the banal pig

banal pig on the move

2008-04-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

hello pals! long time no write. i have been working on my new look blog and ting, over here at www.banalpig.com/blog. if you have bookmarked this blog, please change it to t'new un, cos i'm not gonna post here anymore. goodbye.

banal pig's funnies book

2008-04-06T07:54:00.000-07:00

here's the cover for the funnies book which i'm doing in time for bristol. it should be quite nice- its landscape A5, full colour throughout and hopefully will have a strip on every single page. it collects the best of the web funnies, plus a few unseen new ones by me, and some more new guest strips too. it's my first venture into full colour publishing, so it's going to a bit more pricey, but i think it'll be worth it. by the way, if anyone reading this is doing a guest funnie for me, i'd appreciate it as soon as possible so i can get it to t'printers.

devastating changes which affect us all

2008-03-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

meanwhile, the winds of change are blowing through banal pig towers (first floor flat) like a man whistling over a ropey 80's ballad.
firstly, i have decided that because banal pig 4 is destined to be the greatest comic ever seen, i am going to take my time to make every detail as perfect as the last, if not more perfect. therefore, i am not going to rush to finish it in time for the bristol expo. dry those tears though, because i have decided to do a FULL COLOUR print edition of the best of the banal pig web funnies, featuring some more guest artists (and probably some new ones too) in time for Bristol. hurray! therefore, make the most of the funnies page as it stands now as i may be removing it from view.
also, i shall be consolidating all my web-based activity in an uber-site, with an online shop and everything, coming very soon (when i work out how the internet works)

'citing!

infamy, infamy!

2008-03-26T11:56:00.000-07:00

i am interviewed by oliver east on the daily crosshatch. i must be famous.

web and mini comix thing and ting

2008-03-24T08:46:00.001-07:00

so another web and mini comix thing over with (i realise the stall looks very much the same as all the other shows we've done), and it was pretty, pretty good. we sold well, better than last year and quite a few pig lovers went home happy with their fan club packs. i thought about keeping a record of who was officially in the fan club but then gareth talked me out of it.
it seemed to have a reasonable turnout despite the weather, and it went really fast i thought. there was quite a few decent comics there too, and i bought loads of stuff (last year i didnt buy nuffing). i shall probably write a few words about the stuff i bought later, but i've got to give a shout out to good old Jim Medway, a great guy who had a very lovely stall, full of quality gear.

cheers for everyone who visited by the way, expecially those who splashed their cash.

reminder

2008-03-21T01:40:00.000-07:00

if one were needed, that we shall be peddling our wares at the Web and Mini Comix Thing tomorrow. I hope we shall see you there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!xox!

banal pig fan club stuff revealed!

2008-03-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

here's the picture you've all been waiting for probably. this is what you will get if you buy a banal pig fan club pack: a badge (with about 8 designs to choose from), the three track banal pig ep, a full colour poster, a certificate and of course the banal pig completist comic, featuring lots of unseen stuff from me and gareth! sweet!

banal pig 4 letter

2008-03-11T00:47:00.000-07:00

dear sir or madam

please find attached some pictures from banal pig 4. i hope to get this comic finished by the bristol expo in may, but have unfortunately not finished a page yet. they are plain jane (and her friend whose name is also jane), untitled cat, uncle ken and homeless goose. thanks for your time, and i look forward to hearing from you.

regards

steve tillotson

suggest me happy

2008-02-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

hello pig lovers! i am currently making the badges for the many aforementioned fanclub pack. i am currently doing a banal pig one, a man man one, a jolly bear one and a fun coconut one, and an incompetent shark one. does anyone have any other ideas that they'd like to see, and more importantly proudly sport on their breast?

first look! banal pig fan club comic exclusive.

2008-02-20T11:04:00.000-08:00

yes here's the cover mock up for the comic which will be in the fan club pack. featuring unseen comics from me and gareth, stuff i've done for anthologies and that as well. yes for all you banal pig "completists", this is the thing for you!!!!

Movie

2008-02-11T01:31:00.000-08:00

Millionaire hedonist orphan playboy Zack Smith works hard and plays hard- to the extreme. Drug-fuelled orgies with prostitutes are a regular occurrence at Smith’s Manhattan bachelor pad, That is, until one night something amazing happens which will change his life forever…

As usual Smith falls into a stupor, surrounded by a collection of call girls, but when he wakes something is different. He can’t quite put his finger on it, until a tiny voice calls out for help. He looks around, but the apartment seems empty until he spots a spider in the corner of his eye. Yes, the spider is talking to him! It turns out that the spider is none other than the beautiful prostitute he recently had sex with, and she has been transformed into a spider by a magical curse placed upon her by her pimp!

She needs Zack Smith’s help to find the pimp and reverse the spell, but he is self-obsessed and never helps anyone but himself, and what is more, he has arachnophobia so is scared of spiders! Days pass, and the spider tries in vain to persuade him to help, but he is stubborn. Finally, she convinces him by telling him that the spell is activated when the prostitutes fall in love, so that they don’t fall in love with the punters, but she couldn’t help herself- she loves him!

No-one has ever loved Zack before, so he decides to change his ways and set out to find the magical pimp, but can he defeat the powerful wizard, and can he overcome the fear of the spider who loves him?

Yes. When he kills the pimp and the girl gets changed back, she confesses that the spell wasn’t caused by love but because she stole some crack from the magic pimp, but that doesn’t matter because now she actually does love him, and he doesn’t mind because he loves her too as she has changed his life for the better with this exciting adventure!

long time no time

2008-02-09T04:09:00.000-08:00

hello friends! sorry i havent had time to chat recently, all kinds of doings have been transpiring. i have now got the poster printed for the pack, and i think it looks great. i am very pleased. i think it seems a shame to fold it, but its a bit cumbersome to be lugging about at A3 size.

i've got other stuff about to be revealed too, and i'll keep you posted.

brand new funny

2008-01-21T02:57:00.000-08:00

yes friends it's been a while, but there's a new funny up over on banal pig funnies.

(dont hold your breath for any more though, as i am extraordinarily busy).

bp fan club on facebook

2008-01-19T04:18:00.000-08:00

hello

if you are on facebook (who isnt?) why not join the banal pig fan club group, and befriend me too if you havent already please, it makes me feel like i'm not alone in this weary world.

(there's also groups for trains are mint and monkeys might puke if you're into that sort of thing)

badges

2008-01-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

hooray! i've bought a badgemaker.
i think the fan club pack will have a new comic featuring bp and man man, a poster, a badge and a music cd. what about that pig lovers!

here's a little sketch from something i'm working on, more of which later....

new untitled cat

2008-01-07T09:27:00.000-08:00

here's something new for you pig lovers! i'm doing this for a forthcoming issue of meat magazine which is concentrating on british alternative comics. those of you with eagle's eyes will spot the character "untitled cat" from the web funnies, albeit slightly less ugly, and another character whose name is john. the strip is rather silly, and is also an exercise in fancy hatching.

banal pig 4 is also continuing apace, and i'm going to buy a badgemaker this week. sweet!

Banal Pig's Review of the Year 2007 (Part Two)

2007-12-30T08:12:00.000-08:00

Here it is, more reminiscences of times past.

July

I couldn’t really remember why it took so long to get Jolly Bear 2 out, but this is the reason:

“At the moment i'm working on a few bits. As well as JBFCSS2, of which you will no doubt be aware, i'm doing something for Monkeys Might Puke aka sleazy Dan Lester's anthology about Mickey Rourke, if there was a prize for most esoteric comic, that'd win it. i might do some awards.
Also, Jess Bradley is doing an anthology about animals which i'm doing something for, and not to mention the Rok Comics stuff and there's also a competition to get a comic in the observer which i'm certainly having a crack at. there's also this victorian horror story thing that’s been bubbling away for ages that i've got to get finished.”

Well, the Mickey Rourke anthology has still to see the light of day, as has Jess’s anthology (which I haven’t finished the thing for yet). The rok comics thing dragged out until October, and I’ve still to do the Victorian horror thing. I also did something for Jim Medway's Garden Funnies which should be out soon. The Observer thing was my main priority at the time I think, and inevitably no cigar for stevie t- more of which later.

August

we went to Caption for the first time in august:

“A lot of the small press veterans bang on about it as one of the big events in the calendar, so we were a bit surprised to see a rather poky room with not a lot going on (and not a lot of comics) when we got there, and having to pay a fiver to get in seemed a bit steep. The trouble is that people turn up throughout the day bringing their stuff, so if you got there early, you would be gutted, and not necessarily realise there was more to come, so you go home empty handed because there wouldnt be anything to hang around for. The idea of caption is really good though, you leave your comics and they sell them for you for 10% commission -peanuts compared with the cost of a table at one of the big expos, or even the web and mini comix thing, and of course you only have to give them money when you sell something”.

