People I Know: The Book Is HERE!

Hello!

Remember when I wrote about the People I Know book? Well, good news! It has finally arrived! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee! Check out my shop if you don't believe me!

So, here are the details:

It is A5 size

• IT HAS A SPINE!!!
• It is FULL COLOUR!
• It has over 250 pages
• It has a soft cover that has a sassy spot varnish on it. Not sure what a spot varnish is? It just means that bits of the cover and shiny and other bits aren’t. It’s cute, trust me
• It includes a lot of comics about from the start of the webcomic up to the end of Boyfriend Week
• It doesn’t have any of the Murder, She Wrote or celebrity-themed comics…
• Also, I haven’t put some of the *really* rude ones in it
• There are some bonus bits and bobs in the back of the book – information on how People I know started, drawings of Halloween costumes and those ‘deleted scenes.’ ALSO! There is a four page bonus strip about… well, you’ll have to read it.

The book is ready to pre-order now and will continue to be so until December the 12^th. Then I’ll go on a mega posting binge! Hopefully that means you can have it in time for Christmas! YAY!

If you pre-order the book from me then you’ll also get a copy of Toby’s First Zine. It’s an A6, full colour comic by Toby the dinosaur. He made it about some of the awful dudes that have broken his little dinosaur heart. I only made 100ish of these though so get in there quick.

BONUS PRIZE! I found some old People I Know comics from before I made webcomics. They are black and white and … uh…  rather different from what you might be used to. But I thought it would be nice to maybe include some into random orders. If you definitely don’t want one then let me know in the ‘notes to seller’ box.

Speaking of the ‘notes to seller’ box – if you want me to doodle in the book or make it out to anyone then please let me know and I’ll do my best!

Right. I think that’s it. It feels really exciting to type this out as I’ve been working on the book for so long now. I really hope you like it as much as I do!

Thanks in advance

TWx

November!

Hi there

Look! It's a blog post! Full of vague details about what I'm up to and the like!

First off, I can confirm the rumours that I *did* get a new haircut and *yes* it did involve losing my beloved fringe. I'd be distraught but someone said it was "sexy" so now I'm just confused...

Next, I'll be at Thought Bubble this coming weekend. If you're anywhere near Leeds then come and visit. Even if you don't stop by my table, there are some AMAZING people there so it's really worth a look! Plus, I'll have some new tote bags!

Unfortunately, the big book hasn't arrived in time. Booooooo. But as soon as I've had confirmation that it's being shipped then I'll activate the pre-order!

Also, I'm preparing to announce the next themed-week. We've had Wizard Week, Jessica Fletcher Week(s) and Boyfriend Week... so what could be next. It should happen a little before Christmas if that helps?

2013 is nearly upon us so I'm putting my thinking cap on about what to do next. So far I've got some sassy ideas for two new mini-comics and a storyline about Christina and how she's coping now that Toby has a boyfriend.

I'll wrap this blog post up with some fan art I've been working on. It's possibly one of the most complicated things I've made for a while - but it was really good fun to do! It's fan art for the new comic book series 'Saga.' It's created by Brian K. Vaughan (the man behind Runaways!!!!) and Fiona Staples (my new favourite drawing person) and is an epic space opera about family and war and cats. I really can't do it justice. The first trade paperback is out now and I cannot recommend it enough.

Anyways. Here is my fan art! I really hope you like it!

Happy 3rd Birthday... and the PROJECT

Guess what!? It turns out that it was my website's third birthday a few days ago... and I totally forgot. Well, I didn't forget but I guess I was just distracted on other things like getting 'Hello Future' sorted and getting more webcomics done. So yes, happy third birthday to my website. I hope you are enjoying the comic!

To celebrate, I figure that now is a good a time as any to write about the PROJECT.

For a long time, I've been thinking about putting together a big book of People I Know comics. Don't believe me? Look at this comic from last year! The main problem was working out how to put together something that felt like something more than just a bunch of webcomics plopped together. Is there a way to give it a bigger story or a new reason? Well, the answer to that presented itself during Boyfriend Week 2012 - it made sense that a People I Know should begin and end with stories about Toby's relationship.

The next hurdle was finding the time to put a book together - I wasn't under any illusions that it would take a while to collate the comics I wanted to include, think about how to design it and all the extra bits and bobs to out in... Luckily, I was allowed to take some unpaid time off work to get it all done and... well, here's the front cover!

Wheeeeeeeeeeee! And there's a back cover too! How mysterious!

So yeah - the book got done. For future reference, there are lots of things to consider when making a book. If you ever make a book, give yourself plenty of time! I sent the files off to the printers and the sample arrived. Here is a photo of it!

The actual book itself will look a little different in regards to the finish and stuff but that's pretty much it. After three years or webcomics, and what feels like three years of planning and preparation, I finally have a People I Know book to be proud of.

