The Sixty Ninth Doodle

If someone took me aside when I was a gap-toothed little kid and told me the following things I would not believe them-

1) That I would voluntarily dye my hair ginger. And it would rock.

2) That I'd actually look alright in specs.

3) That I would decide, off my own bat, to draw a leopard and it would be totally badass.

 4)That I would own not one, but two pairs of jeggings. For shame.

Now, I draw your attention to point 3. When I was younger I was like 'ohhh what's the point of drawing animals, just take a photo man'. What a tit I was. Animals are like, totally rad. Especially (not to sound like a twat but meh) mine. I do like to keep that true, natural essence of the animal, but to then add my own unique twist on top to create something darkly unique and vibrant. 

Yum. Love it.

The Sixty Eighth Doodle

I love commissions. They can be challenging and sometimes difficult, but they will always open your eyes. Either to new ideas, new ways of working, new subject matter, or maybe even something you vow to never go near again. You suddenly need to try and see something from the position of a stranger, and that is an intriguing thought.

As an illustrator or artist or a designer, you get so used to delving yourself into your own world of ideas and styles. Why would anyone else know any better than you ey??! But that is just the thing. Very often, someone else WILL and DOES know better. And we should figure out when to bloody listen!

My example doodle here was a special commission of a musician called Krystle Warren, a subject who was both challenging and incredibly interesting. From exploring the colour pallet to experimenting with what materials suited her best (soft B pencils- organic and natural worked so much better than hard pen) it is a constant journey of discovery and those moments where you go, 'OoooOOOhh, it's like thaaaat...'.

And I for one, think those moments are crucial to arty type folks. It keeps us in check innit.

The Sixty Seventh Doodle

The tube is an amazing place. (Before we go any further, I of course mean the London Underground, not like a tube of cardboard from the middle of loo roll.) You see all walks of life down there, it is quite marvellous. Mwahahaha.

This illustration came from a girl I saw on the tube who was pretty funky. Now, she didn't actually have a weird blue aura and I am certain her real life face had an outline - I used artistic lisence 'o course. But she was a hellova lotta fun. Trying to capture that nonchalant, effortlessly cool way she hung from the pole, her funky outfit and hair, her general groovy vibe. 

I mean, I don't know, maybe she is actually a total cow in real life, and I'd find that I'd rather chew glass than draw her. But in my head, and on the tube, she seemed funky. May as well draw funky people when you see 'em ey?