I love getting immersed in the wider world of mountain biking. It’s a bit more than riding for me at this point. In my spare time, as you probably know by now, I like to snap some photos. I’ve also been doodling little bits and bobs more recently too. Some of that has meant that some exciting things have happened.
A while back, I sketched a design that made perfect sense as a mudguard. A little work later, and some help from Reaper, there it was. A real mudguard. They sold out in the first week. At the same time, I used some of the doodles I had sitting about for stickers. They also went down a storm, although I could afford to get a much bigger run of those printed so there are actually some of those left.
I’ve also been playing around with some doodles and turning them into animated GIFs. Those things that you can use on Instagram as ‘stickers’ in your stories. At this point, I have over 20 little animations that can be found on Instagram stickers by searching ‘Pedal Slip’. It’s just a bit of fun for spicing up our social media.
However, one of the more exciting things that has happened with an illustration involves Radical All Mountain. They’re a new bike brand specialising in awesome hardtails. They’re hoping to get the prototype into the country before the end of the year (COVID pending, of course). They reached out and asked if I fancied sketching them something for a t-shirt design. In the end, it turned into their head badge and brand logo too. Considering I’ve never pushed my sketches as an opportunity for work, this is huge for me. I’m absolutely honoured to have created something that is now worn by people up and down the country as well as a being recognised as an actual bike brand. It’s insane.
What’s happening in the future for my sketches, then? Well, I’ve got no idea. I’m currently working on something with The Northern Rider and, now that I’m working as an ambassador alongside HKT there’s scope for some more custom products. There might be some more sticker packs available on my shop at some point. Otherwise, I’ve got no master plan. I’m just going to keep doodling and see what happens. If you’ve got an interesting idea, or you want to work together on something, let me know. I’m always keen to hear from you.