My Dog Ate My Sketchbook

If only workers were not also people

2012-01-27T13:32:00.000+02:00

(click for full size image)

Illustration for the Mail & Guardian's Opinion piece "If only workers were not also people" about the zero sum game of exploiting low cost labour.

A deadly race

2012-01-15T10:10:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

A lack of preparation on the side of both students and a university leads to a crowd stampede and a tragic death of a parent.

Digital illustration I did for this week's issue of South Africa's Mail & Guardian newspaper for their Comment & Analysis section on the tragic fiasco and stampede at the University of Johannesburg -- reflecting sheer desperation of school leavers to get into tertiary institutions. Not to mention the disfunction in the South African education system...

My approach was a bit lateral ... hopefully eye catching while using the restricted black, white and orange colour palette.

Koffee with kick!

2012-01-10T11:02:00.001+02:00

A fun illustration I did recently for a story in Mahala Online Magazine.

Pen & ink with added loving digital colours.

Editorial Illustration

2012-01-06T12:18:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Illustration for an opinion piece in South African weekly paper Mail & Guardian on remembering the wpmen of the freedom struggle against apartheid.

(Pen, ink, brush and digital)

IF: Highlight

2012-01-05T07:13:00.000+02:00

(click for full size view)

The weekend is surely everybody's highlight of the week :-)

The project for the South Korean publisher Happy House is a wrap ... thirty 4 panel comic strips, 6 interactive games pages and most of it in watercolours ... was a really fun project -- look forward to seeing the final product in print.

The yellow duck on wheels...

2011-11-30T10:09:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Quick illustration I did for an article on the foibles of the ad industry for Mahala online magazine
-- tried to keep it loose as I had very little time...

Fetch!

2011-11-23T14:24:00.001+02:00

Butterbean wasn't exactly "man's best friend" before his first morning coffee...

Quickie scribble from my sketchbooks...

The Great Kitty Conspiracy

2011-11-14T09:46:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Quick drawing for a childrens' story idea... brush pen and photoshop.

Church Mice

2011-11-10T10:18:00.000+02:00

Stretching the pun to breaking point...

Mister Quack goes for a drive

2011-10-19T16:20:00.001+02:00

(click for full size view)

All the animals scattered when Mr Quack took his red roadster convertible out for a spin in the countryside!

Spring has sproinged

2011-10-19T11:00:00.000+02:00

I thought it was a good time to draw a funny dog...

(click on image for full size view)

"It was such a lovely morning, that Aunt Mildred had trouble deciding what to do first." ....

trying to get back into some regular non-work sketching.

The Free Ranger

2011-10-06T10:55:00.000+02:00

(click for full size view)

Sometimes you just gotta go with the silly ideas ... brushpen sketch with some photoshop goodness :-)

Sketchbook

2011-10-04T11:31:00.000+02:00

(click for full size view)

Been playing around a bit in my sketchbook this morning...

Swiss Army Wolverine

2011-09-28T16:30:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

A pen, ink and watercolour piece I did about three months ago for a Comix themed exhibition at the Grahamstown Art Festival ... had quite a bit of fun with it. Much more practical than Wolvie's usual set of blades, I think :-)

Trenchfoot Tigers

2011-09-05T20:24:00.000+02:00

Haven't posted on here in ages... do here's a quick pen and ink sketch on a military feline theme with some photoshop TLC added ... quite happy with the result.

Burned Out

2011-07-22T15:54:00.000+02:00

(click for full size view)

Pen, brush and india ink sketch ... had a bit of spare time today with over five hours of no electricity halting all digital projects.

Hello Big Boy

2011-07-07T09:13:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Illustration done recently for a story in Mahala online mag.

Grumpy man walking his grumpy dog

2011-07-01T11:36:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size)

Taking your dog for a walk is a good remedy for Monday morning grumpyness ... although apparently it doesn't work for everybody.

A bit of a pen and ink sketching experiment with some digital colour added -- quite happy with the final result of the combination of the loose line and the minimalist, simple colours.

IF: Midsummer Night

2011-06-30T14:44:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size)

It's a warm midsummer night -- perfect for little Vampires on the hunt!

Mollie and Thabo heartily agree!

