Tee design

New T-shirt design - hopefully wont mess up the printing this time...

FRESH OFF THE BLOCK

Well, lookey lookey... just finished some lino block printing.

Just finished my Christmas cards... later than I wanted (had to order art supplies you see)... but look! I'm rather chuffed with this lot. They're metallic, complete with glitter n all!

Friends etc. email me your addresses so I can send you a nice belated letter.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

Getting started...

taa -daaah!

 

Metallic red with glitter

Metallic blue with glitter

The never ending dichotomy...

It was whilst wandering through the woodlands of central Quebec that I found myself thinking about a book called Columbus and Other Cannibals   by Jack Forbes (which was recommended to me by a certain Miss. Percival). The book discusses the 'disease' of violence against our fellow human brothers and sisters as well as our mother, Earth. The never ending dichotomy of nature/culture is something that constantly cropped up when studying Anthropology... indeed, the artificial divide we have created between ourselves as 'civilised' beings and the savage, untamed and 'natural' could be argued to be the very crux of civilization itself.... 

Anyway, mulling this over in my head alongside the anti-civilization arguments of radical environmentalist Derrick Jensen, I started to think about how little difference there was between humans and the world in which we live. We, like so much that we call 'nature' (or more accurately 'natural resources' - to be used and managed) are, when it comes down to it, 100% reliant upon the earth on which we stand, the air which we breathe and the water which drink. Our destruction of this planet is not just the destruction of 'the environment' but it is the cannibalisation of ourselves.

So having come to this conclusion, I looked at a fern and realised that its leaves were a similar shape to my fingers... what a perfect way to illustrate our oneness: 

Line drawing using indian ink

Lino block print with watercolour

Oh Walmart! Oh people!

Cool infographic on the reality of the corporate giant Walmart here, by Frugal Dad.

Nice one.

The Weight of Walmart... See it here

LITHOGRAPH PRINTING big up!

I recently went to Montreal and indulged in some rather delicious art materials (here in Victo the most creative outlet is poutine, so art shops just don't exist).

Anyway I bought some shinanigins for lino block printing as well as screen printing. The former went excellently - this was my first EVER attempt and I bloody loved it didny I? The latter, I have done before but tended to steer away from the photosensitive method as it seemed a bit scary. So I attempted the photosensitive method, and after painstakingly buying all the right equipment, diligently applying the fluid evenly and such, only went to go and burn the screen, marvelously. Fail.

Anyway, here are some photos from the better of the two experiments...

hopping on the christmas card train.

exposing the screen (only to go and bloody burn it)

carving

BOOKS Books books...

Allo mon chums....

So out here in the depths of Quebec, one can get a bit lonesome _ which is great. I have managed to make time for getting  arty, lithograph printing and READING...

As I've had time (partly also due to a lack of internet access at home and a complete non-interest in my landlady's TV - why anyone would sit willingly and be advertised at is truly beyond me!?) to read read read, I thought I'd share some of my recent discoveries with you. I suppose you could call these my first book reviews. So here goes...

1) Papillion - Henri Charriere

At times I often found myself reading Papillion as if it were a fantasy. Getting lost in a world filled with sea, escape and survival, from turning the very first page, I was hooked.

Papillion, first published in 1969, is a memoir written by Henri-Charriere (nicknamed 'Papillion' as he had a butterfly tattooed at the base of his neck) - a convicted fugitive of French Giana. Innocent until death, this autobiographical novel follows Charriere's relentless endeavor for freedom. Fearless and just, we follow his struggle to escape the hard-labour penal colony, solitary confinement, torture and violence, with the help of the high-seas, leper colonies, indigenous Indians and nuns. His encounters with all walks of life gives birth to mindful wanderings, contemplating the nature of 'developed' society and true human values.

If you simply want a wonderful, inspirational story, with no pretense, read Papillion.I also recommend, if you be in Toronto, to check out the cozy Anarchist bookfair at which I bought it. The lovely chap from Guelph also gave me a copy of his zine 'One Way Ticket', which I also thoroughly recommend. Thank you smiley man!

2) Walden; or, Life in the Woods - Henry Thoreau. 

I got this curious little book at an poster-filled, punk-blasting Anarchist bookshop in Montreal (2035 St.-Laurent), and I'm very glad I did. On the inside cover reads an old note from a lover: " David, if you cannot find anywhere to live, there's always the woods. Happy Valentines, Katherine".

