Nick Tankard
LightNews LightNews
banner
nicktankard.bsky.social
Nick Tankard
@nicktankard.bsky.social
1.8K followers 820 following 3.3K posts
Bloke & sometime Illustrator (I illustrated The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, published by Vintage Classics).

Banner illustration: A copy I made of the rumpus in Where The Wild Things Are

Bradford

nicktankard.co.uk for prints, originals and portfolio.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
nicktankard.bsky.social
Nick Tankard @nicktankard.bsky.social · Sep 8
My illustrations for The Woman in Black are now available as signed giclee prints. You can view them on my website nicktankard.co.uk I’ll also be making the original illustrations available here on Bluesky, watch this space…The illustrations are in the hardback edition published by Vintage Classics.
A grid of black and white illustrations I made for The Woman in Black by Susan Hill.
Reposted by Nick Tankard
sarahcoomer.bsky.social
Glorified phone doodle (ie I drew it while I was on the phone)
A pencil drawing of winter trees against a setting sun. Long shadows are cast over grass and fallen leaves towards the viewer. The sun shines through the branches.
November 27, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Reposted by Nick Tankard
drfernriddell.bsky.social
One of the most beautiful bits of english eccentricity and glorious design is coming back to Sotheby’s and should be bought by a musuem (or me) for THE NATION. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Jewelled golden hare that sparked national treasure hunt set for auction
Artist and author Kit Williams hid a golden hare with clues to its precise location given in his 1979 book
www.independent.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 9:18 AM
nicktankard.bsky.social
I’ve learned that book covers are very important. I’ve been congratulated on this cover illustration more than anything I’ve ever done (even by friends and family) sadly it’s not by me…this lovely illustration was made by Angela Annesley, I did the interior illustrations 🥳🙁
A black and white woodcut illustration of twisting black trees reaching towards a black sun. This is the cover for The Woman in Black by Angela Annesley.
November 27, 2025 at 9:56 AM
nicktankard.bsky.social
Good morning. Our lovely neighbours recently found out that I am/was an illustrator, yesterday the husband of the couple brought up a copy of The Woman in Black that I did the interior illustrations for for me to sign for his wife, he’s going to give to her for Christmas, it made my day/year/life ☺️
A hardback copy of The Woman in Black that I illustrated…not the cover, that was by someone else. It has a black spine and a black and white woodcut illustration of black twisted tree trunks reaching towards a black sun.
November 27, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Reposted by Nick Tankard
threadotweets.bsky.social
lauren @NotABigJerk For everyone visiting their parents this week: LG tvs call it TrueMotion Roku/TCL calls it Action Smoothing Samsung calls it Auto Motion Plus Sony calls it MotionFlow Panasonic calls it Intelligent Frame Creation Amazon Fire TVs call it Motion Processing 12/25/22
March 1, 2025 at 7:32 AM
nicktankard.bsky.social
I heard this on Radio3 Unwind earlier. My favourite song from the Bladerunner soundtrack. Good evening.

Vangelis - Memories of Green

youtu.be/Cg0cmhjdiLs
Vangelis - Memories of Green
YouTube video by Eventual422
youtu.be
November 26, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Reposted by Nick Tankard
jopolkadot.bsky.social
“The blue seems eternal”

Virginia Woolf

London ©️ Andrew Gifford
November 26, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by Nick Tankard
janehill.bsky.social
This is a very good article, much of which chimes with me (different cancer but same feeling of getting swept up by the NHS into a well-coordinated series of treatments.)

Also the importance of Getting Things Checked Out.
davidmbarnett.bsky.social David Barnett @davidmbarnett.bsky.social · 1d
I've written a big piece for the Observer about the Big C. Would be lovely if you find time to read it sometime and feel free to share.

observer.co.uk/news/opinion...
‘He suggested we go to a quiet room to talk. I knew that was not good news’ | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Nick Tankard
tarabush.bsky.social
Finally free of covid, dragged this drawing out...

