The Hand Drawn Creative Blog

Our New Wheels…

Yes, Hand Drawn Creative travels in style (well on Wednesdays & Fridays anyway). Check out our lovely, big, black, top of the range Volvo. Plenty of room for Melissa in the back and he handles like a dream. We've christened our S60 "Sven" because he's both Swedish & svelte. Probably not the kind of automobile you associate with a scruffy old Illustrator like me, but remember Jules has a real job and travels quite a lot with her work. I still get to play "chauffeur" at weekends!

Doing it for the kids…

Hi folks, dropping in for the first time in a long time I suppose. I've been incredibly busy with client work and also with some upcoming prints and projects of my own (more of which I'll reveal throughout August).

The latest 'big news' round these parts would be my recent corporate identity project with Sixteen South in Belfast. Sixteen South have garnered a great name for themselves in the world of childrens television, with the successful production of Sesame Tree for the BBC's cbeebies channel in the UK. They're currently filming a second series and following on from Sesame Tree's success, another original programme, Big City Park has been created. (this is where I come in).

The chaps at Sixteen South called me in to cast a fresh pair of eyes over the show's logo. It was quite a tough brief and definitely a team effort. Dougie and Colin have worked long and hard on Big City Park and had been working on logo ideas for quite some time, so I think the finished result is a professional, collaborative piece and one which works well within its medium.

 The first episode airs on the BBC this morning at 9.00am on the cbeebies channel. If you've got little ones – I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time before you hear them chanting the Big City Park theme tune and from what I've seen in the Editing Suite, it's shaping up to be a great kids show.

As for me – I'm just as proud as punch to have my work associated with such a well crafted piece of childrens television. This is definitely a ground-breaking moment for Hand Drawn Creative to have its work right up there on the BBC!

Time for a Spring Clean

If you've not dropped by recently, you'll notice a few changes. I tend to get bored of my own logo pretty fast, so now & then I play around with things (just to keep my design muscles in check). At the minute I've got a real thing for black & orange as well as employing a new marque which is great fun and gets the illustration theme across. I've also get to roll out one of my favourite typefaces Square Meal from Font Diner

There's more to see on the Hand Drawn Creative website where I've also been updating my various portfolios with some exciting new pieces.

Good Espresso, Sharp Pencils & Sunshine

We've had good weather lately in N. Ireland. Quite a rare occurrence around these parts, so I've been taking advantage of it by revving up my stovetop espresso maker in the mornings, sharpening up a nice old 2B and taking a little time to doodle outdoors. You know what they say – make hay while the sun shines.

  

A Good Day…

I've been eagerly awaiting the opening of Shawn Stussy's new clothing enterprise for quite a while now. And once the  s/double online store was up & running in April, I made sure I was one of the first to get my orders in. I plumped for this smart hoody and tee shirt…

My new kit arrived today and very comfy it is too. But what made the delivery really worth the wait was the personal, hand written note attached to the tee…

If you know anything about skate, surf & b-boy culture over the last 30 years, then you'll recognise the handwriting instantly. This is going in a frame, without a doubt! Like I said, today is a good day.

Back to the Old School…

I've recently enrolled on a screenprinting course at a Print Workshop near my new place on the the recommendation of an old friend. It's the first time I've signed up to anything vaguely educational for a very long time, but two classes in, I've got to say I'm really enjoying myself. It's a creative endeavour I've promised I'd undertake for a few years now and learning the principles of  printing by hand is really making me think hard about the creative process as a whole. Here are a few snaps from the workshop to show how I'm progressing – I'll be selling a few of my efforts on the store real soon. I'll make sure to keep you all notified…

 

  
 

Alex Chilton R.I.P.

I've always been a confirmed Big Star fan, so I was shocked to hear of Alex Chilton's recent passing. I've put together this typographic piece by way of a memorial to the great man using lyrics from one of my favourite Big Star songs "The India Song".

 
I've recently started studying screenprinting and this is the piece I'm using to work with in the print workshop, so I'll post up some images to show progress from the Mac to finished print.

Don't call it a Comeback…

So I’m back then – it’s been a good move for us to get out of Greater Belfast and along the coast into the heart of Bangor, North Down. We’ve got more space for baby (and business) to grow and we’re surrounded by tranquil parks, beautiful gardens and bracing seaside walks – all very inspirational stuff. Hand Drawn Creative has very much been on hiatus the last month or so while we’ve been getting our house in order, but I’ve popped together a few examples of projects I’d been working on before our relocation.

Client: My Tour Talk

 

 

Client: Innovation Ulster

 

Client: Mark Thompson Design

 

 

Gotta keep on keepin' on…

 Some of you may or may not know that my family and I have been searching for a new home for quite some time, two years in fact. We put our house up for sale long before Hand Drawn Creative became an ongoing concern and quite some time before our daughter Melissa was even thought of!

Over the last few years we've explored the possibility of moving to Melbourne, Cambridge, even as far away as California, but destiny obviously had other things in mind for us. As a business, Hand Drawn Creative is flourishing (that explains the lack of blogging this year) and one thing self employment in my chosen field has taught me is; that these days, it really doesn't matter where you work from – if the finished product is good enough, people will come calling.

With all this in mind (as well as in infant daughter to contend with) we'll be sticking to Northern Ireland for a little while yet, Bangor to be precise. It's close to the sea (plenty of positive ions) and not too far from grandparents either. We should be moved in and settled and ready to start working properly again by early April.

I'll keep you all up to speed with everything (new addresses etc.) as Spring continues.

Reasons to be Cheerful…