People I Know

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-08T21:22:00.001Z

So...it's 2012. When did that happen. Today, I remembered that I had a Neopet and when I tried (and failed) to log in, it turned out I set it up 11 years ago! 11 years! What the what? I wish time would stop moving - there's loads I haven't achieved!

So, with a new year comes some resolutions. I was originally planning to make a diary comic about what my plans were over the Christmas break...but alas, I got lurgy. It was really annoying as it meant I spent Christmas coughing and snotty. The snot bit has mostly gone but I'm still coughing. I suspect I'll visit a doctor or something. But that's besides the point. Here, in poster form, are my resolutions for 2012:

I think those are main ones. I need to sort my life out too - do normal things like go on dates and talk to people and go to parties. In fact, I just booked my train tickets to visit a pal who lives at least two hours train journey away! That counts as being grown up and seeing new places, right?

I'm also planning to use this blog more. I'm not quite sure who yet...but you'll know when I do.

Stay out of trouble
TWx

Review of the Year: Music in 2011

2012-01-02T18:52:00.002Z

So, I covered some of the comics I enjoyed in 2011...which can only mean that music is next. Normally I would agonise for a long, long time about when to put on here. I mean, you want to seem cool but not like you're trying too hard, right?

Except! 2011 clearly belonged to one person and one person alone...and that person is Ms Rebecca Black:

And it's not just Friday that cements her at the top of the 2011 charts. She has other songs...which aren't as catchy as Friday but are still ace:

My Moment

Person of Interest

Hooray for Rebecca Black!

As for other, non-Rebecca Black songs, here are a bunch of other things I enjoyed listening to this year. You're not allowed to laugh at me!

My pal Martin sent me this Disney...thing. It's amazing and I don't know how to explain it, but it's ace.

Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers

I don't know if this officially came out in 2010 or 2011 but I listened to it a lot so it is making the cut. Hooray!

M83 - Midnight City

An amazing video as well as the theme tune to Made In Chelsea? Double thumbs up!

Yelle - Safari Disco Club / Que veux-tu

I'm late to the party with Yelle but it's good fun. I don't speak French though so when I singalong, I just make noises and hope it sounds right.

Songify - Can't Hug Every Cat

The Gregory Brothers are ace and responsible for some of the catchiest songs ever. Auto-tune The News #12 is still brilliant. You know what, that is going on the list too, I don't care if it came out in 2010:

Game of Thrones theme

I know it doesn't really count as a chart smash...but the theme from Game of Thrones is ace. And it's so catchy! If I had a theme tune, it would sound like this...

Robyn

Robyn was all over the place this year. Or was it last year? I'm not sure. But I remember listening to her a lot in 2011. I mean, you couldn't really ignore her with videos like this (which, is pretty much how I dance all the time...just so you know)

I think that's mostly it? I can always add in more songs? And now it's 2012 and there's a whole host of music to look forward to. My first official tip of catchy songs (besides whatever Rebecca Black releases next) is the theme tune from New Girl, for no other reason than I enjoy it?

Who's that girl? It's Jess!

Review of the Year: Comics in 2011

2012-01-01T11:30:00.000Z

2011 was a year and now it’s over. In 2010, I did somecomics about my Review of the Year but since so many of this year's People I Know comics have been about me and mylife, I figured I’d do a blog about some of my favourite things instead. Plus,one of my plans for 2012 is to make better use of this blog anyway so everyoneis a winner! HOORAY!

So, here are a few of the comics I enjoyed in 2011. Thereare lots more than this but these ones are jumping into my mind now that I’vesat down to type…

The Case of the Lonely One (Bad Machinery)

by John Allison

You know what two things I love? Well-paced romps of amystery persuasion and stories about young people, trying to navigate growing up. Think Murder, She Wrote and most books by Diana Wynne Jones. Combined! It’s that sense of good fun that got me super excited about this Bad Machinery story.. Well, thatand the onions.

Skimpy Jim

by Joe List

Skimpy Jim is the sort of comic I wish I had made. It evenhas a gatefold cover which has been my comic-dream for a long time. One day, Iwill have my own gatefold cover! JUST YOU WAIT! But yeah – read Skimpy Jim ifyou want to smile. It's a story about hair and monsters and being true to yourself.

Gunnerkrigg Court

by Tom Siddell

What the eff? It turns out everyone has been reading Gunnerkrigg Court and not telling me? Come on! Why didn’t anyone letme know? I was sitting nearly-opposite the Gunnerkrigg table at Thought Bubble andpicked up the first (giant hardback) volume to read on the train ride home. Itwas really engrossing – lots of mysterious stuff going on, mixed with some acecharacters. I imagine I’m not the first to say it, but it’s sort of like HarryPotter mixed with Lost. If I cared about Lost.

Hilda and the MidnightGiant

by Luke Pearson

The internet is awash with praise for lovely Luke Pearson –and rightly so. He works hard and is a good person. Hooray for him! In 2011,whilst I was busy crying under my desk, Luke was working his fingers to thebone on this masterpiece. It’s a tale about a girl named Hilda and also, thereis a midnight giant. Or is there? It’sthe sort of comic I would have demanded my local library order in. And I onlydid that for the good stuff.

My Cardboard Life

by Philippa Rice

My Cardboard Life is probably one of the webcomics I look upto most. It’s smart, fun and cute with a brilliant cast of characters. I’d behappy if just one of those words could be used to describe People I Know (letalone all three), so 2012 is all about knocking my webcomic into shape. Philippaalso put out an amazing book this year, compiling LOADS of My Cardboard Lifestrips. It is A4 and in full colour and just ace. Keep it up Philippa!

Depressed Cat

by Lizz Lunney

I look positively upbeat compared to Depressed Cat – the ever-sighingfeline from the brain of Lizz “Lizzbert” Lunney. I wouldn’t read this book ifyou want to see a happy cat. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read it…becauseyou should. It’s funny (rhymes with Lunney!) and cute (rhymes with…boot?) andtotally worth some time in front of your eyes.

Red Planet Ride

by Jim Stone

I picked up the first issue of Red Planet Ride at MCM Expoin October. I can’t remember how I got to talking to the creator, Jim, but itdidn’t take much for me to buy it. It’s so pretty! Mysterious powers! Whales!Sassy teens! Bicycles! My favourite things! I’m expecting to see some pretty impressivethings from this gentleman so keep your eyes peeled. And do yourself a favourby picking this up.

I’m still reading the odd mainstream comic and the weeklytrip to the comic shop are a nice distraction after work. I’m still readingX-Factor which does a great job of juggling a large cast of characters. TheX-Men line has been through some changes with Schism (which I thought was agreat waste of time) but I’ve been picking up the odd title. The whole “settingup a school for young mutants” is pretty much my dream storyline so I’ll befollowing that for a bit. Mainly just because Quentin Quire is brilliant. Andin non-X-Men news, Journey Into Mystery has pretty much done the impossible –it made me care about the Asgardian-section of the Marvel Universe. Plus thefestive issue with the puppies was brilliant. The new series of Daredevil has also found its way into my buy-pile. It looks good and isn't boring! Excellent combination!

As for manga, Fairy Tail is still ace and will continue tobe ace as long as they keep Lucy and her celestial spirits around. Oh! AndHunter X Hunter has started again! HOORAY! Bleach and Naruto are still doing agreat job too but that goes without saying.

So yeah – there’s some things for you to read in 2012. And hey, maybe I'll make some cool stuff too for you to read! Fingers crossed!

Angela Lansbury Week 2011 - Day Five

2011-12-09T06:30:00.000Z

Day Fiiiiiiiiive! Yep - it's the end of Angela Lansbury Week 2011. But don't cry. Hold back those tears until you've seen all the amazing Lansburys that people have sent in. You can shed your tears afterwards... Now brace yourselves. You're about to get Lansbury'd!

It’s the last day of Angela Lansbury Week 2011so I’m opening up with this incredible submission from Sarah. I’m pretty muchspeechless about it. Why’s that? Because as I type this, the actual crochetedEglantine Price from these photos is sitting next to me! YEAH! I really don’t knowwhat to say. She’s so cute! I might take her to work to sit on my desk and wecould sing “Substitutiary Locomotion” when we feel sad. Yeah – that sounds likea good idea. I bet no one would mind that. Thank you so much for this Sarah(and Mark!)!

You can do it! Put your back in to it! Yeah!That’s right! This photo montage was sent in by the ever-sassy Carly. Whatmakes Carly sassy, I hear you ask? Well, for a start, she used a picture fromteen classic Save The Last Dance. Don’t pretend you haven’t seen it. Even Ihave seen it and Angela Lansbury isn’t in it! Oh. Wait. Looking at Carly’spicture, Angela *was* in it. I had no idea! Wow. And her and Julia are wearingthe same colour! I love it when pals coordinate outfits on a night out. I woulddo that if I ever went to club…or if I had any friends. Thanks for sending thisin Carly!

Once upon a time, I told a nice guy that theonly way we could ever be BFFs would be if he drew me an Angela Lansbury. Andlo – it was so! That’s right, Martin – comic lover and all-round cool dude,submitted this drawing for that very reason! He even did it on his lunch break!HOORAY! I don’t know whether I’m imagining it, but it looks like there’s asingle tear rolling down her face… Heartbreaking. Well played, Martin. Wellplayed indeed. Thanks for sending this in, Martin!

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is such a cute andfluffy film it is easy to forget that it deals with war and the unfortunatethings that come with it – families being split up, invasions etc... But youknow who didn’t forget about that? Seafaring superdude Warwick – the owner ofone of the finest drawing hands (and beards) in the UK. Warwickdrew this very focused-looking Eglantine, armed with sword and broom. She meansbusiness! I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side… Thanks for sending this in Warwick!

Uh oh. Someone did a murder…which must mean thatJessica Fletcher is in town. And if there wasn’t a murder, someone made aterrible mess on the carpet. This drawing was sent in by Gon – a fine fellowwho stopped by my table at MCM Expo in October. He’s opted to draw everyone’sfavourite murder mystery writer/solver – and when she looks this cute, who canblame him? Thanks Gon!

This drawing – by Trev – was one of the earlierentries in Angela Lansbury Week but I’ve kept it for the end because itinvolves TWO of Angela’s roles. TWO! But there’s only ONE drawing! What thecabbage? Don’t panic! Trev’s explanation actually makes sense. He originallywanted to draw Mrs Potts…until he discovered that Angela Lansbury was also in aversion of The Picture of Dorian Gray! So, using his artistic skillz, Trevworked on a way to combine the two, the result of which you see before youreyes! HOORAY! Thanks Trev!

I spend about an hour commuting to work everyday. An hour of scary drunks, pushy business types and screaming babies…andthat’s just in the morning. But you know who doesn’t have to worry about any ofthat stuff? Eglantine Price from Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Why not? Because shecan ride a broomstick (and also because I don’t think she had an actual job?)…This was sent in by Ben. I don’t know if Ben can ride a broomstick or not butI’ll still say thanks for sending this in. Thanks Ben!

I love that old joke. You know the one – “my doghas no nose.” Well, this dog has a nose…and some lipstick…and a hat? Hang on.It has a necklace too! That’s right – this drawing, sent in by Peggle, is anAngela Lansbury/basset hound hybrid! As far as I’m aware, Angela hasn’t playedportrayed a pooch, but never say never. And if Peggle’s picture is anything togo by, she would look very cute if she did. Thanks Peggle!

LAST MINUTE ENTRY! This Lansbury, despite what I'm told, landed in my inbox this very afternoon. Sent in by Craig, this features four Lansbury references - Mrs Potts, Jessica Fletcher, Bedknobs and Broomsticks (there's a doorknob which is sort of the same) and some poison...which is sort of what Angela's character in The Manchurian Candidate did to people's minds... OK, fine, it just contains two Lansburys. But that's still two times the amazingness of a normal pictures which contains zero Lansburys! Thanks for sending this in Craig (even though it was late)!

Do you hear that tappity-tapping? The sound of metalon paper? The creaking of fingers as they dance around the typewriter? If youcan’t, maybe you need to rewatch the iconic opening sequence to Murder, SheWrote. Or you could just look at this brilliant drawing by Ross and imagineyou’re watching it? For a lady that spends so long in front of a typewriter,Jessica must get lots of writing done… but what if she just typed then word“murder” over and over again? It would explain the title of the show… Hmmm…Thanks for clearing that up, Ross. And thanks for the drawing!

When I was about 20, I used to wear a cape. I’mnot joking. An actual cape – think Florence Nightingale rather than Batman. Idon’t wear it anymore since I would probably get beaten up…but if I was brave,I’d spend at least one day a month dressed like a pirate. But not justany pirate – I’d want to dress up as THIS PIRATE that was sent in by Jamie. He’sdrawn Ruth from Pirates of Penzance – and I think we can all agree that therehas never been a sassier pirate! The hair! The hat! The weird gold shoulderpads! Be still my heart! Thanks for sending this in Jamie!

Treading a fine line between scary and saucy,this Lansbury was sent in by all-round brightspark Dan. He has obviouslydecided to base his drawing around Lansbury’s ability to play sinistercharacters. Well, he might have? I just made that bit up because it soundedgrown up. I suspect I’m not fooling anyone. Whatever – I think it is importantto remember that Angela has played her fair share of scary characters – it justgoes to show what a brilliant actress she is! Thanks Dan!

LAST MINUTE ENTRY: You know who is a classy dame? Angela Lansbury, that's who! This beautiful drawing was sent in by Simon - a lovely gentleman who saw Angela herself in the Blythe Spirit a few years ago! In real life! Not just on the television! The only way I could be any more jealous would be if he went to Nando's with her afterwards. That's the dream, right? I can't tell you much about Simon as we've never met, but I guess that he's ace because he went to see Angela Lansbury on stage...which is worth a zillion cool points in my mind. Thanks Simon!

QUESTION: Which is the best Disney song aboutthe sea? You might say Under The Sea from The Little Mermaid…or you could beright and say The Beautiful Briny Sea from Bedknobs and Broomsticks! I knowit’s a controversial opinion, but go and watch Angela Lansbury do herunderwater dancing and prepare to be bewitched! Speaking of bewitching, thismagic drawing was sent in by the charming Kristyna. She gets bonus points forthe supercute seahorses in the background! Seahorses are the cutest! I thinkthey are going to be big in 2012! Very on-trend. Very sassy. Very Krikri! Thanks Kristyna!!!

Top tip: that whole “Keep calm, blah blah,” istired. Get a new slogan. Or, just use this one! It’s catchy! This drawing wassent in by Will – a gentleman I met at a comic thing a few years ago. Will issuggesting that Angela’s acting prowess is natural…but I reckon she also workedpretty hard too. I watched an interview where they said that Murder, She Wrotecould shoot for 18 hours a day – which is a good portion of the day to be spenttyping books and solving murder. Thanks Will!

Watch out everyone! There’s been a murder! Andlook who seems quite pleased about that… why, it’s Jessica Fletcher of course!And I guess she *would* be happy about a murder – it’s yet more inspiration fora new book, right? This Angela was sent in by Stuart who did a great job withgetting Jessica’s hair right. And he even remembered the pearls, collared shirt andearrings. Good work! Thanks Stuart!

Are you ready for the lastLansbury of Angela Lansbury Week 2011? Let me rephrase that… Are you ready forthe last…

MRS ‘ARRIS ALERT! MRS‘ARRIS ALERT!!!

