Influences - No. 3 David Shrigley

Above- details of two of my favourite drawings by David Shrigley - 'Time to Choose' and 'Artists Talk About Their Work'

An occasional series where I talk about my influences, when I think of them.

I wonder what other cartoonists think about David Shrigley? Jeffrey Brown mentioned him once as an influence on his little gag cartoons from 'I Am Going to Be Small'. He is definately an influence on my work.

I first saw Shrigley's drawings at an art show about Comics and Art that I went to when I was at University. It must be one of the reasons I got back into cartooning at Uni. It was a very good show. He was in it and also was Adam Dant aka Donald Parsnips, who is also interesting. His drawings are very funny and awesome. I have seen many of them over the years in shows and his many books. They could have been small press cartoonists, but they're not, they are artists. I was getting a little bored with them, thinking he was carrying on in the same way, but then I saw some new stuff of his in the Cult Fiction exhibition which I saw in Carlisle. He had done some really good sculptures for it (one was of a giant felt snake) and an animation which was very funny, voiced by the actor Kevin Eldon. So he is keeping on trying and doing new stuff.

His website is at David Shrigley and is well worth a look...

Influences - No. 2 Vic Reeves

An occasional series of things that have influenced me, when I think of them.

Look at the drawings of Vic Reeves, aren't they great. the first two are pictures from his brilliant art book 'Sun-Boiled Onions' (highly recommended). The third is one of the drawings from an episode of The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer. I really like Vic's drawing, he always used them a lot in his shows, such as the products from the Reeves and Mortimer Factory, or the drawings on the paper bag head of 'The Man with The Stick'. He draws people with tiny far apart eyes, and funny nose nodules.

Paul B Rainey - There's No Time Like The Present Part 9

I read 'There's No Time Like the Present - Part 9' last night. It's another very good issue. I can't say much about it without giving away the plot for anyone who hasn't read it yet but there is lots of excitement and startling plot twists in this issue. I have no idea what is going to happen at the end of this story, thats a great thing.
Buy it at Paul Rainey's website.

Influences - No. 1 Viz

An occasional series of things that have influenced my comics...

Ah Viz is so great. Of course 'it's not as funny as it was'...
I liked it best when I used to buy them in town from one of the shops that would sell it to me, and take them to school to read. Who can forget 'The Bum-Faced Vibrating Goats'. It has influenced many small press cartoonists. The 'Bumper Book of Shite' above is my favourite Viz book, that or 'Roger's Prophanisaurus' with its millions of brand new and marvellous swear words.

Wedding of the Year

I was at my very good friend Shonagh's wedding yesterday. It was a great day. I had done the drawings for them for the Service Booklet thing, here's a drawing of the church from the front cover. I was pleased with it and the booklet came out well. The rest of it was drawings of birds, flowers and butterflies. Flowers are nice to draw, I've never done any before but they are a lot of fun.

Smiffy Draws the Animals

Here are all the animals.

Pub Quiz

As you can see I have decorated our answer paper for the Pub Quiz with octopi, Wizbit and Joan of Arc.
We came last in the pub quiz as we are rubbish. The other teams had turned up wearing anoraks so we knew we would lose.