MERRY XMAS EVERYONE

HUMPH!

Double-length strip in this week's Time Out in which Humphrey Lyttelton directs Blake to, of course... Mornington Crescent. Here's  a sketch of the great man.

BLUE FLYER

Just worked this flyer up for our gig on 4th December. It's from an old sketch I did of the alien rock band in Dan's Frequent Flyers comic. 

MANAGEMENT TODAY

Just had this full-page comics-tastic piece in Management Today, illustrating an article on emotionally intelligent strategy. Unintentionally I've made the woman in green look quite like my mum when she was younger. Hi Mum!

KEN

A belated farewll to the inspirational Ken Campbell. I first became aware of Campbell in a typically manic programme exploring Einstein's theory of relativity that he made for Channel 4 way back when.

Over the years I always meant to check out what he was up to and to go to some of his shows, and like many others I'm sure, I really wish I'd done so now.

I finally saw him perform in his School of Night show at the Latitude festival this summer. He was manhandling a couple of brave actors into discovering their 'inner bards', a technique that demanded they wear pingpong balls, or as Campbell had it 'bollocks', in their eyes. 

"This... is actually the second... School of Night" he droned, "the first... was started by Sir Walter Raleigh". This grandiosity was undercut slightly by the sleeping teenager Campbell noticed in the front row.

I got back from Latitude determined to follow Campbell more closely, and then all of a sudden he was dead. 

I always thought that if I ever got William Blake, Taxi Driver turned into an animation, Ken Campbell would be my first choice for Blake's  voice. It was only when he died that I realised how much he'd influenced my take on Blake, not only in his shiny head and scary eyebrows but in his occasional bursts of irrascibility. 

So long Ken!

LIZ

More sketches for Blake passengers - Queen Liz I and her main man, Bill Cecil.More sketches for Blake passengers - Queen Liz I and her main man, Bill Cecil.

In other news, the illustration for Nature (see below) is going to be reprinted in the Japanese version off Nature. Cool, my first time being published in Japan. 

The double-length Time Out 40th anniversary special of William Blake is up on the comix page of my website now - lies, damn lies and outright fibs.

My cake is dough

William Shakespeare, assistant manager at The Globe gift shop.

When we were young, my brother used to get Shakespeare confused with Shakin' Stevens.

Special double-length Time Out 40th Anniversary strip in this week's Time Out. Out on Tuesday/Wednesday.

YOU HIGGS BOSON!

Here's the big piece for this week's Nature magazine. It ties in with all the fascinating stuff going on at CERN - each superhero represents one approach to smash the Standard Model. Big guy at the back is the new LARGE HADRON COLLIDER ("LHC SMASH PROTONS!!!"), the others are (l-r) Tevatron, Cosmic Energy, Neutrino Gal and Dark Matter Man. You can probably tell that this job was great fun. Ah, Jack Kirby!

Just finished next week's William Blake strip, which is a Time Out 40th anniversary special.

  

MORE PASSENGERS FROM THE CAB OF MR BLAKE

Charlie Chaplin and a jowly and elderly Mrs T, both of whom have graced the pages of Time Out in recent weeks.

Go see the comic strips on the Comix section of my website if you haven't already.

I've just completed a really fun piece for Nature magazine. I'll post something here when  the mag's out.

THE LITTLE PHILISTINES

We have a gig. Here's the red and white flyer - ooh how very White Stripes I hear you cry...

HORRIFIC CONSEQUENCES!!!

Me and the girlfriend created this beast during a tube journey. If you come across it lurking down there in the tunnels, RUN!

PASSENGERS

More sketches from the back of Blake's cab. Step forward Messrs Leigh, Merrick and Hirst.

GOLLUM HAS A SPOT OF GIRL TROUBLE

Poor old Gollum - he can never do or say the right thing. A packet of minstrels to anyone who can correctly identify the artist and painting that this picture tips its hat to.

FLYER

Apropros of nothing, here's one of my band's flyers, customised by the rain.

VIRGINIA WOOLF

Dear old Virginia Woolf, should be appearing in next week's Time Out...

MORE BLAKE SKETCHES

Samuel Pepys...

... and stony-faced Queen Victoria. Apparently Aleister Crowley did a little jig when he discovered that she'd died.

A VISION IN PECKHAM

William Blake watches himself as a lad watching tree of angels on Peckham Rye, my local park don't you know?

MORE BILLY BLAKE

Just heard Bob 'Oskins on Radio 4. If I ever get to make William Blake, Taxi Driver into a cartoon I'm going to beg him to do the voice.

Here are some more sketches, cuddly Mr Marx and spikey Tracey Emin.

 

WILLIAM BLAKE, TAXI DRIVER

Ooh look, first post. I think I'm going to use this blog as a sketchbook mainly so here are sketches of various Blake passangers who later found their way into the page of Time Out.

First up, an early drawing of Blake himself and a couple of Richard Whittington, thrice Lord Mayor of London town: