Cute Little Fella.

Who says I can't draw 'cute' characters, huh?

I think today's drawing of a shy little Alien guy is pretty adorable for something I drew.

Wouldn't you stop and try and pat this little rascal if you saw him out in the wild? Sure you would. Look at those big happy eyes.

Found On The Shelf.

I very rarely go into town these days and return with a Comic I wasn't expecting to buy, sadly. But I have to say I was very pleased to pick up this unexpected Gerry Anderson anthology edition last week while out-and-about.

Anyone who has seen my two recent Dragon's Domain Pin-ups will know I'm a bit of a secret Anderson fan, and very up for seeing new stories of his TV shows done in comic format. 

The stories inside for anyone wondering are Captain Scarlet (the 2005 version), Space Precinct and Terrahawks.

Red Spikes.

I know people probably ask you this all the time, and you're sick and tired of hearing this question, but have you ever notices how beautiful a Cactus is when viewed from above?

My Cactus that I bought as a tiny stub in a little pot as a Kid which did nothing but grew a microscopic amount every year, has recently just started to mutate into a beast of a plant.

 

One new trick it's started doing is growing these gorgeous Red Spikes on top. At first I was worried my poor (not so) little Cactus had some kind of horrible disease, but after a quick bit of online research, I found out Red Spikes where a good sign of the Cactus being in great health.

I always think my Cactus must be like some kind of horrible giant 'Death Trap' to insects, and yet you can't keep them off it. They love crawling on it.

Also... YES... I did prick myself a couple of times taking these photos. Thanks for asking. 

The Joys Of Summer 2.

Again, it's lovely to be in the Summer months of the year and I've been waiting to be back in the Sun for so long.

It's just... I wish I wasn't sticky 24\7 lately, you know? I wish my body wasn't so tacky that my clothes have to be regularly peeled free. I also wish my hair wasn't permanently wet and always smelled like sweat.

I'd just love to be dry for a little bit, you know? Not damp and gross.

Sweating Into My Bristol Board.

Without hopefully sounding like I'm giving myself too much of a pat on the back, I have to say I'm amazed I've got as much penciling done as I did this week what with the crazy heat...

I've just been drawing like mad during some of the cooler periods of the day (and mostly nights) and then just trying to wait out the really bad moments when my room is like a furnace. 

Again this week I've been indulging my new love of drawing 'Alien Vegetation' (as seen above). I think the fact that it's as hot as a tropical Jungle right now has really helped me get into the right mindset while doing this page.

Bot Banter In Action.

My Hand-Lettered 'Robo-Font' in action...

I honestly think this might be my favourite panel from the whole story... Even though it's the smallest and was the quickest to draw.

The Joys Of Summer.

I've been waiting so long for the Summer to come around this year that I kind of forgot there's also plenty of downsides to this Sunny Weather.

Like when you spend all week adding things to a Shopping List you've been carefully writing and trying not to leave anything off, put it in your pocket, and then when you get to the Supermarket and pull it out, you find through the heat and your body sweat, the inks all bleed and unreadable and the paper itself has turned into a wet pulpy mess that comes apart in your hands.

  

And then comes the fun part of trying to do your shopping from memory alone.

Betelgeuse Books.

Just for those wondering what Sci-Fi I'm currently reading this Summer, I've been really enjoying the Betelgeuse series by Luiz Eduardo De Oliverira (AKA 'Leo') recently.

It's a little sad the nudity is censored in the UK version. But apart from that, I would totally recommend giving these books a read.

It's some of the best European Sci-Fi I've ever read.