ThisMrs ‘Arris was sent in by the Queen of Cardboard – Philippa! Clearly (and quiterightly) she was so besotted by Angela Lansbury’s performance in Mrs ‘Arris InParis that she had to make this super cute drawing. If you’ve watched the movie(why wouldn’t you have?!) then you’ll spot a very familiar-looking hat andcoat… not to mention a loveable Cockney washer woman. Oh come on – how couldyou not want to watch this movie? It’s so good. And so is this drawing, ThanksPhilippa – it’s a great way to close Angela Lansbury Week 2011!

And so...that's the last of the Lansburys. After 5 comics, 50+ submissions and over 5500 words, Angela Lansbury Week 2011 is over. I really hope you've enjoyed it. Due to some unforeseen work and life issues, it's been more work than I was expecting, but on the plus side, it has also been much more popular than I was hoping for! A massive thank you to everyone that sent in a drawing. And another thank you to everyone that retweeted or linked to it. I really appreciate it! And maybe Angela Lansbury herself will see all these great drawings and she'll appreciate it too? Well, fingers crossed.

Now, next week isn't back to business as usual. Oh no. I'll be uploading a diary comic of my weekend at Thought Bubble over the week. It's a bit of an experiment as I haven't really tried autobiographical comics before... but if it's half as successful as this week then I'll count myself lucky.

Stay out of trouble

Angela Lansbury Week 2011 - Day Four

2011-12-08T06:30:00.000Z

Remember how I said I was trying new things - well check it out! It's a drawing for Angela Lansbury Week that doesn't actually involve the actress herself. Plus, I'm double excited because I heard the phrase "character correct," this week - which means that the way a character does/says something is in keeping with who they are as people. I think the fancy dress costumes are all "character correct." But whatever - we're not here to watch me justify drawing teapots, you want Lansburys! Well, you're in the right place...

If you make comics then you’ll no doubt alreadybe aware of Dan – what with him making comics, teaching about comics and eatingcomics. Oh wait. I made the last one up (I think). Dan has chosen to draw avery serious-looking Lansbury. The hair. The necklace. The sassy jacket. Theonly way she could mean any more business would be if she was the guy fromMonopoly! I know Dan’s super busy what with comics and comics and more comics,so I’m really excited he found the time to do this. Thanks Dan!

Do you like unicorns? If you’re using theInternet then the answer has to be YES YES YES – because unicorns are ace. Butyou know who doesn’t like unicorns? Mommy Fortuna – the evil witch from TheLast Unicorn! This spooky drawing was sent in by Angus – a cool dude/animator Imet at a thing in the Summer. I remember watching The Last Unicorn as a littleperson…but I don’t actually remember anything about it. I think it involved thesong Sleeping Satellite by Tasmin Archer, but I’m not sure. Maybe I just madethat up? What I didn’t make up is how ace this drawing is. Thanks Angus!

One of the questions that has often plagued thegreatest minds throughout history is “what would Angela Lansbury look like ifshe was a cat?” Well, thanks to this super cute drawing by Rus, we finally knowthe answer! It’s good to know that if Angela Lansbury was a cat, she’s stillhave accepted the role of Jessica Fletcher. In fact, I sort of want to watch acat-remake of Murder, She Wrote. It would be a massive hit on YouTube! Plus!FUN FACT! Jessica Fletcher didn’t drive anywhere in Murder, She Wrote – shealways got rides from pals so they could have a gossip. And the cat version ofMurder, She Wrote (Meow, She Wrote?) could be just the same. Amazing. ThanksRus!

Avast, me hearties! Setsail for shore – and don’t forget to pack the picnic. Oh. I got the last bitwrong, didn’t I. Boo hoo. But you know what isn’t wrong? This drawing of Ruthfrom The Pirates of Penzance was sent in by Carl. It’s nice to see Angela witha sword instead of a typewriter…although I can’t decide which one is deadlier.I know people say “the pen is mightier than the sword,” but I reckon Ruth wouldprobably take Jessica Fletcher in a fight. Not that they ever would fight, butstill. Thanks Carl!

This drawing was made by the dreamboat duo ofSimon and Tom. I was hounding them for ages about taking part in AngelaLansbury Week and when I saw them recently, they sat down and played a game ofExquisite Corpse to create this. Except that’s where it all got a bit…wrong. Urnk.I’m not normally one for censorship but the lower portion of their drawing gota bit too…um…tentacle-friendly? I hope they don’t mind that I cut that bit out– it just seemed a little…intense. I bet if you asked Simon and Tom to show youthe whole thing, they’d be up for it. Thanks Simon! Thanks Tom!

Cute as a button describes two things – MrsPotts and Lizz, the sweetheart who sent in this comic about her. You’llremember Lizz from her previous drawing of Mrs ‘Arris – but she clearlycouldn’t decide which Lansbury role she liked the best. Hence, two drawings!Not that I’m complaining – I get double the Lansburys and Lizz getsdouble…the…uh… I don’t know? Something cool. But, we mustn’t be distracted!Lizz’s comic raises a very important question: what is inside Mrs Potts? If shecan talk, where is her voicebox? And if she has memories, where are theystored? Hmmm… While we ponder those. I’ll say thanks to Lizz. Thanks Lizz!

Uh oh! Watch out! There’s a Lansbury about! Thisone was sent in by James who decided to go for a Lansbury/mouse combination. Ican’t say it’s a combination I ever expected to see (like prawn cocktailflavoured crisps!) – but I like it anyway (just like prawn cocktail flavouredcrisps). It goes without saying that no mice or Lansburys were hurt in makingof this drawing. Phew. Thanks James!

This drawing, by the frightfully talented Joe,raises one of the most often-asked questions:

”What would Angela Lansbury look like if she were a giant inflatable head?Would she still have accomplished so much as an actress and a woman?"

It is my personal opinion that Angela would have accomplished just as much ifshe was a giant inflatable head. It is also my personal opinion that Joe hasdone a great job with Angela’s hair! It’s a pretty tricky hair style to depict.I seem to talk about her hair a bit too much, eh? Huh. Either way, thanks Joe!

Hey! Everyone! Get yourselfonto the dancefloor! This Angela wants to boogie! Sent in by the charmingSammy, here we have Angela playing Eglantine Price – from Bedknobs andBroomsticks. If you’ve seen the film then you know who she is dancing with. Andif you haven’t see the movie then I won’t ruin it for you. Also, I’d quite liketo borrow that brown jacket – especially if it was tweed. But yes – Eglantineis good fun and it’s nice to see her do something other than fly around on amagic bed. Thanks Sammy!

The world of comics is full of lovely people andone of the loveliest is Sarah – the person responsible for (amongst otherthings) this brilliant drawing about the important role Angela Lansbury had onher childhood. Sarah’s Grandma has a good point though – how does she keeplooking so well? I have a theory. You might have one two. Maybe we can swapthem one day? The important thing is that everyone’s childhood was probablyimproved in some way by Angela Lansbury! Thanks Sarah!

It’s nearly Christmas so there’s a certainsomeone up in the North Pole who will be pretty busy. Nope – not FatherChristmas. It’s Mrs Santa Claus, as played by Angela Lansbury in the 1996movie, Mrs Santa Claus! See what they did there? This drawing was sent in byRick who, at the time of writing, is the only person to send in a drawing ofAngela’s most festive role. Bonus points for you! I haven’t watched this moviefor a while – something I intend to resolve this Christmas. Thanks Rick!

The dainty figure! The spout-like nose! The cutelittle eyes! It can only be everyone’s favourite singing teapot – Mrs Potts!YAAAAAAAY! This cute drawing was sent in by the lovely Dan (who still owes mepancakes). I like the fact that we get double Lansburys in one picture. It’slike buy one, get one free! Or a bonus Lansbury! Speaking of bonuses, Dan hasreally highlighted what a snappy dresser Angela is. Thanks Dan!

MRS ‘ARRIS ALERT! MRS ‘ARRIS ALERT! Watch outworld, we’ve got another Mrs ‘Arris in our hands. And what a looker she is! Thisone was sent in by Britain’srising star – Luke! And let me tell you some hot gossip – I heard a rumour thatLuke used real inks for this! I don’t know about you but I’m crazy jealous…butnot of Luke! Oh no! I’m jealous of Mrs ‘Arris and her devotion to her dress. Iwish I felt that passionate about something… *sigh* Thanks Luke!

And so, another day of drawing is at an end. I hope you've enjoyed them. Due to some late (but amazing) entires, today and tomorrow have more drawings than I expected. I hope you don't mind having all the extra drawings cluttering up space in your brain. You'll thank me for it one day.

Have a lovely day!

Angela Lansbury Week 2011 - Day Three

2011-12-07T06:30:00.000Z

I don't know whether you've noticed...but I've tried something a bit different with this themed week. Normally, I just concentrate on the central character and do some jokes. BUT! This time, I've tried to concentrate on getting the People I Know characters involved. It has been a new experience! I hope you've enjoyed it. But whatever - you aren't here for my stupid words. You want some Lansburys! And who am I to refuse you? Prepare yourself!!!

Angela Lansbury doesn’t always play cute andcuddly characters. Fine, her better known roles (Jessica Fletcher, Mrs Potts etal) couldn’t be any nicer…but she’s played her fair share of scary characterstoo. And, I’m of the opinion that even characters like Jessica Fletcher aren’tpushovers. I mean, you couldn’t solve that many murders if you didn’t have asteel backbone. But that’s a whole other post – this drawing of a pretty sassyLansbury was sent in by Tom, someone I was lucky enough to sit (almost)opposite at this year’s Thought Bubble. Tom has done a great job of remindingus that one should never underestimate a dame! Thank you Tom!

You know who likes cycling? Jessica Fletcher inthe opening credits of Murder, She Wrote! And my pal Jon! YAY! He drew thissassy looking Lansbury with a lovely collar and some smashing-looking earrings.What a dame. And what a guy Jon is for sending it in. Not many people knowthis, but Jon is pretty much in charge of the Internet. Well, when I say “notmany people,” I actually mean “everyone that I introduce Jon to.” It’s become abit of a running joke between us. Well, me. Thanks for this Jon! And thanks forall the burritos you’re going to buy me!

This drawing was sent in by Jack – a man who promises hedid this from memory, without cheating. Jack has made use of two Murder, SheWrote costume classics: a nice pearl necklace and PERFECT HAIR! Do you see ahair out of place? No you don’t! Because Jessica Fletcher AND Angela Lansburyalways have perfect hair at every moment. It just happens! So yes – thanksJack! (Nope. Not mentioning the dragon)

RUDE WORD WARNING! Avert your eyes if you don’tlike swears. But this excellent drawing by Becki is so cute (SO CUTE!) thatmaybe that will counteract the rudey? I don’t know. I’ll let you decideyourself! But yes – Becki has chosen to draw everyone’s favourite witch,Eglantine Price! What a vision in purple she is! Great work, Becki!

I work with some pretty cool people…which youmay or may not believe considering how often I come home, exhausted andemotional. One of those cool people is lovely Neil – an ace guy who is alwayshappy to help me with things. Hooray for Neil. And Hooray for his drawing. Neilhas opted to depict two of Ms. Lansbury’s biggest roles – the magnifying glassrepresents Murder, She Wrote whilst the bedknob obviously represents Se7en.Haha – only kidding. It is actually for Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Thanks Neil!

MRS ‘ARRIS ALERT! MRS ‘ARRIS ALERT! That’sright! It’s that time of the day when we all go on a money-saving montagebefore getting the ferry over to Paris. Ohno – have I said too much? Have I spoiled the plot? Well, you should havewatched the film! It’s so good! But yes, this drawing was sent in by Sara – afriend of a friend that I haven’t seen draw before. But judging by this, sheshould do it more often! I love the eyes and nose – very Mrs ‘Arris. ThanksSara!

FUN FACT: I don’t drink tea. But you know whoclearly loves tea? This Angela Lansbury – sent in by Dan! I was going to saythat Mrs Potts loves tea too…but then I thought that if I had been transformedinto a magical teapot, I would be SO SICK of tea. The smell. The constantsloshing around my innards. Bleurgh. No thanks. But still, excellent work Dan!Thanks for sending this in!

Pirates. What a bother they can be! All thatcursing! And what about the parrot droppings?! Plus, you need a beard to be a pirate so Iwouldn’t be allowed to join up. Jon, who sent in this drawing, has a beard. Butyou know who doesn’t? Ruth from The Pirates of Penzance!Whether it’s because she can’t grow one or just doesn’t want to – who knows?The important thing is that she gets to sing some sassy songs whilst wearing agiant hat. Score. Thanks Jon!

Angela Lansbury’s fame and influence isn’t justlimited to my heart/England. Oh no. She is a big name pretty much everywhere!Including Canada –as demonstrated by this lovely drawing by Canadian-born, snappy-dressing Jordan.This drawing involves two iconic pop culture references – the magic scene fromBedknobs and Broomsticks AND Kylie’s Locomotion. Unless I’m just completelywrong? I don’t think I’m wrong. But you know what isn’t wrong? Those sensibleshoes! Perfect for everyday situations from broom-flying to deep sea diving!Thanks Jordan!

Ha. I just realised that this batch of Lansburysfeatures THREE from gentlemen called Jon/Jonathan. And this is one of them!This Angela GLAMSBUSY (see what he did there?) was sent in by the professionaldrawing dude, Jonathan! Clearly, Jonathan knows a looker when he sees one – andas you can see from his drawing, Young Angela is a very pretty lady. If youdon’t believe me, check out this clip from the 1948 film Till The Clouds RollBy – where Angela does a great rendition of Spoon With Me… in a very fetchingoutfit. Such a great song! I wish someone would sing it to me. But I’m gettingoff track. Go check out some of Angela’s early films and be dazzled by how accurateJonathan’s drawing is. Thanks Jonathan

Wowsers. I think that's another day done for Angela Lansbury Week 2011. I hope you were dazzled by all the drawing skillz... And by Angela's acting skillz too. She makes me feel like such an underachiever. Sigh. Come back tomorrow for some more brilliant drawings! There are some proper crackers on their way!

Angela Lansbury Week 2011 - Day Two

2011-12-06T06:30:00.000Z

What the what?! It's Day Two of Angela Lansbury Week 2011?! When did that happen? Today's drawing by me is about how Angela Lansbury's character in Bedknobs and Broomsticks doesn't look like a traditional witch. And if you thought the one with brown hair was me in drag...well, good. That's what you were meant to think. But enough about me. I hope you're enjoying Angela Lansbury Week so far. Here's the next batch of brilliant beauties! I hope you like them.

What’s that? Up there! In outer space!!? Is it abird? Is it a plane? No! It’s Angela Lansbury… IN SPACE!!!! This galacticbeauty was created by Joe who I was lucky enough to sit behind at this year’sThought Bubble. Although I can’t say for sure whether Angela has been to space– on film or in real life. I bet she could if she wanted to though. And there’sbeen so many episodes of Murder, She Wrote that there must have been one set inspace…right? Also, I think this might have been my first submission for AngelaLansbury Week 2011. Excellent work, Joe! YAY FOR YOU!

MRS ‘ARRIS ALERT!!! MRS ‘ARRIS ALERT!!! It’sthat time of the day when we all go on a money-saving montage! What’s that? Youdon’t get the joke? Well, that’s because you haven’t seen the brilliant AngelaLansbury classic, Mrs ‘Arris Goes To Paris. Well, Lizz has seen it and she evendecided to draw it for Angela Lansbury Week! HOORAY! Lizz has done a great jobwith capturing Mrs ‘Arris’ sweet nature along with her steely determination. And the hat!Oh the hat! A thing of beauty! Thanks Lizz!

