Today's Sunday Strip In Its Entirety

This is the first Sunday Strip to include the revised Ollie and Quentin logo. If you remember I was having trouble with people referring to it as "Obble and Quentin".

Actually, I quite like "Obble" for a name. Too late.

"Where do you get your ideas?" #581

This may seem a bit macabre but there was a happy ending so I don't feel so bad.

To Story Arc or Not to Story Arc

I love writing story arcs. Developing a juicy topic over a number of days is great fun. The problem is I'm not sure the standard of every strip matches that of the equivalent number of single one-offs. In an arc I usually have a couple of 'good uns' but they need linking together and it's those link strips that I worry about. At the time I'm pleased I've managed to connect them but being happy about that doesn't necessarily mean they're good strips. This series about Ollie teaching Quentin to swim was fun to do but looking back on it I only really like a couple of them. The next few weeks see arcs on a Parallel Universe, Roach Rodeo and Cosmetic Surgery and I'd say the same worry applies here. The good ones are great fun but the link strips bother me a bit. Ah well.

Doodle Drawing

The difference between my 'instinctive, doodle' drawing and my other work is enormous! This is a page from my sketchpad and below is a speeded up movie of the same kind of drawing. I tend to draw like this when we're on holiday. I simply clear my mind, put pen to paper and watch what comes out. It's total free drawing straight from the heart or hand or head or somehere. One line leads on to the other, I have no idea what is going to happen. What interests me is the difference between this instinctive drawing and the kind of artwork I produce when I think about it. I really don't like most of the cartoon artwork I produce in my day job. It's too simple and well, boring, but thankfully, quite commercial so I can just about earn a living at it. I would say only one in a hundred pictures might be good enough to end up on my personal website. I do like the look of my comic strip but again, the linework is very different from the doodle work I enjoy so much.

Biggest Tintin Page in the World

I'm a huge Tintin fan so I was thrilled when Mike Lynch's excellent blog alerted me to this. It's a giant printed Tintin page from Herge's book The Adventures of Tintin: Destination Moon which is seen here in Brussels' Grand Place in Belgium. The 32m x 21m page is printed on a series of thermo welded sheets weighing 350kg and covering 672 sqm. I read that there's to be a new Tintin movie due for release in 2011 starring Jamie Bell as Tintin and James Bond actor Daniel Craig as the villain. It's co-produced by Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg. Don't know them.

The bit they chop off...

Talking Photoshop

Apple N.

I've noticed I'm speaking, well, 'thinking' in a different language when coloring my cartoon strip on computer. Having scanned my hand drawn artwork I then put everything together in Photoshop. The whole time I'm thinking Photoshop Keyboard shortcuts. As a Mac user I call the command button Apple ('cos of the apple on it) so I'm thinking things like: Apple O, E, Z, L, Clear, Apple Shift S, Z, Option Drag, Apple D, Space Bar etc etc, you get the picture. I guess all computer users are doing this but it's only just dawning on me quite how much of the day I'm just thinking in these, often, single letters. And who hasn't thought Apple Z (undo) when making a mistake in the "real" world?

Apple S, Apple Q.

Sense of Humor

If I had to choose 1 strip that sums up my comic strip I would probably choose this one. Not necessarily because it's the funniest (although I do like it) but for me it says a great deal about who Ollie and Quentin are and the kind of humor I like.

"Where do you get your ideas?" #568

I write my strips in coffee shops on a Thursday. I normally come home for lunch but a couple of weeks back I decided I'd buy a panini instead. Ollie's first speech bubble is exactly what I said to myself after I'd eaten it.

Today's Sunday Opening Panel

In case you read today's strip online here's the opening panel that (annoyingly) gets dropped.

Text and Voices

I like seeing my strip translated into Swedish. Somehow the language really suits Ollie and Quentin. It's a shame that they haven't chosen to use different typefaces for the different characters. I'm not sure anyone's ever noticed but I have different fonts to reflect the voices of the different characters. I think it's because I come from a graphic design background where I had to choose typefaces to reflect certain products and particular messages. Quentin's font is meant to reflect his slightly croaky shouty voice. Ollie's is a calmer quieter font. Nobby has a traditional comic strip typeface and all other characters such as eggs, cockroaches, flies, spiders etc have a childish scribbly typeface. As if they've only just learned to speak and their voices haven't fully developed yet.

Spot the Mistake

My daughter and I went to an open day at the fabulous Royal College of Music in London yesterday. (Boy is there some musical talent studying there). On our way back to the underground station we saw this London Bus on the road. Can you mot the spistake?

Earth Day

This is the first of two Ollie and Quentin Earth Day strips this year, the second being er...tomorrow. I quite enjoyed thinking about environmental topics so might try and do a whole week next year. Happy Earth Day Everyone!

Please recycle this strip when you've finished with it.

Animating Stand Up v Comic Strips

This is brilliant! Animating stand up comedy really works.

