Amalgamated Biscuit Sketch Book

R is for Rompo

2012-02-13T06:17:00.000-08:00

Straight up Alphabeastin' again. The Rompo feeds on human corpses and croons softly as it eats.

Mmm...

2012-02-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

A little autobiographical vignette(vignette I say) in pen and ink.

Q is for Questing Beast

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

The Questing Beast is from Arthurian legend and is "a variant of the mythological giraffe". Not many Q's to pick from for Alphabeasts this week but I'm happy with the way this one turned out.

P is for Pugot

2012-01-30T06:22:00.000-08:00

Alphabeasting again. The Pugot is from Phillipine folklore and is fond of stealing women's underwear from clotheslines.

Watercolour Ordog

2012-01-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

Coloured and added a tail to my Ordog. I still prefer watercolours to digital, I can't get the nice paper texture just using photoshop.

O is for Ördög

2012-01-23T05:04:00.000-08:00

An infernal Alphabeast. The Ördög dwells in the underworld and stirs a cauldron filled with souls.

Assorted sketchbook figures

2012-01-21T15:03:00.000-08:00

Posting up a few drawings from my recently finished sketchbook.

The last chappy is the first page in my new sketchbook, but I'm planning to do more backgrounds and life drawing sketches in this one. I don't want to be stuck just doing one off characters on blank backgrounds all the time.

Falling In Love Again Comic

2012-01-19T12:13:00.000-08:00

A quick comic, trying to keep up a steady pace(by my standards) on these. The song the fellow is singing is You Got Me by Jaibi. Didn't quite manage to capture the mixture of suprise and contempt which you get when crooning to a cat.

N is for Nasnas

2012-01-16T05:04:00.000-08:00

Over half way through Alphabeast alphabet! The Nasnas is from arabian mythology and is mentioned in the One Thousand and One Nights.

Remake/Remodel The Sub-Mariner

2012-01-12T09:06:00.000-08:00

A quick-ish Sub-Mariner remake/remodel for whitechapel. I didn't manage make him very regal.

Pen and ink lines, wetpaper and purple ink for the skin, and watercolours for the sea.

M is for Maa-alused

2012-01-09T06:15:00.000-08:00

And to save neck strain:

Maa-alused have a parallel life to humans with all the orientations reversed. I think this is what I have enjoyed most about doing these alphabeasts, all the strange folk tales and myths I've learned.

Into My Arms Comic

2012-01-07T15:23:00.000-08:00

Yes it's a new comic! Going to try to do more of them this year, but I do find them a lot harder than one off illustrations.

Done with a nib pen and coloured in photoshop. I also used a ruling pen for the panel borders but I made a few mistakes and had to neaten them up digitally.

L is For Lidérc

2012-01-02T03:56:00.000-08:00

Up to L on Alphabeasts. A Lidérc "hatches from the first egg of a black hen kept warm under the arm of a human." if it's a woman they shapeshift into a man and suck their blood!

Pen and ink.

K is for Kallikantzaroi

2011-12-26T11:51:00.000-08:00

Alphabeast time! I spent a sizable part of my Christmas drawing Kallikantzaroi. All year they try to cut down the world tree but get distracted at the festive season and have to start again.

In pen and ink with photoshop for the globes outline as I can't draw a perfect circle by hand.*

*Although one day I will!

Impending Doom

2011-12-23T12:13:00.000-08:00

A pen and ink drawing using a background technique I copied from Craig Thompson's Habibi. Habibi is a really stunning looking book and when I saw this background I knew I would have to have a go myself. It turned out well I think but I'm not sure if I have the patience to ever do it again!

Also, I guess this disconsolate looking fellow is my Christmas blog post, so Merry Christmas!

J is for Jack-In-Irons

2011-12-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

A yorkshire giant for Alphabeasts.

Done in pen and ink.

