Caanan 

22 creative works found

• Everything
• Images
• T-Shirts
• Writing
• Journals

• Shirtheads - featuring Natalie Tyler
  by caanan

  This week’s Shirthead victim runs the / Unofficial Redbubble Tshirt Blog !http://images-0.redbubbl…

  This week’s Shirthead victim runs the / Unofficial Redbubble Tshirt Blog and, contrary to her redbubble avatar, Natalie Tyler is not a piece of fruit. Although, like a piece of fruit, peel off a layer or two, and you get something altogether delicious. Let’s eat! This is the tshirt, by the way, folks… :oD So, what is a manchild? I have witnessed two types of manchild in their natural habitat and interestingly, they are almost polar opposites. One has the appearance of a man but displays Peter Pan-like qualities, namely the refusal to act like an adult. Often they will give the impression that they are fully grown adults but scratch the surface and you will find a fourteen year-old. Typical behavior includes: dressing like a teenager, owning one or more games consoles, spending an unhealthy amount of time on said games consoles and eating snickers bars for breakfast. The other variety is more like a man trapped in a child’s body. He has the appearance of someone who is dressed up in his Dad’s clothing. He would like to be seen as a man of the world but his childlike features give the game away. He longs for respect. Type one would probably love a manchild t-shirt and so he should! He’s fighting the good fight. I wish there was a recognised female equivalent to this type of manchild. Manchild type two would probably feel a small part of himself die inside if you gave him a manchild t-shirt. He would much rather a box of cigars. Or perhaps a suit in his size. What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? I bought a Faith No More ‘The Real Thing’ tour t-shirt from Brashes in Southland (Melbourne) when I was about 13. They only had extra large but I wanted it so badly I didn’t care that I was only 5ft tall and it was knee length. My mum kindly took it up for me so it resembled an oversized crop top. I still wore it til it was threadbare. Editor’s note – Ha ha! Brashes. :oP If you could handpick the most awesome rock band in the world, who would be in it? Why? What would they, and their first CD, be called? Wow. You sure ask the tough questions. I think I’d go for Mike Patton on lead vocals/percussion. Dave Grohl on drums and guitar (hey – it’s fantasy). Guest vocals from Jack Black and Maynard James Keenan. Bootsy Collins on bass just to mix it up a bit. They would be called Mindbuggery and the first album would be self titled. How did you find the bubble? What made you stick around and take to the tees? I was directed to the site by a friend. I signed up then spent a lot of time staring at amazing work and thinking about uploading some of my own. I faced my demons, acquired a copy of some software I hadn’t used in a while and set myself a few tasks to help me get back into things. One of those first ‘tasks’ happened to be featured and I sold a couple and from then on I was hooked. I’ve thought about uploading art but I like the layout of my profile page better when it’s got nine images in one block. What do you do when you’re not on the bubble? Picture the least creative environment you can possibly imagine. Times that by 10. No prizes for guessing I work at a law firm then. At this point I should stress I’m not a lawyer. I just got caught up with a bad crowd. I’ve deviated massively off the creative path and RedBubble has been my salvation. It’s cleared the cobwebs from the right side of my brain and has paved the way for a brighter future ;) I also sleep and catch public transport. Where do your ideas come from? Often they just come out of the process of trying to learn something new. If I distract myself from the task of creating something then things seem to flow a bit better. It’s getting started that’s the main problem so if I trick myself into it, before I know it I’m working on an idea. Other ideas will simply come from random things I see or hear during the day. I try to actually act on the phrase ‘that would make a cool t-shirt’. What are some of the best ideas you’ve come across so far this year? One of the coolest things I’ve seen this year is Irina Block’s stunning diamond necklace . I also really like little people – a tiny street art project described as ‘little hand painted people, left in London to fend for themselves’. Oh – and Joshua Allen Harris’s Inflatable Sculptures . One of those crazy ideas you admire someone for thinking up … Can you give us a random thought you constantly have but never vocalised before? Unfortunately no. I have plenty of random thoughts but most of them have been vocalised. I vocalise a fair bit. If you could be responsible for one thing, but no-one knew it was you who did it, what would it be? Ross Robinson already said he’d ‘take care’ of Celine Dion didn’t he? I could cover her back catalogue. Not literally, of course (that would be horrific). I mean I would remove every trace of it from our planet. What do you think is the affliction of the modern generation, and how can we eradicate it? Shopping as a leisure activity. It’s one thing to browse a fine internet site for some quality art to enhance your home or a lovely t-shirt to keep you warm but I think it’s scary how some people will spend a day out at a shopping centre for entertainment. Sometimes every weekend. Often alone. People should ask themselves why they don’t spend more time thinking, reading, creating, talking or just being. There’s nothing wrong with a good shop but it might be worth looking at how much time we spend doing it and how we’re really hoping it will make us feel. Can I get an Amen? ;o) Thanks Natalie! And alas, I can only pick one tshirt to feature in the actual strip, but this one also rocks. Seeya next week folks! Caanan. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson

• Shirtheads - featuring Chris Richards
  by caanan

  I am waiting for my very own copy of this week’s featured shirt to arrive in the mail. It is Angry Jellyfish...

