Thomas Geoffrey Patrick Ball

NEW WEBBY SITEY

2011-06-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

From now on I shall be using this website: http://www.wix.com/tgpball/illustrator

Graduating is scary.

Here's my new business card as well. (used a soldering iron to burn into some fire wood)

The fall of Polybotes

2011-06-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

The second of a two series poster on Gigante Polybotes, who was defeated by Poseidon during the Gigantomachy.

Polybotes - Gigante (Part 1)

2011-06-01T03:15:00.000-07:00

Part 1 of a two part poster on Polybotes, who fought Poseidon in the Gigantomachy.

Because blogger is shit, I've had to save a smaller size. The original posters are 32 cm x 135 cm - purposely made this size for my degree show display board. I'm extremely pleased with how these have turned out, never before have I put so much detail into an image.

Creative Spark - Sheffield Hallam University Degree Show 2011

2011-05-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

Come to this! (Culmination of 3 years of work at University studying Graphic Design - Illustration)

PETER HIMSELF

2011-05-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

Split pin character to be assembled for the book. I will post photos when I have them finished! Deadline tomorrow. Final push. 48+ hours no sleep.

TWELVE - Story Board Project

2011-05-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

Final image in my story. It is a return to the fractured normality like in the initial images. The blood of Peter still lingers in the water, washing his entering footsteps away from the beach below. I'm thoroughly happy with the finished collection of illustrations and really hope it will show that I can story board stories effectively (together with my sketchbook workings)

ELEVEN - Story Board Project

2011-05-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

11th image from my story. The pier is shattered and Peter is stranded on the middle of the pier, helpless.
I have yet to finish the split pin character (as character design is not my strong point) but the images will come good, once it is introduced. It will also create a more user related piece of work, something not commonly seen in the world of the 'zine'.

TEN - Story Board Project

2011-05-07T03:56:00.000-07:00

10th Image in my story. The pier begins to cracked, isolating Peter at the end of the pier. The last remaining white feather from the previous frame begins to slowly drift into the distance. (Thought i'd made a massive cock up on my whole set of smaller images before this one, but it turns out, it was only this one that i made 70 cm x 74 cm, instead of mm. Phew)

NINE - Story Board Project

2011-05-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

9th image in my story. After math of the Peter's Bird's investigation beneath the forbidden pier. A single white feather and a blood stained darkened sea remains.

EIGHT - Story Board Project

2011-05-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

8th image for my story. Peter releases from its cage, his courageous and trusty bird that helped him capture the wolf at his grand father's house. It flies up to investigate the pier and disappears underneath, only to not return. Dark.

SEVEN - Story Boarding Project

2011-05-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

Image seven for the story. The final of the three on one page. I've got "Another one bites the dust" by Queen in my head as i'm working. Why never a song that I like? Or at least that's a good one that I don't like. Meh.

SIX - Story Boarding Project

2011-05-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

Seem to be falling like dominoes now, this is the 6th image for my story. In this image, Peter is planning his "monster catching" with drawings on the wall. Really pleased with how this has turned out. I hope the rest come out okay. Still no luck with image 4...

FIVE - Story Boarding Project

2011-05-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

Fifth image of my story boarding project is finished. FOUR was giving me a bit of aggro so i'm going to reproach it later. (maybe if i haven't thrown my laptop out the window). These next three are slightly smaller, so they can be arranged on the same illustration page, to show time passing - it will be clearer when I can show the final finished layouts)

Three - Story Boarding Project

2011-05-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

Third, this time, finished frame for my project.

Three - Story Boarding Project (Screen shot)

2011-05-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

Just a little screen shot of the third image for my Peter and the Wolf sequel story. Just looked nice.

TWO - Storyboarding Project

2011-05-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Peter, arriving at his cousin's Beach House after leaving his Grand Father's house in the woods. This is going to be a LONG week.

First Image - Storyboarding Project

2011-04-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit quiet on the happenings of my second project, partly through suffering a fair few panic attacks/crisis of confidence, and partly because the rough sketches were piling up very quickly and I didn't have time to scan them all in. Here is the first image, completely finished, and just awaiting the laying out of the final output. I'm extremely please with how this has turned out and very excited to see my final out come.

The story is a sequel to Peter and The Wolf, in which he leaves his grand father's home for a trip to the beach to visit his cousins, only to be confronted by a shadowed night dwelling demon.

Ceryneian Hind - Greek Beast Two. (Third Edit)

2011-04-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

Third attempt. There was something that wasn't sitting quite right in the last version. I'm much happier with this version, though i think there is some final tweaking to be done..

Ceryneian Hind - Greek Beast Two. (Second Edit)

2011-04-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

This is the second digital version of the Ceryneian Hind. A few things i've changed from the original, much happier with this version.

Ceryneian Hind - Greek Beast Two.

2011-04-18T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Ceryneian Hind was sacred to Artemis, the chaste goddess of the hunt, animals and unmarried women. It had enormous golden antlers and hooves of bronze or brass. It was also said that it could outrun an arrow in flight. Its capture was one of the 12 labours of Hercules.

It is such a rich story as there are many different accounts of whether or not Hercules actually captured the beast, some saying that he caught it while is slept and others say that he encountered Artemis and she told everyone that he completed his task even though he had not.

This is my depiction of the Ceryneian Hind, a regal, beautiful creature. I will print this in lino onto gold paper to get the full effect of the gold colour. I even went as far as to make my own Herring Bone photoshop brush for the trees, which i'm extremely pleased with. (Message me if you want the brush)

TEUMESSIAN FOX - Small Lino

2011-04-02T05:52:00.001-07:00

First run of small lino for one of my greek beasts - the Teumessian Fox (3 Colour Lino - slightly smaller than A5)

WOOD CUT/CUT WOOD (and the occasional finger)

2011-03-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

Wood cuts are now being produced for my greek mythology project. I felt it appropriate as the wood would lend itself nicely to providing a degree of authenticity, despite the greek myths...well, being myths. So far the process is going much quicker than I anticipated (which is a good thing that I am certainly not taking for granted) but quite painful as the occasional accidental stab-myself-in-the-hand happens. Oops.

