26 June 2011

Buffed, Bass and Burgers

Before I go on about the jazz and drawing event at the Spotted Dog last night, I'd like to share the more solemn news of rampant buffing on Bradford Street. 

Most of the larger collections of pastes have gone though some things have been left, seemingly randomly. So, a moment of silence with some photos of the bit round the corner from my flat one of my favourite collections...
Gobshite, Golden Boy, As One, Tempo33, Lisk: Feb 2011
Wah: April 2011
(Column next to it with one of my crowns on which has also been removed) April 2011
PTP: May 2011
 Buffed and sad (though 2Tone is hanging on with the paint advantage): June 2011

Now I expect the locals to get out and get them covered with beautiful, fresh, shiny things, this instant!
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Last night Lisk, Obit, Tommy Human, Tommy's lady Sarah, Wah, Mew, Golden Boy, Miss150, Rate, 9T4, Case, PTP, various people's mates and myself, shared our secret identities while drinking and shouting over jazz. 

The three chosen ones (Lisk, Obit and Tommy) overcame initial nerves and started drawing about half 6 to the sounds of an old-school big jazz band. They'd all brought various stickers/badges/prints and boards to sell and all made some money, even I paid for some Obit badges. Sadly me and Wah's drunkeness peaked while it was still light so we gave in to our old lady-ness and went home for tea and chinese food about 11ish, so the pictures I have are what happened until then. Pretty sure the guys were finished anyway... 

My only complaint is that the space for drawing didn't have adequate sitting and watching room so I felt in the way all the time, if drawing at the Dog happened again, I think a prime location in the garden should be chosen with plenty of room to gawp at the pretty drawing and be sociable.

Anyway; photos!
 Lisk

 Obit

 Obit and Tommy







Hoorah! Flickr tells me this is what Tommy's final board looked like:
Obit and Tommy Human stickers and Obit badges I acquired:

Wah also surprised me with 4 prints/boards and a load of stickers!






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I've been making stickers this week! They're cute and sparkly because I went a bit excitable-small-child with glitter glue and gold spray paint. Put a few up last night, I think they're ok for first stickers and anyway I have a whole Summer to make much better things.

Also been working on my paste idea, I wanted to make a hand or a tentacle or something drawn over a scanned in piece of knitting coming out of the letterboxes on the abandoned factories around Digbeth. I guess sort of like the creative spirit of the area escaping, though that sounds horrifically art student-ey. That idea has so far formed into these:



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Links

19 June 2011

Lazy locals

Not much about on the streets this week, all I've spotted is a couple of new designs by Tru of PDT (I think it says PDT anyway..)
Moat Lane, Digbeth
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However, I've been fairly busy knitting and getting together my ideas for a paste design and some stickers, should be sorted and up in the next few weeks.

Web-address knitting I finished today, I think I'll be choosing more contrasting colours next time.
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In sort-of-related news there's an exhibition by Leon Sparkes (Energy! he does the face pastes and battery stickers etc) and Deborah Brogden (who I'll admit I hadn't heard of but I do rather like) in the Graffiti4Hire shop at the Custard Factory. I took a sneak photo when I went for a look and I'd definitely recommend popping in if you're nearby, the staff are lovely and were happy to chat about the work.
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Also in sort-of-related news; there's a jazz plus live drawing event this Saturday featuring our very own Lisk and the less local but still brilliant Obit and Tommy Human. It's at the Spotted Dog from 1:00pm until late with 3 fabulous funky/samba-ey/contemporary jazz bands, £5 in or £3 for students and £1.70 pints for students/musicians/Tuesday Jazz Night fam. I'll be there getting drunk in the corner (and taking a few photos) with Wah so come say hi if you fancy it, here's the Facebook Event Link.
The fabulous Lisk, photo from his Flickr page

Stickers by the super talented Obit, photo from his Flickr page

Close-up of a Danny Trejo print by Tommy Human, love the way he breaks down images. (Photo from his Flickr page)
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Links

12 June 2011

A late first post keeps expectations low ;)

Digbeth's streets currently boast two very talented couples; the legendary Golden Boy and Miss150 and the newer but equally amazing Wah and !?!. They're obviously all awesome in their own rights but it's nice to have a pasting buddy.

First up is a twist on Golden Boy's iconic paste with a larger size and drips of yellow that I think are added after printing.

Green Street, Digbeth

Miss150's new design; foxy and excellent placements, as always.

Bradford Street, Digbeth

Wah's sticker designs are always impressive and her first pastes are even better, the fact they all had evidence of attempted thievery just shows how good.

Floodgate Street, Digbeth

Love the colours !?! uses, he's been working a new character that should be up soon.

Floodgate Street, Digbeth
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New on the scene this week is Draw; intelligent and interesting, looking forward to seeing more from him.


Bradford Street, Digbeth and High Street,  Digbeth
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New stickers by Photocoyote (not a local, but still excellent), put up by Lisk.

 
High Street, Digbeth
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My acquisitions of the week!
A t-shirt and stickers from Khoi (super talented but based in Bristol, I'll be putting a few of the stickers up round here) and stickers from the legendary Chu ('Your Mum Rang'!) who the boyfriend met in The Rainbow last night.


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Links:

10 June 2011

This blog is an experiment to see if anyone is interested in it's contents and looks at it fairly often

I've been taking photos of the street art in Brum since I arrived here to start uni in September 2009, but I've only been really actively paying attention since September 2010 and adding to the streets myself for the last couple of months.

Having had the pleasure of meeting a few of the local vandals artists and finding more pieces I love every day; I've decided to start a more official-looking and better organised place to keep the evidence and to try and get the talent round here some more of the recognition they deserve.

The first proper post will be on Sunday. Eep!