Kerry & Kevin Collaboration - Open Call

Just before Christmas, I was sent a rather fetching letter with an egg cup on the front and an invitation with the words "Say Yes" screen printed across a page from an old children's annual with a cowboy on. The letter was from a project called Kerry&Kevin. I'm not sure if there was a subliminal message in this invitiation but for some reason I decide to "Say Yes".

To help explain 'Kerry&Kevin' better, Kerry says "this project started in December 2009 with the intention of combining different processes and opinions in response to the issue of social inclusion. For example: how do people experience inclusion on a social, everyday level; what are the social consequences of inclusion; how can we make people aware of others; offer support systems and understand individual needs and behaviour. I have invited 41 practitioners from a range of disciplines to contribute due to their expertise, methodology and subject knowledge, I have asked them for some of their time, conversation and participation. This project will evolve from Kerry and Kevin's discussions and interactions, and the outcomes will vary from a chat, a workshop, a written statement to sharing an existing piece of work."

This project is open to collaboration so please check out the site as there are many wonderful people involved, including Bill Drummond and the Untimely writers to name just a few. Below is my contribution to the project illustrating my feelings towards inclusion stemming from my practice as an illustrator. These are just the first two panels of an eight panel sequence so to see the full story click HERE.

Batman No 72 on Covered Blog

Robert Goodin from Covered blog asked me if I would like to take part in the first "Covered Art Show' taking place at Secret Headquarters in Los Angeles. Covered is one of my favourite blogs and I check in there everyday at 4pm (GMT) to see the latest post so obviously I didn't hesitate to say YES. The show started a few days ago and features a stack of awesome cartoonists and illustrators redrawing any existing comic book of their choice. Prints and originals are available to buy via their flickr site, which you can find by clicking here.

I drew my interpretation of Batman No 72. I really struggled with this image mainly due to my workload from November through to January. Finishing the comic, the Porporpeius mask, the 'dicephaly brothers' toy and box, and a merchandise range for the Tate, plus the mania that is Christmas, all happened at the same time and I have to admit I felt utterly burnt out when I got round to doing this. Anyway, if this picture doesn't remind you of being extremely tired then you can buy it for the bargain price of $50 here. It is a giclee print in an edition of 20 so get 'em while their hot!

Little Ao-sag-bi

Here is 'Ao-sag-bi'. This illustration is just a small detail in a much larger picture than feeds into an even bigger project that should be due out in October. Unfortunately, I had to adjust his position for the final image but I like this initial composition so much that I thought I'd share it.

Ouroboros Update

The fantastic Nate Williams very kindly interviewed me about the process of creating 'Ouroboros' over at Illustrationmundo, where you can see early stage sketchbook drawings of the comic, you can read this verbal exchange HERE. Creative Review even picked 'Ouroboros' to be in their 'very nice publications' for March section, clickity clack HERE to peruse. Finally, the AOI featured it on their blog with some very positive (if misspelt) words, tap that mouse HERE to go there.

Below are a few unused images from the illustratiomundo interview. First up is the pencil sketch and colour final of page 7.
Pencil sketch and colour final of page 18.

Finally, here is a section of the shelf beside my desk. It's littered with books and toys and is a constant source of distraction and inspiration.