Spandex Ballet - Simon Cowell: Shit For Ears

Ahoy there! I have recently contributed drawings and cartoons to the new music video produced by those naughty chaps in Spandex Ballet for their new spectacular tune full of Christmas cheer, wonderfully titled 'Simon Cowell: Shit For Ears'! 

Spread the word! Make this Christmas Number 1!

https://www.facebook.com/SimonCowellShitForEars

AMMO: The Lumberjacks Illustrated Guide To Wood Cutting

AMMO magazine is an independent printed magazine focused on illustration, and everything encompassing it. I have all the issues (bar one) they've released so far, and recently they have followed up their excellent Monochrome edition with the colourful and eye catching special 'The Lumberjacks Guide To Wood Cutting'.

 

I ordered it a couple of days ago, and it arrived this morning in record time. The wrap around cover/jacket (I don't know what you would call it!) over the magazine complete with the title and the names of the artists on the back is a nice touch, and is too good of an accompaniment to throw away. I also received the limited edition print by Nick Deakin  (complete with a slight dog ear on the bottom left hand corner but the heavy hands of Royal Mail can be excused this time) which now sits above my drawing table, and a few extra goodies such as business cards, a sticker and an AMMO beer coaster. Supoib!

The book itself is set out like an A5 sketchbook complete with rounded corners, and the front cover features a beautiful piece from illustrator Mr The Beef. The book is jam packed full of images focused on...yep, lumberjacks and anything to do with chainsaws, trees, boots, plaid shirts and beards. Lots of beards. There's also a list of the 33 illustrators at the back of the book complete with descriptions and website links, and an interview with Chad Eaton aka TIMBER!. It's a great book if you're ever stuck for inspiration, and is thoroughly recommended to all lovers of art and illustration. If you want to get the hands on the print, hurry as they're selling like very very warm cakes!

Merry Christmas & All That Bollocks

After seeing all the custom designs for greetings cards in WH Smith recently, I finally decided to take the plunge and design my own...because that is what artists should be doing, am I right?

This idea initially just flashed into my head which was fortunate, and it's related to Christmas just being shoved in your face (even before December hits) and you wonder how much you can really take. Bear in mind I am not a miserly grumpy humbug, but dammit let me finish seeing the fireworks first!

If anyone likes this design then comments and feedback are most welcome! Even if you hate it!

Badges

So I've been thinking for a while on what designs I'm going to include on my first set of badges. After much deliberation here's what they'll look like! They'll be arriving next week, all fifty of them!

Pieces Of Eight

This is my entrant for the Threadless Design Challenge for the iPhone5. Nice and thin, a perfect fit, just what you wanna see on your phone, right?

Illustration Friday: 'HAUNT'

My entry for this week's IF topic. Submit your own at IllustrationFriday.com.

Night Of The Crawlers

A project I have been working on for the past couple of weeks. It initially started as just the two crawlers (Dax and Gobber) but thought it would look nicer rounded off as a five-piece, complete with bright colours and gorey, zombie-like features (oops, there's that z-word again!). All available on my RedBubble site and hopefully soon to be up for sale on my own Big Cartel page.

Illustration Friday - 'Water'

Haven't had a stab at this for a while so here's a shot of a lazy office worker utilising the water cooler to great effect.

Painting No.1

Alright, so I thought I'd give the old pens a rest and give painting a try. Now I haven't painted a piece for over ten years and if I remember correctly, the results were quite shocking. However, armed with acrylics and the amazing Posca pens, I managed to muster up this within a couple of days. Size is 18" x 21". I'll sell it for the right price!

Stoptober Campaign

It's October and it's time to test our willpower once again by attempting to give up cigarettes for an entire month. The horror! I'm giving it a go, are you?

Wanna ride?

It's Monday, and I was waiting for a new table being delivered but managed to miss it. This facilitated drawing random pictures and I grew to like this one, so coloured in and hey presto. Another potential print or postcard.

Mighty Arsehole!

After scribbling away with a particular gel pen type of thing I have realised they are THE GREATEST THING EVER. Might have to sway away from the fineliners for a little while. Coloured in Photoshop. Maybe releasing this as a print as well.

REVIEW: Pictoplasma Character Compendium

I have a deep fascination with collecting numerous reading materials to do with art, mainly illustration / graphics / digital art and a few months ago I was gutted to hear of the news that the Pictoplasma Character Encyclopaedia had sold out. This book looked the bees knees and the only way I could get a copy is spend nearly £200 on Amazon. Not for me. However, Pictoplasma have released The Character Compendium which is an update of sorts, and I just couldn't help myself. It may seems a little pricy at £30 or so but believe me, if you're interested in contemporary art, illustration, character design or graphics then this book is worth every penny, and a revelation for all lovers of monsters, ghouls, freaks, oddities, creatures and crazed human beings. It's (nearly) 400 full-colour pages are full to the brim of wonderful characters, I flick through this book every few days without fail. I have become a fan of many new designers and illustrators thanks to this book. The exterior itself is pretty cool with characters embossed into the cover, and it's a wonderful size, not too big or cumbersome when reading through. The in-built bookmark is a nice plus as well. Thoroughly recommended!

