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Adobe Illustrator on the iPad

Adobe Illustrator on the iPad

I’m enjoying playing with the new Adobe Illustrator on the iPad. I’m still only scratching the surface, but it’s really nice being able to do Illustrator-y sort of stuff away from the big computer desk (ie; in the garden, down the park, or on the sofa in front of the telly). The iPad version seems […]
October 11, 2020
Clive the Clever Cyclops

Clive the Clever Cyclops

Clive is a very clever cyclops.
August 13, 2019
Tractor! In Shropshire!

Tractor! In Shropshire!

I’ve been trying to sketch this tractor for the past two days, but people kept putting their tents up right next to it. I didn’t want to be the weird awkward guy standing there, staring at a tractor, right in front of the campers’ tent personal spaces. Finally, I got my chance this afternoon, while […]
July 28, 2019
Slime and Netflix

Slime and Netflix

July 21, 2019
Xbox Controller and Banana

Xbox Controller and Banana

Sunday morning still-life fun.
July 21, 2019
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVXYZ

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVXYZ

I’ve been meaning to make a correction to the coffee image, but I ended up doing the whole alphabet instead. Mainly because I probably just need the practice. I’m thinking it might be nice to make a font out of this eventually – so I can type-finger-spell. (I’ve probably still managed to get some of […]
July 19, 2019
Elephant! In Nantes.

Elephant! In Nantes.

Recently we went on holiday to France. It was great! The highlight, for me, was Nantes, which seems to be a really quirky, fun little city. I loved following the green line and finding all the art installations and exhibitions that were going on. In fact, I almost want to run away and start my […]
September 5, 2018
Marathon Training Update

Marathon Training Update

Sorry I’ve been a bit quiet lately. (please sponsor me here! – https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JamesMerryTenMillion)  
March 27, 2018
Self-Motivation

Self-Motivation

In 7 weeks time, I shall be running in the London Marathon. Eek! With the snow interrupting my training regime this week, I decided to draw a picture instead, to try and motivate myself. I’ve also been re-reading Terry Pratchett’s The Colour of Magic recently, which might explain the Death character popping up. (p.s. I’m […]
March 1, 2018
See Hear Weekend 2018

See Hear Weekend 2018

BBC See Hear were kind enough to let me to draw all over their stuff again. 🙂 Here is a poster I made for their See Hear Weekend in Bristol. (The itinerary looks amazing and I wish I could go. Especially the Aardman workshops!)  
February 21, 2018
Tube Carriage

Tube Carriage

My commute on the tube (with some artistic licence)
December 21, 2017
Wonderful Waterloo

Wonderful Waterloo

I drew a picture of Waterloo with some new pens (and with some artistic licence)
November 21, 2017
Comic Attempt

Comic Attempt

Having failed in my attempt to catch up on last month’s, “Inktober”, I shall now attempt to fail at, “30 Comics November”. Here’s my first attempt out of what might well turn out to be one. In other news, I’ve cut my Indian ink with a cheaper brand, and it seems have gone really runny.
November 1, 2017
Dancing Badly in the Kitchen Last Night

Dancing Badly in the Kitchen Last Night

Trying to figure out how to animate stuff with Autodesk Sketchbook.
August 13, 2017
Skate!

Skate!

Noodling about  
June 12, 2017
Tea Time

Tea Time

Sandwich, crisps and iPad
May 3, 2017
Fujicolor 200 (expired 2007)

Fujicolor 200 (expired 2007)

I’ve been a bit slack on the sketching front lately. So here’s a picture of me waving some film around.
May 3, 2017
Teeth Tyrant!

Teeth Tyrant!

Yay! Hana Videen has written another Deor Hord post (with an illustration by me! double yay!)    
January 31, 2017
Inktobers 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31

Inktobers 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31

Yay! I’ve done them all now. “Burn”, is possibly a bit not-so-good, and “Friend”, is maybe a bit cheesy and un-halloweeny, but I’ll live with it. I did two, “Surprises”, too. Surprise! So, now I need to catch-up with the Bestiary!
October 29, 2016
Inktobers 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26

Inktobers 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26

Nearly caught up, still about half a week behind…
October 28, 2016
Inktober 6

Inktober 6

More catch-up
October 10, 2016
Inktober (partial catch-up)

Inktober (partial catch-up)

Here’s a partial catch-up on Inktober. I’ve just been informed that I’ve been doing Inktober all wrong, and I’m supposed to be following the Official Prompt List. Whoops! So here are Inktober numbers 2,3,4 and 5.
October 9, 2016
Inktober 2016 argh

