Batman Returns

Just had to share this drawing that Bess (8) did of Batman this morning........

...just genius!

Merry Christmas all

I was lucky enough to receive a whole host of lovely, useful and thoughtful presents this year, many of which were clearly meant to spur me on to make further additions to my blog - pens and pencils, sketch books, inspiring books and other creative stuff. ...for which many thanks to those reonsible. But I thought I would share one of Christmas gifts which really made me smile...Aardman Animations take on the dynamic duo.....complete with 'Batphone'.

Cheers BiL

I received quite a few comments about the pictures that I've posted earlier on the month. Thanks for all your comments..I'd be happy to receive any suggestions for things to have go at drawing.....as I said before one of my problem is getting ideas, so any suggestions are gratefully received. Also I try photographing my sketches with a brighter light source than a 40 watt bulb....apparently some of the pictures are pretty grainy. 

I'm still surprised anyone is watching!

Random cartoon..….

I have no idea what this cartoon was all about...except that it was about some sort of roadworks incident in March....in the deepest darkest Fens. I just like all the chaos and detail......

.....moving pictures.....

I did this sketch for some friends some years ago for them to use on their change of address cards. I particularly like the comfy looking sofa.....

Some rural churches

A couple of my favourite churches. St Peter's in Stratton where we spend our Christmas mornings and both our daughters were christened.........

......and St Andrews in Presteigne, just very much a part of my families life in the Welsh Marches......

..more selfies.......

More rummaging around in old sketch folders and I found a couple more self-portraits. Apparently my self image has not aged in 26 years.….

Buildings.….

Buildings, particularly once that are old or ramshackle or both are another favourite subject.

....a signal box at Totnes..….

..a home by the sea at Swanage....

.…..a pub in Herefordshire.…....

.....and my favourite my daughters playhouse....

seaside sketches

There is nothing more relaxing than sitting by the sea with a sketchbook, a pen and cup of tea. These are all pretty recent so I don't know if they are any good or not, but they sort of look like what I was looking at at the time.....

 .....a view of South Sands near Salcombe..…

.....and a view in Sidmouth.…........

twenty year old sketchbook

Sorting out old stuff the other day and came across some old sketch books. It's amazing how much easier it is to judge how good your work is with a bit of distance. Some of the scribbles and drawings looked pretty good to me...certainly better than the occasional scribbles I turn in 20 years on.

The first couple of drawings are how I saw myself in the late eighties early nineties.…I'm quite fond of the foul mouthed angry version of me.

The drawing below was something I did for a works in house newsletter. He was called Abercrombie, after Patrick Abercrombie. I like all the details in the detritus that surrounds him.

A review of my family year..…

Happy Christmas! This is the 2013 version of the family round-robin cum newsletter that I do every year.

..right, lets take this seriously....

The thing I have always struggled with is ideas.  To be  a cartoonist being able to draw a funny looking person or thing is only part of the equation, and is probably the least important element.  The main thing is the idea, without a funny idea a cartoon is nothing.  A genuinely good idea, a funny line will survive a pretty scrappy, sketchy, stick-man drawing.  There are plenty of cartoonists who have built a career with very simplistic, naïve or scribbly drawings, by ensuring the ideas behind them are genuinely funny. By contrast the most fantastic, detailed, beautifully crafted cartoon will mean nothing if it is not funny.  I really admire those cartoonists that can turn in a genuinely funny gag with a beautifully crafted picture.  One of my favourites in this line is Mike Williams, who consistently produces cartoons that you'd be happy to hang on any wall, whether they were funny or not, but the bonus is they are invariably very funny indeed.  My personal favourite is this one:

 

...any way, back to where I started, getting these 'killer' ideas is the really tricky bit (in fact for me, getting any ideas at all is a bit of a problem).  But whilst browsing round the local 'Oxfam' book shop I came across a book, entitled 'cartoon workshop: How to create humour'- which seemed to be the answer.  Its not a book about how to draw cartoons, I have shelf full of those, but about how to generate funny ideas.  So I invested my £2.49 and I plan to work my way through it and see if it works.  as a bonus it contains some really funny examples of cartoons including some classic Mike Williams - result!

 

 

First post, and little bit about me.........

........I have always drawn pictures.  When I was a little boy I drew on any bit of paper I could find.  I remember that there was a paper shortage (it was the seventies, there was always a shortage of something...) and my brother told me I was responsible. Then I remember watching 'Blue Peter' (john Noakes/Peter Purvis era) and there was some young lad who drew cartoons.  They were so simple, but effective, that I thought "I could do that"..... so I started drawing cartoons. I used to draw whole comic books (but never showed them to anyone).  At school I would draw cartoons to amuse my mates, and swap them for badges and such. I got a couple of my cartoons published in comics and magazines, but I never actually thought that people might actually make money (or even a living out of drawing funny pictures). So I never really stuck at drawing and gradually stopped doing any regular drawing......

......until our two little girls arrived and I started to draw again to amuse them, and started to enjoy the act of creating funny little drawings.

So with a little bit of encouragement and a lot of assistance I've started this blog to get into a routine of producing sketches, drawings, cartoons and other bits and bobs and sharing them with the world.....

So here's the first.  Following a visit to the wonderful 'Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre' I did this Quentin Blake inspired sketch of the family.........