Wizard Week 2011: Day Four

Hello! It’s Thursday – that awful day that’s not quite Friday… Except it is sort of Friday for me since I’ve booked  tomorrow off work! I’ll be at MCM Expo instead but that’s sort of like not being at work? Or something. Whatever – here are the next batch of wizards for Wizard Week 2011!

We all know I can’t draw hands. So I should probably hate people that can. Except I don’t. If you want to know how I avoid such negative emotions, just check out this drawing by Joe. It’s just too cool to hate. It helps that wizards are cool in general but Joe’s wizard gets bonus cool points for having a cool hat and fancy shoes. And Joe gets extra bonus cool points just because. Thanks Joe!

Hahahahaha. This submission made me wet myself a little. Look! It’s Toby the dinosaur, except he’s been working out! Because he’s effing terrifying. This was sent in by Andy and I’ve got to admit that I’m a little jealous. If I could draw like that, Toby would always look that cool. Thanks Andy! I owe you one!

Cake + Wizard = double thumbs up from me. This wizard was sent in by Graham. Graham was actually kind enough to do a nice drawing of Toby and the wizards a while ago which I’ve been saving for this week! Here it is! I hope he doesn’t mind me uploading it here.

Thanks Graham!

Recently, I was quite glued to the ITV2 show The Only Way Is Essex. If you haven’t seen it, watch it. I could never do it justice with mere words. This drawing by Darren sees a combination of two of my favourite things – The Only Way Is Essex and wizards. The guy he’s drawn is Joey Essex. I’d explain more – but you should really just watch it. Thanks Darren! Reem!

 

Say it with me now – it’s Daaaaaaaaan! If you ever want to know something about comics – ask Dan. He’s a super nice guy who knows all sorts of things. Except, until today I didn’t know that he knew about wizards as well! Because Dan’s right – some wizards HATE magic! No one really talks about these wizards because they mostly suck – but the mere fact that Dan’s knows about them shows how smart he is. Thanks for teaching us something new, Dan!

 

Wheeeee! A super cute comic strip about gnome-wizards? YES PLEASE! This was sent in by Rob who I met at Thought Bubble 2010. Rob raises an excellent point – if wizards have robes, beards and hats, then gnomes – which has beards and hats (but no robes or wands) must get pretty confused. I’d get confused if I was a gnome. Not that it matters since I’m neither gnome nor wizard. Regardless – thanks Rob!

I think there was a period when I worried that the Wizarding Wednesday guys didn’t do enough magic. So they all got a specific thing they were good at whether it was changing size or shape or this weird thing they do with arrows. And it’s this slightly bizarre arrow magic that Alex has drawn! HOORAY! I still don’t really understand what it does besides pointing at/through stuff but it looks cool and Alex has done a brilliant job. Thanks Alex!

This whiteboard wizard was sent in by the mysterious Dan via the medium of Twitter. Dan’s wizard has the three key items – a robe, a beard and a wand…but this wizard has a bonus feature! Whiteboard pens! In constant supply in every office, this wizard is super smart for keeping some handy. That way, everyone in every office will need him at some point… Thanks for the wizard Dan!

 

This wizard was sent in by Justin – and you know what, he’s got a point! Wizards would be great to have about the house – doing the cleaning, being positive role models to children. I think that having a wizard in the house would improve pretty much EVERYTHING. Justin – you are a very smart man. Thank you for both the wizard and for opening my eyes!

Is one man deserves a theme tune…it’s me. But after me, it’s Matt – the drawer of this comic. He’s done a great job of  drawing a great submission that involves zero wizards. A great skill and just what I’d expect of Matt. Thank you very much Matt! I’ll pay you back with a very special performance of Life by Des’ree.

If you’ve been reading these blurbs at all (which I hope you have since they take me about three hours to type) – then you’ll know that I reckon a good wizard has a brilliant beard. And I’m not alone in this theory – as Matteo, the brains behind this drawing has given his wizard a proper beard. Not only that, but the first time I met Matteo, he had a decent beard himself. Maybe he’s a wizard?! I don’t know. Either way, thanks Matteo!

