That porridge is rubbish

Changing the rules

Sir Christopher Kelly is the man tasked with reviewing the MP's expense procedures and coming up with ways to modify it to make it more fair - good luck mate, especially as the MP's as changing the rules already without waiting for Sir Kell's report to be completed.

Started uploading all the Common of Houses entries onto the webiste. Some very interesting ones and also some cruel ones are on already with tons more to come over the next week.

Take a peak www.commonofhouses.co.uk

More wisemen

Who be this?

Reveals all

Think I might make a series of these famous faces from the olden days - anyone know who this is?

Competition

I've been very busy this month with both the competition and lots of DIY in the flat. Seem to have spent nearly every second of the last few weeks sanding or painting on an almost constant basis. Pleased to say that the flat is getting there . . . well at least the kitchen is just about finished which is a start. We now have a very lovely pantry and its givign us an excuse to by lots of nice grub to store in it.

The above is an example of an entry for the MP's home competition I set up.

www.commonofhouses.co.uk

Craving

A test to see how many UK based illustrators read Illustration Friday because no one oustide of UK children of the 80's will have a clue what this is about.*

*Those that do will be saying - "But it doesn't even really look like him."

Superheros Return

Good news, looks like "Break glass, in case of emergency" might be picked for an interesting sounding new art show - we shall wait and see. I'm glad I never sold all three of the original sculptures now - though I do wish I'd got round to getting proper prints made up.

Common of Houses

So our new competition is online. We are looking for artsts, architects and designers to come up with creative solutions to the MP's two home fiasco. Top interesting prizes to be won.

For more information please visit - www.commonofhouses.co.uk

He turned his back upon me

Well sadly, I've found out that my Sherlock Holmes idea wasn't picked for this year's Four Corners Familiar.

In better news, I still think it would make a really cool book so I'm planning on making up a limited series of copies. Should be fun - if I can ever find the time to make them. Still not quite completed the Lighthouse keeper sequel yet. Doh.

Adapt

What's in an "L"?

Doh - Its not me honest guv.


We've all succumbed to the ego search. (Typing your own name into google to see what comes up) I'm pretty lucky, I seem to be the only person who spells their combined name the way that I do, so nearly all the results that come up are actually me.

Someone actually pointed this out to me the other day, its not something I've really thought about before - I've just always taken for granted that no one I have met spells even their first name the way I do, let along their full name. If I do one day meet someone with the exact same name, I think I'll feel like they are trying to assume my identity and I'm not sure I'll like it. Its the same when you meet someone born on the same day - you feel like saying "What do you mean its your birthday? That my birthday."

Anyway, once upon a time I noticed that there is someone out there whose name is close to mine, the MP Alistair Burt. Despite my extra "L" I did feel slightly uneasy, like I was looking into an alternate universe where I'd grown up to be a little Tory man. I quickly closed the site and tried to put it out my mind. I was reminded about it today though.

I am currently putting together the finishing touches to a new project due to be launched next week, which plays with the idea of MP's expenses and I was suddenly reminded of my Westminster Doppelganger and decided to google him again - just to make sure that he wasn't doing our shared name harm.

Imagine my horror when I found that he had made it to head line news in the Telegraph as yet another one of the MP's mixed up in the "all within the rules" mischief. I think I might have to write him a letter asking him to apologise for smearing the name Allistair Burt and I'm sure that Alastair Burt would agree.

Southside Festival

I've been asked to design the main festival poster, the map and all the internal navigation signage for the Southside Festival taking place in Queen Park in Glasgow at the end of the month. Should be good fun - but I'd better get my design skates on, the festival is on in only 12 days!!

Above is my colour mock up for the main poster - containing some of the symbols I've designed for the navigation signage.

Cube

Thanks for the messages in my absence - I've been away and also busy working on a few projects and have stayed away from the web and the lure of trawling pages of rubbish, ebay purchasing etc.

I will scan in some of the new projects I've been working on when I get a moment but today I caved and started looking through a few of my favourite sites. I discovered something interesting - by not looking at the sites for a few days, there is more to look at when you do return. Thats pretty obvious I know but it makes you take more notice of what you are looking at rather than a quick scan through each page to try and keep up to date with all that is good in the graphic arts and illustration worlds.

Today for instance I was checking out drawn.ca which is a brilliant blog of interesting things and I found the work of Louis Clichy whose animations are simply amazing. I remember at the last election seeing the BBC's little animations and wondering who had made them. They are brill and I think the Beeb should adopt Clichy's style for the whole of one of its stations. It would definertly get me watching. Maybe they could make BBC4 the home of great illustrations and use the work of Clichy, Tom Gauld and maybe Scott Campbell.

