only gone and been featured [link] on Etsy by PaperPath [Blog]

BTW its 2nd in on 2nd row, paper book £1.50 - if it's been featured, it's obviously cool enough to buy it...so what are you waiting for? hmm?

I know its not much, but its a big deal for me :) its almost better than someone buying it...

Handmade and Bound

Hand made and bound [Link] was today/yesterday.
Went better than i expected.
I dont think i've ever seen so many hipsters in one place for so long, constantly being renewed. I wish i could draw quicker.


I implore you, if you're uninspired go to a show like this.
If you cant get inspired from something like this. you're in the wrong 'job'.

Some of the things we were selling (as Whirlygig [link]) will be for sale in our Etsy [link] and Folksy [link] Shops as of Today/Tomorrow
I predict they will be roughly £1 each, and the cost of a first class stamp

My ones inc;

Wasted! Magazine - Issue 3

More Avenge Thee + Naime (late additions)

Last minute addition to the Avenge Thee and Naime T-shirts; available from 26rd October from The Cherry Tree pub in Canterbury for their music video filming [fb event], but will also be available from their big cartel [link] and myspace [link] in the near future i imagine.
It'll make sense if you listen to their album when its available, (i'll keep you posted) but basically, one of their songs - Ep1 pt 2, ends in a minute or two of the word 'Jazz' repeated 101 times. It's a simple design, based on the clients specifications. But there is a hidden message. That is all i am allowed to say.
Front:

Back:

Detail:

To see the previous designs go here [link]

Thank you cake card

Just a Thank you Card for the ladies at work who have kept in a good supply of cakes over the last couple of months, it's a shame i have to leave this job. Blumming Governmental cuts. :(

Rubber Stamp Making

Whirlygig Collective is going to Birmingham Zine Festival, and i've made us a stamp so we can stamp ourselves on things. 

 

I made it out of a rubber, like eraser rubber, using the same relief technique as lino/wood cu, then stuck it to a bit of scrap mdf, and screwed a handle on it.

I even used a lino cutting blade on parts, (taped to a pencil because i've lost my holder somewhere in the most recent house move) it was very odd though, as the rubber by nature is obviously very bouncey, not at all like lino, and if anyone ever tells you it is, they're lying.

And this is how it prints:

I used half a £50 note style rubber from Hawkins Bazaar costing me £1, so 50p in total, everything else was lying around the house. well, and a ink pad from Sussex Stationers for £3.99.

See also, my how to make a screen printing screen at home thing: [link]

ALSO i now have a tumblr [link]

Noodal

just something i've been working on

Wasted! Magazine - Issue 2

More 'Wasted!' spreads:

(click for full readable view)

Also, got my cat back, and i am reminded - why does big piece of paper to cats means "i must stand and sit and lay and play on this?"

Piers in Pencil

Piers in pencil 

Wasted! Magazine

So recently i've been volunteering my services to a friend Zoe, who started up this Zine called "Wasted!"...

Here's some of the spreads i did...

You can view or download the entire issue here: http://wastedmagazine.co.uk

Avenge Thee + Naime cont.

Here's a little sneak peak of what might be expected from the Avenge Thee + Naime merchandise for Open Carpet. :)

More to come, :)

Home screen making

Hey it's been a while, been busy with full time work ruining my life, and there was the Whitstable Biennale one day exhibition which was awesome, met some really interesting people, and they got me inspired. :)

two of these lovely people are in this photo (left to right) is Amy Curtis, Mark Sosbe and myself.
The exhibition was in this amazing caravan, the walls were all curved and interesting to post work up in. 

I submitted my final major project work, and had postcards for sale, was a good day had by all : )

Photos courtesy of Mark Sosbe


SCREEN PRINTING
Gonna be screen printing very soon, made my own screen this weekend. :D was dead exciting.Buying the emulsion and squeegees everything this week.

So yeh, i bought some big flat frames from a charity shop, the small one was £1.50, the big one £3.90. (get in!) the massive amount of material was £2.99.

