Artist 55: DeanZappy

A real treat for you now, Its the irrepressible DeanZappy, IR contributor and all round awesome guy DeanZappy has talent in spades and has kindly shared some with us today. Dean has one of the most vivid palettes you'll ever see in the field and he is one of the few that can wield colour with confidence. Full of humour his bold style instantly grabs you and rewards you with smiles and fun. Dean has an irrepressible style, saccharin sweet, that at the same time has a savoury wit that keeps things sharp. Also a talented graphic designer Zappy keeps things cool and slick with smooth designs and simple strong imagery. Zappy has a precise style and intelligent characters that don't need any more description to sell themselves, as simple as they come his characters are always believable and have a unique flavour not stifled by a "house style" as with many illustrators. DeanZappy has the skills for kills and there is absolutely no way he is not going to conquer the world and bring us into a colourful new dawn!


Who are you:
Hi, I'm DeanZappy a Graphic Designer & Illustrator currently based in Manchester UK.

What do you do:
Well, I'm primarily a Graphic Designer and graduated from University in 2007. I also love to draw and spend a lot of my free time creating illustrations for personal & commissioned briefs. At the moment I work freelance but am looking to find a permanent position somewhere soon! With my design work I like to keep things simple, but I really express myself with the illustration side of things and have fun doing it.

How did you start:
I studied Graphic Design at school, then at college and eventually university. I have always been creative, and after school I decided Graphics would be the best way forward. Once I graduated I went travelling for over two years, and since I returned have taken on a lot of freelance projects.

A Personal statement about you or your work:
I combine a variety of styles and techniques to produce work that is fun, vibrant, and eye-catching.

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Zine Feature: Micro Shrub

It's feature time again and this time its a magazine slash online pdf which will rock your collective socks off. Micro Shrub is an online collaboration between illustrator Murray Somerville and writer Jack Burston. The online shrub is a tasty precursor to the weird and vibrant world of Melon Shrub 2, which is poised to break onto the scene in early 2011.

Murray and Jack have been collaborating since their days in the band Lemon tree, which although dead and gone planted some very interesting seeds indeed. The art style is impressive and coupled with strong typography and snappy writing this new zine is sure to make waves for the impending Melon Shrub 2.

As Murray says, "The point of Micro/Melon Shrub is to create a new and subversive zine full of oddity writings/ short stories/ illustrations/ posters and comics (which will be in melon Shrub 2) - merging Jacks writings and my drawings into a combined black comic, intriguing and bizarre feature!!!" And we really cant wait to see the results.

Its a refreshing new experience that offers the visual satisfaction of Rob Zombie with added punch brought by Jack's writing. With strong colours and bold work its flavour is reminiscent of Oz, king of the counter-culture vibe but it has a more considered freedom (and much higher quality artwork) 

One to watch, and eventually buy, we are waiting with baited breath for the launch of the more bushy shrub, which deserves a party in our opinion! Great zine getting us in the mood for the massive year that will be 2011!

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Christmas No. 14

By Michelle Last

By Dan Robinson-Miller

By Francesco Gulina

By Megumi Lemons

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Live Drawing Retrospective: Ballad Of at Jaguar Shoes

Remember the days before the icy snows set in? We do! Its a brief retrospective here of a rainy evening in deepest, darkest Shoreditch where only the pointy of shoe and quiffed of hair dare to tread. The warm friendly atmosphere, in the otherwise too cool for school Jaguar shoes was met with great appreciation and some Posca mashup action. Hard at work behind a barrier of sofas and well dressed people, the illustrators created a great piece of ephemera, there for only one night the work of some great IR regulars was themed around the phrase "don't forget to write" and formed a great backdrop to some awesome partying. 

The group was: iamanoctopus, Jamie Mills, Natsuki Otani, Sandra Dieckmann,  Murray Somerville and Thomas Bates.

This new group is looking for more opportunities to bring their brand of live drawing goodness to a wall near you, so if you can think of any places we can be please get in touch with any of the members!

That was Ballad Of at Jaguar Shoes! 

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Christmas No. 13

"If To Dance Is To Dream, May Your Dreams Come True."

"I Played This Note For You To Say, Have A Merry Christmas Day!"

"I'm Making A List, I'm Checking It Twice, It's Good To Know, You Are So Nice!"

"A Heartfelt Merry Christmas To You!"

"Hope You Have A 'Fairy' Nice Holiday Season!"

By Donna Letterese

If you want to check out Donna's holiday card section on her website, visit here!

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Christmas No. 12

1. Christmas Crunch

2. Crabapple 1

3. Crabapple 2

By  Lisa-Marie Gomez

If you want to get in touch with her, don't hesitate to email!

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Artist 54: Maddie Joyce

A warm hello to Maddie Joyce, our little ray of sunshine in the bitter winter. Maddie has a unique take on the world and through her work we can see a really aspirational happiness. Delicate lines and considered faces give her a great starting place with which you can explore her ideas. Her use of surfing and skating is a theme that runs through her images like a thread that binds them together as if in a series. Her work is gentle and ethereal or bold and bright. She has a way of giving us a certain alternative vibe that is strongest in her pieces that feature the sea.  Her painted work reminds me of Cornwall and the crystal green sea that embraces you like an iron salty wall, her images faceted by dark lines with clear solid colours like stained glass. Her striking colours and hippy themes are are really strong and have a good flavour and its nice to see her develop. With the best of luck for the future and the fond hope to see more of those great ocean vibes we give you Maddie Joyce.


Who are you: 
I am Maddie Joyce and I am a young creator of happy, little creations.

What do you do: 
I paint, sketch, draw, sew, take photographs, buy childrens books, make books, write books and illustrate!

How did you start: 
It was at the beginning of my Graphic Design a-level that I decided that I wanted my career, life and every breathing moment that I have to be based around art. My lessons wouldn't just finish after the 1 and a half hours. I would go home and keep at it, filling up books and illustrating, completely bending the breifs to suit my own creative ideas! I just kept at it and enjoy it so much. Art is such a good way to express your imagination and it makes me really happy. This is definitely the direction that I would like to go.

A personal statement about you or your work: 
My work, both art and photography are a complete reflection of who I am and where I want to be. I create things which make me feel warm inside, give me tummy squiggles and squirmies, perhaps from a fond memory or somewhere I wish to be. I want to produce art which makes people day-dream, laugh or connect with. It isn't deep, or conceptual, it is what it is, a big bundle of magicality! : )

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Christmas No. 11

By Abi Daker

By raff raff

"All I want for Christmas is a Rocket Reindeer"

By Will Aslett

By Jo Cheung

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Christmas No. 10

By Tom Colmans

This Christmas illustration will be available for sale here! 

By Liam Smith

By Martyn Warren

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Christmas No. 9

By Megan Piontkowski

By Kelly Maguire

By Tilly

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Christmas No. 8

Joanne Hawker has a little Christmas project to share with us! She created this set of Christmas cards with a small twist this winter. Her cards come with a small packet of seeds in the hope that the recipient maybe encouraged to feed the birds through the harsh winter months. On the reverse of the packets are instructions on how to help out feathered friends on a shoestring budget! read about her project here.

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Christmas No. 7

By Patrick O'Leary

By Benjamin Dean 

By TJ Lubrano 

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