T.S Eliot (inked)

Managed to just get this done in time before battening down the hatches. It started life as a very simple heavily blocked image with only two or three colours but it very quickly expanded into the above. It just so happens that it has quite a seasonal feel - so it'll do the job! It's basically an inked version of the pencil sketch I did back in November which can be seen here if you wanna compare and contrast.

Anyway, that'll be it until the very beginning of the new year. Hopefully I'll have some sketches to upload when I get back but there won't, in all likelihood, be any posts until 2010. My motto for next year is (the same as last year): Bigger, Better, Faster, More!

A big thanks to all of you who check in here regularly and especially those who left comments/critiques. They're all very welcome and sorry if I didn't answer all the questions that were put my way.

Have a festive Yule if you're celebrating it and best for 2010.

Russ!

Wanna be a Deviant?

There may just be a few of you out there who haven't stumbled across DeviantART yet so I wanted to give it a plug in case you were seeking some more exposure for your artwork. It's a massive site based on the west coast of the USA and has profiles of some of the best artists working in the world today.

There are over 11million members and over 100,000 uploads per day! If you're familiar with sites like Toonpool or Wittygraphy then DeviantART works on a similar basis - just more so! It's for any creative outlet: video, photography, sculpts/modelling, all forms of illustration and even writing. The site is free to join and create a profile but if you want to improve your site you can pay subscriptions in slightly increasing increments to adapt and expand your options. Check it out! I've got my own Russ Cook account on the site though it's pretty much most of the stuff that's posted here; but drop by and write a sarky comment if ya wanna!

Aaaaaanyway, I'm going to get at least one more image posted up here before Christmas then it'll be turkey and Her Maj' all the way.

You want Zola...?

...I give ya Zola! (There you go, Stevie C - it finally happened!)

El Nino!

Signor Torres for ya.

Iris Murdoch

Frankie Boyle

He said Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat??? This guy delivers savage wit shod in size ten hob-nailed boots so you'd better duck if you think 'Miranda' is the last word in comedy. Probably not on Rebecca Adlington's Christmas card list this year.

David James

Portsmouth and England Goalkeeper David James who is Beck's only serious rival in the national squad for extremely changable (and sometimes questionable) coiffures. I went for the 'fro as it's always fun to draw.

Jack Dee

It's the comedic crosspatch Mr Dee; this time in colour!

Alan Bennett

Quick sketch of Alan Bennett as a change from all those footie fizzogs

Wayne Rooney

Cristiano Ronaldo

Gary Neville

Frank Lampard

It's the beautiful game all the way at the moment!

Rio Ferdinand

Keeping with England footballers here's the current vice-captain...

Michael Carrick

 A warm-up for today's drawing. Although on a second glance his hair's gone a bit Tina Turner. Sorry Michael.

Jermain Defoe

OK! one last quick 'un and now it really must be time for zeds.

Peter Crouch

Been doing loads of drawings for various caricature projects but unfortunately am not at liberty to show any due to contractual reasons. If it's OK at some future date then I'll post 'em.
So I thought I'd wind down tonight ...by doing some more drawing! Here's crazy legs Crouch: Britain's best hope for Strictly Come Dancing, if nothing else.

Graham Norton

Philip Pullman

If you fancy a chance at owning this piece then you'll have to get down to Bladon primary school hall (Oxon) on Saturday 5th December.Why? The school needs a new library so they're holding a bazaar where it will be raffled as a prize.

German exposure!

Seems like an old acrylic caricature that I painted a while ago of David Beckham has been chosen along with nine others artists' work to feature in the online version of Germany's Stern magazine. If you want to check it out as well as some other cool caricatures then click here.

Robert Pattinson

The crepuscular dude of the moment; Mr Bob Pattinson

SHAAAAAAAA-RONNNNNNN!!!!!

It's good to be back. And why not with the fizzog of the the self-proclaimed 'Prince Of Darkness': Ozzy Osbourne!

Tumbleweed blows...

Where's all the new stuff? - that's what I wanna know!

There's been a terrible paucity of work here in Cook Towers, I'm afraid.

(Cue: violins) I managed to gain a painful injury to my right hand (drawing hand,of course) last week and ever since then my drawing has been practically nil. It gets better if I don't over-use it and I'm bustin' to get back to creating some fresh illo's 'cause I'm going outta my miiiiiiiiiiiind.

New stuff soon. Promise.

Mr Jarvis's 40th

My mate Chris's 40th birthday prompted the above effort which was used as a birthday card. An excellent cartoonist in his own right but with no online artwork as yet. Hopefully he'll get some stuff up soon.

Here's a three-stager showing its progression. It all started with a very rough scribble just to get the desired 'shape'. Didn't bother with a clean drawing as I felt there was enough there to get going on the final line work...I think he liked it, anyway!

Fetch the garlic!

Our lord and master (if you're this side of the pond). It would have been nice to get this done for Halloween but I'm afraid it wasn't to be. Don't have nightmares...

hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-hi!

 A quick scribble of Cab Calloway...

T.S. Eliot

Shane MacGowan

Shane in his pomp! Started yesterday and spent most of it getting it all down. Worked a couple of hours this evening finishing it off.

Bernie Ecclestone

Sticking with motor racing...

Jean Todt

New FIA president; Monsieur Todt.

New old stuff!

How - do! Just to say that the digi page on the web site has been updated with some recent works from the last couple o' months. If you're a regular here then you've probably clocked 'em before - if you're not then check 'em out here.

Fabregas

Of Mouse And Men...

Had to take a break from all that mouse action and pick up the pencil to try and capture this great author in his younger years. A sketch is as good as a rest.

Ian Brown - B&W Rough Comp1

First composite - gonna chew it over...

Ian Brown - Stage 2

Think I'm going with the low rider idea, soooooooooo - here's Mr Brown's bonce which will be later worked into the bike pose.

Ian Brown - Stage 1

Initial outline for a new Illo' of the King Monkey (doing his best Max Bygraves impression!) Ideas for the composition keep changing by the minute. Was originally thinking of an Andy Warhol-style diptych as I've got a cool image of him with a tambourine and mic which would go well alongside. Then I thought about having a side-on of him on his low-rider cutting across the middle section of the image above. Hmmm; gonna go sleep on it now. One thing's for sure; it'll look waaaay different by the time it's finally inked. Time for Zeds!

Hu Jintao

The President of the People's Republic of China

Edvard Grieg

Poe in 40!

Good practice to try and keep the pressure on. Kept slowing up to get locked in detail when I lost concentration. Quicker - Harder - More!

Klimt - in 20!

Havin' fun doin' these sprint sketches. Here's Ol' Gus, one of my favourite artists; though it's not for his women - it's the landscapes!

A Tale Of Two Media

Another speedy scribble, this time of Chaz Dickens, to break up a monster illo' job I'm in the middle of. Pencil beats mouse - this time!

Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall

A quick-'un of HFW as time is tight. Can you stand any more hob-jockeys?!

Leonard Cohen

Marco Pierre White

Another culinary crosspatch.

Keith Floyd

Celeb' chef and soused sourpuss Mr Keith Floyd who raised his final glass of red to the world yesterday.

Biggie Smalls

Notorious B.I.G.

Pukka!

Jamie Oliver

Boris Yeltsin

It's 'Ta-Ta' to El-Tel on Two (for now)

Terry Wogan

Rock Hudson

Jessica 6 - Yeah!

Perennially pulchritudinous; it's Jenny Agutter!

Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop - or James Newell Osterberg to his mum.

Johnny Depp Headshot

Detail from an as yet unfinished larger picture.