’24

So here we are in 2024 already! This year will mark my 5th anniversary of creating designs for Print On Demand (POD), having made a breakthrough mid 2019 with the Hillman Imp line drawing design that I initially made for myself to replace a favourite T that had worn out.

Since then I’ve developed some new styles – learned so much on this incredible journey – and made more than 26,000 sales! As ever my thanks to everyone who has bought one (or more), I hope you’re enjoying them 🙂

One of my first designs of the new year is based on my photo of an Austin Maxi, in monochrome (photocopy filter) and monoblock (threshold) – available on the usual array of interesting products in my Redbubble and Teepublic shops and clothing in my Amazon shop

“Ugly sweater”

For this Christmas, as well as my new snow globe designs I’ve done a one-off “ugly sweater” featuring the Triumph TR3, including the car and various elements made up from bits of the car like the badge and wire wheels. This was a lot of work and I’ll probably wait and see if it sells before I attempt any more! Available on the usual array of interesting products in my Redbubble and Teepublic shops

I think it looks OK on T-shirts etc – limited by available print area to just a rectangular panel, apart from the “graphic” shirt on Redbubble – but really suits the Redbubble products which have repeating patterns available, like the tote bag, duvet cover, socks etc 🙂

Winter is coming…

…time to get working on the Christmas designs! In the past I’ve done Santa & Rudolph in cars (and trucks), cars on Christmas tree balls and Santa hats on cars. For this year I’m doing a series of snow globes featuring monoblock images based on my photos

So far I’ve done the Austin Seven, Hillman Imp and ERF KV above, as well as Morris 10-4, IH Loadstar, Saab 9-3 (g1), Triumph TR3, TR6, Spitfire, Herald, Morris Minor, Rover SD1 and Reliant Scimitar. If you have a request for a particular vehicle in this style please let me know via Contact!

Completed versions available on the usual array of interesting products in my Redbubble and Teepublic shops and a selection also available on Amazon. Ho ho ho!

The show must go on

Yesterday I went to the classic car show at Capesthorne Hall, with low expectations given the forecast for yet more rain. The turnout was surprisingly good, a lot fewer cars than usual but way better than the last show I went to at the beginning of July and enough interesting motors to make it worthwhile, if not ideal for photography

For comparison, the Capesthorne show under glorious blue skies in May 2021, and yesterday, taken from more or less the same location, towards the far edge of the field near the random lonely brick pillar (which is presumably an old gate post)

What a difference dry weather makes. There are still a couple more outdoor shows left on the calendar this year but not sure they’ll be worth attending, the outlook remains unchanged: relentless rain…

Rain, rain…

It’s not been the best year for outdoor car shows, as the relentless wet weather in the UK continues with no end in sight. Having experienced enough muddy fields, low turnouts and less than photogenic scenes in the past I usually only go to outdoor shows now if it’s dry, and the last one I attended was back on June 11 (not counting the Sandtoft truck “gathering” in July).

Despite a gloomy outlook it was a gloriously hot and sunny afternoon, but the lack of a queue to get in and the massive, empty field serving as a car park was a sign of things to come. There were less than 20 classic cars on display, most owners presumably having noted the dismal forecast and decided to keep their pride and joy safely under wraps.

Various food outlets, trade stalls and a row of portaloos could be seen in the far distance across the showground – another massive and empty field – bearing witness to the scale of show that had evidently been planned. Disappointing for everyone involved.

Happy 75th Morris Minor

Researching the history of the Morris Minor for my “Evolutions” series I was surprised to find a major iteration that I wasn’t aware of. I had already drawn the original 1948 MM with “cheese grater” grille and the classic 1000 with slatted grille (produced 1954-1971 with no obvious changes in that time other than the sidelights being replaced with combined sidelight/indicator), but I hadn’t realised there was a version in between the two…

The in between version retained the “cheese grater” grille (minus the chrome surround) but with the headlights moved from next to the grille up onto the wings and sidelights added next to the grille. The original MM and this version are known respectively as the “low light” and “high light”

Of course I corrected this omission, and then combined all three into a single “Evolution” work, with a special edition marking the 75th anniversary of the beloved “Moggie” (or “Morrie” for folks Down Under)

A gathering of Atkis

When I was a kid I was fascinated by heavy commercial vehicles, and in particular the mighty Atkinson. There was a haulage yard at the end of our street with a fleet of Atkinsons, and all day long they’d be pounding past our house. To me they were awesome, impressively noisy and powerful (and often surrounded by clouds of exhaust smoke). Where were they going? What were they hauling?

Of course the Big A logo on the radiator grille appealed to me as well, being the initial of our family name. To this day the Atki is one of my favourite vintage vehicles and – like the Hillman Imp – one I keep returning to when making designs. Here’s a selection of my Atkinson artworks, all available on various products in my shops on Amazon, Teepublic and Redbubble 🙂

When I saw on Facebook the “Second Annual Atkinson gathering” being held at the Sandtoft Trolleybus Museum in Lincolnshire, it was an event I didn’t want to miss. I made the 154 mile round trip on July 1, setting off in pouring rain which fortunately cleared to blue skies over the museum.

Unfortunately, there were only four Atkis present – two Borderers, a Venturer and a Searcher (which was at least a type I hadn’t seen before) – as well as a couple of Seddon Atkinson Stratos and a random ERF EC11. I suppose 7 lorries counts as a “gathering” and maybe my expectations were too high, but I’ve seen many more Atkis on display at Gaydon and the British Commercial Vehicle Museum Spring Show.

Someone told me quite a few lorries had “gone out on a run” before I arrived, and should be “back in half an hour”. 90 minutes later, 3 more Seddon Atkinsons had turned up but no sign of any more older Atkis, so I went home disappointed. The Trolleybus museum itself was interesting enough for a one-off visit but I won’t be bothering with the “Third Annual Atkinson gathering” if there is one next year.