"Woodlands Series"

2011-03-09T10:28:00.000-08:00

"Woodlands Series" is a 4 piece drawing I have done over the past day, incorporating some recent pattern work i've been experimenting with. All pieces are drawn onto some old rigid postal packet. Being a hoarder pays off sometimes...

TEUMESSIAN FOX - Final (without description)

2011-03-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

You're my boy, Blue! (Sean Gee)

2011-03-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

Sick new work from my house mate Sean Gee (CLICK HIS NAME FOR MORE - He's better than you, and I know it)

T-SHIRTS: KUJI SHOP

2011-02-26T05:56:00.000-08:00

I was asked to do three t-shirt designs for one of Sheffield best Independent retailers; KUJI SHOP
Here are the final printed t-shirts, available to buy online or in store on Ecclesall Road soon! x

Mr Scruffs (ROUGHS) - Teumessian Fox

2011-02-20T15:48:00.000-08:00

For one of my final projects of my final year of my degree in illustration (bricking it) I've chosen to illustrate some of the lesser known Greek Beasts of forgotten (or at least not often remembered) myths. I've long been fascinated by the classic tales and enthralling stories and only on further looking into the area did I find even richer and exciting stories that seemingly have been forgotten or cast aside by other popular stories. The vast majority of people will have heard of Minotaurs, Centaurs and the Kraken. But ask an every day person if they've heard of a Teumessian Fox or a Ceryneian Hind and you'd most likely receive a look befitting that of a mental patient.

I will be selecting 3 - 5 beasts and illustrate them in hoping they highlight the richness and excitement I got when reading their stories.

For now, enjoy these...x

TEUMESSIAN FOX ROUGHS

British Identity Crisis - Editorial Brief

2011-02-14T06:50:00.000-08:00

So, we're extremely lucky to have Lynne Chapman teaching some of us this last term and a bit and she briefed us last thursday with another Radio Times brief and a shorter space of time than the last brief Frazer set. This is been a great exercise and much to my surprise it's helped me way more than I thought it would have and I've actually really enjoyed it/now reconsidering my self directed briefs. Initially set to help us with our rough sketching and thumbnail ideas, it's turned into a piece that i'm actually really proud of.

My working quote from the text given: "We ask if Britain is having an identity crisis and, if so, whether it should give any cause for concern."

The idea of a traditional English Gentleman, made obvious by his suit and moustache being confused and using a traditional english Tea cup instead of the normal bowler hat. I liked playing with the sense of humour which doesn't often come into my work. I am extremely pleased with the rate of turn around of this piece and the quality of finishing.

Here is a piece that i tried, but didn't work quite as well as I hoped. Similar idea, just a different layout.

Alzheimer's Editorial Brief - Radio 4 (Uni)

2011-02-08T05:06:00.000-08:00

My final piece for a University set brief.
"The Olfactory senses in the nose can evoke memories by associating them with smells"
The idea behind my work comes from the phrase "An elephant never forgets" and utilising the trunk as an image to link memory to the nose. It is slightly more conceptual that I usually work, though not the strongest piece of conceptual work I could have produced. I feel it still works well as an editorial piece as the elephant trunk is quickly identifiable and with the heading linking to "Memories" or "Alzheimer's Disease" works well with the text.

Illustration Rally - Rotherham Exhibition Feature for Stars In Stripes

2011-01-28T04:15:00.001-08:00

The wonderful Natsuki of Illustration Rally was lovely enough to post about our event last night. Big Props to all those who came it was a lovely evening!

Illustration Rally

x

Don't Panic Feature for Rotherham Exhibition

2011-01-24T11:48:00.001-08:00

Whoooooo, Stars in Stripes Rotherham Exhibition has gained a little feature on Sheffield's Don't Panic.
Lovely Jovely.

Exhibition opening is this Thursday by the way, get yourselves down!

Link to the review HERE

x

Joseph Feather - Motion Graphics

2011-01-22T10:09:00.000-08:00

I've just watch a really great video produced by a friend on the same course at University studying Motion Graphics. Fantastically simple but direct use of motion type. Well worth a watch.

Level 6 Graphic Design - Competitive Design Brief - 'Fakery' from Joseph Feather on Vimeo.

KUJI SHOP - FINAL PHOTOS!

2011-01-20T09:08:00.000-08:00

My apologies for the delay, with dissertation and lack of camera i've not had any final photos.
Here they are, my first solo wall mural!
Hoorah!
x

Greed Poster by Sean Gee

Photos by Greg Thomas

DONE

2011-01-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

I have finally completed all my illustrations for The Outsider, House of Illustration competition. I have also redesigned my front cover, as the other was lacking and did not link well with the other illustrations.

Illustration 1. "All I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears. I stood there, motionless" Part 1. Chapter 3, page 33. (i've had to shorten this quote due to the requirements of the competition - my bad)

Illustration 2. "...a crime made worse than sordid by the fact they were dealing with a monster. A man without morals" Part 2, Chapter 3, pp 95-96

Illustration 3. "I am on your side. But you have no way of knowing it, because your heart is blind" Part 2, Chapter 5, Pg 120. (would just like to point out that, given the image used, I am not anti christianity, it is simply the character in the books rejection of the chaplains wish for him to turn to God before his execution)

This is the folio binding. After completing the illustrations for inside the book I realised my cover wasn't totally befitting or just generally as good, so I came up with this idea, playing with the shadows i'd used within the other illustrations but focussing on the main event of the book, the killing on the beach.
This much more exciting image and one that i feel would really work to sell the book.

Well, fingers crossed they go down well but they are to be sent off immediately! Hooray! I'm going to go eat Chicken Casserole. WIN! x

Illustration 3 - Finished

2011-01-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

Third and final illustration for the house of illustration competition. Very pleased with my illustrations so far after my end of 2011 loss of drawing ability, things seem to be looking up.