One of my favourite things about going toconventions is meeting nice and interesting people. People like Martin – thekind soul who drew this super cute Lansbury. It’s such a cute drawing, I’lleven overlook the misspelling of her surname. In fact, Martin, gets bonuspoints for including a copy of People I Know in his drawing! Take noteeveryone! Thanks Martin!

If you’ve met me in person then you’ve probablyheard me talk about two things: how great I think Angela Lansbury is and howmuch I wish I could grow a proper beard. Well, let me tell you – Rembranddoesn’t wish he could grow a proper beard…because he already has an impressiveone (with a curly moustache!). This isn’t Angela Lansbury-related, I justwanted to put that out there before I start talking about how brilliant (butslightly disturbing) his drawing of Mrs Potts is. So wrong but so right. ThanksRembrand!

One of the things I really like about doingthese themed weeks is when people I know ask their pals (who I don’t know) toget involved. So, I’m very happy to introduce this drawing by Richard – afriend of some friends. The only bad news is that because we’ve never actuallymet, I can’t tell you any personal stories about him. Sorry. Instead, I’d liketo draw your attention to the ever-present Jessica Fletcher trademarks –necklace, hair and typewriter. Clearly Richard know his Murder, She Wrote.Although obviously Angela later upgraded to a computer in the later series.Unless I just imagined that? Either way, thanks Richard!

I know I keep going on about how many amazingroles Angela Lansbury has played in her career and how some people only relateher to certain ones… but that clearly isn’t a problem for Andrew! As you cantell from the incredible drawing above, Andrew decided to draw the terrifyingGreat Aunt Adelaide from Nanny McPhee. You might have seen the film and totallynot realised it was Angela, and that’s fine. But if you haven’t seen it, Ihighly recommend it as it’s good fun. Thanks for this Andrew (I don’t know whyI’m calling you Andrew though. It seems so formal. Thanks Andy!!!)

I asked a bunch of peoplefrom work to take part in Angela Lansbury Week… Mainly to be polite. But alsobecause I suspect that some of them are hiding artistic talents. So I wasthrilled that lovely Mia sent in this technicolour beauty. She has chosen todepict Eglantine Price – the apprentice witch from Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Ihaven’t watched it in a while but I know I have the DVD somewhere. Mia’sbrilliant drawing has really made me want to watch it again. Thanks Mia!

Jessica Fletcher is one of the most iconiccharacter in television history. Seriously. Stop looking at me like that. Murder, SheWrote is a brilliant show (except for the series where she just narrated astory) and Jessica is a great character. You know who else is great? Matt – thehideously cool guy who sent in this drawing. What I really like about this oneis the detail in her outfit. The scarf! The sensible shoes! The pleated skirt!I doubt Jessica ever wore a robot brooch – but she’s got one here! Thanks Matt!

And thusly, we come to the end of Day Two of Angela Lansbury Week! I hope you enjoyed all the hard work people put into their submissions! I'm blown away - and we're not even halfway through yet. Urnk!

Angela Lansbury Week 2011 - Day One

2011-12-05T06:30:00.000Z

So... it's the first Monday of December which can mean only one thing - the start of Angela Lansbury Week 2011! I've done two Jessica Fletcher Weeks which have been great, but this time you can draw any of Ms. Lansbury's roles. And goodness me, she's had some corkers! As you'll soon see. So, sit back (at your typewriters) and enjoy!

I was really surprised by how many people didn’tknow who Angela Lansbury was until I mentioned Beauty and the Beast or Murder,She Wrote. And even then, some people were still “but what else has she done?What would I draw?” – which I found pretty surprising. In my mind, AngelaLansbury is one of the most important actresses ever.

So, Angela Lansbury Week 2011 is opening with this drawing by Darryl – whoincluded these insightful words on Angela’s role in The ManchurianCandidate…which, if you haven’t seen, you need to invest in right away.

People who consider Angela Lansbury to be a lightweight actress have clearlynever seen her performance in The Manchurian Candidate. The film's sinister,paranoid, cold war plot, concerns a Korean war veteran and prominent son of aright-wing political family, who has been brainwashed as an unwitting assassinin a Communist conspiracy.

Lansbury plays the mother of the hapless pawn. At 37 she was only three yearsolder than Laurence Harvey who played her son. Lansbury easily steals the filmfrom her higher billed co-stars, including Frank Sinatra, turning in a greatperformance as the manipulative matriarch whose coldness and ambition drivesthe twisted plot. She was nominated for a best supporting actress for thisrole, but lost out to Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker. The Manchurian Candidateboth confirmed Lansbury as a great actress and, in a sense doomed her, becauseafter this role she became typecast in elderly lady character parts long beforeshe ever became one. It's a sad condemnation of Hollywood, that she was notable to capitalise further on her ability and play other strong female roles,but such parts were a rarity at that time.

What's that you say? You don't believe the woman who played Jessica Fletchercould be anything but a lightweight? Then watch The Manchurian Candidate, andthrill to the monstrous Eleanor Iselin.

Thanks for both the drawing and the words, Darryl! I’m glad we both agree thatshe’s brilliant.

MRS ‘ARRIS ALERT! MRS ‘ARRIS ALERT! One of myfavourite lesser-known Angela Lansbury movies is Mrs’Arris Goes To Paris – a filmwhere… actually, I won’t tell you anything about it. It’s a brilliant movie sodo yourself a favour and watch it. One person that has watched it is Darren –the kind gentleman who sent in this drawing. Without ruining the plot of thefilm, Darren has depicted Angela Lansbury’s character – the titular Mrs ‘Arris– in Paris! I suspect we’ll be seeing a few more Mrs ‘Arris drawings throughoutthis week which I’m excited about. Thanks for sending this in, Darren!

When you’ve been acting for a while, you’rebound to generate some interesting facts about yourself, your life and yourcareer – and Angela Lansbury is no exception… Well, according to Luke at least.I can’t say whether Luke’s fact is right or wrong…but I’d *love* to know whatthe other sixteen Little-Known Angela Lansbury Facts are. PLUS! It wouldn’tsurprise me if it did take seven months to get into character – I think we canall agree that Mrs Potts is one of the best performances/characters/singersever. Thanks Mrs Potts! Thanks Luke!

I really enjoy making stuff. Making stuff isfun. You know who else likes making stuff? Baz – the kind gentleman who sent inthis drawing of an Angela Lansbury/Bedknobs and Broomsticks mash-up. Does itstill count as a mash-up if it’s a drawing? Anyways, I met Baz at a comic thingin May. He makes all sorts of things and I’m super pleased he found the time totake part in Angela Lansbury Week. Thanks Baz!

They say that good things come in smallpackages. But what they actually mean is “good things come on Post-It notes.”This Lansbury was sent in by Martin – a man so clearly enamoured with Angelathat he had to draw her straightaway, with the first thing at hand! And thatwas clearly a Post-It! That’s the sort of dedication I like to see. Speaking ofthings I like to see, I’m glad to see that Martin managed to capture Angela’shair in such a simplistic manner. Thanks Martin!

As we’ve already covered with The ManchurianCandidate, Angela’s credits aren’t confined to fluffy musicals. Oh no! Sayhello to GASLIGHT!!! You want mystery? You want murder? You want an earlyAngela Lansbury movie? Well, thanks to Nigel, you get this ace Gaslight-themeddrawing! I worry that lots of people think that Angela just didn’t exist beforeMurder, She Wrote which is a real shame since some of her early stuff isamazing. If Gaslight sounds too serious or scary, check out The Court Jester –a Danny Kaye musical from the 1950s where Angela plays a pretty princess. ButI’m getting off track. Thanks Nigel!

This drawing is entitled ‘Teapots andBrooksticks’ and was sent in by James and features two characters from Angela’simpressive filmography (if that’s the right word). In my mind, I’m not sure whowould win if these two titans ever did engage in mid-air combat. I mean, I’mnot really that sure what Mrs Potts would *do* in a fight, but I bet it wouldbe impressive – especially if her rendition of “Beauty and the Beast” isanything to go by. To be fair, I think both the characters would get along toowell to fight. What do you think? And more importantly, thanks for sending thisin James!

Believe it or not, I used to spend a fair bit oftime doing cross stitch. And sewing in general. But I was never very good. Boohoo. But you know who *is* an expert sewing-person? It’s Felt Mistress! YAY!This photo depicts everyone’s favourite – Tippy – doing some AngelaLansbury-inspired cross stitch! DOUBLE YAY! And for those that are familiar withTippy, I can inform you that he is dressed up as Jessica Fletcher from Murder,She Wrote – you can tell by the magnifying glass, pearls, floaty scarf andsassy glasses. What a nice outfit! I reckon Tippy would make a brilliantdetective! Thanks Tippy! Thanks Felty!

So...I think that concludes the first day of Angela Lansbury Week 2011! I hope you'll tune in for the other days to see the other amazing entries!

Thought Bubble and other things!

2011-11-18T10:05:00.001Z

Just a quick update on what's going on...

I'm heading off to Leeds in a few hours where I'll have a stall at Thought Bubble! I think I'm table 142 - but you can see the whole floor plan here! I'll have all four new comics there - the mini Valentine's Day one, Year Two, PIK #14 and the Wizard special! Plus the new badges and stuff...

This is probably my last event of the year which is just as well since I feel like I'm about to collapse.

When I get back, I'll be concentrating on getting people to take part in Angela Lansbury Week.

Here are some other things I want to do:

Make a comic about caticorns
Work out how to make a thick comic with a spine
Claim back on some work expenses so I'm not so poor
Work out why I'm feeling so gross
Go on a date
Start my Christmas shopping
Sort my life out
Think about a new interactive comic

But you don't need to worry about any of that. If you're at Thought Bubble, come and say hello - otherwise, have an ace weekend!

Angela Lansbury Week!!!

2011-11-11T06:30:00.000Z

So... do you remember that time when I asked you to draw Jessica Fletcher? Or some monsters? Or wizards? Or Jessica Fletcher again?

I hope you do because for the third November running, I'd like to ask all the ace people I know (and maybe some people I don't) to put their creative hats on and get drawing/making/singing. Except this time, instead of just concentrating everyone's favourite sassy detective, I'd like to invite you to draw any of your favourite roles that the mega talented Angela Lansbury has ever portrayed.

Yes - that's right! It is ANGELA LANSBURY WEEK!!!

Now, don't panic! If you want to draw Jessica Fletcher then go for it! But for those veterans of Jessica Fletcher Week - this opens all sorts of doors for you!

You could draw Mrs Potts from Disney's Beauty and the Beast:

You could draw a saucy, singing, spoon-obsessed Angela:

Do you like pies? Mrs Lovett does:

How about a sassy cleaning lady:

What about trainee witches:

I could go on and on - Angela Lansbury has an amazing career! So feel free to go wild! Except, since she's an actual real person, please don't do anything rude or disrespectful.

Angela Lansbury Week 2011 will officially start on Monday the 5th of December but if you could get your entries to me by the 2nd of December, that would be ace - it would give me time to write nice things and upload them. And obviously, please ask your pals to get involved. The more the merrier!

Email them over to me at timothy UNDERSCORE winchester AT yahoo DOT com. Include a link to your website or blog or anything so I can plop that in too!

So yeah - please take part! And have a lovely weekend!

Stay out of trouble
TWx

New Badges! YEAH!

2011-11-05T22:37:00.000Z

I think these are the new badge designs! The old sets have all gone to better homes so I hope you like the new batch! There are SIXTEEN designs this time round! I've even given the wizards their own badges - no more sharing for them! You might be a little surprised/confused to see the Science Lady on there since she's only ever appeared in *one* comic...but I really like her. I have plans for her! Unicorn goes in because everyone loves unicorns!

The only catch is that I couldn't decide how to group them together. I thought about doing them all randomly so you wouldn't know what characters would appear in your pack. But then I worried that...well... I just worried. So, instead I've put them into the following groups:

So this way, every pack has a nice mix of well-known characters and um...other ones!

AND! In special bonus news - I have designed this giant badge! The above ones are 25mm but this one is something crazy like 58mm!!!! WHAT THE WHAT!

The Caticorn was super popular so now it gets a badge! I'm not getting many of them so make sure you come and visit my table. All of these badges should be ready for Thought Bubble! HOORAY!

I hope you're well! Have I missed anything exciting? Are there characters that should get badges next time?

Halloween Time

2011-10-31T22:31:00.000Z

Here is a drawing of some of my characters dressed as people from Adventure Time - one of the best things ever! If you haven't watched it then you really should...

Wizard Party!

2011-10-25T21:58:00.003+01:00

I just realised MCM Expo is looming and one of my planned NEW COMICS hasn't arrived back from the printers. Uh oh. But I'll blog about it anyways since it will turn up soon enough.

In case you can't guess, this is a printed collection of the magical Wizarding Wednesday drawings - along with the drawings from Wizard Week! I'm really excited about it since it is the first time I've collected a themed comic together - who knew those little wizards would last so long!

If you're out of the loop - Wizarding Wednesday as a thing I did for a while where every comic uploaded on a Wednesday was about a group of wizards. It wasn't really planned out that way - I just drew some wizards and made some terrible puns. In fact, it started out like this:

And it just kept going from there. That little wizard was paired up with some pals and together, they even celebrated the 300th webcomic! Good job!

So yeah. I think there are over 30 comics in there. There are some I haven't included for various reasons and I apologise for that - but I'm still really excited about the whole product and I hope you are too.

In other news - I've been super busy at work. I did a really good deed today (it involved queuing up for two and a half hours!) and I've got lots of labels to sew into tote bags for the weekend.

EVENTS I'M ATTENDING:
London MCM Expo - 28th - 30th October
Comiket - 12th November 2011
Thought Bubble - 19th - 20th November

Party Time!

2011-10-08T12:43:00.001+01:00

Hello!

I had a hideous week! I nearly did a cry *and* a swear. Bleurgh.

But on a happier note, a while ago I did some drawings for a friend's birthday. Here they are in a rejigged form!

People I Know #14

2011-10-02T11:52:00.001+01:00

BONJOUR!

So...I've been working really hard on getting the next printed comic made and I'm pleased/proud to say that it's nearly done! Say hello to the cover of People I Know #14!

I'm a bit nervous about this comic since it's the first time I've made a comic that you sort of need to have read the webcomic. Previously the comics have been self-contained but this one features...well, I won't say.

It's full colour and I'm hoping to send it off to the printers tomorrow so it should arrive in time for MCM Expo. I tried to make it exciting and feel like a reward for having read the webcomic...but also that you could still enjoy it even if you've never seen any of my stuff before. Hahahaha - that sounds so stupid. In a nutshell, I wanted to make a cute and exciting comic that looked nice.

What else can I say about it? I might have another announcement soon which is mysterious and exciting. And I'm really looking forward to MCM Expo! I always have a lovely time - even if I'm exhausted by the end of it. I think my costume is all sorted too! Are you coming along? Will I see you there? I hope so!

Oh! I know! Have this bonus panel! It is full of PERIL! Who has the sword? Why are they waving it in my face?!

Orbital Self-Portrait Exhibition

2011-10-02T11:21:00.001+01:00

Hello! Hello!

I've been puotting this blog post off for a while since the new blogger/blogspot layout weirds me out. But I'm being brave... wish me luck!

So, the lovely people at Orbital - a really ace comic shop in London, have put together a Self-Portrait Exhibition! YAY! Even more exciting, they asked me to draw something for it! DOUBLE YAY! I made a brand new drawing for it - it's A3 and in colour and they put it into a fancy frame. And all sorts of other cool people have taken part too - Eddie Ross, Philippa Rice, Kristyna Baczynski, Luke Pearson et al...

