Illustration
This post comes from the heart. If you are at all interested in print, independent magazines or free bloody speech then you need to subscribe to this service; it has, quite frankly, changed my life.*
The concept of Stack is to promote independent press by sending subscribers one (or quite often several) independent rags a month. This can range from Eye (RRP £17!) to Little White Lies, Bad Idea, VNA, Anorak, the list is endless. If you’ve heard of these then you’ll know what a good deal this is, if you haven’t then you, child, are the most in need of it.
Strangely though, for me at least, it’s the other ‘free’ magazines you get with the featured title that make it all worthwhile. One example is Manzine, an outspoken reaction to mens magazines written by some of their editors. Reading-on-the-bus-kudos aside, it has helped to reinforce my confidence in the power of a print mag, however home-made - No-one else will own my copy of Manzine, I’ve spilt coffee on it and dog-eared the corners, it’s truly been a journey. I still pick it up months later and it’s as ball-splittingly hilarious as it was the day I got it.
I can’t recommend Stack enough, it’s a bundle of joy landing on your doormat every month, a constant in a world of wars, politics, doom, gloom and digital media. Plus they delivered issue one of our magazine last month, getting them a gold star in my book.
Jonny
*well maybe not changed my life but it’s definitely been the best £40 I’ve spent this year
Definitely worth looking at, Lukes site, not only for the quality of work (bloody LOVE the cupboard woodcut) but quality of presentation. A bit of nice photography goes a long long way, and I wouldn’t expect luke to have too much trouble getting through the door of a studio with this bunch of work (unless he’s an arsehole. You’re not an arsehole are you Luke?). He was also partly responsible for the Nottingham Trent 111 identity that we posted a while back.
Can it be true that I hold in my mortal hand an issue of purest AMMO?* With issue three, the cutest little inspiration mag in the planet brings us words and pics from Peskimo, Jam Factory and a favourite of ours Jessica Hische (cue glow of envy due to epic typo-crush) as well as loads of others. You can fit this baby in your back pocket but it’s jam-packed with artists that will make you quiver (ie. Pat Perry - never heard of him before but my is he good…) and is well worth picking up from the AMMO store.
*You’ll be pleased to know that our propensity to shoehorn content into barely-relevant quotes is as yet unabated.
Loughborough grad Ben Marsh has some fun new work up, including a twist on condom packaging for all us kids born in the 80’s. Donkey Shlong = MEGAWIN.
New work from the Blu, now using more and more of the environment in his work. And bloody loads of paint, obv.
The day has finally arrived when we can announce our print mag - 64 pages of B5 glory wrapped in an Eboy original limited-edition-for-this-magazine-only illustration which also extends onto a B3 poster (included for free, naturally) all for £2.50. It’s taken tiiime to get to this stage and we’re über-excited to bring this beast to life.
The launch party is being held at our stand at the D&AD New Blood fair at the Truman Brewery on the 26th of this month (Saturday innit) - get there for 5.30 to ensure you get some of the booze. At 7 we will then trundle of for a curry and a serious pub sesh.
If you’re keen, check our facebook event here - If you can’t make it do not fear, there will be plenty left to pick up a copy at your leisure from our shop or from various other outlets. If you sign up to Stack by the end of the month you even get it for free!
Some of the topics covered:
Cake, ITV’s Gladiators, paid placements, Eboy, Glug, Moustaches, Haikus, “Industry-ready?”, Adrian Shaughnessy on lobsters in shoes, rickshaws, nudity, FFFFUUUU, Are D&AD any good at pool?, creative tics, idea vs execution, mums on Facebook and much much more. We’re so proud of it, we put our name on it.
That’s all. Good tings.
Mike Crozier, AKA Croz, is a 21 year old designer based in Leeds. Currently in a year in industry (something we think every course should do), he has so far worked for La Suprise in Paris (for whom he created the poster, top) and SNASK in Stockholm (the pretty little stop-frame) - now on to ilovedust. And all in one so young. JEALOUS!
Pete Bowen has just come back from four and a half years working for 55DSL, Diesels ace sub-brand - and now has some cracking illustration from that and other projects, showing an occasional dark sense of humour portrayed in a variety of mediums from airbrushing to hand-drawn line work. Do they do this skull one on a Tee? If not why not, it’s pretty damn rad.
‘Exactly like F.Scott Fitzgerald, William S. Burroughs and Kenny Everett, Lee (full name - Lee Boulton) is a former advertising copywriter.
For the ten years between 2000 and 2010 he was one half of the creative team ‘Steve and Lee’, or ‘SLeeve’. The majority of this time was spent at the advertising agency WCRS.
Now he has embarked upon a career as an illustrator, just as William Hogarth, Ralph Steadman and that Dutch bloke who draws Miffy, before him.
Lee has spent a decade in a career that recognises the importance of a good idea, he thinks it would be a very good one for you to contact him.’
Here’s another great idea: Go on his website and see not only his range of award-winning ad work but some mega-colourful illustration to boot.
Just Us. is probably the best resource about at the moment for promoting up and coming design and illustration students in the UK. There’s far too much talent on display, some of which have been showcased on SSZ. There is also a tasty little shop up on the site to buy loads of goodies, and an alumni section, promoting the best of last years graduates from the collective.
Expect some more projects coming soon, and hopefully another collective exhibition after the success of the job centre themed event at KK outlet last year.
To herald the onset of some more spring sunshine, here’s some colourful work by Natsuki Otani, a Tokyo born illustrator living and working in England. Having worked with names like Urban Outfitters and The Times, she’s definitely ‘cut her teeth’ since graduating from Norwich University, and apparently she’s also in the April edition of Computer Arts, which is nice.
I’m a fan especially of the top image, her submission for the cover of the now award-winning Where the Wild Things Are issues of Huck and Little White Lies.
Some of you may remember our post on the winner of last years Rooted exhibition, ‘Skeletor the Cutlery Skeleton’. Well now the guys that run the event have created their first publication (see above for the page featuring our plastic friend). We were honoured to be asked to judge the event and are even prouder (like leave-it-lying-around-so-people-see kind of proud) to be in the book too.
Along with Skeletor there are some fantastic pieces displayed within a sleek 70 page tome and they are selling out fast - at £10 (a snip) it’s well worth picking up this limited edition bit of ephemera, no doubt featuring the early work of some of the future masters of the design world.
After the success of previous lectures (including Harry Pearce, see our recent post), the Student-run Designers Society based at the University of Plymouth brings its next round of events, including a lecture/portfolio review/shmooze by mega Illustrator, Designer and ‘Master of Swirls’ Si Scott.
Plymouth is pretty far from … well, anywhere, but this event should be worth any trip, especially as the cheapo £5 ticket will make up for petrol money spent on those winding Cornwall roads. We just wish we could come along ourselves…
