I fear God because everything dies babe, got a gun in the back of my car.

So how is everybody this bank holiday?

On Friday night I went to see Biffy Clyro at the O2 Academy in Sheffield. It was one of the best gigs I have seen! I mean, I am aware that I say that every time I see a band play, but I was watching from the balcony with two lots of 20 hanging speaking right in my view. We could see the drummer, Ben, perfectly and occasionally his brother's hair could be seen. Unfortunately we couldn't see the main man in his purple jeans as much as we would have liked. He was hard to miss when he was in view though, especially kneeling at the front of the stage, playing his guitar, with his microphone on the main floor and swinging it round for the crowd to sing in to. Given all this, it was still an immense gig. I don't know if I could have been as positive had it been a different band playing. I have to say though, I do love Simon Neil and his purple jeans.

The main highlight for me was the stripped down version of 'Machines' . This song reminds me of some really hard times from last year and never fails to make me cry. Seeing it live blew me away. It really is one of my favourite songs of all time. I really cannot wait to see them play again at Leeds Festival this summer.


Yesterday I went to see my work in this year's Rotherham Open Art Exhibition. I drew a picture from a photograph of my Grandma from when she was 20 years old. It is a drawing that means a lot this year as my Grandad passed away in March and it is a photo he has had by his bedside since my Grandma died 16 years ago. We were given a pile of photos of my Grandads. Some of them I had never seen before, others I had. I don't remember my Grandma that much as I was only seven when she passed away, so seeing all these photos of her was like getting to know her all over again. It was a strange and emotional feeling looking at my Grandads belongings; letters he wrote from Burma, his wedding certificate, but having a photograph that meant so much to him of someone that we all love so much, means so so much more. This is why I felt compelled to draw it for this years competition. It won't have the same meaning next year. For now, it is the perfect time.

I always feel proud to see my work hanging in a gallery space, but this year means even more than ever. I love the sense of achievement, especially after the buzz of meeting a deadline right at the last minute. :)


A few weeks ago I bought a pack of three mini moleskines and decided one will be for patterns, one for general sketching and the third for text. Yesterday I filled most of it with quotes and my plan is to take a different style or typographer and use it on each quote. My aim is to fill it in a day at a time, so watch this space, I may just actually get round to it this time.......

Enough from me tonight, might watch the snooker for a bit longer then I'm off for some sleep before a day of work tomorrow.

Night all x

Illustration Rally blog and project.

I came across a great little blog last week on the alphabet.

"Illustration Rally is a massive international rolling collaboration which takes a theme and runs with it!"

And roll with it they do. Having seen all the letters so far, I was so eager to join in and very disappointed to find I'd missed the chance to enter into this theme. However, I've got my name down for the next theme and very much looking forward to it.


You can find the Twitter page here and the actual blog here. 
Go look and get involved!!

Being as though I LOVE LOVE LOVE collage at the moment, I couldn't help but show you the 'B' entry by Natsuki Otani, one of the creatives who started the experimental collaboration, along with Joanne Young.


Here's to hoping there are many more running themes for the blog!!

And over the sirens of the police cars, you can hear us shout, the streets are ours!

So, I'm not very good at the whole blog thing.
Or churning out lots of work and ideas thing either for that matter!

I have had plenty of hours at work over Easter at the chocolate shop and it has kept me from working on anything other the That's Logic Zine. The zine, however, has been picking up pace rapidly. I have been receiving submissions for it and it has now been featured by the fantastic @KatyCowan on the Creative Boom website here.  Get involved if you haven't already, there's still time left!

I have a couple pieces of my own work in progress. Well, very very slow progress....

I have a new piece of work in the Alas_Icannotswim zine, well it's the front cover this time :D

In other news, I got to go to Durham last week to see a friend from uni and we went to see The King Blues in Newcastle. Going back to the O2 Academy brought some great old uni memories back. The band were incredible. The floor was bouncing well before The King Blues even came out. I haven't stopped listening to Save The World Get The Girl album  yet and I am certainly looking forward to the new album being released! A definite must see if you get the chance!!

Bring on Biffy Clyro next Friday night!!

Til next time!!

x

That's Logic.

So it has been quite a while since my last post and while there isn't anything particularly important to report, I have been working on a zine project over the last few weeks. Yes, that's right, I have been creative aswell as spending my time eating good chocolate ..... um I mean WORKING with chocolate!


It pretty much came about when I was reading

Indie Publishing: How to Design and Produce Your Own Book and was completely bowled over by the green and pink zine that Michael Perry and a group of creatives created on 'Science' in the space of a weekend.

I have taken the name from my university Final Major Project book based on typography and Alice in Wonderland and have put it to a zine I have been inspired to make!

'That's Logic.' is going to be a zine based on many interpretations of words/type/letters. The response so far has been bigger than I expected and there are some great designers involved. I am very excited now to see how this is going to turn out.

