Hi Chaps (and chapesses...possibly) Here's the finished page for all to see. You will notice a few changes here and there, which were not on the initial pencil rough. I try to fill as much of the panel as possible even if I know it may be covered by a speech bubble. I'm going to be putting a load of stuff on ebay over the next few weeks. Under 'David Hitchcock' so try and get over there (sorry, UK only for the ebay stuff)
all the best,

Dave

Hello all

I recently started a fairly lengthy gn for Scar Comics/Bigger Pictures, written by screen writer Gary Young-- with the aim that it will be used as a tool to promote it as a movie. It's called MADAM SAMURAI, the tale is set in victorian London at the time of the notorious Ripper murders. What's the oriental connection you may ask? How the heck should I know, I just draw the pictures ;) No seriously, it's a great tale and one that has a great 'feel' about it.

I plan on doing a bit of a 'diary' type thing, the 'production of a graphic novel' if you will. Let me know if you would be interested in seeing it make progress, and I'll make every effort to update with interesting stuff like sketches, snippets, notes etc which you won't see elsewhere.

On this post I thought it would be good to show the THUMBNAIL---which is done on A4 and gives me the general layout of the page. The A3 size original pencils--- using the thumbnail arrangement I can then adjust various angles, panels to make better use of the page. I'll finish this page tomorrow and post it on Monday. This is, of course, no different from how I imagine any other artist to work (but it gives you a chance to see some scribbling)

For those who never got round to getting a copy of GOTHIC, I posted the first story here.... sorry, you'll have to fill in stuff to view it but it won't take long.

http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=browse&status=ns

Bye for now..

Werewolves/ wolfmen are difficult to draw

Hello all, I've recently realised the above as I've just done a pin-up image for the upcoming Accent UK title Wolfmen2. I take my hat off to Andy Bloor, who has the task of drawing LOADS of em...one was enough for me (well, four actually) see, one slight hair out of place, and your wolf looks like a dog! See first aborted attempt. Finished one shown above
To check out the series go here http://www.accentukcomics.com/

That's me done for now,

Dave

Good day all
Yes, it's been a while, apologies for that. I've been off doing normal stuff, playing computer games and reading comics (sometimes the other way round). I've just heard that the Cthulu Tales story I did is now in issue 12 (not 11 as originally quoted) I'm looking forward to seeing it, and I hope that my comic shop will have one, though I don't hold out much hope as I've not seen one for a few months.

Not done much sketching for a month or so, but just finished this Batman v Scarecrow illo for a very nice chap called Brian Jones---check out his great Batman gallery here
http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=5528

That's all for now folks.

Dave

Happy Fishmas..er, Christmas one and all! Just FINished the short TALE for BoomStudios. It's showing up in a future issue of Chthulu Tales, written by Shane Oakley and I have to say, one of the best stories I've had the pleasure of working on. Thanks a lot for the opportunity, Shane. Here's a sneak peek. I've been offline for sometime, motherboard has ceased to exist on my home computer, can't afford to get a new one right now so it'll be sometime in 2009 when I'm back up and running.

Thanks for the support this year and have a great Christmas and New Year. PS---anyone wanting a nice peice of original art in their christmas stocking? I'm selling the HELLBOY peice I did (scroll down a few posts) £60 including next day delivery UK ONLY I'm afraid.

Hi gang I've started work a ten page story for BOOM Studios' CTHULU TALES. It's a great tale set in Cornwall 1910, superbly scribed by Shane Oakley (artist on the Wildstorm ALBION limited series). Thanks to Shane for putting my name forward for this. Here's a page to be going on with.... also, below are a few sketches I did recently, contact me for availabilty.

cheers for now
Dave

This is for direct purchase of one copy of GOTHIC UK only please. This includes postage.

Not long to go now, this time next week I'll be at The ThoughtBubble show in Leeds http://www.thoughtbubblefestival.com/08guests.asp

I'm going to be bringing along some original sketches, which I'll be numbering and selling on the day (along with GOTHIC) to any interested parties. The sketches will feature various characters that are in the stories in the tabloid newsprint comic. Although it's a 48 page paper, don't let that fool you, as I've crammed as much as possible into it. With the earlier material reduced down in size to fit two pages to a page. That's all for now folks.

G'day all. As it was halloween a few days back I thought I'd do a pic of Hellboy getting dragged in the abyss by a bunch of reanimated bones. This is only the third Hellboy illo I've ever done (the other two were sold in auctions for charity some years ago). I'll be at the Leeds ThoughtBubble show in a few weeks time, get over to my table early as I'm planning on doing a few small painted sketches to sell (along with copies of Gothic) to go some way towards paying for the day.

Hope to see some of you there....

cheers

Dave

SNIKT! Here's a pic I did just for the heck of it. If you look closely, you can see how the brawl started. It ain't pretty....

By the hairy hosts of Hoggarth :)

Here's a little magic in the shape of everyone's favourite Doctor (if you suffer from temporal dimensional lapses, that is). Really enjoyed doing something a bit different with this drawing. Hope you guys like it. I'm currently reading through a script for an unusual 'samurai warrior' project, bloody good it is too (pardon the pun). If I take it on, and all goes well, it's liable to take out a good year or so, just tackling pages each weekend as I have to do. It's pretty good so far, and I'm really pleased to have been asked to illustrate it, so it's fingers crossed time again. This will also mean my own stuff will have to take a back seat again, so I apologise in advance to anyone who may have been looking forward to anymore SHJ.

