Thunder Chunky

I must ride with my knights to defend what was, and the dream of what could be.

Jon — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:43:02 +0000

TC team-member Ben the Illustrator has produced one of his AlleyCat art prints for Art V Cancer, an online store set-up by British artist Raid71 raising funds for a selection of cancer charities. The proceeds from Ben’s print are going to CLIC Sargent caring for children and young people with cancer.

It’s a brilliant cause, and a brilliant project, so go and check out the Art V Cancer site in your 5 minute break today!

The Raid 71 Emporium in aid of Royal Manchester’s Cancer Charity If there is one creative I have admired in 2011, it’s Chris Thornley, aka Raid71....
Lets Play – The Dream Riders – My Little Playground “…Created to inhabit ‘My Little Playground’ a place where any children’s imagination can become reality....
TC Xmas Selection Box (No. 1) As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, the xmas project has launched for 2008,...

Alex Mathers the Illustration Guru

Stephen — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:35:54 +0000

We welcome to TC the very intellectual and charming geographer, Alex Mathers. Sharing with us his vast wealth of knowledge on Biogeography, Climatology, Meteorology, Environmental management and … wait wait, sorry, that was his previous studies. He will in actual fact be sharing with us his illustration and self promotional wisdom, experience and other valuable advice. In his spare time he’s educating people on all things Illustration, from the ‘pretty’ aesthetic side of things with Ape on the Moon, to the ‘businessy’ side (that we hate but need to know) with Red Lemon Club. We caught up with him for a little insight in to his busy lifestyle and find out some details about his recently launched The Freelancer’s Guide to Google+ Mastery…

Hello Alex, welcome to “Thunder Chunky”, Thanks for being here!!!! How are you today?

Thanks for having me! I’m doing just great despite the bracingly cold weather out there.

For those who don’t know you, please tell us a bit about yourself in 3 easy-to-follow steps.

Wow, I’ve never been asked to describe myself in steps before, but here goes:

I currently keep myself busy as an illustrator and I do some writing, mainly for my site for creative freelancers, Red Lemon Club.

I did a degree in geography before deciding to work as an illustrator. Perhaps some of the geography rubbed off on my work, which focuses a great deal on the environment and the urban world.

I’m a fan of volcanoes, illustration, graphic novels, animated films, electronic music, tennis, and all things Japan. Perhaps it’s just a phase, but I decided to move to Tokyo, which is happening in March this year, so I’m very excited!

Alex Mathers 01

You run the extremely successful inspiration site Ape on the Moon, and Red Lemon Club a guide for creative freelancers. Please tell us a little about when you first established these sites and what you hoped to achieve.

I started Ape on the Moon about three years ago (Feb 2009) as a means to share what I loved in the illustration world with others, and as a cheeky way to get my own artwork out there, though I never featured my own work at all in the end. I have plans to redesign Ape on the Moon soon, and build in a network for people to track artists, and possibly a shop selling original contemporary art.

Red Lemon Club is just over two years old (Oct 2009) and was started as a platform to promote a book I wrote on promoting oneself as a creative using the Internet. The blog followed and I’ve kept it going as a place to share useful information for creative freelancers.

Alex Mathers 02

Alex Mathers 03

You have written many comprehensive e-books and handy guides for freelancers already. Your latest guide tackles Google’s social networking platform Google+. Can you tell us a little about this course and what people can expect from it?

The Freelancer’s Guide to Google+ Mastery. is a 3-part course for freelancers and small businesses looking to expand their professional networks online, and to land more jobs, with better clients, more frequently.

After Google’s social network came out I saw huge potential in it, and set to work creating something that would be relevant to individuals and smaller entities of people wanting to use it in a way that would really help with their careers.

What the course will tell you is how to best position yourself, use its tools and engage with Google+ most effectively in order to do this, and it’s already received a great deal of positive feedback.

Google plus guide (illustration by Dan Matutina)

Would you say that Google+ is much more effective for self promotion and networking than rival sites, like Facebook, Twitter, etc? or could they work in harmony?

I would say that Google+ is definitely the best place for self promotion and networking for the purpose of attracting clients and winning new work. The network is much better suited to online networking in this way than somewhere like Facebook, which is much more focused on friendships and personal relationships. LinkedIn is a great place to have your online CV and make contacts, but is poor for actually engaging online and developing professional relationships.

