One of the things I love about screen printing is how the constraining factors of the process force you to see what you can come up with within those parameters. Well, I love it and it drives me mad, but it's always satisfying if you can come up with creative solutions that move you away from simply relying on your stock moves. Sometimes afterwards working in full colour seems a bit too much, "Well, I could just go and do anything now, couldnt I?".

The other good thing about this is because of the minimal amount of colours its really easy to change them round and you can come up with all manner of different variations on the same picture. There were loads of different colour combinations for my flux tee design; this is probably my personal favourite as of right now. It's sunny, ain't it?

The book arrived last week, looks awesome, I am in it (hi!) and so are others. Yes!

Words cannot really convey the awesomeness of the worlds only Joe Louis-as-superhero lunchbox, so I will let pictures do my talking. I should mention however, that it arrived full of monstrously chocolate-y cookies, and say thank you to _bedhead!

If you're in the market for a cute t-shirt that says Fluxblog on it, well you're in a shitload of luck, because Fluxtees are here for you!

My shirt design for the mighty and venerable musical public service that is Fluxblog is available for pre-order now! Right now! Sporting this chirruping couple of musical lovelies on a backdrop of American Apparel natural, one might say it was adorbs, because that's what it is. So you should probably buy one or something.

The patterns are from the Olga Hirsch collection of decorated papers, taken from scans of postcards I bought at the British Library last year.

Really must remember to find time to make more of my own patterns sometime...

Meh.

Short interview I did for the Creative Choices website a while back. The music on this totally kills me! I can't quite describe it, but it makes me feel like a cartoon of a slightly bumbling and wildly ineffectual boozy artist from the 50s, it's totally awesome. I wish I had some newer art and stuff to highlight in this, seeing all this old stuff makes me cringe a bit.

Also shout out to piratecore - there is a good shot of your postcards in here! Slightly worried that the way its shot in the film it almost makes it seem like I made them, but I do assure you I was explaining which bits and pieces on the board among all the postcards were actually my work!


ps. Don't be coming round here with your fishy paintings, ya hear!

Here is a preview of my forthcoming short strip which will be appearing in the music inspired Side B anthology, alongside the work of all manner of (other) luminaries, and which is out in June. Looks good, no? Just wait until you can read it! I am excited. I should make more of these infernal things.

Ok, so I know that merely dangling a tantalising page of comic that cant really be read properly yet isnt all that appealing (although it does look quite pretty, doesnt it?), so I shall also provide a preparatory song! This is the excellent song that features throughout my strip -

Scott Walker - The Me I Never Knew

Illustration to accompany the reviews of a couple of Isaac Hayes albums - Juicy Fruit & Black Moses - in Plan B. Click through for the illustration proper!

The second anthology of music inspired 'lyrics you cant get out of your head' style illustrated songs and comics from the Sound of Drowning. Featuring excellent folks such as Nelson Evergreen (whose contribution is awesome and understated), Dan White, Paul O'Connell and assorted other folks.

Have a flick through! This is a publishing model I wholeheartedly approve of. Hard copies are available here if you fancy.

Woo! I got some t-shirts from WPRB the other day with my design on! They came out really well and I think I am in love with spot colours because they are the best. I am pleased.

Uh, and that's a picture of Roy Keane when he sported his excellent submarine captain beard. It was lovely, seriously.

Also just a heads up on the comics front - I haven't made any. I know, right! Shocker. I think it's mainly due to the fact I've been enjoying drawing pictures so much I just haven't felt inclined to write anything. I'm sure that will change, but for now I'm good. I don't think I'm going to be making anymore for a while though, not until I think I'll be able to enjoy it properly.

I do have a new strip coming out this year though - its a whole two pages* - and it should be in Side B. I did it in October or something. I've been meaning to post a preview or something but I obviously haven't. I might do that. At some point. Or you could just buy it. You know, when it's out...

*Big pages! Technically it's like 4/5 regular pages. In terms of the size I made it at.

And these socks make me piss.

Truly a man for our times. I just feel this bears repeating.

Also: I have a tumblr and a last.fm account now, so get involved. Because I'm jumping this sinking ship, obviously.