It should be back from the printers by December but I'm hoping that it will be here in time for Thought Bubble in November. Fingers crossed. I'll do another blog post later on about the exciting bonus comic and information that goes with it and the comics it includes and even the SUPER EXCITING MINI COMIC I've made for people that get it early on... Oh who am I kidding, I can't keep the last one totally under my hat. Here is the front cover for it! Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Wow. This was a pretty epic blog post. So yeah - happy third birthday. Thanks for sticking with me and I really hope you're as excited about the book as I am!

Stay out of trouble
TWx

Hello Future. Goodbye Future

Hello!

For the last few weeks, I've been uploading a longer story called 'Hello Future.' You can read the first part here. The story came to an end yesterday and I just wanted to write a little blog post to say "hooray," and "I hope you enjoyed it" and also "here is what I was thinking."

Hooray!

I hope you enjoyed it!

I enjoyed making it because I had plans and rules for this story - which is something I haven't tried before. Normally I just make whatever I want and see how things evolve. Wizarding Wednesday has been a great example of this and I'm really proud of it.

Firstly, the story had to be interesting to people that have read People I Know before without alienating a new reader. That's always tricky with webcomics. Some people see a huge archive as an obstacle to endure before they can start enjoying the latest comic. Even though People I Know only has 550ish comics in the archive, I wanted anyone who found my website for the first time to be interested in what was happening, without having to gallop through the archive. Yes, gallop. Like a comic-devouring pony.

The story also had to push things along in terms of future story lines. Believe it or not, I do actually think about character development - even though my webcomic is just a series of jokes and tears. 'Hello Future' introduced us to two new characters (Future Me and Little Robot) as well as showing us existing characters in a new light. SPOILERS! Toby the dinosaur spent a bunch of panels kissing his boyfriend. The Evil Sun and the weird green blob both got taught different types of lessons. Curly sort of stood up to Jones. Christina was nowhere to be seen (you'll find out more about that later on). The Robot got his head ripped off! So yeah - now we get to see what effect (if any) that has on future comics.

On a slightly boring note, I also set myself the challenge of making sure that each comic was the same size - in this case: A5 landscape. Sometimes there's a temptation to make a comic longer, thinking the extra space will make it better. So for 'Hello Future' I set the size challenge to make sure I never went crazy and just drew really big comics.

It was also a good excuse to touch base with a bunch of different characters that we don't see much of. Rainbow Chicken, the Sunday Science League and the Sleeping Hag all got some screen time because I'd like to do more stuff with them. And because I don't want you to forget about them! I feel like they all have something different to offer the comic. We've already established that Rainbow Chicken wants to find a gimmick... where will that take us next?

On a personal level, I made this story to give myself some breathing room to work on the PROJECT. You'll be familiar with the PROJECT if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram. I don't want to reveal what it is just yet but the sample arrived this week and I'm pretty excited about it all. I'll do a mega blog post about it soon.

In other news, I hope you're all well and having a nice time. Have I missed anything exciting?

Cornelius and Toots!

Hello!

Remember that one time I said how much I love Cornelius and Toots? Good, because the first episode was great... and the second episode came out today!!!

Wheeeee! Go and watch it over here (YouTube) or here (Newgrounds).

I liked the first episode a lot - it was funny and Toots is adorable. I would even say "adorbz" if I was so inclined... but I'm not. Plus, the animation was slick. I wish I could animate. Boo hoo hoo.

Well, good news because the second episode was just as funny and well put together, if not more so. It involves some of my favourite things: flash-bangs, rivals and crosswords. But that's not all! Because if you watch it, you might just spot something interesting in the background... and by "something" I mean the saucy picture below:

Let me know if you spot it!

It's always nice to see cool people making cool stuff and the latest episode of Cornelius and Toots has really made me want to make cartoons or something. I guess I just need to come up with a nice idea and get to work on learning to animate properly. There just isn't enough time in the world, eh?

Oh! That reminds me! Did I ever post this Cornelius and Toots fan-art I drew? I assume so! But if I didn't, here you go!

Right. I should go to bed. I hope you're all well and having a nice day. I've been busy working on the PROJECT! You might have seen some sneaky peeks on Twitter or Instagram. I'll reveal all soon so stay tuned!

Stay out of trouble
TWx

People I Know - The Shop!

I'm often asked "how do you get your hair so soft and shiny?" The answer is a strict diet of water and cake.

I'm also often asked "do you sell stuff online?" The answer is no.

Well, the answer *was* no... until today. As of today, I'm opening a mini shop! You can find it here!

(((It's a mini shop because it's open from today until Friday)))

In the mini shop, you can purchase my very popular tote bags, mini comics and a MEGA PACK which contains some really cute vinyl stickers. Oh hey, you can look at the stickers here (they're on my sketchbooks)

I haven't run a shop before so my pal is doing all the hard work for me. I'm not being lazy but he has a PayPal and the time to pack stuff.

As I wrote above, the shop will close at the end of Friday (the 28th of September) so don't delay!

In other news, I've been working on the PROJECT which has gone well. I look forward to telling you all about it soon!

Hello Future: What's Going On?

As of today, I'm trying something a bit different for People I Know.

