Amy Winehouse (sketchbook)

I've been meaning to draw Amy Winehouse for a while. I like her. I only know a few of her songs, and I'm not too interested in all the drama or anything. She just seems alright. I think whatever her story turns out to be, her music will stand up and she'll be well looked back on.

This isn't really what I had in mind for the drawing - it's really just an extended doodle in my sketchbook. Hopefully I'll get round to doing the proper one soon.

A Doodle of Stuff

I doodled this in my wee book yesterday and coloured it this morning in Photoshop. It's a bit messy and rushed and jumbled, but it was good to draw something a bit looser than the stuff I've been working on recently. I'm a bit rusty so I guess I should do this more often.

It's actually a little bit of a rip of Alexa Cameron's stuff. We've both had stuff in a couple of group shows together but I'm not sure if I've ever met her. Anyway, what she does, she does it proper nice. Go and look at her site.

The Pub Quiz Table

A quick wee doodle of the quiz table at Nicky-Tams. Along with my friends, Stuart and John, I host the quiz there on a Sunday night. We've been doing it for over a year now and it's become an excuse to sit in the pub, talk, drink and play music (we also get to be djs for the night).

On the table will usually be:

3 iPods - we make no claims to be skilled djs, so there's no vinyl snobbery. We do, however, have a lot of good music and using iPods is the best way to work.

A CD player or two - rarely used anymore, handy for hiding the iPods behind.

A £30 mixer from ebay - we don't even use it properly, if you ignore the fader you get another channel.

A microphone - for quizzing.

Quiz paraphernalia - answer sheets, questions, scores, pens etc.

An electro shocker - for tie-breakers. Pop-Up Pirate might return.

Our drinks - a mixture of John Smith's, Foster's, vodka, rum, Moscow Mules (seems everyone is drinking these nowadays, tasty though) and juice if someone is driving.

Recently, I discovered that Vic Reeves' Big Night Out began life in a ropey wee pub. It made me think we should put a little more effort in. Not that I intend to chase a TV career, but with free reign every week in a pub, it seems daft not to aim for something brilliant. Sunday. 9.30. Nicky-Tams. Stirling. If you want to play. It's free.

Tenterhooks - Open For Business!

My solo show, Tenterhooks, opened at Analogue in Edinburgh last week. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. The image above is called "Bear Hands" and is in there. I'll not be posting too many images from the show until it comes down to encourage folks to go along. So if you can make it to Edinburgh, you've got until the 10th of November to see what I've been up to. Gonna say a wee thanks to Russell and Julie for helping me set it up, anyone who came along and to anyone who has bought something. Here's a picture of me fannying about:

The opening night was a good laugh. People I spoke to seemed to like the show, which was really nice to hear. When we left Analogue, a bunch of us went out and unintentionally caught a band called Trash Fashion, who were ridiculous. I can't tell if they were clever or stupid but they were like something from Nathan Barly, fun to slag off, and rubbish.

I've been having a few lazy days since finishing everything, so I've a little mountain (a mountette) of emails and myspace messages to catch up on. Over the next few days I will sit at the computer, eat biscuits, and do all that stuff. Also, to everyone who requested some postcards - I must apologise for the delay. I can blame the UK postal strike a little bit, but really I was completely snowed under and decided to leave them be for a little bit. I will get them sent out as soon as I can. The offer still stands to anyone else for the length of the show.

I'm in this month's Blueprint magazine. The Paper City page at the back. It's the November issue, number 260.

OCTOBER NEWS - TENTERHOOKS!

TENTERHOOKS - THURSDAY 11th
Getting near the end now. Still lots to do. This is a call to friends and strangers to come to the preview party on Thursday 11th October. That's a week today. Thursday night. Next Thursday. Thursday 11th. Thursday coming. Get off work. Get off your bot. Thursday. Analogue. Edinburgh. 7-9pm. Cheers.

The show will feature around 50 drawings, A Running Amok magazine by me and possibly some prints of the poster above.
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POSTCARDS
Wow. I've had a great response to my offer of postcards. It's nice to know folk are reading this, even if they're just after a bit of free tat. Haha. I'll get them sent out as soon as I can but thanks to the pending postal strike, they could take a wee while. Offer still stands all month. They should be fairly spread between Stirling, Glasgow and Edinburgh now. Analogue, The Changing Room and Nicky-Tams are good places to find them. Cheers!
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BLUEPRINT MAGAZINE
Also, I'm guessing Blueprint magazine must be out soon. I've illustrated the Paper City page, so get your paws on that. It's the November issue, number 260.

Postcards

I got my delivery of postcards the other day to promote my show. If you would like a couple, I'll send you them for free! I'll try to doodle something on the back as well. Send your address to davidgalletly@gmail.com and I'll pop them in the post. If you don't want a creep like me knowing where you live (smart move), you'll probably find them in bars / shops in Stirling, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Nicky-Tams especially has hundreds. They're on their way to The Changing Room and Analogue today as well. I've stamped the back of a fair whack of them with details of the Tenterhooks show.
This is the wee stamp I got made from Blade Rubber Stamps. They do a good service. Century 23 for the printing too:

Recoat Rock-Bottom Basement Bonanza

Recoat in Glasgow are holding their 3rd show - the Rock-Bottom Basement Bonanza this week. I've made a little set of 4 snack drawings for them, including the Jammie Dodger above.

