Holly Daze

As we hurtle towards the end of "Oh Nein!" it's almost impossible to resist a serious case of The Retrospective Sentimentals.

This condition made me look back over bloggings and pictures littering the wake of this here year.
This looking back made me realise I've let two Christmases pass without a KriskiCorp greeting.
This realisation made me resolute to not let another season of festive blogging opportunity pass.

And here it is - My busniness's first holiday greeting.


Snowmen need carrots to smell.
But, reindeer have insatiable appetites.

It shall be attached and emailed to my associates, customers and comrades.
Coming to an inbox near YOU

Happy Holidays, Folks!

Horny Biker... What?

SLUTS!?

So, yeah... Might explain this one a little.

'Horny Biker Sluts' is a collaborative book project curated by Leonie OMoore compiling work by female comicking artists on the subjects of horns, bikes and loose women.

Miss OMoore appeared at Thought Bubble and made her way towards our stall carrying a big, red leather tome.
Asked to contribute and handed the book my heart was excited and my eyes delighted as three words stamped, embossed and stormed from the front cover.

Yikes.
A little flush in the cheeks, but interested nonetheless, I put pen to paper today and made my entry.


Horny... Unicorn!
Biker... Tricycle!
Sluts... "Floosie" brand t-shirt.

Leonie's site has more on TB and HBS in the 'blog' section, which is yummers.

Quit Clownin'

Today I have a moment to devote to this here blog, but - alas, no finished pictures to thrust toward the internet's eyes.

So while hunting for reuseable colour palettes through the labyrithine folders of my harddrive I bumped into this feller.


If I recall correctly he made the journey from pen to paper last year just before I started bloggin with my noggin... So I reckon he'll be fresh to your peepers.
Feel free to enjoy while I finish up some proper new things in the meantime.

Picture This

The Hyde Park Picture House is a pretty splendid little cinema shack.
Gas lights, red velvet and golden flourishes almost distract you from the red hot cinematic release projecting it's way into your heart.

Imagine then, when such a place approached this peroxide destroyed geek with the request of designing some right festive greeting...
Hot Diggity - Pens (and now indeed graphics tablet and pen) brandished I whizzed up this thing.

I hope YULE like it.
Oh dear.


P.S. Apologies for the fortnight of silence - I've had a serious case of "The Con Comedowns"

El Dio Del Comico Muerte

On Saturday the 21st of November I woke up at 6.30am and it felt like Christmas.
For about 45 seconds.
Then it felt like puke-o-rama nervosa as I realise what day it really was... I shook all day.

The day, however, was not one to be feared.
It was possibly one of the most sublime 24 hours I've had the right-honourable pleasure of ticking through.

My comic comrade, Miss Octavia was at my side as we sprawled our arty insides across a peach-coloured table-cloth for 7 earth hours.
It was worth every gut-wretchingly exciting moment.
I have never met a more wonderful and generous procession of people in my small, secluded life.



Prints were rolled and sold, stickers were snatched up and stuck down, snowglobes inverted and enchanted, zines were picked up and flicked through.
I was a grinning wreck.

Thanks goodness for comic loving folk.
In fact - Lets just thank those folk.
Thanks.

Thought Bubble - Fort Double

Well, here's a quick slideshow of all my goodies before they were bundled up and boxed away to The Con.

More on The Con (complete with it's very own slideshow) in Post No. 2 of the evening...

p.s. If you spot a thing your heart desires, feel free to message me and I can pack and post the delight to your door.

Nigh

Today is the day.
At Saviles Hall in Leeds, Thought Bubble Comic Convention is a-happenin'

Currently battling nausea, I assure mself my boxes are stuffed with stuff and my frames are framing stuff - Today we meet, talk and sell.

I have for sale a years worth of booty:

Prints - Full colour digital and screen printed delights from A6 to A1

Stickers - Black and white monsters, birds and creatures, ladies in sad costumes (also in full colour) and screen printed onesies.

Zines - 'One Week, Seven Days' and 'A Four Panel Affair'

Comics - 'The ProffessionOwl' and 'The Neighbour'

Snowglobes - Three ultra-limited glittery domes, each with two original and unique drawings inside their reservoir of magic.