The exhibition is really worth chacking out - as is Orbital in general since they are always so friendly. I don't want to show you what my drawing looks like as that would ruin the surprise... so here's a preview image where I've turned the background and other non-me characters into PURPLE!

Computer Games and Podcasts

2011-08-30T06:30:00.002+01:00

Hello Hello!

I've recently got into listening to podcasts whilst I do my drawing. Yes, I know I'm about ten years behind the curve but I was used to watching television. Leave me alone. I've mostly been listening to two podcasts in particular - Off the Wall Post and Is It The Future Yet?

I decided to do a drawing for Joey, Jem and Ben - the guys behind Is It The Future Yet? Their podcast is about computer games and technology and what's coming soon. It's perfect for me since I don't have much time to play computer games but I *love* reading about them. Listening about them is even better! Maybe one day I'll upgrade from my DS (hello Pokemon!) and get an X Box or something.

Anyways. Here is a drawing about Is It The Future Yet? You will probably need to listen to the podcast to get the joke - mainly Jem's dog obsession and Ben's catchphrase ("that's ONE, Jem"). You should go and listen to it! You should subscribe to it! I give it a thumbs up. Two thumbs up!

In other news - here are some of my favourite computer games-related songs:

I have never played NMH and I have no idea how I found this song but it's brilliant. Plus, you can substitute the words "reaper, reaper," for pretty much anybody's name!

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has one of the best soundtracks of anything ever. I think the way you earned each song and had to use them throughout the game meant that the player really took them to heart. Sometimes I find myself just humming the Song of Storms for no reason...

I know it's cheating to have TWO Zelda songs but...I mean...listen to it. How could this not be anyone's favourite song? And I know it's possibly controversial, but I prefer little Cel-Shaded Link to Serious-Face Link.

I'm not much of a Sonic fan (I quite like Tails and Amy though!) but for some reason, this song always makes me smile. I don't know what a Starlight Zone is but I want to go to there.

Rhythm Heaven was a game I had on the DS. It's a rhythm-based affair where you're taught how to play along with the different songs. I think Beyonce was in the advert? This is the song I remember most - possibly because it was science-themed. You know how much I love science.

Ready? FIGHT! Street Fighter 2 ignited my love of fighting games. I played it once at a friend's house and we had it on the Atari (??!) too. Chun Li was my favourite character because she was best. Spinning bird kick? Inspired! And anyone could do that move that involved tapping the kick button really fast.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World is a really hard computer game. I didn't get very far - but I did listen to a lot of the soundtrack which was made by Anamanaguchi. It's the sort of music I wish I could make. Maybe I should try again? Hmmm...

Mario Kart? Yes please! I think I've played all the versions of Mario Kart - they're always so much fun. EXCEPT FOR RAINBOW ROAD!!! I effing hate Rainbow Road - it's always stupidly hard. And getting a Star doesn't stop you from falling off the sides! Bleurgh. Still, lovely song.

I suspect I could go on for a while...but maybe you should tell me what your favourite computer game songs are?

A Survey

2011-08-22T06:30:00.000+01:00

DO THIS SURVEY!

Some drawings I did!

2011-08-21T17:25:00.000+01:00

Hello!

Here are some drawings I did. Well, two drawings! But I'm posting theme here so you can see them!

The Return of the Facebook Group

2011-08-19T23:06:00.000+01:00

Long story but my old and dearly beloved Facebook group is no more...

But don't worry - here is a new one! Tell your friends! And your family! Don't forget the pets!

Manchester MCM Expo - Thoughts and Stuff

2011-08-13T00:01:00.001+01:00

Hey There

Sorry I’ve been so lame with this blog. And I’m sorry that I started off my blog with an apology – that’s the worst. I’m finding everything a bit of a struggle lately, like I’m drowning in life. Which is a stupid thing to complain about… I guess I just need to sort myself out, find somewhere to live and stop taking my work home with me.

ANYWAYS. The real reason I’m updating the blog is because I went to Manchester MCM last last weekend. It was the first MCM held in Manchester, although you wouldn’t know it from how busy it was. But yes, start at the start, mustn’t get ahead of myself.

So…I took the day off work and took the train up to Manchester by myself…which probably doesn’t sound like a big deal but I normally go with a pal. I didn’t enjoy getting the train by myself and the carriage smelt. Maybe it was the smell of loneliness? Bleurgh.

So there was a train journey and BOOM! I was in Manchester – pretty much the second I’ve ever been for non-work purposes. Exciting! I trudged over to my hotel but I got a little lost which was upsetting. I’m normally quite good with a map so I assume my sense of direction was on holiday. But I found my hotel in the end and was dazzled by the fact that the shower had TWO (2) shower heads! What the cabbage!

The lovely Joe List then whisked me away on an exciting Manchester adventure – for which I am very grateful. The science museum was closing so we had a quick run around that…but the real highlight was a place called Home Sweet Home that served freshly baked cookies with a nice glass of milk! Hello my dream food, get in my mouth! Then I went back to the hotel, did some drawing and slept. Well done me.

Then it was Saturday! Time for MCM Expo. I’ve been to a load of Expos in London so this was the first MCM in Manchester. I wasn’t sure how busy it would be to be honest… But I made my way there with the normal comics and tote bags and things… and there was already a hefty queue! And so many cosplayers! We all know how much I love a good cosplayer so here are some of my favourite costumes:

This guy was Totoro! I asked him to come back (so I could ask him where I could get that costume…) but alas! He didn’t come back so I’ll never know! Still – excellent costume and I suggested he come to the next convention as Snorlax! Who doesn’t love Snorlax?

Now these three Pokemon trainers did a great job! Well, two of them. Poor middle dude! Unless he’s a Pokemon trainer I don’t recognise? It’s possible. Oh! And this Misty was the second Misty I was on that day, although this was the only lady Misty. I believe there’s a photo floating around of the two of them so feel free to email it to me.

Did you ever play Pikmin? I didn’t…but I recognise this costume and it’s a corker! We had an awkward moment where it turns out that talking through a helmet is pretty tricky. But still – ace costume! Well done!

This is a great costume that my pissy phone doesn’t do justice to. So, he’s a smartly dressed dude (who was very nice) but he had these amazing…goat legs! Furry goat legs! That were real and that he was walking around on! Ah! So cool! I want goat legs!

Right. So the event was super busy and I was really pleased for Gary who helped organise the Comic Village. He was really nice, checking up on stall holders throughout the day. On the downside, I’m normally well-prepared for events, bringing sandwiches and food along with me. But I didn’t bring anything this time since I didn’t have a fridge. So obviously, the place to buy food from was a bit lame and I spent the day feeling a bit out of sorts. I’ve learnt my lesson though – ALWAYS bring food and drink.

As always, it was nice to see comics pals – Joe, Lynn and Lizz were all exhibiting too. And afterwards I got to see Jonathan, Felt Mistress and John. YAY! Plus, I met so many new people – and some effing talented ones to boot. I hope that at least some of them enjoy reading the comic and I hope that even more of them want to be pals.

Also, if you’re a new reader and you found your way here through a flyer from MCM Expo Manchester then hello!

Right, bed time. And I need to find somewhere to live. And start eating properly. Maybe that’s why I’m feeling so bleurgh lately?

Oh – and if I haven’t already posted it, this was the soundtrack to that weekend for me:

Manchester MCM Expo

2011-07-28T21:50:00.000+01:00

Hello Hello!

Firstly - thanks to everyone for the nice comments in the last post. I defo chose the right week to go down to three updates - I've been pretty busy! On the down side, I have found it pretty weird not uploading a different drawing every day. I miss having daily feedback. I just need to get all my new comics done quickly...

The other hot news is that I'm at Manchester MCM Expo on Saturday! If you're around that area then come along and visit me. I'll have tote bags and comics and badges... and this will possibly be the last lot of People I Know: Year One for sale since there's only a few comics left. I might reprint it. I might not! WHO KNOWS!?

Anyways. Yeah. Thanks for being nice!

ARE YOU WELL?

Stay out of trouble
TWx

An Update About Updating

2011-07-19T21:03:00.000+01:00

Hello hello!

Sorry it’s been a so long since my last blog post – I’ve been super busy, as I’ll explain in a bit.

The important thing you missed was my trip to Birmingham for the delightful Birmingham Zine Festival. Organised by some genuine zine and comic enthusiasts, it had levelled-up since last year and was held in a fancy shop. Hello/Thanks to everyone that came to visit and double thanks to the lovely David O’Connell who put up with sharing a table with me.

But yeah… I’ve got bad news. Or good news if you hate my comics.

I know I’ve been talking about it for a while but as of next week I’ll only be updating my website three times a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday. There’s a bunch of reasons for the change and here are some of them:

I need to move house this month (BOO!) so I’ve got to spend the next month trying to find somewhere that has nice people, is cheap (by London standards) and isn’t haunted.

I’ve sort of got a new role at work (HOORAY!) and I suspect I’m going to be a working across more projects than I used to. Although it means I get to meet new people too which is exciting.

People are actually asking me to do drawings for them for professional projects. Well, sort of. I’ll tell you about those when they start appearing. EXCITING!!

I want to make a new things that aren’t always webcomics – at the moment, I *really* want to make a podcast! And some music! And I totally need to make new merch for my next batch of shows – which will include People I Know #14 and another interactive comic and maybe a little comic about wizards. But I need to free up time from somewhere…

I think those are the key reasons. I hope that all makes sense and you don’t think less of me. I’m hoping to be back to five webcomics a week in a few months. Originally I thought about putting the website on hold completely and just taking a really intensive break…but I decided that was stupid. I hope you don’t think three updates a week is stupid. In fact, I hope you’ll tell your friends to come and visit and to like my comics.

OH! And Wizarding Wednesday will no longer be every Wednesday because then every third drawing I did would be of a wizard. It’ll probably be every other week instead…just keep your eyes peeled.

tl;dr – I’ll be updating my website on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for a few months while I work on new projects and get my life in order. I hope we can still be pals.

Catching Up

2011-06-26T22:31:00.001+01:00

Soooooo.... I went home for Father's Day and Dad told me off for not updating my blog in over a week. I was shocked becuase:
a) I didn't know he read this (hello Dad!)
b) I didn't realise it had been so long!

Sorry! You've missed all sorts of things!

So, I still need to type up something about MCM Expo but the main thing is that it was very good fun. Thanks to everyone that came by! Some people even came to my table saying they read People I Know! What the what?! Amazing.

What else have you missed? Well, I've been catching up with Game of Thrones at a BFF's house who is lucky enough to have both a television and Sky Atlantic. It's really complicated but good fun. Oh - but it's a bit gross and saucy! Don't watch it if you don't like things like that.

I did a drawing for Picard Day!

The washing machine broke and I had to visit the laundrette...which was expensive and harrowing. But not as harrowing at my rendition of Paparazzi at work karaoke! We went bowling beforehand (I won the second game with a score of 146) and I actually had a really fun time. I should start doing more social things I guess... I also sand Don't Stop Believin' from Glee, Life by Des'ree and Lay All Your Love by ABBA. It was a bit awkward though since two of the people there could *really* sing - and they're the worst people to be with at karaoke. Bleurgh.

This week had a very bizarre moment when one of my drawings really blew up (for me at least) across Tumblr. My drawings normally get two or three notes/reblogs/likes but the one I uploaded on Tuesday currently has over 13,000! What. The. Eff?! I know that this is small fry for big Internet types, but it's HUGE for me! I'm kicking myself for not writing the website address in the corner of my drawing (that won't happen again) and I can't get my head around how popular it has been. So thanks to everyone that reblogged it and what not. I hope I can make another drawing soon that is equally as popular!

I also went on a fun trip to the Tate Modern with a new pal. It was really raining and my shoes broke but it was worth it just to see a lady do some dancing in the Turbine Hall, only to be chased away by a security guard. Until he appeared, we weren't sure if the dancing lady was an artist or not. Hooray for Modern Art!

FINAL RANDOM THING: I set up a SoundCloud for some of my old songs! YAY!

FINAL RANDOM PICTURES:

My Birthday: Part 3

2011-06-08T06:30:00.002+01:00

So, in today's drawing, the wizards give me a magical makeover as a birthday gift...

I had good fun coming up with all the things I think they'd give me so here's a rundown:

Wizard Week 2011: The Final Few

2011-06-06T15:25:00.001+01:00

Hello!

Remember a few weeks ago when it was Wizard Week 2011? I hope so since it was so much fun. I received a few wizards after I'd written up the final entry and although it's no longer Wizard Week, it would be a shame to waste them... So here they are!

This double wizard party was sent in by Matt - someone I met at MCM Expo some time. Matt really likes comics! And you know what, I think he must really like wizards too, except for the second wizards being dead. I think Matt gets bonus points for one of his wizards using his beard as a bird-holding device. What a good idea! Thanks Matt!

I spy with my little eye, something beginning with W... Yes! It's a Wizard! This one was sent in by Hurc who I know through Twitter. I love the book that this wizard is holding - it's totally the sort of book I would buy, especially because magic seems pretty confusing and must be tough. it's also refreshing to see a wizard with a gem on the end of his staff. Gems are important! Thanks for wizard Hurc!

So...this is possibly the final wizard for Wizard Week 2011 and lucky for you, this beardy beauty was sent in by Stuart. And look at his little pointy feet! In my mind, wizards always wear robes but Stuart's onto something - trousers and pointy shoes would make a lot more sense. I mean, you could move around and you look like you could be in a band! And what an amazing beard! Thanks Stuart!

So yeah - that's probably it. I hope I didn't forget anyone! Thanks again to everyone who sent in wizards - I really appreciate it. And I hope you enjoyed yourself!

Wizard Week 2011: Day Five

2011-05-27T09:52:00.000+01:00

It’s Friday! The last day of Wizard Week 2011! I really hope you’ve enjoyed it. Maybe you’ve seen a new artist you like the look of. Or maybe you really like wizards. Whatever you thought – I’d like to know so feel free to leave a comment here or something.

But whatever – you didn’t come here to listen to me make noises. So without further ado, here are the wizards!

Emails are pretty cool and letters are like paper emails, so they must be cool too. And if one person knows about cool, it’s Wendy! Wendy wrote this four (4!!!) page letter to…well…I won’t ruin it. Just read it. There’s even a CSI reference in there! Thanks for writing this Wendy! It’s brilliant. You’re brilliant! YEAH!

This big-eyed beauty of a wizard was sent in by my BFFurrito, Jon. We totally ate burritos – hence the nickname which I’m hoping that if I say enough, will eventually stick. Anyways – John’s wizard is surprisingly cute. What’s the secret, Jon? Also, thanks for finding the time to do this. I owe you.

If I learnt one thing from Sex and the City it’s that everyone loves shopping. And you know what, wizards love shopping too because wizards are people. And yes – I know that the SATC gals never went to the supermarket but Lisa, who sent this drawing in, knows all about the secret shopping habits of wizards. Yeah – it happens to be a bit risqué, but that’s life! Thanks Lisa!

He-Man must be pretty jealous of his wizarding sidekick, Orko. I mean, why wouldn’t you be jealous of some sassy and mysterious floaty wizard…thing? I mean, all you’ve got is some magic sword and a silly hair cut. But Orko has EVERYTHING! And an amazing hat. Oh. I forgot to say, that this was sent in by lovely Craig – a nice gentleman I met at a Birmingham show. Thanks Craig!

