BATMAN COMMISSION
























Hey all. I usually do a big long post about the convention i've just returned from, but i didn't really take any photos, so i'll spare any BICS talk til i get some convention sketches sent to me to illustrate the post. In the meantime, here's a 'Batman-and-Villains' Commission i just completed. Man, i love Batman. This was great fun to draw. Tough though.

Dec.

ENOUGH WITH THE NIGHTWING AND CATWOMAN ALREADY

























Yeah, yet another sample page. Enjoy.

Right, that's it from me for a few days. I'm off to the Birmingham International Comics Show in the morning for what looks to be a bloody great weekend for all involved.

Also, there's this Frankenstein book that'll be out at the con. You may have heard me mention it before.

See ya there ....or not.

Dec.

MORE NIGHTWING/ CATWOMAN
























Here's another page from the Nightwing/ Catwoman sample i've been tinkering with in my spare time.

Dec.

FORBIDDEN FRANKIE





















Posted today on the Forbidden Planet International Blog Log is an interview with myself, along with some preview pages of Frankenstein. Be sure to check it out, as i go into the whole process of creating a page, showing the preview pages in layout, pencil, ink and coloured stages.

What are you all still doing here? Go on, check it out now!

Dec.

FRANKENSTEIN (AND FRIENDS) SIGNING SCHEDULE

Hey kids, with Frankenstein out in two very short weeks (!) i thought it prudent to post a list of where i'm gonna be in the next couple of months in an effort to promote Frankenstein and some other books that are out or coming out over the next couple of months. They include....

FRANKENSTEIN from Classical Comics

























FREAK SHOW from Atomic Diner























TRIPWIRE ANNUAL























I'll be at the following;

October 4th-5th; Birmingham International Comics Show (launch of Frankenstein).
November 1st; Sub City Comics, Dublin (launch of the new Freak Show).
November 8th; Ennis Book Shop, Co. Clare.
November 15th; Though Bubble Festival, Leeds
November 22nd; Dublin City Comic Con (launch of Tim Skinner; Total Scumbag).

That's a busy end of year for the Decster.

I also just noticed a review for this year's Tripwire annual on the Down The Tubes Blog. It quite rightly paises the book and it's editor Joel Meadows for such a great publication. I was personally chuffed when my strip was mentioed specifically... "Declan Shalvey, whose No Witnesses is "silent strip" perfection in terms of storytelling."

Eat THAT Bob Byrne!

Dec.

SNEEK PEEK
























A little sketch of something i'm working on. Wanted to try it out on some coloured parer and white pencil that Will Sliney got me for my birthday, ages ago.

Dec.

NIGHTWING/ CATWOMAN SAMPLE
























Yo-yo yo-yo yo-yo-yo.... Where's my yo-yo?

Fell sick this week the very day after i moved up to Dublin so not much on the work front i'm afraid, so thought i'd show this; a page from a Nightwing sample featuring Catwoman. I'll eventually post more pages.... eventually....

Dec.

GOOD TIMES
























Ah childhood... bless....

This is the cover to the upcoming Irish Comics Anthology. Freak Show creator Rob Curley asked if i could contribute a story. I didn't have the time so he offered me the cover, which was nice of him. Didn't want to do a really 'twee' image, but wanted something 'irish.' Went for something kinda sentimental like this fella.

I really like it. I may be alone on this though.

Dec.

PLAIN SIGHT



Here's a recent piece i did for Beatnik Games that i'm quite happy with. It's for their debut video game, PLAIN SIGHT. Check out both the updated Beatnik Games website and the Plain Sight website. Hell, while yer at it, check out an early article by fellow comic book pro, PHONOGRAM scribe Kieron Gillen along with the trailer for the new game along with . It looks really spiffy, i must say!

Dec.

BLAMMO!



Another old panel from when i was getting started on Tim Skinner. I can't believe it's taken me a year to get back into it. Anyhoo, i left this panel as is except for a nice dramatic red. The first page I posted seemed to get a good response, even though it had no fancy rendering. Once i had a few pages done i decided i was going to leave the colours as flats. I love flat colour, and i'm colouring this book myself. When will i get another chance to have my work coloured like that? Probably never, so flat colour it is!

