Where the magic happens (or not, as the case may sometimes be)

 I'm hard at work on the first five pages of 'Gentlemen Ghouls', but thought I'd take a bit of time out to show a few pictures of my workspace. We were fortunate enough to be able to buy our first house last year, and although it's got it's fair share of problems, I love it. Not least because of the space! For the first time in my life I've got a dedicated studio, and here it is:

 

My beautiful mac and my trusty old laptop (watching Suspiria as I work). You'll notice the signed Vampire Vixens print from the fantastic Alex Ronald, and next to that the latest addition to my walls - a beautifully drawn Hellboy by Neil McClements.

 To the right of my desk I store a load of battered old books which are handy for visual reference - everything from Folklore, World Wars, Vikings, Egyptology to Star Wars. To the right of that a bunch of novels, plus a truly masterful original drawing of Solomon Kane by American artist Patric Reynolds (Abe Sapien, Let Me In, Dark Horse Presents), a cracking drawing of Mola Ram from 'Temple of Doom' by the awesome Graeme Neil Reid (I also have a 'Toht', both awaiting framing) and a signed print by Glenn Fabry.

 

My drawing desk and my shabby old anglepoise lamp and a couple of Andrew Loomis books I've just acquired (absolutely essential reference material - they've recently been reissued, check Amazon). Another stunning bit of artwork from Alex Ronald above it to inspire me (this one an original ink drawing).

 

Assorted useless bric-a-brac to keep me inspired, including a mandolin that's in desperate need of a clean-up and re-string, a couple of dinosaurs, the Ralph McQuarrie Star Wars & Jedi production portfolios and a framed Mogwai setlist from 1997 (or maybe '98). Below, taped to my art cupboard are a load of recent comic covers I printed out by the likes of Mignola, Dave Johnson and Jock, just to keep me on my toes ;)

 

Above left - my comics and graphic novels. Up top are a few of my model soldiers, a broken TIE interceptor and X-Wing fighter, and on the far right a saloon my dad made for me when I was about 5 or 6. Used to play with that for hours.

Above right - a closer look at Neil McClements stunning Hellboy pic. Must colour that one at some point.

Gentlemen Ghouls

Something ghastly stalks Highgate Cemetery...

First rough sketch for a new comic project. It's been far too long since I drew an actual strip, so this weekend I sat down and thumbnailed the first 5 pages of my new project with writer Martin Hayes.

Yep, Hammer Horror is a BIG influence on this one.

Keep the slime from our shore!

Well the New Year has got off to a positive start already, with my first bit of work for Markosia. I've been swapping emails with writer Martin Hayes for a while now, and we've got one or two ideas for possible collaborations, then he approached me to contribute a pin-up for a graphic novel he's got coming out next month called 'Project Luna: 1947'. He asked if I could model it on one of those vintage propaganda posters - specifically this one:

So the top image is what I came up with. The alien was designed by the GN's artist Jim Boswell, I just tried to make him look more disgusting (as is my wont). Really enjoyed this one, the most fun I've had on a piece for a while.