Oh Harry Potter. You’re so cool and popular and everyone loves you. But what about Voldemort – doomed to be hated and noseless. I think if I wrote the Harry Potter series, I’d probably focus more on the fact that Voldemort needs a new BFF but he’s not sure what to do. Oh, and Bellatrix would be the jealous one and Wormtail would be the sassy one. Or would it be the other way round? Maybe I should ask Andy? After all, he drew this picture. Thanks Andy!

This wizard was sent in by Anne – one of the driving forces behind We Are Words + Pictures. Anne’s wizard has a pretty epic beard, look at all the curls! And I especially like the fact that this wizard wants an extra star for his hat. Because, as we all know, the more stars a wizard has the more magical they are! Thanks Anne!

One of the sad things about not drawing hands or feet is that I don’t get to draw fancy shoes. But lucky for you, Anya loves drawing shoes (and beards!). And what shoes they are. Amazing, wizarding wizard shoes. Look at them go. And oh – the sparkles! Excellent work Anya! Thank you!

Say hello to Tchzipx, as drawn by Balnek. I bumped into Balnek recently which was nice. I feel a bit like a mean person for saying this but I’m glad I didn’t bump into Tchzipx too – that’s some spooky looking wizard. I like the cape and the lightning powers – two very wizarding things. But then there’s the whole green alien on a unicycle. But maybe I’m just narrow-minded. I believe in Balnek and if he reckons this is a wizard then I believe him…and you should too!

This gorilla wizard was sent in by Damien – a man I met years ago. Actual years. We got on really well – I mean, how couldn’t you get on with a guy who can draw a gorilla wizard. I was a bit worried about the rabbit to begin with but now I realise it’s just having a nap before they both go to the cinema. Thanks Damien!

Once upon a time, I was worried that a man named James was going to fight me because we both drew dinosaurs. But that didn’t happen. Phew – because I’m terrible at fighting… and most things in general. And look! James was kind enough to send in this great comic strip about wizard romance. Steamy stuff! Thanks James – I’m glad we didn’t fight.

I think was the last wizard I received for Wizard Week 2011. At least, it is at the time of writing. Joel and I go way back and I’m always pleased to see one of his drawings. He’s decided to draw Mr H. Potter…playing the air guitar wand. It looks like the sort of thing I can imagine someone playing on the Wii. Excellent work as always Joel – keep it up and maybe I’ll take you on an adventure!

This wizard stud was sent in by John – a man who possesses a pretty wizardy beard himself. John raises the excellent, but little known point of wizard groupies. You know the saying “with great power comes great responsibility?” Well, the wizard version is “with great power comes attractive ladies.” So if you ever wondered why so many people train to become a wizard…now you know! Thanks John!

This wizard was drawn on a Post-It note by Neil. I work with Neil and he is very nice. He has clearly gone down the much-loved old-school wizard design. And why wouldn’t he? It’s a design classic. Great work Neil! Thank you!

One of the confusing things about being a wizard is remembering what goes where. I mean, you’ve got to think about spell ingredients, instructions, rules and all that jazz. All that worrying and all that pressure. So much to worry about. I’d be a terrible wizard since I’m a terrible worrier. This wizard was sent in by Stu – a man who can clearly cross-hatch with the best of them. Thanks Stu!

Mary sent in this super cute mouse wizard. I like it’s little whiskers! Do you reckon that mouse-wizards can use their whiskers (or tails?) to cast spells? We need to do some research. Thanks for sending this in Mary! I can’t wait to see your costume for MCM!!!

Look! It’s one of the Wizarding Wednesday gang! AND HE’S GOT HANDS!!!!! Arrrrrrgh!!!! This wizard was sent in by Jack who was keen to point out he had use a mouse rather than a tablet. Whatever you used, you did a great job Jack! I have hand envy already. Thanks !

David is one of the nicest guys I’ve met and check it out – he’s drawn Roy Wood from Wizzard for Wizard Week. I wasn’t a huge fan of Wizzard but I did quite enjoy the Corss back the day. But you don’t need to know that. Here’s a brilliant wizard by a brilliant guy. Enjoy it! Oh – and I hear that David might be working on a new and exciting project... Keep your eyes peeled!

Andy sent me this photo on Twitter for Wizard Week! It’s of a wizard called Wirlin – which I like as a name since it rhymes with Merlin. But yeah, the more I think about it, the more I think the name just suits him. Anyone that can make a "FOOMPH!" sound effect must be a) a wizard and b) one with a funny name. Andy – thanks for taking part in Wizard Week 2011.

Getting dressed when you’re a wizard must be pretty easy, right? Robe? Check. Beard? Check. Hat? Check. BUT WAIT! If you’re a wizard, you pretty much have to always look your best. And if you’re a great wizard then standing out from the crowd is very important. Do you want stars on your hat? What colour robes should you wear? What about shoes – pointy or not? Maybe even a Cuban heel? It’s this perpetual dilemma that Lizz has depicted. It was designed to be an interactive dress-up game so keep your eyes peeled for that soon!

So…I’ve been saving this for the last day so we can go out with a bang. Yes! That’s right! Katherine made this REAL LIFE CUDDLY WIZARD! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! I’m sorry that I don’t have a proper camera to document the utter amazingness of the cuddly wizard so I’ll be bringing him along to MCM Expo this weekend for everyone to have a peep at. Thank you so much Katherine! Thanks!!! Thank you!!

So that’s it! I hope you enjoyed the whole week – both my comics and the submissions sent in by people. I’ve learnt a lot from the week too – like don’t do it in a place with a crappy Internet connection. And maybe take some time off work because all the typing gets a bit confusing. And that EVERYONE LIKES WIZARDS! So yeah, thanks for sticking around!

And speaking of thanks…

Wizard Week 2011: Day Four

2011-05-26T06:30:00.004+01:00

Hello! It’s Thursday – that awful day that’s not quite Friday… Except it is sort of Friday for me since I’ve booked tomorrow off work! I’ll be at MCM Expo instead but that’s sort of like not being at work? Or something. Whatever – here are the next batch of wizards for Wizard Week 2011!

We all know I can’t draw hands. So I should probably hate people that can. Except I don’t. If you want to know how I avoid such negative emotions, just check out this drawing by Joe. It’s just too cool to hate. It helps that wizards are cool in general but Joe’s wizard gets bonus cool points for having a cool hat and fancy shoes. And Joe gets extra bonus cool points just because. Thanks Joe!

Hahahahaha. This submission made me wet myself a little. Look! It’s Toby the dinosaur, except he’s been working out! Because he’s effing terrifying. This was sent in by Andy and I’ve got to admit that I’m a little jealous. If I could draw like that, Toby would always look that cool. Thanks Andy! I owe you one!

Cake + Wizard = double thumbs up from me. This wizard was sent in by Graham. Graham was actually kind enough to do a nice drawing of Toby and the wizards a while ago which I’ve been saving for this week! Here it is! I hope he doesn’t mind me uploading it here.

Thanks Graham!

Recently, I was quite glued to the ITV2 show The Only Way Is Essex. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. I could never do it justice with mere words. This drawing by Darren sees a combination of two of my favourite things – The Only Way Is Essex and wizards. The guy he’s drawn is Joey Essex. I’d explain more – but you should really just watch it. Thanks Darren! Reem!

Say it with me now – it’s Daaaaaaaaan! If you ever want to know something about comics – ask Dan. He’s a super nice guy who knows all sorts of things. Except, until today I didn’t know that he knew about wizards as well! Because Dan’s right – some wizards HATE magic! No one really talks about these wizards because they mostly suck – but the mere fact that Dan’s knows about them shows how smart he is. Thanks for teaching us something new, Dan!

Wheeeee! A super cute comic strip about gnome-wizards? YES PLEASE! This was sent in by Rob who I met at Thought Bubble 2010. Rob raises an excellent point – if wizards have robes, beards and hats, then gnomes – which has beards and hats (but no robes or wands) must get pretty confused. I’d get confused if I was a gnome. Not that it matters since I’m neither gnome nor wizard. Regardless – thanks Rob!

I think there was a period when I worried that the Wizarding Wednesday guys didn’t do enough magic. So they all got a specific thing they were good at whether it was changing size or shape or this weird thing they do with arrows. And it’s this slightly bizarre arrow magic that Alex has drawn! HOORAY! I still don’t really understand what it does besides pointing at/through stuff but it looks cool and Alex has done a brilliant job. Thanks Alex!

This whiteboard wizard was sent in by the mysterious Dan via the medium of Twitter. Dan’s wizard has the three key items – a robe, a beard and a wand…but this wizard has a bonus feature! Whiteboard pens! In constant supply in every office, this wizard is super smart for keeping some handy. That way, everyone in every office will need him at some point… Thanks for the wizard Dan!

This wizard was sent in by Justin – and you know what, he’s got a point! Wizards would be great to have about the house – doing the cleaning, being positive role models to children. I think that having a wizard in the house would improve pretty much EVERYTHING. Justin – you are a very smart man. Thank you for both the wizard and for opening my eyes!

Is one man deserves a theme tune…it’s me. But after me, it’s Matt – the drawer of this comic. He’s done a great job of drawing a great submission that involves zero wizards. A great skill and just what I’d expect of Matt. Thank you very much Matt! I’ll pay you back with a very special performance of Life by Des’ree.

If you’ve been reading these blurbs at all (which I hope you have since they take me about three hours to type) – then you’ll know that I reckon a good wizard has a brilliant beard. And I’m not alone in this theory – as Matteo, the brains behind this drawing has given his wizard a proper beard. Not only that, but the first time I met Matteo, he had a decent beard himself. Maybe he’s a wizard?! I don’t know. Either way, thanks Matteo!

Sad story: I am terribly unphotogenic. It’s like, point a camera in my direction and watch me turn into a big pile of gross. Which is why, if I see a camera within two metres, I hide. Don’t believe me? Ask Peter – the gentleman who drew this wizarding world. He was at a comic event with a camera…which obviously meant I had to keep hiding. It made holding a conversation pretty interesting. But still, he drew a wizard. Thanks Peter! Now please put the camera down before I vomit.

I have some really nice pals in real life. One of them is called Tom and he was kind enough to send me this wizard-themed haiku. Tom was also kind enough to make me pancakes on pancake day! See? Nice pals doing nice things. Thanks for sending this in Tom. You’re the nicest!

Different people think of different things when asked to draw a wizard. Never has this been more apparent than with this drawing by Gillian. As you can see, Gillian was reminded of some weird milky-drink that was given out in class at lunchtime. I think we just had regular milk at my school (I might have just imagined that) but the idea of having wizard-branded faux-milk is pretty terrifying. If you’ve recovered Gillian, I would like to say thank you for taking part! Thank you!

Upon receiving this wizard from Warwick in my inbox, I suggested that I could maybe rename Warwick as Aceguy. Or Mr Ace. Something along those lines. He said that Warwick is fine but if I wanted to tell people that he’s ace then that’s OK. But I don’t need to tell you that Warwick’s ace because you can clearly see from the above drawing that this is indeed the case. Thanks Warwick! You’re ace!

So that’s Day Four of Wizard Week 2011 done. I hope you’re enjoying it. And obviously you should check out everyone’s web pages if you like the look of their work!

Wizard Week 2011: Day Three

2011-05-25T06:30:00.003+01:00

It’s Wednesday and it’s Wizard Week 2011 – so today must be a pretty magical day. How exciting! And I really hope you’ve been enjoying Wizard Week so far. I know I am! Although it’s a lot more work than I remember it being!

Anyways – without further ado…

You know how highly I think of beards…mainly because I’m unable to grow one myself. And this drawing is all about the beard. That’s because it was drawn by Rembrand – a prince of beards! Maybe organising Wizard Week 2011 has come from my beard-obsession? Hmmm… Maybe I should seek help? Whatever – thanks Rembrand! I’ll buy you a cake whenever you’re in town next.

Uh oh – it’s another Discworld wizard…and I still haven’t read any of the books. This drawing of Rincewind was sent in by Rob – who I happened to bump into at the weekend. I should have asked to borrow a book or something. But yeah – I’m already a little scared of the Discworld books as there appears to be a magical chest with trotters. Is that a thing? I am so confused. But I’m not confused about saying thanks to Rob. Thanks Rob!

It may or may not surprise you to learn that I really enjoy a good fighting game. I hate fighting in real life but let me do a Spinning Bird Kick or a Hundred Hand Slap and I am all sorts of excited. That’s why I’m extra pleased to see Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat in Wizard Week! This drawing was sent in by Martin. Thanks for bringing back all sorts of memories. Now… FINISH HIM!

Do you like squids? Do you like wizards? If the answer is yes to one of these questions, then great. If the answer is yes to BOTH of these questions then this drawing is the one for you. Sent in by James, the Squid Wizard is probably a very talented wizard. Thanks for sending him along, James!

What’s better than a wizard with one beard? How about a wizard with TWO BEARDS! Yes – that’s right, meet Two Beard, as drawn by the talented Kyle. I don’t know Kyle so I can’t tell you an amusing story or anything – but I can tell you that I very much enjoy this wizard. Thanks Kyle!

You know what’s sassy? A wizard? You know what’s three times as sassy? THREE WIZARDS SINGING ON STAGE! And I’m clearly not the only one that things so as this drawing was sent in by Howard. I’ve never been to a festival (because I don’t think I could deal without a real toilet) but if there were wizards on stage, I would totally go. Why aren’t there more wizards in bands? Thanks Howard!

What is a wizard without his hat? Let me tell you – a wizard without a hat is like a…uh… Ghibli movie without a bunch of cute stuff. But talking of cute stuff and wizard hats, this comic strip was sent in by the owl-obsessed Amy. I don’t think you can be too small for wizarding – but I should probably investigate. More importantly – thanks Amy!!!

Watch out guys! It’s about to get metatextual as someone draws me appearing alongside my own wizards. What’s going on!? This comic was sent in by John who I met at Thought Bubble 2010. He also got two of his pals to send in wizards too. So double thanks for that John. I totally owe you come cake. Or a song and dance routine. You can choose. Oh – and just to set the record straight, I don’t think I’m super cool or awesome…but I am quite nice. At least, I hope I’m nice? Either way, thanks John!

What’s blue, bearded and lives in your trousers? It’s obviously a wizarding version of Mike Dolphino! Those of you who aren’t familiar with Mike Dolphino really need to get up to speed. Mike is a very big deal…and he’s probably in your trousers right now! I’m really excited that he’s taken part in Wizard Week. Thank you very much Mike. I can’t wait to see you again!

Once upon a time, I went to work and asked a pal to draw a wizard. He passed the wizard-drawing onto someone else and that someone was Stephen… which is funny since I don’t really know Stephen so I’m not sure what to write here. He seems very nice? And I talked to him about comics? I guess it doesn’t really matter what I know/don’t know about Stephen – the important thing is that he drew a wizard. Thanks Stephen!

CURVEBALL! This drawing of the moody Juno (from the movie “Juno”) was sent in by Tom – officially one of the nicest guys I think I’ve ever met. Tom, as well as being a super nice, is also a freelance drawing guy so I’m double pleased he could find time in his schedule to take part in Wizard Week. Thanks Tom!

So…today’s comic on the website mentioned Scientists. As a bonus prize, I drew them for you! They are called the Sunday Science League - which is why you haven't seen them before because I don't make a comic on Sundays. The lady in the middle is their leader and I think she’s quite bossy…but only when she has an audience. Also, her hair changes colour a lot because of science. And the floaty thing is a robot head with a brain in it. You might see them all soon. WHO KNOWS!

