More drawings then...

Been a while since I posted anything here - lots of new work's been going up on my website but I'm trying to get back into the swing of posting other stuff up here - sketchbook things, personal work and experiments, drawings, work in progress and so on.  So here's a portrait of the legendary Zimbabwean musician Thomas Mapfumo.  It's a preliminary drawing for a self-initiated project about Zimbabwean music that I'm starting at the moment; I've loved Zimbabwean music for a very long time (mainly Jit and Sungura styles) but I'm into it more than ever right now - discovered some old gems recently, it's been going down very well in my DJ sets and the country as a whole is not in a good state these days and as such it's perceived in a particularly negative light (a Google Images search of the name for some research is a depressing case in point).  So I'm going to redress that in whatever small way I can, and celebrate an aspect of the country's culture that has brought me immense joy.  Plus it's a good excuse to draw another map (finalising a nice map commission as we speak...).  And some guitars.  Hurrah.

Aside from Mr.Mapfumo I would also recommend listening to the amazing Oliver Mtukudzi (who turns sixty this month), Four Brothers, Nyami Nyami Sounds, James Chimombe and John Chibadura.

Thought I'd post a 'work in progress' for a change.... time for another promotional extravaganza, and I thought I'd create a new bespoke image for my postcards that can incorporate the all-important details and make the whole thing seem fun, upbeat and exciting.  Hopefully any art director will be powerless to resist calling a number that's played out of a trombone.  Still a bit of tweakery to be done, and some more paint and nice shapes and wotnot, but ready for the printers next week, hurrah.

And if you're Brighton-bound this weekend, it's the last chance to visit some open houses!  Once again I'm exhibiting in the ever-excellent Claremont and will be there on both days so come and say hi if you're about.  Details here, and Open House Festival details here.  Have a great weekend whatever you get up to.

A couple more life drawings from last week's Draw session at the Old Market.

Here are a few drawings from the opening party of the new Draw Brighton life drawing sessions at the lovely Old Market in Hove. It was a great night all round, bumping into all kinds of folk, enjoying a beer (and some bonus nibbles) and coming away with a good haul of drawings. I went again last night and am clearly going to become a regular at this excellent session (it's conveniently right on my doorstep) - thanks to Jake and Hester and all the models.

Been a bit quiet on here lately, but been good and busy - lots of new illustration work has been freshly posted up on my site. I've also been doing more work for the excellent Standard 8, as well as recording a batch of new dub tunes that will be out in the coming months. I've just written some more posts for Lost at E Minor too so have a look at some of the things I've been enjoying over there if you fancy.

I can finally show you the work I've done for Goodone, a rather excellent ethical fashion label who are up to many good things at the moment. Lots of fun doing these.

It is with much irk that I stroll around the streets of Brighton and notice the horribly premature Christmas decorations. Is it like this everywhere? It's barely mid November; I've only just had my birthday! Yes, I did have a lovely time, thankyou for asking. Spoilt rotten by my girlfriend, fed fantastically, entertained by the likes of Toumani Diabate, Hypnocoustics and Refractal, with a brief walk around Stanmer park and a good deal of lazing about to boot. Very well nourished musically now as well, as I was given some brilliant albums by Tinariwen and Martha Tilston (as well as a lovely Opinel knife - been after one since I were a lad. Hooray!), and treated myself to some beauties by Pelican, Lost and Found, Bolt Thrower and the newie from Laura Marling. Bonza.

And whilst on the subject of Tinariwen, a brand new illustration of a Tuareg lady and some camels in the desert is one of a new range of limited edition giclee prints that I have available from my newly-installed, monumentally exciting (it's been on my to-do list for quite some time...) WEB SHOP! Yes indeed, head on over there to treat yourself (or someone you like) to some fancy prints, or some Christmas cards! It's never to early to get organised, don't you know (but decorations are another matter). Please let me know if you have any problems with the shop - it's brand new and needs to be put through its paces as e-commerce n wotnot is new to me... I hope you like it.

Here are some photos of some food from the amazing walled garden at Monkton Wyld Court in Dorset, where I recently helped out with a spot of digging and chopping and harvesting and so on. Rather nice it was too.

Yes indeed, sketchbook-o-rama.... no I haven't been on holiday, just having some fun with good old National Geographic. I'm going to start doing much more of this on my blog (ie sketchbook work, photos, work in progress, stuff I've found interesting and the like), as my new website is much easier to upload work to (and talk nonsense on) than it was before and it would be much nicer if the two worked together and had a slightly different slant. Having said that, there's some fresh illustration almost ready to put up too.... I've also just realised I haven't bored you with what music I've been enjoying lately for a while... Penta, Slayer, Laura Marling and John Chibadura mainly. Top banana!

Also, those lovely chaps over at the excellent website Lost At E Minor just asked me to do some writing for them, about all dem cultural tings I been digging of late.... pop over there and have a look - it's a great source of inspiration, weird stuff and all kinds of art and culture that might otherwise completely pass you by.

And whilst on the subject, I've just discovered Andy Smith's lovely blog... if you like hand-rendered type, you'll love it there.

Thought I'd post a few pages from the ol' sketchbook for a change...

Bonjourno.... few things to waffle on about so I shall try and keep it brief... First off, here are some long-overdue photos of the murals I made for DC Storm's lovely new offices.

Having also done some great fun work (mainly sign-writing) at various festivals over the summer, I've just returned from a lovely spell working from my newly mobile studio in rural Devon. Had a very productive, and also very relaxing time down there, and even got to see some America's Cup sailing action from the sound at Plymouth. Man, those boats are fast! I also went to a great event run by Encounters Arts in Totnes called Artists' Lab - a workshop of sorts where a very varied and interesting cross-section of practitioners met for a day to share and develop ideas and experiment in a very free, fluid and open manner - hugely beneficial and a real pleasure to take part in.

In between all of that I've been busily redeveloping my website, and have just launched a completely new and fully updated site. I'm dead chuffed with it, so do please have a wee look: www.edtucker.biz.

I also want to mention a really cracking exhibition I went to see at the University of Brighton Gallery before I went away, thanks to a tip from the ever-intrepid Fred Pipes on the Brighton Illustrators Group website. It was a fantastic and extensive show of maps and murals (and also some sketchbooks and drawings and so on) by MacDonald Gill (1884-1947), whose work I became familiar with at the Magnificent Maps exhibition (written about in a previous post). He had a highly distinctive style, a great eye for detail and a really nice, cheeky sense of humour which you don't often see in much work form this period. The man had many talents and was highly prolific, producing a lot of maps for London's tube and bus networks and many other institutions, as well as posters, murals, book jackets, architecture and even gravestones for servicemen! Gosh!