Sunday 22 September 2024

Photo on Fleet Street

This is September 18th 2024 when myself and an illustrator/colourist/actor/model/local councillor friend Pau visited the Fleet Street HQ of Beano Studios for amongst other things, a publicity photo of me. Pau joined me for a couple of pictures for posterity, as you can see, she's more famous than me for a start.


 

Wednesday 3 July 2024

151 Not Out

Since I began, at my colourist, assistant, driver, colleague and friend Nika's urging, 9 years ago, I have attended 151 different Comic Cons (and about 20 other events). This coming weekend is London Olympia, one of the roughly 25% of shows I do alone (well, not alone, but without Nika) So here we are in 2016 and again just this past weekend in Bury, where, thanks to John Webster, we had a terrific Sunday. Click on the photos to see them bigger if you dare!





Thursday 7 March 2024

2024 Upcoming dates!

 

**  shows with Nika !












Back on the road again! More to be announced later!
2, 3 March  London Olympia
**  9, 10 March  Westpoint, Exeter **
**  23 March   Carlisle Comic Con **
**  20 April  Northwich, Cheshire **
**  27, 28 April   Blackpool Winter Gardens **
**  6 May  (Bank Holiday Monday) Buxton **
**  18, 19 May   Barry Island Comic Con **
24, 25, 26 May   London MCM Excel
**  1 June   Nantwich, Cheshire **
22 June  Brighton
5, 6, 7 July  London Olympia
**  13 July  Gloucester Comic Con **
** 27-28 July Manchester MegaConLive **
25-26 August  Morecambe, Lancs (Bank Holiday)
** 28-29 September  Wakefield, Yorkshire **
** 5 October  Neston, Wirral **

Monday 20 March 2023

Back on the road- on the rails- in the air- on the water

So far this year we've done Glasgow Paisley, Bristol*, London Kensington (twice), London Battersea, London Excel (twice), London Islington Design Centre, Crosby Liverpool*, Cardiff, Glasgow ACME*, Dundee*, Morecambe, Blackpool, Derby, Warrington*, Manchester, Bowness-on-Windemere*, Stockport*, Enniskillen and Exeter* (twice*)- but that's not all!
Here are our upcoming shows, asterisked ones feature Nika my colour artist too!

More to be announced in 2024!


11-12 November    Harrogate
18-19 November   *Telford
1-3 December   Birmingham MCM

Saturday 4 February 2023

2023 Update

 

BBC Breakfast on January 21st had a tribute to the late David Sutherland OBE and, as the only available-to-go-to-Salford Media City at 6am on a freezing cold Saturday, I was selected to appear live. 


Back to normal the following weekend, when some of we Beano cartoonists and writers had our annual Christmas dinner, traditionally a month late, in Birmingham.


And soon I'll be out in the world again doing conventions and signings and talkings and drawings and so come along if you want, I'll be there. 


As dates are officially announced, I'll link to them but in the meantime, pencil in these towns and cities and these Saturdays and or Sundays (and a Friday or three) just so you don't miss anything!

18 February    Glasgow 
4-5 March    London 
11-12 March   Exeter 
18 March   Bristol 
25 March  Liverpool
10 April   Morecambe 
15-16 April   Blackpool 
28-30 April   London 
13 May     Manchester
26-28 May    London 
3-4 June   Enniskillen 
7-9 July    London
6 August   Derby
...and others, to be announced later! 


Friday 13 May 2022

Back In The wild

We started back out into the Comic Con circuit back in October last year and have already been to Bristol, Bath, Exeter, London, Hull, Telford, Portsmouth and Stockport. This summer, we are pleased to be able to announce these upcoming appearances, and many more will be revealed for September, October, November and even December as the year goes on!
27,28,29 May MCM London Excel
25,26 June Shrewsbury Comics Salopia
8,9,10 July LFCC London Olympia
23,24 July Cleethorpes
30, 31 July Truro
6 August Wigan
14 August Buxton
20 August Stockport WOW
10 September  Birmingham

Thursday 27 May 2021

2021 - We're (Probably!) Back

Before we were so rudely interrupted, we had plans to visit Brighton and Bath and other places and now we may very likely be back, double vaccinated, with fresh paper and marker pens!
Watch this space for updates as I add dates (I'm negotiating 12 months in advance so with luck we'll be down your way before long!)
Masks on, hand gel, no handshakes, no coughing, sneezing, come along and say hello!



Tuesday 8 September 2020

21,914 days later -or How I Began

All my life I've had a very accessible memory. That is, I remember things very easily and vividly and can place them in my time line and a general time line. It's not 100%, It's a mild version of "hyperthemesia" and usually it's pleasant enough to be able to recall what was in the charts and in the news the day you had a nice trip to the coast and what comics you bought and what you saw on TV. Mundane or significant, I seem to remember it.

