Art School.

Went to see my old friend Barbara last week. As she works in Brighton Art school we went to the canteen for a spot of lunch. I couldn't resist my old diet staple that I ate when I was at Wolverhampton Art School. The horror!

Space Is The place.

A little web comic for your pleasure.
18 pages in length and done over the past month. It's a slight departure in style at least  from my usual stuff...but it wouldn't be mine without a bit of death and isolation!
Hope you enjoy. Read on......

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Pho 'A' Boards.

The good people at 'Pho' have commissioned me to design a series of images for their 'A' boards outside their chain of restaurants. Will post the other 5 in a bit....

J G Ballard

Asked tp contribute a piece of work to be included in a local raffle at  The Creative Centre in Rye to help raise money for Crisis at Christmas.
A bit of un-ashamed man love for Jim.

New 'Pho' Poster

The good people at Pho, Jules and Stephen, commissioned me to create a poster for their
new restaurant in Leeds.
A compilation poster/postcard  of all 9 'Pho Poster' designs will be sorted very soon.

Sketch Book. Last Week.

Ghosts Of Gone Birds

Me by my work at the Ghosts Of Gone Birds exhibition in the London 2011. Cleary there was a free bar there...once an art student...always an art sudent.
180 artists and writers were asked to contribute, each creating a piece in response to an extinct bird. Artists from Ralph Steadman to Billy Childish took part.The book will be published by Bloomsbury on the 24th of October.

Not Everyone Rises

A section from the panel on the side of the Pill Box. Based on the letter from US airman
John Paul Merton.

Pill Box

Number 2 in the series of 'outside' comics from my 'Not Everyone Rises' project.
This is positioned at the end of Rye Harbour on a WW2 'pill box' defense, with Dungeness in the background. The story depicted is that of a US serviceman who perished when his bomber crashed just off the coast. The story uses his words from his last letter home.
The comic it's self is printed onto toughened ceramic tiles.

Bletchley Park

Some pics from Bletchley Park. A wonderful and humbling experience. I left with my tiny fragile brain in bits.

Hmmm.

My 'on hand' books by my desk. The main bulk are in another room but depending on where my head is and what I'm scribbling at that time I'll chop and change the selection.

My studio

Have no been at my desk for a while. But now the days are shortening I always feel more inclined to sit and work. Less distractions and more conducive to knuckling down. Perhaps it's for the best I don't live in a warm part of the world.
It's not the most 'arty' of studios but I model it on my favorite author, the wonderful J G Ballard who worked facing a wall in a sparse room.

Life Boat Station

This was taken a week or so on a night walk to The Mary Stanford Life Boat Station.
This will be the location of another of my 5 site specific permanent comic strips. It was here Britian suffered its worst life boat disaster when 21 local men perished in the English Channel going to the aid of a stricken ship in 1928.
It sits isolated between Winchelsea Beach and Rye Harbour.

Not Everyone Rises

This is the first 'panel' of my outside comic project 'Not Everyone Rises'. A funded project with the help of the wonderful Melanie Powell from Rother Arts.
They are site specific 2 page comics printed onto ceramic tiles. Each 2 page comic is a graphic representation of a historical event that took place there. Ranging from the last letter from a downed bomber pilot to the Mary Stanford life boat disaster, the worst in British history.
This one is situated on the Fire Hills overlooking Rye Bay/English Channel and is a study of the turmoil that stretch of coastline experienced during World War 2 as told to a young boy by his grandfather.
There a 4 other locations along the little bit of coast that I live. I will post the pics one by one. I took the photo's this morning and was happy to see people reading it as I wandered up.

If you want the exact locations do get in touch and I'll do a wee map!

Rye Bay/Dungeness in the BG

Pho Dude.

The 'Pho Dude' that I designed for the restaurant chain 'Pho'.
This will be opening in Leeds in November.
Goi Cuon anyone?

Hoax: Psychosis Blues

Ravi Thornton (Brin & Brent And Minno Marylebone) has rounded up 10 outstanding names of the British Graphic Novel world and somehow I managed to sneak in when no one was looking.
Names such as Bryan Talbot And Hannah Berry have been given sections to illlustrate of Ravis deeply personal project. I have just completed my 9 pages and above and below are two tiny, tiny slithers from two of the pages.
To find out more about this wonderful project and how in gods name I was invited along for the ride have a peek here!
http://www.ravithornton.com/

The Ashes!

As a cricket obsessive and The Ashes having started: A page from 'Tim Ginger' (Topshelf 2014) Which has a main character who likes his cricket. A coincidence? Pah!
At tea (one of the joys of cricket: we have tea!) England 98 for 2. My nerves are already shredded!

A Map Of Nowhere.

Comissioned book cover design for old friend and now author Martin Bannister.

National Geographic Learning

I was comissioned by Karen Spiller & Diane Nicholls to draw 36 single tone 'strips' that were to be used in the National Geographic Learning 'Life' programme for English Language Teaching.
Great fun to do and hopefully useful!

The Art Of Pho: Motion Comic.

http://artofpho.submarinechannel.com/

Having won:
Best online project- Prix Europa 2012 (Berlin)
Best use of interactive video- Lovie Awards 2012 (London)
The peoples award- Lovie Awards 2012 (London)
Nominated for the Webby Awards (New York)
FWA site of the day.

Chuffed to hear it will be plaing at Comic Con this month. Just a little to far away for my Network Rail Card to kick in. Hummf...