Say hello to Hello Future - here's the first part if you haven't already seen it:

Hello Future is a storyline that will be unfolding on my website for the next few weeks, I'll be updating from Monday to Thursday so you'll get four comics a week. That's one more than three! You're totally winning at comics!

If people like it then I'll collect it together and print it out in time for MCM Expo in October. I really hope people *do* like it! I have a really cute repeating pattern lined up for the inside covers!

I wrote a load of blurb about why I'm doing a storyline instead of gags (although I like to think I've combined the two) but it all got a bit whiney. I'll save it for a concluding blogpost when it's all over. But in the meantime, I hope you enjoy the story and that you had a nice weekend. I ate a lot of ice cream and got sad about the Olympics finishing... which is odd since I normally don't give two hoots about sport.

On The Download

Hello!

I've been meaning to write this for a while but I think we can all agree that updating this blog has been on the back burner for a while. Sorry about that!

But! I'm here now and here's a little blog post to tell you all about On The Download - the webcomic I've been drawing for the lovely guys over at Hookshot Inc (who came up with the funny title - I can't take the credit for that). It's a website about downloadable games! You probably know all about them! I'm a big fan of Jetpack Joyride and I've previously written about my love of Frobisher Says...

Look! Here is one of the earlier ones! It's about Draw Something! Remember that?

There are six up on the site so far - you can peep at them over here. It should update every Friday and I really hope you enjoy it. I also hope that you've had a lovely day! I went to see some Athletics for the Paralympics. It was pretty exciting and my second ever time at a sporting event! I feel so unfit. I better shovel some cake into my face to make me feel better.

Owl City or Carly Rae Jepsen?

I was busy drawing some things when a thought popped into my head:

Would I rather be Owl City or Carly Rae Jepsen?

I have a lot of thoughts like this and I'm sure I'm not the only one... Normally they leave by brain as quickly as they arrive but this stubborn little bugger won't leave. And, in true Carrie Bradshaw-style, it got me thinking:

Would I rather be Owl City or Carly Rae Jepsen?

Obviously, both come with pros and cons...

OWL CITY

Pros:

• You seem like a nice dude
• You sound a bit like the Postal Service and I like the Postal Service
•  I like your hair
• You're younger than me so that's a thing

Cons:

• Some of your songs have silly titles
• You have an album entitled "All Things Bright and Beautiful" yet you haven't recorded a cover of the titular hymn
• You're not responsible for 'Call Me Maybe'
• This happened and it makes me sad

CARLY RAE JEPSEN

Pros:

• 'Call Me Maybe' is an amazing song
• You're Canadian and I went to Toronto once and had a lovely time
• You're also younger than me - way to make me feel like an old dude

Cons:

• 'Call Me Maybe' is an amazing song that you would have to sing all the time until the end of time
• Your fringe is in danger of becoming your trademark hairdo and I worry about getting it in my eyes
• If I had to perform 'Call Me Maybe' all the time, I still don't think I could remember the verses

And there we have it. I might add some extra pros and/or cons as I think of them. But here, I made this survey for you to fill in. Let me know your thoughts!

Things I've Been Up To

Hello Hello

I know – I suck at keeping this updated! But cut me some slack – I haven’t been slacking or anything. I’ve been doing a bunch of things. Here are some words about some of the things I’ve been up to… although my memory is terrible so they may or may not be in chronological order.

Regina Spektor

My pal Tom took me to see Regina Spektor at the Royal Albert Hall! I saw her a long time ago at a tiny place in Camden (Lock 17?) but this was very different. I’m not *that* keen on the latest album compared to songs like Us and The Call… but seeing them live was impressive. I got a bit frustrated with some of the crowd though – we were stood by some people who were trying to have a ‘comedy’ dance-off. And lots of people in the audience (I suspect it was the same three people over and over) kept shouting out “I LOVE YOU!!!!” which is lovely until it doesn’t stop.

Olympics

In return, I took Tom to the OLYMPICS! I don’t know how it has been where you live but London has gone Olympic-crazy! We were warned that using public transport would be a nightmare but the biggest nightmare has actually been trying to get tickets to see anything. However, I was lucky enough to find myself the owner of tickets to go and see Water Polo! I didn’t know anything about Water Polo before but Tom and I headed off to the Olympic Park anyway… where we had an AMAZING TIME!

The atmosphere was brilliant. If all sporting events are like that then I can understand why people go to them. Oh! And so many pin badges! You know how much I love a good pin badge. I was also excited about visiting the giant McDonald’s – I haven’t been to one in years – but the queue was too long. The queues for everything were silly-long. No McDonald’s or Megastore for me :(((

London has been on its best behaviour too - it looks so nice and there's a really pleasant atmosphere... which makes a nice change. 

MCM Manchester

Also, I met up with the lovely Joe, Philippa and Lizz for MCM Manchester! Manchester MCM? Whichever order it goes in, I was there. There were some amazing costumes – here are my favourites! I hope they don’t mind me using these photos…

X-Men were some of the first comics I started reading so I'll always have a soft spot for the main cast. And look! This dude has done a good Cyclops costume! Wolverine and Gambit are quite frequent sights at comic events but I can't remember the last time I saw a Cyclops - and this man was so nice! Good work him!

