Ben Farnell's bloghibition

Crawshawesque

2008-05-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

Painted last Sunday in the lovely hot weather sitting in the shade of a little tree.

Nice.

Super Servisol

2008-04-16T15:02:00.001-07:00

Goodbye Blackberry Wine...

2008-03-31T14:49:00.001-07:00

Three bottles of this went before we got the labels on. It is rather nice. The labels are by my daughter who also helped with picking the blackberries.

Smoking Dog

2008-02-28T14:16:00.001-08:00

I don't care what anyone says, cigarettes are cool! Unfortunately they make me cough and I don't like the taste or the smell, but I like to imagine myself with a Lucky Stripe dangling nonchalantly from my lips in a James Dean style...

DIY Illustrations

2008-02-21T13:44:00.001-08:00

I have been a busy fellow. I have just finished a series of 18 diy related illustrations (exciting stuff, eh?) unfortunately very low paid, but hey, it's sorta mates rates so I am OK with that.

I kept a nice visual consistency in line and colour throughout which I found rather pleasing (and I drew a nice retro van)

Advertising Rats

2008-01-17T14:48:00.001-08:00

I like rats more than I like the world of marketing and advertising...

Can you see what I see?

2008-01-16T14:46:00.001-08:00

There is a man with pencils for his eyes.
Can you see through the sketch of his disguise?

Work & Moleskine

2008-01-15T14:58:00.001-08:00

Work has been keeping me away from here for a while so I am turning the spotlight on it and at the same time promote my new Facebook group - What's in your Moleskin?

So here you have a picture of a store owned by the company that pay my mortgage, drawn this afternoon (on a visit) in my Moleskine sketchbook.

Nice

More to life...

2008-01-14T15:17:00.001-08:00

It is the small things in life that get me through the day.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-19T15:32:00.001-08:00

My third annual Christmas Comic. I do enjoy doing these.

Sorry Gretchen

2007-12-06T13:13:00.000-08:00

Gretchen takes an average of lives emotion... and is sad.

Tea Wine

2007-12-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

Not an obvious combination I will admit, but a rather nice one any how!

These are some labels I did for my Home-made Tea Wine. To keep the tea theme going these labels are cut out, folded in two and hung from the top with string to give it that teabag tag look. I will upload some photos so you can see what I mean, but you will have to be patient, and wait until tomorrow, as it takes ages to upload and I want to watch the final episodes of Heroes which starts soon...

Update: Here are the photos...

Nice eh?

STRESSED!

2007-12-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

I have been absent from this blog for about a month now. Work has been very stressful... or, depending on how you look at it, I have not been managing the stress very well.

I work pretty much on my own in my office so I don't have anyone to turn to when things get a bit heavy.. I do have a boss, but most of what makes my job stressful comes from her direction so that is no help.

Luckily things have been going well lately so I am slowly getting less stressed.

Anyway, normal service is resumed.

OUCH!

2007-11-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

Some things hurt... really hurt. Stick a plaster on them and get on with life. It is all you can do. Just hope it doesn't go septic.

uberdada.com

2007-10-22T02:50:00.001-07:00

I have been away recently so I have not posted for a while, sorry. Anyway here is an old promotional postcard I did a while back - retro headphones!

No Disc

2007-10-18T03:42:00.000-07:00

I can't be arsed to keep up with technology. I usually trail a couple of years behind... it is cheaper that way.

IF Open Shop

2007-10-12T01:12:00.001-07:00

Who needs big corporate retail outlets?

Local shops have a personality all their own. I am lucky enough to live in a community that has mainly survived the modern ravaging of large scale consumerism... so far. Unfortunately personality alone is not enough to keep a business open though. A balance of convenience and specialty could keep many afloat. So support your local shops because you will miss them when they are gone! Keep your local shops OPEN.

Sunnies

2007-10-10T14:51:00.001-07:00

Where there is light, there are shades.

Where there is darkness, there are still shades...

but only on rock stars.

Anti Zombie Militia

2007-10-09T02:16:00.000-07:00

Coming to save us all!