Wizard Week 2011: Day Two

2011-05-24T06:30:00.000+01:00

We survived the first day so if you’re reading this, it must mean you want to see all the other wizards that have been sent in for Wizard Week 2011. If you’re not here for wizards, then feel free to hang about anyways…

Who is this mysterious fellow? Why, it’s Herve the Hedge Wizard! He has been drawn/created by Simon – a man I suspect must be part wizard himself. I asked him how he made it (again with the interest in processes) and he said it was just a rough sketch and some computer stuff. However he did it (I still suspect magic of some kind) it’s ace. Thank you very much Simon! Thumbs up! Except, unlike you, I can't draw hands!

Say hello to Duncan the Wizard, as drawn by Trevor. Trevor and I used to work at the same company and our paths crossed briefly but only via emails. So when he appeared in my inbox for Wizard Week, I was worried I’d gone back in time. But I hadn’t. Anyways – Duncan has a great colour scheme doing on. Although, I hope his robes stay blue for a bit longer - brown isn't a great colour for robes. Thanks to Trevor for introducing us all to Duncan!

Next up is this drawing of Roy Wood from Wizzard. Who drew this rainbow vision, I hear you ask. Here’s a clue – it was Clark! Clark is one of the super team behind Thought Bubble and an all round cool dude. Although, now I’ve seen his drawing, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed that Clark doesn’t have rainbow powers. WTF Clark? Sort it out! Haha – only kidding, thanks for the wizard. You are ace!

Being a wizard requires three things (in my mind) – a robe, a beard and a wand. And by the looks of the drawing he sent in, Dan totally agrees with me. This wizard is Merlin – possibly one of the most famous wizards ever… although since I don’t think Merlin has his own theme park, I guess Harry Potter is actually more popular and famous. Not that it matters, this isn’t a popularity contest. All I wanted to say was “ace wizard, thanks Dan!”

Oh! This wizard double bill was sent in by Alejandra, all the way from South America! And what a pair of wizards it is – Gandalf the Grey and Tim the Enchanter! I’m not sure which of the two is the most powerful…maybe Gandalf because he has a more impressive beard? But then Tim has ram horns… Hmmm. I’ll let Alejandra decide. Thanks for sending them in!

Lots of people say that swimming with dolphins can cure all sorts of things…but what would happen if you swam with a Dolphono? Would you catch T-wartz? Don’t ask me, ask Indy, who sent in this brilliant wizard. This wizard loves maths and who can blame him? Maths is pretty cool. Thanks Indy… now please take that Dolphono away, he’s scaring me.

Are you prepare to be weirded out? Then once you’ve finished admiring Mark’s drawing of Wizbit, feel free to YouTube it. I just did and it is…wow… It’s a little scary. I think I’m most scared of Wizbit’s eyes – they seem a little untrustworthy. But still, he’s a wizard which is the important thing. And the end music is pretty catchy. Thanks Mark for bringing Wizbit into my life!

Remember that one time when Wills and Kate/Katherine got married and we all watched it and ate cake? I do…and judging from this ace picture sent in by Nick, I’m not the only one! Although Nick seems to remember it a little differently to me. To be fair, a muggle like myself could easily have missed Hagrid trying to enrol Prince Harry into Hogwarts. I’ll rely on the superior wizard-detection skillz of Nick on this one. Thanks for sending this in Nick!

I don’t really read that many DC comics but one of the ones I *am* reading is the new Zatanna series. And why? Because Zatanna is effing cool! Or should that be – Esuaceb Annataz si gniffe looc! This brilliant drawing was sent in by Mart – the brains behind Spandex. And look! I’m in the drawing too! HOORAY! I hope I don’t fall into Zatanna’s top though – it’s probably not the safest place to be during a magical crime-fighting adventure. Thanks Martin! Sknaht nitram!

Being a wizard is pretty tricky and having the right equipment is essential…which is why this drawing by the lovely Rick is very useful to anyone considering venturing off on their very own magical quest. A personal favourite is the navigation snail. I could do with one of those in real life to be honest… except I don’t really like snails. But I like getting lost even less… Hmmm… But still, thanks Rick!

COMIC STRIP ALERT! This little belter was sent in by Ben – who you may or may not remember as being the nice guy who drew the People I Know fanart a while ago. So yeah, this drawing contains another Discworld reference – so I’m assuming I really need to read the books. Is that the case? Also, I really like the fact that Ben has used the correct People I Know colours. I get really particular about the colours sometimes so I appreciate it. Thank you Ben!

So that’s it for Day Two of Wizard Week 2011. As a bonus prize for being so well behaved, here is a drawing I did for a pal. It is based on something they were saying on Twitter – so obviously it’s a wizard dog standing on a hot dog. And the dog has nano-wizard powers! And there’s a cat too! I hope you enjoy it! Come back tomorrow for some more wizarding action!

Wizard Week 2011: Day One

2011-05-23T06:30:00.008+01:00

Hello Hello!

It’s Monday and you know what that means!!! It’s the first day of Wizard Week 2011! HOORAY! If you’re not sure what that means then listen up. Every weekday, the drawing on my website will be wizard-themed. Over here on my blog, I’ll be uploading wizard-themed drawings that people have sent in. If you want to participate then you can, just send it over via email (timothy UNDERSCORE winchester AT yahoo DOT com) before Thursday…

So, without further ado, roll on the wizards!!!

Our first entry is from Katy and is actually (at time of writing) the latest submission. Katy has opted to draw a follow-up to this Wizarding Wednesday. It’s good to see the witch get her own back on those beardy wizards. Sometimes I don’t think they realise how rude they’re being. I’m sure they don’t mean it. But I totally mean it when I say thank you very to Katy for this submission – it’s a great way to start off Wizard Week 2011!

This happy-looking fellow was in by lovely Tom. Tom is a pal from work who didn’t laugh/punch me when I asked him to draw a wizard. Tom opted for the instantly recognisable medium of MS Paint. I really like the colour choices Tom’s made for the wizards clothes – purple is obviously the most magical colour after “rainbow.” Thanks Tom!

Speaking of work pals – the next submission is from Danny. Danny is also a pal from work and he enjoys cycling. I don’t know the last time I tried riding a bike but I totally tried drawing one recently – and it was a disaster! But that’s a story for another time – back to wizard talk. Danny has drawn an angry-looking wizard who I wouldn’t want to mess with. It’s important to remember that not all wizards are good!

Speaking of good, OMG! This wizard was submitted by Henki from Airside Japan! Henki sent in a lovely Jessica Fletcher during Jessica Fletcher Week 2010, so it’s great to have him getting involved again. Henki has drawn Orko, the floaty wizard from He-Man. I don’t remember much about Orko as I was more of a ThunderCats fan, but I like his hat! It’s especially wizardly…although since when was red a colour of wizards? Regardless, excellent work as always Henki! I totally owe you one!

Uh oh – looks like I spoke too soon about wizarding colour choices… This Lizard Wizard was sent in by Pandora, who I’ve met a few times at MCM. Pandora gets a special shout out – not just for some excellent punnery, but for spotting today’s spelling bee joke before I’d posted it. That’ll teach me to drag a joke out! Anyways – excellent wizard work!

Watch out! It’s our first Wizard Week comic strip! And this one was sent in by Luke. I suspect, between you and me, that Luke may be a wizard himself as every time I see him, he’s lugging round a HUGE bag. I assume this bag is full of wizarding items like cloaks and wands and stuff…but I’m not sure. I should probably ask him. Either way, great work Luke!

Not content with sending in just one wizard, Mark sent in THREE wizards! Wowsers. It’s nice to be reminded that wizards are people too so I’m glad Mark has chosen to highlight the various things that wizards get up to when they aren’t casting spells and stuff. I mean, if I was a wizard, I’d go on holiday and stuff. BONUS FACT: I went bowling recently and did quite well!

If you’re not sitting down, you might want to find the nearest chair. Someone has sent in a brilliantly brooding drawing of Harry “Super Famous” Potter. Not only that, but they’ve done a great job. And that person is Anna! HOORAY FOR YOU! I know Anna’s pretty busy with revising and stuff so I’m extra pleased with this submission – although obviously revising is VERY important! Thanks for taking the time out Anna…now get back to studying! The future is important!

I have a terrible confession to make. I don’t know much about the Discworld books. But don’t worry! Natasha does and she’s sent in a wizard-related drawing to prove it! I’m not sure what I enjoy most about this drawing – it’s between the beard, the shoes or the wizard on the left’s pie-craving smile. I’m well-versed in pulling that smile, but mainly when I want cake… Thanks Natasha! Which Discworld book should I start with?

Amanda from Truly Ace went the extra mile with her submission. Normally working with just vectors, she did a drawing on paper for his! She wrote a very interesting blurb about the process which I’m link to HERE.

I hope Amanda doesn’t mind me linking to it – but I always find drawing processes quite interesting. ANYWAYS – back to the wizards! This wizard is pretty brave to be fronting in his pants. Although, maybe all wizards just wear pants underneath their robes. I wouldn’t know – I’m too polite to ask. First one to find out wins a prize. Thanks for sending this in Amanda! Hope you will continue to give paper a chance!

Out final wizard for the day is from Bryony. The wizard is called Sanjeev and he is a CAT! A WIZARD CAT! He manifests his magic through his handler-human, George. This makes sense since I guess cats can’t hold wands and stuff…and they are much cuter than humans too. Why aren’t all wizards cats? Anyways – thanks Bryony! You’re ace. I’ll take you to more weird museums as a prize.

So that’s the first day of Wizard Week 2011. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Feel free to send in your wizard drawing if you’re feeling inspired. And if you’re one of the people from today and you want me to change/add/remove any of the links/information then get in touch. I’m a bit frazzled from all the writing so I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d made some mistakes.

Last Week

2011-05-08T23:19:00.000+01:00

Hello! I feel like I should "do a blog" because it's Sunday. The only catch is that I can't really remember what I've been up to. Isn't that terrible?

I met up with a pal on Thursday for burgers? That totally happened. But besides that, I think I've just been working and hounding people about taking part in Wizard Week. I've had some great entries so far - but I'd love it if lots of people got involved. So, yeah. If you're reading this - draw a wizard!

I sent People I Know #13 off to the printers! That's something! It's going to cost me lots to print though since it's full colour and 40 pages! OMG!

There was probably other important things too...but it's late and I should go to bed. I want to learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons too. That's something. Any idea where I start in my quest for knowledge? Anyone?

More importantly - is anyone coming to MCM Expo at the end of the month?

Stay out of trouble
TWx

Wizard Week 2011: Call For Submissions

2011-05-04T06:00:00.003+01:00

Hello!

It's time for an EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! I hope you're sitting down!

Remember how last year I did the Monster Drawing thing? Well, this time I want you to draw something much more familiar...especially if you've been reading my webcomics on a Wednesday.

Please say hello to:

So, if you took part in Jessica Fletcher Week then you know the drill... Starting on Monday the 23rd of May, I will upload a different wizard-themed drawing onto my website, every weekday. So if you enjoy Wizarding Wednesday, it'll be five times better than that! If it was a movie, it would be called "Wizards Go Wild" or something... but I need drawings of wizards for my blog...

This is where you come in. I'd like to ask people I know (hahahaha - see what I did there?) and anyone that reads my webcomic to draw their favourite wizard! I don't mind whether it's a famous wizard, a wizard you invented or even the Wizarding Wednesday gang - just draw your favourite! I'd like to upload a different batch of wizards every day to make Wizard Week 2011 super magical.

I don't mind whether you draw, animate or even write a poem - it's up to you! Just send it over by Friday the 20th of May for me to upload - along with a link to your website if you'd like. You can email me at timothy (underscore) winchester (at) yahoo (dot) com. And obviously, please ask your friends and family and pets to take part too!

If you have any questions, please get in touch. I'm already excited!

Positive Attitude

2011-05-03T21:34:00.000+01:00

I made an animation and a song for some of my pals who are poorly. Except, it turns out I could only get my head around changing colours and things. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!

Feel free to send it to your pals if they are unwell or need cheering up.

Time Flies...

2011-05-02T12:19:00.000+01:00

Hello! Sorry for not writing sooner - as always, things have been a bit odd. In fact, I've only got the time to type this today because it's another Bank Holiday! Yay!

So, what have I been up to? Mostly drawing wizards...but that's a story for next Wednesday... I went home for the long Easter weekend. I held a baby and ate some food (mostly salad) and watched some TV. Then I went back to town, laden with cut-price chocolate Easter eggs.

I saw lots of pals in the last two weeks as well - burittos, cupcakes, walking, sitting in parks - GOOD TIMES! Then it was time for more work. I saw Thor on Wednesday which was ace. Skip forward to the next weekend and it's time for the Royal Wedding - which I really enjoyed. You can watch it all on YouTube (how modern) but for the actual day, I went to a friend's house and watched it whilst eating pancakes. The best of times! Except, I was planning on doing lots of drawing during the ceremony so I didn't fall behind...which I ended up doing anyway since the wedding so so distracting.

Saturday was spent at the BFI for a Sci-Fi event which saw the official release of Paper Science 4! The makers of it also documented the day in this little film:

Paper Science 4 debut from Anne Holiday on Vimeo.

I have a page in it, a preview of which you can see a bit of at the top of this entry. Afterwards, a pal and I grabbed burritos (again - I think burritos might replace burgers as my favourite food to eat with friends) whilst sitting in a park. Some guy did an amazing reverse park in his car... sort of like this:

OK. FINE! It wasn't like that - I just think that video is funny.

Friday and Sunday was also spent trying to make an animation. I don't really know what I'm doing but I did something...BUT! ARGH! I can't effing export the effing thing in any YouTube-friendly format. I'll have to send the .swf to a pal and ask them to turn it into a .mov for me. I'm pretty annoyed - especially since I spent so much time on it. Bleurgh.

IN OTHER NEWS: I'm going to make an announcement/plea on Wednesday. I hope you'll all help out. Oh - and I'm getting ready for MCM Expo. And by "getting ready," I mean "sitting around in my pyjamas, eating cheap Easter eggs..."

IN MUSIC NEWS: I have been listening to this. A lot.

Happy 300th Post!

2011-04-20T06:00:00.001+01:00

I don't really post my comics here any more...but I figured this is a special one so it's OK.

So yeah - believe it or not...but this is my 300th drawing/webcomic. I worked this out by copy and pasting what was in my archive and putting it in a numbered bullets. To celebrate, I was going to ask you guys to do drawings of your favourite characters...but I think I'm saving that for a few weeks time. But, I did make an extra long drawing! That's something, right?

I hope I can continue making comics and stuff for a while and I hope you continue to enjoy them.

Back Pain and BBQs (and the cover for People I Know #13)

2011-04-17T22:33:00.000+01:00

Hello! Another week has flown by...which means it must be time for another blog post. Hold onto your...uh...hats? Is that how the saying goes? Hats? Hair? Hares?

REGARDLESS: I was pretty busy this week but it was...nope, just busy. I had ALL SORTS of plans for my evenings but most of them were pushed about. My high-powered business meeting got moved back so I spent two evenings getting ahead with next week's drawings. On Wednesday, I met some pals from that time I went to Edinburgh and we ate burgers. It was a really fun night out and was a lovely reminder of how ace people are.

