Tuesday 30 November 2010

Tricerablobs

Look at this adorable plush monster I made. Like a modern day Frankenstein I bought a load of old charity shop cuddly toys, cruelly dissected them and then restitched them back together again into this monstrosity. I think it works.

Monday 29 November 2010

Spiral pterodactyl

This is a print of some kind of flying monster I did. this turned out to be one of my favourite prints as when it came out the colours were amazing. You can't go wrong with a blue & pink colour scheme though.

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Penguins 3Dish

I thought I'd continue with the triumph that is my 3D skills at recreating penguin. I don't think that there will ever be a better representation of the monochrome flightless birds created by a computer. Who needs millions of vectors? About 40 is more than enough I always say. Got to go the phone is ringing.... I think it's Pixar.

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Arctic Love

Who says I can't create stunning CGI? Look at this beauty. I made it myself, although we are going back a few years here and I think my skills in the third dimension have atrophied a bit. That said I still believe it's a phase and we'll soon be back to glorious 2D. I tried to get a grant from the arts council in Birmingham to get these made as sculptures. They said no and gave the money that year to film someone kicking an empty curry tray through the streets of Sheffield. They really did.

But these pixelated penguins returned when I was working at Gameplay to become the stars of everyone's favourite penguin romance simulation game on the WAP phone: Arctic Love. I'm going to have to see if I can dig up the actual graphics for this game. 24 pixels high and just black and white. These pictures were from the interactive TV version which kept to the pixeled principles of my original vision. I remember the game to be quite fantastically whimsical.

Monday 22 November 2010

Scary Mary prints on sale in Forbidden Planet



Everyone's favourite comic and ace things shop, Forbidden Planet on Shaftsbury Avenue are now stocking my screen prints. Do yourself (and of course me) a favour and get down there and buy one. You can also get a copy of Kitten Parasites there too for the perfect Crimbly stocking filler.

Sunday 21 November 2010

Surf clione

Do you remember how I posted about the humble clione a few days back? I found another illustration I'd done of that adorable but deadly terror of the deep. This one isn't as scientifically accurate as the previous post but I'm sure you'll agree it really is a lot of fun.

Saturday 20 November 2010

Monster ball

Monster Ball! Not that film I've never seen about the mental hospital (looks too harrowing) but football, with monsters. This piece is quite old and Nike never used it in the end but I quites likes it. Looking at it again I think that the main monster looks too feminine - and that just won't do in the manly world of football.

Friday 19 November 2010

Sausage burst

Ever wondered where sausages come from? I know I have. Well, here's your answer. Thinking of which I had some lovely ones last weekend. Honey & rosemary chipolatas. Very nice.

Thursday 18 November 2010

Graffiti Granny

Go girl! Graffiti Granny a go go! This illustration I did the year before last. I think this is the best one of the Hip Hop Granny series I did for Mad Dog Magazine. You'll be surprised to know that I don't know anything about Hipperty Hopperty music, although I have an almost encyclopedic knowledge about grannies.

Wednesday 17 November 2010

Squid pattern

Squid! Squiddy! Squidling! Squid! I don't know why I did this but I kind of like it so I thought I'd share with the group. I can't even remember what it was for and I haven't had any hot, inky, squid action for ages so here you go.

Tuesday 16 November 2010

More Gameplay goodness.


Here's some more eleven year old work from the Gameplay vaults. This was our Bust-A-Move clone re-skin: Shooting Stars. It's like it was from a different age and in a way it was. To be honest I'm not sure there's enough flare on the title. Increase the glitter threshold by 200% please. Happy days.

Monday 15 November 2010

TACOT Racers

Cast your mind back to the year 2000. Remember that brave new world? Back then I think I was enjoying the best real job I ever had with loads of lovely people. We on the interactive TV game department could basically do what we wanted. You never get that freedom now with game designs and I think it shows. This was the title screen to TACOT racers: Tiny Animated Creatures On Television was the acronym (although there was a another secret acronym for those in the know). This was a top down racer for ITV. I didn't do the CGI but I designed the characters. I don't think we got a UK release but we were massive in Scandinavia. It was a shame Gameplay went spectacularly tits ups but it still remains in its original pre-evolved form here.

