sAmHuINN PosTER 2O10

So my current major project is a poster. It is to advertise a festival which happens on the 31st of October in Edinburgh; Samhuinn. I've done a couple of posters for the two major pagan festivals presented in processional performances by Beltane Fire Society now and have had great fun with each. I'm noticing a transition in the style and complexity of my poster designs as I've gained more experience with this media style. I've had plenty of challenges with fitting details around images, colouring such that certain points become more focal than others, attempted computer colouring (and failed) and as a result, reverted to my preferred hand to pen/paint neanderthal ways.

This poster is by far my favourite to work on. I've previously played things safe visually speaking. My last poster was relatively simple and made very bold with a segmented 'stained glass' style inking. Although I've carried on with strong black outlining of figures, I've let myself get a lot more dynamic with movement/shape/composition.

Just thought I would pop up a little sampler of Winter's Dance. Done with the inking, now on with the colour!

HeLLo wOrld

Having just graduated from the degree and feeling that new sense of intellectual freedom; I have finally decided to get down to a project that has been a long time coming. I wanted a repository for inspiration, thoughts, other prospective projects and all those little things that I write on a beer mat or bus ticket in a fit of motivation and creativity and then find a few weeks later to have been erased from this world by the great evil- The Washing Machine. I had two options; stop washing my clothes to avoid pocket (or content thereof) purging or poke some very kind (and pretty l33t) friends to help me create a place I could share most of it online. Much as the sound of no more laundry appeals, the threat of loosing friends and gaining yeast infections has lead me to the second option.

I had originally intended to get under way with a webcomic I have been wanting to produce for the last 6 years. A lack of time and talent, commitments and a yearning to be playing outside with the cool kids hindered this ambition. A mass of false starts; beginning a particular story-line just to find it wasn't what I wanted to follow far into the future, has meant a few times I have stumbled on my attempts to get it all going. I'm still fumbling about but I figure throwing things up here until something sticks may be a plan. Like creative spit-balls. Most things I'll probably be playing with will likely be semi-biographical cartoons, but at least its a starting point. The more fantastical stuff I would like to do requires either simplifying or my abilities to sky-rocket, and I know which scenario my money is on happening first. So maybe in the future with plenty of editing and figuring out where my imagination is taking me I can try some of those out.

I also want to use this space to get down ideas, projects (and follow their progress, if any) and things I've learnt along the way, like a retroactive self-tutorial, that if anyone shares such interests may just benefit them too.

Maybe on a road trip, currently somewhere in Idaho (USA) isn't really the best start I could give this, lacking reliable internet access- but its as good a place as any to start. Especially when you've just read through about 800 pages of zombie comics!