Fido

If I had a dog it might look like this mashed-up angry Atariesque animal. It's very hot today.

Inflight Illustration

Here's a recent illustration for Flight Training Magazine in the States looking at how US pilot training programs are more long-winded than those of countries such as Canada and the UK. Test-flew a more stripped back graphic style on this one which I'm liking.

Taking That

Visual design and animated elements created for the song SOS performed by Take That on their Progress Tour 2011. Art direction, 3D and animation by Fish Nor Fowl for Treatment Studio. See the animation here.

The Lost Boys

I recently went along to Future Cinema's California Classics weekend at Canary Wharf where they were reviving eighties nuggets The Lost Boys and Top Gun with outdoor screenings. I wasn't really feeling the need for speed so opted for death by stereo instead and went for The Lost Boys' mulleted vamps and greasy saxophonists. Santa Carla was recreated with a fairground, arcade hall, comic store and vampire lair all populated by actors and motorbike gangs hamming it up to eleven. The film was preceded with a cheese-tastic group karaoke session of the theme Cry Little Sister (Thou shall not fall etc.) and the movie itself was still great fun despite Corey Haim's fashion atrocities.

Hive Talkin'

Here's an illustration for America's Billboard Magazine for an article on the creative minds behind the MTV Hive website. Buzzzzed up the colours on this one (no change there then) to go for a modern take on old school MTV graphics. 

Le Weekend Part Deux

My wife and I zipped through the Chunnel on that Eurostar again recently for another rumble with Paris. We spent a fun evening at the Phillipe Stark designed budget hotel Mama Shelter, the rooms of which came with snazzy light-fitting masks based on comic characters, in our case the dynamic duo of Batman and, er...Obelix. The Père Lachaise Cemetery was nearby so we had a wander around the necropolis, finding Oscar Wilde and losing Jim Morrison, before moving over to stay in the Canal Saint-Martin area. We strolled up the canal to the Parc de la Villette, stopping to gawp at the Logan's Run-style spectacle of the huge Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie with it's towering disco ball, before spending an end-of-summer evening in the Parc des Butte Chaumont supping le vin at the lovely Rosa Bonheur bar, our new favourite spot in Paris. On Sunday we got our tourist fix following a literary themed walking map around the left bank of the Seine, ticking off the sights en route (bonjour Notre Dame) and spotting the pads of Hemingway, Orwell and Kerouac amongst others. It were bon.

Business Class

Here's another editorial pic for The Telegraph, this time for a HSBC supplement about globe-trotting UK business folk exploring new markets.

Images 35

Bit of a delayed post this but what the hey? I popped along to the AOI Images 35 Exhibition a couple of weeks ago at Bankside Gallery London for this year's awards night. Had a top evening catching up with friends and colleauges and checked out some of the great work on show. My BBC Proms 2010 illustration was hanging in the Advertising category and goes on tour with the exhibition across the country. Also picked up the new Images 35 book and here's a spread with a few of my bits and pieces that passed muster with the judges.

Paths Of Infamy

Busy couple of weeks in Pottsville, will get the posts flowing asap. For now, here's a Monday morn drawing of little known actor, Timothy Carey, who I've recently discovered from a couple of early classic Stanley Kubrick films. He plays a louche sharpshooter in the influential heist movie The Killing and an unfortunate French soldier facing execution in the WW1 anti-war film Paths Of Glory pictured here. He smash'n'grabs every scene he's in with his oddball charisma and built a reputation for pissing-off his fellow actors according to this interesting article on his barmy career and underground legend status. Will be all over this guy's crazed oeuvre.

Cloudy WIth A Chance Of Data

Here's a recent cover and feature illustration for IBM Magazine looking at the latest hardware fit for the clouds. Bit like David Essex's Silver Dream Machine. No? Oh ok.

Tuppence Alert

If you find yourself flipping through the pages of this month's Advanced Photoshop magazine you'll find me contributing my tuppence worth in a feature on Global Advertising Styles. Thanking you.

Call It

I went all analogue on Friday and took a screen printing workshop at Printclub London which I enjoyed the heck out of. I took along my latest film head drawing to put the ink squeegee to. It's the preternaturally bad-assed Anton Chigurh, from the Coen brother's masterpiece No Country For Old Men, played brilliantly by a medievally mop-topped Javier Bardem. More screen printing to come methinks, can't wait to get my hands dirty again.

Small Audio Dynamite

Here's an editorial illo for Canada's Globe & Mail for an article on how tiny ear buds crunch massive audio.

Sonatine

You can't 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano I reckon so here's a scene from my favourite film of his, Sonatine, a gorgeous, blackly comic slice of existential yakuza action with oodles of seaside gunplay. Knockout.

Folly For A Flyover

I went to a pop-up cinema, dubbed the Folly For A Flyover, nestling under the A12 flyover in Hackney Wick at the weekend to catch a screening of fifties rebel classic The Wild One. The folly was built from reclaimed and donated materials next to the Lea Navigation Canal and was a great space to soak up a bit of campy Brando on a warm summer evening.

Tim & Eric In The Flesh

Last Friday I went along to see comedy mentalists Tim & Eric's  Awesome European Tour, Great Job! 2011 Just Islands show at Camden's Electric Ballroom in Lindin with that f*cking bridge (watch the trailer to see what I'm talking about). It was diarrheatically funny and they were ably supported 'In The Mix' by DJ Dougg Pound. Loving this poster artwork too by Duke Aber.

Carrie On

Some Friday sketchbook action before I call it a day. For some reason the crazed death stare of Sissy Spacek from the pig's blood drenched finale of Brian De Palma's classic Carrie popped into my brain this afternoon so had to put pen to paper. Right, get me out of herrreee.

Piggy Bank Riding

All a bit quiet on the blogging front recently but here's a little something from the last few weeks, a series of three finance themed illustrations for a weekly Aviva sponsored supplement in the Telegraph. I well and truly ram-raided the piggy bank of ideas for this one and I'm happy with the loot. 

Beeks!

As it's my birthday today I thought I'd treat myself to a lil' portrait. It's the amazing Paul Gleason, deadpan stalwart of classics such as Die Hard and The Breakfast Club (again), seen here in his crowning comedy role as the insanely abrupt Clarence Beeks in the brilliant Trading Places. Nobody delivers a line like this guy.

Comeback Kid

I've had my head down working away on various projects over the last couple of weeks without so much as a digital murmur but here's a cheeky little editorial in the meantime. It's for Denver's 5280 Magazine and an article about the comeback of 50 year old American 1984 Olympic gold cycling legend Alexi Grewal.