BILLIE J
Back to the Old School
This piece was made to celebrate 50 years of the Parker Jotter pen and featured in the Ballpoint exhibition at the Pentagram Gallery, London. When I was a teenager, my parents bought me a Parker pen as an initiation into adulthood (a fairly common practice for Asian families in those days). I subsequently used the pen to deface my school desk and received many detentions for this and only this particular offence. Although, one teacher calmly disappeared to the store cupboard and kindly handed me a rough book and said, “can you please do your doodles in this please?”
Samaritans ‘Things on your mind’
This poster was one of three iterations of an ad campaign specifically targeted at 16-24 year olds who may find it difficult to talk about their feelings. Research carried out by the charity revealed that this age group generally turn to their friends for advice on most problems, but fear talking to their peers about deeper emotional issues that are causing them distress. The posters and cinema campaign reminded young people that these unspoken thoughts can be talked through with a confidential listener.
Nike Vandal
Poster celebrating 30 years of Nike basketball shoes.
Nike Air Max LeBron VII
London Edition of the Nike Air Max Lebron VII sneakers. Released to coincide with the Lionsgate documentary film More Than A Game, that follows Lebron James and four of his teammates through the trials and tribulations of high school basketball in Akron, Ohio.
The Book of Dave
Cover for the hardback edition of Will Self’s book about angry and unhinged London taxi driver Dave Rudman, who writes and prints his misogynistic, racist and homophobic rants on metal and buries it in his ex-wife’s garden. Centuries later it is discovered and used as the sacred text for a dogmatic and misogynistic religion.
Hair piece
For most men, old age can be incredibly cruel in the follicle department. This portrait was inspired by a photographic printer I used to know who would overcompensate for his lack of hair on top by growing a ponytail.
BEIGEAN
I often never hear the music before doing the artwork for record covers and only have the title to go with. Stush is slang for someone who feels superior, so thought that I’d use this image of an oversized fly - one of the lowliest and unloved of creatures - to illustrate the title.
Tiny Sticks house bag
Tiny Sticks records was founded by DJ and musician Duncan Stump. The different portraits were meant to reflect the eclectic mix of musical styles by different artists that were released on the label.
Turbo Crystal
Cover design for this Tiny Sticks release.
Foul
The proliferation of chicken shops on my high street in east London provoked the local council to be the first in the UK to ban new fast food outlets from opening within 400m of any school in the borough. Sadly, my local high street is not unique in experiencing this rise in chicken shops. The growth in chicken consumption has inevitably led to a huge number of industrial-sized poultry farms. These poor intensively reared chickens live for 35 to 40 days and are often afflicted with lung and heart problems. Many also have terrible trouble walking and suffer from lesions on their feet from sitting or lying in their own excrement. If that wasn’t bad enough, there are also grave ecological consequences to this over consumption of chicken.These farms have been linked to problems from ammonia emissions to potentially harmful bacteria, viruses and air pollutants. Not to mention the wider costs to the environment with the deforestation in South America to provide protein-rich crops for
animal feed. These poor chickens need to be given dignity, the space to live more naturally and move around - better still, we could stop eating them.
MAW
A mash up of my photo of Masters At Work with my drawings.
Ravi Shankar
Twenty years ago I went with my parents to see Ravi Shankar perform at London’s Barbican in a concert marking his 80th birthday. His daughter Anoushka Shankar was his support act that evening and I remember seeing George Harrison, who was also in the audience, giving her a thumbs up. Praise indeed.
Alla Rakha
Portrait of tabla legend Alla Rakha.“Alla Rakha is the Einstein, the Picasso; he is the highest form of rhythmic development on this planet.” Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead).
My mind’s gone blank
Image for the launch of Design Less (a subsidiary of DDB Paris). I was stuck for ideas and so made this piece to illustrate my predicament.
Black Gods of the Asphalt
My first cover for Onaje X. O. Woodbine & Columbia University Press.
Woodbine was a former street basketball player who became an all-star Ivy Leaguer. I’ve Included a lovely photo of the author as a young boy which also features in the book. Through Woodbine’s insights and interviews he brings the sights, sounds, hopes and dreams of street basketball to life.
Take Back What The Devil Stole
My second cover for Onaje X. O. Woodbine & Columbia University Press. The book is about an African American woman called Donna Haskins who wrestles with structural inequity on the streets of Boston by inhabiting an alternative dimension she refers to as the “spirit realm.” Take Back What The Devil Stole My second cover for Onaje X. O. Woodbine & Columbia University Press. The book is about an African American woman called Donna Haskins who wrestles
with structural inequity on the streets of Boston by inhabiting an alternative dimension she refers to as the “spirit realm.”
Shoes
Painting of my well worn sneakers for Howies Clothing catalogue.
NHS
During this pandemic, there really isn’t much that hasn’t already been said or written about the heroic work undertaken by healthcare workers both here in the UK and around the world. COVID-19 has changed all our lives and lockdown has become a reality for most of
us. Except of course for those working in healthcare and other essential services. It’s been so heart-warming to see millions around the world clapping, lighting candles and showing their appreciation for these workers, who in the good times are often taken for granted.
My love and admiration for this UK institution has grown even more during COVID-19. Ten years of austerity have left the NHS and other key services terribly exposed during this crisis and so one can only hope that this will live long in the public memory…….or at least until the next election.
Nike
Mural artwork for Nike Mens Department in the Sports Direct flagship store on Oxford Street.
Nike
Mural artwork for Nike Mens Department in the Sports Direct flagship store on Oxford Street.
The Lost Woods
Poster for the pilot project ‘The Lost Woods’. It delivered tree seed packs to every primary school in Glasgow, to enable children to grow oak trees from acorns, bringing climate optimism and learning to life.
The trees will be planted in various sites around the city. Through tree growing activities children will learn about all the ways that we benefit from trees, from absorption of carbon dioxide and airborne pollutants, increasing biodiversity to improving health.