The quote: "I am on your side, but you have no way of knowing it, because your heart is blind" - Part 2, Chapter 5, page 120

I've played with idea of a rejection of religion, Meursaults refusal to turn to god. This quote is said by the Chaplain, who is almost begging Meursault to see sense. I've brought in Meursault's attitude that seems to become more twisted as the book goes on. He is very much comfortable with the idea of death, the reason behind using the french word for death, on his wrist, playing with the idea that he is "wearing his heart on his sleeve". With his heart "blinded" and full of hate, "Mort" seems a very appropriate word to illustrate subtly into his skin, as it is apart of him.

Tomorrow I shall be redesigning my front cover with a simpler yet stronger image which i hope will work very well indeed.
Until then, Adieu x

Illustration 2 - finished

2011-01-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

Finished version of the previous post. x

The Outsider - Albert Camus (progress updates) #2

2011-01-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

Another update of my work, please with my second illustration based on the quote...
"They [The Jury] had before them the basest of crimes, a crime made worse than sordid by the fact they were dealing with a monster, a man without morals" Part 2, Chapter 3, pp 95-96.

The Arabic writing on the dock says "Monster". Across the skull that the shadow monster is holding (which represents the presence of death) there are french words for Death, Life and Blade.

The only thing left to do before finishing with textures and lighting is the character in the dock, which is the main character, whose shadow shows us the monster the Jury are really looking at.

Finished Illustration 1 - The Outsider Competition

2011-01-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

"I left his room, closing the door behind me and paused for a minute in the dark, on the landing. The house was quiet, and a breath of dark, dank air wafted up from deep in the stairwell. All I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears. I stood there, motionless" Part 1. Chapter 3, page 33.

The Outsider - Albert Camus (progress updates)

2011-01-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

So, I've been uncommonly quiet of late, which is completely down to how much my dissertation is killing me. Writing is not my strong point. However, I have been hammering away at the Folio Society Book Cover Redesign competition for The Outsider by Albert Camus.
Here's a couple of screen shots of the binding design and one of the 3 illustrations i've been doing for passages in the text. Only two more to go!

The Folio Binding - I've produced an aerial view of a town, with the buildings and back alleyways grounding the image to make the roads seem to rise above. This is because on reading the book and seeing that the main character, after committing a crime and being sentenced to death has an argument with a priest who says that the character should turn to God and he will be accepted into Heaven, yet the character refuses. I have tried to represent this as subtly as possible, with the Crucifix created out of the roads, and being upside down and set at an angle to show not only the characters rejection of religion but to show that faith in general is either lacking or is in question. The blood red type along the spine was a natural choice based on the motifs of the book.

The first of 3 Illustrations for the inside of the book, based on a passage of text.

"I left his room, closing the door behind me, and paused for a minute in the dark, on the landing. The house was quiet, and a breath of dark, dank air wafted p from deep in the stairwell. All I could hear was the blood pounding in my ears. I stood there, motionless." Part 1, Chapter 3, pg. 33

Missing from this is the character who will be standing to the right of the frame. I have used a lot of texture to highlight the sunlight and will play around with fading out the sunlight to give a bit more mood in the piece. I'm very happy with how both of my pieces have turned out so far, looking forward to getting the rest done!

Rotherham Art Space Update

2010-12-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

Hello! Here's an update on the work I've been doing with the Stars In Stripes in Rotherham. I've been a bit quiet of late because we've been so busy cracking on. And Uni. And trying not to jump out of windows due to not wanting to do my Dissertation!

Hope you all had a wonderfully Cool Yule and have a great 2011!

Rotheram Arts Space - Stars In Stripes Window Painting.

2010-12-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

All of us are extremely excited to be painting all over the windows of a 6000 ft sq. Arts space in Rotheram. Despite the cold we have trekked over twice this week already to recon the space and start drawing. It is a first for many in the collective and thus far seem to making excellent progress for our months show in January. This is my piece so far! Enjoy x (PLENTY MORE TO COME!)

KUJI SHOP - WALL MURAL

2010-11-27T06:24:00.000-08:00

I was asked to do my very first solo wall mural for Kuji Shop on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield. I was entirely overwhelmed and extremely excited. I haven't got any full finished photos yet, as I have lost yet another memory card for my camera, so will get straight on this an get some finished shots as soon as possible but literally could not wait any long to give everyone a sneak peek! Enjoy, watch this space for full finished photos x (Photos courtesy of Andy Holgate - what a LAD with a camera)

Soyo Live Art - Monday 22nd November w/ Louise Wheeler, Hailey Evenett and Mark Allen.

2010-11-26T02:53:00.000-08:00

I've been a little quiet for a while, illness, lots of work at uni etc. Pretty much life has just been happening. Anyway, here's is Monday's Live Art piece. Can you tell I was listening to Modest Mouse whilst drawing various shaped feathers? Well I was. Great song that one. Peace x

FEATURE - THE STARS IN STRIPES ON BALLAD OF...

2010-11-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

CRUCIBLE LIVE ART FEATURE ON BALLAD OF...

FEATURE - STARS IN STRIPES ON ILLUSTRATION RALLY

2010-11-04T08:10:00.000-07:00

STARS IN SRIPES CRUCIBLE THEATRE LIVE ART ON ILLUSTRATION RALLY

AS ONE DIVEBOMB - Monday 1st November - SOYO w/Louise Wheeler, Hailey Evenett, George Law and Lucy Roberts

2010-11-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

BANNERS ARE BACK. Haven't touched on this for a while as I've been experimenting with some other ideas/techniques. It feels good to be back using banners and shield shapes, feels like it's been ages! Anyway, hope y'all like the piece from Monday! x

Photo: Kev Williams

Fright Night Live Art at The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. w/George Law, Louise Wheeler, Hailey Evenett and Sarah Abbott

2010-11-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

We were booked through the Sheffield Arts Council to do some Live Art at the Crucible Theatre for Fright Night. It was a brilliantly put together day with plenty of zombies walking round, almost everyone in fancy dress and a couple of street acts outside. We decided to create some iconic halloween monsters, with Louise painting Frankensteins Monster, Hailey drawing hell hound Cerberus, Sarah painting a beautiful Day of the Dead style skull, George doing a howling Werewolf and myself penning a Headless Horseman. We had a really enjoyable day, creating individual boards rather than creating a mural style piece across three boards, something we seem to be doing more and more of, so was nice to get back to an individual piece of work for a change. Hope you like our work, watch this space for some more big events coming up! x

Finished Articles - Grad 1 Project

2010-10-29T03:26:00.000-07:00

So, I am extremely happy at the moment. I have finished a pretty poorly structured project at University with some really beautiful outcomes. I've impressed myself once again with my Lino Printing skills, and with this new found confidence I shall be more adventurous with my ideas. Watch this space for large, metre tall lino prints and repeat patterns galore! x

Business card in it's surround with detail of sticker.