Inktober 2016 argh

I’m coming a bit late to the party this year… but here is my first #Inktober drawing! Yay! Woo! I cycled past this scene on Lower Thames Street, near Tower Bridge, a few weeks ago, and it’s been stuck in my head ever since.
October 2, 2016
Speeding People

Speeding People

I’ve just accidentally made myself laugh with this.
September 27, 2016
Shouty Vikings

Shouty Vikings

Doodle of the Day
September 9, 2016
View Over the Great Courtyard at the British Museum, from the Members Room

View Over the Great Courtyard at the British Museum, from the Members Room

Last night I ran around the British Museum in a blind panic trying to find something to draw before closing time. There’s too many amazing things to look at! I can’t make up my mind! So I went and had a beer in the members room to try and calm myself down for a bit, […]
August 20, 2016
Dēor-Hord: A Medieval and Modern Bestiary

Dēor-Hord: A Medieval and Modern Bestiary

I’m helping to illustrate Hana Videen’s new blog, Dēor-Hord: A Medieval and Modern Bestiary. Woohoo! I’m completely fascinated by any kind of history, so I’m really excited to be involved with Hana’s new blog. It’s about how medieval artists had to try and visualise exotic animals based on travellers’ (possibly exaggerated) descriptions, without having actually seen […]
May 21, 2016
Birds

Birds

I’ve been drawing a lot of silly birds this week.
May 18, 2016
Optopus

Optopus

Silly octopus picture.
April 19, 2016
Hearing Aid!

Hearing Aid!

Quick sketch of Sally’s lovely hearing aid.
April 12, 2016
Numbers!

Numbers!

Trying to improve my hand drawings. And count to 12 at the same time. Preliminary sketches below….
April 12, 2016
The Moon

The Moon

A messy moon sketch, for something or other.
March 4, 2016
C is for… Cat!

C is for… Cat!

“C”, is for, “Cat”, of course. And, “Castle”. And, “Cream”. And, “Cushion”. And, “Crown”. And, “Chain”. And, “Claws”. It’s hard to stop thinking of things that begin with a, “C”, now.
February 9, 2016
L is for…. Lizards!… and a Lightbulb

L is for…. Lizards!… and a Lightbulb

How many lizards does it take to change a light bulb? I have no idea, but I’m guessing three?
January 27, 2016
N is for… North Pole!

N is for… North Pole!

The North Pole is very cold and dark. Deaf Inuits had to dispense with mittens and invent special gloves in order to sign at each other.
January 23, 2016
BSL Kids

BSL Kids

Some drawings and photos I did last week, for a pitch.  
January 16, 2016
M is for… Monster!

M is for… Monster!

Just realised that this is the second “M” that I’ve done. whoops!
December 20, 2015
W is for… Witch!

W is for… Witch!

Witch! Or Wand? Or Worm?… So many potential Ws. This is a pertinently Halloween-themed sign-letter drawing. W is the most difficult letter of the alphabet to draw. It’s all those fingers sticking out all over the place. Here’s another witch, but I didn’t think she was characterful enough to make the final cut.
December 13, 2015
J is for… Jumper!

J is for… Jumper!

December 7, 2015
S is for…. Spaceman!

S is for…. Spaceman!

Of course.
December 3, 2015
H is for… Hat!

H is for… Hat!

Hat! …Or helicopter? This alphabet stuff is getting more complicated than I thought it would…  
December 1, 2015
O is for… Octopus!

O is for… Octopus!

Not sure about this one…. I’ll sit on for a bit and see what I think in a few days time… I did try a more “anatomically correct” version of the octopus (below), but everyone in my family seem to prefer the octopus with the silly mouth. Boo to anatomically correct(er) octopuses!
November 29, 2015
G is for… Giraffe!

G is for… Giraffe!

Thank giraffe it’s a Friday?
November 27, 2015
F is for… Fish!

F is for… Fish!

Fish always look a bit sad…
November 24, 2015
A is for… Alligator

A is for… Alligator

If one tries to add alligator scales to human hands, they start to look like they belong to the Creature From the Black Lagoon (sans webby bits). Who knew this would happen?
November 23, 2015
B is for… Binoculars

B is for… Binoculars

Ok, I know I’m going to have to come back and re-do this one, in order to shave Sailor Bob’s Beard off. Also binoculars might be a bit over-ambitious. Maybe it really needs to be something else that begins with a B (a bee?). I’ll let it go for now though! Here is an earlier, […]
November 22, 2015
T is for… Train!