Graphite, charcoal & ink on moleskine
#darkart #folkhorror
Folk Horror style drawing of a young girl looking directly to camera. She has light skin, dark hair tied up in a bun, and a top with a white collar. She has pencil marks all over her face that look like tree branches. A slight paler halo is behind her head. The image is black and white, pencil, charcoal and ink. She looks quite intimidating.
November 26, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Reposted by Nick Tankard
vangogh.bsky.social
View of Auvers with Church - 1890
https://botfrens.com/collections/46/contents/15554
November 26, 2025 at 11:24 AM
nicktankard.bsky.social
My brother found some footage of our mum from when she was interviewed by Look North after a sad news story in her local area. So strange (but lovely) to hear her voice and see her talking, the only video we have of her…a shame it was in such sad circumstances. I miss my mum 😔
A middle-aged woman (my mum) looking upset next to a road and some flats.
November 26, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Reposted by Nick Tankard
lesleyparr.bsky.social
Hi. I write MG children's books (4 Bloomsbury & 1 Barrington Stoke), all set in S.Wales in the past with strong working-class rep & a political edge. My agent currently has a 4th draft of something which steps into a new genre & I'm about to sign a contract for a secret thing. Thanks!
#WritersLift
5 books with colourful covers on a wooden desk with a cup of tea and keyboard and mouse.
November 26, 2025 at 10:13 AM
nicktankard.bsky.social
We went to Soho and I resisted the cakes but I did stick a nice big croissant into my face, superb coffee too. The staff were lovely and convinced us to purchase our first mince pie of the season. I’m not trying to be thin and handsome anyway.
A cafe called MAISON BERTAUX. The name on two blue striped canopies above the windows which glow with a cosy and inviting warmth. Shelving in the windows display various forms of patisserie, cakes, croissants, eclairs and many other stomach enlargers. People sat on chairs outside the cafe despite the cold and damp weather. Cakes with fresh fruit and cream, cans of soft drinks behind.
November 26, 2025 at 9:22 AM
nicktankard.bsky.social
The National - Quiet Light

