Hello all
Yes, I know, long time no see. Paul Gravett has done a great review of The Sixpenny Murder short story I illustrated here
Madam Samurai won an award in LA recently, at a New Media event. Talking of Madam Samurai, the second book is listed in the current PREVIEWS. It's well worth ordering from PREVIEWS, and tell your comic shop to order some for their shelves too:)

Thanks to everyone for the requests for Gothic, hopefully there should be a Paypal button here somewhere to enable to buy direct from this blog. I'll be back soon, promise :)

Hello all
Yes, I know it's been a sparse around here for the past few months, nothing much to report as such, but the Forbidden Planet blog recently did a great review of GOTHIC, the tabloid collection a did a few years back, so I had to let you good folk know:) When I had this printed I expected it to be distrubuted by Diamond PREVIEWS, but at the exact same time I got all 2500 newspapers offloaded at my house they decided to change their policies. It was not stocked due to the fact it was a newsprint product. I've just been taking them to the odd show here and there over the past few years, so not everyone would have been able to get their hands on one.

However, thanks to FP's Kenny Penman, you will now be able to get one from FP Dublin, FP Manchester and Nostalgia and Comics in Brum over the next couple of weeks. The image shows a few original drawings that were sold with the first 20 copies. These drawings have long since gone I'm afraid. If you would like a copy posting to you just leave a message here and I will get back to you asap.

Continuing my rummage through the 'projects in the ether' files, I came across these pages of a 'Green Knight/Gawain' tale. I illustrated 12 pages to be submitted to various comic publishers, the chap who wrote the script wanted a complete story, but as I have found out, better to do 12 pages than 100 pages when not sure of the outcome. He touted around a few places but it wasn't taken up by anyone. Let me know if you want to see more of these pages....

Also this week, there's a great review of The SIXPENNY MURDER short story I drew for KULT CREATIONS. I'm really glad that this peice of work has come to the attention of Forbidden Planet, there was such a lot of meaningful, emotional work in it. Nip over to their blog and see what they say

http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2011/the-sixpenny-murder/

Hello everyoneHere's a few more pages that have not seen the light of day before. These are from a well-known children/teen book publisher, so I had to change my style a little, as there are comedic elements within the story too. The author of the would-be gn, was a NY Times best seller, he'd had about 15 books under his belt. I guess that's why his trousers were tight.

STAND AND DELIVER
A few days ago a good friend of mine pointed out that there were two pages of my original art for sale on ebay. The pages are from Spirit of the Highwayman my first ever gn. I only produced 500 of these books way back in '99 (cor, time really does fly) and they have become a sought-after comodity-- one went for £50 last year on the same auction site. Funny really as no one wanted them when I had 500 to sell. I guess that's how the world of small press works, you can hawk your wares around for months, seemingly with no joy, then someone sees it, word spreads and before you know it you are a millionaire.

I lied about the last part:) Anyway, why not have a bid?

Good evening everyone,
I've been busy having a massive cleanout at home, ready for an imminent house move. During this ardous task it set me thinking about posting some archive bits and bobs, which for one reason or another you may not have seen before. Here's a few to start us off. I used this Batman illustration as a little colouring tester, as you can see I got bored a few minutes into it. I'd love to apply a 'set pallette style' to my stuff, but I just can't bring myself to spend ages on a peice. Secondly this was the first page of 'Boy Brimstone' an all-ages gn from Bloomsbury, I'd done 20odd pages and the rug was pulled, due to big management changes, sadly the book never saw the light of day. Pop back soon for another update.

Hello all, Here's a cover rough for Vol2 I should be okay to post this has I've tweaked it for the finished article. I've listed a few items on ebay also, there's a French Sketchbook which will include an original painted sketch of any character you wish, a batch of original art pages from the Sixpenny Murder short I illustrated, and a few other odds and sods when I get round to sticking them on

cheers for now

Happy 2011 everyone. I've just been reading Grant Morrison/Mukesh Singh's 18 Days, don't know if any of you have seen it, but it ranks as one of the most beautiful books I've seen in recent years, I highly recommend it! There's a hell of a lot of work in it (from both creators).
Well, it's a new year and new projects for me, first on the list is an 18th century slice of american gothic, for SplitLip horror anthology (thanks for waiting, Sam)...check back soon for some development sketches etc.