T-Shirt - Three super one-off hand drawn designs on sleeveless cotton.

Origami - Eight creatures in a pack to cut and fold into a gang of new pals.

Notepads - Handy things for you groovy jotters.

Calendars - Paper calendars for 2010, each an original drawing and design.

Right... That's staved of the puking and killed enough time to start loading up the wheels.
Pictures in the morrow.
Tally Ho.

S.A.D. - Stickers Are Dandy

Stickers... IN COLOUR.

Must be pushing the boat out.
I have no boat...


Wanted to do something with my 'Sad Ladies In Costumes That Say Song Lyrics In Speech Bubbles' Series, so I decided to make them into a pack of stickers.

The speech bubbles are now blank so their owner can write their own notes and pop them 'pon surfaces of their choosing.
Also, after much deliberation I changed the name of the group - Behold: 'Dress Up, Get Down'

Me Army O' Origami

Paper, animals and a bit of craft... A winning combination.

It's been in the works a good six months, but finally I've got my origami creature book into a form fit to peddle.

The finishing touch was the cover:


And behind it's facade are a host of critters waiting to spring to life:

Good Four You

One week until Thought Bubble and my thoughts are bubbling.

I've been meaning to get the comics from my four-panel sketchbook into some kind of reproduced pamphlet for quite some time.
It only occurred to me the other day that I have more than enough to make a one page, fold-up zine - Just needed a cover to top them off.
Bonus!

Here is that cover, with it's own four panels... The words "Four Panel" on it... And lots of fourtet panelling within it.

Cover Me

The final addition to this week, even weak project - The cover.




This makes eight pages in total - arranged onto one sheet, with a bit of folding magic this completes a snazzy little zine.

Well... after I guillotine and snip, score and fold, assemble and tremble the way through many, many copies.

Week Tea, Please

Well, we have arrived at day seven, in (just about) seven days.
My last one sits here.

Foxes, squirrels and all manner of winged fellows cross my path on a stroll out of the house.
Combine this creature feature with golden leaves and an autumn breeze and you have yourself a potent mixture that will give any good soul a case of the swooning sentimentals.


Swoon this, suckers.

Your Powers Are Week

When a picture gets finished you can sit back, rest your fingers and feel good about yourself for a few hours...
With a film you get to have a little party.

A wrap party!

However, since the production in question was a two-man show, we basically stood in the kitchen gleefully eating toffees and recklessly drinking weak shandy.

Wee-cked

Hooded animal costumes are essential wear for the Eve of Hallow's.

One bear, one wolf - we stalked the streets in fine attire.
Bumping into zombies walking their pups, medusa herself and all manner of sexy nurses.

Week Willed

Stuffing your face full of tasty food is really great.
However, the food can bite back - squarely on the sinuses.

I'm talking about wasabi... All about wasabi.

Gosh, that stuff is just delicious, but urged by one's appetite and greed it's easy to go one step too far.

Week-ling

Have another day, Sir?
Oh, go on then...

This one day... I managed to make a poster from start to finish in one turn of the earth and felt pretty smug about it.


It took a pot of coffee and a pack of biscuits to fuel my hands and mind, but they worked in unison and did me proud.

Week-ening

Trying to avoid traffic on the way to work lead to a very long and lonesome journey.
Trapped between the school children and business men I crawled along the snake of automobiles and wished I could navigate away.


I knew I was in trouble when the cassette started to repeat.

My Week-ness

There is a date in my diary that is rapidly and relentlessly approaching.
This date is the 21st November and is called Thought Bubble.

Me and my good comrade Octavia Raitt have purchased a small press table and are selling our wares.
One issue arises with such a wonderous endeavour - We must have things to sell.

To bolster our stock numbers we have decided to make a dual action zine!

Eight pages, one week and seven diary entries - draw by us both, and on reverse sides of the same zine.

Day 1 complete:


Expect seven posts in the next seven days.
Also expect more frantic blogging as we ever-closen to the mighty day

Electric Vinyl

Aw, gee - It sure has been a collaborative month.

The lovely girls of Leeds-based decorative vinyl Co. Little Electric have commissioned a selection of my designs to add to their business portfolio!