HOORAY! It's Link! DOUBLE HOORAY! It's Link in a blue tunic, carrying a bomb! Bonus points for those boots - I want to wear those boots as part of my regular wardrobe. HOORAY FOR HIM!

Look at this! The cape! The mark! The silver leggings! It must be Doctor Doom. I've never read many comics where Doctor Doom features but I've always been a fan of the character design. This cosplayer did a great job of putting it all together. I suspect that capes are very on-trend on Latveria right now...

As good as all the other costumes were, none of them came close to this tiny child, dressed as TOBY THE DINOSAUR!!! Woooooooo! I can't even explain how amazing this is. There simply aren't enough exclamation marks in the world. Gah! So. Good. And. Cute.

Other Stuff

As for drawing, if you follow me on Tumblr, Instagram or Facebook then you’ll have seen all the bits and bobs I’ve been drawing. I’ve been posting some odd stuff as I’ve started inking warm-up sketches and just filling up empty spaces with whatever is in my mind. Maybe I’ll post some of my favourites here…

It's a Creepycorn - a scary version of a Caticorn! You'll find out about them VERY SOON!

It's Link from the Legend of Zelda. I wish he was my pal!

 

I have no idea what this is or why I drew it... but here you go!

I think that's enough of a brain-spew for one blog post. Sorry for the lack of them. Remind me to write about On The Download! That's pretty exciting! Oh. And we totally need to talk about the first thirty seconds of this video:

And we definitly need to talk about the second episode of Cornelius and Toots!

But before that, I should go to bed! I hope you're all well though!

Proof I'm Not A Terrible Person!

Hello!

Sometimes I worry that I complain and moan and bitch too much and that anyone reading this will think I’m a terrible person. I don’t think I’m a terrible person though. I pretty much go out of my way to be nice to people!

With this in mind, I just wanted to put together a mini blog post about the things I’ve been enjoying lately. Or right now. Not only does this prove that I’m a person who likes things, but it also means that maybe you’ll find something to like too? And isn’t that what the Internet is all about (after naughty videos and cute cats being cute)?

So yeah – prepare to be dazzled!

"Summer Music" by Advance Base [Music Video] from Philip Hodges on Vimeo.

This man used to be Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - one of my favourite bands/musical things ever.

 

 

 I went to see Moonrise Kingdom at the cinema! I think it is the first Wes Anderson film I've sat all the way through. It was very sweet and now I want to sew badges onto all my clothes. I *almost* want to go camping!

This was a group performance on The Voice. I watched it whilst doing this emoticon O_O'''''''. They have lovely voices but whoever came up with the theme is... well... I don't know. They could be really brave and smart and I just didn't get it. But anything involving a men having to duck under a floating, plastic apple deserves some sort of mention. I like the song though! Oh - and Bo was my favourite. SPOILERS: She didn't win.

This sassy song has seen me through some typing traumas. So sassy. So very sassy.

Saga – the new comic from BKV (the man that wrote Runaways!)

 Revenge has been my new favourite series. I want to start crossing faces out of photos and doing schemes!

The Case of the Fire Inside - the latest story from Bad Machinery by John Allison.

 Cornelius and Toots is a brilliant cartoon about two paranormal investigators. It has made me want to make cartoons that are good... not like the last one I made. Plus, this reminds me a little of Professor Layton which I'm a sucker for. Well done to everyone involved. More please!

MINI POST: MCM Expo

Hello!

Time for a mini blog post about some things! Woo hoo! Hold on tight as I whine and moan about all the things I don’t like.

Oh. Except that this post is about May’s MCM Expo. There will be whining and moaning, but all of that pales into insignificance when I show you this:

Yes – that’s right. It’s Toby cosplay! The first ever…and possibly the last. Eeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

I pretty much exploded! With happiness! Amazing.

The rest of MCM was a blur after that. I met some cool people and I saw some familiar faces but overall, I found the event quite stressful. It is now HUGE and I felt a little overwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong – I’m thrilled to see the Comic Village growing alongside it… but I could have done with a little rest at some point. And maybe some nearby toilets. I was lucky enough to be sharing a table with a friend so we could take it in turns to eat, but the idea of doing it alone makes me sad.

Oh. And I should be at the Manchester MCM in July. Probably.

In other news, I drew this picture of Invincible. But you already knew that if you follow me on Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook. Oh. And Instagram but I have no idea how to link to that...

 

Boyfriend Week 2012: Finale

So...it's the finale of Boyfriend Week 2012. I was hoping that this week would tie into People I Know on a larger scale and change things up a bit. Plus, I wanted people to draw boyfriends! I think it was a success on both counts. Hooray for everyone that took part.

But wait! It's not over yet! We've got two additional boyfriends sent in by some lovely people. So, for the final time, prepare to swoon at some potential boyfriends.