  I am waiting for my very own copy of this week’s featured shirt to arrive in the mail. It is Angry Jellyfish / / by Chris Richards / / and it is my pleasure to step back this week to shine a spotlight here ... First and foremost! Do you, yourself, have a short attention span? Hmm… well, most who know me probably wouldn’t say so, but I’d say that I do! I don’t see it as a bad thing, though. I think that creative thinking results in sporadic thinking, or constant thinking and exercising of the mind… in peak circumstances, anyway. Not everyone may agree with me, I’m sure, but as far as I’m concerned if you aren’t working away 200% in the mind, then your creativity capacity has not been met. It’s not to say that great things can’t come out, but it’ll probably take longer. Again, personal opinion. Why Angry Jellyfish? In all honesty, it was a combination of a few things before the shirt made it to the final “Angry Jellyfish!” stage. At first I wanted something obscure and random, because obscure and random is often much more amusing than if I’d thrown a dog onto the shirt. The next thing I wanted was something that was not overly complicated to draw, as I am a photographer for a reason. So, once I came to the sudden conclusion that even a platypus was too difficult to draw, I looked for something even simpler. I ran through the animals I knew in my head, and when ‘jellyfish’ came up, nothing else seemed to be made up of simply squiggly lines and a semi-half-circle; simplicity rules all. Then it was just a matter of giving it some facial features, which they don’t have to begin with, so I thought making him angry in the process was the icing on the cake. What is your favourite tshirt you’ve ever worn? Well, I asked around and apparently had a nice shirt with three monkeys on it that would never come off me when I was three, but now, I really can’t say I’ve had a solid favourite shirt. Now, I am the youngest of three, so for a large part of my life anything that was brand new was always a treat, since older brother and, sigh… sister… hand-me-downs were only oh-so-fun and exciting. At the risk of sounding like a typical, cliche teenager, I’m into graphic tees and such, but nothing has come calling my name over anything else yet. I’m also a super warm person, so especially in the summer and even spring and fall, you’d have better luck finding me without a shirt on at all than with one, not that you all needed or wanted to know that ;) Where do you find inspiration? Oh, man. Inspiration? Everywhere… everything. I know I’m being featured here for my shirt, but if you really took a look at both me and other tshirt designers, its no secret that graphic design is second in line to my photography. Now, when it comes to my photos, a lot of what I like to shoot turns out to be the more small, obscure things, granted, they’re not portraits or street photography. I like turning the ordinary and unseen into something worth stopping to take a look at. The image in my folio Keyhole is actually on a chest we’ve had in our basement for years on end, and my entire family has noted how they’d’ve never stopped twice to look at it until they saw my photo. So, I guess it’s about finding the beauty in everything that’s around me, even if it’s not easy. You’re a young’un (17, folks) and already displaying some strong talent. So imagine you’re 40 and looking back over your life –– what are your highlights? Hmm, highlights, eh? Well, in all honesty I see a family in there at some point, but I’m slightly a softie like that… you’ll notice it too in my bio about what fits well in the palm of my hands. But I’d also like to have traveled more or less across the world and back again since there’s so much to see out there. Career wise, a successful freelance/commission business wouldn’t hurt, especially if it’s to National Geographic or some fine photographic establishment that just so happens to pay me to run out to amazing beautiful places to do what I love. I don’t know what it is yet, but I’d also like to make some kind of discovery, although I’ll let that slide past the 40 year mark if I have to. You know, shipwrecks and lost cities and the likes as little side adventures and photo ops on my main journeys. I talk a lot… Is there anything you’ve ever found vastly amusing that nobody else has? Plain and simple. While playing some video games one giddy night early in the morning, I looked down and, to my astonishment, I had feet. Yes, I found that extremely amusing. Why? I have no clue. Have they entertained me since? Not at all… but for 30 seconds, it was magical…. ...so, who’s going to stop reading this/NOT take an interest in my work because of that? ;) If you had the chance to put something in a time capsule to be opened in 100 years, what would you put in there? Frankly I’d like to leave some kind of mass storage of photos however I could, whether electronically or… I dunno, but there’d be a lot. Even looking back at photos of my parents, or grandparents, it looks like such a different time, almost unrealistic, yet the photos are proof. I also think photographs can communicate much more than what meets the eye (again, my bio.. Atwood quote) and, yea… I dunno. I guess ultimately everyone’s greatest fear that comes along with dying is how they’ll be remembered, or what sort of impact they made on the world. If my impact was revealing my world to an entirely different world, than I think I’d have done something amazing and significant. What awaits you in Europe? What are you looking for there? It’s actually nothing overly exciting, I hate to say. It’s a trip planned through the school, buuut I will be able to run around with all of my friends there for 18 days. We’re visiting 16 different cities in France and Italy, so it should be nice, and my apologies to all those in the UK for not stopping by =( For the greatest part, I love traveling and seeing the world – or, I think I will. I’ve always had the itch, and have traveled around parts of Canada on my own, but I want to get out of here and explore someplace new. I know it’s not backpacking, but I think it’ll be a nice crash course on the two countries for later adventures; for now, I have no problem having my stops planned, meals ready, and sights set to see. What do I want to see there? Everything, and I plan on getting as close to that point as I can, so be prepared for super photo uploadage when I get backl =) Aaand cut! Caanan here again, I also recommend Think but, head on over, check it all out ... And bubble on over next Sunday night/monday morning for a new Shirtheads! Caanan. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – BigFatRobot

• Shirtheads - featuring Tambatoys
  by caanan

  / “Tambatoys”...

  / Tambatoys plays in the sandbox this week! I have ordered my own print of this tee to wear til it fades, or I rip it on something (I’m too lazy to avoid sharp objects) and I love it! for two reasons… 1. It celebrates a carnival/sideshow industry stalwart and b) because sometimes I feel like I too, am helpless against a higher power. Whether it’s fate, or the claw, let me go, dammit! The Claw / What is the attraction of the claw machine? I will admit I was super in love with these arcade games when I was a kid, and I spent many hours and 20c coins trying to win myself toys. When I was 20 though I remember taking my 7 year-old cousin to the movies and there was a claw machine there she begged me for a $1 to play. I gently explained that they were rigged and a waste of money and time etc and she looked so disheartened I felt too guilty of depriving her of that hope of winning something so I gave her a dollar and off she went for her one try. And can you believe it, she came back grinning from ear to ear with her stuffed toy. I had to restrain myself from jealously ripping it off her! There is no doubting your style as instantly recognisable. Where does it come from? I have always loved to draw and it’s really the only thing I ever did well in at school. I studied ceramics at art school because I thought it may be easier to make a living from than other artistic pursuits. I did ceramics for a while but my interest in illustration and painting never went away. I became inspired by modern Japanese art and I’m a huge fan of cartoons in general, so after I stopped doing ceramics a few years ago, I decided to concentrate on drawing. What did you love playing with most as a kid? Why? I was a mega fan of Lego and had dreams of being an architect but I also loved board games especially when they were interactive games like ‘Mouse trap’ or ‘Operation’. I was also a serious roller-skater and BMX gal. What do you love playing with most as an adult? Why? These days I love playing with paint, or my Mac and Photoshop, or my newest toy, a Wacom board which I am still getting the hang of, men can be quite fun too :) What has been your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? When I was a kid I had a white tee with a glitter transfer of three trees which I loooved! I recently bought a tee by illustrator Jen Corace which I love and a couple of favs from RB are ’Robot with victim noir style’ by BigFatRobot and ‘Coffy rabbit’ by your fine self will be my next purchase! You just had the perfect day. What did you get up to? Ok, to me the perfect day involves breakfast at a café, a visit to the MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) a stroll along the Sydney Harbour foreshore, a yummy lunch and bottle of wine in a great pub, a spot of shopping, and a gorgeous man to do it with, the day I mean, lol. What scares you? There are many, many things that scare me but recently I have decided to try and live with less fear, although dusk still makes me really anxious! Is there anything you’ve ever found entirely hilarious that no-one else has? Yes, me! I constantly crack myself up. Seriously, I laugh a lot of the time, usually at my own silliness. Someone hands you a bunch of primary school kids and says ‘Entertain them. Seeya at five.’ What do you do? Get the paints and brushes out and let their imaginations run wild. If that doesn’t work, panic and run away! What are your minor and/or major goals right now? My minor goals at the moment are to keep creating, get my art selling in more outlets, and have another solo painting exhibition, and just to appreciate and enjoy all the great people and things in my life. My major goal (dream) is to start my own kids tee label and own a print gallery that stocks affordable art. applause :oD And remember, folks, come back next week, for more t-shirty goodness. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie

• Shirtheads - featuring Ross Robinson
  by caanan

  It’s the age old question… quantity or quality? / In the case of Ross Robinson / !http://imag…