Business card when it has been assembled. Something to stand on the desk, rather than file in your wallet/purse.

Tote bag in action - Modelled by Ashlee Allen.

Finished printed Tote bag. FOX HEAD.

The Presentation Box. Including 5 layer Lino Print on lid. Contents: Tote bag + Business card

BOOM.

Printed Lino Business Cards - Pre Assembly.

2010-10-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

So I have printed my one layer business cards and I am extremely pleased with the results. All that awaits now is the printing of the canvas tote bags, printing stickers to hold together the outer surround to the business cards and also generally putting everything together. I'm really excited to see the completed run of prints. Hope you like them too. x

Printed Presentation Box - Final Completed Lino Prints

2010-10-27T04:10:00.000-07:00

>I literally could not wait to show this. I'm so happy with how it turned out. It took me an entire day of printing to get all 5 layers down, all in Lino print. Massively chuffed. I hope you enjoy them x

Self Promotional Self Directed Project (University) - Lino Printing Layer Finals

2010-10-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

So...University is very exciting in my final year. I have written a brief to do my own self promotional project, as I get asked for business cards regularly when doing Live Art at Soyo. This project is themed around Heraldic Design, something I have been very interested in since Year 13 at Secondary School. I will go into more detail about my project when I upload my final stuff after printing them this week because right now, quite frankly, i'm shattered and want to fall asleep watching The Event on 4OD. Here is the 5 Layer Lino print I have planned for some promotional boxes that I intend to send out. Hope you like it and I'll post the finals as and when! x

OWLS

2010-10-24T15:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a scan of two Owls I drew whilst planning some ideas for some T-Shirt designs I was asked to do for Kuji Shop. I enjoy them very much. I'm not a massively into character design but i think these have the makings to become a potential small moving image piece. (When I get some bloody time). Hoot Hoot. x

Soyo Live Art - Monday 18th October 2010. w/ Louise Wheeler and James Smart

2010-10-24T08:53:00.000-07:00

Been a little quiet of late - tonne of University work and Kuji Shop designs getting finalised (watch this space) but here is the Collaboration with Louise Wheeler (Vealy) at last Monday's Soyo Live. This was a REALLY fun piece that we did, starting out as just a general fight, to becoming a "Bitch Fight" between at three nippled alien and a red sports bra wearing Werewolf. Also, James Smart (JXMES) did a lovely piece with his very stylised characters and also creating a great amount of depth. BOOM x

The Wick At Both Ends - 5th October 2010.

2010-10-06T04:35:00.000-07:00

Once again the Stars In Stripes have been asked to mural a local sheffield bar and spruce it up a bit. Conveniently for me, more so than the other stripes that took part, our theme was based loosely around heraldic design, which is the same theme as my Graduation 1 project at University. WIN! I wasn't particularly confident going in as I've been a little off with my live art of late and wasn't feeling too perky for other reasons but I seemingly manned up and pulled an absolute B-E-A-U-T out of the bag. (I genuinely impressed myself - favourite piece overall...so far!) Playing along the idea of fox hunting for our other "Woodland" theme, I created a "Vixens" herald by the ladies toilets, with Louise Wheeler creating a "Hounds" piece by the gents. I love my foxes at the moment. Enjoy!

P.S. We've been asked to, on HALLOWEEN, do live art in the Entrance to the Crucible theatre. The artists participating were hand picked from the Stars In Stripes blog. Really proud that we're starting to get some notice. Take a look at the other artists in our collective here.

Hantu Show Highlights

2010-09-23T10:38:00.001-07:00

Leicester Music Scene pages for From Dusk to Dawn magazine

2010-09-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Off the back of the previous work/feature of the Tramlines Live Art in From Dusk to Dawn magazine, Leicester, I was asked to do two background pages for the Leicester Music Scene feature. I went along the idea of having the LMS as the "Heart" of Leicester's music and for the second page going along the lines of "opening the minds of music goers, hence the skull and brain. My client was thoroughly happy with the outcome and I look forward to doing anymore illustration work with them! You can download the Leicester and Derby issues of the magazine on the From Dusk To Dawn website. x

Hantu Cathedral Show - Live Art "Sheffield"

2010-09-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

So, Saturday was the Hantu Fashion/Music/Art show at The Cathedral. Literally one of the most beautiful places i've a) been inside and b) done live art in (Soyo is cool...but come one...it's a Cathedral)
We had a little "Versus" with us "New School" Illustrators against the "Old School" Graffiti Writers, headed up by our friend Casper. It was a fantastic atmosphere and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was deemed a "draw" but personally, if a little bias, thought we came out on top as the MC who was trying to get a group shout of which they preferred, kind of lost everyones interest because we all wanted to go to the after party (fair enough really). The theme was "Sheffield" so we use the old iconic image of the cooling towers (you knew you where in Sheffield when you saw them on the journey in) with some of out own personal touches. It looked amazing when finished and I hope you think so too. Collaboration with the usual Stars In Stripes bunch: Louise Wheeler, George Law, Hailey Evenett and Sarah Abbott.

P.S. I'm slightly concerned by the number of "quotes" I've put in...oh well. x

Photo Credits: Georgina Sarah Martin (first two) and Hailey Evenett.

