But really, how?!?

on September 24, 2023 at 8:35 am

Although issues #1 and #2 have a bit of me in them (anything odd, that’s me!) issue #3 really hit a lot more to home.

One thing? The fear of dating in this day and age…

Like, I’ve been in a relationship for almost 20 years now and all is good but man, how do people navigate through the dating world these days? Back then there was the no apps, you had the internet but the big thing was still the chance of meeting someone in a pub or club (other venues are available I believe…)

But yeah, every now and then I have a moment of fear and wonder ‘Wait, what if I had to start dating again?!?’

And that’s one of my odd fears (that HOPEFULLY will never have to play out!)

Anyhoo, more soon! Bear bugs!

PS. Seriously, how do you navigate the dating world these days?

Jukebox rules!

on September 9, 2023 at 10:33 am

So a lot of Fenton’s idiosyncrasies (worryingly) come from myself (write about what you know, right?) but one particular scene from issue #3 got me pushing a bit of my randomness on to Tabitha and her jukebox rules.

I have a lot more rules in my head but just didn’t have the room to fit them all in!

Please @ us on Twitter if you have your own jukebox rules. Like, is it just me that thinks this?!?

Oh, and if you haven’t already, please do check out issue #3 of Fenton Hud which is still free to read over at Issuu!

More soon! Bear hugs!

Line work all done on issue #10!

on September 9, 2023 at 10:13 am

I mean, I’d like to say ‘The artwork is all done’ but then it still needs to be coloured…

But yes! The big part of putting together the book is now complete! This took a good while to get done and worse still as I kept splitting work between this and Fenton Hud – plus I did very little overall planning for this issue – I had to go back and do a lot of redrawing and rewriting. Like, A LOT.

Seriously, there’s a panel where Griff has his Bur Claws on (the things on his arms in the picture below) and then the next panel they disappeared only to come back again the panel afterwards! Messy…

Oh, I also realise I still have the backgrounds to do so maybe this issue isn’t anywhere near as completed as I think it is… Oops.

Still, we’re getting there! More soon! Bear hugs!

I’m a model!

on August 20, 2023 at 2:01 pm

I’ve had to use myself (and my partner) as reference a few times in Fenton Hud but not a full body shot as I did for page 6 of issue #3 and man, it took a good few goes to get the angle right!

The toughest thing was getting the angle of my foot right where it would lay flat. It just wasn’t possible in the limited space we had to take the photo so I ended up taking a separate photo of my shoe and then drew around that for the final picture.

As for the name R.E.A.L.L.Y?, it started with the acronym and then working crazy hard to find words that would fit. And sure, ‘Yammering’ was a bit of a stretch but it got the job done!

And an organisation that just agrees with you without giving any opposing advice? I mean, I find it hard to believe that such a place doesn’t already exist! I guess it’s the next evolutionary step for ‘yes men’.

Hmm, maybe I should trademark the concept or something..?

Anyways, more soon! Bear hugs!

P.S. The guy in the background was a composite of a bunch of pictures that I then drew over and made a few additional edits to. I assure you, I don’t own a futon (although it would be kinda cool if I did!)

Location, location, location!

on August 12, 2023 at 10:45 am

All the outdoor location photos I took for the different issues of Fenton Hud all from around London and I have strong memories of taking them even though in some cases they’re a few years old! I could tell you even from what small part you see in a panel where I took the picture!

Up until this issue the indoor shots just made up but with this one I tied things more to places I’ve been here in London or references to my own personal life.

The opening panel with Fenton was taking on a back street in Soho. It doesn’t link to the following panel which is from some work that was getting done (it’s finished now but I still have no idea what it is) next to Vauxhall Bridge. Man, unlike the Soho pick that was nice and simple the Vauxhall Bridge shot required me pressing my camera up against some fencing and then zooming in. It was awkward and the weather was kinda nasty but I’m happy with the result.

Actually, that panel is two shots put together. Heston’s destroyed building is from Vauxhall Bridge but the pavement is from Cheapside and taken from the first floor balcony of One New Change.

The coffee shop that Tabitha is in was made up but also linked to my time when I worked as a barista (I loved that job and still do even though that was well over twenty years ago!)

The bar that Cuddles is at is a mash-up of the Kings Arms on Poland Street and Retro Bar on George Court (just off the Strand). The dimensions and spacing are made up but certainly both bars were used for inspiration.

As a side note (and not related to location) the final panel from Tabitha’s arc shows her mobile’s lock screen image which was a straight copy of a panel from page 21 of Issue #1 (the page that gave you Cuddles’ backstory). I liked the picture and I figured why not reuse it?! It’s always good to recycle!

More soon! Bear hugs!