This assortment of amazing boyfriends was sent along by Ricky. Along with this drawing, Ricky also sent a short letter to Toby:

Hey Toby

So here are some single guys I know who I think you'd get along with. They're all nice, but if you want my advice, I'd ask out Scorpion-Worm: that guy is loaded!

Hmmm... I know you mustn't judge on appearances alone but Scorpion Worm doesn't *look* loaded. Maybe he's a dotcom millionaire or something? If I was going to pair Toby up with any of them, I'd go for Krr Krr Krr because he reminds me a bit of Quackso - and you all know how much I like a bit of Quackso. On the other hand, I trust Ricky's opinion so Scorpion Worm will have to do. He *does* have a cute baseball cap... Regardless, mega thanks to Ricky for sending them all along. You can follow Ricky on Twitter over here.

Next up is Chad Dreamboat as drawn by the lovely Andy. Here is what Andy had to say about Chad:

Chad Dreamboat is a loner.  He doesn't play by society's "rules".  He fixes motorbikes and reads Jack Kerouac.  He listens to introspective rock and picks fights in bars.  He got kicked out of school for frenching the Chemistry teacher.  He got arrested once for shoplifting a book of poetry.  But buried deep beneath those chiseled good looks and rebellious anti-authoritism lies a heart of pure gold.  He is the sole carer of his plucky little sister ever since their drug-addled mother abandoned them to become a Vegas showgirl.  His deepest ambition is to become a top cake chef and open his own bakery, but the close-minded screwheads want him out of their town.  Maybe the love of a good dinosaur good tame this wild spirit?

Wow. Just wow. I don't know about you but I'm sort of in love with Chad after reading that. Who wouldn't to go out with a good looking rebel who wants to open his own bakery? NO ONE, that's who. Thanks to Andy for sending him along (and for breaking my heart in the process). You can follow Andy on Twitter over here.

And finally, there's one more bonus boyfriend from me...

This is Sam. If you've read today's comic then you know who he is. I'm not going to write a blurb for him though as you'll learn about him in the future. Well, you will if everything goes to plan. Fingers crossed, eh?

And that's it. Boyfriend Week 2012 ends here. There will be a few deleted scenes and follow-on comics in the next few weeks. Again, a massive thanks to everyone that took part. And thanks to everyone that read it and shared it with their pals. These themed weeks are a fair bit of extra work for me but it's worth it when people say nice things.

IN OTHER NEWS: I'll be at MCM Expo next weekend.

Boyfriend Week 2012: Day Five

Hello hello!

It's the final day of Boyfriend Week 2012. I really hope you've enjoyed all the new boyfriends. Do you have your eye on any of them? I could totally put a good word in for you if you want? I know I'm pretty sweet on a few of them so things could get pretty awkward.

But anyways. Enough about me - here is (are?) the final batch of boyfriends that have been sent along by lovely people. Be prepared! 

The first boyfriend today is Montague St John-Deschanel the Third - as drawn by the lovely James. Normally I would write some blurb here about the boyfriend in question...but you have eyes. You can read all the amazing things for yourself. A special shout-out to the unicorn and the massive lunch box - who wouldn't want to give those two a special shout-out? Thanks so much James! I'll pay you back with some high fives... You can follow James on Twitter too! Hooray!

Next up it's Jeremy K. Fleming - a deer boyfriend sent along by Geggs. Jeremy has a red tie - a similar tie to the one that Toby wears so maybe that's a good indication of things to come? Also, without scaring you, do Jeremy's eyes follow you around the room? Is he... is he f-f-flirting with us? Hmmm... Regardless, mega thanks to Geggs for sending him along. You can follow Geggs on Twitter!

So... once upon a time, I asked a pal to draw something in my sketchbook and lo - Adventurous Cat was born from the pen and brain of Steve. I like Adventurous Cat so much that I declared him an entry into Boyfriend Week. I'm not sure if I cleared this with Steve but I'm sure he won't mind... FUN FACT: The rest of this page is full of ideas for future story lines for the People I Know gang. But that's a story for another time. Mega thanks to Steve for not kicking me in the face for uploading Adventurous Cat as part of Boyfriend Week. You can follow Steve on Twitter if that helps?

This is Mini C - a boyfriend sent along by Helen. This is what Helen had to say about the mysterious Mini C:

No one wants to be dumped by a greasy, smelly mini cheddar... That would be awful.

Helen is right. Getting dumped by a cheese-flavoured snack must be pretty grim... but who knows, maybe Mini C is a sweetheart that will never dump you? Fingers crossed. I mean, I don't know him, but you could at least give him a shot, right? Thanks to Helen for sending Mini C along.

Who is this dream dreamboat? It's Link as drawn by Rus. No - not *that* Link - the other one. Here is Rus to explain:

I drew Brendan Fraiser in his role as Link from California Man because I figured both Link and Toby can reminisce about the good old days and how they're both from a time long forgotten.

Rus has a point. Talking about 'the good old days' is always a nice way to bond. Plus, Link is a bit of a stud, right? Thanks for sending him in, Rus! I'm probably going to end up buying the DVD of California Man now just to remind myself about 'the good old days.' You can follow Rus on Twitter over here.