Day By Day Promotions - Poster for Freshers Fair

2010-09-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

This poster if for advertising Day By Day Promotions who organise Soundclash at The o2 Academy 2 in Sheffield. Poster for contact information at the Freshers Fair. Paper Planes making an appearance as usual. Also...The tattoos here is something I really liked when i'd finished mocking it up and will definitely come back to either with Lino or Screen printing! Enjoy x

Monday 13th September w/Beards Club and Joe Feather

2010-09-17T05:13:00.000-07:00

Another nights Live Art at Soyo. This time I had delved back into an old sketchbook I had and pulled out this nice piece i'd long forgotten about. It was a text typo...whoops! A nice thing was that a girl took a photo of it on her phone. I hope she used it as her phone background like Jim did with the "Be Free" piece from the Tramlines live art. That would be nice. Enjoy x

The Metabolic Bone Centre (Young Persons Waiting Room) - Northern General Hospital

2010-09-16T03:50:00.000-07:00

Another commission with the Stars In Stripes to paint a mural on some walls. This time was for the new young persons waiting room at the metabolic bone centre at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield. This was a really big job as we had a relatively small room but abnormally high ceilings. It was a pretty hardcore day, 10 - 5, continuously painting without any of us eating (except a small packet of Haribo). *Lesson learned - take a pack lunch!*

The theme we discussed for this project was to do "The Seven Hills of Sheffield" with each hill being a different style of illustration. It worked very well and we created a really fantastic piece which was thoroughly well received by the staff at the centre, which made the hunger worth the while

Ten foot of ceiling meant I was riding a ladder all day (good thing I don't have a fear of heights!) The clouds made an appearance again and framed the more important and focussed illustrations of the hills. I left the colour off these because i t would have detracted away from the hills, however i still wanted them to be a visual in their own right as the paper aeroplane had a colossal journey over to the other side of the room where it eventually landed in a hand drawn waste paper basket. It's main aim was to take your eye on a journey across the room and it was very effective.

My hill of sheffield consisted of tower blocks made from milk cartons. This was going along the obvious (or so i thought) idea of milk/calcium being good for the bones. Yet there were a couple of nurses that did question why I had drawn Milk cartons. I then began to think it wasn't so obvious, but they did laugh at themselves for not getting the idea straight away. So it was fine. I hope. I still really like the imagery i produced, but I enjoyed even more the real collaboration we had going on. It was a really good vibe that monday and everyone was eager to chip in with ideas or jump on a part that they felt needed something without worrying whether anyone had some preplanned or whatever, because we're all beginning to really trust each other and understand each others ideas. I'm really enjoying being a part of this drawing collective and I am hoping for big things to come along.

The participating artists were Sarah Abbott, Hailey Evenett, Jane Faram, George Law, Louise Wheeler and Myself. Enjoy! x

Illustration Rally and Ballad Of... FEATURES!

2010-09-15T02:44:00.000-07:00

I'm having a very strange little time at the moment. Not only have I had an amazing summer, but I seem to be hitting a bit of a stride with my work. The Soyo Live Art stuff is going fantastically, I'm doing some designs for Kuji Shop on Ecccesall Road in Sheffield and I've been featured on two online design/fashion blogs! I'm so overwhelmed and ever so grateful!

Here are the Links to the Blogs! Enjoy x

Illustration Rally and Ballad Of...

The Wilderness Downtown

2010-09-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ok. So. Viral Stuff on the internet generally does not excite me that much. Yes, the occasional video like "Chimp Rapes Frog" and "Worst Cat Jump Ever" video leaves me creasing in stitches of laughter, but really, I can mention nothing off the top of my head that has really blown my mind and left me speechless.

Until Now.

I can't begin to describe the brilliance of this piece of...well...art. Fantastic. You will Enjoy. x

The Wilderness Downtown - Arcade Fire Interactive Video/

Soyo Live Art - Monday 23rd August w/ Louise Wheeler, Hailey Evenett and Alix

2010-08-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

Another successful evening live arting at Soyo, as the new residents! Another piece following in my current preferred style, clouds, paper planes and banners galore. Words in this piece borrowed from Yucantan Gold by Throw Me The Statue. Great song, Wonderful lyrics. Peace x

Harley - Wall Illustrations

2010-08-19T03:36:00.000-07:00

As "The Stars In Stripes", we were asked to provide illustrations for the walls of the Harley at the top of West Street. It turned out to be a great day with some amazing drawings being created. Top stuff. Check out the photos of my work here, or pop along to the Harley itself, or look at the Stars In Stripes Blog in a couple of days when the work gets posted up there! Enjoy x

I provided some linking illustrations between the larger pieces by Hailey Evenett, George Law, Alix and Louise Wheeler. I used my cloud illustrations, which is becoming something of an old guard in my illustration arsenal, to link together some really fantastic drawings. The paper aeroplanes and token dashed lines really tied the whole thing together really well.

Here I chose to illustrate a Tiki Head, something I had not drawn since being in school. The idea came from Tiki heads being used to protect peoples homes/villages etc, and this being the Harley Hotel reception area, I thought it would be a nice idea to ward off any evil spirits/crackheads.

Rabbit Portal jumped on a piece of work i'd started off once I was comfortable with the amount i'd done. I was blown away by how he transformed the simple crest and eagle claw I did into the final image he created, and also that i got to work with him anyway. His work is absolutely brilliant and it was a really honour to finally meet him after following him on twitter for ages! Sound for now, i'm going off to work on bar at V festival this weekend. Peace x

Soyo Live Art - Monday 16th August w/ Louise Wheeler and Beards Club

2010-08-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

Really nice vibe last night. First time at an evening event, meaning i had to work quicker, and produced a piece i am really really happy with! Enjoy, kids. x

The Totem

2010-08-15T07:29:00.001-07:00

This is the final, three illustration page in completion. Little bit chuffed. Could be more chuffed. Mother Chuffers. x

Top of the Totem

2010-08-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

Finished the last of the three drawings i began last night. Three 10 inch x 4 inch drawings. Chameleon eye was the last one. Would like to come back to chameleons, there is so much fun to be had! Enjoy x

Eagle Eye (cherry)

2010-08-14T17:19:00.000-07:00

The second addition to the "totem" i've been drawing this evening (working title only). I'm struggling for animals to think of to draw really. Octopi have really rubbish eyes to draw. I hate reptiles. Maybe a fly?

