Steve May's lifetime ambition to draw his comic heroes Dennis The Menace and Gnasher has been realised at last. Diary of Dennis The Menace is the first title in a brand new series, written by Steven Butler and published this month by Puffin. Steve was initially asked to submit samples of both characters - the brief he was given:  "Dennis would need to retain the high smile that sits just below the nose and eyes, plus his typical features – spikey hair, red and black jumper and shorts etc, but the Beano are keen for the illustrator to leave their mark on this. Being Dennis the Menace, the illustrations can afford to be anarchic and quite dominant throughout the book.”

 

Of course, Steve loves a bit of anarchy and his response was to produce these amazing character designs! Gordon Tait from DC Thomson & Co aka The Beano HQ said: " I think it's safe to say we were all very excited when Steve's initial drawings came through and for us the choice was pretty much a no-brainer as they say… it was exactly what we were looking for."

 

Steve went on to illustrate the cover and black and white illustrations for the insides, with added splats, ink blots, fingerprints and paw prints to emphasise the handwritten diary feel.