Back to the drawing board

As regular readers of this blog will know, my mum sadly passed away three weeks ago after a stroke/fall. (Full story here.) The last several weeks have been the worst time of my life, and the grief will never completely fade of course. However, now that the funeral is over and I've finished clearing out mum's bungalow and the keys have been handed back to the council I have time to return to the drawing board again. 

Today I drew a Rasher strip (there it is in an early stage above) which should appear in The Beano in a few weeks. Tomorrow, another Rasher strip to catch up, then it'll be on with more You've Been Pranked pages (also for The Beano), an illustration job for a client, the return of a classic character for another client, and several pages for The Dandy Annual 2015. Having not earned anything for five weeks (except for that eBay sale) I need to really get moving again. 

I'd like to publicly thank the editors at D.C. Thomson, Aces Weekly, and Viz comic for being so understanding in allowing me time to grieve and sort the practical things out that one has to do when someone passes away. (I have no other family, so I had a lot to do.) Thanks folks for your professionalism and sincere compassion. 

I'd also like to thank my close friends in Nuneaton, Sue B, Nige, Mo, Mandy, Mark, Joanne, Al, Sue T, Gary G, Gary R, Linda, Andy, Josie, and all for their incredible support during these dark days, and to my many friends online and elsewhere (Lise, David L, Nigel, Mike C, Mike H, Angi, Debbie & Robbie and many more) for all their words of encouragement and sympathy. From the practical help of hospital trips or moving furniture, to simple messages of condolence, I assure you it's all helped to get me through this and has brought me great comfort.