I'll keep thinking. x

Hello, Wolfy.

2010-08-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

Did this because a) I really like Wolves b) I like the eyes of wolves more c) I have been meaning to draw a page like this for ages (it is incomplete at the moment, but it's a start) I'll keep posting when i've updated the page. Enjoy x

Apologies for the crap picture...photobooth will have to suffice until i've got my slr repaired! x

Banner

2010-08-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Octopus Thief - gracing the banner for the tramlines live art review in From Dusk To Dawn.

From Dusk To Dawn - Tramlines Live Art Review by Raegan Oates

2010-08-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to the review in Leicester's From Dusk To Dawn magazine, fantastic words from Raegan Oates. Keep checking for more information on up and coming live art events with the Stars and Stripes team, there's a chance we will be doing Oxjam in Leicester. NICE!

REVIEW HERE

BYWYD

2010-07-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

"Bywyd" - Life, in Welsh, for my Welsh friend Andy. On a roll with the old illustrations at the moment. This piece is done on an old Vinyl Sleeve i sprayed white. Used permanent markers on these, pretty chuffed with this one. Hope he likes it. Peace x

Tramlines 2010 (Sunday @ Soyo)

2010-07-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

The second day of two Live Art expos organised by George Law (of Hantu/Arcade). After the initial first time nerves on the saturday I was really relishing doing some more pieces and REALLY impressed myself with the two pieces I created on the Sunday.

And the Second...a last minute collaboration with Geo Law and Alex Godwin - my favourite piece of the weekend! Over and out from a massively chuffed T.G.P. Ball. Peace x

Tramlines 2010 (Saturday @ The Washington)

2010-07-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend just passed was brilliant. Tramlines is the biggest free festival in Europe, and only in it's second year. It was a great honour to be able to partake in the Live Art days on saturday at the washington and sunday at Soyo. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and feel i really showed my versatility as an illustrator. This is the piece I created on the Saturday. A Marshmallow man, roasting a couple of humans. Sadistic...yes...but it's cool I think..?

DEP-TH

2010-07-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

I've gotten into doing little Jeremy Fish style pieces, Oval shaped giving a nice border and limiting the amount of space to work in as well as having to think about the negative space around it. I'm still in my early stages of experimenting with this but I have had a complete surge of ideas so i'm pretty excited about what's to come over the next couple of weeks. Enjoy this for now.

Vintage British

2010-07-09T04:30:00.000-07:00

This is a small piece I did for a Regent Sounds Studio (London) t-shirt design that I didn't finish because I got swamped with my Academy work. I thought it was a nice little design and something I will adapt a bit further hopefully along a similar themed "London" piece when I get a little more time. Enjoy.

Be Nice When You Play With My Heart

2010-07-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

This is a little piece I knocked up this evening. Wanted to test out a new photoshop brush i made (squares) and thought this would be a bit nice. I don't really do much "soft" stuff. Thought i'd give the octopi and dead birds a week off. Enjoy.

Werewolf

2010-07-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

This is a werewolf i've done for the o2 academy "halloween" themed night in November. I'm thinking of doing a small series of posters...probably 4 (werewolf, vampire, ghoul and headless horseman) and then a final poster (probably for the final outcome) incorporating all four on one poster. I think the arms need to be a tad longer on this though looking at the photo? I hope you like it because it's the first actual, non computer/photoshop/illustrator drawing i've done and i'm very impressed that i actually still know how to hold a pen. RELIEF.

BY THE WAY - The thing hanging in front of the pink silk screen print in the background is NOT a handback. It's my Olympus film SLR. OKAY?!

INSPIRATION (NEW)

2010-06-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

On browsing the D&AD website just a few moments ago, I became completely captivated by this illustration work by Geoff Grandfield. "Our brief was to make a contemporary set of monochrome illustrations and a two-colour cloth jacket design for the factual account of a legendary mountaineering accident."

I love the simplicity on these illustrations. Often when I am challenged with working in a limited number of colours (like the "End of the Line" brief). They represent the content well, as well as being just simple wonderful illustrations.

Illustrator: Geoff Grandfield
Art Director: Eleanor Crow
Design Director: Joe Whitlock-Blundell
Client: The Folio Society

Reimagining the Past

2010-06-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful video I have seen, as posted by Creators-UK on Twitter. Superb visual effects, brilliant score as well.

http://www.thecreatorsproject.com/blog/reimagining-the-past--2

Some Rough Concepts

2010-06-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

Semi-Roughs for some flyers and posters i've been asked to do. enjoy.

UNBELIEVABLE

2010-06-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

Jai Paul - BTSTU this is one of the best songs i've heard in absolutely ages. Since the global domination of The XX, this is really amazing!

Creative Spark - Arts Institute of Sheffield 2010

2010-06-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Naturally, studying at Sheffield Hallam (Arts Institute) and having some friends in the final year, it would have been rude of me not to hop along before work and check out their show. I'm extremely glad I did. Overall it was an excellent selection of work displayed, across all the disciplines, Illustration, Advertising, Motion, Hand Made and Identity.

I was a little dubious about it being held in the Hubs (our Graphics studio), but really, I felt it was a brilliant use of space. Enough room for a lot of people still with room for people to have a chat.

I thought the overall quality of student work was absolutely fantastic. I'd kind of half sat in on a few peoples tutorials with our tutor and been really excited about their ideas, though a couple of people hadn't really presented their work to what I had been expecting, though good nonetheless. I was already to say that the tutors have some responsibility for quality control (of the presentation of students work) though actually, in the third year, they should be well practiced and efficient at presenting their work. Although, maybe a subtle hint wouldn't have gone a miss, but then again, I know that i can rely on the opinions of my peers to provide me with decent feedback as to whether they think i'm doing something correctly. That's why I come into uni and work around them, and speak to them, and live with them. If it works, definitely don't try and fix it.

