mid-march

just a quick little post. i wish i could be more careful with this blog rather than using it as a dumping ground. i guess it is just something i need to practice and be more disciplined with.

first up (top image, and below) is a logo and flyer for the up-and-coming junk jamboree in colchester. i am genuinely gutted that i won't be around for the event (i have to be at work at the shop), it looks like it's going to be so cute!



second up is another flyer for them lovely fellas at ice breaker promotions (i may be a little biased) - they recently took on the very exciting move to a shiny new venue in town (RELAUNCH TOMORROW!) so they wanted a new flyer to go with it. jack & gary are doing absolute wonders for the town's local music scene & i'm super proud of them, as well as really chuffed to be a little part of it.



lastly, and i hate to be one of those illustrators who are all like I AM WORKING ON SUCH A COOL PROJECT RIGHT NOW BUT I CAN'T SHOW YOU, but. you guys. i am working on such a cool project right now but, and i'm sorry, but i can't show you (not at least until it's finished and what-not). but here's a preview! you know those jobs where you can't believe this is a job because you're enjoying it so much? yeah, that.



i'm not taking on any more commissions for the next month or so as i'm (fingers crossed) moving out next month and want the transition to be as smooth and stress free as possible, so things may be a little quiet around here. rest assured i will be back and hopefully (maybe) if i'm a lucky, with a fancy new studio space! ta-ra!

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.

nom nom nom

last month i was asked by locally based vegan-friendly and frankly delicious baking geniuses p.s...it's vegan! to revamp their logo. i thoroughly enjoyed working with company owner jen to produce a sugary sweet and fun logo that i like to think it reflects their personality and cakes all in one.

they even got the final result printed on t-shirts (from my beaut of a workplace), which jen & her husband were kind enough to model:

hello twenty-twelve

happy new year! i didn't make any new years resolutions, as i'm a firm believer that if you want to change something about your lifestyle/try something new/accomplish new things, then why not just do it. but if i did make one, it should probably be to blog smaller blogs & more often, instead of MASSIVE BLOGS & once on a blue moon, as i am wont to do.

regardless, here are some more things i have been making! above is an illustration i produced as part of the redesign of the 'complaints, comments and compliments' leaflet for colchester institute.


this little fella is a new t-shirt design i did for work. you can buy it here, in my little section of the shop (ooh-err!): my icon art & clothing.



this year for our little group's secret santa, i got katie of paint it rouge fame, so for a lovely extra-personalised gift i created a crafty illustration and stuck it on a mug (another perk of my day job!) for her, as i know she's a bit partial to a nice cuppa. craft-tacular!

...well at least it wasn't an axe.


(eleven of us partook in this year's secret santa. four of us got axes. is it funnier if i leave it out of context? yes, yes it is.)

another lovely thing that happened is that those delightful folk at colchester circle magazine did a little feature on me! not only am i chuffed to be a part of their frankly gorgeous new-look mag, but they have also been super nice :') you can read the latest issue online here (i'm on pg 26 if you're interested).



lastly, and so this isn't just another sporadic blog post full of silly drawings & equally silly shenanigans, the lovely heather & i went for a jaunt to the minories gallery in colchester today to see a charming little exhibition on the work of abram games. if you have twenty minutes to spare it is well worth a look, his work is bloody good. it's on until saturday 18th february this year. GO!

the art of juggling

i'm sure this gets written (complained) about a lot but - but there really isn't enough hours in the day when you're trying to juggle a full time job with freelance commitments! it's fun, and i am over the moon that i am still getting freelance work despite not having the time to dedicate to actually looking for it - but things like blogging i always seem to fall behind on, and it ends up that when i do get the chance to update it's a huge messy mish-mash of everything!

so i'll do my best to keep this as short as possible.

the illustration above and the one following were produced for firstsite's season brochure, to go alongside features on the 'artists' support programme' and the various learning activities they offer:



last month i was chuffed to pieces to receive an email from charlie simpson's (formly of, you got it, busted) management asking me to produce some illustrated type for a new range of his merchandise. the following illustration is inspired by his single 'down, down, down':




and this is a little flyer i knocked up for a new venture that ice breaker promotions and the bike guru café have recently started doing on wednesday nights at the colchester bus station (next to firstsite!) i like to call it ICEBREAKER VS BIKE GURU but in reality it's just called the bike guru presents music and movie night. catchy!

