Marilyn

copyright sktchpd 2011 ⓒ

I know Marilyn Monroe has been used over and over again in the past by different artist's, to the point of becoming a bit of a cliché, but I still wanted to do my own take on her, and found an awesome photo I hadn't seen before. If I was going to do it I wanted it to be something different, not the typical smiley pose you find with Andy Warhol prints, so thought this was perfect.

The Boy & I

I drew this over a year ago now as a present for my boyfriend, and finally got round to putting it up. 

Love you Jake.

Toys on Roids

I recently saw a friend showing this to another friend saying how great it was etc. and couldn't resist a little peek at it myself.. and they weren't wrong. It's an amazing collection of around 60 photos of classic and modern toys, all shot using a Polaroid SX-70 by Sean Tubridy.

The collection ranges from cute little 50's robots, to really cool 70's cars, all with their own unique story to tell. The best part is the fact that these photos have not been manipulated or Photoshopped in any way; what you see is literally what you get, and we all know how difficult and unpredictable shooting with a Polaroid can be.

The collection ranges from cute little 50's robots, to really cool 70's cars, all with their own unique story to tell. The best part is the fact that these photos have not been manipulated or Photoshopped in any way; what you see is literally what you get, and we all know how difficult and unpredictable shooting with a Polaroid can be.

As you flick through his Flickr stream it becomes apparent the lengths he goes to to create these wonderfully animated images. He uses different backdrops and often elaborate sets to really create a feeling of childhood imagination, but with a more adult twist of humor.

To view the entire collection, go check out his Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/seantubridy/sets/72157603732440197/with/2329551886/

PurpleTree

This was one of my final major projects for my third and final year at uni. It was a self-written brief to design an identity for a new high-end restaurant based in London. I wanted the identity to reflect the organic nature of the restaurant, which would use fresh, local produce, and serve up amazing meals that people would want to come back for.

This was my final logo that would be the focal point of the restaurant's identity.

I then began looking at patterns, and the sort of shapes I could make using the logo, which I thought would be a great idea for a cocktail mat design.

These were my four final designs, using the various different pattern layouts. I also thought it would make a nice touch to have seasonal cocktail mats - for example a tree with full, green leaves for spring, purple leaves for summer, a tree with some golden/yellow leaves for autumn, and then a completely bare tree with no leaves for winter.

I then carried that same theme through to the menus, using the summer trees for the food menu, autumn for the desserts, and winter for the drinks. However on all three menus I still kept one random "purple tree" on the front and back of each; not only to remind the customer of where they are, but as a like subliminal way of saying that PurpleTree is unique, and nothing like any other restaurant experience. It sets itself apart from the rest.

copyright sktchpd 2011 ⓒ

This is a card that the bill will be presented in at the end of the meal. It's the same size as a normal credit card, so can easily be stored in a purse or wallet, and contains all the restaurant details so customers can easily book a table for a return date.

Marcel The Shell

Just because it's cute, and it made me smile.

Ridiculously talented 8 year old

I recently saw a news report of a little boy who made £150,000 in half an hour by selling his artwork. To begin with I thought I'd heard wrong, but Kieron Williamson from Holt in North Norfolk is apparently a bit of an art sensation.

Experts have said that the eight-year-old's atmospheric paintings, which began with harbour scenes and expanded to include rural vistas, animal portraits and landmarks, have perspective, shadow and reflections that demonstrate an ability well beyond his years.

His paintings have been compared to the work of Monet when he was the same age, and has stirred a crazy amount of interest worldwide. He has appeared on BBC's The One Show and ITV's This Morning, with profiles in many national newspapers. He is also currently being filmed as part of a Channel 4 documentary and has been featured on television channels in America and Australia.

At Kieron's last exhibition in his home-town of Holt on 30 July 2010, people from across the globe actually camped outside the gallery two days before it even opened, to be first in line to buy his 33-strong collection, featuring Norfolk landscapes, worldwide cityscapes and other watercolours.

This little kid is literally a prodigy!

John Frusciante

Now that I've finished uni, I've had more of a chance to get back into Illustration, and I love it! A close friend of mine asked me to do an illustration of former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, and I couldn't wait to start it. I was well chuffed with the results, and think it's one of my best pieces of work so far.

This one's for you Mark.

copyright sktchpd 2010 ⓒ