For those of you who don't know Thoreau, he is a highly influential philosopher within naturism and the environmental movement. Born in 1817 in Massachusetts, as well as concentrating his energy on naturism, he also was a lifelong abolitionist, anarchist and political thinker.

Part autobiography, part philosophy, Walden is a collection of Thoreau's ruminative ponderings on the state of modern, 'civilised' society, whilst squatting in a hand-made log cabin at Walden Pond.The book is split into sections such as 'Where I lived and what I lived for' and 'Economy' - splitting up the otherwise deep consciousness of a man contemplating a simple life, prioritising need over greed.

This truly is a wonderful book and has certainly been a true companion to me recently - as I often find my mind in despair of the greedy, competitive society 'modern' life breeds. If you often find yourself wondering how to live in this life, pick up an old dusty copy of Walden, and let your mind be.

Here are some nice quotations: 

"I had three pieces of limestone on my desk, but I was terrified to find that 

they required to be dusted daily, when the furniture of my mind was all

undusted still, and threw them out the window in disgust."                 in Economy

I love the image of Thoreau sitting, thinking, staring at these pieces of stone, this realisation coming to him, and his sudden outburst of disgust and rage. 

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, 

than be crowded on a velvet cushion."                                        in Economy

And remember, there's always the woods...

WHAT I BOUGHT

I've started a new project recording all the things that I've bought. I'm trying to draw as many as the things as possible, but sometimes cracking out your sketchbook after a few pints is easier said than done. Nonetheless, here are a few bits and bobs so far...

Oh hello again!

SO even if nobody follows this thing anywho, OH HELLO! Even as a wee diary for myself, I'm going to tell my keyboard what I've been upto.

I've moved to Quebec. Whoooa. I'm in a town called Victoriaville ('Victo' if you like that sort of thing), east & equidistant between Montreal & Quebec. It's not somewhere I'd choose to spend the next 9 months, but a job's a job and French's French. I've got a position as an English language monitor, helping hormonal brats with conversational English. Like I said, a job's a job and if I can learn backwards Catholic French in the process, bonus.

So here I am stuck in the land of Walmart, Winners and colonial French. The accent is bizarre to say the least. Quack quack is all I hear and cheese curds are by at the counters of gas stations. My Enlgish accent is proving problematic and a legitimate means through which people feel they can victimise me. On the note of which here is a list of things that cause confusion on a, mostly, daily basis:

1) Tube = Subway. Still gets me. As does:
2) Tram = Street car.
3 ) Sausage = Weiner - and yes that applies to 'weiner dogs' too. Just perverted.

4) Trolley = Shopping cart. Really? The verb 'trollied' (ie. drunk, I presume because trolleys are as easy to navigate as a drunken slag from Essex) also proves most amusing. Which leads me to:

5) Slag = Slut. Need I say more...

6) Chips = Fries. EVERY FUCKING TIME.

7) Crisps = Chips. EVERY FUCKING TIME.

8) Wank = Jack off. Not really any translation that does justice to this genius bit of linguistics.

9) Oi Oi = Dismissive looks

10) Improv cockney, eg. apple 'n' pears. = No questions asked.

So alas, I'm the misunderstood clown in Quebec. Neither the Quebecers nor the Canadians understand me, and me them. Bloody Americans *.

* Not a good way to make friends in Canada, at all.

Bye Toronto!

I'll miss you Toronto, I'll miss the 918 CREW, I'll miss all, but two*, at Cafe Uno and I'll miss you the mostest Phil Rackley :(

Got a job offer in Quebec. Gotta fly. It's been fun - drinking overpriced beer, avoiding the 'retarded' ** subway system, Bike Pirates, riding my squeaky bike in the tram tracks and severely hurting myself, kayaking in lake Ontraio, swimming in lake Ontario, canoeing and camping with the chipmunks and moose of Algonquin park, eating buttered popcorn for the first time, indulging in cinnamon buns and burritos, Tacos al Asador, Acgillies the fish R.I.P., Karma Coop and all the lovely people I've met along the way and who have showed me nothing but kindness.

During my time in T.O. I did some nice sketches, much of which are inspired by the architectural mastermind of Nigel Peake. Here are a few:

* You know who you are

** Local dialect, not me.

Derm - 5 minute ink sketch

Jen's Bike - Black pen is one continuous line. Ink & Watercolour.

Lampost. Ink is one continuous line. Ink & Watercolour.

View from Josee's house. Ink & Felt Tip.

This is Rubbish

So just finished a poster for the organisation This is Rubbish - you may know them for the feeding of the 5,000 they did in Trafalgar Square last year.

