LUMBERJANES!

Finally finished colouring my Lumberjanes tribute... It is a lovely comic that makes me smile! I heartily recommend that you pick it up from your nearest comic or book shop.

NEW STUFF...

Experimenting with different styles for a new project...

BILL GOES FISHING...

I have a new addiction... Fishing! 

Since I caught my first Carp last year, and went on a 24 hour fish with my very good friend Rolf a month back, I am hooked. (Pun intended!) Rolf kindly gave me some of his old fishing kit, namely rods, reels, line and tackle. I was very chuffed. 

I got my rod licence a while back, and am fishing on my local canal whenever I can. It's so calm and relaxing, and I'm loving learning how to do everything on my own...

Last night, I came up with an idea to create a fishing book in my own inimitable style. I've tried to find specific info on fishing on-line, but come up short. So, I'm writing a clear guide with lots of illustrations to help folks get into fishing, and understand how it all works, without being too technical.

Here's our guide, Bill the Badger. The book is writing itself, and I'm having a blast!

HOSTILE TAKEOVER - CHAPTER THREE!

Chapter 3 snuck up on me and virtually wrote itself over a few evenings last week. Comics can be sneaky like that...

Fingers crossed, it will be up on Issuu by the end of July for your enjoyment, as I'm having a real blast putting this story together! This time, it will be done in pencil crayon with sympathetic digital lettering, which really seems to work, keeping the art closer to my drawn scripts.

Here's the page one artwork as a teaser... Enjoy!

JUST GOING TO LEAVE THIS HERE...

HOSTILE TAKEOVER! CHAPTER TWO

Back in February, I created a 12-page mini-comic called 'Hostile Takeover', a bit of fun and a love-song of sorts to  Ashley Wood and 3A Toys. Cranked out in a weekend, fast, cheap and fun! You can read it for free here: http://issuu.com/morgangleave/docs/hostile_takeover

Move forwards to now, and the Mini-Comic Challenge is in full swing. A great bunch of creative folks from all over the planet cranking out fantastic comics of all shapes and sizes. The only rule is that you complete 12 pages of comics during the set month. Easy?

Our business and health has taken the controlling interest in our lives, so my idea of recreating the first issue of my Feline Occult Investigator - 'Patches McGinley' hasn't transpired. A stinkin' cold this week led to being bed-ridden, whereupon I started doodling, and remembered 'Hostile Takeover'. Bingo! Chapter 2 is written, four pages are laid out, one is inked, and I've done a color (sic) panel for kicks! Should have most of the art cracked this weekend, as it's a Bank Holiday here in the UK.

Chapter 2 will be up on Issuu by the end of May for your enjoyment, and I have more big robot and big gun action plotted... It's turning into a real saga! (I'm thinking of a collected edition in print...)

For now, here's the test panel in colour and the first page as a teaser... Enjoy!

COMMISSION ME!

I'm open for illustration commissions of your favourite comic book or cartoon characters, TV and movie folks, heck, anything you like (within reason... copyright allowing)!

Here's a quick catch up of some of my latest pieces to get you thinking. Contact me for prices and more details! 

CHUCK ME A CHALLENGE!

Okay. As mentioned earlier, I'm planning on a new comic release on a bi-monthly basis this year.  I'm plotting the first one, and have started on a bigger project which will be done (hopefully) at the end of the year.

But, I'd like you to help too... That's where 'Chuck me a challenge' comes in. I want you to send me ideas for more comics, the more challenging the better.  I want to move out of my artistic comfort zone and push myself, so bring on the ideas!

You can email me at: morgan@morgangleave.co.uk or leave comments here on the blog... I look forwards to hearing from you!

MASTHEAD!

From now on, my comics will be released under this lovely shiny banner!

IT'S ON!

Happy New Year!

This year is all about comics... I plan on creating a new comic bi-monthly (or sooner!) this year, and they'll be available on-line and in print!

First up, football playing cats and dogs! Enough talking, more doing!

KA-POW!

MIGNOLA...

Ahh, Mike Mignola.  Probably the biggest influence on my comic work, and without doubt, at the top of the pile of my favourite artists ever.

Without even realising(to start off with), I've been a fan of his work for a very long time, back to his earlier DC days, with Cosmic Odyssey and Gotham by Gaslight.  When I could, I'd buy anything that Mignola had worked on (even the original Rocket Raccoon!), and can remember picking up the first collected Hellboy, Seed of Destruction, twenty years ago. Twenty years, just think about that... I'm reeling.

Needless to say, Hellboy rapidly became my favourite comic book, avidly collecting every thing I could, and digging the way his universe expanded with the BPRD titles.  Mignola and his world are a big influence on my work in comics, culminating in Patches McGinley last year.

