Happy 50th Doc!!!

Ladies and gents, I give you my humble tribute to one of the greatest, most influential and inventive television programmes of all TIME (see what I did there?), BBC's "Doctor Who".
In Peter Capaldi they have a genius actor, of scope and style, who will, believe you me, take us all out of a whole new door!

Excelsior Out!

Update: This image is now available to buy, as a print and other merchandise, at my Deviant Art page. 

Copy and paste this link: 

http://gastongrimsdyke.deviantart.com/prints/

1Direction...the caricature. Gulp! It's a pencil rough of work in progress

This is an image created for my daughter, to try and counter her assertions that I only caricature "Old People". She's a "Directioner", I believe the fans are called, and has tickets for next year's gig.

I know how passionate the fans are and so post this with some trepidation. Like I say, it's a work in progress so go easy on me.

Go 1D!!!

Excelsior out!

Go completely "MOTTY" for the day!

Here's a logo I designed for the great Barry Swain, football commentator extraordinaire! My son Thomas has a burning ambition to work as a commentator when he graduates, and Barry helped him take his first step. Thomas had a day at Barry's "Football Commentary Workshop" and loved it. 

Barry, ably assisted by Karl Bates (caricature to follow soon) also an experienced commentator, organises a live commentary day at which people can commentate on a series of live 5-a-side matches played out over "The Commentators Cup" competition.

Tom found the whole experience exhilarating and inspiring. Indeed, it has given him so much confidence that he (and his friend David) will be providing the "Fan Commentary" for this Saturday's home game at Sutton United.

I drew this caricature of Barry as a thank you for the day and, he liked it so much, it is now a part of his website (see link below), along with a banner linking to this very site.

It's a great day and I urge all those with an interest in Football Commentary to sign up forthwith.

Excelsior Out!

http://www.footballcommentator.co.uk/

Dr Tucker, I ******* presume? A work in progress.

I post this as a first stage marker for my "Dr Who 50th" tribute. This is the linework I've been sweating over for the last two weeks. The doctor/doctor's have been done so many times finding a new angle is tough, the choosing of Peter Capaldi, as Doctor 12, gave me an "IN".

I hope "Whovians" and "Non-Whovians" alike warm to it, the finished version will be up in a few weeks time.

Excelsior Out!!

Blurb display remarkable good taste!

Yes folks, "Excelsior's Savage Pencil" has made the staff picks slot on Blurb's website! They were extremely complementary about the work, after discovering it on Twitter, and were nice enough to feature it.

Shout out to Laura at Blurb for the big up!!

Here's the link: 

http://www.blurb.co.uk/bookstore/featured

Excelsior Out!

The Sweet smell of...

"Clerks" has put me in a BW mood. That, coupled with my love of "Old Hollywood", has produced this tribute to Alexander Mackendrick's fabulous, waspish deconstruction of the American entertainment industry..."Sweet Smell of Success".

Derided, and vilified, at the time it died a quiet death at the box office. Much talk of "Pinko Sensibilities" and "Feeding Hands being Bitten" ensued; it has since (of course) been elevated to the status of a classic.

If it has eluded you thus far then remedy that asap. Lancaster and Curtis burn up the screen, it one of the most savage relationships in cinema history.

Excelsior Out!

They're not even supposed to be here today!!

I post this as a nod to, the legends that are, Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson...Dante and Randal in Kevin Smith's seminal slackerfest "Clerks". Armed with Smith's bristling wit they slouch, moan and yuk their way through an average day at the Quickstop. They handle everything from a flyblown,cancerous lung on the counter to a dead (formerly masturbating) customer in the john, with a low rent panache that never fails to bring the funny.

The movie remains, by far, the best study of hopeful souls trapped by hopeless situations. Drifting along, intelligent enough to recognise the squalor of their situation, but lacking the faith in themselves to make that break for freedom. Dante's miserable, oppressed dreamer is distracted (and fuelled) by Randal's razor sharp, customer baiting cynic...it's one of cinemas most pleasing double acts. Indeed, when Randal finally snaps at Dante's incessant whining there is real emotion there. His berating of Dante's procrastinating hand-wringing has a real depth...unexpected (but no less welcome) for a "low brow" comedy. We really hear Randal's pain, his flinty cynicism slipping for the first and only time, and we also hear his evident love for his friend...a standout moment for Jeff Anderson here.

If you haven't seen it...WHY? Get thee to the Quickstop instantaneously and luxuriate in the wonder of "The Milk Maids" "Jay and Silent Bob" and "The Asian design Major"... it'll all make sense when you get there!

Excelsior Out!