I sold well though so I cant grumble, although I don’t know how cost effective it is really to go to oxford and all that.

Also I came up with the web funnies idea, and projected my manifesto, as per the following:

“i have noticed a few things which i intensely dislike about certain strips, and as a result have come up with a few rules about how i am going to do my strip-
1- no geeky referencing of esoteric things (e.g. computer games, the internet in general, obscure films etc)
2- no boring continuous strips- the whole point is that its contained in 3 panels, if a story needs to be continued i'll do it as one long strip somewhere else
3- no "based on a true story" disclaimers”

-which I did stick to, apart from perhaps the strip based on Les Demoiselles D’avignon by Picasso, but its high brow and not fucking computer games so who cares.

I also said:

“i'm also going to stop moaning about the small press scene, and my terrible lot in life and concentrate on doing my own thing. i cant do anything about people i dont know, and i just need to keep making good entertaining work and see what happens. feel free to give me some shit if you hear me moaning.”

Hopefully I have been a bit more focused, and optimistic- I will see if there’s any more whiny blogs to come that I’ve forgotten about.

September

I submitted my entry for the aforementioned Jonathan Cape Observer graphic short story prize. I didn’t really expect to win, but I was underwhelmed by the winners. Have a look here for pdfs of the winners plus others, and see what you reckon.

Another thing about this competition was the fact that although the image was to be an arbitrary broadsheet size, they wanted the entries on A4 paper only (no cds or emailed images), which was logistically difficult, and undoubtedly meant that instead of receiving perfect electronic versions, they got ropey printouts which didn’t show off the images to their full potential.
*This isn’t moaning by the way, it is constructive criticism.

I was reminiscing about being a proper artist too, as I had a bit of time off. I wonder if I’ll ever make some beautiful fine art ever again. We’ll see (contemplative sigh).

October

I finished Jolly Bear and Fun Coconut Summer Special Two (there's a review here)in time for Birmingham, which as a comic expo was a bit disappointing; as previously mentioned Saturday was ok, but Sunday was absolutely dead. I didn’t even write a report of this, I think I was a bit sick of the whole business at the time, and wanted to crack on with the web funnies.

November

The web funnies continued until mid November, and although I said after the post-a-day for the first month I would do a few a week, I had run out of ideas, and wanted to crack on with BP4. I did get back a lot of positive feedback which was nice, but it was hard work which took up more or less all of my free time for that month. I might do another month at some stage, and I will still post as inspiration strikes me, but BP4 is my main thing at present.

I also came up with the idea of a Banal Pig Fan Club, which is to go ahead next year- stay tuned for more news- and I tried to flog some original artwork, but didn’t.

December

I have been quietly beavering away in December, and you can probably see December’s posts on this page so I wont review them.

All that remains is to thank you, dear reader, especially if you have bought or otherwise contributed to the banal pig, for your support, and hopefully we will see much more of each other next year.

Banal Pig's Review of the Year 2007 (Part One)

2007-12-29T03:20:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of many a lazy journalist at this time of year, I have decided to take a look back at the last 12 months of banal piggery, perhaps it will teach me some lessons; perhaps it will waste half an hour- we shall see.

January

January found me in chipper mood, sometimes you do get a bit enthusiastic at the promise of a new year, a new start and all that shit, even though time rolls on whatever us humans call it. I made another list of “Reasons to be cheerful” which included:

crispy bacon
Queen
unsolicited praise
rowdy blues music
puns
art that i couldnt do
snow
the smell of a pub as you walk past

aw… I am an optimist you know.

In comics, I was collating the BP Portrait Prize Anthology which was a good experience, I enjoyed the editing side of things and it was nice to put something out fairly quickly and have a mixed selection. Top Shelf’s Brett Warnock described it as “hit and miss”, which I suppose is fair enough, but I think it’s a better quality of Antho than many out there.

Also in the spirit of new opportunities, I was attempting to raise the profile of the Banal Pig brand, and I think I have done to some extent with the Web Funnies and that, but we’ve still not cracked how to engage with punters at comic expos. I think it’s impossible.

February

I did this quite decent banal pig for the web and mini comix thing anthology, but they didn’t use it for some reason. I’m not doing another one.

March

Here’s an exerpt from my report from the Web and Mini Comix thing:

"it was quite a good day, and as the punters there are our specific target market we did probably as well in one day as we usually do over the weekend at the big cons. the new anthology went down quite well and there were quite a few of the contributors there to pick up their issues. i didnt actually buy anything but there was some decent stuff there- The Sound of Drowning, Dan Locke's Green comics, Monkeys Might Puke, Beaver and Steve spring to mind - there was plenty of shite there too. Plenty of fucking awful shite. Gareth managed to get Man Man 3 out too, and we were also selling good old Oli East’s Trains Are Mint which also went down well."

We're doing it again this year, by the way.

Also this selection of Road Jokes, which I feel are worth repeating:

What does a road say when he wishes to thank you?

TAR!

Whats a Road's favourite Grandmaster Flash song?

WHITE LINES!

What does a baby road do before it can walk?

KERB CRAWLING!

But of course, March was most famous for the “Sour Grapes” post, in which I vented my frustrations about the state of british small press comics. This caused a bit of stir, particularly with those people who I (and others) vented about, and I’m not going to repeat any of it here as it is history (although you can read the post and it’s comments if you like). Maybe it was unwise to blog in such a way, but it was only the difference between me thinking it and saying it, and I didn’t think anyone would read it anyway.

April

April marked the end of the financial year, and I was contemplating my accounts thusly:

“Today i am taking stock of my comics business as the financial year is all but wrapped up. i've made a considerable loss and am wondering where my profit margins can be increased. buying a laser printer and doing the job myself is one option, not doing the big conventions, and putting up the price of the comic are all options, none of them easy. hopefully i'll get some tax back again, but i've got to start being a bit more canny, which is not the side of the business i'm interested in. any ideas?”

(Whenever I write “any ideas?” no-one ever responds. I’m the same generally. A covert blog reader but not commenter, and however I try to encourage the comments, it doesn’t make a difference.)

In relation to the above, I didn’t really make any changes, but on balance this year’s Birmingham Con was too expensive (we shouldn’t have even got out of bed on the Sunday), and I don’t think we’ll bother this year. I do feel a bit ambivalent towards money making, I am in no way a ruthless business man- I always want to give the reader value for money. This doesn’t really make my business very lucrative, but value for money is my core business plan, and it has led to repeat purchases and word of mouth and all that, and hopefully that will continue to grow.

The rest of April was Ethel Sparrowhawk previews, more of which presently.

May

Of course, May was the highlight of the comics year, the Bristol Comics Expo, the reason I busted my balls to get Ethel Sparrowhawk finished (I actually took a week off work- dedication eh?). The reason it’s my highlight is because its ten minutes down the road from my house, so there’s no extra costs and there’s plenty of people I know. Ethel went down (sold) well, and we got some nice big ups from (small press stalwart) Paul Rainey and (V for Vendetta artist) David Lloyd, and I think it was a good choice to do a change of direction at this stage, and it was a different way of working, collaborating with the lovely Jemima Von Schindelberg, to make something I certainly couldn’t have come up with on my own.

I was also contemplating a small press community website thing, where it would be easy to sell and give recommendations and that sort of thing, but to be honest I haven’t given it a second thought since then.

One thing I have learned this year is that you really have to plough your own field, do your best, work hard, etc and this brings its own rewards. No-one else is going to do it for you (me). Although I haven’t seen any tangible rewards yet, I am confident they will appear.

June

Very exciting things happened in June, yes that’s right, I won £54 on a scratchcard! Happy times.
Gareth’s website, Appalling Nonsense was created too, and I laid out my hopes and dreams for BP4:

“anyway, i was also thinking about making longer comics, and i really want to step it up a notch with banal pig 4. my current vision (sounds a bit pretentious doesnt it?) involves 2 levels of comics- i.e. a main strip and a sub-strip running alongside/under/against it, and i want to continue to develop the banal pig "universe" (again this sounds a bit poncy, but it is fairly common comic speak i think) and feature more of the peripheral characters and make the general look a bit more dense, or at least vary the layouts a bit more. this means that it wont be ready for birmingham, but i'll have JBFCSS2 and maybe another minicomic, and i've got my fingers in a few other pies.”

One thing that I always do is underestimate the time it takes to do anything. Jolly Bear 2 was just about ready for Birmingham, and I have decided to really take my time with BP4 and have it out for Bristol in May ’08, but it will be worth it- having started drawing it, it is actually still quite similar to this, but there wont be as many sub strips. I cant remember what other pies they were.