Hello folks. Well, I've just pre-ordered my first book of 2011. The Art of SuckerPunch -signed by Zack Snyder. This film looks really tasty indeed. Check out this trailer (If you've not already seen it.

Here's a few half-done pages from the second Madam Samurai gn. More to come soon. Apologies to anyone who may have ventured to Mondo Comico in Nottingham a few weeks ago, the snow put paid to my plans.

Hello again,
If you are in Nottingham this Saturday (27th Nov) then why not visit Mondo Comico, where you will be delighted to see IAN CULBARD and my good self doing a signing to celebrate the shop's birthday. A day of sketching and good comics, what more could you ask for? I'll be picking up my copy of 'At the Mountains of Madness' Ian's latest for SelfMadeHero, and I'll be bringing along my sketchbook for this year, and a few copies of GOTHIC.

MADAM SAMURAI ON THE BIG SCREEN (relax, it's only the
pages of the graphic novel projected on screen at BICS last year) The pages were featured in a talk about comics to film, which is a pretty big trend right now. The screenwriter Gary Young was present, he wrote Madam Samurai as a screenplay intially, then passed it onto me to break down into sequential form, unfortunately I was doing sketches/signing/minding the table, so I didn't get to see it:(

These picture courtesy of Stuart from Stoke, who took these snaps last year and gave them to me at this year's BICS.

Okay, I need to know what you all would like to see on this blog. Would you like to see development material? half done pages and the like? sadly I've not been able to post MS pages, but once I start other work I'll be able to update more often. It's over to you for suggestions:)

cheers
Dave

BICS...and the world's most expensive Iceberg Lettuce.

Okay friends, here's my little BICS rundown (this section has nothing to do with lettuce). As usual the Birmingham show was very busy indeed, I love the venue and I think Shane and crew do a fine job on the organisation side, this year there were talks I wanted to get to see, but as usual with sketching and everything the Saturday went like wildfire, it was great to meet all the old faces and a whole raft of new ones too---thanks guys, seeing/talking to you all make it all worthwhile.

I normally nip back home at night as I'm only 40 miles away, and it's cheaper to get a couple of trains than fork out for an hotel;) but this time was different, yes I was staying over (courtesy of my good mate Shane Oakley, who had booked his hotel, but couldn't make it) boy, this guy knows how live! It was quite possibly the swankiest hotel I've ever stayed in ---cheers Shane, thanks for that. I met up with the Accent UK chaps,Gary Crutchley, Jason Cobley and a few others, the general concensus was 'let's go a for a chinese'...once in there, it was a set menu lark, cheapest being 20 notes going upto 40! So, there we were with our 20 note dishes...it was a bit shit to be honest:( I was actually still hungry (as I'd gone through the whole day with nothing, cept a bite on a sausage roll here and there) bearing in mind I'd had about 4 beers---I don't drink normally, so it was a first. Anyhow, not got to the worst bit yet, Steve, the chap next to me at the table asked for a veggie option. Which consisted of Starter: A lettuce leaf, with a bowl of brown rice. Main course was an Iceburg lettuce, taken apart, washed and then placed carefully back together, to resemble... a foo-king lettuce (actually that COULD have been the name I guess). Jeez, by the time we'd finished, we ended up putting 30 each in the bill bowl! Never again.

Anyhow, it was approaching 12 oclock and I'd got a few painted sketches to do, so I decided to retire. The rest went for more beers. I should point out that Shane Chebsey (BICS organiser/Scar publisher) had offered a free meal for guests, but I'd already made plans---bugger. I was a great night of course, except the meal. Got back to the hotel, out with the paints, started sketching away, by the time 2oclock came I'd done four nice ones, but still got more to do...then I felt a bit rum! Best have a lie down I thought, anyhow as soon as I hit the pillow the old stomach started doing a tango, then before I could get to the toilet, up came the beers and bits of rice, and me in the swankiest hotel an' all! quick clean-up and felt loads better--I think it was just the fact I'd gone the whole day without anything to eat that did it. That may have been too much info for you (apologies) but I'm trying to paint a picture here...which is what I went back to doing. Don't worry folks there's no sick anywhere near the sketches;)