T is for… Train!

T is for train. A steam train, obviously.
November 19, 2015
Z is for… Zebra!

Z is for… Zebra!

Putting stripes on the hands was probably a mistake… I’ll go with it for now though!
November 16, 2015
K is for… Knight!

K is for… Knight!

November 13, 2015
R is for Rockets!

R is for Rockets!

  How can a, “R”, ever stand for anything else?
November 11, 2015
Q is for… Queen!

Q is for… Queen!

Those watercolour washes weren’t really washing it with me. I’ve tried to pare it back a bit here. I think it looks a bit better.
November 10, 2015
D is for Dinosaurs

D is for Dinosaurs

You can never go wrong with dinosaurs.
November 8, 2015
“P”

“P”

P, for Panda (a very glum panda). Ngh.
November 7, 2015
The Letter “M”

The Letter “M”

Ok, here’s me trying something a bit different. I’m a bit worried that those hands are looking a bit too, “Hands of God”, though….    
November 6, 2015
What I’m Drinking Tonight

What I’m Drinking Tonight

This is a very tasty beer. #Beerbods
November 5, 2015
Hammers About

Hammers About

November 2, 2015
Inktober 30 (late catch-up)

Inktober 30 (late catch-up)

Here is Inktober 30, combined with a half-hearted attempt at Halloween. (also late) #inktober #Halloween and #toaster
November 2, 2015
Inktober 29: D.I.Y. Day

Inktober 29: D.I.Y. Day

I hate having to drill holes into walls. Polyfilla always gets involved sooner or later. #Inktober 29
October 31, 2015
Inktober 28: Coffee!

Inktober 28: Coffee!

Coffee machines are weirdly really hard to draw. Lesson learned. #inktober 28  
October 31, 2015
Inktober 27

Inktober 27

Cate and Ben are on the kitchen floor, drawing a giant map of everywhere they’ve ever been to, EVER. I managed to get this far before they ran off with all my inks. #inktober 27
October 30, 2015
Inktober 26

Inktober 26

What I’m drinking tonight. Seriously tasty! Yum, yum. #inktober 26. #BeerBods Hook Island Red
October 30, 2015
Inktober 25

Inktober 25

Not sure about this one… I think it’s probably one of those classic cases of knowing when I should have stopped applying the blue ink. Oh well! Anyway, it’s a camera. #inktober 25
October 29, 2015
Inktober 24

Inktober 24

Thought I’d try drawing something a bit different. #inktober 24
October 29, 2015
Inktober 23

Inktober 23

#inktober 23 Rugby-themed inktober, with a weak and tenuous joke involving witches. I’M SORRY! I’ll try harder next time….
October 24, 2015
Inktober Numero 22

Inktober Numero 22

#inktober 22 Anatomy of a Spy
October 23, 2015
Inktober 21 Building Sandcastles

Inktober 21 Building Sandcastles

Building sandcastles. #inktober 21
October 22, 2015
Inktober 20

Inktober 20

I had an accident with the blue ink. #inktober 20
October 22, 2015
Inktober… 19

Inktober… 19

#inktober no.19… Disco Octopus!
October 19, 2015
Inktober! 18!

Inktober! 18!

#inktober no.18 OK I think I might be running out of ideas now. Er… singing octopus, anyone?  
October 19, 2015
Inktober no.17: More Swimming! A Submarine! And some fish.

Inktober no.17: More Swimming! A Submarine! And some fish.

#inktober More swimming! A submarine! I’ve probably over-loaded on the black here, but never mind. I’ll go and watch some rugby now.
October 18, 2015
Inktober Number 16! Swimming! Underwater!

Inktober Number 16! Swimming! Underwater!

#inktober no.16! Swimming! Underwater! Bubbles!
October 17, 2015
Inktober Number Fifteen!

Inktober Number Fifteen!

#inktober 15 By the swimming pool. Finally managed to get my Ada Lovelace reference in, two days late. I’m not sure how recognisable she is, but hey, it’s a Friday night and… well, I’m going to have a glass of wine.
October 16, 2015
Inktober Number 14 / My Personal Daemon

Inktober Number 14 / My Personal Daemon

I’m killing two birds with one stone here. Here’s #inktober no. 14! Which is also my response to this article in today’s Guardian. #mydaemon My personal daemon is a Remembering Dodo. He helps me to remember all the things that I normally forget when I leave the house every morning. Unfortunately he has a lot of […]
October 14, 2015
Inktober Nummer Dreizehn

Inktober Nummer Dreizehn

#inktober 13 – checking in! Trying out a cheaper brand of Indian ink here. I’m not sure if I like it so much.
October 13, 2015
Inktober… no.12

Inktober… no.12

#inktober   Arriving at the hotel…
October 12, 2015
Inktober! no.11

Inktober! no.11

Passport Control #inktober
October 11, 2015
Inktober. no.10

Inktober. no.10

#inktober
October 11, 2015
Inktober, no.9

Inktober, no.9

#inktober no.9, Viking Horde on a Plane
October 10, 2015
Inktober! No.8!

