The craaaazy jazz, man, craaaazy.....

Beatniks!

"Bless you"

No really - they're a thing... well they were... well... maybe they are again thanks to the current hipster trend. 

I'd seen the 'look' before but when I was asked to draw some "Beatniks" for a gallery of jazz themed artwork at the back of a friends re-published comic book I was confused as to what I was asked to draw.

Some research later and I find it's a group of people who dressed a certain way and were "...a media stereotype prevalent throughout the 1950s to mid-1960s that displayed the more superficial aspects of the Beat Generation literary movement of the 1950s." Thanks Google, old friend!

So below is the final image and as I like cats - I threw some in for fun. Cats and Beatniks go well together, don't you think?

Image Watermarked as there's a new wave of art thieving ******** out there - GRR!

I enjoyed drawing this and can't help but think these characters could become a comic book in themselves.

Looking to get your band drawn like this for an album cover or for promotional material? Drop me a line! mikeyb@theartyone.co.uk

For all your illustration, character design/concepts and caricature needs drop me a line: mikeyb@theartyone.co.uk

Mikey
Birmingham based illustrator, character designer and caricaturist

OPPS! Belated Seasons greetings...

Opps!

I posted this on my social media but forgot to schedule this update for my website.

Stan, Mikey and Tim coming to a doorstep this Christmas.

I hope everyone had a Great Christmas (or holidays if Christmas isn't your thing) and wish you all the best for 2015 (or if you use a different calendar then happy new year for whenever your new year is).

Do I have any arty plans for this year or new year resolutions I hear you ask... 

Well I have more to do with Stan and Tim's Imaginative Adventures and hopefully by Christmas 2015 I'll have a book of them to sell.

I also plan to use the web and TV less to entertain myself and to use my drawing/painting skills as my own amusement and entertainment. A recent realisation that we use TV and the Internet too much to entertain ourselves is slowly killing creativity in the world... and for me and my line of work that's not good news. 

Creativity comes from being bored and trying to entertain yourself and others - how can we be original when we are being entertained 24/7 by tv and the web? 

So say tuned and let's see where my boredom takes me...

Peace n love - Mikey

Caricatures make good Birthday Gift ideas

Stuck for an idea for a unique gift for a friend or family member? A customised caricature is the answer!

I was recently commissioned to draw a caricature for someone to give as a birthday gift

 

I hope she had a fab day and her kitties spoilt her with love and affection.

Kitty cat kiddies fun!

So I've been working on a kids comic for a while now. It started off as a webcomic but I've now self published (currently on a small press scale) a collection of the short stories of this comic. So what's this kids comic called?

Stan and Tim's Imaginative Adventures is a comic book about two kittens with big imaginations and how they view the world they live in.

 What we see as a 'cat tree' they see as a castle

They use bed sheets as caves to explore

Toy string are snakes.

The comic is available to buy either at comic conventions I attend or by contacting me or by visiting the Stan and Tim's Imaginative Adventures blog/website: stanandtim.blogspot.co.uk/p/store.html.

So there you go... I don't just do caricatures.

What do you get if you cross 2 kittens and an artist?

My lovely girlfriend, Rachel and I have two cats. A black one with some white on his paws and his belly who is called 'Stalker' Stan and a stripey ginger one known as 'Tiger' Tim. We've had them since they were 4 months old and in the year they have been with us they have provided us with much amusement. 

Not long after we got them I was asked to draw a picture of Dick Whittington with his cat to be used as promotional material for the 2012 Christmas Pantomime at Solihull Arts Complex. The other day I stumbled across my artwork being used and I was struck by the resemblance between Dick's cat and my Stan. I didn't even realise I was copying one of Stan's poses at the time, I think that he must be in my subconscious now! 

Promotional Image produced for the Solihull Art Complex Christmas Pantomime.

Since then the cats have taken on their own alter-ego's and have come to life in my new comic. Stay tuned for the first instalment due this autumn/winter.

'Stalker' Stan licking milk off his nose after he helped Rachel finish her cereal and 'Tiger' Tim trying to give the camera a nose kiss.