Beardyman - In the Kitchen

If you already know of Beardyman but havnt seen this video. PLEASE watch it!

If you dont know who Beardyman is and have never seen this video PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
watch it. It will radically change who you are and prepare you for a better brighter future.

Beardyman - In The Kitchen

Dodgem Logic

Dodgem Logic is a Magazine curated and edited by Allan Moore, He also writes and illustrates for it but it contains work from alot of other small independant artists and writers. Its a mess of interesting stuff, articles and illustrations and is definitely for anyone who's interested in politics, philosophy, art and all good stuff. It even contains a regular section on guerilla gardening. Its NICE!

DODGEM LOGIC - Website

Sesquipadalian seems to be the hardest word...

1. (of a word) Polysyllabic; long: "sesquipedalian surnames".

2. Characterized by long words; long-winded.

Red Wine and Sunshine

Monster - The Story of Aileen Ricci

This is a film about Aileen Wuornos, an American female serial killer. I think it provides a really human view of a woman the media branded a "Monster."

Check it out if you like this sort of thing. Christina Ricci looks stunning in it as well.

Fleishner Toons - Cab Calloway and Betty Boop

Youtube - Cab Calloway - Minnie the Moocher

Tekkonkinkreet

Bluddy amazing film. Reminiscent of Akira, stunning backdrops and original character design.
Cracking story.. Arrrgh I loved it.

Youtube - Tekkonkinkreet Trailer

Fucking hell. The implications of this are bizzare.

He hit me (and it felt like a kiss) - The Crystals

Fuck it and The Herder Scratcher

Been doing at least one a day. Hope to keep this up. Good Work patterns!

The Great Fixer

An Illustration I did for fun yesterday. All crit welcome. I know shadows are dodgy.

Fabric 38: M.A.N.D.Y.

This mix is beautiful. I'll link to it, so i'm linking to something. Even though I know you theives will probably steal it from somewhere. Ahoy there.

Amazon: Fabric 38 Mixed by M.A.N.D.Y.

Number 10. Finding New Music

Finding new music often makes me feel expressive. If it really takes me I can draw to it like I can dance to it. Or if its music that I cant dance to I can sit and draw and make stupid faces to myself and feel moody and pictures often work better.

I like how music puts you in different states of mood and mind. I think this is really important for expressive drawing.

Grooveshark

Try the link above for finding new stuff, or if you already use Spotify you probably wont need too. Its very similar. But if you cant get a Spotify account, use Grooveshark as its free, you don't even have to sign up but its useful to sign up because then you can save playlist's and a library of music you love. You can also upload your own music to Grooveshark, a feature spotify doesn't have.

Soundcloud

Soundcloud is especially good for independant artists and producers and Djs I reckon. I got linked to loads of good new mixes and things on this. Heres some that you might like, I think this is the only way to do this section because it's literally a medium of art that fuels my own art.
I dont mean to sound wanky. Its just how it is. Reet do.

Sian Sofia

Acoustic female singer / songwriter from Manchester. "Whatever happened to the King of the World" is a great song.

Wrexile

Wrexile is primarily Dubbystep but he has his own style.. I've followed him for a good couple of years becuase I like him.

Get Yer Head In The Bass Bin Mix - The John Smith Collective

This mix is by one of the DJ's involved with the John Smith collective.They do things like rally up a troup of reprobates, set up a guerilla soundsystem in a quarry, decorate the place up to fuck, make a lot of noise and then flee with all the gear the next day before the police can tell them off. Bahahahahaha.

I hope number ten has been helpful.. All this stuff inspires me.

The John Smith Collective deserves their own section.

10 Things Cont...

9. Faces and Circles

Faces have been important to me since I started sketching. Sketching circles and making circles into faces is something I've done since I can remember. I don't really know what to say about this.
I find it therapeutic and I like incorporating circles into most things I do. Faces too. Circles.
and faces. Here are some pictures.


One picture of circles and faces.



There are some more. See what I mean? Maybe not. I LOVE it.

Grahams Typography Brief

10 Things. Continued...

Number 8.

Hayao Mayazaki - Studio Ghibli




When I first saw a studio Ghibli film (Spirited Away) it opened up a whole new world of mythology to me. I realised this was probably the japanese way of making feature length childrens films like Disney.

This got me onto researching mythology from china, russia, japan, europe, all over really, i just read as much as i could about mythology. I looked for comparisons and contrasts between the different stories and why they were told when they were. Most childrens stories in England I always thought were told with a moral and for a reason.

I have seen most of the studio Ghibli films and they are all beautifully animated. I dont know how much to say about them but they do inspire me to put loads more detail into my drawings, loads more tiny characters with their own little narratives.

