Since 2011 a large part of my life has been spent writing and drawing semi-topical comics for Guardian Weekend and Prospect. It sends me insane in on a weekly basis but I love it too. Mostly I don’t take on comics commissions outside these publications because I find them difficult and time-consuming to make. They’re basically miniature comedy sketches about whatever I think is ‘in the air’ at the time, and they never feature recurring characters or continuing plots. Sometimes I paint them but mostly I do ink and lettering on paper and then scan and colour digitally, for the sake of meeting deadlines. Some of these strips are collected in my book Some Comics By Stephen Collins (Jonathan Cape), and a selection of limited edition prints are available in my shop.

Colgate magazine

Colgate University alumni magazine commissioned me to illustrate a piece on students’ memories of their teachers.

The cover was drawn from a book club’s recollection of their English tutor who came to their reunion meet straight off a hiking holiday.

Whimsy Mine

Creative Review asked me to make a comic about making comics, to accompany an interview about my process. Ink and digital, 2017.

Let’s Move To Venice

Part of an ongoing series of illustrations for a Boundless magazine diary column by the journalist Liz Fraser,
following her family’s move to Venice. Gouache, pencil and digital.

The World Today: Brexit

One of the hardest things in illustration right now is drawing Brexit without resorting to flags.
They’re so hard to avoid with this subject. This is my attempt to avoid the pitfalls of cliché by
drawing the EU parliament instead. Created using gouache, pencil and digital.

Illustration for Unherd magazine on the political ambitions of Mark Zuckerberg. Often for commissions use a process of scanning multiple sheets of colour and linework and then comping them together in Photoshop. This allows for greater freedom in the editing stage than is the case with a full painting.
Gouache, ink, digital editing, 2018.

Illustrations for a Saga magazine feature about funny moments with grandkids. Gouache, ink and digital colouring, 2018

Feature for Reader’s Digest (UK) about crazy laws around the world. Gouache, ink, coloured pencil and digital finishing, March 2018

Baby’s First Bank Heist

My first picture book, written by Jim Whalley. Baby Frank accidentally robs a bank. He uses the loot to order lots of pets online, which he then stashes around his house so his parents can’t find them (but your kids can). Painted in gouache, ink and pencil. Published by Bloomsbury in 2018.

Illustrations for Boat International magazine, for a feature of kiss and tell stories by yacht staff

Gouache and ink on paper, 2017