A posh gent, some environments and FISH!

Drum roll......
It's DANDY daaaaaaaaaaaay! Whoop! Let's get on with it then! Here's a character design I've been working on recently for YORE!...

And hows about some more environments?
 

Okay, that's enough for now, but keep checking in, because in the next couple of days I'm going to be announcing something excitin'!

Lorenzo!

Professor Popalop

A few little pics here of some of my Professor Popalop pages! Oh, and don't forget to ask all your friends and family to vote for Tag TeamTastic by clicking the button on the right, voting closes April 16th!

The Etheringtons Go NORTH! Chesterfield Workshop Report...

If we're being strictly chronological about these things we really should blog our incredible Swansea School trip first, but we still haven't got around to scanning a particularly brilliant piece of art from the day so instead let's travel up country for some fun in the Northern sun.

And sunny it was! After the longest winter I can remember Lorenzo and I were delighted to discover that our visit to Chesterfield (for a day and an evening of comic workshops) was accompanied by glorious weather. Awakening in the glamorous surroundings of the Whittington Moor Travelodge ... ahem ... we basked momentarily in the celebrity glow of our favourite cook in the whole wide world.

Jamie Oliver? No. Nigel Slater? Uh-uh. Nigella Lawson??? Nope.

I am, of course, talking about the Chef.

Just look at his innocent smile caught beneath a cloudless blue sky ... sigh.

Quick word of explanation for our foreign readers - Little Chef is a chain of restaurants (and I use the word lightly) that exist to serve weary roadside travelers. It has a limited menu but we're suckers for their all day breakfasts. This time Lorenzo selected the veggie version of their 'famous' Olympic breakfast, while I opted for the pancakes with a couple of rashers on the side. Nice.

What's that? You'd like to hear about our workshops? Sheesh ... some people are never happy.

We were met post brekkie by the wonderful Julie Potton (principle Librarian for 16 libraries in the Chesterfield area) who organised the day and took great care of us. We began with a single class workshop (always good to warm up before the main event) - which was great fun - then headed into town to the central Library. And what a building it was. Five floors high and packed to the rafters with an incredible selection of titles it was no surprise to learn that Chesterfield is the 5th busiest library in the country. Aside from computer suites and sound booths and all manner of excellent extras, the building has its very own auditorium which made for a great setting.

During the lunchtime slot we saw three extremely enthusiastic schools and answered dozens of brilliant questions! Then it was off for a stroll and a bite to eat before our final workshop.

In quick succession we learnt that the town lays claim to the oldest bowling green in the world (1294), a ridiculously thin Georgian building (seen below) and something rather special ...

This is the Crooked Spire of the Church of Saint Mary and All Saints.

Apparently it's not MEANT to look like this...

We have been led to understand that this bizarre curvature has been caused by unseasoned timber and poor cross bracing, but I'd rather believe the folklore that claims "a Bolsover blacksmith mis-shod the Devil, who leaped over the spire in pain, knocking it out of shape." Much cooler, I think you'll agree.

After a big, fat panini and a frosty pint of cider we returned, refreshed, to give a lively evening workshop to a reading group aged from 6-16. It was fantastic and the children and teenagers brought a wealth of great ideas to the event.

Many thanks once again to Julie and all her incredible co-workers who helped plan and deliver such a fun day! We look forward to returning soon.

A Big Bunch of reasons to vote for Tag Team Tastic...

Lorenzo and I just returned from a superb trip to Chesterfield (full reports from both this, and our recent trip to Swansea coming soon - got to get pic permissions!) to find a delightful email from fellow Tag Team Tastic creator, Warwick Johnson-Cadwell.

As The Dandy's voting for their Strictly Come Laughing competition nears an end (final count on the 16th April!) Warwick decided to whip up a little inspirational sketch to give our readers an idea of the insane amount of good stuff to come ... but only if we win the COMP!

You're going to need to click on this one to see it in all it's magnificent detail!

So if the thought of a weekly comedy wrestling strip featuring Elvis, Cowboys, Chinese Grand masters, Robots, Mummies, Evil Chefs, Circus Pygmies, Flying carpets, Bee-Boys, Prisoners and MUCH MUCH MORE makes you laugh/gasp/punch the air in delight (delete as appropriate) ... VOTE NOW!

Warwick and I (along with Big Thumper, Huggles and the W.A.R.T wrestling league) would be extremely grateful for your support.

Tag Team Tastic takes the lead!

In a shock last minute turnaround, Tag Team Tastic (the comic strip created for The Dandy by myself and Warwick Johnson-Cadwell) has just nipped into the lead! WooHoo!

The current scores are as follows...

Tag Team Tastic - 447

Harry and His Hippo - 443
Dare Devil Dad - 427
Phil's Finger - 80 (which I think is a hugely skewed figure - this is a corker)

As you can see, there's not a lot in it so if you are yet to vote .... VOTE!

It's all coming down to the wire people...

Character Design Breakdown

Hey folks...wait for it...wait for it...it's DANDY day! Whooooop!
Here, for your eyeballs to enjoy is a breakdown of one of the character designs from a recent episode of YORE!

