FEBRUARY

february has been one of those strange months that you expect to be really quiet and then everything sneaks up on you and you suddenly find yourself at the end of the month thinking what the hell just happened and why is my face so grey. my day job has been manic, and my freelancing has been manic. i can't complain, being this busy leaves me feeling exhausted but extremely content at feeling like i've actually accomplished something.


so let me show you what i've been working on this month. the illustration above is taken from a project i started working on with matthew knight called the a-z of technology. the project is a blog collaboration, wherein each week matthew writes an article on a particular technology, and i illustrate it.


ABOVE: here's a cheeky little flyer i made for them lovely boys over at ice breaker promotions. yes, i'm hugely biased, but they've been successfully hosting gigs for and promoting local and student bands for over two years now, that one must give credit where credit's due.
ABOVE: a fun logo i was asked to create for crafty up-cyclers cheeky tiki island. their creations are beautiful, daft and completely unique, i highly recommend a little visit!


ABOVE: le gasp! a tiny preview of a private commission i was asked to make earlier this month. that's all you're getting of that one for now ;)


ABOVE: something a little way away from my usual style...an illustration produced for a 2-in-1 split poster design for lakeside theatre. see the full poster design here on my portfolio.


ABOVE: lastly for now, a little character from a big project i've just begun with elves and ovens, as part of a brand overhaul.

as well as that, in the last week i have also taken on two other projects, one branding/logo based and the other band merch based, but i'll wait until i've finished them to show them off :) thank you for reading - phew!

GRAPHICS WORM

last month i took part in a collaborative art piece called the twitter graphics worm.

the project was set up by graphic designer/theatre technician lloyd evans as a way to connect illustrators, artists, photographers and any sort of creative using a wide variety of styles and mediums.

the only rules are the work must be at specific dimensions, and the piece you create must give the illusion that the work before and after yours is seamlessly blended.

i took inspiration from the chunky arrows of the previous piece to create a sort of tribal tiki mask, and made it up from there.



if you are interested in taking part, you can sign up here.

UNCONTAINED - HIGH SPIRITS PT. II

and so the colourful army of paper-shaped positivity took over the little store in box park and if the only thing we achieved today was making someone passing by glance in and smile to themselves, then that was all we wanted.

what a jolly fun day :) thanks again to shellsuitzombie for the opportunity and to 55dsl for hosting us and for being generally top chaps, and anyone who popped by to make a bird.

(i forgot my camera memory card. these photos were taken on an old blackberry phone, ha.) EDIT: shellsuit have just published a lovely write-up of the day, including some far superior photos. read it here.

UNCONTAINED - HIGH SPIRITS

"In June and July, ShellsuitZombie is taking over the 55DSL store in BOXPARK, Shoreditch, and getting thirty creative individuals, groups and companies to take a day each.

The lucky few will not only get a blank box in which to create or show off whatever they want to but also get a feature in the next issue of ShellsuitZombie magazine which goes out at the end of May.

We will have everything from illustrators and creative directors to live bands and festivals, all in one place. This won’t just be another exhibition - workshops, parties, creative get-togethers and crowd participation are not only encouraged but expected."

i was super chuffed to be asked by shellsuitzombie to take part in UNCONTAINED this month. i worked with them last year at the D&AD and have gone to various events they've hosted - they're basically the coolest and nicest people in the creative industry, and can throw a damn good party to boot.

my favourite designer/thinker heather and i are going to be spending our day (wednesday 6th june) folding, creasing and stringing up a flock of tiny colourful birds containing messages of positivity and happiness. it sounds over-the-top hippy, i know, but our intention is to create a bright and happy, constantly evolving environment that anyone can walk into and contribute towards.

find out a little bit more about what we will be doing here.

we would love everyone to get involved so even if you can't pop along on the day to write/draw/make, we'll be using the hashtag #highspirits on the run up to and including the day itself for you to submit your happy thoughts. we'll make them fly for you!

KIDS Gala

i've been really excited to tell everyone about this project, and it finally got signed off to print last week so i can finally share it! i've really enjoyed working on this.

last year the lovely nial of harrington moncrieff asked if i would provide the illustrations for an invite and programme for the kids charity KIDS 2012 fundraising gala. i loved the little challenge of working with a strict colour palette to echo the KIDS branding.

if i manage to get my hands on copies of the finished items i'll be sure to share them.