I was moaning because of my shit job, as is my wont from time to time, and I started doing the ROK comics thing, in the hope of winning $10,000 (ha!). I think all competitions are flawed, in as much as I never win them.

So that’s it for part one, the first six months, but I’ll be back soon with part two probably….

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-16T03:40:00.000-08:00

yes its nearly that time of year again. if you are on my mailing list, you will have received this electric christmas card from me today. if you would like to be on the mailing list, then send me your address. it's not really that exciting, but you might get the scoop on some exciting bp news.

thanks to everyone who commented or bought or laughed at my comics, and i hope baby jesus brings you everything you want.

lots of love

stevo xxx

not christmas yet

2007-12-08T01:33:00.000-08:00

hello.
although its a bit pointless to blog about the fact that i'm not really doing anything newsworthy at the moment, here it is anyway. i've bought an A3 scanner which i can't make work, i'm really gay for scrabulous on facebook (feel free to challenge me to a game), and i'm working on banal pig IV- citizens on patrol, which i'm working hard on (hee hee, hard on!) so it's amazing.

thanks for the fan club suggestions, i will sort that out soon- i'm gonna invest in a badge maker.

dont forget, banal pig artwork for sale- the ideal christmas and other religious festivals present, but why need an excuse?- go on treat yourself- limited stocks remaining!*

*only one of each left, except the one that i've sold, and the one i gave away.

banal pig fan club

2007-11-26T09:41:00.000-08:00

i'm thinking about starting a banal pig fan club where you get a badge which says something like "i'm a banal pig lover" and some other shit like a code cracking wheel and a patch. what did you used to get in those sort of things? a certificate and maybe an exclusive little comic or something. thats it- i'm kind of thinking of things as i'm writing, but i could include my as yet unpublished "swearing clock" too.

any more suggestions for what i could include?

who's up for being a pig lover? just send me a postcard with a pound coin sellotaped loosely to it.

portrait corner number 1

2007-11-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

here's a little thing i did ages ago which made myself laugh upon looking at it again.

meanwhile, i am roughing out banal pig 4 which is looking pretty good already i reckons. pig lovers can look forward to fez man dying in every panel, a 6 page cat dad story, 2 uncle ken stories and etceteras.

BPWF- 28 days later...

2007-11-11T07:11:00.000-08:00

Hopefully if you have looked at this blog previously, you will be well aware of Banal Pig's Web Funnies . The idea was for me to have a go at a 3 panel strip for a month to see if i was capable of churning a strip out every day. Well, i've done it so the churn isnt in question, but is it any kop? let me know what you think. details over there........

blast from the blast

2007-11-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

i found this sketch whilst googling myself from here. it's from my first ever con, brighton 2005, where i was naive and innocent. no-one asks me to do sketches at cons anymore because i am an intimidating physical presence.
also i found this lady, who likes our comics, and does some quite nice stuff herself.

steBay

2007-11-04T06:33:00.000-08:00

any pig lovers out there thinking about what to get their beloved for christmas look no further! for i am officially flogging all my original art from the banal pig comics at the rock bottom, stone cold bargain price of £50! they're A3 size on nice thick paperstock and obviously are much nicer as drawings than laserprints.

Also. if you like any of the web funnies, i'll do them for £20- theyre 1/3 of A3 size and its just the line art (the colouring's done on computers and that).

please contact me for more details if you're interested- discounts for bulk buys available. have a look here for a reminder of whats on offer, or look at all the comics that you obviously own

joke of the day

2007-10-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

how do you kill zombies?
-make loads of really shit comics about them!

ha ha!

seriously though, how are you?

banal pig funnies

2007-10-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

so i'm doing alright so far, nearly half way through and i've still got enough ideas to keep me going for a week or so. the trouble is, my scanner's deteriorating so i can only scan in two thirds of the page at a time, which is a bit of a pain in the balls, and if it gets any worse i wont be able to do it. drawing the strips is fairly easy- i do them in my lunch hour at work, but scanning and colouring them when i get home is a bit of a pain, especially when i want to go out on an evening. i keep thinking that i'll do a few in one go to keep me going, but i can never be arsed, the one you see on a morning is the one i finish the night before, the pixels have only just dried by the time it gets to you.

its an interesting learning experience, and good i think to not be so precious about the strips, just bang them out, and i'm now looking forward to starting BANAL PIG IV- the quest for peace, after this month of strips has finished.

go on then...

2007-10-18T09:24:00.000-07:00

well seen as everyone's sticking them up, here's my observer blah blah cape and ting. it seems like all us losers have posted as a cathartic experience, and talk of a collection is a good idea i reckons. there's more to see here: http://www.drawanyway.com/2007/10/16/cartoons-the-observercape-winners-and-some-worthy-entrants/ cant be arsed hotlinking, including jim medway's, which is really good, and oli east's is on his blog (trains are mint link, left)

i would have coloured it in if i had the time, but i didnt.

banal pig funnies up and running

2007-10-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

yes, pals, as promised, for the next month or so, i will be posting a brand new and exclusive strip EVERY DAY (hopefully) on Banal Pig's Web Funnies. All comments will be gratefully received and please tell your mates.

i will do my best to keep to this gruelling (self-inflicted) schedule, but its probably likely that i'll miss a few days, but my plan is to ease off after a month but still do a couple a week, after the initial burst to get people hooked, you know.

Today's Strip: Space Whale versus Space Kraken.

Birmingham

2007-10-11T23:46:00.000-07:00

Hello pals.

Hopefully it goes without saying that i will be presenting my wares at the Birmingham International Comics show this weekend. I know my loyal commentators will be there, but if there are any casual pig lovers out there who fancy a trip to the picturesque west midlands this weekend, then do it! The repeatedly aforementioned JBFCSS2 is now back from the printers and looking fancy, and we'll have all the good stuff, including Gareth Brookes' new book "The Smell of the Wild".
Good old Oliver East will also be joining us, and i understand he'll be bringing not only his excellent Trains are Mint series, but some of Jim Medway's books as well.

Cor Blimey! Why would you want to go to any other stall?

finished

2007-10-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

yes yes oh yay, Jolly Bear & Fun Coconut Summer Special Number Two is finished, and i will be whisking it to the printers first thing tomorrow. here's the cover- yes colour, and there's a nice colour painting on the back too. it will premiere at the Birmingham International Comics show this weekend, so please come and buy as many as you can afford.

p.s. this image is not a true representation of the cover, and i have no idea why it's so crazy, but i like it.

JBFCSS2 Preview

2007-10-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

yes here he is! a picture from the hotly anticipated Jolly Bear and Fun Coconut Summer Special Number 2, which will be on sale in less than 2 weeks(!) how exciting. I'd better get my arse in gear. same old same old eh? another comic convention, another mad rush to finish. i'm not gonna spoil it, but terrible things happen, as you can see, i've done it a bit painty, like.

clock i made

2007-09-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

here's the thing i made for my lovely girlfriend's birthday. a clock with a lion on it. it's based on an antique we saw that julie liked, but as i think you'll agree, it's much better.

pastel pic yeah

2007-09-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

quiet week. another nice picture. yes thats right i did do a painting based on this pic too. i found the image on the ground in walthamstow thanks for asking.

another piccy

2007-09-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

Here's another one from the vaults. i didnt like it when i did it but i think its pretty good.
Meanwhile in comics, JBFCSS2 is gathering pace like a large round cheese rolling down a steep hill, and the preparations for the all new web funnies during October continue. 'citing.

more never before seen art

2007-09-10T00:10:00.001-07:00

here's a couple of things i did a few years ago, and havent seen myself since we moved to bristol. the footballer is from my pastel phase, and the flamencos are coloured pencil (i was completely gay for coloured pencils at one stage) both pics are A1 size. i do want to get rid of a lot of my old art and prints and that but i dont want to chuck them for the sake of it, so i would be prepared to virtually give stuff away as long as it went to a good home. please contact me if you are interested.

tv guide drawings

2007-09-08T03:33:00.000-07:00

here's a couple of pictures from an old sketchbook. i used tv guides as reference material quite a lot due to their universality and their pointlessness. i used to enjoy this coloured pencil technique, and i'll post a few more things over next week. i've been a bit nostalgic about being a proper artist and i actually started a new painting yesterday.

banal pig's art appreciation society part 1

2007-09-07T00:02:00.000-07:00

have a look at this picture pig lovers, what a beauty! we saw it in a charity shop in wells yesterday and had to "snap" it (didnt buy it though). It is an image full of enigma and symbolism. for example, the little bear is obviously out of his depth, standing still in a world which is always on the move; he clutches a pencil- a creative soul? and his bow tie shows he is part of a society which values appearance over personality. he looks up to show he has aspirations- will he ever achieve them? - i hope so.

also, who wears a yellow skirt, red tights and green high heels? -i like it.

banal pig web funnies up and running!