Remake/Remodel Judge Dredd

2011-12-13T10:11:00.000-08:00

A remake/remodel for whitechapel of everyone's favourite future lawman. It's Judge Dredd imagined as a Fantagraphics or Drawn & Quarterly style Graphic Novel protagonist.

Drawn with a dip pen then coloured blue and neatened up in photoshop. The straight lines were especially tricky using a ruler and dip pen but they came out ok and didn't need too much fixing.

I is for Ichneumon

2011-12-12T05:57:00.000-08:00

An Alphabeast. Ichneumons cover themselves in mud and then fight dragons.

H is for Hábrók

2011-12-05T13:29:00.001-08:00

It's Alphabeasts time again! I was amused by the description of a Hábrók as "the best of hawks" and this is what I pictured.

Pen and ink and Photoshop.

Psychic Attack Comic

2011-12-01T12:06:00.001-08:00

Another comic! I had to make a few changes to make it understandable, so hopefully you get the silly joke.

In pen and ink with photoshop for the tones and Kirby Crackle.

G for Green Man

2011-11-28T14:55:00.001-08:00

A Green Man this time for Alphabeasts. I have vaguely heard of these before and I fancied drawing some leafy armpits.

Ink and watercolour.

Bag of Toss

2011-11-23T13:24:00.001-08:00

A sketchbook drawing. I have started a little comic strip too which should be up reasonably soon, depending on procrastination levels.

Pen, ink and watercolour.

F is for Fear Gorta

2011-11-21T04:04:00.001-08:00

A Fear Gorta for Alphabeasts. I may be treating a spectre of famine a bit lightly but I'm a cartoonist, I can't help it!

Pen and Ink.

The life of an Amalgamated Biscuit

2011-11-15T05:45:00.001-08:00

I drew these for my Twitter background. How I spend most of my time: drawing, computering and sleeping(I left out romancing, fighting and stealing).

I like to draw everything by hand and I often make mistakes or need to tweak stuff to my liking. In this case the typing drawing's head didn't match the first drawing. Luckily I'm pretty good with Photoshop so I could change it, heres a before and after gif:

Using a mixture of the wand tool, the clone tool and transform, I moved the eyes, head and nose so they resembled the first drawing. I also took some of the red out of the hair.

I always try to make the best original I can but it's incredibly reassuring to know that if I mess up I can usually fix it.

E is for Elbow Witch

2011-11-14T05:37:00.001-08:00

An Elbow Witch for Alphabeasts this time. They have awls for elbows, owls for elbows would be better but I stuck to the original story.

Pen and Ink.

D is for Dropbear

2011-11-07T06:51:00.000-08:00

Another Alphabeast and the reason I never visit Australia, the dreaded Dropbear.

In pen and ink with a little bit of hatching for fun.

C is for Cockatrice and Cyclops

2011-10-31T05:03:00.000-07:00

My two entries for Alphabeasts, I drew these in my sketchbook without internet access so I just went with the beasts I could remember. Ink and watercolour.

Porcelain Inkwell Head

2011-10-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

Ceramics on my sketch blog? It's more likely than you think!

When my ink runs low I have to fish around at an angle to get enough ink on my nib and I usually end up covering my pen and hands. So I created this inkwell which is just deep and wide enough for my biggest nibs. Here it is with ink:

And one of it in action for scale:

Hand sculpted in porcelain clay by me with a transparent glaze by my pottery teacher mum.

B is for Bannik

2011-10-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

A Bannik for Alphabeasts. Pen and ink and photoshop. Will I manage to do all 26? Maybe, but I might have to do a few sketchier ones.

A is for Alan

2011-10-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

I did an Alan for Alphabeasts, where you draw fantastical creatures for the each letter of the alphabet.

According to wikipedia Alans like to collect menstrual blood or other reproductive waste and transform them into human children, whom they then raise as their own. So not only do they have an awesome name they also provide an important service.

Bad People Comic

2011-10-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yup I did another comic strip! Turned out quite well I think. Pen and ink and Photoshop for tones.