I've mentioned on here and on Facebook and in podcasts and broadcasts and print interviews that I remember my grandfather who had been a draughtsman, a stonemason and a sign painter for the council, showing me for the first time how to hold a pencil and that the first things I drew were cars, vans and buses on a long straight road, which he looked at and said "that's very good" And as he died when I was just 2 and was ill for a few months that this moment must have been when I was no more than 18 months old. 

 I found the first drawing I ever did. I was 16 months old.


Well, now you can judge for yourself whether he was right to suggest I was very good at that age- on Sunday, I found that first drawing I ever did. And I was 16 months old.

Background to the discovery: My dad loved magazines, newspapers, books, etc. So much so he made his own! He'd cut out photos and jokes and interesting stuff and make a scrapbook with his own drawings. In one book dated 1936 (he would have been 19) there were a few blank pages left and it was on a couple of these I made my first drawing attempt with his and his father-in-laws encouragement. This was in October 1960, in other words, 60 years ago.
Me, centre in white sun hat,
in May 1960, dad right, mum left.


My mother was adamant no paper should be kept in the house unless it was a book. Out in the bins went practically every drawing I did in my younger years as it was all on loose paper. My dad unfortunately died while still a youngish man at 46, just before I was 5. My mum did keep three of his scrapbooks. Including this one; by sheer chance although she thew out 99.999% of everything I drew in the 60s and 70s (and I drew every day, all the time,) she had unknowingly accidentally preserved the very first time I ever drew anything.

I opened the book and looked through it a few times marvelling at how tuned-in to the times dad was in the 1930s and what an eye for design and content he had. And it was only on the fourth or fifth flick through that I saw these 'scribbles'. Looking closer it was quite a jolt to see these were not from the 1930s but 1960, and I had done them myself- they were those first drawings on that first day I held my first pencil- and they were exactly as I remembered them. 

On page 1, I start with a circle. A few attempts. I was trying to draw a wheel. Then I start to draw a car. It doesn't go well, I lost track of what I wanted to draw so over to page 2 (on the right hand side I went back later that day and added a more acceptable vehicle!)
On page 2, I draw a van, bonnet up, spark plugs exposed, starting handle ready. Excited by how easy it seemed, I drew another van, back door open, wheel nuts out on the side of the road, and now with a sign on the side- although I couldn't read or write! I remember doing that and being so pleased it looked like a real sign (with the benefit of hindsight I can accept that was youthful excitement at finding a new skill!) And a little angry driver. The first character I ever drew.
And then a bunch of other characters and bits and pieces.


It may not look like much- and it isn't- but there in front of you is the first time I ever drew anything. And I can honestly say there has never been more than a day or so since then that I haven't drawn. 60 years of it.

In 1960, the world was different: Two TV channels, BBC & ITV both black & white); No Marvel Universe- Stan & Jack were six months away from coming up with the Fantastic Four; The Beatles were five kids with slicked back hair learning how to play; A house cost £2,500, a pint of beer (lager not yet invented) about 1shilling and threepence (that's 7p to you).  

I had no idea in 1960 I would make a career of drawing but by 1963 I really really thought I would. By coincidence, next month, October 2020 is not only the 60th anniversary of my first drawing, but also the 40th anniversary of me having paid, published cartooning work in comics, in October 1980. 

Wednesday 1 July 2020

One Month Only! Unique sketches by post!

I will draw for you! Choose an option:
1. A5 black and white (and red) sketches £17
2. A5 Colour sketches £25
3. A4 black and white (and red) sketches £36
4. A4 Colour sketches £44
Up to two characters, for three or more characters, add £3 per character in black and white, £5 per character in colour.













Other sizes, etc, available on request.

All prices include postage and packing.
To Pay: PayPal send total amount and your name and street address using "redblackcomics@comic.com"

For Special Delivery, etc, add £3.70

Overseas, Europe add £5 per order, Elsewhere, add £10 per order.

To order, send an email to: redblackcomics@comic.com (copy and paste into your email address bar)
For caricatures of yourself or family member in cartoon style, send at least 2 clear colour photos, full face and profile, no hats!
Offer available from today, 1 July, to 1 August.
Orders will be sent out starting 20 July, if you need something for a specific date, let me know.


Friday 26 June 2020

Untold Secrets of the Comic Biz Part 4

Most editors like a writer to write a script which he or she can then pass on to an artist to draw it and send it back and everyone knows what they're doing. I never found it easy to write like that. Over the last ten years I've occasionally written scripts but they are usually written after I've drawn the page. In 2015 I was suddenly informed that we needed a two page Minnie the Minx urgently. Over lunch, myself and fellow cartoonist/writer Paul Palmer, who came over once or twice a week to help with backgrounds and frames and inking, and run scripts past me or ask for ideas, came up with this story and I started drawing it before we'd worked out the details. In the end, we just strung a load of old gags together but I think it suited Minnie!