Wednesday 23 March 2011

Hylozoism exhibition

This Thursday is the opening of the Hylozoism exhibition featuring new illustrations and prints by Jake Blanchard and Scott Balmer at Barden's Boudoir in Dalston. I will be playing some records too so pop along and say hello. Expect Six Organs of the Admittance, The United States of America, Voice of the Seven Thunders, White Noise, Fifty Foot Hose, Can, The Silver Apples, Wooden Shjips, Akron/Family, Aphrodite's Child, Broadcast and the like.

Sunday 20 March 2011

Lions Aren't Necessarily Smarter Than I Am

I did this comic strip as part of a Threadless competition in response to the classic 'Lions Are Smarter Than I Am' t shirt. It was just for fun and supposed to take me an hour or so. It took a quite a bit longer. I'm quite proud of the fact I dragged out what is on the surface quite a painfully bad Beano-type gag over seven pages.

Click on the images to see them as if they were slightly closer to your face.






Wednesday 16 March 2011

Rad stuff to buy - March

Here are some rad prints, books etc that have come out in the last few weeks that I have bought/will be buying/recommend you all buy. Who says I'm a shameless self-promoter? No seriously who has been saying it? It's hurtful.

Deth P Sun just put out this rad new screenprint. It arrived on my doorstep this morning and I also got a free zine but you might not. But you probably will. I hope you don't mind I've adopted an American doofus approach to writing this morning. Click on the pictures to be swept magically to the appropriate websites.


Here's a not very interesting story involving Deth P Sun. In fact I have two not very interesting Deth P Sun stories. When I met Annie at a Supreme Vagabond Craftsmen gig of all places I was wearing a Deth P Sun 'Oakland' t shirt. Annie thought this was awesomez as she comes from Orinda which is a posh bit of California next to Oakland which is a not very posh bit of California. If you're struggling to get a picture of this in your mind's eye perhaps you could use the Webb Estate (Orinda) and the Roundshaw Estate (Oakland) to guide your comparison although I appreciate this is perhaps only useful to people with a geographical knowledge of Croydon. The next Deth P Sun story involved me buying a screenprint from him featuring a rad illustration he did of the Bay Area for Annie as she was feeling home sick and I am if nothing else a conscientious boyfriend. I am also a pest when buying prints and such and so asked Deth (first name terms see) to write something nice on the back of the print. He point blank refused suggesting it was not something he'd feel comfortable doing and instead drew me an original illustration of his cat holding aloft two San Francisco landmarks the names of which escape me for the moment. He went onto make a print of that very illustration. Fascinating.

Next up is Lizzie Stewart's rad new book 'Toska' which she has bravely published herself. The first fifty orders come with a rad print as well although I imagine these have already been gobbled up by greedy folk. She will be releasing the print individually though which is excellent news as it's stunning. I mean rad of course. I haven't got any Lizzie Stewart stories but she does contribute to my occasional zines for which I am very grateful.


Rich Kelly has just put out another rad print - to be honest I'm getting a bit fucked off with him because apparently he wants to own all my money by putting out the best prints on earth. It's his fault I'm a 33 year old man living at my mum's home surrounded by tubes of prints. Well it's not entirely but if I ever catch up with him I'll be torn as to whether I want to buy him a drink for being so good or chinning him for taking all my paypal tokens.

His latest print is inspired by Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox' and it's rad. It's also sold out in his shop but UK folk can grab one by clicking on the picture below.


Some dood called Jeral Tidwell just put out this rad print. I can't say I know anything about Jeral Tidwell or have any stories about him but it's all kinds of nice innit. I actually think this print may have sold out already - I can't see it on his website anymore.


Micheal Sieben put out this rad print a little while ago. Sieben (not on first name terms) is a rad illustrator from the United States of America who I've wet-tipped in the past. I have no Sieben stories. Perhaps one day I will furnish you with Sieben stories as we will most probably be best buds when I move to the United States of America and I will be allowed to call him Micheal.