2007-09-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

there'll be no new work up until October probably, but i'm just getting the format right by putting old stuff on there, so any feedback would be appreciated- here it is! there will be a large fanfare etc when new (and exclusive) work goes up, featuring all new Crying Dog, Benny the Ballbag (from Cat Dad) Truculent Strawberry and a new recurring feature tentatively named "Office Funniez", which is a bit of a pastiche of the usual office based rubbish humour we see so much of. Gareth "Man Man" Van Brookes will also hopefully be contributing from time to time, so it should be non-terrible.

Ah, New Look

2007-09-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Yes i thought i'd have a bit of a facelift, so to speak. What do you think? it matches my myspace too. i am however a bit chagrined that i cant put a nice little picture as a header-i've tried loads of times but it just keeps loading forever with that irritating exclamation mark in a triangle.

Banal Pig Pics Brand New

2007-09-01T06:52:00.000-07:00

New Banal Pig Pics from my entry to the observer jonathan cape thingy. these are three of the 20 panels of the strip, and i was pretty happy with it in the end, but the copy of it from my buttocks printer didnt do it loads of justice. edit- its come out a bit weird, but i like the composition on the cut off one- click on it for full image.

more daily pig

2007-08-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

i'm quite excited at the moment about doing a newspaper style strip as discussed previously, and i've been doing a bit of research into web comics and the like. i have noticed a few things which i intensely dislike about certain strips, and as a result have come up with a few rules about how i am going to do my strip-
1- no geeky referencing of esoteric things (e.g. computer games, the internet in general, obscure films etc)
2- no boring continuous strips- the whole point is that its contained in 3 panels, if a story needs to be continued i'll do it as one long strip somewhere else
3- no "based on a true story" disclaimers

thats all ive got for now, but i might think of more.

i'm also going to stop moaning about the small press scene, and my terrible lot in life and concentrate on doing my own thing. i cant do anything about people i dont know, and i just need to keep making good entertaining work and see what happens. feel free to give me some shit if you hear me moaning.

peace and love and good vibrations pig lovers!

the daily pig

2007-08-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

further to yesterday's post, i've been thinking about newspaper strips, and more specifically how rubbish they are. any city dwellers out there who have to endure a tedious commute to work will no doubt be aware of the Metro newspaper's singularly unfunny strip "nemi" (is it even meant to be funny?) and that other one 'this life'. there's also a couple in the sun, "hagar the horrible" and "george and lynne" which are also quite crap, although george and lynne transcends the crapness of the other three examples mentioned and is in a weird, sexy, terrible league of its own- thus:

we dont have the same culture of funnies pages as they do in america, i wonder if they have better ones...
the e.c. segar popeye strips are amazing, and i know there's stuff like krazy kat that old school people like but i dont really get it. also the perry bible fellowship is really good, but there's no way he does one of them each day.
i aim to discover why these strips are so rubbish. is it the three panel format which is limiting? or the sheer volume of ideas needed for a daily strip? -most probably the latter. when i am finished my current projects, probably in october, i am going do an experiment where i have to do an amusing (or not) comic strip every day for a month, and then we'll see how hard it is. i'll have to do it in my lunch break at work so i'll be limited to about 40 minutes, but it should be interesting.

why dont you try it yourself? and i'll see you next time....

ting and ting

2007-08-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

no real news on the comics front- working and that- finishing off the nice banal pig for that gosh darned obsever/jonathan cape thing, and also i'm now looking forward to the birmingham expo in a couple of months, new jolly bear for that.
i've been reading a lot about the state of the comics industry recently, how marvel and dc and that dont make any money apart from from films and toys, and the independents are lucky to break even. it amazes me how anyone makes a living in this industry. with this in mind, i dont know where my ambitions lie- should i look towards publishing my own (and other's) work on a decent scale. what about web comics? any money in that? or should i branch out- what about animation/films/toys- yeah, nice ones with lots of lead paint made by chinese people*

you need money to make money isnt it? i'd really like to make a book with two colours with really nice covers and all the rest.

i got a few comics the other day- "Hey, Wait" by Jason which is quite an old one of his but has some really nice stylistic touches, although my heart wasnt quite as broken as the quotes on the cover promised. i also got Uptight No.2 by Jordan Crane which is decent enough, and i agree with Tom Spurgeon that the format of the comic works really well and there should be more indies that look like this- 24 b&w pages with a nice colour screenprinty cover, and its pretty cheap- £1.40.

anyway, i'll repeat my request for some paid work- i'm cheap and try really hard, and if anyone wants to make cartoons of my work (for free) get in touch....

*funnily enough, someone from hong kong or somewhere sent me an email asking if i want to make a banal pig action (or should that be inaction?) figure- i'm going to see how much it is.

ANTSHREW- SHREWANTS!

2007-08-14T10:55:00.002-07:00

Yes here be another in my non-regular series of photographs of dead animals. This is a shrew, being eaten by ants.
I'm currently doing my entry for the observer competition, a deluxe banal pig strip, which i wont win, but like they say, you've got to be in it to not win it!

Caption

2007-08-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

So we went to Caption for the first time yesterday. A lot of the small press veterans bang on about it as one of the big events in the calendar, so we were a bit surprised to see a rather poky room with not a lot going on (and not a lot of comics) when we got there, and having to pay a fiver to get in seemed a bit steep. The trouble is that people turn up throughout the day bringing their stuff, so if you got there early, you would be gutted, and not necessarily realise there was more to come, so you go home empty handed because there wouldnt be anything to hang around for. The idea of caption is really good though, you leave your comics and they sell them for you for 10% commision -peanuts compared with the cost of a table at one of the big expos, or even the web and mini comix thing, and of course you only have to give them money when you sell something.

I sold surprisingly well however, i took 3 of each issue of banal pig, 3 ethel sparrowhawks and 3 anthologies, and sold all but the unsellable issue two* and two of the anthologies, which means i made nearly £30 with no effort. So there's no complaints from me, especially as we had a nice day out in oxford to boot, but it did seem for the casual small press fan there simply wasn't enough going on to justify paying £5 to get in, especially if you also had to travel to Oxford in the first place (in comparison, the Web and Mini Comix thing is £4, there was far more going on, and it is really easy to get to as its in London near a tube station).

I dont know what to suggest to improve this, and i think form a creators perspective it's important to have these events and support them, but everyone there seemed to be creators who know each other and were in their cliques, so you dont get the direct contact with the creators like at an expo (which can be a double-edged sword as i have previously mentioned, but at least you'd have someone to talk to if you liked the work). also there's events going on which we didnt see, but i never generally bother with that sort of thing anyway.

But i did well so i cant grumble.

*if i ever start a different comic series, i am not going to have an issue two because it has proved very unpopular, even though it is far better than issue one, and other comic creators have confirmed their issue twos sell badly as well.

banal pig's hot celeb goss no. 1

2007-08-05T04:12:00.000-07:00

so we goes shopping today yeah, like we normally do to bedminster asdal, and they're filming one of those "celebrities working at asda" adverts, yeah, and it was ian wright working behind the fish counter, and we got a monkfish tail, and ian wright served us. they didnt film it though, so i'm not going to be on telly. stay tuned for more hot celeb goss!

chek dis right here jb fans!

2007-07-30T06:08:00.000-07:00

so here's the latest colouring in project. all of you pig lovers will be familiar with the tale from banal pig 3, but i hope you like the pretty colours. i do. the eagle eyed amongst you will notice i've removed two "fucks" from fun coconuts dialogue to make it a bit more suitable for all ages, and the decaying corpse is obviously in good humour. consider this a teaser for jolly bear and fun coconut summer special 2, which will be ready for the birmingham expo. of course, this was done for the rok comics website, and that $10,000 prize is announced next week i think- good luck me. i'm also cracking on with the observer thingy, but the submission guidelines mean i have to draw full size, and the way i've divided up the page means the panels are tiny. oh well. i've finished my thing for the forthcoming monkeys might puke anthology, another thing ticked off the list, another thing on the bottom.

something for the weekend

2007-07-29T00:53:00.000-07:00

here's something i have done for a feller called pigeon dave, and he's organising an exhibition of these cards from drawing people all over the country. i'll post when they're all online.

leafy green jokes

2007-07-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

thanks to jvs, here they are:

how did victorian leafy greens get around london?
-hackney CABBAGE!

why was the leafy green ill at ease at the fancy dress party?
-because he looked RADDICHIO-ulous!

whats the leafy tina turner song?
-simply the CRESS!

why did the leafy green titanic sink?
-because it hit an ICEBERG LETTUCE!

let's have it!