Tea Runner, Poofy Hair, Coffee Table Disaster and Headphones Dancer

2011-10-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

The first three are sketchbook drawings and the last one I did for the background of my mp3 player. What sort of massive egotist has a picture of themselves as a background? *points to self* This massive egotist!

Recurring Heads

2011-09-27T13:57:00.000-07:00

Another sketchbook drawing with watercolour. I've got a bit of a cold so this fits with my current mood.

Happy Chappy

2011-09-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

Another sketchbook drawing. I tried to get a feeling of light in this one by leaving parts of the character white for highlights.

I ended up colouring it on my bed with watercolours and my waterbrush. That way I didn't need to worry about a water jar.

Remake/Remodel: The Red Bee

2011-09-17T04:29:00.000-07:00

My take on golden age comic book character The Red Bee. Check the thread on whitechapel for more.

Troublesome Houses

2011-09-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

This one will make no sense unless you know your Bonnie "Prince" Billy songs.

I was planning on making this just a quick one because of the niche interest/sillyness of it but as usual it took me ages.

Dive Bomber

2011-08-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

A sketchbook drawing coloured with watercolours and a bit of gouache for the flesh. I'm really happy with the way the wash turned out even if I did have to clean a few spots in photoshop.

Possible Sword

2011-08-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

A nib drawing with an ink background all done by hand. I like doing these sometimes, makes it look a bit like a woodcut.

Some Sketchbook drawings

2011-08-08T15:40:00.001-07:00

Some recent Sketchbook drawings coloured with watercolours. I should really draw some backgrounds or some characters interacting but when I just want to draw something I normally do single figures. It's probably not going to improve my drawing that much but it is the thing I find most fun.

Soaring to the heavens

2011-08-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

A sketchbook drawing I inked with dip pens and coloured with watercolour.

Bed Saviour Comic

2011-07-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

Due to a mixture of procrastination and tricky cat drawing this took me quite a while to finish. I'm happy with the way it turned out, despite the subject matter it's one of my better looking comics.

I'm no oil painting

2011-07-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

An attempt at my first oil painting using a little collection of old oil paints I got from a charity shop.

It's not the greatest picture I've done and I think I could have got much better results using pen and ink, but it was quite fun to try. On the other hand oil painting is a big messy hassle and turpentine stinks.

Goatrider, Demon Trek and Running Bomb

2011-07-14T15:41:00.001-07:00

A couple of sketchbook drawings coloured with watercolour and one with Photoshop.

I tried to keep the paper texture and used a lots of colour layers in Running Bomb and I'm quite happy with the way it turned out.

Spot illustrations

2011-07-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

Some illustrations of activities for old people that I did for a newsletter.

The perils of buying an accursed hat

2011-07-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

Character drawn by hand, the background done in manga studio and the colouring in photoshop. I think I prefer colouring with real paint, I can't seem to get a nice texture when I colour digitally.

Running Nude

2011-06-27T16:15:00.001-07:00

A little sketchbook drawing.

An Illustration for my brother

2011-06-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

I did this for my brother's birthday. The Doctor's coat and diploma are to celebrate his PHD and his glowing with academical power!

Inky wash chap

2011-06-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

A sketchbook sketch with a wetpaper inky wash background which I saw Mike Rooth use and liked the look of.

Also I really need to start coming up with better title for these drawings.

Small Press Fair Comic

2011-06-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

This is where I went (it's finished now). The comics I'm holding up in the final panel are Accidental Salad by Joe Decie and Sherlock Holmes Vs Skeletor by Gareth J Brookes.

Sketchbook Drinker

2011-06-03T05:35:00.000-07:00

A little sketch I coloured, to celebrate filling up my old sketchbook. Can it really have been only 5 monthes and a bit since I started it? Yes it can, because I ingeniously put the date in the first page.

Up the mountain

2011-05-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

A sketchbook drawing I inked by hand and then coloured in photoshop.