  It’s the age old question… quantity or quality? / In the case of Ross Robinson / / what happens if you have both? I had a virtual smorgasbord of designs / to pick from, but this one / / screamed to me with a very simple gag, so let’s get to it! If a robot and a monkey had a child in this day and age, map out that unfortunate love child’s life for us… I actually think a robot/monkey hybrid would be a very lucky child in this day and age. People love robots; people love monkeys, so a combination of the two would be insanely popular. He would be the cool kid in class, the one who always got picked first when choosing teams and the first one to get laid. Later on, he would be the singer/songwriter/lead guitarist in a kickass insanely popular indie band that never loses its credibility despite outselling Mariah Carey and the Beatles combined. After a brief stint as a leading man in many blockbusters and acclaimed arthouse films about gay robot cowboy monkeys, he would turn his talents to politics becoming first the governor of Wyoming and later the first non-American, non-human President of the United States of America (let’s face it, he’s got a better chance of winning than a woman or a black man). In his two, four-year terms he would end war, eradicate poverty, solve the global warming crisis and invent not one, but two new flavours of twinkie. After retiring he would write a series of books so bloody good that James Patterson and Dan Brown would hang themselves to the overwhelming relief of the literary world. What is the best toy ever invented? Mego dolls. (Check out www.megomuseum.com) I had a Batman and Robin from the age of 4 and along with my Six Million Dollar Man were my favourite toys in the world. Unfortunately my mother gave them away when I moved out of home and I have spent quite a bit of money and time replacing them on eBay. Mego were great. They did Superheroes, TV Shows, Movies, you name it. They were wonderfully crap with their odd ‘real hair’ and ‘real clothes’ but the amount of love kids had for them was undeniable. The company went bust in 1983 after turning down the offer of making the Star Wars figures. Stupid stupid stupid. Your work has a strong satirical edge to it. Why all the satire? Art Buchwald said ‘You can’t make up anything anymore. The world itself is a satire. All you’re doing is recording it.’ Which unfortunately is true. Satire used to be about holding up a distorted mirror to society to exaggerate things to make a point. These days however you don’t need the mirror to be distorted, you just need to get people to thinking past their attenuated attention spans. That is the difficult part. This is not something new however; the extremely talented satirist and musician Tom Lehrer said in 1973 when Henry Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize, “It was at that moment that satire died,” says Lehrer, “There was nothing more to say after that.” I was one year old at the time. I think satire has survived – I was raised on Pickering, Paul Rigby and Patrick Cook cartoons, not to mention Kenny Everett, D-Generation and Fast Forward which has influenced the way I look at the world. When you look at the public figures today – politicians and celebrities alike, they are humourless, gormless hollow men (and women). That’s why we need humour. And gorm. Lots and lots of gorm. If you could be responsible for one big thing, but no-one knew it was you, what would it be? The assassination of Céline Dion. I don’t think I need to explain this one. I know though, if I pulled it off I wouldn’t be able to help myself at parties. / “You know that shooting of Céline Dion?” / “Yeah! Wasn’t it brilliant?” / “That was me.” What are you stark-raving passionate about? I am not a naturally passionate person. I get quite angry at stupidity and hypocrisy and am well on my way to becoming the ranting old curmudgeon I wish to be when I’m 80ish. A friend of mine has called me ‘the angriest man in Stanmore’ (a la Nick Hornby’s ‘How To Be Good’). What are you guilty of? Technically, nothing. I was acquitted on all charges. I didn’t do it, nobody saw me do it, you can’t prove anything. More generally though, I would say the big 7 – pride, envy, greed, wrath with an emphasis on lust, gluttony and sloth. Those last three are definitely the best. Especially if you can combine them. Rather like the Romans did. The vomitorium didn’t just invent itself you know. How did you find the bubble? What made you stick around? What made you take to tshirting? I was introduced to RedBubble by my good friend David Gilliver who has his photographs on here. (Please go and check out his work now. Well, not right now obviously – finish reading about me, and then go and check out him.) I took to making shirts like a duck to knitting. Seriously – I have been a graphic designer for years but a very lazy one. It was only last year when I came across a one colour t-shirt design contest that I did my first shirt (the decidedly unpopular ‘Robot Monkey Love’). It didn’t win and it wasn’t until RB that I did my second shirt ‘Evil Naked Dolls’. I sold one within a week (much to the chagrin of Mr Gilliver) and have been hooked ever since. What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? It was a shirt I got for my birthday back in 1998 – there was a drawing of a cow floating in a tank with bubbles emerging from its rear end with the words “Arty Farty” underneath. I assume it was taking the piss out of Damian Hirst which was great because I think he is one of the biggest frauds ever to inflict themselves on the art world. Unfortunately it is now quite worn and full of holes. I have never been able to find a replacement. If anyone sees one and wants to send it to me, I take an XL. My other all-time favourite shirt I had when I was five. It was free dress day at school and my mother made for me a Batfink shirt which was basically just a big red “B” on a yellow shirt. I was in heaven. Say it with me now, “My wings are like a shield of steel!” Where and when do you get your ideas? A combination of 30+ years of absorbing popular culture like a large ADHD sponge and an intrinsic need to create new stuff all the time. The ideas usually come to me when I should be doing something else – e.g. paid work, sleeping, driving which is bloody inconvenient. I think I need to trade in my muse for one with a better sense of timing. If you could resurrect one person from history to have a day time talk show, who would it be? I’m going to have to say Caligula. Not only was he mad as a hat full of badgers stirred with a crazy stick, but his carrying ons would be a perfect match for the sort of guests you get on Jerry Springer. “So you slept with your brother’s wife and are now going to have a sex change to be her lesbian lover? Big deal! I’m a god who had sex with three of his sisters and made my horse a consul and a priest! You’re going to have to lift your game mate.” The Tom Cruise interview would be television gold. Thanks Ross :o) Ok. Now you can go check out David Gilliver folks Leave a message here first though, if you like, and do come back next week. Caanan. :oD Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry

• Introducing Caanan
  by jemimalovesbigted

  I had the absolute pleasure of meeting with the talented, modest, witty, patient Caanan yesterda…