E for Ethel Sparrowhawk

2007-07-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

David Lloyd, famous artist off V for Vendetta and everything likes Ethel Sparrowhawk, and judges you if you dont have a copy.

Fishface in (1) colour (purple)

2007-07-16T11:13:00.000-07:00

All new! Old strips coloured in!

2007-07-16T05:22:00.000-07:00

yes friends, another stab at the rok comics thing, another coloured strip. i'm not 100% happy with this, but it's ok- i'm getting a feel for colouring in and how it works. i've not done any jokes for ages have i? i'll think of some next time for yous'all, or if you want to get involved now, why not suggest a pun theme?.

Fingers In Pies

2007-07-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hullo pals! At the moment i'm working on a few bits. As well as JBFCSS2, of which you will no doubt be aware, i'm doing something for Monkeys Might Puke aka sleazy Dan Lester's anthology about Mickey Rourke, if there was a prize for most esoteric comic, that'd win it. i might do some awards.
Also, Jess Bradley is doing an anthology about animals which i'm doing something for, and not to mention the Rok Comics stuff and there's also a competition to get a comic in the observer which i'm certainly having a crack at (cheers for heads up Oli- that boy's got his finger on the pulse). there's also this victorian horror story thing thats been bubbling away for ages that i've got to get finished.

Loads o' tings, ai.

Old Pro

2007-07-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

On the advice of John Freeman, who runs rok comics, this Cat Dad strip is on the Pro section of the site, which means you'll have to pay for it if you want it on your mobile. But you know me friends, i'm not gonna rip you off, so here's part one in glorious banalcolour. oh yes. i'm quite enjoying colouring the old strips in. it gives the strips a new lease of life i think, but takes a bit of time.

Jolly Bear in colour

2007-07-01T04:13:00.000-07:00

here's the last one for a while- i've got other stuff to do and have to go back to work on tuesday (boo) also, gareth gets a heads up on top shelf's blog (click link on right, cant be bothered finding link, the hey bartender bit).

here's another

2007-06-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

yes, uncle ken in beatiful sepiatone. dont ask me why the second panel is orangey. please feel free to rate and download these things (they're free).

I'm on your mobiles

2007-06-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

not my mobile, because mine's shit, but this seems like a good idea so i'm trying it. i think i'll colour in a few old strips and put them on there too. theres also a $10,000 prize for the best new one (incentive).

Post 100, 1 year on.

2007-06-29T00:55:00.000-07:00

Yes as previously mentioned, i've racked up 100 posts in exactly 1 year, for what it's worth. As its my birthday, why dont you send me some cash, and i'll send you one or all of my comics. If there is anyone reading this who doesnt own the entire portfolio of Banal Pig Comics, here's a reminder of what's on offer:

Banal Pig 1; Feeder and Wife, Hairy Feller, Retard Dad, Incompetent Shark, Womany Man, and Banal Pig and Friends in "Gutter Stupidity" £4 inc p&p

Banal Pig 2: More Feeder and Wife, Incompetent Shark, plus the introduction of Jolly Bear, Lickle Bastard and Ugly Mind Reader, and Fez Man in "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" £4 inc p&p

Jolly Bear and Fun Coconut Summer Special: JB goes about his business in the slums of Hackney, and we meet his flatmate, Fun Coconut who is obsessed with the film Basic Instinct SOLD OUT

Banal Pig 3; More adventures from the BP Gang as the trilogy comes full circle and the prophecy is realised. With the introduction of Irate Robot, and "The Ballad of Homeless Goose" £4 inc p&p

The Banal Pig Portrait Anthology: featuring portraiture-themed work from the finest UK small pressers: hilarious, but really makes you think. £4 inc p&p

Ethel Sparrowhawk: The story of a seemingly unlucky girl who will try anything to improve her luck, a collaboration with Jemima Von Schindelberg. £4 inc p&p

Also, the excellent work by the man who puts the "ig" in Banal Pig Comics, Gareth Van Brookes.

Again, thanks to everyone whose supported me over this annus mediocris.

Nice One Laters

Yours Truly

Stevo xxx

Jolly Bear drawing

2007-06-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

watercoloury drawing as trial for jbfcss2.

Frustrations etc

2007-06-28T05:29:00.000-07:00

This is what usually happens when i have a bit of time at work- i dont feel like going back, and start thinking about doing something else. Unfortunately, there's not a lot out there for me at the moment.
I'm frustrated because i feel i have got a lot to give in terms of creativity and intelligence, qualities that i have never used in any full time employment, and i dont really know where to start. i'm very envious of people that enjoy their jobs, especially if they get paid well for doing it, and i cant tick either of those boxes.
i know i should be more pro-active but doing what? realistically, i'm not going to get paid well for doing comics for years if ever, but i could have a go at illustration. i'm a creative problem solver, yeah! and i can spell correctly and construct sentences. i can also play a number of musical instruments to a basic-intermediate standard.
on the downside, i dont really have an entrepreneurial spirit and dont particularly like pushing myself forward.

any careers advice would be duly appreciated, cv available on request.

Post 97- Chatterings

2007-06-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

Yes friends it's very nearly the anniversary of this blog, and its also nearly the 100th post. so what have we learned? that i write down things that i am planning to do and then a bit later i either do them or dont bother. sometimes i cause controversy and sometimes i make up puns, and reprint stories that i have written.

by the way, when i lived in london and only used to work 4 days a week (those were the days lol! ha ha!) i started to write some novels. the first one was about a mysterious event which wiped out all but about 100 people, basically your last man on earth fantasy, but with the idea that the few remaining survivors were all bastards, like being on big brother or something. i got to about chapter three and got cold feet. the second one i though had a bit more potential. i stole the premise from an obnoxious african woman who gareth went to a creative writing course with, and the name of her novel was "fourteen intelligent men build a castle". i dont know what her story was actually about or anything and dont care, but mine was an (attempted) victorian h.g wells pastiche about this group of gents who are brought together to a remote scottish isle/loch/ whatever to build a castle for a mysterious genius recluse (you know the type), and certain members of the party start dying, you know, mysterious. anyway, maybe i'm writing this so i dont forget it forever, but if there's anyone who'd like to read either of these books, send me a cheque for £15,000 and i'll send you the manuscript, and we'll split the profits 50:50.

anyway, i was also thinking about making longer comics, and i really want to step it up a notch with banal pig 4. my current vision (sounds a bit pretentious doesnt it?) involves 2 levels of comics- i.e. a main strip and a sub-strip running alongside/under/against it, and i want to continue to develop the banal pig "universe" (againy this sounds a bit poncy, but it is fairly common comic speak i think) and feature more of the peripheral characters and make the general look a bit more dense, or at least vary the layouts a bit more. this means that it wont be ready for birmingham, but i'll have JBFCSS2 and maybe another minicomic, and i've got my fingers in a few other pies.

there's exciting things going on over at Man Man's house too. Gareth's decided that he's gonna take on a few more challenging projects, including a development of the bastard teachers thing from the portrait anthology, and an adaption of his own short story about a young boy who decides to make himself some sex dolls, with varying successes.

there's also a reasonable (unsolicited) review in the new Comics International no 202, of Man Man 1 & 2, which says it's funny and good value for money, and then gives it a lukewarm 6 out of 10.

anyway, i'm off on me holidays now, laters!

First Look! Jolly Bear and Fun Coconut Summer Special 2!!!!!

2007-06-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, hot off the presses, or at least hot of a pen via my hand or something is a little sneaky peek from JBFCSS2. This is part one, where Fun Coconut gets obsessed by the film showgirls, and i'm hoping part two will be a bit different visually, but i'm working on it at the moment so i'll let you know when i know.

Appalling Nonsense!

2007-06-11T23:58:00.000-07:00

Hello, Pig Lovers!

Gareth "Man Man"Brookes, raconteur, character actor, alcoholic and vice president of Banal Pig Comics has thrust himself into the 21st century by finally making himself a website, Appalling Nonsense. Have a look, why not?

warmest regards

stevo

Another Sketch

2007-06-11T08:25:00.001-07:00

Yes due to overwhelming poplier demand, here's another sketch. Jolly Bear and Fun Coconut Summer Special 2 was started in earnest today, and its good i think, featuring a very ambitious and gruesome poem by gareth. i won £54 on a scratch card on friday, which was nice, but 50-odd quid is not quite as exciting as a grown-up, as it was when i was 16 or something. i bought some pork pies and my grocery shopping for the week, and kept £20.

