Notes from the sketch book

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”― Pablo Picasso A bit of a different throwback Thursday this week, instead of a sketch of something that happened on this day, I'm going to use a traditional block printing technique of Linocut or Lino printing. I've never done it before but I have had a fair few messages asking for the T-shirt designs to be made into prints. So after having a think about the way I design the art to go on the t-shirts lends itself to block printing, especially handmade block...

“I’d just as soon kiss a wookiee.”   Star Wars? but this week is Modern Gangsters? Jabba the Hutt was one of the galaxy's most powerful gangsters! Star Wars is a juggernaut, it's an industry in itself. Its went from a sci-fi movie based on cheesy serials of the 30s and 40s made by a then indie filmmaker to a cash cow. Film series, expanded universes, comics, video games, theme parks and not forgetting the toys. When aliens eventually visit the Earth long after we have gone they will find a hell of a lot of the 700 million action figures...

“I don't want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me. .” The last week of Gangster fortnight, unsurprisingly features another Martin Scorsese feature on this weeks tee. In 2006 a mash-up of a remake of the Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs and the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang finally won Martin Scorsese his first Academy Award for Best Director. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and a surprising scene-stealing turn from Mark Wahlberg.  Boston cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) goes undercover to infiltrate the organisation of gangland chief Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson)....

Where I live it's another holiday weekend and a long weekend off, no throwback Thursday sketch today but a little fun tribute to Teddy Rocks music festival. It's a music festival that raises money for Teddy 20 a charity that helps families and children that have been affected by Cancer. It's a great weekend long event with great music and family friendly, which all proceeds go to charity. When we first moved to our house we went to Teddy Rocks and had a blast, it's now found a permanent home on local farmland and gets bigger and better every year,...

American Gangster “Bumpy was rich, but he wasn't white man rich, you see he wasn't wealthy. He didn't own his own company. He thought he did, but he didn't. He just managed it. White man owned it so they owned him. Nobody owns me, though.” Released in 2007 Ridley Scott directed American Gangster which follows Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) who earns his living as a chauffeur to one of Harlem's leading mobsters, Bumpy Johnson. After Bumpy dies, Frank uses his own ingenuity and strict business code to become one of the inner city's most powerful crime bosses. Meanwhile, veteran cop...