With regards to purchasing a copy of GOTHIC by mail order, it will be £5.00 (the 'indestructible' envelope costs £1) via Paypal to black_boar1@yahoo.com ----UK ONLY. I can post to the US, however, a copy will cost $12.00 and (for some insane reason) will take THREE weeks to get there. I have sent two out to the US so far, and one of those was to Mr Mignola (as a thanks for his gracious cover quote)

Bye for now folks.

Ayeup gang
Here's a different one, I've not really done that many superhero things, teams even less, but here's a JSA pic I've started. Want to try and be fancy with lighting on this one---I'll post the finished thing later....

cheers
Dave

Okay, I'm a bit late again, but I've got an excuse of sorts, been laid up with a cold since coming back from BICS last week. heven't really done much of anything. But I can report what a great time I had at the Birmingham Internationsl Comics Show. I met up with loads of good folk again, Shane Oakley, Gary Crutchley, Colin and Dave from Accent UK, Andy Bloor, John Reppion, Leah Moore, Dez Skinn, Lew Stringer, a really nice chap called Patrick who comes from France (every time there's a comic show over here in the UK) how's that for devotion?. Met a couple of nice folk who work in films, who asked if I fancied doing a GN for them (which they would then put forward to film studios) more on that if it happens. Met a guy who makes really cool retro rayguns, he also asked about a GN possiblity. With the stuff that happened last year I know not to shout about things until something actually happens, so I won't mention them again until something more solid arises. GOTHIC seemed to go down very well, which I'm jazzed about as I was a bit sceptical about putting the print cost on my already overloaded credit card;) Turns out I shouldn't have worried, lots of folk went away with (relatively) cheap original art too. Thanks to everyone who purchased a page of art, and indeed everyone who stopped at my table. Thanks also to the chaps who have commented on this very blog. Just got a pic of the stand this time around, be back next week with some sort of drawing...

cheers all

Hello all----here's a big one!

It's been a busy week here, well I've been away in Lisbon actually, which was very nice indeed. Just two days before that GOTHIC rolled off the press. I'm very pleased with the look of it too. I attended FantasyCon in Notts, mainly to see Dave mcKean who kindly posed for this pic. How cool is that? I think he liked the paper too, which is a bonus. Other stuff happened there as well...but more on that IF anything comes of it;) I'm doing a few bits and bobs to take to BICS next week...here's a sneak peek. Back soon....

Hello you.

I know there's someone out there... isn't there? Here's a picture to look at anyway. This batman original will be for sale at the BICS show, it won't be part of the '£30 a page' promotion I'm doing for GOTHIC though I'm afraid. Anbody interested in advance, just make me an offer. I'm only selling art in an effort to try and get some cash fast so that I can start paying of the cost of the GOTHIC printrun (as I don't really want it hanging on my credit card for too long) ;)

More from me soon....

Goin' bats!
I'm having a bash at another Batman peice. A collector on Comic Art Fans.com asked if I fancied doing a commission for him... a suitably gothic looking Batman. It occurred to me that one of the gargoyles looked a bit like the Joker, so I was going to call it 'Familarity'... not sure though, what do you think?

I'll post the finished pic in a few days, when I can get access to a scanner.

Hello everyone.

Well, as promised, here's the list of stuff in GOTHIC. First of all we have a short Witch Hunt tale, which (ha) was originally going to be a 'times past' story in Gary Spencer Millidge's 10th Anniversary of Strangehaven, I was proud to be asked to be part of that. Then a small wordless tale called 'Treasure' which was one of my first published stories... ever. Then a brand new 'sepia toned' Springheeled Jack story. Up next is LUSCA, written by Leah Moore and John Reppion. A salty sea-monster tale (or should that be 'tentacle') our first collaboration for Accent UK. Then 'IMMORTAL', a tale of a very, very old vampire (originally a 100 edition s/n mini comic)..whew... is it time for a break yet?

Then it's time for a great zombie story, written by John and Leah, again for Accent UK, used with permission of the chaps at said establishment. If I was doing a collection of stuff that I'm proud of, which I hope GOTHIC is, I could not leave out THE BRIDGE. Again, a wordless tale, based on the brilliant AMBROSE BIERCE story 'An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'. I did this as a 100 issue mini comic, wayback in 2002. And to finish off, there's a gallery of commissions and unpublished bits and bobs. All in all a fairly extensive collection. Here's another version of the cover to be getting on with (but I'm not happy with it yet);).

For those of you who were interested in getting some original art, I've put a BATMAN victoriana peice on ebay co.uk....click here.

Just a quickie here chaps (and chapesses). First draft of what the GOTHIC cover (might) look like. A rundown of contents to follow soon....

WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF?
Hello all, I've been doing some bank holiday sketching. This spread will (hopefully) be finished tomorrow and I plan to include it in the GOTHIC newspaper/comic. It will be a 48-page one shot including some short stories, some of you may have seen them printed in Accent UK's anthologies BUT you wouldn't have seen them presented in sepia tones and various other shades.

FOR THE LTD EDITION COLLECTOR
I'm selling a selection of original art pages from GOTHIC----(1 page per copy) at £30each. I'll put a few on ebay (as pre-order) soon. Let me know if you may be interested in this, and I can give you first dibs on the pages.

all the best,
Dave