Well I’m quite enjoying getting back into this sketchbook thing. It’s reopened old roads full of paint and bits of jetsam. Just sticking things to paper is nice. I particularly like the square of faintly striped paper in the first one, which is just the inside of a pack of pencils. You might need to see it in person. Might just be me too

I’m loving my new sketchbook and playing with colouring pens and tippex. Here are the results. Lots of me and a weird gothy clown dude.

A bit special:

Not a self portrait:

No social commentary:

Ended up with two different versions of the design. I reckon the second would probably work better on a t-shirt and I think the text is easier to read, depending on the background colour…I think that’s the one they’ll plump for.

I’ve always wanted to have a good excuse to do some capoeira related artwork so when my group in Bristol needed their t-shirts designed I was made. I’m also going to do a design for a capoeira related charity t-shirt too. A veritable bounty of capoeira fun! None of them have been taken to their finished state so these are the drafts. The roughness definitely works for them though:

I think my favourite is the last one, but the third’s been chosen. I suppose the type mightn’t be that legible but they’re all drafts anyway so I can make any of ‘em look grand

A ‘kick ass’ pumkin headed ‘babe’ for Hallowe’en…

…and where I drew and lovingly coloured her in:

This is the genuinely heartwarming response to all the work the team I was in did as part of the Young Design Programme, helping to redesign/bring design to secondary schools in the UK. Our lot were hilarious as you can see from the (slightly long) video. Just skip to the end where it says how great we were…

Aaages since I last posted. I’ve quit college, got myself involved in the daily drudgery of reception work…”Good morning Hudson Sandler”…and had some bloody good summer fun. I’ve had a couple of commissions and made some other bits and pieces, including a new sketchbook for myself. It’s shiny and bright gold and I’m starting in it now, with collage and paint and spit and blood and all the things I used to love doing and thinking. Good things will come from it I hope. Back to the good old days.

First a commission for the Sorrell Foundation with a set of characters designed to represent the various people involved in the big design process to rebuild secondary schools in the UK. I was involved in this and so are professional designers (such as that guy from Grand Designs) and the best bit is that the pupils are the client, with all the power and input that that includes. The characters are to try and give the kids something to latch on to when we’re talking about the people when they first hear of them in the initial presentations. I had to design representations of the pupils’ peers, an architect, the head teacher, a representative from British Schools for the Future, a pupil (i.e. one of the clients themselves), a builder, someone from the government and someone from the Sorrell Foundation (e.g. me).

Rough sketches:

The full cast:

And an example of the bits in between, you’ll need to click to see the animation:

Then there was a logo I was doing for a friend. It was basically a refinement of an original logo I was given. I was going to do this and try reinventing it entirely as well, but I lost momentum and then lost the original file so the whole thing crashed and burned. Someone else is doing it now I think it’s ok.

I also made a sketchbook and card for my bezza mezza Sara.

Birthday wishes from Bruce Springsteen:

The slip case for the sketchbook:

The sketchbook itself:

A family shot:

And the sketchbook in its protective case:

Finally, a shot of my own new sketchbook. I’m loving shiny shiny gold. And it’s like a mirror. As will be the contents. God I’m good.

Shiny!

By the way, if you did want a sketchbook for yourself or as a present I’d be more than happy to take commissions. I can do just about any cover (paper, card, fabric etc.) and paper type and I can sew things on them (I had a stuffed doll on the front of one of mine once) and so on and so on. Anyway, pimping myself sounds odd so I’ll stop there, but just so you know….

So I got back from capoeira and looked at my picture and immediately decided his face/nose was too long. After I’d sent it off. Damn impatience. Anyway, I’ve redone it and found a snazzy de-faced version whilst fiddling. Both of which are below.

So four versions of the same thing. Collect ‘em all.

A wallpaper I did for a Kitsune Maison competition I found. They do a wicked wallpaper every Wednesday if your computer needs a makeover. ( http://kitsunenoir.com/blog/ ) Fingers crossed, then I can clothe myself…