 

Sad story: I am terribly unphotogenic. It’s like, point a camera in my direction and watch me turn into a big pile of gross. Which is why, if I see a camera within two metres, I hide. Don’t believe me? Ask Peter – the gentleman who drew this wizarding world. He was at a comic event with a camera…which obviously meant I had to keep hiding. It made holding a conversation pretty interesting. But still, he drew a wizard. Thanks Peter! Now please put the camera down before I vomit.

 

I have some really nice pals in real life. One of them is called Tom and he was kind enough to send me this wizard-themed haiku. Tom was also kind enough to make me pancakes on pancake day! See? Nice pals doing nice things. Thanks for sending this in Tom. You’re the nicest!

 Different people think of different things when asked to draw a wizard. Never has this been more apparent than with this drawing by Gillian. As you can see, Gillian was reminded of some weird milky-drink that was given out in class at lunchtime. I think we just had regular milk at my school (I might have just imagined that) but the idea of having wizard-branded faux-milk is pretty terrifying. If you’ve recovered Gillian, I would like to say thank you for taking part! Thank you!

Upon receiving this wizard from Warwick in my inbox, I suggested that I could maybe rename Warwick as Aceguy. Or Mr Ace. Something along those lines. He said that Warwick is fine but if I wanted to tell people that he’s ace then that’s OK. But I don’t need to tell you that Warwick’s ace because you can clearly see from the above drawing that this is indeed the case. Thanks Warwick! You’re ace!

So that’s Day Four of Wizard Week 2011 done. I hope you’re enjoying it. And obviously you should check out everyone’s web pages if you like the look of their work!

Wizard Week 2011: Day Three

It’s Wednesday and it’s Wizard Week 2011 – so today must be a pretty magical day. How exciting! And I really hope you’ve been enjoying Wizard Week so far. I know I am! Although it’s a lot more work than I remember it being!

Anyways – without further ado…

You know how highly I think of beards…mainly because I’m unable to grow one myself. And this drawing is all about the beard. That’s because it was drawn by Rembrand – a prince of beards! Maybe organising Wizard Week 2011 has come from my beard-obsession? Hmmm… Maybe I should seek help? Whatever – thanks Rembrand! I’ll buy you a cake whenever you’re in town next.

Uh oh – it’s another Discworld wizard…and I still haven’t read any of the books. This drawing of Rincewind was sent in by Rob – who I happened to bump into at the weekend. I should have asked to borrow a book or something. But yeah – I’m already a little scared of the Discworld books as there appears to be a magical chest with trotters. Is that a thing? I am so confused. But I’m not confused about saying thanks to Rob. Thanks Rob!

It may or may not surprise you to learn that I really enjoy a good fighting game. I hate fighting in real life but let me do a Spinning Bird Kick or a Hundred Hand Slap and I am all sorts of excited. That’s why I’m extra pleased to see Shang Tsung from Mortal Kombat in Wizard Week! This drawing was sent in by Martin. Thanks for bringing back all sorts of memories. Now… FINISH HIM!

Do you like squids? Do you like wizards? If the answer is yes to one of these questions, then great. If the answer is yes to BOTH of these questions then this drawing is the one for you. Sent in by James, the Squid Wizard is probably a very talented wizard. Thanks for sending him along, James!

What’s better than a wizard with one beard? How about a wizard with TWO BEARDS! Yes – that’s right, meet Two Beard, as drawn by the talented Kyle. I don’t know Kyle so I can’t tell you an amusing story or anything – but I can tell you that I very much enjoy this wizard. Thanks Kyle!

You know what’s sassy? A wizard? You know what’s three times as sassy? THREE WIZARDS SINGING ON STAGE! And I’m clearly not the only one that things so as this drawing was sent in by Howard. I’ve never been to a festival (because I don’t think I could deal without a real toilet) but if there were wizards on stage, I would totally go. Why aren’t there more wizards in bands? Thanks Howard!