I am still looking for any kind of creative people (writers, graphic designers, poets, illustrators, typographers etc......) so if you are interested please take a look HERE and get involved.

Please SPREAD THE WORD :)

X

A daily addition of pattern and type.

Ahh, the moleskine. Too expensive for me to buy but a great gift.

My attempt is to fill the book with as much colour, pattern and typography as possible, with different media and each day if possible....

 

 

 

Till next time .. XX

Wreck This Journal.

Happy New Year!!

Well, seen as though everyone else is back in the swing of blogging, I thought I would show some care to my blog too. I have even revamped it a wee bit.

About 8 months ago I saw a website encouraged people to wreck their journals/sketchbooks, so I decided I would chuck mine in the washing machine to see how much damage I could cause. The journal then met with the tumble dryer and it became a bag full of crinkled page and scraps. Some bits were glued back together in various ways, the other bits are in bag in the corner of my room waiting to be looked at....

As a Christmas present, I got an actual journal with destructive instructions on each page. This journal is currently being put through its paces by myself - I fear for it once I get taking it outside .... actually, no I don't at all hehe

So, here is my current progress ......

 

 

 

Above: Said Cracked spine, selotaped up at present to make life easier :)

It seems I had quite a collection of stamps from my uni collage project!

*In Progress*....

 

 

 

 

And last but not least (for now anyway.....) .....

 

I have drawn in glue, but glue is clear, so you'll just have to take my word for it that I have done it !!

XX

Kind, kind people.

Sooooo, I haven't got very far with my last month's goals after a really good start! Think I am going give the goals a miss now and start again in January. It has been hard to fit anything round the hours I have been working, though I have had a couple of productive mornings so far this week.

I have been very lucky to have had my work featured in the second edition of successful 'zine, Alas I Cannot Swim, run by one of my friends from uni, Katy Shambles. It is worth trying to get your hands on one of these as it showcases the work of young writers and designers from around the country.



I did some design work for Sheffield Music Scene's 1st birthday mixtape and the design actually got printed to disk. Very exciting stuff! Sheffield Music Scene are a group of people working to showcase Sheffield's best music, putting on gigs and spreading the word where possible. Visit their website to see copies of their online magazine, news of gigs and some other mixtape covers by moi.


Annnnd finally, designer Ky Wilkinson has very kindly featured my work in his blog, along with some very kind words about my work. See his great work at his website here at http://www.kywilkinson.co.uk




Thanks to everyone mentioned above. To say it means a lot is an understatement.

T'ra! X

Dave Leonard.

I got some great postcards in the post today from illustrator, who was the year above me at the University of Sunderland, Dave Leonard. I love his characters and the huge amounts of bright colours.

To see more of his work visit his website or facebook page.

"The great thing about your last journey is you don't have to pack"

I found the above quote when I was reading an interview with Tony Benn in the Guardian earlier this year, probably when I was packing up to leave university life and Sunderland behind. I hate packing with a passion, but this quote by Benn's mother is very very true. Thankfully!! :)

I found a lot more things when I was de-cluttering my room at the weekend. I found photos of my GCSE work (below) and I remember feeling very happy with it at the time but looking at it now it looks a bit rubbish. The picture here is of my display shown in the great art hall that used to be in the middle of all the class rooms at our Comprehensive. Unfortunately they re-built the inside of the art building to make the classrooms bigger and took away a great displaying space.


I have uncovered many many quotes that I am going to work into typographically and a also some ideas to try out in regards to adding more pattern to my work.

I am still trying to get last week's typography piece finished but it's being proving very hard. Having spent all weekend clearing out my room, I then started a great new job on Monday and worked most of yesterday too but hopefully I will get it finished this week.
My plan to go to Clifton Park and draw every week this month has been put on hold this week as today has been my only day off and it has rained most of the day. I also had to wait in for a delivery guy so I could sign for a parcel. Said parcel didn't arrive until 3:30pm so it has been a bit of a wasted day.


And with that, I am off to tidy up the house and ink some letters.




"Justify your reason and want to go out and draw. Find a subject of interest." - Mike Ritchie

Why?

Well it is only 9 days into the new month and I am getting on well with my goals this month. I have already finished The Mighty Book of Boosh, which I have had a year and it was well worth the wait. It feels very wrong to say that I am not too clued up on The Mighty Boosh, but after reading the book I think I will be adding some of the DVD's to my Christmas list. I found the book to be very inspiring and just as funny as the few episodes that I have manage to catch!

Also last week, I went on a training day for my new job which was very exciting and now I can't wait to get started. I went to see Muse with a friend from university on my birthday and they were just INCREDIBLE. I never used to like Muse. I am so glad that I gave them a listen because I would have missed out on one of the best concerts I have EVER seen! I got to see my best friends for a meal to finish off an amazing birthday week.