Thursday saw me a pal from work go on an adventure. We walked around town and I got some DVDs... well, two DVDs. I got the Scott Pilgrim movie (I enjoyed it at the cinema) and the entire first (only?!) series of The Comeback - this really AWKWARD

That trailer doesn't do it justice and I'm only half of the way through...but wow. Yeah. I would recommend it. I *am* recommending it. Then we grabbed some food and everything was great. Obviously we ALL know what happens after Thursday - it's Friday, Friday, gonna get down on Fridaaaaay. A pal came to visit so we met up after work, met up with some other pals and we grabbed some food - after having a slightly odd conversation with some guy on the street about my boobjob. Yep - I didn't get what he was talking about either... Goodbye Friday! Hello Saturday! My pal was doing the first of two event-things so I was up early. I finished off some drawings, did some laundry and..went for food with pals. I'm beginning to suspect that I spend too much money/time eating at restaurants. After that, we watched more episodes of The Comeback and went to bed.

Sunday (that's today) was spent visiting the new gym, joining that and then buying gym shorts. And I went to a Zine event near Brick Lane which was really busy. I couldn't have a proper look round but the stuff I saw was impressive. Then I went to a pal's house for a BBQ which was nice...although I got a little lost on the way home. I was actually a little scared since it was dark...

AND NOW I AM TYPING THIS! Next week is pretty crammed and I'm meeting a new addition to the family at the weekend. Exciting! Speaking of new additions, the drawing at the top of this entry is 95% probably going to be the new cover for the next issue of People I Know - which you should remember from back here. It should be ready in time for MCM London.

EXCITING NEWS: Wednesday the 20th of April will be my 300th upload!

Busy Busy Busy...

2011-04-10T23:13:00.000+01:00

Hello! Sorry it's been so long since my last update...but I have an actual excuse. I've been busy, trying to be sociable. I know - I'm as surprised as you are.

But first, there was the J-Man storyline. I hope you enjoyed it! According to Google Analytics, it wasn't very popular, but I'm glad I did it because it was a bit different - a bit *ahem* metatextual and it was a nice way to bring together a bunch of characters that don't normally hang out. The story was a good reflection of how some of my drawings make me feel. When I first started, I'd put anything online... whereas now, I'm a bit more selective - which is both a good and bad thing. I had the first J-Man joke ready to upload, but it just really annoyed me because it didn't seem funny enough. And then the J-Man storyline sort of came from my attempts to make it funny. Or better. Plus, I got to draw hands!

So yeah - this week has seen me try to do fun things. I worry I spend too much time at my desk - whether it's at work or working on drawings. So this week, I tried doing fun things. On Wednesday, I went for a burger and then went to see Sucker Punch. I have no idea what to make of the film. It looked nice but I was pretty confused. The soundtrack was good though. Here is one of my favourites:

Also - it was possibly the first time in recent years I've been to the cinema and not eaten popcorn...

On Thursday, me and some pals went to the Museum of Childhood for an event about self-publishing. It was really nice and we went to a cute cafe afterwards to catch up on old times. Friday evening was spent at the pub. I was there for a bit too long but I actually enjoyed myself. Hooray. Saturday was spent working on some projects for people that you'll get to hear about at some point. I blitzed through them and went to see some pals in the park. We sang quite a lot of Rebecca Black's Friday. Speaking of which...

Then it was Sunday and I went to an effing BBQ! Can you believe that! I even spoke to people I didn't know! And they were nice!

So...that was my week - pretty crazy, right? And I have more stuff planned! Next week will see burgers with pals, a potential birthday party and a pal is coming to visit! I hope I have time to draw comics! Oh - and I'm giving serious thought to trying to form a band... Although it will be much better than my last attempt.

HOW ARE YOU?

A Blog Post about Things and Memorabilia

2011-04-02T13:16:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since I posted here. Sorry! My original plan was to do at least one blog post a week about what I've been up to...but that sort of went wrong. Sorry! I hope you aren't too sad.

So...last weekend, me and some pals had tables at the MCM Memorabilia event at the Birmingham NEC. I had never been to the Memorabilia event but it has lots of famous people from old television shows and former sports stars and people signing autographs, along with lots of stalls selling collectable items. It also had a Comic village which is where we were sitting.

But before that, I had an awful time trying to get to the train station to get to Birmingham. Since I've moved house, I'm a bit unsure of how much time I need to leave to get to places - but I left about an hour to do a 40 minute journey... except that no buses turned up for the first part of my journey. I ended up running down the (very long) road with my giant suitcase, sweating and swearing. I made it to the train station with about five minutes to spare. Luckily, Philippa was waiting by the train so it all worked out fine...but still - not the best way to start the day.

The train itself had a few problems and we arrived in Birmingham about 30 minutes later than planned... although I met some nice people on the way. Oh - when we got to Birmingham, we went for a nice Japanese meal... and a few too many prawn crackers. We went to a pal's home and I made everyone watch the first episode of the latest series of The Only Way Is Essex. Someone at work described it as a porn film without any of the sex... I'll let you make up your own mind:

Then it was Saturday and we went to the NEC - which is MASSIVE! I was sitting next to the lovely Lizz Lunney... although our stalls were opposite the toilets. Originally, I was a bit sad about this but it turned out to make the best people watching! And we were next to the wrestling ring too which was pretty interesting. OH! And the cast of 'Allo 'Allo were having a reunion! I used to love that show when I was little. It had the best theme tune:

And some of the cast of Being Human were there too but that show doesn't even have a themetune. Lame.

So Saturday was spent at the NEC and we went to Nando's in the evening. I love Nando's. We were all feeling a little sleepy though - although that didn't stop us watching another episode of The Only Way is Essex and the DVD of Harold and Maude... which was a very interesting movie.

The trailer doesn't really explain anything but I guess I'd recommend the movie. I'm not sure whether it's uplifting or depressing though... After we watched it, it was bedtime and the clocks went forward - which is always confusing,

We headed over to the the NEC on Sunday morning, all feeling a bit grim. Saturday and Sunday were both quite quiet - although this is mainly based on what customers were telling me as they said the even is normally packed. I suspect the time change and the railworks had an impact. Still, I met some nice people and I got to play on a 3DS (I want one) and some nice people even wrote some nice things about me afterwards...

Then we got the train home...which should have been nice and stress-free but our reserved seats had been taken! I wasn't happy. I had to eat a few too many cakes to get over it.

As for the week after that, I've just been really busy with work. Really busy. But I worked hard so I didn't have to do anything over the weekend. Hooray! Oh! And we're half way through the J-Man story! According to Google Analytics, it isn't very popular but I'm glad I did it. It's a nice change to the usual drawings...and I like giving the green blob new magic powers to use. And I hope that at least some of you are enjoying it.

Right. I hope you're well and staying out of trouble. I think my next table is at London MCM... except I'm not on the website which is annoying. But I will be there. And I shold have turned that Interactive Comic into People I Know #13 by then. I made the cover ages ago! I hope you like it!

J-Man: A mini story!

2011-03-28T23:35:00.000+01:00

Hello! I haven't written here in ages - sorry about that. I've actually had a bumload of stuff to write about, just never enough time. I just wanted to to stop by and upload the first drawing for a new mini-story that started today. It's two weeks long and is all about...um...I can't actually tell you just yet. I'll tell you when it's over!

But I'm also uploading it here because my main website appears to be having some issues. Except I can't work out what they are since it only appears to be on some browsers. Boo hoo. If anyone can work out what is going on and how to fix it, I'll draw them a picture of...some...uh...goblins? Thank You Goblins!

Also - I did the Birmingham Memorabilia event at the weekend. That's a story for another post though...

Drawing for Presentation

2011-03-15T23:16:00.000Z

I did some drawings for a presentation at work. I won't tell you the context - but this was my favourite!

Small Press Expo!

2011-03-14T07:00:00.004Z

Cooee! Hello! Guten Morgan! Are you well? Did you have a nice weekend?

I was very busy... because I had a table at the Small Press Expo! I was a bit annoyed because I worked really hard on getting new badges, posters, comics and tote bags ready for it but when the day rolled round, I was still trying to shake this stupid cold. So if you cmae to visit me, I'm sorry for being a little confused or snotty. Still, I had a nice time and I hope you did too!

If you're reading this on an RSS feed and wondering where the latest comic is, then go check out my proper website. From now on, I'll just be posting blogs and doodles here...like the wizard drawing above! This isn't because I hate this blog or you or anything - but I'm having trouble with the scheduling function here and I don't have the time to manually update a bunch of different places. Don't be sad though - there will still be some fun stuff here! And when the next Jessica Fletcher Week swings by, you better come visit! Although, I have another project planned for before then...

IN OTHER NEWS: I'm still enjoying Pokemon White and I still need to visit the gym...

Ugly Duckling

2011-03-11T08:19:00.000Z

I hope you had a nice Thursday. I went to the Dentist and the Doctor and then I did a bunch of work...even though I was meant to have the day off. I even found time to have a massive fight with PowerPoint. Boo hoo.

Have a great weekend!

Murder Mystery

2011-03-10T21:20:00.000Z

SORRY! I was away from my computer. I hope you weren't too sad. And if you weren't, maybe you will be after today's comic? It's pretty depressing... especially for someone that watches lots of murder mysteries...like me!

Anyways - Wednesday was fine. I worked a bit late and went back home....

Wizarding Wednesday #17

2011-03-09T07:00:00.003Z

Hello! Merry Wednesday to one and all - especially if you're a wizard! Speaking of wizards - look! Today's drawings is full of them as well as a bonus witch! You may or may not recognise the witch from various places - not least of all, a previous Wizarding Wednesday! She's also on my new posters and if I were a betting man, I wouldn't be surprised to see her again in the future...

The REAL QUESTION is, can you think of any more magic-related ways that you could compliment the witch's new dress? I can think of one... "spell-binding." Can you do better?

My Tuesday was odd. I felt AWFUL and full of snot. I think it was because I was sitting next to the cold air machine at work. But I don't want to get ill because I've got my first comic event at the weekend so I spent the entire day drinking green tea (I don't like hot drinks) and eating fruit (but the nice ones like pineapple and mango). I hope I start feeling better...

ANYWAYS! I hope you like today's drawing.

Eggs

2011-03-08T07:00:00.002Z

That's right - you can laugh all you want, but eggs terrify me! I've only recently been able to face cracking them and I refuse to eat them if they still look eggy. I can just about manage omlettes...

IN OTHER NEWS: I appear to be ill. Boo hoo.

Oh - and don't forget to check out my revamped website!

Winkle

2011-03-07T07:00:00.004Z

Hello! If you're reading this via RSS feed then I've got some important news...Except I need to write it out properly first. I guess to paraphrase, it will be something like: if you subscribe to this RSS feed, please subscribe to the one on my website instead! Because at some point, I'm going to stop uploading my comics here and start treating this like a proper blog and write about my feelings and stuff. I might even start posting doodles here. I have a blog section on my new website but that's for important business things like upcoming shows and what not. Oh - and because of a variety of things, I might have to start only posting three or four drawings a week instead of five...

Does that make sense?

Anyways - my weekend was a mixed bag. My week at work had been pretty busy and I got really stressed. but the website relaunched on Friday and I hope you all liked it. Oh! And the new Pokemon game came out! I chose Snivy as my starter! It evolved this morning so I'm doing OK...although I'm still a bit confused about all the new Pokemon. I need a decent water type if you have any recommendations?

Also - thanks for the positive feedback on People I Know #13! I'm so glad you liked it!

IN OTHER NEWS: My new website has comments! You could totally leave a nice comment for me!!!

People I Know #13

2011-03-04T08:08:00.000Z

(Decide what to do by clicking the links below!)

Tell the pixie that you’ll help…

Apologise and tell the pixie that you won’t help…

In case you haven't guessed - my website is officially back! There are a few things that need fixing but we won't worry about them until you've decided which of the above links to click! Oh! And SURPRISE! You're actually getting to read People I Know #13! My brand new comic!!! I made it over Christmas but didn't want to say anything until I could put it all online. I really hope you like it. I also hope you missed me!

Sorry

2011-03-02T00:05:00.000Z

Sorry that the website is still down. It will be up soon though!

And in the meantime, here are two of the banners you can expect/hope to see when it's up and running!

I'll leave you alone to speculate what these banners are about...

Two Exciting Links!

2011-02-25T22:43:00.000Z

Hello!

I'm sharing two exciting links with you today...

Firstly, a guy names Ben did a brilliant drawing of some People I Know characters and Uberjobby. I was super excited about this because...well...it looks amazing! I need to start drawing properly! Thanks Ben!

The other link is to The Annotated Weekender - which celebrated it's second birthday! I did some drawings - I hope you like them! Happy Birthday Joe!

Have a great weekend!

Stay out of trouble
TWx

Real Life: Catchphrase

2011-02-25T07:00:00.003Z

OMG! It's effing Friday! WOO HOO! And look - I even did a new drawing! Today's drawing features that mean green thing and good ol' me. If you don't remember, I lasered that mean green thing a while ago when it teased me about my glasses. Oh lasers.

PLUS! You get to see another of the mean green thing's magical powers!

But yeah - that's not the only news! At some point this week, my proper website will be offline. But don't worry - it should be back the following week...with a brand new look and maybe a surprise or two? Well, probably just one surprise but it's a corker. The whole thing might be done before then so please keep an eye out!

The bad news is that you'll have to go without any new drawings for a week! Sorry! I hope we can still be pals!

Spring Chicken

2011-02-24T07:00:00.001Z

Congratulations! You made it to Thursday! It was pretty tough but well done! Here is a drawing to celebrate.

I wasn't sure if this counted as a Wizarding Wednesday entry because the pixie is in it...but then it's more punny than magical so it's OK. Plus, Thursday is Wednesday's neighbour so everyone's a winner!

IN OTHER NEWS: I paid big bucks for a new scanner...and it's already scaring me. It turns out that my silly drawings look double silly when scanned in by the scantron 6000. Seriously - I'm going to need to fiddle about with all sorts of settings to get it to look how I want.

Anyways! Today's drawing is clearly a lesson about how you should be careful what you wish for!

Wizarding Wednesday #16

2011-02-23T07:00:00.000Z

Hey Gang! It's effing Wednesday! Cancel all your plans and grab your wizard robe and hat!

I have a bit of a confession to make though... This drawing was meant to go online two weeks ago - back when it would have been sixteen weeks since Wizarding Wednesday started. But oh no - that Valentine's story took up two weeks of time so now the above drawing is sort of wrong. Boo.

But still - you get to see a newly-hatted wizard! Those hats really annoy me though so don't expect it to last.

IN OTHER NEWS: I bought a frame and a chair. The rest of my day was pretty sad though...

Monsters: Favourite Band

2011-02-22T06:30:00.002Z

Hello! It's Tuesday and the first non-Valentine's story in a while. How have you found it?

Things are a bit busy right now - what with the house moving and crazy times at work. I've got drawings for this week but I'm a little worried about next week. Urnk! Oh - and I need to buy a scanner!!!

Anyways - here's the drawing for today. It's some ghosts! You've probably seen them before! Can you tell me where? And I tried an exciting new background colour! Wheeeeee!

Valentine's Day - BONUS!

2011-02-21T06:30:00.000Z

If this drawing doesn't make sense, click here to read the first part.

Surprise! Remember the guy that asked Toby out? Well, I suspect we'll be seeing lots more of him in the future. It's funny since DC's feedback asked after him...and I didn't want to ruin the surprise. I hope you're surprised though. And Bil wants to see more of Human-Toby and I'm more than happy to say we'll be revisiting him too! Everyone's a winner!

So anyways - this weekend has bizarre. I moved house! It was pretty emotional and I might have sobbed a bit. But everything seems to be working out. I will probably turn the whole thing into a comic at some point!

Speaking of comics - I have just sent the final PDF of People I Know #12 to the printers. It is officially full colour! This is a big deal! And since I've already posted the cover then you know it's about the Wizards!