Those are sick monsters...

Couple of monsters for some t-shirt designs for a website called Inct Online (http://inct.co.uk) who sell cool bright and eye-catching t-shirts at great value!

Princess Yah + New Website!

Ahoy there! I've been a bit quiet updating this site in recent weeks but I've been busy with job interviews and building my own professional website. Glad to say it is now online! Visit GUTTERWIPE now!

This latest art piece was something I originally sketched one night where I couldn't sleep. I also got the idea partially from the very good movie 'God Bless America', a movie about a guy and a teenage girl go ape shit crazy on America killing all the vile, insipid reality TV drones. It's quite pleasant really!

Illustration Friday - 'Lonely'

Illustration Friday piece for the 'Lonely' week. It could have so many meanings but this poor sap has to dwell in the company of nothing but his computer and packet of mouldy crisps. He hasn't slept in days...

Illustration Friday 'Refresh'

Just thought I'd get this in, before the Friday deadline for the latest Illustration Friday word of the week 'Refresh'. 

Gig Flyer No.2

Gig flyer for big local gig coming up! The alien thing wasn't strictly meant to resemble Zippy from Rainbow all 'punked' up but hey what the hell!

Robot Bird

Crazed drunken / high as a kite creature on a robot bird engulfed in wooden frames...what is there not to get!

Another character design for a half-lizard, half-man money grabbing swine. His pet snake is not impressed and his brain is about to pop out at any minute!

Here is the black and white version...

Teddy Bears Nicpic

You won't want to go down the woods again in a hurry!

Asbestos Village

I was recently asked by a mate to design a couple of covers for his bands new double sided single. The track for which this is called 'Asbestos Village' by Everyone Always Does. The end result was not tooootally what I had intended, but the more I got on with it, the more I started to like the colours. I bad thing is, it still looks like I'm trying to find my own proper style, but yes more colours like this will be used in future.

We Fear Salads

A possible t-shirt design for my mates band AGHAST!. The phrase is based on their track called 'We Fear Silence' and that they all love a hearty meal.

The kids ain't alright...

I was originally going to use the girl with the chainsaw in a separate piece for another project, but the other three critters just kinda cropped out of nowhere and they all fitted in together somehow. Watch your backs!

Place gum here...

The local club I have been a regular of for the past ten years or so is getting a new carpet, and to stop all those drunken oiks depositing their grubby chewing gum remains on the floor I've been asked to design some posters which will be stuck on walls, so gum can be stuck on them. Few more designs to go methinks. 

Aghast! die laughing...

This is a piece of local metal brutes AGHAST! being encountered by some dead folk. There can only be one outcome!

Inky Goodness Beer Coaster Project

First couple of entries for the Inky Goodness Beer Coaster project where you have to get a blank standard size beer coaster and draw / paint / etch / scribble a character design of a monster. Full details on the site. As Brian Butterfield says....anything goes! I ordered 20 of these beer coasters (10 squared and 10 round) so will undoubtedly attempt to create a set of 20, and maybe even order more!

Shame on you.

I just started drawing that pink monster in my sketchbook and it generated into this scene. Not sure what it means or why the toad is laughing at the monster, best to work it out for yourselves!

Dance

The first of a series of images I will be creating, maybe as poster designs. Next one should be up in a few days...

I Scream

Just a quick idea for a poster or something. Think of the children!

Illustration Friday - "Puzzled"

The latest Illustration Friday topic this week is Puzzled, so came up with this quick piece...

Remembering Cab Calloway...

Inspired by the recent YouTube video doing the rounds at the moment, a poignant scene from a documentary which shows a man in an old folks home listening to music from his era, and marvelling in delight at the wonders it can provide.

Massive fight.

A possible t-shirt design. Just drawn with biro and coloured in Photoshop. Available as one piece like this, or each individual coloured square. Or a combinatin of four of the squares. Your call! 

This is also used in the latest Illustration Friday week entitled 'Vocal'.

Chocolate Rabbit Easter Egg Times!

It's that time of year again when (almost) everyone gorges on hollow chocolate eggs full of more chocolate goodies in the name of religion. Here's a little way to spice it up. 

Cameron in the stock market...

With the way the country is going apeshit at the moment over the petrol and the pasties and the etc, I thought I'd picture a visual most people will be wishing for.

Illustration Friday - SHADES

It's Friiiiiiiday, meaning a few good things. It's time to get wasted, and also, it's Illustration Friday time. The latest topic on their website (Illustration Friday) is succinctly titled SHADES. So here is my contribution, just a short piece of a cool biker pig wearing the most excruciatingly hopeless shades ever devised. Log on to IF to submit your own!

Remembeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrr...

...what the-yea you know the rest of it. This piece is a sort of tribute to Jefferson Airplane and the song 'White Rabbot'. Hope you enjoy it.

Tribute to the greats...

The 90s sitcom Bottom has always been one of my favourite shows, ever since I first saw it as a ten year old. This is my tribute to Rik and Ade which I have been putting off for some time.