Saturday 20 December 2008

Favourite things of 2008

It's that time of year for people who's opinions mean next to nothing to come up with lists of willfully obscure records and what-not they've been enjoying. So here's mine - it means even less than all the others but hopefully maintains some level of willful obscurity.

Albums

Hush Arbors - Self-titled [ecstatic peace]


Deerhunter - Microcastle [4ad]




Lords - Everyone is People [gringo records]

I also rather liked Mogwai's 'The Hawk is howling', Portishead's '3', Grails 'Take Refuge' and Xela's 'In Bocca Al Lupo'.

Favourite gigs included an eventful night out to see Supreme Vagabond Craftsman at the Half Moon in Herne Hill in February where the highlight of the night wasn't getting the bus home with the band, my first Lords gig at the Cross Kings in March, Comets on Fire and more significantly the absolutely amazing Voice of the Seven Woods at the Luminaire in July, an ear-splitting line up of Oxes, Bilge Pump and Lords again at the Luminaire and possibly the highlight of the year Yeasayer at King's College Student Union in August. On top of that the B-Music endorsed Llama festival was smashing (although missed the feedback-drenched-granny-scaring-VOTSW antics of the previous year) highlights included a delightfully initmate Sam and the Plants show at the Old Cinema, the aces Twinkranes confusing local fellas (with their slightly adrogynous drummer) enough to make the in-breds both punchy and I suspect horny, and Wolf People doing their best to ease me through a hangover on a sunny Sunday afternoon. I also got introduced to Andy Votel and proceeded to act like a star-struck twelve year old girl. Good going me...

Prints

I guess I should limit this to the ones I actually got my grubby mitts on - shame...

Dave Kinsey - Regeneration

Heiko - Hellbent


Nigel Peake - Shed IV


Probably my favourite thing of all though was Print Club London and Fred, Rose and Kate. Thanks doods.

Thursday 18 December 2008

Lonely Monsters - Malcolm

This has been an on/off project for a few months but probably a more realistic description would be an off/off project seeing as I've not had a moment what with screen-printing to do anymore but the premise is simple - take one horrible framed print/painting for any ramshackle charity shop and add a lonely monster. This is the first of many.

His name is Malcolm. He's a Scorpio. He likes Woody Allen films and cats.

Monday 15 December 2008

Wednesday 10 December 2008

Oliver Postgate 1925 - 2008

Then, one day, the king rose from his seat as if to go down to his castle. The people watching him saw him shake and stagger and fall to the ground. The king was dead. Great was the sadness and loud the wailing. The flags on the houses were pulled to half mast and the great bell rang.

Sunday 7 December 2008

Wrestler's Milk - mmmmmm good!

Having spent the last 48 hours getting my new illustration together for the MuTate show I set off for Print Club with high hopes only to arrive an hour or so later to find Print Club had been evicted from the exhibition.  Baws.  I wouldn't mind but the 149 bus is fast becoming my own personal hell...  I haven't got the entire story but knowing Fred he probably got a bit punchy and aggressive and kicked off.   

I'm not totally disappointed and I fully intend to get the screenprints done at Print Club this week so watch this space - I'm really happy with the illustrations.

In the meantime after some interweb poking from Anders I have come up with a milk carton design which has something to do with a record label called Jazz and Milk although I think I missed the deadline.  Oh well...  Enjoy Wrestler's Milk.  

And there's a free carton of milk with every set of wrestlers purchased for a limited time only!



Thursday 4 December 2008

Business cards and wrestlers

The perfect combination.

The business cards were such a pain to do even though they're only one colour - I didn't do myself any favours by not including some kind of template which was fine until I had to screenprint the rear of the card - getting them to sync-up was horrible and involved a minor strop on my part followed by a kebab (Super Kebab in Dalston is the shit as far as kebabs go) and numerous red stripes before a sense of calmness was restored.

I'm also struggling to get decent photos of the wrestlers framed but here's a taster for now. I'm definitely going to have them on-line by the weekend. Speaking of which I'm going to be screen-printing at MuTate Britain again on Saturday from 5.30pm so come along and laugh as I attempt something a little more ambitious than a poster which will be available to buy at the exhibition from Monday. More to follow...

Tuesday 2 December 2008

Friday at Print Club

I've been silly busy at Print Club and pulled an all dayer on Friday to reasonable success - it was as well Annie was present to fix all the screen-printing related blunders I was making. We did two hundred or so business cards and a limited run of a set of wrestlers which will be available to buy via the shop in a couple of days already framed. More pictures to follow...




Wednesday 26 November 2008

Christopher Bettig

I got wet-tipped about these beautiful laser engraved slabs of wood before I even realised it's actually Richie Tenenbaum from Wes Anderson's 'Royal Tenenbaums' film.  A cursory glance through Christopher Bettig's rather smashing website The Mountain Label got me all hot under the collar - not only is he a shit-hot artist but he digs Finders Keepers/B Music too.  Aces.  

So buy his shit and buy Finder Keepers records.  Failing that buy me his shit and buy me Finders Keepers records.  Incidentally Finders Keepers have a winter sale on too.  GO!





Sunday 23 November 2008

Drum heavy fuzz extravaganza

The MuTate Britain show is quite a spectacle held over four floors and encompassing all kinds of styles of art - I done forgot my camera but I'm going back in a week or so to do a new screenprint of my own which will be sold alongside the rest of the Print Club London stuff there. Fred is encouraging all members to go along to the show and print their work in front of a gawping audience. I have to say I was pretty nervous doing it last night in front of a crowd of twenty or so but it makes for an exciting atmosphere. Not so keen on cleaning the screens in a makeshift urinal though...

In the meantime here's an old mixture of songs I've been playing recently that I originally contributed to a Ninjatune Forum cd swap back in 2007. One day I may even pull my finger out of my arse and do another one.

erasmos carlos - agora ninguem chora mais
caetano veloso - de cara
mandingo - medicine man
the honeycombs - can't get through to you
bruno spoerri - les electroniciens
jeff britton and the spitfires - rub out
the sweet - the juicer
will tang - love bites (andy votel mix)
john cooper clarke - sleepwalk
selda - yaz gazeteci yaz
beneath the fire and smoke - sometimes
the superimposers - would it be impossible
tunng - it's because...we've got hair (department of eagles mix)
pentangle - bells
the incredible string band - painting box
bonnie dobson - winter's going
ananda shankar - raghupati
phil cordell - red lady

Link.

Thursday 20 November 2008

MuTate Britain

I will be representing Print Club London at the MuTate Britain show which starts tonight. We're going to be screen-printing at the event which could prove messy...


I'll be there on Saturday from about 5.00pm sneaking in some of my prints alongside Shepard Fairey (Obey), Remi Rough and a host of other illsutrators and designers. For a comic spod like me the most exciting part is being involved in something with Brett Ewins of 2000ad fame (Bad Company was a personal favourite...).

Shop

So I finally pulled my finger out (only a bit mind - the picture quality of the prints leave a lot to be desired) and done made me an interwebueller shop so people can buy my prints. I'll be the first to admit the prints are a little old in terms of illustrations but I've been working on my screen-printing skills at Print Club London for the last few months and finally feel like I'm getting somewhere. The idea is I get busy illustrating throughout December to get some more ambitious prints done.


Buy stuff here.