Mad Apple Circus, Animated music video - Storyboards!!

Another bit of animation news for you tonight!!

I recently completed the Mad Apple Circus storyboards for "Let the Jury Sing"

Here're the first few storyboarded sequences to this massively action packed and monstrously fast paced animation!!

The next task for this project will be to make an Animatic (motion storyboard) and match the duration of the sequences to the timing of the music!

Incidentally if any of you guys want to listen to the track I'm animating this for then you can do so right here: http://www.myspace.com/madapplecircus

It's the first song listed!

Walk like a Spider...?

Remember this cheeky chappy??

Yup, it's Smooth Jason from the Hairy Heroes series I'm co-animating!

Today I have been busy trying to make this little guy walk!

Not so easy when all wants to do is nap.....

AND when he has 4 legs and 4 arms to move about....

But anyway here is the basic construction to a simple walk cycle for this guy. I used the characters from Dreamworks' Antz for reference as quite by chance Jason here has a similar body structure!

I'll continue to polish this clip into a fully formed, fully clothed little Jason. Strutting his stuff like only the smoothest of blue spiders can!

Oh and the piccies at at the top were done for Clive Pearce's Hairy Heroes website!

Check it out: http://www.tinhuttales.co.uk/#

Doctor Who: The Impossible Crossing Sneaky Peek

Hey there Who fans!

Whose been dying too see more from our Doctor Who comic??

Well your patience is being rewarded with a sneaky look at Page 3, panel 4 of the Prologue!!

The 10th Doctor is doing what he does best, running!!

Thats 3 pages out of 5 for the Prologue ready for colour!

Stay tuned for another sneaky peek soon, and remember the whole thing is due out April 14th!!

Into the Woods PUBLISHED!!!

I can now proudly say that I have in my possession a very shiny copy of Stacey Whittle's 'Into the Woods: A Fairytale Anthology'

I am so unbelievably psyched to be able to see my art in an actual book! From pencil sketches and digital files to a glossy, shiny, tangible something that you can hold and read and stuff!

It's incredible!

So let me share my joy with you with these few photos of the real thing!!

Cover art by Andy Bloor and Steven Howard

The contents page, and look! Red Riding Hood opens the book!!

And finally a quick snapshot of the first couple of pages of Red Riding Hood, words by Rich McAuliffe and pictures by me! :D

This will bring the count of my artwork published in books up to two now (the 1st being Sugar Glider Stories 2). And with Bayou Arcana WELL on it's way to completion, along with the Dark Harvest supplement due in May, my count shall soon rise!!

Stacey has herself blogged about her delight and pride at this wonderful creation we've all to put together under her guidance, as well as a whole load of notable stuff, which you can read right here!

Also Into the Woods has received it's first review by Luke Halstall of the Geek Syndicate. He said some very lovely things about Red Riding Hood:

"Red Riding Hood by Richard McAuliffe and Sara Dunkerton moves exciting through the story. Dunkerton’s use of light and dark is very effective. As the creative team slowly reveal the wolf, a chill will run down the reader’s spine using techniques such as the wolf’s eyes gleaming white as it is covered in darkness. Whereas Red is beaming in the light. Further the creative team have managed to implement their beats just right making every page turn all the sweeter."

You can read the full review here!

Now... I bet the question on your lips at the moment is where can you get your hands on a copy, right?!?

Well Into the Woods will be launching at Cardiff Expo on the 25th - 26th February, however if you can't make it there you can purchase a copy through Stacey's online shop!

Hope to have you join us in the Woods soon!

Mad Apple Circus - Sticker Design

You remember that I'd been commissioned to animate a music video for the Bristol band, Mad Apple Circus??

The storyboards for 'Let the Jury Sing' are going well, however while going over them with Luke Wilson and Josh Chapman (vocals, guitarist, trumpet and a whole lot of music talent) Josh asked for a bit of extra help with a sticker design they'd had in mind, a sort of logo for the band!

He showed me his original doodle done on Paint and asked what I could do with it.

Well, the answer to that is right below!

A decision needs to be made about the black or red text, but soon you won't be able to go anywhere in Bristol without seeing this little guy stuck about the place!

If you want to see them live, here is a list of their upcoming gigs in Bristol!

24th Feb - MR WOLFS
9th March - THE PROM
10th March - MARLBOROUGH
7th April - THE CROFT
28th April - THEKLA (tbc)
2nd-3rd June - THE HAPPY PEOPLE PARTY
22nd June - THE PROM
7th August - THE FLEECE (tbc)
22nd Sept - FROG FEST

You can find out more info about the band and upcoming events on their Facebook Page!

FIRST LOOK at Doctor Who: The Impossible Crossing!!

Morning Whovians!!

You remember the character sketches I was doing of the 8th, 9th and 10th Doctors? (click the links to be reminded!)

Well Alex Beedie and I have set the wheels into motion! He has finished the 1st draft of the script and I've begun to draw the first 5 pages of Issue One which act as a Prologue to the story!

We hope to launch this 5 page Prologue for Impossible Crossing to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, 14th April 2012!

The reasons for this will soon become clear... ;)

But, to wet your appetites I'll share the first panel for Page 1 with you:

Our story begins on April 23rd 1997, at New York Times Square...