52 Week Illustration Challenge - Massive dump

So this year I've taken it upon myself to join in the 52 Week Illustration Challenge over on Facebook. Its a great excuse for me to forget about work for a while and just do something for myself for a change. Each week is given the theme and the rest is up to you.

I've been a bit slack in actually posting them on my blog. Its so easy these days to post on FB, or Instagram or whatever. So much so the poor old blog gets overlooked.

Anyway the challenge is now in its 7th week, so here are all my entries up to now. In one great big art dump. Hope you like em :)

Week 1: Fairytale

Week 2: Italy

Week 3: Retro

Week 4: Insect

Week 5: Kitchen

Week 6: Magic

Week 7: Farm

Beastman's Diary

"Dear Diary,

Once again Skeletor has been a total jerk today. I don't know what it is I'm doing wrong, and it doesn't seem to matter what I do to try and make him happy, it's NEVER enough.

He doesn't get that He-Man is really REALLY strong and its really hard to fight a big tough guy like him every day. Plus my chiropractor said I should be taking it easy with my back the way it is, not getting into scuffles willy nilly.

My confidence is at an all time low and I swear if he makes fun of my fur again, I'm going back to live with my parents. At least they understand what its like.

What he doesn't understand is High School was a really tough time for me, I was an early developer and all the other kids would tease me all the time. like ALLL the time. It took me a long time to get over that and yet here we are again.

I bet if i was to make fun of his boney face and call him names he wouldn't like it.

Oh well, perhaps tomorrow will be different. Me and TrapJaw are going bowling, so that will be nice.

Thanks for listening

BM  xxx"


1, 2 Freddy's coming for you...


Here's a picture from Freddy's brand new kids counting book. Just kidding. Or am I? Actually, yes I am.

Once again this is something for the Oz comics weekly challenge. This week's topic is "Horror". 

Pretty broad topic, so I went with one of my teenage icons. I was pretty fixated on horror for a while there. I think friends and family had concerns whether I was...what's the word? Oh yeah,
 a murderer. Who'd a thunk I'd turn out to be an illustrator of cute fluffy creatures and such? Well not them that's for sure.

Just goes to show, you shouldn't judge a book by its moody, monosyllabic, teenage cover.

Scrampire


Halloween is just around the corner, hiding like a sneaky old ghost in a bin, ready to jump out and shout "Boo" or something equally spine chilling.

So to celebrate, and by celebrate I mean "cash in", I thought I'd share some spooky images of an ebook I did a couple of years ago with Julia Dweck. I haven't shared these images before so its like they're fresh out of the grave.




I also put together this horrifying trailer to promote the book. That's "horrifying" in a good way of course. The book is available for Kindle, but if you don't own a Kindle, Mr Apple has obliged with an App so you can pretend you have a Kindle. Genius!

You can buy the book at a ghastly low price here and if you feel like writing a nice review, that all helps with the Amazon rankings apparently.



Have a horrible halloween everyone 

WoooOOooOoooooooooOooooOoooOoo!

Ready Set PO!


Here's my Dreamworks piece for the Oz comics weekly challenge. I tried to work fast with this one, focusing on lighting and energy and not getting too Fussy McFusspants about how clean it was.

Didn't have to think too long about which movie I chose either. I love Kung Fu Panda, especially that rich colour palette. Hmmmm

So anyway, sometimes I get asked about how I work on stuff. So I thought I'd share a few steps with this one. First up like most people in this game, I use a drawing program and a tablet. My personal choices are Photoshop and a Wacom Cintiq. There are cheaper alternatives out there, so its not like this is essential. Basically any program that allows you to work in layers and draw with your hand is pretty much all you need.

So here's a few stages of how I build up the image layer by layer...
Rough sketch

Tighter line work and refining pose

Block in colour

Shadows and highlights

Extra line detail

BG colours and gradients

Additional lighting and textures

Looking back I may have slightly gone too far with the glows and whatnot on the final image. But I'll leave it the way it is.........for now :)

Train poses


So I've been trying to make my journeys into Melbourne a little more productive recently. To do this I've been plugging in my weeny Bamboo tablet into my laptop and attempting to do some sketches in Photoshop. 

Space is at a premium on a moving train. Probably the equivalent of an aeroplane toilet during turbulence (and fractionally nicer smelling).

Anyway its probably good practice drawing under these circumstances, it certainly makes you focus on all the important lines and the odd wobble doesn't harm the sketchy process too much. 


Again I've been experimenting with some cool brushes from Kyle T Webster. I've included this close up image so you can get a better view of the ink pen and wash brushes he's created. I like em. I like em a lot.

Free Hugs

I just brought a lovely set of Gouache Photoshop brushes from Kyle T Webster for a bargain $5! That's right $5!!

Anyway I was mucking around with them and came up with this little guy. I thought I was being terribly clever and witty by coming up with this, but a belated google image search, proved that many MANY other people had come up with it first. Sigh.......

Anyway I my head it was an original thought and that's all that matters. Right? RIGHT?!

Major Arnold Toht

Over on The Book of Face there's an interesting new challenge called "Villain of the Week". This week it's that naughty ole Nazi Major Arnold Tolt from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Here he is reading the instructions for some soothing skin lotion, after foolishly allowing the Ark of the Covenant to be opened and making his face go all runny. I imagine its still a little bit tender, so I hope he followed them correctly. Silly Billy!

"Rocket to the moon"

Life's been so busy lately I haven't had time to scratch myself. What with the relentless work on "The Day My Butt Went Psycho" and some other top secret stuff, I hardly ever seem to find the time to do stuff for "fun".

Over on the Facebook, however, good friend and fellow "Psychobummer" James Hart runs a regular Random sketch group called RANDOMDAYNESS.

I always promised I'd find the time one day to join in. Today was that day.

Baby's got back...ache

"pre-posture-ous"

2 days back at work and I already feel like a hoard of evil pixies have been jabbing at my spine with knitting needles. Perhaps its got something to do with the fact that I hunch over my desk like Quasimodo  trying to crouch under a coffee table.

Remember to keep stretching kids.