Doodling Jim

Juggle Trumpet Udders

2022-08-04T20:16:00.000+01:00

This modest demo of animations began in photoshop sketching up frame-by-frame, intending to finish up with simple looping gifs, then anyway done some extra motion in AfterEffects. Had no plan, odd things just happen!

Rocket5G

2021-05-28T17:01:00.006+01:00

Scene1 roughcut with audio

Its launch day for the 5G-rocket to put a satalite in orbit

This animation is something of a side-project I'm developing between illustrating jobs which are scarcer than ever these days. No thanks to lockdown my animating skills have exponentiated (is that a word?) to a competitive level in such a short time, the workflow focusses on Photoshop's own Video-Timeline panel with AfterEffects for finessing/tweaking enhancements. I trust it will amuse you and retain my contact details leading to an illustration commission, perhaps even an animation, I'm ready and happy to discuss your ideas!

In the meantime my cunning plan is to produce episodicly narrative bits of such comedic conspiracies not excluding extraterrestrial reptilian high priests of the new world order (circa Elon Musk, David Icke, et al) and not to mention the inhabitants of 'The Meat.' Anyway nuf said, much to do!

Subscribe to my news items for the next bits (as they occure to me)!

Lifesaver Screensaver

2021-05-27T21:03:00.000+01:00

Been sometime since attending to my blogging what with that pandemic and little illustration work coming in so I decided to become an Animator, as you do, and to get in the mood, I made this Spiral and signed up to Vimeo (just because their player's preferable over Youtube's). Some great stuff coming soon.

Crypt Roundup

2020-03-02T15:14:00.000+00:00

Mucking about in adobe's AfterEffects and Audition (not to mention photoshop and illustrator) since the newyear. It's now Mad March and the Daffs are up, and am done with cabin fever. Here's the results:

Two Animation Shorts

Stoneheads (sketches from this blog's header) bopping along timed near as damn it to Rocking duck by Johnny and The Hurricanes -

This animation does what it says on the cardboard cassette tape, my remixed audio muckabout telling amusing anecdote plus a Cuckoo! -

Reckon am done with self motivated ideas for now, better you commission me to illustrate your next big thing, chat me up before Mad March turns to April and I go chain my face to some railings :)

Gifs 4 squares

2020-02-24T11:20:00.000+00:00

Random animated gifs

I'm playing with photoshop's Frames animator thing to establish a workflow

These little graphics were originally part of a commissioned set of fun vector icons for printed sticker-sheets.

What better way to show them off!

The PDFs Crypt

2020-02-11T16:01:00.000+00:00

Open a pdf doc!..

Displaying a variety of illustration and graphic styles I do, some reflect the particular client's expectations, some bread'n'butter work and some, well, let's say Whatever floats y'boat stylewise.

Frog Story

2020-02-03T19:50:00.000+00:00

My illustrated retelling of the classic joke guaranteed to put kids from ages 3 to 103 into a total giggle fit when you tell it like the Wide Mouth Frog tells it. Click the image pops out the full monty as a pdf doc! -
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Utales invited me to create on their ebook platform way back in 2010 (now defunct).
Writing and Illustrating took me about 5 weeks. I uploaded the artwork and formatted the words and font - which layout was rather limited back then. Anyway here's a few of my favourite spreads -

Runner Up again!

2019-11-19T17:30:00.001+00:00

My design for The Warren's 2020 festival brochure -

Their full Brief here but in short they wanted something bold, colourful that
conveys the festy's spirit, and also include a depiction of their entrance signage. So I consulted that internet for inspiration to come up with the artwork. Here's some close-ups -

It's vector art with an overlay pixel-image of grit-texture manipulated so looks blockprinted in a subtle way, well that's the effect I was aiming for.

Also made a Local-Map intended for their inside back page. Though wasn't part of the Brief, was anyway the opportunity to show-off me skills -

The Map started life as screengrabbed google-map sections stitched together in photoshop for use as template for tracing over streets in adobe's Illustrator program, then brought that back into ph' for texturing-up and skewing the angle and adding the venue's location as indicated by their bunny logo popping out of its burrow!

Turnaround time was 2 weeks for both pics - as I only sighted their tweet announcing the call for submissions prior to deadline then. Well, my presentation pdf was their Runner-Up! Not for the first time, I was their runner-up for the commission last year too! which is Nice but adds up to 1600 fictional quid abducted by aliens. There y'go.

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Other news
I've bolstered my Wiredsussex Profile since they revamped their platform so please check me out there!

Human Cannonball Freak

2019-09-21T19:12:00.001+01:00

Rebrand callout answered with my proposal for the Brighton Fringe Festival brochure cover. The Brief's objectives called for a design to include the theme Dive In and a 12 colour-code to distinguish the 12 types of venue/page-sections, and a flourish added to existing title logo, and that it must be all vector artwork -

I didn't get the callback I was banking on but hey maybe the marketing team might just pickup on my layout and well, in any case will have to wait till January's campaign reveal for my warm fuzzy feeling.

