This new book is a wonderful showcase for Australian comickers across a broad range of styles.  It's called Australia! and proceeds will help benefit Beyond Blue.

The artists and writers were invited to contribute by Oi, Oi, Oi! editor and ComicOz Publisher, Nat Karmichael.  The majority of the stories appear in full colour and the production values are the highest I've seen for an Australian book (it's also hardbound and complete with a dust jacket).

My own piece in the book is a four page story introducing "Drover Girl," a long time character in my stable who I haven't completed pages for until this point.  If you like horses and Australian historical stories, you might find something to like in this.

There are a few page samples for the book, including the full first page of "Drover Girl" at: The Comic Oz Store.

You'll also find a one pager, "10 Great Things About Penguins," illustrated by the legendary Paul Harris!  We go back a long way, to the Reverie days of the early '80s, so it's nice to finally have collaborated on a piece.  His style is as hilarious and inimitable as always.

Those two pieces should give some idea of the range in this book.  Personally, I think it's one of those big, essential Australian comic anthologies that come along only once in a while - well worth the purchase price for individuals or libraries with an interest in our local comicking.

As for whether there will be more Drover Girl, at this stage I can't say.  If the right magazine was willing to commission me (as in pay), I'd certainly consider producing this as a regular feature.

Labels: Australian comics, Comic anthologies, Dillon Naylor, Drover Girl, Miscellaneous comic pieces, Reverie

I keep a little yellow D&AD sketchbook next to my desk for sketching down quick ideas or experiments with developing characters.

Lately, I seem to be doing regular little comic pieces in there. This one took about 20 minutes. I have real reservations about showing this hastily drawn stuff, but it is what it is.  I've been posting them to my Facebook wall and this one was among the more popular of those.  There are some others that I may actually develop for submission somewhere.

Labels: Miscellaneous comic pieces, Sketchbook

The past month has seen local and international artists and comickers coming out of the woodwork and banding together on a wonderful project from the Melbourne Comics people.


It's a benefit for Project Orangutan, with proceeds of the published book going to Orangutan rehabilitation.

There's an Indiegogo campaign running now, with a variety of perks available coming up, including a 32 page colour comic, and a 64 page book, all featuring inspired work about orangs - I'm really hoping you'll support this!

 Tango with Orangos

I've had some fun with my piece, going back to basics, and creating the artwork on paper using watercolour, gouache, and a little ink and pencil to complete it.

The lettering was done on another piece of paper in fountain pen, then scanned in and overlaid in Photoshop. This piece originated in my desk notebook, and I stayed close to my original concept of it.

As is typical with my short comics, it's more a philosophical piece than anything particularly didactic (although there is definitely a place for that here, given the parlous state of the last precious wildernesses of South East Asia, due to palm oil, logging and mining).

To see the finished piece, you'll need to see the book (or possibly a poster that may also be produced featuring it).

Labels: Miscellaneous comic pieces, Tango for Orangos

This is the first panel of a one page comic piece published in the literary anthology, Short & Twisted 2014. It's one of many pieces that I've had scripted for a while, which I completed with this fine book series in mind.

The book's emphasis is on short prose works with startingly surprising twists. I seem to be having better luck with getting pieces published in literary anthologies than in comics lately - I wonder what that means? Maybe my work is becoming too obscure. Anyway, in a year where a number of pieces failed to reach publication, it was pleasing to get this one out there.

My big project now is still trying to compile some sort of anthology of my past work, but that's a massive task.

Many of the pieces need care with scanning and cleaning up, and the selection process isn't easy, given that my emphasis has generally been on longer tales. I think a book like that would need to contain selections from Maelstrom, Children of the Moon, Moth & Tanuki, etc., along with strips like Busker Jim and Joytown, and shorter pieces. More than half the material would need to be in colour, which is an added complication. I may yet do a shorter black-and-white book focusing on more recent, one off, pieces like this one.

In the meantime, if you like good literary anthologies, Short & Twisted 2014 can be purchased here.

Labels: Miscellaneous comic pieces

Here's a sample from a current piece that's appearing in the fine Australian comic anthology, Exposure, produced by the ACT Comic Meet (and purchasable here. This is a wonderful collection that continues the tradition of regional Australian mini-anthologies - possibly my favourite comic form.

So, in case anyone's wondering I am still drawing, but mostly trying to catch up and complete old work (with a view to building my own anthology at some point). I'm also still submitting small pieces here and there, to both small press and mainstream publications.

Mostly, I seem to be distracted by doing music again, something that I had thought I'd given up on completely. Given that my songs are fairly unconventional I'm not sure they have much of an audience, even within my current band, so this is probably something I'm doing mostly for my own interest.

My songs are, for the most part, original narrative poetry set to music, in a singer/songwriter style, usually piano-based, across a wide range of themes. Some of what I write is so odd that it's not really even suited for that, hence pieces like Tree and Coelacanth, which have been turned into poem/comics and published that way. This current piece, Bigfoot Goes to Hollywood fits that form. I can't really imagine it as a song, but as a comic, I think it works pretty well, bringing together a lot of pop culture references from the Bigfoot era.