Next up is the lovely Boyfriend-O-Saurus as drawn by Craig. Here is what Craig had to say about this dreamy dinosaur:

I have no idea how many other dinosaurs have been potential suitors, but this Boyfriend-O-Saurus is at least a herbivore, so there's no chance of 'accidental eatage'. B-O-S has made an effort- he knew you where coming so he baked a cake! So if the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, he's off to a good start- and if Toby is lucky he may even get to lick the spoon!

Oh la la - spoon-licking! On a Friday? Saucy! B-O-S certainly has a charming smile but I'm a bit worried about his food hygiene standards. Look at that broken egg, just causing a stink on the floor! I hope he cleans it up properly! But Craig has clearly done his homework - Toby really does have a thing for cake... Thanks for sending this in Craig! You can follow Craig on Twitter too!

Say hello to Rex - a boyfriend sent along by Ben. Ben gets bonus points for creating Rex on his way to the gym and in record time. Here is what we know about Rex:

Toby fancies him because he has both a tattoo of an anchor AND an earring. Rex breaks Toby's heart when he comes home with a hickey on his neck from a stegosaurus, and then tries to eat him."

Goodness me. That's a tale and a half... Or do I mean "a tail and a half?" Tee hee. But yes - Rex is clearly some sort of heartbreaker! I'm not sure I would allow Toby to even talk to such a scoundrel! And cheating with a stegosaurus! What a floozy! Thanks to Ben for sending him along. Thanks Ben!

I could be described as a lot of things (my favourite so far is "aggressively friendly") but I have never been called 'laid back...' unlike the next boyfriend: Pablo the sassy sloth! Pablo was created by Jason, who has been kind enough to tell you everything you need to know about Pablo in the above drawing. Although I'm mostly drawn to Pablo's long arms for hugging, you can't fail to be impressed by his 366 eukaryotic organisms. I'm not even sure what 'eukaryotic' means but 366 is a big number. Go Pablo! Thanks Jason for sending him along. You can follow Jason on Twitter too!

 It's time for me to get involved... possibly for the last time? Say hello to Quackso. I really have no idea what I was thinking when I drew him but you can't help buy love him, right? Those eyelashes! That hat! Welcome to Swoon City. Population: You. Here is what I wrote about Quackso after his birth:

QUACKSO!!! Quackso is a fat duck who loves his curves and his eyelashes. He shares Toby’s obsession with cake but is a bit more confident when it comes to approaching people. Quackso collects hats.

And there you have it. Quackso. 

As you may or may not know, I have a job. I asked lots of people in the office to take part in Boyfriend Week 2012 and this is one of the responses. This is Spike as drawn by Simon. I asked Simon to tell me some facts about Spike and he told me the following:

• Spike is 28 years old
• Spike is a paleontologist
• Spike enjoys snowboarding

Sounds like a catch to me! Thanks to Simon for sending him along.

This boyfriend was sent in by Joe and I was a bit worried that he'd been reading my mind when I first saw it. In today's comic, the evil sun suggests that Toby go out with her meteorite pal - and look! Joe has sent in this super cute meteorite as a potential boyfriend. Is it a sign? Are they destined to be together? Here is what Joe had to say:

You'll notice that he is a flaming meteorite in the hope that their relationship will go some distance to rectifying the long-apparent social gulf between dinosaurs and meteorites.

Personally, I think they make a super cute couple. Thanks to Joe for sending him in. You can follow Joe on Twitter over here!

Boyfriend Week 2012 takes a dramatic turn with Vlah - a boyfriend sent along by Dick. Here is what Dick wrote about Vlah:

This is Vlah. He is a nomadic centaur. He has many wives but spends most of his time in solitude. Wandering the wide-open steppe. 

Wow. So, Vlah already has some wives! However, they clearly aren't enough for him so he's after a bit of Toby on the side. Mysterious! Although I'm not sure whether or not I approve of his motives, I *am* very impressed with Vlah's forward planning. Look at all the stuff he's carrying with him. He will be useful in any situation... oh... unless it's all just emotional baggage? That would suck. I guess we'll have to ask Dick to find out for us. Super thanks to Dick for sending him along. You can follow Dick on Twitter over here. 






Next up is a game sent along by Lizz - the comic drawing wizard who is cute as a button and twice as useful... Here we go...

Here are your options. Prepare yourself!

Alright then... who are you going to choose? Think carefully - Toby's happiness hangs in the very balance! YOU COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING! Once you've had a think, make sure you picture them clearly in your mind...

Are you thinking about them? 




Keep picturing them...




Keep going...



THINK HARDER!



YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!




Alright then! 

Done! 

Here is your... oh...

 

Sorry everyone! You missed out on Card D - and that was Alan! If you've ever played the popular (with my pals) card game Heart Throb then you'll be familiar with Alan. I know quite a lot of people that wouldn't mind getting *more* familiar with him... but is Toby one of them? Time will tell. Thanks to Lizz for making this game and sending it along. You can follow her on Twitter over here...

