Here's one from the digital drawing board...

Students at school designed their own superheroes two weeks ago in a whole days of workshops and activities centered around the learning strategy; PLTS (personal learning and thinking skills).

Each form group had an overall winning superhero to be part of a team of heros to defeat Languor, the destroyer of dreams!

It was loads of fun and the prize for the winners was their characters realised by a comic book artist...me!

New drawing - this might be the lead in the new comic I am working on with Jose Cruz...Markham...when I was doing this I was thinking of Jon Hamm, but it's turned more into Misha Collins! Which isn't a bad thing as Collins' portrayal of Castiel in Supernatural was brilliant and kinda the right sort of vibe...as though Don Draper had lived for centuries and it was wearing down his faith in his own mortality!

Quick sketch using photoshop trying a Julian Opie style self-portrait!

Here's the 11th Doctor, Matt Smith! Enjoy!! Sketch in pencil and ink - coloured on Photoshop!

Haven't uploaded anything in a while! Here's my take on the David Tennant 10th Doctor. I'm teaching a comics workshop in London over the next couple of weeks and I'll be working with a writer who has done some Doctor Who comics and novels! Check OLI SMITH out!

Okay, so since the last post I have drawn, inked and coloured a Cleopatra-style femme fatal character for my final Egyptian image, promotion piece for the Comic Book workshop I'm hosting at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology!
Cheers!

A step on from the last image, this is also for the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology in London where I am to host a comics workshop.
Cheers!

Here is something different...fully finished Illustration of a fictional (if not based around fact) Egyptian god!

I was inspired as I have landed a comics workshop gig at The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology in UCL, London. I'm really excited by this and looking forward to planning some awesome activities with the kids.
Cheers!

Sorry...it's one at each end of the week I'm afraid...it's has got to that time of year when the year 11 students are on their way out and getting all coursework portfolios submitted within time! I might not post next week...just a warning! Well here's some sketches I did of a few of them in an exam on Thursday...ENJOY!

Woody and Buzz, inks and chalks done!


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Listening to: BBC Radio 5 live - Kermode: Robin Hood, 14 May 10
via FoxyTunes

Woody and Buzz coloured, now gotta add the inks!

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Listening to: Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier - SModcast 117: Live Nude Fargo
via FoxyTunes

POOCH!
I think my children's book story is going to involve a homeless pooch (bit like the one pictured) and a kid who befriends it. Star of the book being the dog - so the dog befriends the kid rather than the other way round.
Cheers, enjoy!

Trying a bit of Children's Book illustration as I have 2 wooden panels to paint on - so here's a design! More later - now off to learn stone carving!!

Second of 2 drawing I'm owing tonight!

The story: we had an excellent Ofsted inspection at school recently and were awarded 'good' overall which was brilliant news (also the inspectors gave special props to the Arts Faculty which was really good news) hence the cartoon skipping happily in joyment!
Cheers!

First of 2 tonight as I missed yesterday...I keep missing days...I'm a busy teacher! The drawing is proof as this is one of my many hard working year 11 students. I had 10 minutes just before lunch to look around my room at all the productive stuff going on and take it in - I am dead proud of my students! And had just about enough time to get this sketch down before they all legged it for lunch...!
Please comment and suggest future drawings...thanks!

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Listening to: Backwards
via FoxyTunes

Final drawing to make me up-to-date with daily drawings!!

I was surfing today and came across the news that Batman 3 (sequel to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) has a release date of July 20, 2012. This is mega-exciting news to me as I am a massive Batman fan and the newest movies are my all time faves...so hence the Batman pic.

Please comment and suggest future draws!
Cheers.

---------------- Listening to: Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier - SModcast 115: Live Nude Cleveland via FoxyTunes

No.3 of 4 on my catching-up-on-drawings mission! One more to go which may be just a bit of fun...unless anyone can give me a suggestion?!? Comments below if you please...Cheers! ----------------

Yes, I'm still Listening to: BBC Radio 5 live - Kermode: Nightmare on Elm Street, 06 May 10 via FoxyTunes

Post no.2 of about 4 today as I'm catching up on lost daily draws! This is a 20 minute-ish drawing of the view from my studio window looking down at my greenhouse! The sun has now come out so I'm off to do a bit of gardening!!
Please comment and add suggestions for future draws.
Cheers!

