Game Of Awesome

A few years ago I illustrated a game for NZ schools called Game Of Awesome. The commission involved creating separate illustrations for 200 cards, plus wraparounds for 5 boxes and an instruction booklet. As it was designed to inspire kids in their creative writing, the best thing about the job was that the subject range was broad and perfectly ridiculous in every way. Chrometoaster, the awesome company who came up with the game and designed it for the Ministry Of Ed, wanted doodles on every surface. So there's always more for kids to find.

It picked up a Best Award for Public Good last year, along with the coveted Purple Pin at the New Zealand Best Awards. Tonight it picked up a bunch of awards at the Australian Good Design Awards, including the 2017 design of the year for all categories. The Chrome Toaster press release has more info.
Here's some hastily taken shots of the packaging. You can click 'em to embiggenate...

The road to that map.

Going through my old work folders, and found the roughs for my BONE (Bureau Of Nautical Exploration) story for issue 01 of the Gecko Annual . There were a nuts amount of revisions in the process of putting it together. Plenty of the revisions were down to my nitpickiness, but also the editors Kate De Goldi and Susan Paris both have keen eyes for what's not working, spelling/grammar mistakes and what's ludicrously cryptic. These progress doodles show a little of the process behind the map spread.
The second Annual is coming out before xmas 2017, this time with a time-travelling story from me. Will post sneak peeks of that when I get the all clear.

Click them to embiginate...

The final jobbie...

and a variant version as a colouring/activity sheet extra...

More Annual sneak-peekiness

The Gecko Annual has 41 collaborators and is out now, and almost sold out, so go grab a copy for kissy-mass if you're near a quality book store (in New Zealand). Or here... geckopress.com
For more peeks, contributor bios and extra activities not in the book (like a colouring-in version of this map) go to the official Annualannual site.

This is a part of a three-spread story. The editors asked for something with a map, and let me wander off.

click it...

Spot The Similarities

The first Annual from Gecko, Edited by Kate De Goldi and Susan Paris, is being launched tonight. It's already in stores, but this will be the official knees up. I contributed a couple of features to it, including this Spot-The-Differences piece. The left side of the image came out very dark in print, due to a mystery file switcharoo, so I'm posting it here for any readers who have been driven to frustration trying to find all the similarities. Only identical possessions count, which excludes the desks, beds, shelves, walls etc.

Click it for a closer look...

If you want the cheat sheet it can be found on the Annualannual.com website. Under Downloads.

School Journal scribbles

A couple of recent illustrations for the School Journal. One that is basically my dream home, and another of New Zealand's most popular big bird, the Moa, before it was driven to extinction and subsequently appropriated by the creators of Sesame Street. The Children's Television Workshop has no scruples.

spot the diff

Another Spot The Difference doodle for Wild Things, Forest & Bird's kids magazine. There's 10 differences I think. The little dude is a NZ Snapping Shrimp which has an oversized claw so powerful that the force from one snap sends out a shock wave of greater decibels than a rock concert, stunning the shrimp's prey so it can just drag the comatose victim back to it's tiny lair and devour at will. Click on it for a closer looksee.

And a How To Draw for the same issue...

 

back to dailies...

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I added a little fin, because everything's cuter with an inconspicuous limb or two (just look at the T-Rex). Turns out that it's probably a tongue-eating parasite... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11392825/Mystery-tuna-creature-is-tongue-eating-parasite-says-expert.html

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daily doodle

Daily

Two daily doodles in a row. Who would've thunk it. I might actually stick to it this time.

Go buy their coffees if you're in Raumati or the Hutt...
https://www.facebook.com/theremedyespressobar1?fref=nf

Might have to have another go at this one. Needs a cup dispenser and more straps and controls.

doodle schmoodle

With a pile up of freelance, and the recent arrival of our second baby, I've been suffering from doodler's block. So to break that I'm having a go at a daily doodle warm up before work. Today's could do with a lot more work, but then it wouldn't be a doodle.

Wild Things illustrations

Some spot-the-difference illustrations for Wild Things, the Kiwi Conservation Club member magazine put out by Forest & Bird.

They all came with how-to-draw activities.

Here's some choice examples sent in by readers...

Anti-Rex

As a prompt to get back into posting regularly, here's a warm up doodle for the day ahead. Got some dinosaur and Tuatara commissions to get done, so this is to get me into the paleo-art mindset.

Ye Olde Imagery Menagerie, closed for business

Though the gallery closed on xmas eve, I've officially ended the lease and shipped out. A few parting shots. It's been great having a public space to show my tack, and talk crap. Now it's time to knuckle down on full time freelance and dig out some long forgotten personal projects (and get my weekends back after three years). I'm sure there'll be a Dittybox shop V.02 at some point in the near future, but for now I'm displaying recent paintings at Floyds cafe, 130 The Parade, Island Bay, Wellington. Prints, tea towels, paintings etc will also soon be available via a relaunched website at dittybox.co.nz. for commissions, I'm still available via gavin@dittybox.co.nz

 

Dittybox Gallery has cast off, to amass more loot n' booty.

Dittybox, street-shop Version 1.0, is now closed for business. See you in the new year on the WORLD-WIDE-WEBSTERNET! New website, online shop, and commissioning services coming soon. In the meantime, contact me at gavin@dittybox.co.nz for any questions/enquiries.

For various reasons, all positive, Dittybox will be closing in the new year. That's the physical gallery, not the online presence. To celebrate the closing, I'm having an opening. New paintings, some old ones too, new prints, and a new Wellington map...