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More recently, just last week in fact, I submitted this alternative film poster, see in context here with comments which makes for some interesting conversation about artistic license.

Anyway was the needed motivation to sort out me photoshop brushes. Still it needs some atmospheric fog and the guard on the left needs a ground shadow, and maybe drop in a UFO, dunno, I haven't seen the movie. Maybe I should, Bruce Dern plays the Icecream vanman. Oh yeah!

Film Poster

2019-08-24T17:49:00.000+01:00

Here's a thing!
If you fancy the idea of designing film posters for prizes then check my tweet -

Hi @PosterSpy , Here's my #FreaksPosterArt .. my 1st ever entry and currently a WIP so designing while Sept'18 midnight deadline approaches.
. #FreaksPosterSpy #posterdesign @adamstein @zachlipovsky pic.twitter.com/629sTB1iQS
— Doodling Jim (@DoodlingJim) August 24, 2019

My tweet refers to FREAKS (a Horror/Scifi/Mystery flick premiering now at London's FrightFest) and before you ask, no i haven't a clue what this movie's about or whether 'not-of-this-Earth' Aliens feature at all, a bit of a mystery to everyone else too apparently, Freaks too I shouldn't wonder.

2 Sliders

2019-07-02T17:11:00.000+01:00

Watch my life's work whizz by!

I have just discovered a Slideshow Player with knobs on. Here's 2 presentations set to autoflick so you can sit back while reviewing my client jobs + the roughs!..

Yup, I'll be composting more eyecandy Flickies just because I got heaving drawers stuffed with very different chest-beating graphic styles that could use slicker presentation (packaging is content is it not). Only you can stall my unrelenting progress by immediately enquiring into my availability for your project so let's chat and see what's possible!

Counting Chickens

2019-06-15T10:35:00.000+01:00

Not every day a commission comes via my instagram. The client liked one of my poster artworks there and asked if I'd do a 'Fox & Hen' similar in style to his sample -

My initial response was to show my terms and ask for fifty quid upfront starting fee with the remaining payable when he's happy with my resulting artwork - shown as a low resolution image. The client replied with deposit and a couple of sketches of his own indicating more of his intentions, so i set to work showing these roughs for approval -

Then I did a colour rough which he was delighted with so I did his A2-poster and showed it, he made final payment and so I sent it. Rarely does a commission go as smoothly, I really could o' counted my chickens before they hatched (pun intended).

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In other news. Another new client in as many months and a commission to provide vector art for animated music video. This job came via a responder to my occasional Newsletter! Can't divulge more at this time, very hush hush.

So now with 2 happy clients catered, i'm back to resolving my blog's backend video player's coding, to replace it with a js-player that's an independent free alternative to google's terraform option, that'll show 'em eh!

Pub Booze update

2019-05-11T16:30:00.000+01:00

My Campaign Poster to keep Brighton's GREAT EASTERN pub open.

Every campaign needs a face so left to my own devices I drew on Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Victorian Engineer in a very tall tophat who built the biggest ever steampunking Paddle Steamer from which this thinkingman's pub takes its name.

If there's still any worthy causes then it has to be 'Keep it Local and the Planet will take care of itself' and while I'm on one, Hire my Graphic Designing Service why not! My design uses 4 print-colours so is good-to-go screenprinting with a 5th white ink base colour option if needed, Tshirt anyone?!

--- Update! ---

Short animation of photoshop layers timed to the tune of 2001 Space Odyssey as squawked by the Portsmouth Sinfonia circa mid 1970s. I'm still learning but if play's blurry its due to youtube's player so please set 'Quality 1080HD'. Enjoy -

Dark designs

2018-11-24T07:00:00.000+00:00

Joseph Conrad's seminal novel Heart of Darkness as Graphic-Novel in colour! Here's 3 fullpage illustrations and cover art -

Cover concept.

My reading of Conrad’s narrative was visualising his story as more of a Ripping Yarn Adventure Tale inkeeping with the his serialised reports for popular magazines of the 1890s who's readers then were hungry for news about unexplored regions of the world, especially from deep within the mysterious dark interior of continental Africa.

1, Here Marlow - Steamboat Captain, learns about the rogue company-man Kurtz is, when he's told about his return up-river immediately after dropping off yet another record breaking load of Ivory -

'I seemed to see Kurtz for the first time.'

2, Here Marlow's knackered paddle steamer is attacked by those godless Savages as it navigates the treacherous snags in the Congo's fast flowing river currents -

'Arrows, by Jove! We were being shot at!'

3, Eventually the steamer arrives at the company's Inner-Station where Marlow encounters the sick Kurtz crawling through long grass while the Savages get increasingly more restless -

'I came upon him, and, if he had not heard me coming, I would have fallen over him too.'

Cropped detail -

See extra sketches at my Behance !

