Merry Christmas!

This year I've sorted out my Christmas card list on a cocktail of Lemsips, Beechams Cold Remedy, Meltus, Paracetamol, Halls Mentholyptus, Lockets, Strepsils and Berocca (ooh, I like Berocca!) and subsequently mistakes may have been made. I apologise if - you haven't received a card, received two cards, received a card to an old address (obviously you won't know if this is the case), I've missed out one of your kid's name, added an extra child you don't have, name checked a deceased relative, spelt your name wrong or put the wrong card in the wrong envelope. Here's all 4 of this year's designs to make up for it. Merry Christmas, y'all!

DoodlePlanet - Christmas Special.

My contribution to this month's DoodlePlanet.  For the special Christmas edition six of us were given designated canvases and then at the end of the night they were all auctioned off for Cancer Research. We made £450 on the night. Alongside myself there was some great work from David Setter, Julian Kimmings, Megan Hindley, Neil Maguire and Sue Webster. More pictures from the night can be seen on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Badges!

Here's my second set of badges. This time featuring all the characters I've designed with Felt Mistress - Kaiju, Bunko and Professor Skeffington. Available directly from my website for an unbelievable £3.95. What an ideal Christmas present for a badge wearing friend or relative.

Space Rock and Flying Ambulances.

Two interesting recent commissions. The first is a for an article in Paranormal Magazine about pop stars and UFOs and the second is an illustration of a hospital of the future for Insurance Times. Working on the latter was a bit like being a kid again - I was even making wooshing sounds whilst drawing the flying ambulances. Ideally, I should have drawn on it lying on the floor watching Metal Mickey.

Monster Paintings.

Sorry for the huge gap between posts. It's been a busy month, commissions-wise, so I've had  little time to do stuff for the blog. Here's some POSCA drawings on card that I've done recently for the Here Gallery Christmas show to support Louise's (AKA Felt Mistress) excellent plush selection. 

A Shadow Puppet and a couple of goons.

Here's a couple of recent sketches. The first is roughly based on Alex Turner (in his capacity as a Last Shadow Puppet rather than an Arctic Monkey) and the other is just a couple of goons.

Sketch City Charity Draw.

A canvas I produced on Saturday as part of the Sketch City/Future Savings live drawing event at Urbis in Manchester. All pieces are to be auctioned off with all proceeds going to Cancer Research.

A big hello to everyone I met there last weekend. What an unbelievably talented group of artists. I had a great time despite being in a muddy tent in the rain (not really my kind of thing. I like carpet).

For sale to a good home...

Fancy a hoody that looks like I've drawn all over it? Then click here. Fancy a skateboard with one of me drawings on it? Then click here.

Sorry, this blog is a bit like QVC at the moment. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

Sketchel.

My contribution to the second range of Sketchels curated by Jeremyville. One of a kind, buy it HERE.

Sketch City, Manchester.

Following on from my recent excursions in "going places and drawing on stuff" I attended last night's Sketch City at the Contact Theatre in Manchester. A great night organised by Manchester's Upper Space collective. Great music from the Mouse Outfit and a DJ (whose name I didn't catch but played some Le Monde Fabuleux Des Yamasuki and Mulatu Astatke so I was happy) and some beautiful artwork. Most notably from the unfeasibly talented Hammo.

I drew a woman leaning out of a frame. Here she is...

DoodlePlanet - Corsets and Tentacles.

Here's my contribution to October's DoodlePlanet - erm, an 18th century woman becoming entangled in some red octopus tentacles with DoodlePlanet written where it's head should be. Obviously!

DoodlePlanet is going from strength to strength and as from next year will be a monthly night. Top stuff. "Mad props" to the Setter Bros (and Heidi!) for making it such a success.

I should be doing "proper" drawing...

...that pays the bills an' that. Instead I'm sitting here doodling Wookiees. Still, the central heatings broke and somehow drawing Chewbacca makes it feel a bit warmer. Ah, look at his face!

Professor Skeffington.

Introducing the latest collaboration with my partner,(in every sense of the word), Louise AKA Felt Mistress. This is Professor Skeffington. He's a professor in Nautical Activities and an avid connoisseur of Aquatic Jazz (Thelonius Monkfish, Eric Dolphin, that kinda thing). He stands 30 inches tall, is made from fleece and comes in a combinations of orange, black and grey. £30 to you, squire. Available soon from Tokyo Jazz Panda in Chester and direct from the shop section of my website.

