Bonfire Night scribbling

This week I have a gig drawing cartoons at a Firework Event in Aston Rowant, near Chinnor. This is a result of applying for a stall at a craft fair being held at The Lambert Arms. Unfortunately I'd left it too late but the events manager suggested I come down and draw at their firework night. I thought it would be quite topical to do some Bonfire Night related cartoons and set to work thinking some up. Here's the first: I imagined that Guy, being the explosives expert might have damaged his hearing along the way so he's misheard another of the plotters and brought along a sunflower, some treacle and a bottle of pop.

My first all-day cartooning workshop

Thanks to all at Henley's River & Rowing Museum for a lovely day. It all started pretty eventfully for me as I prepared to saddle up and ride my scooter the twenty or so miles from Abingdon, only to find my front tyre completely flat. My wife kindly gave me a lift to Oxford, from where I caught two buses  and then ran the last quarter mile to arrive with one minute to spare. From there, it was all plain sailing (excuse the pun). The kids were great and really worked hard, from the youngest to the eldest. The staff at the museum are lovely, it seems a fun place to work. I hope they'll ask me back one day.

Fun In The Park!

Thanks to everyone who came down to Abingdon's Fun In The Park event and visited my cartoon workshop, especially as I was listed at the bottom of the posters simply as: '...and lot's more!!!'
Charming!
Two and a half hours of scribbling and teaching was fun but exhausting - this was the first time I'd ever had to attract people to my demonstration which was competing with many other attractions for their attention. Luckily I had Claire on hand to man the merchandise stall and chat to the punters which helped no end.

Here's a link to some photos of the event:
http://www.abingdonblog.co.uk/

Go to the entry for Sunday 14th September.

I had interest from the Women's Institute for a workshop in the future so lets hope that comes off. A few of you know how much time I spend in the kitchen so I'd be tempted to do it for nothing to learn some of the culinary secrets of the famous W.I.

Big in Taiwan!

You may remember I said I'd been accepted onto www.cartoonstock.com which supplies cartoons to publications, websites and individuals all over the world. Well it's taken a little while but I'm delighted to say that three of my images have been sold, one to an individual, one to Worcester Mental Health and the last to The Taipei Times. So if you were in Taiwan in July you may just have spotted a Scooter McKenzie cartoon in the paper. If you were wondering, it was the top one; perhaps a little tasteless but very topical.

Update: It seems Taiwan is going Scooter McKenzie crazy. I'm sure if I ever went there, I'd be revered as a god as now I've heard that not one, but two; yes TWO of my cartoons have been published over there.
Strangely both were cartoons that I thought weren't really up to the mark and almost didn't submit them but as I've learnt, somebody somewhere will appreciate them, even if that person is halfway around the world. The cartoon was based on the premise that elephants never forget (shown above).

My first book!

Over the last few years I've been writing and illustrating a series of stories. First they were going to be a comic strip, and they still might be but in the meantime I've collected the first four and made them into a book.
It's called 'The puzzling cases of D. Cypher, Private Eye' and as the name suggests, the stories are full of puzzles that can be solved by the reader, helping them to catch the criminal. So that makes it a detective story/puzzle book/graphic novel.
Each story is fully illustrated; the book contains over 120 illustrations so it's been a real labour of love. Although it's available now in glossy paperback, I plan to add more stories and re-release it before Christmas to make it a real stocking filler.

In the meantime, the whole thing can be downloaded to read onscreen at the special price of just £3.50. I hope you like it.

UPDATE: I was interviewed about my book in September's Mensa Magazine by Editor Brian Page. I'd contacted him as I thought this might be the ideal place to plug a book full of puzzles. It also didn't hurt that I've been out drinking with Brian on several occasions and he's a very nice chap. So with my foot already in the door, Brian rang me up and asked a few questions. It's a process that sharpens the mind as you're aware that every word you utter could end up in print. I didn't have to worry though as the whole thing turned out very well. Let's see if it translates into sales.

Vote for my TEA-SHIRT design!

I've submitted a design to the huge and influential Threadless teeshirt website. It's called 'Teashirt' and is a heartfelt tribute to everyone's favourite beverage. Please go and vote for it, then it might get printed, you might get to wear it and I might get rich. Everyone's a winner.

Teashirt: because everyone likes a nice cup of tea and a biscuit, don't they?

Update: although everyone may like a nice cup of tea and a biscuit, sadly not everyone likes my teeshirt design and voting finished early after a disappointing showing. Oh well, I can think of the perfect thing to cheer me up...

