Weekly update: BAPPY HAPDAY TO MEEEEEE!!!

Hello!
It’s only my bloomin’ birthday!
I luvs boithdays I does!
To commemorate the day (apart from the obvious national holiday) above is a wee animated GIF of our old friend Coffee Bun in full party mode.

And I meant to post this next picture a few weeks back. It’s a picture I did for an exhibition I was in at the People’s Palace in Glasgow many years ago. This picture was bought by/for the splendid James Stewart for his 30th birthday. And hangs on his studio wall. The picture (triptych)  is based on the song Burning Big Louis Tonight as performed by the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. I got such a buzz out of the fact James treasures my drawing. Cheers James!

And breaking tradition (coz it’s my birthday, did I mention that already?) here are the usual weekly samples from the drawing book…

…as ever these are daily random drawings.

First (“boss“) was pure spontaneous drawing, no real clue where it was going as pen hit paper!

Second (“under cover“) was a mental dream with this crazy lady riding about on an elephant hidden under a white sheet – and she got mad when anyone enquired as to why she was hiding an elephant, screaming that it wasn’t an elephant and to mind your own bloody business!

Last is Jack! Whose surname I forgot, but I better find it quick as he is due to make an appearance in a strip I am working on!

Right, I am off to play Splatoon – pretty sure Nintendo organised the first Splatfest in months to coincide with my birthday! Wee diamonds so they are!

Catch you next week!

Nulsh

Weekly update: Hell’s Pizza! Every Tuesday!

Helloooooooo!

Hope yer’ well!

Straight to descriptions on the these sample drawing book pages!

The ‘hell’s belle’ was a completely random drawing – I kinda’ saw it in my head as I started putting pen to paper. I would normally just go with my usual one colour and a shadow, but this was screaming out for the burning effects, like those old mondo images! I reckon she looks just swell!

The ‘pizza’ was random, but a betting man would guess I’d had pizza the night before!

‘every tuesday’ is the ‘Maddy’ from my The Devil at Pasta & Dry Goods story. I had been messing with his look for ages, but when it was time to commit him to paper I had to go with something! He actually turned out much more memorable than what I started out with. From memory I think I had doodled the basic look on my phone before drawing him in my book.

Below are sample panels from a new story I started work on last week, can’t really post too much on this at this point!

See you next week!

Nulsh

 

 

Weekly update: Aaaargh! The Jaggies!

Hey there amigos!

How goes it? Good I hope.

I am later than normal this Saturday – but rest assured I have been a busy boy.

Been working flat out to meet a couple of deadlines. Been really enjoying all this drawing!!!

Unfortunately I can’t post any of that stuff just yet.

Above are the usual drawing book pages – I was having a chuckle when I was scanning Jaggies and memories flooded back of the hangover I had when I was drawing it. Hence the “jaggies”!

And “some assistanc” was me running out of space with the lettering stencils! Fud!

Below is a picture of my current workspace. Using a spare room in the house (lucky to have one currently) as due to the lockdown I can’t make use of my studio in Glasgow city centre. Can’t wait to get back!

I have my trusty clipboard for drawing on – I got it all the way from Japan. It is brilliant! Can’t believe something so simple can make such a difference!

Take it easy folks!

Weekly update: Ascend to the Eye of Truth™!!! Ascend! Ascend!

Hey there amigo! Still survivin’? I hope so.

So as I was doing my usual Saturday morning scanning of my drawing book pages, and getting ready for this update, it dawned on me that the Saturday update was due to the fact it was the only time of the week I had a chance to catch up on creative work.

These last few weeks I could’ve been doing updates on any given day.

But I kinda’ like the ‘routine’ of the Saturday mornin’. And I am gonna stick to it fer’ now.

Usual pages above – there seems to be a fantasy theme on the first two. Not really intentional! Not something I do much to be honest, but I have always had a hankerin’ to do a proper Fantasy story – in an attempt to recreate the sense of wonder I used to get out of reading such works in libraries as a boy.

Also wanted to post an old image this week – but just realised I don’t have permission right now, hopefully next week.

In the meantime here’s yer’ old pal Coffee Bun! This was a design for a takeaway coffee cup.

Keep safe folks! Catch ya’ next week.

Nulsh

 

 

Weekly update: Wake thee oh my Mother Bee!

Hello there!

How goes it?

The strange days keep coming! Hang in there folks!

Here’s yer’ usual drawing book pages – I am actually still posting drawings from March I think, I am really filling this current book. Each and every day I sit and do a spontaneous drawing.

Two of these are exactly that, but looking at the ‘dream or reality‘ one I knew that came from a weird disturbed sleep I had the other week – kept hearing a helicopter or a buzzing in my room. When I got up to check I could see anything.

In the morning we discovered a huge bee. Which is safe to assume was the culprit. But I couldn’t distinguish between my dream or what the ‘real’ noise was.

