My dynamic theme will be available to buy from the PS3 store on the 14th December. You’ll be able to see the final animation nearer the time but for now here is a cool background I created for the theme, (click for larger image). Suitably trippy with a touch of sci-fi goodness. I’d like to do more of this please.

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As usual, you’ll be able to buy non-folded versions of the poster from their website if you want a slightly smarter version. If you consider yourself a poster connoisseur and a serious collector, I’ll be working with Don’t Panic on releasing this as their FIRST EVER limited screen print edition.

When I first moved to London around 11 years ago, I would be inspired by their free posters and would always have at least 1 or 2 stuck to my bedroom wall. So I’m really excited to be working with them now not only on my own poster, but their first ever screen printed edition.

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Image by Jack Teagle

This weeks lucky bunker is English illustrator and comic creator Jack Teagle. I first came across Jack’s work when I saw his awesome illustrations on a Daddy Donkey Mexican Food trailer in London. I just loved the colour, the humour, and could appreciate not only how much work had gone into it, but how much fun he obviously had in creating the illustrations.

I then discovered his awesome comic Jeff Job Hunter and from there, I became a fully paid member of the Jack Teagle fan club. Jeff’s quest to retrieve the ‘skull of the half man half beast from the dungeon of terror’ located under his Job Centre was a great short story told well and executed beautifully.

Images courtesy of Nobrow Press.

You may already recognise Jack’s illustration from his editorial work for various magazines but his acrylic paintings have been doing the rounds online lately too. Like many of us, he’s a child of the Star Wars generation and the themes that run through his paintings have so much great nostalgia to them.

Anyway, I’ve rambled enough. Please join me in welcoming Mr Jack Teagle to The Bunker!

TB: We can allow you access to 1 music video. What will it be?
JT: I don’t think I can pick just one, but I know it would have to be a Chris Cunningham video.

TB: There is room on the wall for 1 piece of art. What would you like?
JT: Mr Gauld beat me to the punch with Bosch. Something equally as packed (I’d feel like I was cheating a little and having lots of paintings crammed into one). Ape Worship by Todd Schorr. That piece is amazing! The frame for it is a work of art in itself.

TB: There is a small bookshelf with room for 1 book. What will it be?
JT: Admittedly I’m not a big reader. I try to read when I have the time, but it’s not very often. I think it would be Tiny Deaths by Robert Shearman. My girlfriend put me onto this book and it’s amazing. It’s a collection of short stories set around a dull english setting, but they all have these slightly strange elements or twists to them. It has a great sense of humour and it’s right up my street.

TB: You’re allowed 1 film. What will you watch?
JT: Probably Gozu or Mullholland Drive, I never get bored of them. There are so many layers to them that you can pick up on new things everytime you watch too. I love the atmosphere in each too.

There’s no decent trailer vids around for Mullholland Drive and Gozu is a little NSFW so here’s a little clip of the brilliant David Lynch talking about ideas and Mullholland Drive.

TB: There are bunk beds inside the room. Who gets the other bed, and which bunk would you like?
JT: My girlfriend. We already live in a bunker like environment in our small studio, and she’s usually the only contact I will have in a few days if I’m working through a project. She’s still with me, so I know I won’t drive her crazy with my conversation.

TB: You’re allowed 1 small treasured item. What is it?
JT: BATMAN TALKING ALARM CLOCK! It’s a little battered but it’s well loved. Plus I’d know what time it was.

TB: We’ve managed to get you a CD player. What album would you like?
JT: Unknown pleasures by Joy Division. It never gets old. I can listen to it again and again and again.

TB: We are willing to cook you 1 meal of your choice on your first night in The Bunker. What would you like?
JT: Could I make a big thing out of it and have a starter? If I could I’d have potato skins with cheese and for the main I’d have the best BBQ ribs. I can’t remember the name of this amazing raspberry pudding I had at a party, it was kind of soft and creamy, if I knew what it was, I’d definitely have that.

TB: All inhabitants of The Bunker MUST have their memories of Old Earth erased. However, we will allow you a single memory of your old life. What will it be?
JT: Probably a christmas from when I was about 10. It’s when I’d see almost all of my family, and I used to get extremely excited about presents. I used to make everyone really dorky pop-up christmas cards. I remember when I was 10 the second wave of Kenner Star Wars toys were coming out, so I was massively excited about getting some of that.

TB: We can project a view of your choice onto the Window Screen. What would you like to look at?
JT: The view from my bedroom window, it looks out over the countryside into a field with a huge tree. I think having something green and calm would keep me sane.

Thank you for your co-operation. We will do our best to satisfy your needs and we wish you a pleasant stay in The Bunker.
The Bunker Administration Team.

If you’re in Dublin, or even if you’re not, you have 2 days left to catch Jack’s solo show ‘That’s Life’ at The R.A.G.E.

