Fusion 4 from Engine Comics has been published, making its debut at the UK Web Comix Thing in London, March 2005. This sees the return of The Rainbow Orchid to print, and presents the first episode of book two, with Jules and company reaching the sub-continent, and finding their feet.

Order from the Engine Comics Website.

The Rainbow Orchid can now be read online (www.rainboworchid.co.uk). Since the collected edition of part one (episodes 1-5) sold out, this now gives everyone else a chance to catch up with the biggest adventure in comics, and in colour too.

Things will be stalled for a short while, as Garen is currently between houses, with most of his stuff in storage. As soon as the new house comes through, a good working schedule can be returned to and The Rainbow Orchid will continue... in colour.

I finally got a job that my younger, teenage self has been waiting for. All those hours as a teenager I spent drawing space-suited damsels-in-distress (and, often, a mini-skirt) floating above massive planets, while heroes, ray-gun in hand, battled a slimey alien, have paid off.

The job is a poster for the musical Return to the Forbidden Planet. Rough sketches below... which one will they go for?

British comic collective Accent UK will be publishing Twelve, an anthology retelling the twelve tasks of Heracles in adaptations from a variety of writers and artists. Garen has written and drawn the ninth task, the Girdle of Hippolyte, as an early-days William Pickle adventure, renamed the Girdle of Polly Hipple.

This is Accent UK's fourth such anthology, each with its own theme (so far: war, phobias and pirates). Fellow contributors include David Hitchcock, Neill Cameron, Jason Cobley, Colin Mathieson and Dave West. Visit Accent UK.

The very last copy of The Rainbow Orchid part one has been sold on ebay, and went for £79. As well as the comic, the package included some original sketches, a booklet of annotations, and some real photo prints of promotional artwork.

I am down to the very last copy of The Rainbow Orchid and have put it up for sale on ebay. As well as the comic there are some extra goodies, including a few original sketches and photo-prints.

Recently I've had a couple of people ask me for some advice on working for yourself as an illustrator or designer. While I have learned a couple of really useful lessons, especially in the past couple of years, I thought I'd give you a taste of a typical day here...

Get up at 7.45 a.m just as Rabbi Lionel Blue is about to issue forth his 'Thought For the Day' (a spot that always makes me switch off the radio and therefore have to get up, despite working until 2 a.m the previous night). Shower, then tea with optional breakfast. Having a cup of tea means you don't have to start work just yet. Play 'You Are My Sunshine' on the banjo. Twice. Ponder bookshelf in search of inspiration to kick off work. After twenty minutes of Rider Haggard's 'Diary of an African Journey' having no effect in firing up the creative juices for today's job (drawings for a training course on the Freedom of Information Act), realise the horrible truth and sit down at the drawing desk, pencil hovering above paper. Think about making another cup of tea... resist, and start drawing.

Half way into listening to 'Woman's Hour' and thinking how the cartoon man you've just drawn holding up a a sign saying 'Qualified Exemptions' looks a lot like that Robert Robinson off 'Call My Bluff', answer the first phone call of the day. Is it the offer of a fantastic design job? No, it's Ellie asking for the telephone number of a surveyor. This precipitates three more calls - one to our Estate Agent, then back to Ellie, and then, while I'm on the phone, Allspeed to arrange my M.O.T for next Monday. Cup of tea. Back to the drawing table. Just about to go online to get reference for a hard hat, when the doorbell goes. Let in the gas man to read the meter. Discussion with gas man, on his way out, about buying postcards off eBay (as he's noticed my small collection in the hallway of early 1900s East Grinstead cards). Try and remember what I was about to do. Think about making a cup of tea. Get onto internet to find reference picture of a hard hat. While on, get email and quickly check Tintinologist and PJ's comic's forum. Resist answering emails, download suitable hard hat picture, get offline, make tea, draw hard hat.

Answer phone. A computer is asking me if I want the opportunity to win a holiday to Florida. Back to drawing table. Door bell goes. Tell double-glazing salesman that we're moving house soon and yes, thanks, the new house already has double-glazing, and in fact so has the house I am now in. Back to drawing table. Chainsaw starts up outside and continues for most of the rest of the day.

Have usual 3 p.m lunch while listening to people's mortgage problems on the radio and decide to look up, in my little Anglo-Afghan War library, what was going on 125 years ago on this day in Afghanistan. British were moving into Sherpur. Half hour lunch turns into hour lunch - just one more chapter. Tea. Drawing table. Phone. 'I'll Fly Away' on the banjo. Drawing table. Chainsaw. Banana. Work will have to go on into evening. Again.

I have completed episode 6 of The Rainbow Orchid which will be appearing in Fusion 4 from Engine Comics at the end of October - release date should be the 'Winterfest' in London (23rd).

Fool Britannia Small Press Comic of the Year 2003
UK National Comic Awards finalist 2004 (nominee for Best Independent Comic and Best New Talent).

Part one of The Rainbow Orchid comes in a 40 (black and white) page A4 format with colour cover. It debuted at the London Comics Festival on November 1st 2003 where it sold many copies and was generously praised, with just as many selling at the Bristol Comic Festival in 2004 (now sold out).

The big thing at the moment is being in a play (Stoppard's 'Rough Crossing') which will end next weekend (17th) and will clear some time at last. I'm kind of enjoying it, it's just taken up too much time.

Next is work - loads on, including many illustrations (deadlines this week and early August) and a website. The illustration work especially takes up many many hours.

Rainbow Orchid: I'm still scripting episode 6 (or episode one of part two). I've found it tough going because it kicks off a new section of the story, I don't want to lose the momentum that built up at the end of part one, and I'm feeling a bit of added pressure due to part one doing so well. There's a lot of research to do along the way, too. Then there's always the balance of trying to be entertaining but not at the expense of telling a story, and not just telling the story without being entertaining. I do actually enjoy this challenge, and one day I'll get better at it. Sometimes dialogue streams out and I know it's right, while other times a particular speech balloon will be rewritten again and again until I feel it's got the right flow, weight, meaning and character, going back to it on various days. I don't think I'm a natural at this as it feels like hard work.

Two other Orchid related items... I now have just 14 copies left of part one. When I'm down to 10 I will put a 'sold out' sign in the shop and sell the rest on ebay. Part one will not be reprinted until all three are collected together, though I still won't rule out a web appearance at some point. I've had a rethink on the collected edition of part two. I was being optimistic about its publication date being somewhere within a few weeks after Christmas. Disappointing, but best to say it now.