So if its a pen or a pierrot, a galleon or a goldfish, a crayon or a cuckoo clock that you desire as a domestic decal, then join their facebook group and get some vinyl on your walls.




More designs on the way - Including Christmas window displays.
Jingle my bells.

I have a cuckoo clock in my hallway.
It tells the right time twice a day.

Shake it

After a summer of production, me and my creative comrade Mr. Greig Johnson have hopped over the finish line and called a wrap on a music video for Being 747's Amoeba To Zebra.

I was more than delighted to be asked to contribute by the one-man-wonder Eclectic Schlock Productions - making all the animated content for the video.

Speakers on, eyes fixed and toes ready to tap...
BEHOLD:



A whole bunch of good stuff at once.

Hello, Wiener

Oh, it is undoubtedly the beginning of winter - Crispy orange detritus littering the roads, parsnips and pumpkin back on the shelves, that strange smell of gunpowder suddenly creeping up your snout.

Not to mention the appearance of fangs, masks, eyeballs and capes in the local corner shop.
Stock up - for...
All Hallow's Eve is upon us, mortals!


Gee, I sure did enjoy doing this critter...

Thanks go to the marvellous people of Boutique Catering for letting me
draw so much.

Yoony Corn

And finally - I complete my sextet of saddened sisters.


I've had this waiting in the wings - suspended in silence as the search for a special snippet of speech was being sourced.

The literary limbo was broken moments ago as I looked out to the sunset and listened to The Sensual World - Rocket's Tail sure is the dreamiest ditty.

In my head unicorns fly... But that's Pegasus, right?
Some crossbreeding needs to be happening in the mythical hills, I reckon.

Unicornetto

Walking to work in the brisk morning mist is a contemplative and often melancholy activity which routinely causes minds to wander through the gates of imagination, into the land of fantasy.

Between watching leaves fall, catching sight of the still-visible moon and wishing I had brought my child safety mittens I seeded this baby.

Passports at the ready as we hitch a ride on the starry highway.

Clown Time

This makes a quintet of crestfallen and costume-concealed characters.

Fairly fitting, as I went to see the Moscow State Circus at the weekend...
Though this was a preemptive drawing - Scrawled days before the circus was discovered to be coming to town.

I wonder if the trapeze artists and tightrope walker (or even the chap who played trombone with his foot) like a bit of Costello too.

Something Fishy

The latest addition to The Melancholy Mutant Band - Now a quartet.

This woeful water woman likes to warble a bit of Joni Mitchell, it seems.
Oh, let me sail away.

What A Cow

Beefing up the sad lady collection with a bovine beauty.

Seems rather appropriate that this speaking torso is chatting some (wait for it...) Talking Heads noise.
Bloody heckers

Ta Na Na

I've got cubic zirconias on the bottom of my plimsoles.


This little halfling sprouted from the synaptic seeds of cat-lady-print-sticker.

Nothing can sum up a moment of melancholy better than a beady eyed gal donning an animal costume.
This time she mumbles some words first strung and sung together by the lovely Paul Simon.

Distractions...

One more four panel morsel to offer up to the comic gods.

As much as I'd like them to be - hot liquid infusions, woven yarn trinkets and cathode ray cartoons are not creative outlets.
Must venture to Creative Cove more often than Distraction Den.


I'm sorry pen pals - I still like you, very much indeed.

Ears Of The Cat

Got some printing done a while back and have yet to announce it to the world.
Well, announce it to my mum when I show it her on here.
Proudly, like.

The produce of printing is: An edition of 45 3-colour stickers, 80 x 120 mm.

Don't worry the cat-lady ain't mute, dumb or tongue-tied - she's just uttering a blank so that each one can be made a little more unique.
Bespoke speech bubbles for all.

See below:


She's piping some inspirational Kate Bush lyric...
Jive talkin' Feline!

O... God

Glad to be back on the Alphabet wagon - This time ticking off all things "O"-mighty.


