Just to remind people, I now live here!

http://squid-bits.blogspot.com/

I rarely post on LJ anymore and I've just started a new blog purely for art-related goodies!
http://squid-bits.blogspot.com/ is where I'll be hanging around now so please pop over and say hi! I'll still be watching LJ so I won't be completely absent.

Toodles!

Kiyarakuta is the new project I'm working on for the Web and Mini-Comix Thing in March. Hopefully, I'll have over 100 prints to sell as well as a small 50 page full-colour book of a selection of the characters. I'm really enjoying this at the mo and hopefully it's a chance to improve on my digital colouring skills!

 

The full range of Kiyarakuta can be seen on my DA gallery: http://venkman-project.deviantart.com/

Just found out that I'm going to be in next month's issue of Neo, a UK based manga and anime magazine! They do a two page feature every month showcasing a UK-based up-and-coming manga artist. While my work isn't really manga, I emailed them to see if they'd be interested as a lot of my work is quite Japan-inspired and they said yes! Can't wait to see it and it's national too! Whoot!

Out on the 29th of January if you fancy a peek!

I found a Bollywood film for a pound the other day and bought it on a whim; I do not regret the decision at all! The film in question is called Jaani Dost and is really bad: the editing is terrible, the acting is awful and it makes no bloody sense what-so-ever. However, all of this just adds to the genius of the film!

For your viewing pleasure, here is one of the awesome song-and-dance numbers.

Even though I had been fore-warned, I still pooed myself slightly when I saw my t-shirt on The IT Crowd!

Me and The Moog have a table each booked for next years Thing and I can't wait! Last year went really well and I'm hoping that 2009 will be just as good. A whole range of stuff will be for sale including paintings, prints, comics, stickers, magnets, postcards, cards, bags, temporary tattoos (!) and whatever else I can think of to make. Hopefully I may even have a few t-shirts of my own to sell; we'll see how things go!

http://www.ukwebcomixthing.co.uk/index.php

http://lunchbagart.tumblr.com/

I was approached at the Birmingham International Comic Show by an on-line designer shoe company to design a range of shoes for them as they make customised plimsolls. Well, the range is completed and is now on-line! Hopefully more designs will be up over the next few weeks as I submit them.

Fancy a burping monster or a dog doing a poo on your feet? Then check out my section on the Kings of Neon website!

http://www.kingsofneon.com/acatalog/jessica_bradley_plimsolls.html

I recently joined Patch Together; an on-line toy designers who take submissions from artists. If a design is voted on enough times, it gets made into a vinyl toy and sold through the site! I have a couple of designs submitted at the moment and would appreciate any votes anyone could give me. It means having to register with the site, but hopefully that's worth it!

http://www.patchtogether.com/?Designs_Details&Id=727

I thought I'd just post a couple of cool things from a few blogs I visit on a regular basis. I never fail to be inspired by these things - kudos to all who make the internet good!

http://drawn.ca/2008/11/12/if-photoshop-were-real/

Draw is well worth keeping up with; lots of info on drawing techniques, comics, illustrators and general arty weirdness.

http://www.pikaland.com/

Awesome illustration site full of goodness.

http://www.tokyomango.com/tokyo_mango/2008/11/runway-show-fla.html

An awesome blog about Japanese culture and general Japanese oddities.

http://www.plasticandplush.com/

For all your vinyl toy needs!

And to finish, some Tim and Eric!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AVvcJdcEKA4

http://www.play.com/Clothing/T-Shirts/4-/8056464/Genki-Gear-Men-Robot/Product.html#

This would make an awesome Christmas present for that special someone! :P

I have now re-opened my on-line Etsy shop. Check here for goods and the like!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6344478

Me and Moogs will also be doing a craft fair at the Create Centre in Bristol on the 4th and 5th of Decemebr so stop by of you're local!

I was very pleased to hear earlier that the t-shirt I had printed with Genki Gear is going down a storm at the moment! They've run out of stock of all the men's sizes and have just received an order for all the Travelling Man stores! Needless to say I'm very chuffed and hope that they are interested in more designs. There's also still a chance it could be featured on series 3 of The IT Crowd too!

http://www.genkigear.co.uk/sess/utn;jsessionid=15490b041e0f325/shopdata/index.shopscript

Arnie never fails to cheer me up.







Something a bit different but very funny...!

Sad as it is, I'm a huge fan of watching artists create work and the whole process of working up sketches into a finished piece. Sometimes I even like the rough pencils and sketchbook doodles more than an artists finished work; there's just something immensely satisfying about seeing how artists work. Well, for me anyway!

This site is awesome and addictive; highly recommend!

http://www.sketchtheatre.com/

The last few weeks have been a flurry of activity for me, Moogs and JP preparing for our stall at the Birmingham Comic Con last weekend which was fantastic. We sold lots of stuff, met lots of cool people and I hopefully got a couple of illustration/design gigs out of the whole thing!

As well as selling my own goods, my t-shirt by Genki Gear made it's first appearance to great success! It was odd seeing people walk around with it on but I'm just glad that it was liked enough to be bought. Genki Gear were pleased with the response too and want to collaborate on another design soon - eep! For added "WTF" value, there's a chance it could make an appearance on series 3 of The IT Crowd. More on that if and when it occurs...

It was great to get such a good response after working so hard on everything; my website has had some hits and my DeviantArt page has attracted more attention which is good as I need to get myself out there!

A big hello to all who was at the con and thanks if you dropped by and bought something or just supported us! Pics to come!

I'm not usually one for an on-line rant but I thoight I'd share some things about what it's like to be a cyclist in Bristol. I'm also not exaggerating when I say that I fear for my life every morning when I leave the house. I know there are considerate people on the roads so the following doesn't apply to everyone, but it seems like there are more and more idiots out there, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike. Bah!

Things I've noticed while on my bike:

People are very impatient and rude.

Very few people look where they're going, motorist, cyclists and pedestrians.

Many cyclists swerve into various lanes or the middle of the road without looking, just expecting the cars behind to see them and slow down accordingly.

Drivers often don't indicate and then toot you for getting in their way (experienced on bike and foot).

A lot of cyclists think they're exempt from red lights (as far as I'm aware, not stated in the Highway Code).

Pedestrians just wander into the road in front of cyclists as if they'll stop especially for them.

Some cyclists (more often than not chavs) on their mobile phones, usually zooming down Gloucester Road with no helmet.

No matter how much space they have on a lane, some motorists insist on driving right next to the kirb.

Drivers park all over cycle lanes on roads.

A lot of bus drivers make no attempt to look in their mirrors before pulling out from bus lanes.

There's a lot more but these are the things I encounter most of on my way to and from work. For the most part, it's not too bad a ride along the A28 from Ashley Down Road to Aztec West but it does mean riding for the most part on a duel carridgeway which is terrifying. Especially when coupled with most of the above.

I like to think I'm a pretty vigilant cyclist and follow the rules of the road as best I can, but it's really difficult when most people don't. It's illegal for cyclists to ride on the pavement but dangerous to ride on the road so there doesn't seem to be a decent middle ground. There are a lot of cycle paths and lanes in Bristol but a lot of the time these are places that don't apply to me or in the case of road lanes are paid little attention to by drivers. For me, riding a bike is exercise, saves money (£4 a day on the bus for a 15 minute journey) and hopefully means I do a little bit towards environmental friendliness so it's quite disheartening that a lot of people take the roads and highway code for granted.

Rant ended!

Some awesome music videos and songs full of randomness.