I Draw the Line

Illustration Friday

2009-01-16T01:06:00.001Z

And this week's topic is...'Contained'... which conjured up this in my mind for some reason...

Illustration Friday - Clutter

2008-09-09T00:09:00.001Z

Don't know why the word 'clutter' conjured up this image in my head - having never owned a handbag...had a manbag for a while alright but now I think they're known as laptop bags, anyways, I have a patent pending on this...

Routine

2008-08-27T22:57:00.002Z

This weeks Illustration Friday topic... routine...

Illustration Friday - 'Canned'

2008-07-28T00:01:00.003Z

I had just framed this piece the other day and this weeks IF Topic is 'Canned' so I thought it would be appropriate enough! It's a flattened food can with the artwork - the little ecowarrior and the sun - drawn with ink on paper. I then cut it out and pasted it to the can and painted it, to set it off I framed it in a box frame. These are some pics of it, apologies for the glare from the flash...

Enough_IF Topic

2008-07-24T23:09:00.002Z

The Dolphins tried to warn us, now they've had enough and are heading back to their own planet... My attempt at this weeks Illustration Friday topic 'Enough' and a little homage to the Douglas Adams title 'So Long And Thanks For All The Fish'...

Foggy

2008-07-16T20:50:00.004Z

A foggy drawing this week for Illustration Friday...

Illustration Friday - Fierce

2008-06-29T14:10:00.003Z

There's nothing more ferocious than a vicious circle...

IF Punchline

2008-06-18T23:35:00.002Z

Another Illustrated topic for Illustration Friday

Worry_Illustration Friday

2008-05-30T02:15:00.004Z

Well, it's been a while, been working on the new house but now I'm back!

Illustration Friday: Momentum

2007-09-12T14:50:00.000Z

Quick doodle for this weeks IF topic 'Momentum'.

Some Colour!

2007-09-05T17:33:00.000Z

A bit of colour for a change! This is something I did Yeeeeeaaaaarrs Ago, I came across it while looking for something else and thought it was just too apt for this weeks IF topic to let it just sit there... I drew this in Flash 4! Now that's old!

Alphabets, Captains and Visitors

2007-09-04T23:09:00.000Z

So I've been on holidays and doing lots of silly season Augusty stuff and haven't posted in a while but I have been doing my homework... here are the last three Illustration Friday topics, Alphabets, Visitors and Captain...by the way I highly recommend Dubrovnik in Croatia as a vacation to anybody who hasn't been. Absolutely beautiful Old City! I may even post a photo or two here so watch this space...

Illustration Friday Topic - Missing

2007-08-07T18:59:00.000Z

Moon_IF

2007-07-29T17:28:00.000Z

The Man on the Moon looks a little fed up with everything and who could blame him...

2007-07-17T22:15:00.000Z

So, I was all set to do a 'Discovery' themed Illustration for this week's Illustration Friday topic until I 'discovered' I was up to my neck in work, so I 'discovered' this doodle I had already done instead... Cheers!

Geeky_ Illustration Friday

2007-07-09T15:20:00.000Z

Apologies to Geeks everywhere...

IF_Twist

2007-07-02T23:49:00.000Z

Illustrated for this weeks Illustration Friday topic 'Twist' ... maybe 'Twisted' might be a better title for this. Thanks to everyone for your continued feedback and support!

IF_Camouflage

2007-06-27T14:09:00.000Z

This weeks Illustration Friday Topic - Camouflage. Maybe if we throw enough junk around, animals may begin to evolve and adapt in line with their new environment...

Illustration Friday - Rejection

2007-06-19T12:15:00.000Z

Thanks for all your kind comments on my abstract doodlings...for better or for worse you're encouraging me to keep them going, here's another! E :-)

Matches

2007-06-11T18:31:00.000Z

Another of this weeks abstract ramblings.
Black pen on paper, 8.5 x 11 inches

Illustration Friday - Suit

2007-06-11T17:49:00.000Z

Been back in abstract doodling mode again lately so this weeks Illustration Friday topic 'Suit' had to get the black pen doodle treatment...
Black pen on paper, 8.5 x 11 inches.