On the other side of the oval you can observe:

A pair of opera glasses, an orca whale, origami, an owl, oxygen, omega, an octagon, an oreo, an onion, an ocarina, an otter, an oasis, an oyster, an octopus, okra, an oil lamp, an oven glove, an omelette, Odin, an ocelot, an orchid, an oar and a bowl o' oats.

Oh My.

Granny Basher

I overheard a mother consoling her trembling offspring with these words the other day at work.
The kid was reluctant to enter the world of stuffed critters and preserved beasts, but hopefully came around to the idea once he was reassured the monsters had been ensured extinct by Nana The Destroyer.

Sexual Heel-ing

I finally managed to put pen to paper for the good band o'boys Am.I.Achilles? for their E.P. "Crowds Aren't Good"

Peer through the CD-case-sized portholes upon some cosmic melancholy.

Frontier:



Backula:


Stickers and bass-drum vinyl to come.
Hibbity

Phonetic Energy

I sure like meeting new people... Though they don't like meeting the pronunciation hurdle that is my name.

The way it's spelt provides a mysterious clue as to how it's said - but ultimately just breeds many similar aliases.
I decided to make an illustration of picture phonetics to soothe away the uncertainty and confusion once and for all.

Behold - The mystery is revealed:

Gone is Christina Backzinnsky - Whoever she was.

Thanks to Peter Criss.

Time Out

The Righteous Brothers are not to be trusted.

"Time goes by so slowly" - Not true.
It's August already and the days are slipping away almost as fast as the weeks.

Time goes by so quick that my very core is shaken.
My core was also stirred... to make a comic about it.

All Work

Makes Kristyna a dull... boy.

The past few weeks I have somehow amputated my weekends and social life in exchange for a no-days-off lifestyle.
My coffee making, popcorn serving and story boarding careers have soared - But my sketchbook and pens were undoubtedly neglected and I felt like my brain's creative lobe may have withered off and died.

This comic makes up for it in some small way.
Also an explanation to my few friends as to why I've been M.I.A in the adult wilderness.

A Duck By Any Other Name

...Would smell as sweet?


More language-based comicking.

Shouting "Duck!" at a Scrooge, Donald or Duckula would quite adequately warn them of any incoming bombardment...
But what of our international Mallards?
The German, Ukrainian and Spaniard know nothing of a warning and are simply heckled with the name of their species.

Any excuse to draw a severed comb-over.

One, Two, Three, Four

Four more panels, another page in the sketchbook.

I have a habit of counting magpies and the sunshine seems to be replicating them at great speed...

As the old rhyme goes:
"One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy"

(see above for Ukrainian translation)

What happens when you see twenty eight of the blighters, though?
Fourteen joys?
Seven boys?

How You Move Me

Moving can make you real sad

...depends where you end up though

Menschliche Fliege

Chance seems to govern the way life swings.
As fickle as it can be, it is also a fortuitous and flukey friend from time to time.

It is by chance that I happened upon the most wonderful request of designing a poster for HUMANFLY and Citadel.

Here is the beast:



I also happened upon a print haven in Leeds as a result of yet more chancing about.
So get yourself down to The Packhorse (Woodhouse Lane) on Friday 10th June to see some excellent noise being made and purchase a limited edition, four-colour screenprint of this monstrous creature.
He would be honoured to reign over your bedroom wall.

Too Damn Hot

June is often first in a string of unrelenting, gruelling and downright uncomfortably hot months.

(June is also the month which happened to contain the even-more-gruelling event of moving house - so apologies for the absence, I was weeping beneath towers of cardboard boxes and council tax forms)

This little four-panel affair is the next page in my super square sketchbook and documents the perils of living in the very top room of a house during summer. And also the odd effect a bit of sunshine has on neighbours - turning many into chattering nudes.
It may have been fictionalised a touch... I'm not covered in feathers or male... or indeed scorched to a smoking husk as a result of my lodgings.

Correction - Past lodgings!
The new pad is super cool.

Tooters & Hooters

I am permitted to cruise the roads of Yorkshire, and indeed beyond.
Watch out pedestrians - the Czynski Chariot has been released.