Dec.

WHAT COMICS IS TIM SKINNER READING....?























Answer; a few of my favourites, a story point, and a couple of obvious plugs. I posted the inks to this in August of two thousand and diggity seven here. Over a year ago! Jeez. Well, now since i'm trucking along well with Tim Skinner, i went back and coloured it, changing the cover of the front comic on photoshop. Added (and subtracted) some drybrush too.

Dec.

ANGEL

I'm a very petty fella. For those who don't know, my good friend, my amigo if you will, Stephen Mooney has been kicking arse on his variant ANGEL covers for IDW. I was delighted for him, but also very jealous. Now he's drawing issues of the actual book, so imagine how happy for him/jealous of him i am! Having seen some of his great pages i've seen how he's been nailing likenesses, which are very, very hard to do. So i recently thought i'd see if i could do a decent enough job at ANGEL likenesses, just to test myself. Here are the varied results. First, the big man himself...



My very first try. Hmmm. Not bad, but not good enough really.

























My second try. Kinda there; getting closer. Still not good enough though...



My third try. THAT'S more like it. Really happy with this one.
























My fourth try. Yeah, i really like this one. I like the mood; the demon and soul of a vampire. Definitely the best of the bunch. Took me long enough!

ANGEL CHARACTERS

Here's the other ANGEL characters i had a try at. Really happy with the Skip one, the Wesley one and the Lorne one. Cordie didn't come out too great, but Fred looks okay I think. In the end, i think it's safe to say Mooney deserves the job way more than i do...

SWEENEY TODD
























Hi all.

I can now say that my new project, which i'm starting soon, is SWEENEY TODD, working again with the team at Classical Comics. The script, written by Sean Michael Wilson is all finished, so i'll be srarting this new graphic novel in a handful of weeks.

Admittedly, the thought of starting a whole new graphic novel after Frankenstein is very daunting, but i'm Very excited to get started.

Dec.

THIS WEEK, I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN....
























..........Colouring Tim Skinner.

Suits you sir....?

Bet you kids can't even tell a Fast Show reference. Anyway, i should mention that the above are not the final colours. Also i can soon announce my next big project. Check back in a few days faithful readers....

....all 4 of ye.

Dec.

HELLBOY 2

Just like The Dark Knight a few weeks ago, i'll be at Liffey Valley's VUE cinema this weekend drawing Hellboy sketches. I'll also have these babies, but they won't be cheap, as i put a fair bit of work into them...




















Dec.

HELLBOY SKETCHES





Tried doing some small Hellboy sketches and test doing a bit of greywash. I did a fair bit of greywashes after i finished art college, even had an exhibition of them, but it had been a while, so i thought i'd try again on A5 size paper.


Dec.

BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL COMICS SHOW OCT 4TH-5TH



Hello all, the Birmingham International Comics Show is fast approaching and i've yet to organize myself in any way! Just saw John Cassaday has been added to the already stellar guestlist. Should be some show, but to be fair, i've always had a great time at the Birmingham con. This year's will be a pretty important for myself, as Frankenstein will be unveiled (as long as everything stays on track) and i'm really looking forward to getting the book out there and seeing what people think. I was hoping to have Tim Skinner done for the Brum show too, but it's not very likely. Most likely it'll be done for the Dublin show later in the year.

Dec.

TIM SKINNER PAGE
























Sorry for the low quality; still haven't gotten my computer, scanner, etc from Scotland, so a photo will have to do in the meantime. It's a page from Tim Skinner; Total Scumbag that i'd doing with Septic Isle and Hero Killers writer Andy Winter. You may have heard me sing its praises in the interview in the last post. I'm really enjoying it; it's a real change of pace from Frankenstein. Can't wait to get it all done.

Dec.

INDIE REVIEW INTERVIEW

Hey all, I did an interview with the good folks at Indie Review. Check it out.

Thanks to Hassan for the interview!

Dec.