Sunday 14 November 2010

Hello Kitty

Seeing as everyone is doing their take on Hello Kitty for Sanrio's 50th anniversary I thought I'd have a go. I haven't done a kitten parasite for a while and they're always a treat to draw so I've seized the chance. Adorable.

Saturday 13 November 2010

Zombie Sheep

The Shock Flock is still simmering away in the background if you'll indulge me to mix my metaphors. But I don't really know what to do with them. Everyone loves zombie sheep don't they? One day their potential will be realised and I'll unleash them into the world... but until that day you may rest easy Gentle Reader.

Friday 12 November 2010

Dandy Cover


Here's this week & last week's Dandy cover. I'm worried they're all too similar, but I suppose they're still establishing the new branding. Hopefully they'll start showcasing other stories soon and have the confidence to move away from celebrities. That said my Korky has been getting bigger on each progressive cover. Maybe it's only a matter of time until I get that coveted cover gig. You never know.

Thursday 11 November 2010

Dungeons that drag on - Gelatinous Cube

People are loving the jellies. Here's one from the Dungeon Master's manual that I had been unaware of: The gelatinous cube. It's just a square thing that goes around engulfing and digesting all it enconters. You'll be alarmed to know that it's impervious to magic too. Can nothing stop it?

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Dungeons that drag on - Amorous Blob

This is the flip side of the afore mentioned amorphous blob: The amorous blob. This sexy creature lives to love. It's a lover not a fighter and pudding though it may be, it's not a deadly one. I don't think the amorous blob was in Dungeons & Dragons, not even in the advanced version but it should have been.

Tuesday 9 November 2010

Dungeons that drag on - Amorphous Blob

The amorphous blob also known as the deadly pudding is a gelatinous mass that slops about engulfing things. I hope you can roll equal or above your luck on a twenty sided dice otherwise you'll get your just desserts. Get it? Jelly is a dessert.

Monday 8 November 2010

Clione


When I was in Sapporo a few years back I met a lovely little chap known as a clione. These are aquatic gastropods, some kind of sea slug if you will, that thrive in the icy waters around Japan. Being Japanese they've been amazingly anthrapomorphised into lovable characters with their red internal organs represented as a lovely heart. But they are pretty sweet in real life and you can see them in aquariums all over Japan. You can even buy little refrigerated tanks for them if you want to own one yourself. I found a clip here.
The best thing about them is that they're carnivorous and the top of their heads open up into a tentacle ringed maw of doom which extends and catches prey. They're amazing.

I recently got to thinking about the clione again when a friend in Japan sent me over this tub of clione themed jelly sweets. This is a triumph of animal merchandising. I really regret not buying a Hello Kitty dressed as a clione when I was out there. Oh well, next time.

Sunday 7 November 2010

Dungeons that drag on - Owlbear

My acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons series continues with this monstrous chimera, no not a chimera the mythical beast from Greek myth but the Owlbear. It is a monster that has qualities of both bird and mammal, a bit like a platypus. I only recall this one from its Citadel miniature which I ruined when I attempted to paint it, but I remember it looked pretty cool before I got my clumsy paint brush on it. Cute but deadly.

Saturday 6 November 2010

Dungeons that drag on - Beholder

Recently, for some reason, I've been thinking of Dungeons & Dragons, the game. I was never really into it as a kid. All those spread sheets and charts and that, but I was keen on the idea of it. I especially liked looking through the bestiaries. I loved the Citadel miniatures, I still do, but whenever I tried to paint them it was a disaster. I thought I'd try and recreate, from memory, some of my favourite creatures from the creature back catalogues and but them on here as a kind of mini series to enjoy a little nerd time with myself and of course you.
First off is that floating omni-optic orb known as a beholder. Stay tuned for more D & D(elights) soon.

Tuesday 2 November 2010

Students

Here's an illustration I did for The Student Guide. Pretty self explanatory but I assure you that when I was a student I didn't live in conditions like this... does anyone?

Monday 1 November 2010

Rubber fetish pointy head chaps a go go!

Cor blimey! See I don't just draw cuddly animals look what a Renaissance man I am, I can turn my hand to anything. Here's some costumes I designed for a fetish show. I'm not sure of the details but I think it was a Face Party and Torture Garden collaboration, I'm going back a few years with this one. It was a good night though and the costumes looked amazing. They cost a bomb to make too - who new rubber would be so expensive... And no, it's not me in one of the costumes.