What is a wizard without his hat? Let me tell you – a wizard without a hat is like a…uh… Ghibli movie without a bunch of cute stuff. But talking of cute stuff and wizard hats, this comic strip was sent in by the owl-obsessed Amy. I don’t think you can be too small for wizarding – but I should probably investigate. More importantly – thanks Amy!!!

Watch out guys! It’s about to get metatextual as someone draws me appearing alongside my own wizards.  What’s going on!? This comic was sent in by John who I met at Thought Bubble 2010. He also got two of his pals to send in wizards too. So double thanks for that John. I totally owe you come cake. Or a song and dance routine. You can choose. Oh – and just to set the record straight, I don’t think I’m super cool or awesome…but I am quite nice. At least, I hope I’m nice? Either way, thanks John!

What’s blue, bearded and lives in your trousers? It’s obviously a wizarding version of Mike Dolphino! Those of you who aren’t familiar with Mike Dolphino really need to get up to speed. Mike is a very big deal…and he’s probably in your trousers right now! I’m really excited that he’s taken part in Wizard Week. Thank you very much Mike. I can’t wait to see you again!

 

Once upon a time, I went to work and asked a pal to draw a wizard. He passed the wizard-drawing onto someone else and that someone was Stephen… which is funny since I don’t really know Stephen so I’m not sure what to write here. He seems very nice? And I talked to him about comics? I guess it doesn’t really matter what I know/don’t know about Stephen – the important thing is that he drew a wizard. Thanks Stephen!

CURVEBALL! This drawing of the moody Juno (from the movie “Juno”) was sent in by Tom – officially one of the nicest guys I think I’ve ever met. Tom, as well as being a super nice, is also a freelance drawing guy so I’m double pleased he could find time in his schedule to take part in Wizard Week. Thanks Tom!

So…today’s comic on the website mentioned Scientists. As a bonus prize, I drew them for you! They are called the Sunday Science League - which is why you haven't seen them before because I don't make a comic on Sundays. The lady in the middle is their leader and I think she’s quite bossy…but only when she has an audience. Also, her hair changes colour a lot because of science. And the floaty thing is a robot head with a brain in it. You might see them all soon. WHO KNOWS!

Wizard Week 2011: Day Two

We survived the first day so if you’re reading this, it must mean you want to see all the other wizards that have been sent in for Wizard Week 2011. If you’re not here for wizards, then feel free to hang about anyways… 

Who is this mysterious fellow? Why, it’s Herve the Hedge Wizard! He has been drawn/created by Simon – a man I suspect must be part wizard himself. I asked him how he made it (again with the interest in processes) and he said it was just a rough sketch and some computer stuff. However he did it (I still suspect magic of some kind) it’s ace. Thank you very much Simon! Thumbs up! Except, unlike you, I can't draw hands!

Say hello to Duncan the Wizard, as drawn by Trevor. Trevor and I used to work at the same company and our paths crossed briefly but only via emails. So when he appeared in my inbox for Wizard Week, I was worried I’d gone back in time. But I hadn’t. Anyways – Duncan has a great colour scheme doing on. Although, I hope his robes stay blue for a bit longer - brown isn't a great colour for robes. Thanks to Trevor for introducing us all to Duncan!

 

Next up is this drawing of Roy Wood from Wizzard. Who drew this rainbow vision, I hear you ask. Here’s a clue – it was Clark! Clark is one of the super team behind Thought Bubble and an all round cool dude. Although, now I’ve seen his drawing, I can’t help but feel a little disappointed that Clark doesn’t have rainbow powers. WTF Clark? Sort it out! Haha – only kidding, thanks for the wizard. You are ace!

Being a wizard requires three things (in my mind) – a robe, a beard and a wand. And by the looks of the drawing he sent in, Dan totally agrees with me. This wizard is Merlin – possibly one of the most famous wizards ever… although since I don’t think Merlin has his own theme park, I guess Harry Potter is actually more popular and famous. Not that it matters, this isn’t a popularity contest. All I wanted to say was “ace wizard, thanks Dan!”

Oh! This wizard double bill was sent in by Alejandra, all the way from South America! And what a pair of wizards it is – Gandalf the Grey and Tim the Enchanter! I’m not sure which of the two is the most powerful…maybe Gandalf because he has a more impressive beard? But then Tim has ram horns… Hmmm. I’ll let Alejandra decide. Thanks for sending them in!

