Tuesday, 20 April 2010

Camels and Pandas !!!

A couple of new commissions - a little bit out of the ordinary - a 21st Birthday caricature for a Panda lovin' girl and a wedding job for a couple getting married in Broome.
Broome is in the tropical North of West Australia, a popular tourist destination. Magnificent Cable beach is famous for sunset camel rides.

Wednesday, 14 April 2010

How will it look ?

Wonder how your website will look on the iPad here's a site where you can check it out

Tuesday, 13 April 2010

Headline shot ....

Another corporate job - in this one a Sydney bound executive is portrayed in a bogus front page story in what 'could be' a well known local newspaper.
Magazine and front page 'stories' are really working as a concept - everyone I've suggested the theme to has gone with it.
You're on a winner here Tel !!

Monday, 5 April 2010

35 year anniversary !

Today - April 5th - is our 35th Wedding Anniversary ( I know, I know you get less time for murder !) - Nola and I tied the knot way back in 1975. I wouldn't say never a cross word ( .. and I don't believe others that say it either ! ) but she's certainly my best friend and deserves a medal for putting up with this grumpy old bastard all those years !! Two wonderful children are testimony we did something right - now if only they'd hurry up with grandkids.
Photo was taken on a Mediterranean cruise in 2008 and we're off for another one in September - Nola reckons she wished she knew sooner that she was actually designed and put on this planet to go cruising !!
This is going to be expensive ..... sigh.

The iPad cometh .......

Now anyone that knows me knows I'm a total devotee of Apple - a 'Machead' if you like - if you're going to spend all day working on a computer it might as well be a bloody good 'un !
The release of the iPad had me perplexed - I couldn't think of a reason to get one. I've got the big MacPro in the studio and a 13" MacBookPro for 'out and about'. I hide my Samsung mobile phone - let the side down there !
I've now found out now that the Sketchbook Pro iPhone App works on the iPad and ISCA compatriot Angie Jordan has been caricaturing on it on release day in the USA.
Very interesting check it out on her Blog HERE.
Release date for Australia is the end of the month.

Here's a caricature I did of Angie about 18 months ago .............


Sunday, 4 April 2010

Tel - Caricature - Circa 1989

This was sent to me today - a copy of a caricature I did of a workmate some 21 years ago - 1989 ( and still a good friend today - despite the caricature - all true BTW !) I've blurred out all the captions mostly personal and obscene - that was the style of the time. Rotring pens and coloured pencils as we'd never heard of Wacom's and such things.
Scanned off the original - isn't that nostalgic !

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

" What about the workers ? "

This is a caricature of a genuine union 'heavy' - Joe McDonald of the CFMEU. An old fashioned union official who I think was brought in the Tardus from the early 70's !!
Throughly enjoyed exploring painting with textures in PS - another one for the new website.
Some cosmetic finishing off to do, I might earmark it for the Michael Collins Award later this year.
The slippers - they just seemed to suit him !!

Monday, 29 March 2010

Happy clients .....


One of the great things ( over and above getting paid !) is getting feedback from clients. I love receiving photos of the presentations and hearing people saying nice things about my work ( thankfully that's the majority !!)
Beats working for a living ....................... top one a Sydney architect and the bottom one a Dentist and Dental nurse.

Friday, 26 March 2010

Photoshop CS5


I'm a big Photoshop fan but some of the new features in the upcoming CS5 are really in the 'blow 'em away' category !
I'm going to have to redo all my panoramas.
Stunning stuff.

Thursday, 25 March 2010

Peter Collier

It's great to have the opportunity to do some 'me' work. This is a shot at Peter Collier, the West Australian Minister for Energy. Responsible for a massive jump in electricity bills - really popular guy !
I've got about ten of these to do, all WA personalities, to populate my new website.
Next one is Alannah MacTiernan - who has just left State politics to aim for Canberra. She has a face that screams half a bottle of Chardonnay !!

Wednesday, 24 March 2010

Chatfield 2 ....

Wasn't really happy with the first rendition of Ginger Meggs 'carer' - Jason Chatfield. I thought it too complimentary this was confirmed when Jason told me it was really 'nice' and he was going to give a copy to his mum !!
Revisited it and erased any 'Brad Pitt' elements to give a far more accurate rendition - what do you reckon ?

