Weekly update: Smoke ’em if ya’ got ’em!

 

Strange cat, kipper tie!

No inks!

Out fer’ a smoke.

Hello! So I am not in a position to post any of the strips I mentioned earlier. May be a month or two.

On the plus side I am starting new strips this week. Check back when you can.

So to slake yer’ thirst for all things Nulsh here are some drawings from last week.

First up is a strange cat (literally!). Saw him in a dream, the tie was a recollection from my wee mum being appalled at a bloke with naked ladies on his tie when I was a boy.

Middle is an excerpt from an illustration with the ink layer hidden. I likes it!

Last is a sketchbook doodle of a bloke smoking. Rock ‘n’ roll!!!Oddly I drew a few drawings with those old devil hood type things. Not entirely sure what set that off!

See ya’ next week.

Weekly update: Shminktober!

 

 

Two seperate drawing book pages that became one!

Spider season!

Don’t stare!

Muchos apologios! I am a bit behind this week!

Here’s some examples of what I was up to.

First up is a daily drawing book where the two completely separate pages ran into one – I kinda’ liked it. Also the colour layer looks real nice without the inks, see below…

This is the colour fill layer in isolation.

Well I liked it!

Next up was inspired by all the huge spiders that have appeared in the house over the last few weeks. One enormous one crawled up the curtains as I was trying to watch a movie. Been a while since I have seen such a large spider.

Last up is another drawing page featuring my odd preoccupation with fish-things swimming in the air – sometimes with human hands. Don’t stare! They don’t like it!

Nulshy update: MonuMENTAL dreams.

 

Goggsy and Coffee Bun stumble across a totem.

Meneki Neko in my dreams.

Hey there you crazy kids!

So when I was looking through last weeks activities I had several drawings based on dreams that included monuments / statues.

I dream a lot and my daily books are full of what I can recall. When I flick through old books I find it quite bizarre what I have drawn. I can have whole formed stories, I can even recall names and dialogue.

The examples here are a totem pole. It had big scratch marks on the base – like some large animal used it as a scratching post. I added Goggsy and Coffee Bun when I did the drawing. They weren’t in the dream.

Second one was one of those lucky cats (Maneko-neko). In the dream large monumental cats were dotted around this desert landscape – all had three eyes and were ‘throat’ singing.

I also had a dream about a vegan cheese burger that I never got to taste coz my alarm went off.

Weekly update: Random nonsense and brushes!

 

 

 

Spontaneous sketchin’!

Clip Studio Paint new brushes!

Sketchbook random word generator

Hey there!

So last week I was working on two strips, and some basic illustrations (sold two! woot woot!)

The first example here is my usual spontaneous drawing in my daily book – just start with a line and see where it goes. Added a splosh of colour is Gimp as ever. I have spent years trying to reduce my linework to as simple as possible. My 12 year old self  may not have approved of shedding all that stippling!!!

Second up is some doodling I was doing in Clip Studio Paint. The package had a recent update and I think the brushes were rearranged. As a result I stumbled across a few brushes I hadn’t used before and they are great! I mostly draw traditionally but this is a great software package for a natural drawing feel.

Last up is another daily book page. An exercise I do occasionally is to go to an online random word generator and grab 6 random words, I then do spontaneous drawings based on each word. These were (in order): animal, entrance, crafty, sweet, horror, and justice. Happy as Larry!

Cheers for stoppin’ by! See you next week!

Weekly update! Wot you been up to Nulshy boy?

 

 

 

Sketchbook with stolen speech balloons.

Sketchbook spontanaeity!

Knuckles sans rude bits.

A damn good question. To be honest I am still trying to keep my activity up. I started two new strips, but both are just at the rough page stage – will look to post updates on those for next week.

The first of the drawings above is a sketchbook page, the main thing here is that I pinched Chris Baldie’s  speech balloons. I really like how he does them. Wishing I had done something similar years ago. I don’t close my balloon tails and I have had more than one editor/ colourist complain to me about it! I am just that used to doing it that way.

The second image here is an excerpt from a bunch of illustrations I have put together. They are a bit rude so I had to be selective as to what I was posting. I’ll get a clip round the ear from my mum!

Last image is the usual sketchbook malarkey – 100% spontaneous drawing with absolutely no thought. But I quite like the way it looks. I had planned to write a word on the wee critter but my phone went and totally forgot to add it. I am pretty sure is was a rude word.

It was a rude week.

Sorry mum!

 

Update on last week’s activity! Balaclava frenzy!

 

Coffee Bun in his natural habitat.

Coffee Bun loses it!

Wee henchman with balaclava.

Had a busy week last week! Here’s some examples of what I was up to.

First up is a sketchbook page with our very own Coffee Bun enjoying an espresso – with Goggsy looking on in the background. I have so many story threads with these chaps – and now the waitress is getting in on it too.

It’s odd that random doodles can grow arms and legs and become so much more. The lesson there is DRAW ALL THE TIME!!! Doesn’t need to be masterpieces, just get the thoughts out yer’ head and on the page.

The second drawing is a panel from a ten page strip I just finished with Coffee Bun again! I haven’t done any strips for a few months and was a great feeling to complete it. Can’t wait to do more.

As ever, I used Gimp to colour my original ink pages – had to keep myself on track with a spreadsheet!

Last drawing is another exercise in Gimp from a sketchbook page. Thinking about using the technique for my next strip. This gent in the balaclava is one of two henchmen who first appeared in my story Witherton Smyte around 20 years ago!

See you next week!

28th Aug blog update: it’s all about the sketchbook!

Excerpt from a sketchbook page.

Sketchbook warm up doodle.

Sketchbook trying out new watercolour markers.

I still feel odd calling my daily book a sketchbook – I don’t actually ‘sketch’ that much. I see it more as a means of jotting down ideas and spontaneous thoughts.

First up is exactly that – just started drawing with my trusty Staedtler pigment liner. Scanned it in and a quick colour in Gimp. I can do the scan and colour within ten minutes these days.

Next up was a ‘warm up doodle’ – the term ‘warm up’ pretty much dictated the two panel cartoon, so I could get a shirt on Coffee Bun – and I had a stain from the previous page, so I do drew the wee creature around it!

Last was based on a dream I’d just had – the images that were still in my head. Trying out a new Faber Castell watercolour pen to add a wee tone here and there. I am quite impressed with them.
I can’t use Promarkers anymore as the pages in my new books are too thin and the bleed goes right through.