GRIM

Over at the Forgotten Corner Collective we're piecing together an eight-panel comic where a different artist creates each panel. I created the illustration above using 'grim' as the topic. The baton has now been passed to Mr Dave Hooper...

The Resident Frog

There's a frog living in our barrel! So we have a barrel full of murky water and a few plants that we call our 'pond'. This glorified barrel was home to a few goldfish (that had been alive for ages!) until they were killed off by miracle grow...yeah. But now there is a new resident that we noticed today, he was chillin' in the sun. We haven't told him about the rent yet.

This Summer

So far I've been home for about three weeks and I haven't really got back into the swing of things. I've been working on a job for a marketing company called Social-Zoo. Once the final illustrations have all been okayed I will post them up on my sorry looking website.
I'm off to New Wine this week, back for a week, then to Malta, and then Soul Survivor. After all these goings on I will finally get to work on something! This is what I have planned...

Sci-fi Epic
Mr Dave Hooper and I have plans to create a series of comics/a short graphic novel that will take place within our own Sci-fi universe. We haven't even properly discussed what we're going to do yet but I know Dave has something up his sleeve that is going to revolve around the term 'star-ship' being taken very literally!

Board Game
My personal favourite is Monopoly...no? Okay then. For one of my projects in Uni I began creating a Sci-fi board game. I made a few cards but it didn't really go any further than that. Time to rekindle the fire into a roaring blaze! I've worked out that I'll have to illustrate about 48 cards; a sizable project!

Japan
I rather like Japan and after reading my cousin Khan's blog I've been inspired to do an illustrative project on Japan. I think I'll draw a lot of the traditional aspects of Japan but we'll see where it goes, as long as it's to do with Japan.

Thanks for stopping by and having a read. Check out some of my talented friends -->

God bless.

Benj

Birthdays and Business Cards

Turning Twenty-One
I had my 21st birthday on the 19th of this month. On the actual day I didn't do an awful lot other than sleep. The sleep was well needed however!
Some of my friends in Illustration (mentioned further down the page) threw a surprise celebration for me a few days later. They put in so much effort, I was so blessed. We spent the evening chillaxing and enjoyed several helpings of cake along with bread, cheese and olives. Thanks guys!

Check these out!
The first and second year illustrators had their end of year show on Thursday, it was the bomb! Throughout the course of each year, you don't always get to see everything that people are producing, so it's exciting when you get to see the beautiful work that guys have been labouring over throughout the course of the year displayed all in one place. Like in 2011, there was a student run shop at the show and I couldn't resist buying a few illustrated cards. From left to right: Jo Larsen Burnett, Sophia Viney, James Price & Mark.

Also, check out some of the postcards and business cards that my friends have made to promote themselves, they look so pro! We've all been collecting each others business cards and postcards, gotta have 'em all!

BitchSlap and The Masters of Dance-Fu
A friend and fellow illustrator Peter Maggs has recently finished illustrating his first 32 page comic issue of Bitchslap and The Masters of Dance-Fu. It sounds crazy (because it is) but I enjoyed reading it and I'm excited to get my hands on a finished copy (with a cover, hurrah!) at our degree show. If you enjoy humour combined with bizar narrative and eccentric characters, then check out Pete's stuff!

The Ukelele Tree
And finally, my friend, housemate, illustrator, Ukelele-ist, and traveling minstrel Rae has finally finished her Ukelele Tree project. Her vision behind the project was to introduce the Ukelele to people (mainly the younger generation I think) in an exciting and engaging way and promote it in a positive light rather than as a novelty instrument. I have the privilege of listening to Rae play her Ukelele everyday (as I live a few meters above!) and my eyes have been opened up to the potential of the instrument.

Rae has produced a fifteen-minute video about The Ukelele Tree project, pop over to her blog and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by and having a read. The guys that I have mentioned above are well worth checking out, have a browse and enjoy their creations.

Thanks again :)

God bless.

Benj