The bee was OK, but sluggish, as it was cold. We gave her some sugar water in the morning and she was up and away in no time after that.

Other activities this week were:

• More storyboards.
• More strips – one of which may be getting published in an anthology – will post more deetz as I have them.
• More animated gifs! Like this fella…

Keep safe mi amigos!

See y’all next week!

Nulsh

 

 

Weekly Update: The fear of no beer, and eating a spanner.

Hello again amigos!

How was your week? Strange days yes? Just hope you and yours are doing OK.

I had another week in lockdown – but still getting creative work done. Which I thought would be easier than non-lockdown, but I was wrong dammit!

Recent drawing book pages above – and I hope you appreciate all the thought that went into me using the same two colours on these. Surely my design award is in the post!

So these maybe subconscious or coincidence but themes are:

1. Fear of no beer
2. Getting annoyed at those in close proximity
3. Eating (or being eaten!)

Totes think I am onto something there.

There were more storyboards this week too, and I am now moving back on to those stories I mentioned before. Hopefully have some of that to show you next week.

As ever, keep safe!

Bye fer’ now.

Nulsh

And as a bonus here’s a wee animated GIF as I needed the practice in GIMP. Bongo Kong smokin’ a tab!

 

Weekly update: Salute the buzzin squid!

 

Hellooooo!

Hope yer’ well. Tough times huh!

Being stuck in the house isn’t a huge issue for me as I have worked from home for many years – and also drawing is pretty much shut in a room doodlin’. I am conscious I sometimes get too carried away and ignore my family – so make a point of wandering around the troops to ensure I ain’t pissin’ anybody off!

Yer’ usual drawing book examples from this week are above. The squid ones was a punchline to a joke I heard when I was a kid! The others are yer’ usual Nulshy nonsense!

This week I have been also concentrating on some music projects and some storyboards.

Examples of storyboards below. These are for an animated series I am looking to pitch – starting out with a short trailer to illustrate how the series might look. I’ll post more from other projects in the coming weeks.

Keep safe!

Nulsh

Weekly update: Liar! Liar! Monobriar!

I made up the word ‘monobriar’. Just fer’ rhyming’s sake.

Hello again! Hope you are well!

At the time of typing we are still in the midst of the global virus, with most people staying home and/ or avoiding contact.

I’d normally be doing my weekly update from an empty house on a Saturday morning before heading into my studio – haven’t been there for a few weeks! But we are all in lockdown together. Strange days. I am just glad everyone is well.

My missus set me up a working space in a spare room and it’s been a godsend.

Usual examples from drawing book are above. Including the Monobrow character who has become part of my wee world – he totally snuck in on me! I also seem to have fully adopted the lettering stencil thingy!

Been at few other things this week, below is a warm up doodle I did in ClipStudioPaint – a wee nod to the wonderful WFMU radio in New Jersey, catch them online. You’ll find excellent company there. Due to the COVID19 situation they are still running operations, but with a ‘skeleton crew’ – hence my appreciative doodle.

Keep safe. See you next week!

Nulsh

Weekly update: Keeping safe with da’ bangers n’ da’ mash!

Hey there amigo! Hope you are well?

At time of writing the world is mostly in ‘lockdown’ with the spread of covid-19 virus.

Thinking about it now I would have expected more creative time this week, but the opposite has been true.

Still doing my daily book and drawing whenever I can.

My lovely missus set up a makeshift office in a spare room – which has been fantastic as I can no longer go to my studio in Glasgow city centre.

A time of adjustment mi amigos.

So up the top are three recent daring book pages, given a quick colour in Gimp as I listen to WFMU and sup coffee. My Saturday morning ritual.

Below are some examples of other malarkey I’ve been doodling this week.

Keep safe, see you next week.

Nulsh

Weekly update: What’s in a name? Asked the Portuguese Man O’ War.

‘Greetings traveller!’

Hope yer’ well.

So with isolation and other happenings things have been slow this week. However, I had more time to focus on creating my malarkey.

As ever, there are some recent pages from the ol’ drawing book above. The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice my ‘typo’ on the first drawing – should ready ‘almost light’ – but as I am prone to do, I lost concentration when doing the lettering. I could’ve fixed it in Gimp etc. but mistakes are great!

Also noticed I had a few pages on the bounce where I was using peoples’ names. The ‘John’ above is clearly inspired by John Fahey (a huge inspiration for me) and the lady? Well the name Lydia to popped into my head at the time. Go figure!

I am still ploughing away through my new strip. Attempting to create a platform for random spontaneity that is easy to produce and flexible.

One of the things that happens when I do my warm up drawings is that new characters begin to form subconsciously – recently this chap with a zig zag mono brow has become more frequent (below is a random doodle on my mobile phone of him while I was waiting for call the other day). Looking to work him into my new strip if I can.

See ya’ next week buddy!