Flat Pack Failure

2007-10-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

Just once I would like to buy something from a diy store and not have to return it! (I won't name the retailer in question as they pay my wages). After dealing with archaic returns policies, and a shelf that had two right hand brackets, but no left hand one, and another shelf that had holes that didn't line up, I am well and truly fed up.

Career Choices

2007-10-03T14:11:00.001-07:00

Your a wonder, Wonder Woman...

Funny how things never turn out like you expect. My first career choice was to be Wonder Woman, not because I wanted to be a hero and it had nothing to do with fighting for my rights in satin tights, I just liked the way she spun around. 28 years later I still have unfulfilled ambitions, but instead of being an super-powered amazonian I now want to be a full time illustrator. Something tells me my latter choice is much more achievable.

Fun Lego

2007-10-01T14:16:00.001-07:00

One of the good things about having kids is you get to play with their toys (why else would you have them!) The thing is I have a daughter, and despite trying to raise her to the contrary, she does like dolls and stuff. Luckily there are some toys which are universal like LEGO (TM).

Now, do you thing she would like a scalectrix for her birthday?

Pirate Treasure

2007-10-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Something a little bit different today...

I do treasure maps for my daughter quite a lot. Today, as I had my watercolours out, I thought I would do a nice one. It took quite a while so I don't have time to do my usual illustration, but hey, the map looks pretty good so here you go (don't bother trying find the treasure, my daughter has already found and eaten it!)

Thomas Hardy

2007-09-29T04:22:00.001-07:00

The last entry for Portrait week is of one of my favourite authors Thomas Hardy. Reading his books, from a modern perspective, is so refreshing. The world we live in these days is so fast paced and jammed full of sensationalism. Hardy is a marvelous antidote to all that...

David Hockney

2007-09-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

When it comes to artists that I admire no one really comes close to David Hockney. His work has an illustrative feel to it that really endears me to him. My job sometimes takes me to an office in London that has some Hockney etchings of A Rake's Progress (limited edition - 1/50...drool...), I like them so much that I sometimes find my self thinking about ways to steal them... face it, it is the only way I would ever be able to own something like them!

Roderick Mills

2007-09-27T00:55:00.001-07:00

If Roderick can do it, so can I.

Carrying on with what is turning into Portrait Week (possible the first of several themed weeks) here is a picture of an illustrator called Roderick Mills who had quite an influence on my work. I drew this during a college session when he bought in his portfolio. The economy of his workand the integrity he imbued in it really made an impression on me.

Captain Sensible

2007-09-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Growing old disgracefully

There is a bit of a theme emerging this week - portraits of people I admire... This one (in case the red beret doesn't mean anything to you) is a picture of Captain Sensible - Guitarist of The Damned (and, yes, of Happy Talk fame) I have seen The Damned a few times. Capt.S gave me a signed plastic banana...

Casey Stoner MotoGP Champion

2007-09-24T14:22:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Casey Stoner wrapped up the 2007 MotoGP Championship with three rounds to go. He has not put a foot (or tyre) wrong all year and has done what no one expected he would do - namely whoop everyones asses good and proper!

I remember when the young Aussie first appeared in the UK racing in the national championship. His parents had sold up down-under to move to the UK for the sake of Casey's career... They must've really believed in him. Now that faith has really paid off.

Well Done Casey!

Cheese on sticks

2007-09-20T14:35:00.001-07:00

To mark the end of Bloghibition: the facebook Event I am offering nibbles to go with the wine. I apologise to those who expected real wine - I did try pouring some down various cavities on my PC, but none of them got the wine on to the internet... sorry.

V1agr@

2007-09-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

See if this gets past your spam filter!

I don't really get spam (I mean, I do physically get it, but I don't understand it) Surely there can't be many people left in the world who are stupid enough to fall for it, is there? And what sort of person would buy unverified medication from strangers, let alone doing it over the internet? Hmmm - relevant link

Sometimes I get spam that doesn't seem to be selling anything. What is the point of that? - nb. I had to scroll passed 400 of the 800 spam items in my spam folder before I found one with the spelt viagra using symbols - maybe no one is stupid enough to buy it over the Internet anymore...