And it's not very interesting in hindsight but, i jus cut out a square of the fabric a lot bigger than the frame, and stapled it down, i would reccomend using a staple gun, i didnt have one, but a friend Simon reccomended that using a stapler works just as fine (yes and no - works, but is very awkward and messy) Oh, make sure you neaten up all the pins, get rid of any tape, and stickyness.

and when stapling, staple from one side, then its neigbour, dont worry about the taughtness till you do the adjacent sides, and make sure its completely flat and nice. i know there's professional screen stretching and stuff... but mine looks pretty much the same as the professional ones i've used?

I'm pretty chuffed with the way it turned out. :) and it kind of shows that if i can do it... all of us can do it and give it a go at home. :)

So this frame in the pictures is jus the right size to have an a4 print in it, and cost me under £2. and i can use it until the fabric gives out - and i have lots of replacement fabric.

Of course i'll keep you posted, i'll be screen printing a limited edition the 'chode' design [link] for Avenge Thee + Naime hopefully on shirts and a few totebags too (maybe a few paper prints) :) let me know if you're interested and i'll put one/some by for you :)

Avenge Thee + Naime - Hair repeated Pattern

A little challenge i set myself...

Beard related goodies

On the topics of beards, (see previous post) i was doing some research on the topic, and remembered i follow a super blog called I made you a beard - fake beards for all http://www.imadeyouabeard.com/ so i went and had a look through all of the posts, and saw some stuff i would consider similar to my own, quite old work, that i'd forgotten all about.

So i thought i'd show you. :)

this is from my first year of uni, but i jus really like doing patterns... this one is based on Louis Bleriot, the first man to fly across the channel.

...and this is quite simply me with William Fitzsimons' beard.

More Avenge Thee + Naime

I also, on the side did some lovely photoshoppages of Chainy Rabbit, the drummer, it was along the topic of the Chode, (see previous post) you see, i'm not just being mean.

Facebook was not happy with this image and sent me a few warnings as it had managed to spread already. so i pixellated the... offending area, and they still were not happy. So i have read up on blogger, and they state

"As outlined in the Blogger Content Policy, adult content is permitted on Blogger; however, when adult content is flagged by users, we may show users a content warning page before they view flagged material to prevent people who don't want to see this material from stumbling on it accidentally. We feel that this is the best solution in order to maintain a safe online experience for users of all ages and to be a platform for the personal expression and creativity that has come to characterize Blogger and its users." 
http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/request.py?hl=en&contact_type=adult_image

I'm thinking of doing something similar for each member of the band... but i am worried that they might not all have a similar sence of humour as Chainy.

Avenge Thee + Naime

here's some stuff that i've done for them so far:

It started off with horses... and hair, then, someone pointed out that what i was drawing looked like a beard, and the guys from Avenge Thee liked the beard idea... so, i've been told to go along with that.  This would be for shirt ideas, but i like the idea of abstracting the detail and using it for the album art, and i also looked at applying the hair design to the CD's
This would probably be for the single named 'Ear of the Horse'

They also have a song called 'chode' which i was interested in doing some illustrations for.

For those who do not know, a Chode is a penis that is shorter or equal in length to its width, i spent alot of time on this drawing, but unfortunately some members of the band did not deem them suitable. :(

I'd like to make clear that, i suppse that this shirt is simply for shock factor, i spoke to alot of people about this design, while i was drawing it, and i understand that people might not be willing to wear such a ddesign, but, i also understand that there are people that'd do anything to stand out/ make a scene kind of thing... i personally think it would sell. Obv this is just an initial sketch, i haven't gone on to do anything with this since they vetoed it.

 I'd love to know what everyone thinks :)

You can listen to Avenge Thee + Naime through their myspace, or buy their songs on amazon:
 

Red Car
Massive Massive Massive Massive Massive Feet
Broken Hand
Merton
Chainy's Song
K-head
Song 2