The times they are a' changin'

Well university is done...All of my work has been marked and returned, my final show has closed and the results are in... a first class degree with honours, not too shabby!

I am now off to tour the East coast of the United States on a lovely old BMW motorcycle for a few weeks! but as the saying goes; 'there is no rest for the wicked' and I have packed a couple of sketchbooks to have a play with as I go, so watch out for new story ideas & characters, as well as a whole bunch of reportage sketching and maybe even an anecdote or two.

To all my fellow BIAD Graduates (and everyone else graduating at the moment!):

Congratulations & good luck!

IDEA BIRMINGHAM @ The Mailbox

http://www.ideabirmingham.co.uk/

Idea Birmingham promotes the wealth of local design talent that has created some of the most iconic design globally over the last 100 years, as well as supporting new creatives taking their first steps in industry.

Birmingham Made Me will be unveiled during first week April with an eye-catching, city-wide poster campaign promoting designs made in Birmingham and the Midlands. Almost 200 sites have been earmarked. I have been selected to exhibit at the inaugural Idea Birmingham Exhibition in the Mailbox, alongside 40 of the best Birmingham's graduating talent across Illustration, Graphic Design, and Photography.


The show in the Mailbox will be exhibiting 15th -22nd June 2012.

Birmingham Made Me showcases world-beating innovations from the Midlands which have produced designs such as the Land Rover Defender, AGA Range cooker, Pashley Clubman bicycle and Brooks England saddles, together with ground-breaking new hybrid supercar concept, the Jaguar C-X75, named in Detroit 2011 as the Most Significant Concept Vehicle, having been recognised as one of the vehicles most likely to shape the future of the automotive industry.

These, and a great deal more, will be on view at Birmingham's first design EXPO in well over 100 years.  The summer EXPO, due to be held at the Mailbox, the premier shopping centre in Birmingham, June 15th-22nd, has been organised by IDEA Birmingham founder members with the support of the Mailbox.

Graduate Exhibition 2012 -

My final grad show - the last shebang at uni and a chance for YOU to READ MY BOOK!. 


I will be showing a few finished works, my complete dummy book, and on the launch night only I will show my portfolio of original work.

I will be exhibiting alongside all of my fellow graduates. I am in the Illustration exhibition at the school of visual communication - basically inside the main doors take the door to your left (past the stairs and the first door on the left. DATES & TIMES: LAUNCH PARTY - Weds 13th June 6pm -8pm, OPEN DAILY - 10am - 6pm Mon 11th - Sat 16th June I will be attending the launch party & SAT 16th 10am -1pm. School of Visual Communication Gosta Green, Birmingham, B4 7DX. General Info: Bursting with creativity and fresh ideas, our Graduate Shows showcase our emerging professionals. Whether you’re looking of new talent or you simply love the arts, indulge in our students' brightest new work. BIAD Graduate Shows 2012 take place across four sites across Birmingham city from Monday 11 to Sunday 17 June 2012. The events are free entry to the public. Please note dates and times vary according to each art and design site. For further details call +44 (0)121 331 5809.

Graduate Award Nomination...exciting times

Well to add to all the panic...I mean excitement of finishing university in a few weeks I have been nominated for the 'Award for the best use of Narrative Illustration' (Supported by AOI, London).


A nice accolade, which comes with an even more exciting prize of a work placement with The Association of Illustrators in London.


Good luck to my fellow Students and nominees Jasmin Hortop (jasminehortop.com) and Anneeka Hussain)...see you on the red carpet!


Also check out the BIAD (Birmingham Institue of Art & Design) Talent pool: We Grow Cherries

One more for the road

One last spread finished before my final uni submission on Monday...scary times!

 Now a busy few days printing, framing and preparing my portfolio for submission.

Here's a few process pics for this one:

MacMillan Prize 2012 Entry

My entry for the Macmillan Prize 2012 was sent off yesterday, so for better or worse it now lies with the judges. I sent in the above four spreads, I wanted them printed on 300gsm CP NOT watercolour Paper however due to a badly organised print room at uni this was not to be....hopefully it will not go against me! Also included was my dummy book, which was printed on watercolour paper, and hand bound using a japanese stab binding technique...Very pleased with that, the texture and weight of the paper made it a real sensual luxurious feeling book, complementing my work nicely.

Lets just hope it all comes back in time for my final uni hand in!

A few process pics below...not a thorough run through as I was a bit pressed for time getting everything ready for Macmillan's, maybe I will put up a more substantial look at my processes soon...

Another colour spread, may need tweaking a little here and there...