Paul MC Smith
@wonderfulbooks.co.uk
Design, data and Doctor Who. http://www.wonderfulbook.co.uk
My take from the original Wonderful Book of Dr Who
November 26, 2025 at 10:42 PM
My take from the original Wonderful Book of Dr Who
Read some great articles and reviews, and see lots of gorgeous artwork, in @dwasonline.bsky.social's Celestial Toyroom Annual 2026 - available in print now for under £20!
www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual
www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual
November 25, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Read some great articles and reviews, and see lots of gorgeous artwork, in @dwasonline.bsky.social's Celestial Toyroom Annual 2026 - available in print now for under £20!
www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual
www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual
Order now and it could be in your hands by the weekend!
www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual
www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual
November 24, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Order now and it could be in your hands by the weekend!
www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual
www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual
Happy Whoniversary! Revisit the Fifth Doctor era with the Celestial Toyroom Annual 2026, available in print now - just £17.05 hardback or £10.42 paperback (+post). Details at www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual.
*Please Repost rather than Like (if so inclined) to spread the word among your followers.
*Please Repost rather than Like (if so inclined) to spread the word among your followers.
November 23, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Happy Whoniversary! Revisit the Fifth Doctor era with the Celestial Toyroom Annual 2026, available in print now - just £17.05 hardback or £10.42 paperback (+post). Details at www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual.
*Please Repost rather than Like (if so inclined) to spread the word among your followers.
*Please Repost rather than Like (if so inclined) to spread the word among your followers.
Working from the fuzzy scan proved tricky, especially for the details, so I soon unearthed my treasured copy of Doctor Who #15 and used that original printing as reference. Working in Photoshop and painting in behind the mono line art, I stuck to 20% increments of CMY&K to best match the colours.
November 21, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Working from the fuzzy scan proved tricky, especially for the details, so I soon unearthed my treasured copy of Doctor Who #15 and used that original printing as reference. Working in Photoshop and painting in behind the mono line art, I stuck to 20% increments of CMY&K to best match the colours.
I have scans of these but they're not great quality and trying to match this up to the clean page DWM had provided was taking a lot of distortion. It would also need much touching in, to the point where I decided it would be easier to start from scratch. So I did!
November 21, 2025 at 5:09 PM
I have scans of these but they're not great quality and trying to match this up to the clean page DWM had provided was taking a lot of distortion. It would also need much touching in, to the point where I decided it would be easier to start from scratch. So I did!
I really wanted it to be in colour, but what to do? I'm no comics colourist and didn't want to diminish the awesome line art with some cack-handed attempt. Then I remembered the strip had been professionally coloured before, in Marvel US's short-lived Doctor Who comic from the mid-80s.
November 21, 2025 at 5:09 PM
I really wanted it to be in colour, but what to do? I'm no comics colourist and didn't want to diminish the awesome line art with some cack-handed attempt. Then I remembered the strip had been professionally coloured before, in Marvel US's short-lived Doctor Who comic from the mid-80s.
Doctor Who Magazine very generously provided frames from its run of Fifth Doctor strips to illustrate @paulscoones.bsky.social's commentary pieces on each one. These were, of course, in black and white as originally printed, having been scanned and cleaned for Panini's excellent graphic novel.
November 21, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Doctor Who Magazine very generously provided frames from its run of Fifth Doctor strips to illustrate @paulscoones.bsky.social's commentary pieces on each one. These were, of course, in black and white as originally printed, having been scanned and cleaned for Panini's excellent graphic novel.
One small part I'm super-proud of is my (re)colorisation of frames from the classic Fifth Doctor strip 'The Tides of Time', including Dave Gibbons' stunning opening page displaying the Event Synthesizer in all its magnificence.
November 21, 2025 at 5:09 PM
One small part I'm super-proud of is my (re)colorisation of frames from the classic Fifth Doctor strip 'The Tides of Time', including Dave Gibbons' stunning opening page displaying the Event Synthesizer in all its magnificence.
Stair makers see bottom fall out of anti-Dalek market
November 19, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Stair makers see bottom fall out of anti-Dalek market
Well, apart from all the 'Scinh' old IM's trading!
November 17, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Well, apart from all the 'Scinh' old IM's trading!
More details here: thechromakeymagazine.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/i...
November 17, 2025 at 10:01 PM
More details here: thechromakeymagazine.wordpress.com/2025/11/11/i...
The fonts were trickier. Sans Serif Shaded at the bottom is common enough (tho there are some ropey digitisations out there). But the main title font was harder to identify. Rockwell was close but not quite right - eg the straight leg of the 'R'. Stymie was closer but still not a perfect match.