Lots of people say that swimming with dolphins can cure all sorts of things…but what would happen if you swam with a Dolphono? Would you catch T-wartz? Don’t ask me, ask Indy, who sent in this brilliant wizard. This wizard loves maths and who can blame him? Maths is pretty cool. Thanks Indy… now please take that Dolphono away, he’s scaring me.

 

Are you prepare to be weirded out? Then once you’ve finished admiring Mark’s drawing of Wizbit, feel free to YouTube it. I just did and it is…wow… It’s a little scary. I think I’m most scared of Wizbit’s eyes – they seem a little untrustworthy. But still, he’s a wizard which is the important thing. And the end music is pretty catchy. Thanks Mark for bringing Wizbit into my life!

Remember that one time when Wills and Kate/Katherine got married and we all watched it and ate cake? I do…and judging from this ace picture sent in by Nick, I’m not the only one! Although Nick seems to remember it a little differently to me. To be fair, a muggle like myself could easily have missed Hagrid trying to enrol Prince Harry into Hogwarts. I’ll rely on the superior wizard-detection skillz of Nick on this one. Thanks for sending this in Nick!

I don’t really read that many DC comics but one of the ones I *am* reading is the new Zatanna series. And why? Because Zatanna is effing cool! Or should that be – Esuaceb Annataz si gniffe looc! This brilliant drawing was sent in by Mart – the brains behind Spandex. And look! I’m in the drawing too! HOORAY! I hope I don’t fall into Zatanna’s top though – it’s probably not the safest place to be during a magical crime-fighting adventure. Thanks Martin! Sknaht nitram!

Being a wizard is pretty tricky and having the right equipment is essential…which is why this drawing by the lovely Rick is very useful to anyone considering venturing off on their very own magical quest. A personal favourite is the navigation snail. I could do with one of those in real life to be honest… except I don’t really like snails. But I like getting lost even less… Hmmm… But still, thanks Rick! 

COMIC STRIP ALERT! This little belter was sent in by Ben – who you may or may not remember as being the nice guy who drew the People I Know fanart a while ago. So yeah, this drawing contains another Discworld reference – so I’m assuming I really need to read the books. Is that the case? Also, I really like the fact that Ben has used the correct People I Know colours. I get really particular about the colours sometimes so I appreciate it. Thank you Ben! 

So that’s it for Day Two of Wizard Week 2011. As a bonus prize for being so well behaved, here is a drawing I did for a pal. It is based on something they were saying on Twitter – so obviously it’s a wizard dog standing on a hot dog. And the dog has nano-wizard powers! And there’s a cat too! I hope you enjoy it! Come back tomorrow for some more wizarding action!

 

Wizard Week 2011: Day One

Hello Hello!

It’s Monday and you know what that means!!! It’s the first day of Wizard Week 2011! HOORAY! If you’re not sure what that means then listen up. Every weekday, the drawing on my website will be wizard-themed. Over here on my blog, I’ll be uploading wizard-themed drawings that people have sent in. If you want to participate then you can, just send it over via email (timothy UNDERSCORE winchester AT yahoo DOT com) before Thursday…

So, without further ado, roll on the wizards!!!

Our first entry is from Katy and is actually (at time of writing) the latest submission. Katy has opted to draw a follow-up to this Wizarding Wednesday. It’s good to see the witch get her own back on those beardy wizards. Sometimes I don’t think they realise how rude they’re being. I’m sure they don’t mean it. But I totally mean it when I say thank you very to Katy for this submission – it’s a great way to start off Wizard Week 2011!

 

This happy-looking fellow was in by lovely Tom. Tom is a pal from work who didn’t laugh/punch me when I asked him to draw a wizard. Tom opted for the instantly recognisable medium of MS Paint. I really like the colour choices Tom’s made for the wizards clothes – purple is obviously the most magical colour after “rainbow.” Thanks Tom!

