Metatainment!

By way of celebrating the creation of "Cartoonists Corner", and as an experiment into "Meta-Tooning" (cartoons of people viewing cartoons of themselves and criticising them...in...erm... cartoons?) here is my latest take on Mark and Simon...and their excellent show, comprising of one giant bicker interspersed with the odd film review.

I couldn't be prouder to be a part of this great church, 10 more years!!!

Excelsior Out!!

Merry Christmas guys, God bless us every one!!

They've been there for you!

This year marks the 20th anniversary of my daughters favourite show..."Friends". To mark that august occasion, and as a present for Grace, I have created the above illustration.

Although subject to endless repeats the show has lost non of it's appeal due, in no small part, to the quality and consistency of both writing and performance. It's the kind of show you wish you lived in: no real problems, idyllic lifestyle shared with a group of cool, caring & funny people...who happen to be your best friends.

They say you should never go back but, you know what, maybe a return trip to The Perk is what we all need right now...just a thought.

Excelsior Out!

Wittertainment: Cartoonist's Corner now has a LOGO!!

Having been recently inducted into the BBC's "Wittertainment: Cartoonists Corner", along with  @MartinRowson @bobscartoons @roystoncartoons @Schism_Schasm and Daniel Postgate (son of Oliver)
I felt compelled to create a LOGO to mark the occasion...so I did!

Excelsior Out!

Lest we forget

It's been a while since I nailed my colours to the mast so, while my beloved Newcastle United tears itself apart as the chronic disconnect between fans and club grows ever wider, I feel it's worth remembering what footballing god Sir Bobby Robson said, of football clubs in general, all those years ago.

Lest we forget.

Excelsior Out!

Lord Steve

A tonal portrait of a national treasure...smart as a new coat of paint, wiser than Solomon and a very tall fellow!

Excelsior Out!

My caricatures are available to buy at...

My caricatures are available to buy as : Prints, Canvas', Coasters, Mouse mats, Magnets, Mugs etc at: 

www.gastongrimsdyke.deviantart.com/prints/

Copy, paste, buy, repeat!

Excelsior Out!

Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters 30th anniversary caricature.

Finally, after what seems like an age, time has afforded me the opportunity of finishing this tribute. A monster mash up of one and two, it is a labour of love as I'm an enormous fan of both movies. 

In point of fact (along with Empire magazine's Nick de Semlyen) I think the sequel is marginally funnier than it's progenitor, with a cracking, gag infested script, great support characters (Max von Sydow voiced Vigo and Harris Yulin's Judge Wexler standing out for me) and Bill Murray absolutely inhabiting Venkman's easy, wise-ass charm.

I hope Ghostbusters fans everywhere get a kick out of it. It is available to buy as a print (and other merchandise) on my Deviant Art site:

http://gastongrimsdyke.deviantart.com/art/GB-30-484691075?purchase=print

Excelsior Out!

GB 30. Finished linework.

After much messing about the above is the final layout for the GB30 caricature. This finished linework will now be coloured, special effectified and the logo put on...and then viola! All when I have the time 'natch!

Excelsior out! 

GB 30....rough pencil design.

Here's my first take on the finished design. Elements need refining, I'll try a few others. Baby-steps with this one.

Excelsior Out!

Ghostbusters 30...Tonal Sketch

Further work on the "Ghostbusters 30" project, a tonal sketch of the 3 primary characters. Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and Sigourney Weaver will follow soon...and the some design ideas.

Excelsior Out!

McBUSTED ARE HERE!!

As promised McBusted fans, here is the finished article. The family and I will be at Hyde Park next Sunday to see the lads rocking' it up...can't wait. Hope to try and get a print of this to them so they can sign it! Anyone know how I can contact them?

Excelsior Out! 

Coming soon....McBusted

In honour of the genius that is McBusted, and for the fact that my son and daughter were entranced by them at the O2 recently, my latest work is a band caricature of those noble chaps. This is just the linework and a possible layout, it will (in the fullness of time) be a full colour extravaganza...watch this space McBusted fans.

Thanks to my daughters persuasive powers we will all be making the pilgrimage to Hyde Park to see them...after thoroughly enjoying Fearne Cotton's documentary about the lads I can't wait.

Excelsior Out!! 

More than just an "Average" show!