Superfabulousman

2011-06-07T12:36:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Realising I haven't posted on here in ages... so here's a pen, ink, brush, watercolour piece I did as a contribution to the Co/mix Exhibition at the upcoming Grahamstown Arts Festival -- a bit of a satirical and zany take on the male superhero sterotype...

Have battleaxe, will travel...

2011-05-10T15:29:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Lunchtime drawing and digital colouring experiment...

Silly Thursday Sketch

2011-05-05T11:46:00.001+02:00

(click for full size)

It was at this moment that Hubert regretted not taking those Spanish lessons.

Morning Coffee Drawing Session

2011-04-27T12:53:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Some random sketchy goodness ... (and a little weirdness) ... from earlier this morning over that second cup of coffee.

Cow Doodle

2011-04-11T20:27:00.001+02:00

While the nice man on the phone was trying to sell me some insurance... I doodled a cow. Moo.

The Queen's Colonial Forces

2011-04-06T12:14:00.000+02:00

(click for full size image)

Colonel Edwina Warrington of The Queen's Own Frontier Light Horse Brigade...

(pencil sketch with digital colours)

Fishy...very fishy...

2011-04-04T12:34:00.000+02:00

I just couldn't resist...

Self Portrait

2011-04-04T11:40:00.000+02:00

Pen and ink caricature self-portrait done testing some new pen nibs... some digital colour dropped in for extra zing!

Mollie & Thabo by the seaside

2011-03-02T18:07:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

"It must be swarming with fish out there," said Mollie. "What we need, is a boat!"

Thabo is not so sure about that idea.

Selfportrait with Bird

2011-02-25T12:49:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Doodled pencil self-portrait with bird and digital colour dropped in.

Illustration Friday: Sweater 2

2011-02-17T15:44:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size)

Kitties in poloneck sweaters... need I say more? :-)

Illustration Friday: Sweater

2011-02-15T17:05:00.001+02:00

Brush, india ink and a splash of watercolours and some grumpy feline attitude...presto! :-)

Incognita Ferreira, PI

2011-02-15T12:46:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Story by Danya Ristić

Incognita Ferreira has finished school. Not just this year, all of it. She recently matriculated with an A in East London, otherwise known as Environmental Lifeskills, a few Bs and one C in a subject she manages to keep a secret forever.

Since the age of six, Incognita has been in the habit of enforcing her full name. ‘It’s In. Cog. Ni. Ta,’ she would say, hands on hips, staring any opposition down. ‘And not Cognita. Neeta!’ No one argued for long. Her brother, Octavius, the maturer of the two in age only, calls her Cog, as in ‘tiny cog in the great wheel of the world’, but by now she has learned to ignore it. He was optimistically named for the eighth child in the large family their mother had yearned for, though she and their father were blessed with just the two. No one ever asks where Incognita’s name originated, which is lucky; she herself is much loved, but the source of her name is a tale of woe and despair best forgotten.
‘Out with the old, in with the new’ is Incognita’s motto for this stage of her life. Her Goth phase is over, and she’s making plans for the future that may still include black clothing and furtive behaviour, but with a different purpose. Going away to varsity, bumming around overseas for a year, getting married – none of these are for her. She is finally going to put into action the career she has been dreaming of ever since she and Tavy used to watch Remington Steele on Tuesday nights. She is going to be a Private Investigator, right here in her beloved home of Jakkalsbessievallei, just west of the Kruger Park. It’s a small place, but as Miss Marple, another favourite of Incognita’s, frequently finds, a lot of mischief and malice is practised beneath the sun-dappled and apparently tranquil waters of a pond....

Read the rest of the story at JUMP THAT HORSE.

Illustration Friday: Reverse

2011-02-10T17:09:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size)

My ever so slightly bizarre take on this week's Illustration Friday theme: "Reverse"

Always liked Roald Dahl's twisted version of fairy tales and nursery rhymes.

Was a rather rushed with this, so might do a more satifactory version some time soon.

Birds on too much coffee

2011-02-09T12:30:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size)

It's quite hard to reverse the effects of two much coffee...especially on our feathered friends.

Something from the Silly Drawing of the Day Department... wired birds on a branch... made me chuckle to myself a little.

