Slamming it on Instagram!

I love film cameras. I have a small collection of lomo, smena, ricoh, canon, minolta point-and-shoots and SLRs which I've gathered over yeeeears of slowly learning how to take real photos, by trial and error!

A few of my cameras are almost rarities, but the reason I like them is just that I like using them! Unbelievable quality (when all of the factors that can go horribly wrong go right for a change) images and the strange, unplanned results which are achievable are often mind-blowing. This is great if you are patient and naturally organized.
I'm not.
I have a drawer full of used film waiting to be processed, most with no notes on them or dates when they were taken!

GET ON WITH IT

About a year ago I got told about an iphone app called Instagram, that turns your phone into a retro camera with a feature to share your pics with friends, twitter-style. I downloaded it and took a couple of pics and didn't think much about it at the time. A neat toy but not the real thing by a long shot.

Then I had another look at it towards the end of last year and the amount of people using it had rocketed! I got posting and, while I still prefer the magic of clunks, clicks and expectation that comes with using film, I have to admit that being able so share the image immediately is loads of fun!

The simple effects options on Instagram are a quick way to present your pics with a bit more atmosphere and a few unexpected results.

Are you a camera puritan? Do you do Instagram? Which do prefer? Message me.

Get Instagram here. And if you're already on it, follow: cosmicimages

Windows to the XMAS soul!

Here is just a selection of this years xmas window graffiti which has taken place across the world.

Nobody knows who did it. All they know is the person responsible writes the word "Cosmic" in the corner. It's all very confusing stuff.

I hope you are having a great holiday season whatever you are doing.

See you in 2012! (More about that soon... very exciting!)

24/7 Magazine Contents Illustration

In November I was asked to illustrate the contents page in 24/7 Magazine the gig and style guide from Plymouth, which has a massive distribution across all of southwest England.

This is their winter edition which is always a bit bigger and more packed than usual due to all the seasonal parties and the snowboarding season which is huge down here.

Skulls

I hid a few of my skulls about Cornwall this Halloween.

Since about 2009 skull images have appeared regularly in my work. When I am drawing larger or more complicated images or doodles I tend to draw before I think (or think unconsciously instead of consciously) of what images I draw. Because of this, there is always an underlying reason for images which re-occur in my work.

With this skull motif it is no mystery to me. I have always liked the sugar skull images from Mexico's macabre but positive Day Of The Dead festival, when Mexican people celebrate the lives of their ancestors on November 1st and 2nd the day after our Halloween (not a coincidence!).
The sugar skulls and Catrinas also serve the living as a reminder of their mortality.

So, when I only have a moment and have to paint something that reflects me, I often do a skull. Over the last few years these have evolve into a sort of elephant's-foot-shaped pot!

Just like the sugar skulls, my skulls have always had a positivity about them but at the same time reflect an underlying message that nothing will last forever and that, underneath it all, every man is equal.

So, our Halloween season seems like a great time for me to get some of my skulls out there.

Bored of St Austell

A skate shop in St Austell is currently moving to bigger new premises. They called me in to paint the new place before the launch, which is on 22nd October.

Bored Skate Shack now have a huge shop and in a prominent position on the main route through the town!

I have painted all over the new shop, inside and out. So it is easy to spot and hard to forget. I will upload a video soon because there is too much of it to post in photos!

The owners, Wurzel, Karen and family run the shop, with the help of some of the area's local shredders, in very unique and friendly way. They have some original ideas (eg: there is mini ramp and big screen upstairs in the new shop!).

I wish them every success! The grand opening is next Saturday (22nd October)

More news and pics to follow during the launch!

Lanson Jungle

A hugely positive community project with Barefoot and people from Lanson (spelled Launceston) who work towards making their town brighter and more colourful.

The Barefoot team have dedicated the wall to Phil Lewitt. Unfortuately I never had the pleasure to meet Phil. By all accounts a local legend.

I approached this in much the same way as I do with all the Drawingonthings workshops, and drew as much inspiration as possible from everyone there and enlisted the help of everyone present to colour in! There were so many capable people at this project, ex fine-art teachers included (that's you Nev!) that we had the whole thing done in two days!

Ideas and painting by everyone present, aged from 1 to 82 years! A pleasurable experience. Thanks Lanson!

NYC!!

(...Newquay Youth Centre!)

I re-visited Newquay Youth Centre to paint the walls based on ideas that had emerged from the "drawingonthings workshop" (everybody drawing whatever they wanted on the wall) I held there during an open day at the youth centre almost 2 weeks ago.

Check out the consultation doodles here!

This time it was just me painting to get the walls ready for the centre to open again in September. I tried to remain true to the lively and imaginative use of shapes, colours and imagery that emerged from the first session (which were drawn on the wooden triangular panel, and are a big part of the work! See bottom picture) and almost follow on from those first group doodles in the "drawingonthings workshop".

The major surfing and nightlife town has a bright and colourful reputation but quite often focus, in the press for example, is drawn towards the negative. Projects like this help to remind residents and visitors of all the positive aspects to Newquay.

I purposefully avoided the obvious and direct images and used the open and non-judgemental collective doodles from the "drawingonthings workshop" to dictate the content of the murals to ensure a unique and original piece that could only belong to Newquay.

Don't put a bummer on my summer!

Keep bright people! This isn't the end of summer! It's maaany weeeeks awaay! So shut up moaning, go for a walk, swim, surf, get on a boat, lie down and look at the stars, eat an ice cream, have a beer, coffee, your dinner outside, have some fun! and don't even moan when it is over, not to me anyway :)x Cosmic

Skate park tees

This summer I did some t-shirt designs for Mount Hawke Skatepark in Cornwall, and they are selling well! Which is good as the profits go to the large indoor Skatepark (and education/ media centre)'s fund. There are 4 limited edition designs, all intended to enhance balance, style and resistance to gravity.

Sketching ideas straight on the wall (Drawing on Things style!)

Newquay Youth Centre Open Day, yesterday.

The white part of the wall is the start of where the larger art will begin throughout the room, so this is a consultation with young people who love living in Newquay and use Newquay Youth Centre or, for some, who only found out about the centre yesterday during the open day.

The art project is to express the many enjoyable and positive things about living in Newquay.

To get the ideas flowing I suggested ways that everybody could begin doodling, despite how well they thought they could draw, and the drawing didn't stop all day!

About 30 new artists added ideas, shapes and colours to the wall, including some of the newspaper photographers (who couldn't resist when I offered them the chance!).

The artwork for the main part of the wall will be done by me in September or October. And by looking at some of the ideas coming through yesterday, this will be a very creative project indeed!

Edit: Here is a link to a post with pics of the artwork completed by me, based on these sketches, ready for when the young people return to use the youth centre (after the summer holidays) later this week.