Other People’s Graffiti (Southend car edition)

In today’s exciting instalment of Other People’s Graffiti we have a bashed up Astra with ‘twat’ scrawled on it that we saw whilst on our travels in Southend. Now, whilst the handstyle is a little basic there’s no mistaking the message. I could sit here all day making up comical reasons why this could have taken place but sadly I don’t know anything about it so speculation is all I’ve currently got. I’m currently erring towards a jealous lover style situation. If you happen to live in Southend and know anything about this little bit of street art I’d appreciate if you’d drop us a line. Inquiring minds need to know.

Cheers

id-iom

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No. 6

Alan, or Patrolbot No. 6 to his friends, had a dark secret. He was a Metropolitan Police Patrol Unit with limited AI (for difficult on-the-spot decisions) and had been patrolling the same area of South London for a number of years. During this time he had seen a distinct rise in graffiti, street art and tagging and had been busting heads for lesser crimes as long as his memory banks could recall but at some undefined point during the last twelve months he had taken the unilateral decision to become a graffiti artist. Why? He couldn’t be entirely sure. Maybe it was a faulty circuit. Or maybe not.

He didn’t want to find out and had so resolved to keep it concealed during his 6 monthly maintenance service. One thing he was sure of (and was infinitely proud of) was that ‘Alan’ was up all over his borough. No one had more pieces up than he. He made sure of that as he knew all the local patrol times. Now his skills were improving it was time to move onto bigger and better things…

For this bad lad I was just messing around with some old stencils I found but really quite like how this one turned out. It’s on A3 paper. Let us know if you’re interested in him…

Cheers

id-iom

Let the sun shine in – A choose your own adventure piece

Sunburst!

Picture this. You’re id-iom and the sun is shining. You find a stencil which had been been sat there ready to spray but had somehow been forgotten. What do you do next? Well, you set about rectifying the problem just as quickly as you can. After identifying a likely looking door made of corrugated plastic you round up some paint and get to work. That door is ugly and needs an id-iom style makeover. As there’s 2 of you the next sequence is somewhat schizophrenic as you talk to yourself in order to get things done.

After only a short while you reach another hurdle in that you’d applied too much masonry paint and now have to sit there and watch paint dry. Being a resourceful pair of chaps you then decide there is a better use of your time so head to the nearest pub for some liquid refreshment. On your return you fear there will be no chance for a decent photo but to your surprise the photography gods are with and give you a nice backlit effect. Win. You go to bed that night thinking if you have to be id-iom for one more second you’ll probably go mad.

Cheers

id-iom

Me and Mr Snuffles – by Lila (aged 4)

It’s funny isn’t it. If a 4 year old passed you just about anything and motioned there was someone on the phone for you you’d probably have a quick fake phone call using the banana (or whatever you were handed) before passing it back and suggesting whoever was on the line wanted to speak to them again. You would probably feel a bit stupid doing it but you’d do it all the same to make the child happy.

Somehow, on the transition from childhood to becoming an adult we lose this mysterious skill of being able to imagine just about anything is real. Or face being carted off to the nearest mental institution. Which is quite a harsh penalty for something that’s positively encouraged as a child.

Anyway, this little girl is strolling round without a care in the world as she has her imaginary ‘dog’, Mr Snuffles, to keep her company. And who’s to say she’s wrong. Not me as I did the picture in the first place.

As a little bonus here’s my original child-like sketch of Mr Snuffles…

Cheers

id-iom

The Power of Rah

With wall one at Rah Rah Room completed it was then time to turn our attention to the next wall. The wall is situated directly ahead as you descend the stairs into the club so needed to be high impact and a clear indicator of the kind of night you’d find yourself in for. The decision was made that it was to be the lady in the necklace and fancy Rah Rah head dress. After just a weekend to get supplies and otherwise get prepared it’s then time to get to work. Once the lady was up and her head dress was just as fancy as can be came the somewhat laborious task of applying a load of diamantes to her necklace and a couple to her eyes to give them a bit of sparkle. The only remaining task was then trying to get a decent shot of it all. Which we didn’t seem to do very well at. I can only assure you that she sparkles beautifully and has lots of diamantes set into her necklace.

Cheers

id-iom

The lion sleeps tonight

I think my psychic powers must finally be improving. Just a couple of weeks ago I cut a stencil of a winged lion and then, sure enough, just a few days later the biggest story on the internet is of the dentist from Ohio who illegally Zimbabwe’s most famous lion, Cecil, whilst on an illegal hunt. I think it fair to say the hunter has most definitely become the hunted and Mr Palmer will have to live in fear of his own safety for some time to come. I’m sure there’s something fitting and karmic in that. Anyway, here’s our little tribute to poor old Cecil who has undoubtedly become more powerful in death than he ever was alive. The force is strong in that one. And where better to put it than Cecil Road. In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight. Wimoweh.

Cheers

id-iom

Blessed are the cracked

So there I was moseying down my street in the sunshine and ahead I spot my neighbour giving her street-side wall a nice coat of white paint to freshen it up a bit. One quick chat later and it appears I’ve got myself another little job. Given that it’s a fairly small wall a simple enough brief was all that was required. A little deliberation later and it was decided that it was to be the Groucho Marx quote ‘Blessed are the cracked for they let in the light’. That worked for me. All that was then needed was to find a suitably bold font and to actually get off the sofa to get it cut and sprayed. Once I’d achieved sofa escape velocity the rest was easy. So there you have it.

Cheers

id-iom

This means war!

You know how they say there’s a bullet somewhere with your name on it? In this case it was a giant arrow and it definitely had my name on it. Anyway, there I was minding my own business ambling to the shop when I hear an odd whooshing sound behind me getting swiftly louder. I stop for a second and am just turning around when something flashes behind me and lodges itself in the pavement with a concrete rending crunch. For a second I’m in disbelief. Then I realise that my old nemesis has broken the ceasefire and loosed a first salvo of their house busting giant arrows… THIS. MEANS. WAR!

Cheers

id-iom

Never Forever

Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth we were in Camden painting when we noticed the large wooden desktop propped nearby that had probably just been dumped that day (otherwise it would surely already be covered in paint). A couple of beers later and a little doodle seemed like the best way forward.  So, in between getting the other piece finished and quaffing cold beer whilst trying to stay warm, this little bad lad began to reveal himself. Once he was there the text just seemed to suggest itself and seemed quite fitting as the whole area is due to be demolished this week. You can probably find him in a nearby skip by now…

Cheers

id-iom