The signage for the show was brilliant. A massive well done to Chris, Andy and Ross for putting it together. Works very well and looks fantastic. Would've been nice if everyone could've come up with their own little logo for their artboards, but that's probably just creating extra work that they really don't need. Maybe I'll do it if i have time? Hmmm, food for thought.

MOANS- I did feel that the lighting of the work was a bit lame. Just one light? It could've been put down to the students to provide some more lighting (something i'll be enquiring about for our final show next year)

That's about it for the moans really, It was a brilliant atmosphere, handled professionally and efficiently.

My best in show:
Andrew Lester - Brilliant screen prints and some fantastic illustration.
Jess Burton - Wonderful concept to her work and well thought out method to producing the final outcome. Really clever business card/packet also!
Alex Tizard and Jonathan Rands - Absolutely brilliant advertising concepts with some superbly produced final outcomes. Brilliant, tongue-in-cheek motion Lynx advert.

Fantastic show!

A good telling off

2010-05-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

I got CS5. I did this. Not finished. I feel looking at it now that it's a bit like the credit sequence of "Catch me if you can", which by the way is superb anyway. lovely.

AOI competition - Bike London

2010-05-16T13:44:00.001-07:00

This is my only entry for the AOI Bike London Competition. Extremely pleased with the outcome. I hope I do ok!

More Moor Exhibitions

2010-05-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Once again some of my work has been put up in the Moor Artspace in Sheffield. Apologies for the terrible photo but i didn't have a camera only my worthless piece of poo phone. Oh well, still an achievement.

Coney Island Side Show - Final Linoleum Cut Prints.

2010-05-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

FOR SH! AWARD JUDGING

At last. My final piece. Extremely proud with the final outcome of this and strangely fallen in love with the Bearded Lady. She's Beautiful. A long process has shown me benefits and drawbacks of lino printing, but ultimately i've worked out all the kinks and really started a journey with a process that i feel i've rea;;y begun to master and produce good work with. So yes, why delay any longer i hear you say? Enjoy this. All hand printed (minus the yellow insert which was digitally produced and laser printed) Run of 5 prints (around 19 indiviual prints per finished item!) Fully worth the effort, less the trapped nerve in my shoulder!

Front Cover. I went with a red, white and blue theme because of the colours of America. Simple and ledgible I feel this really works. Wish the type would've printed better on numbers 3-5 in the series but the first two were used for my portfolio and are in fact at university waiting to be handed in. I think it was due to using Rough Watercolour paper that has a very grainy surface. I will use a smoother rough paper next time. "Learn wisdom from the follies of others" as some kind chap posted as a comment on the poster in the last post (still awaiting to see my errors pointed out...git)

This is the back of the Lino wrapping. The clours printed on the front have linked very nicely into introducing a sticker which binds the two edges together.

A close up on the sticker. Probably one of the more fiddly pieces I produced to print with.

Left is "The Bearded Lady, my evergrowing love, and on the right is "Cyclops". I tried to created characters based on past and current members of the actual Coney Island Side Show but I also wanted to put my own little spin on things to produce some original characters. I'm not an amazing character designer but I am very pleased with the cast of my Side Show.

Right is "The Almight Blob", a kind of dig to out American counter parts and also just had a brilliant time drawing him up. I love the nature of Lino Cuts and inparticular how he has a kind of glow coming from his left Moob. Right is the "Fire Breather", the lino I most impressed myself with.

When tasking myself with producing a colour and black and white poster, I naturally approached the colour poster first, knowing I would be able to produce something very visually exciting. This was me subconciously delaying the undertaking of the black and white poster. I struggled with this greatly, more than anything I was required to do for this Self Directed brief. I can't even explain why. However, I soon realised that it was a tad unnecessary, and began to think more on promotional lines as if the Side Show was going to come to Sheffield. I thought a flyer, to be inserted into my lino cut piece would be a good idea if were to ever happen. After trying to print on a numbers of different colours, the yellow really stood out as something that would not be easily ignored. I am geuinely very pleased with my work as well as myself and will continute to print on a regular basis. I hope everyone enjoys it too.

The Coney Island Project. Colour Poster

2010-04-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

FOR SH! AWARD JUDGING

So, I've been a bit quiet lately. I don't even know why. Anyway, I've been burrowing myself away with a current project, based on the Coney Island Side Show in New York after visiting in March. After a fantastic trip, completely overwhelming and breathtaking, I've taking on this project, producing Lino cut prints into a "theatre style" concertina folded final piece. It will be a run of five, consisting of the concertina with a wrapped outer. Also, I will be producing a black and white, and colour poster advertising the show as if it were coming to Sheffield. The Lino's are cut and ready to print next week, the black and white poster is in conception and the colour poster is right before your eyes. Enjoy!

William Kentridge

2010-03-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

After visiting the MoMA gallery whilst in NYC, and in particular the William Kentridge exhibition, I have returned to Sheffield utterly inspired. Displayed was a collection of beautiful sculpted prints and fantastically chaotic charcoal drawings. I now know that I want my main focus of my journey as an Illustrator to be Lino and Woodcut printing. In "Trace" a collection of his finest linos, drypoints, aquatints and etchings, in a talk with The Associates of The Department of Prints and Illustrated Books (MoMA) he mentions his methods and I was left utterly overwhelmed by the intelligence and chaos control he has over his work. He is not it's slave by any means and produces work so sequentially perfect that I have received a massive boost in my intentions at University and for my career post education. One part in particular was when he mentioned "before each plate was printed, I gave myself half an hour to rework the plate, so although that it was a print produced a number of times, each one has little variations." This is an unbelievable dedication to his art form. Uniquely edited and continuously adapted his work from print to print. This is an amazing inspiration to myself and I would be shocked to hear that it didn't influence other people.

Ranging from pure observation to twisted and dream like, evaded of reality, his work encompasses a huge selection of communicative elements even including motion work. If I am 10% of the designer William Kentridge is I will be happy. Though in my nature, I will not be satisfied until I can communicate as fluently and effectively as Kentridge does in his work. Purely incredible is a far short a statement from the beauty his work achieves.