It got me thinking about animating comic strips. IMHO I don't think it ever works. Whenever I see an animated comic strip it just falls flat for me. I think our art is to make the reader work a little for the punchline. We set them off and there are a few pointers along the way but they should do the rest. They should fill in the movement, the voices, the timing, they have to 'get' the joke themselves not let someone else do the work for them. Animation is a whole different ball game and an art of its own. Of course you can take the characters of a great strip and turn it into a great tv or movie animation (I'm looking forward to seeing the Pooch Cafe animation) but, for me, animating individual jokes just isn't as funny.

PS. I hope the creators of the fantastic strips that are being animated at the moment don't take this as a criticism of their strips. Their work is the best out there and deserves any extra effort and attention given to it. It just doesn't work for me:)

Feathers McGraw

I don't mind admitting that I'm a huge fan of Wallace and Gromit, especially the incredibly brilliant "Wrong Trousers". Although not intentional (honest) I can see some similarities between Feathers McGraw and Ollie. Both look somewhat like a skittle or ten pin, have dots for eyes and no mouth. Ollie, however, is not so evil.

Wallace and Gromit Rocket

Now, where have I seen that rocket before?

"Where do you get your ideas?" #582

Today I took delivery of an iphone. Ooooooh!

Uncle Derek

Uncle Derek is my Uncle Derek, sadly no longer with us. Christmases just aren't the same without him.

(Oh, and that comma in the last panel was added by someone else which is why the "Ooh" is touching the keyline. Must have a word with them about centering text).

Me? Fussy?

Sunday Title Panel

Comics Kingdom and a lot of newspapers drop the title panel on Sunday strips which is a shame when you've gone to great lengths to produce such an enticing, attractive and detailed opening frame as today's.

Website Samples Update

Click here to see a whole load of new Ollie and Quentin samples.

Ollie and Quentin in Sweden

For the Swedes amongst you here's an Ollie and Quentin strip that's been translated and used as one of the samples for readers over there to vote on. The samples make me cringe as they are taken from my first few weeks in syndication. One or two stand the test of time despite the awful artwork. Can you guess what this joke is?

Update:
I think I got that wrong. It looks like O&Q are running continuously on that site. My guess is they're using the older strips to set the scene rather than come in where we are at the moment. My editor said that might happen sometimes.

I don't get it...

This strip featured on the comicsidontunderstand website so here's my simple explanation..

Rosie has been out on date with someone else and is cruelly rubbing Quentin's face in it.

Wonder Squirm

Every now and again I rework a "pre-syndication" strip. This one ran back in 2005 when I first introduced Supergull and Wonderworm. Usually I like to think I improve on them but in this case I definitely prefer the original (despite the dreadful drawings and color). Quentin looks good sulking like that though.

Concept, Text, Pencils, Approval, Ink and Color

Can you believe I referred to Jackson Pollock as "that splashy type artist" in my notebook? I quite liked making a "Picasso of yourself" but Pollock is such a brilliant name I had to use it.

Sunday Suckers - The Director's Cut

Here's the unedited version of today's strip which includes the forbidden word "suck" that I reluctantly had to drop.

Red Nose Day

Yesterday was Comic Relief's "Red Nose Day" here in the UK. It's a great day of comedy and silliness in aid of those less fortunate in the UK and across Africa. From helping a child growing up with domestic violence, a dad living with mental health problems or a lonely older person with dementia living down the road, to supporting orphans and desperately poor communities in Africa. It's a fantastic charity and something Ollie and Quentin are keen to support. Here's Quentin getting into the spirit of the day.

Friday the 13th

I may have committed a cardinal comic strip sin today by interrupting a series with this Friday the 13th strip. I missed last month's because I was in mid series but was damned if I was going to wait till November to use it. We pick up the superhero story again tomorrow.

"Where do you get your ideas?" Example #513

Sat in a coffee shop writing my strip when a girl on the table opposite declared to her friend that she "Couldn't live without Desperate Housewives."

Obble and Quentin

A couple of times I've heard Ollie and Quentin referred to as "Obble" and Quentin. This is a concern I had when I first drew up the logo but didn't listen to those nagging doubts. On saturday I was taking a kids cartoon workshop and showed them my comic strip when one of them yelled out "Obble and Quentin" and I thought "That's it! I'm changing that damn logo!" Here it is.

Ollie & Quentin's first year (and a bit)

I'm trying to teach myself Apple's iMovie HD program which is why I keep producing these silly movies. Sorry if they're getting boring but they're a great way for me to learn.

Up to date

I started syndication with a large bank of completed strips (probably 5-6 months worth) which gave me the luxury of not having to produce at least 7 a week in my first year. Up till now I've probably been doing 5-6 a week. Now that time is over. My sundays are bang up to date and I'm only a week ahead with completed daily strips (and 2-3 weeks of approved roughs). Thing is, I prefer it this way. I seem to work well under pressure. My writing has improved and I think I'm now producing some of my best work so far. I'm enjoying it all much more too. In the early months there was some fear surrounding syndication, I was running scared a bit, now I'm much more relaxed despite the deadlines snapping at my heels. It was good having that bank of completed work to begin with because it's given me the time to grow into the demands of this wonderful, wonderful job.

Website Update

I've updated the front page of my Ollie and Quentin Website. It now includes a link to an interview I did a while back and also has a link to one of my stupid trailers which I've enjoyed making but really don't have the time to do. I'll update the samples page when I get a minute.