Hello Woodsy!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Here's a TV21 issue that I had my childhood drawings published in! April 27th 2068! I don't have the original art though, lost somewhere in the mists of time.
None of those photos are of me; my art and the article is just the 'Do-it-yourself Shade' bit on the right here.
I've included some of the art covers and spreads I did for Alan Fennell's 1990's Anderson re-boot comics.
The artwork wasn't served well by the lacklustre typography (I believe Alan hired a 'student' for that chore to cut down on costs) but it was a huge thrill just to be working for him and having my paintings published.
The Fireball XL5 spread is my personal favourite, as I always had a soft spot for that show.
The Fireball XL5 spread is my personal favourite, as I always had a soft spot for that show.
By the '90s I'd moved to the USA and had to ship the art overseas to be printed, a laborious process which involved peeling the top paper layer from its backing board and rolling it up into a mailing tube, all the while crossing my fingers that it made the journey safely to England.
Alan Fennell: we communicated by phone and by 20th century pre-email mail. When I first heard Alan was reviving the Anderson strips (beginning with Thunderbirds) in the 1990s, I painted a few sample frames – featuring Thunderbird 2 and Virgil Tracy, I think – and mailed them to him on spec, hoping he'd like them and reply.
Fortunately, he did, and he gave me carte blanche to come up with whatever I liked for the covers. I'd include a few paragraphs of storyline describing the scenes and he'd usually print them on the inside contents page.
I worked on Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, and Stingray comics for him.
Fortunately, he did, and he gave me carte blanche to come up with whatever I liked for the covers. I'd include a few paragraphs of storyline describing the scenes and he'd usually print them on the inside contents page.
I worked on Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, and Stingray comics for him.
Steve Kyte: I was one of Steve's best friends at Kingston-upon-Thames Art School! He was the most talented illustrator there and we quickly bonded over our Gerry Anderson memories, sci-fi and horror films, and a shared love of 1960s pop culture.
Steve would always be doodling Stingray and I'd be sketching Fireball XL5. We got involved in the early days of Fanderson (the Anderson appreciation society) and Steve actually did some pre-production artwork for Gerry... his Terrahawks show, I think.
His illustrations were always spectacular. I always make a point of meeting up with him and his partner Helen McCarthy (a celebrated Manga author) every time I visit London.
My wife Maggie is rather tolerant of my Gerry Anderson – and Dalek – fascination, considering the toys, books, framed posters and model kits all over the house. She herself is a Tolkein, D&D, and Doctor Who nut, so it's a trade-off!
Thanks,
Charlie
USA
P.S. love your blog!
Steve would always be doodling Stingray and I'd be sketching Fireball XL5. We got involved in the early days of Fanderson (the Anderson appreciation society) and Steve actually did some pre-production artwork for Gerry... his Terrahawks show, I think.
His illustrations were always spectacular. I always make a point of meeting up with him and his partner Helen McCarthy (a celebrated Manga author) every time I visit London.
My wife Maggie is rather tolerant of my Gerry Anderson – and Dalek – fascination, considering the toys, books, framed posters and model kits all over the house. She herself is a Tolkein, D&D, and Doctor Who nut, so it's a trade-off!
Thanks,
Charlie
USA
P.S. love your blog!
Beautiful artwork Charlie, have to admit the typography was a bit limp in comparison to the art! Helen McCarthy eh? She was instrumental in the manga revolution in the 90's.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bill, much appreciated!
DeleteIt's a shame what happened with these comics. Once IPC stopped doing them, Alan produced eight issues of a comic called 'Thunderbirds Are Go' himself, but I suspect he lost money on them. In one of his letters to me, he said he needed to get away from the Thunderbirds past for a while - he'd just returned from Derek Medding's funeral and was feeling a bit sad.
ReplyDeleteSadly, many of the old guard are no longer with us.
DeleteI got along well with Alan, he was a decent bloke. I could also boast that, in addition to the TV21 thing, in 1968 I received a letter from Blue Peter editor Biddy Baxter in response to my schoolteacher (cheers, Mr. Thompson) sending more drawings to the BBC. Ms. Baxter invited me to tour the BBC Studios graphics department, but as a ten year-old Yorkshire lad traveling all the way to London was out of the question! When I belatedly contacted the BBC this summer I was told the offer had expired. Typical. I never received a prestigious Blue Peter Badge but still have the letter.
ReplyDeleteBiddy Baxter eh! Now that's a name from the past! Who could forgget it or forget Blue Peter. What a shame you missed out on the tour. Who knows what might have been Charlie!
Delete