Every piece in the show is priced £40 or less, hence the rock-bottomness of the title. There will be work by around 20 Scottish artists, including my buddies Elph and Gregor Louden, so that's some opportunity to get your dirty wee paws on a bargain. My 4 pieces, which are exciting stuff like Cadbury's Flakes and Hobnobs, will be £30 each.

The exhibition runs through October, the opening bash is on Friday 28th September from 7-10pm and is sponsored by anCnoc whiskey, whatever that is. The gallery is next door to the Woodside Social, near the Kelvinbridge underground in Glasgow. Come along if you like.

September News

TENTERHOOKS AT ANALOGUE
I'm working like a dog to finish my show at Analogue in Edinburgh next month. It opens on the 11th of October so you better be there. My Running Amok magazine, and maybe a few prints and stuff will also be available too.
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BLUEPRINT MAGAZINE: PAPER CITY
Every month, the architectural magazine Blueprint lets a different artist/illustrator present a view of their personal utopia in their Paper City feature. I've kindly been asked to produce one for the next issue. It's out fairly soon, I'll update on the exact details as soon as I know myself.
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RE:COAT ROCK-BOTTOM BASEMENT BONANZA
I'll have a few pieces in the new show at Re:Coat in Glasgow. The exhibition features a bunch of artists all selling work that's under £40, so get in quick I suppose. I think it opens on Friday 28th September, but I'll get back to you on that.

My Garfield Comic: A Review

I doodled this ages ago after reading some Garfield and finding it lousy. Yesterday I posted it on a messageboard, and it went down fairly well. I even received a fairly sturdy review from someone called DanAdamKOF:

"John is expressing dissatisfaction with his life, in a way that expresses his dissatisfaction in its most basic way: with tears. Meanwhile, Garfield looks funny as hell with no limbs and a brutish, oversimplified face. Though oversimplified, he still has the usual uncaring expression. Add in the requisite table, and the often-shown plate of food... it's Garfield, broken down to its purest and most simple form.

I'm no art major or anything, but I can't help but dwell on this picture. To me, it is art."

Haha, make of that what you will. The original artwork is on four little squares of paper from a pile I use for making notes. If I could find them, I'd sell them for a million pounds! Thank you, DanAdamKOF. I had no idea I was so clever.

A T-Shirt By Me, For You

This is the little t-shirt design I've been talking about that was commissioned by The Changing Room gallery in Stirling. There are still about 10 or so left in a variety of colours and sizes. I'll nip in tomorrow to find out for sure what's available, but there should be a few grey, blue and yellow ones still up for grabs.

There are also t-shirts by Rob Churm, RueFive and Amy Marletta. They all cost £15 pounds to you, friend. Nip into the gallery or email me if you're interested and I'll sort you out.

Thanks to everyone who came along to the birthday party at the gallery on Friday night. Everyone was in good spirits and there was a bit of dancing and stuff at the end. Managed to get raspberry down my t-shirt, but cleverly painted it out with emulsion and looked a little less grotty when we went to the pub. Cheers especially if you bought one of my things.

The Changing Room is 10!

Just a wee note before I head there myself to help get stuff sorted. The Changing Room is having it's 10th birthday party on Friday night (24th) in Stirling. The show opening to celebrate the event is Voluntary Action, and is made up of art by a bunch of folks who have worked there over the years.

Come along between 6 & 9 for the party bit. There'll be free balloons, free drink, free food, free music, and free fun. No free art though, that's just silly. As usual everyone will no doubt head out afterwards somewhere too.

I've had a wee look at it coming together and it looks pretty swish. I was kindly asked to design one of four limited edition t-shirts for the show. It'll be available for some money (I don't know how much) so come and buy one. I might be doing a bit of DJing (putting on a CD) too. Maybe not though.

Go HERE for a little more detail, just come along though.

Sideshow

Sock. Ink & acrylic on card*

I've finally managed to gather together the photos and scans from my "Sideshow" installation at The Changing Room gallery in Stirling. It went up in April 2007 and stayed there for a couple of months. Preparation was pretty hectic, with all the building, drawing and painting happening over about four days.

The Geek and Rabbit. Ink & acrylic on card

Fortune Teller. Ink & acrylic on card

The Juggler. Ink & acrylic on card

Tig. Ink & acrylic on card

A couple of photos of the installation.

My friend Fergi helped me sort out the frame extensions that brought the drawings close to the glass. There is sawdust on the floor there too if it's not clear in the pictures. There is a joiner photo HERE that shows a bit more of the location and the flyer I made is HERE.

