100 Issues of The Phoenix!

Summit of The Goddess

Here's my cover for the latest issue of The Phoenix, issue 89! My drawing schedule for Simon Swift has been rather hectic and I've not had much of a chance to update here lately but I will be starting the final episode of the current series tomorrow so hopefully I'll have more of a chance to post here soon!

In other news, Monstrosity issue 1 is now available from some fantastic stores over here in the UK. I really recommend them all and I'm delighted to be stocked by them!

Gosh! (London)

Orbital (London)

Travelling Man (Leeds)

Close Encounters (Bedford)

The Incredible Comic Shop (Swindon)

Simon Swift cover- Stage by stage

Hello!
Tomorrow's issue of The Phoenix has Simon Swift's latest nemesis 'The Fetch' taking centre stage on the cover- here are all the stages on the way to the finished piece. This isn't a particularly in-depth analysis about my process, just an overview of my approach.

Thumbnails

The idea that Tom, Will and I had talked about was having The Fetch on the cover frosting up the jungle, with that in mind I sketched out 3 very loose thumbnails in Photoshop. They liked the third of these the most, but Will suggested that it would look stronger if The Fetch was facing the reader more.

Rough Cover

I then took the basic idea from the third thumbnail and roughed it out very loosely in Photoshop.

 Pencils

Once the rough was approved I made the rough very light by reducing the opacity of the line layer in Photoshop. I then printed the very light rough out onto a sheet of A3 Bristol Board and used it as my loose guide upon which to draw tighter pencils. I kept a lot of the foliage relatively loose at this stage as it needed to be drawn over in ink anyway. I pencil using a blue col-erase pencil. Blue is best as it's easier to remove the pencil art digitally if it isn't black, that way it's a lot less hassle to end up with crisp ink lines on the finished piece.

  

Inks

Once I was happy with the pencils I started inking. I currently use 'Fountain Pentel' pens as I like the line they produce. I use a fine sharpie for the thicker lines and solid blacks.

Colours

 I then use Photoshop to remove the blue lines that show through the inks and separate the lineart onto its own layer, so it 'floats' above the white layer. I build up the colour in layers, beginning with flat base colours and adding layers for shading, lighting, steam effects and the eye glows as I go until I'm happy with the result.

Final

When I was working on the colours, my girlfriend Nikki suggested that it would be nice if the Phoenix logo was frosted up by The Fetch too, I passed that idea onto Will who loved it! The Phoenix's amazing designer (and comic artist extraordinaire) Paul Duffield executed it absolutely beautifully and added in The Fetch's speech balloon, elevating it to a whole new level! Here's the finished article (nicked from The Phoenix's Twitter feed)! I'm really pleased with the finished result and can't wait to see it on the shelves this Friday!

Simon Swift Series II- Episode 6!

The latest issue of The Phoenix came out yesterday and in it was the latest episode of Simon Swift! I think this week's is my favourite episode so far- it was a nice change of pace and there was lots of space to have fun illustrating the environment!
Here's a peek-

Simon Swift Episode 4!

Here's a little peek from the latest episode of Simon Swift, out now in The Phoenix issue 77!

Simon Swift Series 2 continues!

Series 2 of Simon Swift is back in full swing, here's a peek from part 3, which can be seen in this weeks issue of The Phoenix!

Simon Swift series 2 launches!

...In fact the second part is out today! Here's a teaser panel for part one from last week's issue of The Phoenix:

And if you'd like to catch up on Simon's adventures, you can read the whole of series one online right now! Just click HERE!

Also, a quick announcement: Monstrosity issue 1 is now in stock at The Incredible Comic Shop in Swindon!

More Fan Art!

With the pace of work on Simon Swift recently I've been a bit behind on posting things that I'd have really liked to. I'm really delighted to finally have a moment to post these two drawings up!
Here's Tod, as drawn by Beth Wernham:

And Here's Simon Swift amongst some other Phoenix favourites (I didn't have a name to go with this one, sorry):

Thanks so much to the artists who drew these, it's amazing to see fan art of my characters and it really keeps me energised when I'm drawing!

The Phoenix round-up!

Wow, it's been an unbelievably hectic couple of weeks for me, many apologies for the lack of weekly posting. I've just completed the final episode of Simon Swift and the printed issues have been hot on my heels!
Since I was last here 3 issues of The Phoenix have come out and Simon Swift is nearing it's conclusion, here, have a peek at those issues!