Hey drawing fans! Here's a drawing a will be submitting to Illustration Friday's weekly topic. This week; Fearless. This is meant to be a cartoon of Bear Grylls emmerging from the jungle! I watched a thing on Discovery and got inspired. Should be doing another 3 today in order to catch up so look back soon!
I have been drawing with Chinese brushes recently and having a great time too.

Please comment in the section below and add any suggestions for future draws... Cheers!


---------------- Listening to: BBC Radio 5 live - Kermode: Nightmare on Elm Street, 06 May 10 via FoxyTunes

Hi drawing fans! Just 2 tonight unfortunately. It would have been three but one went really tits up (technical term that). So I guess that'll be two drawings tomorrow night...!

First, I have been doing Chinese brush drawing with the year 8 students at school and their work was brilliant today so I got in the mood after school to play around and experiment with brush drawing from real life - we have a load of thistles in the Art Dept for some reason so that's what I did - also on it was supposed to be the Chinese character for the letter 'K' as a stamp, but I made it backwards by accident! Besides the character was a lot more complicated than what I ended up with and so it is totally inaccurate but looks authentic.

Secondly, been watching Grease tonight while waiting for Ch4's Alternative Election program so this is a cartoon of Sandy!!
Enjoy for now, and see you tomorrow!!
Cheers!

Guess where I've been tonight!?!
Nuff said, Glee's on, CHEERS!

I admit I forgot and missed last night, I had company over and a busy social life took priority unfortunately, sorry fans! Here I give you DVP (double visual pleasure) by showing you the latest illustration job for a client at London Met Uni which will see publishing in print soon (I don't know what; paper/mag/book whatever!), and tonight's daily draw - IRON MAN!! I'm going to see the film tomorrow afternoon as it's Bank Holiday Monday and I can! Quite pleased with the turn out of this one as I did it in about 10-15 minutes!
Cheers!!


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Listening to: Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier - SModcast 9: Red, White, But Never Blue, eh.
via FoxyTunes

Tonight's daily draw is a rough sketch I have done for a client. Once approved/amended it will accompany an article about Red Bull and it's many side affects. Please comment below and suggest future draws too!
Cheers!

I've been ill over the last few days hence the pause in daily draws! Sorry...!

Today, Bill Hicks. A hero. Suggested by my good Northern friend Rich Lillie.
Please comment and make suggestions for future drawings too!
Cheers!

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Listening to: Arcade Fire - Wake Up
via FoxyTunes

A request from @fromboris (bit weird to say that!) who is a dude from my old High School/Home Town and now a Twitter friend. He loves a good fight...on TV that is!
Me? I'm not so keen, more like don't get the whole 'hitting each other for sport' thing...though I'm not a fan of any sport in general, but Boxing really does confuse me.
That being said...part of this project of mine is to take illustration jobs as they come, to remain impartial and attempt many different topics and subjects - it's a big wide world out there after all.
Cheers! Please comment/make suggestions for future daily draws...thanxxx

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Listening to: Plan B - Love Goes Down
via FoxyTunes

As both Predator and Predator 2 are on tonight on Film4, I thought I draw one! Also as I am well looking forward to the new Predators Movie as well!! Comments please! Suggestions for the next drawing always welcome, thanx!
cheers!

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Listening to: Alexisonfire - Young Cardinals
via FoxyTunes

Another student-from-school-suggestion, but I'm going to play this one as a guessing game...who is this? Answers in the comments section, together with a suggestion for the next drawing! It'll also let me know if I nailed the likeness of this dude, which I think I have...! ;)
Cheers!

