Recent Commission- The Anti-boredom Book of Brilliant Things To Do - by Andy Seed

Today sees the publication of a new Andy Seed book that i recently worked on, you may remember my previous Silly Book post. These are great fun to work on and working with Claire Jones at Bloomsbury is a real joy. I've no idea how Andy comes up with all this stuff, but i'm sure glad he does!

Here are the drawings i coloured up for the cover.

The rest on the illustrations inside are just simple line work. Here are a few of them.

If you've got young kids go grab a couple and that should take care of the rest of the school holidays. Great for long car journeys too, fun for all the family... and the artwork's not bad either!

Classic Kids

I love this photo of my two (the bookends) and friends. It was taken by our friend Sarah, who has been co-running fun days for the kids during the holidays with our other friend Erika. This was 'Detective' day and apparently Barbie had killed the Teddy in the treehouse. They all got fingerprinted and swabbed for DNA! This is just them chilling out in the park like a bunch of mixed up teenagers, so many expressions/attitudes going on!

Simple, Yet So Hard

The other day, as my fb friends will already know, i managed to hit a 180 on our studio dartboard. Nothing special there... if you're a pro! For them it's a regular thing, they're disappointed if it's anything else. However, as any of you darts dabblers out there will appreciate, it is incredibly hard and rare. I think this is only my third or fourth ever! it's certainly been at least 7 years since my last, but then i played a whole lot less darts in that time than i used to. I love darts. It's such a simple game to get into, but you soon appreciate how hard it is to master. "How can three darts not all go in the same place?!!", you'd be surprised. I've been very close to 180 lots of times, but so often that last dart just tenses up and mostly drops just below. It's a tough call on the last dart, do you keep momentum and flow, or do you pause and compose so as not to snatch at it? this time i went with flow, just as i started to think about what could be, my mind blocked it out and let go... 180. Simple, yet so hard.

the WALL... the start of my new weekly cartoon

As promised, something has been cooking and its a new little series that i will be publishing on my website every Monday morning to help us all start the week. I'll also post it here on the blog to keep it simple for you guys. You'll be able to follow a link and catch up on any you've missed.

It's not going to blow your mind or have you rolling around on the floor laughing (have i sold it to you? : ) but it'll just be a nice simple little thought or idea to kick off your week. You should know me by now, i don't do complicated. A simple smile is all i need.

This idea has had a long germination period, but finally i saw the light and it was the most simplest of stages for me to explore, a simple red brick wall. I've always had walls in my work, even if it's just been a line dividing the wall from the floor. This one is perfect. I can touch on so many things with just this simple graphic device. In one weekend I blasted through a whole years worth in my sketchbook (well, the majority on the Friday!). Most of those will feed in here, it's nice to know i have back up, but i also hope to keep creating and finding better ideas as i go. I always like my 'get out of jail' cards before i can really think freely! I'm also happy with the semi-rough finish of the drawing, i wanted to keep it closer to the doodles and not get too fussy. I'm sure some weeks will be tighter than others, but it'll be good for me to try and keep it looser. Eventually, once i have accumulated enough, i might try and make them into a book. Let's start simply first though, so....

Here's the first one then. Welcome to The WALL! (they'll look much better viewed over on the website garrettworld)

Hope you drop by each week (unless you're a psychologist!)

Looking At You Looking At Me

I posted some of the faces staring at me in the studio a few posts back, now here are a few of the cast that keep an eye on me at home.

I Think I'm Doing All Right

Here's my end of term report. (actually they were from school projects for fathers day a month ago, but they feel like my school report). 

...I must work on my calmness! ; )

London Town

Popped up to London for the day yesterday. They say the streets of London are paved with gold. Well, gold must smell a bit like vomit and bin juice. London stank! (on many fronts). It was hot and the streets did not smell good, poor old tourists (who only seem to be from China these days. No one else can afford it!). Anyway, thought i needed a beer to get away from the heat and the stench (a very nice Meantime London Pale Ale, thanks for asking... although the five pound pint also depresses me).

so i take a seat and was then faced with this depressing view. Stinks doesn't it? What are people doing? (i do it too). Very depressing. All sitting in this communally spirited pub, having a drink and ignoring every other life form present! Have we all gone mad? I imagined a time in the not so distant past where strangers would pull up a bar stoll and slowly start to chat with their fellow man, enquire about their day, their life, get an insight into another persons world. Society needs a rethink.