  I had the absolute pleasure of meeting with the talented, modest, witty, patient Caanan yesterday / (meant to take a photo yesterday but forgot… der!) . I was picking up my very own original Shirthead strip, which I might add is my most prized possession… (stay tuned in future for photo) I have to give him credit for his patience as when I met up with him and we sat down for lunch my gorgeous 10 month old decided to go completely feral (due to it being way past nap time) and it took me about half an hour to get the little darling to sleep. So sorry again about that Caanan =/ Anyway seeing as though Caanan spends all his time creating questions and interviewing others, not to mention inventing a new strip of Shirtheads every week (which, why is it not featured every week any more RB?), I thought it was about time to turn the spotlight back on him… So please read on as we delve into the mind of a wonderfully creative man =D ____________ What were your favourite comics growing up? That implies I HAVE grown up! Um, well, if we’re going to go with the traditional growing up time of, say, the ages of 0-12, I was always reading Archie comics, Disney comics and Peanuts. They’re my three main influences, and they remain so to this day. Archie is just brilliant, and iconic – you can’t see any stories these days involving a love triangle that can’t be compared to Archie, Betty and Veronica. It’s timeless. And it’s Betty. It’s totally all about Betty. Stupid Archie. And Peanuts is the greatest comic strip ever. Hands down. Its simplicity invites readers to engage their imaginations on a level not seen in any other newspaper strip. It really makes you think. If I ever get stuck creatively, I sit and read a chunk of Peanuts strips. It gets my creative juices flowing all the time. And how can you go past the Carl Barks adventures of Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge? I learned more about South America from those comics than I ever could have from my whole 12 years of schooling. (I just hope it’s MOSTLY factual ;o) I could look really silly in conversation at a Peruvian Banquet Dinner, otherwise… How did you choose the name Celadore? Is there a Donnie Darko reference there? As much as I love Donnie Darko, (everyone has a different take on what it’s about) it never entered my mind when creating Celadore. Tolkien, of course, was the one who coined the ‘beautiful’ phrase, and also suggested that if you take ‘cellar door’ and twist it into a name, you’d end up with a name so evocative, the story would practically write itself. And it did, and boy am I glad I did it. The character came first – the centuries old monster hunter, and from there, the world grew around her, and now she is a very small, but integral, piece of the puzzle. The world buzzing around inside my head is frighteningly big. I’d write it all down, but then I’d never get the actual story done! What inspired you to start creating Shirtheads? I was asked by the Bubble, actually. They were interested in incorporating comics somehow, and my name got thrown out there as a viable option. (It was either Chris Wahl or Simon Sherry who dobbed me in – I forget who now… I think Simon). The idea of the shirt stall came to me immediately, and if there’s one thing I learned from my three years of an advertising degree, is that you can come up with a HUNDRED ideas for any one thing, but inevitably, the first is usually the best. It was also good timing for them to contact me, as I was preparing my Zuda comic at the time. I thought if I started Shirtheads up, after ten weeks or so, the comp would start and I could get a small following of people to help me out when the voting craziness began! (It worked! ;o) That’s only a small bonus reason, though – I will continue doing the strips, because I love showing my appreciation for the boundless talent on the Bub. I wish I could do it in sales, but I’m a poor starving artist, so this way works better for me at the moment. Who are your characters based on? Matt is based on Mattman who was the first buyer of one of my shirts. It was when I sold that first one, I realised I could stick around and maybe earn a little pocket money, so Simon brought me to the site, but Matt made me stick around. He posted a photo of him in his Coffy Rabbit shirt, and he just seemed like the perfect fit for the main character. I’d never met him, but he says I captured his personality pretty well, and have created way too many other uncanny coincidences regarding his good self. I’d like to take this time to say I have never dabbled in spy cameras. ;o) Abi, on the other hand, is loosely based on one of my greatest friends, Kat. A more super bubbly, friendly, artistic, and beautiful soul you will never meet. It didn’t really translate unfortunately, as Abi ended up the sarcastic foil to Matt’s kind-of-doofus role, but the intention was there. If you’re reading, Kat, I love you, Sunshine! ;oP How did you find the Redbubble and what made you stick around? I’ve ALWAYS wanted to try my hand at tshirts. I love tshirts. I’m proud to wear my brain on my chest (the perfect example would be my Bbbrm tshirt – that is me ;o) and when I was pointed to the bubble, I realised I sucked at it! So, I looked around, saw what people were doing, and looked at design patterns, etc. then decided to make myself better at it. Simon Sherry posted a link AGES ago on the Aussie comickers Pulp Faction forum boards, which is where I first found it. All blame lies with him. Angry letters let fly. :oD If you could have created any comic strip, which one would it be & why? I recently discovered a GEM of a strip called Hey James! (Google it, seriously) and was blown away! It’s SO spare in the art, and so damn hilarious. Honestly, that that strip could be made so late in the game was amazing. It is SO simple, it’s astonishing. But, I am very happy with my own creations too. The Middle Ages is slowly coming into fruition as the comic version of Degrassi Junior High I’ve always wanted to do (without the teen pregnancy and drugs ;o) and Squirrels and Pigeons could well be the best representation of my cynical, yet childish and optimistic view of the world, yet to hit the page from me. I need more time to work on it, but it could be the big one for me. Squirrels are funny creatures and largely overlooked in society. I AM a squirrel! ;o) If you were granted one wish what would you wish for? That’s a tough one. I want to say money. Lots of money. Not for me, but because we have to exist in the world around us, and make it work in our favour. I want it to give it away, because money talks, money helps. I’m happy to scrape by myself (with a comic allowance, of course) and I’d love to bring a wave of people along with me, who aren’t even on that level yet. Give it out randomly and anonymously. True giving is not standing around waiting to be pat on the back for it. Where will you be, and what will you be doing, in 10 years? I really want to be in a position where I can work comfortably at my own pace a few months on, a few months off. It’s hard to be creative 9-5. It’s an organic process, and if you force it, that can be even more detrimental than good. I would also love to have a big studio where other comickers can come and work, and they just pay a monthly fee. Like a gym membership but for an artists studio, for those small timers who can’t afford their own space, and find it hard to work 2 feet from their bed and TV. Like me. If you could visit any time in the past or future, when would it be? A visit? As in not permanently? Like a camping trip? Back to the age of dinosaurs, for sure. I’d love to see these gigantic creatures roaming around, and crazy nature and foliage, and the conspicuous absence of people. Not that I hate people, but society? Well, it’s not the dinosaurs destroying the planet now is it? Can the old man next door please stop cleaning his front path with a high pressure hose? Cheers, ta, thanks very much. If you weren’t Caanan, who would you be? I would probably be someone who had the constant nagging thought that they weren’t who they’re supposed to be. How would I ever get anything done?! ;o) Thanks again Caanan it was a pleasure =D

• Shirtheads - featuring Simon Sherry
  by caanan

  This week’s blockbuster, widescreen, now in technicolour edition of Shirtheads features – dun dun DUN – The Killbots...

  This week’s blockbuster, widescreen, now in technicolour edition of Shirtheads features – dun dun DUN – The Killbots / So grab some popcorn, turn off your mobiles, and get your feet off the seats! do you do that at home?! (Yes sir) as we say ‘howdy’ to Simon Sherry / / ( Lord of the Aussie comickers’ Pulp Faction group ) Explain the process of Killbots. Where did they come from and how do you make them? The killbots series pretty much started as an experiment in Adobe Illustrator – I had stumbled on a couple of techniques in the process of working on some other pieces, and as is usually the case, I take that new discovery and get sidetracked! To be a little more specific, I tend to approach each bot in as freeform a method as possible, just laying down shapes (and sometimes components from previous bots) to see what comes of it. The best example of this would be KB 4 + 4.5 ‘Psiclops and CRABS’, which went through all manner of changes before the version you guys have seen. In fact, CRABS simply started off as kb 4’s jaw, and kind of sprouted from there. If you could build a robot, what would it be? What would it do? Aside from helping me conquer the world? Probably make a mean cheesecake,. Where do you find inspiration? Cartoons, comics (Mike Mignola, Sam Keith and Ted McKeever, in particular), the army of action figures populating my office, all manner of ‘found objects’ I stumble upon in my internet travels (particularly here on the Bubble), the many and varied cute and strange things my 23-month-old daughter does… I try to make a point of soaking my brain as much as possible with stimulus from the world around me, and let it spew out through my drawing arm in a random fashion. So far it’s worked out pretty well for me :) What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? Probably the ‘Fantasy Island’ shirt I picked up for 10 bucks at Dimmeys in Richmond many years ago. It had a great pic of tattoo on it and the airplane from the show on the back. If you’ve never heard of the show, Google it – you won’t be dissapointed ;) What did you want to be when you were 6 years old? A paleontologist – although secretly I wanted to be some sort of weird mix of Doctor Who and He-Man. What took up most of your time growing up? Drawing, reading, Dungeons & Dragons – all the typical nerdlinger activities. Is there anything you’ve ever found vastly amusing no-one else has? Probably the aforementioned Fantasy Island t-shirt and accompanying ‘Tattoo on my chest’ jokes that came with it – there’s a reason that that particular shirt was plentiful in a store like Dimmeys. What’s the worst thing the internet has to offer? Endless distraction… and really, really bad YouTube videos. What have you been proud of most thus far in your life? My lovely and amazing children. My son Samuel was stillborn in 2004, and while I’ve not got to watch him grow, his memory still inspires and drives me to make the most out of life. My daughter, Olivia, who is an unstoppable juggernaut of cuteness, and our little WIP, soon to be released into the big, wide world. I know it sounds sappy, but truth be told, there’s nothing else that I could acheive that’s going to top them. How does the world end? Well, after that robot of mine whips up an awesome baked chocolate cheesecake, the onslaught BEGINS! Thanks Simon! And as always, folks, come back next week for a new victim. maniacal laughter Caanan. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys

• Shirtheads - featuring BigFatRobot
  by caanan

  Howdy Bubblers! I’m pleased to announce the guinea pig has been put through his paces, and found to be healthy. So, here be the first …

  Howdy Bubblers! I’m pleased to announce the guinea pig has been put through his paces, and found to be healthy. So, here be the first ‘Official’ shirtheads strip, featuring BigFatRobot / – followed by a brief interview. Enjoy! The shirt featured is Zombie Waitress. Why do you think zombies are so cool right now? They’ve always been cool. Afterall, monsters that my gran can outrun are funnier than a clown drowning in an ocean of cream pies. However, we are now getting those uppity new zombies like the ones from “I Am Legend” – fast zombies with rudimentary smarts, like bogans rushing to the bar for Happy Hour priced Jim Beam and Cokes. / (For our non Oz chums reading, bogans are Australian rednecks.) How much thought goes into your tshirts? Are you just doodling, and going ‘hey, neat!’ or is there more process to it than that? I’m a mad doodler and note taker. In fact, I constantly carry around a battered note book and scribble down ideas even in the middle of conversations. I’m still working my way through ideas from 10 years ago! What was your favourite tshirt you’ve ever owned? It was a black tshirt with an old illustration of Bettie Page that my drunk, wayward uncle gave me when I was about 13. She was in a classic pin-up pose, and my mum was horrified by it, which, of course made it cooler. It was one of those shirts that literally disintegrated with all the wearing. Prior to that it was a white tshirt with navy blue sleeves, and C3P0 with his metallic hand resting on R2D2’s dustbin head. Inspirations start young, I’m still mashing pinups with Star War characters to this day. Have you ever found anything amusing that no one else has? / / This joke… a duck walks into a chemist and asks for some chapstick. The duck then said put it on my bill. What stirs your creative juices? Pop surrealist/ low-brow art from people like Mark Ryden, Audrey Kawasaki, Tara McPherson, Mike Giant, Shepard Fairey, Lori Earley, Tokidoki to name a few. Finding romance and scifi comics from the 50s and 60s. Tattoos – I mean good tattoos with stories, done by artists. My confreres on the Bubble. Walking through big city, graffiti-covered, streets. Reasonably priced domestic red. If there was one thing you could do to make this world a better place, what would it be? Excuse my heart jerkiness … I would create a perfect little family unit. Hopefully that will emanate a little to this kooky world of ours. What did you want to be when you were five? A loyal soldier – the kind that would lie on the ground wounded and tell his buddies to leave without him, and he will cover them. Now, I would want them to stay and give me cuddles, because bullets are hurty! What’s a common design mistake you see that annoys you? If anything. Not adhering to the simple basics like the Rule of Thirds (it’s not that hard guys, grrr). Plus, the old pop some garish filter over a photo and call it art. You are only impressing your mum! I see you’re a Trek fan. Looking forward to the new ‘revisioned’ film? Anything to see Captain Kirk’s large, arthritic frame bulging in his jump suit. However, apparently he’s not allowed to play in the Federation sandbox anymore. Besides marvelling at Shatner’s growing girth, the Star Trek movies (with the notable exception of Wrath of Khan) were mere watery soups compared to the meaty feast of the TV series. Having said that, I will see it gleefully. Aaaaand scene. Thanks for reading, folks. Until next week, keep bubblin’ over. :oD Caanan.

• Shirtheads - featuring Paul McClintock
  by caanan

  This week, folks, dust off your cerebellum, grab a spot by the roaring fire of your own hypothalamus, and open your mind to the universal…

  This week, folks, dust off your cerebellum, grab a spot by the roaring fire of your own hypothalamus, and open your mind to the universal language of… Rawr! by Paul McClintock Do you believe in monsters? Monsters absolutely exist. Have you seen any of the crazy shit that lives at the bottom of the sea? Not just disgusting blobby things with a million eyes, but even cute stuff that you wish you’d invented like Kiwa hirsut, a weird crab thing with luscious blonde fur. Seriously, nature is awesome… so much better than Lord of the Rings. Do designs come naturally to you? Do you scribble stuff down and everything’s gold, or do you rework and rework until you’re mad? I can’t stand to see a blank piece of paper. It must be drawn on! I spend about 27 hours a day doodling or thinking about doodling, and have done so ever since my thumbs developed enough to allow me to hold a pencil… having said that, about 95% of everything I produce is absolute junk. I use to sit in our lounge room as a small child and completely cover the carpet with a layer of scrunched up paper that people had to wade through. I also have such a horribly short attention span so that I abandon projects very quickly… so yes, anything that gets finished needs to have been almost complete within a couple of minutes of starting, otherwise I’m on to something else and it will never see the light of day. I would not recommend this process at all. You should probably do the exact opposite of anything I do, and you’ll probably succeed. And when you do succeed please give me spare change when you see me on the street. Where do you find inspiration? Insomnia. My inspiration comes to me when I should be asleep, when everyone else is asleep. This causes problems when I have to leave for work at 8.30 in the morning and I’m still awake at 3am. Of course, when daytime comes around my brain refuses to recall any of the brilliant ideas it had the night before. This makes for perfect tragic irony. What are the main messages you like to communicate when you commit your work to paper/cloth/video? For the most part I absorb opinions from people I respect and regurgitate them in my own way, which results in something that is less poignant and/or thought provoking than the initial source. I think of it as my personal contribution to mediocrity. Occasionally I come up with something on my own, and it usually has something to do with one or more of the following: / a) Life is absurd and pretty meaningless and awful… but fun anyway. / b) Robots kick arse… and monsters do too. / c) God doesn’t exist, but if he did he’d be agnostic (and a yeti). What has been your favourite tshirt you’ve ever worn? I have a new favourite shirt every six months or so. I usually wear something until it falls apart and then replace it. For the immediate future I will be wearing a Tambatoys shirt of a boy riding an armadillo. It’s yellow. What are some random thoughts you’ve had but never vocalised, that you could vocalise for us right now? I get more junk mail offering carpet cleaning than anything else. Is there anything you’ve ever found supremely hilarious that nobody else has? Religious people are so cute with their totally random beliefs. It’s like they’ve figured out a way to stay children forever with their clubhouses and in many cases, superhero costumes and secret handshakes and passwords and arbitrary rules that they all must abide by so sayeth Garlak teh Destroyer. (typo deliberate) My favourite religious person is currently Tom Cruise, simply because he has picked the most utterly silly fantasy world you could possibly imagine. He actually thinks that Scientology will give him SUPER POWERS. It’s true! / DISCLAIMER: For those who may be offended by the above statements, please grow a sense of humour, smiley face. If you could pick six people to rocket away to a new planet and start civilisation over again while we all die screaming, who would you pick? Well, I wouldn’t be among them… so I guess I’d send a bunch of genetically superior jerks that I don’t get along with. They’d have to be good at farming and building robots and fighting off the wildlife of this new planet, which I’m not very good at. I’d also force them to wear lycra jumpsuits and send transmissions back to Earth so we’d have some entertainment during the end times. Meanwhile, I’d spend the rest of Earth’s existence living it up. First, I’d quit my job and go visit Nepal. What does your future hold? Years of menial labour, followed by my getting old, my hair receding and my mind atrophying. FUN! Seriously though, I hope I can work creatively in some capacity. I have so many interests, if I can get paid to do any of them I think I’d be happy … this is a very subtle hint at the universe. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards And tune in next sunday for the next Shirtheads! Will it be you? Only you know for sure. ;o)

