Wednesday 30 November 2011

'The Absurd Balloon - The Rooftops of Paris' work in progress

This is a work in progress of my latest illustration for my Absurd Balloon narrative - 'The Rooftops of Paris'. I penciled it pretty roughly than started inking - it took about three hours or so without the subsequent ink washes. I'm really happy with the way the ink washes turned out - I went at them pretty haphazardly by my standards but I think the smoke plumes look great.

I'll post up the finished piece with an additional ink wash as soon as I can be arsed to scan it - I swear that takes as long as the drawing does and is nowhere as enjoyable...









Tuesday 29 November 2011

'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Panda' print session

Here are some badly shot photos from a screen-printing session yesterday for my seasonal print 'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Panda'. As some of you may be aware the illustration is rather old but I wanted to make some Christmas cards and I've always been rather fond of it's wintery bleakness so it seemed to fit the bill. However I soon realised the level of detail would be lost on an A5 screen-printed card so I decided instead to do a small run of prints instead . I'm also going to add a simple ink wash on the panda's rear-end too - it's what he would want.

The print session started terribly when I had a bit of a disaster with my acetate for lining up the paper correctly but I managed to wing it with some draft paper and eventually cue it up correctly. I got 22 good prints from 25 pulls which is good enough.

Friday 25 November 2011

Shop Sale!

I have no real concept of Black Friday but I'm going to have a sale in my shop for the rest of the day anyway. 15% off all orders for the rest of the day - just type in BLACKFRIDAY at the point of sale for your discount.

Thursday 24 November 2011

Calendar 2012

I have a few calendars for 2012 available in my shop featuring various illustrations from this year. They are for promotional purposes and friends and family really but I have a few spare this year. Click here for more info.





Wednesday 23 November 2011

'Flora and Fauna'

'Flora and Fauna' is my take on an original illustration by Nichlole Ratkiss - I did the ink piece last year but didn't quite get round to finishing it. As ever votes and comments welcome here.

Tuesday 22 November 2011

'The Absurd Balloon - Dead Man's Curve'

I've been gradually drawing more Absurd Balloon illustrations for a vague narrative in my head - I did most of this one a year ago but only just finished it. It took an age to scan and paste together too - my scanner seems to have developed focussing issues. That makes me two of us...

Monday 21 November 2011

Pictoplasma Paris

An illustration of mine is going to feature in the forthcoming Pictoplasma exhibition in Paris next month which is fantastic news. I'm not going to post the illustration up until the exhibition is under way but click on the monster below for more information.

I'm a huge fan of Pictoplasma so couldn't be more stoked - not sure I can afford to get out to Paris to see it but I may look into it. Paris, monsters and art - it doesn't get much better than that really does it?

Friday 18 November 2011

The Adam and Eve Projects

I'm rather chuffed to have been asked to contribute to the Adam and Eve Projects;

"THE ADAM AND EVE PROJECTS is a new web based broadcast bringing together the most exciting and important shapers and definers of our cultural landscape in one location. Here the most iconic and emerging creative people / the most respected institutions / and the most progressive brands worldwide, are all in a direct conversation with a global audience hungry for all arenas of cultural production.

Ranging from the informal and spontaneous to the meticulous and long term, exclusive cross disciplinary collaborative projects curated by The Adam and Eve Projects are announced weekly, with ongoing live discussion from these and other esteemed creatives.
Only the most respected and new emerging creative people worldwide, from fields as diverse as Art, Film, Music, Architecture, Fashion, Literature, Design, .... take part. These projects, created across a broad range of media including, video, photography, product, written and spoken word, and illustration are seen alongside direct correspondence from the worlds most progressive and respected brands and institutions."

Alongside some of my favourite other illustrators and artists too including Ben Javens, Matthew the Horse, Jack Teagle and David Shrigley. And Nick Cave. Obviously. Rad.



Thursday 17 November 2011

'Old Man Winter is at it Again'

This is a seasonal illustration I did based on an original piece by illustrator Edgar R McHerly - to be honest I'm not entirely convinced I've added anything to it. Edgar's work is so beautifully stylised that despite my added village details I think his is better. Either way we both benefit from positive votes and comments! Click here to help out.