Give me a shout if you've got an account so I can FOLLOW YOU.

I went away for new year and spent it on this here farm in the land of Kent, enjoying a fine peaceful combination of board games and farm animals. And also, Mario Kart Wii! (My friend code is 3781-3065-5041, btw. I love the fact that I've had so many versions of Mario Kart before, but now it's on the Wii the whole family gets involved).

Although I posted before while I was actually at the farm, I didn't have time to get anything more than a little twee picture off before being set upon by animals and food. So yeah, a belated happy new year and all that!



I heartily recommend a New Years spent in the countryside, anyway. Phoebe has a set of fine photos up here, where you can see all the sheep an that. They've got little sheepy helmets!

By the time I arrived home the new Plan B had snuck through the letterbox like an exciting bonus treat. I'd been looking forward to this one seeing as I had a whole two pages all to my lonesome. Just about anyway, there's obviously a review on there too. It's a fine one too, I especially enjoy the pull quote "funk-lubed saunter" and only hope my picture can live up to that.

I like to think my Archduke Sea Captain has a funk-lubed saber.

I sent this little card out to special people the other day. If you didnt get one, it probably just means I dont have your email address. What up?



Anyway, if that's just a bit too twee for you, I think this is good for at least one more use.

Hahaha. I really should have added even more animals to notch this up to ridiculous levels.

This is a picture I did last week for the main albums spread in Plan B, which will feature a review of Franz Ferdinand's new album (which I haven't heard) on the right.

The only real song I could find to listen from it was called Ulysses; so here's Archduke Franz Ferdinand (with a beard) looking like Ulysses (from the 31st century) sporting a Douglas tartan scarf, on an epic journey hailing from Scotland (although the castle behind is actually - very simply - based on one from Sandy Cove in Dublin which is featured in Ulysses by James Joyce), searching for a new way, going further afield in influence (apparently), posturing as if making a fine and triumphant return/departure. It's not all completely random. Onward! Etc!

I was going to draw the band but they messed up my composition.

Because it's spread across two pages I really wanted something bold and simple to pop off the page, so I kept it all really minimal. So minimal I actually went over it a few times on my lightbox (a window) taking stuff out, and leaving more space to let the paint do the work.

This is actually the first time I've been (almost) completely pleased with a picture in ages, so much so I might even use it for postcards and tat - but we'll see how long that resolve lasts.

But in the meantime I've rustled up some wallpapers if you're so inclined; 1680 x 1050, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 1024, 1024 x 768.

Follwing on from jabberworks previous post about the "Comixtravaganza!" happening at the SCBWI conference, I thought it such a nice idea that I couldn't help but want to get involved and make a silly strip to put on the board.

I had a lot of fun with this actually. The pleasing thing about this sort of work is that, in setting out to do something simple, I found it quite satisfying to actually be able to achieve exactly what I'd set out to...

I should do this sort of thing more often!

Well, it did snow the other day right? Right?

I don't know why, but I drew this in August for some reason. I don't like drawing on A4, it gives me a headache!

More comics about falling over soon! Well, maybe.

Seeing as I've now sold out - finally and forever - of my old comic Buffalo Roots, I thought now might be a good time to chuck the whole thing up on flickr. There's been a .pdf of it on my website forever but that's going to be gone soon too, and this is better.

If you're so inclined please feel free to link to it so that others who might not have had the chance to see it can do so. It's a bit old, a little scrappy and slightly rough around the edges (although some of them are meant to be rough, so). But you know what? It's not bad either. I'm still fond of it and still especially like some of the layouts.

If by any chance it completely passed you by, let me know what you think! And also - big thank yous to everyone who bought a copy. I'm busy working on new comics at the moment, although I might be some time because I'm using my patented "stare at the pages intensely for around two weeks to a month until I can make the lines appear using only the power of my mind, then release my brush with a dangerous pelvic thrust and following up by inking it all in a creepy jazz trance wearing only a blindfold made from penny sweets and the flesh of my enemies" technique. But they'll be along soon, I'm sure.

Anyway, the whole lot is under the cut. The set on flickr is here.

Bye Buffalo!

( Buffalo Roots )