Cheers to everyone at the Changing Room for helping out and being cool, especially Kirsteen for asking me to exhibit in the first place.

* the titles are at the side because when I centre my text, the font goes all funny. trying to fix it

August News

This is a wee doodle that has been stuck next to my computer for ages. It is not related to this month's news in any way. I though it'd be nice to post more than just words though. Bum bum bum, this is the news, bum bum bum:
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CHANGING ROOM T-SHIRT
Along with 3 other artists, I've done a little drawing for a series of t-shirts to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Changing Room gallery in Stirling. I'm a bit light on details at the moment, but I know they're limited and available around the end of the month. I'll update here when I know more.
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RECOAT GALLERY: AFFORDABLE ART
Recoat in Glasgow have asked me to be in an upcoming show at the end of September. It's a big collection of affordable art - everything being under £40. Should be a thing.

The Edinburgh Festival

As usual, August means moaning about not going to Edinburgh enough. I live fairly near so nipping through is easy, but I still never quite manage to see as much as I'd like. I'll give it a fair bash this year though. Already been through twice and it's only the 3rd, which is pretty good considering it doesn't really kick off until the 4th.

I saw Phil Kay's "Justice" show, which was fun and the BO130 & Microbo exhibition at Analogue which was very good, if not strictly part of the festival.

I've made a list of who I especially want to see this year. They're all fairly well known, big-hitting guns. I'll no doubt end up in a few other bits and pieces on a whim. Above is a cheesy photoshop-filterific picture of these folks. In no particular order:

Stewart Lee: Like him, he's funny.
Richard Herring: So is he.
Phil Kay: The wee "Justice" show was alright, his main one should be pretty fly.
Simon Amstell: Not sure. Big fan of Popworld, not so much Buzzcocks.
Jerry Sadowitz: ha ha!
Daniel Kitson: He's another good guy.
Limmy: I've liked him since school but his stuff is quite hit-and-miss.
Trumptonshire Tales: Wee talk about Trumpton etc!
Kate Nash: If you don't want to marry Kate Nash, you're nuts.
Simon Munnery: Not seen much of his stuff for years.
Rich Hall: He'll be solid.
Mark Watson: He's doing another big 24hr effort.

£7.10 train fair though, crikey. Also, the Andy Warhol exhibition looks sharp.

Weetabix (again)

This is a picture featured in the Recoat opening show in Glasgow this month. I'm a big Weetabix fan, I eat it twice a day. Hot/cold arguments are common, so for the record: I eat a few bricks with milk, hot and with a little sugar.

The Weetabix are drawn to scale and were kindly bought by someone on the opening night. Thanks.

July News

RECOAT GALLERY OPENING SHOW
I have two or three pieces (depending on space) in the opening show of the Recoat Gallery in Glasgow. I've just got back from handing them over today and things there are looking good.

It's got work from a big mix of folks I know and folks I don't - high fives to real-life buddies Elph, Carrie and Gregor. The gallery is about a minute away from the Kelvinbridge underground station, right beside the Woodside Social Club.

The show will be featured in the Arts section of the Herald on Thursday, get your grubby mits on that. There is also some sort of podcast coming out that I'll link to when it's sorted out.

The opening shindig is on Friday 13th July from 7-10pm, sponsored by Sailor Jerry. You better be there if I know you. No boring excuses, get off your bum and find a way.
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WHAT I'M UP TO THIS MONTH:

I've been playing about with some animation, will hopefully get that posted soon. Still working on my Running Amok for Analogue (it's 100% original content, give me a break). Maybe I could time it to come out at the same time as my solo show at Analogue, which I've not even mentioned yet. Also odds & ends & other junk.

I'll try to get back into the habit of updating here again. Got a little slow over the last couple months. Check out Rue Five's show in the Changing Room gallery window in Stirling.

Weetabix

Man alive, it's been a down in the dumps Monday. A couple too many beers last night and nothing to do all day made everything rotten. Proper "right, there's a hole in my sock, forget it I'm not going out. I'm going to sit on my arse and watch The Wizard of Oz. This town is miserable anyway. I should book a flight to somewhere good and live there forever" kinda stuff.

Weetabix for breakfast though.

Sideshow ends!

Not updated in a wee while. Got lots of stuff to post over the next few days. For now, before I get my tea, this is a quick and dirty wee joiner of my Sideshow mini exhibition in Stirling. I just finished tearing it down today. A big fat collection of photos and scans coming soon friends.

Citrus

I did this for Illustration Friday, the theme was "Citrus". It's a bit of a rush-job in my sketchbook but I figured I'd post it anyway. I coloured it in Photoshop

There are an awful lot of really fresh looking lemons & limes already submitted, fantastic looking ones mind you, but for me they're not the first thing that comes to mind. What I think of, is myself and my cousin daring each other to bite lemon slices when we were wee.

X-Ray Specs

There was an "illustrate my username" kinda thing on a messageboard I read. I picked someone called noapparentfunction. This is a wee doodle in my sketchbook that's been scanned then coloured in Photoshop.