Tucked away in the small city of Chester in the North West of England is a brilliant little monthly drawing event called Doodleplanet. The night is held at Telford’s Warehouse a vibrant, socialable venue which is popular to many of ye local folke. Doodleplanet is hosted by Illustrator David Setter, with Matty Setter providing the bopping upbeat tunes that keeps the creative mood.

It’s been growing steady over the last 12 months so I thought I’d pop down and check it out. We got there just after the starting time of 8pm and found there were quite a few enthused doodlers who had already got stuck in. We then proceeded to the greeting desk where we were met by none other than Felt Mistress (which was a lovely suprise). People not aware of FM’s awesome creature creations – get yourself educated here! Anyway she explained the setup and we hired some lovely poscas.

We then chose one of the many high quality artboards that lay dotted around the venue and we got stuck in. Needless to say during the 2hrs we were there, lots more people turned up. And with cool art kids sitting on the floor, gathered in groups and just getting their doodle on, it had a really friendly vibe, with people admiring each other’s work. It’s people doing what they love for the cause and getting involved. It has DIY ethics and morality all over it. Plus it’s a damn nice way to spend an evening.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a new concept. In fact I’ve been to a few similar events in Liverpool and hear of other’s in Manchester. But those always seemed quite cliquey and it seemed that as a first timer I was welcomed at Doodleplanet with open arms. I think the physical space also played a big part. It’s a fairly decent size and you can choose an artboard hung up under spotlight, grab one and sit at a table, or do what we did and sit in a corner doodling your heart out.

It was fantastic to see some of established local artists endorsing it too with their works. You can see some work from Jonathan Edwards, Julian Kimmings and Dan Berry below.

I’ll definately be going back (especially as it’s just down the road from my work), but I envisage it will continue to grow with Doodleplanet playing host to the exposure of some great upcoming artists. Do yourself a favour and get down there at the next available opportunity.

To find out when that next opportunity is you can visit the Doodleplanet facebook page! That’s where all the action is!

Here is another piece of other amazing work by someone who I unfortunately didn’t manage to catch the name of. Please do inform me if you know!

Finally, here is the result of when me and my good buddy Carl went a bit mad on some artboard ourselves.

Get yourself down there!

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According to designer toy store Pinkghost, the idea of the Chubby Book was the result of being unable to settle for a sketchbook, journal or postcard book. So they mashed up all three into one fat, cute, rounded corner book!

Artist Chubby Books are 250 page hardcover books including 10 artist designed postcards, 100 blank lined pages and 150 blank sketch pages for you to get creative on!

This is the first series of theArtist Chubby Book and it includes Julie West, Helena Garcia & 64 Colors.

What I really like about the books is that they can act as one sole place to store your own creative drawings, plan your daily activities and get inspired by one of the amazing illustrators. Useful, functional and inspirational!

If you like what you see, go ahead and support the artists and the great hardworking guys at Pinkghost. The books currently retail for $21.95 and you can buy the Chubby Books on the Pinkghost site!

When James from London based clothing brand Dirrrtee, hit me up recently to tell me about the new winter 09 range I knew I could expect some super sleek offerings. Dirrrtee has been busting out street smart designs since 2008, with their aim of combining streetwear with unique custom threads. In fact they initially specialised in producing individual custom hand made items for sale worldwide. Although they have since stopped customising one-offs, Dirrrtee only ever produces clothing in limited quantities, with the view that once an item has sold out it won’t be re-released.

And thus to mark the brand’s expansion, they are celebrating with 2 new limited editions, with only 150 of each made! The tees have are entitled “Seek Thy Truth” and “Gotta Get Dirrrtee to Get Fresh.” Both vary in style, message and colorways, but still maintain the high standard screenprint. They also include inner neck label print and matte finish swing tag. I like both prints but my personal fave is Seek thy truth as it features some beautifully symmetrical curves forming the famous triangle which houses the eye of providence, better known as the “all seeing eye”. The design is inspired by a love for wanting to know more about the world, but more importantly knowing more about yourself. Absolute WINNER!

The great thing about Dirrrtee is that there a bunch of great honest guys, working hard to produce some dang fine wears. If you have a few spare pennies lying around, go help this independent crew out! Get dirrrtee today!

This Just in… Dirrrtee X SB.TV collab!