Cztery Panele

A beautifully handmade square sketchbook was generously donated to my modest cause about a week ago (though I fear it may well have been longer).
Looking at it's blank, willing pages I meandered through the many possibilities of what to put in it.
After a cover-to-cover reading of The Perry Bible Fellowship I came to the conclusion that making a big book brimming with lots o' short but sumptuously sweet comics is a real super thing to do.
This is the first of many 4-Panel pages which will (WILL) fill my new sketchbook.

Apologies to Nicholas Gurewitch if he just spawned a monster.

The Neighbour

This comic is a warning to anyone considering living in a back-to-back terrace that shares any of it's thin, papery walls with a jazz pianist who has a penchant for house music.

The man behind my wall is a very bad man.
Playing terrifying and inexplicably disjointed melodies until 5 a.m. on many occasions.
I have wept, phoned the police, guzzled Baileys in the dead of night, taken more than the recommended dose of paracetamol, kicked plasterboard and slipped down the garden path in my pajamas all in a vain attempt to silence this abominable creature.

Residents of Woodside Place - Beware.

Jeffrey Lewis

Sunday the 3rd of May brought with it the usual holy day lazings: Coffee pot on, Tv tuned to Takeshi's Castle.
After the morning turned in to a charming afternoon, it soon mutated into evening as these things do.
Sunday evening was less usual.
Sunday evening was Jeffrey Lewis and The Junkyark playing live at the Hyde Park Picture House.

Ticket firmly clutched in my palm, I wandered closer to this fondly regarded venue and witnessed a very wonderful show in very beautiful surroundings.

After the band dismounted the stage, me and my companions, Miss. Pocock and Mr. Welbourn made for the doors which were bulging and congested.
In this limbo between in and out, stuck by the merchandise table and only feet away from the man himself... Something strange happened.
I mustered some courage: Approaching Jeffrey Lewis and somehow asking him to sign my sketchbook aside a crudely scribbled outline of himself.
He did so without hesitation!
We exchanged sketchbooks and many words in conversation... And he is a superbly lovely man.


This induces happiness upon viewing.
Fact.

The Owl & The Pussycat

Two well known and well loved preadolescent poetic personalities rendered by my grubby mits.

I did this in my sketchbook quite a while ago but stumbled upon it again recently whilst thumbing through pages looking for a misplaced receipt.
Drawn in pencil on paper and then coloured to high heaven via digital skullduggery.

Their boat is a pea pod!
Fancy that.

Book Me!

I am very fortunate to work in the Leeds Museum Cafe from time to time between freelancing and my wonderful manageress Alex not only feeds me dreamlike cakes and gourmet sandwiches but also lets me illustrate all the menu boards and signage.

Last week during a late Sunday afternoon lull I was issued with a chalk pen and a blank book cover, then given orders to dream up the Cafe's Visitor Book.

...A hoard of minutes later this was born:



I am most proud of it.

Pie Rate

A little dreamboat I met on the shores of sketchbook isle.

PIE.. Rate

Geddit?

Kith and Napkin

Whilst working last Friday I came to a rather untidy table, scattered with the detritus of afternoon tea.
Upon collecting the husks of cupcakes and jam pots I uncovered this wonderful drawing on a napkin.



I can't imagine who these creatures are or where they sprung from.
Or why, even, they seem to be going to the equality "Fair"...

Regardless I'm thrilled to have discovered it and decided to render a version in my sketchbook to make the memory as indelible as the ink of my pen.
Perhaps, unwisely - as the original is very, very charming.

Get Shut

Ah, the super boys and girls at SHUT have revamped their website!

If that wasn't exciting enough - the lovely buggers have put my unabridged interview on there with a whole load of eye candy to gawp at.
It's filed under the 'Art Fags' section here.

I hope I don't read like a dingus... if I do, don't take it out on the pictures.

Gee Whizz

G G Greig gets a go at the graphic gathering game.



Get gazing and gander at:

Some gravy, a gingerbread man, a gecko, a pair of glasses, a grasshopper, a grenade, a gourd, a gift, a gorilla, a gherkin, a gammon steak, a gramophone, a gnome, a ghost, a globe, a goldfish, a gazelle, a glowworm, a gem, godzilla, a galleon and a grapple hook.

Good God!

...Goodbye

Lazy Oaf

It's getting warmer and preparations begin to expose those pasty pale forearms for the first time in 6 months.