Next day, bright and early at the show, I had a chat with Simon Tofield, a really nice chap who was on the table next to me, you will know him from the hilarious 'Simon's Cat' shorts on YouTube. Went to the Charles Vess talk, but couldn't get to the Jonathan Ross TURF talk, turns out it was fully booked anyhow, with a long queue to get in, that's the only problem with these shows, indeed any convention---waiting to get in certain areas, it can't be avoided. This was made more difficult by the fact that I was left on my own, to man Scar's table as well as sketching/talking---big thanks to Owen who offered to step in, then and any time in the future, what a great guy, and I might take you up on that at some point my friend. The other 'must' for me, was to see superstar Bryan Hitch, which I didn't do again, however, in the meantime I was asked for a sketch, and as I started it I noticed the chap I was doing it for had a load of Bryan Hitch's books, I said 'I'd like to see him, but can't get away---he went and got the book, signed to me and gave it me in exchange for the sketch...wow, thanks Yosu:)

All in all a great weekend, as they normally are, it's only at these shows where you can generally get feedback and it helps to boost creativity for weeks to come - thanks everyone. The amount of folk asking for Madam Samurai book 2 was overwhelming. Not long now till ThoughtBubble:)

Well, it's been a while since I got back from Paris Manga, can't believe where the time goes, having said that I've been a bit busy finishing off a short story submission for CLiNT, more pages for book two of Madam Samurai and a few random illos.
Anyhow, Paris, apart from meeting loads of new people, artists, writers and fans alike, the icing on the cake must have been my meal with the Aaltair gang (which consisted of publishers Patrick Chaduc and Guillaume Bresch, Charles Vess, me and Charles' wife Karen----here we are at a very swanky restaurant. Cool.
The show itself was huge, mainly featuring Jap anime/manga stuff (of course) which I think alienated us comics lot a little---Bob Layton, Clint Langley, stacks of european artists, me and Mr Vess, and other were coming and going all weekend, as usual the two days were a sea of faces and names, loads of Springheeled Jack sketches were produced. After a whistle stop tour around Paris I made my way back to the airport, arriving way too early, but better getting to the airport with time to spare I always say.

Good evening all

Been busy sketching on 20+ sketchbooks for the Paris show, got quite a few more to do during the week also. Yesterday I completed a short story for inclusion in an upcoming issue of CLiNT, assuming it's still going strong after six months. Can't show you the page I did yesterday coz it would spoil the twist ending, but really looking forward to seeing it in print--I'm hoping it might appear in colour too:) It's written by a good mate of mine called Mark Peyton. Here's a half-done page to peruse.

Back later this week

Bonjour mon petit pois
Yes, as you can see I've been brushing up on my French. Just yesterday I got my sketchbooks delivered, and last night began the task of producing an original sketch in each one. There will be just fifty books available for the ParisManga show next weekend (18&19th Sept). Here's the first few...

Hello folks
...or should that be 'bonjour'? Yes, my trip to Paris is looming large on the horizon and I've been preparing a 50-page sketchbook for the event. Springheeled Jack is being released in a French edition by the good folks at Aaltair---a fledgling publishing company with big ideas. I've heard that the european market is much larger than the UK so we'll see what happens. Aaltair are producing two limited books initially, SHJ and Peter Pan by none other than the legend that is CHARLES VESS, who will also be in attendance. I've been a fan of his work since the early 80s, I just hope I don't gush all over the place (a little bit will be okay, but I don't want to make a mess):) Here's a new SHJ peice I've done for the sketchbook. The plan is to do 50 copies, all of which will have a painted sketch of somekind. But...I still have to send them to the printers so time is short.

Greetings gang

Just finished a cover for a short story which I illustrated earlier this year. Written by John A Short, it's a tale of tragedy from the streets of Liverpool. THE SIXPENNY MURDER is a true story of a gang of 'cornermen' whose violent antics took a turn for the worse. It's an attempt to try and warn young offenders of today, through the pages of a comic strip, to show how one simple action could lead to tragedy, not just for themselves, but for friends and families too. The brief for this cover was to focus on the boots (cornermen wore worker's boots - a kind of gang motif) and the victim. I wanted a very dynamic viewpoint...this is it, stage by stage.

Greetings all,
Just a quick update this week, here's another drawing featuring everyone's favourite bat-like crime fighter, tussling with TwoFace and some goons on a rooftop. I'll be revisiting SPRINGHEELED JACK again soon... but only for the ex-libris bookplate in the French edition, which will be coming out in September I believe. I'll keep you all posted.

cheers for now,
Dave