• Shirtheads - featuring Rhys McDonald
  by caanan

  Sometimes I like to pick shirts merely because I’d like to have a go at drawing my own rendition of some funky designs, and I really like…

  Sometimes I like to pick shirts merely because I’d like to have a go at drawing my own rendition of some funky designs, and I really liked this little guy… / / by Rhys McDonald / (I had to resist REALLY HARD to do a strip based on this one ;o) / What do you think the differences are between the lives of someone who’s ugly, and someone who’s beautiful? (By standard definitions of course. It’s all subjective) I never get whenever you see those gossip rags with the headline ‘celebrities caught without make up’ or something and you look at them and they’re just average joes, no better than the guy over there with the pot belly or the homely woman at the petrol station – if someone is even remotely okay looking they’re instantly distinguished from the rest of us schleps. If you’re only looking at someone at face value you’re selling yourself and them short. Fugly people try harder I think, sometimes. Look at Donald Trump – guy’s got a head like a shoe box yet he’s married to a supermodel, it boggles the mind, I’m sure she didn’t go out with him because he’s funny and does great impressions. Beautiful people are like exotic birds, there to be studied and observed for their vibrant colours and peculiar fashions and often shapely features. It works both ways, look at Steve Buscemi, he’s a sex symbol for god sake. If you’re ugly, offset it – knowledge is sexy, did you know 8 out of every 10 rocket scientists is married to a playboy bunny? No joke. Uggers be proud, you CAN lead a normal beautiful life, you can!....if not, thats what plastic surgery is for. (if you cant afford that, buy the t shirt) What kind of robot would you like to see invented? Crumping, booty dancing ones. I don’t need to explain why….picture it, how hot is that. It’d be like NYC Mech, only better! What did you want to be when you were 7? I think when I was seven, I wanted to be a Ghostbuster – because I was clearly grounded in reality and focused on something. I always wanted to be one of those people who said ‘I only ever wanted to draw’ but I think I was 20 before I finally figured out what i wanted to be. I was a strange, solitary child. Who turned into a strange solitary fellow What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn/seen? My favouritest shirt I’ve ever seen was from the webcomic Dead Days, it was a take off of the old ‘No Fat Chicks’ tshirt that just read ‘Yes Fat Chicks’ it tickled my fancy to no end. Can you give us the lowdown on the Plastic Age? What’s it about? The Plastic Age is my webcomic and online home, I started it 3 years ago and there’s currently 193 strips archive. 5 of those are funny. I started the site in 2005 basically because I was really enjoying drawing and webcomics appealed a great deal to me, I had no idea what I was doing and only in the last 18 months or so have I really taken a look at everything in the broader scope and started to try and polish it, and take it more seriously. It’s basically a collection of gag comics, intending to be funny, with some sting in them, hopefully. I’m working on longform and story driven, I’ve got it in me somewhere – but some irrelevant humour is always top order. 4 panel funnies appeal to me a great deal. And no, I’m not a Buggles fan. If you could switch the minds and bodies of two people around, who would they be, and what would happen? Oh man, thats a good one. Actually thats very mid 80’s teen comedy almost. “Eric and Tiffany are two BEST friends, Eric’s home computer fuses out and these two somehow switch bodies because due to 1980’s ignorance about how computers are insanely powerful mysterious machines that control everything. UH OH! Now what will we do!” You know the type of movie where the computers are the size of small sedans and everything is set to synth and keyboards with a dash of day glow neon sweatpants, and they’d have to overcome awkward things like Eric would have to avoid kissing a boy while he’s switched and wacky stuff like that…I kind of want to see that movie now, in my head it’s really vivid and you know in the end Eric and Tiffany learn important life lessons but they can never tell their parents about their ZANY adventure!...or something like that. Please take us through your creative process. Idea to finished art? Where does it come from? How long does it take? What do you use? etc. I work pretty much all digitally, I either draw straight into Photoshop or loosely sketch the image(s) and scan it in and ink/colour over the top of that. I have a Cintiq now and I’ve gone completely apesh!t over it and I also use a Mac. That covers the what, don’t ask me what pens or paper to use, besides the wacom i only use a .5mm mechanical pencil. The ideas come from everywhere – what I’m currently reading, what books are on my desk, something I just saw, a name, it generally just sparks and snowballs into something, I’m really easily influenced by things around me and really enjoy certain subjects but I really dig new things too, as they say variety is the spice of life. I’d feel like less of an artist if I didn’t say ‘I draw because I’m compelled to, its all I know how to do’ – which is true, I just never announce it. The time I take depends on what it is I’m doing, I can sketch up a comic pretty quick now and finish it up in a few hours, but I still revise and re work the hell out of other things. Like, the Hellboy image in my gallery came together in two sittings really easily, because I had a good idea of how it would look. I’m horrible for having a good concept of what something is going to look like, what’s in my head invariably changes when I put pen to paper, usually for the better but I like happy accidents. I spend the most amount of time on colour, because I love that stage more than any other, I don’t always plan an image in my head but I always have colour in mind, one way or the other. What are you digging right now? I’m really digging podcasts right now, how cool am I. I can’t seem to get enough of them, Webcomics Weekly have been the flavour of the month, and I just stumbled onto a new one called Sidebar which is pretty good too, actually if anyone is listening to any good podcasts give me some url’s to check out! What’s the best thing about girls? What kind of question is this! Thats like asking what’s the best thing about this delicious cheeseburger? Its delicious and that’s the hook. Girls, you’re awesome. No seriously, you’re rad. You’re also insanely hard to draw (but drawing your girlfriend makes for good foreplay) and a pretty big inspiration to me, I don’t think I could say ‘this is the best thing about girls’ it’s the overall package, and a cute package is something that translates well into a drawing. I’d be remiss if I didn’t say ‘boobs’ somewhere in this answer. If I asked you this question sir, what would your answer be? C’mon, lets just chat about how awesome girls are… This isn’t about me… ... cough... ;o) Who would you like to see show down in the ultimate wrestling match? Now you’re talking my lingo. I’d like to see ‘The Real Man’s Man’ Steven Regal Vs Hillybilly Jim – just to see if they cancel each other out, if not I’m sure they could squeeze oranges to make juice in a series of horrible vignettes. Failing your ability to secure and book both those talents I’d like to see Dink the Clown Vs Cheetum the one eyed evil midget – preferably in a light tube match, OR a Taipei Death Match. I guarantee there’s going to be 4 people googling ‘Cheetum’ and ‘Taipei Death Match’ now. Thanks Rhys! For all your entertainment needs, here’s the Plastic Age – Check it out! :o) (And lastly, for any previous Shirthead victims who wanted to purchase their original art, I have one week left in Australia, then after that it’s gonna be much more expensive to send them out, so… let me know!) Caanan. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson / Shirtheads – featuring Natalie Tyler / Shirtheads – featuring thickblackoutline / Shirtheads – featuring rubyred / Shirtheads – featuring Liesl Yvette Wilson / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Wahl / Shirtheads – featuring Jaywalker / Shirtheads – featuring sparklehen / Shirtheads – featuring jemimalovesbigted / Shirtheads – featuring purelydecorative / Shirtheads – featuring nofrillsart

• Shirtheads - featuring Johdie
  by caanan

  Check your pinky fingers, folks, and let’s see how they stack up against the boundless talents of this week’s Shirthead, Johdie...

