Have you been out today?

Oops.

I just discovered that, having announced Chiky as the winner of the "how many pens in my home" competition, there was in fact a closer guess of 350 by Mr Stephen Davies which I'd missed for reasons too boring to go into. Because of this almighty cock up on my part I shall provide both Chiky and Steve with prizes. Chiky's requested a signed page of doodles. Steve, would you like something similar? Let me know.

The management apologises for the confusion...






Incidentally, Mr Davies' latest novel for the young adult market, Hacking Timbuktu, is available now. I haven't read it yet but if it's as good as The Yellowcake Conspiracy was then it'll be a cracking read.

Spent some time recently trying out for a regular spot in one magazine (their response, thus far, a stony silence) and filling in, for one week only, for a swine flu suffering cartoonist in another (I had to draw Barbara Windsor - or as close an approximation thereof as I could manage at any rate).

Happily returning to bears, boys, boats and general sketchbook meanderings for a while now.

A6 Seawhite of Brighton sketchbook number 7, beginning May '96.











Click images for enlargification.

The waiting is over. The count, independently adjudicated by my beautiful assistant, is finally in and I can reveal that the grand total for The Great Pen Count 2009 is...

344.

Of these, no less than 57 were Pilot DR 0.3 Drawing Pens (my usual fibre tip of choice). Blimey.

The winner, then, is Chiky who came closest with a guess of 325.

Congratulations, Chiky. Please drop me a line and let me know where you are and then I can see about, um, figuring out what your prize might be (feel free to suggest something if you've any ideas of your own).

Off to visit family for the next few days so probably won't be posting anything much until next week.

In my absence, if you haven't yet guessed at the number of pens in my home then you have until midnight GMT on Saturday night to enter the competition and win a (still undecided upon) prize. Go here for details.

A6 Seawhite of Brighton sketchbook number 7, beginning May '96.











Click images for enlargification.





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LAST FEW DAYS:

Guess the number of pens in my home and win a prize. Go here.

A little news here about the release of the first three titles from the DFC Library, including my very own Good Dog, Bad Dog collection, due next spring.

Here's the cover, sans type and untrimmed...



Three further titles to follow in the autumn but the last I heard (a week ago) was that the decision hadn't yet been made as to which strips would be chosen. Plenty of strong material to choose from though so it should be a good line up. I know at least one of my favourite strips had made it to the shortlist, and Mirabilis seems to be confirmed, but more than that I cannot say.


UPDATE: Available to pre-order from Amazon here. See, it's a real book, with an ISBN and embarrassing author blurb and everything! How exciting.

Big beardy cartooning god Steve Bell (speaking in Cambridge last night) on drawing Gordon Brown: "his face is full of events".