Irwin Steveson from Darwin

Darwin is a comic book I'm working on at the moment, written by Graham Beadle of the Grinning Demon comic shop. This is a pinup or Xenobiologist Irwin Steveson I cobbled together for Creator Owned Day, the 1st of March. If you're on Twitter look up #creatorownedday to see more excellent independent creator-owned characters, and check back here over the next few months for more updates on Darwin as it progresses - this one is really going somewhere!

Stone!

I've contributed a page to a comic book, set in Maidstone, called STONE. It will soon be on sale in the Tourist Information Centre, and I assume also in The Grinning Demon comic shop. It is written by bona-fide comic writer and novelist Dan Abnett, and each page is drawn by a different brilliant artist. If you live in the area pick it up and support the efforts of the fine creative people who have contributed! I've been doing some stuff for it today, but took a break and sketched this, to rest my weary brain!

Happy 2011!

I have lost the ability to create. End of. My brain is absolutely teeming with ideas, but when I come to actually put pen to tablet, nothing happens. And that is why I missed December 2010. I'm so pissed at myself for that, because I was on such a roll of posting every month. Sad times. Among the things I would like to do is an adaptation of the movie Barbarella - itself an adaptation of a comic book. Along with the camp excesses of the film, it's that Adaptation of an Adaptation thing that appeals to me. As always, I will never get around to actually doing it!

Bonus post! 2 for November!

I hate that I've been posting one per month this year, how crap am I?! Here's something extra which I've taken from my hard drive and messed about with a wee bit! I must have done it months ago, god knows why I didn't post it then! I have separated out the layers so you can see how I (sometimes) work!

Doc Alibi!

This is a character of mine named Doc Alibi. You go to him if you've done a murder or something and you need a water-tight alibi constructed. As a concept I think it's a solid basis for an ongoing series, with a new client each story laying the basis for the plot to come. Often it is the opening of an adventure that is the most difficult to make believable. Also I really like the idea of a story that is not about the 'hero' or the 'villain', but a middle-man doing his job really well!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Mexican BatWoman! I
found this strange video on YouTube...



...and it inspired me greatly! So I drew this...

Wouldn't it be awesome if Batman had a sidekick who was a bikini-wearing crime-fighter by night and a masked wrestler by day(!) By the by, the existing Batwoman is awesome, and I just bought this book to get a second copy of it, even though I already have the original issues. I would totally recommend it to anyone, whether you read comics or not! Happy Halloween !

What I've been up to lately...

I've been drawing this Doctor Who comic strip in the scarce moments I am away from the day-job, taking a sort of mini-break from Crimson Iris (while still mulling it over in the back of my mind) to keep it fresh and all that. Anyway, I hope you like it, click it to big it! x

I've done it again!!!

I've nearly missed August! It's like July all over again! I've actually been quite creative this month, but mainly in ways not conducive to blogging! But here is a work-in-progress Crimson Iris cover idea... not sure where I'm going with it at this stage, I think it could do with being more sinister somehow. Regardless, I submit it for your attention and as ever your valued input! x Oh! By the way! Gratitude to Enchanted Doll and Sky Doll for the inspiration! xxx

Quick! July is nearly over!

I've been pretty productive this month, but a lot of what I've done has been pages for The Crimson Iris, which are pretty meaningless out of context, soooo... Here's a bit of old random rubbish that I did ages ago! It's just a sketch, but it's pretty colourful so it caught my eye when I was looking for something to post before the end of July. xXx

The latest from the Crimson Iris...

Zomboy in Aussiebums!

I did this for an Aussiebum competition, but I misread the details and missed the deadline, so I'm putting it on here so that it wasn't a total waste of three hours!!! I hope you like it, it was fun to do!

The Flash!

Just a little sketch of The Flash, which I did while watching Desperate Houswives earlier on. He isn't a character I've ever really been a fan of, but I picked up the first issue of his new ongoing series, and really enjoyed it. Now I want to buy Flash: Rebirth, by the same writer, because I think I could really get to like this guy! I hope you like this picture, I do! As a little side-note, my boyfriend has a major imaginary crush on The Flash! ;D

Crimson Iris cover thoughts...

This is the cover for one of my Crimson Iris stories, although I'm not sure which yet. I really love the typefaces I used on this, but since getting them my computer had a big old breakdown, so I don't have them any more, and can't remember where I got them! Grrrr. The image itself worked exactly as I wanted it to, a mix of comic drawing and photography that stops it being too 'super-hero-y' and, I think, is suggestive of the moral grey area occupied by the protagonist. As far as using this piece goes, I think it will suit the first CI story well - in it we do not see Iris in her costume until at least halfway through, and the anticipation is built by occasional glimpses of a gloved hand or a spiky boot. To have a plain picture of her on the cover would seem to undermine the reveal page at the story's climax. Let me know what you think of this image, I always love feedback, good or bad!

Crimson Iris 2

The first page of my second Crimson Iris tale... A snatch-and-grab job has gone badly awry for the Crimson Iris, leaving her at the mercy of an East London gangster. The whole story is drawn in stark black and white and is deliberately rougher than the the first story... she's a long way from the elegance of the Riviera now.

More Being Human!

Two posts in one day!!! I just did this one. I don't think it really looks like Lenora Crichlow, but I like it.

Being Human

Just a sketch I did while watching the excellent Being Human last night!

Killing time on a tuesday afternoon...

Just a little doodle to keep me occupied while I'm waiting!

What I've been up to...

I've really enjoyed doing this drawing, mainly that of the Crimson Iris herself, and the colouring has been a real self-teaching thing - I've been doing it more professionally with the help of The DC Comics Guide to Coloring and Lettering Comics, which is absolutely excellent and I think will be crucial to my work in future! You'll notice that there isn't any dialog yet... this is for two reasons - because the Lettering section of the book requires far more precision and care, and because the dialog is to be in Italian, which I do not speak! Anyway, I hope you like it, its still a work in progress so please tell me what you think!

Batgirl sketches.

More Viper!

Another image of The Viper, this time in the role of the femme fatale!