Thursday 2 June 2016

Build Up to Hull

Never enough time to write these posts... which is a good thing really!

I'm guesting at Hull Comic Con on the 18th so have some goodies to take with me - samples below.

I will be doing commissions and selling signed prints if anyone wishes to partake :)
Can't wait to meet all the other attendees and guests!

For now back to Doctor Who Adventures pages and Draw The Marvel Way - #lifeisgood!








































































Sunday 22 November 2015

Adventures in Space and Time

So... it's late November and I'm in the middle of three projects!

Taking up most time and providing most enjoyment are the monthly Doctor Who Adventures strips! I'm already at issue 11 penciling and inking away late into the evenings - and loving every minute!

I'm reliably informed that I am now a PRO - so I'll let that sink in for a while and continue with a broad dreamy smile.

11 issues in and I have also been spending a lot of time with the Panini crew at Comics festivals and most recently the Doctor Who Festival... what a treat! I managed to geek out a little as well, as I managed to bump into several brilliant people on the rounds - Tony Lee, Brian Williamson, Lew Stringer and series writer Sarah Dollard!! cool eh!

I'm also getting to work with seriously great writers on the strip and Paternoster gang stories. Apart form the ever present Jason Quinn (Editor extraordinaire) I've also managed to work with James Peaty ( Super Girl, Green Arrow) and the very popular Tommy Donbavand(Scream Street) to name but a few!

I am trying desperately to do more StormChasers for Unstoppable Comics but the Doctor does demand a lot of attention.

A super secret project with Panini also involves Marvel Super heroes which I can not say anything about now - but which makes me grin ear to ear every time I receive a brief from the Panini editorial team.

For now I'll simply leave my Festival Exclusive Poster hear and go back to drinking lots of coffee!

What a wonderful life!
(bit Christmassy that)











































Thursday 11 June 2015

It's blog time again!

Right... so....

Back at the blogface!

This month saw some ups and downs, although to be honest it's all mostly up at the moment :)

The only down was that I had a project cancelled - which although sad does leave me available for other work.

That came soon enough with Jay at Unstoppable offering me another book in his brilliant super hero line - which I snapped at instantly!

Some art from Interceptor 2 below. Interceptor and Stormchasers are returning again soon!


























Hopefully that whets the appetite - Unstoppable has an early preview on their site.

Doctor Who Adventures continues to be a joy to work on. I have recently found out that we have a new writer working with us who has appeared in Super Girl and Batman book rosters, so I look forward to his stories. Not sure if it's public knowledge yet so I'll leave it till next time to reveal :)

Also a lovely guy name of Jeremy Bement, who produces a great podcast about Dr Who comics called "Panel to Panel"  was kind enough to interview me last week and the results of my inane drivel can be found on the site. Check out his facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jeremy.bement.1?fref=ts

thats it for now - I'll leave this blog with some Doctor Who pages







































































































Friday 24 April 2015

Is there a Doctor in the house???

Mixed bag this week!

For most of it I've been on a sofa sniffing, snoring and generally feeling sorry for myself with the worst cold in living memory (I'm sure it was). It's not manflu either as my wife had it the week before with exactly the same results!

The extreme downside of this is that not only am I a week behind on my schedules but also because of that I can't go to Ogwen spring course either! (Ogwen spring course is an annual karate course by Peter Spanton and Higashi Karate) I was hoping to grade and more importantly support my club mates!

Anyways, with all the ills in the world I can't really complain - I'm sure I'll be able to make it up to them some way!

What did happen this week was the release of issue 1 of the revamped and REGENERATED Doctor Who Adventures from Panini!






































This is my first Main Stream gig - and what a first to get - DOCTOR BLOODY WHO :)

I have considered myself a professional illustrator for some time now as I have been making a living from doing what I do - but this one is a step up through the publishing ladder and I'm so chuffed to be working with Jason and John and the whole team at Panini on this great mag!

The focus of the mag is on the Doctor's universe, it's stories and educational nuggets thrown in, making it both true to the shows core and complementary to it's current incarnation!

I grew up with comics - they helped build my vocabulary, underpinned my reading ability, fueled my imagination and inspired me to read and create my own works. That's what comics should do and magazines like DWA, I feel, can do that again by talking to the demographic and not down to them! Fingers crossed that the readership see that, like it and enjoy it... and of course tell all their mates to buy it :)



Monday 30 March 2015

Christmas came late this year - and no dream crabs in sight!