The Storybook Man -- sketchbook page

2011-02-08T11:42:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

A page from my sketchbooks... thinking about this story idea in which there a group of Storybook Men who travel from village to village displaying the comic stories that have been tattooed on their bodies... and some other random drawings on the same page :-)

Pedal Faster!

2011-02-03T16:35:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size)

The freaky offbeat drawing for today... for the record, I have nothing against cyclists...no, really! :-)

Inspector Hop On The Case

2011-02-01T15:25:00.000+02:00

(click for full size image)

A little whimsy and fun... bunnies are always fun to draw... maybe this character can be developed into further?

Computer Thugs

2011-01-28T15:48:00.000+02:00

(click for full size image)

Digital illustration for Mahala online magazine... story about "Computer Thugs."

Illustration Friday: Dusty

2011-01-25T16:52:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size)

Norman couldn't figure out why he always seemed to end up walking at the dusty rear end of the herd...

The Coming of the Great White Hunters

2011-01-24T15:50:00.000+02:00

(click for full size)

Life on the great plains of Camdeboo would never be the same again...

digitally coloured quick pen and ink sketch -- somehow inspired by this debate about the

Gaining Velocity SA comics project.

Illustration Friday: Chicken

2011-01-19T14:05:00.000+02:00

(click for full size)

The ladies man... and he knows it...

Illustration Friday: Chicken

2011-01-19T07:47:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size)

Despite Vusi's best efforts, the local chickens did not appreciate the finer points of soccer...

Illustration Friday: Deja-vu

2011-01-11T11:11:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Quick pen and ink sketch with a bit of added photoshop luv.

Insert witty caption here...

2011-01-05T13:24:00.001+02:00

The creative juices not yet flowing properly after the festive season and need all the help I can get...

Love at first sniff...

2010-12-31T13:07:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Have been playing around with these loose and fun pen, ink and watercolour illustrations of dogs for a local community project.

...and here's also wishing a happy New Year to everybody following this blog and hope that 2011 rocks!

A dog and his ball...

2010-12-29T18:13:00.000+02:00

(click for full size image)

After taking a week off and not drawing anything... it was time to dust off the watercolours and sketchbooks...

Illustration Friday: Prehistoric

2010-12-08T18:09:00.000+02:00

(click image for full size view)

Pen & ink, photoshop and too much coffee...

Illustration Friday: Sneaky

2010-11-22T16:40:00.000+02:00

(click for full size image)

Mollie was so engrossed by her new book, she didn't notice that sneaky elephant trying to steal her cheese and tomato sandwich.

Pen & ink, watercolours.

I drew a Scotty

2010-11-16T09:26:00.000+02:00

(click for full size image)

I drew a Scotty -- I think he's kinda cute...one of my favourite kind of dogs.

Fun with pen, inks and watercolours.

Thabo's New Treehouse

2010-11-12T16:22:00.002+02:00

(click for full size view)

Thabo felt safe up in his new treehouse... until he heard some suspicious rustling in the bushes. Uh-oh, it must be some icky girls sneaking up on him... that can only mean trouble.

(Pens, brushes, ink, watercolours and fun)

IF: Afterwards

2010-11-10T12:51:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size)

My take on this week's Illustration Friday theme: "Afterwards".

Hi ho, hi ho... I drew a dwarf

2010-11-09T09:34:00.001+02:00

I drew this little fella quite spontaneously straight with a pen... immediatedly liked the result :-)

Daubed in a bit of photoshop colour just to finish him off.

Did the Vikings invent water skiing?

2010-11-08T16:55:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size)

Vikings are always fun to draw...no, really :-)

I guess I was a little impatient with the loose digital colouring I applied to the line drawing... but hey, I think it works.

For the birds

2010-11-04T14:53:00.000+02:00

This morning's coffee doodle from the "In Flight" sketchbook.

Questionable aerodynamics at work

2010-10-28T12:39:00.001+02:00

Not letting the laws of physics get in the way...quick little drawing on the theme of "In Flight" in my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project.

Winifred was a gentle soul

2010-10-26T14:59:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size)

A little Tuesday morning doodle...

I'm in the moood for...

