Coffee at the Quayside, Exeter.

Exeter Sketch Crawl

Saturday 15th May 2010.


CALLING ALL SKETCHERS, CARTOONISTS, ANIMATORS, WANNA-BE ARTISTS, ART THERAPISTS, SCRIBBLERS, GRAFFITI-BANDITS, PAINTERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

Anyone in Exeter or Devon up for a SketchCrawl around the city centre?
I'm suggesting we start at the Phoenix Art Centre at 11am, head to Cathedral Green at 12, Down to the quay for 1pm for some lunch then sketching. Then at 3pm we meet to review and chat over a cup of tea before finishing.

All this weather permitting of course but could be fun even if we have to alter the locations a little; inside the Cathedral rather than outside for example!

Let me know if you're interested! Either here or by email to nikchinook@tiscali.co.uk

Octopus animation

so very very good....

Spud & Dave episode 3. Dave meets a Banker

Dave speaks for all of us when he meets his local banker.

Possibly the very best

Just fab

Played with style, precision and aggression. I'm full of admiration.

More cool beats

Now that's what I call..... drummin'

Spud and Dave (episode 2)

Spud and Dave get all philosophical.

Spud and Dave

Episode 1 - Grand Theft Social Worker

the Sequel

Yes - the Designer/Client relationship

Exeter Express and Echo

Once again, local news organ of excess and error has come up with a cracking example of journalistic style, brevity and borderline insanity.
The newspaper 'A-Board' is a regular object of hilarity across the country and possibly the world, but today I saw the Express and Echo come up with a world beater.
Yes, this could be England's Gold Medal hope for the category.




















This is just the sort of thing for which the expression "What the fuck?" was invented.

Cardboard Roll Gods

These little 'Easter Island' type gods are made out of old cardboard rolls. Funny what you do when you got so many really important things to do you can't sleep.

Basically they're just old toilet-paper cardboard tubes that I scrunched up by hand (sometimes adding a bit of water to soften them). Sometimes I snipped a bit with nail scissors to help get particular folds or features.  When I got the shape roughly right I put an elastic band around them laterally(from top to bottom) to help hold them in shape while I painted them with acrylics to try and get a weather-beaten stone effect.

I've also got some pictures I've taken in a more natural/woodland setting, which I'll upload at some point.
In fact, here they are:

 Crazy looking bunch I reckon :)


If you want to see how how a real master does it, look HERE

Disco Parties (for the over 40s)

Overheard at 70s style disco party (suburban front room, 3am, Roxy Music at million decibells):
"Oooo steve - my boobs come down to your tummy!"

!

Machine-gunning penguins

I have an urge to start a blog called 'Machine-Gunning Penguins'
Not sure why. Not sure what it would contain. Not sure where the idea came from.
Not sure if I need medication of some kind.
I just know that for the past two weeks, the phrase 'Machine-gunning Penguins' has been following me about like a bad but compelling smell.

I wonder if the 'GOOD' but witty angel that sits on my shoulder is having a laugh by whispering this concept into my ear continuously. Coincidently, on my other shoulder stands the NAUGHTY but basically deprived childhood devil (Barry) wearing, would you believe it, a penguin suit.

My how we all laughed.

Medication

Once (when I was enjoying the dizzy heights of being a hire 'em and fire 'em manager, I received a job app from someone who wrote on the form: "I've been on medication but I think I'm alright now."
"think" ?

Violent Cows

I just saw this headline on the BBC news website: MP Blunkett injured in cow attack

Great stuff eh? A good enough story as is, needing no further information. And yet I can't help wondering....
Were they politically motivated?
Was it a sexual thing?
Had there been some previous unpleasantness?
Was it a street gang of cows/ Maybe on the way back from a 'hen night' in Liverpool?
Or was the whole thing just a dreadful misunderstanding?

After the dust settled and the cows stood in a quiet circle around the prostrate and twitching form of MP DB was there a moment of horrible realisation?
COW 1 : Uh oh.
COW 2 : What?
COW 1 : I know this is gonna sound crazy but I think that's MP David Blunkett.
COW 2 : Oh fuck. We're in big trouble
COW 1 : What do you mean 'we'?

Just a thought.

Great ad

Sniggering like a naughty schoolboy - that's me.

Pretty much the best commercial ever! - watch more funny videos

Singing the Blues (in Devon)

Welcome to the deep south y'all. Deep South Hams that is.



I've decided I'm going to turn in to a shambling old, weatherbeaten blues singer. But a Devon version. I could be Muddy Brookes or maybe 'Howling Tor' Nik. Tractor Joe Tivvy?, Sonny-boy Saltash ? Blind Jimmy CreamTea?
Trago Joe McColl? Napoli Pete (the wrecker's conscience) ?

"Who could forget classic numbers such as:

Stuck behind another fucking tractor Blues
Crossroads and crockles
My woman done stole my VW Camper
I scream and Ice Lollies Blues
Proper job, Fash n' Chips in Union Street
My Pappy done sold our home to a sloane (then we all done bitch about second home owners for the rest of us lives) blues.