You can also see more of his great work at his website and his blog. Check it!

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The words etched in are latin for the 7 deadly sins, and I added 3 more of my own to make it up to 10. You can see some of the original drawings for the screen printed demons in an earlier post here.

These bricks will be part of an upcoming show I don’t want to reveal too much about, but there will be bricks on show from other artists such as D*Face, Eine, Hush, Paul Insect, Sickboy and others.

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Alien.

Critters.

Eyes Wide Shut

Gremlins

Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Rosemary’s Baby.

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Taking refuge from the apocalypse in The Bunker this week is one of my all time absolute favourite illustrators, Tom Gauld. Glancing quickly at one of Tom’s illustrations you may be fooled into thinking that there’s not much going on, both in content and style. But it doesn’t take long to discover that there’s so much work crammed within those deceptively simple looking panels. Not one line looks out of place as the scenes he creates are crammed full of life, intrigue, emotion but most of all humour and imagination.

His work is good for the soul, a safe place you can visit and loose yourself amidst the solitude of rusting robots and lonely Kings. I’ve been a big fan for many years now and out of the countless comic strips and drawings I’ve seen of Tom’s, not 1 has failed to make me smile, and I think that’s incredible. Without further ado, tis my  honour to welcome the simply brilliant Tom Gauld to The Bunker.

TB: We can allow you access to 1 music video. What will it be?
TG: Anything by Gorillaz.

TB: There is room on the wall for 1 piece of art. What would you like?
TG: The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymous Bosch.

TB: There is a small bookshelf with room for 1 book. What will it be?
TG: The Inheritors by William Golding.

TB: You’re allowed 1 film. What will you watch?
TG: 2001 (This was a tough one but in the end I chose this as I didn’t want to upset Stanley – see below).

TB: There are bunk beds inside the room. Who gets the other bed, and which bunk would you like?
TG: Stanley Kubrick. I’d like the top bunk, but I’d probably let Stanley choose.

TB: You’re allowed 1 small treasured item. What is it?
TG: Reproduction Lewis-chess-set King which my Dad gave me.

TB: We’ve managed to get you a CD player. What album would you like?
TG: Silver Jews: Bright Flight.

A popular choice but videos are hard to come by. You can watch the video for Tennessee also chosen by last weeks Bunker Andy Smith by clicking here.

TB: We are willing to cook you 1 meal of your choice on your first night in The Bunker. What would you like?
TG: Champagne and oysters. Then roast beef, yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and parsnips, peas, gravy. Followed by trifle.

TB: All inhabitants of The Bunker MUST have their memories of Old Earth erased. However, we will allow you a single memory of your old life. What will it be?
TG: Swimming in the river on a hot day when I was about 8.

TB: We can project a view of your choice onto the Window Screen. What would you like to look at?
TG: New York from the 50th floor.

Tom’s new screen print ‘Plan for a Gigantic Robot’ is available to buy at his website and don’t forget you can enjoy his work every saturday in The Guardian Review. He also has a great flickr page where you can see lots of other drawings including scanned pages from his sickeningly beautiful sketchbook.

This is my very own Tom Gauld original that I’m incredibly happy to own, because I’m a nerd like that.

Come back next week when I’ll be sharing baked beans with another of my favourite creative types in…THE BUNKER! Thanks for reading!

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Anyone that knows me well enough knows I have a bit of a thing for pens and this brush pen, even though it costs next to nothing over in Japan and has a synthetic nib (unlike my Kuretake No.40 Sable haired brush pen, hmmmm), draws like a dream and the tip seems to keep it’s integrity really well unlike a lot of brush pens that loose their sharpness after a while.

The most awkward looking Spaceman ever. I think he has an itch inside his suite.

Big thanks to Kenishi for the goody bag, I now kind of feel bad that we dragged you to Dalston, got you drunk and made you eat sheep’s balls. Still, when in Rome.

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Header Illustration by Andy Smith

Morning pickles. Those of you who have been following my blog for some time may remember a feature I used to run known as…The Bunker! I was made aware by ‘my man on the inside’ that the Government had built a top secret underground facility that is fully stocked and ready to house and protect the world’s elite when the apocalyptic shit hits the fan. I managed to get my hands on some of the administration forms handed out to these lucky elite few and I posted them here on my blog, until 1 day, they all just disappeared. Interviews with Logan Hicks, Skinner, Kris Kuksi, Mysterious Al and other just vanished from the blog without a trace. And so I stopped all investigations into the Government bunker, but have since started work on my own.

For weeks now I’ve dug, hammered and drilled my way deep underground in a secret location. I’ve stocked up on the Pot Noodles (other freeze dried, tasteless space food is available), baked beans and Pinot Noir. I’ve invested in a couple of Scrabble boards, a Connect 4 and a 1970s jigsaw of some kittens in a basket. When the end comes, I’m quite confident that down there, myself and a chosen few will be safe and happy until the smoke clears.

