We all scream for ice-cream

Ann and I just got back from a weekend in Latvia for her birthday. Riga was really nice, lots of old buildings and cobbled streets, but in a slightly lived in, run down feeling which felt far more really than a lot of cities you go to now where its all been touristed up. Give it time though and it will soon catch up though.

As it was Ann's birthday my suitcase was pretty much just full of presents but there was one set of presents I couldn't bring. At Christmas Ann got me an Ice-cream recipe book. True to form as soon as I'd mastered the basics I started experimenting with my own concoctions. For Ann's birthday I made her drumstick lolly flavour and blueberry and blueberry ripple.

Being the pedantic graphic designer that I am, I also made some labels for the boxes as seen below.

Too-wit, too-woo

Following on from my plunge into the good sea facebook - I have also joined the twittering world too. I am even less sure what you are supposed to do with it. With all these web pages online to be updated its a wonder that anyone gets anywork done. I know I've just spent most of the night trying to synch up the twitter with this blog and choosing pretty logos instead of getting on with a poster I should be doing.

Twitter does seem like nonsense fun though so I look forward to tweeting you all.

www.twitter.com/himp

ps - does anyone know how to get the text in my side bar to not tab inwards on the second line of my twittering. Tis annoying when it is not aligned correctly.

Its alive

The Himp website news section has had a wee update with some of the things we have been up to over the last few months. Just so you know we are still all in one piece.

Keep calm and spend more

Taking inspiration from the classic WWII posters instructing the populace to "Keep calm and carry on" in the face of possible Nazi invasion these new badges imagine the motivational propaganda today's governments might issue to get us through the credit crunch. Sprouting the seemingly illogical message that we can "spend" our way out of a recession, the design has been updated for the naughties - the crown is replaced with the bowler hat as a symbol of the banking elite who have run the country into the ground and available in Dollar Green, Sterling red, Yen blue and Euro yellow.

ECHO

A wee flyer I designed for the SPID Theatre Company for their new show in London - details above, sounds like it will be really good so worth a visit.

fresh and hot

Wee colour sketch idea for a poster for an heating company who get their heat from the earth. Trying to capture the same kind of style/ language that is currently popular for fruit drink / healthy food adverts.

Saul Stienberg

A couple of my drawings got into the Saul Steinberg competition at the Dulwich Gallery and you can see them at the below link - for some reason the quality is terrible though.
http://pix.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/gallery23.aspx

Book Face

Ok I'm not really sure what it is for but below is a link to a Hole in my Pocket facebook group.

I think the fact that the facebook world confuses me might be the first sign that I am getting old am no longer down with the kids - to combat this I might have to go buy a skate board, knock a police man off his bike and begin using the texting venacular. Nt sre dat wud b dat g8 tho - I thnk kidz mite b stupd.

Link to facebook group

snow fair

Yesterday we had a ton of snow so I built the above snowman. Sadly today there is no snow and the little snowman has gone.

Hole in my Pocket

Doodled up a wee logo for Hole in my Pocket that I'm going to use on the board game / book I'm planning on making about our trip around Scotland all those years ago with our old airhostess trolley. If only we'd owned digital cameras back then instead of getting everything on slides. Doh

Also going to be working up some more design for Spids theatre shows in London .

I should never have joined the army - Climbing Kong

Why I should never have joined the army

happy new year

Everyone happy to be back at work?

4Talent - Eilidh's Daily Ukuele Ceildh

Sadly I have just heard that 4Talent (Channel 4's creative industries wing) has ceased to exist - another victim to the credit crunch. They were a good bunch of people there and will no doubt will be heading off to do more of their interesting stuff else where.

I guess that means I can safely put the above short film I made online. It was made for 4T earlier this year but never quite managed to get uploaded - and now I guess never will so here it is celebrating Eilidh's Daily Ukuele Ceildh in all her wonder.

Merry Christmas to all.

Cheers

Alburt

Couple of sketch idea options I mocked up for SPID theatre for their upcoming play in London

New exhibition

I popped through to Edinburgh at the weekend to drop off some paintings for this show. Looks like it will be good fun. Its taking place in a very nice town house in Edinburgh two doors down from the American Consulate and its rather posh.

Its also for a really good cause so please try and pop along and see if anything takes your fancy.

Japanaroma

We are havign a grand time in japan - everything is so nicely designed we keep wanting to buy things we see. Off to the sumo wrestling tomorrow - not really sure of the rules but it looks exciting.

