New Book Out Now!

Hi

As of now my new comic book "STICK IT TO 'EM!" is available on amazon. It has been fourteen years of on/off hard work and I'm delighted that it is finally out there. Unlike most of my work, this is not a children's book. 

Here is the official blurb...

Newtown... This metropolis is the shining beacon of the totalitarian regime known as the “Organisation”, callous administrators who impose their will on a human ant heap. Citizens exist in a perpetual state of drug saturated servitude.

But Newtown is a dystopian enclave amidst a desolate waste ground. Those who exist within it know nothing of what lies beyond...

Taylor, the protagonist... Hero? Anti-hero? Villain?! He is the lapdog of this cruel regime but is given a tantalising mission. Go beyond the walls of “Organisation” control and hunt down a high ranking defector.

What awaits the hunter out there in the junk yard of the past?

Stick It To'Em! is a near future roller coaster ride not for the faint hearted! Can you handle it?

Below are some photos to illustrate the size of this book. A hefty 8.5"x 11".

For more information on this book go to my RD BOOKS blog .

Recent Work

Hi there!

The last few months have been pretty busy at the RD Studio (in reality my home office). Two exciting children's book projects and the ramping up of work on my comic book "Stick It To 'Em!" Which is coming on nicely and will hopefully be out before Christmas.


The first project was "Franklin" by Allanah Hunt. A cute story about a proudly overweight pussy cat. I was delighted to be able to base the titanic Franklin on my own British shorthair cat Winston. Unfortunately he had to be put down during this period so I now see this book as a tribute to his awesomeness! RIP Winston!

I'm really proud of the work I have done for this book and look forward to seeing it for sale in the very near future. Here are some examples from the book.

Above is the wrap-around cover. 

Below are two examples of the interior doublepage spreads.

The second project I have worked on recently a new series for Kindle called "The Drawliners" by Crystal Robins. Book One is called "Chocks Away". This was a lot of fun designing these new characters and illustrating their adventures.This should be available on Kindle very soon. I will post links for both this and Franklin when they become available.

Below is the cover and a few examples of the story pages. Unlike Franklin this was designed to be a published only on Kindle. 

 When these books become available I will post links.



 

Stuff That's Goin' On!

As well as my commercial freelance illustration I also publish my own comic books.

Mini Myths Book 3: Theseus and the Minotaur has just been released on Kindle. This means all three Mini Myths books are now available as print books and Kindle books.

And if that wasn't enough I am preparing to publish my comic book epic, "Stick It To 'Em!"
Head over to RD Books for more info!

New book on Amazon

"Cassia's Diary: The Story of One Girl's Adventures in Ancient Rome" a book that I illustrated a while ago has finally been published and here is the amazon link.

It was a lovely book to work on and an oppotunity for me to illustrate a whole story, I usually get a couple of spots or spreads in a book with lots of other illustrators. It's a nice story about Cassia and her inpoverished family in Ancient Rome. The client was really easy to work for and the whole process was a joy and I hope to work on another book for them soon. 

Here are some of my original artwork files.

New Author Page on Amazon

Hi there

I now have an author page on amazon which showcases my growing collection of books.

So far three volumes of Mini Myths are available...

Go buy 'em!

Brennan B2 Cartoons!

Working as a freelance illustrator has its ups and downs but one of the best things about it is that you never know what jobs and clients are around the corner! I think we freelanders are a strange bunch but this aspect is exciting to us.

I love nothing more than getting an email or phone call from a new client inquiring about my services. Last year I got a call from Martin Brennan, the man behind the B2 music system! He endeared himself to me immediately by expressing his appreciation of cartoons and how they can/should be used as info-graphics or conveying a playful tone to dry subjects.

Martin wanted a number of fun cartoons showing himself as a total Boffin and Physics genius immersed in his work to be used on his website. This is the sort of job I love! Fun and fast. 

This is how they go... I get a call, we discuss the needs of the client and a fee is agreed upon, then I crack on with it! No lengthy waiting periods for bloated teams of editors, marketing departments and designers make a decision. 

Within a few days it goes from intial contact to delivery of finished artwork that the client loves!

Wham Bam!

Here are some of the images I produced for Martin Brennan...

I love the oppotunity to produce black and white cartoons!

Beer and Birds!

Being a freelance illustrator and cartoonist has it's ups and downs, you have to learn to accept the rough with the smooth but one of the best things, in my opinion is that I never know who is going to ask for my services next. And last year proved this point. I got a call from a local brewery wanting a number of pump clip designs for there collection of beers.

The client was Saffron Brewery and the brief was an interesting one. The owner wanted a strong theme running through the designs in the form of a pheasant character that would act as a brand identifier. This was a dream job combining beer and cartooning, one I took on with relish!

This is an ongoing project and hopefully many more delicious beers will need designs to accompany them.

For this project I decided to try and create images that were not too modern and slick. With this in mind I dug out my Staedtler pens and inked these images by hand before scanning them in and colouring them in Photoshop. This is the technique I had used for many years before progressing to digital inking. Real, physical inking is a joy it has to be said. I just love it but digital inking makes sense, although it does take some getting used to. 

Here are the designs I have done to date...

Ramblers Tipple

Ramblers Tipple Clip

Saffron Porter

Saffron Porter clip

Saffron Blonde

Saffron Blonde clip

Squire's Gamble

Squire's Gamble Clip

Citurian

Citurian Clip

Winter Blues

Winter Blues Clip