This photo was taken on the train home and the scene was repeated all down the carriage (and at many other points during the day). Depressing. What's going on with us, will it ever change? Horrible. Lot's of disconnected people all drifting past each other.

Popped into the Contemporary Ceramic Centre and fondled some Dylan Bowen and Phil Rogers pots ; )  Then over the road and into the British Museum to cheer myself up and ogle some old slipware.

...and the odd bit of Medieval.

Then finally met up with my old friends Chris and Ann. Chris is a fellow illustrator, please check out his website (and his new record!). I first met Chris when i was a student at Kingston University... over 20 years ago, yikes! It's always good to catch up with old friends and have a laugh!

I just saw this old pic out the corner of my eye, an echo across the years (many years!). Me and Chris and our good friend Craigio.... who's Birthday it happens to be today... Happy Birthday Amigo! Craigio now lives even further away in Thailand. Wish he could have been there with us yesterday.

... I was a rebel, i always wore my glasses on the dancefloor! ; )

... and sorry Marky! (my other good friend Mark, hates seeing my old hairless photos!)

That's Entertainment!

I thought I'd just put a quick word up here to point you to some good stuff. It's Russel Brand's Trews (True News... imagine!). Russel's just popped up, grabbed hold and is galloping away! Personally i'm with him, his points are good ones, solid ones... and as in this film it's very funny, by the time he got to the Chinese i had tears in my eyes. Anyway, i just thought you might enjoy it, i think you're my kind of people ; )



I can also heartily recommend the Is Fox News More Dangerous Than ISIS? and Why Does Fox News Love Guns So Much? ... oh and Can Fox News Justify Killing Animals?

Basically I love all the ones where he reviews The O'Reilly Factor on Fox, with Bill O'Reilly.

Get over there and subscribe!... unless you're a fan of Fox News ... haha... of course you're not, who would be?

Something's Cooking

.... but you'll have to wait for just a little bit.

At What Cost?

When did "cheap" take over from "good"?
We seem to be being sold the idea of "cheap" as being the best thing, rather than that lost concept of "good value". Why is the lowest price the thing that's most important? Adverts seem to be more and more just selling us the price, rather than if the product is actually any good. "It's good, it's cheap, LOOK!... now buy it and fuck off". If something is twice the price, but will last 4 or 5 times as long, it's just looked at as expensive. That, i guess, is why we're now buried in this hole full of cheap tat. Price is everything... price is the only thing. (I'm no better, I still get sucked in and buy cheap tat, even though i know it is. It's short term thinking, at the time you look at price. it's when you throw it in the bin that you think of the cost). I'm trying to change my whole way of thinking though!

While i'm here i'll share my other pet peev... those 'real people' adverts, where they "honestly" review a product. The people in them always seem to say the words "... actually" or "... to be honest" after their fake review. It's as if they can't cover up the falseness and they have to try and convince themselves! Anyway it pisses me off.
Award of the day has to go to Aldi for their advert where the "real person" is very excited that they sell "... live herbs now, you know in the pots".... fucking hell. Here's a link if you need to see it!

Little Wings

Thought I'd share a bit of Little Wings with you. Been listening to his Black Grass album (2011) and Last (2013) .

Face It

... I like a face or two staring at me as i work in the studio! Here's just a selection of what i found around me today (excuse the dust : )

I Always Knew I Was A Winner!

There was recently a print giveaway over on the lovely Claire Loder's blog. I threw my name into the hat and WON this splendid fellow, "Feeling Blurry"! I always love it when i see these simple monochrome wash drawings Claire makes. Any of you unfamiliar with Claire's work and her fabulous ceramics should really go have a look and also follow her always interesting, inspiring blog. Creative, artistic and simple. It can purify you!

It was also such a pleasure receiving my print. As ever you can rely on true artists to care equally about the way they package and present themselves. I was excited from the start... look at that fantastic personalised tape!!

I opened it with surgical precision and being careful with the blade! Then there was a sub package with a beautiful little drawing on it and a very sweet note. Inside were a lovely set of postcards. Then onto the main print, which had it's tissue wrap and a small card taped to it (cut, not torn). It's all these touches that make receiving things so special. It felt like a tiny ritual. Perfect. 

Anyway, now i need to figure out the best place to live with this guy, somewhere in my studio i think. A reminder to not forget about those brushes and watercolour that still sit there, rather neglected these days. I suggest you dig yours out too.

Thanks Claire, i love him!

(even though i know you created a 'her' : )