October picture

Katie at Storytellers, Inc. asked me if I'd like to contribute to their 2016 calendar - and I was lucky enough to snap up October! 

I've enjoyed working on it, although I went through a few iterations before settling... 

First I was thinking something Toucans-based:

It was good to remember how much I love drawing these two - it was like looking at the faces of old friends again - but this didn't feel like it was working. I think it's partly the difference between the function of an illustration as part of a narrative verses one you might potentially be looking at every day for a month...

So then I did some Halloween costumes:

I love using the black background against the bright colours, but nothing much was going on here.

Then I thought about making a small narrative, and drawing characters at a size I feel comfortable with, so I combined the two above ideas and got the one below.

 I'm happy with this one - it gets across the atmosphere I was hoping for, and has a tiny narrative and a bit more to look at.

I'm looking forward to seeing the other months!

"Lumos!" - or, as Emma suggested on Instagram: "Lumouse!"

Unseasonal drawing

*click picture to see a bit bigger*

Careful what you wish for

Plumbers' horror film

It's underneath you!!!

What about the poor guinea pig carpenters in the next screen who went to watch Saw?!?? Ho ho!

I'm drawing the toucans for the Storyseekers Inc calendar this year, I managed to bagsie October which made me think of this "joke"! Toucans and pumpkins ahoy!

Frog Throws

Scary comic!

Characters

Mind Reader

 

Digby Dog Saves the Day publication day!

"Now, there was something on my list, something to remember about today, what was it...?"

"Oh YES! I remember! Today is Digby Dog Saves the Day publication day!!"

Packed with more search-and-find spreads to keep you busy for ages, follow Digby on another day filled with deliveries and new friends!

Celebratory gif?? YES PLEASE!

Digby Dog Saves the Day, the follow up to Digby Dog Delivers, is published today by Macmillan Children's Books and will be available in all good bookshops. 

With heartfelt thank yous again to my favourite find-and-seekers, Emily and Emma. As is always the case - it was great working with you both. 

"Dad, let's not forget to buy your second biography, Digby Dog Saves the Day!"

Zebra X-ing

The follow up to Digby Dog Delivers, Digby Dog Saves the Day, publishes this Thursday! And here is a gif made from one of the arcade games in the last big spread. 

I just finished reading Zac Gorman's fantastic book Costume Quest, and looking through his blog I saw a video game gif he made, which inspired me to make this one move too!

Now this is a very technical game, and is bound to confuse and upset anyone who is not really down with zebra crossings, lollipop men and hidden levels. So let's let the monkey play, shall we??

BEEP BEEP! 

Now I have a taste to gif-up Cactus Attack! and Worm Guys, two other games in Digby's arcade...