And here's my favourite Simon Swift Panel yet; really pleased with how this one came out!

I also would very much encourage anybody who still needs to find a present for a young (or, in fact, old) comic fan, to check out 'The Best Present Ever' from the fine folks at The Phoenix
Here's the details:

The Phoenix issue 47!

Here's your weekly preview of The Phoenix and Simon Swift!
This week- Have the group finally tracked down Simon's mother? There'll have to be some villain-battling before they find out!

The Phoenix issue 46!

Hooray! The latest issue of The Phoenix is out NOW and I'm lucky to have a brand new Simon Swift cover adorning it! This weeks issue also features Gary Northfield's hilarious 'Gary's Garden', the unmissable 'Zara's Crown' by John and Patrice Aggs and the inestimably talented Chris Riddell returns with another installment of 'Elsewhere' amongst many other comicky delights!

If you want some Phoenixy magic delivered direct to your door, head -HERE- for details!

Here's this weeks cover, (My second Simon Swift cover) with a sneak peek from inside below!

Next week there is all-out action! Stay tuned!

 

The Phoenix issue 45!

Wow, another week, another issue of The Phoenix- I can't believe part 9 of Simon Swift is out already! We're past the halfway point now for Simon's first adventure and I hope everybody who's been reading it is enjoying the action, adventure and mysteries as much as Tom and I have been enjoying creating them!

The Phoenix issue 44!

Wow, I'm overdue a Phoenix update!
Well, this week issue 44 is out, featuring the excellent 'Troy Trailblazer' by Rob Deas, Paul Duffield's wonderful and fascinating 'Secrets of the Universe with Danica Starborn', Lorenzo Etherington's sumptuously drawn and brain-taxingly challenging 'Von Doogan', and a whole host of equally brilliant tales by some of the UK's top comics talent!
This week's issue includes part 8 of Simon Swift by Tom Fickling and myself. As always, click the Phoenix cover to visit their site where you can get all the info you may need on where to pick up a copy (or how to order a subscription) and find out more about the comic! I've put a couple of sneak peeks from the latest part of Simon Swift below too, hope you like what you see!

The Phoenix issue 43!

Simon Swift continues in this weeks Phoenix, with ALL-OUT BATTLE!!

If you're reading it- hope you enjoy it!

The Phoenix issue 42!

Episode 6 of Simon Swift is out now in The Phoenix issue 42, alongside a feast of exciting strips!
This week Simon is thrown in jail for a crime he didn't commit, along with a thief and a huge scary figure! Click the Phoenix cover below to find out where you can get hold of a copy!

The Phoenix issue 41!

Issue 41 of The Phoenix is out today, including more excitement for Simon Swift as a thief lands him in a spot of bother!
I've also gotta give props to my pal Lorenzo for this week's incredible cover- it's too awesome!

Forest Escape!

Here's the panel I'm proudest of so far from my work on Simon Swift; it's from episode 2. It turned out pretty dark on the page but that suited the atmosphere of the episode, however I'm happy to present the original inks here!
Nikki and I had been to the Forest of Dean a few weeks prior to me starting Simon Swift and it definitely enriched the early forest scenes with details I wouldn't have otherwise considered.

Shelved!

Nikki and I popped into Waitrose today and saw the two-week-old issue 38 of the Phoenix in there!

One part of me was annoyed, thinking that it should have sold by now, but another part was delighted, as it's the first time I've ever seen a comic cover I've drawn on a store shelf!

I must admit that we did move it from another shelf for a clearer shot (and shuffled the other copies of the Phoenix to pride-of-place on the front shelf before we left!) but hey, more kids should get to see the Phoenix- I'm doing them a favour!

The Phoenix issue 40!

Simon Swift Part 4 is out now in issue 40 of The Phoenix, alongside a whole host of fantastic strips! You can pick it up from Waitrose and some independent book and comic stores around the country- check www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk for more info!

 

This week a new day is dawning for Simon and his new travelling partners, Longrange and Shiba as they start tracking down Simon's mother and her captors. What adventure awaits them in the town of Hairn as they stop for supplies? I'm not saying- you'll have to read it to find out!

The Phoenix issue 39!

Issue 39 of The Phoenix is out now, featuring episode 3 of Simon Swift!

 Here's a little panel blown up big!