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Roger Harris  

Did he see you create the beasts for him in LightWave

Yes, he was quite interested in the modelling and rendering when I was doing it and is fairly proficient himself in most of the packages I use. Again, these days he's more interested in talking to his mates than working with dad.

Why are you self-publishing?

I am self-publishing because I got no response from any of the big publishers that I sent the book to. I'm fairly sure they didn't even look at it. It sat around on my desk for about 3 years after that because I gave up on it until a friend saw it and insisted I take it o the local book shops. They loved it and said they would stock it so I took the plunge and published it myself. So far I have only sold a few but it is slowly picking up.

Which is your favourite beast?

I don't think I'd like to say in case the other beasts got jealous! The first one invented was the Household Carpet Bear and I guess he is special for that but I like them all in their own way.

How many are there in total in the book?

There are eleven in total.

How long has the book taken to make?

The original images from concept through design to modelling, rendering and finishing took about four months.

How are you making the outlined versions for colouring?

The keyline versions are rendered in LightWave in outline/show edges mode after colouring the whole scene 100% luminous white. I then take the resultant render into Adobe Illustrator as an underlay and re-draw a cleaner version that can be coloured-in.

What format does the book take?

The book is A4 landscape in size and is a softback.

What are you working on now?

I am doing some very boring 3D versions of 2D workflow diagrams. Hardly taxing for LW but still enjoyable to see the outcome. Soon I am hoping to work on some more Bonkers Beasts so that if the book takes off I have another one in the pipeline.

Thanks for taking the time to introduce us to the Bonkers Beasts Roger and I hope that the book sells well enough for a sequel! Readers interested in learning more about the Beasts can visit Roger's site.

Roger Harris  
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