Chapter 5 Coming Soon!

Giant Rhinos In Space Chapter 5 - Coming Soon

Hi! Sorry for taking such a long break between chapters. 2016 ended up being a busy year for anthologies and music zines. It looks like I’ve finally found an opportunity to get this project back out. I’m super excited to start drawing these aliens again! I’m not going to make any promises on exact launch dates just yet, just in case other work comes up - but I’m currently aiming for late spring.

Chapter 5 is going to be the last in the story, so to make the release extra special I’m compiling a gallery of illustrations to go in the back pages of the printed comic. If you’d like to draw the characters and see them in print, now’s your chance!

Deadline
Wednesday 3rd May 2017
Technical Specs
Black & White
300dpi
A5 with 2mm bleed (That’s 148x210mm trimmed. The file should be 152x214mm)
Email files to sammyborras@gmail.com and include the following information
Name you wish to be credited as:
Link to your work:
Address (to post you a complimentary copy of the book):

Thanks!
I had a long break from conventions over winter, so I’m really looking forward to seeing you all again! Here is a little list of booked events so far (check the blog sidebar for an up to date list of events)

Birmingham MCM Comic Con - 18th-19th March 2017
Alt-Art-Mart at The Hare & Hounds - 26th March 2017
London MCM Comic Con - 26th-28th May 2017
Glasgow Comic Con - 1st July 2017
Thought Bubble - 23rd-24th September 2017
Thanks, see you there!

Fictional Band Posters!

www.etsy.com/shop/sammyborras

I printed fictional band posters to take to Manchester MCM Comic Con at the end of July. You can now order them along with Giant Rhinos In Space issues 1-3 from my Etsy shop too! I’m really pleased with the print quality :)

Midlands MCM Comic Con 2015

Thank you to everyone who came by my table on Saturday at Midlands MCM Comic Con. It's only the 2nd time I've had a full 6ft table on my own like this so I'm just working out what to do with the extra space. This time I had a pile of ink drawings for people to sieve through, including some of the portraits I've been drawing for my new music blog. I updated my personal commissions web page in case anyone was interested in ordering something similar.

I have a table at Birmingham MCM Comic Con in March, I might be sharing with a friend so there is a chance the illustrations will be unavailable next time.

Chapter 3 returns!

Giant Rhinos In Space will return at 12noon GMT on Friday 30th January 2015!
You’ll be able to follow chapter 3 on the following webcomic sites:

• Smack Jeeves (1 comic page per website page)
• Tapastic (scrolling website with tabs and app)

If you would like to receive notifications/news via social media you can find Giant Rhinos In Space or myself at the following websites:

• Giant Rhinos In Space on Blogger
• Giant Rhinos In Space on Tumblr
• Giant Rhinos In Space on Facebook
• @sammyborras on Twitter

Sorry for the delays and thanks again for your support
Sammy

St. Vincent and Coves

I went to see St. Vincent play at the Roundhouse when I was in London MCM Expo last weekend. The show was absolutely amazing. The audience were asked not to record the show digitally, but I still did a couple of sketches while I was there. I couldn't resist drawing a full illustration one I got home. The last set of sketches are of the warm up band, Coves.

Giant Rhinos In Space #2 Cover Design

Giant Rhinos In Space is a long format comic I have been working on this year. I have been uploading 3 pages per week and now the first chapter is all available to read online and in print. I'm taking a hiatus from uploading so I can work on some smaller comics for zines and anthologies. This is the illustration for chapter 2.

Issue 1 Cover Design

I'm hoping to print the first chapter of Giant Rhinos In Space at the beginning of March. There is a chance they will be available at Birmingham MCM Comic Con, but if not I should definitely have them for Bristol Comic Expo and London MCM Comic Con in May. 

Don't forget there are 3 new pages of the comic going online every Friday afternoon! http://giantrhinos.smackjeeves.com/

Pip

Pip is a lot of fun to draw. I try to draw her in the most comfortable clothes I can think of because that matches her opinions and personality. She usually ends up looking like a festival attendee.

The Heat by Jungle

When I'm drawing at home I listen to a lot of podcasts and radio. If I hear a song on BBC6Music I really love I write it on the side or back of my drawings to look up on the internet later. This drawing has a note for 'Crueler Kind by San Fermin' but I can't find a steaming site with that particular track. (I'll try and link it in a later post if I ever find it) This is Jungle instead, one of my favourite bands from the Sound of 2014 list. I really love music videos that feature dancing.

Don't forget Giant Rhinos In Space is launching at 12noon (GMT) on Friday 31st January 2014!

Sisters and Friends

(L to R) These are Carl's sisters Nat, Em and everyone's friend Julie. When I went with my sister to see Haim last year there were lots of friends taking selfies while they were waiting for the band to come on. Their faces lighting up in the dark when the flash goes off.