Perfect Cuppa

2007-09-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes just being a tiny bit wrong can make something that would otherwise be nice into something totally unpleasant. On the whole we can control the ingredients that go into making things to our liking and we know how we like it. Occasionally though you have to rely on others. Mostly they are sympathic to your needs, but there is always someone who, no matter how much you explain your preferences to them or how much you ask to be allowed to make your own, will continue to make your tea the strength of gnat's piss.

emergency dub

2007-09-18T02:41:00.000-07:00

I apologies for not posting anything yesterday, but I was struck down with food poisoning. To make up for it I have posted a nice picture of a VW campervan - Normal service will be resumed later today.

bloghibition

2007-09-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

I have been keeping this blog for a few weeks now and I think it is about time to get some people looking at it...

So welcome to the grand opening of Ben Farnell's bloghibition (this means you can have a browse round and look at my illustrations).

I know that as far as Artistic Events go this is pretty low-key. Feel free to leave comments and remember to look at the posts which aren't on the first page (it would be a shame to leave without seeing the dog in a mini skirt... wouldn't it?)

Pilot Drawing Pens

2007-09-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

My Weapon of choice!

The humble Pilot Drawing Pen is a big favourite of mine and I think all of these posts have been created using one. I prefer the 0.1 (which despite it's name has a line thickness of 0.28) as I like to draw quite small. The only problem with this pen, though, is that it is slightly too big to sit comfortably behind the ear.

Beard update

2007-09-12T01:23:00.001-07:00

A week of chins

I decided to shave the beard off as it got too itchy. I liked how it looked though - I think it complemented my long hair nicely. Anyhow, I have decided to only shave properly once a week on Friday evenings so I can spend most of the week with designer stubble

Swiss Army Phone

2007-09-11T01:12:00.001-07:00

Isn't it amazing what mobile phones can do these days?

In my pocket I carry a camera, a stereo, an internet browser, a clock/calendar, a games console, a video camera, a currency converter, a calculator, not to forget a telephone... 15 years ago you would've thought I had surprisingly capacious pockets, but no! All these gadgets are built into one handy application that is small enough to loose down the back of the sofa.

The mobile phone truly is the Swiss Army Knife of the 21st Century, all it needs now is a corkscrew and one of those tools for digging stones out of horses hooves and it will truly be the ultimate modern utility.

Am I a free man?

2007-09-10T07:24:00.001-07:00

What happens when you combine bad puns with The Prisoner, The Invisible Man, Maths, and feeling unhappy with work?

This is an old picture I drew in my previous job when I was working for two departments simultaneously. As you can imagine it was a bit difficult to please both departments and I felt like I was being pushed from pillar to post and this was my response to that situation.

Marmite

2007-09-07T01:17:00.001-07:00

Mmmm!

Marmite is now available in squeezy form. Not sure if that is a good idea, you'll never be able to squeeze out the last bits... So the above picture pays homage to the good old fashioned glass jar (albeit with a plastic lid... I remember when the lids were metal, you know.)

Talking Dog

2007-09-06T01:29:00.001-07:00

Funny how an over reliance on words hinders communications.

Apparently the words you actually use only contribute 7% of your total communication, the next 38% is the intonation in the voice and a whopping 55% is body language. I am guessing this is why animals manage OK without words.

diy

2007-09-05T01:33:00.000-07:00

Racing Belt Sanders

and a chainsaw juggler

Two images today (lucky you) which are actual published work (doubly lucky you). They can be seen in the latest issue of the B&Q Installer magazine, which I think is only available to people who install kitchens for B&Q so I doubt you will see it. I might scan in the article so you can see them in situ.

Lighthouse

2007-09-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

A picture of Smeaton's Tower, Plymouth.

There is no meaning behind this image, just a nice sketch that I was playing around with on photoshop, using the same colouring technique as I have for most of the other illustrations in this blog. I hope very soon to get some screen-printing paraphernalia, which is why my illustrations are constructed as they are.

This lighthouse used to be 14 miles offshore from Plymouth, but had to be moved as the rock is was on was corroding. The design of this building which we recognise as classic lighthouse shape, was actually an original design by Smeaton and was based on a Oak tree.