10 Things. Continued...

Number 6. Fear

I wrote this in hospital and I'm going to type it up word for word as I wrote it.


I woke up an hour ago. In an hour I will go into surgery and they will give me a metal skeleton. No morphine this morning. Just the satisfaction that the fantastic four will finally be mine after my horrible upgrade.

I remember being at a theme park with my Aunt and Uncle. They weren't fearful people.
My Uncle built nuclear power plants and my Auntie took solice in that when she walked down a darkened street there was nothing scarier or more terrifying there than she was.

I dont remember where the theme park was. Eerie noises of torture and maniacal laughter echoed from its sound systems and badly painted ghosts and ghoulies with LED flashing eyes stared down out at you from the great structure.

With hunger and machismo in my voice I looked to my Aunt and Uncle and said to them "That looks like my kind of place."


And so, we paid in and got on.
Minutes later my heart was racing and my eyes were tight shut.
I was gripping onto my uncle saying "MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!"

That night I had nightmares, and to console me when I ran into my my Aunts room balling and wailing about werewolves in the floorboards and miscellaneous tubes trying to vioate me from cracks in the ceiling, my Aunt told me at that my Uncle ( at the age of fifty six) had suffered the same intrusive visions, induced by the terrifying ghost train circus ride.

I drew ghost trains for months after.

10 Things. Continued...

Number 4.


Tim Burton


The moonman is a character I draw all the time everywhere and it bothers me that he looks a bit like Jack the Pumpkin King. But the truth is that is probably who I was drawing when I started to draw the moon man.

The Moonman means so much to me though, he is an extension of myself and reflects a part of something I Identify strongly with. I'm not sure why.

I think its something to do with how his face is totally covered, he's relentlessly hopeful and optimisitic and he has and ability to transcend space and time.


Number 5.

Johnen Vasquez

Jonny The Homicidal Maniac was a favourite comic book of mine for a while. Its dark, humourous, self mocking and philosophical. Its vaquely Jungian in its approach to psychology. (bear with my I'm on strong painkillers and i'm doing my best..)

Way below Jonnies house in his deepest cellar is where his darkest secret lives, a secret that if released could destroy space and time and we know it. He keeps this secret locked behind a wall that he strengthens by painting and dampening it with the blood of his dead victims. The blood that his shadow who creeps around at night collects for him.
I love it.

Vasquez's drawings and paintings moved me too. His ink drawings are wild, violent and anarchic.
He can also draw technically quite well.

I'm going to have to take a break now becuase the tramadol is kicking in and my keyboard feels like a fish.

peace ya'll

Its Alive!

Ok so bearing in mind that I havn't been posting online for a week due to being in hospital, theres a fair chunk here to write.

On Thursday the 7th Ross got us free guestlist tickets to go see Groove Armada! Wowee.
This happened through his mate who runs a team of lampies. Groove Armada are amazing performers.



I managed to only have one pint through their whole show as I was totally mesmerised. and skint.

During "superstylin'" i had a phonecall from my freind Jamie who'd spotted me from in the pit (me and ross were up in the stands). So when the show was over I ran outside and chatted total rubbish to them. I was excited as fuck! Nick, Babs, Jo, Cat and Ben were there to so I was even more excited. THEN I got a call from Ross saying I should come back in to say thanks to the guy who got us on the guest list. This sounded like a good idea so I did.

Jamie and that crew went off down to the Warehouse to see the Plump DJs. This is where me and Ross would go later.

I went back into the side door, up some stairs and found a little bar room full of people talking to each other, boozing and sounding important where I met the big Lampman John who got us on the list in the first place and also Groove Armada Mikey who wrote and sang Superstylin'!!

I bought a pint and nearly exploded.

Mikey spoke of doing a possible solo project and we got his contact number and oh my god oh my god oh my god etc....


Afterwards we went down to the Warehouse to see the plump djs who were ACE and we were running around and jumping off stuff and being all like ahahahaha this crazy shit wow cool shit COOL SHIT until I ran and jumped off a 12ft ledge and put a double break in my Tibula.

This is why I havnt been in college for a week guys. I've been in LGI smacked off my tits on Morphine and Tramadol. I'm back now though. Banished to my room though with a party bag of tablets... no dancing for a bit..

but when i can... oh when i can...

10 Things. - Christians Brief

Number 1.

Being able to go to Silsden cemetary every night after school and at weekends and draw play drink smoke chat absolute bollocks with all my freinds who said we'd love each other forever.

Could never go without saying my folks allowing us to use to the cellar wasnt quality either. We had some great times down there.