Monday, 15 March 2010

Chatfield .....

I've had photos of Jason Chatfield to do a caricature from for a few years - messing around with some new brushes in PS put this together. He may have had an image change since the photos were taken but here it is anyway.
Jason, formerly from Perth, is now Melbourne based and is the cartoonist responsible for the Ginger Meggs strip. He still dabbles in a bit of caricaturing, particularly live stuff.
There's a link to his Blog to the right. Check it out, confuses the crap out of me, be warned read it too much you lose the will to live. Please someone blutac the lense to his phone camera !

Friday, 12 March 2010

Mates rates ......

Too bloody hot to lay limestone walls so completed a caricature for a friend. Slim's as Aussie as they come. A renowned local country western singer who owns an EK Holden and a Bully X with three legs ( ... I didn't forget it !). As he says 'even bloody Poms are useful sometimes !'
This is the framed A3 size now we've got to rejig it for a CD cover.

Thursday, 11 March 2010

Welcome aboard ....

A corporate commission with a difference. This is a 'welcome aboard' poster of the hosts for a 4 hour river cruise next week. Yours truly is also doing live caricatures of the guests throughout the journey on the Swan River from Perth to Fremantle and back.
Should be fun - they've been brilliant clients - would you believe paid up front on the quote !
That's a first ......................

Monday, 8 March 2010

Another magazine cover !


This is another bogus magazine cover based on a major Australian financial magazine and featuring the subject , a local businessman for his 40th Birthday, depicted as Mr Money Bags from the Monopoly board game.
The punters seem to like the idea ............

Saturday, 6 March 2010

Busy, busy ......

I've been steadily moving through commissions - here's a few samples - and I know the Aussie flag shouldn't be attached that side it just didn't look right blowing in reverse.
A 40th Birthday caricature, a 50th and a caricature to celebrate a cricketers 300 games !
Did a couple of 'live' shows in the last week - a wedding and a corporate function at the OLd Swan Brewery. A stunning location on the bank of the Swan River. Awaiting shots from the official photographer which I'll post here.
The weather has cooled and I'm going to have a break - 3 tonnes of limestone and a cement mixer beckon. After that I must finish my new website, play golf and maybe time for a celebrity caricature or two .......

Monday, 15 February 2010

Magazine style caricature ...

Here's a caricature format I've been toying with for a while - the bogus magazine cover.
It's a great platform for those clients that want to 'hang' that little bit extra on. It's very versatile in that the client has direct input and seems to nullify the need for all the artifacts that detract from some caricatures - and are the bane of most caricaturists.
They certainly look classy framed up and the first two clients that received them were really pleased with the end result.

Thursday, 4 February 2010

More weddings ......

Just finished this one - with all the cropped / no background extras for wedding paraphernalia.
They loved it - I most admit wedding caricatures are heading for 50% of the business these days.
You've gotta luv 'em !!!


The final collage is a compilation of all the 'bits' on individual layers. For a wedding commission I supply, in addition to the main 'final' (either framed or made into an A2 guest signing board ), an image of the couple with no background for invites, thankyou notes and table signs. Two 'Facebook' avatars and often the artwork, with titling, for stubbie holders and what's been popular a sepia tone version for wine labels.
In this instance I also get a '59 Cadillac convertible for my clip art library !
( ... do that in acrylic .... :0) !!)

The big CAT ...

This is the backdrop to a current commission I'm working on. A Caterpillar 793D one of those big beasties that keep the mining industry in this state churning along producing the $ !!! ( so their employees can keep buying caricatures )
It took a lot longer to do than the actual job justified but I can reuse it for similar jobs - I can hear the purists mumbling already - I know.
It's business my boy !




It doesn't look so 'pretty' up close - the original was done as a large 300dpi in PS4. I have bought Illustrator to do these, but, I still haven't got around to learning how to drive it yet !




Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Bali wedding ......

Weddings are really good 'bread & butter' work ( as most caricaturists will tell you !) - just finished this for a couple that got married in Bali 12 months ago - this is to commemorate their anniversary.