I could write for ages about Mignola and the big red guy, but I won't.  I'll let my art do the talking instead, with a watercolour piece I did last night to celebrate Hellboy's 20th Birthday.  It's my take on him at twenty, full of adolescent piss and vinegar (As Tom Waits might put it... there's another Hellboy connection...), acne riddled, and smoking Lucky Strikes.  (And before anyone says, I realised I'd forgotten his tail this morning!  Call it artistic licence!)

Happy Birthday Hellboy. Have a cigar on me!

#DRAWVADER

He's done it again! (And he said he wouldn't...) Another #draw thread from the @themooks is #DrawVader.  There's some brilliant entries so far, and here's mine. So much variety! You should check them all out...

BAG BOY EPISODE 4!

POW!  Didn't see that coming did ya?  Here's episode 4 of Bag Boy!  I'm really pleased with this episode, as I'm pushing myself to create better art every time, and challenge myself to create something special. I'm really happy with the colours and drawing on this one... Onwards and upwards Bag Boy fans!

As ever, to enjoy the new episode in it's full glory, please click on the pic below.

WITH THE DWARVES...

When I posted up the #drawchallenge pieces a few days back, I missed one.  Red Dwarf. This is the second time I've drawn the crew of the short crimson one. I painted them all on a leather jacket of an old friend many moons ago. Sadly, he died a few years back, which was tragic, as he was younger than me, and it seemed like such a waste...

I'm sure he would loved this take on the dwarves too.  Enjoy.

MARQUIS DE PLUME

I love Ashley Wood's world. His art, his toys, his stories... So I'm really pleased that I've finished a piece celebrating the latest release from his World War Robot range, Marquis de Plume. Brush, ink and digital colour. Boom.

#DRAWCHALLENGE

Catching up with #drawchallenge set by my good buddy Dave, here are the latest batch: Fresh Prince, Buffy and District 9. I've been loving mixing up the mediums (pencil crayon, ink, digital), and drawing characters that I haven't drawn before.

I have Fight Club next... Enjoy!

#DRAWLYNCH

The latest #draw thread set up by the @themooks is #DrawLynch.  There's already been some fantastic entries so far, and I've done two this time!  You should check them all out! Here are mine...

Oh, and Bag Boy! Episode 3 is written and pencilled, but I need to get some new brushes for inking!

FIZZ BOMB!

Our dog Fizz is lovely and funny. Here's a quick comic about her and her antics!

STAN AND SHARON SAKAI...

Stan Sakai has always been one of my favourite artists.  I’ve been reading Usagi Yojimbo on and off for over twenty years and always keep going back and rereading them, as I love the comics so much. Part of it is the way Sakai blends humour with Samurai folklore, part of it is the art itself, part of it is his beautiful storytelling.

If you are involved in comics in any way, the news of Stan’s wife, Sharon’s health and potentially crippling medical costs is likely to have reached you.  Sharon has to have 24 hour care, and it doesn’t come cheap.  Artists of all kinds, from comic book fans to comic book pros have rallied to Stan and Sharon’s aid, producing incredible art to help them.  As far as I’m aware, no one set this up, folks just donated art, probably because of the love and respect us as a creative family have for Stan and his family.

The wonderful Usagi Yojimbo Dojo site has been helping spread the word of this incredible outpouring across the web.  All of the art donated is going to be auctioned off to help with the costs of Sharon’s care.  I’m proud and humbled by the way in which the comic community has reacted to this.  Personally, I’ve been trying to create something for Stan and Sharon for weeks, and finally cracked it last night. I’m really pleased with it, and hope it can help, even a little.

More details on the auction can be found here: http://garageartstudio.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/help-stan-sakai.html

HEROES IN A HALF-SHELL!

Given that I’ve read and drawn comics most of my life, it’s remarkable that I’ve never actually read or drawn the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The only comic story I’ve read with any of them in it was a crossover with Usagi Yojimbo. I did buy and read the wonderful parody of TMNT, Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters, and loved it, but never TMNT. Which is funny, given that Hamsters was a parody of a parody…

Sure, I’m VERY aware of the Turtles. Heck, I should think lots of people are, even those that aren’t comic fans. At one point in cultural history, the Turtles were HUGE. I quite like the latest version of them in cartoon form, and the Lego figures are cool, but draw them..?

So it was a pleasant surprise when my good buddy Dave messaged me this morning about another drawing. We started a challenge: call out characters to each other, and get the other to draw them, then share them on Instagram. I got the Turtles. I did a quick skim over the web for some colour reference (damn masks…) and weapons, a quick warm up sketch, then cracked on with full pics of them all. Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello. I had a blast putting them together, and can’t wait for the next challenge, especially if its characters I don’t know so well… Enjoy the drawings!

PS: I gave Dave Hellboy to draw. Let’s see what he comes up with!