Remake/Remodel: Supergirl

2011-05-24T04:28:00.000-07:00

A Remake/Remodel of Supergirl I did for the thread on Whitechapel. I went with the alien college girl angle and made her look a bit more alien.

Hobbesy Darling

2011-05-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

An illustration I did for my mum's birthday featuring my lovely cat Hobbes.

Rabbit Suit

2011-05-14T07:02:00.000-07:00

Watercolour, gouache and ink. Just wanted to mess about with a watercolour wash with gouache on top.

Half price ales

2011-05-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

A watercolour and ink drawing. Don't know why I drew this, maybe I need a drink.

Two Teas

2011-05-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

Watercolour and ink.

Wheee! & An Introduction to Mr Fluffykins

2011-04-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

Couple of new drawings. I really have to start drawing some backgrounds.

Repaneled Promethea

2011-04-22T04:35:00.000-07:00

Original by J.H. Williams III, Mick Gray and Alan Moore.

My remake.

I've been following http://repaneled.blogspot.com/, so I thought I would have a go with Promethea, since The Weeping Gorilla is one of my favourite characters.

Curly Moe and Goblin mosey

2011-04-19T15:11:00.001-07:00

Did this one with pencil to test the new fancy watercolours I bought. Sometimes I like the softer look of a pencil outline.

Comfortable comic

2011-04-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

I still find it shocking that this was still a primetime show as late as 1978 here in the UK.

Anyway hopefully the intent is clear in this one, and I don't come across as a secret racist.

A Little Plane

2011-04-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Ink and watercolours.

Oi Oi Saveloy!

2011-03-27T16:08:00.000-07:00

An important and thought provoking piece I think you'll agree.

Philip K. Dick Eating a Sandwich

2011-03-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

Haven't done one of these for a while.

Pig Beast and Sheep: Art Disaster and Balloon Trip

2011-03-20T09:11:00.001-07:00

The final two pictures I made for the Childrens book illustration course I've been on. It was good fun and maybe something I would be interested in doing.

Both done using a mixture of ink and watercolours.

More Pig Beast and Sheep

2011-03-08T06:13:00.000-08:00

Another drawing from my imaginary childrens book. This is when Pig Beast has grown to love and accept the little sheep.

Hopefully it doesn't look too much like he's gonna eat him.

Job Centre Comic

2011-03-06T08:24:00.001-08:00

Completely true.

All done in ink.

Pig Beast and Sheep pen

2011-02-19T10:26:00.000-08:00

Done in ink.

Birthday Card and Pig Beast

2011-02-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

A Birthday Card for my dad.

A picture of a monster I designed for the childrens book illustration course I'm doing. I must think of a more child friendly name than Pig Beast.

You can take a horse to water

2011-02-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

A little comic/illustration based on a tourettes tic by Tourettes Hero. She posts them on twitter and on touretteshero.com and they make good inspirations for drawings.

Sad Boy

2011-01-29T15:57:00.000-08:00

A picture I did as part of the homework for an illustration course. I'm meant to be practising sad and happy expressions, this is obviously happy.

Couple of drawings

2011-01-26T04:52:00.000-08:00

First one is water colour and crayon, second is ink and crayon. Oh yeah I'm going all mixed media on your arse.

Enjoyable Things Comic in Colour

2011-01-24T12:56:00.000-08:00

Coloured with inks and a bit of photoshop.

Enjoyable Things comic

2011-01-22T15:27:00.000-08:00

Done in ink. I might colour this later.

Orc, back from the shops

2011-01-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

Another gouache and ink drawing, think I'm getting the hang of gouache now.

Dancebot 3000

2011-01-15T12:55:00.000-08:00

Dancebot 3000 lives to dance. Gouache colours and black ink.

Anxious Freakout

2011-01-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

Done with ink and brush. I've been reading some early american elf and wanted to try drawing some black backrounds.