More Sketchbook pages

2007-06-05T11:23:00.001-07:00

i dont know if anyone cares (tell me if you want to see more) but here's a couple more pages from my sketchbook, featuring the roster of unsuccessful characters, as previously mentioned: truculent strawberry, strong baby, gay banana, boy with see through head, ignorant horse, doctor octopus, battle of britain kitten (which i will make a strip out of) dead scrote, hungry dog, sexy ghost, cute dog sadness, and draclier.
also uncle ken with a shopping trolley and some other rubbish.

good luck everybody, "c" you next time

popeye

2007-05-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

i bought myself the first Popeye collection by fantagraphics the other day and i thinksk its marvellousk. as it explains in the preface, the animated version that we're all undoubtedly familiar with is a bastardised version that basically plays out the same story again and again (popeye versus bluto over olive oyl) and removes the charm of the original 30's strips. there's no spinach either, he's brutal without the need for leafy greens, tinned or otherwise, and generally goes round punching everyone whenever he feels like it. it's really bizarrely funny and i recommend it heartily. ug ug ug toot toot blerp!.

here's my tribute, popexe, and his nemesis, fat martin, and some other sketchbook stuff. as you can see i just use lined paper in cheapo journals as i think when i'm just freestyling it makes me less precious about committing ideas to paper, and i dont have to worry about the cost of the paper i'm writing on. did i mention i'm as tight as a gnat's chuff?

Small press

2007-05-28T00:31:00.001-07:00

i was round my old pal gareth man man brookes' house this weekend and he was showing me some of the small press he'd picked up from gosh! comics. it's good to see theres a wide ranges of styles and some are undeniably arty-farty, which i suppose you either subscribe to or you dont, and they must appeal more to artists than comics buyers. This is fair enough, and there is definitely room for all that stuff, particularly when its high quality, but what did make me raise my eyebrows was the price of some of these things. pricing is very difficult, but it's kind of taken for granted that all the time you've spent creating this stuff is never going to be compensated, so £5 for a few sheets of A4 does seem pretty steep. i try to base my price on the printing cost alone, and even then i cant compete with the big published comics (obviously) but i always try to be good value, and want to make something that i'd buy.
this kind of leads onto another point about the small press scene today, the fact that there is your also-rans, the weak home published stuff, and the fantagraphics/top shelf stuff and there's the middle ground, high quality small press stuff which is too small scale to go into diamond (the major comics distribution catalogue) and as a result will always struggle to be seen by its potential audience. obviously the web has helped this immensely- i cant imagine how difficult it was before to sell more than 10 comics- but i've got it at the back of my mind that there's an untapped potential thing that could unify and promote all the excellent small press creators there is out there.
a uk small press version of diamond sent out to all the shops in the uk who stock small press comics so they could contact the makers diractly, or at least have a previous knowledge of the comics when approached would be a good idea i think, and if it was put together by the makers themselves it would mean no-one else would take a slice of the pie.
good idea, this sort of thing takes time and effort that i havent got after working all the time and actually making comics... any volunteers?

Nice words regarding Ethel

2007-05-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Paul Rainey liked Ethel Sparrowhawk it seems. What did you think? What's that? You've still not bought a copy? No problem, send me four quid, i'll sort you out my friend.

Don't cry. It's all right.

What's going on?

2007-05-20T01:12:00.000-07:00

Well, i've gotten in to the swing of doing conventions now, so as you can imagine i was a bit disappointed when there wasnt another one this weekend. I'm trying to find a balance between not doing comics constantly at the expense of everything else and finishing comics in time for the cons without working every single hour in the two weeks before deadline. There's 4 months before birmingham so if i start now with a decent effort i should have a good books worth in time, but if i finish a couple of weeks before i'll have the nagging feeling that i could have done another few pages/comic in that time. I would have liked a bit more time on Ethel Sparrowhawk, but it's always the caase that the cons are the best place to shift a lot of comics quickly, and this was true this time as well. swings and roundabouts.
I'm well bored of my job and would like to just make comics and art full time, so if anyone would like to sponsor me, just send a cheque for £15,000 and that will keep me going for a year. i dont think that's greedy. alternatively, some nice illustration jobs, commissions etc would go down well.
gizza job!

Bristol Expo

2007-05-14T00:36:00.000-07:00

Its all over and its been a great weekend i reckon. We all sold well- pictured is our display, Man Man and Bingo Bonanza on the left; Gareth had a new comic, Mediocralypse, which is more in the style of the "bastard teachers" strip in the BP Portrait Anthology, with more funny drawings and little stories about wanking with grandads and that.
My stuffs in the middle, including the new comic Ethel Sparrowhawk which sold well and has had a lot of good words said about it, and it seems the things we wanted to achieve with it have come across. I'm gonna put the first 6 pages on the myspace at some point today, so please check it out if you havent seen it.
On the right is Oliver East's Trains Are... Mint including an exclusive with the first few copies of Trains Are Mint number 3, which i read last night and is as brilliant as the other two in the trilogy, so check them out if you havent seen them already.

Also pictured are Oli East (beardy, red check shirt) and Gareth (Charles Hawtrey) who were sharing the spoils.

I think there are a few reasons why we did much better- we had much more choice of stock this year, 17 different titles to choose from, and from my own point of view it is nice to have something a bit less vulgar than the Banal Pigs (i.e. Ethel Sparrowhawk) which broadens the appeal a bit i think. Not that there's anything wrong with calling your dad a cunt, pissing on old mens heads, and anthropomorphic geese sucking men off for crack is there?
Secondly, we've got a bit more of a reputation now, we've been around for a couple of years, and also as Bristol's my home town i've actually got some mates here now.

I picked up some good stuff by the looks of it, which i may review or mention later, and we drank with the good old Monkeys Might Puke boys, and i would advise you to follow the link and watch the short films, especially "When a man loves a Chicken", which is genius.

See you later

Say a little prayer

2007-05-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

you know me pig fans, i'm not political, but i would like to say something regarding my beloved football club:
AND LEEDS ARE FUCKING SHITE! what a disgrace.

i'm very much looking forward to the Bristol Comic Expo, and i'm probably going out for a drink with Jeffrey Brown on Thursday, or at least i'll be standing around in the same pub as him. best ever.

i'm glad that Ethel Sparrowhawk is over and i can crack on with Jolly Bear and Fun Coconut Summer Special Number 2 and All New Banal Pig 4!

here's something you've not seen before, unless you went to the royal college, my picture, and its particulars.

Take Care

Love you

Bye

Ethel Cover

2007-05-06T23:49:00.000-07:00

hi pals

it's currently ten to eight on monday morning and today is the day that i've got to get ethel sparrowhawk finished. i've got about 4 pages to finish off and its entirely do-able, the only things against me are that my black ink has run out so i've got to go and get another, and its a real miserable bastard outside. how's the weather where you are pig fans?

as you may have guessed, this is the cover, a nice wraparound job. i think it does the trick as i didnt just want a picture of ethel on the front, and the fact that her and her cat are giving each other evils is a nice introduction to the story. those are my horrible kitchen cabinets by the way.

see you on the other side!

Nearly finished- cheesed off

2007-05-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

it's that point now which i have with every comic where the time constraints and desire to get it over with sap the enjoyment out of making them. i just want to get the fucking thing over and done with. dont get me wrong, i'm very excited by it and think it's gonna be very good but it all seems a bit too much like hard work at the moment.

Here's an interesting snippet though. What's this fellow up to, eh?

Yet more Sparrowhawk

2007-04-28T05:06:00.000-07:00

Yes here's another for you friends.

More Ethel

2007-04-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Waasup!

Another Ethel pic- 7 pages scanned in and almost print ready- thats 25% official!

First Look! Ethel Sparrowhawk!

2007-04-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

Yoo hoo!

Here's the first pic from Ethel Sparrowhawk which i feel ok about having worked on it all day. It's probably just over half finished now, but i had a good day today and am confident it will be done in the next few weeks. The image itself doesnt really mean much on its own, but there's a lot of flashbacks and stuff which doesnt make much sense out of context. Hopefully i'll have a few more panels up this week.

I wish there was a selection where you could make the o's of "look!" into eyeballs like on carpet warhouse posters.

in other news, Tales from the Flat have put the rather unkind thing i wrote about them (which i wont repeat) up as a quote on their website, as a kind of ironic thing i guess. i'm very much regretting doing that now, as i dont want to create vendettas in the comic world, but hey ho as someone once said, what's done is done. it's like the rivalry is being whipped up by the press like blur vs oasis to get publicity, apart from the fact that it's not, and no-one outside a group of about 4 people really gives a shit.

2007-04-21T00:07:00.000-07:00

Well the say hello thing didnt really work did it? i knew it wouldnt.

According to my scientific analysis the comic Ethel Sparrowhawk is 43% finished. Unfortunately, all the pages that are print ready so far are not really suitable as previews so you, the eager consumer will have to wait a few days. I'm off work now til next tuesday, and it's my birthday on monday so get your presents in the post before 12 today if you havent already. Anyway this holiday is all about binge eating drinking and drawing. Binge!