On Wednesday the 2nd of April my son Thomas was lucky enough to be interviewed on The Colin Murray show, on TalkSport. As part of World Autism Awareness day (Tom has autism) Colin talked to him about his work as a football commentator for Sutton United FC. Tom came across brilliantly, cool, focused and enthusiastic...I couldn't have been prouder of him; especially as the same can't be said of me...nerves had the better of me on the day.
Whatever the future holds for Tom, this moment will stay with him forever. It boosted his confidence and gave him something to aim at. Everyone at the station was wonderful, they made a great fuss of him and were effusive in their praise...all of which made the experience even more memorable.
The above work is my way of saying thank you to all concerned, I was a TalkSport/Colin Murray fan before this marvellous event...I'm doubly so now.
Best of luck in the future guys with your "Average" show!.

UPDATE: As of April 10th 2015 my son Tom completed a wonderful week of work experience on Colin's show. A massive thanks to Colin, Kathryn and James for looking after him.

Excelsior Out!!

Link to interview is here: http://youtu.be/1JlUcqxXcig

Breaking Wind!

This is one of those rare occasions where I pay homage to a work of genius...that I haven't actually seen. "Breaking Bad" has the kind of reviews/universal love that money cannot buy.
Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul et al, are all deemed to be working at the top of their game and producing TV gold...so who am I to argue.
It will have to be a "Boxed Set Binge" for me at some point in the future.

Excelsior Out!

TRULY DEFECTIVE!

Absolutely loving HBO's "True Detective", it's intense mood of brooding menace totally personified by it's two stellar leads. Both Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson shine in this superbly written series: Harrelson's Hart is a seething mass of contradictions while McConaughey's Cohle mesmerises and terrifies like a rattlesnake in the sun. I

cannot wait to see how this pans out...massive props to all involved particularly Nic Pizzolatto (Creator/Writer) and Cary Joji Fukunaga (Director) for creating an instant classic.

Naturally I had to parody it (see above) only in the most gentle terms...natch!

Alright, alright, alright...

Excelsior Out!

BatFleck vs Twitter!

Last Summer's "End of Days" reaction to Ben Affleck's "Batman" casting blew my mind. I am a fully paid up member of the comic geek community, and yet the vitriol poured on Mr Affleck made me ashamed to be in the same universe as these bozo's.

Ben Affleck is an intelligent, thoughtful actor who has made a couple of bum movies...so what. He will CRUSH THIS ROLE, after "Superman vs Batman" bow's next Summer all the haters and trolls will dine on humble pie, as they will be forced to acknowledge a near definitive portrayal of Bob Kane, pardon me, Bill Finger's Dark Avenger.

Although I'm a Marvel boy at heart I can see this movie rockin' multiplex's across the globe to great effect. Zack Snyder is a smart cookie who gave Superman his cojones back in "Man of Steel". So say it with me "Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na...BatFleck!!".

Excelsior Out!

A Wittertainment Cruise: The Untold Story!!

At last the truth can be told! The oft speculated about Wittertainment Cruise can, at last, be revealed as the crazed, blood curdling horror that it truly was. I've drawn it from memory (that part that I hadn't sought to blot out) as best I can and, as you can see, it was far from "plain sailing" fnnarr, fnnarr.

Mark's decision to make it "Horror Themed" was, in retrospect, not the best as it left the door open for the trickiest beast the Wittertainers have ever had to deal with. I speak not of the creatures (they behaved impeccably) oh no...a certain Miss Watts and her cheese knife...I shudder at the thought. Where she went with that was far too horrific to recount, which is why the guys are so deliberately vague about it. A good job Jason Isaacs gatecrashed the party or we'd never have been rid of her!

Quiz them all you like they deny any of this happened...but we know the truth fellas, don't we. Anyone for Gorgonzola? WOOOOHHOOOOOHAAAHAAA!

Excelsior Out!

Strange days indeed!

Happy New Year to one and all, not posted in a while so I thought I'd kick off with a Marvel Comics "Scene's We'd Like To See"!

Never mind Johnny Depp or Jon Hamm, Marvel's "Sorcerer Supreme" should be the great Benedict Cumberbatch. What better gateway Marvel role could there be for the great, cerebral actor of our time...plus a chance to butt heads with his old mate Tom Hiddleston as sometime Strange nemesis Loki!

Here's to Phase 3!

Excelsior Out!