IMPORTANT NEWS: My website is getting a makeover! At some point, it will go down for a bit whilst everything gets rejigged. Please be patient. I'll keep you posted here or on Twitter or something but please don't panic. Also, I've got an exciting drawing prepped for the launch! I made it over Christmas and it's exciting!!! Keep an eye out!

Valentine's Day - Part 8

2011-02-18T07:00:00.001Z

If this drawing doesn't make sense, click here to read the first part.

Hello and a very Merry Friday to you! It's pretty much the end of the special Valentine's story. I really hope you enjoyed it. It was my first attempt at telling a story in such a compressed manner whilst still working in things like Wizarding Wednesday. I even tried to get a bit of character development into - we know the wizards sit exams, that Toby really loves cake and that the sad robot can carry a lot of things.

But that's enough about what I think - what did you make of it? Be nice/constructive!

IN OTHER NEWS: I am super nervous about moving house! And work was hectic today! The work I'd been doing during the week paid off and I met some very interesting people. Fingers crossed, eh?

Have a great weekend and go easy on me if I can't update much next week! I might be without Internet! Grim...

Poto and Cabenga!!!

2011-02-17T23:08:00.000Z

Hey!!!

Remember that time I did a drawing about Poto and Cabenga?

Well, the people behind it finally released an iPhone version!

Here's the trailer:

Poto and Cabenga iPhone from Slug Vids on Vimeo.

I'm going to make a computer game one day!

People I Know #12

2011-02-17T23:01:00.000Z

So....I'm pretty sure this is the front cover for the new People I Know comic! I hope you like it. And by "it," I mean WIZARDS!!!

Valentine's Day - Part 7

2011-02-17T07:00:00.000Z

If this drawing doesn't make sense, click here to read the first part.

Hello Thursday! What's that? You want some more of the Valentine's story? Well, lucky you - here it is! And I'm afraid it's back to Dinosaur Toby...how do you feel about that? I'm going to ask you all what you made of this story on Friday so feel free to have some things ready to tell me. Mainly nice things though if that's possible.

Today I went to work early and left late because I had lots to do. I did a twelve hour day! But I really feel like I achieved a lot so that's good and it means I can rest easy tonight... except I've just looked at how much drawing I have to do! I've just been asked about a secret project and I've got to prep for the upcoming shows!!! Urnk!

ANYWAYS! I hope you're well!

Valentine's Day - Part 6

2011-02-16T06:30:00.000Z

If this drawing doesn't make sense, click here to read the first part.

Yo! It's Wednesday! And thanks to some thinking on my part, I've managed to bring the Valentine's story back to everyone's favourite wizards! And to everyone's favourite dinosaur-turned-human! Wheeeee!

This drawing is probably the biggest drawing I've posted before. I realy like the cameos of the characters in the last panel... I hope you recognise them! Although the elf might be new. Oh - and because of the size of this drawing, you might need to click on it to see the full size version... Yes, I'm looking at you RSS Reading People!!!

IN OTHER NEWS: I didn't lose bowling! I came JOINT LAST which is better than being actual last. I was properly terrible at it though and only clawed my way to JOINT LAST thanks to a lucky strike at the end. Then we had a nice meal and I went home. The place itself was a members-only club which was a bit spooky but my pals are ace so that's OK.

Valentine's Day - Part 5

2011-02-15T06:55:00.000Z

If this drawing doesn't make sense, click here to read the first part.

Hello! It's Tuesday and you're getting a whole page of new drawings! How exciting! Maybe in return you could send me a Valentine's card next year because I received none yesterday! Although I got a Valentine's SMS if that counts? And I ate a gingerbread heart? So yeah - no cards for me. Boo hoo hoo.

But on the plus side - my day was busy and I saw some friendly faces and I worked hard. I'm pretty nervous about moving house though! Oh! And I'm going bowling this evening! Wish me luck!

As for today's drawing - I hope you like it. We all know how much Toby likes cake so I hope you appreciate just how traumatised he is by the whole cake fiasco! I know I would be!

Valentine's Cards!

2011-02-14T07:10:00.001Z

Here! I made you all a prize! Send them to your loved ones!

Valentine's Day - Part 4

2011-02-14T07:00:00.003Z

If this drawing doesn't make sense, click here to read the first part.

Happy Valentine's Day! If you want me, I'll be crying under my desk. Possibly eating gingerbread hearts or something. I hope your Valentine's Day is better than mine!

But yeah - here is the fourth part of the Valentine's story. I had a clear goal in mind when making this - Toby has to be asked out by a nice/normal person on Valentine's Day. If you've read People I Know #1 and #4, you'll have seen Toby's romantic back story in all its disastrous glory. His catchphrase when things went wrong was always "I've got to go," - which may or may not have been my own exit strategy in awkward social situations.

Also - it was the weekend and I have some exciting/scary news - it looks like I'm moving house next weekend. I don't know how this will affect my updating schedule after this week. It all depends on whether I can afford a scanner and whether I can get online as soon as I'm settled in. And I'll need to explore the area and visit new places too. Oh! And it's back to work tomorrow! Jeez - this week is going to be a shock to the system. Either way, I'll keep you posted about what's going on.

IN OTHER NEWS: Don't forget that I've got a table at this Small Press Expo next month!

People I Know: Badge Designs!

2011-02-11T18:29:00.000Z

Since it's the last day of my week off - it seems like a good enough time to show you the badge designs I've settled on. I've just sent the files off to the badge makers so hopefully they won't look too different from the ones above.

They are pretty similar to the badges I made last year... They'll come in packs of four again but I'm afraid the Princess and the Beardy Guy have been replaced with the wizards and the mean blob thing. The top row will (hopefully) be one pack and the bottom row will make up the second pack.

Anyways. I hope you like them! And I hope you have a great weekend!

Valentine's Day - Part 3

2011-02-11T07:00:00.002Z

If this drawing doesn't make sense, click here to read the first part.

Hooray! It's Friday - which means it's the weekend... oh. Wait. I'm on holiday so if it's Friday, that just means the fun times are nearly over. Oh dear.

Truth be told - this hasn't really felt like much of a holiday since I've been working so hard on a bunch of People I Know things. The posters were designed and printer in record time, I've just settled on some badge designs, I drew the Valentine's story (which I hope you're enjoying) and I saw lots of friends. Good times!

Oh! And I've made lots of progress with People I Know #12! I'm 95% sure it's going to be printed in full colour! Exciting...except it's expensive! I might post a few panels next week for no other reason than it will speed up the production of it. I always work better when a deadline is involved.

Today's drawing has Human-Toby and Christina in it. I'm glad they're friends otherwise I suspect they would be a little lonely.

I'm going to try to continue doing five drawings a week but I might have to start taking a day off at some point if I want to work on other projects like musicals and animations and things. Consider this fair warning?

IN OTHER NEWS: OMG! I went to see some old work pals this evening and afterwards, me and a pal went for a drink. Whilst it was lovely to see my friend...it was less than lovely with the amount of scary people who kept talking to us. I don't mean "scary" as in they were just regular folk making conversation... one of them was telling us some scary stuff about how to conquer the Internet and the other was...well, I don't even know where to begin with the things he was saying. It was incredibly surreal. I should turn it into a comic or something...

People I Know: Posters!

2011-02-10T11:42:00.000Z

Exciting news! Remember that time I asked what sort of merch you wanted to see? Well, posters was a popular choice and one of the easiest for me to manage. They arrived in the post today so I'm uploading the two designs here. I hope you like them! They are A3-sized and on nice 300gsm paper.

I tried to include all the main characters along with whatever was going on in my brain. Also, if you've got an eagle eye, you might be able to spot a bunch of upcoming characters...

I've only got 50 of each design made up and they'll be debuting at SP Expo in March... or on my shop if I ever sort it out. Either way, I hope you like them!

Valentine's Day - Part 2

2011-02-10T07:00:00.000Z

I know it's only the second day of the Valentine's story but I hope you're enjoying it. As a special bonus prize - look! It's the wizards but it's not even Wednesday! What the eff?

But obviously that's not the real thing that should be surprising you - because you get the first glimpse of a human version of Toby the dinosaur! Isn't he cute! You'll be seeing him a lot in the next few days...and who knows what will happen after this mini story is over?

Wednesday was spent running around town and seeing pals. Oh - and I designed some new badges. They are super cute and I'll post the designs as soon as I've written to the badge making people. Fingers crossed, eh?

IN OTHER NEWS: I posted this on Facebook and nearly forgot to post it here. Sorry!

Valentine's Day - Part 1

2011-02-09T07:00:00.000Z

It's Wednesday and that means Wizards, right?! Well...yes and no because today is the start of the first ever People I Know Valentine's Day Crossover! For the remainder of this week and ALL of next week, we'll have a story about...well, I'll let you read it.

For those new readers (hello!) who aren't familiar with the characters here then the ones in purple are wizards. They normally appear on my website on a Wednesday. And the green dinosaur is called Toby. He is the first ever People I Know character and has a terrible time when it comes to love. In previous issues of People I Know he's been dumped, drugged and experimented on. He cries a lot. His BFF is a piece of toast called Christina.

This is the first time I've made a mini story arc specially for my website. I've worked hard on it and I really hope you enjoy it!

Stop by tomorrow for the next part!

Feeling Faint

2011-02-08T07:00:00.001Z

Merry Tuesday! My Monday was a mixed bag. My original lunch plan went wrong but I met up with a pal and we grabbed some food at a nice restaurant... except we were the only people there and the place was playing romantic music... It was a little awkward, but the food was ace. In the evening I put the finishing touches to the first ever People I Know posters!!! YEAH! I'll be the first to admit that the designs are a *little* weird (my friend called them "disturbing")...but I hope you like them. I'm sending off the designs now so fingers crossed they turn out alright.

IN OTHER NEWS: Today's drawing is a terrible pun. Sorry! Especially after the witty heights of yesterday... but I promise to make up for it tomorrow when we begin the first ever PEOPLE I KNOW VALENTINE'S CROSSOVER!!!!! Stay tuned!

MORE BONUS NEWS: I did a guest comic for Left-Handed Toons!!! I hope you like it!

Real Life: Surprise!

2011-02-07T07:00:00.004Z

Hello Monday! Don't worry - I'm not angry with you for ending the weekend because I've got the week off! HOORAY! I'm seeing lots of pals this week and working on some new badges and posters. I might need to pick your brains about the designs for the poster... I hope you don't mind!

Because I've got so much fun/drawing planned for the week, I spent pretty much all my weekend at the computer, doing more drawing... I figure that the more of the grunt work I do now, the more fun stuff I can do later. I hope you'll enjoy the end product of my hardwork!

Oh! And I decorated some gingerbread men. That was nice.

IN OTHER NEWS: Here is a new drawing about that mean green thing. Here we get to see one of his magical powers! And isn't it creepy? I was thinking of using sound effects for when people go inside him...but all I could think of was "SLURP" and that made me feel sick. So no sound effects for you!

UPDATE!!! - I did a guest comic for Left-Handed Toons! I hope you like it!

Emma: Puppets

2011-02-04T07:00:00.001Z

Oh. Em. Effing. Gee! It's not just any Friday - it's the first Friday of February (and also my last day at my current job). Obviously this is the perfect excuse to bust out a drawing featuring everybody's favourite Emma. Not only does it feature Emma - it also features some puppets!

Right. So. Thursday was annoying because my iPhone lost four minutes when I woke up and I didn't know. I only just made it to work on time! It seems to have found those minutes now though, thank goodness!

Also - I'm going to spend the weekend designing two People I Know posters. They will be A3 sized and in colour...but that's all I know so far. Obviously you should let me know if you have any suggestions of what to draw. I might try drawing them at A2 - making them the biggest drawing I've ever done...

IN OTHER NEWS: I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Real Life: Ugly

2011-02-03T07:00:00.001Z

If you've been reading my comics for a while then you might recognise this mean and mysterious green blob. He represents a variety of people when they say mean things but I don't want to draw them.

You might recognise him from some of these drawings:

That time I was cold
That time I used my laser eyes
That time I cried
That time he first appeared

But I've decided to make the most of him so I hope you'll give him a warm welcome into the Official People I Know Gang! He'll still be in charge of saying the awful people things I've dealt with in real life, but he will also be in charge of causing trouble.

IN OTHER NEWS: I'm really happy with the positive response to my Hourly Comic drawing. Maybe I'll try doing some more auto biographical stuff... or maybe not. Either way, I hope you liked them!

Wizarding Wednesday #15

2011-02-02T07:00:00.002Z

What a busy day Tuesday was! It was was Hourly Comic Day...which you would normally care about if it wasn't WIZARDING WEDNESDAY! Hahahaha! YEAH! Wizards! but you should also care about Hourly Comic Day since I worked by arse off! I'm actually pretty proud of my attempt, especially compared to last year. I'll have posted the latest ones somewhere...probably on this very blog. Just keep your eyes peeled!

And yeah - wizards. I really like today's Wizarding Wednesday. I hope you do too!!!

And please let me know if you took part in Hourly Comics Day. I'd love to see what you did!

UPDATE: You can find my Hourly Comic Day drawings for 2011 right here!!!

Hourly Comic Day 2011

2011-02-02T01:20:00.001Z

Here are my Hourly Comic Day drawings for 2011! Last year's is here.

I need to go to bed. It's late.

You're Under Arrest!

2011-02-01T07:00:00.002Z

Happy Tuesday! Happy February! The official Valentine's Day countdown has started. Boo hoo.

Even worse - this drawing is about a criminal. This should have been his second appearance - except the first drawing didn't make any sense. Maybe I'll upload it as a bonus prize at some point. Anywhere - yeah, he's a thief and he steals things. Watch out!

Here's what you missed at the weekend (besides a bumload of fun!) - my pal and I got the train to meet some other pals and we went to a planetarium. It was pretty exciting since I'd never been to one before. Stars are pretty cool. Then I got angry about escalators. We ate some Chinese food (mine was a bit spooky) and played boardgames (I didn't win) and watch the Emperor's New Groove! I really enjoyed it but was sad it wasn't a proper musical. Then it was the next day and we went to Manchester to see other friends. I had a burger which was lovely! Suddenly it was time to catch the train home. I felt a bit sick but sleeping solved everything.

There - that's a very concise version which doesn't actually convey the sheer fun I had. You'll just have to trust me.

A PROPER QUESTION: I'm looking into new People I Know-themed merchandise. Is there anything in particular you'd like?

What's Your Sign?

2011-01-31T07:00:00.003Z

Good Monday! January is over and it's nearly February...and we all know what that means - Valentine's Day! Uh oh. Should we place bets on how many times I'll end up crying at my desk? Should we start stockpiling microwave-meals-for-one now or later? Either way, here's a romance-themed drawing for you!

IN OTHER NEWS: I had a lovely weekend with lovely people. I'll write a proper post about it later but thanks to everyone that was nice to me.

Angry Birds!

2011-01-28T07:00:00.000Z

OMG! It's Friday! YAY! And to celebrate - here is a brand new drawing about two very popular things - Justin Bieber and Angry Birds. I'm assuming you all know what Justin Bieber is but if you're not familiar with Angry Birds then don't be sad. It's a popular app game thing on the iPhone (and maybe other platforms too?). You are in control of some birds. They are angry because some pigs have stolen their eggs. I think? And you have to destroy the pigs (and their hideout) by hurling a limited number of birds (angry ones with a variety of powers) at them.

Does that make sense?

Either way - have a great weekend.