Speaking of work pals – the next submission is from Danny. Danny is also a pal from work and he enjoys cycling. I don’t know the last time I tried riding a bike but I totally tried drawing one recently – and it was a disaster! But that’s a story for another time – back to wizard talk. Danny has drawn an angry-looking wizard who I wouldn’t want to mess with. It’s important to remember that not all wizards are good! 

Speaking of good, OMG! This wizard was submitted by Henki from Airside Japan! Henki sent in a lovely Jessica Fletcher during Jessica Fletcher Week 2010, so it’s great to have him getting involved again. Henki has drawn Orko, the floaty wizard from He-Man. I don’t remember much about Orko as I was more of a ThunderCats fan, but I like his hat! It’s especially wizardly…although since when was red a colour of wizards? Regardless, excellent work as always Henki! I totally owe you one!

Uh oh – looks like I spoke too soon about wizarding colour choices… This Lizard Wizard was sent in by Pandora, who I’ve met a few times at MCM. Pandora gets a special shout out – not just for some excellent punnery, but for spotting today’s spelling bee joke before I’d posted it. That’ll teach me to drag a joke out! Anyways – excellent wizard work!

Watch out! It’s our first Wizard Week comic strip! And this one was sent in by Luke. I suspect, between you and me, that Luke may be a wizard himself as every time I see him, he’s lugging round a HUGE bag. I assume this bag is full of wizarding items like cloaks and wands and stuff…but I’m not sure. I should probably ask him. Either way, great work Luke!

Not content with sending in just one wizard, Mark sent in THREE wizards! Wowsers. It’s nice to be reminded that wizards are people too so I’m glad Mark has chosen to highlight the various things that wizards get up to when they aren’t casting spells and stuff. I mean, if I was a wizard, I’d go on holiday and stuff. BONUS FACT: I went bowling recently and did quite well!

 

If you’re not sitting down, you might want to find the nearest chair. Someone has sent in a brilliantly brooding drawing of Harry “Super Famous” Potter. Not only that, but they’ve done a great job. And that person is Anna! HOORAY FOR YOU! I know Anna’s pretty busy with revising and stuff so I’m extra pleased with this submission – although obviously revising is VERY important! Thanks for taking the time out Anna…now get back to studying! The future is important!

 

I have a terrible confession to make. I don’t know much about the Discworld books. But don’t worry! Natasha does and she’s sent in a wizard-related drawing to prove it! I’m not sure what I enjoy most about this drawing – it’s between the beard, the shoes or the wizard on the left’s pie-craving smile. I’m well-versed in pulling that smile, but mainly when I want cake… Thanks Natasha! Which Discworld book should I start with?

Amanda from Truly Ace went the extra mile with her submission. Normally working with just vectors, she did a drawing on paper for his! She wrote a very interesting blurb about the process which I’m link to HERE.

I hope Amanda doesn’t mind me linking to it – but I always find drawing processes quite interesting. ANYWAYS – back to the wizards! This wizard is pretty brave to be fronting in his pants. Although, maybe all wizards just wear pants underneath their robes. I wouldn’t know – I’m too polite to ask. First one to find out wins a prize. Thanks for sending this in Amanda! Hope you will continue to give paper a chance!

Out final wizard for the day is from Bryony. The wizard is called Sanjeev and he is a CAT! A WIZARD CAT! He manifests his magic through his handler-human, George. This makes sense since I guess cats can’t hold wands and stuff…and they are much cuter than humans too. Why aren’t all wizards cats? Anyways – thanks Bryony! You’re ace. I’ll take you to more weird museums as a prize.

So that’s the first day of Wizard Week 2011. I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Feel free to send in your wizard drawing if you’re feeling inspired. And if you’re one of the people from today and you want me to change/add/remove any of the links/information then get in touch. I’m a bit frazzled from all the writing so I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d made some mistakes.

Last Week

Hello! I feel like I should "do a blog" because it's Sunday. The only catch is that I can't really remember what I've been up to. Isn't that terrible?

I met up with a pal on Thursday for burgers? That totally happened. But besides that, I think I've just been working and hounding people about taking part in Wizard Week. I've had some great entries so far - but I'd love it if lots of people got involved. So, yeah. If you're reading this - draw a wizard!

