Dads Van - Watts Publishing - They're here!

Get in! A whole pile of my latest book, "Dad's Van" has just been delivered, what joy! It looks splendid, and I'm exceedingly pleased with it. More more more!

Captain Rainbow - Watts Publishing - Internal page art

A selection of interior page art for your pleasure and delight.

Captain Rainbow receives a parcel in the post -



Captain Rainbow's boat is in a spot of bother -



Captain Rainbow's pride and joy -

Captain Rainbow - Watts Publishing - Character Design

Here's some drawings to show how the Cap'n developed.

Originally he was quite fresh faced, and looked a little like a train driver -



A bit of tweaking here and there filled him out a bit -



The addition of a big beard finished the look off -

Captain Rainbow - Watts Publishing - Cover Development

This shows how a cover for one of my books gets developed.

Firstly, I draw a cover rough -



Once it's approved, I put it in place on a mock up so that I can that everything fits properly -



I then get approval to ink it in, and colour it, and here's the finished art -



And here's a mock-up of the finished cover! -

Captain Cool - Watts Publishing - The greatest hero in the WORLD!

As the title suggests, Captain Cool really is the greatest hero in the world. Nuff said. This was my second book for Watts Publishing, and I'm very proud of it. It looks ace! Still available from online book retailers - and well worth every penny spent on it.





Here he is in all his hardcover glory.



Also looking extremely dynamic on an inside spread. Go get 'em Cap'n Cool!

Pedro the Pirate - Watts Publishing

My first childrens book! OOOH, what memories! I remember it being terribly cold, I was colouring the whole book in by hand, and couldn't hold the brush properly because my hands had frozen. Then all the images stuck to their backing boards and I had to carry the whole lot up to London in a huge backpack. What a palaver. I don't think I've ever used traditional colouring methods since, which is a shame, as you get so much from it. Maybe one day I'll get back into it. Here's a number of internal pages scanned on my home scanner, so the colours aren't particularly accurate. You can still get a copy of this from various online book sellers I believe.

Note of interest, I think this is the first book that features my fat cat, Polly, albeit in a non-leading part role.

Dads Van - Watts Publishing April 2008

Here's a couple of spreads and the front cover from my latest book for Watt's Publishing, entitled "Dads Van".

Captain Cool - Watts Publishing - Aliens!

Here's another page from Captain Cool - my 2nd book for Watts Publishing (part of Orchard Books). Here our hero is tackling the ever present threat of invading aliens.

Captain Cool - Watts Publishing - Faster than a speeding train!

Captain Cool is the greatest super hero that's ever lived. He's amazing. He can even run faster than trains as evidenced here. There's still a few copies of my 2nd book for Watts publishing available here

Here's what someone's written about it on the Amazon review bit -

from the LEAPFROG RHYME TIME book series.

From the back cover:-

'Monsters and villains
had best watch out
if Captain Cool
is hanging about!

He isn't afraid of anything. Or is he?'

32 high quality shiny pages in the popular 2-page spread format. Numbered pages with clear, easy-to-follow text.
Beautifully illustrated in vibrant colours throughout, this delightful book is further enhanced by relevant facial expressions and that rhyming element!

Example of text:-

`If you're stuck in a jam
or a tight fix,
who will be there
in just two ticks?

"Captain Cool!" we shout.
"That's who!"
"You should see what he can do!"........'

`Leapfrog has been specially designed to fit the requirements of the National Literacy Strategy. It offers real books for beginning readers by top authors and illustrators.'

There are a number of `Leapfrog' stories to choose from and these are listed on the very last page.

I especially like the reference to "Top Illustrators" - ahem.

Captain Rainbow - Watts Publishing

This is the cover for "Captain Rainbow". A salty sea dog who needs a new boat. You can buy a copy of the book from Amazon

The review on Amazon says -

Captain Rainbow decides to buy himself a new boat. He goes shopping on the internet, but he doesn't quite get the boat he had hoped for!

Which pretty much sums it up!