But I won’t be down there alone, oh no. I’ve chosen a small army of my favourite creative types to not only keep me company, but to help get the ball rolling above ground once the Martians have finally died, the meteors have ended, the earthquakes have stopped, the tornados have passed, the solar flares have cooled, the mushroom clouds have disappeared. My first entrant into The Bunker is an illustrator that I only really discovered quite recently. After I came across him in a few books I have, I realised I’d already been seeing and enjoying his work for a long time on projects for Nike (Run London), Virgin, Orange, Penguin Books and in the Guardian. His work has a beautiful simplicity full of colour, humour and lovely typography and he’s one of my favourites. His name is Andy Smith, and here’s his Bunker entry.

TB: We can allow you access to 1 music video. What will it be?
AS: I’ve never been a music video type so this is a bit difficult. I think to get the most from it I’d want a long video, I’ve just looked on google and it says the longest ever is by Kanye West but I don’t want that. Sorry Kanye. I’ve just looked over at my cd’s and I want one by the Silver Jews, I’ll have Tennessee as I like that song. I’ve just looked it up on you tube and the video seems to be an unrelated film of a boy playing with a cat but nevermind. I like the song anyway.

TB: There is room on the wall for 1 piece of art. What would you like?
AS: I’m quite tempted to say something valuable like a Van Gogh or Damien Hirst so if I ever get out of this bunker I can make some money by selling it. But in the post apocalyptic wastelands is a painting of Dr Gachet going to be a good currency alternative? And theres going to be skulls and bones all over the place so the Hirst is a no goer too.

So I’ll go for something by the Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami, I don’t mind which one, all his stuff is very busy so I’ll have a lot to see.

TB: There is a small bookshelf with room for 1 book. What will it be?
AS: ‘The completely mad Don Martin’ He was a cartoonist for Mad magazine and his stuff is very funny so will cheer me up when I’m looking at those grey walls. I’ve seen this book in a shop in Brighton and its massive as well (two volumes). I’m going for quantity in my bunker.

TB: You’re allowed 1 film. What will you watch?
AS: I hate watching films more than once- whats the point when you know whats going to happen?- but for some reason I always like to watch Jaws when its on TV. It seems to have accompanied me through my life. So I’ll have that.

TB: There are bunk beds inside the room. Who gets the other bed, and which bunk would you like?
AS: So I’m not in there alone? My wife of course, we’ll sort out the arrangements when we’re in there.

TB: You’re allowed 1 small treasured item. What is it?
AS: A pen so I can doodle on the walls. Though after going mad from constantly watching Jaws on repeat I’ll probably just write ‘ We’re going to need a bigger boat’ everywhere.

TB: We’ve managed to get you a CD player. What album would you like?
AS: Wow a whole album! You’re getting generous, I thought I’d be lucky with a single. Like everything else I’m taking I’m going to get sick of it quite quickly. I’ll have Trout Mask Replica. By the millionth playing I might get in to it. Or perhaps a Serge Gainsbourg compilation then I’ll be able to learn French whilst I’m in there. I think he did a not very good song called Rock around the Bunker so it’ll be especially great when that one comes on.

TB: We are willing to cook you 1 meal of your choice on your first night in The Bunker. What would you like?
AS: Mr Eelus, I’m sure you’re cooking is great but I think it’ll be fish and chips from the chip shop. Not one of those ones from the seafront though. They are too stingy with the chips.

TB: All inhabitants of The Bunker MUST have their memories of Old Earth erased. However, we will allow you a single memory of your old life. What will it be?

AS: In a way this might be nice. Sort of like a new start? I’d like the memory of how to do buttons up. When I was very young I had a lot of trouble with them and I had to wear roll neck tops instead of shirts till I got the hang of them. I don’t want to go through all that again and theres been no mention of the clothing arrangements anyway.

TB: We can project a view of your choice onto the Window Screen. What would you like to look at?
AS: I think a moving one of the sky would be great. It will be like being in Vegas.

Thank you for your co-operation. We will do our best to satisfy your needs and we wish you a pleasant stay in The Bunker.

The Bunker Administration Team.

Andy has work in the upcoming RSVPHRH show which opens this Thursday at The Rag Factory, just off of Brick Lane, from 6.30pm onwards. You can see more of his awesome work and buy his prints at his PORTFOLIO site and he runs a pretty good BLOG too. If clicking links is too much work, here’s a few of my favourite pieces.

Nike-Run London 2001 from Andy Smith on Vimeo.

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These are just a handful and I had a lot of fun getting loose and busy with my brush pen. They’ll eventually be screen printed around a wooden xxxx which will then be xxxx. I don’t wanna give too much away just yet and spoil the surprise but I’ll let you know when there’s more news.

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