Fishing for Cthulhu

2011-01-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

A christmas flu comic

2011-01-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

Biliousness & Dancin' Jumpsuit

2010-12-31T08:32:00.000-08:00

Couple of drawings for you. I wish my comics looked as good as my single unplanned illustrations, maybe I need to draw them bigger.

Wanderer of the wastes

2010-12-16T15:56:00.000-08:00

I have been playing way too much Fallout: New Vegas hence this picture of my character being chased by a fearsome molerat. Done in Manga studio and Photoshop.

Also I have changed the look of the blog so I can post images without using thumbnails. Tell me if it looks ok on your monitors.

Say hello to my little friend

2010-12-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

Eat your heart out

2010-12-07T16:35:00.000-08:00

Tried to do this comic nice and quick but it still took me a couple of days, mainly because of procrastination.

Also im on twitter now if you're bothered.

Mr Anxiety Vs Life

2010-12-04T15:29:00.001-08:00

Done with ink and watercolour.

A certain sad king

2010-12-01T16:23:00.001-08:00

A sad king for you. Done in ink and watercolours.

Just Swell!

2010-11-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

Done with inks. Also 100 posts wheeee!

Clickin yer' heels and Stampy

2010-11-20T08:37:00.001-08:00

A couple of doodly drawings. The first done in Manga Studio and Photoshop, the second with a dip pen.

Robot Rider

2010-11-15T08:59:00.000-08:00

Soon we shall all be slaves to the machine! Or something.

Leaf Tornadoes

2010-11-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

Little comic done in ink.

No Comments

2010-11-10T07:25:00.001-08:00

Ink and watercolours.

Duck Rider

2010-11-08T09:55:00.000-08:00

Quick drawing I coloured with water colours. What is the difference between ink and watercolours? I don't really know.

Remake/Remodel: Jeff Hawke

2010-11-07T04:03:00.000-08:00

Havent done one of these for a while, check the whitechapel thread for some lovely stuff.

Did this in Manga Studio for lines and Photoshop for colour. I like the result but it took me ages and I miss some of the rough edges and texture you get when doing it by hand.

Cartoon class comics

2010-11-03T06:10:00.000-07:00

I have just finished a short course on Cartooning! It covered a lot of stuff I already knew but I enjoyed it anyway and I learned a few things.

The brief here was a cartoon about your reaction to being given an artistic assignment.
That sinking feeling:

This one was about addiction, being an Englishman I naturally chose:

The Perils of In-ear Headphones

2010-10-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

Sadly this is all completely true.

It's Raining

2010-10-27T05:42:00.001-07:00

This one comes from my real sketchbook which is filled with scribbles and doodles, I liked this one though. Ink colours over pencils.

Under the Paracetamol Moon

2010-10-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

A little ink painting tribute to my current cold which has lasted for about two weeks now.

I think I over did it a bit with the psychedelic background but its garishness does reflect how I'm feeling.

Idle thoughts of self annihilation

2010-10-16T16:13:00.001-07:00

Quick little autobiographical comic, I wanted to do it all in one day but I felt too ill and tired to bother inking it last night. One of these days I'll reach that fabled page-a-day goal.

Quincy eating a sandwich

2010-10-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

Ahh Quincy! Takes me back to the days when I used to watch the repeats on TV in the daytime, bad times.

Not that good a likeness to Quincy but I got round it with my clever title.

Doing some digital drawing

2010-10-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

Using the pen tool in Manga Studio ex, which is great for digital inking. Coloured in photoshop. Sometimes I like the nice and sharp look you can get with a computer, but I don't think it will replace the dip pen and inks in my affections.

Looking in the puddle and Yellow Quiff Chappy

2010-09-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Done with a brush pen and coloured in photoshop:

Inky doodle I did with a brush:

The Window Cat

2010-09-23T10:04:00.001-07:00

Woo! I haven't updated for a while but atleast I've finally done another comic. This one has been brewing in my head for ages.

Done by hand with ink and neatened up a little bit in photoshop.