The short stories I’ve published thus far have all featured covers produced by me. I studied computer graphics at university, and have been working on artistic ventures to a lesser or greater extent ever since.
I think Tolkien is probably the most famous author to also illustrated their own work, with many editions of his books featuring his artwork both inside and on the cover.
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Category Archives: Art
Lack of Focus
Roses are red,
Music is cool,
I’ve got ADHD,
ooh look a squirrel.
I grew up as a hyperactive child before any real proper diagnosis of ADD was ever done, and managed to some extent with a restricted diet free of many of the stupider E numbers.
So perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that I’ve struggled with focus for a long time, and perhaps not in ways that others might. My mind often flits from thing to thing before I’m finished with it… Sometimes it’s almost as if I fear finishing things, fear taking that step.
As I say, I’ve struggled with this issue for a while… So I’ve decided to see what happens if I stop struggling so much. Allow myself to drift from idea to idea, with the added proviso that I at least try to finish things when I can.
Perhaps it should be obvious that I often feel as though I have a bit if an identity crisis. I find it hard to categorise myself; am I an author, an artist, a designer, a web coder, a video game maker, or… What?
Perhaps, for now, I’ll content myself with calling me a nerd.
Behind the designs 1: Adventures of a Soft Kitty
Welcome to what will be the first in a series of blog posts looking at the creation process of some of my favourite Lair of the Nerd designs: Adventures of a soft Kitty.
Adventures of a Soft Kitty: Issue One
The cat is named Pippin and is the brother of Newton, the cat who appears on other Lair of the Nerd designs such as Keyboard Cat and Meow
Click through to find out more 
Pets and microchips
So, I made another Cardboard Theatre animation. 
If you like it, please like it on Youtube, go to http://facebook.com/lairofthenerd and like the link on there, and share it with your friends.
I admit, I am quite new to this whole social media promotion thing and am struggling to know how to get more people interested. Any real meaningful word of mouth or “going viral” all seems very far from what I am capable of, and all the while is the ever-present doubt, and the feeling that I may be struggling in this area simply because I am actually just.. well, shit. 
Oh, and for those who missed it, here’s the first Cardboard Theatre video:
Mappe
So, as you may know, I’m doing my best to write a fantasy epic that I hope to get published properly and be like a real author or something.
All fantasy epics need a map, and that’s what I’ve been working on today.. It’s slow going because I’m effectively making it poster sized (much larger than the cropped extract on the right) and am doing my best to make the quality as good as possible. Basically I’m a perfectionist..
It got me wondering what other (real) authors do to get their maps worked out.. do they do them themselves? I’m curious.
The Act of Creation
I live to create. To produce things that can inspire or move people, or make them laugh. So, I guess that means I live to create art.
Art; it’s a word that I don’t often use to describe what I do, because part of me worries that others won’t see it that way or that people will find me pretentious or weird. It can’t be art, it’s not framed, it’s not in a gallery and I haven’t been paid to do it.
But I realise, whether it’s something amusing to put onto a tshirt, or whether I’m referring to the novel I’m part way through at the moment, I can’t deny the truth of it – it is Art. Capital A, for emphasis.