A TALENTED youngster from Worcester has become an online cartoonist after setting up a website which features a new drawing every day.

Thomas Onions, aged 12, has created two characters - Junior, a mixture of a cat and a fox, and Juliet, a mouse with attitude - to feature in the cartoons tfhat he publishes daily on www.

juniorandjuliet.com His work is already attracting interest, with one of his animations shown at a Midlands festival.

Thomas's mother Sue Onions said the youngster, who has a form of autism called Aspergers Syndrome and skeletal dysplasia, a condition which means he grows slowly, had always loved to draw and create animations with plasticine models.

She said: "People say that children with Aspergers tend to develop special interests and can be very, very focused when they are learning about it.

"With Thomas I'm quite sure that he's got the artistic talent and just really loves drawing so he's happy to concentrate on that."

Mrs Onions said Thomas, who is educated at his home in Drovers Way, Astwood, was very bright and liked to include a punchline in each cartoon.

He set up the website recently with the help of his father Tim, but first started drawing Junior and Juliet cartoons three years ago.

Mrs Onions said one of Thomas's animations had been shown at an animation festival, called Flipside, in Wolverhampton recently.

She added: "He's drawn all his life. He's never stopped drawing from being a toddler. We're running out of places to display his drawings.

"He would love to publish them all somewhere when he's older."