Sites like Twitter and LinkedIn are great compliments to Google+, however, though it is possible to operate most of your online professional activity through Google+.

Who/What has influenced your work, during your childhood, and now? And is there anyone you would really love to work with in the future?

I was really into animated stuff like Tom and Jerry, the Flintstones, a bit of early Disney, Ren and Stimpy, and got a lot of exposure to illustrators like Maurice Sendak, Ronald Searle and Quentin Blake as a kid which I suppose got me interested in animation and illustration.

I think the stuff that really influenced my current style could stretch from older artists like Shag, and even Edward Hopper and Wayne Thiebaud, to illustrators like Russell Tate and Simon Oxley.

I’d love to create an animated film with Dan Matutina in the future, who did the artwork for the Google+ course, as well as the art for a previous venture to promote the work of illustrators, Lunarize.

Alex Mathers 04

What music is usually playing when you are hard at work?

I listen to a lot of electronic music and a heck of a lot of movie soundtrack music, though I do like all kinds.

I find a lot of stuff by composers Thomas Newman and Clint Mansell is great to work to, including stuff from Trent Reznor and Atticus Rose. ‘Plaid’ is probably my favourite electronic band, and I’m really enjoying the work of Tokyo-born ‘Anchorsong’ at the moment.

Alex Mathers 05

Alex Mathers 06

If you weren’t in the creative industry, what other profession do you think you would be doing?

I would have liked to be an architect or possibly working in property development!

Have you seen any up and coming talents that we should keep an eye out for?

There’s so much out there, and I think the industry is moving in such a way so that no one in particular will stand out that much, but in the visual arts world, I would keep an eye on Jordan Speer, Victo Ngai, and Monika Aichelle, though there are so so many.

Finally, what’s the one thing that everybody should do today?

My recommendation, which is something I rarely do, is to meditate for fifteen minutes. It will do wonders for your sense of peace and creativity!

So, just to recap – if you want to learn about how to use Google+ more effectively, go to Alex’s The Freelancer’s Guide to Google+ Mastery. Check out more of Alex’s work on his website and illustration lovers make sure to explore Ape on the Moon. Finally, the ultimate resource for a successful freelance career, Red Lemon Club.

Sketching goodness from CHRISTOPHER LEE California-based illustrator and designer Chris Lee has been busy of late, doing all manner of...
Amelia’s Anthology of Illustration Climate change is an issue which everyone’s thinking about nowadays and Amelia’s Magazine decided to...
Lesley Barnes Talks Circles, Stories and Socks Lesley Barnes is a Glasgow based illustrator and animator with a beautifully individual style, currently...

Moo Luxe cards feat. The Boy Fitz Hammond

Jon — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:51:10 +0000

We’ve always been fans of the print-masters Moo, so we were delighted when they asked us to test-run one of their new products… Luxe Business Cards. Instead your average corporate card, we decided to test if you could make a designery product out of them, so we spoke to our good friend The Boy Fitz Hammond and put together a lovely set of designer trading cards, featuring his awesome celebrity illustrations. And we’re chuffed with how they came out!

Could this be a new product range for TC? Who knows… all we know is that we love the cards! Super-heavyweight (600gsm!) and lovely quality finish… only problem is we now don’t want to give them to anyone! Go check out the Moo site for more info and of course, check out the website for the ever-awesome The Boy Fitz Hammond to check out his funny/controversial celebrity illustrated poems!

THE BOY FITZ HAMMOND bigs up Crayolas The Boy Fitz Hammond is a professional doodler who specialises in quirky and witty illustration....
Cards through Green-tinted Glasses! We featured the brilliant work of Ben Mounsey in a previous post on TC and...
TBFH Senor Turtle Tee The Boy Fitz Hammond's Senor Turtle Tee. Produced as part of the Thunder Chunky Super...

Creative Zodiac 2012 by SOYU

Mike — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:34:07 +0000

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR to all our Asian Thunder Chunky fans! We can’t imagine how amazing the atmosphere is over there, marking ‘The Year of the Dragon’ throughout the 15 day celebration!