Arcade Fire - Sprawl II 

I've not posted many music influences recently. I've been listening to a lot of Arcade Fire recently. Their big songs seem really great to listen to over new year. It's like their music brightens up the winter months.

Christmas 2013

Happy Christmas from Pip and Annie!

Bellowhead - Christmas Bells

Pip Outfit Change

There's 3 scene changes in Zines In Space. So Pip and Annie get to have outfit changes! I thought Pip looked extra cool with the cap to cover her tired-from-party eyes.

Bag Boy by Pixies

I like shouting along to this song when it comes on the playlist. But I always get the shouting order mixed up. 

Zines In Space Cover

I'm drawing a short story comic this summer to help me with drawing the main alien characters and the world they live in. I'm hoping to print it some time in the autumn, hopefully before Inspired Comics attend London MCM Expo in October.

Feedback

Annie and her friends

Villagers and Stealing Sheep

I went to see Villagers play live in Birmingham this week. It was an amazing live session. I don't have many gig sketches because it got very dark when they played, but I've drawn this illustration encase Sarah and I have time to make a new music zine soon. 

 

This is a sketch of Stealing Sheep - who played at the same gig.

I'm hoping some of the Giant Rhinos characters will be appearing in some mini comics this year to make up for delays on being able to work on the main story.

ACEO

I've been working on some Artist Trading Cards to take to Thought Bubble next weekend. They are all original hand drawn cards and some of them are of the Giant Rhinos In Space characters. This is Terry, Annie and Lily

I'll be at Thought Bubble on saturday and sunday with Inspired Comics in New Dock Hall

Black Like My Heart

Sorry, I've wanted to draw this for a long time. 

Background from NASA

Lot 105

Annie with her band. Jack on drums, Tracy on Keyboard and Louise on bass.

 

 U900 - Twist and Shout

I thought about posting a couple of different songs before remembering that this would be perfect. It's everyones favourite crocheted ukulele duo, U900!

Lilly

I'm pleased with this illustration so I'm going to skip my upload plan and post it now. Her name is Lilly but I don't want to tell you any more about her because of the risk of spoiling the comic.

I buy a lot of my CDs second hand because its cheaper and I usually don't mind waiting until I eventually find an album at a good price. Theres a couple of little sketches from the Adam and Joe Show all about CD's that I wanted to share but I can't find any of the specific clips in high quality to post. But you can watch any episode online through 4OD. I recommend the first episode of vinyl justice - you can skip forward to the middle of the episode, just after the advert break.

The Wannadies - Big Fan

I love the music video for this song, it was really low budget but works really well 

Kerry

 

Kerry is in the fictional band called Black Like My Heart with her best friend Wayne. You can read more comics about them on the mini comics page. I like drawing these long faced goth characters, these are Kerry's cousins.

Black Like My Heart can't afford as many different outfits as they would like or the instruments they really want. Kerry would love to own a Keytar, because she really loves style over sound quality.

Cat's Eyes - I'm Not Stupid

Black Like My Heart's main outfits is obviously a reference to My Chemical Romance's Black Parade. But this song is probably my favourite emo song. I quite like how over the top it gets at the most heightened points of the song. It also beautifully produced and nice to listen to regardless of the content. 'Never Trust a Happy Song' almost fits.

Lee Mitchell, Isabella and The Voice

 

I've not done many gig sketches this year but yesterday I went to see Lee Mitchell at Sunday Night Live. I really love the chilled out atmosphere you can find at music events in coffee shops. They're better for location drawing because the room is well lit.

  

There are not many opportunities to draw drum kits, so I always jump at the chance to practice. I think I enjoy it a lot because there is a large variety in shape, size and set up. At most gigs its usually pretty difficult to see the drummer too.

 

I've decided that each week I'd like to show you some of my character sheets and development illustrations. Last week I posted a drawing of an alien called Annie, this new picture is of her mum Isabella.

Arctic Monkeys - A Certain Romance

"There's only music, so that there's new ring tones."

 Recently I found a piece of work I'd written in secondary school that quotes this song. I think the task was to write an article based on the title 'Young people nowadays don't know what real music is.' It's mostly a big rant about the music I liked and disliked when I was 15. I got a B grade and a little note that just says 'I thought this was good!'

One of the original starting points for this project was to make some comments about the mainstream music industry and reality TV. I've been watching The Voice so that I could make an informed opinion instead of annoying assumptions. So now I spend a lot of time ranting about it like I'm a teenager all over again. It makes me very wound up that the show pretends to be an Anti-XFactor show when really it's just the same thing. I'd write a proper article if I was better at that type of thing, but I can put my feelings towards the situation into this graphic novel instead.