The pic is Dignity and Impudence that i was on about before, and i'll post some pictures of my new character, Popexe, and his arch-nemesis Fat Martin someday soon.

p.s. i've got broadband now, it's all gravy!

Hello Bloggery!

2007-04-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

There was a thing in the paper (guardian) today about blogging, and the fact that there’s no real point to it, and the majority of people’s blogs dry up after about 3 months. Although there is no particular structure to this‘un, that is, it’s not a diary or review site or webcomic specifically, it does have a function for me. Obviously, it’s a kind of advert for the comics, and once I write something down it kind of commits me to doing it (although looking back at a few things I have changed my mind on minicomics and that).

There was also a thing about a blogger’s code of conduct, where you shouldn’t slander people, or say things you wouldn’t say to someone’s face but that missed the point a bit doesn’t it? Us computer friends don’t say anything to people’s faces, socially inept as we obviously are, and writing down so it gets read by three people is somehow harder than just thinking it or something. Finally, on this somewhat ponderous and rambling post, it says comment posters shouldn’t be anonymous which is fair do’s, so if you’re reading this and I don’t know who you are, say hello! and tell us all where you come from, it’ll be exciting, plus it’ll give me a better idea who’s reading this so I don’t offend you, you set of bastards.

Also, I’m thinking of doing a little project based on the excellent painting “Dignity and Impudence” by Edwin Landseer (google it) where I expand upon the lives of the charming odd couple of dogs depicted, one’s dignified, one’s impudent- with hilarious consequences! Probably!

Don’t forget, say hello!

Sour Grapes- Epilogue

2007-04-08T01:40:00.000-07:00

It seems that the "sour grapes" post has received quite a lot of attention, probably the most commented upon post i've had. Anyway, i want to draw a line under it now; while i stand by the things said, and i know that other people agree with them, perhaps to single out a certain comic was a little unfair. After all, there is a lot of stuff out there that doesnt appeal to me (choosing words carefully) and i suppose in a way its healthy that there is different stuff out there. My frustration comes most of all in that there doesnt seem an easy way to get your products seen and give the punter an informed choice. Who is this punter anyway? it seems most sales i make at cons are to other makers, who knows. anyway, hopefully the catalogue idea will work, and i'm getting a lot of traffic through the website, although i still need to stick the anthology on there and get paypal sorted, which im gonna do when i get broadband, because dear friends i have coped with frustratingly slow dialup for a long time, and i will finally be entering the 20th century next week.

ethel sparrowhawk is rumbling on, and i should have some finished pages to preview soon (i hope so, its got to be finished in three weeks).

Reviewed at Last!

2007-04-03T00:12:00.000-07:00

Have a look at Size Matters: http://shawnhoke.blogspot.com/ for a review of Banal Pig 3. Thanks for the heads up Oli.

Mo' Money Mo' Problems

2007-04-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

Today i am taking stock of my comics business as the financial year is all but wrapped up. i've made a considerable loss and am wondering where my profit margins can be increased. buying a laser printer and doing the job myself is one option, not doing the big conventions, and putting up the price of the comic are all options, none of them easy. hopefully i'll get some tax back again, but i've got to start being a bit more canny, which is not the side of the business i'm interested in. any ideas?

today's picture is entitled "wifebeater".

good gravy!

2007-04-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

after the somewhat vitriolic diatribe of the last post, i thought id bring in the love with a few nice drawings. "england cunt" is copied from a picture out of the paper from last summer during the world cup where some scumbag had decorated his house with england flags, and theres the rough (and so far only) version of an uncle ken strip where he has a go on his nephew's minibike, and, as you'd expect from uncle ken, hilarious chaos ensues. ho ho ho! hopefully, some good karmic gravy has been returned to the humble author of this blog.

best wishes,

stevo xxx

Sour Grapes

2007-03-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

As you, dear reader, may or may not be aware, i put myself forward for the eagle awards in the category of best british comic black and white or something. anyway, i'm not too bothered that i didnt get shortlisted, as it was more to be there or thereabouts as part of my awareness campaign. however, i am extremely chagrined at the fact that tales from the flat got shortlisted- it was actually the fact that they were in there that made me get involved- i thought if that bag of spanners is on there, my quality publication surely deserves a crack. i dont really understand the small press scene. there's some many pairs of buttocks masquerading as comics out there, which i think even to the untrained eye are self indulgent tripe, tales from the flat very much included, which seem to do well and be popular. horses for courses i suppose, for every arsehole who's a dickhead, theres a shit comic for you, for every conoisseur of excellence, theres a banal pig.
there. i've published my thoughts. let my sour motherfucking grapes dissipate into the etherel world wide web...

p.s. vote for the eagle awards, my recommendation would be vented spleen, anything but tales from the fucking flat please.

cameras knackered

2007-03-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

the attached photos are taken with our camera. as you can see, its chinned. stil it wasnt bad- julie found it on the bus about 4 years ago in south kensington and weve had a lot of use out of it. ever since its been broken i cant go five paces without spotting a so-called kodak moment, like on the way to work where someones painted CLAMPING CLAMPING all over everywhere, along with baby writing saying "You will be clamping", and there were some ducks and stuff. cops with cameras on tonight. gravy!

Selling,Watchmen,Drawing

2007-03-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

A few things i feel inclined to document today. Gareth (Man Man) Van Brookes tells me that Gosh! in London have sold out of Banal Pig 3's and are happy to take some more.This is good news as last time i sold all but one of BP's 1 & 2 which meant they wouldnt take any more. They're also taking some anthologies so if you're a smoke dweller pop down and check it out.

In other news, i read Alan Moore's Watchmen this week, which i found to be excellent. As i have mentioned in previous posts i am naive to the conventional comics world (dc and marvel et al) and before i actually started making comics i had read very little and this being oft-mentioned i thought i should read it. It was a christmas present from my sister which arrived on Monday (yeah, cheers sis). What i like about Moore's writing (and i think the same is true of HG Wells) is that he assumes the reader is intelligent and there is no flab explaining to idiots whats going on. very anti-hollywood, no easy answers, everything isnt black and white. the drawings are great as well.

I'm also cracking on with Ethel Sparrowhawk, and have started inking some bits (although its not all pencilled yet), so hopefully there will be a few glimpses of finished pages soon. i think im alright for time, ive got about 6 weeks, 10 days of which i'm off work for, but i'm doing this victorian horror story, plus Jolly Bear and Fun Coconut Summer Special number 2 is roughed out, and all being well will also be ready for Brizzle, as we moronic west country folk call it. This features another excellent verse by Gareth and is as dark as a piece of ebony in sunglasses drinking a pint of guiness at midnight.

Take care, love you, bye x

Round Winston Churchill's House/ ROAD JOKES!

2007-03-22T02:19:00.000-07:00

Another reject from the anthology- it didnt seem to have that many funny things at the time so i put "What does fishface do?" in instead.

Round Winston Churchill’s House

So I’m here with Winston and his friend Phil in the drawing room (his dog’s in the corner as well). This one of many rooms in this large country retreat- I’m staying here tonight, and I feel very eager to impress.

Winston and Phil are smoking cigars, and he offers me one. When I politely decline he seems terribly offended, and at once his attention turns from me and I am excluded from the conversation. Five minutes pass and I continue to be ignored so I decide to ask for a cigar after all. Winston’s demeanour changes at once. His attention reverts back to me and he watches with delight and expectation as I light the cigar. I disgrace myself as the pungent smoke makes me gip and cough, and I am unable to prevent a considerable string of saliva lowering itself from my mouth onto my tie.

The next morning, Winston and Phil have already breakfasted when I get downstairs, and rather than cause a fuss, I go hungry.

Road Jokes

What does a road say when he wishes to thank you?

TAR!

Whats a Road's favourite Grandmaster Flash song?

WHITE LINES!

What does a baby road do before it can walk?

KERB CRAWLING!

Go on have a go!

Website update as well

2007-03-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Wassap my bruvvas?

i forgot to say that my website has been updated (clicka da linka----->, still cant do links). can someone send me the html for putting links in? ive just made it so it links back here, to my myspace and comicspace and other rubbish and stuff from bp3 is finally on there too. its took ages because my brother facilitates it (its basically his website) and hes bin roaming for a while. by the way (smug stand up comic voice) comicspace- whats that about? for some reason i cant upload any images other than the little profile pic. probly cos ive got a mac, thats usually the problem.

also its reassuring to know that my profile views have gone up a bit- 104 or summet which means 101 people have looked once and tutted, and you my hardcore friends remain or something. due to this popular demand, im gonna start posting a lot more. probably a load of bullshit, but 104 profile viewers cant be wrong.

more also i cheekily put the swear word cunt as one of the labels for an earlier post, and strangely enough it rates quite highly when you google banal pig. (probably not when you google cunt i would think though).

i feel quite positive after the weekends miniature successes.