You can climb to the top, but there isn't much room inside.

tick tock

2007-08-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

Never enough time

Due to the bank holiday my carefully crafted schedule was disrupted and I have only just found the time to tend to my blog. To most people I emit a air of barely held together chaos, but actually I have a very regimented daily timetable, which if I didn't stick to, I would never be in the right place at the right time.

I noticed how many places I can now check the time and, obviously, where I am dictates which timepiece I use. The above picture maps out an average working day using just some of those clocks (there are others such as the one on my computer and my desk phone which I didn't include as the clock is such a tiny element)

Lethargic

2007-08-24T03:31:00.001-07:00

There are so many things I should be doing right now, but I really can't be arsed. I don't seem to be able to muster any enthusiasm these days. I hope it is a faze I am going through and soon I will be getting stuck into life again. I can't even be bothered to fini

Skinny Bitch

2007-08-24T01:16:00.000-07:00

One day I was sitting having my lunch by a pond and I saw a beautiful dragonfly (or damselfly?... googled it - a dameslfly it is!) flitting around, so thin, so, vibrant, so delicate... I sat for a while admiring it until it flew off and was replaced by a bloated, squat, ugly fly who started trying to land on my sandwich. Would this fly be envious of the slender damsel? If insects were human - hell yes! In reality though the shit-eating hairy beasty probably hasn't even considered the situation, too busy trying to eat it's own puke off of my lunch.

What the...

2007-08-21T05:30:00.001-07:00

Mad Looking, badly drawn person. Probably female with no sense of humour. Based on nobody, drawn for no reason... no wonder she is so tetchy!

A Sting in the Tail

2007-08-21T03:27:00.001-07:00

This is a label I designed for my latest batch of Home-made Wine. I was inspired by an old Illustration by Ralph Steadman of a waspy thing which had these ugly, vicious legs. I doodled this picture later that day and thought it would be cool to make it into a label for my Mead. It looked a bit nasty for a mead label, but I figured if I called the brew "A Sting in the Tail" it would be justifiable.

I am not sure the overall label works for me, but I do like the bee! I think it looks like a fly in disguise (I am not sure that bee's eyes look like that, but hey...)

update: here are the labels on the bottles... Mmmmm.

Tea please

2007-08-21T03:06:00.001-07:00

32p for a small cup of tea!

It is now ten minutes past Elevenses and I still have not bought my regular morning cup of tea. It is not that I don't have the money (although yesterday I had to scrape together all my pennies), it is because I am due to have a meeting with someone who I know will buy one for me (and maybe a Kitkat too if I am lucky). The trouble is I am not sure when this person will get here. I will give him 15 minutes and if I am still waiting I will go buy my own...

XML

2007-08-21T02:55:00.001-07:00

Ah, the joys technology and the fabulous things you can do with it...

As part of my job I am having to get to grips with Extensible Mark-up Language (XML). I understand the fundamentals, but have never put any of it into practice, so it is still all a bit "blah" to me.

Bitch

2007-08-21T02:36:00.000-07:00

What does it say about me that I have drawn a dog wearing a pink mini skirt?

I think it is just that I doodled the head and it looked like a cute doggy... too cute, so I added a semi anthropomorphic body to make it a bit disturbing.

Cutesy-disturbing. I like it.

"Bitch" on the Tee might be a bit obvious though. I have observed that people who wear clothes with words like "Hot Stuff! on, never are what their clothes profess. (Often "Chav Slag" would be more appropriate). Maybe I will change this image to reflect that, hmmm...

Beards

2007-08-21T01:53:00.000-07:00

I have been cultivating a beard for the last couple of weeks.

I can't choose the shape of my beard. I am limited by the fact that hair only grows on my face in certain places, luckily I am quite happy with the outcome and if I could've chosen it, I probably would've gone for a beard like I now have (with perhaps one or two areas a bit more densely populated). Not that it really matters much as my wife has declared a death sentence on my facial hair and it is to be executed next Monday (after we have paraded it for the amusement of some friends and family)

It's a shame really as I have grown quite fond of it even though it is a bit itchy. And in an office poll it was decided I looked more like Che Guevara than Jesus by 6 votes to 2