The next boyfriend puts the ultimate into penultimate - it's Melbourne Carmichael as drawn by the fair hand of Luke! Here is Luke's biography of Melbourne:

Melbourne Carmichael is a small omnivorous therapod and amateur hair surgeon whose hobbies include running, grooming, going for drinks with friends and managing his collection of vintage milk packaging and associated ephemera. A rapacious killer when required, he also has a sensitive side and is well liked for his engaging delivery of anecdotes which are rich in his uniquely wry sense of humour. He has self published several dozen e-books of contemporary short fiction and is a regular contributor to the website Youtube.com, regularly commenting on a wide variety of user-submitted video content. He was born in Gloucester but in 2010 moved to Cheltenham.

That pretty much answers any and every question I had about Melbourne. He certainly has an incredibly...uh...diverse range of interests. And none of them involve cake! But you know, maybe it would do Toby some good to go out with someone unlike him. Plus, I can't remember the last time I saw such sexy eyebrows! Maybe Toby could go out with Melbourne and I could go out with his eyebrows? Hmmm... But yes - thanks to Luke for sending this along. You can follow Luke on Twitter over here.

You're not imagining things...that really is a super cool, giant rabbit standing in front of you. His name is Kevin and he was sent along by Dan. Here is what Dan had to say about Kevin:

All I know is that his name is Kevin and he is a very large rabbit… Apart from that, I know nothing. Oh, rumour has it he once snogged Aston from JLS.

I think Dan is holding out on us. For a start, Kevin has a tattoo which means that he is cool and dangerous. Next up - the cute and fluffy tail shows that he likes to take care of himself. He also appears to have an iPhone but I'll let you draw your own conclusions from that. Thanks to Dan for sending him along. You can follow Dan on Twitter over here!

And that's it. Boyfriend Week 2012 is over. Sort of. Check out the website on Monday - some stuff might get resolved. Maybe? But until then, have a lovely weekend and don't forget to keep an eye out for any more potential boyfriends for Toby. I'm sure he'd appreciate it. Oh - and if you want to draw a boyfriend, get it to me by Sunday and maybe I'll do a bonus day or something?

Thanks so much to everyone that read all this and to everyone that sent along a boyfriend. Great work!


Have a brilliant weekend
TWx

Boyfriend Week 2012: Day Four

Warning! Warning! It's the fourth day of Boyfriend Week 2012 which can only mean one thing... a whole blog post full of dreamy potential boyfriends for Toby. What will today bring? Read on, dear reader. Read on...

The first entry into Boyfriend Week 2012 is from John. Before you worry about Toby running out on his sun, don't worry - John is here to explain:

His name is Rod and he met Toby at Fabric. It was an ill-starred union as Rod is always trying to convince Toby that he has fathered a "baby". The baby is just a very small dinosaur called Terry. Terry doesn't mind going along with it as it's not like he has anything else to do (he's independently wealthy).

Fabric is a nightclub in London...and if that part of the story is true then the rest of it could totally be true too! Whatever Rod and Terry's motives are for their behaviour, the important thing is that they are happy. Plus, I like Rod's teeny tiny hat. Thanks John. FUN FACT: You can follow John on Twitter over here.

Next up, it's this sweet drawing by Martin. This is Jon - Toby's new *ahem* bed warming partner! Oh la la. FUN FACT: You got to see Toby's bed in the first ever printed issue of People I Know (back in 2007). Toby and Christina share a room... but they are just pals. Toby and Jon though, they are in the SAME BED! What does it mean?! Whatever it means, I hope they are sleeping well. Thanks for sending this along Martin. You can follow Martin on Twitter over here.

Next up we have Pin - a psychic stud sent in my Carl. Here is what Carl had to say about this potential boyfriend:

Did you ever see What Women Want? I didn't, but it's about manipulating women by reading their thoughts, isn't it? Well this guy is a psychic, and there must be a nice way to use those powers for Toby!

I wish I had psychic powers...or any sort of super power really. However, I hope that Pin won't use his powers for evil. Also, it would be pretty unethical of him to seduce Toby by trickery. Hmmm... Either way, he has nice hair and I like his shirt. Thanks to Carl for sending him along! You can follow Carl on Twitter if you want.

This comprehensive comic is all about Montgomery Zeus - a potential boyfriend sent along by the lovely David. Here is what David had to say about Montgomery:

Allow me to introduce you to Montgomery Zeus, I feel he would be a wonderful companion to the Toby we know and love. Here are the key facts about it:

• He won the Triforce of courage from Link
• He carries Zordon's Morpher
• He once helped a bunch of naked nuns build the first tunnel in London
• He looked up Geri's skirt even though he isn't really into that sort of thing, it was just because he could 
• He found Maddy months ago, but respected her right to privacy so is keeping it a little bit secret
• He created the original 151 Pokemon designs, he doesn't care for he later generations
• It was Montgomery's hair in the core of Voldermort and Harry's want, NOT, a phoenix feather
• Montgomery is ace at picking cakes
• He can watch a 3D film without wearing the stupid glasses
• He is the only person to make Captain Janeway stop and have a quick think about her choices in life. 
• censored

I hope Toby will enjoy a date with Montgomery.