Stuff moves on I suppse. But I look back on that and try to recreate everything that went along with those emotions every day. I'd just gone sixteen.

Beautiful days.

Number 2.

Discovering hard dance, free parties and outdoor raves. Empathy love and and fucking going for it. I loved every second of it. This had a real impact on my life for better and worse. I'll never ever forget it.

Number 3

The Beat Herder Festival!

http://www.beatherder.co.uk/

The first time I attended this festival it changed my life. I realised people CAN and DO do this sort of thing and put everything they can into it for very little money back. So fuck earning loads of money. As long as you can make a living and support you and yours I suppose its ok. But those guys work so hard. Working with them this year made me feel like the luckiest person alive.

I'll think of three more later Mr Christian.

Tom.

I dont need to say anything.

Whats Golden

Well guys, its 4am. It could be said I am worse for wear.

Tonight I went to the Wardrobe to see a teen hero of mine Akil from Jurassic 5.

I got paid work we'll speak of later.

What a blinding night.

My freind smiley Gaz is in a sleeping bag on the floor next to me desperately trying to sleep before he has a lecture in huddersfield tommorow. I'm getting this shit done before it escapes my mind.

First of all there were two illustrators from manchester and huddersfield doing some lovely stuff on boards lent up againt up against the seats so heres some photos. They were using stock oil based pens and got free beer all night.







There was a circus troupe of 4 went in, me, smiley gaz, clickon ben and wreckin' ross.
Names i've assigned. Especially to Ross as regards to his last couple of days,

We were introduced to some cracking hiphop outfits from leeds.

First, The Alphabetix who were a great leeds based outfit i'll definitely stay in contact with.

Heres a picture of Alex (with blonde dreads) freestyling with Akil


The intoxication grew stronger, unfortunatey I missed photos of the Mouse Outfit. But Gaz has them pinned for the Beatherder Festival so watch that space. The lead singer were a reet cuddly fella. Quality funk hip hop with brass and all.

Basically a decent cheap enough night, went out dressed up to the nines feeling fine as fuck. Left feeling fine as fuck.

Akils set was as intimate as you like you like. He was with you in the audience, talking, working wth the dj, for me it was like meeting the hero who used used to sing out of the speakers at the cememtary when we used to lie around, get stoned and tell each other we'd love each other for ever and have a right good cuddle at the age of 16. Proper takes me back.

These images illustrate Akils set more.







Akil was a lovely bloke.



Love and productivity to all.

Lets get through this and have as much fun as possible.

KRS-ONE and the Curious Incident of the fucking confusing LGI Orienteering Excersize

I went to see KRS ONE at the Stylus last night. Whey.
I got my ticket cheap from a dude on the door. Whey!
I got conned into buying some religious hiphop shit by a dude from London just outside. Boo.

Well I say conned, he was only asking two quid.. I just didnt realise he was a homophobic religious prick.

KRS ONE was ace, but I was really tired so left about half an hour early.

My freind Joe knew all the lyrics to one of his songs so got up stage with him.

GO GO OBI JOE!

And everyone reading this should attend his hip night at THE WELL on the 26th of this month.



*cough* PLUG *cough* flyer design by obi joe himself

So when I left I thought i'd take a shortcut...

You dont need to know the rest I got back to Marlborough street 45 minutes later,
stropped a bit then bought the best take away I've ever eaten.

Then went to bed.

Whey.

I plan to take full advantage of my Warddrobe fancy card tonight to go see Akil from the legendary Jurassic Five.

Whey!!

Wierd out west and Wild in Keighley

So I headed out to Manchester to see a couple of freinds thursday.

Started off well, ate some lovely japanese food. Found myself indulging on some sort of a spree of kleptomania but who can say what. These things happens and I didnt get caught. I didnt get anything good either mind. But i was in Manchester. So fuck em.

Heres some photos of us. :)


































Also we went to a bar called Oddies, who had a obsession with bison. I dunno why.

4 giant bison heads on the wall stopped me asking questions though.

After which we all fell out. Had a fucking wierd next day. Watched some bizzare french film (Irreversible - Gaspar Noe). Made up again, had a drink and then I went home the next day to glorious keighley for Mikeys Birthday. Whey. Go Mikey. He's one of my favourites.
Unfortunately my phone died so I dont have many photos of this. I do have this one though.



I bought a printer / scanner. Spent too much money. Now Charlie Crosby is making me spend more money for some do at gate crasher involving uv paint being sprayed at everyone. I dont think I will go.



Next time on Rooting for Truffles : This goddamn UV paint just doesnt come out.