Lazy Oaf have kicked off things with a t-shirt competition on their MySpace.
I rejiggled a few existing drawings and got them looking spesh enough for all those cool cats... like Coolio and Cat Stevens.





I super like the black "I Heart Birds" one.
In the very likely event that these don't win anything, I'll definitely be investing in printing up a run.
Etsy Beware!

Windmills

Hot off the Lightbox-Photoshop Express!

This is for a new Leeds-based online/offline zine called Tapes.
I met one of it's founders through Northern Design gubbins and was very kindly asked to join the first issue.
It's a music and art zine where the artists are allocated a musician and use their soundwaves to come up with a visual response.
My musician was the very founder himself - Mr. Ash Mann

I chose his song 'Windmills' (which can be found on his MySpace Page)
It's a beauty of a song and has the words 'clock', 'sandcastle', 'windmill', 'umbrella' and 'beach' in it - which sent me off in a seaside spin.

Some more info on Tapes: Website, MySpace Page and Blog.

I'll check back when the zine is launched, as I think there'll be a podcast and exhibition to go with it.

The Crunch

We're all feelin' it - or so I'm told.

Though, I seem to be perpetually strapped - regardless of the current climate (which, incidentally seemed mild and balmy today).



I reckon the worrying financial squeeze can be kept at bay as long as you have the crunch of a juicy carrot, celery stick or perhaps even a sugar snap...
Much prefer a 'Sugar Snap' to a 'Credit Crunch'.

A Page From My Pad

Thought I should pop a page of my sketchbook on here, as I seem to be permanently in it's company, however seldom shove it face down onto the scanner bed and bear it to this blog.

So here are the latest complete pages.

...and yes, I WILL work for vegetables - Call me.

Cilla Black

As I sat with friends on Tuesday night we ventured through the many channels of entertainment until we happened upon the visage of Mrs. Cilla Black...
Aghast, my chum exclaimed, "Oh, it's Cilla Black!" ... Then after a short pause, "Her hair is so shiny and brown - I thought it was a ham"

That is funny.

See 'C' - My Playmate

I'm slowly chipping away at the 26 characters of our language, and here is 'C' - chalked up by request for Miss Cristina.


Crammed into the circular cranny we can confirm the company of:

A cherokee chief, a cuckoo clock, some candy floss, some cheese, a cleaver, a candelabra, a cobra, a cyclops, a crotchet, a crown, caesar, a cocktail, a cup of coffee, a clog, a cowboy, a couple cherries, a cactus, a cauldron, a chameleon, cutlery, a corn, a clown, a caterpillar, a cod, a crab, a crying cloud and a comb.

Cheerio!

The Top Of The Alphabet

Alastair aged annually a few days ago.

I thought it an appropriate action to arrange an array of 'A's for this aging associate.



The annular area accomodates:

An accordion, an avocado, an armadillo, an amigo, an apron, an atom, an apple, an aspirin, an alarm clock, an amoeba, an arrow, an anchor, an angelfish, an aardvark, an axe, an asteroid, an alligator, an ant, an alien, an ace, an acorn, an abacus, an albatross, and an artichoke.

Adieu!

Reep-A-Cheap... Zine

It's time to reep rewards!

This month's issue of CHEAP Magazine is out now - printed and bound by some lovely birds.

The middle page spread is by me - so head on over to their shop and grab yourself a copy.
It's filled with pages of gorgeous grayscale treats and will only set you back ONE POUND STERLING!

Now thats cheap.

Mmm K

Another one for the alphabet gang.
Drawn for a tip top gal by the name of Kelly as a thank you gesture.


Her super K-ool initial is joined by:

Some fancy knickers, a koi carp, a knuckle duster, a kidney, a koala, a kazoo, some knitting, a 'kerchief, a kestrel, a king, a kaleidoscope, a knot, a kite, a kiwi, a key, a knight, a bottle of ketchup, a knee, a kettle, a kitten, a kiss, a kangaroo, a knocker, a kimono and a keyboard.

TShirts For Sale!

The super cool, independent clothing label Mouldy Loaf have got one of my designs in their new range of tasty threads.