The Mighty Boushh.

The Guardian Weekend magazine recently had a great spread of photographs (by Steve Schofield) of science fiction fans dressed up as their favourite characters. The crowning glory being a photograph of Chewbacca putting the kettle on in Rhyl. It was like a still from a Ken Loach Star Wars prequel. There was also a small photo of a woman wearing her Boushh the bounty hunter outfit. I'd forgotten just how great the Boushh costume was. Here's my version.

Cheers!

New mini canvas/birthday card.

My Bloody Spider-Man.

A shoegazing Spider-Man. I doodled this, almost subconsciously, the other day whilst talking to friends. I love it when that happens.

Shiny Fringe Canvas

Fourth canvas in the imaginatively titled "long canvas" series.

September's DoodlePlanet.

Photos from this month's DoodlePlanet. I'd had 3 hours sleep in 48 hours and I still attended. Hardcore. You know the score.

Join the Facebook DoodlePlanet group HERE.

Why the long face?

Another canvas. Same dimensions and medium as before. This time in glorious grey, black and white.

Long Neck Canvas

A companion piece to the last post. Once again - 8" x 24" and POSCA pens.

Skull Tee Canvas

New canvas. 8" x 24". Once again, drawn with the glorious Posca pen.

This is MAD (literally!).

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting the offices of MAD magazine in New York. I've been working on and off for MAD and MAD Kids now for about 2 years and thought I'd try and drop in whilst in New York. I finally got to meet Sam Viviano, Ryan Flanders and Patty Dwyer who I'd only previously spoke to on the phone or via email. I was made to feel very welcome indeed and was even asked to sign the visiting artist's wall. This was a real "pinch yourself" moment as I had to fill a space surrounded by sketches by Sam Viviano, Al Jaffee(!!!), Richard Williams, Peter Kuper, Sergio Aragones(!!!!) and many, many other hugely talented artists. If there had been Jack Davis and Mort Drucker on there too I'd have probably exploded. I started reading MAD when I was about 8 or 9 and the work of Mort Drucker, Jack Davis, Sergio Aragones, Paul Coker JR, Don Martin etc has continued to be a major influence on my work ever since. I'd love to be able to tell the 10 year old me (sat there drawing his own MAD-style parodies of Fall Guy and Raiders of the Lost Ark!) that one day I'd be one of the "usual gang of idiots" and have his work on the walls of the offices. I'm not worthy! They even gave me free fudge. Can a day get any better?!?

Alien Tourist

A friend of mine, Richard Holland, has just become the editor of Paranormal Magazine. He asked me to come up with an illustration for their Alien Shorts news section. See what I did there?

Zombie Brokers!

Sometimes the most unusual jobs come from the most unexpected places. Last week I got a call from Insurance Times. What do you reckon they wanted me to draw? Insurance brokers? WRONG! They wanted zombie insurance brokers! (Apparently, they're coming back or something. I don't know, read the article!). This was such an enjoyable job to do I thought I just had to share.

Three more..

Three more canvasses. These are just 5" x 7". Er, that's it..

Afro canvas.

Here's a more finished version of part of the DoodlePlanet piece from the other night. Felt I had to draw it again and elaborate with the shapes a bit more as I was enjoying it so much.

DoodlePlanet 2 (the Electric Boogaloo)

Last night was another DoodlePlanet event at Telford's Warehouse in Chester. Once again organised by Mr David Setter and his DJ brother, Matty (last night's highlight - a Paul Nice remix of something containing large chunks of Gangstarr. I forgot to ask what it was before I left). Here's last night's doodle. Mostly Posca with a bit of Sharpie. It looks like a variation on the Revolver cover but with ladeez (Louise has just rolled her eyes while I typed that!).

Gocco No. 2

My second attempt at a Gocco print. This time it's a cleaner print but I'm missing the texture that the first one had (the same texture I moaned about last time. See, I told you was never happy!). It was drawn with a fineliner pen which gives it more of lino print feel which I quite like. This has a sakura theme and is to be sold as a limited edition A6 print at the Tokyo Jazz Panda stall at the Japan Day in Liverpool this Saturday (July 19th). I'll be there at some point so if anyone who reads this is in the vicinity, come along.