They just keep on rockin’ the shizzle! Dirrrtee have teamed up with the UK’s most popular urban Street Broadcaster; SB.TV to produce a highly limited run. This t-shirt is limited to just 50 pieces(!) and available exclusively through the Dirrrtee online store. One of the kings of grime, Skepta has also personally endorsed it!

When I decided to get involved in Blog Action Day 2009, I didn’t know exactly what it was about climate change that I wanted to write about. So these are in no way the thoughts of everyone associated with Always Thinkin’, but merely my naive ramblings which might eventually constitute some kind of structured article in some way. I don’t expect you to agree with me, in fact I hope you don’t and you make your own decisions. Just remember to leave your comments below the article! Let’s begin…

Through the media we have been told that we can make a difference on a personal level, but I didn’t know exactly what. So I decided to use the WWF Carbon Footprint Calculator which is brilliantly simple to use, asking you a few questions about your food, travel, home and general lifestyle.

After filling in all that gubbins I was horrified to read the message

” You’re living as if we had 2.18 planets to support us but we only have one. “

which works out about 8.64 tonnes per annum! Just for little old me!!

What’s worse was that I felt the survey was far too general, and had they gone into the specifics about the many hours of TV watching, playing music and internet usage I’m sure it would have been much higher! I secretly felt like I was cheating the test. Yet I still failed!

I’ve since signed up to the WWF community to learn 100’s of new eco-friendly tips to reduce my carbon footprint. Such as using chemical-free laundry balls, buying a rainwater butt, growing own fruit and veg and sharing baths! However I’d have to draw the line at a cardboard coffin! Mind you who know’s what the future will bring…

It got me thinking about my lifestyle in general and how my carbon footprint could affect things. Take one small aspect of my life, my enjoyment of music. I listen to music all day, on my ipod, in my car, on spotify to help me work and sometimes have my ipod by me when I drift off to sleep. I also go to watch bands, possibly travelling to out of town gigs or festivals. Those bands haul a ton of gear which is manufactured in different parts of the world. Bands travel around the country and internationally too, that’s when they’re not practicing or recording a CD or music videos. Not to mention the companies and labels who help manufacture those products too. Is that all wasted energy for a little bit of musical enjoyment?

An article by Earth to tech discusses digital downloads and their obvious impact in cutting out the CD manufacturing / shipping process.

“If the buyer walks to a retail outlet to buy a CD, instead of driving, it’s about the same energy and carbon emissions as buying an album online and then burning it to a CD. In addition, if the size of the album is 260 MB (up from the more traditional 60-100 MB) then downloading and burning that album to a CD is about the same as buying an actual CD via e-commerce, because of the added energy from downloading it via the Internet.”

The same thing could be said about film, TV, sport, online media. It could drive you insane if you thought about it that much! I mean come on, I type this on my mac book pro, whilst I watch the England vs Belarus match through my Sky+ Box, whilst sending the odd text message. How many different organisations and data centres are running 24/7, 365 days a year to provide the different services I use?

When I think to myself about my occupation as a web designer in the creative industry I feel a bit screwed. That’s not even mentioning the fact that I’m already going blind, and in desperate need of regular exercise.

But there are people out there who are dedicated to inventing something bigger for the cause. Such as the do gooders over at The Good Entrepeneur who would probably be shunned out of Dragon’s Den for a lack of return within the first 3 years of investment. But they battle it out to help us all, and that deserves some respect.

It’s not for me to say how you run your life. We all have our own decisions in life to make, with greater immediate problems such as getting through the current credit crisis, making sure our families and loved ones are fed and keeping a roof above our heads. And as mentioned above, there lots of things to consider. So just like anything I probably won’t always make the right choice about things, but I know that deciding to live my life with an open positive mindset will always lead me down the right path to make the right judgements. And at least that way I can look back and always know that I made the conscious choice of who I wanted to be. That is the one thing that won’t change. It also saves the fiance from having to nag me to turn the upstairs light off.

What are your thoughts about how YOUR lifestyle is affecting climate change?

Here is a glimpse of an exciting new range of limited edition tees that will be available soon on Always Thinkin’. You can’t buy them just yet, but you can vote for your favourite one below! These tees will also be available at a special reduced launch price, so keep your eyes peeled for the full announcement!