Soooo...

Been a while since posting

The last 2 months have been a blur and I find myself in a position I've been working toward for some time.
It actually happened - I get the call from a major publisher and what's more it's to work on a major license and character.

I'm still smilling broadly while I type this ready to go and produce more pencils for the monthly strip!

The same smile that covered both my wifes face and mine as we read the email that turned up in my inbox at the end of January. Then we hugged and danced around the room - all the time not quite believing what we'd read on the screen in front of us!

I had already had the pleasure of working with Jason Quinn on of all things a reinterpretation of 'The Chronic Argonauts' for New Baby productions - an HG Wells short story famed for the first appearance of a TIME MACHINE in literature - it predated the 'Time Machine' novel by 7 years apparently.

We took a chance on the book - it was low budget and little return -  but I can certainly say that the story Jason put together was worthy of a box office outing - I loved every minute of it!

Anyway Jason moved on to greater things and late last year returned to the UK after his incredibly successful time in India as Head of Creative Content at Campfire Graphic Novels.

We'd spoken a few times about some bits and pieces but they hadn't come off for one reason or another. Of course I had my fix of QUINN by working with Tim - Jason's older brother who had kept me busy on a great project callled Street for the Endeavour charity.

Jason's return saw him becoming an Editor at PaniniUK presumably unnaware that fate was conspiring to get us to work together again!

So it transpired that Doctor Who Adventures was to have a change in publisher and Panini were to be the new guardians of the much loved magazine.

So in late January this year I got a belated Xmas pressie from Jason the new Editor of the mag as he asked me if I fancied a go... OF COURSE I exclaimed and we pushed on from there!

So now not only do I get to work on Dr Who (DR bloody Who Mum!!!!) - I get to work with a brilliant writer and Editor , with a fantastic production team and an excellent colourist (John Burns) to boot. To say nothing of becoming a most gratefull junior member of a band of creatives such as the magnificent Mike Collins, David Roach and Brian Williamson to name but a few, who have worked on this incredible character and property!




I'm propper excited :)

Below is the first page coloured beautifully by the brilliant John Burns as well as a work in progress and some early initial sketch work for character comcepts!















































 
 






















Wednesday 17 December 2014

Christmas Greetings!

So the season to be Jolly is here and things are winding down... at least that's what they tell me!

I'm manically inking the final pages of Cy Dethan's wonderfully written "The Indifference Engine 2" as well as dipping in and out of Unstoppable comics' "Interceptor" series.

I've had my days filled with all kinds of interesting projects this year and below are a few images from three of them.

I can't show or tell of the work I have been doing with the brilliant Kevin Gill (2000AD) or the projects to be embarked upon in the new year with the magnificent Tim Quinn (Marvel UK) but when the ball and dice get rolling I'll be sure to put up some samples.

I have been able to work on the brilliant Aces Weekly with David Lloyd (V fo Vendetta) with the talented Ant Jones and fingers crossed that I'll be able to return to the publication again sometime soon.

So back to it - or I won't get a mince pie

Merry Christmas (or whatever it is you do this time of year) to all :)


















By The Sword - from Aces Weekly Vol 13
























An inked page from Interceptor : Genesis - issue 2 - written by Brandon easton and published by Unstoppable Comics
























An inked page from Cy Dethan's Indifference Engine 2 - to be published by Markosia in 2015 and released at the LSCC 2015




Friday 31 October 2014

A day in the life!!

Weird week really.

A job I was hoping would come off this month has been delayed by a few months - hoping it will pick up again in the new year - fingers crossed!

On the plus side I got a great response from the editor involved and have always enjoyed my work with him... you know who you are J!

And then straight after I get some agency work and a continuation of the online game work I have been doing recently - so ended up a great week overall!

I've also been invited to Essex's first ever ComicCon and will be in attendance next August.

I was also pleased this week to get 500 likes on my facebook art page for which Jason Thacker was randomly chosen as the recipient of a copy of Terminus At Fenton's Green!

The next target is 1000 likes which will provide a randomly chosen liker with a 30x30 cm canvas of Captain America!

links and art below!!

The-Art-of-Russ-Leach
https://www.facebook.com/comiconessex
http://comiconessex.co.uk/





























































more soon!!