Top Christmas Pressie

http://www.flat33.com/postcard/ENG_02_info.html

POSTCARD
A celebration of recent postcard design, thisunique book showcases over 800 miniature worksof art, specially created for a postcard-sizedcanvas: a must-have for avid collectors as well asanyone with a passion for graphic design.Features over 100 artists, illustrators, photographers,designers and collectives from around the world,with new talents sitting alongside established artists.Separate sections are devoted to one-off designs,limited-edition sets and books, unusual and hightechpostcards and interactive projects.Includes a huge range of handmade artworks,cutting-edge illustrations, commercial promocards, and even edible and musical postcards.

And I'm one of the artists. My copy arrived yesterday and its super cool and would make an excellant gift for your loved ones this Christmas.

I'm off to Japan - see you in a few weeks. (Availible from all good book shops and the wonderful world of Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Postcard-FL-33/dp/1856695697?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215963088&sr=8-1.)

New brand option No 1

Island

Few extracts from my book the Lighthouse - first in a series of four books about the lonely life of a little lighthouse keeper and the real reason he stays on his island (£4.50 exc p+p). The second part is almost complete and will be on sale soon too.

Super T-shirt

Just remembered about the film Sammy's Super T-shirt from the late 70's. About a wee boy who's t-shirt accidently becomes part of a science experiment and ends up giving the boy super speed and strength. I'm totally making myself my own T-shirt with the above image.

Sammy's Super T-shirt

La gay Paree

Just got back from an enjoyable office trip to gay paree. Was very nice, I'd never been to Paris or France before for a whole host of reasons. We had a great time, despite missing out fallen comrades. Was good to finally see all the famous sites and sounds.


poppydo centre arty stuff

le tower

Park near le tower - how come paris has so much space


the seine

the louvre

musee d'orsay

very fancy dining room in the musee d'orsay


wee mini houses built around the world - exhibit of Edouard Sautai at the Pompidou Centre

stop me and buy one

New just off the blocks - anyone want one? Going cheap.

My own take on the classic "Keep calm and carry on" posters from the second world war.

rain

I like rain

If I found an eyelash . . .

To catch a thief

When did Lloyd Grossman become the big food expert? One minute he's a house burglar raking through peoples stuff the next he's got jars of his own sauce on all the supermarket shelves.

16

Poster for new show above - and more info on Spids current show below.

THE GARDEN

An apocalyptic morality tale is unfolding all around …
Press night – Friday 15th AugustFar at the edge of time, a boy and a girl have outlived the end of the world. But a stranger in the undergrowth seems hell-bent on tempting them to self-destruction. When only the ruthless survive, can anyone afford to be good?
Site specific location:

Little Wormwood Scrubs, Dalgarno Gardens, London W10 6AD

Dates: Fri Aug 8th to Sun 31st August (no shows Mon to Wed)
Time: 8pm (show lasts 70 mins)
Ticket prices: FREE
Riverside Studios box office: 020 8237 1111Directions: Take bus 70 or 316 from Ladbroke Grove tube; get off near North Pole Road then turn right off Dalgarno
Gardens and head diagonally across the park
Background:Step into the midst of this grisly future as the story plays out around a council estate park for which the show has been especially created. It follows S.P.I.D.'s four month program of events including resident lead walks, promenade puppetry and installation work – all developed with local people as a way of bringing the neglected community space back into use. The Garden is a professional collaboration with Riverside Studios, commissioned by Kensington and Chelsea Arts Service as part of the In Transit Festival and the Arts Council Taking Part Place Project.
Further information and photos available from:
The Social Enterprise PR Tel: 020 7617 7063 / 07851 729 078Email: spid@thesocialenterprise.org

"A rare and original theatrical treat," Time Out **** on S.P.I.D.'s critic's choice, Open House"A fantastical love story, beautifully written and directed," Edinburgh Evening News **** on S.P.I.D.'s Bluebeard's Wives
ABOUT S.P.I.D.

Andora - the land of the two headed dog

Lord of the dance

No, the lord of the dance is not Jesus or indeed Michael Flaterly - the king of the dance is 31 year old Matt Harding a "31-year-old deadbeat from Connecticut who used to think that all he ever wanted to do in life was make and play videogames."

Its a very strange film - its just of a slightly strange bloke dancing in different places around the world but for some reason it leaves you with a big smile.
Why do we humans enjoy, eccentric adventures like this. How does something so seemlingly pointless have such a profound effect on so many people around the world that they are sending Matt emails saying the video made them smile and cry.

Who knows but it is a video that shows, it is a small world after all.

lunch