Sneaky Peek

Work continues on additional character poses for ToonToolkit. For those who haven't heard of ToonToolkit it's a great app for iPhone/iPad etc users that enables you to create professional looking cartoon strips using a set of characters and props.

We're having a bit more fun with the characters now as they begin to develop and their personalities and quirks reveal themselves.There's currently a cast of 20 - but we're hoping to create plenty more !

Here's a sneaky peek from the sketchbook !

ToonToolkit

I've spent the last couple of weeks putting some new characters together for ToonToolkit.

For those of you not "in the know" this is a fantastic new app for your iPhone/iPad developed by Alan Clifton. It allows you to create your own professional grade cartoon strips using an ever expanding cast of characters in a range of poses and a variety of props.

A version is currently available look for ToonToolkit on the Appstore - and a new version with twice as many characters will be available shortly. But buy now and you'll get a free upgrade !

Here's a cartoon Alan created in ToonToolkit to let me know he'd submitted the app to the boffins at the Apple App Store. Clickety click to see it full size !

Royal Wedding Collectables

This week I had an email from an old friend Barry Slip from LF-Designs asking if I was interested in working with LF-Designs on a Kate and Wills Royal Wedding mug.  
LF-Designs specialise in personalised gifts, printing your pictures on to mugs, jigsaws, mouse mats, canvases ... the whole caboodle.

So to get things moving here's our initial Kate and Wills design...

Royal wedding cartoon

We've got loads of ideas for other designs for a whole range of products ... so watch this blog !

Definitive Guides

OK well to get the ball rolling here's an image I completed recently as a book cover for The Yorkshireman's Definitive Guide to Extravagance.

The style is intentionally kind of doodley and loose - all created in Flash this time - just because the drawing tools are so easy to use to get this kind of look. 

I use a range of tools but mainly Illustrator, Flash, Corel Painter and occasionally a stick on a sandy beach.

Different tools lend themselves to different styles - to see the broad range of styles I can create why not have a look at my cartoon and illustration portfolio.

Updated Websites And A New Blog

I've being working pretty much flat out over the last few months on Illustration and Cartoon work for myself and JotStudios.com. I realised that both the JotStudios site and my own site, JohnAAbbott.com have got pretty out of date. So it's time to relaunch with some updated designs and more importantly include some more recent cartoons, illustrations and animations in the portfolio.

In terms of techie stuff - I've been playing with lots of the jQuery tools recently and am using those on my home site. They have some great effects for image fading and portfolio tools - I recommend having a look.