The Colouring Book Project

Back in 1996 I had a small colouring book printed up to accompany the storybook that I wrote and illustrated back in 1995. Thought with the additional activity book for the kids it would help sell the overall item. But all I had to go for me at the time was the ambition, but not the ability to get my work noticed, or to gain public awareness. There was no such thing as a Twitter or a Facebook account back then and it was difficult getting any idea off the ground and pushed forward. I could have built a bonfire or started a waste paper company with all the books I had printed up, and burned a thousand or so in cash in the process. However, that said, I still have those books (some of them anyway) and I'd like to share them with you here.

  The images you see above comprise the covers, front and back. The back cover show eight identical, full colour images of the black and white prints featured within. These were set on the back as reference for children who had no idea what the actual colour designs of these characters were, having never actually seen them before. 

Two of the more outrageous looking freak heroes were the Siamese twins Endive and Cos, a 7 foot walking talking vegetable (as seen in the inked image on the left, and Chilli Dog on your right. 
Originally, I hadn't come up with a name for the plant guy with two heads. I had drawn him and had no idea what to call him. Then the partner of a friend, who's dad used to own a grocer's shop, had an idea asking me why I didn't call this creature Endive and Cos, which I believe are two kinds of lettuce. I liked the names and it stuck. 

Below on your left the odd looking Sub Human Thing with a mishmash of body parts, and next to him Commander Trash.

   

Dynamo and Rag Tag. Dynamo I had the idea from looking at a picture of a Stegosaurus and Rag Tag was supposed to be a mash up of mismatched parts; bits of different patterned material sewn together, like a badly patched together teddy bear. 

Colonel Warclaw (pictured above right) was originally intended for the Totally Freaky Trash Commandos, but later I decided to use this character as a member of one of the mages in the novel I wrote about 8 years ago entitled Skylantern Dragons and the Monsters of Mundor. 

Then on the left we have Flea Pit, Dirk Gumbo and Sewage Spawn. Another friend of mine who was a guitar player, and singer in a band once asked me if he could use the name 'Flea Pit' for his band. Naturally, I said he could. Shame I didn't ask him if he wanted to use the character design as some kind of mascot as well, but obviously I missed out on that opportunity LOL.

I must admit that I had a lot of fun creating these weird characters, but during the time I lacked confidence in myself and my abilities and soon discarded work I'd done in lieu of some other idea that suddenly popped into my head. I could never stay focused on one task long enough to finish it. I'd either loose interest or loose confidence in the project at hand, and just store the artwork away in a draw and forget about it. 

Sometimes I'd give up entirely, feeling I'd reached an impasse. And for days or months afterwards I wouldn't conduct in another project or even attempt to dream up anything else in its place. 

The story book as well as the colouring book are the two projects I ever took to its eventual completion, and even then, once it was in the throws of being printed professionally, even up to the point where I received the first proof copies, I felt that I'd rushed the whole thing and that it just didn't feel good enough. But it was my first real book and I was excited. But that was before I even began to start peddling it. I even booked a table in the shopping centre where the general public spilled in to do their weekly shopping at Morison's. All those people walked on by. I had my stall with all my books piled up on the table. I even had lots of my coloured illustrations hung up and down the table leg for better impact. In fact the only people who stopped at my table were either asking me for directions to the post office or merely familiar faces stopping to offer me banter in the form of 'you'll never sell them round here, mate' or 'not for them prices'. I pretty much called it a day for a long time after that. I even tried my hand at writing a novel, but that's something I'll have to talk about in another blog. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading. Next time I'll post something interesting about my influences growing up in the 80's. And as always, please like and comment.

https://www.facebook.com/tailoredtoons