Hello there! In a change to my usual weekly update here is a ten page strip. Kinda nonsense but fun to do.
Click on a page to swipe through. Enjoy!
(I don’t know why that last page appears full size!)
I Got a Feeling! (full strip)
Staring at the rude Nulsh!
Hello there! How ya’ diddlin’?
So let’s get started with the usual drawing book pages…
…usual malarkey! My daily drawing book now looks really uniform with me adding a ‘frame’ and occasional text with a stencil I picked up on a whim. Quite nice to flick through it.
I am actually only a few pages away from the end of my current book, with it’s replacement waiting in the wings. I often ponder ‘do I need to keep a daily drawing book going?’ – as it was initially intended to ensure I put down an image or an idea every day. But now that I draw so much is it necessary?
The answer is still YES for now. When I flick through the books I stumble across ideas and stories I had completely forgotten about. So it has become not only a discipline but a means of stockpiling ideas.
Wonder if I will still be of the same mind when this next book is finished. A book lasts around 6-7 months (using the books I currently use). We shall see.
I have also been reviewing my ‘promotional’ options – by that I mean posting on Instagram and Twitter. I don’t get a lot of interest via Instagram so I am looking to restrict posts on there to more of a gallery, and potentially create a new account to post strips as it accommodates 10 pages per post. Simon Hanselmann does a great strip with ten panels each post – like a wee episode. Works really well. (Careful, Simon’s work contains adult content! Lots of it)
I’ll keep twitter as is for now, but gonna dial back on posting the daily drawing books pages.
Here is a commission from this week – sorry it’s a tad rude!
Catch you next week amigo!
Nulsh
Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?!
Hello! Happy Saturday!
I normally have these posts done well in advance, but due to a few hectic days I am sat here on a Saturday morning doing the post in real time. Need me some more coffee!
Here’s some drawings from the daily book…
…the normal Nulshy malarkey!
I have been busy with a whole heap of concept work this week. None of which I can post currently. But It had me having to work on digital painting. I don’t normally do much of that and tend to stick to basic colouring, which I personally find really compelling.
Using loads of colours (and layers!) is not my preferred means of working. But I did have a really good time experimenting. Which can be a luxury when presented with deadlines. That said, I am on track, and already starting to get some defined operating practices in place.
On that note: I document these operating practices! It is so easy to forget things you have discovered if these are not utilised on a regular basis, so I jot these steps and pointers down (I use OneNote as it’s cloud based format allows me access from anywhere).
Here’s a random mess about (sorry for the swear!)…
See ya’ next week amigo!
Nulsh
Look! Exclamation marks!!!
Hello! Hope yer’ well!
Let’s get crackin’.
Above is a sketchbook page drawn larger than I usually draw, although working larger seems to be more and more common for me these days. Being in lockdown and no dayjob work anytime soon I have been getting to work on a lot of old stories I have had running around my head (and in drawing books) for many years.
Been working on A3 originals quite a bit. Which is a big upscale for me! As mentioned last week, I have also started another means to produce strips quickly, using A4 originals, but these are not always conducive with publishing requirements.
I slotted in the title ‘Nulsh’s Lunchtime Theatre‘ on a whim. That is the collective title I had for my mini stories I would create on my lunch hour on my day job. Mostly 4 page stories as I would be able to reproduce them in short runs using a photocopier.
4 A4 pages reduced and collated so I could print both sides and create A5 mini comics. Sometimes collected with a card cover. I mostly give these away free at comic marts. I did one collection “Hen’s Teeth” which was well received. I’ll see if I have a copy somewhere!
But with all these stories I am completing I am looking to start publishing under Nulsh’s Lunchtime Theatre again.
And here are this week’s drawing book pages…
… I decided to colour these with colours I don’t normally use. Bright pink and bright orange. And then on “I said Oh” I forgot and used a sorta grey/blue that I sue all the time! Heh heh!
“I said oh!” is a liens from a Feelies song that was playing at the time I was drawing. I do that quite a lot.
Looking at these three drawings they are all spontaneous – just pick up the pen and let it do it’s thing. A lot of the time I start with a face (I love faces) and see where things go. Quite often the face dictates it’s surroundings, which is pretty much true to life I reckons.
See ya’ next week amigo!
Nulsh
I love black ink I does!!!
Hello! Hope yer’ well.
This week I wanna talk about ink. I love ink. Pencils, paints, and all the other arty gubbins are great, but I’ve always loved watching black ink lines as I draw them. When you see the ink go from a wet liquid to becoming a face, a character, a whole image – it’s Nulshy heaven.
Most of my original drawings are black ink, sometimes over pencils, but mostly black ink on paper. I do digital drawing too, and that is enjoyable in it’s own way, but 9 times out of 10 I am most satisfied with the traditional drawing line work.
There is a point here, honest. Mostly when I colour my drawing book pages I put an ‘ink tint’ over my inks to make them less like the original black ink lines. Gives the image a certain ‘something’. But this week I did a very quick strip (sample panel above) and left the inks as they were and I was really pleased with the results.
Here are this week’s drawing book pages…
…as I was saying I’ve left these with the inks still black too and it works for me! I have versions with both options. Time is a bit tight today, but will look to do a comparison for next week.
Funny, I have been drawing a loooooong time and yet I still get kick out of the most fundamental wee things. Long may that continue.
A quick word on the three drawing book images above:
“have to leave” was a dream that was swimming in my head, about living in a slum apartment and the hoards of creepy crawlies living behind every board and wall.
‘whispers‘ was purely an image I had in my head – jotted it down!
