Injured Ninja Progress Report

Local fucking badass noise/rock/legends-in-the-making band INJURED NINJA are the only band I am doing artwork for now. Exclusive and shit. I have known half the band for a really long time and seen them grow into something with righteous potential. Also, they'll let me draw really outrageous shit if I want to and they'll print it (if anyone remembers the content of the last thing I did for them, you'll know what I'm talking about).

Currently in the works is a 12" vinyl cover for their new single "IDDQD" and today I made them a new logo. I don't often use illustrator, but I have to say I really enjoyed making this.

In other news I have been commissioned to do a mural for a surf store opening in Wembley, a few square meters on the concrete floor near the stores entrance. That is happening next week so hopefully I can get some photos of the making of for that. It is going to be tough doing something that big on the floor... i will need a ladder or something to check it doesn't get skewed.

Recent Happenings

I've been pretty busy lately, with uni starting again for the semester and other things, so thought I'd update on what's coming up for this last half of 2009, as far as I know...

Firstly there's been a few events on lately that were badass, like the UP YOURS show at Last Chance Studio. The night was well packed and the work was brilliant, especially the collaborative pieces; artists like Deathbot, Creepy, Sean Morris, Daek, YoYo and Jessie Mitchell working in twos to make extra-special pieces.. fuckin oath that is some good shit. Also on the night Daek was tattooed by Pari Corbitt, whom I had not met at the time but does sick paintings that are well worth a gander.

Overgrowth 2 was a month earlier, also at Last Chance, and was also packed out and had a hugely awesome bunch of work on display. I did some pretty shitty paintings which I want to re-work before showing them again anytime soon... it's what happens when you get into an art-slump; you leave things until the last minute and produce sub-par work. I've started to dig myself out of my slump only recently with a couple of things I've started which I'll mention soon.

The Condor Tower Car-Park launched on the 25th of July and was a totally awesome (but completely head-raping) experience. five full levels of car-park and almost every single wall and beam in the joint was painted by a countless number of artists in a huge array of styles. The amount of people that came on the night was insane, I heard it was about 1500, and the beer ran out pretty early due to the amount of punters needing to maintain their buzz amidst the chaos. Bloody brilliant Idea, executed fantastically, well done all involved.

On the night of the car-park launch I got to hold in my hand for the first time a copy of the Typhoons new album which I did cover art for. It printed really well and I'm very happy with it, but will wait until the album launch before I post the art here. The launch is on the 28th of August at the Rosemount Hotel in North Perth.

Today I began painting at the Hula Bula Bar. Myself and THNK are painting on the mirrors and lino-printing the tiles in the bathrooms there. It was a good start today, and I'm happy with the two images I finished, but it is no where near the level of cleanliness or neatness I usually stick to. It is way hard to do. I'm not going to bother getting into it.

There is a gnarley online blog about budding artists from Perth called Hawks and Hounds, and the first issue is almost done accepting submissions. I'm finishing up mine this week, and it is looking pretty sweet to me. I had badass horrible dreams about the subject matter because I have been so into it... just thinking and thinking and thinking about it, really hard, for too long every day.

I have a bunch of work still to do for Injured Ninja, including cover art for a 12" vinyl coming out for their single "IDDQD". If you recognise that from somewhere then your parents did something right when you were a kid (or in my case, my grandfather- go pops!). It may possibly be the most epic, gorey, boner-inducing piece of work I have ever conceived to create. Fingers crossed for that one, I'll be starting it really soon.

FINALLY down to my last piece of business.. I think. I have finally got the chance to create the board-game I've had in the works for the past few years. I want to keep as much of the details off here as possible for paranoid fear someone will thieve my ideas, but it is pirate-themed and going to be really great. You'll want it. I am developing it at uni this semester and by the end of the year I should have a playable proto-type of the game itself, a book about the design of the game, and an exhibition based on the game. I need to go now to write a schedule for production of the game now.

werd.