If you like this sort of thing, and you want more, and I mean like SIX HUNDRED pages more, then I would like to thoroughly recommend you treat yourself to a copy of my massive MASSIVE sketchbook, available for delivery all over the world, you can buy it from HERE!
In the meantime, here are some more header panels from up and coming YORE! episodes...

 More very very SOOOOON!

Lorenzo!

The Dandy has been nominated for an Eagle!

There are many awards for comics throughout the world. In America, the Eisner's and the Harvey's hold forth among a sea of contenders, while the Prix de la Critique and the simply ridiculously named le Palmarès Officiel du Festival international de la bande dessinée decide the best of the best in France.

And little old England has the Eagles.

Now the Eagle awards have, and always will have, a very special place in the heart of we Etheringtons. In 2007 we were nominated in the category of Favourite Black and White British Comic book for our debut graphic novel Malcolm Magic (but we woz robbed on the night ... not that we're not bitter ... ahem)



So you can imagine our delight at being able to announce that The Dandy (featuring YORE!) has been nominated for the 2011 category of Favourite Colour British Comic book. The competition is going to be stiff as 2000AD almost ALWAYS wins this one, and the Doctor Who Magazine has about a billion readers (even though it's not really a comic.)

But if you'd like to help us buck the recent trend and finally claim that long overdue award (we're not bitter at all, honest) then simply GO HERE and click randomly for folks in the various categories until you reach Q14 - then pick The Dandy!

YEAH!

Strictly Come Laughing Nears the END! Vote! Vote! Vote!

Those good souls among you who have picked up a copy of The Dandy in the past five weeks will have spotted a winner-stays-in comic strip competition entitled 'Strictly Come Laughing.'

It's a fantastic idea, and features the talents of Steve Beckett (Daredevil Dad), Chris McGhie (Phil's Finger) and Andy Fanton (Harry and his Hippo) ... oh and a little known strip called Tag Team Tastic created by Warwick Johnson-Cadwell and myself.

Here's a taste of our daftness ... yep ... that's a mime.











Next week marks the final round of voting and we need yours! So if you like the thought of two hapless but well-meaning amateur wrestlers establishing their own League with an 'everyone-welcome' policy and absolutely NO rules, then PLEASE lend your voting finger to the equation.

Go HERE to add your voice to the competition - our link (seen above) can be found on the bottom right!

Argh! It's got TENTACLES!

What's that? Yes I know, I know... it's DANDY day! Which can only mean one thing, a few more peaks into the world of oddness that is YORE! Here's a little breakdown of the making of a particularly nasty looking sea monster that the gang find themselves battling in episode 22...

 Really need to click that one to see all the deeeeetails! This week's issue will of course also feature another episode of Tag Team Tastic by my bro and WJC, and more befuddling puzzles with my pal Professor Popalop. And Fangles. Right, time for a big finish, go for it Doomy...!

Nice.

More on the way!

Lorenzo!

It's Nice Knowing Friends in High Places

And when I say high I mean thousands of metres above sea level!

My wife and I used to work in the mountains (in the fantastic resort village of Morzine, in France, to be precise) and we absolutely love the snow. It was a delight, therefore, to spend last weekend zipping around the chilly peaks and eating immense amounts of food with our dear friends. Seen next to Mimi are: Helen and Chris Lavender, Milly and Robin Mannering, and tiny, cheeky Finster Mannering (sat on the table in an unhygienic fashion - some kids.)

Oh, and when I say food I mean Pizzas like this....

Both colourful and tasty, I think you'll agree. Hmmmmmmm ...

The weekend was always going to be great fun but we had a lovely bonus when as discovered that Chris and Helen had hung an original piece of art, created by my wonderful wife - she's a writer now, but she's always been a talented artist - above the bed in their spare bedroom. How cool is that?

Very cool. That's your answer.
Many thanks to all our friends, for making us feel so at home in the hills.

And now, to end, a charming shot of an Etherington giving a subtle thumbs up while relaxing beside an open fire.
Because it's not all work, work, work round here.

Character Process

It's Dandy Day! Whoop! Before you head to the shops for your copy and a "King Kavity" chocolate bar, here's a little sneak peek at a few process break-downs for some of the incidental characters I've been drawing in the series recently...

And don't forget to click the images to see all the detail as it was intended to be seen!

More coming very soon, including news of a BRAND NEW and EXTREMELY limited edition art book...!

Lorenzo!

Best. Wedding Present. EVER.

Okay, so this is awesome. Our very good friend Alys Paterson just gave us an extremely amazing wedding present. Yes, I know what you're thinking, we got married 6 months ago, right? Right. However, Alys' present to us has only just become available because it's a card illustrated and designed by her, and distributed to all shops that sell classy cards by the mighty ART GROUP.

U-huh, you can now go into a shop and pick up your very own "Esther's Big Day" greetings card!! Not only that, she also gave us the original! I mean, hot potatoes that's a fine gift!

So what are you waiting for? Go out today and pick one of these babies up, and if there are some of Alys' other designs on the shelves too, then get them as well, because she's awesome.

Oh, and watch this space for more news of Alys soon, as I think she's soon to be joining us in the world of children's book illustration, and you KNOW that'll be something worth seeing!

Lorenzo!