2010-10-21T16:23:00.000+02:00

Quickie idea... a bit stretched... you either get it or ... never mind :-)

Illustration Friday: Beneath

2010-10-02T18:43:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size)

I'll let this picture speak for itself... a quick, loose and spontaneous ink drawing with a bit of photoshop treatment.

Party Whale

2010-10-01T12:36:00.004+02:00

(click for full size image)

In the dark depths beneath the ocean waves, it's a well known fact that whales don't like surprise birthday parties and even lie about their age.

Age old conflict between good and evil...

2010-09-29T12:20:00.000+02:00

(click for full size)

The age old battle between good and evil...and boxers and y-front underpants... who knows how it will end?

Old Fashioned

2010-09-28T08:02:00.000+02:00

(click for full size)

Nothing like a bit of old fashioned jazz to soothe the soul...

One elephant and three birds

2010-09-24T11:57:00.000+02:00

A little whimsical pen, ink and digital colour pic for today...

The Birthday Cake

2010-09-20T16:21:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size)

For her birthday, Mollie wanted the MOSTEST-BIGGEST CAKE EVER!!... and it would take quite some precarious acrobatics to reach the top and blow out the candle... even with her friend Thabo trying his best to hold the ladder steady.

Below a close-up detail of the above illustration... click on it to see the full size image.

The flying hippo

2010-09-19T16:19:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size)

This idea was prompted by this week's Illustration Friday theme, "Acrobat."

I chuckled while drawing it, hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Lion at the beach!

2010-09-16T09:54:00.000+02:00

(click for full size)

A little fun illustration expressing the joy at the arrival of Summer down here in the southern hemisphere.

(...and who says lions don't like to swim?)

IF: Proverb

2010-09-14T12:05:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

It's better to give than to receive... but in the case of Aunt Amelia's hand-knitted sweaters, Mollie's not so sure.

Illustration Friday: Dessert

2010-09-08T12:51:00.001+02:00

(click for full size image)

For Illustration Friday's theme of "Dessert" -- also in anticipation of the arrival of summer down here in the southern hemisphere.

(digitally coloured up sketch drawn in a lined notebook)

On the prowl

2010-09-03T16:12:00.000+02:00

(click for full size)

Hungry kitty on the prowl. That sparrow for lunch was pretty good, and now she's on the hunt for some dessert... a little 'mousse', perhaps?

Horny

2010-09-03T06:00:00.003+02:00

(click for full size views)

Fitting through standard size doorways is a real bitch, and no jumping up and down indoors... (watercolours, pen and ink and a good cuppa coffee...)

Illustration Friday: Immovable

2010-09-02T15:26:00.002+02:00

(click on image for full size)

Rufus was a big dog... a very big dog.

"I'm sure we're feeding him too much," Mollie thought to herself.

Wings

2010-09-02T14:19:00.001+02:00

(click for full size view)

"Once she scored the prime spot on a prime pedestal... there was no moving her off it."

Girl, wings, pedestal, flying helmet and goggles... quick, whinsical and enjoyable lunch time pen, ink and watercolour piece.

The Simian Barkeeper

2010-08-27T06:00:00.001+02:00

(click for full size)

Despite their grumpy appearance, Gorilla Barkeepers are actually good listeners and often can make a mean banana daiquiri (if you ask nicely)

The jackal's new red sneakers

2010-08-26T08:13:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

A little pen, ink and watercolour sketch from yesterday's lunchtime drawing break... looks like the croc is jealous of the jackal's new red sneakers... that, or he's hungry.

Illustration Friday: Atmosphere

2010-08-23T11:12:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Loose pen, ink and watercolour sketch for this week's Illustration Friday theme: Atmosphere.

Model Citizen

2010-08-19T09:24:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

A personal piece drawn in reaction and in support of fellow cartoonists and journalists fighting against unconstitutional media restrictions proposed by the South African government.

A man, his 'fro and his pet monkey

2010-08-09T17:51:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size)

Digital illustration I did today for a online magazine called Mahala -- was a lot of fun to do.

Captain Atom's Random Thought Of The Day

2010-07-25T12:18:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size)

Random ballpoint sketch... a bit of digital colour experimentation... and there it is.

Freckles

2010-07-21T08:00:00.001+02:00

Detail from a brush pen sketch I found in the archives and liked it so much I decided to share it again.