jumble sale

it's been a bit quiet here lately. this blog post is a little bit of a jumble i'm afraid - i've been quite busy so haven't had time to regularly update.

my life has had a few changes recently and it's all been very exciting! i guess my biggest news is that i have a new job. i'm still illustrating freelance on the side, but it wasn't realistic for me to continue attempting it full-time, especially as i am keen to move out next year.

i am assistant manager at a new print shop opening in colchester called my icon art & clothing. we're a specialist printers selling t-shirts, canvas prints, bags, mugs & hopefully more. i've only made a few designs for them so far as everyone's mostly been busy preparing the shop for opening, but here's one design inspired by my favourite film:


you can buy one (if you'd like!) here and also have a look at my other star wars inspired design here.


i was asked by the colchester circle magazine to design an invite for their up-and-coming birthday party this month. when a client gives me a completely open brief i tend to meander towards my safety zone of pastel colour palettes and a fun 60s vibe. party times!



the end of september saw the grand opening of the most exciting building colchester has ever seen (jn my little ol' opinion), firstsite. it's beautiful golden exterior has been teasing the town for months and we've all been eagerly waiting to see what it was hiding behind it's lovely shiny doors. it certainly didn't disappoint. with work from some amazing artists such as andy warhol, barbara hepworth and henry moore, the building is just what the town needs - a contemporary, fresh and exciting social space that doubles up as a beautiful gallery.

i was lucky enough to be asked to help design some of the promotional and informative leaflets before the grand opening. i haven't seen one of the leaflets in print yet but will be sure to share photos as soon as i do. i got to work with the creative co-op and nial of harringtonmoncrieff producing little illustrations & devices for a cute booklet for children and families about the art in the building. my input wasn't huge, but still, it was a lovely thing to be a part of:



another exciting event i got to be a part of was the wivenhoe church ale festival. the day was cold & windy but the atmosphere completely made up for it. i got to spend six hours live drawing and painting the event as it happened. all i have is a silly photo of myself during the day, but no pictures of my final pieces? i don't know.



this is just some of the stuff i've been up to. i have lots of other work to share with you but it either has yet to be signed off by the client or hasn't gone to print yet so i'd be naughty to put it online.

what a terribly messy & rushed blogpost! i do apologise.

the escalator team

another commission i received in the past few weeks - a lovely girl i met whilst i was at edinburgh fringe festival commissioned me to draw the colchester arts centre escalator team. i usually illustrate by sketching, inking, scanning, live tracing and then colouring digitally. this time i sketched the initial drawing and then created the line art digitally in illustrator. only a tiny bit different, but still lots of fun!

laura's crest

i was commissioned a few weeks ago to create this custom crest for a friend's birthday - she's one of the nicest and sweetest people i know so it was a delight to try and capture elements of her life such as her hobbies, work and interests in an illustration.

belly kids + beach exhibition piece

music & food-loving belly kids have recently published the creatively-named the mona pizza cookery book: a fully illustrated book of recipes put together by a selection of artists, musicians and bands (including one of my favourite singer-songwriters ever emmy the great).

belly kids are now teaming up with beach london to do a "foody culture inspired exhibition". head honcho michael coley has been rounding up artists & illustrators to get involved, and submit pieces (prints, zines, books etc) around the culture of food and eating.


so here's my silly little take on the idea. i think it's pretty self-explanatory.

colchester free festival

yesterday was the second annual colchester free festival and boy was it a success! the sun was shining, the bands sounded great and the people were happy.

i spent the morning helping the lovely folk at 15 queen st set up their area by sign-writing, then moved onto the kidstival area where i tried my hand at face painting for the first time in my life (every child i got was a girl and every one of them wanted a butterfly - thankfully i knew what butterflies looked like otherwise i would've been in big trouble!), then finally went on stage where i attempted to play frankly the most ridiculous game of 'consequences' of all time. my lovely friend kathryn ran around the audience getting the kids to suggest animals to draw until the final piece resembled some sort of horrifying and whimsical mash-up of creatures. it was all good fun though. can't wait until next year! :)