Doodles.

More artwork.

Berlin pics.

Here's a few pics shot with the Minolta from our recent trip to Berlin.

Ghost in the glass.

I'm all for coincidences but here's one I found particularly odd. Supping a delicious pint of Sam Smiths Alpine Ale (£1.74!!!!) I noticed an unusual shape had formed in the foam on the side of the glass. It looked remarkably like a ghost, quite cool in itself, but not just any ghost. This one looked almost identical to a graphic I designed a while ago and have been putting on t-shirts and hoodys for the last few years....spooky.

Why can't I understand a kid's film?

Having just watched Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle I feel compelled to 'furiously blog' about how disappointed I was with it. Don't get me wrong, there is no way I would even pretend to be able to render turn-of-the-century Europe in such exqisite detail or create a world in which the simplest ideas e.g. flying are turned into something wonderful and exciting. However when I sit down to watch what is essentially a film for KIDS I expect to be able to follow what's going on! Of the many questions I bored my girlfriend with during the film here are but a few:

1. What the hell was the war about?
2. Who was fighting the war?
3. What was Howl doing each night when he went out, turned into a bird and flew about a bit?
4. Why is Sophie sometimes a little girl and sometimes a crone?
5. If the Witch of the waste is a witch why doesn't she fly up the palace stairs instead of walking?
6. Why is Howl such a wuss?
7. Who is the little kid that lives with him in the castle?
8. Why does the film end so suddenly with none of the storylines resolved?
9. How does Sophie's curse get broken?
10. What's up with the Prince's (aka Turnip Head's) hair at the end of the film?

Silly, petty questions maybe but unanswered questions they remain. I had no such problems with My Neighbour Totoro, Porco Rosso, Laputa, Nausicca or Spirited Away although I do remember being bored, annoyed and generally a bit irritated with how much everyone banged on about Princess Mononoke.

Maybe I'm just an idiot!

Vectorising....

Here's a pic I drew 5 years ago in a sketchbook. Suddenly by adding a few effects to it in Illustrator it looks vaugely decent....sort of.

I drew a picture.

I'm attempting to find the time/inclination to start painting again. Here's an idea of what my next 'masterpiece' might look like.

Re-inforcing the Wetherspoon patrons stereotype

11.30am. I am skateboarding around Lidl carpark which is situated close the the local Wetherspoons pub. From the far side of the carpark I hear a muffled shout ending with the words "f*****g skateboard..." I stop and look towards the source of the shouting. A fat bald man, holding a pint, is waving frantically in my direction from 60-70m away in the outdoor smoking area of the Wetherspoons. He shouts again "F**k off you c**t...It's a f**kin' carpark....F**k off or I'll wrap that skateboard round your f**kin' throat...."

I stopped for a moment and put my thumb up to him in what could only be interpreted as a sarcastic manner. This didn't help and he threw some more abuse my way, I decided not to antagonise him any further. Needless to say, my day was kind of spoiled after that. I picked up my board, got on my bike and very slowly cycled past this cardiac-in-waiting who was still leant on the wall, hoping he might have some more encouraging words for me. Strangely enough when I got near to him and smiled right in his sweaty, jowly face he looked away....weird.

The Adobe puzzle.

I have recently been attempting to sharpen my skills in all things Adobe. I foolishly thought I'd have a crack at Illustrator last week. Having never used the program before I had no idea just how much you can do with it and, more significantly, how complicated it is to get the hang of! The image above is the result of 2 hours work!

I have a long way to go.

Weather report 1898

Flicking through a sketchbook the other day I came across this page from the Manchester Evening Chronicle tucked in between two pages. I found it behind the glass in a smashed mirror in Hove about 2 years ago. Check the date..... 9th March 1898!

6 Music to close !!!

6 Music is to close at the end of 2011 due to political pressure to make cutbacks in spending. This must not be allowed to happen!

Make your feelings known: trust.enquiries@bbc.co.uk