News

It has been said that opposites attract. Well let’s hope so because BrewLink Brewing Co. have just released two stouts in one amazing 4pack. BrewLink Stout Cans consist of a dark oatmeal stout and a lighter white stout. Two cans of each unique stout flavors make up the mixed four pack. A genius idea with Ebony & Ivory literally living side by side.

I have worked with BrewLink on their branding and this is the second 4 pack of beer I have worked on for them, the first being a delicious Pale Ale.  The brand is still in it’s early years but so far has been well received. For this beer the owners had a very strong upfront idea. Black and white opposing cans. They had also commented on my doodle art and how much they liked it, so I combined the two ideas.  The result was a four pack of striking cans with lots of hidden details and weirdness. Enough to get the attention of a consumer in a sea of over populated craft beer cans. Job done. I cannot wait to taste this stuff…if the last one was anything to go by these will be delicious.

If you are in the Plainfield, IN area you should try and get some of this stuff and pour it into your mouth hole. The Brewery now also has a Tap House location for exclusive tastings and all things BrewLife.

Legion Headwear Release wotto Beanie Design

Legion Headwear and Apparel  are a new company specializing in some very cool headwear. To launch their brand they held an art contest to select one beanie and one cap to add to their existing line of headwear. I entered the fray and came out on top in the beanie category. My design ‘Chalk Doodles’ was selected as the winner and went into immediate production. A few months later the company released the final product.

The good people at Legion sent me some samples of the winning design and made it available online. The quality is really nice and my son immediately wanted to wear it for the rest of the day. A nice fresh mint color with a doodled pattern, this hat is ideal for the slopes. I’m really happy with the final product and can’t recommend it enough. It’s selling fast so if you want one go grab one.

The New Internationalist is a multi-award winning, independent, non-profit media co-operative. For over 40 years, they have specialized in investigative reporting and publishing on human rights, politics, social and environmental justice.  Each year they release a diary/planner and for the 2016 edition I was asked to contribute three pieces of my art.

The 2016 Planner features Resilience, The Infinite Struggle and The Eternal Struggle; all three pieces center around the constant struggle the planet experiences with human pollution. I was flattered to be featured alongside some cool artists. It was also nice to be featured in a publication that is attempting to change attitudes globally. If you are interested the planner can be picked up here.

Brewlink Brewing in Plainfield, Indiana, USA is an awesome brewery born out of the heads of too very good people. These people hired me to design their branding a while back, since then they have got the brewery well oiled and the beer is pouring. Their first beer was a “hoppy Pale Ale” and I got the job of designing a can for it. The design was aligned with the previous branding but also captured a lot of my style.

The main area of the can boasts the beers name, which is obviously important. This is surrounded by an octopus, doodles and the original BrewLink characters. The beer was launched last month and has been very well received locally. The owners sent me a batch and it was delicious, not just because I designed the can. These guys are going from strength to strength with the first batch completely sold out. As I type this they are busy cranking out more batches and more delicious brews!

You can see more about this project here, including keg collars and a tap handle! I’m off to design more cans…….

Amber Lotus Publishing licensed one of my sugar skulls for their 2014 calendar, this year they requested a different piece of art for the cover of the 2016 calendar! It released a few months ago and very recently they got in touch to say the cover art was really helping to sell many calendars. I love hearing these kind of things because as an artist it means I have done my job.

Being a part of a calendar is always interesting because you never know who the other contributing artists are until it goes to print. I’m always excited and flattered to be featured alongside some truly talented folks. If you need a calendar and sugar skulls tickle your fancy you can pick one up now HERE and HERE!

Inkbox has recently revolutionized the temporary tattoo scene with a product that looks like a real tattoo but only lasts a few weeks. Just after their launch earlier this year they invited me to be a featured artist. I saw the potential in this new start up and jumped on board. The guys behind the product are also really nice guys, which always helps. I designed a small collection for my own store within their vast range of designs. You can pick my designs up here.

Since I got involved a lot has happened and through a kickstarter the company has raised a whopping $191,262 (to date) of an original 15K goal! This is allowing them to bring a new cleaner product to the market and push their collections into a marketplace, benefiting more artists. This is all great news because not only are they “blowing up” they are also supporting the Darien Initiative, which for 30 years, has provided community and agricultural support to the Embera-Wounaan and Kuna tribes of the Darien Gap, Panama. Boom! win/win/win.

I’m really proud to be a part of this company. They are going from strength to strength. I’m glad I trusted these guys and agreed to be apart of a small idea that just keeps on growing….Congrats Tyler & Braden.

I recently teamed up with Denik after two other collaborations where my art was selected to adorn their notebook covers. Woot! selected one of my designs and then Design By Humans selected a design to feature on their Denik limited edition collection. These two separate collaborations prompted Denik to get in touch. We then collaborated directly on two further designs; Explosion and Calavera IV.

Explosion mixes a Victorian gentleman illustration with my weird and unique doodles, all exploding from his head. Calavera IV is a neon version of a traditional Day of the Dead sugar skull.
The original Woot! collaboration is no longer available but the Design By Humans ‘The Passengers’ notebook is available in limited numbers. This design is a character based piece that has a weird monster riding a giraffe, possibly my favorite of all these products.

‘Explosion’ – Available here
‘CalaveraIV’ – Available here
‘The Passengers’ – Available here

I have been working with Disney for around 2 years now and it has been a fantastic experience. I wanted to write a bit about it and share the art I produced with the Disney team. I was emailed by a Disney Art Director after they spotted my work in a gallery show. I went to the Disney HQ and had a ball wandering around and discussing a few projects with ridiculously creative individuals.I was commissioned to work on three sets of art based on the Disney Villains, The Muppets and Winnie The Pooh.

The Villains were something I loved working on because I am a huge fan of Disney baddies! Redrawing these classic characters was humbling and exciting all at once. The final art was created using Illustrator and because I did so many sketches I decided to present those too. Recreating Winnie The Pooh was a challenge. A challenge I was up for, having read the stories a lot as a child. Staying true to the likeness of the characters but spinning a new style was the biggest challenge. I think I achieved what I set out to and kept true to that cute little bear. Finally, I was asked to work on The Muppets and that made me smile a massive smile. I had a blast working with Hensen’s original characters and adding my own style and twists. A perfect match for my style and I am very proud of the results.

This opportunity was huge for me and while it was humbling it also pushed me creatively to learn a great deal. The people at Disney were inspiring and very encouraging with an openness to creative ideas. I have other things in the pipeline with Disney and I relish every job they commission to me.  I’ll let you know what comes next….