Illustration Friday_Your Paradise

2007-06-06T10:37:00.000Z

I was thinking of what I'd do for this weeks IF topic 'Your Paradise' while I was sitting doodling in front of the TV, feet up, watching Discovery channel .....paradise! Here's the resulting doodle.

Illustration Friday, Signs

2007-05-20T09:38:00.000Z

I drew this up for this week's Illustration Friday topic "Signs". I know it's a bit corny, but I'm a big fan of corny! You may notice the 'No Smoking' sign i included in the cartoon... well that's there for a good reason, I began this at 4.30am, not being able to sleep as a result of being one whole day off the cigarettes! Woohoo!! So this is probably the first thing I've drawn without having a cigarette break in around five years! Hopefully I'll stay off 'em for good this time... I just hope I don't get up at 4.30 every morning! God bless Nicotine patches!

Bitter and Twisted

2007-05-14T16:44:00.000Z

I enjoyed painting my first squashed beer can so much, (see previous post) I decided to do one for this weeks Illustration Friday topic "Citrus". Check back for more soon!

Squashed Beer Can Painting

2007-05-11T13:04:00.000Z

I've been doodling on packaging and coffee cups for a while now (please see some of my earlier posts for examples). A while back, my blog buddy Richard (Aaaarph!) sent me a link to Charles Kaufman's excellent work at his blog crushedcanart and ever since, I've been wanting to try a bit of can art myself. Well, there was nothing much on TV last night apart from debates on the upcoming General Election here, listening to politicians from the various political parties come up with the same old promises. It was making my blood boil so I took it out on my beer can and got out my acrylics...very therapeutic! Anyways, I enjoyed it so much, I've had a good root around in the recycling bin outside and flattened some more potential canvases! I think my wife is becoming a little concerned about my mental health, but once she sees I'm happy she generally lets me to it....also please check out the amazing can art of Rik Catlow

Nosey Neighbor

2007-05-09T16:58:00.000Z

Inspired by this week's Illustration Friday topic "Neighbor" and also by my fence which was blown down in March by an unusually high wind. It's still down, my neighbour - a bit of a DIY enthusiast, insists that he's going to repair it himself and so far he's got one pole up. I think the Berlin wall went up faster... Please click on the image to see a larger version.

'Remember' for Illustration Friday

2007-05-04T15:26:00.000Z

This comes a little late for last Friday's Illustration Friday topic but things have been a bit hectic workwise... anyways...Always 'Remember' this old Irish Proverb and you won't go far wrong!

Illustration Friday

2007-04-23T10:35:00.000Z

This is my first post to Illustration Friday, a great site for Illustrators. And thanks to AARPH! for reminding me of its existence! The topic this week is 'Polar', I had this cartoon in the back of my head for a while so I thought this would be the perfect excuse to commit it to paper/screen. I know this blog is supposed to be for my more abstract doodles, and this is more cartoony but hey...what ya gonna do?

Another piece of the puzzle

2007-04-10T22:48:00.000Z

This is another section of the coffee stained piece, it's hard to crop these as there's so much going on all over the place, maybe I should structure them more but that's hard when you're being spontaneous!

Doodling Accidents

2007-04-04T10:02:00.000Z

This is a close up section of a larger piece I'm working on, (ballpoint pen on cardboard), I was looking at it one morning as I sipped my coffee, at that time of the morning my hand to mouth co-ordination isn't the best! However, the resulting splash marks have added a certain something to it...kind of a Jackson Pollock moment!

Life under the microscope

2007-03-27T23:16:00.000Z

I'd love to have had the brains to be a microbiologist, studying minute life forms and cells and all that cool stuff, instead I just have to make up my own little guys

I'm Back...

2007-03-23T19:23:00.000Z

Ok, I've been away from base all week and unable to post so to make up for it here's a few larger scale pieces I'm working on, kind of enlarged doodle paintings...

It just gets stranger and stranger...

2007-03-14T23:38:00.000Z

Ballpoint pen on a plain old sheet of white paper...