So head on over to their Store and get your torso looking snazzy phresh!

Illoo Stray Shun

Stumbled upon a little illustration work last week - for the good people at 3 Minutes Of Madness Record Label.

They were after an image for their website.

Drafted in, I wielded my pens and came up with the two fellers below.




So next time you're passing, pop your head in and rev up the jukebox!

H H Happy Birthday

Here's another letter for another dear friend.

H-Bomb Holly gets to hang out with: a ham, a harp, a hammer, headphones, a heart, a hobby horse, a hook, Humpty Dumpty, a horn, a hermit crab, a harlequin mask, her botanical namesake - holly, a hairdryer, a hand, a jar of honey, a harmonica, a hamster, a hydrant, a hammerhead shark, a sprig of hyacinth, a horseshoe, a hot air balloon, a hotdog, a hi-fi, a hanger, a hare and a hot, hot habanero pepper.



Making a move closer to a whole alphabet.
Two down - Twentyfour to go...
Pity I don't know anyone by the name of Xavier though.

Can I Have A Pee?

My rather modest, but very dear friendship circle includes two lovely ladies who happen to have both been dubbed identically by their parents: Rachael.

Over time a method has been devised to distinguish which namesake you intend to alert by simply adding the initial of their surname to your cries.
So we have a Rachael 'T' and a Rachael 'P'...
This has inevitably been condensed to simply 'Tee' or 'Pee', and at the weekend 'Pee' celebrated her 23rd full orbit of the sun since birth.

This was my commemorative gift:



Her distinguishing initial in a sea of other 'Pee's.

If you fancy gazing you may discover: a pipe, a peacock, a parasol, a pirate, a purse, a poppy, a pear, a pearl, a peg, a peanut, a pistol, a pie, a penguin, a parachute, a planet, a peach, a padlock, a pea pod, a porcupine, a pencil, a panda, a plug, a pierrot, a pizza, a pumpkin, a pin and a dash of poison.

This makes me want to tackle the rest of the alphabet.
'Tee' knows what she might get come her annual ageing then.

Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear...

When you draw pictures for CHEAP 'zine?

In their own words - 'Cheap is the noise a bird makes'



So behold: The international nesting centre for warm-blooded, egg laying vertebrate distinguished by the possession of feathers, wings and a beak. Perhaps also, in this case, the additional function of speech.

This flock utter their chorus in all the languages I could find to translate.

A few little gags in there to spot too: French hen, Kingfisher, Robbin'...

I think this'll be available in February some time, so check in on their site.
Lord knows, I will.

"Man Vs Mescaline"

There is a man called Daniel Cantrell and he puts together a zine called 'Good Vs Evil'.

I stumbled upon the Good Vs Evil MySpace page and almost immediately picked a copy of Issue 2.

The theme was 'Man Vs. Animal' and within the pages of this beautifully bound tome was a hive of sweet, sweet illustration.
Page after page of it. By lots of talented people. Printed on lovely paper...
Needless to say I WANTED IN.

After a brief bit of correspondence Issue 3's theme was revealed to me as 'Man Vs Mescaline'.
Here is my contribution to the next installment of desirable goodness... Or perhaps Evilness


Next issue should be out in a few weeks, so that's a little treat to be anticipating.

Pencils Ahoy

A couple weeks ago I started a new sketchbook devoted to pencils rather than pen - my usual weapon of choice.

As a result a few new friends have been born, rendered in tone as well as line!



Yummers - expect more.

While I'm at it...

I've been meaning to get this on here for an awful long time, so here goes.
I was in a MAGGER ZEEN!





God bless SHUT Magazine

A Little Bit Of Christmas Cheer

Aside from the evenings spent panicked into frenzy, hurriedly scrawling well-wishing doodles onto scraps of card for the birthday's of friends and family - I can say I have never officially designed a greetings card.
Well, that was until now.
Excuse me while I wait for the fanfare... Perhaps not.

Just a little thing for a Letting Agency in Harrogate.



I feel rather festive after that.
Bring on the 'Nog

Winners!