Vote Now!

Louise has completed work on the third our monster politicans. Here's the latest - Lady Jemimarragh Grunk along with my original sketch. She joins Leonard Groyle and Hugh Scruntin for the hotly contested seat of Behemoth-On-Sea. Click HERE to vote.

The Behemoth-On-Sea By Elections

Remember the drawing of a monster politician I posted the other day? (Of course you remember. It's less than a week ago! What do I think you are? Frickin' goldfish!) Well, Louise saw the sketch and decided to make one of them in full 3D glory. The attention to detail is verging on the obsessive compulsive - his trousers have got a fly, his jacket is fully lined with working pockets. She was about to make him a pair of y-fronts when I pointed out that it may have been a bridge too far. I love her an' that but this is slightly mental, innit? More details on Louise's new blog here.

Drawing on walls.

Last night I attended Doodleplanet at Telford's Warehouse in Chester. It's a monthly "draw on the walls" night organised by local artist David Setter and his DJ brother Matty (who, it has to be said, plays a blinding set). It was a pleasure to spend an evening in a good location, listening to great music (the theme from "Shaft in Africa" being a particular highpoint) and losing yourself in drawing for a few hours. Comment of the night - "I know she's only ink an' that but I still would". Now, that's a compliment.

Big new sketchbook.

I bought a brand new hardback A3 sketchbook last Saturday. I always had an A3 sketchbook in college and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed drawing on a space bigger than A4. The only downside is that it's too big for my A4 scanner so here's some "photos" of a few pages.

Zombi Rock!

Empty Road

A sketch of a very famous road without it's usual inhabitants.

Long canvas

New canvas. I intended to fill this up with faces but after I drew these two I liked the space around them so much that I decided to leave it as it is. I like the way that it looks like they've had an argument too (I reckon he's left a four pinter of milk out over night and it's gone sour).

Redhead

Medici

A sketch based on a bust of Ferdinando de Medici that I'd seen recently in the Lady Lever gallery in Port Sunlight. Just couldn't resist that Michael Bolton style barnet.
P.S. This blog is a year old today! Happy birthday, blog.

Blah Blah Blah

"Lemster, Dempster & Spry"

The cover to the classic eponymously titled LP from Lemster, Dempster & Spry. Released in June '66 this was the one and only long player from the Laurel Canyon/Huddersfield trio. Lemster and Dempster later went on to form Lemster, Dempster, Spengler, Venkman, Stanz, Crosby, Still, Nash & Young. Sadly, they managed to play just the one gig together. The subsequent tour was cancelled when they discovered that they couldn't find a tour bus big enough to contain all 9 members and their entourage. They slimmed down to a four piece (Lemster, Dempster, Spengler & Stanz) and resurfaced as a firm of solicitors. Jerry Spry is now probably most famous for riding through Studio 54 on a camel. Trying to emulate Bianca Jagger's PR success of riding into the club on a white horse Spry entered the club the following night on a camel. Tragedy struck when Grace Jones punched the camel in the hump mistaking it for "an old friend" causing Spry to fall from the dromedary. The resulting fall caused him to break his collar bone and detach both retinas. He never played the drums again.

Hey! Hey! Bunko!

A new toy. Meet Bunko - Kaiju's country cousin. Kaiju likes those crunchy high rises blocks, Bunko likes the chewy trees. Created this weekend by Louise (with the help of Mr Woodrow Phoenix - antler and eye detail consultant!). Now available to buy from the shop on my website.

My First Gocco.

Well, I finally used the Print Gocco I bought from Japan last September (Louise had set me an ultimatum - either I used it or she was going to give it away to "another little boy"). My first attempt was not a complete success but it's growing on me. I think the photocopy I used to create the master was a bit too dark and actually fused to the screen in places. Ironically, when I'm doing stuff digitally I scan in scratches and in the past I've even tried to emulate the mis-registered look of a dodgy screen print. Now I'm getting these effects naturally I want it to look like it's been produced in Photoshop. Sheesh! I'm never happy. The next one will be better.