Another target was to complete one piece of typography a week and last week, this is what I did; completed a piece that is very similar to my final major project work that has been in progress for a few weeks now. So, here's the final piece...



I am pretty happy with it but I know once I get back into the swing of things I know the quality will be increased.
This week I am going to be working on a letter which has his own little character that I started when I was sat on a train back in June.

Also on the cards this week is a trip to York or Leeds to visit the art galleries there and also some Alice in Wonderland drawings. This time, instead of taking the poems and working on them typographically, I am going to draw the characters in my own way. I am looking forward to the challenge!



I best get a move on!!
T'ra X

Happy New Year (ish)

So, I am 22 today and I am making today the start of my New Year with my 3 resolutions of

1. Eat lots (because my doctor says I am severely underweight :/ )
2. Explore lots (because there are a lot of amazing places around Rotherham and Sheffield that I never knew or had forgotten all about.)
3. Experiment lots (because I just can't settle on one style of working and will go through the contents of my room before settling!)

Looking back on my goals for October, there weren't many things that I could tick off but the main thing is that I have a job! Four months of spending most days on my own when my family have been out are about to come to an end and I cannot wait to get working. This month really is the beginning of really good things to come!!

These are my November goals:

1. Finish reading The Mighty Boosh book.
2. Visit Leeds City Art Gallery.
3. Visits Western Park Museum.
4. Visit photographic exhibition at Graves Gallery from 26th November.
5. Draw at Clifton Park once a week.
6. Personalise blog space to something a bit more exciting!
7. Continue with collage prep and experimentation.
8. Make Christmas card list and make Christmas cards.
9. De-clutter bedroom.
10. Complete one piece of typography each week.

With a bit of luck, I will combat these goals more than my October goals. I am feeling more optimistic and really looking forward to what this month brings.

And with that, I am off for some breakfast and getting excited for the Muse concert tonight!

X

What I Wore Today.

Another great group I found a couple of days ago on Flickr. What I Wore Today
.Set up by illustrator Gemma Correll, it encourages people to draw what they wore in a day. It has reminded me how important it is to draw everyday and also how I lack at this!
The state of my first two attempts aren't great but I intend to get better. I am also going to spend time just drawing each day, even if I am experimenting with other materials.

How Old Is Too Old To Sit On A Lion's Back?

I came across Racheal Anilyse and her latest blog post of October goals. Although I am getting my motivation back, I thought this would be a great idea for me to try to push myself now that I am not working or at uni with someone else piling on the pressure.

So. Here is a list of my 10 October goals.

1. Broaden job search to include Leeds, Nottingham and Hull. Got a job.
2. Rip up backlog of magazines to experiment with collages and text.
3. Really get back into decorative typography.
4. De-clutter bedroom / Re-arrange bedroom.
5. Finish reading Pride and Prejudice.
6. Continue with this blog.
7. Visit Leeds Art Gallery.
8. Find money to do 'Portrait Drawing and Painting Course'.
9. Visit Western Park Museum.
10. Make birthday/bonfire plans!

While some of these aren't as specific as others, they should all be possible to reach while giving me a good challenge at the same time.

The pictures at the top will give you a bit of an idea of my latest project. I started to get a taste for collage while doing my Final Major Project at university this year and have now accumulated that many magazines from my old housemate and My mum over the last 5 months, I thought it was about time to rip them all apart and experiment with images and texts.
I really cannot wait to get cutting and sticking now.

I routed around for some old sketchpads from when I was living in Sunderland yesterday and found some great quotes from Mowbray Park benches and some hand drawn typography in biro. It got me thinking about really pursuing typography again. And again, I cannot wait to get started. It is a great feeling to feel so creatively inspired after a lot of change and creative block.



And finally, some not so great pictures I took of the sky yesterday. The clouds were like little white Wotsits, but by the time I had found my camera, they had started to move on. It was great to see all the same!


Until next time!

"Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up...

, but a comedy in long-shot" (Charlie Chaplin)

So, I've been experimenting with black and white because I usually hate it as I am so obsessed with colour. I think now is a good time to push myself out of my comfort zone of the clashing colours and decorative typography that got me through my last year of uni. It's not that I don't like typography anymore, but I do like to draw something different every now and again to keep life interesting.
I love drawing people but I am not great at it so I am drawing them and learning as much as possible with the aid of fashion magazines, 16th century paintings, books and most importantly real life. My latest fascination is with legs so that is why my figures seem to be a bit out of perspective with extra long legs.
The main thing though, is that I actually love the challenge of using just black ink. I felt the temptation of adding lots of colour to the illustration above but did manage to hold off. Now I have uploaded it I might add a touch of colour. Just to see!

The World In One Glance.

So I am starting again. For the third time. This time I intend to keep it up. Blogging, that is.
I graduated recently and moved back home. My motivation dried up and job hunting began taking over my life. I still have no job but my motivation has returned and my head is full of ideas. Here is where I will be emptying the contents of my spinning brain.