I sent People I Know #13 off to the printers! That's something! It's going to cost me lots to print though since it's full colour and 40 pages! OMG!

There was probably other important things too...but it's late and I should go to bed. I want to learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons too. That's something. Any idea where I start in my quest for knowledge? Anyone?

More importantly - is anyone coming to MCM Expo at the end of the month?

Stay out of trouble
TWx

Wizard Week 2011: Call For Submissions

Hello!

It's time for an EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! I hope you're sitting down!

Remember how last year I did the Monster Drawing thing? Well, this time I want you to draw something much more familiar...especially if you've been reading my webcomics on a Wednesday.

Please say hello to:

So, if you took part in Jessica Fletcher Week then you know the drill... Starting on Monday the 23rd of May, I will upload a different wizard-themed drawing onto my website, every weekday. So if you enjoy Wizarding Wednesday, it'll be five times better than that! If it was a movie, it would be called "Wizards Go Wild" or something... but I need drawings of wizards for my blog...

This is where you come in. I'd like to ask people I know (hahahaha - see what I did there?) and anyone that reads my webcomic to draw their favourite wizard! I don't mind whether it's a famous wizard, a wizard you invented or even the Wizarding Wednesday gang - just draw your favourite! I'd like to upload a different batch of wizards every day to make Wizard Week 2011 super magical.

I don't mind whether you draw, animate or even write a poem - it's up to you! Just send it over by Friday the 20th of May for me to upload - along with a link to your website if you'd like. You can email me at timothy (underscore) winchester (at) yahoo (dot) com. And obviously, please ask your friends and family and pets to take part too!

If you have any questions, please get in touch. I'm already excited!

Positive Attitude

I made an animation and a song for some of my pals who are poorly. Except, it turns out I could only get my head around changing colours and things. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!



Feel free to send it to your pals if they are unwell or need cheering up.

Time Flies...

Hello! Sorry for not writing sooner - as always, things have been a bit odd. In fact, I've only got the time to type this today because it's another Bank Holiday! Yay!

So, what have I been up to? Mostly drawing wizards...but that's a story for next Wednesday... I went home for the long Easter weekend. I held a baby and ate some food (mostly salad) and watched some TV. Then I went back to town, laden with cut-price chocolate Easter eggs.

I saw lots of pals in the last two weeks as well - burittos, cupcakes, walking, sitting in parks - GOOD TIMES! Then it was time for more work. I saw Thor on Wednesday which was ace. Skip forward to the next weekend and it's time for the Royal Wedding - which I really enjoyed. You can watch it all on YouTube (how modern) but for the actual day, I went to a friend's house and watched it whilst eating pancakes. The best of times! Except, I was planning on doing lots of drawing during the ceremony so I didn't fall behind...which I ended up doing anyway since the wedding so so distracting.

Saturday was spent at the BFI for a Sci-Fi event which saw the official release of Paper Science 4! The makers of it also documented the day in this little film:


Paper Science 4 debut from Anne Holiday on Vimeo.


I have a page in it, a preview of which you can see a bit of at the top of this entry. Afterwards, a pal and I grabbed burritos (again - I think burritos might replace burgers as my favourite food to eat with friends) whilst sitting in a park. Some guy did an amazing reverse park in his car... sort of like this:



OK. FINE! It wasn't like that - I just think that video is funny.

Friday and Sunday was also spent trying to make an animation. I don't really know what I'm doing but I did something...BUT! ARGH! I can't effing export the effing thing in any YouTube-friendly format. I'll have to send the .swf to a pal and ask them to turn it into a .mov for me. I'm pretty annoyed - especially since I spent so much time on it. Bleurgh.

IN OTHER NEWS: I'm going to make an announcement/plea on Wednesday. I hope you'll all help out. Oh - and I'm getting ready for MCM Expo. And by "getting ready," I mean "sitting around in my pyjamas, eating cheap Easter eggs..."

IN MUSIC NEWS: I have been listening to this. A lot.