With that in mind, we have the lowdown on a new asian inspired brand called SOYU, set up by TC’s very own Mike aka ME! It was an opportunity to do something great, in both quality of artwork and production to celebrate a classic oriental tradition.

Celebrate Your Animal Year with the Creative Zodiac!

SOYU’s launch project is a set of 12 prints, by 12 fantastic artists inspired by the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Each artist was chosen for their unique style, skill and craft they put in to their pieces. Limited to just 10 prints per piece it is also a response to the mass produced ‘Upload and Order’ printed products that are appearing online.

Each A2 giclee piece is digitally printed on 315gsm cotton uncoated rag by print enthusiasts Ripe Digital, resulting in some of the finest quality wall art you’re likely to see around.

The Artists

The Creative Zodiac has an amazing roster of artists. Familiarise yourself with them if you don’t them already.

The prints are on offer at just £15 for the next week to celebrate Chinese New Year, so why not head on over to the SOYU site and grab one while they’re HOT!

You can also follow SOYU on twitter and Facebook for more info!

Editions / Power in Numbers Exhibition Another awesome exhibition from a few weeks ago, this time by Cure Studio and Print...
KDIS | Super Giveaway | 1st draw First off, we would like to apoligise for the lack of updates these 2 weeks...
Blood Sweat Vector Berlin | pt2 Update: Here are just a few pieces from the up coming Blood Sweat Vector Exhibition....

Chris B. Murray

Jon — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:56:41 +0000

Just a quick post this morning to let you all know about one of our latest discoveries… the very talented Chris B. Murray! The Philly-based illustrator and painter has done work for a stack of cool publications and has featured in a number of exhibitions for our favourite low-fi art gallery – Gallery 1988. Make sure to browse through his work and enjoy all the amazing process sketches he has in there too!

Matt Taylor Brighton-based illustrator Matt Taylor has a brand-spanking new site that you all should go check...
Come to ‘Play’ | Inkygoodness Exhibition The day is nearly upon us. The day we go to ‘Play’. Come join in...
Mixed-up-media from Chris Brett Today I’ve been enjoying the slightly warped illustrations of the talented Toronto-based illustrator Chris Brett,...

The Princesses of Plush

Stephen — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:45:00 +0000

I’ve always had a ‘Soft’ spot in my heart for Plush toys. The innovation in this delicate art form over the past few years have been astounding. I love the way it can bring to life simple objects, creatures and monsters of all shapes and sizes. The ladies I’m about to introduce do just that. Using the power of needle and thread, they create magical hand-made treasures which belong behind glass cases to be admired and collected. Each piece completely unique with a life of it’s own (disclaimer* if your toy disappears, I didn’t swipe it, it ran away).

#1 Hine Mizushima

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Hine Mizushima “…who was born and raised in Japan, majored in Japanese traditional painting before working as a designer and Illustrator in Tokyo. She later moved to Rome, then Paris, and then NYC. Five years ago she left New York for Vancouver, Canada where she lives with her family. She is currently also a slow crafter, needlefelter, and stop-motion puppet animation video artist…”

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#2 Felt Mistress

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Felt Mistress “…AKA Louise Evans is a UK based stitcher and prolific tea drinker who creates a range of one-off bespoke creatures with her partner, illustrator Jonathan Edwards. Originally trained in fashion design and millinery, Louise has brought many of the skills learnt through years of work as a couture dress maker to the world of character design…”

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#3 Sokkuan

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Sokkuan Tye, “…a lazy gardener in previous life. born in kuala lumpur, base in singapore now. likes to challenge different illustration styles…”

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#4 Made by Moxie

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#4 Made by Moxie “…My work is play, using humor and irreverence as a way to explore and examine the world, to weigh up human behavior and emotion in all their forms, to call things unsparingly by their proper names…”

Monsters in School Having been fans of the work of Jonathan Edwards and Felt Mistress since we first...
Kaiju x Kanye x Kaws! Congratulations to Felt Mistress who has now made (and sold) 150 felt Kaiju! As I’m...
Life in 2050 Exhibition | Competition 40 years ago man took his first small steps on the moon, and the internet...

The Raid 71 Emporium in aid of Royal Manchester’s Cancer Charity

Ben — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 09:06:43 +0000

If there is one creative I have admired in 2011, it’s Chris Thornley, aka Raid71.

