A messy collection of art and musings about life as a mangaka and sketches. Art, writing, success, failure, and the fact I'm not smart enough to find something else to do with my life.

A series of short autobiographical strips, dropping in at important events throughout her life that shaped who she is today, told in a compelling and humorous authorial voice. We are led by Taki through her early childhood in Japan in the early 80s, to moving to Minnesota, the separation of her parents, childhood trauma, teenage angst, death, drugs, comics, health issues, love, fertility, pets and zombies; all of life is here in this book!

Kat had no responsibilities and nothing to tie her down. But she had graduated university with no plans. She was an artist who hadn’t drawn in five years. She was lost. What’s more, she’d been avoiding admitting to herself something that all of those around her knew; that her boyfriend, Richard, had some serious problems with alcohol. Looking for a fresh start, the two of them quit their jobs and embarked on a journey to Mexico for what what they expected to be an adventure of a lifetime.

a story of discovery and creativity

Autobiographical comics that I drew from the 6th of July 2018 until the 31st of December 2019.

Named one of The Guardian's Top 20 Graphic Novels of 2024 Sue Bird was always painting: botanical art, landscapes, still lifes, and especially the sea. She took classes, kept countless sketchbooks, and filled the house with art. From their neighbourhood to their family trips, all the moments of her life were memorialised in her artwork. Throughout her life, she never sold a piece - she gave art to family and friends, and shared her work online, but never received wider recognition for her work. This graphic novel by her son, Tim Bird, explores their family life and her creative explorations through a mix of her paintings and Tim's comics, depicting their relationship and her life from teenagehood to her struggle with cancer at the height of the covid pandemic. After her death, this graphic novel at last showcases her work. At its heart a book about creativity and family relationships, Adrift on a Painted Sea tells a story about the things we overlook in the people closest to us.