1. Big Brain Machine (Grey)

2. The Brain Tendons (grey)

3. Big Brain Machine (White)

4. The Brain Tendons (White)

When Vannen Watches said they were gonna give us a special treat this halloween we never knew it was going to be THIS mindblowing. For their latest special limited edition watch they summoned the magical powerful force that is Dirty Donny. For those not in the know Dirty Donny is the defacto artist when it comes to creating all things scary and monster like! He’s created a real treat of a design too – the fierce cat face has instantly made this my favourite watch in the vannen catalogue so far.

When they say limited edition they mean it too. This release is blind packed, with just 150 halloween watches altogether and just 50 of the super rare chase ‘TOXIC YELLOW’ colour, so you’ll have to grab them quick!

They’ve also gone the full way with the packaging too – each watch is shipped in the ‘Trick or Treat Orange’ stuffed full of treats! Vannen don’t do things by halves, just deliver quality time after time.

Head over to Vannen Watches and grab yourselves a seasonal treat and be the envy of all your scary werewolf and dracula friends.

Whisper: Stay tuned to Always Thinkin’ for an interview with Vannen Watches very soon!

Beartrap is a DIY promotion and publicity company that’s focused on establishing a strong community with the people who are dedicated to making (or supporting) music for the sake of music. Beartrap strives to be a forum where people can question conventional ideas. Fostering a tight-knit community of friends and colleagues who continue to challenge the status quo and excite us with their music is my number one priority. We contend that everyone has something special to contribute to this underground, DIY culture; here’s your opportunity to share it.

They also have a not-so-fancy motto:

They recently contacted me to tell me about some ace new bands who I’ve been spinning ever since. What’s better is that these artists have released these records for free / on a donation based deal. Just check out what’s on offer. These aren’t your myspazz rejects, who are all promo shots with no substance. If you’re a fan of independent music, who work hard, play hard and rock hard then you’ll like the following acts.

Merit

There’s something to be said for an incredibly well-rounded indie rock record – the type of jam that doesn’t necessarily beg for any careful, concentrated attention but nevertheless draws you closer and closer with repeated spins. Bands who craft winning albums like that – Syracuse, New York’s Merit, for example – might not get the credit they rightly deserve, but they’re happy to plug away with solid, enjoyable tunes that have undeniable staying power.

For fans of: Bayside / Tsunami Bomb / Paramore

Merit on myspace | Download Arson is for Lovers

Friends of Friends

If you enjoy punchy gritty vocals and strong steady beats, you’ll like Friends of Friends. They sound pretty damn good on record and I can imagine they get the crowd going when the play live with their dual vocals and light uptempo riffs. What’s better is that they have sampled a Flight of conchords quote on one of their tracks. Can’t beat that really can you?

For fans of: Against Me, Living with Lions,

Friends of Friends on myspace | Download Deep Search

Lipona

Hailing from the college town of Tallahassee, Florida, Lipona is a four-piece rock band that derives it’s sound from punk-rock and experiments with elements of ambient and post-hardcore music to create a unique “fast tempo” blend of powerful choruses, gang vocals and sing alongs.

For fans of: Belvedere, Slick Shoes

Lipona on myspace | Download Pigeonholed

I had the pleasure of recently attending the launch night for the new tattoo inspired Ink Bar in Liverpool, and I was pretty stoked with what I saw. First of all, Tattoo inspired you say, what does that exactly entail? Well it was visual treat of inked beauty on the walls with spotlight lit artwork in a bright modern venue. Banishing the dark dingy stigma of both tattoo parlours and night clubs. On the night there were also live tattooists inking keen folk, and apparently all the bar people have all been decorated too. While I was in a drunken splendour I was pleased to catch two awesome live bands too – The fantastic Gentleman’s Pistols (Fans of 70’s vintage rock / Wolfmother” will be pleased”) and the ever crazy ready pschobilly band Blue Demon. It was a bonny old evening and I now think every city should have an Ink bar!

Official Bio:

The Masque, a newly refurbished night club and venue, plays host to some of the finest bands and DJs from around the world. The stunning three room venue has its own tattoo studio themed bar ‘Ink’, The Loft, and The Theatre. Each room has its own unique characteristics, and all generate amazing atmospheres for the artists and audiences alike. During Liverpool Music Week, the venue plays host to Daniel Johnston, Chrome Hoof, Crazy P, The Bays, Brand New Heavies, Twisted Wheel and The Holloways amongst the very many!

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