This is the first of a small series about how I do my own cartoons. For those of you who’d like it in black and white, here’s the plan. I scribble on layout paper, or any handy piece of paper, the first idea. If that works out ok, and I think the idea is worth taking further then I go over the first drawing on layout paper. If I think it still has legs then I redraw, again on layout paper. I don’t use pencils and stick to black Pentel Sign pens, pens I’ve been using for many years. They are … Continue reading Number 1: How did I get here?

Another in the series of Cotswold Wildlife drawings, again this is the rough next door but one to the final, the second version is the one below, from which I’ll go for the final. The text, to save your eyes goes as follows: Micra Parker ( Parkus bumpicus geriatricus ) Can be seen leaping out of a micra gesticulating in a strange way to the male, who remains micra bound. Female plumage is generally quite colourful with a cockatoo style of solid hair kept in place by spray. This hair can sometimes be blue. Usually common near what are called free … Continue reading Micra Parker

Nearly finished, here he is in all his glory. I’ll be tweaking for the very final, but he’s nearly there. For more about this please step back here Continue reading Lower Tuffley 2…

Here’s another rough from my series about Cotswold Wildlife. I reviewed what I’ve done so far and come to the conclusion that there are not enough of the female breeds or of the young. This corrects to some extent just one of those issues. For those unable to decipher my writing here are the words, edited again from above. Lower Tuffley Short and naturally aggressive and found generally in one small area of Gloucester and its City Centre. Sometimes seen, but rarely, in Cheltenham where it appears to become even more aggressive than normal. Best not approached at all. Loose … Continue reading Lower Tuffley

There I was at Writer’s Group, staring at a blank piece of paper and unable to write a word that made any sense at all. I’ve been in the group for a while. There’s no pressure to perform. The plan works like this. We gather at a pub room and then a subject is given. We then have some time to write to the subject. I found it impossible last night. As everyone else, there were about 12 in the group, typed and scribbled away I found it quite impossible to think of anything worthwhile. So I fell back on … Continue reading Writing dries up, drawing warms up.

Happy Easter everyone. I’ve been here working on some amendments to my website and other stuff, forced on me when the print company I work through decided to ‘retire’ a system they have been using. Retire! It means they are binning it and that means quite a lot of work for me to change everything to a new system. I now have to open a shop through shopify. Shame that it is not a UK company, but never mind. So Easter has been busy. To be fair to the print people the change over is relatively straightforward and much of … Continue reading Someday my prints will come…

Another in my series on Cotswold Wildlife. It’s that time of year when this lot will be out again, kitted up with the lenses and binoculars looking for LBBs…little brown birds. See if you can spot one, you might even know one, if so, then don’t mention the subject to them if you’re in a hurry to get anywhere. This is available as a print from my other site at a more than reasonable price. Well, I think it’s reasonable. Delve right here.     Continue reading Cotswold Wildlife…Watcher or Twitcher?

Do we need any WU liquid? Washing up liquid to the uninitiated. How long before it becomes a brand name. You could then get New Recipe WU, Power WU, Automatic WU. Winston Churchill was a great one for shortening words, an early texter if you like. Or should that be txtr. It’s something I do on a mere shopping list, not on ” A History of the English Speaking People”, as he might have done. Perhaps it was originally called :Hstry v Englsh Spkng Pepl? Anyhow, I had this thought. Does anyone out there have a family thing like we … Continue reading WU liquid and others…

  It looks like ice will be forming again this coming weekend. This is one of a series of drawings I’m doing on the weather. I started before the recent cold spell, which today was nowhere to be seen. In fact I planted two rows of spuds on my plot and a couple of rows of shallots. So far I have done 45 of these little drawings and am planning to have 52 by the time I finish, one for each week of the year. The Eskimo has, according to legend, over a 100 words to describe snow. I have … Continue reading Just the weather to get the spuds in…

  Tracy gave up trying to assassinate the King and got on with organising the coronation. Nicky Tams read a lot of books while he was in Scarborough hospital, recovering from his burns, and managed to acquire a certain amount of knowledge and wisdom. He felt far better about this King business and was sure that, after the coronation, he could look forward to a long and just reign at home as King of Nosepipe and, at a distance, Emperor of Ang Gonnaseck. Tracy was willing to change schools, live in Scarborough and be Princess Regent, so that was all … Continue reading 21. Long live the King! It’s the coronation of the century.

This is another of the series done originally for Cotswold Life Magazine and now available as a print at a very nice price … well, I like it. From  my other website It comes in an A3 or A4 version, perfect for the cyclist in your life. Continue reading Cotswold Tighta Lycracycla