Cartoons AtoZ Done

2018-11-01T15:00:00.000+00:00

Series of b/w cartoons just completed for Paparazzi Comedian Dave Streeter's book; Midlife Comedy A to Z - a humorous look at Midlife issues for men of a certain age. Something we share in common so was a real pleasure to illustrate these 13 chapter headers from Dave's suggestions -

A is for Alcohol

G is for Grooming

K is for Know-All

M is for Medical

O is for Outraged

P is for Parenting

Q is for Queueing

R is for Reminders

S is for Sex

T is for Travel

U is for Ulcers

V is for Value

W is for Weather

In other news -
My submission proposal for The Warren festival 2019 brochure cover design got Shortlisted with one other candidate. The organisers reckoned my Matchbook-print design was 'strong in terms of style and colour' but would require a reworking due to the central graphic, the pole supporting its radiating festoon of lights - see previous Post! won't be part of next year's event! Also they wanted to know how I would supply individual graphic elements for featured ads, cards and staff uniforms. So I did a quick colour sketch proposing a redesign with some explanations - here's that PDF! Well, the other candidate landed the commission and I get drinks voucher and free entry to some choice shows, so mustn't grumble eh.

Matchbook Printy

2018-10-01T09:30:00.000+01:00

It's crude retro and I reckon it makes for a great style applied to pretty much anything, like this design for a festival brochure wot I just done in photoshop -

That's my submission#2. See previous post about my 1st, entirely different design submitted before the announcement of an extended deadline. In this I wanted to emphasise an evening atmosphere with the festival's lighting in full effect. I could have added a paper texture overlay but thought if this wins their approval and gets printed then doing so might be overkill. Here's some cropped portions at full print-resolution to gaze upon while considering perhaps hiring my graphic designing services for a particular project that's on your mind right now -

Enquiries: jim[at]doodlingjim[dot]com
Thank you for lending me your eyeballs!

must B joking

2018-08-06T12:27:00.000+01:00

My proposal idea for 2019 BrightonFringe brochure cover design, from initial sketches to vector artwork completed within a week turnaround -

The festival has a new theme each year (note slogan tattoo-style on Joker's rubber-ring.) Their brief also stipulated their logo should include an extra flourish - is where I hung my joker-hat! I submitted a PDF and waited for that rejection email - filed! Here anyway are rough ideas on the way to it. -

On the upside though is the Warren's brochure cover design (see previous post). Its submission date for proposals is now extended so am now working on a matchbook-crude blockprinty style.

My illustration work is quite broad ranging. As an experienced independent freelancer I know its not a good tactic to be hobbled to one visual style in the career-toolbox. My clients expect their project objectives to be met sympathetically by myself directly. If your idea needs great visuals, drop me an email: jim[at]doodlingjim[dot]com with some ballpark budget limit and delivery time for artwork and I'll gladly furnish you with my insights and terms to get the ball rolling, might even provide rough pencils on spec' too!

! tap any image big slideshow viewing !

Bunnibonkers

2018-07-16T10:52:00.000+01:00

Here's my response to an open callout to creatives for a design for an event brochure cover -

The Brief basically asks for a colourful bold look which conveys the spirit of the Warren Festival held annually in the grounds of St Peters Church in Brighton. Tap on this portion for an eyeful! -

Anyway, also included with my presentation are these extras, versions of their entrance signage -

Plus a Bunny just for the heck why not -

I'm hopping off to the beach now, my work here is done. Or so I thought. They extended the submission date! So with plenty of time to spare I did another proposal - Matchbook Printy!

R.I.P

2018-06-12T00:00:00.000+01:00

Gathered some horrors here for slideshow.

They share a similar theme.

Tap any pic opens the set for a bigger view.

Folk on Driftwood

2018-05-23T11:15:00.000+01:00

One week to come up with series of 3 illustrations - rustic paint style for Magazine Editorial -

Done with sunburning days to spare!

Redraw Vintage New

2018-05-18T11:14:00.002+01:00

Vintage style redraw and repurposed for Client friend's Home Business Postcard, and a Dishcloth image-tile pattern as repeatable background for website -

A fun job done.

Checkout my other projects!
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Danger Will Robinson

2018-05-08T00:51:00.000+01:00

THEY'RE HERE!

Dec' 2017 all over our mainstream media was news of UFO video evidence from U.S fighter jets. I hunted down a couple of revealing radio interviews by the Pentagon's official shape-shifting Lizard responsible, so just couldn't resist making this Audio Remix -

Knocked off one more sketch before this Grey hurries to catch the saucer

thanks for the Implant.

Theresa May as Nosferatu

2018-05-07T23:45:00.000+01:00

Woz the News wot made me do our prime minister as the vampire: NOSFERATU.

Spoofed

2018-04-01T11:55:00.000+01:00

Ol' Magazine cover from my local boot market -

Spoofed-up in photoshop, it's me comment on the housing bubble -

Available as A2 size Poster-print!

Here's a couple of close up views in detail -

It hangs well with the rest at my DoodlingJim.com in the Jim's Prints section.

LED Icons

2017-03-19T14:29:00.000+00:00

I was asked to provide vector icons for new range of LED Lighting -

LightfootLED provided the ref-photos and their website indicated colour and style needed.

My thanks to Andy Whales of My Talking Drum for the initial contact.