Anyways I try to always post things I've made or worked on but I so enjoyed the above animation I thought I would share.

"The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter."

This play stinks

Children can be the harshest of critics and also the most truthful. I said in my preivous post that I was going to be altering styles for a while but I just keep finding myself sketching out little scenes with these wee animal guys. Guess its because they are so quick and simple to draw. I reckon the one above took less that a minute. Maybe I should set myself the task one day of trying to see how many scenes I can draw in an hour.

Ok - this time I really am going to try and start doing proper work again instead of doodles of silly animals.

Currently waiting to hear if I've to complete all the posters, brochures, maps and other graphics for the Southside Festival. I made them five posters for free for various events over the last few weeks and they are currently going out to tender for all the other design work. Would be nice to help them out. As a local resident I really want the festival to be a big success and I think getting all the graphics right this year will be a big step in the right direction and give the Festival a big more validity.

The below are the posters I mocked up for some of the small local community events. The main festival posters will hopefully be out soon. Anyone in Glasgow should come along on the 23 and 24 May. For more info see the website that Ann has made for them.

http://www.southsidefestival.co.uk/

Theatre

Well good news since my last post Stereohype have been in touch and although I sadly came runner up in the badge design competition they have asked if instead I'd like to be one of their comissioned designers instead - so that should be fun.

Close but no cigar

Doh I'm afraid I have again come close but failed to win a cigar. But seeing as I don't smoke then that is probably for the best.

The winning badges for Stereohypes button badge competion has just been announed and they are, as usual, a big bag of colourful wonders. My designs were sadly not among the winners but I did make it to the short list see here.

Not quite sure what it means - think maybe I came runner up for the third prize which was won by Sarah Boris' very cool "You are here" badge. Ah well never mind - I think I might get the full set printed up on my own - anyone want one?

Pearsons DIY

Pig in a sweet machine

He turned his rounded back upon me

Another wee sample of the illustration project I'm thinking about for a Sherlock Holmes story - this idea combines parts of the original illustrations with overlaid elements redrawn in a surreal childlike style.

Happy Easter

[EDIT: I just didn't really like the colours of the previous attempt at this so have reprinted it. Think this simplified version is a lot easier to look at. Too much going on in the first one. Still don't think it really works though. The original is at the bottom of this post.]

I love when you overhear just fractions of a conversation as people wander past and you are left going - what on earth are they talking about. Like when I heard a couple of old men chatting about having been to the moon! I wanted to capture a sense of this fleeting audio and also something eastery and so was born the above.

Fleeting

I'll have to pass on this weeks theme to a friend of mine as it seems quite appropriate for some of her amazing work. I am currently developing a new site for the her, top New Zealand artist Alex Milsom http://www.alexandramilsom.com/ check out some of her brilliant images though the site is not quite finished yet.

EDIT - I've had quite a lot of people asking me about web designs and their blogs in the last few weeks so thought I should do a general call rather than answer everyones individual emails.

For the next while I have a bit of spare time, so anyone wanting to chat about getting their blog redesigned to function more like the one above then please drop me an email info@holeinmypocket.com and we can have a chat about what you are after and discuss a budget. First come first served - toasted cookies, get em while they're hot.

A Wee Tasty Experiment

In all the pigeon excitement of earlier on I forgot to mention that our books are for sale at Stereo in Glasgow tonight as part of A Wee Tasty's Experiment. Theres a write up about it in the Skinny here. We were asked to take part by the guys at Now Now who are trying to orginise all sorts of arty fun in Glasgow and have just recently had an art record breaking day.

We weren't able to make it - sadly - hence the reason I'm sitting at the computer and not enjoying all the fun but it sounded like it was going to be a lot of fun. Looking forward to the photos.

Pigeons

Stop the Pigeon

Caught the Pigeon

Ok just had two very odd experiences - read the above two posts on Southside Happenings

Birthday

Empire States meets the big apple. Isn't Lego great, the above is a gift I was sent for my birthday from my friends in New York. Its been along time since I built some Lego and is was lots of fun. Might go buy some more.

Rabbit's foot

Made it to number four on the list for Illustration Friday this week - one day I shall reach number one. I always try to draw a fresh image for each week - does everyone else do that too? Sometimes seems that people use old random images that have very little if anything to do with the specific subject - but that might just be my little brain not able to spot the links.

made me sad

Found this little guy in the road - so thats what happened to the ginerbread man when he tried to run away, he was run over by a steam roller.

Elementary

Started work on a new project about Sherlock Holmes - should be interesting. Only slightly related to that, here is a mock up sketch while I was figuring out how I'd like my version of the characters to look.

miss clown 2009

be werry, werry quiat . . .