'Peter Bellingham Illustration' is now TWO YEARS OLD

Images above:
• topical cartoons on www.cartoonstock.com
• a frame from my forthcoming graphic novel
• jumping the gun on the Jacko comeback gigs
• Clint on the cover of Steadycam newsletter

I’d like to say thanks to everyone who has used my services or given advice and support so far.
If only I had a celebration cake, I would share it with you all.
Of course that’s not strictly true, I always have a cake close to hand.
“Mmmm nyom nyom nyom... delicious.”

Two years in business has led to assignments I never dreamed of when I first started. I’ve mentioned a few of these previously but they include illustrations of:

• A knee implant being fitted
• Santa towing a self-storage unit across the sky
• A smiling zebra leaning over a wall
• Talking, walking medical infusion pumps
• An entire book on breastfeeding

In the past few months, the business has been mentioned on a couple of blogs, including a Q&A session with Catherine from Warrilow PR which you can read here:
http://warrilowpr.blogspot.com/2009/05/cartoon-workshops-for-all.html

I’ve joined the online digital networking revolution and got a presence on both LinkedIn and Twitter, although by the lack of ‘tweets’ I upload, there’s little chance of me becoming the new Stephen Fry.

You can find my work on various gallery sites on the web - the latest being:
http://www.artistsandillustrators.co.uk/PeterBellingham

There’s this one too:
http://scootermckenzie.carbonmade.com/

Regular cover illustrations for movie newsletter Steadycam provide fresh, interesting images for my portfolio, including Clint Eastwood, Daniel Craig and Arthur C. Clarke.

The cartooning workshops continue to gain pace with a recent one for Steventon Beaver Scouts being a fun and hopefully educational evening. I also entertained a gathering from Mensa at a 4th of July American themed event by teaching them how to draw Bart Simpson, Fred Flintstone and other cartoon characters.

There have been more opportunities to work in front of an audience at local craft fairs where I’ve been selling greetings cards which are drawn ‘fresh today’. Everyone gets an original signed piece of art and can tell the recipients they watched it being drawn.

The latest change to my business has been being accepted to join www.cartoonstock.com
This is the world’s largest site for stock cartoon images and impressively, is in the top two thousand most visited websites in America and the top five thousand in the world. It’s too early yet to say if it’ll make me rich but I’m enjoying finding out. More importantly, it’s got me back in the groove of producing topical jokes about national and global issues. It’s interesting trying to to anticipate what will be big news in order to create topical and saleable cartoons. Sadly I jumped the gun with the cartoons I drew to mark Michael Jackson’s comeback tour.

I’m also extremely excited by the fact that my graphic novel is nearly completed. I’ve been working on it for over five years on and off and am planning to self publish sometime in late July or early August. There are four stories featuring a Private Eye who invites the reader to help crack each case by solving word puzzles dotted throughout the story. I’ll keep you posted when it’s ready.

Having clocked up around ten thousand miles on my (sometimes) trusty scooter getting to and from the studio, I can honestly say the last two years have been quite a ride.

Who knows what the future will bring but if it’s as interesting as the past twenty four months,
I say ‘Bring it on!’

Diet or fry it?

Here are some examples from my latest range of cartoons, entitled 'Diet or Fry It?'
Our heroes always want to make the right choice in what they eat and drink but somehow the willpower is lacking. Besides, being happy is healthy and cake makes you happy. Also, wine has no calories because it is a liquid and not a food.

Work gallery update

Here's a little gallery to show you the sort of things I've been working on in the last few months. It includes magazine covers, postcards and Christmas cards along with other images. Scroll down to see the major project I've been putting together to promote Abingdon and down further to see examples of earlier work.

Abingdon Angles - update

The pictures below are available as high quality prints on heavy textured paper. Each is mounted, tastefully framed (frame size is roughly A4), numbered and signed. They can be purchased at the special online price of £40 each by emailing or phoning me.
Email: peterbellingham@postmaster.co.uk or telephone: 07900 681891.
Each picture is limited to just 200 reproductions.

Several pictures from the collection are also on show and for sale at 'Local Roots', a gorgeous shop in Abingdon town centre. The shop only sells goods produced within a thirty mile radius, which includes craft items, jewellery, art and even organic food from local farms. Local Roots is located at the top of historic East St. Helen Street, just behind the museum if you're standing in the square and not far from the delicious Patisserie Pascal. Go on, treat yourself.

Update 1 :
The picture of the flag flying on the roof of the museum has been purchased with the intention of presenting it to the Mayor of Abingdon, Virginia. A group of 44 members of Abingdon and District Twin Towns Society are travelling there, taking the picture as a gift from our town to theirs. (28 September 2008)

Update 2:
The picture of the Unicorn Theatre and passageway to Abingdon Abbey has been purchased by the Mayor of Abingdon to present to our twin town of Argentan. (16 April 2009)