Labels: Australian comics, Miscellaneous comic pieces, music

Labels: Cartoons, Miscellaneous comic pieces

The stellar new issue of Going Down Swinging is available now, featuring sixty contributors - of prose, poetry, art (plus music and spoken word works on the CD included) - so much to enjoy it's a little overwhelming! It's also issue number 33, which is a remarkable achievement in itself.

Lurking inside you'll find "Coelacanth," a poem/comic that I'm particularly proud of, as I think it makes good use of the form.  I've done a few poem/comics now, but they've tended mostly to be illustrated stories, rather than images and art working to weave complementary, sometimes even contradictory, threads into a cohesive whole.

When I drew this I was feeling at a loose end, and went to my lyrics book searching for something that I could possibly illustrate as a comic (this one hadn't been set to music, and still hasn't).  The best tales want to tell themselves, and this one emerged rapidly from the creative darkness.

There's so much to discover in GDS #33 - for me, so many favourites, old and new.  You can find it to purchase here.

Labels: Miscellaneous comic pieces

The new big, anthro comic Hush (issue #3 in the Funny Aminals series), edited by Bryan Stone and Jeff Lok, is full of wonderful, surreal, completely wordless animal comics. My one pager featuring Wuf can be found tailgunning right at the back!

It's available here.

















I'm increasingly drawn to this form of storytelling in comics, maybe partly because I'm tired of drawing borders and lettering word balloons, but also because there's something about this "silence" that lends itself to poignancy and strong visual characterisation.

Labels: Comic anthologies, Miscellaneous comic pieces

The good Lissanne Oliver of SORTED! Organising & Decluttering has a special offer on printed copies of all six SORTED! comics for one week only. Check out the offer, get the code, and go here to order - no comic hoard is complete without them!

Labels: Australian comics, Miscellaneous comic pieces

This comic was drawn quickly today for the topic "Suspend" for Illustration Friday - it's more like "suspended" in this case. Hopefully, that same word is used for school suspensions overseas, or this won't mean much :).

I'm honestly not sure how pleased I am with it - it came out crueller than I intended and there's something about the flow of it that doesn't quite work. Also, the colours have suffered in the shift from CYMK to RGB. I welcome your opinions!

Labels: Illustration Friday, Miscellaneous comic pieces, Yin and Yang

Here's "Space" again for Illustration Friday, this time in colour!

Labels: Illustration Friday, Miscellaneous comic pieces, Yin and Yang

Here is my spin on "Space" for Illustration Friday.

I'd already decided, before the topic was released that I wanted to try doing a comic this week. These characters have been with me for a while, but I drew this piece especially for this week's IF.  I also wanted it to be in a relaxed style, so I drew it very quickly this afternoon, scanned it, and did minor tweaking in Photoshop.  Maybe I'll do a colour version later in the week, I don't know yet.

Labels: Illustration Friday, Miscellaneous comic pieces, Yin and Yang

Please click on pic for more information.

Labels: Comic anthologies, Miscellaneous comic pieces, Sketchbook

The fantastic all colour, nearly 200 page Australian comics anthology, Beginnings, has just been released. It's a limited edition, so you'll need to hurry - order at: Beginnings shop.

This amazing cover design is by Jon Sommariva - I love his interpretations of all the characters, particularly mine (you can figure out who those are by buying a copy :) ). The book came about as a result of the ACT Comic Meet. I've appeared in other books with some of these fine artists, so when this anthology was first announced I knew it would be something special, and was keen to be involved.

My contribution is a 7 page story called "Paradise." I had a few ideas - the origin story of a Moth & Tanuki character, the first eight pages of a children's comic project I've started on, or the first chapter of one of the graphic novels on my neglected script slush pile - after running these ideas past Jill, I was surprised to find which one seemed the best choice.

While I'd had the character designs for a while I wasn't sure where to begin. Somehow pencilled sketches seemed to best capture these characters. I gave L. the first draft of scribbles to see what she thought and even like that, it seemed to work as a story in its own right.


For a while now I've been feeling disillusioned with computer art. There's a sameness to it that bothers me - a homogenising effect - that makes it seem like microwave food a lot of the time. Also, my eyes have usually had enough of staring at a screen after work.

I was also feeling tired of working with pens and thought they weren't right for this. The hottest days of Summer didn't seem like the logical time to be refilling them either (I have some work stored up for inking when the weather cools down).

After doing some large, fairly tightly pencilled pages, I experimented with "hardening" the linework on the computer and then printing it out onto watercolour paper. That puts a bit of a break in the organic process I'd wanted, but the results were just right! I broke out the watercolour paints and worked on all the pages at once. Brushes really are the most enjoyable tool to work with, and colouring this way was much faster than using Photoshop.

After I sent my submission in (pleading that it start on a right hand page), I received a request for a splash page. The picture at left was sketched hastily in pencil in my morning tea break and then painted that night. The only problem was scanning it while the paint was still damp.

