Lots of Bug Belly videos now available

Christmas promo 2023

This didn't cost as much as the popular Christmas videos on TV, but hope you like it just as much! 

Video #16- How Many Drawings for Froggy Rescue?

Video #15- How Can Bug Belly Fly?

Video #14- Bug Belly Froggy Rescue book trailer

Video #13- Paul reading the new Froggy Rescue part 1

Out on July 1st the second adventure in the series. This Bug Belly story tells of the dangerous and daring mission to try and rescue Splodge who has been snatched by Magpie. Will Bug Belly make his most daring and cleverest ever rescue plan to try to bring back poor Splodge?

Video #12- Learn how to draw the BADDIES!

A short video with step by step instructions for changing the expressions of your characters. Make them sad, happy, surprised, angry and finally ... WICKED! With a bonus section on adding textures to your baddies.

Video #11- Make a magical never-ending, forever folding Bug Belly Booklet

An amazingly simple piece of paper folding magic.

First of all watch the video above to learn how to make it.

Then download the printed instructions.

Finally choose one of the FREE BUG BELLY ARTWORK TEMPLATES.

So far there are 2 to choose from.

booklet#1-Bug Belly's kit bag

Kitbag artwork front       Kitbag artwork back

booklet#2 is new. Frog/spawn life cycle

Frogspawn artwork front       Frogspawn artwork back 

printed instructions

Video #10- Make Bug Belly's top ten favourite bug snacks - and then EAT THEM!

Watch the video and then download the recipes in FROGGY GOODIES.

Video #9- Paul explores his own pond to find some real taddies and froglets

Video #7- Great tips for getting good ideas for your stories. Then try Paul's Summer Reading Story Writing Challenge.

Video #1- Paul reading from Bug Belly Babysitting Trouble part 1

Video #2- Paul drawing Splodge and making a frog wobbler

Video #3- Paul reading from Bug Belly Babysitting Trouble part 2

Video #4- Paul reading from Bug Belly Babysitting Trouble part 3

Video #5- Drawing Splash, painting water and making a Splash wobbler

Video #6- Paul reading from Bug Belly Babysitting Trouble part 4

Video #8- How to draw Bug Belly

THE MAKING OF A BUG BELLY ILLUSTRATION

For Babysitting Trouble I produced well over 1000 drawings. From the rough early thumbnail sketches, numerous progressive sketches to the final artwork (on each of the 96 pages). These following images show how a typical illustration was created, from sketchbook to final printed page.

Any story that I'm working on starts in my sketchbook, well actually, appears in my mind first of all, and then I put it down into my sketchbook. I see my sketchbook as my 'extra memory', like Dumbledore's pensive. Repositories for storing lots of extra ideas and images.

When the text is completed it's chopped into page spreads by my editor and book designer. They are looking for pace and page turning drama. I already know by now roughly what image I'm planning for each spread. So I can refine the sketch over and over until I feel I've captured the spirit of the story incident and the liveliness and accuracy of the characters. I'm not looking to mirror what is said in the text, but to add to and expand upon the words.

These sketches get pasted into a mocked up full 'finished' dummy book and are submitted to get approval from editorial and publisher.

 Then it's time to buckle down to the artwork. I love working in these rich black Polychromos pencils. The only downside is that if I make a mark I'm not happy with it can't easily be erased. So I redraw the scene over again. That, or digitally erase those bits after scanning the image into Photoshop.

 And it's in Photoshop, or ProCreate, that I digitally paint in the extra textures over my pencil work. I've created custom brushes that enhance the natural pencil marks. 

 These early reader books are printed in black with one extra colour. This is also added digitally and then pre-print separated before handing over to my book designer for getting print ready.

EVERYONE'S FRIEND!! THE COCKROACH
Here's a bug that most people are familiar with. Whether running around shops and restaurants or scuttling into the bedroom. The Cockroach is truly a fascination little critter, and has been so for 320 million years! It's obviously doing something right.

BUG #6 THE COCKROACH

PREVIOUSLY
BUG #1 TRILOBITE BEETLE

BUG #2 THE STICK INSECT

BUG #3 QUEEN TERMITE

BUG #4 THE MOLE CRICKET

BUG #5 THE DUNG BEETLE