A slow monday morning last week was rocketed from mundane to euphoric when I got the super news that my 'Lovebirds' comic had won Thought Bubble's Art Competition.
A whole load of comicular delights were headed my way and I nervously hurried into Travelling Man with a stack of prints to collect a veritable bounty of delights!



Oh Boy...
What utterly lovely people.

I printed an edition of 14 'Lovebirds' to mark the occasion - So if you fancy getting your paws on a fine digital print (numbered and signed), just holler.
£3 including p+p - Contact me at geek.chic@hotmail.co.uk

Magic

The lovely people at Mouldy Loaf were very kind to request my services for their new range of tshirts.
I eagerly said "hot damn, sure thing" and rustled something up.

The theme was "The possibility of impossibility" - So why not glimpse behind this dapper little magician's smoke and mirrors and direct your peepers southward...



The shirts are due to be printed and for sale at their Online Shoppe in the new year.
Mucho Excitissimo!

Love Birds

I think this could just about be my favourite time of year.
Seasons are changing, fireworks are booming, trees are dying... and simultaneously Bradford Animation Festival, Leeds Film Festival and Thought Bubble Comic Convention all approached.

So much to watch and read, last week left my eyes aching and my brains swimming.

The second annual comic convention - Thought Bubble launched a whole load of competitions and I couldn't resist making a little something.
The brief was a 4 panel comic on any subject...

Teddy Bear's Halloween

All Hallow's Eve means dressing up and gathering with friends to look at each other dressed up... and spooky stuff, some pumpkins and a bit of tooth ache.

Dress up this year involved co-ordinating furry bear costumes in the style of Herman Dune's 'I Wish That I Could See You Soon'

So wonderful, cosy and thrilling it was to make and wear them that a doodle has been drawn in their honour.

Self Portraits

Most doodles are a representation of the doodler.
Whether obviously in an observed, physical likeness or something more abstracted, veiled and obscured.

File this under 'obvious'.

Turbulence @ The Serpentine

It's always a thrill when I get suprised with some news of an illustration or animation from days gone by, but this surely topped the bunch...

A few months ago I was very kindly asked to produce cover illustrations for a political journal called Turbulence and I did my job, scribbled, sent it away and the printed publication was reproduced lots of times in July:



Behold, the glorious tangible newsprint facsimile:



It's the illustration that just keeps giving - as late last week I was informed that Turbulence was going to be involved in an exhibition of manifestos at The Serpentine Gallery, London on that very weekend.
Curses - I couldn't make it down (instead I was stranded in The North watching TV Burp to soothe away the blues) but after a bit of internet snooping I found out a bit more, and am indeed thrilled.

Some words about the event at e-flux.com

...and some photos too at The Serpentine website.
I'm scrutinising the photo of Gilbert and George to see if they're even in proximity to my work...

I'm telling myself Brian Eno, Vivienne Westwood and Yoko Ono probably picked up a copy each for their personal collections.

For Fox Sake

More old-i-fying of pictures.

Had to draw this after a visit to Grizedale sculpture park in The Lake District. At the crest of a rather lengthy uphill climb a big stone fox stood majestically. After a few seconds deliberation I introduced myself, climbed aboard and hey presto the Big Friendly Fox took off.
Magic

Moon Raker : Sketchbook To Illustration

Pondering:

Is the sketchbook a doodle? A rough? The essence of the idea?

Is the sketchbook lesser than the illustration? Why redraw? Why colour?

Does this process distill and define?

Continue doing them both, certainly.
Neither practice will stop anytime soon, so plenty more time to address these thoughts.

Smokin' Fresh Picture

This feathery friend has been floating around for some time...

Been wanting to use this phrase since a chance venture into Amsterdam's most enchanting music emporium (Palm Music, I think) where hung an empty bird cage in which was a little note scribbled with the words: "This bird has flown"

Thought it was reet nice, so I done made a picture of the bird.

Welcome

A welcome to me and indeed, a welcome to you.

This blog is my new pet - A place to show things, collect things and keep things for posterity.

Expect new pictures and cartoons to be plastered up hastily on completion, along with thoughts, doodles and finds.

Existing work is already up on my myspace site: http://myspace.com/kriskicorp

A-Thankingtons