youtu.be/xiiXhHQ10XY
Quiet Light
YouTube video by The National - Topic
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Reposted by Nick Tankard
nicktankard.bsky.social
Back from my first visit to Brighton. We enjoyed chilly autumn sun, fish & chips in the Regency restaurant with rain battering the windows at night. We took relatives to see Gary Numan, they’re fans & they’ve had a rotten year of ill health. They were seated & I somehow ended leaning near the stage🤷🏼‍♂️
The domes and minarets of Brighton Pavilion lit up in glowing pinks against a dusky blue sky. A clock tower at a junction in a city centre. Hundreds of small lights suspended in a net reaching outwards from the clock tower to other buildings and shops at the junction. Nighttime and festive. A beach at night. The pebble beach in darkness, a dimming orange sunset above the horizon of a calm blue sea. Apartment buildings and street lights on the right, the shoreline of Brighton. Gary Numan performing on stage with his bass guitarist/lead guitarist. The stage bathed in an atmospheric green light.
November 25, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Reposted by Nick Tankard
nicktankard.bsky.social
A duff photograph of the South Downs seen from the train beyond Burgess Hill. My illustration hero Raymond Briggs spent much of his life living at the foot of those hills & used the surrounding area as inspiration for his work. I didn’t have time to pay my respects at his grave this time ☹️
A range of hills in the distance as seen from a train on a bright and sunny autumn afternoon.
November 25, 2025 at 1:36 PM
nicktankard.bsky.social
Starling Whisperer, Lancing.
A lady in a raincoat is sat on red chairs outside a cafe. She checks her phone as hungry Starlings watch on. A pebbly beach with a line of boulders lead down towards the sea in the background.
November 25, 2025 at 7:59 PM
nicktankard.bsky.social
I found Wilson in Lancing on the south coast, good to see he got away from Tom Hanks.
A football inside a small boat. The football has a red handprint on it with white patches where the mouth, eyes and nose should be.
November 25, 2025 at 5:52 PM
nicktankard.bsky.social
I’m making a plea to people who walk the streets of London (& elsewhere but it’s VERY apparent in the smoke)…please put your phones down once in a while & look around…the real world is great! & I’m fed up of jumping out of your way. I was getting very Richard Ashcroft towards the end. Zombies 🧟‍♂️
a man is walking down a street in front of a kfc chicken restaurant
Alt: A rude man shoulder barges his way through two women who are chatting, at least they were conversing, not just staring at their phones like zombies.
media.tenor.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:46 PM
nicktankard.bsky.social
All over Battersea, some hope and some despair.
Two cylindrical towers of Battersea Power station peering out between buildings of glass. Sunlight reflects on the glass creating flare. Railway tracks in the foreground, blue sky above.
November 25, 2025 at 4:28 PM
nicktankard.bsky.social
I finished reading this recently. A tale of obsession & creepiness. The majority of the characters are deeply odd/repulsive, it veers a little too closely to Dark Matter but never quite hits (a high benchmark though). Apparently Michelle Paver had a block so she’s done well to produce this. So so.
The cover of RAINFOREST by Michelle Paver. An illustration of a rainforest, brightly coloured flowers, tropical bird, snake, frog, skull. Darkness beyond.
November 25, 2025 at 2:49 PM
nicktankard.bsky.social
Two new book purchases from our travels. My partner bought me Advent from The London Review Bookshop, she knew I was a sucker for that cover and because it’s set in Iceland. I bought The Ghost Theatre from Waterstones in Brighton for research for something I’m mulling over…
The cover of Advent by Gunnar Gunnarsson. An illustration of a figure on a hillside drift of snow, a dig by his side and a sheep behind them. A pink sky beyond. Lovely. The cover of The Ghost Theatre by Mat Osman. A bird of prey with its wings outstretched against a golden circle, more golden rings circling around the centre. A dark blue background with gold stars spattered across it.
November 25, 2025 at 2:16 PM
nicktankard.bsky.social
A duff photograph of the South Downs seen from the train beyond Burgess Hill. My illustration hero Raymond Briggs spent much of his life living at the foot of those hills & used the surrounding area as inspiration for his work. I didn’t have time to pay my respects at his grave this time ☹️
A range of hills in the distance as seen from a train on a bright and sunny autumn afternoon.
November 25, 2025 at 1:36 PM
nicktankard.bsky.social
Back from my first visit to Brighton. We enjoyed chilly autumn sun, fish & chips in the Regency restaurant with rain battering the windows at night. We took relatives to see Gary Numan, they’re fans & they’ve had a rotten year of ill health. They were seated & I somehow ended leaning near the stage🤷🏼‍♂️
The domes and minarets of Brighton Pavilion lit up in glowing pinks against a dusky blue sky. A clock tower at a junction in a city centre. Hundreds of small lights suspended in a net reaching outwards from the clock tower to other buildings and shops at the junction. Nighttime and festive. A beach at night. The pebble beach in darkness, a dimming orange sunset above the horizon of a calm blue sea. Apartment buildings and street lights on the right, the shoreline of Brighton. Gary Numan performing on stage with his bass guitarist/lead guitarist. The stage bathed in an atmospheric green light.
November 25, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Reposted by Nick Tankard
nicktankard.bsky.social
On my travels again. Bye for now 👋🏻

The Journey North from The Woman in Black by Susan Hill.

nicktankard.co.uk for giclee prints £75 (free P&P - UK only - I also ship worldwide).
A black and white pen and printmaking illustration of a steam train and its carriages at a standstill on a bridge in a foggy and featureless landscape. Steam hisses from the train, the engine and carriage lights glow in the gloom.
November 19, 2025 at 1:08 PM