Inktober! No.8!

#inktober no.8!
October 8, 2015
Inktober no.7

Inktober no.7

#inktober Am I allowed to use colour?
October 7, 2015
Inktober 2015, No.6!

Inktober 2015, No.6!

#inktober The somnambulant commuter train.
October 6, 2015
Inktober! No.5

Inktober! No.5

#inktober
October 5, 2015
Inktober! no.4

Inktober! no.4

#inktober
October 4, 2015
Inktober! no.3

Inktober! no.3

#inktober
October 3, 2015
Inktober! 2015, no.2

Inktober! 2015, no.2

#inktober
October 2, 2015
Inktober! 2015. no.1

Inktober! 2015. no.1

#inktober
October 1, 2015
Double-Bounce Ghost

Double-Bounce Ghost

 
September 24, 2015
Gorilla, Take 2

Gorilla, Take 2

I need a better scanner… 🙁  
September 22, 2015
A Very Silly Gorilla

A Very Silly Gorilla

Another attempt at analogue animation. I’ve forgotten just how fast this sort of thing burns through pencils… Beginning to wonder if it might work out cheaper if I just invest in a big Cintiq and a TVPaint, or Harmony…. It is nice working on paper though.
September 19, 2015
A Very Silly Elephant

A Very Silly Elephant

I found out an old pegbar and some animation paper in the attic. So, obviously, I had to try and animate an elephant (badly).
September 10, 2015
More Medieval Nonsense

More Medieval Nonsense

Well, its better than watching Game of Thrones… maybe?
August 20, 2015
Medieval Banquet

Medieval Banquet

Noodling about, for a possible personal project idea…
August 18, 2015
Wine Labels Competition Entry

Wine Labels Competition Entry

Here are some wine label designs I made for a competition. I’m not expecting any winnings to be honest, but I’m glad I gave it a shot. Now I just need a large glass of wine.     Here’s some of the working-out sketches.  
August 3, 2015
Cretan Holiday Sketches

Cretan Holiday Sketches

It was a 4 hour flight from Gatwick to Heraklion. I managed to while away some of the time by practicing perspective from my seat.   I didn’t get to draw that much in Crete, mainly because the children kept dragging me into the swimming pool. I think there might be a market for waterproof […]
July 29, 2015
Busy Road, on the Way to the Park

Busy Road, on the Way to the Park

April 1, 2015
Forgetful Fairy

Forgetful Fairy

Here’s an absolutely true story about what actually, really happened the other night. Rendered in actual, real colour inks! (black and white version below if colours are too painful to look at)
March 5, 2015
The Letters, “O”, “P” and “T”

The Letters, “O”, “P” and “T”

January 8, 2013
Next Door’s Tree

Next Door’s Tree

Drawn with felt-tip pens borrowed from my daughter.  
January 6, 2013
Animated Doodle

Animated Doodle

Stream of conciousness stuff. No idea what it means.
December 8, 2012
ANIMALS! IN! SPAAAAAAAAAAACE!

ANIMALS! IN! SPAAAAAAAAAAACE!

 
June 27, 2012
Bee Detective

Bee Detective

Recently I’ve finished work on a series of animations for a live theatre production called Bee Detective, which is produced by Tin Bath‘s Gemma Fairlee, and Sophie Woolley. Gemma directed, and Sophie wrote the script, and performs the main character. I’m really pleased with the work I did for Bee Detective. It was all bit […]
May 15, 2012
Life Drawings

Life Drawings

More stuff saved from my laptop drive. These are from the year 2002! I think these are still some of the best life drawings I’ve ever managed to do. I remember having a great time drawing them, and learnt a lot about anatomy.  
March 18, 2012
Sally’s Feet

Sally’s Feet

Just found this blast-from-the-past on my laptop; a scan from one of my old sketchbooks. Here are Sally’s feet, as drawn in a park in Budapest, on a hot and sunny day.
March 17, 2012