Arthur has a list of acting credits a mile long, but is probably best remembered as Crabtree from 'Allo 'Allo.  The character's poor grasp of the French language was the source of many gags, as well as his introductory catchphrase 'Good Moaning' which also the title of the book, recapturing the style and humour of Crabtree's verbal mangling.

There was a long lead time on this project, permissions for usage and suchlike, which was an advantage for me as book illustrator, as it meant I had a bit time to think about the style and sketch ideas. Looking back at the early concept illustration now, my style, technique and tools have changed a lot. Even in a short space of time.

Arthur knew I could work in a few styles and wanted something a little more animated than the original concept sketches.  I cast my ideas net wide, looking at the European ligne claire style popularised in the 50's and 60's by book illustrators like Herge, Bob de Moor and Joost Swarte.  I’m a big fan of that illustration style and in context of the character  and French origins of 'Allo 'Allo! it looked right. Also I was probably overthinking it.

The character of Crabtree really lends itself to this clean dynamic style, and in illustrated form I could easily see him rubbing shoulders with the Thompson and Thomson, or Agaton Sax.

Creating the cover was a good touchstone character reference for the other ten black and white illustrations which appear in the book. Details were referenced from photo stills, making sure the lapel buttons, badges and cloak all matched Crabtree's Gendarme costume as worn on screen.

The finished cover was realised first as a series of separate images. Handdrawn, scanned,  then moved around on layers in clip studio to find the right composition, then digitally inked and coloured using a wacom intuos  tablet. This technique is less time consuming that it looks, as it allows for experimentation in the composition. If the text title graphics overlap any elements, they can be shuffled around for clarity. Here's the cover composition:

You can order Arthur's book at the Waterside Press website, here.

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I visited Niagra Falls and got some maple syrup. There was a big statue of Nikola Tesla and a boat trip too. It was very cold and my fingers were freezing cold making the video, which I'll upload soon.

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The post Video Diary - Visiting Jodrell Bank Observatory appeared first on John Cooper.

I'm pleased to announce that i'll be at the Manchester Dancehouse joining 'Auntie' Barbara Nice for her festive Christmas Cracker show on 19th and 20th December. This should be a load of fun and sell out quick, so get in and get a ticket before al the staff from the Co-op snap them up.

More information here.  You can buy tickets from Ticketline here 

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I wish ITV would do Stand Up Britain again like they did in 2002. That was great. Really great.

The post Best Job in the World #18 - Nothing New Here appeared first on John Cooper.

Everything goes in cycles. Really long uneven cycles.

The post Best Job in the World #17 - Payroll reversal appeared first on John Cooper.

So long Crystal Palace, ta ta Winter Hill,
Pontop Pike and Emley moor and associated transmitters of the independent television network.

Everything went digital and you're now in the past,
The switchover has killed you and now you're just a mast.

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