November 16, 2025 at 12:59 PM
The fonts were trickier. Sans Serif Shaded at the bottom is common enough (tho there are some ropey digitisations out there). But the main title font was harder to identify. Rockwell was close but not quite right - eg the straight leg of the 'R'. Stymie was closer but still not a perfect match.
I wanted to use it to introduce John Collier's great feature on Radio 2's coverage, but with the Annual being in full colour using the mono original wasn't ideal. I have a scan of Iain McCaig's gorgeous album artwork, and my own logo recreation, so reckoned I could remake it in colour.
November 16, 2025 at 12:59 PM
I wanted to use it to introduce John Collier's great feature on Radio 2's coverage, but with the Annual being in full colour using the mono original wasn't ideal. I have a scan of Iain McCaig's gorgeous album artwork, and my own logo recreation, so reckoned I could remake it in colour.
Just a week to go until the Celestial Toyroom Annual 2026 is available! www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual One of the most fun parts for me was recreating the cover of the 1983 Longleat Celebration programme, which as far as I know was only ever a b/w photocopy.
November 16, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Just a week to go until the Celestial Toyroom Annual 2026 is available! www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual One of the most fun parts for me was recreating the cover of the 1983 Longleat Celebration programme, which as far as I know was only ever a b/w photocopy.
Fifth Doctor fans won't want to miss Simon's fiendish crossword in the Celestial Toyroom Annual 2026, available in just over a week! www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual
November 14, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Fifth Doctor fans won't want to miss Simon's fiendish crossword in the Celestial Toyroom Annual 2026, available in just over a week! www.dwasonline.co.uk/ct_annual
This variant maybe, more collar visible, though his mouth is closed.
November 13, 2025 at 12:00 AM
This variant maybe, more collar visible, though his mouth is closed.
Anyone recognise the photo reference for this? Feel sure I've seen it before but now can't find a match.
November 12, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Anyone recognise the photo reference for this? Feel sure I've seen it before but now can't find a match.
You mean average amount of screen time per year? Chris doesn't really fit as it works out to an episode every week! Otherwise, Bill and Pat have most, obviously; surprising Peter's ahead of Tom, while Ncuti matches him; and shows that tho Jodie's tenure was long she didn't have much on in that time.
November 9, 2025 at 11:29 PM
You mean average amount of screen time per year? Chris doesn't really fit as it works out to an episode every week! Otherwise, Bill and Pat have most, obviously; surprising Peter's ahead of Tom, while Ncuti matches him; and shows that tho Jodie's tenure was long she didn't have much on in that time.
Just two weeks until @dwasonline.bsky.social's Celestial Toyroom Annual 2026 is available. For me, one of the very best articles in it is @matthewkilburn.bsky.social's fascinating look at Barbara Clegg's career and the pre-Who luminaries she met along the way.
November 9, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Just two weeks until @dwasonline.bsky.social's Celestial Toyroom Annual 2026 is available. For me, one of the very best articles in it is @matthewkilburn.bsky.social's fascinating look at Barbara Clegg's career and the pre-Who luminaries she met along the way.
Inspired by @cooraysmith.bsky.social's latest Psychic Paper post
November 9, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Inspired by @cooraysmith.bsky.social's latest Psychic Paper post
It's November! Month of the Whonniversary, on which the Celestial Toyroom Annual 2026 from @dwasonline.bsky.social will be available in print. Celebrating the Fifth Doctor era with reviews and features, including a lovely piece by @thelightdreams.bsky.social about the show's electronic music.
November 1, 2025 at 1:36 PM
It's November! Month of the Whonniversary, on which the Celestial Toyroom Annual 2026 from @dwasonline.bsky.social will be available in print. Celebrating the Fifth Doctor era with reviews and features, including a lovely piece by @thelightdreams.bsky.social about the show's electronic music.
Coming soon, Chromakey #10 Animation Special thechromakeymagazine.wordpress.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Coming soon, Chromakey #10 Animation Special thechromakeymagazine.wordpress.com
Infographics are more than a nice picture with some numbers, or an illustrated list (a problem I had with DWM’s previous ‘Sufficient Data’ page). Done well they express data in a form that clarifies meaning and provides insight. Hang this poster with the cover art showing instead – they’re artful. 🔚
October 26, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Infographics are more than a nice picture with some numbers, or an illustrated list (a problem I had with DWM’s previous ‘Sufficient Data’ page). Done well they express data in a form that clarifies meaning and provides insight. Hang this poster with the cover art showing instead – they’re artful. 🔚
But even taking the principles of the published chart – bubble ratios with largest at centre – there are more informative ways to present them. Here the distance from the centre is plotted relative to the ratio, with bands to make it clearer what this means.
October 26, 2025 at 4:05 PM
But even taking the principles of the published chart – bubble ratios with largest at centre – there are more informative ways to present them. Here the distance from the centre is plotted relative to the ratio, with bands to make it clearer what this means.