In one year Chris has not only produced some great Raid71 artwork, set-up a new print store and raised £1000 for a well-deserved cancer charity; he has also survived cancer himself. This is just a selection of the stunning prints available on the store set-up by Chris and his partner Julia; to see more, purchase and help us all promote the store just follow the link…

http://www.raid71.bigcartel.com/

Chris on Twitter – @Raid71
Julia/Store Twitter – @ArtRaid71

I must ride with my knights to defend what was, and the dream of what could be. TC team-member Ben the Illustrator has produced one of his AlleyCat art prints for Art...
TADO Sugoi charity poster TADO need our help! They’ve just made their ‘Sugio!’ prints available to buy and ¬£5...
KDIS | Super Giveaway | 1st draw First off, we would like to apoligise for the lack of updates these 2 weeks...

The big TC documentary post!

Ben — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:25:51 +0000

Inspiration is an interesting area for any creative, here on Thunder Chunky we always aim to bring inspirational work to the fore, but sometimes you have to invest some of yourself in order to absorb the inspiration. TC would never ask you to invest anything financially in the name of inspiration, but here we’re asking you to invest some of your time, to take a break from everything, pack up your work, sit back and enjoy learning about the creativity of others, absorb their inspiration! It’s the Thunder Chunky guide to the internet’s most inspirational creative documentaries!

Feature length films…

PressPausePlay

Packed with interviews and inspiration, this feature, from David Dworsky and Victor Köhler, looks into the huge wave of creativity and talent over the last ten years that has been unleashed by the digital revolution.

Official Website – http://www.presspauseplay.com/ (free download of film)

Just For Kicks

A must for sneaker freaks! Feature length film about the phenomena that is sneaker culture, includes a lot of brilliant interviews from those that were there throughout! You can watch the entire film over on Google Video.

Official website – http://www.justforkicks.tv/

Short films…

Influencers – How Trends And Creativity Became Contagious

Influencers is a fantastic insight into the work and minds of New York’s influential creatives in advertising, design, fashion and entertainment.

Secret Of Marimekko

Marimekko is a colourful look at the history and working process of one of the world’s most exciting product and pattern design studios.

The Sartorialist – Intel Visual Life

The Sartorialist is an insight into the life of street-fashion-photographer Scott Schumann (aka The Sartorialist) and how the internet enables him to do what he does!

The Partners – Computer Arts present Studio Life

A tidy and fairly short doc looking into the work and working life of top design agency The Partners.

Nick Hand’s Soundslides

Soundslides are short documentary films that are inspired by an artisan – someone who has a passion for making or doing something.

DIY America Series by Wieden + Kennedy Entertainment

Check out the whole WKE library, but this doc is especially great looking into the hybrid of creativity and skateboarding, including a lot of iconic artists, filmmakers, musicians and skateboarders. (Thanks to @thingsfromhere for the recommendation).

Know any more interesting documentaries? Post them in the comments for us all to enjoy!

Uncovering the Tasty treats of YumYum There’s lots to like about Yum Yum. They produce 3D visuals and animations which are...
Pixarpedia competition For all you Pixar fans out there, there’s a real treat for you coming up!...
Hell Kitchen We all know that animation is a labour of love, and Hell Kitchen lived up...

James Jean | OVM Scarves

Stephen — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 13:02:27 +0000

Everyone loves James Jean. Who doesn’t want to wrap themselves up in his beautiful, dream like artworks. Well now you can, with these wonderful, delicate OVM Silk Scarves, as modelled by these elegant women.

‘…Unexpectedly, I also started developing a line of fine jewelry, scarves, and objects with support from my friends in Japan. I traveled to Tokyo 5 times in the past year, before and after the tsunami, to shepherd OVM into existence. As I explored this new medium, motifs in my work found new expression in precious metals and materials…” – James Jean

100% Silk Twill
Hand Rolled Hem
36 x 36″

Limited to 75 Pieces with Signed & Embossed Certificate.

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for more up to date information on his OVM brand and new products, keep your eyes on the OVM Blog

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Urban Paper Exhibition – Tokyo During the last 2 weeks there has been a wonderful little exhibition happening at the...