I little detail screenshot of a print I have coming out in time for a show at Sheffield DocFest. My first risograph print, and even I managed to baffle the guys at Victory Press with my process and print demands. As such, we are all waiting to see what comes out of the other end of the printer.

Will let you know as soon as it drops

Spent the day in this shack. Or around it. By its streams, its pastures, its BBQ. Its people. Wood burning stoves and filled to bursting with warm friendlies. A good day

(Source: kathrynwilliamsmusic)

Next up on our post ‘Pick Me Up’ wheel of Neighbours is, as promised, the aerodynamic ‘Zombie Collective’

If we could high five ‘Fatherless’ and ‘DayJob’, then we could barely throw a stick at Zombie Collective, such was their proximity to us. The length of the venue away, we had to overcome many other collectives to make the connection, including Hattie Stewart, Handsome Frank, Print Club London to name but a few…. and it isn’t to say I overlook these guys, but this is all about connections, not only who I admire as illustrators, but who I chatted to, spent time and danced to ‘R Kelly’ with etc. 

I had come across the Zombie Collective before… albeit through friends who had shown work with them at Fathoms Deep, do their day jobs or spent wild nights with them. Nonetheless, I had presumed I hadn’t seen their work before… that was, until I clocked the magnificant MAGGIE LI! Maggie has propped up my blog browsing, pinteresting, and been subject to my genuine admiration since I discovered her work. I’m pleased to announce here, that despite what I’d heard (I hadn’t heard) she is as lovely in the immediate as her work is one the screen. A true steadast champion.

I had the pleasure of also meeting (and partying moderately hard) Joely Brammer and Frann Preston-Gannon. These guys are proper troopers and genuinely lovely types. Being a stranger to the smoke, and generally a bit socially retarded, they took me under their wing and protected me from weed smokers, wild women and showed me to all the major off licenses and multi-national, after hours (to remain unnamed) burger joints (and this, despite the fact the Joely has been vegetarian for 45 years!).  

Missing from my ‘gotta catch them all’ attitude to socialising were other members, Rebecca Jay and Alice Lickens.

As you can see, all of these guys are all as strong in their practice as they are on the dancefloor. They may have been the world away from Brothers of the Stripe’s stand, but I sure am glad we bridged the gap. 

Find their work on: www.zombiecollective.co.uk

ON A FINAL NOTE, I want to make a final special mention of Hero of Switzerland. These guys shared our floor for the duration, and I had the pleasure of putting away a few beers with Dan Button. I had heard of their collective name a few times but never had chance to spy their work prior to the festival. I’m afraid to say that apart from a couple of jars and shouty chats in a radgey bar, we didn’t get much time to hang out… but from what I’ve gathered, these guys are proper salt of the earth and I am hoping and preying to remedy that next time out, as you can be damn sure you’ll be hearing their name again. 

Thats pretty much it from Pick Me Up. I could go on about all the awesome exhibits, practitioners etc… but I wanted this to be personal, about more than who impressed me or were there to namedrop. I wanted to highlight my heroes of the festival. Suffice it to say, it was fit to bursting with so much talent… enough to have me reaching for my giro book again. But I won’t. Not quite yet.

 

Next up on the ‘Meet the Neighbours’ from our week at ‘Pick Me Up’, I bring you the ‘Day Job’ collective

For the duration of the festival, we sat in our chairs gazing longingly at these guys work across the hallway. I am not afraid to say I felt rather intimidated by the quality of the work, and it just screamed of a style of illustration I’d long for my own practice to mirror. When I dig around in their catalogue of work, I found so many images I’ve fauned over, pinned or longed to have etched on my retinas. It’s THAT good. If Fatherless showed me how to be the best sort of people/practitioners, Day Job were giving us a lesson on how to be amazing at straight up illustration (and smiling!)

A collective of London graduates, Day Job are made up of Joshua Checkley, Daniel Clarke, Aaron Cook, Grace Helmer, Katie Johnston, Charlene Man, Ella McLean, Charlotte Mei, Peter Rhodes and Victoria Wilmott. Ever since I set foot back on Northern soil, I’ve lamented a serious lack of peers that I have around me, and envy the connection, talent and energy these guys share. Truth be told, we didn’t chat much (Too nervously feeling like the scruffy dimwit urchin to their demure art school charm), but for the times we did, we were struck by warmth, friendliness and a whole lot of giant smiles. 

With my whole heart, I hope to work with or within a space with these guys in the future. Really breathtaking work. 

Check them out both on their website www.day-job.org and their news through their tumblr

Tomorrow we’ll be talking about: Zombie Collective

So, here I am… nursing the post Pick Me Up illustration festival blues and I have to start by saying that the whole thing has been AMAZING. My Brothers have been super supportive and seen me through a serious crisis of confidence and made sure the slack was taken from my weakened efforts. 

As for our place in the festival, although I’ve nursed a desire to be one of the illustrious ‘Pick Me Up Selects’, there is absolutely no doubt that being one of the chosen ‘Collectives’ has proven itself to be infinitely more rewarding.

As a wee nurturing of the memories, I thought I’d share a few of our neighbours from the festival with you, profiling those with whom we shared space, beers, carbon dioxide and watercolour memories. 

First up we have the Fatherless print collective from Rockford, Illinois. Despite the monumental distance and no guarantee of a payday, these boys moved mountains to arrive at our shores by way of raising $7k through a Kickstarter fundraising campaign and undertaking some backbreaking work and ballbreaking risks. 

Fatherless worked their multilayered screen printing wonderweaving live for the audience, setting up a beautifully simple printing press within their space, and wowing crowds with a flagrant disregard of registration and facial hair enough to incite fear and prejudice in the hearts of even the more thorough of customs officers. 

The audiences response to their work, both live and in the post festival blog noise is wildly positive, seemingly making the trip worth every dime of their supporters faith. I can honestly vouch for these guys first hand as not only megastars of their creative process, but also, as quality gentlemen of the highest order, whose infectious manner, levity, work ethic and insight will remain with me a lifetime. I only had the fortune to shake it with Jarrod (far left), Dave (next) and Greg (Far Right)… as Javier (checked shirt) had left for home before I arrived, and Corey never managed to make the trip. 

There is every chance you haven’t come across the Fatherless before, but I assure you, by the impact they’ve made on us as a collective, the festival itself and the audience as a whole… it won’t be the last you’ll hear from these handsome buggers. These boys deserve every compliment that I, or anyone else can bestowed upon them, and I am happy to say that they have helped make my week and memorable one. I really cannot say enough in praise of these guys creatively and as people. 

Be sure to check their work at www.wearefatherless.com/ and say “Hi” www.facebook.com/wearefatherless

Tomorrow: Dayjob

Brothers of the Stripe are at Pick Me Up. In London? Come see. Can’t make it to London? Just look ahead at the screen

(Source: willscobieblog, via brothers-of-the-stripe)