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Listening to: Course Of Nature - Caught In The Sun
via FoxyTunes

Strangely, this cartoon icon suggested by a student at school is the next daily draw. Strange because this is a cartoon icon from my childhood, not theirs! I don't know if they are still playing re-runs or updated the character for a new show...but I was still impressed that she is a fan of Penelope Pitstop, so I had to give this retro character a go - if I had time I would have added her car and maybe some 60s retro style text. Maybe next time!!
Cheers!

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Listening to: Eli 'Paperboy' Reed & The True Loves - Take My Love With You
via FoxyTunes

So my challenge was 'Busker' and this is it! A suggestion from a different student at school - those guys keep on coming up with the goods which is brilliant (oh yeah their artwork ain't half bad either ;D)
I was heavily influenced by the film Once (which is adorable) and a couple or regular buskers on the streets in Norwich.
Cheers!

Oh, what's next peeps?? Please leave a comment and suggest a drawing I can do next!

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Listening to: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Falling Slowly
via FoxyTunes

Every now and then someone asks you to do something that you aren't really that in to because of a certain interest factor (no pun intended!) but as an illustrator - and as you gotta get paid - you do what you do because people ask and you enjoy the challenge - that's called a commission.
Don't get me wrong Olly Murs (the subject in question) is enormously talented, a great guy (so I hear) and has a smile that would stop wars and create world peace (if he was marketed correctly!)...and I genuinely think he is a great singer AND I did route for him in the UK X-Factor final, admittedly. I'm just not a fan...however, that being said, this may be the reason why I think this portrait turned out quite well! I think the brow is a little off, but I nailed that million dollar smile :D



I did this one in 45 minutes which is why I decided to show the process I tend to use most of the time...it took me 30 minutes to sketch and add water colours, then after letting it dry, a further 15 minutes to add the ink details.
Cheers! Going busking tomorrow!

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Listening to: Deftones - Beauty School
via FoxyTunes

So a quick one this evening (took about 10/15 minutes to paint)...a place where we have all been this Easter holiday, would have like to have been this Easter holiday, or a place that we now can't get back from because of the volcano shenanigans!
Oh well, at least Glee is back on tonight!!
cheers!

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Listening to: Glee Cast - Bust A Move
via FoxyTunes

Having had a rather late night video game sesh, I decided to draw the shelf where my Wii is and the Nintendo taking a centralish position! I grabbed the closest sketchbook I could find which happened to be the one filled with graph paper. Textured or patterned papers are really interesting to draw on...
cheers!

So this is my piece for Illustration Friday's topic detective (which will be submitted to their site tomorrow I think!).
A rather unusual twist on the whole term but it made me chuckle. My good friend Joel and I came up with this after I rescued him from the Belgian Monk and took sanctuary in The Spoons where the Little Britain convention was taking place!
cheers!

Day 3 and still going strong!! Another suggestion from a student at school who had nightmares involving peacocks! Won't go into the details but suffice to say they were angry and not fond of people with red hair :S ! So I thought it best to face her fears with this image of an angry peacock!

Tomorrow I am submitting an illustration for the Illustration Friday topic 'Detective', but would love some comments in the section below and some possible ideas for future drawings.
cheers.

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Listening to: Martin Grech - Open Heart Zoo
via FoxyTunes

A request from a student at school...I think to make this slightly easier on me I will take requests, so please leave them (and any other comments you may have) in the comments section! Cheers!

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Listening to: Kevin Smith & Scott Mosier - SModcast 112: Guybrator
via FoxyTunes

I'm going to try my hands at a daily drawing blog and keep Messy Fingers as a comics and illustration news and update section of my official website. This ones a bit of fun and to get me in the habit of thinking of creative ideas etc and get them down real quick - also they might lead to more final illustrations and then move over to the other blog...unfortunately I think it will be quite difficult as ideas don't come to me as quickly as other creatives I know...so first up is a picture of me (well, a cartoon) thinking of something to draw! See you tomorrow...!

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Listening to: Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier - SModcast 109: The Six Million Dollar Man Meets The Bionic Woman
via FoxyTunes