Hey, I’ve been asked by one of the 2000AD message board crowd if I could supply them with some b&w artwork for a colouring compo, so, and, after checking everything was ok with the Mighty One (thanks Tharg!) here’s the artwork.

Dredd Colour Samples (it’s about 4Mb compressed).

If you’d like to download and play, it’s a cover plus some internal pages of artwork, at 400dpi in Tiff format. If you do colour them, don’t forget to ping back on the blog!

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My studio, once a massive double bedroom sized space, has, since the birth of my kids, become a tiny little ickle space, not much larger than a small bathroom. Still, it’s my studio and here’s the tour…

First thing to note, is that since this room used to be my eldest son’s nursery there’s a LOT of hangover from those old days – notably the curtains (and the occasional robot/spaceship on the wall)

The Pan shows a chunk of the room – it’s bloody tiny. Starting with my single book case (chock full of graphic novels and books my wife bought for our hols). Next, you can just about see my art cabinet – bargain from Ikea, containing pages and pages of 2000AD work (among other things). Then the window (and light and radiator, I figured out a while ago, the best lighting situation for me was directly below the ceiling bulb) Drawing table and two shelves heaving with graphic novels (there’s also a tripod in the middle, which I was going to use, but, typically, couldn’t find the attachment to put the camera on it) Pin board, white board (which Nathan – 4- has drawn all over) computer desk, with shelve with computer stuff/accounts things. Then my lovely, lovely, A3 printer which really deserves a post on its own. I can’t say enough positive about my A3 scanner/printer combo… It’s a beaut.

Next photo is the drawing board, I’ve put a large drawing board on top of my drawing table just to give me the elbow room to work on. Forgive the weird white areas – those are highly sensitive artwork thingies that I’ve censored since nothing official has been announced. But it’s damn cool, fulfilling THREE professional ambitions in one fell swoop. Pretty awesome…

(Archived from the original Blog)

A few nights ago, on twitter, “inspired” by the number of people offering hints and tips on breaking into the industry, I decided to add to the discordant cacophany with a set of ‘unwritten’ hints and tips. Thanks to Mark Kardwell (who had the foresight to cut and paste most of them) here they are for you non-twitterers.

(As an aside, I’m interested in doing a presentation of these tips along with a running commentary, wherein I describe them as ‘true’/'false’ or ‘maybe’…)

Artists Tips

To understand these fully, you have to remember I started posting them at 2:30AM. and if you read no other, read this one: Marry someone rich.

Comic Artist tips (everyone else is doing it, why not me?) Want to know what it’s like to be a pro comic artist with kids? Punch yourself in the balls 4 times a day, sleep 4 hours per night, eat dinner standing up and… that’s it!

Comic Artist Tips:why not make sure you eek out every last minute of your deadline,filling the time with self loathing and fear of rejection

Comic Artist Tips: remember, when asked how fast you are, the answer is ALWAYS “1 page per day”

Comic Artist Tips: that writer you can’t stand? him? yeah? you’ll end up working with him eventually. Bite your lip.

Comic Artist Tips: the ‘zone’ happens at exactly 10 minutes before you hit the sack. Why not fool yourself by working a full 24 hrs…

Pro Artist Tips: A silhouette looks cool AND is quick to draw.

Pro Artist Tips: Make sure you sneak wolverine into every page – that’ll give you a good secondary income when you sell the pages…

Pro Artist Tips: Writers will buy you drinks. Writers will buy anyone but other writers drinks. Remember this. It will save you a FORTUNE.

#ArtistTips if you find yourself attacking the table at awkward angles-like a snooker player on a trick shot-it may be time to lose weight

@simonfraser find a writer you like DRINKING with. A pro can work with ANYONE…

#ArtistTips find a new, unpublished writer, offer to do a three page strip for them, from that day on – you OWN THEM.

#ArtistsTips do work that excites you or you die a little with every compromise. Do work that pays you or you die of starvation.

#ArtistsTips There IS a magic pen that can make you draw just like Adam Hughes/Mignola/[other] – you just have to find it – now get looking!

#ArtistsTips to misquote Kirby: every time you erase a line you lose money! Remember this!

#ArtistsTips Don’t want to draw that panel? why not photocopy an earlier panel and ENLARGE it. Almost no-one will notice.

#ArtistsTips your mother and your girlfriend are NOT good judges of your talent. But your dad probably is. And he hates you.

#ArtistsTips if you’re too embarrassed to draw nekkid girls in case people think you’re a perve – why not make ‘em superheroes!

#ArtistsTips when an editor tells you what’s wrong with your portfolio – why not disagree with them! They can’t tell you how to draw. Idiots.

#ArtistsTips your portfolio case can handle more than 12 pages! Why not pack it full of stuff, an editor is BOUND to like something in there

#ArtistsTips buy some books on anatomy and drawing and leave them on your drawing table. Osmosis isn’t just for plants.

#ArtistsTips instead of drawing, go to twitter and keep hitting refresh – eventually an editor will spontaneously commission you via a DM.

#ArtistsTips when your wife asks what were you doing til 2:30am – tell her you were drawing.

#artiststips you’re right: it IS about WHO you know, unfortunately, though editors know a LOT people who can draw better than you.

#ArtistsTips the only person you can rely on is yourself. And even then you can only be 50% sure of that.

#artiststips spend at least five minutes a day wistfully remembering what sleeping was like.

#artiststips – just as you’ve suspected, once YOU’VE connected to an editor via a social network everyone abandons it, including the editor.

#artiststips – forget the naysayers, Comic Sans is a GREAT font to letter your samples with. Also: DON’T letter your samples.

#artiststips while you spend your weekend drawing that two page spread of 100s of clones vs x-men, just remember-it took 5 minutes to write.

#artiststips thinking of a career in comics? look at your local newsagents. See that? more magazines about Koi Carp than comics. Think FISH.

#artiststips don’t forget – ‘Leave Behind’ is not only a bunch of photocopies to give an editor, but also the odor peculiar to man sweat

#ArtistsTips – if you’re smart you’ll NEVER have to draw feet.

#artiststips Marry someone rich.

Writers Tips

Goaded into doing the equivalent for writers, here’s what I’ve come up with so far:

#writerstips Your first PAID work is actually a gruelling test of stamina that editors call The Gauntlet-run by interns for amusement

#writerstips that first pitch will resemble the final paid work only in so far as the credits will be the same.You will not tell people this

#writerstips remember, BEFORE you break in QUALITY is important, once you get your first gig QUANTITY is important. Don’t mix them up!

#writerstips remember, the more you write, the less you have to edit. And editing is DULL – ask any editor.

#writerstips if the first thing you wanted to get published WASN’T a 100 page opus, stop now: you’re not a writer.

#writerstips start saving now, remember the first rule of write club is that no-one will work with you unless you buy them drinks.
#writerstips get your artist while they’re young and hungry. Literally hungry; don’t feed ‘em unless they’re drawing.

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