Anywho, this year the TiR team will be touring Wales, campaigning for a more efficient human-managed foodchain. Shocking facts I was given for the brief included:

● The UK's food system produces 20 million tonnes of edible waste annually and
emits 3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas.
● Over half of the food produced today is either lost, wasted or discarded as a
result of inefficiency in the human-managed food chain
● In the UK, 6.7 million tonnes per year of wasted food (purchased and edible food
which is discarded) amounts to a cost of £10.2 billion each year.
● Food waste costs British households anywhere between £250 to £400 a year.
● Every 1 tonne of food waste thrown away needlessly is responsible for 4.5
tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions.

YIKES.

 For the poster I decided to draw all those yummy treats that we don't see enough of. I wanted to conjure up those taste-bud memories, making you think... "Oh I remember eating those. Fuck, they were sooo good."

And then the fact that all of these goodies (and trust me, I have years of experience of combing through supermarket skips to know) are thrown away by the ton.

TOP TIP: go to a Sainsbury's bin on either Monday, Wednesday or Saturday night, and I'll guarantee you at least 3 boxes of Mr. Kipling cakes (Bakewell Tarts seem to breed in those bins)

So, why do you want this job?"... Ummm, I don't.

Today I had a pseudo interview.... It made me so angry, I just had to write something:

 

 

He looks me in the eye, a frown forming from those caterpillar brows, and asks “Why do you want this job? You have a lot of qualifications. You’ve a degree and have done an internship. Why would you want to work in a café?”.

Why? Jesus. This is the part of the ‘interview’ I wasn’t expecting. Why do you think? I’m a graduate of Anthropology, albeit from one of the world’s leading universities, this is the only job I am bloody well qualified for. Yes I have sat in the library for 13 hours in a day, not slept, survived on pasta, written 5,000 words in a single evening. And what for? Too be ‘too’ qualified for a coffee shop but to not have enough experience for anything else? Give me a break.

So this is it. I don’t know what I want to do. I have many interests: writing, art and design, environmental issues, marine conservation, food. But how to channel them? I know, I know, it’s a long-road. But seriously, a coffee-bitch? As it turns out, money does not in fact grow on trees. A job’s a job.

Like every other confused graduate, I’ve done THE internship - unpaid of course, for an environmental NGO. Sitting behind a desk, being the photocopying and coffee monkey, otherwise fused to a chair, my only mobility being the occasional 360° spin to the bin (whoopee!). So my ‘media and communications’ internship basically consisted of sending emails to anyone and everyone, and when you’ve finished sending those emails, researching more people to send emails to. And what do I take away from it? That I don’t want to be a campaigner for an NGO and, even if I wanted to be, I don’t have enough experience anyway. Great.

So what next? I’ve done the soul-destroying call centre job (I did get to speak to a Mrs. A Hole. Nice.) Applied for jobs in media, environmental sector and within the arts, some of them were even paid. But of course, my degree isn’t in the relevant area, and I don’t have enough ‘experience’. And it just makes me wonder - how did these people get to where they are? Am I meant to intern for three years for free? For someone like myself, who doesn’t even know what they want to do, this seems a little absurd.

At this stage, it really is no wonder that the more well-off of the confused flee on gap years,  become ski-instructors, delay the process by undertaking a masters or take a TEFL course. I don’t even like kids - they moan and ask too many questions- but even I have applied to be an English language assistant, it is apparently a step up on the CV ladder and it seems to be one of the very few graduate-sympathetic fields out there.

So, whilst all this pondering and complaining may help me decide what I don’t want to do, there is still the unanswered question of what I do want to do.

The world of employment has been far from sympathetic towards my quest - “at least four years experience required”, “must speak fluent Spanish”, “paid experience necessary” “need Master’s level qualification or above”. And most of these requirements are necessary even for unpaid work. The recent graduate, as are many young people, is recurrently met by the hopeless paradox of needing experience to get work and yet needing work to gain experience. It’s the chicken-and-egg of unemployment.

It has become clear that paradoxes such as this feed the ideology of a ‘career path’. One is encouraged to get a certain set of skills specific to a certain job to reach a certain goal, making you perfectly carved to fit ‘the ideal job.’ But for people such as myself, the prospect of knowing exactly where you’ll be in 40 years’ time is definitely more terrifying than not. Excited and terrified as to what the world has to offer me, I know that my route will reveal itself, but amongst the distractions of paying the rent and bills, I need to keep reminding myself to keep an eye out for it.

