"Things Were Better In The 1980's, When My Knees Were 20 Years Younger"

it's a self portrait!

Thanks to everyone who came out to the opening of my latest solo show at ATM gallery in Berlin. I guess y'all must have liked the work, I saw a lot of smiling faces!

Special thanks to the Don't Panic crew and Three Play for keeping me entertained with great music all night!

http://www.ekosystem.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=5979

OPENING PARTY!!!

ATM Gallery, Brunnenstr. 24, from 7pm

and after party at KIM, Brunnenstr. 10, from midnight

WOOOOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--
http://www.davethechimp.co.uk

the competition is now closed, as I can't afford to sen out any more posters! 

well, my first solo show of 2009 is fast approaching, so I've been hard at work on some fresh new prints, and I thought I'd take the time to tell you how we make 'em.

BY HAND!

yes, that's right, no computers involved!

unlike most of the prints you can buy that are supposedly made by street artists, my prints actually ARE made by me. I don't make designs on the computer, get them pixel perfect, then email them to someone else to print, hell no! I paint the colour separations, full size, by hand. then I cycle to the screen print studio, where Louise makes the screens (she taught me how to do it, but she loves to work, so everything is prepared when I arrive!) We use the giant light table to check the separations, and I make any necessary corrections. then the screens are exposed and washed, and checked again (and I correct anything that needs correcting) Then we set up the table to print, get the design registered, and go for it. Louise pulls the ink through the screen, while I put fresh paper in (making sure it's correctly registered) then put the printed pieces in the drying rack (running back and forth while Louise stands around waiting for my slow ass!) Once everything is printed, Louise washes the screen while I wash the squeegee and all the other things that need washing. 

that's right, I wash up my own shit!

then we check the prints. usually, as I've made the colour separations by hand, none of the prints are 100% perfect, like those you buy from on-line print houses like POW. but I kind of like that. the way I see it, If I've hand painted the colour separations, corrected any faults on the screens, registered each piece of paper to print, then each and every print, though an "edition", is pretty much a one off, made by the artist. I sort the finished prints into three piles - yes, no, and maybe, then double check the maybe's. today we made 37 prints, but only 25 I think are of sufficient quality to sell (with the previous print we made, a very detailed A2 Dang print which I pulled the screens on, there were only 5 out of 49 that were good enough to sell - I won't sell you any old crap y'know!!!) then I sign and number the prints (most artists only sign their prints - the printer usually numbers them all, so all the artist has to do is sign their name)

so there you have it, that's how my prints get made *

in two days we're making another print, which I'm very excited about!

BUT

I'm not revealing anything until my ATM Gallery show opens, sorry!

so come to Berlin for the opening on the 24th!!! You'll be glad you did!

CHIMP

p.s. Steve from Southend On Sea won the Don't Panic competition (below)

p.p.s. JUST shot my portrait for the flyer above. check out more of his super good photography at www.just.ekosystem.org

* the prints published by Rockaway Art, Planet Patrol, and Little Art Books that are available on their sites were not physically printed by me. 

The lovely Don't Panic flyer distribution girls here in Berlin, Lucy and Indy, asked me to make the poster and envelope for their latest packs (hitting the streets after Easter weekend)

They rejected the first two designs I gave them, and I'm glad they did, as I then made this beauty, inspired somewhat by the screen printed positivity of Sister Corita. 

The first person to email me with the name of the person who used to say "Don't Panic Mr. Mannering" and their address will receive one of these posters, and some new comics/zines I just released (some of which will be finding their way into the Don't Panic packs...)

watch the streets...

There's a new book out from Mark Batty (snigger) Publishing in New York of "New Skateboard Graphics" - stuff from the 21st Century I guess, as apposed to 20th Century focused "Disposable" by Sean Cliver (one of my favourite books of all time!)

NSG is actually pretty good. What with the huge number of skateboard companies around these days, and skateboards all being the same shape, I wasn't expecting too much from this publication, but it's managed to make me see that there are still a lot of quality graphics around. Another good thing is that it doesn't focus solely on U.S. brands, but also shows stuff by companies such as Heroin and Hessenmob. And a few of the decks I've designed for the Mob get shown! I love it when my work gets featured in skate-related books as I've always sucked at skating, and never been part of the right crews or known the right people, yet still I love to skate (skated to my office today in fact) and it is a huge part of who I am, or who I've become.

Oh, and there's an interview in the back of the book with me, which takes up 10 times more space than my deck graphics! God, I waffle...

;-)