GOODBYE/HELLO/TUMBLR

Finally set up my tumblr, only two years later.

Not sure if I'll keep updating here because I feel like blogger has been a bit sparse the last couple of years (somebody prove me wrong!). I've probably jumped onto the tumblr train too late
but like, you know, whatever.

To check it out follow this link: davidtolugraham.tumblr.com

I guess that wave is a hello and goodbye.

Thanks for the 7 years.

Hey Jane Lane

'Every cloud has a smoky gray lining' - Jane Lane

Well you can't have one without the other now can you?

I'm currently back on Season 4 if you wanted to know.

DAILY DARIA

'I don't have low self esteem, I have low esteem for everyone else' - Daria Morgendorffer

First Sketch Daily of the year, and probably the last, 

seeing as from now you'll find me at home binging on Daria.

Damn it's a good show!

HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA

Don't know why, but I hadn't posted this here yet...

It's an old Sketch Daily, but you know, a goodie.

Don't get it?

Well this should clue you in:

Still don't get it?

......fair enough

CHRIMBO CARD-IO

Still looking for that perfect last minute Christmas card?
Well I've got just the thing for you...

It's Badass Santa & Rebellious Rudolph!

I've got a couple of Christmas cards available to buy on the new greetings card website; Thortful. So if you’d like a card with the fine pair above on them, check 'em out right here.

...and with that I'm out! Merry Christmas Y'all!
I'll see you in the New Year.

P.S. I'm not sorry for the puns you've witnessed today.

Modern Stars

Another trio for you folks!

What are they looking at?

Ever thought it might just be you?

DAILY 'MON

So I drew Charmander the other day for Sketch Dailies...

Then you know, nostalgia kicked in, and I had to draw the other original starter Pokemon;

Squirtle and Bubasaur.

The old Charmander was my original starter from 1999.

I always maintain, it was a tough yet right choice.

Hardball IV

Looks like it's a standoff.

I like that gif comics are a thing,

and this is just me trying out that thing.

Also, it was about time I made another gif wasn't it.

You know what they say, gifs are good. 

Now that's alliteration, despite what Steve Wilhite thinks.

Moomin 70

To celebrate 70 years of Tove Jansson's Moomin this year, I sketched a Moomin character every day for a week and posted them on instagram. Here they are, all together!

Now, why don't you have your own Moomin week?

Secret 7" 2015 Revealed

AKA 'Not so Secret 7" 2015'

Remember that exhibition I was going on about last month? Of course you do, and if you don't, simply scroll down a little.

Well sale day has passed, so I can reveal my record cover here!
The sleeve I designed was for the delightful track Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel:

The song's all about sex you see. It's filled with many creative innuendos that stick in your mind. The type you don't notice as a kid, but very much resonate with you as an adult
(well, that's what I found).

The song reminded me that once you discover something’s an innuendo,

it’s kinda hard to get out of that often amusing mindset, and that's what this cover's about.

Why a sea of aubergines?
Well, *ahem* they're the innuendo of today... trust me, they resemble a certain appendage.
Look up 'sexting' and 'aubergine/eggplant' and you'll know what I mean.
On second thoughts, don't do that.

For good measure here's the back of the record sleeve:

Ouch indeed!

If you haven't, you need to see the video for this song. It was extremely ahead of it's time:

Also, just so you know, the record was bought by this guy:

A photo posted by Secret 7" (@secret7s) on May 4, 2015 at 2:28am PDT

Thank you!

DAILY AVENGERS

A couple of recent Sketch Dailies to marvel at (you get it). 

It's Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow and Ultron himself.

A pretty stellar hero, & a pretty stellar villain respectively.

Secret 7" 2015

You've heard of Secret 7" right?

Well for those of you who haven't, it's an annual event in which seven tracks by seven influential musicians are pressed to 7" vinyl 100 times. Each record is given a unique sleeve designed by one of 700 creatives.

Which creative designed each sleeve & what song it's for remains undisclosed until the record has been bought at the end of the exhibition on May 4th. The proceed go to Nordoff Robbins.

All I can tell you is that I designed one this year, but which one?

Right now it's a secret to everybody.

The exhibition is open right now! 

This year the record sleeves are on display at Somerset House. There's a bunch of extra activities going on whilst the exhibition is in full swing, including a chance to press your own music session to vinyl! Be sure to check it out! It's pretty much the weekend, so you know what to do.

...and so, the tracks.
You can have a listen to them here (with the help of Spotify):

#artonoursleeve

DAILY HEART, DAILY BLADE

Thought I'd post two recent Sketch Dailies this time:

Say hello to the incorrigible Queen of Hearts, and the Vampire hunter himself; Blade.

I hear they both have a penchant for cutting off heads.

Also, I'd imagine these two would be one of the odder 'ships of our time.

DAILY SPIDER-GWEN

...and another Sketch Daily. You've heard of Spider-Gwen right?
Oh that's right of course you have.
She's everywhere right now and that's certainly a good thing.

Also, her back totally looks like Judge Dredd's helmet...

DAILY POWER/RANGER

I keep forgetting to post these here when I post them elsewhere.
But you know the drill, a recent Sketch Daily.
It's Zach the Black Ranger.

You feel that? That's your childhood flooding back to you.
Remember, it's morphin time.

Buddy Fever: Cats or Dogs?

A couple of works in progress.

Letter jackets are my visual jam right now.

By that I mean there's a lot more where these came from.

So Mr. Ben...

“So Mr. Benn, which costume would you like to try today?”

Mr. Benn you ask? The guy in the suit and bowler hat! Oh ok, I’ll explain…

He was the title character of a British TV show in the early 70’s, but man that show had some staying power, they still showed it when I was a kid. Who know’s it’s probably still airing today!

It was about a normal guy who went on extraordinary adventures. He would always go to the same fancy dress shop, where a fez sporting shopkeeper would invite him to try on a costume. 

He’d then head through a magical door in the changing room, and find himself in a new world dictated by his costume!

I heard a rumour that a movie based on the show is back in the works, but I can’t for the life of me remember where I heard/read that rumour. In retrospect the optimistic part of me probably made it up. But hey if it’s not true, come on, we all know that that film is going to pop up some time soon.

I can see the trailer in my head, there’d be at least two explosions (because films), and would close with a back shot of Mr. Benn, standing in front of a wall of costumes. As he turns round the music stops, and the shopkeeper slowly says the first line of this post.

Hardball III

Sport and wisdom guys, sport and wisdom.

Did this one page comic a while back. I've been holding on to it for pretty much no reason.

So yeah, that's that. It was mega fun to do, and a good excuse to draw Dahlia again.

DAILY RAMONA FLOWERS

A recent Sketch Daily! This time it's Ramona Flowers, you know, from Scott Pilgrim!
To quote myself - "The hammer bros got nothing on this one."
Those most certainly are words to remember kids.

Filler-O-Fish

Alright! Apologies for my lack of posts the last month, been kinda busy, you know how it is!
So to make up for it, I give you this, an illustrated embodiment of me goofing around for a day.
Proper posts soon yeah!