While I'm on it, my comic stories are paced and designed to work according to the page turns, and placement of the pages at right and left is vital. I've had stories in the past ruined by them starting on the left instead of the right (it can also ruin the ending). With this book I didn't need to worry: the ACT Comic Meet is a collective of talented artists and this book has been put together by the editors with real care and attention to detail.

I've really enjoyed this project and look forward to seeing the finished book - if you're quick, you might even land a copy before me!

Beginnings

Labels: Australian comics, Beginnings, island wildlife, Miscellaneous comic pieces

The third issue of Inscribe newspaper has been out for about a month now. It's a wonderful initiative, a community journal for writers and artists primarily located in the City of Darebin, in collaboration with the Publishing Lab at Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE. Print copies can be picked up at Northcote Town Hall and a variety of other locations in the area, or you can view or download it here.

In addition to a rich variety of prose, poetry and reviews by emerging (and some established) writers, there are evocative spot illustrations, and also - in this issue - an emphasis on comics! Included are comic related articles and works from artists including Nicki Greenberg, Mandy Ord, Michael Camilleri, Queenie Tan and Austina Wan (in collaboration with Chris Beach, Simon Sez and Mojo the Clown - and yes, the latter is real: I've met him!), plus a review by Dillon Naylor.

Comic highlights for me are the eye-catching centre pages, which are in a classic style, Tan's short strips and Mandy Ord's full back page comic rumination on literature.

I have a couple of small pieces in there which may have some familiarity to regular readers of this Blog - yes, you and you - "Fresh" on page 15 and "Creatively Frustrated" on page 22 are reworkings of pieces that have appeared here in some form. Given that I was a bit disappointed by the space allocated to the second piece - one of those personal musings that I think is likely to be misunderstood anyway - I thought I'd post it here.

Labels: Australian comics, Miscellaneous comic pieces

A new comic series, published by SORTED! organising & decluttering has just been launched. Created and written by bestselling author Lissanne Oliver, this series of 7 comics (available as PDF downloads), is aimed at children and teens.

I was pleased to draw the first in the series, Liam Runs Late, about a 12 year old boy who has difficulty prioritising his time.

This is exactly the kind of piece I enjoy drawing and is done in my most natural comic style, which isn't overly cartoony or very realistic, but a mix of both. I was also pleased to use hand-lettering, and it's made me question whether I should be reverting to doing that with other comics (particularly given that I've been digitally relettering some of my earlier pieces).

All in all, a short comic that manages to be both entertaining and informative. I love drawing animals and kids, and believe in what the good people at SORTED! are working to achieve. It was fun working with Lissanne and this was a pleasure to draw.

Labels: Australian comics, Miscellaneous comic pieces

As I don't seem to be getting much chance to draw comics lately, I was delighted when Dillon Naylor offered me a chance to work over one of his "Camilla and Mike!" episodes for Challenge: Australia's National Students' Magazine.

These roving kid journalist characters are regulars in this school magazine, exploring different subjects in an informative and entertaining way in comics form. The challenge was to draw Mike and Camilla in a manga/anime style suitable to his episode, without overly compromising their usual identity.

This two pager was a very enjoyable piece to draw and is now appearing in issue number 1 for 2010 of Challenge, available through most schools or iSUBSCiBE.

Labels: Australian comics, Camilla and Mike, Dillon Naylor, Miscellaneous comic pieces

This piece is an extract from a longer satirical piece that came about quickly. I drew it at the time this story came up and offered it to a humour magazine (who liked the character, but were unwilling to publish a long comic piece).

I'd also originally envisaged it as related (if indirectly) to Tonia's "Angels & Demons" anthology, Meus Officium Est Abyssus. This nicely presented, hand-bound anthology - which features many of Tonia's witty, well drawn and observed strips about the home-life of Maxwell the Demon - now has a second issue out. A black-and-white version of the Wot Collection one pager is in there. It may have dated a little, but I think the premise still works.

Meus sold well at Doujicon last weekend - in fact, #2 sold out! It should be available at Phase Two Comics soon. For an idea of what it's like, check out the online version of Meus #1.

Labels: Miscellaneous comic pieces

My How to Draw Comics piece from a few years ago is in the May issue of Listen magazine, a US teen lifestyle magazine. I'm very pleased with how it turned out and the context in which it is used, accompanying an article - Drawing Inside the Box - Comics by Tim Morgan - encouraging readers to get into comic creating.

I'd wondered how Listen would adapt my piece for a US readership and am very happy with the results (see below). With a bit of rearrangement of text and panels, it's a tighter comic that works really well in this context. (If you haven't already seen the original, it's at How to Draw Comics).

Labels: How to Draw Comics, Miscellaneous comic pieces

Usually, I don't post whole cartoons here, but I had to post this one! The Age and other newspapers on Saturday reported Fossil find shows modern birds rose from the water: "Five beautifully preserved headless fossil skeletons discovered in China suggest modern birds evolved from aquatic, duck-like ancestors," apparently contemporary with dinosaurs.

Hmm, somehow it just doesn't surprise me :). The above cartoon first appeared in Operation Funnybone last year (another good reason to buy a copy, if you haven't already).

Labels: Cartoons, Miscellaneous comic pieces