Dancing Dave

2010-07-20T11:15:00.001+02:00

(click for full size view)

Dave hit the dancefloor with serious intent... but it didn't take him very long to realise that raves were not his thing.

(quickie ballpoint sketch.. quickie photoshop treatment)

A horse with no name...

2010-07-14T10:35:00.002+02:00

(click for full size)

Dear Diary,

Today I rode through the desert on a horse with no name,

It felt good to be out of the rain.
In the desert you can remember your name,

'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain...
... except that my ass hurts... la, la, la, la....

(loose pen and ink drawing adapted for Illustration Friday: Diary)

Big Hair Monday

2010-07-12T09:00:00.003+02:00

(click for full size)

Big Hair Mondays... also available on Tuesdays or any other day of the week, for that matter.

Illustration Friday: Diary

2010-07-11T17:29:00.000+02:00

It's a lonely business being a fashion pioneer... pen, ink, photoshop and too much coffee... for Illustration Friday: Diary.

Illustration Friday: Giant

2010-07-08T16:09:00.001+02:00

(click for full size)

Inquisitive giants in purple swimming trunks can be a real menace on the beach these days.

Quick brush and ink doodle with photoshop colours for Illustration Friday's theme: "Giant"

Hippo testing the waters

2010-07-07T12:25:00.000+02:00

(click on image for full size)

Posted this image a while back as basic pen and ink lineart... finally got round to adding in some watercolours. Am quite happy how the posture and the toe in the water came out.

Mollie on top of the world

2010-07-01T16:05:00.002+02:00

(click on image for full size image)

While visiting the game reserve, the irrepressible Mollie makes friends with a giraffe and shows off her balancing skills high above the tree tops... she certainly has no fear of heights.

Encounter on the Plains of Camdeboo

2010-06-29T17:48:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Drew this up this afternoon after getting bored with working on some animation key drawings...

All Quiet on the Western Front

2010-06-22T09:38:00.001+02:00

(Click on image for full size view)

From yesterday's late night sketching session... sepia added in photoshop.

Meowrrr! Hiss!

2010-06-21T11:57:00.001+02:00

Sadly, this is probably my first non-work drawing in nearly three weeks... not quite a feline self-portrait.

GO BAFANA BAFANA!!

2010-06-02T13:15:00.001+02:00

A hearty Madam & Eve welcome to the whole world to the 2010 FOOTBALL WORLD CUP in SOUTH AFRICA!!

Illustration Friday: Slither

2010-05-30T16:43:00.002+02:00

For this week's Illustration Friday theme: Slither

A man, his moustache, a stripy yellow pair of speedos, the beach...

2010-05-26T07:00:00.003+02:00

...enough said.

Kitty's thought for the day.

2010-05-24T19:57:00.002+02:00

...even though it's still far too EARLY for supper.

Thought for the day

2010-05-21T12:24:00.001+02:00

Leopold the Lion's thought for the day... it's remarkably concise, deep and philosophical... if you speak Lion, that is.

Illustration Friday: Equipment

2010-05-19T22:52:00.002+02:00

(Click on image for full size view)

For this week's Illustration Friday theme: Equipment

Pen and ink and a dash of watercolours... had great fun doing this one.

Pork is the word...

2010-05-13T15:11:00.001+02:00

Pork Chop meets Andy Warhol... sort of... maybe not.

Footballer

2010-05-12T17:57:00.001+02:00

(click for full size view)

Loose 10 minute quickie brushpen sketch... a dollop of digital colours... presto.

Maria opened the door...

2010-05-11T08:00:00.002+02:00

(click on image for full size)

Maria opened the door... and I could immediatedly see she was having a bad day ... (loose pencil a-doodling...)

Vot did you say?

2010-05-10T17:17:00.001+02:00

(click on image for full size view)

Mr Bohlwinkel couldn't believe what he was hearing... (close up of loose pen sketch... and even looser watercolours)

A little red number...

2010-05-06T08:17:00.001+02:00

(click on image to enlarge)

A little something from the archives...

It was a hot day down by the river

2010-04-18T14:49:00.003+02:00

It was a hot day down by the river and Lithabeth the Hippo preferred to and stay under her umbrella and keep out of the sun and always think happy thoughts (to avoid getting wrinkles).