GrassFace

2010-03-24T06:22:00.000-07:00

GRASS GRASS GRASS.
I decided, as I like the calmness of drawing a large page of grass, like the couple I had done before, to produce another A3 sized piece, but this time drawing in a couple of hidden objects. Lego 2x2, Army man and Toy Car.

I'm Here by Spike Jonze

2010-03-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.imheremovie.com/#

This is a wonderful little short film about love by Spike Jonze. I found out about this through being on the Ghostpatrol mailing list, proving that mailing lists aren't just for hte purpose of filling your inbox with useless drivel and junk mail about viagra and all things perverted. Well worth a look. (WARNING - you may have a wait a little while to watch this as the "seats" in this online "cinema" seem to fill up quite quickly!)

Enjoy

The End of the Line - Finished Book Cover

2010-02-27T07:44:00.000-08:00

FOR SH! AWARD JUDGING

This is my final book cover for the "The end of the Line" brief. I very pleased with my final piece and really happy with my current aesthetic. I like it, I enjoy designing in this style and it really works for me. I hope you enjoy it too and that you are eager to see more work from me! Tell your friends.

These are a few close ups of the Front, Spine and Back covers. I feel my final really flows nicely across the cover. One of the more challenging things was the actual design method. Instead of designing for a normal editorial or poster etc, a book cover needs to, in a sense, be designed backwards, due to the front cover being on the right hand side, when you'd normall start on the left. In effect, I was having to read my final piece right to left and back and front. Challenging but I really feel i've done myself proud. There were a few more changes to make but due to my ridiculous two week virus I was unable to tweak everything I wanted to.

Some Buildings

2010-01-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

This is nothing special. I was simply trying to fill the hours in the day since I've been back in sheffield by myself. I quite like it though. A T-shirt perhaps, or maybe just another background.

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

2009-12-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

What a fantastic album. Truly stunning. I first heard this band a while back, not really thinking it more than just a rare treat on the radio and instantly forgetting the name. I wish I had followed up by finding them because I am absolutely blown away by their debut album. I look forward to hearing more of their music and definitely seeing them live whenever I can. 10/10.

Listen to the album here...

A Lifetime Lost

2009-12-23T08:24:00.000-08:00

Whilst routing around for old books for some inspiration and just general things to do out of pure boredom, I found this beutiful collection of stamps from far and wide, assembled by my Dad when he was a kid and seemingly didn't have any technology/electricity. It's sad to think, that collections like this are now condemned to an "antique" pigeon hole to never be revived. Through the culture I have been brought up in, and how it's "fast food" nature has resulted in such high demand for quickness and accuracy, I can't deny that this is something I wouldn't start doing. My patience is too short. That's also why books like the one I found are so wonderful. These are just a small selection of some of the pages. They have proven to be a brilliant insight into my own design. I now see that on a large scale, things are much easier to communicate, but on the scale of a stamp, that can't be more than an inch in size, the detail and design has to be perfect. Truly amazing specimens and also a huge kick up the arse for my attention to detail. *(APOLOGIES FOR THE RUBBISH SCANS)*

City Chaos

2009-12-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

FOR SH! AWARD JUDGING

This is another octopus I drew on the bus home from Sheffield. I've edited and finished it in photoshop. I'm really pleased with the outcome. I'm really loving my layer masks too! (Available for print upon request)

Review - Term 1

2009-12-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

It's been a really interesting term. I feel completely at ease. I've not felt unhappy with the course at all, and certainly not since choosing my specialism.
After undertaking the Illustration pathway, I've fully realised that I've always been an Illustrator. It comes so naturally to me and I absolutely love just sitting and spilling my mind onto a page.
With the briefs we've been given, I feel that i've responded very well to each of them. The reportage drawings of figures went better than I thought and I developed my double page spread ability. With the "Dog Exercise Machine" I've created something that I really love. I'm so happy with the outcome and it's improved my ability with photoshop substantially. I'm much quicker and more accurate with the programme and this will only better my design in the future.
This improvement has given me time to do a poster for one of the guest lectures next year. Whether it will be used or not is besides the point, i'm merely commenting on the freedom i've had because i've been able to work quickly and efficiently.
I feel now that I am totally limitless. I've really hit a stride with my illustration and my imagination is flowly unhindered and constant. I'm very excited for the upcoming term. I'm even more excited about my future as an Illustrator.

Proud.

2009-12-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

FOR SH! AWARD JUDGING

I've called this poster "Proud". We had the task of creating a poster no larger than A3 to show a "Dog Exercise Machine". With my chosen breed, the Border Collie, I began designing some over extravagent designs of machines. I liked none of them. I went back to my initial thought process and figured that because the Collie is a working farm dog, I should keep it within an agricultural theme. Also, knowing first hand that Border Collies are insane and need exercise at least 5 times a day, I produced a poster reflecting a truer "machine" for exercise. I've always pictures Collies as very proud, intelligent dogs and that is exactly how I have portrayed my dog here. The style i've used is also very rustic with the technique i've applied. I still had the challenge of incorporating some montage as a requirement of the brief, but feel i've pulled it off with the cut out tractor over the hill. I'm very pleased the final outcome, I hope everyone enjoys it also.

New Designs on the Moor

2009-12-14T10:41:00.000-08:00

This was a collection of work displayed in the Moors Shopping precinct in Sheffield. A collection of the best work from our Observation and Communication project. Compiled by Sean Gee and myself. (Got to test our In Design skills)

As a part of the brief, we had to complete a poster. As well as displaying the best posters, the tutors chose a selection of the best sketchbook work, to demonstrate the development and design ideas/process. I think it is really important, when designing and displaying work, that the development and process is shown. It creates a deeper understanding in the audience mind and makes the work more accessible to everyone

Excitement

2009-12-14T09:10:00.001-08:00

OOOOOOOOOO I REALLY WANT TO POST UP MY "DOG EXERCISE MACHINE" POSTER.
Not quite finished yet, will definitely be completed TOMORROW - 15th December 2009
WATCH THIS SPACE!