  Check your pinky fingers, folks, and let’s see how they stack up against the boundless talents of this week’s Shirthead, Johdie / This week featuring several different shirts actually within the strip, / / but inspired by this one… / What does music mean to you? Music and art go hand in hand for me, I can’t have one without the other. I get plenty of ideas from music. My art’s a bit mixed up.. my personality is a bit mixed up.. and my taste in music is all over the place. I’ve always disliked anything typical. When I was a kid my favourite song was Joy to the World from the Forest Gump soundtrack.. I just couldn’t get into the Spice Girls. If you could live in any period of history, which would it be? I like things from each recent decade. People didn’t whinge and kids weren’t spoilt rotten in the 40’s. People in the 50’s had great hair. My mother says I should have been from an era where people were passionate about the world but personal hygiene is more important to me. The 80’s seemed crazy, I think it would suit me. I like 80’s music, it makes me laugh.. 80’s comedy aswell. I guess that doesn’t really answer anything. What fascinates you? Well right now what is fascinating me.. or more like distracting me.. is a praying mantis on my window giving me evils. I forgot what I was going to say. It’s really making me uncomfortable. Is there anything you’ve ever found highly amusing that no-one else has? I laugh at my own jokes. Or more so I laugh at other people’s reaction to my jokes, when they’re crude or politically incorrect of just plain wrong. They’re always pretty blunt and unexpected. Other than that I always laugh at gorey things in movies.. which I suppose plenty of people do. Maybe I go a bit far by rewinding something like.. someone being decaptitated and watching it again in slow motion. What’s the craziest dream you’ve ever had? I don’t remember many dreams. Once upon a time I used to dream about chickens. I had one dream where I was on the swing and accidently kicked a passing chicken in the head. A whole gang of them then attacked me. I blame my parents for telling me that if I wore thongs down the back the chooks would think my toes were worms and eat them. It freaked me. What’s your most favourite tshirt you’ve ever worn? I can’t remember ever being that attached to clothing (that might change if I get some tees from here). I found a ‘Dinosaurs’ shirt I used to love when I was about 4 or 5. Out of boredom and curiousity (not a female thing).. I put it on. I was amazed I managed, but then.. I had to get it off again. It got stuck around my head and arms and I felt.. well.. just a little bit silly… What do people need more of? Tolerance. I say that because I just came off my learner’s licence. But that’s me being a super huge hypocrite. I can’t stand anyone. I go to the shopping centre and get stuck behind a bunch of people walking too slow, screaming at their overweight children and I can’t help but pretend to stab them like in Psycho. It doesn’t help that I have that as my ringtone at the moment. I guess I’m the one that needs more tolerance, everyone else needs more common sense. Do aliens exist? I never believed anything else existed.. God, Santa, the Tooth Fairy.. I might as well believe aliens do. So many people have seen weird crap. Even people I know, who weren’t crazy or drunk. It would explain a lot. I would just like them not to be those skinny aliens with huge heads and eyes. I hope they’re more comical.. and colourful.. and that they’re not really into probing. Flash forward 20 years… taking a look back on your life, what are the highlights? When Caanan asked me a bunch of weird questions? When I won the lotto? I don’t know. I’m hoping my life starts getting exciting real soon. But I suppose I’d just be dull and realistic and hope to get a half decent job doing something I enjoyed, travel overseas at least once, get married and.. the main one.. not turn out like my mother. How did you find redbubble? And what makes you stick around? It was recommended to me for my art, but I signed up after seeing the shirts. There’s some pretty kickarse stuff.. and I’ve always wanted to try my hand at it. I’m finding I enjoy it more than anything else at the moment, even though I’m just starting out and feel I have a long way to go. I think Redbubble has personality.. and there’s plenty of nutters to keep me entertained. I’ll stick around so long as I can find work I like everytime I’m here. Thanks Johdie! And come back next week folks, for another bubbler. Caanan. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning

• TBO on Shirtheads
  by thickblackoutline

  Hi Kids In case you missed it…... and you really shouldn’t, I’ve been Shirtheaded,ed.ed..ed….ed.. !http://www.thickblackoutline…

  Hi Kids In case you missed it…... and you really shouldn’t, I’ve been Shirtheaded,ed.ed..ed….ed.. hehe, I need to thank Caanan again and again, for doing the work of the goodness! He deserves a Bub Bubble in my book!! Much Love, /

• Eeeek! I feel special...
  by nofrillsart

  The wonderful caanan has taken the time to interview and draw a shirtheads...

  The wonderful caanan has taken the time to interview and draw a shirtheads comic featuring moi! Do drop an and check out his fabulous work… and my shameless self promotion! hehe… / enjoy! / Glen / ps- it really is good…so scram…get over to the strip

• Pulp Faction Profile: Caanan
  by Simon Sherry

  Hello, and welcome to the first Pulp Faction Profile. The aim of this journal is to help spotlight some of the stellar talent on displa…

  Hello, and welcome to the first Pulp Faction Profile. The aim of this journal is to help spotlight some of the stellar talent on display in the Pulp Faction: Comics and Sequential Art group. First cab off the rank is the whimsical stylings of Caanan… Caanan Occupation: Illustrator – storyboards and kid’s books, mainly Secret Occupation: Comic Strip Artist Hometown: Ballarat, Vic Australia Currently Residing: Toronto, ON. Canadia. Influences: / I grew up on Peanuts, Archie comics, and the old Gladstone Disney comics – Carl Barks, Don Rosa, etc. They remain my strongest influences, but as I got older – as a teenager, I was a big fan of Jim Lee, Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, etc, then threw that all away. And after that, took in animated films and all the behind the scenes concept art and storyboarding that went into them, Calvin & Hobbes, Zits, Mutts, Bone, Liberty Meadows and the work of Doug TenNapel. Current projects: / Apart from the advertising storyboarding which keeps me fed, clothed and sheltered, I work on my comic strips, The Middle Ages, which comes out bi-monthly from Local Act Comics, about a bunch of 12 year olds, and Squirrels and Pigeons, which I hope to break into a newspaper somewhere, somehow. It’s about a park janitor who can talk to the squirrels and pigeons there, so it’s kinda nutty, but it’s also more about how, because he has a kind of lowly job, he’s as largely ignored by our increasingly self-obsessed society as the animals are. It might sound cynical, but with cartoons you almost have to be. I also have about twenty other kids book/comic ideas all at various stages of development that I tinker with on and off. I sometimes think I’d make a better writer, but I’m a massive control freak and have the obsessive need to hold on to these stories so I can draw them myself one day. And lastly, check out my redbubble shirts. I try and make t-shirts that are kind of nerdy and for your inner child, because if you put that kind of thing on your chest, I’d hope that other like-minded people will respond to it, conversations will start up, and people will find, deep down, that their inner child isn’t as dead as they thought. linkage: / Occasional Comics Disorder – has latest strips and news as it comes. caanan.net – My old site with various strips. Never completed, as I left the country before I could finish it, but still, there’s some laughs to be had there. Local Act Comics – so people can find out where to purchase The Middle Ages. Oh, as well as Junk, (written by Dave Cunning, drawn by Me) and my 24 hour comics double shot – Gypsy and the Astronaut (2006 winner) and Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow (2007 – 16pg category – winner). I also contributed to the Presents anthology, issues 2 and 3.

