughts as I do the work; and then you get the actual work itself

There are two new posts up on my Patreon. The first is public and free for everyone to read. It contains thoughts about drawing from historic photos, the ageing process, and how words can affect the way you think of visuals. It also has the link to an incredible Ken Russell film. Read it here.Continue reading “You get my thoughts as I do the work; and then you get the actual work itself”

Satin and Tat: study sketches

Sometimes it seems like the more you learn about how to make comics, the longer it takes. While working on Satin and Tat, I’ve changed my habits a bit, placing much more emphasis on preparation. Now, before I even put the final strokes to paper (or screen, since it’s mainly digital work), I’m working onContinue reading “Satin and Tat: study sketches”

Feminist comics residence, part 2 (the text version)

  What does a feminist comics residence involve, anyway? I’ve already covered much of what I found in Helsinki in the comic I shared recently: the unique surroundings; the friendly participants who all had so much in common; the food, for which we didn’t have to raise a finger or pay a cent; and theContinue reading “Feminist comics residence, part 2 (the text version)”

Planning a comic based on the 80s – character design

I wouldn’t have said I was a particular expert on anything, but when I started planning a new comic based on my teenage years, I realised that we’re all extremely knowledgeable about one thing: our own lives. And if you live long enough, that makes you something close to a historian. Yes, it has comeContinue reading “Planning a comic based on the 80s – character design”

Hourly Comic Day 2018

Every first of February is Hourly Comic Day, where mad people comic artists attempt to draw a comic, or a frame of a comic, for each hour that they are awake. It fell on a Thursday this year, which is not ideal for me: during the week, I am sitting at my desk working forContinue reading “Hourly Comic Day 2018”

2017 – a year in drawing

No matter how much time and energy I put in, I never feel like I’m doing quite enough drawing, so it’s always good to look back over the year and realise quite how much paper (and pixels) I’ve stacked up! Here’s a quick run-through of how 2017 looked. February On the 1st, I took theContinue reading “2017 – a year in drawing”

Florence sketch diary, days 8 & 9: busy busy conference

Here’s day 8 of the trip. If you want to start from the beginning, page 1 is here. Come back tomorrow for the very last day (and some thoughts about drawing this kind of sketch diary).

Florence sketch diary, day 7: you will not believe what we can do with balloons

Here’s day 7 of our trip. If you want to start from the beginning, page 1 is here. Come back tomorrow when the conference begins.

Florence sketch diary, day 6: switching to work mode

Here’s day 6 of our trip. If you want to start from the beginning, page 1 is here. (Apologies for the wavy text, here and elsewhere: it’s because these pages are photographed rather than scanned, and not always perfectly flat) (The usual apologies to my colleagues – and any other *real people* I might representContinue reading “Florence sketch diary, day 6: switching to work mode”

Florence sketch diary, day 5: the holy grail

Here’s day 5 of our trip. If you want to start from the beginning, page 1 is here. Read on to Day 6, when I switch over into ‘work trip’ mode.

Sketches from Kendal

Our trip to the Lakes Festival was so eventful that I plan to make a comic about it — that’s always supposing life quietens down enough to allow for a bit of drawing soon. Meanwhile, here are a few sketches I did from behind our table. Click any of them to see at a largerContinue reading “Sketches from Kendal”

Totnes & Lyme Regis holiday diary, part 6: in which we break everything and go home

This is the very final episode in our Totnes and Lyme Regis holiday. If this is the first page you’ve seen, you probably want to start at part 1, actually.   Ha! I only wrote that page (above) out a few days ago, and several new things have happened in politics. It’s as if someoneContinue reading “Totnes & Lyme Regis holiday diary, part 6: in which we break everything and go home”

Totnes and Lyme Regis holiday sketch diary, part 5: Beatrix Potter’s windswept hair

This is part 5 of our holiday in Totnes and Lyme Regis. If you haven’t seen prior episodes, you’ll want to begin from the beginning, so start here. We’re nearly at the end of the holiday now: just one more installment after this. As before, click on any image and then click again to seeContinue reading “Totnes and Lyme Regis holiday sketch diary, part 5: Beatrix Potter’s windswept hair”

Totnes and Lyme Regis holiday sketch diary, part 4: cows, worms, moles & other animals

The image at the top of this post is a happy accident which happened on Photoshop, as I was trying to clean up the picture of the bookshop that appears in the third page below. I like it better than the actual painting, so here it is as a header. Part 1 is here, partContinue reading “Totnes and Lyme Regis holiday sketch diary, part 4: cows, worms, moles & other animals”