Tuesday 27 December 2011

Cats in hats

 Some xmas presents

My sister's cat Ninja in a deerstalker. 
She likes crime novels.

My friend's cat Loulou, they've been having a bit of a battle with her at the moment because she keeps pissing in the corner of their room so I put her in Soviet style garb with the corner battlefield in the background. This cat has the best withering look ever.

Sunday 4 December 2011

Evidence painting

Well this is the only image of it which I have at the moment which makes it look kinda crappy but this is my painting which is for sale in the Audio Foundation's christmas show. I'll put up a better one as soon as I get one. The AF exhibition, Aura Emporium opens today at 5pm and there will be FREE organic sausages and feijoa wine so you should all come down even thought it's raining a bit, so what! Also there will be DJs and Karaoke Dick from 8pm.

Also for sale is all the copies I've made so far of my 'Evidence' zine, which is a companion piece to this painting. They're a steal at $5 a pop.

Monday 21 November 2011

More Greybeard!


These are my two latest illustrations for The Epic Adventures of Captain Greybeard, a 14 verse illustrated poem which I wrote some years ago and an sloooowly illustrating, got 9 verses to go. At the moment I'm really enjoying working on it, I just want to draw and draw and draw all day!!


Here's this one's verse, extra points for spotting the flea in the drawing!

"Well I've lived a good life", the moth reflected,
Said he to the flea "I'll keep you protected,
From that vile bully, the Captain Greybeard".
Just then on the horizon the Regal appeared.
"You're tiny" said the moth, "In the figurehead's eyes
There's a wee cranny, you'd just fit inside".
I'll tell him you went the same way as the fly,
And keep him distracted as you slip on by.
But if you survive promise me you'll transpose
A veracious account of this voyages woes".
Now before Greybeard sees you get under this cloth".
The flea whispered thanks to the big hearted moth.
Near to the ship Greybeard called "Ahoy there!
Ye thought ye all could just disappear?
"Heavens no!" cried the moth, "we just went on a trip,
We had every intention to come back to the ship".
"Get aboard" snarled Greybeard, "or I’ll give you the whip!"



Friday 11 November 2011

Evidence zine

These are some images from a wee zine I'm making as a companion piece to a painting which is in the Audio Foundation's christmas show. The exhibition opens on Saturday the 3rd of December from 5-8pm and there will be a B.B.Q (!!) too. I forgot to take a pic of the painting before I sent it off but will put one up soon.

Monday 31 October 2011

Thee Oh Sees poster



The High Seas is still in operation but now as a sort of promotions company/occasional record label, our latest venture is bringing over San Franciscan pop/folk/psychedelic outfit Thee Oh Sees. Oh boy!

I'm really big on alligators at the moment, they've totally superseded octopuses as my favourite aquatic animal to draw. I wanted the poster to look super summery so gave my gator a pool to lounge in. This one was done in my customary manner of scanning in pencil layers,  I love the textures it gives but it means it takes 20 or so scans and tons of layers.

Monday 17 October 2011

Some recent new (old) books

This one has some great cartoons by French modernist, it's pretty hard to find any info on a lot of these guys other than what is in the brief index. These are elegant little cartoons, no superfluous lines or words.
Bil
Jacques Dropy
This one is just signed 'Nicolas' and there doesn't seem to be any info about  them in the book, mysterious!
Pouzet
Rene Chag
Siné is one of my favourite cartoonists in the book AND you can even find info about him, in English even, on Wikipedia even!
Another scene by Siné
William Steig is now best known for creating the character Shrek (which the films were later based on) but he was a cartoonist and illustrator his entire life. The Lonely Ones is one of his earlier books of cartoons for adults (published 1942), each page has a singular figure, generally in some form of torment although not exclusively and a small caption. The style is pretty different to his later stuff, I prefer it but then again I'm on a modernist kick at the moment, such good brushy lines!
I can't express it.
Who are all the others?
Revenge is sweet

Recent sketchbook gators


Sketching on the plane

A selection of treasure gleaned from far away places

A limited edition Lilli Carre screenprint from the San Francisco zine fest. This makes me so happy.

#1 and #3 of the Talamaroo comics by Alabaster, also from the SF zine fest

Raser Ma Tête by Joe Villion from Le Petit Mignon, Berlin.

Raser Ma Tête is all in German but it's pretty easy to follow what goes on. Printed in eye-popping highlighter orange and green.

Die Drei by Benedikt Ruger, also from Le Petit Mignon.

It's a wordless zine about planks of wood which have a existential crisis, top notch stuff and lovely wood textures.

EARTHBARF by Jangojim. Jangojim is Belgian but I met him at the SF zine fest. Volcanoes as the earth vomiting is a winning concept.

Showing off my model boats and white horses, neither of which are new. The anchor is new though, it's from Mystic Seaport, ooOOOoo.

This fellow twirls about too much to be of use for an actual corkscrew, but he is a fairly new acquisition, from the not-so-far away Grey Lynn.

Elvis clock with rockin pendulum legs from Memphis, Tennessee.

Canada and the USA