As a break from digital work, I love to draw in my sketchbook. With posca paint pens, I’ve been filling up a series of sketchbooks themed around films. From over 400 finished pictures, these are a few of my favourites.

See also:

POSCA TV shows
POSCA Horror movies
POSCA Animated movies
Wes Anderson Films
Personal POSCA artwork

I update my online shop with new designs each month, which can be purchased here.

I also taught an online course about my process with Domestika, which is availble here.

In 2013 I started illustrating the sounds animals are said to make in different languages. What began as a blog eventually became a series of self-published books and eventually compiled into Sounds All Around, a very educational book published by Andrews McMeel

It won the Silver Award for Children’s Non-Fiction at the 2022 Nautilus Book Awards.

It’s available at all good bookshops

Waterstones
Barnes & Noble
Amazon UK
Amazon US

The idea of onomatopoeic words changing around the world really interested me, since they're all just interpretations of the same sound, shaped by the culture and language of each place. So I started researching and drawing them and posting them on tumblr.

They got pretty popular and shared around a lot, so in October 2014, I self-published the first book "Soundimals: An Illustrated Guide to Animal Sounds in Other Languages". Followed by a successful kickstarter campaign for the second book “How to Sneeze in Japanese”

The illustrations were all redone for the larger collection of all my sound research in Sounds All Around, published in 2020

Andrews McMeel

Features:
BuzzFeed
AplusK
Memrise
Laughing Squid
 

A big book of sayings, expressions and proverbs from all over the world

Initially self-published through the help of a Kickstarter campaign, and since published by Andrews McMeel with a new design and some additional illustration.

It’s available at all good bookshops

Waterstones
Barnes & Noble
Amazon UK
Amazon US

Over 300 illustrated sayings, comparing equivalent versions of certain ideas like 'too many cooks spoil the broth' and 'between a rock and a hard place', as well as unique ideas on beards, books, dancing and all kinds of animal fun.

There was a lot of research that went into this collection, the biggest project I've ever worked on as a solo endeavour. It's come together really nicely though.

Publisher: Andrews McMeel

Features:
Upworthy
Design Taxi
Laughing Squid
WGN Radio (Podcast)

 

A book of animal names translated literally, from all around the world. It was inspired by the strange names of animals in English that I wanted to get to the bottom of. Why do we call butterflies butterflies when they have nothing to do with butter? And what do you call a turkey in Turkey?

I found a lot of fun names on the way and illustrated the best of the bunch.

Self-published as a short-run comic in 2022

An illustration series about rebranding death as more of a friendly figure. Inspired by the people I’ve lost, and how I find it easier to cope by thinking of death as a less of a looming awful presence, and more of a friend that people move along with.

Printed as a limited comic run in 2022

Movie Cat is a director. A bad director. And these are his adventures, ideas and opinions from around the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

In keeping with the language theme, but moving away from onomatopoeia, When Frogs Grow Hair is a book that collects the equivalent phrases to "when pigs fly" from around the world.

Published in September 2016, it features 26 exciting international ways to say "that'll never happen"

Available from the shop

Some of the fun Christmas traditions from around the world, an article I did for BuzzFeed. 

Self-published as a reusable advent calendar book, with an illustrated fact per day through December up until New Year

Features:
Tastefully Offensive
Pleated Jeans

A print design, focusing on the equivalent phrases to "it's raining cats and dogs" around the world

A commissioned post for Toggl.com, mixing my love of our cultural differences with the world of fast-paced executive business

Commissioned comics for Toggl.com, it was fun finding all the pros and cons of office work v freelance pyjama-based loneliness!

Commissioned by the University of Manchester Graphene CDT Group. These booklets are handed out at scientific outreach events, and were designed with an aim to generate some excitement for graphene for a younger audience.

The scientific content was tailored to be accessible to all, and the Bee mascot was designed as a way to guide the audience through the process.

A great project to work on, uniting my love of illustration and knowledge of science.

Another booklet commissioned by the University of Manchester to use at scientific outreach events.

This booklet is aimed at a slightly older audience (13+) than the Graphene outreach book, and as such deals with more of the scientific side. And of course by focusing on mending a broken heart, we managed to address a major concern for the lovelornteen audience.

The challenge this time was to convey the information while still keeping it as light of a read as possible, using illustration to tell the story in ways words could not.

These are the names of Pokemon in various releases of games around the world. And since they love to say their own names, it’s also the sound they make.

In some countries, movies get released with excitingly different names.
These are some that I illustrated for an article on Babbel.com

When English language TV shows are broadcast in non-English speaking countries, a lot of the wordplay in the title gets lost, so they come up with their own.

If you translate it back, you get an idea what our titles might sound like to them.

Features:
BuzzFeed
Laughing Squid
Gizmodo

While TV and movie titles are changed from language to language, so to are the names of the characters.

These were a few illustrations I posted on my blog, and later picked up by BuzzFeed

Forever From Manchester was a charity exhibition I worked on in collaboration with Forever Manchester.

Famous Manchester residents from past and present, enjoying the city as it currently stands - blending old and new.

All proceeds from the project go to help support community projects across the city. Prints and postcards available now online.

More info

Features:
Manchester Evening News
Entirely North West

By typing those complicated Game of Thrones character names into my phone it gave some odd combinations of words that I just had to illustrate.

Features:
The AV Club
Uproxx
Gizmodo
Popsugar
9GAG

An article I put together for BuzzFeed, using a very helpful online anagram generator.

See even more here

Commissioned work for BuzzFeed UK, as part of their expansion into other European markets.

Made with the assistance of members of the team in France, Germany and Spain.

Italian
Spanish
French
French euphemisms 

A personal article for my blog, highlighting some of the odd goings on behind the scenes of major motion pictures. 

Features:
Escapist
Design Taxi
 

I’ve written a number of books, with a number of pages.

A preview of each is available below

Language Books:
Sounds All Around (award winning)
A World of Wisdom
A Goose, Standing on Tiptoes
When Frogs Grow Hair

Humour Books:
What If Death Was Cute
Making Movies with Movie Cat
Festive Facts

I’ve also drawn a fair few TV shows over the course of my POSCA project, these are a few of my favourite pieces.

Sometimes I draw things that aren’t infringing popular copyrights.

I often try to complete a picture a day during the month of October, which has led to a big collection of halloween and horror themed pages.

I love taking the gruesome and making it look friendly and appealing with a cute smile. And I try to keep these pictures in a similar composition, symmetrical down the centre, so they feel more cohesive as a set.

Some pages inspired by my favourite animated films

I’ve been inspired by the composition of Wes Anderson films a lot in this sketchbook project, trying to use symmetry, a central focus and bright colours. It was only fitting to draw some of his films.

These are some close-ups of the finished artwork from my movie sketchbook, which I add to daily, and post on social media.

I’ve previously covered Fantastic Fest 2022 in Austin, TX with illustrated reviews, and worked directly with StudioCanal to promote upcoming projects.

For photos of the sketchbook itself, please see:
TV shows
Horror movies
Animated movies
Wes Anderson