Morning

The light was frozen, dead, a ghost

So I'm back in Cambridge!

ho ho ho

When I was back and visiting fam we were looking through old albums (Christmas entertainment) and came across these.

A Brown's camera was confiscated from a Nazi during WW2 by an English soldier who recognised the English camera make.

The camera got developed later on and these were the photographs.

I really liked them. Some of the photographs are really lovely + Its like a sneak look into the life of a Nazi during WW2

Mike (my uncle in law) had a historian look at them.

Apparently its during Field Marshal Montgomery and Field Marshal General Erwin Rommel's time

Some photos are in Crete and North Africa and Germany.

Massive photo overload, apologies (and just for the record, I'm obviously not a secret Nazi sympathiser)

Mew

Im too tired to do anything productive tonight but I still felt like posting something.

So I bought a couple of things I shouldn't of today..

They reminded me of Maurice Sendak's 'Where the Wild Things Are' illustrations

I really don't need any more tshirts but this was pretty awesome

Thats it! Pointless post OVER

Have a Pheasant Skate

Spent today tie dying tshirts and cutting out this stencil.
Gonna spray it in black (Thanks Tindells and your rubbish can)

Think it turned out pretty well for my first ever stencil

Tarzipan

Received the Cambridge Graduate postcard with my illustration in the post today.

Love how it printed. Especially stoked that they decided to print it in colour

I also sold my first piece of original artwork and some prints yesterday. Still can't quite believe that people like my work enough to pay me money.

What I Wore Today

I don't know who started the trend for Illustrators to do a 'What I wore today drawing' but Ive always wanted to make one

Its also good practice for super quick Illustrations though this is way more cartoony than I really like..

(Just as I was posting this a huge Jay bird landed right outside my window. He just sat looking at me)

Type is nice

Hello! So thought id post some of the boards Ive done at my local pub. This is a tiny tiny amount of them, im endlessly painting pub boards. From now on I might take pics of the good ones

Buenas noches

¿Qué haces?

¿Como te llamas?

Dogs make friends too

Enjoy responsibly

Spent most of today ill in bed.

I printed these the other day though which was fun.

Just for friends and the fam

I can't wait for snow and home visits

Philip Pullman & John Lawrence

I went to a talk by Philip Pullman this evening hosted by the legend Mick Gower. 

He read extracts from his new book 'Grimm Tales for Young and Old' with discussions and questions from the audience.

So good!

Bumped in to John Lawrence afterwards aswell, one of my favourite illustrators/print makers

Just about managed to squeak out 'I love your work!' before running off bright red

He was so friendly though haha

Mega chuffed

Doodled whilst listening to 'The Three Snake-Leaves'

Christmas Cards

Considering how hungover Ive been today, I think this is pretty damn productive.

First designs for a Christmas Card to be printed with my beautiful Gocco printing Press

Symmetry

I borrowed this book from the library the other day and so instead of working (like I should be), Im gonna post it on here.

I especially like the cross sections of the plant stems. Would love the opportunity to illustrate a biology/science textbook one day

Lemon Pips

Illustration to accompany a poem by Hollie McNish called 'Lemon Pips' 

It will be in a booklet by ShapeEast called 'Walking with Women', a guide to the City of Cambridge which focuses on the roles of women in Cambridge's history. Each story has an accompanying poem.

Mine is about Kettle's Yard and Helen Ede.

Each Illustration I make these days is an experiment and I try a new way of working.

Anyway here it is

Im so happy with the poem I got which is about Helen Ede and Kettle's Yard

KETTLES YARD

S O H N

Had a really good screen printing refresher lesson today. 

Once Ive got a couple of projects finished and sent off I've got plans to start some prints.

In the mean time, when my brain is frazzled from serious work Ive been experimenting with drawing on top of some of my photographs.

Other news - Off to Manchester this weekend for a Warehouse Project night.

Flying Lotus, Squarepusher, Lapalux, Dj Shadow and loads more

So excited

Got these done the other day

Meet Cliff, my new roomie.

Now I have someone to talk to when I'm working at my desk for hours on end!

...he doesn't say much though

Cult Media

Mad travelling, train waiting day today.

Got back safe to Cambridge though and Im now geeking out watching Game of Thrones and new episodes of Merlin (my Tv tastes are worse than my music)

Finishing off designs for CULT MEDIA MAGAZINE's new logo. 

My brief was pretty simple, but the first sketches needed to be more dark and grungey to reflect the type of magazine Cult Media is. 

So back at home I got all my old Kerrangs out for inspiration.

Designing good type/a logo is actually pretty hard.. I think its cause as an Illustrator I want people to know that that is my work, whereas here I needed to make something that was completely someone elses..
My fav is

Anyway, I got carried away and made this ultra cheesy font thing as well.

FLACK

Yesterday I met the team behind FLACK. A monthly magazine made and sold by the homeless community of Cambridge.

They were celebrating their 1 year anniversary when I arrived, I was basically a stranger but they made me feel so so welcome.

I canny wait to get involved!

check it out -

FLACK MAGAZINE

So happy!

I received 2 of the nicest and most unexpected gifts yesterday. The first was from a friend and colleague at the library. A knitted Jackalope! Its so frickin' cool.

He is now the official mascot of my desk/Guardian of the paintbrushes!

 The second was from a local at The Emperor pub.
I love insects, especially moths, beetles and butterflies and will happily talk about them to anyone that'll listen. Last month I was sign painting at the pub and got talking to a collector/dealer. He told me about the Entomology Trade Fair in London (that I unfortunately couldn't make because of work)
We talked about insects, taxidermy and things for ages.

Yesterday he came into the pub and left this for me!

Its a Death's Head hawk Moth and absolutely beautiful.
He even hand made the frame.

I am so touched and happy, both the moth and the Jackalope are now 2 of my favourite things.