Newerer Self-Portrait

So with lines on the mind, I decided to try a newer self portrait. I recently got fiarly obsessed with graffiti artist / illustrator Kid Acne ( love the LINES!!!). But seriously - a nice mix of playful, imagination, detail and starkness. I somehow cannot peel myself away from these graffiti artists, there's something so grimy, real and mad about this work. I'm working to get the balance of plain / detail right, something that I think Miss. Schnoor does oh so well (though I'm not such a fan of the flat colour - maybe I'm just old fashioned...

Self-portrait

T-designs

So whilst interning for the Environmental Justice Foundation, on their save the seas campaign (yes, for any of you who don't know, I know A LOT about fish and marine issues. Ask me anything regarding seafood... I dare you) I designed them a new t-shirt, as I think their current one (even if done by a famous illustrator) is a bit, well, rubbish. So I did 2 designs for them, but still haven;t heard back. Grrrr. 

C'mon! I would buy this stuff!

Design 1 (the limit was 3 colours. Ouch.)

 `

Design 2 (with 3 colours)

Lines Lines Line

So on the subject of styles - I thought I'd try out an old favourite of mine. THE MONOLINE. So this drawing was done using one line, not taking the pen off the paper. And I like it. But don't judge too quickly as this was mad-quick and  I cheated using Photoshop on this one. I think the effect would be great using ink, paint or FINE sketching in the background, which I'll try next time... 

better get on with it then, aint I? 

Ahhhhhhhhh

So I'm still on Josee's couch - I've been incredibly lucky to have met her and Nay (the room mate). Foregoing usual couchsurfing etiquette, I've been sleeping on their futon for 12 nights now!

As for what I've been up to.... ummmm. Stuff?

I've now got a somewhat squeeky $40 bike from the AMAZING Bike Pirates on Bloor. Lesson soon learnt however, shit bike + rain = no brakes, at all.

I've also managed to find somewhere to live. Yaaay. After trolloping about 8 places, my head spinning with a decision looming (those who know me are all too aware of my indecisiveness) - flat mates / house equation, the concluding abode seemed to have a pretty good balance of both. Well, we'll see.

My mental / physical wellbeing has also been addressed over the past few days, something I've been meaning to do for a while. 30 days for $30 yoga, and boy am I gonna make the most of it. So I say...

My arms ache, my ass aches and my sides (muscles I didn't know about) ache. Bitten off more than I can chew? Perhaps.

As for the mental wellbeing, I ended up helping out at an 'unconference' yesterday at Dancemakers (a space for performance artists). Unstructured, the aim of the day was for those in the arts to meet others and mutually help with collective concerns/problems. Such discussions as 'are there too many artists?' were raised, a lot of them leading me to question my own life. I don't know what I want to 'do'. Art? Well yes, but how do I break into an already over-populated community and actually make a living? And is there any way I can address my social/environmental concerns within this practice? Passion will push me through, so I'm told, but I just can't seem to find it anywhere. That's not to say I want to sit on my arse all day, gorging, growing fatter and fatterer, until eventually little grey hairs start sprouting on my chin, but how do you find that drive?

Overwhelmed by just how much art is out there, I start to feel smaller and smaller. I recently discovered illustrator Karolin Schnoor (not necessarily my usual style, perhaps a bit too feminine?). But oh, the lines! The colours! The imagination! I shall never be as worthy as thou... will I?

Is my passion art? Maybe. I think so. I'm just out of practice, a graduate of unemployable non-sense (BSc Anthropology, cheers) I need to catch up on these guys. Find a style.

Right, let's go!

Couch to couch

So I'm here. I'm alive. And I'm on a couch.

Toronto has welcomed me with open arms! To meet people and the city, I've been using the couchsurfing.org site - and I'm never looking back...

First to welcome me to the city with a cheeky grin and love of beer, was Julien - a laid-back guy from Corsica, seemingly attached to his mountain-wear jacket. So I was with 'the lads'- a Frenchman, Irishman, American and Canadian (there's got to be a joke in there somewhere) for the next four days. Where to begin - the pub of course!

Julien (left), Josh, Steven. THE LADS!

So that's where it all began, and what a start to the city! Julien, a fallen angel in my lost-confused-dazed anglo-head helped me find my feet, (and my beer). I've met some great people and hopefully made a friend or two, and I'm only 5 days in... I have a feeling I'm going to like it here!

