Friday, September 12, 2014

Booky book book

As I write this I'm listening to the new U2 album that was released for free on iTunes...today? Very nice.
Anyway, I realised some stuff has been happening recently that I should blog about! Firstly, the second book in the Madison series is now out on the market! YEAH! Very great. I love it. You should buy it, because it's a fabulous book. And is also still being flogged like its predecessor at the ridiculously cheap price of $14.99! Once upon a time there was talk of raising the price as it's a quality hardcover, but this hasn't happened yet. So get it fast... :)


Also, I've been working recently on a new baby... below is a sneak peak at some of the concept art. It's a children's book based on a true story, called Same. The author is Katrina Roe, and it will be published by Wombat books at some point probably early next year...


And this is my dear friend Navet! in plush toy form. I made him the year before last and realised I'd never posted a finished pic of him! Say 'Hi' Navet! 
(for a 2D version of him check out The 'Shroom Squisher, or the original concept art here)


Wednesday, June 18, 2014

A giant flower, a book finished and the MCA Zine Fair!

No, none of the items in the title of this post are linked. They are all quite, quite separate!

The MCA Zine Fair was towards the end of May and I hung out with the Sydney Comics Guild (SCG)! My lovely friend Alex runs the group and we have much fun making comics and selling them together at events like this. (I think the others do a bit more comic making throughout the year than I do but that's just the way it is at the moment!) In the second photo down there are the two short comics I did for the SCG anthologies over the last two years (which can also be read on this blog in the 'pages' section), which my wonderfully supportive and charming father printed off for me, while I was finishing and scanning the illustrations for Fearlessly Madison (and which, incidentally, got sent to the printers last Friday)!




Below are shots of my workspace and some partially completed illustrations for Fearlessly Madison. I'm very excited about this book! I love the story, by Penny Reeve - it's just as good as the first in the series and very much a story in it's own right, while still connecting to Wonderfully Madison in subtle ways. It should, like the first book, be available at Koorong or via the publisher (CEPstore site) once printed.



And did I mention giant flowers? :)



Saturday, February 1, 2014

Madison #2

I've just started on the second book in the Madison series! And have been reflecting lately on how illustrating a children's story book is very much like giving birth to a child. That is, it's a nice idea and the end product is pretty great and amazing but gee it's painful! I'm already bracing myself for another long slug of sleep deprivation and RSI... worth it though.

I really like the story of this book too - Penny Reeves is a good writer and she's done it again. There are several particularly amusing moments in the text and I'm enjoying myself finding more in the illustrations (one of the perks of the job, to be sure)!

Here are a few pics of my initial sketches... none confirmed yet.