Married To The Sea

After last weeks portrait of a sailor, I decided to create a single page, silent, mini-comic titled Married To The Sea. I wrote a short poem to accompany the comic, which helped me capture the mood and story behind this lonesome sailor.

he's bound to the sea and calls her his own

but knows his place

bowlines and hitches, his second nature

like that, the love of the ocean air

his compass finds home in the pocket

closest to his heart attached to the

anchor he's never cast

waves rock the boat to sleep

until morning

forever bound to the sea 

Oceans End

The idea of a lonesome adventurous sailor spending his life exploring the sea is to me, the definition of what it is to be a man. A man with the wisdom of the ocean reflected in his eyes. A man who knows every map like the back of his hand and can read the weather days before it arrives. As for me, I get seasick pretty easy.

Full Throttle

Biker Mice From Mars was possibly the coolest cartoon ever! I can only imagine what it would have felt like pitching this idea to a studio. "Picture this. Three giant mice from Mars riding super cool motorbikes around the streets of Chicago, kicking the butts of badies." It was these giant mice that inspired me to ride the streets of my home-town pretending to be my favourite character, Throttle. I re-lived those fond memories while I created this illustration. I really tried capture the funky 80's colours and cheesy poses that flowed throughout the show.

Goldilocks Gig

Sometimes I wonder what the bears in Goldilocks And The Three Bears were doing while Goldilocks was raiding their house. Since it doesn't really specify in the books that I've read, I decided to make up my own side plot. I figure the logical explanation is they must have been at a punk gig. Papa Bear is the singer, while Momma Bear and Baby Bear are in the crowd, pumping their fists for moral support.

LumberDuck

Sometimes I draw a picture and wonder what was going though my head. This is one of those pictures. I'm not sure why a duck is dressed in a checked flannel shirt and has just cut down a tree, but I could just say something smart like "It's open to interpretation" or "It's a political statement", and people would probably just pretend to understand. Ducks are the best!

I Smell A Rat

I heard a news report a few weeks back revealing the Dutch police force was training rats to aid in their investigations. The idea of rats in the police force completely captivated my imagination. I started researching more into the story and found they were already being used in war torn countries to sniff out landmines. These tiny detectives are my new heroes.

The Cold One

I've started reading a few books that show the process of making comics in the hope of one day making my own. Creating a memorable character that connects with the reader is a big part of the process and one that I have been attempting over the past few days. One book put an exercise forward to create a character for one of the four seasons. It went deeper, explaining that the picture should say a whole lot more...like where they come from, what type of person they are and what sort of background they have. Hopefully you can conjure up a small story just by looking at this man.  

You're Punk Rock Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown and the whole Peanuts gang are my heroes. These characters and their daily dilemmas have managed to remain as relevant in the 1950's as they are today. But since the 1950's, these Peanuts characters haven't grown an inch, which led me to ask the question..."what would these kids look like grown up?" By grown up I mean adolescent punk rockers! So after hours of contemplation I inked Charlie Brown as the punk kid he would probably be today.

Superlove Heartbreak

I think everyone can relate to having their heart broken at some point in their life. I'm not sure how many people have experienced this heartbreak from a superhero, but this unwitting bank robber is feeling just that. Lady Super-Love has cast her spell on him and is about to bust his gonads! All he can think of is how beautiful she looks as she leaps through the air, leaving a trail of the finest perfume known to man.

Future Ball!

I don't know what the future of sport holds, but I sure hope it's rollerblading robot suits kicking and throwing metal balls at each other! I imagine Dub-Step would be playing through the entire game, every robot's favourite genre of music.Whether or not this dream comes true, it's nice to imagine how it might look.

Miss Martian

Afternoon cartoons. It’s those two words that got me through high school and continue to motivate me to this day. My most recent afternoons  have been spent admiring Young Justice, created by DC and Warner Brothers. Miss Martian is one of the many heroes that make up the young team and possibly on of my favourite. So naturally I got out my sketch pad and started life drawing from the TV. The result being the illustration above which is not my usual style, but the sketchy lines gave it so much more life than the ink alone ever could have. 

The Crux

A few years ago my brother took me rock climbing for the first time and it ignited something in me I had never felt before. A mixture of fear, adrenaline and accomplishment. I'll never forget that feeling. Now, a few years on, that same passion I felt burns brighter than before. My dream is to climb some of the rock that lurks in desert regions of America, but until then, I guess I'll just draw myself there. 

8-Bit Viewer

After watching Wreck it Ralph I got inspired to do some 8-Bit art of my own. It got me thinking how cool it would be if you could just hold up a screen in front of you, turning everything around you into an 8-Bit video game. Even cooler, a game that you could play! That's when I decided to put my idea on paper and this was the result.

Gatsby Sketches

I decided to post a few more Gatsby inspired studies up for everyone to check out. I couldn't just stop at one. The amazing elegance in the eyes and hair of the 1920's would not leave me alone until I put them down on paper.

Gatsby

Baz Lurman's recent rendition of The Great Gatsby completely captivated me when I watched it on the big screen. Having never read the book, I found myself on the edge of my seat trying to unravel this series of mysterious characters. The amazing costumes and colours sent my imagination spinning with excitement and I just couldn't wait to get home an draw what I had seen. This is the first of a few Gatsby inspired illustrations I have been working on.  

Adrenaline!