Like a baby, everything I see is new. SENSORY OVERLOAD (though I have managed to resist putting unfamiliar objects in my mouth, so far (why do babies do that?)). The streets, like a logical maze, collide and stretch out infinitely. Downtown, swimming through Kensington market, a wave of colour and a heavy-base beat encroaches around me... then my nose tells me I'm in Chinatown and am bombarded with plastic street signs and cheap electrical shops. Next, I hit the Eaton Centre - a terrifying and infinite shopping centre which reaches down, underneath the feet of busy commuters, musicians, people with places to go. Bright lights, hypnotic music and lots of crap that really just shouldn't exist (who buys it all?)

So that sums up the first few days with Julien and the lads - not to mention Friday night (which somehow ended up very messily) and a breezy day at 'the Beaches' - a long stretch of lakeside coast with sand, sun and sandy shoes.

I'm now couchsurfing waves of kindness with Josee (and her cat, who as taken quite the liking, maybe a bit too much so, to me). It's a beautiful green sanctuary on a quiet suburban road. I can smell summer is waiting....

Lookey lookey....

So I came across this on the graffart.eu blog... and it's pretty schweeeet. I thought I'd give this a go myself - painting words / images (or even stenciling them) on top of object to illustrate... oui oui

Back to the future...

So I've uploaded anything worth uploading from the past.... Phew!
Now you can look forward to current mishappenings from me.

So the cider gliding Bristolian makes a journey to Toronto on Wednesday (THAT'S 2 DAYS!) to live, love and get lost. Wish me luck and creativity, I'm gonna need it because I have no idea what I'm doing.


Fingers crossed, eh?

2009-10. University Activism!

Here are some posters I did whilst at university. I became pretty involved in environmental campaigning and figured - what better use for art?

UCL Green Guide

Go Green Week 2010

Copenhagen Week poster

Poster for a petition for the employment of an Environmental Manager

2009: Artisian Perfumery comission

A year ago, I was approached by Alec Lawless, founder of http://www.essentially-me.co.uk, to provide 2 illustrations for his book 'Artisian Perfumery: Or being led by the nose'. 

Triune Brain theory

This first of the 2 illustrations is of the 'Triune Brain theory'. Ink, Pen, Graphics.
This theory of the structure of the brian, splits it into 3 layers, which have been described as the crocodile, horse and person. 
The reptilian cortex is interested in procreation and survival; the mammalian in love and relationships; and the human - logic and reasoning 

Verrap Pan

2nd illustration of Verrap Pan for Alec Lawless. Ink, Pen, Watercolour, Graphics.

Veerap Pam, from the Mysore region of India, was infamous individual in the sandalwood oil production industry (selling illegally logged wood on the black market). He has also taken numerous tourists hostage in the Mysore jungles and has apparently shot over 2,000 elephants in his lifetime. The topee(s) is to make him look stupid (a cultural reference, apparently).

Mum

mum

Another oldie.... a ink sketch of my mum and tea (she bloody loves the stuff).

2009: "Lunchbreak"

This was submitted for a competition by Ford Fiesta. The theme was 'This is Now'. 
So I drew a manic businessman on his manic lunchbreak - shovelling down fast food, whilst trying do a million other things: seling a deal on the mobile, writing an email, microwaving cuppa-crap, spilling coffees, USBs flying about, iPoding, (shaving??). 
It was actually a very large drawing - done in pen, ink, charcoal and graphics.

Needless to say, the bloke who won wrote Obamas "YES WE CAN" in big yellow Arial font. Oh the effort.

Oh art. Art, thou art so fickle!

2009: Newer Self portrait

Self Portrait

So this is still pretty old, but here's a newer self portrait. I like the chaotic lines. Need to steep clear of the lazy photoshop-colouring pencil though. "But its so easy" I hear you scream.

2006-2009. Old(ish) art

So thought it would be a good idea for my first post to be a dedication to the past. So here are a few golden oldies reaching back to when i did my art foundation degree at UWE in 2006. 

An illustration from waaaay back in 2007, whilst I was doing my Art Foundation in Illustration at UWE.

also, 2007. I made this boombox in 3D card too. 

'Douglas' character project, 2007.

trying my hand a graf. BIG FAT PENS!

UWE building  sketch, 2007.

Not sure when I drew this - I think it was a doodle from one of my files done during a lecture.... I quite like it!

OLD portrait!

Flyer for UCLive music night

Illustration for 'Pi' students magazine. The article was on underground brothels in North London. Nice.

Another one for Pi. This time on an article on knife crime in London.  

 

Pi: an article on university fees.

 Another one for a UCLive night - the names of the bands are in the beard.