Cardboard Drawing

2007-03-13T20:46:00.000Z

Coffee and Doodling

2007-03-12T12:24:00.000Z

Not a lot can beat relaxing with a good cup of coffee and a sketch pad, drawing and doodling whatever is in your head. A lot of the time you don't even know what's in your head until it starts taking shape on the paper in front of you.
This was taken to a new level not too long ago, when I found myself on a three hour train journey with nothing to entertain me but a takeaway coffee and a ballpoint pen.
Being late for the train, I had a choice between queuing for a coffee or queuing for a newspaper, the coffee won. Anyways, having finished the coffee, I had a wakeful two and a half hour journey still ahead. I spent an enjoyable ten or twenty minutes surgically removing the printed outer layer from the cup and the rest of the journey sped by as I feverishly doodled my way around its freshly peeled surface. This, I discovered, is also a great method of ensuring that nobody in their right mind is going to sit next to you.
Pictured here is the final result, from a few different angles. I sold this piece on EBay shortly afterwards, so it now (hopefully) takes pride of place on a shelf or mantelpiece somewhere in the UK. I have since found a few local coffee shops that serve their takeout coffees in beautifully white non- branded paper cups, so expect more to be posted in the near future...time for a coffee.

To my hordes of fans...

2007-03-09T13:58:00.000Z

It's Friday and I won't be uploading for the weekend so I'm uploading a batch of doodles to keep all of my imaginary blog fans happy! Looking forward to blogging to myself again on Monday.... have a great weekend! Thanks, you too! Thanks!.... YOU hang up.... NO! YOU Hang up....

Here are some I prepared earlier...

2007-03-07T22:38:00.000Z

To get the ball rolling, I have decided to upload some doodles I've done in the past. They weren't doing much anyway, just hanging around waiting to cause trouble, so this'll give 'em something to do for a while. All these are biro (black ballpoint pen) on paper, I think there are some napkin drawings in there too, napkins are particularly nice to draw on with ballpoint, particularly when you have a cold or are a bit sad.
I'd like to some day be able to pay for a meal by doing a quick doodle on a napkin and handing it to the waiter, (think Picasso used to do that), whatever about the money you'd save on eating out, it would just look really cool... won't be trying it any time soon though. Anyway, I digress, here are the doodles...

Well I had to draw the line somewhere...

2007-03-06T19:00:00.000Z

At last I have arrived in Blogsville...I had been thinking about setting up one of these things for ages, just didn't realise how easy it was. I am a freelance Illustrator/cartoonist and I also do a bit of flash animation and graphic design. It's hard to decide on one term to cover it all, sometimes I use 'Multimedia Designer' or 'New media Artist' but that just confuses some people, so depending on who I'm talking to or pitching to, my job description is usually customised to suit.

Anyways, I have a portfolio site (linked opposite) where I display my creative wares, but I wanted somewhere different to show my doodles. They can be a little weird and dark or sometimes just completely ridiculous lookin', and I was afraid I'd scare off potential clients for the more mainstream commercial work upon which I depend so much. Being a bit thick, I also like the simple upload function of the blog. A friend of mine did all the backend stuff for my website (I don't do technical) and shortly afterwards he and his partner had a baby. He's a cute little feller and all, (the baby that is) but I'm now left with a website that I can't really get my head around. I am in the process of designing a new Flash based site which is looking great (can't wait to show it off) but it will be completely idiot proof since I will be doing all the action scripting!

So the plan is, from now on, first thing each morning as I'm siphoning coffee into my veins and politely replying to my spam, I shall upload a new, oven fresh doodle for the whole world to admire, debate and analyze. After a year or so, I'll pick the best Coffee Table Book deal from the pack of hungry publishers - who will be baying at my heels by then, retire and just draw whatever I feel like, wherever I want to draw it.

I should perhaps also mention that I tend to draw on stuff other than paper, I like to draw on cardboard, coffee cups, beer mats and inside out packaging (I've actually even sold a couple on EBay). So in a way I like to think of myself as an ‘Extreme Doodler'. Namby pamby white paper or Bristol drawing board with a vellum finish just aint gonna cut it with me, no surface is too rough, too cylindrical or too corrugated for me and my stable of supercharged pens and biros. So with that, I give you the first of this year’s 365 & a quarter Extreme Doodles.......

A friend of ours bought us an IKEA lampshade, this is the box it came in (turned inside out and reconstructed) I drew this with black ballpoint pens (or 'biros' as we call them here). The white is Acrylic paint.

Just to show the depth (it was a collapsible lampshade by the way.)
This piece sold on EBay and I miss it now.