I wasn't going to include this rad t-shirt by Travis Millard as it's been out for a while now and it's hella dear. Hella dear. See how I combined Cali speak with English nan speak? Rad. Anyway it's probably the best t shirt ever invented. Except if my 'Absurd Balloon' gets made by Threadless which thanks to you people may even happen given it's all conquering final score.

I haven't got any Travis Millard stories either except the one where he didn't want to be in my "shitty little zine" as he doesn't get his "crayons out for less than five hundred dollars". I may have embellished this bit a little to make him look bad. We probably won't be best buds when I move to the United States of America and I will specifically try and come between him and Sieben and stop them being best buds simply for not doing my zine. This will ultimately eat me up inside though as Millard is my favourite illustrator in the world and I think I'll begin to resent being best buds with Sieben as he's not quite as good at drawing as Millard. I'll probably get ill or something.


Okay last one. Finders Keepers Records have just released 'Ritual' by David Pinner - 'the original seed from which grew the towering movie enigma the Wicker Man'. Click on the picture for more information. I have got an Andy Votel story but it would be a breach of my professional ethics to tell it here. Besides which it's not that exciting but he is contributing to my "shitty little zine" so fuck you Millard.


Right I think I'm done. Buy all this shit - it will make you a better person.

Oh and thanks to Mitch at OMG Posters for posting my 'Toys' print yesterday - always appreciated. He is a god amongst men within the poster community.

Apologies for the rambling post - I think it's banged on a bit because I have zine layouts to do and as I've said many times before In Design is a cock so I don't want to do them.




Saturday 12 March 2011

'Toys' giclée print

After weeks of trying to find a decent quality printers I have finally got the Special Benny album artwork for 'Toys' printed. Limited to an edition of fifty each one is printed using Ultrachrome archival inks on Hahnemuhle Photorag heavy art paper.

I have no idea what that means but I'm told the print will sustain it's quality for forty years in daylight and two hundred years in darkness so if you're planning on living for ages maybe keep the lights off to truly enjoy this artwork.

Click here to go to my shop.

Thursday 10 March 2011

The Return of the Absurd Balloon

I've reworked 'The Absurd Balloon' for Threadless dropping the unpopular frame in favour of a less restrictive backdrop to let the beastie sail in more freely. It's doing remarkably well at the moment and has been the best scored submission of the last two days which really helps in terms of getting it printed but I have noticed the score dipping more and more as each day passes so I would really appreciate you scoring it high and commenting if you have a moment.

The scoring system has changed on Threadless since I last submitted and now it's visible throughout the scoring period which basically means you can gauge how well a design is doing fairly quickly. Anything over three is scoring fantastically so if I can keep 'The Balloon Absurd' in the threes I'll be stoked and may win $2500. Which would be nice.

If you cut and paste your comments from the site into this blog and it prints I will reward you by way of thanks!

Click here to vote.

Friday 4 March 2011

The Coctopus

'Beware the Coctopus, my son!
The beak that bites, the suckers that suck!
Beware the Coctopus, my son!
The legs are a-plenty, too many to duck!'

T'was a bleak night in January when I awoke in a feverish sweat gibbering insanely of a many legged beast that haunted my nightmares. Quickly I dashed for my quill and ink to render the creature onto parchment before the dawn it came. When finally I rose proper I was aghast to behold the devilish coctopus!

The Coctopus is up for scoring on Threadless so I'd appreciate all your comments and votes please. Click here to do your business. I wasted a day doing elaborate backgrounds and layering fancy shading on the original illustration but the detail is such that it got a bit too much hence the relatively stripped down design. I think it works better for it though judging by the votes so far not many people agree. Perhaps I should've gone for the rude version instead...

Click on the image to see it up close.

Tuesday 1 March 2011

'The Wrestlers' set of prints

In the process of updating my online shop I have just dug up a couple of last sets of 'The Wrestlers' prints I did a while ago. Previously I sold them in a frame but now you can buy the set sans frame which makes them not only cheaper but the postage is dead cheap too. Good eh?