‘brand new pen‘ was a random drawing. But it was the first drawing with a new pen and the line was really spindly! Usually takes a few drawings before the pen line gets acceptable to me.
This week I also started drawing strips in a smaller page size (A4) with a view to publish a book in the size of novel or Japanese Manga. I was pleased with result, still got a bit to do on it, but it looks like a viable option for efficient comic strip production!
Here’s another panel from that strip!
Bye for now!
Nulsh
X marks the sporadic ink!
Hello to ya’! Hope all is well.
This week, like most weeks recently, I have been hard at it on the drawing board. Well it’s more of an old dining table my lovely partner has fashioned into a makeshift studio for me. Been a total blessing!
But to business, this week’s trio of Nulsh ditties from the daily drawing book…
Star of the Sea, although a spontaneous drawing, is based on a strip of the same name I recently put together and has a potential publisher. On occasion I do my random drawing with a character in mind (recently I draw Coffee Bun a lot!) – this is Estelle and her foster Dad. Both totally fleshed out prior to this sporadic drawing.
Bastard Birds is gonna make a very small group of people smile. Was a totally spontaneous drawing, but the bird made me add the text footer. It’s a phrase my missus shouts when the birds are noisy in the morning. Makes my kids (and me!) chuckle.
Faintest Ink again is mostly random – but the phrase “the faintest ink is better than the best memory” is a favourite of mine. It’s paraphrasing an old saying which basically means write it down so you don’t forget it! I have suffered that fate more times than I care to mention!
As well as drawing loads I have been making time to learn some new animation software. It is really enjoyable, but I am having to ration the time as animation is really time consuming. Been going well. Any worthwhile results will appear here!
To finish off here are a couple of character sketches I did during the week. I like the Skipper but he’ll need to be modified before I can run with him!
See you next week!
Nulsh
Mary Lou and the digital enhancements.
Well hello there cheeky chops! How are ya’?
Let’s get cracking. Image above is a panel from a strip I just posted on Instagram. Find me here. I have been messing about with spontaneous random strips. Finding my feet as regards publishing online. This effort was OK, but I am finding the smaller panels restrictive. I like loads of blank space to contrast with lines.
I have started another strip which I am about ten pages into and I am much happier with the panel sizes. Will look to post some of that next week (if I don’t start sticking it on Instathingy first).
Here’s yer’ random drawing book pages for the week…
…as usual these are random drawings drawn straight with pen and usually 100% spontaneous. The middle one “kool aid” sprung from a doodle I did on my mobile phone. The “Estelle” picture appears to be inspired by a strip I recently submitted to a publisher. Oddly it looks like the strip and the character is named Estelle, yet neither of the two people in the drawing are the real Estelle.
My usual practice with colouring these pages is that I stick to one colour only. On top of the colour layer I add a black layer and reduce the opacity of the layer to create a “shadow”. Using only one colour plus white (and the black) can force some really interesting colouring choices. I use Gimp to colour these pages. An excellent package in my humble opinion.
And below is a quick sketch I did to commemorate the wonderful Gary Lucas‘ birthday. This sketch was drawn and coloured using Clip Studio Paint which is a great drawing package. I still have reservations regarding digital drawing, but I really enjoy using this software. The sketch took maybe 20 minutes, and the additional painting and colouring options make this stuff really enjoyable.
See ya’ next week!
Nulsh
Put the boot in!!!
Well looky here!
Hope yer’ well.
To business! Above is a random drawing from a REAL sketchbook! By that I mean just random sketches, which I am starting to do again. Was actually trying out a new pen my son got me for my birthday. Really enjoying the difference from my usual pens.
Damn I love simple lines!
Here’s yer’ selection of drawing book pages…
…if yer’ a regular visitor you’ll be familiar with random drawing book malarkey. Looking at these now they are exactly that: random malarkey.
This week I was still drawing comics, but still don’t have the thumbs up to share any of that. Same goes for my character work which is under NDA.
What I can share is this drawing I did for my mates Hank29, for their new EP doncha know. Top geezers!
Until next week folks!
Nulsh
Between the devil and the deep blue Nulsh.
Hey there folks!
Hope all is well.
Been another mad week. Been drawing so much! It’s gonna kill me if I lose all this drawing time. I am filling books full of random stuff, but also refining existing ideas in the process.
I have also started to compile all the rest of my outstanding strip cartoons and start getting them completed, with a view to self publish them or put them online. Possibly here.
Also, this week, I was working on character sketches for a sitcom – which I can’t publish currently. Really enjoyed doing those. They were a quick turn around, but it’s a good challenge to balance quality and speed.
And here’s the sample pages from the drawing book…
As ever these are random drawings – each one just being what my hand started drawing. I have noticed over the last few weeks a hell theme, flames and devils and the like.
Not entirely sure what that is telling me!
Heh heh! More to come!
Take it easy!
Nulsh
Weekly update: “There is only one way to save a dying star.”
How ya’ doin’?
Good I hope!
Above is a panel from a strip I randomly drew in a sketchbook and I am now compelled to carry the story on. I have had some really dodgy suggestions from my mates as to plot outlines but I fear those will put me in jail. So I will persevere on my own!
Below are the daily drawing book samples for this week. These are pretty much all random drawings. The jungle fever one was definitely a dream about a woman riding around on a huge lizard – which talked obviously!
Most of this week was spent on new comic strips which I am looking to start posting regularly – but I am still weighing the best platform. Thinking Instagram initially, but I will need to make a decision by next week.
Will post some of them here too.
That’s me for this week. Short and sweet!
Take care!
Nulsh
