Maybe "Boutique" would be classier.

You may have noticed that at the top of the page I've added a "Shop!" link. With a single click you will be redirected to a veritable Aladdin's cave of wonders, and prints, and iPhone cases...and so on.

I think there's a decent selection to be going on with for the moment, but if there's any picture you are particularly eager to get your hands on that isn't currently available, then just drop me an email and I'm sure something can be arranged!

I am not going to try and sell the goods to you by pointing out how lovely the prints would look on the walls of your home. I certainly won't mention that one or two would look especially grand near the door in your kitchen, or behind the sofa in your living room. I clearly, furthermore, don't need to suggest how much nicer (and safer!) your phone would be if it was adorned by one of the beautiful cases on offer.

I will, however, mention that I am a poor and destitute student who would be grateful of any meagre additional income though. Because I love a good bit of guilt.

One thing I'll add is that, because the shop is US-based, shipping to the UK is currently dearer than I would like. Hopefully I will be able to find good alternatives in the future.

"Organizer of public gaiety, curator of a richly encrusted happiness"

 Saturday Special!

I really love the Instagram app. This isn't just because of the various filters, which are excellent, but also because of the way in which it lets you share your images so easily to various social media accounts whilst maintaining its own community.

In any case, I recently decided to stick a through of my recent drawings through it and see what come up. Some, I think, worked better than others, but all are pretty interesting!

"Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!"

Hey everyone! I hope you've all been enjoying the manic sunshine/crushing rain.

I'm pretty pleased with my offerings this week, I have to say.

I drew a Harry Potter in a cynical bid for Tumblr popularity. It didn't work out even a little bit, but I do not mind. I'm extremely happy with it. One of those moments where I feel I've "moved forward" a step.

I'd love to tell you that this is a damning social critique, but really it's just something that would absolutely terrify me. I don't think I could cope if I woke up one morning as a puppet. 

I made some slight changes to the colouring on the Middle-Aged Superman from the last entry. I think it looks better like this. 

I'm working on something as I type that I wish I could share with you, as I think it will be pretty good when it's finished, but there's no way it will be done this evening. Hopefully for next time! 

I guess every superhero need his own theme music.

Cartoon of an old friend of mine. Pretty natty if I may say so myself.

This is a sketch of a lady called Stephanie. Really pleased with how this came out. 

Finally, here's a Superman. An old Superman. 

The following is copied directly from my Tumblr, which you really should check out. 

"I drew a Superman. 

So far as I can remember I have never read a superhero comic, with the exception of Neil Gaiman’s Eternals, which was alright, and Watchmen. If that counts. This isn’t me being pretentious, it’s just never happened. 

To a degree I suspect that this is a cultural thing. No-one that I knew whilst growing up read superhero comics. I don’t even know if you were able to buy them. We grew up on The Beano and The Dandy and so on. Since then I’ve never really got around to it; I have gone into bookshops with the express intention of buying something superhero-y, but have invariably walked out with a regular book or some other form of comic. 

That said, I’m fascinated by Superman, and it’s not like I grew up completely divorced from this titanic cultural symbol. I had a book about Superman, I remember that. Lois & Clark was also on the television when I was a wee man, plus of course there was always the movies. 

For a long time the idea of Superman bored me. Perfect, invincible, unstoppable, and so American (often “American” was a dirty word to me when I was growing up. I’m over it now), but my opinion has changed over time.

I have an idea for a Superman story. As I’ve never read the comics I don’t know if it’s been done before, and honestly I don’t know if it’s even any good, but it seemed interesting to me. I might as well give you the background to it; it’s not like I’m in a position to do anything with it. 

From what I understand Superman ages somewhat more slowly than regular humans, yes? I hope so, because if this is wrong, the whole thing falls down. In any event, I’d quite like to see Superman’s world as though time had progressed normally since his appearance in the 1940s. The story would be set in the present day, he’d be a bit greyer, a bit tireder, but still, you know, super. Lois, Jimmy, Luthor will all be long dead, of old age or whatever, and now Superman’s dealing with the passage of time. Living in a world that’s better off than it would have been, but still imperfect enough to leave him slightly disheartened. A world that’s evolving rapidly, as our own world has evolved since the 1940s, and a man of steel in the middle of at all that has to constantly has to evolve and rethink his own position. 

It would absolutely, one hundred per cent, not be a dark story. It might occasionally have dark elements, but dark does not mean “grown up” or “intelligent” and I am not holding with it even a little bit. It would ultimately be a story about hope and goodness, because so far as I can tell that’s what a Superman story should be about. 

Obviously there’s a plot too, but I ain’t gonna tell you that. "

Congratulations if you reached the end of that. Hope you enjoy the rest of your week!