Whathappenedatthewebandminicomixthingstevo?

2007-03-19T03:10:00.000-07:00

well, i'll tell you what happened. it was quite a good day, and as the punters there are our specific target market we did probably as well in one day as we usually do over the weekend at the big cons. the new anthology went down quite well and there were quite a few of the contributors there to pick up their issues. i didnt actually buy anything but there was some decent stuff there- The Sound of Drowning, Dan Locke's Green comics, Monkeys Might Puke, Beaver and Steve spring to mind - there was plenty of shite there too. Plenty of fucking awful shite. Gareth managed to get Man Man 3 out too, and we were also selling good old Oli Easts Trains Are Mint which aslo went down well.
it does make me think that there should be more cons like this, as it would actually mean we started to make money at these fairs (i dont know anyone who does), although the entry fee £4 was probably a bit steep, most of this went towards the anthology/catalogue thing which was like a phone book and had colour printing but was on sale for 50p. i didnt buy this either because although i sent a submission, which i posted here first under the title "New Exclusive Banal Pig Mothercrushers!" they didnt use it for whatever reason. fuck em.

the image is the cover pic from, yes you guessed it, the portrait anthology, and the art lovers amongst you will recognise it as a pastiche of Durer's Self Portrait with Leather Gloves.

Am I still on about that fucking anthology? You bet your ass!

2007-03-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

sup g men and home girls?

yes, the anthology is at the printers. its banal pig comics' 9th publication. not bad eh? anyway if you're reading this its more likely than not that you contributed to it and are struggling to keep the drool in your mouth thinking about it, as it so mouthwatering to simply imagine. 40 pages, colour cover (thats right!, glossy too dont you know). we'll see if it actually sells soon enough. hope so, although its not as comicy as some of its rivals on the open market. classy, cerebral you know.
the banal pig is all about value for money, but i dont know exactly what it'll cost until our man at the printers tells me tomorrow.

moving on good old ethel sparrowhawk is also underway, and what about this pig lovers, jolly bear and fun coconut summer special ...number two! wherein fun coconut finds a new film that he likes, and jolly bear goes missing, oh crumbs!

what about that for a teaser? what about this for some rhetoric?

Quiet

2007-02-22T00:05:00.000-08:00

Hello pals! i've been quite quiet recently isnt it? To say i was too busy with the anthology would be a half-truth- i'm not really working that hard on it or anything. lazy. it will be ready for the web and mini comix thing though- i'm currently debating whether to make it A5 or not- with A5 a colour cover is viable, but some of the images might be a bit small. any thoughts would be appreciated.
i'm also working on a few freebies for web &.

glad tidings to you and yours xxx

Antholomology

2007-02-10T07:18:00.000-08:00

You may remember some of my stories, "round lionel richies house" and "round jean claude van dammes house". well, i've decided to illustrate them and use them as my entry for the portrait anthology, plus two new ones, with winston churchill and rod stewart. i decided not to use this one because i cant think of a decent picture to illustrate it, but here it is, for your reading pleasure (or whatever).

Round Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s House (Barbecue)

I’ve met him a few times before and we got on ok, but I’m only here because my mate goes out with his sister. He doesn’t seem to have that much meat in relation to the number of people that are here, and even though I didn’t bring any, I have a burger. I feel a bit guilty, but we did bring 24 bottles of lager.

He’s hired some of those padded Sumo suits for entertainment, but I don’t want a go- I don’t like that sort of thing. I am coerced into it however, thoroughly beaten over three rounds and I return to my seat with less dignity than I had before. To my horror I discover that my glasses, which I had placed carefully on the picnic table to avoid damaging them, are gone. I see very poorly without glasses and had to cause a commotion to get people to help me find them. A few minutes of searching turns them up trampled into the mud by the conservatory, scratched and crushed. I am obviously chagrined by this, not least because my special efforts to protect my glasses have been undone by something, or someone, unknown.

I rinse them off, but the damage is total and comprehensive. Sir Arthur comes up to me and admits he knocked them off the table, but he doesn’t seem that bothered. He says it was an accident. I tell him I don’t think that that is much of an apology and I call a taxi (I cant walk home).

I reject the taxi driver's attempt at light conversation, and try to console myself with the knowledge that I’ve got a spare pair at home (the'yre old and look a bit stupid though).

Exclusive! New Banal Pig, Mothercrushers!

2007-02-04T11:06:00.000-08:00

This is a new strip that i've done for the web and mini comix thing anthology, the theme is "important stuff".

we put our new washing machine in today, and went out on its first wash. when we got back it had moved 6 inches, ripped the lino and scraped the wall. dagnabbit!

reasons to be cheerful pt 2

2007-01-26T11:14:00.000-08:00

this is further to my previous post which i havent re-read so i might put the same thing twice, not bothered. if i cant remember it i doubt you will.

Arnold Schwarzenegger quotes
Hot water bottles
Coconat chocolate bars by Ulker (only available in turkish shops in london as far as i know)
crispy bacon
Queen
unsolicited praise
rowdy blues music
puns
art that i couldnt do
snow
the smell of a pub as you walk past
having lots of emails that arent forwards from my uncle jim
the weekend
people that arent actually arsewipes
having a nice pudding to look forward to
football

Calling all Persians

2007-01-21T10:35:00.000-08:00

Amateur Comics Guild

2007-01-20T09:01:00.000-08:00

It seems i have become a member of the Amateur Comics Guild, 1 of 4 currently. Have a look why dont you, its in the links right------> and maybe join up. it seems like a worthy cause.

Drawings

2007-01-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

i thought i might as well put up some stuff out of my old sketchbooks from back when i was a proper artist. this ones a bloke doing a painting.

Fart Jokes

Whats the Fart Skyscraper in New York?

TRUMP Tower!

What qualities does a fart ninja posess?

They are SILENT BUT DEADLY!

What do Fart police use to restrain criminals?

HandGUFFS!

Promotions

2007-01-15T23:59:00.000-08:00

I'm on a bit of a drive to raise the profile of the Banal Pig brand (and of course to sell a few more comics), and my own profile in comic terms. i often find that when people see the comics they like them, but getting people to take the first step and actually pick them up and look is a problem. this is most evident at comic shows, and it is a bizarre psychological thing that goes on, where the creator of the thing is sat there eagerly anticipating a sale, usually desperation in the eyes, and the buyer (usually at least partly nerdy) does not want to hurt the creators feelings, so instead of reading and saying "no thanks", they stay away altogether- this can also lead to the "pity buy"- where you dont like the comic, but a mixture of pity and some kind of loyalty to the uk small press scene makes you buy the cheapest thing, only to read half of it with no enjoyment and recycle it when you get home.
i wonder how many pity buys i've had? please email me if you've bought one of my comics and then binned it.
anyway the point is that if people know what they're getting (i.e. quality laffs) they have no problem approaching the stall in a relaxed manner. in any other country to have all these creators in one place would be quite exciting.

Conclusion

if you are reading this blog and you like my work, please email me or approach me at the comic expos. i dont mind if you dont buy anything, NO OBLIGATION, NO EYE CONTACT, but if you do want a comic or if you're influential, remember:

IT'S NOT SHIT!*

*my new slogan, either that or "HISTORY'S FINEST RECORDED SMALL PRESS COMICS"

Silent Movies

2007-01-13T11:55:00.000-08:00

Last night me and the good lady went to Bristol's Colston Hall to see some classic silent movies with live musical accompaniment, you know the Paul Merton thing on the telly. It was excellent- there was a Harold Lloyd one, one where Laurel has to pretend to be Hardy's wife to impress his rich uncle, and the climax was Steamboat Bill Jnr, with Buster Keaton. its the famous one where the side of the house falls on him and he's in the window frame. Amazing stuff, still very funny and the special effects in steamboat bill are still better than the consistently ropey CGI we're treated to nowadays. its nice to see that sort of thing, very dfferent from your usual entertainment.

on the comic side of things, my next freebie/cheapo comic is going to be called "Lost Banal Pig" or something like that- the stuff i've done for other anthologies that hasnt been in the Banal Pig Comics proper, as well as profiles of the dodgy characters that have never made the comic, like ignorant horse and doctor octopus that i have briefly mentioned before.

Dont Fear the Reaper

2007-01-10T11:31:00.000-08:00

i listened to "Dont Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult on my ipod the other day and realised that the song is about a guy trying to talk his girlfriend into commiting suicide. i thought it was just promoting ambivalence towards death (which is healthy i'd say) but i dont like it anymore. my other thought on death is that death itself isnt scary- but things that are dead are. Put that in your quote book, Penguin.