I'm thinking of screen-printing a small run as Christmas cards too if I get a moment.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

'The Day Texas Sank to the Bottom of the Sea' print now available

'The Day Texas Sank to the Bottom of the Sea' print is now available to buy here. A four colour screen-print printed on beautiful heavy weight recycled paper they are limited to just thirty in all.

They look so good I'm actually having a hard time getting my head around the concept of selling them as well so I'm only going to be letting a few go. The rest I will frame and place in every available room around the house. Perhaps two in some rooms.




Tuesday 15 November 2011

Illustration Friday - Silent

I've dug out one of my Spirit Bears of California for this weeks challenge - the topic is Silent. Now I'm feeling a bit more ambitious with my screen-printing technique I think I will attempt to print this in the next week or so. Wish me luck...

Monday 14 November 2011

'The Californian One' zine

I have a new zine available to buy featuring illustrations from my time spent in California this Summer. The whole thing makes my heart sink a little bit to be honest stuck here in foggy, cold England thinking back on what a wonderful time it was.

It features all the Giant Californian Spirit Bears, various sketches from my travels around San Frnacisco, Santa Cruz and Big Sur as well as a few odd bits and pieces besides including a brief guide to all my favourite record and book shops in the Bay Area. More info here. I only printed thirty or so as well so don't hang about.

Thursday 10 November 2011

'The Haunted One'

The latest in the occasional record collecting comic series is the bleak vision of music obsessive Andrew Carlin who puts on a night in Reading called 'Tracks and Grooves' - he's embracing all his emo for this one. Must be a Reading thing...

Tuesday 8 November 2011

'Tales of the Freaking Weird'

Here's the finished artwork in four colours. I'm hoping to screen-print it in the next few months. In the meantime votes and comments are appreciated - make me and Joe Carr rich beyond our wildest dreams - click here.

Monday 7 November 2011

'Tales of the Freaking Weird' work in progress

'Tales of the Freaking Weird' is a remake of a piece by ace illustrator Joe Carr and I have to say it was an absolute pleasure to draw. What's not to like about drawing a man with alligators for arms? This is how the illustration gradually came to be.

Joe had already designed the perfect layout for the pretend comic so I didn't have to think too hard about the composition. Probably another reason why I liked it doing it so much. I had a few options for the Alligator Arms piece but I was struggling to draw the actual arms without them looking rubbish - there were a fair few pencil attempts before I got a decent rough to ink.





I decided to use my own concepts for the mini stories - first up zombie hipsters from beyond the grave. A bit cheesy I appreciate...



At this point I realised by having tentacles too far to the right of the piece it throws the composition out but rather than get messy with white ink cover ups I decided I'd finish them and lose them in the computer tweaks later on.



'The Lycanthrope Swimsuit Edition' was vaguely inspired by the work of another of my favourite illustrators James Murphy - he does terrific ghoulish centre-folds - it's sort of in homage to his artwork.


And finally 'The Sailor with the Beard of Snakes' was something I just came up with - I wanted weird and you can never have too much nautical.


And the last of the inking - I was stoked with how it turned out after just a few hours of work. It's really busy but I think in the context of fifties trashy sci-fi comics it works.


I'll post up the finished artwork tomorrow.

Thursday 3 November 2011

'When the Wolf People came...' tour posters

Yesterday I managed to do the second layer of ink for a Wolf People tour poster I designed and illustrated last month - it couldn't have gone any better frankly. Without wishing to give too much away here are some pictures during the printing session. It'll be a run of forty five or so prints, half of which will be available on the night and half I'll sell direct from my shop.

After a few false starts I think I've finally got the hang of printing from a wonky home set-up and to be honest these prints wouldn't have turned out any better had I done them at a print studio. It's all very exciting - I'm hoping to put out a new print every fortnight or so from now on. If you need tour posters done email me at mr.naga@gmail.com.