Mortal Gods

So in my last post I mentioned a move into the tabletop games industry!

Over the last year or so have been working closely with Footsore Miniatures and Games as a designer and illustrator on their tabletop miniatures game Mortal Gods.

The game’s theme is set in the Classical Greek period and players battle each other with war bands of Hoplites which are represented on the tabletop with miniature figures which the player will build and paint. If you’re familiar at all with Warhammer it’s that kind of thing.

The stats and rules for the warriors in the game are displayed on decks of cards, and it’s these cards that I have been illustrating. It’s been great fun to be able to work in a style very different to my usual humour stuff I do for the kids comics.

I took a lot of inspiration for the art style from the black and white art seen in the Commando comics published by DC Thomson.

This work is ongoing with the game proving popular, we are looking to expand the game beyond the Greeks and have it cover the Bronze Age period as a whole.

Also coming very soon will be a Mythic supplement so players can play out the adventures of Perseus and Jason and the Argonauts!

Here is some of my art from the game, enjoy!

I’m back!

Wow! It’s been a ridiculously long time since I updated this blog!

Well I’m happy to say that despite the lack of updates there hasn’t been a lack of work!
I’ve been very busy since my last post, continuing my work for Beano. You can see my work in the comic most weeks as I continue illustrating puzzles and features! I will also be returning to the pages of the Beano annual drawing the adventures of a proper classic character. My work will appear in next years book dated 2021! More on that soon.

I’ve also been working as an illustrator in the tabletop games industry! I’ll do a separate post all about my ongoing work for the miniature war-game Mortal Gods! FOR SPARTA!!!

Also I have been illustrating some book covers and children’s novels! Again a separate blog post on that coming very soon!

But for now I’ll leave you with an advert for commissions. If you fancy having a relative immortalised in ink alongside a Beano fave in time for Christmas, drop my a message!

Watch this space, I’ve got so much to tell you!

 

Guts, Glory and Gitruk!

In 1986 Games Workshop released Blood Bowl, the game of fantasy football. This board game pitted teams of Orcs, Elves, Dwarfs and Chaos warriors against each other in an ultra violent version of American football. The game was designed by Jervis Johnson and featured art by 2000AD’s Brett Ewins. Being a big fan of Games Workshop products, I bought my copy on the day of release from my local hobby shop and have remained a fan ever since!

The game had it’s 5th edition launched last year and also has app and pc versions available to play. Now Titan Comics have released Blood Bowl – More Gut’s, More Glory, a 4 issue comic series written by Black Library author Nick Kyme and illustrated by DC comics artist Jack Jadson.

When I found out the comic was being worked on I had a crazy idea. What if I pitched a funny back up strip to be included in the back of the comic? And what if I kept my own humour comic style of art and writing? Would a Blood Bowl / Beano style mash up work?

TOUCHDOWN! I’m pleased to say both Titan Comics and Games Workshop thought it would work and so I was thrilled to be invited to create a strip for the Blood Bowl comic as long as it featured Goblins and Snotlings! Perfect!

Gitruk’s Dirty Tactiks was pitched as the back up and now appears for the first time in issue 2 of Blood Bowl from Titan Comics and is due to feature in the remainder of the series. The stories follow the season of the useless, cheating Goblin coach of the Moshington Greenskinz, Gitruk. It’s all a bit silly and a stupid amount of fun to work on.

Here is some of the art from the pitch and some works in progress.

Initial character designs for Gitruk, Snotling and Wizard Gizzard.

Sample art done to see if the art style would work

Original pencils before edits 

Inks, you can see slight changes to the characters after suggestions from GW. 

If you’re a Blood Bowl fan do pick up a copy of the comic from your local comic shop and it’s also available digitally on ComiXology.

Time for Toots AGAIN!

It’s nice to see that my Bash Street Kids mini strip series, Time for Toots is getting a rerun over on Beano.com. You can read it here! https://www.beano.com/posts/toots-food-rush and more here.. https://www.beano.com/categories/comic-strips

Night of the WereWilf!

Quite often I am commissioned to illustrate puzzles to accompany a particular story that is due to appear in an upcoming issue of everyone’s favourite weekly kids comic, The Beano. Recently though I pitched a few ideas of my own including a spooky Bash Street Kids maze called, Night of the WereWilf!

Now with a certain spooky night fast approaching I’m pleased to say that my WereWilf character has made an appearance in the current issue. Not only on the puzzle page but also growling on the polythene gift bag and most surprisingly to me, starring in this weeks Bash Street Kids strip, written by Andy Fanton with art by Mychalio Krazybird and Bambos Georgio. So this is the first time one of my puzzles has become a comic strip story.

There is still time to grab a copy NOOOOOOOOOOW!

WereWilf growling on this issues gift bag.

WereWilf appears in this weeks Bash Street Kids story.

Night of the WereWilf puzzle page

The Time Lord and Toots!

The current issue of The Beano features the Doctor looking for a new companion to join him on his time travelling escapades. Is Toots interested in joining him? You still have TIME to grab a copy and find out…

Artwork © DC Thomson & Co Ltd.

Where are my Pants?

In this weeks Beano, Dennis’s dad searches for his missing pants, and Toots shows us what little girls are really made of!

Those sum up my contributions but there’s loads more fun to check out so go grab a copy now!

Enjoy!

Artwork © DC Thomson & Co ltd.

One, Two, Flea!

For this weeks issue of The Beano, I drew a puzzle page to accompany the Gnasher and Gnipper story. Walter is being attacked by piratical fleas, but how many can you spot in the picture? Grab the comic and have a go!

Here’s a clip, enjoy!

Artwork © DC Thomson & Co Ltd.

 

General Blight-a-likes!

This weeks Beano comic features a brand new Bananaman story drawn by original Bananaman creator, Steve Bright. I was pleased to be asked to draw an accompanying puzzle page showing the streets of Beanotown crawling with General Blight-a-likes!

Here’s a clip!

You can check out the story and puzzle page in full in this weeks issue out now! Available at all good newsagents and supermarkets.

Enjoy!

Artwork © DC Thomson & Co Ltd

Can Dogs Fly?

Here are my contributions to the Beano this week. We ask “Can Dogs Fly?” Well Gnasher and Gnipper are having a go! And Toots teaches the rest of the class 2B some manners.

The Beano is packed with funnies and out now for a paltry £2.50. Go treat yourself!

Artwork © DC Thomson & Co Ltd 2016.