So there you go. I don't think I could really anything to this that hasn't already been covered by David. Montgomery Zeus is an incredible name - perfect for an incredible boyfriend. Thanks for sending him along, David! You can follow David on Twitter too!

Say hello to Shirley - the potential boyfriend sent along by Mark. Here are some facts about him. And by 'him,' I mean Shirley, not Mark:

This is Shirley.

He is a bearded vegan pygmy diplodocus with a big heart.

He could be Toby's boyfriend, he has one big arm that can dish out hugs, but can also give Toby a good old smack and knock some sense into him when needed (always)...

Away from speed dating fictional characters he likes to take part in Tudor re-enactments and has an extensive store loyalty card collection.

His favourite colour's hex value is #cc9999

Quite frankly, Shirley had me at "bearded vegan," but maybe I'm just easy. And I think we can all agree that Toby could do with a good old smack sometimes. FUN FACT: I think I went to a Tudor re-enactment once. Well, it involved a bunch of people in costume and I had a furry beret. Thank you very much for sending this along, Mark! You can follow Mark on Twitter too!

It's time for another of my own potential boyfriends. This is Max. I wrote some words after drawing him:

Max is a mysterious guy. He has a connection to a People I Know regular character but I won’t tell you who just yet. He enjoys dressing smartly and is very proud of his smart shoes.

You can probably guess which regular character is...because there aren't that many of them. If he ever returns it will be with different hair. Hello Max!

Next up is Brick - a solid and dependable boyfriend sent in by the talented Ross. Here is what Ross had to say about Brick's boyfriend potential:

• Brick is a good listener
• Brick is honest
• Brick won't (can't) leave you
• Brick is financially independent
• Brick will never nag you to hang your towel up when you're done with it even though you were just about to do it anyway you just had to check your emails first, for gods sake.

I think I might know some of Brick's family. He looks so...familiar. Hmmmm. From Ross' description, Brick sounds like a nice guy and has a lot going for him. Thanks for sending him along, Ross! You can follow Ross on Twitter over here.

Hey everyone! Say hello to Frankie Wurst - a boyfriend sent in by Gon. Gon was kind enough to draw up a list of Frankie's pros and cons... Check them out:

Pros:
- Buns of steel!
- Allergic to cake - so more for Toby
- Speaks fluent German

Cons:
- No fashion sense
- Can't hug back
- Doesn't speak any English

Personally speaking, not being able to hug back is a pretty big con and if I loved cake then I'd be a bit nervous about eating cake anywhere near him. But what do I know? If Toby wants to go out with Frankie then I'm all for it. The important thing is their happiness! Thanks to Gon for sending in a drawing. You can follow Gon on Twitter over here.

Say hello to Barry Norbusk, a global hunk sent in by Joe. I'm so overwhelmed by Barry's overall hunkiness that I'm not sure what to type. I'm not sure what I find more alluring - the chin dimples or the mouth-beak. Whatever it is, I hope that he is as nice as he is hunky - I wouldn't want Toby to go out with anyone mean. Thanks to Joe for introducing us to Barry. I don't know if Barry is on Twitter but Joe is - you can follow him here!

This is Roger. Roger was sent in by Joe - but a different Joe to the last one. Check out both their websites - they are both great but very different. Roger came with a very interesting backstory - prepare yourself:

This guy is called Roger and he's one of dexys midnight runners (not the original line up) currently touring with Deck Sees Mid Nite Runnaz (dexys midnight runners tribute band) (not the original line up) He plays a mean viola and enjoys making pastry.

Fun Fact: his uncle provided the voice over for BASF video cassette adverts and played "Greg The Grocer" in TV's Pigeon Street.

Goodness me! What a life he has led, eh? I'm not sure which bit impresses me the most - and I'm a tough one to impress. Unlike me, Toby is impressed by anything so he will no doubt be very taken with Roger. Thanks to Joe for sending Roger along. You can follow Joe on Twitter over here.

The final drawing for today is this amazing comic that was sent in by the hideously talented Rob. For those who aren't aware - Mr Kipling is a brand of cakes over here in England. I'm partial to the french fancies... and the lemon slices...and the angel slices. And pretty much every cake that he puts out. In fact, the only thing that I like more than a Mr Kipling cake is Rob's comic. I was stunned when I first saw it. And then I was jealous. And then I was a little bit like "well, I wish I looked like that in real life." So many emotions. Also, FUN FACT time: I love eating cake with a fork. I have special cake forks and everything. Maybe I should just pay Rob to draw People I Know from now on. Thanks so much Rob!

And that's it for Day Four of Boyfriend Week 2012. I hope you're enjoying it. What will happen tomorrow? Swing by to find out! Oh - and thanks again to everyone that has taken part. It really is amazing.