I recently went to my first ice hockey game in support of our home team, Adelaide Adrenaline. I had seen videos and heard stories explaining the ferocity of the sport but it had no context until I sat in the grand stand. The sheer intensity and pace of the game was enough, never mind the bone shattering big hits that each player had to endure. Its like you could feel the pain vibrate though the bleacher floors each time someone was checked into the glass. Cant wait until the next match!   

Mechanical Bull

I’ll never forget my first ride on the mechanical bull. Gripping the saddle so hard it felt like my arm was pulling out of my socket. All I could see was a blur of faces circling  me and the “master controller” sitting in the corner with an evil smirk as he watched me wrestle with the mechanical beast! I was sure the master had cranked up the adrenaline just for me....until I watched him ride the bull. It was like he was born with the West in his blood, gripping the belly of the bull with his feet and the saddle with just one hand!

Embrace

The feeling of being embraced is something that I cannot express in words, in fact, it says more than words can in most cases. Being held and comforted by someone you love seems to make everything that is plaguing  your mind disappear, as if the sound of someone else's beating heart synchronises with yours, if only for a moment. I've tried to capture a fraction of this feeling in this illustration...Embrace.

Free Comic Book Day!

One more sleep until...FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! To celebrate this awesome occasion I decided to post an illustration of one of my favourite superheroes, the often overlooked, ROBIN. The fact that he doesn't actually have a super power makes me think maybe I could be him one day. Don't even get me started on his mad acrobatic skills and the ability to think quick on his feet. If you like comics or you're a little bit curious, head into your local  comic book store and pick up a stack of FREE comics!  

Think Machine

A robot that reads? One of life's many mysteries and the inspiration for my latest illustration. It seemed like such an interesting concept to me. What is he reading and why is he reading? Questions which I don't have any answers to, but I've always loved a good mystery. He started coming alive the more I drew him, taking on an almost detective like persona.The detective personality seemed to match the encrypted background and trench-coat with the pulled up collar.

This was the initial sketch of Think Machine which kicked of my imagination.

Beavis & Butthead

I can't recall just how many times I watched Beavis and Butthead when I was a kid. Their poo, wee, fart humour and couch potato lifestyle always made me laugh. We didn't have MTV or any sort of Foxtel, just the Beavis and Butthead Do America VHS, which was plenty. It's been so many years but still their killer one liners bring the nostalgic laughs. That nostalgia inspired me to see what my childhood heroes would look like with my spin on them.

The Angry Man

I recently scored a pile of comics from the op-shop. The treasured find re-ignited my love of comic illustrations. The varied line and blacked out ink along with the mood lighting and dramatic poses all contribute to the impact of every well though out cell. It inspired me to get out my fat pen nib and black ink bucket and get to work. The result was this handsome looking fellow who was inspired by an angry work site supervisor I had to work for, who went out of his way to ruin peoples day and possibly lives.

Gunslinger!

What ever happened to Cowboys? Those badass, slow talking,straw chewing gunslingers that every kid dressed up as. In this modern age of Vampires and Zombies the humble Cowboy seems to have been forgotten. We'll, not me! This illustration tip's it's hat to those heroes of the West and pays homage to the forgotten Cowboys.

Medic

I've recently started watching Band of Brothers for a second time around, re-kindling my respect for field medics in WW2. The bravery of medics who ran to the help of the wounded with no defence is something that absolutely captivates me. That bravery, bordering madness is what inspired this illustration.

Stratosphere

There is something about flight that has always sparked my imagination. As a kid, I clearly remember my first journey into the clouds with my uncle in his Microlite. The thrill of being able to steer my own aircraft was a big jump from building model aeroplanes and seeing the ground from the skies point of view was incredible. The patterns formed by housing blocks and farmlands still surprise me to this day. Back then I probably just looked like a kid hitching a ride on the back of a Microlite, but I felt like the guy in this illustration.  

Flow Mountain Bike

At the end of last year I was approached by Flow Mountain Bike magazine, who asked me to create a series of editorial illustrations to be published in their second issue, released in January 2013. The magazine reads more like a coffee table book and is published throughout Australia and New Zealand, so I jumped at the opportunity to get some publicity.

Stand-Off's

In this article Garry Sullivan tackles the nature of riding wild trails that stretch through New Zealand's wilderness. In the years that Mountain biking has spread though New Zealand, so have signs that clearly communicate 'bikes not welcome'; but that's all beginning to change with the realisation that most mountain bikers are conservation-minded and trails that were once off limits are being put on trial periods.  

Death From Above

A feeling that many bike riders in Australia would have experienced...the deadly magpie SWOOP! This was the focus of the article written by Chris Southwood. I encountered the ferocity of the magpie on a bike trip when I was younger, so illustrating this article dug up some old wounds but also helped me to bury my ghosts. hehehe

Can The Nerves

In this article Kath Bicknell talks about pre race nerves and overcoming the fear and pressure you put on yourself. This was a real tricky article to illustrate. I tried to capture the intense nervousness and pressure by illustrating Kath being scared out of the frame and pushed down by the large crowds and media.

Below are the illustrations in their context:

Bearded Gypsy Band

I was recently approached by the band manager of Adelaide's Bearded Gypsy Band, who asked me to design a poster to promote their upcoming gigs. I was pretty familiar with the band having gone to many of their shows, which gave me the advantage of taking a few notes on how they played their instruments and interacted on stage. Their gypsy, jazz, folk styling inspired the sepia earth tones, and vinyl shaped centre. If you dig bands that are better live than on CD, check out the Bearded Gypsy Band.