• 

  There's a spot over here, there's a spot over there....
  by jemimalovesbigted

  US$4.56–US$121.60

  Well I was a little blown away by the big compliment that I was given tonight by the wonderful Sparklehen in her Shirtheads Feature by the very talented Caanan. She said that she finds a great deal of inspiration on Redbubble (which I am sure most of us do) and my patterns were one of her inspirations (I am still blushing)... It dawned on me that it has been forever since I have made a pattern, so I thought I would whip one up for the occasion…. And anyway, every day is a good day for patterns…. =D

• The tables have been turned!
  by caanan

  I met with Lisa, otherwise known as the retro funky Jemimalovesbigted yesterday for l…

  I met with Lisa, otherwise known as the retro funky Jemimalovesbigted yesterday for lunch, and she surprised me with a mini interview of my own. If you’d like to read it, it is here Thanks, Lisa! :oD

• Shirtheads featuring Me!
  by rubyred

  The super talented caanan has chosen me for his weekly feature – Shirtheads. / Find it here...

  The super talented caanan has chosen me for his weekly feature – Shirtheads. / Find it here Thanks caanan

• In Case You Missed It
  by jemimalovesbigted

  I am now a Shirthead! If you missed it you can find it here...

  I am now a Shirthead! If you missed it you can find it here Thank you Caanan =D

• Caanan's coming second!!
  by Cathie Tranent

  RB’s own Shirthead Creator and all round nice guy Caanan is currently coming second in his month long quest to get his comic Celadore e…

  RB’s own Shirthead Creator and all round nice guy Caanan is currently coming second in his month long quest to get his comic Celadore e-published as an ongoing strip!! I’ve read his little teaser, and frankly I need more – I need to find out all about the little redheaded kid who appears to be my son’s doppleganger if nothing else!! (Only kidding, Caanan) So click on the linky piccie above to go to to the strip and VOTE!!

• Comics r caanan
  by BigFatRobot

  The very talented caanan has done me the great honour of immortalising my Zombie Waitress...

  The very talented caanan has done me the great honour of immortalising my Zombie Waitress in a comic strip. A Q&A session was also part of the deal. Here be the transcript of said session … The shirt featured is Zombie Waitress. Why do you think zombies are so cool right now? / They’ve always been cool. Afterall, monsters that my gran can outrun are funnier than a clown drowning in an ocean of cream pies. However, we are now getting those uppity new zombies like the ones from “I Am Legend” – fast zombies with rudimentary smarts, like bogans* rushing to the bar for Happy Hour priced Jim Beam and Cokes. / For our non Oz chums reading, bogans are Australian rednecks How much thought goes into your tshirts? Are you just doodling, and going ‘hey, neat!’ or is there more process to it than that? / I’m a mad doodler and note taker. In fact, I constantly carry around a battered note book and scribble down ideas even in the middle of conversations. I’m still working my way through ideas from 10 years ago! What was your favourite tshirt you’ve ever owned? (Hypercolour? Ha!) / It was a black tshirt with an old illustration of Bettie Page that my drunk, wayward uncle gave me when I was about 13. She was in a classic pin-up pose, and my mum was horrified by it, which, of course made it cooler. It was one of those shirts that literally disintegrated with all the wearing. Prior to that it was a white tshirt with navy blue sleeves, and C3P0 with his metallic hand resting on R2D2’s dustbin head. Inspirations start young, I’m still mashing pinups with Star War characters to this day. Have you ever found anything amusing that no one else has? / This joke… a duck walks into a chemist and asks for some chapstick. The duck then said put it on my bill. What stirs your creative juices? / Pop surrealist/ low-brow art from people like Mark Ryden, Audrey Kawasaki, Tara McPherson, Mike Giant, Shepard Fairey, Lori Earley, Tokidoki to name a few. Finding romance and scifi comics from the 50s and 60s. Tattoos – I mean good tattoos with stories, done by artists. My confreres on the Bubble. Walking through big city, graffiti-covered, streets. Reasonably priced domestic red. If there was one thing you could do to make this world a better place, what would it be? / Excuse my heart jerkiness … I would create a perfect little family unit. Hopefully that will emanate a little to this kooky world of ours. What did you want to be when you were five? / A loyal soldier – the kind that would lie on the ground wounded and tell his buddies to leave without him, and he will cover them. Now, I would want them to stay and give me cuddles, because bullets are hurty! What’s a common design mistake you see that annoys you? If anything. / Not adhering to the simple basics like the Rule of Thirds (it’s not that hard guys, grrr). Plus, the old pop some garish filter over a photo and call it art. You are only impressing your mum! I see you’re a Trek fan. Looking forward to the new ‘revisioned’ film? ;o) / Anything to see Captain Kirk’s large, arthritic frame bulging in his jump suit. However, apparently he’s not allowed to play in the Federation sandbox anymore. Besides marvelling at Shatner’s growing girth, the Star Trek movies (with the notable exception of Wrath of Khan) were mere watery soups compared to the meaty feast of the TV series. Having said that, I will see it gleefully. Do yourself a favour and check out caanan’s work!!! Awesomely awesome!

• Caanan's Shirtheads featuring PD
  by purelydecorative

  Caanan has produced yet another smashing Shirtheads...

  Caanan has produced yet another smashing Shirtheads -this time with Camera Girl and PD in it ! / Thanks Caanan…especially since you were ill, you poor blossom, I hope you’re fighting fit in no time.

• The Killbots invade Shirtheads
  by Simon Sherry

  Read all aboot it, all the way from Caanada... Shirtheads – featuring ME...

  Read all aboot it, all the way from Caanada... Shirtheads – featuring ME

• Shirtheads - Issue 3
  by Chris Richards

  Hey everybody!! If you haven’t met him or heard of him yet, I want to introduce you all to Caanan...

  Hey everybody!! If you haven’t met him or heard of him yet, I want to introduce you all to Caanan. He’s been doing some awesome stuff lately to jazz up RB around here in the way of writing a weekly comic strip called Shirtheads, based off of shirts made by various RB’ers. This week was just his third issue, and I’m quite honoured to anounce that (however conceited this may appear) I am the featured artist, Angry Jellyfish being the featured shirt. So, I just wanted to let you all know, and tell you all to head over to his comic strip as I’m pretty sure it’s one of the best yet! =) So a big thanks to Caanan again, and I hope you all enjoy the strip as much as I did =) Take care, Chris Richards